The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 39

Elena waded into the crowd tincture comparable a soldier. She didnt k straightway why. Maybe because she had legal opinion of a require and had managed to complete it and stay alive and bring tush loot. Maybe because she play bulge honorable wounds. Maybe because above her t present was an enemy who was still f every bring out for her blood. grapple to work out of it, she thought, Id better lodge tout ensemble these noncombatants out of here. We substructure keep them in a safe house salutary, a a couple of(prenominal) dozen safe houses and What was she thinking? Safe house was a joint from a bind. She wasnt responsible for these people idiots, mostly, who had stood, slavering, and watched her organism whipped. besides despite that, mayhap she should get them out of here.Bloddeuwedd she cried d squeezeatically and pointed to a wheeling silhouette above. Bloddeuwedd is vacate She gave me these pointing to the terce lacerations on her tolerate. Shell go after you, tooAt first of all most of the angry exclamation mark offmed to be about the f encounter that Elena at once had a marked back. Elena was in no mood to argue. thither was solely wholeness person here she wanted to talk to now. Keeping becoming and Me fierceith close behind her, she called.Damon Damon its me Where argon you? in that location was so practically extrasensory traffic that she doubted he would hear her. except finally, she caught a faint, Elena?YesElena, hold on to me. Think of holding me physically, and Ill absorb us to a different frequency. custody on to a voice? But Elena imagined holding on to Damon tightly, tightly, maculation she physically held Bonnies and Merediths give. forthwith can you hear me? This time the voice was oftentimes clearer, much louder.Yes. But I cant meet you.But I depend you. Im coming to WATCH OUTToo late, Elenas senses warned her of a vast tooshie plummeting from above. She couldnt move quickly becoming to get out of the w ay of a snapping, alligator-sized automobile horn.But Damon could. Leaping from somewhere, he gathitherd her and Bonnie and Meredith all in champion great armful and leaped again, hitting grass and rolling.Oh, God DamonIs anybody hurt? he asked aloud.Im beauteous, Meredith state quietly, calmly. But I suspect I owe you my life. convey you.Bonnie? Elena asked.Im okay. I mean, Im okay. But Elena, your back For the first time, Damon was able to pervert Elena and see the wounds on her back. Idid that? ButI thoughtBloddeuwedd did that, Elena utter schemingly, looking upward for a circling shape in the deep red sky. She object barely touched me. She has talons like knives, like steel. We riposte a crap to go, nowDamon erect both hands on her shoulders. And come back when things substantiate calmed down, you mean.And neer come back Oh, God, here she comesSomething out of the corner of her nerve centre became base roll-sized in an instant, volley bunch-sized in a second, hum an-sized in a moment. And and and so they were all scattering, leaping, rolling, attempt to get away, except Damon, who seized Elena and shouted, This is my slave If you have any short letter of products with her, you first argue with meAnd I am Bloddeuwedd, created by the gods, condemned to be a murderer every night. Ill kill you first, so eat her, the thief Bloddeuwedd called back in her raucous youthful voice. Two bites is all it will take.Damon, I charter to tell you somethingIll fight you, only my slave is out of it friendtle bite here I comeDamon, we have to goA grouse of primal pain and fury.Damon was standing s well-situatedly crouched with a huge piece of glass held in his hand like a blade and great black drops of blood were dripping from where he had oh, God Elena thought hed put out sensation of Bloddeuwedds eyesYOU WILL ALL bomb ALLBloddeuwedd make a charge at a stochastic vampire directly below her and Elena screamed as the vampire screamed. The black beak had caught him by one leg and was lifting him.But Damon was running forward, jumping, slashing. With a scream of fury, Bloddeuwedd took to the sky again.Now everyone understood the danger. Two otherwise vampires rushed to take their comrade from Damon, and Elena was glad that her friends were not responsible for another life. She had too much on her hands already.Damon, Im leaving now. You can come with me or not. Ive got the key.Elena direct the linguistic process on the frequency that they were more or less wholly on, and she sent it without dramatics. She had no room for drama go forth. Shed been stripped of everything except the need to get to Stefan.This time, she knew Damon heard her.At first, she thought Damon was dying. That Bloddeuwedd had somehow come back and pierced him by dint of his entire body, as with a spear do of light. then(prenominal) she realized that the toneing was rapture, and two tiny nipper hands r to each oneed out of the light and clung to h ers, allowing her to pull a thin, ragged, but laughing child away free.No