Authors: Theresa Jones
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #romance, #Paranormal, #Teen & Young Adult, #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Fantasy, #Angels, #Paranormal & Urban
“I feel like the only time we have together is when we are practicing and training. And sometimes I just want to see you, and hold you, and laugh with you. Not to mention the very thought of what we are training for gives me all the more reason to spend as much time as possible with you anyways. We will be fighting against the Rising, and as much as we don’t want to admit it, there is a good chance we may not walk away from this. That thought alone makes me sick. I couldn’t bear to lose you. And if we only have a short time left together, I want to spend it like this,” he squeezed me tighter, “with you in my arms.”
Aww! That was probably the sweetest speech a man had ever made to me. I couldn’t even find the words to answer him. Instead I pulled him to me again and I kissed him. My kiss wasn’t a sweet one like he had given me earlier. As soon as my lips touched his, it seemed like everything else disappeared. His arms went up my back, pulling me closer still. My arms pulled his face closer, and my hands tangled in his hair. Our breathing turned to gasps as my body started to warm.
I could feel my heart pounding harder and harder. When he pulled away to start kissing my neck, I finally was able to try to catch my breath. He kissed my neck, and all along my collar bone. He kissed below my ears and back up to my jaw before landing on my lips again. I heard him moan into me as he tried to pull me even closer. I gasped as his hand slid up under my shirt, burning its way into my back.
Although I was warm, I started to shiver in anticipation and want, and goosebumps started to form on my exposed arms. I felt a heaviness in the bottom of my stomach, a warmth of contentment and passion I had never known before.
As I captured his lips with mine again, I shrugged my sweater off, readying myself to shed my shirt as well. I reached beneath his and pulled it off in one simple move. With the power that had just flown through me I was stronger than normal, and probably shredded his nice shirt. But, oh well.
Something changed for me in that moment. I realized kissing was no longer enough for me. I wanted more. I needed more. I needed to share with him all the love I could offer.
All around me I could smell the flowers and grass that had just grown, I could feel the warmth they offered, like a security blanket. The timing was perfect.
For that brief moment I thought I might actually have my way with him, that I might be able to fully love him the way a man and woman should love each other.
Until he pulled away. He leaned his forehead against mine and tried to steady his breathing. Just hearing him breathe so hard did things to me and startled the butterflies in my stomach. I wanted so much more. I hadn’t been in a physical relationship with a man for at least 4 years. As soon as Alex and I started growing apart, neither of us had any urge to be intimate with each other.
But this was more than the typical lust a woman feels for an attractive man. I loved David. And I wanted to share that love with him in every way. But I knew that despite my wants, and even his wants, that we wouldn’t be together the way I wanted.
When our breathing finally calmed he said, “We should go to bed.” If only he meant that like I would. When I thought of going to bed with him, I didn’t mean sleep. Anyways, it’s not like I would be able to sleep after
that
. I knew that his intention was to separate us before we went too far.
I took a deep breath, still trying to settle my nerves. I told him, “I’m not ready for bed yet. Let’s just stay and talk.” I motioned with him to sit with me. We sat together at the edge of the pond, in the only spot that wasn’t now overgrown with plants, and I leaned back into his arms as we looked at the sky. The sky was the blackest of black up on the mountain. There were so few lights that you could see a million and two stars. The darkness of the sky was so opposite the brightness of the stars as they twinkled down at me.
I thought about everything as I tried to calm my breathing and settle my nerves. It was so comforting to be surrounded by his arms. Since we had a few minutes alone, I figured I could finally ask him more of my questions.
“David, why are you more powerful than most of the others?” This was something I had been thinking about for a while. I could feel that he was more powerful than most. I knew if I had to break through his shield it would be harder and take me longer. And then there was the way everyone acted around him. They respected him and almost avoided working against him. It was almost like they knew he could crush them with a single thought. He radiated power.
Without looking at me, he answered, “For the same reason you are. I have descended from more than just a few.” Hmmm. I now knew that I was strong because I descended from six of the nine. But he had never spoken to me of his lineage before.
“Which ones?” I asked.
“I’m sure you could figure it all out.” He chuckled to himself. I honestly hadn’t thought to try but he started listing before I could. “Minerva, Peony, Esperence, Temperence, Verefidel. You should be able to guess all of those.” I nodded. He had abilities from those five. “The only one you might have missed is Castafonda.”
That was exactly what I wanted to know. It meant that he was chaste, and that was why he was always putting off my advances. It was like he wanted more, but couldn’t allow himself more. I smiled wide, pleased to hear the news. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be with me, it was that his conscience wouldn’t allow it.
