Beyond Far Away

- Chapter six -

"Yet mad I am not...and very surely do I not dream." (Edgar Allan Poe)

Asheron

The silence was deafening as both Devins gazed at the red-head. She was like a bitter-sweet vision stirring up both excitement and horror. Michael saw Adriana as something that made his life so much more interesting, but shouldn't exist. Therefore, her appearance was like a gift that denied sanity. And to Sebastian she was a ghost from beyond, a whisper of the thrilling, yet sorrowful past. Her face triggered a flood of memories that had been lost in time and regret that he was unable to prevent from stabbing at his heart.

Meanwhile, the girl herself felt simply awkward. Adriana was wringing her hands, frustrated that once more she was having a very weird dream.

A maid rushed into the room, her dark blue skirt shuffling like the trees - softly. And yet it was audible as the room was dead silent. She barely glanced up from the tray with tea and snacks before nodding politely at the red-head.

"Miss Vervloet, I shall bring you the white tea you prefer in mere seconds." With a soft smile she placed the tray and briskly walked out as though there wasn't a ghost or an illusion in the room.

Silence fell like a heavy blanket over them once again. Michael had the girl pinned to her spot with his gaze, completely astounded that the maid had recognized her, while his great-grandfather looked like a teenager with a crush – mouth open, eyes wide. Only a huge blush across his cheeks was missing. The young woman couldn't bear to meet their eyes and kept glancing around, studying the paintings. That wasn't entertaining at all.

"Michael," Adriana finally looked questioningly at the young man, which made him visibly flinch. "Where are we?"

Before the boy could answer, Sebastian softly grunted:

"You're at my residence... Adriana."

There was a strange quiver to the demon's voice that caught her attention. The girl turned her blue eyes to the blond and nodded slowly. She had had dreams of Sebastian Devin, so it wasn't very hard to determine that he was no threat. He had trained her at the beginning of her hunting career and supervised missions during the eight century. He still looked as charming as ever, although paler than she had been accustomed to. Adriana smiled shyly in acknowledgement and settled beside the demon. This was nothing more than a dream, right?

The maid returned, wearing a very lovely smile. She was in her early thirties, petite and pretty. Her pink curls bounced as she placed yet another tray on the table.

"These are the last apples of the season," Somehow the blue clad girl was the least tense person in the gathering room. "And your tea. It is nice to see you back, miss."

Adriana nodded, her eyes glued to the white, milk-like liquid in a porcelain cup and blue apples. The men still had their eyes fixed on the red-head and somehow she felt as though an unwelcome Alice in the Wonderland. The girl sensed the warmth of the cup as she took it, and was shocked by how sweet and unusually gentle the liquid tasted. Michael followed her lead and took a sip of his own green tea, lavender eyes still looking at the young woman, room ever so silent. Sebastian just sat there, not knowing whether he was seeing ghosts or being attacked by shape-shifters. They didn't even notice as the pink curls bounced one more time away from them.

"How can you be here?" The demon finally managed to croak out. The red-head always drove him crazy, but returning to the land of the living after hundreds of years? "The two of you have always been the troublemakers and I let it slide. However, I truly require an explanation this time. First, I meet my brother's clone and now my dead protégé materializes out of thin air... Are you really Adriana?"

The girl looked from the table and leaned back once she found herself face to face with the blond man. She didn't know what to do. This was one of those dreams, where she was no Miss Vervloet, but the Ellisons' daughter, and had few witty remarks or explanations. Therefore, she decided to go with what she knew, avoiding those purple eyes.

"I am Adriana Ellison, but I have no idea what is happening myself. Personally, I think all of this is nothing but a dream."

Michael chuckled lightly, earning a shy smile from the girl as well. Sebastian was not amused at all, however. He looked from one to another and was clearly frustrated. There was a throbbing inside that handsome head of his already and he was sure it was only going to grow. Ever since Xanthus had made them partner up, they had been labelled as the couple of devils. Michael and Adriana either dismissed orders, broke the rules and freed captives or did the exact opposite when no one expected such. They've been that way during the training as well. Thankfully, neither could remember a single day of it and couldn't taunt the older Devin.

As he looked closer, Sebastian could see that the two of them were different from the past. Adriana reminded him of their first meeting, by her parents' burned house, when she was a naive, pretty damsel in distress, but there was no sorrow in her blue eyes. No fire of revenge either. Michael, on the other hand, was more charming, impulsive than he used to be. He had the passion for life only the young possessed. The blond shook his head. Until the huntress came into his life he wouldn't even yell at someone. Nevertheless, these two couldn't be. They should not exist.

"How have you been?" The black haired boy asked Adriana finally, not comfortable with silence and menacing pauses in their conversation. Sebastian was listening intently, still deep in thought.

"You know, having hallucinations and weird dreams. You?" Adriana smirked and grasped one of the apples. It smelled heavenly.

"The same," The young man grinned back. "I'm actually having one right now." This made the girl laugh out loud.

