Divination (Deamhan Chronicles Book 4) Page 11

  Sia picked up on this before seizing the location of the warehouse. She quickly pulled out of Anastasia’s mind. “I think I have it.”

  “Give me a second.” She placed her hand on the ground before standing to her feet. The intrusion caused her sight to go out of focus. “Okay. I’m ready.”

  She held out her hand to Anastasia. “Hold on to me. If you let go, you’ll be lost forever in the shadowy hell you hate so much.”

  ***

  The warehouse stood silent among the plethora of sounds that Anastasia and Sia heard in the air. A barking dog in the distance, the screeching tires of a semi coming to a halt at a stop sign, air escaping from ventilation shafts beneath the sidewalks—all mixed clatter that constantly reminded them that no matter the outcome at the Wabasha Caves, they’d still be considered outsiders in Minneapolis.

  Anastasia pulled back a long graffiti-covered plywood piece that covered the entrance. Old air escaped and, for an instant, she thought she picked up Lucius’ scent. That was impossible. He was dead. She knew what laid beneath, in the lower floors, held a timestamp on what happened and how the warehouse became to be abandoned by not only Deamhan but the human minions who served them.

  “Let me go first.” Sia squeezed her body between the broken board and twisted doorframe, and disappeared inside, leaving Anastasia to quickly follow her.

  “You don’t know this place or where to look.”

  Sia tapped her nose. “I know exactly where to look.” She made a sharp left and approached a closed door. She used her Deamhan strength and forced it open.

  Anastasia quickly followed. “I don’t smell any dead human bodies here. I’m sure you don’t as well, since your sense of smell is better than mine.”

  “No, but I do smell something.”

  The area was silent and eerily dark but not for a Deamhan. This time, there was no moonlight to guide them on their way. Anastasia saw several boxes stacked against the wall. The floor was covered with dirt and trash. Before being abandoned, all Deamhan in Minneapolis believed the warehouse to be just a location where Deamhan meetings and parties were held. Now it was nothing more than an empty shell of its former self.

  “Can’t you sense it?” Sia moved her head to the right and then the left. “Something is drastically wrong here.” She continued ahead.

  Anastasia glared around the area again. She grew skeptical and felt the need to leave. Sia was right. Something was drastically wrong.

  She heard the hum of electricity, followed by the lights switching on. It brightened their view for a brief period. From the opposite end of the floor, Anastasia saw Sia approach her.

  “I’m surprised the lights are still working.”

  “I’m not.” She paused. “How do you know the lights are working when you can’t see?”

  “I can smell them.”

  Why do I bother to ask? As ridiculous as it sounded, Anastasia was willing to accept anything told her and she became used to oddities becoming nothing but normal. It was the world she lived in.

  She noticed a wide and long stage near the back and remembered the area vividly as Kei’s own throne where he sat and subjected other Deamhan in the city to his will. Sia sat cross-legged on the ground in front of her.

  “What are you doing?” Anastasia questioned.

  She placed her hands on her knees. “I need to concentrate, see if I can pick up any other scents.”

  Anastasia sniffed the air again but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She listened intently and still, there wasn’t any sound in the air. It was too quiet and that was the problem.

  Suddenly, Sia jumped to her feet and pointed to a corner near the opposite end of the stage. “She’s here.”

  Anastasia turned to the corner as a voice bellowed in their brains. The voice was distinct and loud enough to make her stumble back.

  You got my message.

  With little warning, Sia grabbed Anastasia by the wrist. “Let me try to talk to her.”

  “Talk? Are you serious?” Anastasia pulled her arm away.

  It was an unrealistic demand. Anzuna, who stood across from them, was strong enough to supposedly kill Lambert’s group of vampires, Ruby’s weak baby coven, and bite Remy in the process. Anastasia could and would never take the Estrie Deamhan lightly. She wore a long, white shirt, covered in dirt, which stretched past her knees. Barefooted, her disheveled hair rested on her shoulders as her white, pierced eyes studied them.

  The precarious Estrie hunched her back and placed her hands on the floor, like a dog ready to charge. Are you ready to play?

  “You’ve played her game long enough, sister,” Sia replied. “It’s time to end this.”

