The Quarter Moon (Afterlife saga) (54 page)

“You don’t have to hide from me
.” I said pushing up my sleeves and holding both of my arms out for him to see my scars. I saw him raise his head and I just caught sight of the burn marks on his chin.

“I…I
don’th wanth to fffrighten you.” I smiled at that and said,

“I have seen many things, many terrifying things that most would class as monsters
, but those monsters were all my enemies. You’re not my enemy…are you, Percy?” He shook his head making the low hood sway.

“Then I have nothing to fear in your face
.” I saw his little shoulders slump in defeat as my words rang true. Then he raised his hands enough for me to see them wrapped in thin white gauze and guide his hood back from his face. I knew that what I was about to see would be heartbreaking but I didn’t want to react. So I prepared myself the best I could.

What shocked me the most wasn’t the face of burnt flesh
, but it was the face behind the scarred mask. No amount of puckered skin and twisted scarring tissue could keep the beauty beneath it from beaming out at me. I slipped from the bed and walking on my knees, I approached him slowly. He seemed to want to back away and I raised my hand in a show of peace.

“Please, let me
.” I said softly and I didn’t move again until he nodded. I looked at his face now nothing could be hidden and no amount of fire could take away a pair of beautiful eyes that were frantically looking around as if waiting for a harsh hand. I felt like crying for him, but knew that wasn’t what he needed. So instead of pity, I gave him what I thought he needed…a kind touch.

I reached out and he froze in fear but I would soon give him nothing to fear…not ever again if I could help it. My hand slipped through the bars and I quickly cupped his cheek before he could pull back from me.

“I think you’re beautiful Percy, make no mistake about that, for your pure soul shines through and no amount of hateful words or harsh punishments will ever make that beauty die…ever.” I looked deep into his sea green eyes and saw the tears start to form, making them look like an enchanted lake, that I could only hope was filled with trust. I watched one lone tear fall down the uneven path of his cheek and I caught it, wiping it away with my thumb.

“You will never be alone again, for I will take you with me
, Percy.” Then we both cried our own silent sobs, mine brought on when he trusted me enough to take my other hand in his smaller one.

“
Thhank you, my Fffriend.” He said smiling at me for the first time. All I could do was nod and clasp his hand tighter in mine.

That night came the next Quarter Moon and with it something new. I was stood looking up at it through the window when I heard the usual doors grating along the stone as they were being pushed open. I was not in the mood for any more of Dimme’s twisted pastimes as the day’s events had drained me. The emotional rollercoaster from nearly losing the book, to the heartbreaking reveal of Percy and then to a day full of asking the book questions it refused to answer.

No secret messages filled me with hope, not one new word seeped into
its pages and now it looked as though I had something new to contend with. I ran over to the bed and placed the book I still held on to under the thin mattress. I was on my knees rearranging the straw I had piled on top for extra warmth when footsteps stopped behind me.

Then something disturbing crept over me like spiders covering every inch of my skin, all running over each other to find their own place next to my flesh.

Then came the pain.

It was as if
they had all bit down at once. I lowered my head and couldn’t help the cry that broke free. I wanted to be strong but the pain was unimaginable. I just wanted it to end and it had only been seconds. It took me back in time to two different points. The first was that night so long ago in the bathroom at Draven’s. Sammael was the cause back then but he was long gone and sent back to the Hell from which he’d escaped. So the question was…who was my tormentor now?

This brought on the second part of my journey into the past, only back then it had been into the future. Sigurd had shown this to me and I had been in this very room with my other self trying to get back. Well
, there was no getting back there now, that time had gone and with it my protector. There were no arms of comfort ready to pull me from this place and hold me close. There was only me and what little power I had.

‘Concentrate
, Keira.’ I told myself. That’s when it happened. I felt the same tingling at my wrist and looked down to see one of the stones in my bracelet was glowing. I then looked up to the Quarter Moon and felt a sense of relief wash over me like a wave crashing up the cliffs of my mind. ‘Control it’ the wind whispered over the water and suddenly there I was. I was stood on a cliff face using my inner strength to push the waves back until the water became calm once more. And as those waves started flowing in the other direction, an impossible one back out to sea, it took with it my pain.

I took away my pain.

Now I could move. Now there were no biting spiders or fooling my mind into believing anything I didn’t myself control. I twisted my head and looked up to see outside of my prison, a room full of demons…and I didn’t even flinch.

Gor
gan leeches with their faces full of teeth and cracking limbs all clicked their jaws, sounding out like giant crickets. In between them were more of the death army that had fought that night. Only unlike the dream, the one in front of the rest was no longer the creature with a steel bar locking his cheeks together. Because I sent him back, killing his already death host. Which made me wonder for the hundredth time…was Marcus still with his host?

As in
the dream, the demons all parted to let through the one responsible for all of this. I stood and faced him with no fear left, only undiluted anger at what he had done to me.

“Ah
, my disgusting parasite, how nice to see you again.” The same vile words passed his lips but this time it was different because now they were from lips I finally recognised…

“You!”

Chapter 49

Two Down, Two to Go.

I couldn’t believe it! After all this time of wondering who it was that was after me and now I was faced with this guy!

