Riley's Excellent and Not-at-all Fake Exorcism Service

Chapter 14

"So . . . Who is She?"

"So that . . ." Andrea stood there with wide eyes, "that was Hell?"

"Yep," I replied flatly.

"It's almost worse the second time," Lawn mumbled. He looked a little green and dazed, but not so much so that I feared him passing out . . . again.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Andrea gagged, as she doubled over, I knelt next to her, rubbing her back. The sky above us was crystal blue and surrounding us, as far as the eye could see, was rolling green hills. We definitely didn't go to New Jersey this time. I glanced over toward Thomas, who was standing still, looking out into the distance. His face bore no expression. I patted the gagging Andrea again on the back then stood, reached out my hand, and gently touched Thomas's arm.

"Thomas?" I was going to ask him if he was okay, but his expression told me all I needed to know. So instead I asked, "Where are we?"

"A place where we might be able to find out how Dolion created the meditation room." He started to walk slowly. "And if we do, hopefully, we can find a way to destroy it."

Lawn and I shared a look. I helped Andrea stand upright and we followed after Thomas. I was never someone who liked hiking or enjoyed being outside at all, really. But even I was astonished by how pleasant this place was. Despite the bright sun, it wasn't hot, nor was it cold. And even though I couldn't see the ocean, the air carried with it the smells of the sea. But not Jersey sea air, mind you. That shit smells like old seaweed. This was much closer to a sea breeze candle scent.

"Thomas," Lawn called out. "How's your arm . . . you know, where I kind of hit you with holy water?"

I looked at the marks on his forearm, which were still really red. But they weren't blistering as they had been before.

"Oh, this." Thomas slowed his stride slightly, as he looked back at Lawn with a soft smile. "It's fine, it will heal in a few days."

"Sorry I hit you," Lawn said, frowning. "Really need to work on my aim."

"You did great," Thomas said, shaking his head. "If anything, I should thank you . . . don't know if you noticed, but I was kind of getting my ass kicked."

"Kind of," I said, smirking.

"I'd say I had things about thirty percent under control," he said, chuckling.

After walking for about half an hour, I started to hear the soft sounds of waves crashing onto sand. A few minutes after that, we arrived at a beautiful villa, made with white sandstone, with a wide roof that provided shade for the large porch that was wrapped around it. Thick green palm trees stood tall, and behind the place was a white sand beach that led to a vibrant aqua ocean. It reminded me of a freaking postcard, maybe a laptop screen saver, not a real place.

As we reached the wide front stairs, the glass front doors opened, and from within stepped out one of the most intimidating yet strikingly beautiful women I ever had and would ever encounter. Her rich umber skin glowed with the vibrancy of youth but her dark deep-set eyes shone with wisdom that belonged to someone who had lived a long, hard life. Her ebony hair fell below her knees and glided like silk in even the slightest of breezes. Dressed in a flowing white dress, embroidered with gold trim, she looked more godlike than human.

"It's been a long time," her voice carried a somber tone, yet its forlorn melody danced pleasantly upon my ears. "What do they call you now?"

"Thomas." He walked up, greeting her with a kiss on each cheek. "Aadya, I apologize for not visiting you sooner."