However, as the sound of amusement died down, the air rippled around the woman, just like it had done once. Sebastian jumped up unaware of what was making the crackling and snapping. Michael smiled bitterly, prepared for what was about to happen next. Adriana's image began dispersing, her confused eyes slipping away, even as Mr Devin pulled her from the spot of disturbed space. Like mist she slipped through the demon's fingers, causing him great panic.

"What just happened?!"

Earth

The buzzing of her telephone, still set to silent mode, and impatient pounding on the door jolted the girl awake. Suzanne was finally ready to go, apparently. Adriana sat up and winced as something fell down with a thud. Ignoring it, she gathered her things and rushed to the door.

"I'm coming! Stop the demolition of my house." Not that Suzy could hear, but it did make the red-head feel better.

Waking up against one's will twice in the same day could cause severe irritation.

The house was silent for hours, but it got dark and the red-head returned. Her nose and cheeks were flushed as she shook off the snow, undressed and fell down onto her soft bed.

Oooph!

Adriana was exhausted from all the walking, talking and looking. It was still early, 8 pm, yet she couldn't muster any strength to lift herself from the bed. The table was covered in pencils and sheets of paper, while the shelves had little glass cats decorating spaces between various drawings, framed photos, perfume bottles and other meaningless stuff. The sun was setting and it was tranquil with no one in the house. Her room was a tidy chaos, as she would call it. It had light wood furniture, soft peach walls and a nice bed. Nothing incredible, but all that a young woman could need. She turned on the radio and allowed the soft tune fill the silence. It would have been so easy to drift off. Nevertheless, the girl had to wash the dishes, so with an agonized groan she stood up and walked to the kitchen.

Half an hour later she plopped on the coach and started flipping through the channels. Not finding anything worth watching, of course. After some time Adriana decided to give up and just go to sleep, but something caught her eye just as she was about to exit the living room. Something the size of a fist. Something blue. Something that shouldn't be here.

"You've got to be kidding me."

Yes, it was the blue apple.

****

Sebastian was comfortably seated in a love-seat with a tall brunette on his lap. There was a glass full of Elves' wine and he was about to indulge in various pleasures, when a pest emerged from a crowd. The young woman snickered as the present leader of the hunter organization let out a whine. Eve knew that he had had a very busy day and the last thing Sebastian wished was to have yet another argument with his little brother. However, Michael couldn't care less.

"I'll leave you boys alone," Eve smiled evilly, which earned her an annoyed sigh from the demon. "Play nice."

"Yeah, as long as he behaves."

By the time the elf stood up, Michael had already reached his brother, a death glare on his face. She quickly pecked her boyfriend and disappeared into the crowd.

"What brings you here, Mike? I never thought you would enjoy one of Edwina's parties."

"You know all too well what has brought me to this damned place," Michael had lowered his voice to a dangerous hiss. It would be a lie to say that it did not unsettle Sebastian. Sure he expected anger, but not like this.

"I see absolutely nothing wrong with giving her a mission while you were resting."

"Sure," The young man's eyes flashed with fury. "I break a leg and you send my partner to work with another man. Without asking me."

"Relax, man. You know Lucas had your house burned down just to infiltrate the pack. Besides, they have already finished the job. " The blond stood up and glanced around the ballroom. No one had noticed them yet.

"Yeah, about that. Why isn't she back then?" Now that surprised the demon.

"What do you mean, she's not back? It's been a week since Lucas..."

Sebastian's eyes locked onto the chimera dressed in a fancy suit and surrounded by women. It couldn't be that the bastard left the girl out there alone, could it?

Michael followed his brother's eyes and gritted his teeth. In seconds he was dragging Lucas away from the crowd, music and witnesses. Sebastian followed closely, angry himself. Ever since Xanthus retired, he had to quickly adapt to the new job. Everyone praised his talent to lead and supervise, but here he was, realizing that one of the best had been abandoned and not even reported.

"Where the hell is she?"

Lucas stood in front of the brothers, a bit unsteady from the alcohol he had consumed. Yet, still sober enough to realize that he was in trouble.

"There was nothing I could do..." He began, but Michael did not allow him to finish his sentence. He fiercely punched chimera in the solar plexus.

"What was the mission, Sebastian?"

Not wishing to be doubled in pain as well, Mr Devin answered immediately.

"A group of basilisks had been sighted in the woods by the Coliron sea. I sent Miss Vervloet and Mr Warren to investigate their intentions."

"What happened?"

Lucas had regained the ability to inhale, but was more than unsure whether to answer or not. He knew that the Devin boys won't like the answer.

"She's still there."

Now it was Sebastian's turn to smack the drunk to the ground.

"Bloody hell, Lucas, what were you thinking not reporting it to me?! I could have sent reinforcements or traded-"

"They are not holding her captive." The assaulted rasped out, prepared for a ruthless beating.

It took a while for his words to register.

