Veles, page 25
It didn’t make any sense, and though her lungs had finally remembered how to breathe, the rest of her body remained paralyzed as she stared at the creature in disbelief.
What was this thing?
Was it Veles?
Or was this someone from the village?
How long had it been here, and where did it come from?
The questions raced endlessly in her mind, but she couldn’t seem to focus on any of them as they spun uncontrolled. She couldn’t seem to form a single coherent thought as all the unease and terror that had filled her soul moments ago continued to course through her veins and kept her rooted to the ground. She could hear the echo of her quick breath as she panted, her heart beating against the bones in her chest, and even though she could feel her legs, they refused to move as she watched the creature in silence.
Yet it continued to ignore her.
She swallowed hard, her mouth dry with fear as she finally forced her eyes to glance back to the storm that raged outside the cave. She had to get back to Aiden. None of her questions mattered if he died. She had to move. She had been sitting here for far too long already. She needed to leave and make her way back down the path.
She glanced back at the creature, wondering if she could move without the thing noticing – or if it would even care? It didn’t seem to. Its back was mostly turned to her, and it appeared uninterested in her presence.
Her eyes dropped down to the vines that were coiled around her body and scattered across the ground. She couldn’t leave without them. If she did, Aiden would die, and coming up here would have been for nothing. Trembling uncontrollably, she held her breath and shifted across the ground. The creature didn’t acknowledge it, continuing to ignore her as she silently crawled further into the cave to reach for the vines that had blown away.
She kept her eyes glued to its back, shuffling one knee at a time and gathering the green strands into a pile once more as she struggled to use her left arm. She had managed to gather nearly half of them when her next pull scuffed a loose rock, and the creature by the fire stiffened. She froze, her heart racing in her chest as she watched the beast’s feathers and quills bristled at the noise.
Then a low growl filled the air, and fear rocked through her body, sharp and paralyzing as its head started to turn. Its face had changed since the last time she saw it, its elongated snout was shorter, and its bone structure was even more human in shape, just like the rest of its body. Then its mouth opened, and the most wretched and twisted sounds poured from its lips.
“If you are here to die – do it outside.”
The noise made her wince, and her eyes watered in pain as she dropped her hold on the vines to cover her ears. It hurt in a way that she couldn’t describe. It was like listening to a thousand voices at once, all mixed together into a nightmarish sound that crawled under her skin and pierced through her heart. Her body rejected it, and she knew in her soul that no human was ever supposed to hear it. Her limbs moved before she could think, her body desperate to get out of the creature’s presence as she stumbled to her feet, tripping over the vines as she blindly ran from the cave.
She didn’t realize what she was doing until she felt the sting of cold rain across her face as the harsh winds knocked her to the ground, and she slid across the muddy plateau. Thunder rattled in her ears, lightning strobed through the darkness, and her broken nails dug into the mud and rock as she struggled to hang on and nearly fell over the edge of the large ledge. She managed to haul herself back onto the plateau in full before collapsing against the ground and sobbing out in agony.
She was going to die here, and Aiden would die alone.
She could feel herself hyperventilating as the rain grew so heavy, she thought she might choke on it. The numbness in her arm had grown so bad she could hardly even use the limb as she rolled onto her back and stared up at the sky. It flashed and rumbled, the vibrations of the thunder moving through her body as she instinctively reached for the necklace around her neck. It had somehow stayed on during the climb, and she clutched at it desperately as she shook in the cold.
Had Miku known about this creature? Did the village Elders? Was this what they had met when they climbed the path all those years ago? Where was her father now? Aiden’s parents? Was Aiden still on the ledge waiting for her to return?
Her eyes stung as the tears rolled down her cheeks and blurred with the rain that tried to flood her lungs. Was this really how she was going to go out? Broken, muddy, defeated, and lying in a heap on the ground as she left Aiden to die alone?
Her eyes fell closed as her heart broke.
What would Miku think of her– coming this far only to fail and give up at the end?
She had made a promise. She had promised him that she would come back. She couldn’t stop – not now, not ever – not until her heart gave out. Her eyes flicked open, and her head turned in the mud to gaze back at the warm flicker of light that came from the cave behind her head. The vines were right there, less than twenty feet from her reach, and she could see them through the curtain of water.
She could hardly feel her body in the cold, but as she gripped her necklace tighter, she felt something hot and angry surging through her chest.
Aiden was a good man. He had never caused anyone harm, he had never done anything wrong, and he didn’t deserve this. All he had wanted to do was save his sister. He had blamed himself for roping Mizuki into this, but the truth was, it was his connection to her growing up that had led to his family being targeted. She knew it to her core, and while she blamed the Elders for what they did, it was still his link to her that had led them to this point, not the other way around.
If she died – then so be it, it seemed to be what her family was destined to do in this godforsaken world, but she would not allow Aiden to be a casualty of her great-grandmother’s fight. He was waiting for her, and she would go to him. If it was the last thing that she did – she would get there. She wouldn’t stop, because if she did, the Elders would have succeeded, and Miku’s fight would have been for nothing.
