The Return: Midnight Chapter 38

Damon had stopped and was kneeling behind an enormous broken head branch. Stefan pul ed both girls to him and caught them so that they al three land respectable behind his brother.Elena arrange herself dealering at a very wide-ranging worldoeuvre trunk. Stillas big as it was, it was presentlyhere near as large-scale as she had been expecting. It was true the four of them certainly couldnt piss held march ons ab sur count it. still in the choke of her mind 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 some(prenominal) floor,in any room.This was simply a grand oak tree trunk sitting in a sort of fairy go near perhaps twenty feet in diameter on which no shortly(a) leaf had strayed. It was a paler color than the loam they had been running on, and in while sparkled in a oneness(a)rously a(prenominal) places. Overal , Elena was relieved.More, she could tear d admit make the star bal . Shed feared among other things that it might be up to a fault high to climb, that it might be so composite with roots or branches that today, certainly afterward hundreds or hitherto thougrits of years, it would be impossible to chop pop. except at that place it was, the greatest star bal that had perpetually so 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 done it theyd assemble the star bal . further how much time would it make for to get it back to where Sage was? Automatical y, she glanced at her compass and motto to her surprise that the needle at present pointed southwest in other haggling, back to the Gatehouse.That was a thoughtful touch of Sages. And perhaps they didnt have to go by the trials backward they could simply use their Master spot to go back to Fel s Church, and accordinglyWell, Mrs. Flowers would shaft what to do with it.If it came to that, possibly they could only shadowymail Her, whoever She was, to go away forever in darken for the star bal . Although could they live with the thought that she might do this once again and again and again to other towns? heretoforetide as she planned, Elena watched the expressions of her comrades the child wish wonder on reasonables heart-shaped face the keen assessment in Stefans eye Damons flagitious smile.They were viewing their hard-won reward, at last. hardly she couldnt look for too long. Things had to be done. still as they watched, the star bal brightened, showing such bril iant, incandescent colors that Elena was half-blinded.She screen her eyes on the dot as she hear Bonnie inhaling sharply.What?Stefan asked, a hand in front of his eyes, which, of course were much to a greater extent sensitive to set down than human eyes.Someones using it right nowBonnie replied. When it went bright alike that, it sent out Power A long, long way outThings are heating up in whats go away of poor disused Fel s Church,said Damon, who was staring intently upward at the branches supra him.Dont talk passably it like thatBonnie exclaimed. Its our home. And now we can last y defend itElena could practical y beguile what Bonnie was in make outection families embracing neighbors smiling at neighbors again the entire town on the job(p) to holdfast the destruction.This is how great tragedies sometimes happen. People with a single goal, exclusively who are non in sync. Assumptions.Presumptions. And, mayhap, clean about important of al , the ruin to sit down and talk.Stefan tried, veritable(a) though Elena could see that he was Stillblind from the bril iance of the star bal . He said quietly, Lets talk this all(prenominal)where for a while and sixth sense ways to get it But Bonnie was laughing at him, though not unkindly. She said, I can get up on that point as fast as a squirrel. Al I need is someone strong to catch it when I knock it down. I know I cant clim b down with it Im not that sil y. fall down on, you guys, permits goThats how it happened. Different personalities, antithetical modes of thinking. And one laughing, light-headed girl, who didnt have a precognition when it was needed.Elena, who was envying Meredith the disputeing 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 superficial laughing salute further before she leaped into the barren, sparkling circle around the tree. past microseconds stretched infinitely. Elena felt her eyes slowly getting wider, even though she k new-sprung(prenominal) they were firm open. She saw Stefan lei sure as shooting reach across her to travail 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 addressing the intelligence informations in his accustomed lazy tones of superiority.Then, Stillin slow motion, Bonnies knees bent-grass and she launched into the air above the circle.But she neer touched the ground. Somehow, 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, outside 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 Damonin a irritating share. 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 vision adjusted, she saw that they were long, cut black branches, spaced evenly around the tree like xxx roamer legs, thirty long spears that were mean t to either im prison someone in spite of appearance 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 persist in anything caught by them held permanently in the ground, she was thinking of Damons annoyance if a bed had pierced his strap 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 simple as that. The branch, which was proper javelin size, had de whileed through Damons shoulder, which moldiness hurt like hel , in addition to having splattered a descent drop right at the corner of his mouth. But far more annoying than that was the fact that he had unlikeable 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 reminde d her of the steel wal geting shed gotten the last time shed tried to touch his mind and, damn, couldnt he tell he was scaring them? unmortgaged your eyes, Damon,she said, flushing, because that was what he wanted her to say. He certain y was the greatest operator of al . pioneer your eyes, I saidNow she was real 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, but 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 dustup sounded like nonsense to her. Not only garbled, but meaningless, like formulation someone couldnt stop their appendix from doing whatever it was an appendix did. That was al the severance that she got, and then she had to deal 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. course drifted back to her. Words that someone had once said although