Breath of Divinity

The car ride back seemed to take no time at all. It could have been attributed to the distinct lack of traffic on the road, or possibly due to the fact that Mr. Whitmore was driving like a maniac. At no point during their entire journey did the speedometer once dip below 85. Perhaps the powers-that-be that had apparently brought the five of them back together were also somehow responsible for Mr. Whitmore being able to avoid the attention of the local police. Whatever it was, Haley was glad; she had no desire to be pulled over after what had just happened. She simply wanted to get back home as quickly as possible.

There wasn’t much talk on the drive back, but it certainly wasn’t because Jon didn’t want to talk or because they weren’t interested in hearing. Every time they broached the topic Mr. Whitmore shut them down.

Haley was annoyed. She had been so relieved to see her mother, and even more so when she learned that her mother didn’t blame her at all for what had happened. In fact, possibly the most surprising thing she had heard all week was her mother accepting full responsibility for the accident, and apologizing for trying to run off during such an important time. They had maintained such a good flow of conversation, then out of nowhere her stupid bangle had started pulsating. This time though, there was a strange heat radiating from it.

It wasn’t like the heat she felt every time the bangle morphed into her twin fans. There was a kind of urgency to it. She had no idea how she had known, but she had been sure that Jon was in danger.

Haley was glad he was all right of course, but the fact that it had to happen during her visit had been such awful timing. It really was ludicrous how they couldn’t go more than a few steps outside of the mansion without monsters trying to kill them. Haley blinked. As soon as she had thought the word “monsters,” an image of the doctor came sliding into her mind. She had glimpsed the fangs on the man’s corpse and yet she still couldn’t believe her eyes.

All the time they had spent in the mansion, being warned of the dangers that lurked beyond its doors, whenever she thought of monsters the only results her mind returned were images of huge, nightmarish beasts. The revelation that these monsters could actually resemble normal people felt like a rug being yanked out from under her feet.

What was to say that the person zipping past on the opposite side of the road right now wasn’t a monster? Or any of their old teachers, classmates, even neighbours?

She felt as if ice was dripping down her back, even though the interior of the car felt like a furnace. Part of her wished she had never learned of this new development, because now she was examining every memory she could remember, trying to find anyone that stuck out as odd. Quite soon she felt like she was spiraling down a rabbit hole that looked deeper than the Grand Canyon.

At last the car slowed to a halt. There was a collective groan of relief, then everyone began scrabbling to get out. Once they were inside Mr. Whitmore bolted the door behind them. It was completely unnecessary, given that Sytris often reassured them that the mansion, and a large stretch of the land around it, was protected by powerful magical wards. They never had to worry about monsters getting in, or even so much as a simple burglar. But that never stopped them from double-checking that every entrance was properly locked when night fell. Perhaps it was just habit, or maybe raging paranoia.

“Everything go well?” Tim’s father asked, stepping into the room holding a glass of white wine. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a —”

He froze as his eyes raked over Jon’ shirt, which was revealed to be covered in splotches of green blood as he discarded Mr. Whitmore’s jacket.

“What in the world happened when you were gone?” he demanded.

Tim stepped forward, holding up his arms placatingly. “It’s fine, Dad. We took care of it.”

But Mr. Bryant clearly thought the situation was as far from “fine” as it could be. “Was there another monster attack? Did it happen while you were driving?”

“In the hospital, actually,” said Mr. Whitmore. He didn’t seem keen on retelling the story, but clearly didn’t want to argue with Mr. Bryant given the look on his face.

“What kind of attack?” Mr. Bryant laid down his glass, grabbed hold of Tim and started a thorough inspection, as if to find if he had been injured too.

“Dad!” Tim said, looking embarrassed.

“Are you saying something followed you into the hospital?” Mr. Bryant asked, completely ignoring his son’s protests.

“No, it was already inside,” Lauren said, curling up on the sofa. “Apparently the good doctor decided to snack on a patient during his lunch break. We’re not really sure what it was, because… well, it had a human form.”

Mr. Bryant froze in his frantic examination of Tim, looking appalled.

“If it wasn’t for the glowing eyes and the double row of fangs, I might actually have thought it was human,” Jon said, looking at the huge splatters of congealed ooze on his shirt.

“I had no idea it was possible,” Tim added, dumbstruck. “All this time I was only considering they would be… well, actual monsters. You know, like that cat thing that attacked us. I never thought they could actually pass as human.”