Forcing her body to move, she rolled onto her side and groaned in pain. She didn’t care about the creature. She didn’t care what it was or where it had come from. It didn’t matter, not anymore – not when she only had a few moments left, and she needed to see him one more time. Her feet slipped beneath her as she hauled herself from the ground with a heavy groan and staggered to her feet. Slouched and drenched in mud, she forced herself to move back toward the entrance of the cave.
She could see the outline of the creature standing by the fire. She paused before the curtain of water, then stepped back inside the cave. She could hear her soaked clothes dripping onto the cold stone beneath her feet as she crossed the threshold. The echo sounded impossibly loud as her heart thudded in her ears and her eyes remained locked to the creature’s back. It didn’t move, but she knew it heard her because its quills prickled and its back stiffened. Pushing down the nauseous fear that was rolling in her stomach, she stepped toward the vines, monitoring the creature as she moved. She made it three steps before its voice sliced through the air once more, and her body instinctively seized with terror.
“Outside.”
She fought against the urge to cover her ears as her eyes shut in pain. It took everything that she had to ignore her body’s desire to run. She slid her foot across the ground, forcing herself to take another step forward across the stone.
“I told you to go outside.”
She gritted her teeth to stop herself from emptying the contents of her stomach all over the ground as she took another step and ignored the impulse to flee. All she needed was the vines. That was it. The second she had them, she would run and make for the path. She managed another two steps before the creature’s quills bristled once more, and it shifted.
“Outside!”
The volume of the voice radiated down her spine like a blow to the head, and it made her body still on spot. The thing moved faster than Mizuki thought was possible, and before she could blink, she felt her body jerking from the ground as it gripped her by the neck and lifted her into the air. Her bare toes scraped across the stone as it raised her to eye level, and its blood-red gaze bore into her face. She choked, struggling to breathe as she grabbed at its scaled arm and clawed against its hold.
“Or do I need to put you out there myself?”
Tears stung the corner of her eyes as its voice grated her nerves, and she flinched at the sound.
“Please d-don’t,” Mizuki rasped, using the last bit of air she had left in her lungs as her vision started to blur. She tried to inhale, but the creature only gripped her tighter.
“Is that all your species can say anymore?” the creature hissed, its gaze narrowing as if in disgust.
“N-No,” she wheezed. Black spots were starting to cloud her vision, and she knew she was going to pass out. “I – s-speak.”
The creature stared at her for another moment before she felt the balls of her feet touch the ground once more, and the pressure on her neck lessened. She inhaled hard, still gripping at the beast’s forearm as she coughed and its red gaze moved to Mizuki’s left arm.
“I forgot it was a sacrifice year,” the creature said. Its horrible voice was quieter this time, but the noise still ran down her spine like a sharp jolt of pain. Its eyes shifted back to her face once more, and it looked at her almost curiously. “You’re the first one in decades to make it to the top alive. Normally, they die along the way.”
She felt the flats of her feet fall level with the ground as the creature lowered her further, and the glow from its eyes seemed to lessen as it stared at the necklace that was hanging from her neck. She felt its clawed hand twitch as its eyes creased, then it let go completely, and she crumpled to the ground.
Gasping for air as her eyes blurred with tears, she looked up to see the creature staring at her with an odd expression. It was curious, if not thoughtful, though the disdain was still evident. Its feathers bristled once more as it shifted its empty red gaze back to the cut on her hand. It didn’t move, and as her breathing finally started to regulate, Mizuki forced herself to sit up.
“Are you Veles?” Mizuki whispered, and she instantly regretted her words as the creature’s eyes darted back to her face and the quills along its back stood up in anger.
“I am not your god.” Its deep voice rumbled, and she recoiled at the sound. It took a step forward, its clawed feet scratching into the rock as it leaned down to glare into her eyes. It looked at her for a moment, then let out a sharp exhale like a scoff. “I see nothing has changed.”
“What hasn’t changed?” Mizuki asked, unable to stop the question as she leaned away from the beast.
“Humans,” the creature said, and she cringed at the sound once more. It eyed her for another long moment then made a strange noise that almost sounded like a sigh. “You’re dying. You only have moments left – get out.”
“I can’t,” Mizuki whispered, her head shaking as she glanced at the vines. “I need those vines.”
“They’re not yours to take,” the creature hissed, its eyes narrowing once more. “Out, or I will throw you out.”
“My friend is out there,” Mizuki said, that same desperate burning determination that she had felt on the plateau surging through her body once more. Even if this thing did throw her from the cave, she didn’t care, so long as she had the vines. She groaned as she staggered to her feet and fought the urge to vomit. “I promised him I’d come back.”
“Then you lied to him,” the creature said, watching as she took a step toward the mess of vines to her right. “You will not make it.”
“Yes, I will,” Mizuki whispered, taking another step.
Her entire left shoulder was numb now. She could feel it starting to spread into her chest, and she knew she was going to die. She glanced at the creature as she moved. She could see the red glow continuing to fade from its large eyes, revealing a tiny sliver of green around its pupils as it watched her step toward the vines but did nothing to stop her.
