Ariadne and the Flaming Torch : The Quest

Book 1 : The Quest

Chapter 4
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I walked down the sidewalk with Repeat and Solis trailing after me. It was a cold ass night here in Faerie World - again, that sounds like a cheesy and totally retarded name for an amusement park. The wind was howling and blowing my long tresses of black and red hair around my face; it was annoying, every time I opened my mouth some hair would get into it or smack me in the eye or face. Yeah, not a pleasant sensation, having hair in your mouth!

The atmosphere was just down-right depressing - the contrast between this morning and now was comical, hilarious even. Without the bright city lights or the balls of light energy surrounding us, the world of the faeries looked just like very other world - dark and desolate. The only thing that hadn't changed from this morning was the booming ruckus that some people classify as music! My ears were extremely sensitive and to me, it was like being stuck at a busy New York street at rush hour! No wonder I liked the country-side!

It was so peaceful there - low, rolling hills covered with lush green grass which gave off the sweetest aroma, the clear blue uninterrupted sky with just a few clouds scattered across it, the peace, the quiet, the solitude; it was Heaven on Earth for me. I specially liked the rainy days. There was just an unknown sense of freedom I felt every time I ran across the open fields.

The cold wetness of the rain pouring down on me, isolating me from civilization; the dark, gray sky providing shelter from the blistering sun and the ever-watchful eyes of the Gods; the feeling of the soft, wet grass underneath my bare feet as I ran and the aroma it gave off; the familiar musky smell of the earth; the flashes of lightning and cracks of thunder; and the fact that I was just running for myself - it all gave me a sense of freedom I couldn't find anywhere in the city.

I remember that when I was young, I would always ask my momma if I could go out running in the rain. I had always waited for her to say no, to say that I would get sick and catch a fever; but it never came. Instead she used to reach down and take my face in her hands. She used to kiss me on both cheeks and tell me to go wherever I wanted to as long as I always came back to her; as long as I always came back home. She used to tell me that freedom is a rare gift which needs to be earned and after you get it; you have to be extremely careful about how you use it.

I had always asked her how I had earned my freedom, but she always just smiled and told me to run. So that's what I did. I used to be in a rush; putting on my running shoes, throwing on a hooded cloak and running; it was my routine for everyday after school. There was a forest behind our house and that was always my destination, my safe haven; it provided me the one thing I knew I could never get - complete and utter solitude, for even the gods could not peer into that forest.

It was the forest of the Centaurs - which in turn protected and shielded it from the Gods; the Centaurs didn't like the Gods always looking into their business so they cast a spell on their homes - and only people of noble blood could get deep enough to enter. When I first saw the centaurs, I was scared out my mind and had constantly questioned my sanity; their strong equine bodies and tall human torsos with attractive, aristocratic features had always amazed and scared me. After some time, I had begun to think that they were a part of my imagination for they had never approached me or tried to talk to me. I think they sensed me but they probably thought that I wasn't a threat and so they had left me alone.

And I was grateful for it for that forest was my only escape from the Other worlds; though, at that time, I hadn't known about the mythological and ethereal, I had always sensed ever-watching eyes on me. I had love the solitude that lonely forest had offered me and now I was completely out of my element. I hated the city! And here I was, heading down the sidewalks through the robust and obnoxious city of the equally as loud faeries!

I hated it but I endured it, even though the loud music from the clubs and bars were literally impairing my hearing system.
"Is it always this loud here?", Solis asked, annoyed. At least I wasn't the only one disturbed by the ungodly volume of the so called music coming from the whore-clubs.
"Pretty much. You know how much us faeries like to party!", Repeat said with a quick and flirtatious grin at Solis. Kill me now! I did not want my best friend and my brother to hook up - that just screamed "I'm so shagging my cousin right now but that's slightly illegal- okay, really illegal - but what can I do? He's so hot and now I'm after my best friend's brother because I'm just a whore like that!"

Besides, they would be doing all the lovey-dovey, oozy-gooey crap for about a week and then they'd shag and then they'd break up - time line depends on how good the other is at shagging - and then where would that leave me? I know that Repeat would still be my friend because we've been together for too long to just break up - not literally - over a boy. Our motto was "Chicks before dicks." But it would be extremely awkward knowing she had fucked my brother - disgusting mental picture, get out of my head - and we three wouldn't be able to stay in the same room.

That wasn't the only possibility, I know - they could be okay with it and still be friends but that isn't likely considering the tempers they both possess. Not to mention, Repeat knows exactly how to push Solis's buttons and she wasn't afraid to stand up for herself - she was a freaking Bounty Hunter for fucks sake! Solis liked dominating bitches; he didn't like it when they talked back - sexist, I know and he's gotten beaten up for it too. I'd seen way too many relationships where the girl dates her best friend's brother and then get all sullen and emotional at each other after they broke up causing the three parties involved to fall apart.

I didn't want that for them. Period. Now, the only thing I had to do was get Repeat to give up on Solis, and that won't be an easy task - she's a mean dominatrix bitch who knows how to use a whip and gun to perfection. But, for the time being, I have bigger things to worry about. For example, the phenomenal I am about to discuss with my uncle which brings me back to where we are headed - uncle's house.

"How much longer?", I asked Repeat and she turned to look at me with her eyebrows raised. "What?", I asked, feeling self-conscious under her gaze which clearly said I just asked a stupid question.

She stared at me for a few seconds before pointing in front of me. I looked toward the direction of her finger and saw a two-story ancient red brick house with vines and honeysuckle crawling up the walls. It had a sophisticated air to it which demanded attention and spoke of authority - something that wasn't found often in the Faerie world; the authority part, not the attention cause they got plenty of that. Right at the peak of it's height was a wooden plaque with bright neon lettering flashing on it - seriously, was everything here colorful? The sign read "Inter-dimensional Travelling Hub".

