The Kuthun (32 page)

And with that I was gone.

I teleport back to where I was standing only moments earlier. Silence fills the corridor and the darkness threatens to suck me into its cavernous hands.

I sense nothing.

Magi where are you? I project my thought out to her and receive an image almost instantly of her running across the oval, chasing the Venator into the woods.

I run to the exit door and take the stairs down two at a time. My feet land hard against the concrete and I take off sprinting. My power is pulsating, vibrating through my core.
You better not hurt her
. I run past the Sequoia and can see the outline of the owl perched upon the branch, watching me intently.

‘I don’t have time for you now birdy,’ I pant, as I sprint past picking up speed.

My feet feel like they are flying across the oval. I make the tree line in record time, searching it for any sign of movement. I hesitate only a second before my instincts kick in, sensing Magi’s presence. I swerve right and head deeper into the thickets, slowing to a jog as low-lying branches and bushes impede my speed.

The moon shines down upon the dense foliage of the overhanging trees, emitting only the faintest light.

I hear the sound of flapping wings above me and catch a glimpse of the owl in flight. Its presence alerting me to the fact that danger is near.

My senses lead me further and further into the woods. All around me the air is still, even the nightly chorus of cicadas have taken silent refuge in the ominous nightfall that surrounds them.

Up ahead I see a silver blinking light. At first I think it must just be a firefly or something, but then recognition stirs within me.

Mum
.

As I get closer a sharp, tearing pain rips through my rib cage.

I scream out, falling to the ground. I cannot breathe, my muscles constricting around the pain. I shut my eyes and take in short sharp breaths. I try and push up with my good side but the pain nearly causes me to black out. Pulling my hand away I look for blood but there is none. It isn’t me that’s hurt.

Magi!

I bite my lip, cringing through the pain, and force myself up to a sitting position. I have to get to her but it’s no use. The pain is excruciating and my vision blurs. I fall back down to the ground, looking up at the stars that have provided a map of the universe for thousands of years.

‘Help me,’ I whisper.

The air above me starts to ripple and I sense very strongly the presence of another being here with me.

‘Mum,’ I softly say. I am answered with a small breeze that stirs my hair. Her presence flows in and around me, leaving her all too familiar scent of jasmine lingering in the air. I feel a warm sensation enter my side and I stifle a cry. Slowly the pain starts to subside.

I gather all the strength I can muster and slowly get up onto my feet.

I search the night for any sign of her. ‘Mum?’

‘Get to Magi,’ I hear her whisper on the breeze.

Wincing through the dull pain left over I make my way forward cautiously, aware of the threat that is looming.

I come to a dirt path which leads into a grove within the understorey of the towering forest canopy. I’ve seen this place before. I walk towards it, keeping my footsteps light and my senses alert. I search the surrounding darkness for any sign of my enemy.
He
’s
out there somewhere, I can feel it
.

An eerie silence encompasses me, causing me to stop in my tracks. I take one more tentative step forward and then out of nowhere I hear the hooting of an owl.

I quickly duck and roll as I hear the whizzing of air shoot past me. I get up and sprint as fast as I can to the nearest tree, my heart pounding within my chest.

If he’s shooting at me, where’s Magi? Panic threatens to close off my throat. My breath becomes ragged and uneven.

I peer around the trunk of the pine tree and into the gloom, to the centre of the grove. I see a dark outline unmoving on the ground.

Magi!

My hands and feet feel like they are on fire. The heat extends into every part of my body until I can’t bear it any longer. I release the magic.

With the confidence of a madwoman I walk out from behind the tree and head straight for the grove, remembering where I had seen it before. It comes back to me now…the dream.

I feel the ripple of air coming towards me before I see the glimmer of steel, and just before it makes contact I teleport. I land to the left of Magi, protected by the trees.

My eyes search the area, wanting the Venator to make himself known. Minutes pass and I remain still, waiting him out.

And then I see him.

His eyes peer out into the gloom and the reflection of his irises capture the moonlight, giving them a nocturnal glaze.

I step out from behind the trunk, unafraid and ready to end this curse that has plagued our family for generations. I let the Cole blood flow through every cell within me. I feel the strength of Isis, my mother, Ama and Magi. I feel the power of my future, of my own survival, and then I feel myself transform.

He steps out of the gloom to face me, this enemy of mine. We stand off on either end of the earthen grove. His body is taught and hard, ready to strike. His face is contorted in anger, yet for just an instant I catch a glimpse of something that looks like…desire. The look vanishes before I can make sense of it.

The temperature drops around me suddenly. The atmosphere is deathly still.

‘I’ve been waiting a long time to kill you,’ he growls. I see the glint of steel in his hands.

I laugh—a low, mocking sound emanates from my mouth. Its coldness surprises me. ‘You cannot kill me. This curse will end tonight.’

‘We’ll see about that.’ He sneers as he lunges towards me.

He moves quickly. Much quicker than I anticipated. Before I can react I am throwing myself to the side, away from the dangers of the dagger he wields.

He comes at me again, like a panther in the night, but this time I am ready.

A bright blue ball of light shoots out from my hand and finds its target. The Venator flies through the air and lands heavily against the hard ground.

He slowly gets up and regains his balance. He hesitates for only a moment before charging at me again. He ducks and rolls and moves with lightning speed.

My hands are circling one another, the magic swirling between them, ready for the next attack. As he pounces towards me my hands shoot out again and a flash of blue lights up the grove.

He is ready this time and dodges the light, which hits a nearby tree—shaking hundreds of leaves from its canopy.

As he flashes past I feel a burst of pain. I reach down to my hip, to find blood on my hands, the brunt of the knife thankfully deflected by the Kevlar vest.

I turn quickly, just as he lunges again, and without thinking I teleport, missing the next slash by only a margin.