“Whatever they look like, they’re certainly not human,” Mr. Bryant said firmly. Then he hesitated. “But… well, Sytris did warn us it might be a possibility.”

“What? So you all knew?” Haley demanded. “Why did you never tell us?”

“We didn’t know for sure. Even Sytris himself isn’t completely aware of all the different categories of magical threats that exist on Earth. He warned us about a good deal of them, but there’s only so much he knew. And since we never stumbled across these particular creatures, we never thought much of it. If this monster was posing as a healthcare worker, then it seems that unlike the other creatures we’ve met, this one wasn’t very interested in killing for the sake of it. It was smart, using its position to ensure a steady food supply. That’s my guess anyway. This is unchartered territory for all of us.”

A dark silence fell. By now the other inhabitants of the house had arrived, eager to hear of the new developments.

“Can you imagine if there are more of those things lurking around the hospital?” Haley said. “My parents, they could be in danger.”

“Don’t worry, Haley,” Mr. Whitmore said. “I can take a trip back to White Willow to check on them, make sure they’re okay.”

“Oh no,” said Mr. Combs. “Too risky. I think the rest of us should go back instead, at least until things blow over.”

Haley couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Are you saying I can’t visit my parents anymore?”

“No, not indefinitely. Just for a little while. To avoid any potential questions we may not be able to answer.”

“I’m sorry, Haley,” Tim’s mother said. “But I think it’s for the best.”

Haley sank onto the couch beside Lauren, arms crossed and jaw clenched.

“I guess Sytris was right after all,” Jon said grimly. He was staring at the opposite wall, but there was a blank, faraway look on his face, as if he wasn’t really seeing the room at all. “We shouldn’t have gone. Imagine what the hospital security is going to say when they find that body. And what if they have security footage?”

“If you’re exposed, that makes things harder but unfortunately there’s nothing we can do about that,” said Lauren’s father. “It would be better if you could simply stay under the radar entirely, but I bet even Sytris will understand that your safety is far more important than your identities. I am sorry, Haley,” he added, in a much gentler tone. “I know how important it was for you to see your parents. It’s a shame it turned out this way.”

“Yeah, well, when do we ever get what we want?” Haley muttered.

“Anything to drink?” Mrs. Bryant asked the room at large, clearly desperate to change the subject. “Water? Tea? Coffee?”

“A Heineken would be nice,” suggested Tim.

She gave him such a fierce glare that he recoiled as if he could feel heat radiating off of her. “I was joking Mom, just joking!” he said hastily.

“I’ll just have a glass of water, thanks,” Jon said.

“Tea please,” Lauren said, her face buried in her knees.

When everyone had finished reeling off their desired drink, Tim’s mother and father vanished into the kitchen to gather the refreshments. Jon’s father, on the other hand, began to climb the stairwell.

“I’m going to try to identify the creature that attacked you. You said it was absorbing something from you?” Jon nodded. “I don’t like the sound of that one bit.”

When he had disappeared up the staircase, Tim turned to look at Jon, eyebrows drawn together. “Do you really think that guy — monster, sorry — could have killed you?”

“It sure felt like it could.”

Tim continued to stare at Jon, bemused, then something in his expression shifted. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Jon sighed and reclined in the sofa. “No. If this keeps up, I'm not sure I’ll ever be okay again. First some overgrown cat tries to slice me to ribbons, then a psychotic doctor literally tries to suck the life out of me. You know, I don’t see monsters lining up to try to kill you guys.” He looked at all four of the others in turn, pointing at them in a rather accusatory fashion.

“Well, I’m sure it’s not a competition, but I was mutilated by a giant sea serpent,” Oscar said nonchalantly.

“And being chased by an army of gargoyles was just thrilling,” Lauren said sarcastically.

“Mmm.” Jon shrugged. “Point taken.”

“Well, you can call me old-fashioned, but I don’t think you guys should be comparing traumas,” said Mrs. Bryant, who had returned with her husband to pass out the drinks along with a plate of cookies.

Oscar shrugged, then with his mouth full of oatmeal said, “I shuposhe, but shtill you have to —”

“How about you swallow first?” Haley said. “I feel like I’m going to choke just looking at you.”

Oscar seemed to have some difficulty swallowing at first; he had to wash his mouthful down with the glass of milk he had requested, then started pounding his back. Finally he managed to get it down and gulped, eyes watering. “I suppose, but still you have to consider, if it was a competition then getting shot up with venom by a snake the size of a bullet train would be pretty high on the list.”

