But this time the dungeons were quiet, no one was screaming, no one was crying...The walls were stone- cold and dry. The corridors were dark, but as I ran my fingers on the wall while rushing deeper and deeper into the stomach of the place, my eyes slowly got used to the place. At one of the doors, I bumped into Haniel.
"Is he here?" - I asked hurriedly, and when he nodded, I tore the door open. But I wasn't ready to see what was waiting for me inside.
Joel was laying there on a stone table, his skin white as marble, dried blood on his neck. The veins formed thin, blue lines under his skin, and his blue eyes were wide open. It was like I was back in the arena, and he just died while I made hopeless efforts to save him.
As I walked up to him, my hands were shaking with fear. This was not natural. He had been dead for weeks by now, but he looked like he just died an hour ago.
I ran my fingers down his cheek, and I felt a small zap, like an electrical shock. I pulled my hand back, but I felt what Haniel and Morgen was talking about. Joel was still there. I closed my eyes, just like when I wanted to reach into Rider, to feel his flame. I cupped Joel's cold face in my hands, and touched our foreheads. At first, there was nothing I could reach with my powers. Then, I remembered that I have something that belongs to Joel.
When I let out the dragon, it wrapped around me, and rested its huge, flaming head on my shoulder. At that moment, Rufus came into the room, and saw me with the dragon. He took a step back so my powers won't reach him. I couldn't see him with my eyes, because my eyes were still closed... I only knew that it was him in the room, and that he didn't know if he should come closer or no, because I felt him.
The dragon raced through the room, and then plunged into Joel's body. But the heat was still present. But Joel was still cold. I opened my eyes, and brushed his hair out of the way.
"Joel?" - I asked, holding his face in my hands. I have given back to him what was his. The wound on his neck was healed, only the blood made it look like it wasn't. But under the dried blood, he was healthy... and still dead. I started to panic. I pressed my hand on his chest to see if his heart was beating, but as soon as I did so, pain struck my palm, like someone stabbed it with a knife. I screamed, and when I pulled my hand away, Joel's shirt had a bloody hand print. I raised my hand to my eyes, and saw that the pentagram was carving itself into my skin. Hurriedly, I ripped Joel's shirt open to see if it was happening to him as well... it was. But he wasn't bleeding. There was no blood left in his veins to bleed from.
Then he noticed me in the room, and threw himself at me. Joel knocked me off my feet, and bit into my neck, then began to suck the blood out, like a vampire.
Even though he didn't look like he was gonna stop, when Cassiel burst into the room, and tried to pull Joel off of me, I stopped him.
"No! He needs blood." - I shouted as loud as I could. I felt Joel trembling, like he was cold, but also, I felt his skin warm under my fingers. The blue lines under his skin began to fade, and the porcelain white skin turned into a healthy, peach color. - "Get out!" - I shouted. I didn't want anyone be near, when he will stop, because an inner voice told me that he won't be fully aware of himself.
Soon, I heard the door shut, and the lock click. I quickly whispered a pray to thank whoever was watching upstairs that my brothers trusted my instincts enough to don't even question, when I say get out.
Joel let out a beast like groan, when he looked up. my blood was dripping from his full lips. He was shaking, and backed away. Another groan left his mouth as he crouched up.
I sat up as well, and pulled my legs under myself. Joel was crouching there front of me, and he was alive. Maybe not exactly what I expected, but he was there. I reached my hand out, but he backed away until his back hit the wall. I didn't move, just left my hand in a reached out position. I felt the hot blood running down my neck, and soak into my t-shirt. That gave me an idea.
switched hands and reached my wounded hand towards him. Blood was dripping from my palm, and hunger littered in his new eyes. Joel slowly came closer and closer until he was just an inch away from my hand. Then, he took my hand with both of his and licked off the blood. The wound began to sizzle where his tongue touched it. I cried out in pain, because it hurt terribly.
Hearing my painful cry, Joel looked up, and the old him glittered in his weird, orange-blue eyes. He took my face in his hand, and touched our foreheads together, like he couldn't talk. Then, I felt it. His heart began beating again. At first, it was one, lazy beat. Then another. And another. Faster and faster, until it was beating regularly. His eyes were closed, but I couldn't take my eyes off of him. He was holding my wounded hand in one hand, and my face in the other. He was couching, and I was sitting on the ground. I reached up to his head with my free hand, and wrapped it around his back.