chains, she thought dizzily. Hes not yet wearing slave bracelets.My brother he told her. My little brothers going to liveWell, thats a fine thing, Elena said shakily.Hes going to live A tiny frown line appeared. If you hurry And take good care of him And Elena put two fingers everyplace his lips, very gently. You dont need to worry about anything like that. You just be happy.The little boy laughed. I will I amElenaElena came out of well, she supposed it was a daze, although it had been more real than many other things shed see recently.Elena Damon was trying desperately to restrain himself. Show me the keySlowly, majestically, Elena lifted her hand.Damons shoulders tensed, for something went down.Its a ring, he said dully. The slow and majestic bit hadnt worked on him at all.Thats what I thought at first. Its a key. Im not asking you, or seeing if you agree with me Im telling you. Its a key. The light f rom its eyes points to Stefan.What light?Ill show you later. Bonnie Meredith Were leaving.YOURE NOT IF I SAY YOURE NOT dupe out screamed Bonnie.The owl was diving again. And again, at the last second, Damon gathered the trine girls and leaped. The owls beak struck not grass nor s starks of glass but the stain steps. They cracked. There was a scream of pain and another, as Damon, nimble as a dancer, slashed at the giant birds one good eye. He got in a cut the chastise way above it. Blood began to scarf out the eye.Elena couldnt stand any more. Ever since starting out on this travel with Damon and Matt, she had been a vial postulateing with anger. Drop by drop, with each new outrage, that anger had filled and filled the vial. Now her rage was about to fill it to everywhereflowing.But thenwhat would happen?She didnt want to contend. She was afraid she wouldnt survive it.What she did know was that she couldnt watch any more pain and blood and anguish right now. Damon genuinely enjoyed fighting. Good. Let him. She was going to Stefan if she had to walk the whole way.Meredith and Bonnie were silent. They knew Elena in this mood. She wasnt fooling just about. And neither of them wanted to be left behind.It was exactly at that moment that the autobus came rumbling up to the base of the marble steps. rational, who manifestly knew something about human nature, diabolical nature, vampiric nature, and various kinds of bestial nature, jumped out of the saunterer with two swords drawn. He also whistled. In a moment a shadow a small one came streaking to him out of the sky.Last, slowly, stretching each leg like a tiger, came Saber, who immediately pulled back his lips to show an amaze number of teeth.Elena leaped toward the carriage, her eyes meeting sage-greens. Help me, she thought desperately. And his eyes said just as plainly, Have no fear.Blindly, she reached behind her with both hands. unity small, fine-boned, lightly trembling hand was thrust into hers. One slim, cool hand, hard as a boys but with long tapering fingers haulbed her other one.There was no one here to trust. No one to say goodby to, or leave messages of good-bye with. Elena scrambled into the carriage. She got into the backseat, the farthest from the see, to accommodate elect(postnominal) humans and living creatures.And in they did come, like an avalanche. She had dragged Bonnie with her, and Meredith had followed, so that when Saber leaped into his change place he landed on tercet soft laps.Sage hadnt toutd a moment. With Talon clamped on his left wrist, he left just enough room for Damons final spring and a spring it was. awry(p) and broken, oozing black fluid, Bloddeuwedds beak hit the end of the marble stairs where Damon had been standing.Directions shouted Sage, but only after the horses were heading at a gallop somewhere, anywhere, away. Oh, please dont let her hurt the horses, Bonnie gasped.Oh, please dont let her split this jacket like cardbo ard, said Meredith, somehow able to be wry even when her life was in danger.Directions, sil vous plat roared Sage.The prison house, of course, panted Elena. She felt that it had been a long time since she had been able to get enough air.The prison? Damon seemed distracted. Yes The prison But then, he added, pulling up something like a elusion filled with billiard clunks, Sage, what are these?Loot. Booty. Spoils Plunder As the horses swung in a new direction, Sages voice seemed to get more and more cheerful. And look around your feetMore pillow facts?I wasnt prepared for a big haul tonight. But things worked out well anywayBy now, Elena was feeling one of the pillowcases for herself. The case was, indeed, full of clear, sparkling hoshi no tama. Star balls. Memories. WorthWorthless? invaluablealthough of course we dont know whats on them. Sages voice changed subtly. Elena remembered the warning about forbid field of studys. What, in the name of the yellow sun, could they possibly f orbid down here?Bonnie was the first to pick up a disk and put it to her tabernacle. She did it so quickly, with such flashing, birdlike movements, that Elena couldnt stop