Chapter 6-Land Of Nod Cold Mountain

As they walked up to the mountain, its shadows greased over the smooth backs of hills and fluttered across the valley clumped with icy pine. Both marveled at its beauty as they kept on walking up, fearing what lay ahead. A thirst for adventure and charm awakened in her heart and flowed out into the tips of her toes, compelling her to want to run straight into the embrace of the proud mountains. The air was chilling, but they went on and on while the skies darkened.

The acoustic landscape was at once familiar to Catherine. They continued moving up; they didn't dare to stop; she was tired as hell, weary with the burden of long-closed eyes; she could have easily pulled off being a walking zombie, dead on the inside but subconsciously awake.

However, when they reached the peak, both were speechless. She stood atop the rocky surface and lifted her arms in accomplishment. Clouds swirled around her in an icy greeting, and snow coated the mountain top. Her eyes began to water as the wind whipped her hair across her face. When she looked down at the dizzying drop, nothing met her eye but polished clouds, concealing the glory of their landscape below. She settled down, and they both heard the air-splitting sounds of a creature waking up from hibernation.

"What was that?" Sean asked her in a panic. He couldn't believe his eyes. He didn't want to. Not only that, but he never saw something like that, like in his horrible nightmares. But that was only because his brain always woke him up before such a horrific image covered his mind. And now he was seeing something his eyes wouldn't ever be able to erase. The creature of his nightmare. How is that even possible? Maybe this was just his illusion, or the darkness was inside his mind right now that maybe it earned him an awareness of his fear.

I've never seen one before, but my friend Fae Warrior once told me that there was a prophecy keeper here in the cold mountains, a creature of the night. A Lamia Aegeus. " She answered him back in the same manner of amazement, yet entertained.

Fae Warrior? "Grassland," Sean replied, his eyes rattling back and forth in a perfunctory search for the creature, his eyes wide open as he gazed off into the distance.

Later, Sean, I'll explain it later," Catherine replied. Which was senseless if the only feeling she heard was that of the creature. She allowed her eyes to roam along the small, icy hills and canyons, following snowy creek beds and bare trees. Her eyes sketched the line of the horizon and paused on the broad mountains towering above it.

Okay, fine! What is Lamia Aegeus? " He asked. He looked at her and saw that she too was nervous, too intimidated to catch the surprise in his tone.

"The Fae said that the Lamia Aegeus was a creature that was once a child-eating monster that in later centuries was regarded as a type of night-haunting demon."

The creatures look like a dark scaly half-snake, half-woman. They have scaly arms and red fiery eyes. The Lamia Aegeus has been ascribed serpentine qualities. In ancient legend, Lamia Aegeus was a woman of fantastic beauty until a god cursed her. Her once-glamorous visage was twisted into horrific ugliness to fit her newfound craving for children's blood, but she more or less kept a human form. She was, however, renowned for wearing a skirt of snakeskin that covered her legs. It had a foul odor coming from its mouth and has been pointed out as a possible common keeper of the prophecy coin.

Sean there! Looked! " She was beyond scared, pointing to the creature with a look of disdain. This was also confusing her even more. She'd seen nothing like this before. The stiffness in her muscles tells her she's been worrying about something else, though.

Prophecy coins? " He asked again. Still, being worried was preferable to being terrified, which he was until earlier, as he gawked.

"Later, I'll explain it later," Catherine murmured. She knew of no way to regulate her actions other than to be rational.

The creature drifts. It has returned from its hibernation, and it has a sensation in its numbed body. It was like a thousand spikes poking beneath its scales. Its eyelids were crusted and heavy, and the palate of its mouth chafed like sand against its tongue. It took a tentative sniff. A scent told a story that reeks of humans.It groans, tapping its claw against the chilly floor while trying to stand up.

When it attacked Catherine faster than the frigid wind, it bit into her arm!

She thrashes around, attempting to break its grasp. A hot, burning and unbearable throb radiates from the spot on her right upper arm as its teeth are in.

She could feel the blood pooling out as the Lamia Aegeus took it in a mouthful. She wiggled her hands, lifting it and down as she heard its demonic moan.

She was too preoccupied with clasping her arms to keep the rest of her blood where it belonged: in her body.It halted as the Lamia Aegeus unleashed its teeth, away from her now-bleeding arm. The creature strokes its disgusting right scaly hand across Catherine's arm in amazement. "I will enjoy draining your blood, little one, watching it drain the life out of you." It warns her while stroking its face.

Its breath was rancid. It smells like a deadly chemical. The creature continued to rub her hands. It sneered, yet its words penetrated something deep within Catherine, and suddenly, she could feel her fire snap inside. Her head was buzzing and her eyes darkened.

What was happening? She asked herself. This was scary. She felt something so familiar, but couldn't put a finger on it. And she doesn't know if it's instinctive or just the firefight reflex kicking in since running wasn't an option. However, Catherine didn't wait for it too much longer.

Taking advantage of its momentary distraction, she yanks its wrist mid-stroke as hard as she could, drawing it into her mouth, and with all her strength, she bites down on the spot where she thinks its vein lies.

Catherine's teeth roughly piece its scaly skin, and warm blood flows into her mouth. The creature gapes at her. surprised by her unexpected action. Shockingly, there was something else that surprised her, and that was the taste of Lamia Aegeus's blood. It was bitter-rich-minty at the same time, hot-fiery while being smooth and thick like honey.

She had sampled her blood many times as she bit the inside of her cheeks from chewing too hard, but she tasted metallic iron; never spicy and sweet, though.

