Cursed: Redemption

Chapter 11: The Enemy Inside

Chapter 11: The Enemy Inside

~Ian~

Inhaling deeply, I turn my back on the skirmish below, suddenly glad that the mages are keeping the unholy creations in check so I can find my girlfriend. A fireball nearly misses my head, and I take the hint, ducking into the entrance.

The tunnel is dark, and I can barely see, so I conjure a light in one hand while the other grips the sword Scarlet had given me for my twenty-first birthday. Guns, sadly, don’t work on demons. Slowly, it dawns on me that Scarlet’s presence in my mind is growing stronger with each step. I call forth the map Persephone gave me, checking that I’m on the track, hoping she hasn’t given in completely. And that she hasn’t been moved already.

My hands start to shake as I imagine what she must have gone through in the past few days. My heart almost freezes as I imagine what I’m going to do to any demon I come across. While lost in my thoughts, I barely hear the rustling in the shadows and I duck as I feel a presence near me, personified by an arm swinging in the direction that would have been my neck seconds before.

“What the-“I start off, but the hand is soon joined by the rest of the body and I forget what I’m about to say. “Evangeline?” I ask, looking her up and down, recognising her from the many paintings of her in Persephone’s house.

“Who are you?” she hisses, a dagger shooting out at my midsection. I sidestep it easily and hold up my sword once again. “How did you get here?”

“I’m…Adrian O’Connor; I’m here with your…mother.” She drops the dagger slightly, probably dumbfounded. I move a little away from her, taking in her slight frame and bright red hair, surprised she could hide so well, she’s so pale she glows in the dark. “We’re here to stop all this and get you out, amongst other things.”

She looks pensive for a few minutes before nodding and walking further down the corridor. When I don’t follow, she waves impatiently at me, her stick straight red hair bouncing as she walks. I follow her, my sword still at the ready; I have no idea what’s been done to her or what she’s doing here, so I’m not leaving anything to chance. Slowly, we get further down the stone passage, and I start to notice that Eva is sort of fading out of sight.

I put my hand on her shoulder, and she stops flickering. Filing the observation under ‘things to ask later’, I point ahead at a shadow against the wall light by a torch coming at us and extinguish my light. She takes my hand and pulls me against the wall, and we’re suddenly covered in a shimmering light. I slowly figure out what her talent is when the person walks past and doesn’t notice us. When the light disappears, she lets go and I can move away again.

She keeps walking ahead, and my connection to Scarlet is finally restored. After so long without her in the back of my head, it feels like a part of me I didn’t even know was missing is back. Tentatively, I reach out to her, calling her name softly as we round a corner. Two torches illuminate a doorway, and I can feel her for real.

Shielding myself, I sneak in, taking in my surroundings carefully, searching for her. My eyes meet hers a few seconds later, and I nearly drop my sword.

***

~Scarlet~

I wake once again after nearly dying, almost ready to give up altogether and beg Hades to grant me entrance to his stupid realm. When I realise what woke me, I almost break my bonds. Ian, he’s here, he actually came for me! A part of me rejoices, while the most cynical wonders why. I try to draw in energy again, glad that the bonds were weakened with the transferred magic from Seph and Eva.

The soil I’m buried in lost its power days ago, but I’m too weak to move on my own. So I wait, knowing that the nearer he gets, the closer I am to escaping and killing Lilith. I can feel him when he rounds the corner, so I try to catch his attention, but my hands are suspended above my head, tied together at the wrist. And being buried up to my chest in grave dirt mixed with murderer’s blood doesn’t help much either.