I am the Light - His last Redemption (Book 2)

Chapter 3 - Deja Vu

For a few seconds, nobody dares to breathe as we listen to the sounds being torn from bones. It’s a chilling, gut-wrenching sound.

I turn to the person closest to me, “get everyone upstairs. Get them inside any room you can find and lock the doors,” I whisper, “be quiet!” I add hoping that if the creature outside won’t hear us, it might just move on.

There is another warlock down here with me. I know he’s been injured a while back, but he’s all we have to protect the temple. He nods at me as if he understands my train of thought.

As we try to usher everyone quietly upstairs, there’s a loud scratching noise at the door. Loud enough to startle a little girl close by. Her hand curls around her grandmother’s arm as an involuntary scream leaves her lips. Loud enough for the scratching outside to stop. For a few seconds, time stands still.

“Hurry!” I yell as the Rougarou starts pouncing on the doors. They won’t hold. Not for very long. A few seconds later the wooden doors splinter and a tall, hideous creature, half human, half wolf hovers in the doorway. His shoulders rise and fall quickly as he sniffs the air with his strangely deformed head.

Chaos breaks loose all around me and in their panicked state someone knocks me over and I fall to the ground, struggling to get back up.

“Come on,” the warlock is right there, offering me his hand to help me up.

“We need backup!” I say, reaching for his hand.

“I know. What’s your magic?” He asks.

“Water.”

“Not much we can do with that,” he sighs. I could be offended, but it’s pretty useless against a Rougarou. They are destroyed by fire. And even with that, it would probably set the whole temple on fire before it would take its last breath.

“We can slow it down!” I say determined to stop this thing to get anywhere close to my son. The warlock nods, but just as I am about to take his hand a black shadow grabs him, its long claws digging into his flesh. Hot drops of blood spray my face, while his eyes go wide in shock.

Next, he’s ripped away and his body lands with bone-crushing force against the wall. The warlock slides down to the floor, his body broken and unmoving.

„No!“ I whisper without thinking. The beast turns its dead eyes on me, sniffing the air with its lengthened snout. Its teeth are too big for it, leaving it always slightly ajar. Drops of pink drool drip down on the once-clean floor.

His lips quiver as an odd snickering sound escapes them. I try not to move. Rougarous are practically blind, but their other senses are pretty exceptional. There is almost no escaping them once they caught your scent and I know this one just caught mine.

My mind runs a hundred miles an hour. I could stay and let him devour me and the rest of my people or I could try to lead him away and save them. Save River.

So what else is there to do but run? I know I can't outrun this thing. At least not for long, but I sure as hell can try.

To buy myself a little time, I tap into my magic and command the water from the fountain that stands proudly in the middle of the entrance hall.

It’s there to honor the Goddess and I could really need her help right now. The figurine standing in the middle of the water is supposed to be her. I don’t know why, but I always felt a little strange about her.

The water slowly rises, as I whisper words of an ancient language. Their meaning is long lost in translation, but they are like asking the elements for permission to wield them.

The Rougarou licks its claws clean of blood, but his human eyes stay fixed on me. It’s next prey.

“What are you looking at?” I say, while I slowly move towards the broken doors. Its jaws start moving, almost as if it’s trying to say something, but all it does is make some kind of choking noise, before it bends down, leaning on his arms, ready to leap at me.

But before he can I let the water splash into his face. The good thing is that Rougarous aren’t the smartest bunch. They are easily distracted. So while he is busy snapping at the water, swirling around his head, I make a run for it, hoping I can get enough of a head start to at least lead him away from the temple.

My feet hit the ground running. The streets are empty, but in the distance, I can hear the sound of people screaming and creatures growling. I can hear life battling death. Behind me, I hear a large body crashing into something and I know death is now chasing after me. It’s only a matter of time now.

I have a strange sense of Deja vu. I wonder if in my past life I have been chased by some sort of creature as well. A wolf. Snow falling all around me.

I exhale sharply as the huge body lunges at me. Somehow, I manage to duck it and take a hard right into the woods. I weave through the trees and bushes, listening to how the beast –in a wild frenzy- crushes into the trunks and rips through the tangle of bushes. It slows him down. Maybe, just maybe I have a shot at losing him somewhere in the woods and getting back to River in one piece.

But as it is with thoughts like that, they never come true. The air is knocked out of me as something crashes into me from the left. Two Rougarous on my trail. That’s bad. Like really, really bad.

The creature and I tumble over the soft soil until it crushes into a tree and I somehow manage to get back on my feet, barely escaping its claws trying to catch me.

