Part IV

Part IV

 

Lavi and Silvestra followed Abaddon down a narrow and dark corridor. She involuntarily shivered though it was well over 90°F. An eerie aura curtained the stony walls and shadows leaked with water that seemed to smoke from the heat. The silence was awkward, but she could think of nothing to fill its insatiable hunger. She could barely feel Lavi’s close breath crept down her neck. She licked her dry lips.

Without warning, Abaddon’s sharp footsteps stopped. A seemingly blank wall glared down at her. The surgeon, pushing his thin glasses up the bridge of his sharp nose, typed in a pass-code into a grey lock with great fluency that could only be obtained through much practice. As he stepped back magnificently, lines sliced the white wall and, before their eyes, a door appeared with a low hiss. Silvestra vaguely remembered her father mentioning years earlier to her mother that an almost invisible door had been created. A fine mist blocked all view into the room, swirling and rolling upon itself.

Abaddon gestured towards the door. “After you.”

She hesitated for a heartbeat. Impulsively, she looked to Lavi for support. He shrugged and nodded. She closed her eyes and, taking a shaky breath, stepped through the smoky mist.

It was much colder than she first expected, but it was a comfortable coolness. It was fresh and a flower-like scent danced among the mist particles. Suddenly, it was bitingly cold and the little flecks in her face from the clean mist immediately went cold. She bit her lip to keep her teeth from chattering and dared to open her eyes again.

It was small and white like the rest of the hospital. Huge potted plants that housed large leafy plants that lined the room. Their lush leaves seemed to quiver in the slight breeze that lingered through the air.

Then the scent hit her. It was the wolf scent again and the plants seemed to be emitting it like acrid scent of dead bodies. She tried in vain to shake it away, but it was so strong that her tongue screamed in protest. She yelled as she tried to rid the scent. Something roared inside her and fought to break free. Images flashed through her mind.

Kindness…love…stolen…kill…kill…

Open forest…family…freedom…taken away…kill…kill…

“Quiet!” Abbadon’s biting tone cut through her thunderstorm of confusion. “You will disturb her much needed rest!” The illusion broke. Gasping, she found herself curled against the wall. She also noticed that the scent disappeared. She turned to ask Lavi, but broke off when she saw him frozen not far away, staring at something she could not see.

Shakily standing up, she followed his deep tawny eyes to a hospital bed in the center of the room. Her black gold-flecked eyes widened.

“M…Mother…?” she managed to choke out. It was her still body, perfectly preserved in the chilling clutches of the white space. Her aged face was exactly the same as when she died. Lifeless eyes were closed and her pale lips were shaped in a half-smile, half-frown.

“Mother! Mother!” the younger Silvestra squealed as she bounded into the living room. Camellia, Silvestra’s mother, glanced up from her book and her eyes immediately softened. “Look! I taught Daciana how to stay!”

Back then, the effects of Smoke was just only barely visible on the rosy cheeks of her mother’s face. Back then, the three of them just thought it was a simple cold and she would get well soon...she always did. Camellia coughed a little and, pulling her shawl closer to her thin shoulders, bent down to hug the mahogany-haired head of her precious daughter. Silvestra could remember the warmth and feeling of protection through that one small gesture of love. Back then, death was incomprehensible.

Her mother smiled and took Silvestra’s smaller hand in hers. The two reveled in the other’s warmth, never wanting the dream to end. Her deep green eyes were gentle and amorous. “That’s wonderful, Silvestra…”

“…Camellia,” Abaddon said beside her, dragging her back to the control of reality. She glanced up in time to see him stride to beside her cold body. Then he took her limp hand into his, dark eyes soft. “She found out our surprise before we’re done.” There was a pause. “Yes, the medicine is almost finished. You’ll be able to leave soon…”

Lavi and Silvestra stared at each other in horror. She grasped his hand, wanting his strength. Both wanted to run but something drew their attention back to Abaddon who was still purring to the lifeless container.

“How do I do it? Really simple. First, I take the wolves soul…no, don’t worry, dear. They die peacefully, no pain. Then their spirits are transferred through that machine to the new host…”

Silvestra couldn’t hold it back. “Father! Stop!” Revulsion and dread surged, scaring her. “Leave the past behind! Mother is dead!”

“How cruel of you to say that, Silvestra,” he said, almost glaring up at her from behind his glasses. “Mother will get better, I will make sure of that. What is it, dear?” he stopped again as if listening to Camellia’s unheard words.

