“Stay here,” Dantes commanded as he stood up and walked to the door. He slid it open slightly and surveyed the empty beach. Everything seemed calm and quiet, but there was something else, something he couldn’t see. He took a few steps outside and looked down both sides of the shoreline. It seemed peaceful as the waves rolled up onto the empty shore and retreated back into the ocean.
“There’s nothing there,” Elyssa spoke as she walked up behind him.
Dantes shook his head as he turned to her and spoke sternly, “I told you to stay inside.”
“I know, but...,” she started to retort.
“No buts! It’s not safe out here!” he cut her off, practically yelling in return.
For a moment she was speechless, but she wasn’t going to let him dissuade her from helping if she could. She drew in a deep breath and stood there defiantly. The moment she did he could tell from the look in her eyes that she wasn’t going to back down.
“Fine, but stay close. And you,” he pointed towards Tobias, “keep guard of her...or else.” Tobias snorted and threw his nose up in the air in response, acting somewhat defiantly himself, before scampering over to her and planting himself almost firmly against her leg.
Dantes turned his attention back to the beach.
“Where are they?” Elyssa asked as she scanned the beach and horizon herself.
“I’m not sure. But I can feel them. They were watching us from near the window a minute ago. They’re fast. Really fast.” he said as he rushed along the patio to the stairs and walked down to the beach with Elyssa and Tobias following closely. The wind began to pick up, kicking sand in their eyes and making it somewhat difficult to hear.
“I thought you said the spells here made it impossible to sense energy,” she yelled over the increasing sound of the wind blowing through the area. The sand stung her eyes as it whipped about them and she could feel pelting relentlessly at her skin. She did her best to shield her eyes from it with her hand as it swirled about them like a mini-tornado.
“Not impossible. If something’s powerful enough I’ll pick it up. There’s not many witches, or demons for that matter, that possess that kind of strength though. Whatever’s here, we’re going to have our hands full,” he yelled back.
“Does it always get this windy here?!” she screamed at the top of her lungs so she could be heard. The wind storm had gotten even more intense forcing her to grab at the stairway’s railing to stop from being blown over.
“This isn’t wind! They’re letting us know they’re here!” he yelled. He looked back and saw she was struggling to keep her footing. Quickly he removed his leather jacket and rushed over to her. He enfolded it snuggly around her head and then wrapped his arms around her tightly. She could feel the sand pelting her legs harshly as Dantes did the best he could to protect her from the onslaught. After a few minutes the sand storm began to die down, and then all was still.
“Are you okay,” he asked with concern in his voice.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” she said while brushing sand off of herself. “Where’s Tobias?” she continued, glancing around apprehensively. She felt a sneeze at her feet and looked down at the small mound of sand beside her. There was another sneeze, followed by a third. Suddenly the small mound began to rise. As it did a tiny little nose popped out. The mound began to shudder slowly at first and then built up to a furious shake as sand was thrown all about.
Underneath it all was Tobias. He looked up at her still partially covered in sand as he tried to fight off another sneezing fit. Elyssa knelt down and picked him up, doing her best to brush of the remaining sand in his hair, before holding him under her arm.
Dantes could only shake his head as he put his jacket back on. His eyes caught a dark trail of smoke ascending up into the air in the distance.
“Over there,” he pointed to the far off point.
Elyssa followed his finger until she noticed it too. It appeared to be coming from the beach, not far from an area of trees that blocked the view. Dantes took off running towards it, and Elyssa began to run after him. They weren’t even half way there and she could already feel herself falling farther and farther behind. The sand was difficult to run through and, as she watched Dantes, she wondered how he did it so easily. It probably didn’t help that Tobias was beginning to struggle under her arm, slowing her down even more.
Already she could feel her lungs begin to burn inside her chest as she ran. In the distance she could see Dantes was already nearing the trees and about to disappear into them. She looked back over her shoulder and realized she hadn’t even made it half way there. At this rate she’d never catch up, and Dantes would be confronting whatever danger awaited them all on his own.
She knelt down mid-stride to place Tobias down in the sand hoping that it would either gain her a few seconds of time, or that at the very least Tobias would be able catch up to Dantes to lend a hand until she could reach them. As Tobias’ feet hit the ground he fell farther behind her, his little legs struggling to run through the deep sand. She noticed it didn’t do much to speed her up either. Her legs were now beginning to burn along with her lungs. So much for that idea she thought as she tried to push onward.
She started pumping her arms harder, trying to will herself forward even as she felt her whole body starting to fade. Something wet brushed against her arm. At first she ignored it and then she felt it again. She glanced to her side to find Tobias running alongside of her. It wasn’t the tiny little terrier she had put down a few seconds ago but Tobias the protector, the transformed brute she knew could guard her from all but the most powerful of threats. She smiled as he nudged her again with his nose. Without thinking she grabbed at his mane and hoisted herself atop of him.
