In which Megan is reunited with her father

Chapter 20 of The Time-Teller

Chapter 20

In which Megan is reunited with her father

Megan had no time to think or worry. Pyralis walked too quickly for that. In the back of her mind, Megan wondered if Pyralis was doing this to help take her mind off things.

“Pyralis,” Megan said. “He probably left the forest a long time ago. He knew we were there.”

“I know that,” Pyralis spoke as he walked swiftly over the uneven ground. “But, I can track him now. I felt his aura, and I can see where it is in my mind.”

“I wonder if I was right from the beginning,” Megan tried to smile, but failed miserably,

“with you being crazy and all…”

“I told you I was crazy,” Pyralis stopped. “He’s moving fast. Come on.” He grabbed Megan, swung her over his shoulder and began running at a speed that Megan thought inconceivable with his cloak.

“Pyralis,” Megan said annoyed. “This is not comfortable. Would you mind putting me down?” Pyralis said nothing, and Megan left it at that. Although her head hurt from hanging upside down, she did not complain. She knew that Pyralis could run faster carrying her than she could run by herself. She wondered how fast he would be if he were not carrying her. She felt a pang of pain in her stomach as she realized that Pyralis would be much stronger and probably much more capable of defeating Gethin without her presence. She felt a tear stop at her eye, unable to fall.

“Don’t think nonsense,” Pyralis said hastily as he ran.

“Huh?” Megan shook her head, knowing that Pyralis couldn’t read minds, but most likely knew her well enough to know what she was thinking. She laughed softly to herself, wondering how a person she hates so much could have gotten to know her so well. Megan watched the ground zoom passed her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Pyralis’ staff moving swiftly back and forth in front of his running feet. ‘Even if he did feel something in front of him, he probably wouldn’t be able to stop in time at this speed,’ Megan thought to herself.

Pyralis slowed.

“He’s stopped moving so quickly,” he said. “I don’t think he knows that I could sense his aura. He has been away too long.” Pyralis began to run again.

“Megan!” he spoke, breathing heavily as he ran. “Reach into my bag. There should be a small yellow marble-like object. When you find it, hand it to me. Be careful not to fall in.”

Megan let go of Pyralis’ cloak with one hand and reached into the bag fastened to his strange, intricate belt. She was shocked to find that no matter how deep she put her arm, there seemed to be no bottom.

“Don’t fall in, huh?” she whispered jokingly to herself. “And how the heck am I supposed to find a marble in here.”

“Just look for it and it will come to you. It only works for people who possess magic, and I am pretty sure that that applies to you,” Pyralis chuckled. Megan held on tighter to his cloak with her other hand as Pyralis began to speed up once more.

Then she felt a smooth sphere shape and pulled it from Pyralis’ bag.

“Is this it?” she handed the yellow object to Pyralis.

“Perfect!” he threw Megan into the air.

“What the…!” she squeaked and let go of Pyralis in surprise. Then, he threw the marble after her. She was pulled into the tiny object. She felt as though her entire body were being crushed. She couldn’t speak or breath. Then, she landed painfully on many sharp
rocks.

“Ow,” she choked, pulling air into her lungs. Pyralis landed lightly on his feet beside her. They stood at the entrance of a narrow cave. Behind them, was an extremely steep cliff.

“Now, that was exciting, wasn’t it?” he faced Megan calmly with his misty eyes.

“Painful,” Megan corrected him. “I don’t want to ever do that again.”

“Shh!” Pyralis said softly. “Gethin is close.”

Suddenly, Megan was pelted by the reality of the situation and felt as though she was going to throw up. How could she meet her father like this? She felt her sun-hardened face and her blistered feet. She ran a finger through her tangled hair, which she occasionally found substitute combs for in the woods. How could her father lie to her? How could he do this to her? How dare he? Megan felt anger filling her body as though it were some kind of electrical current, as though the composition of her blood had morphed itself into this hideous rage.

“How close?” she managed to say through her pain.

“It would take three minutes to walk up to him,” Pyralis whispered. “He will sense us in a moment. Take this. That way you won’t be immediately recognized by your father.”
Pyralis threw a red shawl at Megan. She put it over her head and wrapped it around her face.

