‹ Prequel: Entanglement
Status: Active!
Engulfed
07.
It only took Azlynn about ten minutes to locate Charlotte. But she didn’t alert the others or swoop down to retrieve her. She simply ghosted along above Charlotte as she raced wildly through the woods in the form of a lynx. It was immensely comical to see a camping backpack strapped around a forest cat, but Azlynn supposed it wouldn’t do Charlotte much good to go charging off into the Canadian night with only her bobcat pelt. Azlynn was cloaked in invisibility, and quite certain that no creature in the forest, save perhaps a hawk or owl who happened to fly past her, would be able to sense her presence, but she noticed Charlotte continually looking behind and around her, as though sensing someone following her.
Azlynn chalked it up to Charlotte simply being paranoid that the wolf pack would catch up to her. It seemed rather apparent that she had expected her absence to go unnoticed longer than it had. The patrol wolf, Henry, had just happened to amble by the house where she was being kept and found her guard unconscious around back. By Azlynn’s estimation, Charlotte had only fled Lupus Lake an hour before Henry declared her missing. Azlynn knew she ought to contact the others and tell them where Charlotte was, but she hesitated. She wanted to see where Charlotte was going, and she was still uncertain if she should allow Charlotte to be incorporated back into the team.
Charlotte had been resistant to helping them before, and after Leviathan was defeated and they returned to Earth, she had fled, leaving behind Drew’s confused and broken heart, and yet another spark of worry in Will’s wary eyes. Despite her newfound vigilante career, Azlynn was still the daughter of a Guardian Angel, and was a Guardian herself. She hated to see the innocent suffer, and she suspected it wouldn’t be good for anyone if Charlotte was dragged back into their world.
On the other hand though, Charlotte shouldn’t go after her deranged sister on her own. She was going to need help, and she and her brother should deal with this crisis together. Azlynn had never met Amanda Lawson, but from what she knew of her, killing werewolf cubs was unusual behavior for her. She was tempted to do a quick scan of Charlotte’s memories to find out more, although she truly hated sifting through people’s personal thoughts intentionally. The only reason she heard Dante’s thoughts so easily and frequently was because they were so connected. At least, she hoped they still were. He had been acting so cold lately, and Azlynn was keeping her secrets. She shook the thoughts away.
Right now, she needed to focus on the task at hand. She could repair her love life later. Azlynn swooped lower, no longer gliding above the trees but through them, weaving around pines and ice-coated branches. It serves that stupid Jae character right, having her escape, Azlynn thought. Leaving a Skinwalker locked up in a room with animal pelts. A shrill, keening shriek suddenly spilt the air like a blade, and Azlynn and Charlotte both stopped short, listening.
The inhuman sound came again, and Charlotte took off in the direction it came from. Sighing, Azlynn followed, still invisible. They came upon a snowy clearing several minutes later, and found a werewolf puppy cowering in a spreading puddle of its own blood as a strange, hunched creature in black approached it, making that horrible wailing; which was three times worse at close range. The pup howled pitifully, trying to call for its pack mates.
Charlotte growled low in her throat, loping into the clearing towards the hunched thing. It turned at the sound of her approach, and Charlotte’s paws skidded to a halt in the snow. Azlynn saw why. The face peering out of the dark hood was human, sort of. It was covered in blood and the eyes were inky black, and seemed far too large for the pale, angular face they were set in. Several strands of lank, pale brown hair fell free from the hood, also blood-stained.
Amanda.
Azlynn swore under her breath. Charlotte made a low whining mewl, crouching and moving slowly and tentatively towards the thing that had once been her baby sister. Azlynn had a flash of a terrible vision. Amanda, cradling a child with eyes black as jet and red dots glowing in the center like the coals of Hell. A demon-born child; bred only to kill. Azlynn’s blood ran cold as ice in her veins. How could Amanda Lawson, a teenage runaway who was, so far as Azlynn could tell, still a virgin possibly be carrying a baby conceived from a demon?
