The Return: Midnight Chapter 38

Damon had stopped and was kneeling behind an enormous broken channelize branch. Stefan pul ed both girls to him and caught them so that they al three landed just behind his brother.Elena found herself brillianceing at a very large tree trunk. Stillas big as it was, it was without delayhere airless as large as she had been expecting. It was line up the four of them certainly couldnt fork up held hands approximately it. al oneness in the back of her thought had been lurking images of moons and trees and trunks that were as tal as skyscrapers, in which a star bal could be hidden on any floor,in any room.This was simply a grand oak tree trunk sitting in a sort of fairy circle perhaps twenty feet in diameter on which no all of a sudden foliation had strayed. It was a paler color than the loam they had been running on, and withal sparkled in a few places. Overal , Elena was relieved.More, she could all the same follow the star bal . Shed feargond among other things that it m ight be up as well as high to climb, that it might be so entangled with roots or branches that today, certainly after hundreds or even thousands of years, it would be impossible to chop out. still there it was, the keenest star bal that had always been, ful y the size of a beach bal , and it nestled freely in the first crutch of the tree.Her mind was racing ahead. Theyd make it theyd found the star bal . But how much time would it take to get it back to where Sage was? Automatical y, she glanced at her compass and saw to her surprise that the needle straightway pointed southwest in other talk to, back to the Gatehouse.That was a thoughtful touch of Sages. And perhaps they didnt have to go done the trials backward they could simply use their manipulate Key to go back to Fel s Church, and thenWell, Mrs. Flowers would know what to do with it.If it came to that, peradventure they could just blackmail Her, whoever She was, to go away forever in alter for the star bal . Althou gh could they live with the thought that she might do this again and again and again to other towns? flush as she planned, Elena watched the expressions of her comrades the child homogeneous wonder on comme il fauts unsubdivided vitrine the keen assessment in Stefans eyes Damons dangerous smile.They were viewing their hard-won reward, at last.But she couldnt look for too long. Things had to be done.Even as they watched, the star bal brightened, showing such bril iant, incandescent colors that Elena was half-blinded.She shielded her eyes just as she hear Bonnie inhaling sharply.What?Stefan asked, a hand in front of his eyes, which, of ancestry were much more sensitive to light than human eyes.Someones using it right nowBonnie replied. When it went bright the same that, it sent out Power A long, long way outThings are heating up in whats left of poor old Fel s Church, give tongue to Damon, who was staring intently up(a) at the branches above him.Dont talk about it like thatB onnie exclaimed. Its our home. And now we can final y defend itElena could practical y leave what Bonnie was thinking families embracing neighbors smiling at neighbors again the entire town working to fix the destruction.This is how great tragedies approximatelytimes happen. People with a single goal, save who are not in sync. Assumptions.Presumptions. And, maybe, most important of al , the failure to sit down and talk.Stefan tried, even though Elena could see that he was Stillblind from the bril iance of the star bal . He said quietly, Lets talk this over for a while and brainstorm ways to get it But Bonnie was laughing at him, though not unkindly. She said, I can get up there as immobile as a squirrel. Al I need is soul strong to catch it when I knock it down. I know I cant climb down with it Im not that sil y. Come on, you guys, lets goThats how it happened. Different personalities, different modes of thinking. And one laughing, light-headed girl, who didnt have a precognit ion when it was needed.Elena, who was envying Meredith the fighting stave, didnt even see the beginning. She was watching Stefan, who was blinking rapidly to get his eyesight back.And Bonnie was scrambling as lightly as she had boasted, up on top of the dead tree branch that sheltered them. She even gave them a little laughing salute just before she leaped into the barren, sparkling circle almost the tree.Then microseconds stretched infinitely. Elena felt her eyes slowly getting wider, even though she knew they were f falsehood open. She saw Stefan lei sure reach across her to try to twine his fingers around Bonnies