Once it was decided that the three of them would be leaving to investigate the ruins the meeting dispersed. The trio checked on their kids first and thankfully they were still sleeping. Lightning was sitting on Sefirin’s bed dozing off but he did drowsily wave at them. After a long moment of looking over their sleeping children, they moved onward.
The trio took the stairs and walked down to the first floor of the castle. It was shaped like a block down here with many corridors. They walked to the main gate where Susan was already there waiting for them. She had a trio of belts hanging off her hip with pouches bringing it down.
“Before I forget,” she said reaching into one pouch she pulled out a pile of glass sticks. The edges were rounded and scattered the light every which way. There were about six of them and she held them out to Dawn. “These are for the kids.”
Dawn stared at them skeptically picking up one. “They’ll choke on these.”
Susan blinked, “Dammit. They might. Okay. Well. Send your magic through it. They turn into things. I’m sure they’re old enough to know how to do that. At least Seffy is. I’ll show them how they work when we get back.”
Dawn wrapped the top again and put it away. She turned to face her partners and made another face, “I don’t have to tell you to be careful.”
“No you don’t but I know you will anyway,” Nero said teasingly.
“Yes, I will. Both of you. Be careful. Please.”
Lily cupped her face in her hands and kissed her gently, “I’ll be careful for the both of us baby.”
Dawn kissed her back stroking her cheek, “I know you will luza.”
“I take layers of offense to all of this,” Nero pretended to be annoyed. “I’ll be careful princess.”
Dawn reached up into his hair pulling him down for a kiss as well, stroking her thumb over his eye, and then tapped his nose, “You better luzo. I love you. Both of you.”
“I love you too,” Lily and Nero said almost at the same time and glanced at each other then.
“You three just so adorable,” Susan said and they all rolled their eyes. “It’s true.”
Sharing one more hug they backed away grouping up with Susan. The doors opened and outside on the path were four armored guards. They stepped forward, the metal of their boots clinking across the cobblestones.
“We will be journeying with you,” one guard said coming forward lowering his head.
Nero glanced between the four of them and finally shrugged, “Fine by me.”
Susan walked ahead of them all and pulled out a compass. Holding it in front of her she pressed her hand to it and pulled it back projecting a map above it. It was smaller but well detailed. She took the lead and pointed ahead of them. “Alright fall in. We’re going on a journey.”
She started running and Lily and Nero fell into step behind her used to doing things like this. It was more difficult for the guards but they picked up on the rhythm after a few strides. From the gate the path they ran down snaked around, going straight into the forest but the trees parted for the main road.
It was a wide road that could take three horses wide if need be. But they weren’t going to stay on it for long. Splintering off onto one of the side roads. And from there they broke off entirely into the forest itself. Navigating through the tree limbs, branches, and just general holes.
But Susan kept the map in front of her and kept them on track. The sun above streaked through the branches decorating the ground with leaf patterns. Lily hopped forward kicking through a pile of leaves and giggled watching them fall. Dancing around them she could see a young Sefirin darting through the leaves and filling the forest with his laughter.
She turned around looking at Nero. He was chasing after Susan’s path but he wasn’t smiling like she knew he would be. Normally he may have turned this into a game or competition. But he was focused on things, quiet. Tense. She frowned feeling a tension mounting at the back of her neck.
The shadows were now hiding threats and dangers to her and she closed her eyes. She could remember the first time that she’d run into the nil. Alien creatures that looked like shadows given life. She could only really remember bright yellow eyes, sharp claws and teeth, and a sadistic savagery that was beyond animal.
They’d been running for the better part of an hour and she watched as their scenery changed. The trees had thinned out, spreading into a clearing that sloped downward. In the ground in front of them turning into stone. Alastor used to guess that this was a town square long before the castle had been built.
As they hit the bottom of the steps they spread out staring at the area. There was a clear circular ring of stone that probably once been a fountain. Around it was what could have been broken benches. The trees opened above their heads letting in some sunlight.
The guards spread out, setting up a perimeter while giving the trio free reign of the territory. Lily walked up to Susan’s side folding her arms. “So, what’ve you got?”
Susan turned the compass around spinning the needle. It spun faster and the map it previously displayed disappeared. Instead, it spread around in every direction like a giant bubble. It swept over the former plaza and the guards and the surrounding forest.
She stared at the compass and made a frustrated sound putting it away. “What?”
“Nothin. Just. I did a sweep and I can’t get anything. It’s just empty. There’s nothing going on here,” she spread her arms around them. “Just us. Some birds. And nothing.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Lily asked and turned around looking for her husband. She finally spotted him standing on top of a stone wall. He was standing in what was a window a long time ago and clinging to the frame. It barely got him on level with the trees as he searched.
“Maybe Madeline was wrong,” Lily continued. “Maybe it was a real coincidence.”
“Do you really believe that?” Susan turned to face her.
Lily shook her head, “I want to. I want Madeline to just be paranoid. And jumping at shadows.” She dug her fingers through her ponytail feeling the stress in her fingers. “I don’t want that nightmare to come back.”
Susan tried to smile but it ended up becoming a grimace. “I remember when they attacked the tournament. And the first time we ran into them.”
“At the fight club,” Lily said softly and Susan nodded. “And then again during our break from school. When we realized just how real a threat they were.” She walked away from the fountain throwing her hands up and let out a muted shout. “And then there’s my idiot husband.”
