Meridian Chronicles: Keepers & The Soul Key (#4)

Chapter 4 Part 7

The fairies, weakened by the iron even with Karma's protection, struggled to run down the long hall. Orion in his Ifrit form continued to watch with his red eyes, then again, another rush of demons in the shape of snakes danced and hissed through the air, revealing their poisonous fangs.

"Run!" shouted Relic. Another unlucky guide saw his demise, Brennan attacked and held down took a lethal bite to the back of his neck from the fanged demon, and his body quivered and oozed blue blood that sizzled through the wound as it came out.

Pramlee's panic took over and stood in shock shaking and crying. "What is happening? Why are they attacking this way?" She froze, unable to move and remained a target for two demons who had her in their line of sight. Her eyes rolled up as she saw the snake-like demons darting in the air toward her. Paralyzed unable to move, Slaten ran back to her.

"Pramlee, turn! Move!" Slaten shouted at his sister who didn't blink.

There she stood with her eyes widened with terror, the two snake-like demons drew in, just a couple of inches from her neck and fate stepped in. Leaving her sisters vulnerable, Karma came to Slaten's side, and as Slaten grabbed Pramlee by the arm to pull her down to the ground just in time. Karma shot out an electric bolt from her red necklace and pushed the demons back, scorching them with fire.

Orion picked up the most weakened nymphs, Venus and Lotus and carried them to the end of the iron hall where the entrance was on the horizon. Selena with as much energy as she could muster ushered herself and Luna to the area and created a portal.

"Mother, you can make it. Come on!" Luna grabbed Selena to hold her upward as she shook while she created the portal. Just before she collapsed, Talon left Kieren and rushed to her side and moved his arm in a large circle to finish the portal opening that Selena started.

Pramlee and Slaten were straggling behind Arianna, Charity, Janus, Kieren, Ridge, and Relic. A last wave of demons flew in with a vengeance not ready to let the prisoners go so quickly. They darted right over Talon and nosedived into the center of the group with the most guides knocking Relic to the ground, he narrowly escaped with just a scratch across his back. Ridge was picked up by three demons with bird-like claws and heads of snakes, then one by one, the guides were being picked off. Chance and Janus suffered the same fate as Ridge.

It was too late, the other three met their demise when the demons ripped them apart sending blue blood showering down onto Relic, who sat in shock, bursting into uncontrollable sobbing. "What is happening!?"

Talon rushed behind Relic and picked him up to his feet. Pramlee let out a blood-curdling scream as she watched Ridge and the others disappear before her eyes. With so much confusion around, everyone was distracted while the portal to Earth was open. All fairies and Orion managed to make it through to the other side, where they slowly regained their strength, fighting to keep the portal open for the others. Arianna and Charity came through, but something was closing the portal, and even Karma struggled to hold it open. 

Everyone from the Earth's side of the portal was shouting. "Hurry! Come on!"

It was too late, the portal snapped shut trapping the others in the dark realm. Talon looked to the guides and said, "I can make a portal." He began circling his arms faster and faster to recreate another portal. Just as before the fire engulphed circle made its appearance, and it seemed as though they were going to make it out. As the portal opened, the scene on the other side was not the scene they left behind before they went in.

There, on the other side of the portal, a silhouette of a man walked around in a room. A room that still remained in the dark realm, but another place to itself. Talon and Relic looked to one another and shrugged.

"What the hell? I can't go this again; I have to get back to Etheria. We can't be trapped here." Relic shouted.

"We will be okay. This is different. Talon where is this portal opened too?" Slaten asked.

"I don't know... I suppose the only way to know is to go in." Talon bravely put his foot through the portal and walked in.

Once everyone was on the other side, they all stood in line, looking around at the scenery. The silhouette of the man slowly emerged, giving hints to his identity. Pramlee squinted in the dimly lit atmosphere, and she saw the profile take his hand up and push his hair back over his shoulder. "Aiden! That is Aiden! Look!"

Talon jerked his head around and ran to Pramlee's side to get the same view as she had. "I think it is Aiden!" Talon's face was relieved, and he grabbed Pramlee and gave her a hug. "It is my son!"

Pramlee shouted, "Aiden! Aiden! Over here!" Aiden didn't move or take notice of Pramlee shouting.

Slaten said, "Pramlee, he can't hear us, remember?"

"No, he passed away, and he is in the afterlife. He can hear us. Wait, why is he here in the dark realm. Are we still in the dark realm?"

Relic stared at Aiden, he was sitting at what appeared to be a table eating, and every once in a while, his lips would move as though he was speaking to someone. "Who is Aiden speaking too? Why can't we hear him?"

The group moved forward to get closer, and the scenery lightened, and it looked like Aiden was sitting in Tallulah's kitchen. "What in the hell is going on?" Kieren shouted.

"Shh!  calm down, you have no idea what is going on, just trust us." Slaten's face tight and furrowed, he looked back at the scene.

Just past Aiden, a woman with long platinum blonde hair stood at the sink, and it looked like she had been cooking. "Is that... is that?" Pramlee shouted, "Meridian!"

From within the atmosphere, a voice spoke out as the mystery woman turned around and showed her face. "Who is that?" Talon said.

The voice answered Talon. "I told you I knew where your son was, didn't I?" Lahash's voice engulphed the atmosphere as he spoke, not showing himself.

"What have you done? Where are we?" Talon demanded to know.