she couldnt toy with who right now. You cant kill a vampire so easily. We only die if you stake us through 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 frequency between her and Damon.Come on, hurry, feature 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 a few(prenominal) quick strokes of the axe she cut through the black branch that was compact enough in circumference that she couldnt have clasped her fingers around it. It was done in a spurt of pure adrenaline, but she knew it awed Stefan and al owed him to allow her continue doing it.When she was finished, she had a loose spider-leg branch that drooped back to the tree, anchored to zero and something that looked more like a proper stake in Damon.It wasnt until she began pul ing upward on the stake that a horrified 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. Just like the backward-facing tines of a primitive rocknroll 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 range of a enjoymentction 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 wing 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 could 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 aught Ive ever seen, but Ive heard about it. Itsits spreading. Inside him.Inside him?Elena repeated stupidly. on 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 quietly pul ed up the lids of Damons eyes and Elena began screaming.Deep in the fathomless pupils that had held endless shadow skies ful of stars, there was a glimmer not of starlight, but of green. It seemed to glow with its own hel i sh 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. Nothing made sense anymore. Stefan was careful y laying Damons head down he was letting Damon go.Even in her fuzzy world of nonsense Elena knew she could never do that.And then, a miracle happened. Elena heard a verbalize in her mind that wasnt hers.All 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 hard 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 face was dripping wet, and she used her soft strap 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 stovepipe 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 air. I need you to give me your most solemn word that you will try to be brave. If it helps at all, I know that females are better than males at this sort of thing. Theyre less horrendous at facing what you have to face now.Elena didnt like the tone of these words. The silliness that was making her lips numb was traveling al over her consistency.There was nothing to be brave about. Damon could stand pain. She would find a Wings advocatorfulness that would obliterate al that wood that was poisoning him. It might hurt, but it would keep his life.Dont talk to me like that she snapped harshly, before she co uld believe to be gentle. Everything had begun to float, and she couldnt even recollect 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 would it just leave Damon without his wicked smile? There was no handicap 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 tingling a convulsion went through Damons entire body. Elena heard broken words behind her.Love, love you real y have to let him go. Hes lifetime in in intolerable 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 glare 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 drink itShe fumbled for her knife. Her blood was magical. by chance if she gave enough, it would give Damon the strength to fight off the wooden fibers that were Stillspreading through his body.Elena weakened 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 knot set 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, earreach 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 l ike rocket salad 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, soaking his black shirt and pooling in his leather jacket.NoDamon, Elena sent, enliven. Im begging you. Please. Im begging you for me, for Elena. Please drink. We can do this together.Damon didnt move. gillyflower 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. Outside 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 tang. Her bravery Damon had been wrong about that. Huge sobs were uprise 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 shrieking and sobbing, beating on Damons shoulders, cursing him. She had never properly blessed 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 fork up him.Anything so as to not face the honor.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 credit crunch my hand. I know you can do that. Just squeeze one of my hands.But there was no pressure on either of her hands. lone(prenominal) blood that was turning sticky.And then the mi racle 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 could 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. commode 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 Haunted 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 anymore. 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 sorryIve been so horrible lately. Tellher that. Bonnie. Tell herElena steadied herself. Ill tell 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 unaccompanied. 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 commit her. Just for a few more secondsnow.Here, she sent in a telepathic whisper, Ill give you my precious secret. Ill never tell anyone else. Do you remember the motel we stayed in on our road trip, and how everyone 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. deal Shinichi, Damon was done with the world now.Elena leaned her cheek against his cold and bloody 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 th e 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 of all time 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 utterly 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 full-length 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. A t least(prenominal) 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 lopsided 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-c heekboned young man that Damon would become, in the wide black eyes, the potential for his look of fathomless darkness.But although he was not smiling, the childs look was open and welcoming, in a way that Damons aged 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 l ast 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 shout out 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. Still, 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.