  Weak. Weak. Weak.

  “You don’t need to serve her. She’s using you. Come back to me.” She held out her hand to Anzuna. “We can start over and be a family again.”

  The dark, bloody string that held Anzuna’s mouth closed snapped as she extended her lips. Elongated fangs, the sharpest Anastasia had seen in centuries, grew like spears from her gums. In response, Anastasia revealed her own pair that paled in comparison. Estrie or not, she wouldn’t go down without a fight. That wasn’t an option.

  Her eyes turned as black as charcoal. She snarled and charged the Estrie. Just as she raised her right arm back and prepared herself to strike, Sia caught her by surprise, grabbed her arm, and held her back.

  “You can’t.”

  “Let me go!” Anastasia pushed her away and charged Anzuna again but she moved fast, leaving her charge somewhat slow and dimwitted.

  Now with an advantage, Anzuna managed to swing around and jump on Anastasia’s back. She wrapped her legs around her waist and her arms around her neck. “She’s coming and she too will play the game,” the Estrie barked.

  Fearing Anzuna’s bite, Anastasia struggled to throw her off. She called out for Sia’s help and instead of running head-on into the fight, the Adze’s eyes filled with darkness. She then moved into the shadows and disappeared.

  Anastasia gnashed her teeth as her final threat toward Anzuna but still the Estrie didn’t loosen her grip. She ran backward and collided against the wall in hopes of breaking her hard grip. She heard Anzuna’s body hit the concrete in a dull thud.

  I don’t like this game. She grabbed Anastasia by the throat before tossing her clear across the room.

  Anastasia desperately tried to catch her footing as she landed, but her right leg clipped a nearby pole and she fell on her side.

  In the blink of an eye, Anzuna appeared and crouched over her. She reached out her hand and rubbed Anastasia’s cheek. “Mother will have you.”

  Anastasia slapped her hand away.

  “Mother will have you. Mother will have you.”

  Sia reappeared and yanked Anzuna to the right. She held out her hand to Anastasia who ignored it.

  “Where is she?” Anastasia jumped to her feet. Her shoulder throbbed and she pulled down her shirt. Thinking she’d been bitten, she panicked for a moment until realizing that it was nothing more than a large, deep gash.

  “I don’t know.” Sia gazed around the room. “We won’t win if we continue this. She’ll kill us. The Dark Mother has been feeding her. You can’t attack her head on. She’s stronger and faster than both of us.”

  “But not smarter.”

  She examined Anastasia’s wound. “You’re hurt.”

  “I’m fine, no thanks to you.” She pushed Sia aside. “All I need is just a drop of her blood and I will get it.”

  “We will but not like this.”

  “Why are you defending her?!”

  “She’s my sister and I won’t allow you to try to put her down like a dog. I’ve done it your way tonight. Now it’s time to handle this my way.”

  “And what way is that?” Anastasia mocked. “Face it, your sister is an out of control dog that needs to be caged. Either you help me or get out of my way.”

  A bright light manifested in the middle of the room, followed by the roaring sound of
a loud, thunderous boom. Its illuminated glow burned in Anastasia’s eyes and she covered them. The tremendous heat dissipated, leaving dark spots in her vision.

  Anzuna appeared, standing next to a tall, slender female. At first, she appeared as a beautiful angel but that wasn’t the case.

  The Dark Mother looked nothing like the woman she saw when she first appeared after being freed from Limbo. She wore a loose, red dress. Her eyes beamed red, unlike the white and black discoloration of other Deamhan. A crown of flowers adorned her head. Facing a Pure Deamhan made Anastasia feel small and irrelevant.

  “I knew my children would come back to me eventually.” Amenirdis’ voice drowned out any other sounds around them. “Just in time to bow at my feet.”

  “Oh, that’s not happening,” Anastasia snarled.

  “We’re in dark days, my children.” She raised her arms in the air. “We must empower our species. Stand with me. Serve in the presence of your goddess.”

  Anastasia felt her fangs rattle in her mouth as she screamed. “You have never been a goddess.” The ringing in her ears softened and Anastasia peered up at her. “You’re just a dead human kept alive by dark magic, like me and every other Deamhan who exists.”