We were here. And I just embarrassed myself by asking when we would get there. Great. Now, they'll think I'm crazier than they first thought.

I smiled sheepishly at Repeat and she rolled her eyes and started climbing the steps to the door and I watched as she disappeared inside. I followed her and when I was about to put my foot on the threshold, I was surprised. There wasn't any. The door began abruptly at the end of the stairs with no place to place your foot on. I reached out towards the door and twisted the knob and pushed it open. I walked into the building and saw Repeat sitting at a table, her hand on the lever which would transfer our souls into our bodies and Repeat's soul into a surrogate when pushed.

As I walked towards her, I heard the curse from behind me and the unmistakable sound of a crash. I smirked to myself as Solis came up behind me, rubbing his arm and muttering to himself about the "stupid door" and "who in fucks sake makes a door like that?" I shook my head in amusement and just kept walking. Solis, you'll never change.

I reached the table and pulled out a chair, sitting down. Solis took the only seat available which was the one beside me. We all looked at the lever and put our hands on top of it.

"Ready?", she asked and we nodded.
At our approval she began saying our incantations,

"Body of Ariadne Novis,
Daughter of Hell,
With ink black hair representing her past
And fire red sheen representing her temper,
We wish to transport her soul to her body which resides in the food capital, Earth."

My surrogate body immediately started glowing and I felt the uncomfortable sensation of having your soul ripped from your body. Through the transaction, I saw several of my childhood memories - the happy ones.
I was riding a red bicycle without the training wheels for the first time and Daddy was pushing me from behind while I begged him not to let go.
It was my birthday and I was blowing out the candles when Solis covered my face in chocolate cream.
I had had a nightmare and had crawled into my Momma's bed while she hugged me and sang her lullaby to me.

All the happy memories came flooding back to me and I felt the weight from my shoulders lift. It was a curious sensation; when your soul leaves the body of your surrogate it doesn't have the same heart-wrenching pain that is felt when the soul is ripped from ones own body. It's almost as if my soul wants to leave the surrogate and return to its original body.
The dumping of the soul into the body is rather uncomfortable. It feels like your entire beings falls down to your body with a carefree abandonment and then after you regain your senses, it's like all kinds of aches attack you - head aches, muscle aches, stomach aches, hunger pangs, dizziness from dehydration - at the same time. Extremely uncomfortable but worth it when you finally feel the sense of relief you get when you're home.

I heard mumbled curses from behind me and saw Solis scrambling towards the fridge - of course he would always go for the food first. Repeat was holding her head and groaning.

"I hate using surrogates. It just doesn't feel like my body.", she grumbled.
"Hurry up and eat something. We're going to uncle's place, remember?", I asked her in a condescending tone.

She glared at me before crawling over to the kitchen. I just sat on the floor, knowing Solis would bring me something.
He did; it was a chicken cheese sandwich with vinaigrette seasoning and a bottle of milk with a cup of vanilla ice-cream with chocolate shavings and caramel sauce. Yum!

"Thanks.", I whispered.
"No problem", he replied.

After we all finished our snacks, we headed out for the car. I was a simple white Mini-cooper with black racing stripes. We didn't bother to lock the door. Nobody had broken into our house in the last five years despite the fact that we never locked the door. There was just an aura the house gave off - it was the kind of spooky house which was featured in Hollywood horror movies where the victims always got murdered.

We drove for about half-an-hour before we finally reached ours uncle's house. Our uncle Soman liked the countryside like me - which was one of the reasons why we had a gotten a house on the outskirts of the city close to the country-side - and enjoyed the peace and solitude offered by the desolate land. He owned a small but cozy manor at the very edge of the community, close to the forest which was situated right beside the small town.

The sound of rushing water invited us. Our uncle had a river about a metre from his house - it was one of my favorite things out here. I found the sound of the gushing water unbelievably calming. I would go out to the river bed every time I was stressed about something - which was more often than not - and dip my bare feet into the cool water; it was a great way to relieve some stress.

I opened the car door and scrambled out, kicking the door shut and running across the front garden to my uncle's porch. I could hear the others trying to catch up to me and I ran faster until I finally reached the door, wrenching it open and shouting "Uncle, we're here!" Our uncle never locked the door either; I think it’s a family habit or something.

Faster than I thought possible for a human, uncle ran down the steps and towards me, hugging me as soon as he reached me. "Nice to see you, kid.", he said in that familiar British accent of his - uncle had lived in good, old Britain for about six years before he returned to the states.

"Nice to see you too, Uncle." I replied. By now, the others had already caught up and uncle released me so that he could hug the others.

"Hey, little man. Repeat." uncle said, his voice turning sour at Repeat's name.

"Hello, uncle Soman." Repeat said just as dryly.

For some reason they didn't seem to like each other.
"Come in.", uncle waved us inside.
"What would you like to eat?"

"Soman, we're here because we need your help." Solis said.
"My help? In what may I inquire?"

"You might want to sit down first." I said, leading him towards the sofa.
We sat down and I told him of the attack with the Soul Reapers with a few interruptions from Repeat - she didn't know about the recent attack - where uncle's lips would purse with irritation.

After I finished explaining the situation to him and the dream about me acquiring a part of my soul, uncle sat there thoughtfully for a few moments before he took a deep breath and turned to face me.

"Kid, I have bad news and bad news. Bad news number one: your soul is shattered. Bad news number two: it's shattered into six pieces."
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