Without a break his stride he sped forward with her on his back. The wind whipped through her hair and the air stung her cheeks as it rushed by. She hadn’t realized that Tobias was capable of this type of speed. She had seen him use it, but experiencing it herself was a completely different matter. In what seemed like no time at all they had neared the trees Dantes had already disappeared into.
She looked up into the tall pines that they were entering. It didn’t look much different from the area they were attacked at earlier, making it the perfect place for another ambush. She tugged slightly on Tobias’ mane, beckoning him to slow down. He responded by slowing to a trot just as they entered.
The forest was unnaturally quiet as Tobias deftly jumped over fallen trees and darted around heavy brush making their way towards the rising smoke, which Elyssa noticed had grown quite a bit thicker.
“Dantes,” she called out in a loud whisper, hoping for an answer. She continued for a few more minutes to no avail until the beach where the smoke had been coming from was in view. Tobias slowed down to a halt and she jumped from his back. Vigilantly they crept forward, using the trees and brush to stay hidden from sight.
Soon they were on the very edge of the trees, the farthest they could go before being completely exposed to whatever danger lurked on the beach. Closer to the shoreline Elyssa could see the burning piles where the smoke was coming from but she couldn’t quite make out exactly what was burning without getting closer. Other than that, there didn’t appear to be anyone around she noticed as she surveyed the beach.
There was another bush not far from where she was. It wasn’t large enough to hide both her and Tobias, but surely it would provide her at least enough cover to get a better view. She motioned to Tobias to stay put as she prepared to make a sprint for the bush. She’d be out in the open for a few seconds but if she could make it there without being noticed she’d be safe. She dug her feet into the sand and pushed off hard.
She didn’t even make it half a step before finding herself falling backwards. Her mouth opened to let out a scream but was muffled by the taste of leather. She cocked her head up to catch a glimpse of her assailant and realized it was Dantes holding her back. His fingers went to his lips motioning for her to be silent. She nodded as he removed his leather clothed forearm from over her mouth.
“There’s two of them,” he whispered into her ear as he motioned towards where the smoke was ascending. He stooped down and gestured for her and Tobias to follow him. He led them back into the trees and around towards the shoreline before doubling in closer once again. The sand was difficult enough to traverse but being this close to the water made it muddy and sticky. She felt like she was moving with weights attached to her feet as she slogged through it.
They neared a large log and Dantes motioned for them to stay low behind it. He pressed his back up against the log before peeking around towards the smoking bundles on the beach as she waited for him to give the next order. It seemed to take him forever to turn back around to them which gave her time to think, something that wasn’t in her best interest at the moment. Her thoughts wondered to all the possibilities. All the what if’s, the risks and dangers of what could be around the corner, swam through her head.
It didn’t help when Dantes turned back a second later with a grave look upon his face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Annette and her mom are out there,” he responded.
At the mention of their names Elyssa’s face brightened up before twisting into anguish. She was grateful they hadn’t disappeared but from the look on his face, and knowing the attackers were also out there, she knew it wasn’t a good sign. Before Dantes could stop her she lifted herself up just enough to take a peek over the tree trunk. When she came back down her face was the picture of horror. For just a moment she was almost frozen in place.
She hadn’t seen the demons but she had caught a glimpse of Annette and her mom. They were tied to wooden crosses and beneath them burned piles of wood. The smoke was heavy as it drifted up almost completely engulfing them. While she had read of witch burnings she never thought in her lifetime she would ever happen to see one. It was one of the most heinous of acts she had ever seen and the very sight made her want to weep.
“We have to help them,” she finally spoke as she started to rise again. This time Dantes was quick enough to catch her and swiftly yanked her back down before she could be seen.
“What are you doing! If we don’t do anything they’re going to burn!” she exclaimed almost hysterically.
“And if we race in there we’ll be joining them. We’ve got some time, but not much,” he tried to reason with her. Because of the dampness of the area he knew the wood would burn slower. His greater concern wasn’t the fire, but the damage from breathing in the smoke as it drifted up from the burning debris. The situation they found themselves in wasn’t much different than what they had struggled with during the Salem witch trials, although it was never one of them personally being burned at the stake. His mind was spinning as quickly as possible to work out a solution.
“The three of us won’t be able to handle them,” he stated point blank. Elyssa knew he was referring to her, and her lack of abilities. If these demons were as powerful as he said she knew she’d be a detriment, especially after her earlier encounter. She glanced over at Tobias and realized he too was likely not powerful enough to be of much help.
Dantes reached his hand over and laid it on top of hers.
“It’s okay, I think we have help.” He motioned to the trees not far from them. It took her eyes a second to notice it, but then she caught the movement in the branches high up in the trees. At first, because of the feathery wings, it appeared to be a giant bird looking down on them. Then she caught the armor covered body and his face behind the wings. It was Leo, come to help a second time in the same day.