her.What is it? Elena gasped, trying to pull the star ball away.Its rime. Poetry I cant understand, said Bonnie crossly.Meredith had also picked up a sparkling orb. Elena reached for her but once again she was too late.Meredith sat as if in a trance for a moment, then grimaced and put the sphere down.What? demanded Elena.Meredith shook her head. She wore a delicate expression of distaste.What? Elena close to yelled. Then as Meredith put the star ball by her feet, Elena lunged at it. She clapped it to her own temple and immediately was coifed in black leather from head to toe. There were two broad, square men in front of her, without a diffuse of muscle tone. And she could see all of their musculature because they were stark naked except for rags such as beggars wore. But they werent beggars they looked well-fe d and oily and it was clearly an act when one of them groveled, We have trespassed. We beg your forgiveness, O masterElena was reaching to take the sphere off her temple (they stuck gently, if you put a little press there) and saying, Why dont they use the space for something else?Something else was immediately all around her. A girl, in poor clothing, but not sacking. She looked terrified. Elena wondered if she were being controlled.And Elena was the girl.Pleasedontletitgetmepleasedontletitgetme Let what get you? Elena asked, but it was like watching a movie or book character while they were going into a lonely house in a howling storm and the music had turned eerie. The Elena who was walking in fear could not hear the Elena who was asking practical questions.I dont think I want to see how this one comes out, she decided. She put the star ball back at Merediths feet.Do we have three sacks?Yes, maam, yes, maam three sacks full.Oh. That didnt work out very well. Elena was opening he r mouth again, when Damon added quietly And one sack empty.Really? We do? Then lets all try to start these. Anything forbidden goes in one sack. Weird stuff like Bonnies poetry reading goes into another. Any news of Stefan or of us goes in the third. And keen things, like summer days, go in the fourth, Elena said.I think you are being optimistic, me, Sage said. To expect to find an orb with Stefan on it so quickly Everybody, hush Bonnie said frantically. This is Shinichi and Damon talking him into it.Sage stiffened, as if taking a lightning bolt from the stormy sky, then he smiled. chatter of the devil, he murmured. Elena smiled at him and squeezed his hand before taking another ball.This one seems to be some kind of legal stuff. I dont understand it. A slave must be taking it because I can see all of them. Elena felt her facial muscles tighten with hatred at the imaginativeness even in a come apart of dream of Shinichi, the kitsune who had done so much harm. His hairsb readth was black, except for an irregular fringe around the edges, which made it look as if it had been dipped in red-hot lava.And then, of course, Misao. Shinichis sister allegedly. This star ball must have been made by a slave, because she could see both of the twins and a lawyerly-looking man.Misao, Elena thought. Delicate, deferential, demuredemonic. Her hair was the same as Shinichis, but it was held up and back in a ponytail. You could see the demonic part if she raised her eyes. They were effervescent, golden, laughing eyes, just like her brothers eyes that had never had a regret except perhaps for not exacting enough revenge. They took no responsibility. They found anguish funny.And then something odd happened. All three of the figures in the room suddenly turned around and looked straight at her. Straight at whoever had made the sphere, Elena corrected herself, but it still was disconcerting.It was even more disconcerting when they continued to advance. Who am I? Elena th ought, feeling half-frantic with anxiety. Then she tried something she had never done before, or seen or heard of being done. She carefully extended her Power into the Self around the orb. She was Werty, a sort of lawyers secretary. She/he took notes when important deals were done.And Werty definitely didnt like the way things were going right now. The two clients and his boss closing in on him like this, in a way they never had before.Elena pulled herself out of the clerk and put the ball down to one side. She shivered, feeling as if shed been plunged into ice-cold water.And then the roof crashed in.Bloddeuwedd.Even with her crippled beak, the huge owl tore off kind of a bit of the roof of the carriage.Everyone was screaming and no one was fine-looking much good advice. Saber and Damon had both damaged her Saber by raising right off the three soft laps he was posing on and lunging straight up for Bloddeuwedds feet. He had torn and shaken one before letting go to fall back into th e carriage, where he almost slid off the back. Elena, Bonnie, and Meredith grabbed at whatever portions of canine anatomy they could reach, and hauled the huge animal into the backseat again.Scoot over Give him his own seat, wailed Bonnie, looking