“So you should be as powerful as me?” I said. “Six of the nine.” His smile grew to match mine.
“Yes ma’am. I am the only other one here that has descended from so many. I don’t know if we are matched in power though, it is very apparent that you can do things others have never even thought possible. It seems I can call to people with my thoughts, as you can, but when Rick and I practiced, I couldn’t call to him across a great distance, nothing like what you did. And I have never seen a shield manifest in fire before.” He paused, thinking about everything I could do. “When I go up against Council members, I cannot incapacitate them like you can. It takes me forever just to get past their shields.”
I thought about that. If the power given to each Primitus was equal, regardless of its manifestation, we should have the same amount of power. Therefore, one would think he should be able to do most of the things I can. We didn’t descend from all the same ones, but still. I thought about what we had overheard Rick saying and offered, “Maybe you just haven’t had the right motivation.”
The main difference between me and the others was that I had actually gone up against Rising members, even a leader. And I had the proper motivation to not lose. Had it been just me, I know I would have died. But during the last fight especially, I knew I had to hold on for Sam and my mom who were both defenseless against the Rising and who I loved more than life itself.
“Well, I suppose we will see when we go up against them in Kansas.” The way he said it, it was almost like he was tired of the topic. I had to admit, it worried me, David going up against them. Though it comforted me knowing we would all be there together to help each other, support each other, and protect each other I still worried. I didn’t know what I would do if I lost him now.
We didn’t talk for the rest of the hour. We just sat together and then eventually made our way back to our rooms. He walked me to mine and kissed me on the cheek before leaving to go to his own room.
While lying in bed, I tried to keep thoughts of the coming battle away. But it was difficult. I knew that there was so much riding on this. It wasn’t only about the people’s lives that would be in danger, but the entire Order. If the Order lost three of the six Council members, along with David and I and so many of the guard, the rest here would be sitting ducks. Not to mention, Sam would have lost both her parents in a matter of months and wouldn’t be safe enough to go back and live with my mother.
I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. I told myself what I always told Sam, the good guys always win.
At least in the movies…
Chapter 17
Battle
I woke up today feeling confident. While I had slept, I had dreamt that we had won the battle. I dreamt that we sat in the Hall discussing our win, and everything had gone ok. I knew it was only a dream, but it still gave me a strong sense of hope. God would not forsake us. He would not have helped us so far, only to throw us to the wolves.
I dressed quickly. And though it seemed cliché, I decided I wanted to wear some kind of battle attire. I put on black skinny jeans and a form fitting dark purple shirt. I thought of wearing a black tank top, but decided against it. Wearing all black seemed wrong since I was the good guy, and purple was fitting. It was the color of my power.
I had on black combat boots, and pulled my longer than normal brown hair into a long braid. I reminded myself of Lara Croft, the tomb raider. I looked in the mirror. It surprised me how much my body had changed since coming here. I had never been fat, by any means, but I was toned now, not just thin. I could see muscles in my arms where there had been none before. My legs looked like runners legs, and my back held me up straight. I looked taller and stronger. I looked intimidating. I looked powerful. And I smiled. I was ready.
The night before, I had explained what we were planning to Samantha. I knew she and the dancers would be dancing most of the day, trying to offer up support and strength and courage. But I wanted her to be aware of what was happening. Despite the fact that she was so young, she was wise and more mature than most. She had already gone through so much. She lost her father and was uprooted from her life to be taken to an underground facility with no other children. She had seen a group of demon people try to kill the only two remaining members of her family. And I didn’t want to leave without explaining the possibility I may not return. I needed her to know why I was doing this. That it was for her, to keep her safe, and for the world. I needed to tell her good bye in case I never saw her again. And I needed her to know that I would love her forever.
She had understood, as much as any of us could. She had no doubts. She had faith that the good guys would win, and she had faith in me. She was young, innocent, and naïve, so it was understandable that she was so sure of the outcome. However, her trust was contagious. I left my quarters with a confident stride and faith in my heart. I said a prayer before entering the Hall, where I was to meet the group.
God, please help us.
It was short and sweet, but He knew how desperately I meant it.
They were all there waiting for me. Everyone was anxious for the day to begin and be over already. We stood together, everyone saying good bye to their loved ones. The council members met in the corner, making last minute adjustments and contingency plans in case we didn’t return.
I walked straight over to David; it was obvious he had been waiting for me. When he saw me, relief filled his eyes and he walked toward me. We hugged, but didn’t kiss. It would incite too many emotions that would not be beneficial to us today.