“I have to.”
“He is probably already dead,” the creature countered, its voice making her cringe as its eyes narrowing at her once more. “Let him go.”
“No,” Mizuki said, her voice far stronger than she felt.
She glared at it. Her eyes watering in pain as the unease of its presence made her skin crawl. This thing, whatever it was, was heartless. It stood there like a void before her, glaring and unmoving and filled with so much rage she could feel it in the air – and the longer she looked at it, the more she hated it. It was everything wrong with this world, everything that had gone wrong in her life, and she could feel her face contorting into an angry mess as she forced her body to move and gather the vines from the ground once more.
“I’m not giving up on him,” she said, tears burning at the corner of her eyes as all her emotions began to pour out of her chest.
She couldn’t hold them in any longer. Her heart couldn’t take it. She had been bottling everything up for ten years, and the sum total of devastation was simply too much – if she didn’t let it out now, she might very well die or explode from the pain.
She had lost everything.
Everyone.
She was not going to lose Aiden now, too. She wouldn’t, regardless of how much it hurt to breathe, and no matter what this thing said. She forced herself to stand once more as she lifted the vines from the ground and glared at the wretched animal before her.
“Not now. Not ever. Not even if you try to stop me,” Mizuki challenged, and the words came pouring out. “It’s my fault he’s here – it’s my fault he’s alone. I promised him that I would come back. I promised. That means something to people, and it’s not something you can walk away from.”
She hauled the vines over her shoulder, trying not to collapse under the heavy weight as sweat poured down her face. She made to step toward the storm once more, planning to walk right by the beast without so much as a second glance.
“You’re so much like Ren,” the creature murmured.
Mizuki froze.
“How do you know my brother’s name?” she whispered as cold fear snaked down her spine. She twisted back to look at the creature, barely feeling the painful shudder that coursed through her body when it spoke.
“You look like her too,” the creature continued, its voice growing distant as a strange expression moved across its ugly face.
“Her?” Mizuki said, her eyes tracing over the creature in confusion as she tried to understand. Then, her whole body stiffened in realization, and she felt her mouth go dry.
It couldn’t be.
It wasn’t possible.
Earnan had said so, but – how?
“Miku’s mother,” Mizuki whispered, and she watched as the creature met her gaze. “You knew Ren Altherr?”
Its eyes were still cold and empty, but its gaze was entirely different from the angry and disgusted look that had burned into her skin when it first entered the cave. The red was nothing but a dim glow as it watched her in silence and a low whisper filled the air. It looked almost calm, its expression one of thought and reflection as it slowly inclined its head, and her mouth fell open in disbelief.
“Who are you?” Mizuki whispered as the dull clicking noise returned.
Beneath it she could hear a dull murmur like a bubbling stream in her mind. Everything around them was fading away, blurring out of focus and disappearing from her mind. She couldn’t have moved even if she wanted to. Her eyes remained fixed to the creature that was starting to look more and more familiar as something cold and foreign shifted through her body. Its face was changing, and its frame was getting smaller as it took a step towards her and the clicking intensified.
“What happened?”
The murmur was getting louder. Her skin prickled as the creature stepped closer again, and the faint smell of earth, rain, and blood filled her nose. The creature’s pupils were growing wider, and her heart felt like it was caught in her throat.
“Earnan said that you knew her,” Mizuki murmured, the words slipping from her lips as if being pulled out by an invisible string. “He said that you did all this. That you destroyed the world and that you knew my great-great-grandmother.”
She swallowed, the air catching in her lungs as her entire body started to shake. She couldn’t have stopped the final word even if she tried.
“How?” she whispered as the creature took a final step, closing the distance between them to less than a foot as it towered above her.
“I’ll show you.”
Its voice rumbled with the thunder that echoed in the cave. Mizuki shuddered so hard the vines fell to the floor. Her arm jerked as the creature grabbed her, its clawed hand reaching toward her head as her body stiffened in terror. The low clicking noise shifted into a deep rattle as its face grew so close, she could feel its breath across her cheek. It was freezing cold. It smelled like the storm, and her skin prickled as the low whispers began to consume her mind. Then its clawed finger pressed against the center of her forehead and her body convulsed.
It hurt.
It burned.
She could feel it inside her mind. It was digging under her skin, burrowing like a bug as the dull whispers grew louder. It thrummed like a living heartbeat in her head. Loud and powerful as a great raging river. Before she could even open her mouth to scream, her vision blurred, then everything went white as the world disappeared, and the last thing she saw was three glowing red eyes.
Part Two
Lilah
JULY
The smell of coffee filled the air in the small kitchenette, and a scowl shifted across my face as I looked at the coffee maker in annoyance and tried to focus on the low sound of the television from the corner of the room. It was constantly set to the news, and right now, the anchor was giving the latest death toll from a NORVIX outbreak several cities over while the headline below briefed on the growing tensions in the east.
