Stronger Together chapter 110 (Patreon)

The trip back to Tera's clearing was pretty much a day at the park  compared to our journey here. I'd seen Tera move through these woods  with a surety and grace that had boggled my mind and mimicking her had  gotten us here silently, but Tera wasn't a normal person. She had more  powerful senses and better instincts and we could only keep up with her  by running ourselves ragged, even with our enhanced bodies. This trip  though, it was like everything just went out way. We weren't trying to  repeat split second turns and shifts in positioning as we ran.

Harry  just...knew the best ways to go. Where to put his feet, where to duck,  when to pause. He was just taking a leisurely stroll through a nice  relaxing wood and all of us had the same easy time. His grin was massive  as we walked. I'd warned him about the Intellectus this time so he  wasn't having a breakdown from the weird new sense. He spoke casually  over his shoulder towards us "Ok I could get used to this. I know  exactly what I need to know as soon as I need to know it. I wonder if I  could cart a library of textbooks over here and use it as a research lab  so I'd have all that knowledge on hand when I was working?"

My  eyes widened and I almost tripped. That...was not something I had ever  considered but it might actually work. Harry could use physics and math  concepts in enchanting that would be beyond what anyone else could if  that worked. Well, except probably the archive. I filed it away for  later however as I focused ahead, not wanting to look at my mentor when I  said what I said next. "Harry, about the thing that got out...I-" Harry  stopped without warning, forcing all of us to come to a halt behind  him. He turned slowly to face me, waiting until I turned my gaze on his  serious face before he spoke.

His  voice was sincere and completely even as he addressed me. "I meant what  I said to Alfred Cameron. You have used your knowledge and abilities  for the betterment of others at every turn. Not just little stuff like  telling me about my daughter, you saved Shiro. With the extra years  added onto his life and his skills at wielding that sword he's going to  save thousands of people. Potentially exponentially more if you count  the people who would be victimized in the future by the monsters he  kills. That's not even getting into the people who will be inspired by  him and the good they might do. You made the world a better place. You  never have to apologize for that."

He  turned and set off again without another word, which I appreciated  because I needed a minute after that. I caught up to the others before  they got too far ahead with a smile still on my face. It only took a few  minutes for us to get to the clearing. To my surprise Tera and Connor  were waiting for us, the shelter gone and Tera wearing a huge leather  backpack. I guessed she somehow turned it into a bag, which was awesome.  Connor was next to her, his little face adorably serious as he wore his  own much smaller backpack, which clearly didn't have much in it but  just as clearly was considered a sacred trust by the little pup. His  chin was held high as he waited for us and it was all I could do not to  laugh at the solemn cuteness.

We  stopped, most of looking confused. Tera nodded to Harry. "We have been  informed of our change of residence. The spirit has ways of contacting  me. I suspected i could make our trip easier by preparing our things  before you arrived. Now that you have arrived we can go." She nodded to  Connor who grinned and bolted over to tackle Kara. The tiny blonde  chuckled at his enthusiasm and swung him back up over her shoulder,  easily catching him on her back, backpack and all. The wolf cub was  giggling up a storm as the Kryptonian gave us both the thumbs up.

We  all groaned at the realization that we had to walk all the way back now  and had basically run to and from this spot like three times in a row.  We headed back, tired but not nervous after doing it so often,  especially with Harry here. As we caught Tera up on the escapee she  shuddered. "What a horrifying creature. We will watch for it in case it  returns, but I doubt it will test the sanctity of the island. Though you  will not be here Harry, the spirit has Intellectus as well and it would  be well within its power to drag the monster back to the depths it came  from. I will of course accept your offer of lodgings however. I do not  wish to gamble with the life of my son."

Harry  gave her a reassuring smile "Of course, you and Connor should be safe  in the cottage. I'll be taking trips out here to visit more often to  check what exactly is going on here and how it works. You'll be seeing  my apprentices and I again soon." We spent the rest of the walk to the  cottage in silence as we all thought over the events of the day. The sun  was already down again and the night here was oppressive even with  Harry trying to mute the impression. This place was still disturbing.  Once we dropped the two of them off we booked it back to the boat and  cast off literally as soon as possible.

We  couldn't get away from the island fast enough, more than fed up with  spooky demon prison shenanigans for the day. Only Kara seemed mostly  cheery, her powers or faith energy somehow keeping her from the worst of  the bad vibes. As we made it past the rocks with only a spotlight to  guide us though we all relaxed imperceptibly. We were safe now, or safer  at least. We'd made it out of the lions den intact with only some  bruises to show for it metaphorically speaking. I turned to regard the  others, it felt good to be out of the dark and scary woods. Just me and  my...six...friends. That was too many people. Why were there six people.