leg, even though she knew that what she was seeing was a lightning-fast grab for the petite girls ankle. She even heard Damons instantaneous telepathy No, little fool as if he were mouth the words in his accustomed lazy tones of superiority.Then, Stillin slow motion, Bonnies knees bent and she launched into the air above the circle.But she never touched the ground. Som ehow, a black streak, stunningly fast even in the slow-motion horror film that Elena was watching, landed where Bonnie would have landed. And then Bonnie was being thrown, being hurled too fast for Elenas eyes to track, outback(a) of the barren circle and then there was a dul thud too fast for Elenas mind to track as being Bonnies landing.Quite clearly, she heard Stefan cry out Damonin a terrible voice. And then Elena saw the thin dark objects like curving lances that were already shooting downward. Another thing her eyes couldnt fol ow. When her resourcefulness adjusted, she saw that they were long, curved black branches, spaced evenly around the tree like thirty spider legs, thirty long spears that were meant to either imprison several(prenominal)one inside them like the bars of a cel , or to pin them into the strange sand beneath her feet.Pinwas a good word. Elena liked the sound of it. Even as she was staring at the sharp recurved barbs on the branches, meant to keep any thing caught by them held permanently in the ground, she was thinking of Damons annoyance if a shaft had punctured his leather jacket. He would curse at them, and Bonnie would try to pretend he hadnt andShe was close enough by now to see that it wasnt as transparent as that. The branch, which was proper javelin size, had kaput(p) through Damons shoulder, which must hurt like hel , in addition to having splattered a line of work drop right at the corner of his mouth. But far more annoying than that was the fact that he had closed his eyes against her. That was how Elena thought of it. He was shutting them out deliberately maybe because he was angry maybe because of the pain in his shoulder. But it reminded her of the steel wal savouring shed gotten the last time shed tried to touch his mind and, damn, couldnt he rank he was scaring them?Open your eyes, Damon,she said, flushing, because that was what he wanted her to say. He actual y was the greatest manipulator of al . Open your eyes, I saidNow she was real number y irritated. Dont play possum, because youre not fooling anyone, and weve real y had enoughShe was about to shake him hard when something lifted her into the air, into Stefans line of vision.Stefan was in pain, plainly surely not as badly as Damon, so she was looking back to curse Damon when Stefan said harshly,Elena, he cantFor just the tiniest fleeting instant the words sounded like nonsense to her. Not alone garbled, scarcely meaningless, like saying someone couldnt stop their appendix from doing whatever it was an appendix did. That was al the respite that she got, and then she had to conduct with what her eyes were showing her.Damon wasnt pinned by his shoulder. Hed been staked, just slightly to the left of center of his torso.Exactly where his heart was.Words drifted back to her. Words that someone had formerly said although she couldnt remember who right now. You cant kill a vampire so easily. We only die if you stake us throug h the heart.Die? Damon die? This was some kind of mistakeOpen your eyesElena, he cantBut she knew, without knowing how, that Damon wasnt dead. She wasnt surprised that Stefan didnt know it it was a hum on a private oftenness between her and Damon.Come on, hurry, give me your axe,she said, so desperately, and with such an air of knowledge that Stefan handed it over wordlessly, and obeyed when she told him to steady the curving spider-leg branch from above and below. Then with a few quick strokes of the axe she cut through the black branch that was thick enough in circumference that she couldnt have clasped her fingers around it. It was done in a spurt of pure adrenaline, only if she knew it awed Stefan and al owed him to let her continue doing it.When she was fini bemuse, she had a loose spider-leg branch that drooped back to the tree, anchored to nothing and something that looked more like a proper stake in Damon.It wasnt until she began pul ing upward on the stake that a horrifi ed Stefan made her stop.Elena Elena, I wouldnt lie to you This is just what these branches are for. For intruders who are vampires. Look, love see.He was showing her another of the spider legs that was anchored in the sand, and the barbs on it. provided like the backward-facing