《Talis Man》15 | To the Forest Ya Idiot
Advertisement
My heart pounds in my chest as the house comes into sight and immediately, my heart pounds faster. Not because Levon is safe but because I know exactly what that twerp did. He stands on the porch with Tessa and Talis. Levon has a giant grin painted on his face and Tessa has a sparkle with her. The kind that someone has when they've pulled a good joke and it worked. And Talis, he stands next to them. No nonsense. Not enjoying himself.
Why do I know how Talis feels? It doesn't matter. And why can I hear his voice in my mind greet me, For them, not I? I can't find the room to care because Levon tosses his head back in laughter.
I park the car and slam the door.
"Levon, you are such an asshole. I can't believe”-
He laughs louder and waves his hand through the air. I get to the porch and stand toe-to-toe with him. "Levon, you-”
He laughs harder.
I push him with everything I have, but he barely moves. His body is as heavy as his car. He takes a few steps back and sits on the porch swing. It moves back and forth along with his laughter. Tessa sits uncomfortably close to him. Levon puts his arm around her and she leans her head on his chest.
Levon finally says, "Kathy at the restaurant called and said you refused to leave so I figured I could get you home quick this way. What a good friggin' joke. Talis is brilliant. All him, I can’t even believe it." He pinches the bridge of his nose, stifling his stupid snickering. He lets out a long and loud sigh before he says, "Sis, The Host is safe but Talis wasn't lying to you. You can't leave The Host safely because Talis can't come with you. And you're not friggin' hallucinating."
"How do I know that."
He punches me in the arm. "I mean, that hurts right?"
Talis grunts. He leans against the railing, arms crosses, and clearly annoyed or frustrated or something. You know what? I guess it isn’t clear.
Advertisement
Levon says under his breath, "Relax man. Just some sibling thing."
I rub my arm. He has a point. This is an elaborate hallucination with lots of smells and touches and fears which extended a mile away from here.
"Why don't you just pretend for the next few days that all this is real?" Levon says. "Give it a try and see how you feel in a few days. If mom would've just told you some stuff like she did me, this wouldn't be so overwhelming." He kisses Tessa's forehead then rests his cheek on her head. His tone changes. "Did anything abnormal happen while you were gone?" He takes a whiff of air in, completely dramatic. Then he leans in close to me and takes another sniff. “Ah, I see you were layered in the smoke spell to keep your scent hidden from the Hiyulahs. I just keep old French Fries under my car seats. It works too.”
“For them, not I,” Tessa says quickly to me. Then she winks. “The smoke spell works but when a certain Leaver sitting right next to me can’t remember simply rhymes, rotting food is fine too.”
Levon presses his finger to her lips. “Shush your beautiful mouth. Talis, Tessa told Siegrist that Lyla’s Protector might already be here but no names were said so he can’t call you to him or anything like that…”
Levon’s voice fades because the Siren. She sings for me. The grass blades glint with sunlight and the forest, it's dark but welcoming, at least at the edge. The step off the porch creaks under my foot. A hand around my arm yanks me backwards.
"Damnit Tula Lyla." Levon sits back down. "The Siren, she's one of these Hiyulahs. These monsters from the Otherworld. She knows you're here and so does that thing from the airport and so do-”
"I saw her," I say.
Talis adjusts his shoulders and says, "Tell me more."
"Uhm," I say. "It was Jessica from the airport. She was at the terminal when I left with mom. She actually sat right beside me in the waiting area and then we sat next to each other on the plane and then here. She was at the parking lot outside that one bar place I was at."
Advertisement
"Yeah," Levon drags the word out. "That girl is definitely a monster there Lyla. Top-tier I think since she tracked you and mom to the airport so fast and conjured her own ticket on the spot and she made sure her seat was next to yours. So that’s like, some crazy magic skills. And she tracked you’re here so fast and was ready to kill you at the restaurant. I mean, unless there’s someone giving her information, the girl must be high-level magic. Don't you think, Tessa?"
"Mhm, yeah," Tessa says. She curls a strand of hair around her finger. "Yeah, I'm not sure the name but it sounds like she might be one of those-”
"Do you know of the devil, Lyla?" Talis says.
"I've heard a bit, sure."
"The devil is not real but evil is. She is the equivalent of what humans believe to be the devil. If she is here," he says, "we must begin our task soon."
"What's that?"
Mom gave me a lot of rules but no tasks. To be fair, all this is new but you'd think mom would tell me I have at least a task to accomplish. What is it? Get a job? Obviously not but I can dream.
