The Artifact of Dissium (Demona Book 2) (15 page)

“I do not know what it said. I can only tell you that she seemed more curious than angry afterwards. I believe the best course of action would be to seek her out, instead of vice versa,” Kearne said.

“I don’t think so. We need to keep on track to find the artifact. We can’t afford to waste time, we’ve already lost time because I needed the rations. We have to find the artifact as soon as possible.”

“I agree,” said Felix. “Lives are at stake.”

“Yes,” Demona said. “If the Queen is looking for me, then let her continue. We’ve got more important things to do.”

“Very well,” Kearne said.

We should continue our journey now. The longer we wait the greater the chance that Fotos has moved
, Aero said.

Demona pulled the flasks from the bag one by one. She wrapped each of the glass flasks in a piece of her clothing to provide some padding. Then, she placed them delicately into her pack. Demona hoped that each of them would survive the journey; they could not afford any accidents.

“Kearne, how did you get into Dissium?” Demona asked. “If Darius sent you, then you couldn’t have summoned a Power.”

“The Fallen granted me entrance.”

The group prepared for journey. Felix and Demona had grabbed their packs. Aero made his way slowly in the direction they would take.

“You mean a Power?” Demona asked.

Aero spoke.
The Fallen are any number of Aleph’s angels that have chosen a darker path despite their nature. There are several Powers that have become Fallen. They often grant dark and neutral beings access to Dissium
.

“Wait a minute. I thought being a dark or light being meant that was what you were. That there was no say in the matter…I thought only neutral beings had the option to choose a side?” Demona said.

“No. Unfortunately, there are some who have turned against one side or another,” Ileana said.

“Am I one of those beings?” Demona asked.

“I don’t know, Demona,” Felix said. “I don’t know much about what is going on with you, but I think there is more to your situation than just choosing light over darkness. I mean the prophecy did say that you would choose. Your lineage is still a mystery.”

Demona felt uncertain about all of this new information. The things she thought she knew seemed to be turned upside down with each day of their journey. She wanted to find a simple answer, or a simple solution, to who she was and why she was the
Mythos
. Things were never that easy.

What little information Kearne had offered only made Demona feel more uneasy about the future. She could not help but wonder what Darius had written to the Queen about, and why she had been so curious about Demona. She only hoped that whatever happened for the remainder of the journey would not prevent them from reaching the artifact. She wanted nothing more than to return home quickly and to stop the demons from causing anymore harm to the town’s people.

Chapter 14:

The Forest of Grief

The remainder of the night had passed by uneventfully. They made their journey, led by Aero, around the lake and proceeded to travel through
the forest. When dawn came the clouds had covered the sun making the surroundings slightly more visible than it had been with the light of the moon. Demona also came to the conclusion that she hated looking at trees. They had traveled through so much forest that she longed for different scenery.

A cold front had moved into the area and cooled off the remaining heat from the warm night. With the cold came wind and rain. The sky brightened momentarily and was followed by the crack of thunder. The booming noise seemed to rumble around them, as if they were hearing the sound of hundreds of boulders rolling down a mountain.

The group was miserable, except for Kearne who always seemed to be a little too cheerful. Demona’s clothes were soaked and clung to her body. She tried to remain optimistic as they traveled. She noticed that Felix and Ileana were growing irritable with the weather, also. Ileana mumbled under her breath and attempted to shield the rain with her arms crossed over her head. Ileana had once been the optimist of the group, until Kearne had joined them. Felix looked exhausted and worn down. The lack of good sleep was weighing on him more than the others.

They stopped to rest for a moment at a large pine tree. Its branches were bare at the bottom of the trunk creating the perfect place for them to stand under. The thick pine needles also offered a level of protection from the rain, except for when the rain was being blown sideways by the gusty wind.

Demona studied Felix. He let out a big sigh and wrapped his arms around himself. He looked cold, so Demona decided to offer her companions a little relief. She accessed the freely flowing
mageia
around her and separated the downpour. The separation worked as a force field that pushed the weather away from them, so that they were no longer being assaulted by the wind and rain.

“Thanks,” Felix said. He looked up at her with drooping eyes.

“No problem.” Demona replied. Then, Demona produced a fire that hovered just above the needle covered ground.

Felix held his hands over the flames in an attempt to dry himself off.

Ileana had now taken phoenix form. She ruffled her brown feathers and sprayed those around her with water droplets. She then proceeded to clean each of the feathers delicately with her rubbery tongue. She turned her head around and nibbled on her back.

Demona noticed that Kearne watched Ileana carefully. She turned back to see Ileana’s pupils decrease to the size of pinpoints; she was clearly agitated. She let out a loud squawk in his direction, just in case he had not already received the message.

Kearne looked away from her. Demona found it curious that these two creatures held so much hostility for one another after only knowing each other for a short amount of time.

Demona placed herself in front of Kearne’s view. “I think you should go find us some food.”

Kearne pointed at himself. “Why me? Lover boy is more than capable.”

“Shut it,” Demona said. “You are going to find some food, because you seem more than happy with this situation. I don’t see why it would hurt for you to walk back into the rain. Besides, Darius sent you here, because you knew Dissium. I’m sure you know what you are looking for.”

“I’ll need a few items, before I go,” Kearne said. He could not resist a challenge.

Felix reached into his pack and searched for something. He pulled out several items that he had placed inside before they left Gleannbroch. He produced a tightly woven net, picture wire, and a small pocket knife from the pack. “I’m sure you can find something by using these.”

Kearne took the items from Felix and stuffed them into his pockets. Without saying another word he walked out into the soggy weather and disappeared into the forest.

Ileana was back in her human form. “What a creep.”

“I know. I guess we can be thankful that he hasn’t threatened to use his influence over us?” Demona said.

Ileana shook her head. “He’s more cocky than most. There’s something else going on with him.”

Aero nickered,
The Gancanagh have egos that grow in the presence of women. They also become more competitive when they sense the affection of another male towards one of their potential victims
.

“I thought he couldn’t hurt us,” Demona said.

He cannot, but that does not mean that his instincts have left him
, Aero said.

Felix was still huddled near the fire. He took off his shirt and wrung the rainwater from it.

“Where do we go next?” Demona asked.

We continue through the Forest of Grief and cross the river ahead. Let us hope that the rains have not caused it to swell, or we may be waiting a day or two for it to recede
, Aero said.

“I can see why they call if the Forest of Grief. I’ve never felt so miserable,” Felix said. “At least, I’m drying off now.”

Demona must have fallen asleep as they continued to rest under the great pine. Kearne had returned carrying a skinned rabbit at the end of a piece of picture wire.

Demona woke to find him roasting the meat over the fire that still burned. “A rabbit? I’m impressed. I thought you’d come back with berries or something…How did you catch it?”