Hump Day and a New Episode!

The Goblin Part 8

Monster... 

Looking at the decaying carnage laying in the tomb in front of me, that was the only word circling through my mind. Innocent young lives had been savagely ripped apart, limbs separated from their bodies and half eaten. Their heads, severed from their necks, housed wide dead stares in a expression frozen in pure horror.

Then there was the stench of old death that lingered in the air. Stale, sour... foul, it made me when to hurl. Behind me, although Ayres had gone deadly silent, his fury radiated off him in waves. Magic energy seeped out of him and tickled the hairs on the back of my neck. Then it slipped under my skin, traveled through my body and into my mind. Screeching inside my mind, demanding revenge for not just the boy and girl seal in this tomb, but the several others he'd found and buried in this graveyard.

Unable to stand it, furious tears stinging the back of my eyes, I said a silent prayer for their souls and then stepped away. I looked to Aryes, his face grim, and told him to close the tomb.

He nodded then walked past me, those dark waves of his still licking at the back of my neck.

I needed air and a moment to get my mind out of the violent haze it was in. Being around Ayres, his pain fueling mine, was not helping. My powers, in all their vile magnificence, stirred under my skin. I felt a subtle burn start at my fingertips then travel up my arm. That was my cue to leave. I was shifting, that monster that lived inside of me coming forward.

Not yet. I told myself as I walked out of the crumbling mausoleum.

The thought of returning back to the village, where Emma slept peacefully, while the creature that was eating children was still lurking around, turned my stomach. Taking a deep breath, I exhaled and felt my anger dull to a low simmer that she was able to control. Behind me, I heard the heavy door, with its rotting hinges, close.

Aryes came to stand beside me. Still, those dark waves flowed out of him but not as strong as before. Instead of invading my body and thoughts as they'd done before, they simply teased me.

"There were," Ayres started, his voice grim, "ones that were much worse than them."

I looked at him from out the corner of my eye.

"There were several, two not from our village, that had been unidentifiable." He told me and I listened to every word he said. "All that was left were half eaten skeletons, nothing I could go back with even if I wanted to."

Those poor children and their parents. I couldn't imagine the fear nor the pain of hearing that your child had went missing and there was a possibility you'd never see them again. Again, my thoughts drifted back to Emma. If anything happened to her...

I cut the thought off. I didn't want to think about it.

"You said there were children from another village among the dead you found." I said and I felt his gaze shit to me. "If you couldn't recognize them, how did you know they were from a different town."

Without missing a beat, Aryes replied, "when I found them, or rather what remained of them, there were pieces of torn clothing scattered around. A few of those pieces of fabrics can only be found in certain villages and the children living with me didn't wear such luxurious things. The children here live simple lives." His voice trailed off then and I couldn't help but study him.

Faced with the death of those in his care, the man beside her who once appeared strong and powerful, looked helpless and lost.

I touched his shoulder, a gentle but comforting gesture as I said, "we will find them."

Silence for several moments and then he replied, "let's head back. We have left Emma alone for far too long." with that he took a step forward.

I started behind him but paused as a soft cry floated into my ears. Looking around, I searched for the source of the noise. There was nothing, only night's shadow cast over the home of the dead and the low howl of the wind that occasionally blew from behind me.

Its nothing. I told myself and started after Aryes once again, who had walked quite a ways away from me, seemingly lost in his own world of horrors.

I had taken no more than three steps when the cry echoed again. This time a little louder. I stopped again. Scowling as my gaze once again searched the graveyard for any sign of life other than Aryes and myself.

Nothing.

"What's wrong?" Aryes asked. Concern filled his features as he looked at me.

"Did you hear that?" I asked, my gaze still jumping around.

"Hear what?" Aryes asked as he began to make his way back towards me. When he reached me, he stood in front of me with a deep scowl, those light eyes of his glowing as he said, "I didn't hear anything."

"There's something or someone here." I told him.

This time, together, our gaze scanned the area.

Still nothing.

"Let's get out of here. Emma is waiting." Aryes took my hand and pulled me along after him.

I let him lead me and just as we reached to entrance to the graveyard the cry returned. No, it wasn't a cry, it was a scream, a blood curdling scream that made me snatch my hand free and cover my ears to block out the sound. But nothing could dull the agony of that scream.

An explosion happened in my head, a blinding light flashed in front of me and I dropped to my knees. In the midst of my torment, I was vaguely aware of Aryes's shout, could barely make out his face in front of me. Warm liquid slid down the sides of my face. My ears were bleeding and my head was ringing.

And then the screaming suddenly stopped, as abruptly as it began. Instantly, the pressure in my head eased but only for a moment. My reprieve was short lived. Within  a matter of moments my head exploded once again, but not with a scream. Instead, countless voices, those I instantly recognized a children's filled my head. Voices filled with fear pleaded in chaotic disorder, but there were some that stood out above the others...

Please...find us.

Free us...

Save us...

Their thoughts and pleas flooded my mind like water from a broken faucet and I couldn't figure out how to turn it off. It was the first time I'd ever experienced such a phenomenon.

Roxanne... An all too familiar voice broke through my turmoil.

As if the children were scared of its owner they vanished from inside my head, leaving only one behind.

We're waiting for you, There was a brush of fingertips across the back of my shoulders and I jumped, startled, and ended up headbutting Ayres.

He groaned in pain as he fell back on his ass.

Even though my mind was still a scattered mess, I made my way over to him. Muttering apologies as I checked for any injuries. He swatted me away, grumbling that he was fine and made his way to his feet.

"Come on," he held a hand out for me and I took it.

With ease he pulled me to my feet and into him. Once more we were close enough for our lips to touch. Just like his anger had, the heat from his body seeped into me, teasing me, tempting me, for the thousandth time.

For fucks sake. I cursed my libido. In frustration I pushed away from him. A silly mistake I soon realized as my balance went haywire and I scrambled to stay upright. Aryes caught me, his grip firm on my wrist, and held me in place until I was steady.

"Thanks," I whispered, under my breath. Once he seemed sure I wouldn't topple over, Aryes released my hands.

Roxanne... That damn voice was in my head again. This time seeming to echo from behind me. I turned around, unsure of what I expected to see when I did.

What I saw was something like an apparition, a ghost, of a young boy. The phantom form raced from the mausoleum into the bushes along side the graveyard.

Follow him. The voice said and I took a step forward.

"Where are you going?" Aryes asked.

Looking back at him, I said, "into the forest. There's something out there."

He started behind me, saying, "I'm coming with you."

"No," I turned on him. My gaze narrowing as I told him, "there is a child killer on the lose and Emma is alone in the village. One of us needs to be there to protect her. You go back. I'll go on ahead. If I'm not back by morning then you can come and find me."

He started to open his mouth to argue.

I held up my hand, stopping him, "besides, you should spend some times with her after all that has happened."

Aryes went silent at that, the expression on his face still defiant although he gave a reluctant, "fine."

Offering a smile, I told him I'd see him later and headed in the direction I saw the little ghost boy go. All the while I could feel Aryes gaze on me, trailing me until I stepped into the bushes and entered the woods next to the graveyard. And even when I was out of his sight, I swore I could feel the heat of those intense eyes on me.

-TO BE CONTINUED-

I hope you enjoyed this week's episode.

Tune in next Wednesday for the next episode.