Cirque Periculum

Chapter 22.2

Connor woke to Riley screaming. His head spun, and his vision blurry when he opened his eyes. He lay with his back against the rough stone floor, staring straight up at the cavern's ceiling.

"You're dead!" Riley screamed. "You can't be real, you're dead! Go away! Leave me alone!"

Connor sat up and found Riley quickly. She was floating in the air a few feet, a thick green vein attached to her head. The pulsating vein fed into a mass of veins swirling around one another, in the midst of which Connor could spot the Somini's void-like eyes. Massive pain erupted from Connor's side, and he looked down to find the bullet wound still there, crimson blood flowing from his exposed side.

"Don't move boy," the Somini growled as Connor attempted to stand. "If you sever my connection with the girl, she'll die."

"Get away from me!" Riley screamed again, as if on cue. She writhed midair, whimpering. Her eyes wide, green veins crisscrossing her paled irises. Mr. Summertin walked from the opposite side of the Somini.

"Connor don't worry about Riley," Mr. Summertin said. "You're injured. Sit back down so I can patch you. She'll make it out."

"Why should I trust you?" Connor spat vehemently. Despite his vigor, he sank back to the ground, clutching his side.

"I'm the only one to prevent you from bleeding out," Mr. Summertin said, kneeling next to him. He pulled out a piece of charcoal from his pouch and leaned over Connor. "Making runes effect things already living are extremely difficult, so I suggest you don't move. Keep pressure on that."

Connor's focus darted back and forth from Riley to Mr. Summertin. Riley twisting midair, mouth gaping and eyes growing black. Mr. Summertin taking off his coat, ripping it and binding Connor's wound. The Somini's cocoon of veins growing bigger and more energetic.

Mr. Summertin carefully drew on the cloth directly over Connor's wound with charcoal in a swirling pattern. As he worked, he spoke softly. "I've read about the Somini, though I thought they were extinct. They feed on fear. The Alchemist must have modified this one, it's much more aggressive than its kind is supposed to be. I expect our fight won't be over once we get Riley back. I need you to be ready for a fight."

"Get away from me!" Riley screamed. "I said I was sorry. I'm sorry! Don't hurt me!"

Riley. Fight the fear. You have to fight the fear.

Mr. Summertin finished his rune, and the pain from Connor's side subsided, replaced by pressure from the cloth around his midriff.

Connor stood up and Mr. Summertin handed him another piece of his coat. "I need to draw another rune on your back. Clean some of the blood off you. Just be careful to not touch the rune. One smudge and you'll be right back where you were. You're lucky, looks like the wound goes clean through the front and out the back."

The cloth tightened around his back and stopped his blood flow as Mr. Summertin completed the second rune. Connor wiped at the blood on his stomach, which quickly saturated through the cloth he was using to clean himself. He felt Mr. Summertin clean his back with another shred of his coat.

Connor glanced up at Riley again. Her eyes almost completely black, the veins spreading from her eyes into the rest of her face. She continued to writhe around, screaming weakly.

You can do it Riley. Beat your fear.

Riley stopped moving, going completely limp. A trail of green blood ran from her nose, thick and slow. Her eyes closed, and suddenly opened again. Head thrown back, arms wide with fingers splayed, back arched, she screamed. The vein connecting her to the Somini burst, green blood spraying across the cavern. The Somini's screams joined with Riley's.