“And don’t forget those Necroforager things,” Tim added. “Which we still don’t know how to beat, mind you.”

“Don’t we have enough problems without worrying about the Harbingers?” groaned Lauren.

“Yes, I’d say we do.” Jon’s father had returned, bearing a large and ancient-looking book. “This was something my wife picked up, shortly after we got Jonathan. She always wanted to be prepared, Courtney. There’s a lot of different supernatural creatures mentioned in here. I did a quick search on the internet and cross-referenced with what I read in this, and I think I found something that matches. It’s called a striga, a creature that survives by feeding on the souls of living beings. They usually appear as old women, but it’s not uncommon for males to appear either.”

“So the doctor was trying to eat my soul?” Jon asked, flabbergasted.

“Seems so to me. That’s what he must have done to the other woman you saw, which is why she died on the spot. A body dies immediately after the soul is extracted.”

“Including us?”

“You’re a special case,” Mr. Whitmore said. “Your bodies are physically unkillable, save for very few exceptions. In the event you lost your soul — heaven forbid — your body would still live on, but it would be nothing more than an empty husk. It would still carry out basic life functions, like breathing or blood circulation, but otherwise it would be totally unresponsive.”

There was another bleak pause, while they contemplated the horrors of such a possibility.

“You know what, I’m comfortable accepting my losses. You win the trauma war,” Tim said, giving Jon a congratulatory pat on the shoulder.

“Hands down,” added Oscar, while Haley and Lauren nodded. Mrs. Bryant gave them what Haley had come to know as the universal “mom look”, but Mr. Whitmore merely stood up, frowning.

“When did it start raining?”

Everyone looked around. The large, gold-paned windows behind them were partially obscured by a set of magnificent velvet curtains, but through the uncovered sections they could see specks of rain dotting the glass. Now that they were actually listening they could also hear raindrops drumming gently on the roof.

“Has it ever rained since we’ve been here?” Lauren asked.

“Not once,” said Mr. Whitmore, setting down his book and moving to the windows. Haley stood up for a better look. It was truly amazing how quickly the sky, which had been a clear, forget-me-not blue during their ride home, had become overrun with thick black clouds. Bad weather wasn’t necessarily an indicator of anything supernatural, but the fact that it looked like heavy rain was about to blow in immediately after their run-in with another magical creature was awfully convenient.

Haley started to speak, but the words had barely left her mouth when she dropped her glass, clapping her hands over her ears. A deafening buzzing, droning noise was filling the room, as if a swarm of elephantine bees was zipping around them. The sound was so loud that it felt like the very ground was vibrating, and it was only getting more intense the longer they stood there.

“What’s going on?” Mrs. Bryant screamed.

Through the window they could see the ground shifting up ahead, like some kind of landslide. But — no, landslide wasn’t the right word. Land didn’t slide uphill after all. The rock was coalescing at a point just outside the gates, taking the shape of a towering, humanoid statue.

“It’s Erymithia!” Tim shouted.

“What?”

“That’s one of the Necroforagers,” yelled Jon. “The same thing happened back in the forest!”

“But how did she find us?” Lauren asked.

Jon gave a hopeless shrug, then the buzzing stopped as abruptly as it had begun. The thing beyond the gates was twice as tall as Mr. Whitmore, who was easily the tallest member in their household. It was even wider around than the very car they had ridden to the hospital, and they could see a faint green glow emanating from its chest area, pulsing weakly, like a faint heartbeat.

“That’s impossible, there’s no way they should have been able to find us here!” Mr. Combs said, looking terrified.

“She must have followed us back from the hospital, it’s the only thing I can think of,” Mr. Whitmore said. “Damn her.”

“Where’s Sytris?” Jon asked.

“He said he was on his way. He should be back any minute, I think. Don’t worry, it’s impossible for them to cross the border.”

Haley could tell he had meant it to sound reassuring, but it sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than them.

The creature outside the gate wasn’t moving. It remained completely still, like some grotesque statue. Then without warning it leapt forward and struck at thin air. Or so it looked at first. Its arm connected with something: a large, neon-blue barrier that rippled on impact, stretched like a dome around the property.

“This is insanity, we can’t stay here,” Mr. Bryant said.

“Don’t be ridiculous. This is the safest place we could be, they can’t get in.”

“Are you willing to risk our collective safety on that bet?”

No one had a chance to answer, because another voice wafted in from the outside: feminine but low-pitched, carrying a hint of cruel amusement.

