The In-Between (Book 1 - Death, Demons and Mere Mortals)

Chapter TWENTY-THREE - A Spike In The Eye

They stood at the edge of the peak in a row, staring into the grim black that awaited them. They could hear the wind whistling, the rain hammering against the ground. It was like there was some kind of wall between the two worlds, the split was perfect and unfazed by the differing weather on either side.

Blake was the first to step forward, they watched as he stepped down the mountainside. The wind slammed against him, tugging his clothes and hair to the side. His hand lifted to protect his face from the rain which stabbed his skin like shards of glass. He hissed, looking over his shoulder to the two girls standing in the sunlight. They followed, gasping at the force that hit them.

Their vision was blurred, making it impossible to see where they were going. Rocks were poking out the ground, streams of muddy water cascaded down between them, they worried that the ground beneath their feet would give way. The wind howled like an animal in pain, beating against their ears as the rain sliced into them. Emma could feel her hands turning red from the battering water, her ears slowly becoming sore and tingly.

Jen's new shoes had good grip; she was the last one. The wind almost knocked her over a few times, but her feet remained steady in the slippery dirt. The exposed skin on her thigh was pummelled with tiny jags of rain, the blood washing off of her and joining the stream of water rushing down the mountainside. She caught a glimpse of the scar every so often, looking to Emma's head as she continued to process it all.

Emma blinked through the rain, her body soaked wet and the exposed skin tender. She knew her face was probably as bright as the hair that Jen saw. She looked to either side, spiky rocks and barren land covered the hill. However, something shining caught her attention. She stopped, her feet slipping in the mud as she came to an abrupt halt. She could hear Jen yelling, Blake turning around in front of her.

There was a rock, the same as all the others, half out the ground. Moss covered its surface but the wind was so strong that it was pulling some off, exposing what was meant to stay hidden. She lunged, grabbing at the stones beside her as she weaved her way along, the wind pelting against her chest.

They called after her, her name being stolen by the air. She kept hauling herself along, throwing herself upon the rock as she reached it. Her right side slammed against it, the pain resurfacing and the feeling of breakage tore her muscles. The bone in her side snapping rippled against her skin and she gasped, holding her hand against it tight. She'd forgotten to heal it and now she'd broken a rib or two. She struggled to breathe, but there was no time. She couldn't stop herself.

She could hear the mud squelching behind her as the two approached. She used the rock to move around, standing firmly upright, the gale-force shoving against her side again. She hissed, glancing down to the pain and doing her best to ignore it. With a shaky hand, she ripped the moss away and threw it to the ground. Green and brown pieces stuck between her fingers and she shook them off, exposing what she'd seen glimpses of.

Engraved in the rock was a symbol. It was old, ancient even. The symbol was deep and discoloured. It had once been blue, Emma guessed a light lively colour but as she studied it, it was worn, dark and ugly. She smiled to herself, tracing the symbol with her finger. She looked up to Blake who smiled wide, his eyes bright and elated. It was similar to the symbol they'd found long ago in the book, the symbol that had told them what they were truly looking for. The crown.

The carving was spiked and rough, the symbol was vague and near-difficult to tell what it was. But they knew what they were looking for, therefore, it was clear as day. Some of Emma's hair broke free from the tie and flapped in her face, slapping her raw skin. She grinned, looking back down to the crown symbol that glistened in the rare sunlight that was hidden behind solid, black clouds.