11 Dubious Alliance

  The roads made Plume queasy. Warren and Nerea teased him a little about it before he passed out. “Wake me up when we reach Houston,” He curled up in the backseat and passed out.

  The trip took longer thanks to dense fog. The headlights barely penetrated the thick wall of mist, and Nerea grew more frustrated with the lack of vision. “What is with this fog? When will it end?” her teeth were clenched, and her head practically rested on the steering wheel.

  Warren placed a hand on Nerea’s arm, “What is with you? Ever since we left the gas station you’ve been different.” He hated seeing her like this. It reminded him of his mom lounging around in her sweatpants.

   “I hate this whole trip. I used to tease Melanie that she bragged too much about you. Then I got to know you and realized she was being modest,” Nerea sniffled and kept her eyes on the road. “It’s not fair, you have to lose everything just to gain control of that thing.” Nerea wiped her eyes with a smooth hand. “sorry.”

    Warren felt the eidolon wilt under Nerea’s words. The entity had feelings. “That thing is a part of me now. It can’t be removed either. Like it or not, it is a part of this family now. I know the first meeting made him look bad, but he’s trying to make up for it.”

   “It’s going to lead you into danger. I promised Melanie I’d protect you from harm…”

  Warren cut her off with a sharp slash of his hand, “You can’t protect me from everything. If mom had lived we’d still be having this discussion with Plume in the backseat. The eidolon came to me in that arena. I don’t know why it chose me, but it did.”

  “We could go on the run…”

  “How much do you know about magic?” Warren asked. He crossed his arms in frustration. Nerea was beyond stubborn. 

  Nerea hung her head, “I could learn…”

  “How long before you know enough to help me with the eidolon?” Warren wanted out of this discussion now. The entire discussion caused heaviness in the air to press down on the occupants.

    The eidolon begged for his attention and pulled his thoughts back to the fog. A kid dressed in a sheet, a man with a knife, and a stop sign flashed across his mind. Warren ignored it at first until the sequence repeated three more times. “We need to stop for a minute. I think the entity has an idea.”

   Nerea glared at him, “Now you are trusting that thing? It tried to control you before.” She refused to look at Warren at all.”

  “Well, the eidolon seems to think there is something more going on. I agree with it. This isn’t you Nerea. You may not like it, but I have to live with my new friend. I think we should allow him a chance to earn our trust.”

   Nerea locked eyes with Warren. They exchanged determined expressions for ten seconds. Nerea looked away first, “It had better protect you, or I will never trust it again.” The car slowed and pulled to the shoulder of the road, the gravel rattled under the tires.

   The thick fog obscured the ditch and Warren inhaled the sickly night air. An image of two people shaking hands danced across Warren’s mind. “Okay, what is the plan?”

   The eidolon flashed to the first time Warren released it. Nerea poked her head out of the car, “What is it’s the plan?”

   Deep breaths, Warren took deep breaths. “It needs to be released. Pray, I can put the genie back in the bottle when I am done.” Warren hesitantly allowed the eidolon to creep further into the foreground of his mind. The pain of the last eruption of power came back to his mind fresh. 

   “You don’t look so sure about letting it out. Maybe we should carry on toward Houston.” Nerea shouted from the driver's seat.

   If Warren backed out now, it would set a dangerous precedent. “Sometimes the greatest things come from the most difficult moments. If we turn away we may miss them,” He remembered his mother’s words well. 

   Slowly but steadily the aura around Warren increased. This time a soothing sensation washed over him. Like a warm bath, his cares and worries vanished into thin air. The eidolon erupted, bathing the area in bluish light. It shrieked and stomped its feet. The luminescent being hissed at the fog.

  Mad cackling echoed around them, screams and moans grew closer. A remote-controlled car, and a picture of himself, hit Warren's mind. “You want control, can you pull back from it?”

 The eidolon didn’t answer, it just waited for permission. Warren inhaled deep, “Let’s do this.” 

 Warren felt his limbs move involuntarily. At first, the pair locked in mental combat, before he relented and allowed the spectral creature control of his form. A five-minute timer appeared in his mind and began to tick down. He understood, too long with the eidolon active meant disaster for them both.

  A trail of light followed the clutch of talons while they swiped the. The fog began to dissipate and revealed victims and those who died. Their twisted and grotesque forms clawed at the eidolon desperate for the energy to help them realize life or at least simulate it. 

   One lost soul dared to touch a single feather on the great wingspan of the majestic beast. Its hand sizzled and started to fade, the soul screamed loud and vanished. The other souls slowly backed away and away from the lonely stretch of road.

    The timer read thirty seconds, as the troop of disenfranchised souls faded into the distance. The eidolon began to shrink and return. In his mind, he could see the clutch of Talons reach out to him. Warren accepted the gesture and the phantom beast faded with a second to spare. Warren felt weak and drained from the experience. 

    Nerea raced from the Charger to Warren and helped him to his feet, “The creature kept its word?”

     “I knew it would because it is a part of me,” Warren rose to his feet with a little difficulty. “It explains why it was going crazy at the gas station. The eidolon knew we were being followed by the spirits.” Warren sank into the soft bucket seat and closed the passenger side door. 

  Nerea rubbed his shoulders, “Next time the eidolon has something to say, I will do my best to listen. Warren?” Nerea looked over and Warren was fast asleep. A soft glow came from his head and the eidolon appeared and stared at her. 

   “I owe you an apology. I let my losses and fears become me.”

   A clutch of spectral talons touched her hand in comfort. the other clenched in fierce action. Nerea took a moment to think about it, and realized what the eidolon meant. We both will keep him safe.