“Very clever with the forcefield, but no barrier will hold indefinitely. We know you’re in there, you may as well face us.”

“It’s her all right,” Oscar said grimly.

“Absolutely not!” hissed Mr. Whitmore, who had noticed Jonathan inching forward. “Don’t provoke her!”

“You said it yourself, they can’t get past the border.”

“No!”

“Just a moment of your time will suffice.”

This was a new voice, one completely unfamiliar. But there was something strange about it: this voice sounded like it belonged to someone much younger. Jon looked like he couldn’t believe his eyes. He whispered something that sounded like “Oh my God,” then burst through the door. His father tore after him, shouting, “Jonny! Get back inside!”

But Jon didn’t stop, and neither did any of the others as they filed out behind him. He came to a halt in the courtyard, just a few feet away from the front gate. Besides the rock monster, there was no one else there. But then a moment later the air in front of them rippled, and out of thin air walked a boy with shining blond hair, walking towards them with his hands clasped behind his back and a warm smile on his face.

“Hello again,” the boy said pleasantly. “Thank you for coming to meet us.”

“You know this guy?” Oscar asked Jon.

Jon’s hands had balled into fists, his jaw clenched tightly. “I saw him at the hospital,” he said through gritted teeth. “I felt like something was off about him the whole time. And now I can see why. You’re one of them, aren’t you? A Harbinger?”

The boy’s smile turned into a grimace. His entire expression contorted instantly. “Please refrain from using that derogatory term when referring to us,” he said, his voice devoid of its earlier warmth.

“Must be a family thing,” Jon said, loud enough for only his immediate companions to hear. “Erymithia hates the word too.”

“He and Erymithia are related?” Tim asked, aghast.

“Siblings, I think. And according to him there’s at least one more: another brother.”

“Precisely,” the boy said, voice oily once more. “My name is Valarok, and of course you’ve already met my dear sister.” He pointed up at the empty sky. A moment later the air began to ripple, and then an ornate chariot appeared there, pulled by dogs that looked exactly as the boys had described them: like a mixture of fire and shadow, with gaping maws and snarls that sent chills running down Haley’s spine. The woman in the chariot had a beautiful yet terrible face, with metallic-looking hair that gleamed brightly despite the dim evening light.

“And where’s your brother?”

“I believe I explained earlier: he only ever deigns to appear when things get entertaining.”

“Why are you here?” Tim asked. “What do you people want from us? I doubt you tracked us all the way here just to try to kill us.”

Valarok looked rather impressed. “And you’d be correct. It’s simple really: we want what you stole from us.”

Looks of confusion were exchanged among the group. Frowning, Jon turned to the duo once more.

“Are we supposed to know what that means?”

“Sarcasm. The lowest form of mortal humour,” Valarok said in a bored voice.

“That wasn’t sarcasm,” Lauren chimed in. “We don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you do. It was awfully faint, but we traced the magical signature right back here. None of us actually believed you would be willing to give it to us.” He sighed dramatically. “But I did have hope we could at least try to work this out diplomatically.”

“Whatever you’re looking for, these kids don’t have it,” Mr. Whitmore said. “You’re only wasting everyone’s time here, so how about you do us all a favour and leave.”

Valarok’s eyes traveled very slowly from Lauren to Mr. Whitmore’s face and stayed there. He was still smiling, but his gaze had become distinctly colder. “Intriguing, how you are all so willing to demean yourself by consorting with… lesser beings.”

A ripple of anger went around their circle. Anger flashed in Jon’s face; even Tim looked affronted.

“We’re stooping to middle school insults now?” Lauren scoffed.

Valarok’s gaze shifted back to her and he inclined his head to the side, staring at her appraisingly. “You’re the oldest of the bunch.” It wasn’t a question. “Tell me, do you have as much trouble handling your younger siblings as I do mine?”

“Younger?” Haley asked, bemused.

“Well yes. Surely you didn’t believe that this form is actually indicative of my true age?” When they merely continued to stare at him, he raised a single eyebrow. “I see. You’re even younger than I originally believed. Do any of you even have any memories of Algyria?”

Another tense silence ensued, spiraling horribly.

“No? Too young, I imagine. It was a beautiful place you know. So vibrant and full of life.”

“It probably was, before you and your fellow degenerates destroyed it,” Tim said, his voice actually shaking with anger.

