Enduring Light (20 page)

Within seconds, the entire area was covered in a thick haze. The zombies rushed back and forth like chickens without their heads.

“All right, everyone. Move!” I yelled, assuming my voice would carry back over the wall.

Calvin and Liam climbed the wall with Charlotte, and Henry and Lawson followed behind them. The zombies were confused, but that didn’t stop them from coming near us.

One moved to grab me, and I cut off its head. The head rolled across the ground with dark blood oozing out of it. Charlotte gasped. I couldn’t blame her. It was a disgusting sight.

We made our way through the city. I knew that it was only a matter of time before the real army showed up, but if we had any luck on our side, Charlotte and her Guardians—minus me—would already be in the cathedral by that point.

 
I killed, or rather re-killed, a half-dozen zombies on our way over to the large stone building. I didn’t relax for a second. I knew that as soon as I put my guard down, we’d be attacked again.
 

“Duck!” Lawson called.

I immediately bent over and watched a zombie head roll past me. Without the warning, it might have been my head rolling instead. We reached the cathedral and closed the door behind us. Theodore and Lawson stood guard at the door so I could talk to Charlotte.

“How long do you need?” I hoped Charlotte finally had an answer. The Onyx was burning a hole in my pocket, and I just wanted the whole mess over with.

“I don’t know. I don’t exactly have anything to compare it to.”

“We will knock when we are ready. If we run out of time, you knock.” Calvin always explained things so simply.

I hugged Charlotte, well aware that I was probably getting zombie guts on her. She didn’t seem to care. She was a far cry from the girl she had been a year before.

As soon as the doors closed behind us, I heard them barring it. We’d left Charlotte, Liam, Henry, and Calvin inside. I also heard shouts and knew a whole new wave of Blake’s men, zombies and otherwise, were on the way. I hoped Samantha and the rest of them got to Bellgard on time.

Theodore, Lawson, and I jumped up on the wall to get the lay of the land. What we saw wasn’t pretty. The streets were littered with zombies and men, and Charlotte’s haze was dissipating. I knew it wasn’t her doing. Blake had the power to stop it.

I looked into the darkness outside the city and saw nothing, not even the smallest sign of the dragons. Either they were doing a terrific job hiding, or we were in big trouble.

Lawson walked along the wall, and I followed until we were back around the other side of the cathedral. We got there just as Mom jumped up on the wall.

Mom patted my shoulder. “Good job, Kevin. Now it’s my turn.”

“What do we need to do? Where is everyone else?”

 
“They’re coming, and it’s the opposite of before. We want Blake’s attention.”

“I think we already have it.” I pointed as a sea of zombies parted to let Blake pass.

Blake stopped just below us. “Emma. To what do I owe this honor?”

“As if you don’t know.”

“I see you have adopted their way of speech. What a shame.”

“Why are you doing this? Haven’t you taken things too far?”

“No!”

Mom grabbed a hold of my arm. I wasn’t sure if she was doing it to protect me, or to anchor herself. “What happened to you? When did everything change?”

She was doing a great job of stalling him. I had no idea how much time Charlotte needed, but this was buying us some time. As long as his attention was on Mom, he probably wasn’t messing with Charlotte’s head.

“You made your decision, and I made mine.”

“Why is everything so black and white for you? Isn’t there a middle ground?”

“Middle ground? You chose to turn your back on me. Worse, you took up with a man of their kind, and gave birth to a half-breed Essence.”

“Half-breed? You son of a bitch.” I itched to punch him.

Blake laughed. “Sorry, my mistake. You gave birth to
two
half-breeds. How can I just sit back and watch them destroy our world?”

Mom stared him down. “Destroy our world? The only one doing that is you.”

“Stop stalling, Emma. You have lost. It is time to face the music.”
Without turning around, Blake directed his men.
“Attack!”

I pushed Mom’s arm to get her attention as several arrows flew toward us. I hoped she’d understand she needed to duck. She did, but she also lost her balance. Instead of falling, she was caught by my father, who must have scaled the wall while we talked to Blake.

