Descending Darkness (The Prophesized #3) (26 page)

“Tom, where is the original prophecy?”

“No one knows for sure. Claire was the only person that I knew who had ever seen it. It was written down in Latin but has since been translated. However, I’ve never seen a document version of it nor do I know where any are. What I know has been passed down orally from generation to generation,” Tom explains while keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

Since there are too many of us to fit in one vehicle, I’m currently sitting in Colton’s lap. Tom thinks it will be safer for me to remain near him just in case. Natalie is sitting in the back between Liam and Kyril. Emma is sitting up front near David. Conner and Larkin are sitting on the floor awkwardly between the seats. It is going to be a long, unsafe trip.

“So, this prophecy must be really old…considering it is written in Latin?”

“Yeah, it is over a thousand years old,” Tom says.

“Are you serious? This has been prophesized for over a thousand years?” The events of my life have been predetermined for that long? “Claire told me that I would help end a war. Is this really considered a war?”

“War has many definitions. Simply put, a war can just mean a conflict between two groups of people. In this case, it’s Dravin and the Gadramicks against all other mages. So, yes, this really could be considered a war.

“You’ve heard of Alexander the Great? Constantine? Charlemagne?” When I nod, he continues, “All were great rulers and mages. They used their powers to help their people. They all heard of the prophecy and searched for the girl as well. The prophecy never gave a time-frame, so no one knew when it was going to be fulfilled. At least until now. Many of the great wars in history have been fought with the help of magic and often against Dravin-like mages.”

“Oh.” My mind can’t fathom that the “Greats” of history may have been great because they were mages. They were searching for me.
Me
. How is that possible?

“So how far until we get to James’s house?” Emma asks.

“A couple more hours.”

“Nap time,” she says while dramatically leaning into David. I glance behind me at Natalie and Liam. Natalie is staring straight ahead while Liam is staring out the window to her left. Neither one of them will admit their feelings for each other yet. Kyril and Liam are too big for the back seats, so it is slightly amusing watching them sit there, trying to get comfortable.

“That actually sounds like a good idea,” I say as I lean back and snuggle into Colton’s chest.

“There’s more to the prophecy, dear.” I open my eyes and look around. I’m in the field of dreams again but not with Liam. I turn around and gasp when I see who is standing here with me.

“Claire?” She nods. I run toward her and collide into her, wrapping my arms around her. She briefly hugs me back. I’ve missed her so much.

“Yes, it’s me. There’s no reason to be sad. You had nothing to do with my death. I knew what was going to happen that day. It had to happen that way for everything to play out like it is. And I’m still here.” I take a step away from her, confused. She touches my chest where my heart is. “In here.” I bite my lip and look away. I don’t want her to see me cry.

“Wait, what do you mean that there’s more to the prophecy?”

“Her two warriors are destined to put an end to the war,” she says as she steps backward. I finally get a good look at her. She looks amazing. Her blonde hair is pulled into a bun at the base of her neck. She’s wearing an ivory sundress with a tan scarf belt and light pink sweater. “When I first read the prophecy, I thought it was talking about David and Colton, but now I think it’s referring to Colton and Liam. Colton’s your soulmate—congratulations on that by the way. I could tell that his feelings for you were more than just a crush. His soulmate side wants nothing more to keep you safe, so his mage side compensates for that. You’re his trigger. He needs to protect you and keep you safe. Liam is your actual protector. Your two warriors are going to stop Dravin. You’re just going to inspire them to do so.”

“So, I’m not going to be the one to actually end the war?”

“No, you are. You’re the unifying factor. Colton and Liam are supposed to be the ones that fight against Dravin. You’re needed somewhere else.”

“Where?”

Claire’s image flickers. “I can’t give that away just yet. You’ll know when the time comes.”

“Don’t leave yet!” I yell as she starts fading away.

“It’s time. I’m so proud of you all. Please let everyone know that.” I watch as she completely disappears, leaving me alone again in the dream field.

“Ryanne, babe, what’s wrong?”

I sit up and rub my eyes, trying to get a bearing on my location. I am still in the car sitting on Colton’s lap. He reaches out and grabs my chin, forcing me to look at him. With his other hand, he tucks a strand of loose hair behind my ear and waits for me to fully wake up. “I just saw Claire,” I say with a yawn.

“You what?” Tom asks form the front seat.

“I saw Claire,” I repeat. “She said that there’s more to the prophecy. I’m not the one that actually brings about an end to the war. I’m just the one that inspires others to bring about an end.”

“What?” Colton asks.

“You and Liam and the ones that officially end the war,” I tell them. Liam leans forward and rests his arms across the back of Colton’s seat.

“We,” he motions between Colton and himself, “are the ones who end the war?”

“The prophecy said that her warriors were the ones who were to end the war. You two are the ones that stop Dravin, not me. I’m the unifying factor, but I’m apparently needed somewhere else at the end.”

“Where?”

“I don’t know. She said that I’ll know when the time is right. Oh, she wanted me to tell everyone that she’s proud of us all.”

“Communicate with the dead,” Emma mutters into David’s shirt. “Check.”

I roll my eyes and lean back into Colton. He’s being awfully quiet. I glance up at him. He’s looking in my direction but doesn’t seem to be looking at anything in particular. “You okay?” I whisper to him. I know it’s pretty much impossible to seek any sort of privacy in a large vehicle, but something is up.

His arms tighten around my waist. He blinks back into awareness and looks at me. “Yeah, yeah. I’m good. Just thinking. Nothing to worry about.”

“I’m sorry that she contacted me.”

“No, Ry, I’m not upset that she contacted you instead of me. It’s not that. I’m glad that she contacted someone. It’s just that sometimes I forget that she’s actually gone.”