I stroked his back, but his stare gave me the chills.
I could swear it was like the whole thing was happening in slow motion. At first, his eyelashes fluttered, and then they closed. His lips slightly parted, and then his muscles began to relax one by one. His body hit the ground with a thud, and hi didn't move anymore. Panic rushed through my system. Fear of the death of this guy I barely know. This guy, who died because of me, and this boy, who came back to life. It couldn't possibly be that he just dies like this.
The door opened, and Rufus rushed into the room. I took a step aside. I think I've done enough in this. I have caused enough damage to the Severio family.
"Come, I think he needs to rest." - Darren said, and something strange glittered in his eyes. I think it was happiness, but I couldn't really tell. Beside him, Onyx was waiting. She took my hand.
"I'll take care of her." - She offered. I thought we would go back to my room, but that's not what Onyx had in mind. Just as we left the dungeons, she grabbed her bag from the stairs. - "I found out where the library is. Apparently, it's unused, and old, but the older it is, the better books we would find in there. The only problem is that the library is not in the building. It is another building about a mile or so in the forest. That's where a Green house is, and right by that we will find the library, and a small house, where the book keeper used to live." - My neck was hurting very badly, and the blood was still dripping from my hand, where the pentagram re-carved itself into my palm. I felt fatigue spreading through me. I just wanted to sleep.
"That's great, Onyx. Can we check it out tomorrow? I am not really in the best shape..." - I murmured.
"Oh, I already thought about that." - She took out bandages from her bag, and wrapped my hand tightly. The corridor was loud of cussing, because the wound on my hand hurt very badly. Then, Onyx whispered something, and spread an ointment on her hand, then basically slapped her hand against my neck. The ointment burned, and felt terrible, plus the slap didn't do much good for my nerves.
"Holy shit, what the hell are you doing?!?" - I yelled when she finally took her hand away, but when I touched the wound, my fingers couldn't find it: there was only smooth skin behind. But I have to give her that: I was back to shape except the fact that my hand was hurting, and burning like there was fire licking it.
"Better?" - She asked, and swung the bag over her shoulder. I nodded, and she turned towards the closest door.
"What was that stuff you slapped on me?" - I asked. She turned back, grinning.
"Nephilims and angels have the green flames of healing, and the fairies have their own way of healing." - She said it like I was supposed to know that.
We left the castle. The forest was cold as hell, and soon, I was shivering, but Onyx just walked forward.
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In about twenty minutes, we reached a huge greenhouse, similar to the one back in the LA institute. But this was still different: The windows were dirty, and some of the glass was broken. Beside it was a cliff, and no more buildings to be seen. I wanted to stop there, but Onyx lead us into the greenhouse. Inside, it was way different from the LA greenhouse. This one only had one floor, which was placed below the cliff, so you had to walk down on a steep slope as you walked in. On both sides, there were herbs, not tropical plants. The plants were strange and I only noticed lavender and mint. But all the others were unknown for me. I followed Onyx through the house. Clearly, someone told here where is she supposed to find some door or gap where we can cross to the library."Who told you about this place?" - I asked. Onyx stopped by a bush of plants with green leafs, and cleared the grass around the plant. She tore a couple leaves off, and stuffed them into a small pocket on her pants.
"Your brother, Ariel. He is the current book keeper, but he only has to protect one book, so he doesn't live here, and neither did any of the book keepers have before him for centuries." - She went on to clear the other little bushes of plants with leafs as colorful as the rainbow. - "For some reason, he doesn't like this place, but I think I could live here."
"The herbs, the sun, and the whole greenhouse is beautiful. Okay, maybe it's a bit rusty, but nothing that I cannot fix." - She smiled at the plants like those were children smiling back at her.
"I never asked... what had happened after I passed out in the Arena?" - I began. I felt bad for changing the subject for something so peaceful as herbs to a violent, and bad memory. She stood up.
"Your brothers immediately stood guard before you as an aid ran to help you. The guards wanted to capture me, but they left you alone. Ambriel stopped them, saying that I deserve my freedom."
"So why didn't you leave?" - I asked.