Anger replaced disgust and it started to bubble forth to her lips. So, he never got over her death, she thought fiercely. Wasn’t he the one who told her to move on?

She was about to tell him off when the lingering scent intensified. There was a choke and Lavi clamped his hand over his nose and mouth. As if someone hit the fast forward button, the potted plants that formed a ring around them bloomed with shining flowers of all shades of color. Then the petals burst into white flame and, as the snowy fire burned, shapes started to take shape from the flame’s spitting tongue.

Suddenly, Silvestra and Lavi were surrounded on all sides with malicious spirit wolves. Though their eye colors ranged from a pale yellow to a pupil-less black, the same hate burned more brightly than the flames around their bodies. They snarled soundlessly and tossed their heads, but none left their plant.

As if…Silvestra realized. As if they were chained there…When she caught Lavi’s eye, she knew that he understood too.

Then there was a wretch that threw her unprepared body to the ground. Her breath became short and more images flashed through her mind. This time she couldn’t keep track of them. Her body shook violently. Her world was consumed with an unknown wolf’s memories and excruciating pain pulsed through her body.

Lavi made a move to help her, but he stopped in his tracks as white fire flared around her body. Out of nowhere, Daciana appeared, head bowed. After a moment, her closed eyes flashed open and, briefly glancing at Lavi, her muscles stretched taut. Then she leapt with a speed that took Lavi’s breath way. Intense hatred glowed in her silver eyes as she bounded towards the unsuspecting Abaddon who was still lost in the paradise of his delusions.

Fall my enemy…revenge…kill…

Black gold-flecked eyes flew open in time to see Daciana sink her deadly fangs into her father’s exposed and unprotected neck. Her voice momentarily lost its power as it died in her throat.

Abaddon’s eyes widened and let out a choked scream. Camellia’s hand fell from his grasp. Then comprehension morphed into hopeless defeat. His legs gave out and he dropped to his knees, head bowed. Silvestra suddenly had the image of her father accepting his punishment before a supreme judge.

“I failed you Camellia…” To her astonishment, Abaddon then turned his head in Silvestra’s direction. Behind his glasses, she could see tears welling up in eyes that could no longer see. He smiled weakly and said, “I’m sorry, Silvestra…I could’ve saved…her…” And he crumbled, stream of scarlet blood flowing from his mouth.

“No…no…” she whispered as she half-crawled to his side. She took his head in her arms. “No! Father!” But she knew it was too late. She set his head gently onto the stone floor.

“We never got along…” she whispered more to herself than Lavi. “Even when Mother was alive, we always bickered…but, I never knew his pain…I never knew that he loved her that much… I…I never wanted it to end like this!” by then her words were cries of torment, anguish consuming every cell in her body until she could not feel anything else.

Lavi kneeled beside her and, pulling her into his strong hold, shared her pain and offered comfort. He murmured words of consolation as she sobbed into the hollow of his neck.  

Neither of them saw Daciana give a silent but proud howl over her fallen enemy. The other wolves, who watched the kill with hateful pleasure, raised their heads and joined in their triumphant celebration. At last their revenge was fulfilled. With nothing left to chain them to the earth, they, one by one, like candles being blown out of existence, faded away into nothingness.

All except a powerful black male with glowing gold eyes.

“You aren’t leaving, Marrok?” Daciana’s silver eyes were no less piercing.

He chuckled, a deep rumble from the great depths of his muscular chest. “I think not,” he said. “I have not seen enough of the human realms for my pleasure. No, I believe I will spend some more time here. And,” fleetingly his face fell, “I still have some…unfinished business to take care of.” He turned and bowed his head in reverence to Daciana. “Smooth trotting, my lady.”

Daciana fought a moment. “I�"I guess this is goodbye�"” Daciana started, shining eyes faintly disappointed. She wanted him to stay with her, but the words just wouldn’t come.

Amusement could be seen in the shards of his gold eyes. He trotted to her. With each step a white mist started to wrap around his body like a ghost. “Goodbye? No,” he stopped before her. His deep gold eyes searched the mercury-like depths. “No, Daciana.” He briefly touched noses with her and, as he disappeared in the rolling mist, his ringing voice lingered. “I’m sure we’ll meet again someday.”

 

Both of them are gone…Silvestra thought, tears flowing relentlessly into Lavi’s comforting shoulder. Mother from Smoke and Father from his delusions and fantasies…I lost them both… they’re gone…I am alone…what is left of me?

 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

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