Way Down We Go

Chapter 5

"They don't have any part of this," Rory said, standing her ground, glaring up at him. "You never should've talked to them."

"Oh, little one, you have so much to learn." He said, meeting her gaze with a hint of amusement in his eyes, "Rest assured, I have no interest in any living human, apart from you. Your friends are not on my radar. You have nothing to fear there."

"But you went after that kid, and his dad and they were still alive." She lowered her voice; aware they were still in the open air.

"I told you, they were already going to die. Whether at that moment or an hour later in the hospital, it was imminent. The exact circumstances," his grip tightened on her arm, "Were a mistake, but the event itself was inevitable." He became vaguely aware of her renewed attempts to free herself from his grasp, and he loosened his hold on her slightly.

"Define 'mistake.'" She pressed him.

"It was a mistake. Look in a dictionary if you don't know what that means." He turned away from her. "Now, let's go."

"Where are we going? My car is this way."

"We're not taking your car," he said, starting to drag her along the sidewalk again, "We're going to a place to train. It's much easier if I just take you there myself."

"Wait, what? How--"

"Just come here," he pulled her into his arms. There was a feeling of lightness, of feeling like the ground was gone beneath her feet, in which the world was a mix of color and sound and shadow, and then...

They were in a meadow. A bright clear field of flowers placed elegantly against the setting sun. She could hear birds twittering overhead and the wind rustling through the grass.

Her mouth fell open.

"How the hell did you do that?" she gaped at him, stepping back and looking all around, her bag dropping at her feet. He gave her a 'are you kidding me?' sort of look and pointed a finger at his chest.

"Demon," he said simply.

"Heh, 'demon'" she said, imitating the gesture and his voice. "That is not an actual explanation!"

"Sure it is. We can transport wherever we want, makes it easier to go hunting, and go back and forth to the demon realm."

"Well, as long as there's a logical explanation." She looked up at the sky. "So how far away are we from home?"

"Don't know, about, hundred or so miles?" He shrugged. She gulped, regretting asking the question. Fear started to set in. Just what was he planning?

She tried to control her breathing and took a few more paces back from him.

"Take me back," she said, trying to sound calmer than she felt. "Take me back right now."

"No," he said simply. "You need and want to learn how to control the mana, so you're going to learn how. No one will be able to bother us out here, so we can practice for a while."

"No, no I want to go home. I don't--"

"If you don't feel safe, isn't practicing the best way to go forward?" he said, taking a step closer to her. She took another step back, unable to look at him.

"Fine. Do what you like," he said, and he sat on the ground and pulled out the book he'd bought at the comic book store. "But we're not leaving here until you at least try." She scowled.

"Please. Please take me home. I'll practice there. I'll practice anywhere closer. I just want someone to know where I am."

"So they can do what exactly?" he asked, not looking up from the book. "Weren't you just saying how you didn't want anyone else involved? To be honest, if you're that scared of me, you're the one with the extra mana that can be used as a defensive mechanism. What's a normal human going to do besides stand there looking pathetic? Kind of like what you're doing now."