I  froze looking out over the lake I had only glanced back for a second  and caught the outlines but someone else was here. I turned to face the  spot where a spare form had been standing and saw...Calliope. She  giggled as she saw my face, clapping and getting everyone's attention.  "Oh, you're very observant. The rest of them ignored me. A bit of  perception distortion. You noticed though. How fun." There were multiple  jumps and shouts, much to her delight as everyone spun to stare at her.  She grinned unrepentantly at the others as they stood at their guard.

I  cleared my throat. "Calliope. How lovely to see you so soon. Henry did  mention we might see you on the boat, but I think we were expecting  something a bit closer to shore. You are an elemental of the earth after  all. Nevertheless I'm glad you took the time to come see us. Was the  task completed to your satisfaction?" I kept my tone formal and polite,  remembering what Henry had said about her not being human and not  mistaking her for one.

She  pouted at me. "So formal. I had hoped we could be friends. Don't you  want to be friends with me Cameron Beddows?" She tilted her head, her  brow furrowing in confused hurt. But I could see the gleam of mischief  in her eyes, she wasn't offended. I also hadn't ever told her my last  name which was creepy. Her smile returned as fast as it had vanished "A  conversation for another time perhaps. Yes, you completed the task I  set. Not in the method I expected but I didn't exactly give you a check  list. I am here to fulfill my part of our bargain. The earth can cruel  and deadly but is also constant. I owe you an answer."

I  exhaled in relief nodding my head and smiling gratefully. "I appreciate  that. So do you have an address or something? If you came all this way  personally I'm sure you found them. We won't be moving right away but  once we know where they are we can arrange some surveillance in case  they move." Kara could watch the whole city from the top of the Sears  tower, especially with X-ray vision. She could track them anywhere in  town once we got a lock on them no matter how fast or sneaky they were.  They vampires could hide with magic but the civilians? No way they had  the mojo to cloak that many sacrifices.

Rather  than answering however Calliope was suddenly across the ship standing  in front of me. She leaned up to give me a chaste peck on the forehead,  standing on her toes to reach and my head...exploded.I was dragged  across the lake back to the shore and into the city, my spirit being  hauled out of my body. I saw streets race by, highways and alleys and  thoroughfares and then I was falling, still being dragged deep into the  earth and the dark and the damp. I wasn't worried about forgetting the  way, I would never forget this.

Harry  mentioned in the books that the Sight burned an image into your brain. I  hadn't understood that. Not really. Not until I felt it. Because this  was being burned into my mind. Seared into my very being. It was a part  of me, like my own name or what my voice sounded like or the faces of  the people I loved most. This was inside me now. Which would have been  fine if it had just been directions, just been a map or a trail. But it  wasn't just leading me to them, I was one with the earth and the earth  could feel them could sense their pain. I was dragged into that basement  and I felt them scream and cry as the earth feels them.

The  earth isn't dead or inanimate. Not like we think it is. The earth is  alive and aware, the magma beneath its surface is its blood, the core,  its heart. And the things that sit below its skin, it can feel them. All  of them. In ways that a human could never begin to describe, in ways  that should have driven me insane. I wished they would have driven me  insane, I felt like a glass someone had broken, that was being held  together by pressure, like the shards of me were grinding together and  the scraping were screams inside my mind that I couldn't scream.

The  people were in pain and miserable. Their hurt and anguish bled from them like rot and their fear festered like maggots in the wounds left by the despair. I felt the hate of a mother who had watched her child  dragged away and hadn't seen him since, the fear and helplessness from a  man whose wife had been dragged into a side tunnel by monsters and  whose screams he wished he didn't have to hear, until they finally  stopped and then all he wanted was to hear her scream one more time,  just so he could know she was alive.

I  collapsed from the vision, my legs gone out from under me as Calliope looked down at me with interest, like I was a fun new toy she had just  unpacked and played with for the first time and I was more entertaining  than expected. "Most mortals would have gone insane from that. I thought you might be different. Looks like I was right. How do your thoughts  feel?" They felt...faster. And higher pitched maybe. Somehow. They felt  more and less than human, alien in way they hadn't been before.

I  think the soulfire had refined my mind sort of like it did with my body during my training. Which meant she had basically destroyed my mind to  see what would happen. I tried to glare at her but I couldn't see  through the tears. The last thing I did before I passed out was throw  up. I fell forward, my eyes closing as I descended into blackness. The  last coherent thought I managed before I passed out was that I hoped I  didn't land in my own puke.