“This is not happening!” I said thinking back all that time ago to that cold night following a cruel punishment.

“Oh believe me you vile creature, this is happening and it just so happens to be my revenge
.” At this my fingers curled into fist.

“I saved your life!” I screamed at him but he just threw his head back and laughed at me. Then he straightened as if someone flicked his crazy switch,

“You ruined my LIFE!” He screamed back at me, giving me a flash of his demon side. I shook my head trying to piece this all together but I was in too much of a shock.

“It was you all this time…I should have let Draven kill you!”  I said gritting my teeth at the end through my anger and not only
at the man responsible, but also at myself for being weak in Draven’s world.

I remembered it so well now. I was in Afterlife VIP when I bumped into a suited man…
“How dare you touch me, you vile human bitch! Someone should teach you manners you disgusting parasite...GO and fuck off!”
  His words had been as such when he pushed me from him. Draven had seen and in his rage split his council’s table in two. That night I begged Draven to save this demon’s life after he had made the man in front of me now, beg my forgiveness in a broken mess. I had run from Draven, run from the horror and realisation of it all. Run from a world he commanded and ruled over with his iron will. And now I was here and I couldn’t run anymore…

But I knew what he wanted.

“You took Draven… you took me and now what…? You want to see us both beg!?” I said looking back at him with new eyes. He started laughing again.

“You really are a stupid bitch
, aren’t you?” I didn’t respond as he continued laughing at me.

“Oh
, this is so much better than watching you beg like the human dog you are! No, I don’t have your precious King! You really think if I had that type of power over him, I would be wasting my time with you!”

“Then why?” I asked making him laugh even harder. Then I lost it, I grabbed hold of the bars and screamed,

“TELL ME WHY?!” The laughing stopped and I heard Dimme suck in a frightened breath before whispering…

“There, I told you master…she has the essence of…”

“YES! I can see that you fool! You don’t scare me!” He snapped back at me and again I felt the same power making my fingertips tingle.

“You want to know why but the why is so simple. That night you ruined me, everything I worked for, my riches, my power, my position…all of it gone just because you couldn’t walk in
a fucking straight line!” This time it was my turn to laugh.

“And now look who the stupid one is…this is all because you couldn’t keep your temper in check because someone fucking bumped
into you…are you that senseless? If you had taken a second to think why a human would have been there in the first place it might have saved your ass…but don’t go blaming me for your own foolish actions!” This comeback had now turned this smug bastard in to an angry bastard instead, but I didn’t care!

“You vile creatures don’t deserve to walk among us! But don’t worry, I will be getting my revenge
.”

“So
, leaving me here to rot is your big ‘master’ plan?” I said mocking him.

“No, that is just for my pleasure before I regain what was taken from me. I care little what happens to the likes of you and with the King now out of the way…well, it was almost too easy
.”

“You
’re forgetting one massive flaw in this plan, Draven is not here you prick…so how do you suppose your revenge will work if he doesn’t even know you have me!?” This time he didn’t laugh but raised one side of his mouth in a knowing smirk.

“Your ‘Draven’ can’t give a shit about you where he is and I care little about pointless
, but more importantly, penniless revenge.” I let go of the bars trying to make sense of it all. What did he mean…where Draven was?

“Then what…?” I didn’t finished as he stepped up to the bars himself and said,

“It is simple, I am going to sell you to the highest bidder, make back my money, regain my power and not give you one more single thought…I will however be most pleased if whoever buys you is a cruel bastard, but one can only hope.” At this I screamed and lunged for him. I didn’t end up doing as much damage as I would have liked but he was now sporting three bloody scratch marks down his face. He wailed out like a banshee, clutching his injured face in his hands and said,

“You will regret this!” But that was the last I heard as Gastian and his minions all vanished from the room, leaving me with my thoughts.

That night something in me changed and I knew it was all down to the Quarter Moon and the bracelet of stones. How did I know this? Well, after Gastian and his demon posse left me, the book woke up and told me so.

On the first Quarter Moon, the Blue moonstone stone will light the path for a protector to find his balance. Blood will bind together these souls and aid them both when travelling towards the prophecy. Clarity of mind and inner vision will flow clearly, building trust for future altered states of awareness. Life lessons will be learned through each other’s fates, entwining destinies into one goal…

Life must be conquered
.

This I knew referred back to my birthday and when Sigurd had saved me. But why was the book only telling me this now…was it because up until this point I had not asked or even taken much notice of my bracelet? Well, now I was taking notice and found that for the first time, two of the stones instead of being a milky grey colour, were different than before. The first one that must have changed was now a stunning deep sky blue that had such a depth to it, the stone almost looked alive.

I touched it and felt it
s energy buzzing through me, as if somehow keeping me balanced. Then I turned round the black cord they were all attached to and found the next stone. This time it had been changed into a pure white stone that had a pearlescent sheen across the top of its smooth surface. I looked down at the book and asked it,

“And the second Quarter Moon?  