Christopher came to speak to us all. “Remember what we fight for today. We fight for all humans. We fight for this planet. We fight for freedom. We fight for God. We fight for our loved ones. Remember that we have never before attempted to do this; we have the element of surprise on our side. We are strong, and we are powerful. We are good! Allison, David, and the council members will take on the more powerful of the Rising members while the guard battle the lower levels. If there are no lower level powers there, we will all do all we can. We will not give up. We will not surrender. We will fight until there is no more fight left in us.”
He spoke with such confidence and determination. He was a great orator. I was filled with a sense of determination and loyalty to this cause. I remembered that some of us can influence the emotions of those around us and wondered if someone was making us feel surer of ourselves, or more determined. Regardless, we were all unwaveringly ready.
We arrived in the field in Kansas and I walked to the spot I knew I would meet him in. Behind me there were eleven of the most powerful beings on earth; the biggest force of good Power ever seen. I readied myself. I knew that before the day was over I would see him, smell his stench, and feel the evil that he expelled. I also knew that one of us would not walk away.
I started to feel the familiar fear I felt when I thought of him, but pushed it away. Today I would not fear him. Today he would fear me. I knew from our last encounter that he did already fear me. He believed me to be the one that would kill him, so I believed it as well.
I took a deep breath, grabbed hold of my power, and lowered my shield. I closed my eyes and searched for him. I let my power spread. Immediately behind me were 11 lights. I reached further and after searching about 500 miles, I had found only one Rising member. He was so weak, he probably didn’t even know he was Rising yet. But he would be. He was evil. I ignored him and searched further.
At 1000 miles, I had found several dozen Rising members, but still, none of them were a part of the Rising core. They were new and weak, and some were very young. I ignored them all and searched even further still.
At a 2000 mile radius I found what I was looking for. It had to be the Rising Headquarters. There were at least 100 members all within a 20 mile radius. I searched within their minds, trying to block myself from them as I did so. Only the more powerful could tell who I was and what I was doing. I moved on from their darknesses quickly, searching for one in particular.
When I found him, I left all the others behind and focused my attention on him. I called to him,
Damien.
I heard his head snap up and felt him look at me, figuratively of course. I thought to him,
I am here. I am ready for you.
I knew he couldn’t see all my thoughts, only those I thought to him. He wouldn’t know I had others with me, but he would know I was waiting for him. Before I felt him close his mind I heard him think,
I will kill that bitch.
The thought shook me a little, but only a little.
I pulled my shield back on and turned to the others. “He heard me. I’m pretty sure he will be coming very soon.” David walked forward to stand at my side and grabbed my hand as the others branched out to form a formidable line.
We waited anxiously for their arrival. It only took five minutes before the first ones arrived but they didn’t come running as we had thought they might; they just appeared out of thin air. One second there was no one in front of us, and the next there stood ten very powerful, ugly people. Some were actually quite beautiful, but I was looking at them with my power, as well as my eyes, so they felt ugly and dirty, like they had bathed in raw sewage.
They didn’t move, they didn’t advance, and Damien was not among them. We waited, the guard turning to look at Rick, but he only shook his head. We were not advancing yet. We would wait for Damien. I knew how quickly they could hurt us, so I lifted my physical shield. The others followed suit. We stood and waited. It was a terrifying beautiful sight.
Five minutes later another ten more people arrived the same way as the others before them. Between all twenty of them, there were about fifteen men and five women. I recognized the ones that had been with Damien last time, the two women and the huge man. I felt myself shiver. The sight was intimidating. Though I had faith, and I believed we would do what we had come to do, seeing the most powerful evil in front of me ready to kill me and all I love, still left me terrified.
The fear caused my power to snap. I felt my hands burst to flames, and saw David look down at the hand he had been holding. He looked up into my eyes, swearing with them that we would be ok. I could see the confidence emanating off him and tried to bolster my own when we both felt
him
arrive. He appeared out of thin air, the same as the others, and he now stood between a beautiful woman, one that had been at my mother’s house, and the huge giant man.
He smiled at me. He looked amused, which was irritating. I had hoped I could see at least a flicker of fear, but there wasn’t one. The smirk that was on his face caused my fire to grow.
It didn’t hurt as you might think if you looked at me, it actually felt good. It wasn’t as difficult this time either. I was stronger and more prepared. Not to mention I was only shielding myself this time.
I risked a glance at the others to my side. Rick was on my left, followed by Christopher and some of the guards. They all had their shields up, different colors pulsing and swirling down the line. It was stunning to witness. I looked to my right. David was first, but I didn’t allow myself to look in his eyes for fear I may lose concentration, instead I looked past him to Nicholas and the rest of the guards. Once again, the strength and beauty they were showing was stunning. My confidence came back to me in full force.