"You mean she's been turned to stone." It was not a question but a statement that sent chills down Sebastian's spine. He hadn't realized fully until that moment that his brother had bonded with Adriana during their partnership as friends. Friends that loyally protected each other and felt responsible if anything were to happen.

- - -

Neither one of them said a single word through the week-long journey. It was a week of tension, self-blame and worry. Sebastian had met the girl long before Michael even started his training and, though neither did his brother nor Adriana herself know that, he felt responsible for her safety. Figuring out that she was abandoned like that made him feel disgusted and no words could express the regret he felt. Michael was simply fuming.

"Okay, we enter here," The demon pointed to a map and trailed his finger up one of the paths. "And head south. These basilisks usually hunt at the sea during the hours of the first sun, so we shouldn't meet any..."

"But if we do, I should avoid eye contact at all costs. I know, Sebastian. It hasn't been that long since my last hunt." Michael cut it, smirking slightly as his brother secured a whip to his belt.

"Yeah, I know. But you had your leg broken by a nymph. That doesn't sound too promising, now does it?" This earner the blond a light shove. "You hit like a girl." He laughed.

"Oh, well thanks for the compliment. I mean, Adriana once knocked out a sea serpent."

"She doesn't count." Sebastian muttered. "Miss Vervloet is just a pretty man with a nice ass."

Instead of grimacing at such a vulgar statement, as Michael would usually do, he grinned. "She sure does have a nice ass."

Yeah, Sebastian did not see that coming. His little brother was no longer a prude?

"That son of a..." Michael growled as they finally found Adriana's remains.

Lucas had left her in the middle of the woods, frozen for eternity. The younger Devin kneeled before her stony face and stared at it with pity. She had her hands up, ready for a spell, her eyes were wide with surprise and fear. Taking in her appearance, the boy noted that Adriana's clothes had been ripped and she was unarmed. What made him a bit confused was the pose itself. The red-head had her torso twisted uncomfortably, as though she fell down facing the opposite direction, but turned around on her own free will. An experienced hunter would never do that.

"Michael, we may have a problem." Sebastian whispered in a hushed tone as his eyes took in their surroundings. "Basilisks cannot fully turn the Fae to stone." Michael stood up as well, frowning. "Only medusas can."

As if on a cue the mentioned creature walked out of the shadows, grinning wickedly. Just like basilisks she could turn various life-forms to stone, if she wanted to. Medusas were very rare, though, as the hybrid between merfolk and basilisks almost never survived the first decade of their existence. It was a beautiful woman in a green gown than glistened in the light of two suns. The medusa had long dark hair that twisted and curled, as though hissing with life. She was short and tan with sharp features and evil intentions.

"Michael Devin, I see you've come for the girl that killed my sister. Good, I have a vendetta against you as well." Her voice was inhuman, high and seductive.

Both males prepared their weapons, not daring to glance at the creature.

"Not to be impolite, but you're the first medusa I've ever faced." Michael murmured as his hands grasped the cool handle of his weapon.

"No no no... My sister was no medusa. She was a beautiful selkie."

"Ah, bloody hell..." Sebastian groaned, knowing where the woman was going.

"The one you crude hunters call an omnivorous siren."

Now Michael was cursing. Another crazy monster seeking revenge. Great.

Both Devins spun around and lunged at the creature. She managed to avoid Michael's slash, but the ball of fire Sebastian had sent flying her way, collided with the woman's chest. The fire left a red patch between the collar-bones. It was hard to fight something you shouldn't lock eyes with, but the brothers were more than good at this. A few moments later, the medusa dug her nails to the blond's shoulders and hissed in pain as he plunged his hand right through the soft material of her dress and into the cool intensities of the half-reptile creature. Upon closer inspection, the hunter noticed that there were patches of scales on the creamy skin and she was quite cold.

"Release me, you fool! I will stone you both! Release me, I said!" She was twisting and struggling, but Michael paid no notice and swung his sword at her right wrist.

The hand, still twitching fell down followed by a shriek of pain and frustration.

"Sorry, but there are better ways to get stoned." Sebastian smirked, holding the medusa by the throat, his hand slowly sliding out of her stomach.

"How do I remove the spell cast on Adriana?" The black-haired hunter was not rash or impatient, but there was an edge to his voice.

"You fool! I am much more than some pesky basilisk!" She writhed in pain. "I do not cast spells!" And with those words she started laughing maniacally.

Sebastian dug his finger into her eyes, neutralizing any further threat. At least he thought so.

As she screamed and moaned, the woman secured her healthy hand around his neck, the skin to skin contact allowing her to emit the poison. It had an effect immediately. With horror Michael watched as the substance that entered his brother's organism spread, burning and compressing the cells until the blond was nothing, but a stone statue. The woman was still laughing hysterically as she collapsed, blood pooling out of her eye sockets, stomach and amputated arm.

"Now, Micky, what are you going to do now?"