Another volley of arrows headed toward us, and we jumped off the wall. I unsheathed my sword again, ready for more of Blake’s undead army. I went to cut off another head, but someone beat me to it.

Monty grinned.

“Where did you come from?” I asked, still shocked to see Monty and Dad.

“No time!” Monty yelled before cutting off a zombie’s head.

Chapter Twenty

Charlotte

“I need to be in the water.” That much was obvious as soon as I walked into the cathedral. My connection to the Source was always strongest when I was directly touching water. I might have been connected to all of the natural elements, but water gave me the most direct route. Water also gave me the most power.

“Like submerged?” Liam seemed apprehensive.

“I think I’m supposed to walk into the waterfall, and I’m guessing the Source will take over from there.” I really wasn’t positive, but I assumed that the Source wasn’t going to let me drown while we spoke. Theoretically, the Source could also give me the temporary ability to breathe underwater, but hopefully, the Source realized my Guard wasn’t going to be okay with that.

Calvin pulled me into his arms. “I know you believe you need to do this, and I do not doubt you. But please be careful.”

“I will.” I moved into the flowing water. The last time I’d stepped in the river, I’d found out Calvin was my Gerard.

I took a few more steps directly into the spray of the waterfall. At first, the pressure from the water made it hard to stand up straight, but then warmth cocooned me while I experienced a prickly sensation in my arms and legs. Strangely, I wasn’t scared. I closed my eyes, and I was no longer aware of the water pouring down on me.

Charlotte.
My name came out silkily, in my head and outside of my head all at once. It was as if my entire body was covered in the sound. I could feel every vibration.

Are you the Source?
My words sounded as if I was shouting, but I was pretty sure I didn’t say anything out loud.

What do you believe?

I don’t know.
How was that for honesty?

It laughed. I say
it
, because despite the volume, I couldn’t tell if it was male or female.
You are unique among Essences.

Is that good or bad?

Both. Your unique position was the only way. Your uniqueness is what will save society.

Because that isn’t a heavy burden.

Did you believe being an Essence would be easy?

I didn’t choose to be one. I didn’t even know what one was until a little over a year ago.

Would you have it any other way?

My head felt cold, and then suddenly every significant moment since stepping through the gate played in my mind like a movie:

The first moment in the garden, meeting Calvin, our first kiss, Bellgard, my introduction to the Guard, our ceremony, the heart wrenching agony of leaving, getting Mom back, Liam becoming a Guardian, my kiss with Liam, and more Calvin. Lots of Calvin, including two recent memories I should have been embarrassed to be sharing. I wasn’t because I knew with unwavering certainty that the Source already knew. It knew everything.

The cold dissipated.

You visited the scroll. You know the words.

Yes. I know what to do.

Do you? Do you truly understand?

Are you purposely trying to confuse me?

No. Remember that nothing is as simple as it looks.

What looks simple? Nothing in my life is simple anymore.

What does love mean to you?

Love?

What comes to your head when I say that?

Two names.

Which one first?

What does it matter? They come together, in one rushed line.

You are angry?

Yes.
I couldn’t lie.
You gave me so much—too much. It only makes it hurt more.

Hurt is not always a bad thing.

It isn’t?

How can you know true happiness if you do not know pain and agony?

I shuddered.
Isn’t there a middle ground? Like happiness and only some agony?

You really are unique, Charlotte.

What do I need to know? How do I do this?

You need to find the Source.

You are the Source.

I am the voice of the Source.

I’m so confused.

You will find the answer. At the Source, the sacrifice must be made at the exact moment when the Onyx is placed in the water with the darkness
.

Oh, yeah. That clears everything up.

Find the Source and find your strength. Energo needs you.

Huh? That doesn’t help either.

Nothing. No response at all. It felt cold again, but worse than before. Then in a flash, I was filled with all sorts of information. It hurt, as if someone were jabbing me with something sharp. My head throbbed, and I couldn’t make sense of anything. Then, as quickly as it started, the pain disappeared.

Hello?
I asked.

No answer.