Then it hit her, and Azlynn felt dizzy and her stomach lurched. A profound dread filled her soul and made her heart stutter. Tedantrios. He knew about Charlotte’s family. Knew that Amanda was a curious and impressionable teenager who was denied the chance to learn about her powers because her parents wished to avoid the attention of anti-magic bigots. Azlynn did not believe the child to be his; Tedantrios was a mage not a demon. But he arranged this somehow. This, this was one of the key elements of his plan to destroy Heaven, Azlynn was certain of it.
Amanda shrieked again, and Azlynn was shaken from her horrified daze. She launched herself through the air, palming her knives. Amanda leapt at Charlotte, and the lynx rolled out of the way just in time with a startled yip. Azlynn’s invisible form slammed into the she-demon that Amanda had become, knocking her back and slashing at her with the knives. The wolf pup howled in fright, dragging its wounded body away, towards the trees. Amanda turned to chase after it, but Azlynn yanked her back, then struck her full in the face with the back of her hand.
Amanda’s nose broke, blood spurting everywhere, staining the pure snow.
“Angel!” she screamed, in an ancient demon dialect. The word was spat like a curse, and the language itself was guttural and grating. Azlynn was unnerved that Amanda knew it.
“Demon whore,” Azlynn whispered fiercely back. She murmured a prayer over her blade, and they began to glow with a brilliant white-gold light. Amanda jerked away from her, opening her mouth in another scream, revealing a mouth full of white, gleaming fangs. Azlynn flew at her with the blades, but Amanda suddenly shouted a portal-summoning spell. A black void instantly opened beneath her, and she fell away, plunging into the darkness.
Azlynn’s unease deepened. First the girl was speaking ancient demon, and now she was summoning portals into the demon realms? What exactly had Tedantrios done to her? Azlynn noticed the wolf pup lying still in the snow, and raced to its side. The poor thing was barely breathing, but still alive. Azlynn gathered the pup into her arms, murmuring soothing words and sending a healing glow into his trembling, bloody body.
“Who’s there?” Azlynn turned to find Charlotte, back in human form and holding her lynx pelt tightly around her body. Azlynn realized she had not dropped her glamour yet. She shimmered into view.
“Hey, Charlotte,” she said casually.
Charlotte’s jaw dropped.
Azlynn chalked it up to Charlotte simply being paranoid that the wolf pack would catch up to her. It seemed rather apparent that she had expected her absence to go unnoticed longer than it had. The patrol wolf, Henry, had just happened to amble by the house where she was being kept and found her guard unconscious around back. By Azlynn’s estimation, Charlotte had only fled Lupus Lake an hour before Henry declared her missing. Azlynn knew she ought to contact the others and tell them where Charlotte was, but she hesitated. She wanted to see where Charlotte was going, and she was still uncertain if she should allow Charlotte to be incorporated back into the team.
Charlotte had been resistant to helping them before, and after Leviathan was defeated and they returned to Earth, she had fled, leaving behind Drew’s confused and broken heart, and yet another spark of worry in Will’s wary eyes. Despite her newfound vigilante career, Azlynn was still the daughter of a Guardian Angel, and was a Guardian herself. She hated to see the innocent suffer, and she suspected it wouldn’t be good for anyone if Charlotte was dragged back into their world.
On the other hand though, Charlotte shouldn’t go after her deranged sister on her own. She was going to need help, and she and her brother should deal with this crisis together. Azlynn had never met Amanda Lawson, but from what she knew of her, killing werewolf cubs was unusual behavior for her. She was tempted to do a quick scan of Charlotte’s memories to find out more, although she truly hated sifting through people’s personal thoughts intentionally. The only reason she heard Dante’s thoughts so easily and frequently was because they were so connected. At least, she hoped they still were. He had been acting so cold lately, and Azlynn was keeping her secrets. She shook the thoughts away.