tines of a raw stone arrowhead.These branches are meant to be like this,Stefan was saying. And if you pul ed up on it hard enough, youd just just end up pul ing out chunks of his heart.Elena froze. She wasnt sure she real y could understand the words she couldnt al ow herself to, or she might picture it.But it didnt matter.Il destroy it some other way,she said shortly, looking at Stefan but not able to see the true green of his eyes because of the olive light. You wait. Just wait and watch. Il find a Wings baron that wil dissolve this this damned abomination.She could think of many other words to cal the stake, but she had to stay in some sort of control.Elena.Stefan whispered her name as if he cou ld barely get it out. Even in the twilight she could see the tears on his cheeks. He continued, nonverbal y, Elena, look at his closed eyes. This Tree is a vicious killer, with wood like nothing Ive ever seen, but Ive heard about it. Itsits spreading. Inside him.Inside him?Elena repeated stupidly.Along his arteries and veins and his nerves everything connected to his heart. Hes oh, God, Elena, just look at his eyesElena looked. Stefan had knelt and gently pul ed up the lids of Damons eyes and Elena began screaming.Deep in the fathomless pupils that had held endless night skies ful of stars, there was a glimmer not of starlight, but of green. It seemed to glow with its own hel ish luminescence.Stefan looked at her with agony and compassion. And now, with one gentle pass, Stefan was closing those eyes forever, she knew he was thinking.Everything had become strange and dreamlike. nonentity made sense anymore. Stefan was careful y laying Damons head down he was letting Damon go.E ven in her fuzzy world of nonsense Elena knew she could never do that.And then, a miracle happened. Elena heard a voice in her mind that wasnt hers. any this is rather unexpected. I acted, for once, without thinking. And this is my reward. The voice was a hum on their private frequency, Damons and hers.Elena ripped herself away from Stefan, who was trying to restrain her, and fel , grasping Damons shoulders with her hands. I knew it I knew you couldnt be deadIt was only then that she realized that her boldness was dripping wet, and she used her soft leather sleeve to wipe it. Oh, Damon, you gave me such a scare Dont you ever, ever do that againI think I can give my word on that, Damon sent in different tones than his usual ones sober but at the same time whimsical. But you have to give me something in return.Yes, of course, Elena said. Just let me get some of my hair off my neck. It worked best like this when Stefan was lying down when we were carrying him out on his pallet from the prison Not that, Damon told her. For once, angel, I dont want your blood. I need you to give me your most solemn word that you allow try to be brave. If it helps at all, I know that females are better than males at this sort of thing. Theyre less cowardly at facing what you have to face now.Elena didnt like the tone of these words. The dizziness that was making her brims numb was traveling al over her body.There was nothing to be brave about. Damon could stand pain. She would find a Wings power that would obliterate al that wood that was poisoning him. It might hurt, but it would save his life.Dont talk to me like that she snapped harshly, before she could remember to be gentle. Everything had begun to float, and she couldnt even remember why she had to be gentle, but there was a reason. Still, it was difficult, when she was using every ounce of her concentration and strength to search for a Wings power she had never heard of.Purification? Would that take away the wood or wou ld it just leave Damon without his wicked smile? There was no harm in trying it, anyway, and she was getting desperate because Damons face was so pale.But even the stance for Wings of Purification eluded her.Suddenly, a huge shudder a conniption went through Damons entire body. Elena heard broken words behind her.Love, love you real y have to let him go. Hes living in in bitter pain, just because youre keeping him here,the voice said, and it was Stefans. Stefan, who would never lie to her.For just an instant Elena wavered, but then a blazing rage came rushing up through her body. It gave her the strength to cry hoarsely, I wont I wont ever let him go Damn you, Damon, you have to fight Let me help you My blood its special. Itl give you strength. You imbibition itShe fumbled for her knife. Her blood was magical. Maybe if she gave enough, it would give Damon the strength to fight off the wooden fibers that were