Chapter 30 : Thorns between the hearts

Rylan

The music changed again, becoming dark and faint. Dark red smoke spewed from the flutes in a huge swirling mass that surrounded the corpses as well as Rylan and the others. Lightning danced among the clouds that rose around their waists in darker and darker waves. It was as if the fog was alive, pulsing with electricity, tickling all their senses, yet somehow painless.

The music swelled, like a scream caught in an instrument, but then became a shriek as the corpses withered and wailed, colliding with each other, even falling to the ground to be swallowed by the red mist. Those who could still stand uttered a final scream before the evil aura that emanated from them even in death flew out of their described bodies and headed toward Uma. From different directions, great soul power shot towards her to be absorbed into the necklace with a large purple gem in the center, surrounded by many small white, gold, and silver gems, which hung around her fleshy neck.

The woman's eyes were closed and a look of joy was on her face as her body began to faintly glow with the soul essence she had consumed. Her face began to lose wrinkles and age spots, and her body began to stand upright instead of slouching. Her young and supple hands cupped her youthful face, and a beautiful smile graced her lips, revealing straight, white teeth.

The dim light faded, as did the dark tones, returning to their original hue. The red cloud dissipated, revealing many corpses, shriveled and mummified. The companions stood gaping at the scene before them, unable to comprehend how such a thing could happen.

"What just happened, Mike?" asked Samuel in a low voice.

"I'm not sure, Sam. It looks like the old woman has been using the remaining essence from the souls of the dead she-wolves to restore her youth," he replied, his eyes narrowing on Uma.

"Young again! I'm beautiful," Uma said. She lowered her hand and grinned at Rylan and the gang. Her expression clearly showed that her mind had not recovered like her body.

"Give Carolina back or I'll kill you," Rylan threatened as he raised his sword at the dark priestess.

Uma's red lips pouted. "But I need my treasure to stay young. You can't have that."

"Carolina is not immortal," Mike explained, trying to get past the madness to the intellectual part of his mind. "In fact, she's not even alive, but rather a clone of her shadow and soul from a body whose soul has been recalled." Although he didn't care much for Carolina, he wouldn't stand by and watch a mad witch hurt a woman, even if she was dead.

Uma did not seem to hear him as she played admiringly with Carolina's hair. "Soon I will unlock the secret of this body and have a body like this." She seemed to be talking to herself, completely forgetting about Rylan and the others. "But then there will be no need for you, my darling. Only one of us will have such a blessing."

"As if I'd let you take it!" shouted Rylan as he jumped over the mummified corpses and charged at the mad, evil priest.

Without taking her eyes off Carolina, Uma simply said, "Pet," and the monstrous creature played her flute louder and more ferociously. More corpses emerged from the forest, but this time, they snarled and attacked Inuyasha and the others. They were not the lumbering, uncoordinated undead like before. They were vicious cannibals determined to devour their flesh.

Samuel gasped and straightened up as he stiffened next to Mike, both of them fighting for survival. Rylan was surrounded by the undead before he could reach the madwoman and the deranged Carolina. He slashed at one of the undead, cutting off its head and spraying blood everywhere, including himself. Behind him, one of the corpses clung to his shoulder, biting deeply. Screaming with rage, more than pain, Rylan released it and sliced it in half. They were so fast. So inhuman.

Selene struggled to defend herself, let alone strike back. She had a weapon in her hand in a defensive position, but it didn't help much as she was surrounded. "Mike! Stay back!" she called to her friend.

"I'm here, Selene!" Mike said as his back was against hers. "Hold your position, Selene." Mike brought his spear forward, summoning a powerful barrier that obliterated the bodies in a twelve-foot radius around him and Selene.

"Thank you, Mike! Attack!" Selene unleashed her weapon and slashed at the dead she-wolves as they approached.

As for Maya, she was having trouble using anything but her claws in her weakened state. She was too afraid to use her wolf energy to destroy her opponents because the others would know her deception. Fangs and claws dug into her flesh, and she growled as she dissected the corpse's abdomen until it could no longer revive, but lay motionless and screeching on the ground.

