The Wailing Forest was near end. I had caught glimpses of shadows moving between the glinting ice, but for the most part, the poltergeists kept their distance. It would still be hours before the sun decided to poke up from behind the high mountains of the North, warming us with its rays.
The trees ended in a diagonal line across the mountainside we were now leaving behind, making way for the mostly flat land of snow covered ice that ran on for as far as I could see. Jagged icebergs drove up through the ice, cutting like knives. The ice glowed with a gentle aqua luminosity in the darkness, lighting up the expanse. I roamed down the small slope to the slick surface, completely enchanted.
"Welcome to the North, Ava," Killian appeared at my side, "These are the Northern Plains."
A grin grew over my face as I ducked, passing through a little archway formed by the icebergs, "It's gorgeous." I took a confident stride forward and nearly slipped, gripping the sleek surface of a nearby chunk of ice in order to catch myself. Will had taken off, dashing around the icebergs and whirling around, oblivious to everything except his keen sense of curiosity. He reminded me of myself.
"Watch your step, the ice is thin in some places and we don't need someone falling and breaking their skull open," The warlock warned, his green eyes filled with awe as they slid over the beautiful ice formations.
Nigel warily stepped out onto the ice, his paws gripping it with surprising ease. His hazel eyes met mine and he padded towards me, nudging my side with his muzzle. West strolled towards me, giving Nigel a fleeting glance before his dark brown eyes wandered to mine, "Walk with me," He took my hand, pulling me away from the werewolf's prodding nose. West pulled me around the corner of an iceberg and down through a small tunnel carved by water and sun. He came to an abrupt stop, turning to face me, his brown eyes somber, "It's beautiful, isn't it?" He asked, his lips parting as his eyes traveled over me.
"The ice?" I gazed at the smooth walls of the tunnel, "Yeah, it is."
"No, not the ice." He gave me a half smile, lifting only one corner of his lips, "What you do. What you're doing for your family, for your friend. You're out here risking your life just so that they can have the future you see for them."
"I have to find my parents first before they can have any kind of future," I said, my eyes dropping to my black boots.
"You will find them, Ava. Why do you doubt yourself?" He took a step closer to me, his hands tucked into the pockets of his black, leather jacket. I sighed, reluctant to answer, "Stop it. There's no reason to. You are more human then I will ever be. You have a loving heart, you don't give up and the best of all, that curious little mind of yours."
I shook my head, "That curious little mind of mine is what gets me into trouble."
"What's life without a bit of danger?" He gave me a comforting smile, raking a hand through his chocolate brown hair, "Besides, if it weren't for your sense of trouble, I would have never met you. Now that, in and of itself, would be unthinkable." Will came whooshing through the tunnel, zipping around me and then floating beside my head, "Wisps are pure energy sources. They may lead travelers off their original paths, but that's only because they're trying to take them to a better one. They don't just cling to anyone, especially Oblivions, but it seems like you're the exception in Will's case."
Will smiled at West, "Ava," he chimed and my eyes went wide, "Oh, Ava!"
"You can talk?" I looked at it with wide eyes. He nodded and then got a confused look on his face and shook his head, "Is that a yes or a no?"
"Wisps don't usually speak at all," West watched the little wisp, "Mostly, they speak telepathically with themselves."
Will spun in a circle, his happy face suddenly replaced by fear. He darted behind my back, I could feel him shaking against me, "Will, what's wrong?"
"Ava!" It was Killian's voice.
West and I shared a glance and then dashed out of the tunnel, running towards Nigel and Killian who stood tense, eyes searching through the night, "What is it?" I asked the moment we were within earshot. I pulled to a stop, my heart pinching, "Where's Illius?" I spun around, hoping to find him leaning against an iceberg or walking towards us, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"That's not the worst of our problems," Killian's hands lit up, fiery purple balls floating in his palms, "We have company."
There was a nasty shriek and black figures, shadowed by the night appeared from behind the bergs, slowly circling around us, hissing. I glimpsed the unmistakable claws and grey, pasty skin and I shivered.