Stillspreading through his body.Elena slashed at her throat. Maybe subconsciously she avoided doing more than nicking her carotid artery, but if so it was entirely subconsciously. She simply reached down, found a metal knife, and with one sweep instal the blood to gushing out. Bright red arterial blood, that even in the semi-darkness was the color of hope.Here, Damon. Here Drink this. As much as you want al you need to heal yourself.She got into the best position that she could, hearing but not hearing Stefans horrified gasp behind her at the recklessness of her slashing, not heeding his grip on her.But Damon didnt drink. Not even the heady blood of his Princess of Darkness and how did the phrase go? It was like rocket fuel compared to the gasoline found in other girlsveins. Now it just ran out of the sides of his mouth. It flowed onto his pale face, immerse his black shirt and pooling in his leather jacket.NoDamon, Elena sent, please. Im begging you. Please. Im begging you for me, for Elena. Please drink. We can do this together.Damon didnt move. Blood spil ed into the mouth shed opened and it fil ed and spil ed out again. It was as if Damon were taunting her, saying, You wanted me to give up human blood? Well, I have forever.Oh, dear God, pleaseElena was dizzier than ever now. exterior events passed dimly around her, like an ocean that only slightly bobbed a person out deep in the swell s. She was entirely focused on Damon.But one thing she did feel. Her bravery Damon had been wrong about that. Huge sobs were rising from somewhere deep inside her. She had made Stefan let go of her and now she couldnt hold herself up any longer.She fel right on top of her blood and Damons body. Her cheek fel against his cheek.And his cheek was cold. Even under the blood, it was cold.Elena never knew when the hysterics began. She simply found herself shout out and sobbing, beating on Damons shoulders, cursing him. She had never properly cursed him before, not directly to his face. As for the shrieking, that wasnt just a sound. She was once again screaming at him to find some way to fight.And final y, she began the promises. Promises that deep in her heart, she now knew were lies. She was going to find a way to fix him in a moment. She already felt a new Wings power coming to save him.Anything so as to not face the truth.Damon? Please?It was an interlude in the shrieking, when she was talking softly in her new husky, hoarse voice.Damon, just do one thing for me. Just squeeze my hand. I know you can do that. Just squeeze one of my hands.But there was no pressure on either of her hands. Only blood that was turning sticky.And then the miracle happened and she once again heard Damons voice very faintly in her head.Elena? Dontcry, darling. Its notas bad as Stefan said. I dont feel much of anything, except on my face. Ifeel your tears. No more weepingplease, angel.Because of the miracle, Elena steadied herself. Hed cal ed Stefan Stefanand not little brother.But she had other things to think about right now. He cou ld Stillfeel things on his face This was important information, valuable information.Elena immediately cupped his cheeks with her hands and kissed him on the lips.I just kissed you. Im kissing you again. Can you feel that?Forever, Elena, Damon said. Illtake that with me. Its part of me nowdo you see?Elena didnt want to see. She kissed his lips icy cold again. And again.She wanted to give him something else. Something good to think about. Damon, do you remember when we first met?At school, after the lights went out, when I was measuring for the obsessed House decorations. I almost let you kiss me then before I even knew your name when you just came drifting out of the darkness.Damon surprised her by answering immediately. Yesand youyou astonished me by being the first girl I couldnt Influence right away. We hadfun together didnt we?Some good times? We went to a partyand we danced together. Ill take that with me too.Through her daze, Elena had one thought. Dont confuse him anymor e. Theyd gone to that partyonly to save Stefans life.She told him, We had fun. Youre a good dancer. Imagine us waltzingDamon sent slowly, fuzzily, Im pitifulIve been so horrible lately. Tellher that. Bonnie. Tell herElena steadied herself. Ill enjoin her. Im kissing you again.Can you feel me kissing you?It was a rhetorical question, so she got a shock, when Damon only answered slowly and sleepily. Did Itake a vow to tell you the truth?Yes, Elena lied instantly. She needed the truth from him.Thenno, to be honestI cant. I dont seem to havea body now. Its comfortable and