I duck under the other creature lunging at me only so it would knock down the other one. They get into a little brawl, tearing flesh off each other, and giving me a window to escape. I know one of them lost the fight when I hear its dying whimper.

I keep running. I can already feel the water close by. I can feel its power calling me. I run a little faster and with no hesitation jump into the flowing river. I dig my hands under the surface and slowly lift them.

Crystal clear water whirls around me as the Rougarou that was chasing me skitters to a stop at the riverbank. I guess they are not too fond of water either.

Being a witch of the water might seem like a gentle, mostly useless power, but it’s not. Water has healing powers, it can bring life, but it’s also a force to be reckoned with. It can be deadly just as much as it can be soft.

I take a step back, deeper into the water, hoping I can lure the Rougarou a little closer. But it keeps dancing around the edges of the river. He’s afraid to get in.

“Come on. You can do it. You can come and get me!” I taunt it.

It snarls as it dips its foot into the water. That’s about all I need. I push my hands down forcefully and suck the creature deeper into the water. It's splashing violently, but the water curls around it like a million, see-through snakes, pulling it in deeper and deeper. Filling its lungs and cutting it off the oxygen it needs to live.

The large body jerks as the current carry it away from me and my village. Away from my family. I take a deep breath once I know the danger is gone.

“Thank you,” I whisper to the river, flowing softly around me, caressing my legs and my waist. I can feel the current, but it’s a gentle tug. A hug from an old friend. I smile and let my fingers dance playfully through the surface. In response, small drops of water tickle my skin playfully.

With one last caress of the water, I head out of the water and head back into the village. The sound of fighting has died down and a strange new sensation has settled. Sadness, relief, and a hint of suspicion as there are strangers within our borders.

Hunters. I assume they tried to help kill the evil, but it’s the first time they showed up close to our village. So far, I have only heard the stories. I’m almost a little excited for them to be here, my curiosity about them peeked.

“Mommy!” I hear a small voice cry out and I watch as my little boy wobbles toward me as fast as he can. His cheeks are stained with tears. “Mommy!” he sobs as I catch him in my arms and hold him as tight as I can.

“I got you, baby,” I whisper and try to dry his cheeks, “I’m okay. Are you?”

He nods but keeps his head buried in my neck, holding on to me, like a little monkey. That’s when I spot Willa. She’s limping and she looks like she’s been injured. Someone has to help her walk.

“Willa!” I call out to her. She looks exhausted as her eyes fall on me, “what happened?” I ask as I rush to her.

“Hunters came to help,” she says, distracted by something, “he saved my life.”

“Who?”

“I... he’s injured. I have to... I should find him.”

“Slow down,” I tell her, “you’re hurt too.”

“Lala hurt?” River asks, with wide eyes. He holds out his hand for her and hands her back the gem she gave him, “need it!” he says and she tries to smile at him.

“Thank you, my little hero,” she sinks onto a bench at the side of the road, “why are you wet?”

“Rougarou came to the temple. I had to lure him away.”

“Alone? Are you crazy?”

“I made it,” I shrug it off, though I know she’s right. I have been a little reckless. But I had to protect what I love the most. I will always choose to protect my son. Always.

“Actually, I took out two of them,” I say. Technically I didn’t take them out, but I survived and that counts.

“That was reckless of you!” Another voice says behind me. Callie, her red dreadlocks wrapped into a high tower on top of her head.

“The Rougarou at the temple would have killed all of us. What choice did I have?” I ask, but she smiles softly at me.

“I didn’t say it was wrong. Just that it was reckless. You did well.”

“Oh,” I smile shyly, “thank you.”

She touches my shoulder and gently squeezes it, “we have quite a few casualties. Hunters came to our aid. There’s a wolf among them. He says he’s a medic and he can help. Will you be so kind and assist him?”

“No!” River protests, holding on to me.

“Don’t worry, baby, you can come too,” I tell him and he nods. I know he’s exhausted, and he will fall asleep any minute now. This kid can sleep anywhere, and I know he will. He’s safe now. We all are.

“Where is he?” I ask and Callie points me in the direction of our little clinic. It’s not big and mostly filled with herbs and healing potions, but it will do. I’ve never come face to face with a wolf. At least not that I can remember and I am a little excited to meet this one. A medic. Sounds pretty cool. I wonder what kind of medicine a wolf practices. Ancient? Modern? Different?

Either way, I can’t wait to meet him and the Hunters and probably, once the chaos of the night has settled, bombard them with questions.