“Is that what you were told?” Valarok sounded genuinely interested. “Oh please, do enlighten me further. What else have you heard?”

“You killed our parents.” Oscar spoke in a very soft voice, but it carried across the courtyard nonetheless. A cold breeze swept through the yard; the rain began to fall even harder.

“I can neither confirm nor deny that. I have hardly any recollection of that period really. It was all so… unpleasant.”

To see such an innocent face contorted with such callousness was unsettling. Haley was beginning to feel a rush of anger now too. Raindrops peppered her skin. Erymithia waved a hand over her head, and as if an invisible umbrella had blossomed above her, Haley saw the raindrops sliding smoothly away from her face. It was then that she noticed that none of the rain was making contact with Valarok either. It was as if the droplets were curving around him, not daring to land upon his skin.

“I’m sure you have heard much of what transpired several years ago, but there are in fact two sides to every story. It all boils down to a matter of perspective.”

“That may be, but we’re certainly not interested in hearing yours,” said Mr. Combs. “Come on, let’s go back inside. It’s not worth it.”

To Haley’s slight surprise, nobody objected. Casting the Harbingers filthy looks, they turned and began to sweep up the driveway.

“Haven’t you heard it’s dishonourable for a host to abandon their guests?” Valarok’s voice called. No one spared him a second glance. “A shame,” he pouted. “Where’s that Algyrian hospitality that your forefathers were renowned for?”

The group came to a collective halt. Haley turned to find the boy smiling in the same cold, sinister way.

“Unfortunately, we are in need of what you took from us. Rest assured we will not be leaving without it.”

The rain was pouring now. A rumble of thunder sounded overhead, followed by an arc of neon green lightning that tore through the darkening sky. It illuminated the sky for just a moment, then a branch of that same emerald lightning burst from the clouds and collided with the top of the barrier. A massive tremor rocked the entire yard; Haley almost toppled over but managed to regain her balance by grabbing onto the railings. They turned in horror to find Erymithia vigorously waving her arms once more.

Another bolt of lightning came crashing down upon the sapphire barrier with an explosion of multicolored sparks. At the same time the Necroforager she had brought began to pound relentlessly against the wall from outside.

“Oh my God!” Mrs. Combs gasped. “They’re trying to break through the barrier!”

“It’s fine,” Mr. Whitmore shouted over the rain. “They can’t get in!”

“They’re gods!” Mr. Combs said. “We can’t rule out the possibility.”

Another jet of lightning ripped through the air. The rain was coming down so hard now that they were soaked within seconds.

“Call Sytris. Hurry!” Mr. Whitmore yelled.

Mr. Medina turned and awkwardly blundered up the stairs.

“This can’t be happening.” Mrs. Bryant was wringing her hands, looking completely distraught. “Not now, please not now!”

Blast after blast struck the barrier. Every time it was hit, ripples spread across its surface. The barrier would regenerate each time, but Haley noticed that with every hit the ripples were becoming larger and were taking longer to disappear. And all the while the rain around them worsened. Within minutes the weather had progressed to some kind of freak storm. The sky was completely black, the rain so heavy that they could barely see what was happening in front of them. Water was rising to their ankles now, accompanied by gale force winds that threatened to uproot the trees in the front yard.

“No service!” Mr. Medina shouted, reappearing behind them.

“It must be the storm!” Mr. Combs said desperately.

“Kids, get inside!” shouted Mr. Whitmore. “Now! Get — get…” His words faltered, and they had no difficulty understanding why. As dark as it was, all of them could clearly make out the thick layer of frost creeping over the surface of the barrier. Within seconds it looked like the inside of a snow globe.

They had a very brief reprieve from the heavy rains, blocked by the sudden ice cap that had overtaken the barrier. Then there was another flash of light, followed by the dome being struck by the most violent thunderclap they had yet seen, and the barrier exploded. Chunks of ice rocketed all over like shrapnel, shattering windows and setting off Mr. Whitmore’s car alarm.

Haley vaguely heard someone shouting, “Get down!” before somebody sent her flying face-first into the pavement. She hit her head so hard that she could almost feel her brain rattling around in her skull.

Through the haze of rain she looked up, her vision somewhat blurry. A third figure was standing outside the gates now, towering over Valarok. He was huge, and covered in strips of armour that gleamed even in the near-total darkness. Just as it had done with the barrier, a layer of frost was creeping steadily over the ground at his feet.

“I told you,” Valarok called, sounding pleased, “that he would make his appearance when the fun began.”