Vampires.
They closed in on us, snapping and screeching. Their mouths gnashing, revealing those daggers for teeth that ground together, their lips laced with dried, blood. Nigel growled, barking at them, his black lips curling back threateningly, but they didn't seem to care. Either that or they were just incredibly brainless.
Will shook with visible fear and darted back towards the forest, "Will!" I called after him.
The alpha wolf leapt, digging his canine teeth into the vampire's skinny bodies, their screams of pain echoed, bouncing off the ice and reverberating back towards us with such a shrill sound, I had to cover my ears. A headache was forming between my brows. I yanked my dagger out from my belt just as one of the sickening creatures pummeled me to the ground. I slammed against the ice and heard it crack, my heart raced. I struggled, throwing the flailing vampire off of me. The ice beneath my legs gave way, tilting me towards the frigid waters, my dagger skidding across the slick surface. The vampire grasped at my ankles, his claws digging into my leg, causing me to cry out. I kicked at him and my boot struck home, right in the middle if his face. He reeled back and the broken piece of ice slanted. I scrambled to get over the side that was lifting towards the sky, the vampire screeched, its claws scraping against the slick piece of ice. It sloped horizontally, dumping the struggling vampire into the freezing waters.
My breaths came out quick as I rolled over, forcing myself to sit up. I gripped my leg just above the wound, digging my nails into the skin as I tried to cope with the sharp stinging. Killian slid to my side, examining my leg, fiercely muttering under his breath. His hand began to glow as he held it over my injury, but a vampire grabbed him by the shoulders, yanking him back and tossing him across the ice. He drifted over the slippery surface, his head slamming against the wall of an iceberg.
"Killian!" I shouted. A vampire picked him up, slinging his motionless body over its shoulder. I strained to get to my feet, tumbling towards him only to slip, crashing to the unforgiving ice, splitting my palm open on a sharp piece, sticking up like a shard of glass. Two clawed hands wrapped around my legs, one on the fresh wound. I screamed as it dragged me across the ice. My bloody fingers scratched against the ice, uselessly trying to grasp something, anything to stop the vampire.
My cut hand wrapped around the rough edge of a berg, but my fingers slipped over the wet hunk of ice. Nigel's limp, wolf body was dragged past me, his eyes closed. My stomach twisted, one of his front legs bent in a horribly wrong direction. Two vampires picked me up around the waist, carrying me away as I kicked, punched, flailed and screamed.
"Ava..." My eyes flicked to meet West's brown orbs. They dragged him. He was barely conscious, a cut running down the side of his face.
I let out a furious shout and managed to punch one of the vampires, knocking out several of his deadly teeth. He hissed at me, black, thick liquid dripping from his cracked lips. I struggled against their hold, but they tightened their grip around my ribs and I gasped, my diaphragm squeezed so tightly I could barely breathe and my lungs ached, "Let go!" I shouted at them, "Let go!" I cried, beginning to get dizzy, the world around me fading in a tunnel of darkness, and in one last futile attempt, I screamed, "Illius!"
~*~
He had broken off from the group, silently slipping around one of the frozen trees, waiting till they had wandered down the path enough before making his way deeper into the Wailing Forest. Ava had told him that the witch Nuala said the key would lead them to where they needed to go, but he had a hard time believing witches and an even harder time taking riddles for an answer. It was a load of bull, that's what it was. Illius was not going to leave this to some magical chance of chasing a wild goose.
He came to a stop in a grove of trees. Digging through his pocket, he pulled out the blue orb in the silver casing. The lid of the case popped off and he brought the orb towards his lips, "Immettere," He whispered. The forest swirled and once again he was standing in front of the golden cage surrounded by complete darkness, eyeing the last person he wanted to see right now with annoyance. He approached the cage, sighing, "Cael."
The angel, who had been standing against the side of the cage grinned, his eyes meeting Illius', "Ripper!" He exclaimed, clasping his hands behind his back as he walked towards the other side of his golden cage, his large, white wings trailing behind him, rippling with emotions, "How nice of you to come and see me again."