Levon’s tone takes on that of a responsible adult, a tone I can safely say, I’ve never heard him use. Didn’t even know he had it in him to sound so responsible. "The Otherworld and the Lifeworld are stitched together like a quilt and the Underworld, like the Underworld from Hercules or the Hell from the Bible or whatever you want to call it," Levon says, "it's seeping into our worlds. The good places. The Otherworld. The Lifeworld. Normally, the Underworld stays tucked underneath the blanket our worlds are, totally separate and people like you and me and our Protectors, we walk the seam between the Otherworld and the Lifeworld, keeping evil in check and keeping each world totally separate. Keeping the powers and magic that each one inherently has far from one another so no one gains too great of knowledge." He pulls Tessa in with his arm and hugs her tight. He smiles at her. Ah, is this why his one-year gap turned into three. "If the two worlds intermingle, evil will find a great foothold and take over the entire galaxy."
I take the longest breath in as I possibly can just to highlight how ridiculous this all is but especially the last part. "I can get behind Otherworlds and Lifeworlds and seams and monsters." I gesture wildly around me. "But the galaxy? Seriously?"
"Does Outer Space make you feel better?" He smirks. "Does other habitable planets make it better or like alien lifeforms or other realms or-”
"Shut it," I say. "I get it, I get it."
Levon continues. "Leavers and Protectors always guard the seam but right now, we all are focused on how to sew it together before the next Blue Moon which is in about two weeks."
"Blue moon, blue moon," I say. "Yes, the rare lunar cycle. The every two-and-a-half-year blue moon. That blue moon?" I press my hands to my hips.
Levon rolls his eyes. "I see mom never got you to stop studying for this stupid college shit."
"Thanks so much," I say.
Tessa twirls her hair and swings her foot, a smile on her face. Levon whispers in her ear. Talis watches them with sobriety.
"So now what?" I say. "Where do we go?"
Levon jumps from the swing. "To the forest, ya idiot."
Creo quia absurdum est
I believe because it is absurd
Advertisement
The First Dungeon Core
Jump on in, on the journey of the first-ever Dungeon core, and explore the planet around you. Meet other races and get to know the unique Evolution system and its vast variety of creatures in various environments and biomes. Venture through the continent and experience what it is like to be the first dungeon core in a world, that just like you, just started. What to Expect:- Small and large-scale Battles- Dungeon Building- Epic Adventuring- Dungeon diving- Experimentation- Kingdom building- and a lot of fun Update Schedule:1-2 times a week Wednesday and SaturdayAbout 2000 words Also Published on Scribblehub and WebnovelSubscribe to my Patreon for advanced Chapters, Bonus content, Polls, and Q&As.
8 506A Witch's World
Being outed as a witch is a fate worse than death. It is a problem young thief Iveriani never dreamed of having to think about. She has other things on her mind, like where her next meal will come from. So when she awakens as a witch on the eve of the most horrific event of her life, she not only has to escape from the men who slaughtered her friends, but also figure out how to navigate a world that reviles what she is. With the church’s paladins an ever present threat within Atrican city where she grew up, she has but one choice: to run. But not even on the rural outskirts far outside of Atrican is she safe from the witch hunters. Returning home she finds solace in a kind, fellow witch while leading a double life honing her powers by working for the most notorious criminal leader of the city. Now she has to decide what kind of person she wants to be. Safely hide amongst the people who would stone her if they knew the truth about her, or make something more of herself and push back against a cruel world that hates her through no fault of her own? Little does she know, behind it all lies an even darker secret.
8 604Right Side of Hell
Albus Dumbledore was sure he made the right choice sacrificing an innocent child. Too late he understood how terrible that mistake was. Harry Potter was not what he wanted him to be, he was not what the magical world expected him to be. He was not a replica of James, instead, he inherited more of Lily. Far too much to be convenient.
8 816The Harmony System
Welcome to the Harmony System Initializing…. Joseph was out camping with his oldest son, Noah when it happened. Harmony had arrived and with it came the colonists. Joseph and Noah survive the trip home only to find his younger son, Michael, and ex-wife missing. Had the crazy ex kidnapped Michael again or had something unspeakable happened to them? As Joseph tries to secure safety for Noah and himself, he is suddenly thrust into an unwelcome leadership position in the fight against the settlers. As the daily struggles to rally humanity against the onslaught mount, two questions plague Joseph’s thoughts; how can we survive? And what happened to Michael?
8 89paradise city | 80s & 90s gif series
80s and 90s gif series containing of the most gorgeous men / characters that have walked the earth. Requests are open :)) •Highest Rankings:#1 - toysoldiers #2 - weirdscience#3 - standbyme#4 - coreyfeldman#5 - 10thingsihateaboutyou#6 - wyattdonnelly#9 - chrischambers
8 170Poor Quality Art Lol
by poor quality I mean, Amazon Fire tablets have horrible cameras, and I guess my art sucks too but whatever-Cover art is mine
8 79