"Are you kidding me? In the arena, right before we attacked, you told me that you won't fight against me. I have seen what are you capable of. I have seen what the consilium is capable of. I am a half Fairy, half Fledged demon. I don't really belong anywhere... my father kept me by his side, and raised me up, but right now, I have someone I have to find, just like you." - She took a step towards me. - "Spirit, you are strong, and I want to be your ally."
"My ally?" - I asked. She nodded with a serious face, but I could see fear behind her eyes. She was afraid of me. I didn't want an ally who is afraid of me. That would make me look like a monster... - "I have a better idea. Be my friend, rather than my ally. Seems like I lack true friends anyways." - I smiled at her, and she returned my smile.
"Compared to the fact that you are a princess, you are very informal, you know." - She said with a wide grin on her face.
"I have never felt like I am a princess, so why should I act like one?" - I smiled back at her. - "Now, let's get to that fricking library, because I have to find a book."
To be honest, I didn't know what kind of book I was looking for. There were many books on this world that I wanted to read. Maybe I used to be into fantasy novels because deep inside it attracted me, and tried to pull out the real me. But the books that I was looking for now weren't The Mortal Instruments or the Hunger Games. The books I was looking for contained information that were unknown for the human world.
I heard a small noise just from around the corner, when a figure appeared. I pulled my dagger out from it's sleeve, ready to stab. Luckily, I stopped the blade, before it cut into the flesh of the man who made me unable to fight against Onyx.
"Anouck!" - I shouted in surprise. - "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I ran." - He said. His clothes were ripped, and he looked dirty as well, which proved his statement. I remembered how much he hated Hell-Blossom, and working for the Depth-Consilium as a slave. I knew how much he loved the sea, and how much he wanted to get rid of his chains.
"But why didn't you go back to the sea?" - I asked.
"Because they would have found me there. Plus the people whisper that the new Nephilim princess is here." - At the second sentence he smiled at me. - "I thought you might need a hand." - He said he came because of me, but he kept looking at Onyx, and I knew that he actually came to see her.
For a long moment they stared at each other, but none of them said a thing. I could see the longing in Anouck's eyes, but in Onyx's face, no emotion reflected whatsoever. The silence became a little uncomfortable so I cleared my throat.
"Onyx, this is Anouck. He is a friend of mine, and he was the one who dressed me for the postaquam. He is actually very nice." - I tried to break the ice, but Onyx was emotionless. She just stared, and didn't move. So I thought I have to use the ultimate card that I had in possession. - "It was him, who told me about your before the postaquam, and told me that he is worried about you."
"He doesn't know me." - Onyx replied quickly.
"You know him?" - I asked. Onyx nodded, but it was almost like a twitch of her head. - "Why are you acting so strange then?"
"I hate him." - Now that was a response that I did not expect. I guessed it would be the best if I figure out, and possibly in times when Anouck can't hear us. I put an arm on his shoulder.
"I think it would be the best for you to leave now. The main building is twenty minutes away. Tell the guards that I sent you." - Without another word, he left. I could barely finish. By the way he walked, I could tell that he was upset by the things Onyx had said. As soon as he disappeared into the woods, Onyx leaned against a wall, and let out a long breath. - "What the hell was happening between you two? Why do you hate him so much?" - The questions broke out from my chest.
"It's complicated." - She tried to shook it off, and began to walk away. I grabbed her hand, and pulled her back.
"Look, Anouck is my friend... basically you can thank him that I didn't even consider fighting you. Plus, I thought you wanna be my ally. I don't want an ally who keeps secrets from me." - I yelled.
"You said we should be friends, rather than allies." - She responded, and shook my hand off. - "And friends respect the need of silence sometimes!" - She stormed off towards the exit, leaving me behind.
That was true, I was a terrible friend to begin with.
Not that I had many experiences, but to be honest, I felt that she didn't want to talk about this with Anouck. But I just had to know, because Anouck was a nice guy, and he deserved happiness. Plus I thought maybe Onyx was lonely too.
But, it is possible that I was wrong. I am not familiar with the way creatures think here. Maybe there are reasonable answers to the fact that she just don't want to be even around him, nor talk to him.
However, the fact that I offended Onyx left me with the challenge to find the Library on my own.
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