Right now, she needed to focus on the task at hand. She could repair her love life later. Azlynn swooped lower, no longer gliding above the trees but through them, weaving around pines and ice-coated branches. It serves that stupid Jae character right, having her escape, Azlynn thought. Leaving a Skinwalker locked up in a room with animal pelts. A shrill, keening shriek suddenly spilt the air like a blade, and Azlynn and Charlotte both stopped short, listening.
The inhuman sound came again, and Charlotte took off in the direction it came from. Sighing, Azlynn followed, still invisible. They came upon a snowy clearing several minutes later, and found a werewolf puppy cowering in a spreading puddle of its own blood as a strange, hunched creature in black approached it, making that horrible wailing; which was three times worse at close range. The pup howled pitifully, trying to call for its pack mates.
Charlotte growled low in her throat, loping into the clearing towards the hunched thing. It turned at the sound of her approach, and Charlotte’s paws skidded to a halt in the snow. Azlynn saw why. The face peering out of the dark hood was human, sort of. It was covered in blood and the eyes were inky black, and seemed far too large for the pale, angular face they were set in. Several strands of lank, pale brown hair fell free from the hood, also blood-stained.
Amanda.
Azlynn swore under her breath. Charlotte made a low whining mewl, crouching and moving slowly and tentatively towards the thing that had once been her baby sister. Azlynn had a flash of a terrible vision. Amanda, cradling a child with eyes black as jet and red dots glowing in the center like the coals of Hell. A demon-born child; bred only to kill. Azlynn’s blood ran cold as ice in her veins. How could Amanda Lawson, a teenage runaway who was, so far as Azlynn could tell, still a virgin possibly be carrying a baby conceived from a demon?
Then it hit her, and Azlynn felt dizzy and her stomach lurched. A profound dread filled her soul and made her heart stutter. Tedantrios. He knew about Charlotte’s family. Knew that Amanda was a curious and impressionable teenager who was denied the chance to learn about her powers because her parents wished to avoid the attention of anti-magic bigots. Azlynn did not believe the child to be his; Tedantrios was a mage not a demon. But he arranged this somehow. This, this was one of the key elements of his plan to destroy Heaven, Azlynn was certain of it.
Amanda shrieked again, and Azlynn was shaken from her horrified daze. She launched herself through the air, palming her knives. Amanda leapt at Charlotte, and the lynx rolled out of the way just in time with a startled yip. Azlynn’s invisible form slammed into the she-demon that Amanda had become, knocking her back and slashing at her with the knives. The wolf pup howled in fright, dragging its wounded body away, towards the trees. Amanda turned to chase after it, but Azlynn yanked her back, then struck her full in the face with the back of her hand.
Amanda’s nose broke, blood spurting everywhere, staining the pure snow.
“Angel!” she screamed, in an ancient demon dialect. The word was spat like a curse, and the language itself was guttural and grating. Azlynn was unnerved that Amanda knew it.
“Demon whore,” Azlynn whispered fiercely back. She murmured a prayer over her blade, and they began to glow with a brilliant white-gold light. Amanda jerked away from her, opening her mouth in another scream, revealing a mouth full of white, gleaming fangs. Azlynn flew at her with the blades, but Amanda suddenly shouted a portal-summoning spell. A black void instantly opened beneath her, and she fell away, plunging into the darkness.
Azlynn’s unease deepened. First the girl was speaking ancient demon, and now she was summoning portals into the demon realms? What exactly had Tedantrios done to her? Azlynn noticed the wolf pup lying still in the snow, and raced to its side. The poor thing was barely breathing, but still alive. Azlynn gathered the pup into her arms, murmuring soothing words and sending a healing glow into his trembling, bloody body.
“Who’s there?” Azlynn turned to find Charlotte, back in human form and holding her lynx pelt tightly around her body. Azlynn realized she had not dropped her glamour yet. She shimmered into view.
“Hey, Charlotte,” she said casually.
Charlotte’s jaw dropped.