And something came to her as she drank its blood; there was a feeling of fire, the warmth flowing through her veins, her vision blurring, and she seemed too heated. Her strength was folding a hundred times over.

The creature was shocked, seeing that the wound on her arm could be seen to be closing on its own and the burning had cooled to a dull ache. The remaining blood on her arm was glowing bright, so bright that she wanted to close her eyes, but she dared not! She felt the power within her blossom faster.

The fire, the anger, the pain, the sadness, and the darkness inside her light up. And suddenly, she felt reborn.

Sean's frightened face in the distance was beyond surprising. He was hiding in the snowy rock, trying not to come into contact with the creature.A moment passed, maybe more, and the only thought that kept battering through his brain was, No way!He has to help her. But out of shock, his mind wouldn't even let his feet run towards her.

The Lamia Aegeus snaps out of its stupor and snatches its wrist from her mouth. In that second, it backhands Catherine across her face. Catherine's head was whipped to the side, and the smack echoed around them. A little blood flies from her lips from the split the creature just gave her.

But she didn't feel any pain at all. Catherine instead roars. It kicked her in the belly. Then the creature jumps off her with the grace of a dancer and lands a kick again in Catherine's gut.

She clenched over in surprise, grasping her stomach, willing it to stop as it felt like a pat. It surprised her even more.

It stepped back, stunned, as Catherine didn't struggle back. She trudges on towards the creature, and now she realizes that it was a half-woman, half-snake, as its hidden face earlier was evident to her now. It walked back, agitated, and a look of shock was clear in its eyes. The creature looked alarmed at that moment. Catherine reaches down and pushes it as hard as she can with both trembling hands.The creature stumbled, pain obvious in its face as Catherine reached down, gripping it by the throat and holding it in midair.

Again, Catherine would have been amazed by her surprise strength if she wasn't in mid-air as well. Then they both dropped to the ground. They were stunned as it compelled her to stand up. Catherine felt the darkness blurring her eyes.

The creature spoke in a trembling voice. It looked at her and stiffened, "Forgive me, a descendant of the Mark, for I was mistaken. I will eternally be your guardian." When remorse wracks the creature, it will do anything to make amends. That's when the creatures find it and tell Catherine it regrets. It could be more, it could be better, it could even walk in Catherine's way if she demands it.

Yet, Catherine was having difficulty understanding its words as the blackness crept around the edge of her vision. She took huge mouthfuls of air into her lungs while Sean ran towards her.

The creature then said, Spare me. I will give you the prophecy coin and I will serve you. "The creature added with hope." Handing her the ancient prophecy gold coin, just like in her dream, the coin was archaic-looking, yet it gave her a sense of connection.

As she took it and laid it in her pocket, she leaned up a little to her right as Sean held her trembling body. She then looks into the creature's teary eyes. Catching her breath, Catherine checked the punctures on his arm, touching it. She then commands it to close, and it does.

It is not possible.Catherine thought. How in the world did that happen? There was something in her that made her want to touch it, as she took the coin in her outstretched hand. An image flashes back to her biting the creature and drinking its blood, then she shook it off in desperation to live. She cringed at that vision.

"I am bound to you, offspring of the Mark." It said, in a powerless voice, then added, "Just call my name whenever you are in danger; my name is Lamia Aegeus Adah, the keeper of the first prophecy coin." The creature knew it had done something more than dreadful when it had to bite so hard to justify its anger. The more demanding its subconscious reparations, the worse it realized it was.

Catherine stared at it. She couldn't even fathom it. But the creature was gone. It vanished without a single sound. She glanced up at Sean standing there, keeping most of her weight off her ankle. It's time to get out of here before she passes out. Once on her feet, she felt it. Her heart thumps hard on her chest. The pain is unnatural, almost otherworldly, bringing her to her knees.

Sean panicked, "Are you okay?" He asked, helping her stand once more, before she questioned him, "Do you even learn how to get out?" Do you know how to wake up? "

"No!" He answered, but he looked confused. His confusion was simply anxiety in a different cloak; it was when his brain defocused in an attempt to allow the shocking event through.

"You mean, to return to the current world?"

"Yes," she responded while trying to stay awake.

"No!" He squeezed his eyes from embarrassment and shook his head.

Okay, just picture it. You were in your bed, your room, visualize something familiar, then close your mind. You'll be there. Sean, I couldn't hold it any longer. I'm drained. I need to go back. Gathering the courage to speak up

mumbling like she doesn't have enough time to do what she needs to do. Her words were crowded together, and some were missing. Her sentences were shattered, and her thoughts seemed to jump from one thing to another.

Sean is concerned for her safety because she was in excruciating pain.Her face was red and her eyes were bloodshot. She took one step toward him and fell on the icy floor, trembling, not controlling her mind or body.

I'm sorry, Catherine, I couldn't help you sooner. He knew he was so confused, yet it was when his fear scattered his thoughts that promoted the likelihood of a subconscious solution finding its way through his survival advantage.

I'm still shocked right now. I don't know what to do. What happened earlier was beyond me! " Embarrassed Gone was the man from earlier. His mind was still coping with the fact of her fighting with something from his nightmare. He was shocked, and the more he contemplated it, the more his brain became a spinning top, always finding more questions than answers. The strange part was that there was a familiarity to it; he just couldn't shake it. It was not a memory per se, but echoes that called to his reasoning.

"I understand, Sean. Don't worry. You can do it." The burning in her chest rises to an unbearable level as she screams and withers on the ground.

Sean looks at her in surprise as she has gone, vanished! He glances upward, his mouth pursed but slightly open and loose. Yet, his veins feel like they're about to burst, then he visualizes his bed and his room as advised.