“Pyralis!” a horribly familiar voice boomed and Megan felt a rushing noise. Then, she and Pyralis were pulled into the depths of the cave. They stopped in a lit open room. Candles shone along the walls and a large torch burned brightly in the center of the room. Behind the torch stood an eerily lit familiar personage, and Megan thanked Pyralis silently to herself for the concealing shawl. Megan’s father wore a heavy red cloak with gold lining.

“Hello Pyralis,” Gethin spoke calmly. “I knew you would come after me. Sadly, I had no time to cure my body, but I believe defeating you in your state will not be difficult. You always cared so much more than Tempus about these earthly things. Why does it matter to you if I take over this world or another?”

“You will hurt innocent people, Lucifer!” Pyralis drawled.

“And who is with you?” Gethin mocked. “Why would you bring someone so young into a dangerous situation if you were worried about lives?”

“I have my reasons, Lucifer,” Pyralis emphasized the name as if it were an attack in itself.

“Stop calling me that. You know that that name no longer belongs to me.” Megan didn’t dare speak for fear that her father would recognize her voice. She felt her hands shaking slightly. ‘I’m not ready to face him,’ she thought to herself. ‘I can’t do this. I thought he was dead, but this… this is worse than dead.’

“Pyralis… Pyralis…” Gethin shook his head slowly emphasizing each syllable. “You are not so different from me if you would bring an unrelated child into a battle as difficult as this one. Let’s see how you feel once she’s dead!” Gethin raised his right arm, swung it in a circle. Then, before Megan realized what was happening, a bolt of lightning was speeding towards her.

Pyralis’ swiftly swung his staff in front of Megan. The lightning disappeared into the staff and the crystal began to glow faintly then went dark once more. Megan sighed. If Pyralis had not been there, she would have died right at that moment.

“You’re fast Pyralis, even without your eyes. It’s too bad you don’t have that thing to guide you around.”

Pyralis sighed heavily as though at some internal anguish that Megan could not comprehend. Still, Megan dared not speak. She felt tired.

“Pyralis, without your eyesight, it is impossible to defeat me, and although I sense that most of your injuries have vanished, there are some wounds that will never heal.”

“Lucifer, I don’t know why you came back, but I will not allow you to continue harming others or messing with their memories.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“You recently saved a young lady, and manipulated her memories to make you seem like the attacker. Do not underestimate my skills so. I am blind but not lacking in my craft.”

“Saved?” Megan whispered confused.

“She was,” Gethin spoke, “being attacked by a shifter. It was mere instinct, nothing more.”

“Then, why were you so eager to remove it from her memory, and so sloppily that you blocked her entire lifetime.”

“I was in a hurry,” Gethin said almost too calmly.

Suddenly there was a whooshing noise and thousands of bolts of electrical energy were showered on Megan and Pyralis. Pyralis blocked most of them with his staff, moving so swiftly that his arms were a blur. One of the long ribbons of electricity tore through
Megan’s upper arm. She screamed shrilly. The charged missile had gone straight through her right forearm, and she could not move her arm beneath the shoulder. Slowly it began to numb.

“Not a very apt companion,” Gethin laughed at Pyralis. “Perhaps you were to blind to see that. To bring a child into combat; you truly have lost your senses since our last conversation. I was….” Gethin choked and was thrown against the wall of the cave, his cloak catching the flame of one of the candles. He waved an arm and the flames consuming his cloak vanished. His cloak only seemed to be slightly singed, which was strange considering the amount of fire far exceeded the damage.

“Protective, aren’t you,” Gethin laughed. “Your skills have improved slightly since the Labelle incident, but you’re still too slow.”

“Perhaps you are underestimating me,” Pyralis suggested smoothly. “Perhaps I have exceeded you even in my darkness, as I always exceeded you in the light.”

“You were only better than me because you were favored, and you know that well, Pyralis. This time I have won you’re too late. You have given me time to cast a spell, which you cannot sense without your eyes. You’re companion cannot help you anymore.” Pyralis took a step backward and touched Megan’s shoulder. Megan was surprised the she felt it as if it were a hand in a dream. Her vision blurred. She swayed slightly, then fell to the floor.

“What happened,” her voice echoed around her. She opened her eyes and looked down at her own body.

“Am I dead?”