  She lowered her arms. “You can’t protect Maris forever.” She clasped her hands. “She’ll be sacrificed for Revelation to happen.”

  “Over my dead body!” Sia snarled.

  Her medium-sized lips moved back into a smile. “If that’s what you want.”

  Ready to show the Dark Mother what she was made of, Anastasia ran at her. One last hoorah for Maris, she told herself. But Anzuna met her halfway and cut her off. The Estrie thrusted her hand into Anastasia’s chest and she felt her breastbone snap in half. She landed on her back and her head hit the floor.

  The Dark Mother approached. “You’ll all see what I have to offer and soon.”

  “No.” Anastasia sat up. “I saw the world you want, with all the Pure Deamhan loose in this world. I saw the walls made of human bones. I saw cities on fire and you sitting in a pool of human blood. It was the same thing that happened before you all were forced into Limbo. That isn’t what anyone wants.”

  “It’s the only way.” Her red eyes glowed and unable to look away, Anastasia stared into their dark void.

  “Maybe our extinction is the only way.”

  The Dark Mother stepped back.

  “Will she play the game, Mother?” the odd Estrie Deamhan asked in a gleeful voice. “I want her to play.”

  “Yes.” The Dark Mother nodded. “She’ll play the game perfectly.”

  The more Anastasia struggled, the harder Anzuna held on.

  “I’m not here to play games!” Anastasia screamed. “I’ve come here to correct what you’ve done to Remy and to make sure your crazy ass is back in Limbo where you belong.”

  “That Lamia shouldn’t concern you.”

  “I won’t allow you to win. I will kill you before that!” Anastasia ripped Anzuna’s hand away from her neck.

  Now on her feet, Anastasia swiped at the Dark Mother and her fingernails scraped across her cheek. Amenirdis edged back.

  The Dark Mother’s red eyes widened. “Yes! That’s the Ramanga I’ve come to know. That’s the Ramanga I need at my feet.” She moved back. “You’ll do well. I see that now. You’ll be my perfect weapon.” Just as fast as her wounds appeared, they healed and vanished from her skin. “I will help your Lamia friend as well, but in the end, you’ll choose.” She placed her hands against the side of her head. “Choose one and choose carefully.”

  Images of Remy and Sia appeared to her in flashes. Anastasia tried to pull away but was unable to fight against her power. The pain steadily increased. Her eyesight wavered and she knew what the Dark Mother demanded of her.

  In choosing Remy, she’d forfeit Sia’s life. In choosing Sia, she’d forfeit Remy’s life. Faced with a difficult decision, Anastasia refused to play her game.

  “If you don’t choose, then I will have Anzuna choose for you.”

  They heard the sound of wet flesh being ripped opened. Anastasia felt her face peppered with droplets of cold blood. She watched Anzuna’s life slip away through the Estrie Deamhan’s shallow, white eyes. Her body gradually melted into a pool of blood, ash, and bone on the warehouse floor.

  At first, she suspected that the Dark Mother had killed her own servant until she saw Sia’s forearm covered in blood. The Adze remained frozen and in shock. “I chose,” Sia whispered.

  The Dark Mother let out a terrifying scream which vibrated throughout the entire warehouse. It shattered glass and rattled the rafters. Realizing that the cure for Remy laid in a pool by her feet, Anastasia dipped her hand into the muddled mess, hoping to get just what she needed to help her dying friend back at Blind Bluff Manor.

  “Sia, we have to go.” She slapped the Adze Deamhan on her wrist. “We have to go now.” But the Adze Deamhan remained unmoved as she stared at what remained of her sister.

  “Sia!” Anastasia yelled.

  Just then, another blinding light brightened the room. Anastasia covered her eyes and felt the immense heat on her hands. The Dark Mother’s screams ceased as the light settled. When Anastasia dropped her hand, she saw a female standing in the middle of the warehouse wearing a brown jacket, dark leather gloves, and an expressionless dingy mask over her face. Through small slits, Anastasia saw her bright green eyes. It was exactly as Ollie described her. As the Dark Mother’s grand entrance appeared divine to say the least, it just couldn’t compare to the stranger’s entrance.