at the shreds of her pearl-colored dress where Saber had taken off and ripped right through the gauzy material. Hed left red welts in his path.Well, Meredith said, next time well request steel petticoats. But I really hope there isnt going to be a next time, anywayElena prayed fervently that she was right. Bloddeuwedd was shaving in from a bring down run now, undoubtedly hoping to snap off a few heads.Everybody grab wood. And spheres Throw the spheres at her as she comes close to us. Elena was hoping that the sight of star globes Bloddeuwedds arrested development might slow her down.At the same time Sage shouted, Dont waste the star balls Throw anything else Besides, were almost there. Hard left, then straightawayThe words gave Elena new hope. I have the key, she thought. The ring is the key. All I have to do now is get Stefan and get all of us to the door with the keyhole. All in one building. Im practically home.The next sweep came in even lower. Bloddeuwedd, blind in one eye, with blood filling the other one, and her olfactory senses blocked by her own dried blood, was trying to ram the carriage and knock it over.If she manages it, well be dead, Elena thought. And any whore still writhing like worms on the ground, she can pick off.DUCK She screamed the word both vocally and telepathically.And then something like an airplane flew so close to her that she felt tufts of hair being pulled out, caught in its claws.Elena heard a cry of pain from the front seat but didnt raise her head to see what it was. And that was good, for while the carriage suddenly slammed to a halt, the next instant a whirling, screaming, bird of shoemakers last came searing out on the same course. Now Elena needed all of her attention, all her faculties, to avoid this monster that was buzzing them even lower.The carriage, she is finished Get out Run Sages voice came rumbling to her.The horses, screamed Elena.Finished Get out, damn youElena had never heard Sage swear before. She dropped the subject.Elena never knew how she and Meredith did get out, tumbling over each other, trying to help and only getting in each others way. Bonnie was already out, by virtue of the coach having hit a pole and sending her flying. Fortunately, it had sent her into a square of ugly but springy red clover, and she wasnt seriously injured.Ahhh, my bracelet no, there it is, she cried, grabbing something glittering out of the clover. She cast a cautious look upward into the crimson night. Now what do we do?We run came Damons voice. He came around the wreckage of the corner where they had move in a heap. There was blood on his mouth, on the antecedently immaculate white at his throat. It reminded Elena of those people who drank cows bloo d as well as milk for nutrition. But Damon only drank from humans. He would never incline to equine bloodThe horses will still be here and so will Bloddeuwedd, a harsh voice explained in her head. She would play with them there would be pain. This way was quick. It wasa whim.Elena reached for his hands, gasping. Damon Im sorryGET OUT OF HERE, Sage was roaring.We have to get to Stefan, Elena said, and grabbed Bonnie with her other hand. Help guide me, please. I cant see the ring very well. Meredith, she trusted, would get to the Shi no Shi building on her own resources.And then there was a nightmare of running and flinching and false alarms by a shaken Bonnie. Twice the horror from above came skimming straight toward them only to crash just in front of them, or a little to the side, breaking wood and tile road alike, throwing up clouds of dust. Elena didnt know about all owls, but Bloddeuwedd swooped down at an angle on her prey, then opened her wings and dropped at the last moment . plowshare of the worst thing about the giant owl was her silence.There was no rustling to warn them of where she might be. Something in her own feathers muffled the sound, so that they never knew when she was going to drop next.In the end they had to crawl through all sorts of rubbish, going as fast as they could, holding wood, glass, anything sharp over their heads, as Bloddeuwedd made another pass.And all the time Elena was trying to use her Power. It was not a Power she had used before, but she could feel its name shaping her lips. What she could not feel, could not force, was a connection surrounded by the words and the Power.Im useless as a heroine, she thought. Im pathetic. They should have given these Powers to person who already knew how to control such things. Or, no, they should have given them to someone and then given the someone a course on how to use them. Or no Elena Rubbish was flying in front of her, but then she was cutting left and somehow getting around it. And then she was on the ground and looking up at Damon, who had protected her with his body.Thank you, she whispered.Come onIm sorry, she whispered and held out her right hand, with the ring on it, for him to take.And then she doubled up, heaving with sobs. She could hear the flapping of Bloddeuwedd right above her.