As my feet touch the littered ground behind him I hear him snarl in frustration. He comes at me again, eyes hungry for revenge.

My hand reaches out and a blast of light zig-zags through the air like a thunderbolt, hitting him squarely in the stomach. He is thrown back a few metres and rolls quickly back into position to stand before me again. I can see him breathing rapidly as his legs tremble beneath him. He is losing stamina.

In a desperate attempt he flings the knife at me with such precision that as I swerve out of its way I feel it fly past and miss my left cheek by only a few inches. Before I can regain my wits, the full force of his body hits mine, sending us sprawling amongst the leafy undergrowth. I flail my arms about in a futile attempt to fight him off but I cannot compete with his physical strength.

I gasp for air, trying to fight off his strong hands that are wrapped tightly around my throat. The oxygen slowly starts to cut off the flow to my brain, causing me to see stars. As I start to lose consciousness I see him slowly unearth another object from the back of his pants. The knife glimmers beneath the moonlight above me.

I suddenly catch movement to my left and a flash of black rushes towards me. Magi lunges at the Venator in a final attempt to protect me. She forces him off me and they go sprawling along the ground. He kicks Magi off and she whimpers, before laying still once more.

‘MAGI!’ I scream.

My emotions enrage me. A gust of wind lifts me onto my feet and I face the Venator, burning hatred seething through every fibre within me.

The Venator’s eyes widen in alarm and he cries out in pain as the knife is whipped from his hand and flung aside. He slowly starts to levitate off the ground, his body paralysed in space, unable to move of its own accord. His eyes show fear and confusion, and yet I sense something else there—of what I can’t be sure.

The Cole blood rushes through me, reaching every inch of my body. It throbs with thirst, hungry for release.

The magic forces his body into the air and he is suspended, as if caught in a spider’s web.

My eyes never leave his face. The magic flowing through me is so intense. I feel powerful, strong and unstoppable. I feel myself grin sardonically as I levitate off the ground.

The earth beneath me stirs with confusion. Nothing can stop me now. The leaves of the dense canopy move to the rhythm of my power and the light murmur of their green voices fills the night. I close my eyes and reach out my arms to the moon.

My voice echoes through the darkness. ‘Ramira ba laminsa. Do nara ma suka. Ba nada ra mel—’

‘Stop!’ I hear him cry out.

I pause, intrigued at his response.

‘Please stop!’ He struggles to free his body but the attempt is futile. His eyes are pleading with me to release him. ‘It doesn’t have to be like this.’

I lower my gaze. ‘It is too late for forgiveness. Your debt must be paid.’ My voice is eerily strange and…not my own. What is happening? A shiver of fear runs through me for a second and then it is gone, I am controlled once more.

And then I hear her…my mother. Her voice is clear and strong. ‘Elena, remember who you are. Feel your way to the truth.’

A jolt of electricity runs through me.
What is happening
? I try and shake myself out of the internal battle warring within me. She is too strong, this other power taking over. She is emerging as her own entity within me, using me, revelling in the magic.

The blood of Isis
.

Did drinking her blood merge our magic as one? I didn’t sign up for this. Not to lose myself forever. The realisation that Isis’ magic is wanting to take over, that somehow it merged with my power and now wants to dominate me, causes fear to sit like a lead balloon in my stomach.

My eyes catch movement below me. The emotion that those wolf-like amber eyes transmit through the pale gloom gives me the strength I need to break through the barrier within my mind.

I use everything I’ve got to push the other power aside. I feel my way to the core of who I am, to the future that lay before me. ‘You have saved our people,’ I remember Isis saying.

The cool night air touches my skin once again and I slowly feel myself floating back to earth. My feet touch the ground and my legs threaten to give way. I remember what I have to do.

‘Ministera monala ra,’ I softly say, while shooting a sliver of light towards him.

It hits his chest, pushing him back against the trunk of an old tree, knocking him unconscious.

I hobble over to him, my physical body exhausted, battered and bruised. The pain reminds me that I am human, that I am alive. I kneel down beside him and with shaky hands I retrieve the vial from my jacket.

I uncork the stopper and open his mouth slightly. I pour the remaining blood of Isis in.

I let the vial drop and I collapse beside him. I have nothing left. Before the darkness takes me I look up to see the eyes of the owl looking down upon me from up high. It watches me fall into nothingness.

I wake up to the touch of someone’s hand on my face. I can feel them stroking my cheek.

‘Aunt Lily?’ I whisper, my throat raspy and dry.

‘No.’ I hear a man’s voice answer.

I know that voice. I’ve heard it before.

I sit up quickly, a sharp pain invading my skull. ‘What!’ I scramble backwards, away from his touch.

‘It’s okay,’ he says calmly, no more hint of venom in his voice.

I look around to find that we are still in the grove. The sun is rising over the range and the birds have taken up their morning song in the trees around me.

‘I won’t harm you,’ he says.

‘Get away from me!’ I yell. My head pounds with the force of my voice. I shut my eyes against the pain and when I open them I see Magi still lying helpless on the ground.

I quickly crawl towards her and take her head in my arms. ‘Magi?’ I sob. ‘Mags, can you hear me girl?’ I stroke her snout and let my tears fall onto her crown. I can feel the shallow rhythm of her breathing through her fur.

‘I’m sorry,’ he says. ‘I didn’t know.’

I look up at him, no fight left within me. ‘Know what?’ I manage to ask.

He looks at me sadly. ‘The truth.’

His words hit a nerve within me and I focus on his face. What did he see? Was it the same truth that Isis showed me, or was his truth different? I shake off the uncertainty surrounding his change of heart. I can’t trust it. I can’t trust him. And yet, his eyes are no longer vengeful and full of hate. They are now filled with…hope?