Dancing With Monsters (17 page)

We walked down a row of tents all with
markings outside of them. They were all different colors and some
had flags of bright ribbon staked outside the door. Everything here
was colorful and festive with people dancing around to the constant
sound of drums and flutes that filled the night air.

I breathed in that air, and it was
cool. Moisture from the dew on the grass soaked through my shoes,
and made my feet wet. But it didn’t bother me because I was
fascinated with the wildly dressed people dancing and laughing all
around us.

“
Are there any
rides?”
I asked my mom.

“
No April,”
she said in a dismissive voice
. “We’re here,”
she said with
relief.

The drape of the tent door flipped
open and inside was a small, round table covered with a burgundy
colored cloth. Colorful tapestries covered the walls, and shiny
beads looped all around the room. The beads glistened in the light,
and I found my little self was mesmerized by them.

What else was in the
room?!

“
Who is with you, April?”
It was Seth’s voice asking.

“
My mom and…a woman…large
woman with a dark veil…I’m scared…don’t want to get close to her!”
I felt comforting arms wrap around me.

The past and the present were
colliding. I wanted to see where I was, ask questions, but the
memory I was so vividly witnessing was just that—a
memory.

“
What is the woman’s name?
What is she saying to you?” Malachi’s voice broke through my
vision.

“
My mom is paying her…I
have to hold out my arm…and…NO!!!” I cried at the top of my lungs
as my arm felt it was on fire.

I screamed as my mom held onto my arm
pressing it hard onto the table. The veiled woman had a long,
slender pink tinged metal rod that she pressed onto my
skin.

“
Don’t cry little
one,”
her voice was soft and soothing to
my younger self’s ears.
“Meena is here to
help you.”

My eyes popped open to see Malachi
inches from my face. He was on top of me holding me down by my
wrists and breathing hard as his eyes were filled with
surprise.

“
No, I’m alright. It’s
just a small burn.” I could hear Nessa’s voice.

“
Her name was Meena,” I
said, gazing into Malachi’s striking blue eyes. They reminded me of
the blue goblets at my second foster home that we were never
allowed to use. “Your eyes,” I said softly. “They are
beautiful.”

Malachi’s lips curled into a big smile
as his scared-surprised eyes turned conceited. He chuckled as he
released my wrists and helped me to my feet. My cheeks burned with
embarrassment, but that quickly faded when I saw Nessa holding her
hand with blisters covering it. Seth was already applying what I
guessed was serpents oil.

“
Nessa,” I said with
concern. “Did I…did I do that? I’m sorry.” I felt horrible as Nessa
hid her pain with a smile towards me.

“
It’s fine. Just a small
burn, and,” she flinched as Seth applied more oil. “It will heal
quickly.”

“
Nessa will heal, but I
don’t think this gent will be so lucky.” Malachi motioned with his
head towards a statue of some headless Buddha looking wax sculpture
that sat on a narrow table along the wall. “You decapitated him.
Dislike river trolls?” he asked picking up the head that belonged
to the sculpture off the floor.

I looked between Seth, Nessa and
Malachi. “What-what did I do?” I pressed my hands to my head trying
to contain the range of emotions inside of me.

“
Come here and sit,”
Malachi said, guiding me to the sofa.

Seth took a pale Nessa into the
kitchen to bandage up her burn. I felt horrible, and more like a
monster that humans depicted them to be—one to be feared for the
terrible things they did. I had hurt Nessa, and possibly could have
killed her, and by the scotch marks on the wall along with the
ruined sculpture, I could have destroyed Ayil’s home.

I wanted to cry, but couldn’t as so
many emotions ran through me. A memory of my past had surfaced
uncovering things long forgotten. The demon that had bit me so long
ago has found me. I wanted to run until I found that sanctuary made
by the angels, and be sheltered from my past that I wanted nothing
to do with at the same time I did.

Malachi sat beside me and didn’t say a
word. He just wrapped his arm around me and we sat
there.

I thought of everything that had
happened, and gazed towards the wall with no memory of what I had
done to it. The next thing I clearly remembered was staring into
Malachi’s gem-like eyes. A wave of embarrassment flashed over
me.

“
I said you had amazing
eyes,” I said, still not thinking clearly.

Malachi removed his arm from me and
grinned. I sat horrified realizing I had said my thoughts out
loud.

“
You actually said
beautiful, but amazing is a nice complement as well, and I accept
that complement.” I knew a wave of dread washed over my face that
Malachi could clearly see. “All the girls tell me that my eyes are
amazing, so, you’re not telling me anything I don’t know,
spell-struck,”

Could this day get any
worse?

“
You’re eyes are lovely
too,” he said as I looked up at him.

“
They’re brown,” I said,
thinking the color of them wasn’t special.

“
Yes, but they have flecks
of blue and green in them. Never seen eyes like yours before—they
are unique and so are you.”

I stood up and went to the window.
“When Ayil gets back she won’t think my uniqueness is all that
great.” I turned and motioned towards the wall.

Malachi glanced at it then back at me.
“Yes, well, we monsters are used to things like this.” He stood up
and walked towards me.

His eyes were something I could get
lost in; kind of like gazing at a painting that had so much detail,
you couldn’t pull away until you’ve looked at everything the artist
had painted into it.

Malachi stood in front of me and took
my hands in his. I let him as my fingers sat loosely in his palms.
He smiled at me, not with his arrogant grin that I’ve noticed and
thought nauseating. Instead, I saw something else that I didn’t
know what it was, and clearly had my interest. “You, April Snow,”
he said softly, “are not the monster you think you are.”