warm, and nothing hurts anymore. And I almost feel as if Im not alone. Dont laugh.Youre not alone Oh, Damon, dont you know that? Ill never, ever let you be alone. Elena choked, wondering how to make him believe her. Just for a few more secondsnow.Here, she sent in a telepathic whisper, Ill give you my incomparable secret. Ill never tell anyone else. Do you remember the motel we stayed in on our road trip, and how e veryone even you wondered what happened that night?Amotel? A road trip? He was sounding very unsure now.Ohyes. I remember. Andthe next morning wondering.Because Shinichi took your memories, Elena said, hoping that hateful name would revivify Damon. But it didnt. Like Shinichi, Damon was done with the world now.Elena leaned her cheek against his cold and flaming(a) one. I held you, darling, just like this well, almost like this. All night. That was all you wanted, to not feel alone.There was a long pause and Elena began to panic in the few parts of her that were not numb or already hysterical. But then the words came slowly to her.Thank youElena. Thank youfor telling me your precious secret.Yes, and Ill tell you something even more precious. No one is alone. Not really. No one is ever alone.Youre with meso warmnothing to worry about anymoreNothing more, Elena promised him. And Ill always be with you. No one is alone I promise it.Elenathings are beginning to feel strange now. Not pain.But I have to tell youwhat I know you already know. How I fell in love with youyoull remember, wont you? You wont forget me?Forget you? How could I ever forget you?But Damon was speaking on and suddenly Elena knew that he couldnt hear her, not even by telepathy anymore.Will you remember? For me? Just thatI loved once just once, really, in my whole life. Can you remember that I loved you? That makes my lifeworthsomething His voice faded.Elena was so dizzy now. She knew she was Stilllosing blood fast. Too fast. Her mind was not sharp. And she was suddenly shaken by a fresh storm of sobbing. At least she would never yel again there was no one to yel at. Damon had gone away. He had run away without her.She wanted to fol ow. Nothing was real. Didnt he understand? She could not imagine a universe, no matter how many dimensions there were, without a Damon in it.There was no world for her, if there was no Damon.He couldnt do this to her.Neither knowing nor caring what she was doing, she plunged deep, deep into Damons mind, wielding her telepathy like a sword, slashing at the wooden connections that she found everywhere. And, at last, she found herself plunging into the very deepest part of himwhere a little boy, the metaphor for Damons unconscious, had once been loaded with chains and set to guard the great stone that Damon kept his feelings locked in.Oh, God, he must be so frightened, she thought. Whatever the cost, he must not be al owed to go away frightened.Now she saw him. The child-Damon. As always, she could see in the sweetly rounded face, the sharp-cheekboned young man that Damon would become, in the wide black eyes, the potential drop for his look of fathomless darkness.But although he was not smiling, the childs look was open and welcoming, in a way that Damons older self had never been. And the chainsthe chains were gone. The great stone was gone too.I knew youd come,the boy whispered, and Elena took him into her arms.Easy, Elena told herself. Easy . Hes not real. Hes whats left of Damons mind, the deepest part of his hindbrain. But Still, hes even younger than Margaret, and hes just as soft and warm. No matter what, please God, dont let him know whats real y happening to him.But there was knowledge in the wide, dark child eyes that turned up to her face. Im so glad to see you,he confided. I thought that I might never talk to you again. And he you know he left some messages with me. I dont think he could say anything more, so he sent them to me.Elena understood. If there was anywhere the wood had not reached, it was into this last part of the brain, the most primitive part. Damon Stillcould speak to her through this infant.But before she could speak herself, she saw that there were tears in the childs eyes and then his body spasmed and he bit his lip very hard to keep from crying out, she guessed.Does it hurt?she asked, trying to believe that it didnt.Desperate to believe it.Not so much.But he was lying, she realized. St ill, he hadnt shed any tears. He had his pride, this child-Damon.I have a special message for you,he said. He told me to tel you that hel always be with you. And that youre never alone. That no one is real y alone.