Dantes made a few motions to him with his hands and Leo responded with a slight nod as he motioned back.
“Okay after we move I need you to stay here and count to twenty. The second you hit that number, you and Tobias head straight to Annette and her mom and get them down from those stakes, okay?” Dantes moved to the edge of the log as he prepared to run into the open. Elyssa noticed Leo was doing the same from the tree.
“What then?” Elyssa asked as she grabbed Dantes shoulder to stop him.
“The four of you get out of here,” Dantes demanded. She started to protest but he stopped her.
“You’re a liability in the battle. If we’re worrying about the four of you, then you’re endangering Leo. As much as I might otherwise enjoy seeing him struggle, I guess we owe him one...” His voice trailed off as he glanced back with a sly grin.
She nodded without fighting him about it. She hated the idea of feeling so useless but she knew he was right. If they stayed they’d likely be of little help, and more likely would end up needing to be rescued themselves. Allowing themselves to be put in that spot of needing help would only serve to put Leo and Dantes at a huge disadvantage. In the end it could end up costing almost all of them their lives.
Before she could say anything else he was gone. She glanced up to see Leo too had disappeared from the trees and was now flying out towards the sandy shoreline to do battle against whatever foes awaited them. She looked to Tobias who stood patiently by her side waiting for her to give the signal. Her insides were turning as she nervously counted down.
“10, 11, 12,” she counted under her breath. A large explosion like sound rocked the area, followed by Dantes enraged yell and the sound of metal clanking. It must be Leo’s sword Elyssa thought as she heard the sounds. Struggling to remain calm she took another deep breath as the sounds of battle erupted behind her. If she hadn’t known it was just the four of them she’d have thought it was a whole army going to war.
“18, 19, 20...” As she spoke the last number she edged to the side of the log and then took off running. Her eyes never left the spot where Annette and her mom were tied for fear of what she might see. Her only focus was, and needed to be, to get them both down from the burning crosses and to safety. Running across the sand she could hear Tobias breathing as he followed behind her.
As she neared the fire she could feel the heat emanating from the burning wood. The temperature seared at her skin and the smoke burned her eyes. Slowly she moved in closer, trying to inch forward as quickly as she could, but the intensity of the heat kept driving her back. She glanced over at Tobias who seemed to be struggling with the same problem as the fires grew stronger.
Her eyes searched the sand for something, anything, that would help. She could hear Annette and her mom begin to cough as they hung from the crosses. She realized they must have been unconscious as they hadn’t yet moved, spoken, or even noticed her and Tobias.
Out of the corner of her eye Elyssa noticed what looked like a piece of wood sticking out from underneath the sand. Hurriedly she raced over to it and, grabbing it with both hands, yanked it from the sand. It was a bit larger than she thought, and took both her arms to carry it. The length though was perfect for what she needed it for.
She dragged it back along the sand and pushed the end into the burning wood of the fire. As best as she could, she cleared a path to the crosses sending embers dancing into the air. It wasn’t the biggest path but it would leave enough room for Tobias to rip the rope from them with his teeth and drag them to safety.
As soon as the path to Alicia was clear, Elyssa quickly began working on clearing a small path to Annette. As she worked she could hear Annette’s mom coughing loudly as Tobias dragged her safely away from the fire. Looking up she saw Annette too was beginning to stir, hacking loudly from the smoke she was inhaling. Tobias’ fur brushed against her as he rushed past down the narrow path, his teeth digging into the ropes that bound her to the cross.
The smoke was thickening and she began to lose sight of them as she watched him struggle with the last of the ropes. It didn’t take long for them to be completely enveloped and lost in fumes. Elyssa waited patiently for Tobias to appear with Annette being dragged behind him through the sand. Seconds passed which turned to minutes yet there was no sign of them.
“Tobias...!” Elyssa called out hoping to hear some sort of response that he was okay. She waited a few moments for a reply but there was nothing.
“Tobias!” She called again.
Still nothing. She was beginning to get worried. It shouldn’t have taken him this long she thought to herself. She started to head down the path herself, but quickly was pushed back as a new set of flames erupted in front of her sending embers of wood flittering through the air.
“Tobias!” she screamed as she scramble for the log and tried to re-widen the path. Her hands felt like they were on fire from the heat of the flames. The smoke was beginning to fill her lungs as she breathed it in, panting as she frantically tried to push back the burning piles of debris. Her head began to spin, and she could feel herself on the verge of passing out as she willed herself to continue.
It soon became more than she could handle as she gagged on the smoke and fell to her knees. Her eyes welled up as it stung at them. She had lost them were the only thoughts going through her mind as she collapsed upon the sand. The only sounds she heard were those of the battle somewhere down near the shore and the crackling of burning wood in front of her.