  The Dark Mother traversed to the left in a slow response to the woman’s appearance. Any emotion she showed associated with Anzuna’s death disappeared.

  “The Defiler?” Expecting an all-out confrontation, Anastasia once again urged Sia to use her shadows for their escape.

  Instead, Sia pointed at the woman. “You!” She dashed toward her and only made it a few feet before an unseen force pushed her back. Although the woman remained unfazed by the threat, the Dark Mother’s vague reaction made Anastasia flinch.

  Instead of fighting the Defiler, the Dark Mother embraced her.

  “You’ve come back to me.” She held out her hands to the mysterious woman who fell into them. “My child, how strong you’ve grown.”

  “I’ve come too late to save our sister,” the Defiler said.

  “No, you’ve come just in time.” The Dark Mother pointed to Anastasia. “She’s the one who will replace her.” She pointed at Sia. “And she will, one she realizes your true power.”

  The thread keeping Sia’s eyes shut broke on their own. Stunned, Sia blinked her eyes, hunched forward, and covered her face in pain. “My eyes! My eyes!” Blood seeped from between her fingers and stunned, Anastasia stepped away from her.

  “As they should.” The warehouse rumbled in response to her voice. “I will make you feel the sting of your betrayal.”

  Sia dropped to her knees. Fear gripped Anastasia and in response, she had no choice but to go on the attack. But she found her movement thwarted by an unseen brick wall in her way. Severe pressure in her head followed and images within her mind resurfaced again. She saw the faces of victims who died by her hands. Their faces, too many to count, revealed themselves to her in flashes and she closed her eyes to make them go away. She felt their pain, their fear, and their hopelessness. She also felt their anger and rage. Bombarded by their emotions felt unnatural and threatening.

  “Stop.” She stumbled back. “Stop this!” Feeling overpowered, she grasped Sia’s arm. “Get us out of here!” But Sia still withered in pain from her own bloody attack.

  “You can have this power too.” The Defiler walked back and forth in a slow pace.

  A jolt rushed through Anastasia’s body which sent her back to the concrete floor. Her heat began to palpitate, just like a human heart. She grasped her chest and leaned forward.

  The Defiler couldn’t be a Kashshapu. Instead, she had to be a servant of the Dark Mother, but how? A
nastasia knew of only three servants—triplets, who once did the Dark Mother’s bidding. She met them not that long ago when they freed Luicus from Limbo. Since then, they disappeared and everyone, including her, believed they’d perished the night.

  Anastasia grabbed Sia’s attention once more. “We have to go or we’ll die here.”

  “No one is going anywhere,” the Defiler spoke.

  “No,” the Dark Mother intervened. “Let them go. Let her take Anzuna’s blood to heal the Lamia. Then they will know that I am a forgiving goddess.”

  “Yes,” the Defiler eventually agreed. “You are a forgiving goddess.”

  Sia dropped her hands from her face as a puff of dark smoke appeared behind her. She grabbed Anastasia by her shoulders and they both jumped into its darkness.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  HALLIE

  “I hope this thing still works.” Hallie positioned the laptop in front of Nathan. “It has a built-in camera, so it should be good to go.”

  “I’m sure it works.” Nathan straightened his shirt and fumbled with his hair.

  “It should. Remy stole this for me about five months ago. I just never got around to using it. Thought about joining some social media sites but you know, I’m still in the database for missing and exploited children.”

  “That hasn’t stopped you from going out.”

  “Yeah, but I’m careful when I go out.” After finishing, she stood back. “Are you sure we should do this?”

  “Yes.”

  With everything ready to go, Hallie remained unsure that calling The Brotherhood was the best thing for them to do. “I still don’t know if you should do this.” She straightened her hair and clothing.

  “I understand.”

  “So, you think there’s a chance that we might get to speak to Veronica?”

  “No,” he quickly replied. “The Brotherhood has their own laws for those they consider potential threats. And if there is one thing the Brotherhood excels at, that’s punishing those who betrayed the organization.”

  “But she never claimed to be a member.”

  “That doesn’t matter to them.”