Seth

“
April said her mother
called it a market they went to. Do you think it was the night
market in Nethopania?” Nessa asked fighting off the drowsiness
caused from the serpent’s oil. “That place is kind of shady you
know.”

“
Possibly,” I replied
letting my thoughts drift to Ezra.

I had just checked on her, and she was
sleeping—in fact that’s all she’s been doing. I had to do something
for her, and Ayil said that maybe the angels could help her, but
even their powers aren’t that strong.

“
Look, I know you are
concerned about Ezra, too,” Nessa said, gently grabbing me by my
chin to meet her gaze, “but we need to do something, not sit here
and wait for the stinking angels to arrive.”

“
Yes, we should, but my
Uncle Hes gave me Ayil’s name and sent us to her as someone we
could trust. And we will wait for the angels and Ayil to come
back.” I said, straightening myself. “And when they do get back, we
will tell them about April’s vision.” Nessa crossed her arms and
glared at me.

“
It’s
our
mission and we won’t know unless
we investigate, because I don’t trust angels unless I know them,
and I don’t know very many angels.” Nessa’s eyes were beginning to
glaze over and her words slightly slur. “Dang this serpent’s oil,”
she rubbed her eyes. “I need coffee.”

I smiled at her. “Your small stature
is no challenge for the oil, you know that, and the perk coffee
will give you is only temporary.” Her head wobbled the more she
tried to straighten it. “Nessa, you need to sleep for at least an
hour.”

“
I don’t want to,” she
said in her stubborn voice. “I don’t trust angels, and I’m not sure
about Ayil.” She whispered her name even though Ayil had left to
see if the angels had arrived. “She didn’t share very much
information about these angels. What if they are bad ones?” Nessa’s
eyes widened, as her gestures were that of someone intoxicated. “I
mean how do they know April is a princess and her ring has the
power of the angels? Do you think maybe they wanted that power
back?”

Nessa was making some valid points
through her sleepy stupor. I’ve allowed myself to become
preoccupied with Ezra that I’ve pushed our mission behind her.
There was lot that hung in the balance that we were responsible
for. But I also knew Uncle Hes wouldn’t send me to the enemy,
unless, that relationship had changed. The race of angels and
demons looked upon monsters the same way. They both used and hated
us. If April’s ring contained the lost power of the angels, and put
into the wrong hands, the race of monsters could be destroyed. It’s
no secret that angels detest us even breathing air, and they
wouldn’t think twice about turning us to ash. The only problem was
it would be too late if that was the intentions of Ayil’s angel
companions.

I took in a deep breath and stood up.
“You’re right, Nessa, at least enough to cause speculation.” I
stepped behind her.

“
Of course I’m right,” she
said agreeably as I lifted her gently up.

“
We will go the night
market, and we will leave as soon as we can.”

Each time Ezra opened her eyes, the
less she could open them. She was fading, and she was fading fast.
Her breaths were raspy and she coughed up blood when she talked. My
heart ached the first time I lost her, and now, it ached even more.
I felt it my fault she was like this—if only she would have left
the Shadowlands.

“
Something troubles you
besides my passing,” Ezra said, trying to retain a
cough.

I smiled. “Don’t worry about what
troubles me.”

She tightened the grip she had on my
hand. “My time is fading.” Her eyes opened a little wider. “The
angels won’t be able to help me, this I know. There is only one
thing that can be done, and April can do it.”

I wanted to cry out demanding the
fates to explain why they torture us. April could do a Taking, but
then what would be the result of that?

“
You don’t understand what
I can do,” Ezra pressed. “By April taking my life force, I will
live in her. My strength will be hers and hers will be mine. She’s
incomplete, and there is a war coming that she won’t be able to
fight alone.”

I shook my head and took Ezra’s hand.
“At least give the angels a try, they might help you…help us,” I
said as she shook her head.

“
Seth, it will be too
late. By the time Ayil Archer comes home, I will be lost beyond the
Shawdowlands, and never see you again.”

Ayil had called and said she’d be back
in two days. It was taking some time for the angels to get here,
and she said that we should stay in the house within the protection
of her spells. She reassured us that the spells were demon-proof,
and nothing should happen. Something would happen—Ezra would die. I
didn’t say anything to Ayil about that because I had made a
decision—now to get April to agree.

“
Ok, what’s so important
that we had to assemble in the kitchen?” Malachi asked sitting next
to April and Nessa beside her.

I let my eyes switch from Malachi to
Nessa and then rested on April. “As you know we don’t have much
time with our mission or with Ezra. But I think for us to be
successful, the two are linked.”

“
Seth, what are you
talking about?” Nessa asked. “We should be going to the night
market in Nethopania, not
talking
about what’s important, but
doing
what’s important.”

“
Nethopania?” April
questioned as she looked from me to Nessa.

“
Like I said,” I raised my
voice cutting Nessa’s explanation off. “The two are
linked.”

I gazed into April’s eyes. Her dark
eyes were a multitude of colors, and Ezra was right, she was old
and young at the same time. I could clearly see it as I focused on
her.

“
Seth,” Nessa’s voice
questioned with warning. “What are you doing?”

“
Doing what needs to be
done.”

“
You’re compelling her,
why?” Malachi asked defensively.

I was and I wasn’t. “I’m not totally
compelling her.”

“
What’s compelling?” April
asked glancing towards Malachi and proving him wrong.

“
Uh,” he replied, and then
looked at me dumbfounded for an answer.

“
April,” I said her name
and she looked back at me. “Compelling is sort of like controlling
and getting into ones thoughts. I can do that, but I’m not doing
that to you. I’m simply opening your thoughts and mind so I can ask
you a question.”

“
Ok Seth, you’ve…” Nessa
started to say as I shushed her.