“Your idiot husband. My idiot ex and my idiot best friends. Running into danger face first when the smart thing was to go the literal opposite direction,” Susan smirked.
“What did that make you?”
“An idiot who followed you guys. And eventually saved the world. Fifty fifty on that first part. Might have been my plan all along.” They shared a giggle and Susan turned toward Nero again. “He really got us through that didn’t he?”
Lily smiled warmly at his back, “One thing Nero is good at is giving corny speeches. Terrible apologies though. So so thank you notes.”
Nero shouted over his shoulder, “You think my thank you notes are so so?”
“Yeah babe they’re not great but they’re really sweet.”
Susan started to say something when her compass began to ding. It was a short metallic noise but it was consistent. Her eyes darted to it and then her head whipped back and forth to the forest. Lily felt the sudden wave of tension in her and raised her fists turning around. “What is it Suzy?”
“We’ve got incoming. Lots of incomings,” she glanced around to the guards. “Weapons ready! Nemo get your lizard butt down here!”
Lily turned to the trees and she watched them rustle and part for the first of the creatures. It was exactly as she remembered. A black creature with a long torso and limbs but large hands, feet, and head. It stood taller than her but was hunched as it moved barely up to her chest. Its eyes were numerous, all of them bright yellow and filled with hate.
It sprinted past the line of guards as if they weren’t even there right for her. Lily was ready for this thrusting her hand forward. The wind rushed around her catching the creature out of the air and blowing it back into the trees. They cracked under the impact but she knew that was just the beginning.
One by one they appeared, darting from the darkness and hissing. There were about half a dozen of them and these, the guards were ready for. They rushed to face the oncoming wave and brought their hands up. Walls of translucent magic appeared at their arms and they shoved them into the ground. Raising their other arms, they raised metal sticks that expanded into full length spears.
Nil slammed into their wall, letting out the shrill magic laced shrieks. Their claws dug into the shields and they threw themselves against the shields, driving back the guards. There wasn’t so many nil that they had to be concerned about being surrounded but they were strong enough to shove them backward.
Nero jumped from the wall and crashed claws first into the nil. He grabbed one by the face and turned throwing it into the tree line. Swiping with his claws at the others he forced them hissing back. But they weren’t backing off just yet. Instead, they were splitting up, scattering around the plaza.
The other guards ran forward, standing beside Lily and Susan their weapons raised. One nil they stopped with a thrust of their spears hoisting it up. It screeched, scrabbling at the spear when another darted from the blind spot. Susan stepped forward opening her pouches and swung her hand forward.
Dust flowed out of pouches and twined together piercing through the body of the nil. It stumbled backward riddled as she waved her hands above her head bringing the dust back to her side. It solidified into a long sword of glass that floated at her shoulder. Winking the sword launched at the other nil coming down on its shoulder. It sank deep into its body and then the wind shoved it in the chest blowing it into the air.
A metallic crack echoed and both Susan and Lily looked back, watching as one of the guards was knocked back. The nil landed on its feet the spear still deep in its chest but broken down the middle. The other nil had its holes filled and then jaws snapped close as it blew past the guards.
Susan spun her hands over the pouches at her hip producing more of the dust and molding it into a second sword. The first sword came down deflecting and blocking the claws of the nil as she stepped under and ducked away from its claws. The second nil descended on her and a sphere of air made itself known keeping the claws at bay.
Its head whipped around nearly 360 degrees to face Lily. Screeching it thrust its arm forward and it stretched like a whip. She raised her arms to protect herself when the claws scraped against metal. One of the guards had leaped in front of her, the claws having torn through the armor his arm now hanging limp.
“Are you safe miss?”
“Yes,” she looked at him shocked and then glared at the nil as it chattered its teeth together. “Thanks for the save. Let me take over.”
Taking her step forward she raised her hand a golden staff appearing in her palms. She used the tip of the weapon to draw a circle manifesting a tornado. It drilled into the chest of the nil and blew it backward. The tornado turned narrow and pierced through its chest bringing down the tree.
Lily whirled to look toward the other sounds of fighting, “Nemo! You okay over there?”
She watched the guards beat back a nil standing shoulder to shoulder. The nil leaped at them when a flash of silver pierced through its chest. It jerked back hissing its pain. Its head turned around quickly along with its arm swiping at him. Nero shifted back and forth trying to avoid it and then lunged his mouth going wide.
He bit down hard at its neck, teeth sinking deep into the flesh of the creature. That made it scream and the point of contact smoked and steamed. Nero bit down harder and then the nil leaned back, fire leaving its mouth and body. Nero let it go, watching the body fall down and smoke leaving his mouth. When he raised his head both of his eyes were glowing yellow orbs but when he blinked his other eye went back to normal as he wiped his mouth.
“Those things still taste terrible,” he spit something black onto the ground.
Lily sighed in relief and rested the staff across her shoulder, “Then stop biting into them baby. By the way, you’re not kissing me until you wash your mouth.” He made a face. “And I’m telling Dawn too.”
He opened his mouth to say more when it happened. He looked at the sky and it was starting to darken. They looked at the sun as it was slowly being eclipsed. Nero blinked quickly taking a step back, “What’s happening?” he glanced at Susan.
“No idea Nero,” Susan said lowering her swords slowly.
Nero started to turn around and then cried out. Everyone turned and watched as Nero was lifted off the ground by a dark claw through his chest.
“There you are. You have something that belongs to me.”
The Harlequin Library 