Grounded ~Book Four of Winged~

Getting Back

After walking through the cold snow, we finally reach the mouth of the cave. We enter and once we do I look down at my numb, stinging bare feet. Eli looks down at my feet and pulls me further into the cave and then sits me down.

"We are almost there. Let's rest." He sits in front of me and brings my feet into his lap, gently holding and rubbing them to warm them up. He's kind. Has he always been like this?

"This is it." We walk into a large room of the cave with a pool of water. The water is crystal blue and is radiating its own light somehow. I follow Eli over to the pool of water and I stare down into it. It's so deep that I can't see the bottom. Eli looks around and grabs a piece of rock off the ground.

"I can't summon anything here so you will have to use this." He holds out the sharp rock to me and I carefully take it. I tense up as I drag the sharp side of the rock against my palm. "Let your blood drip into the water." I hold my hand over the pool of water and let my blood drip into the water. Eli gently takes my bleeding hand and leads me over to a wall by the pool. He touches the blood beginning to pool in my palm and then begins to draw on the stone wall in my blood. He first draws three circles about three inches in diameter and then connects all of them with a triangle, each of the circles being a point of the triangle. He draws several intricate symbols around the triangle and circles. He then draws some intricate symbol or design in the middle of the triangle. Lastly, he draws separate unique things in each of the three circles.

"Place your hand in the middle." Eli instructs and I take a step closer to the drawing and place my hand on it. Eli says something in a different language that I think might be Latin. The cave begins to quake violently and dust and debris begins to come from the ceiling as granite steps and an arched doorway rises from the pool of water. The archway fills with a bright light and I take a step toward it. Eli grabs my wrist and stops me from walking into the light. I look back at him confused.

"I can't walk out of here without being binding myself to you." His hand slides down and he grasps my hand tightly.

"Why?" I question and take a step back from the portal.

"The dead can't just easily walk out of here." Eli takes my still bleeding hand and uses my blood to draw a design on part of his bare chest. He then takes the rock and cuts open his palm. He holds his palm out to me as he carefully grabs my hand and holds my bleeding wound to his mouth. I stare as he drinks a little of my blood and then I look at his bleeding palm that is not healing like it should. He wants me to drink some of his blood. I slowly bring his hand to his mouth before hesitantly drinking blood that begins to fill my mouth. As I let go of his hand and pull it away, Eli says something in a different language again and the bloody design he drew on his chest begins to glow a bright blue. An expression of pain surfaces on his face and grips his chest as he takes a step back.

"Eli?" I question and reach out to him. He collapses to his knees in pain and I rush to him. "Eli! What's happening?" I've never seen him like this before not even when he was dying. He suddenly goes still and I stare at him, frozen with one of my hands on his chest and one on his upper arm. The blood design slowly disappears into his skin, but the glowing outline still remains for a few seconds before it too sinks into his skin.

"Eli...?" I whisper and lightly shake him. "Mammon..." I whisper and he opens his eyes and stares at the ceiling of the cave. "Are you okay?" His eyes shift to me and he sits up quickly.

"I'm fine. We need to go now." He is quickly on his feet and he helps me up. He holds my hand and I walk up the stairs to the portal first. The air coming from the portal is hot like Hell's air and the light is overwhelmingly blinding. I take a step into the portal and I am pulled the rest of the way in, holding tightly onto Eli's hand. I'm falling for what seems like minutes before suddenly I am stumbling out into the familiar granite room. Eli stumbles out with me and he seems out of breath for a second or two. He starts down the granite steps and I step down onto second step down before I get light headed and the ground begins to come up to meet me. Eli catches me at the bottom of the stairs and he slowly lowers me to the ground.

"It's okay, Trinity." I struggle to keep my eyes open as he strokes my hair and looks around. My vision darkens and I pass out.

"...Trinity..." Eli's voice breaks through my dreamless sleep state and then I realize that I am being lightly shook. I open my eyes slightly and see that I am laying in a bed and I see Eli sitting on the edge of the bed with his hand lightly resting on my side. I sit up and look around. It's Eli's bedroom. Someone knocks on the door and Eli's attention goes to it for a short second before coming back to me.

"Come in." He says loud enough for the person on the other side to hear. The door opens and a demon walks in with a silver tray with a glass of water sitting in the middle of it.

"I brought you the water you requested, my Lord." Eli gestures him over and the demon walks to the side of the bed and kneels, holding the plater at optimal height for Eli to easily take it. Eli picks up the glass and the demon stands, bowing his head before quickly leaving. Eli hands the water to me. I take a few sips before leaning over and setting it on the nightstand. I look back at Eli and he leans toward me, resting his forehead against mine. I stare into his eyes, slightly confused.

"Thank you for rescuing me from the Pits..." he whispers and it seems like he is about to kiss me except the door opens, making him pull away to see who it is. I also turn and look.

"Mammon, my son!" Sammael walks in fast and comes toward the bed. Eli stands and they hug. Someone else takes a step in, staring at me. I look over and Dominic looks relieved to see that I am okay. I don't know how to feel. He told Sammael where I was so that he could take me, but he hasn't hurt me and Eli is back. Dominic and I stare at each other without saying a word. He looks like he is not sure what to say or whether to say anything in the presence of Sammael and Eli.

"Trinity." I break eye contact with Dominic and look at Sammael. Sammael walks around Eli and comes closer. He holds out his hand and I assume he wants a hand shake so I take it and he firmly grasps it, pulling me up and... into a hug. I'm shocked and standing frozen with my arms idly in the air. I can just barley see Eli's very surprised expression. "Thank you for bringing Mammon back from the dead." He thanks me and pulls away from the uncomfortable, surprising hug.

"I-It was no problem." I reply slowly still shocked. He turns back to Eli.

"Now, Mammon, we shall have a celebratory feast tonight. Please be in the dining hall by six. Trinity included."