I looked at Damien and knew this would be it. He took one step forward and said, “I’m surprised. I thought you might be alone.” I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not and I didn’t risk trying to read his thoughts. I had been hoping he would think I would be alone, though if he did, why would he have brought so many people with him?
I didn’t reply, instead Rick said to him, “There is no need to talk; we came here for one purpose and one alone.” When he spoke, a vision caught me off guard. One second I was looking at Damien, and the next I saw myself and Damien in battle, and saw him lose. I knew it wasn’t happening currently, I was standing still, not exerting any amount of power, but I saw it clear as day. The response around me proved that I wasn’t the only one that saw it. All the Order had seen it. Morale on my side grew exponentially at that sight.
Somehow, it had come from Damien. It had been subconscious, but I knew the feeling of his mind now. When Rick mentioned our purpose, Damien’s thoughts went straight to our battle. It had been a vision that had been plaguing him for years and must have been what caused him to believe I was the Descendant. He was cocky enough to believe that was the only one who could defeat him. His arrogance would ultimately be his downfall.
I let out one small, “Ha!” as I came to understand how this all came to be. It was strange, knowing that his vision of the future was what brought everything into motion. Had he never seen the vision, he would never have believed I was the one and never would have attacked me. The Order never would have believed that I was the one, and we wouldn’t be here ready to fight to the death. He would still be plaguing the world with his evil, spreading destruction to every corner of the earth.
Everything started happening then. The first ten who had arrived started coming at us. They didn’t come slowly, as I would have thought, they came running faster than I could have ever imagined, so fast their bodies blurred. None came at me, but I saw one angle towards David. He put up his right arm and I saw his hand spark green, like a sparkling firecracker. The man who had run at him just stopped and fell to the ground shouting. David still hadn’t let go of my hand.
I noticed the guards were in hand to hand combat with the lesser Rising members, both sides using their power to aide them. While they fought, eight of the other ten Members came forward; the woman and giant were left standing next to Damien. They didn’t move fast like the others had, slowly and slithery they slinked towards us. The council members, David, and myself all readied ourselves.
As three men came toward us, I could feel David’s power over me. It felt like he was trying to protect me. Silly boy, as if I needed protecting. I pushed his power away; he needed it for himself. But when I did, I noticed something strange. Instead of his green going away, it mixed with my purple. Not like it blended together to make an ugly purple-green, but like they intertwined mating with each other, my swirls and his. It was breathtaking.
The men approaching noticed it as well. They stopped their advance as they watched our power mingle together. Our minds linked as seamlessly as our power did. I could hear his thoughts openly and clearly, and I knew he could hear mine as well. I no longer noticed anything else around me. All the Order members could have been lying dead, and I wouldn’t have noticed at all. I could hear his determination, his faith, and his readiness. I could feel his hate for these men, and his love for me. I felt stronger than ever, and I knew he was drawing strength from me as well. Together we felt unstoppable, unbeatable… immortal!
It was at that moment they began to come at us again. They no longer moved slowly, but our thoughts were faster than their legs. With a thought, we telekinetically stopped their assault. They all froze mid-run. The man closest to us had jumped into the air, to plant a hard hit to David’s face. He hung there, not able to move, and I couldn’t help but think of the movie The Matrix, when they showed them in the air, mid-attack. The man second closest was half way to the ground. He had been about to slide into us, attempting to take our feet out from under us. And the third had just been running toward us, about to try and punch me in the face. It’s funny but it surprised me; I had never had a man about to hit me before. I hadn’t thought about it, but I guess if you are evil, you aren’t likely to follow rules of chivalry.
Instantly I could feel David ready himself to shut down their minds. Despite feeling their power and knowing how strong they were, it was really easy. We saw the black holes inside them and we sent our power inside those holes. I tried to ignore their screams of pain as I pushed my power into their heads. The black nearly disappeared within seconds of our light being inside them.
Right before their black was completely gone, I felt more power from behind them. I looked past the frozen men to Damien. He and the two people next to him had come to their aid. They didn’t move, but I could see their black power flying at these men in front of me.
I also saw what was going on around me. We were winning. I only noticed three of our guards on the ground, no longer fighting, but at least ten Rising members had been killed or injured. You could see black power and the glorious colors of good power all around like fireworks. I blocked out everything going on around me again and focused on the task at hand. David caught my eye, and starting thinking at me.