She gasped for breath, her left shoulder, the one hit by the arrow, quickly going numb. Soon she was unable to lift it, the nerves dead from exhaustion and there was no attempt to heal it.

When she saw that one of the dead who had come forward had a sword, Maya tore off her arm and took the weapon as her own for a longer reach. How many were there? She knew that the witch was using the bodies of all the fallen she-wolves who had fought to become the mates of Xavier Westwood.

Another huge explosion of the overwhelming power of Rylan's weapon tore through the forest. Everyone was too busy defending themselves to notice that Uma had disappeared along with her little creature and the corpse Carolina was carrying.

They were exhausted trying to keep up with the fast-moving undead. Mike was unable to use his inner strength in such close proximity to his friends. Moments after Uma's disappearance, her dolls began to move more slowly, losing their ferocity until they finally fell motionless. It was then that her friends realized there was no music.

"Carolina!" Rylan rushed to where he was, only to see that Carolina had disappeared, along with Uma and her little creatures.

"Damn, where did they go?" muttered Rylan, worry eating away at him.

"Calm down, Rylan. We'll find them, but shouldn't we keep looking for Karenina?" asked Mike.

His friend's words seemed to give him pause. His eyes disappeared behind his bangs, hiding the expression and pain reflected in them. What should he do? Karen needed him, but so did Carolina. His thoughts raged inside him. Finally, a desperate thought came to him. Surely Xavier wouldn't hurt Karen? He saved her in the past, didn't he? But Carolina needs me now.

Sheathing his sword, his eyes still hidden from the others, he spoke, "I-I think we should go after Carolina." Hearing his friends gasp, not to mention Maya, Rylan looked at them with sad eyes and quickly said what he wanted to say before they started yelling at him.

"Look, I know Karen is important, but if Xavier is with her like Elena said, then she should be safe, right? Whereas Carolina will be used and killed afterwards. She needs help!"

"You have no idea if Karen is okay," Selene growled.

"That's right, Rylan! What if she's hurt and needs us," Samuel chimed in.

"I'm sure she's fine!" he shouted defensively before continuing unconvincingly, "Xavier won't hurt her."

"How do you know that?" Selene demanded again. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Carolina was dead and Karen was alive and breathing!

"Stop yelling at me," he snapped back. "Look, we don't have time to argue. Carolina is in danger. She could be killed!"

"She's already dead, Rylan," Selene spat angrily before her eyes widened and she covered her mouth.

A hauntingly sad expression crossed Rylan's face, and Selene didn't want to take back her angry words. Of course, Rylan would still blame himself for Carolina's death, and she was insensitive enough to put him through any more emotional pain. "I'm sorry, Rylan," she whispered, looking away in embarrassment.

"No, it's okay. I'll go after her. You go find Karen," Rylan said without turning to either of them.

"I don't think it would be wise for us to split up," Mike started, but Maya cut him off.

"I'm going after the girl who's still alive. I still have unanswered questions. A dead girl is not my concern."

To be honest, she wasn't sure what to do. Leave with Rylan or continue on to Xavier Westwood and Karenina's place. In the end, her obsession with Karenina won out.

Selene and Mike felt torn. They paused for a moment to consider their next move.

"We're wasting time. Are you coming or not?" asked Elena.

Mike made a quick decision and said, "Sure, I'll come." Then he turned to Rylan and said, "You go save Carolina while we go save Karen, all right, Rylan?"

"I'll go with you, Mike," Selene said, while Samuel said yes.

"Heh, I told you my idea was the best," Rylan tried to bluff.

The group tried to smile and act like everything was fine, knowing it was far from the truth, before jumping on Felix with Samuel and following Maya as she ran into the woods. Rylan watched them for a few moments before taking off as well, but in a different direction, following the scent of Carolina and Uma.

"I'm coming, Carolina! Don't die because of me," Rylan thought desperately.