Where Angels Go to Die (Book One of The Silver Society) OLD EDITION!

Chapter Twenty-Two

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Jade came around to Bastet licking the blood off of her head. She was in so much pain that she could barely register that fact. She tried to move, but everything was blurry and she couldn't keep her head up. She took Bastet in one of her arms. By some miracle, neither seemed to be broken, although they were badly cut up. The kitten was fine, which Jade was grateful for. Clearly Jade had a head injury, but she was nervous to try and figure out what else she'd injured. She gathered her breath for a couple of minutes before sitting up. She felt pain in just about every inch of her body, but at least she knew she hadn't managed to paralyze herself. She tried to stand up and an intense pain ran through her right ankle.

     "Oh no..." She said aloud. She examined her ankle, which was swelling up rapidly. "I sprained it... At least it's not broken. The question is how the hell do I get out of here now?" Bastet meowed in response. Jade was going to need more than a kitten to get her out of this situation, and she sensed that she needed to get out fast.

~*~

     Arnie nearly collapsed. "What's wrong?" Cassandra asked, trying to steady him.

     "My head... Only it's not me... Someone took a nasty blow to the head," Arnie said.

     "Jade," Spencer said suddenly, appearing next to them.

     "Are you sure?" Cassandra asked.

     "I feel it. She's hurt, badly. She needs help."

     "Where is she?"    

     "I don't know."

     "She's in the woods," Arnie said. "Not these woods... The ones right outside of town. She fell down a hill to avoid being hit by a car. The more she's conscious, the more it's registering in her head."

     "Okay, so we'll go get her," Cassandra said. "How bad are the injuries?"

     "Her ankle is sprained, and she's pretty cut up, but I think the head injury is the worst of it."

     "Come on, get in my car and we'll go find her."

~*~

     Jade was starting to wonder if she'd ever get out of the woods when she heard voices coming toward her. "Jade?" Someone called.

     "Spencer?" Jade called back. "Have I gone delusional, or are you really here?"

     "We're here... Keep talking. We'll find you."

     "Okay... How did you know where I was?"

     "Arnie felt your injuries," Cassandra said.

     "Sorry, Arnie."

     "No big," Arnie said. "Hey, I see her!"

     Jade saw Arnie, Cassandra, and Spencer heading toward her, and she tried not to let her emotions overwhelm her. She was saved. She wasn't going to die in these woods because of her own stubborn need to push people away.

     "Are you alright?" Spencer asked, hurrying to her side and examining her wounds.

     Bastet walked over to Arnie and rubbed against his leg. Arnie picked her up. She licked his face. "Hi, kitty. I missed you, too," he said. "Does she need a healer?"

     "I can do it," Spencer said. "Your ankle's sprained, but I can probably help heal that, too. As for the cuts and bruises, they're not too difficult to fix."

     Jade was shivering. Spencer wrapped his jacket around her and began healing her wounds. She felt safe for the first time in ages, but quickly pushed the feeling away.

     "Arnie? Cassandra? Spencer? Jade? Anyone?" A voice called. It was Alex.

     "We're over here, Alex," Cassandra called. "We found her."

     Alex hurried toward them. "Thank Gods," he said. "Are you okay?" He asked Jade.

     "I'm fine," Jade said.

     "You're shaking."

     "It's cold. Spencer just covered me. I need time to warm up."

     "What were you doing out here?"

     "I had to leave, okay? I'm just putting all of you in danger."

     "We're a team, Jade; a family, even. We stick together, no matter what. Your issues are our issues, too now, okay? If someone threatens you, we're here to back you up."

     Jade was about to say something sarcastic when she noticed something on the ground a few feet away. "Wait a second... What is that?"

     "What's what?" Arnie asked.

     "That." She pointed toward what she had noticed. Arnie and Cassandra examined it.

     "It's a door," Cassandra said.

     "A door in the ground?" Arnie asked. "What the hell does it lead to, a super villain's evil lair or something?"

     Cassandra brushed some of the dirt off of it and noticed that it had writing on it. "Look, it says something," she said.

     "I can't read this," Arnie said after studying it for a moment.

     "That's because it's written in Latin," Cassandra said. "From the looks of it, it's one of the oldest dialects, too. Wanna help us out, Spencer?"

     Spencer reluctantly left Jade's side. She was stronger now, and mostly healed, so she stood up and followed him. Alex also walked toward the door.

     "Oh my Gods," Spencer said.

     "What is it?" Jade asked.

     "It's the tomb!"

     "What?" Arnie asked in shock.

     Spencer translated the writing on the door aloud. "Here lies the door to a terrible fate. Those who cross it best beware. Beyond this door, the lost souls went. Then, they died in there. If you find this door, please pass it by, for here is the tomb where the angels go to die."