The Ethereal Saga - Volume Two - The Abyss of Abaddon

Chapter Eight - The Other Way

The stones were charcoal black. The ground was just as charred and very dirty. It had been months but the grass surrounding the henge's remains did not dare cross the scorched threshold. The flames during their battle months previous seemingly salting the earth. The dirt was ashy still, and Alex realised they had not bothered stepping foot here since that night.
"It's the wind," said Laura, "It blows around here but never through. The ash has nowhere to go."
Tom kicked some of the ashy soil off his shoe, "Most of its burned grass and stuff."
Most of it, though Alex. He caught Toms eye and saw a look of disgust on his now solemn face. The same thought had come to all three of them. Alex momentarily felt himself choking up.
They were standing on the ashes of their friends. Melted away to dust not even the rain could wash away.
"Why?" asked Alex.

Laura, who had been equally deep in the macabre thought shook herself back into the moment, "The wind thing? It is some old timey magic the Ethereals did here. I don't really know a lot about it, but once upon a time this area was a real hotspot for storms. A group of wind Ethereals got together with a whole bunch of nectar and protected it from anything that might blow over the stones."
"I guess they never counted on Lucy," Tom said.
Alex wiped his damp eyes, "It's weird, to hear her name."
Tom agreed, "We never met the real her, Laura and I. Not really. You did though."
"Only for a short while," said Alex. He allowed the ash to settle on his shoe. None of it was hers of course, being a fire ethereal she was immune to the flames she had consumed them in. Alex did not really know how he had avoided them, he suspected she probably had something to do with that. No, she had succumbed to her wounds, delivered by the possessed form of her patriarch and her body, along with what little remained of Kurt, Christian and the possessed forms of James and Sarah, were buried alongside Alex's mother above the bunker in which they now spent all their time. Whilst it was true that he had known her for a short while, he felt a strong connection with her and carried a heavy burden of guilt. Possessions were not usually survivable, and when they were, you had to quickly dispose of the person who possessed you.
"I'm here because she's dead," Alex said bluntly. It was the first time he admitted it out loud. He had been possessed by her whilst she too was under the same control.
"We didn't speak about it," he continued, "When we came back I mean. I was busy with mum and everything and... well, I think Lucy probably didn't expect me to have to ask. I didn't know her all that long, but she gave up everything to help me. She had a good heart."
Neither Laura nor Tom said anything to that.

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"You're late," Laura accused.
"How can I be late? This is my plan." Michael replied.
Laura feigned an overly dramatic eyeroll.
Sometime had passed in reflective silence when the three men finally joined them.
Aaron walked to Laura and threw a rucksack to her which she failed to catch. She picked it up and swung it over her shoulders.
Michael and Zach passed the same luggage to the grudgingly receiving arms of Alex and Tom.
It was heavy, observed Alex, very heavy.
"How long are we going for?" he asked nervously.
Michael threw down his own rucksack and squatted, beginning to go through his own bag, looking for something. Zach rolled his eyes at the man ignoring his son's question.
"We can't say. Hopefully not long," said Zach, "But it's better to be prepared."
Michael, seemingly happy with his arrangement of his bag, addressed them all, "I know it doesn't look it, but this place is ready."
"Yeah, I was going to mention that," said Tom, "It's a mess. I thought you said you fixed it?"
"It's fixed in the only way that matters," Michael replied, "You see the Henge is not the stones, the Henge is the place. It's the feeling. Can't you sense it?"
Alex would be lying if he said he could sense a thing and just shrugged. Tom and Laura copied him.
Michael sighed like a frustrated teacher, "Close your eyes."
The three of them did as they were told, albeit begrudgingly in Tom's case.
Michael continued, "Keep them shut for me. Then just... breathe. Really breathe. In and out. You are somewhere where thousands of your ancestors have stood before you, to travel between worlds. This place, it is like... it's like a leaf on the blowing winds of creation. We are all floating on it some way or another. You are Ethereals, each of you powerful in your own way. But we share the same ancestry, the same gifts. When we took you here we carried you, but you're all strong enough to feel the energy of the Henge yourselves. As we float through the jet stream of creation, these places are imbued with the power to influence your direction. Push yourself one way... or the other and you will find you way to the worlds beyond. Just feel."
Alex felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise ever so slightly as a weak barely real electrical current ran across his body. As he focused on this feeling, it felt as if the current were gently surround him, touching not just his body, but his mind and soul.
"I feel it," Laura said.
"Me too.." said Tom, "...Sort of."
Alex opened his eyes and saw the hairs on his forearms standing upright, the skin littered with Goosebumps.
"It's like the way the air feels just before a storm," he said turning his arm over and inspecting his palm and inner arms.
Zach motioned for them form a circle. Tom, Alex, Michael and Zach stood together. A small but purposeful gap separated them from Laura and Aaron.
Aaron took his fostered daughter's hands and they faced each other. He smiled reassuringly as she gulped back some air. Aaron closed his eyes and Laura quickly followed. Alex heard a feint crackle of electricity. The two of them disappeared in between blinks.
"They'll be okay mate," said Tom. Alex shared a nervous glance with his friend. He felt his father take his hand from besides him. Tom reached out and soon the four of them formed an irregular square. The electricity moved quickly and sharply up his arm, like a shock making its way to his brain. A momentary flash of white light blinded him. The world span around him as his surroundings were replaced with a windy swirling aura of pink, purple and white. He held his breath as the dizziness took him. Soon the colours grew darker. The pink, replaced with a deep blood-red. The white, growing slowly greyer until all light was sapped from it. Very suddenly, he was no longer concerned for Laura and Aaron. If anything, they had gone the safer way. Whereas his party, he thought, were going the other way.