Illius wrinkled up his nose in disgust, rolling his eyes, "What does the Crystal Key unlock?" He asked, jumping straight to the point.
Cael smirked, letting out a huff of a laugh, "What makes you think I want to answer your question?" He tapped on a golden bar with his fingers, "So contestant two and three, you're number three, are still fighting to win the Soul Bound's favor, huh?" His golden eyes filled with amusement, "Just wait till contestant number one gets in there, that's me if you didn't already know." He grinned, "Number one always wins."
Illius chuckled, causing Cael to scowl, "That's precious, but good luck getting out of here. How can you compete when you're locked up? I would have to say that... what's that word when someone breaks the rules of the game? Oh yes, you've been disqualified."
Cael gritted his teeth, his golden eyes shooting daggers at Illius, "That's what you think," His lips curled into a knowing sneer, "I'll be getting out of here soon. I can feel it. As for you, well you're going to suffer once I'm out, I'll make sure of it."
Illius narrowed his eyes at the ignorant angel, "I'd like to see you try. Hey, sometimes you gotta kill a guy. I have no qualms with that. I'll deny you death until you beg me for it and then I'll take pleasure in slitting that angelic throat of yours."
Cael raised a brow, "I knew the Ripper was still in you." He grinned, "It's unfortunate. I wonder how Ava will react when she learns about the monster you truly are," He shrugged, "I suppose there I will be, ready to save her from your poisonous darkness."
"Touch her and you'll learn exactly what's worse than death," Illius warned, his blue eyes filled with anger.
"Ooh!" Cael chuckled, "How exciting! Death threats! I haven't had any of those for a long time. I really did miss them."
Illius did not look amused, "Tell me what you know about the key, angel." He snapped.
The angel ran his tongue over his lips, leisurely running his hand across the bars as he strolled around the cage, "You know what? I will tell you. I want you to find that scroll," He mockingly smirked and Illius' brows knitted together in startled confusion, "It's simple really. The key leads you to where you need to go. All you have to do is look for crystals."
Illius frowned, "That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard."
"Don't believe me? Fine, I can find the scroll myself once I'm out of here," Cael shrugged, unfazed.
"Keep dreaming, angel," Illius smirked, "I'll keep you in here for all eternity if I have to, as long as it keeps you away from Ava." He turned, sauntering away.
Cael's eyes blazed with anger and he pounded his fist against the golden bars, "Don't turn your back on me, demon! I'm not done with you, oh, I'm far from being done with you!"
"Uscita," Illius grinned and the black endless space swirled, until he was standing in the same grove of frozen trees once more. He tucked the orb safely in his pocket and strolled out of the forest, whistling a little tune. By pushing just the right buttons, he could get the foolish angel to tell him anything. He stepped away from the trees stuck in permafrost, his eyes scaling over the Northern Plains.
Something was wrong. Where was everyone and what was that smell? He moved across the ice with grace, swooping down, he pressed two fingers into a puddle of dark, red liquid. Blood. His eyes trailed past a broken section of the ice and he followed a trail to an iceberg. He knelt down, there on the side of the berg was a handprint staining the ice, the same blood that made the trail.
"Ava." He breathed, his heart clenching.
A little blue wisp peered from around an iceberg, floating towards Illius with a panicked look in his eyes, "Ava," He sang in a sad tune.
"Will," Illius looked the little wisp in the eyes, "Where's Ava?" Will shivered, cowering in fear. He flailed his arms in the air, punching and kicking, "There was a fight?" Illius asked, trying to read the wisp's actions. Will nodded, he opened his fiery mouth and attempted to make what sounded like a hiss. Illius' eyes widened, "Vampires?" Will made a little scream and dashed into the left pocket of Illius' trench coat, "Will, do you know where they took them?" The wisp's head popped out, his blue, twinkling eyes wide. He nodded, "Do you think you could lead me there?"
Will zoomed out, twirling and dancing, nodding happily, "Ava!" He chimed.