On this second Quarter Moon, the white moonstone encourages the wave of calm in these fraught seas. It carries with it the energy needed from this moon, as the height of this power you will gain through strength of mind and
will. It will aid in stimulating psychic perception and vision in this world and that of the dream realm you hold the key too. Learn from past lessons and this moon will magnify one's emotions into a powerful weapon of imprisonment of the mind.

Train yourself to do this and you will find Nightmares cannot hurt what they cannot control.

Now I knew what I had to do and why the Oracle had given me this bracelet. She must have foreseen my journey and knew I would need its guidance. But if that was the case, then why hadn’t anyone come to rescue me or even before any of this, why had she not warned me about the kidnapping
so that I might have prevented it?

There were just too many questions like this and more than enough for me to go a little insane. I asked the book over and over but o
ther than these two passages it would tell me no more. Not even on the other stones, so that I might have a small idea on what was left to come.

I remember her saying that it was only on the Last Quarter Moon that I would find Draven and this thought had me in tears. Was I really to go through so much more before I would finally find him and even more importantly would I be strong enough by then to fight for him?!

“Yes! I must.” I said aloud wiping away useless tears. I looked up from my helpless huddle and saw the Quarter Moon in the centre of my window. It was like a beacon of hope and from that moment on I knew what I needed to do with this time…

Make myself stronger.

Eleven days went by and if it hadn’t been for Percy
, I knew I would have been dead. The only food that I had still only came to me at night but the effects of it could be seen in my protruding ribcage and collar bone. I had lost an alarming amount of weight in the almost three weeks I had been here. However, in all that time not once had an attempt been made to rescue me.

It was as though
not one person knew where I was and even through the book no-one had contacted me. I used to hold it to my heart at night and with all my mental strength, try and get a message out there. I would sometimes feel something, like words trying to get through, but then when I looked down the words would already be fading. It was both so exhausting and soul destroying that after six days of this I gave up.

I might have given up the idea of anyone contacting me but I still held on to hope that someone would still rescue me. I had no choice
, as the alternative of being sold was far too scary to face. So instead, I used my time wisely like the book had suggested I do and that night it turned out to be a definite blessing. See, when Gastian said that I would regret my attack on him, he hadn’t been wrong as I discovered what powers he still held.

Percy had tried to caution me but I had been too wrapped up in what the book had said about the moonstones to concentrate on his warnings. That night, after Percy had left me my food
, when I quickly started to devour it, it turned out that it left me just as quickly when I had to throw it all back up violently.

As
with the spiders, Gastian had piled my room full of delicious looking food after I finished my meal that had me salivating again. I forgot myself and started to pick up hot meat pies that once you bit into them would be filled with blood coming from the heart inside. I would drop the pie and grab a jug full of lush cool water only to find urine as it hit the back of my throat burning.

I then looked around the floor and suddenly every single bit of food was infected. From the rotting fruit to the maggots inside crusty bread or black flies writhing around on top of roast meat. Then came the large brown rats living inside large cakes and the disgusting human body parts made to
look like normal food.

I retched into my bucket over and over until nothing was left but the bile I continued to bring up in spit. This was all made worse when I could still see it covering the floor of my cell, even hear the rats munching away on whate
ver their mouths feasted on. Then I would just end up heaving all over again.

I wanted to start screaming, begging for someone to come and get me out of
there! I even gripped onto the bars, ready to shout out but then I stopped myself as I cried into my hands. I opened my eyes to see the white Moonstone with its wire moon shape holding it to the cord and knew what I needed to do. So I did what I had done countless times before, only this time I would work and work until I passed out if need be, but I would do it so much that pushing these nightmares back became second nature to me.

So for eleven days that’s precisely what I did. I trained my mind into a weapon against weapons. A shield to those who wished to use their powers of mind control against m
e, so that when the next night came and with it a new nightmare, I was ready for it. So for five days I fought off everything Gastian threw at me until one day they just stopped completely. I didn’t know if this was down to him giving up or that my mind had become so powerful he just couldn’t get through anymore. Whichever it was, this imprisonment had given me two things…

One was power and the other was Percy.

When it came to my little friend, I still didn’t know his story and I decided not to push for it as I knew he would tell me in time. I also found our limited time we had to talk was the highlight of my day as he would ask me questions about my life. He seemed fascinated by hearing me talk about Draven, as he had heard a lot about the King but never met him. I think it really hit home about Draven’s true position in Percy’s world when he seemed star struck just listening to me talk about him. Almost like me popping round to a neighbour’s house and telling them I was off out to have a pint with Johnny Depp dressed as Jack Sparrow!

But our time
, as I said, was limited mostly to the nights when it was safer for Percy to spend time unbeknown to Dimme aka, Skin’diana Bones. So when he walked in now alone in the light of day I was instantly worried.

“Percy, what’s wrong?”

“I don’th have mucth thime but wanthed you to know hhe’s coming for you.” His words were panicked and even more slurred than usual in his agitated state.

“Who, Gastian?” H
e nodded looking round and then pulled out a ring of keys ready to get me out.

“Whoa, what are you doing?”

“I am setthing you ffree.” I knew this was my one chance here but something didn’t feel right and I knew in my gut what it was.

“No Percy
, don’t.” He stopped and looked up at me, no longer trying to hide his face.

“Why
noth?”