I rest my head against his chest, turning so that I can hear his heart beat. I wrap my arms around him and whisper, “I’m sorry. I wish I could go back and do something else that day. Save her somehow.”

“Ryanne, there’s nothing I would change about that day. Claire always told us that everything happens for a reason, and after all that has happened, I still believe that. We are who we are today because of the events of our lives. Claire knew what she was doing that day, and I don’t think she would change anything if she could. She wouldn’t want you to wonder about that either.”

He tightens his arms around me and continues, “You saved me that day, and then I saved you. I had to watch you die to fuel my anger for the Gadramicks and gain a better appreciation for human life. You had to deal with Claire’s death to fuel your anger which strengthens your power. Everything happens for a reason, and those reasons have brought us to this moment.”

“How do you always know the right thing to say?” I mumble as I bury my face into his neck. I feel his body shake with silent laughter.

“I don’t. I just choose my words carefully.”

“Well, glad you do I am,” I whisper.

“What?”

Gasping, I shoot up and look at him. “Yoda?”

“Like Star Wars, Yoda?”

“I was speaking like Yoda! I said that I was glad that you choose your words carefully. I’d hate to have a soulmate that was bad with words…though one that doesn’t understand Star Wars references isn’t much better…” I giggle at him. “Disappointed in you, am I, Colton. Hmmmm.”

Liam and David laugh at my comment, which confirms the little privacy theory, but I’m glad someone appreciates my humor. Colton shakes his head and smiles but doesn’t say anything else. He leans back in his seat and closes his eyes.

Might as well…

“We’re here, Ry.”

“How do you always wake up before me?” I mumble sleepily as I slowly get up. Rubbing my eyes, I try to get rid of the sleep that threatens to pull me back. With a long exhale, I look around at our surroundings. It’s nighttime, and we’re parked in front of a large apartment complex. I thought all mages would live in seclusion somewhere, so it surprises me that James lives in the middle of town.

“Where are we exactly?” I ask Tom.

“We’re at the Riverplace Apartments, just outside of Portland.”

“James lives in the city?”

“He can fully control his magic, so he doesn’t need to live away from people like some other mages.” Oh, that makes sense. James’s power is strength, and I’m sure that he’s gotten control of it now, so he can be around people all the time.

Tom gets out of the car, opens the side door, and helps me off of Colton’s lap. Colton exits after, and then everyone else follows. With our hands laced together, Colton pulls me to his side. I go to him easily, accepting his protection. There is something about James that confuses me…I just don’t understand what.

Entering into the lobby, I squint to adjust to the lights. The outside of the apartment complex looks simple, but the interior is just the opposite. The lobby has a nautical theme. The carpet is a dark blue, resembling the majestic waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Off white walls reflect the bright twinkling lights that parallel the imagery of water droplets falling from the sky. Fabric is cascading from the ceiling, duplicating the appearance of boat sails while wicker couches and chairs are precisely located throughout the room with navy blue accent pillows. A large red brick fireplace is built into the wall off to the right. Two old rustic oars decorate the mantle, and bottles of sand and shells decorate the small tables. The soothing sound of the ocean is playing quietly through speakers camouflaged and randomly dispersed throughout the room.

Tom guides all of us past the front desk and over to the elevator. We all pack into the elevator like a can of sardines, and Tom pushes the tenth floor button. James is located on the highest floor.

Fancy.

Piling out of the elevator, we all turn to Tom for guidance. He’s the only one that knows which room belongs to James. We follow him down the hallway and to the right. Stopping in front of the room at the end of the hall, Tom steps forward and knocks on the door. I glance up at Colton, who has yet to say anything since we arrived here. He’s very tense and glaring straight at the unopened door with a clenched jaw and the hand not holding mine balled into a fist. “Relax,” I whisper to him. His eyes flicker down to me but return back to the door shortly afterward.

The door opens, and James is standing there, staring at all of us with sleep laden eyes, shocked at our sudden appearance. No one informed him that we were coming. Rubbing his eyes, he leans against the doorframe. “Tom?” he asks. I look down at the carpet, trying not to blush. James is standing in the doorway only wearing flannel pants. I look over and see Emma and Natalie doing similar things. I may not like James very much, but there’s no refuting his attractiveness.

“Can we talk to you?” he asks.

Without saying anything, James steps away from the door and walks back into a room off to the side. Tom looks back at the rest of us, shrugs, and enters his apartment. When we are all in the room, James comes back out of the room, dressed in a pair of black jeans and fitted black t-shirt. Do mages ever wear bright colors? Goodness, all the guys dress so dark all the time.

“Since none of you really like me, I’m assuming this is important.” His eyes scan all of us before they stop on me. “Ryanne, always lovely to see you.”

Colton growls at him. I bite my lip to hide my smile. It’s weird, but I find it incredibly sexy when Colton does that. James’s eyes move down to our laced hands. I swear I see him smile, but it leaves as quickly as it came. What is going on?

“Ahh, I see some new faces in your group,” James says while looking at Natalie. She flinches and takes a step toward Liam.

“James, this is Conner, Natalie, and Kyril,” Tom introduces everyone. “I believe you’ve met everyone else.”

James sits down in a chair and faces everyone else in the room. Since we’re all standing around awkwardly, I decide to take control of the situation. This was my idea after all. I let go of Colton’s hand and walk toward James. Colton exhales loudly and reaches for me, but I throw up a shield so he can’t. David scoffs, and Colton grunts, but no one says anything.

“James, where is Phillip?” I ask.

“I honestly don’t know—probably helping Dravin do something. We got into this argument about you vs. Dravin, and he picked Dravin. So he left. I haven’t spoken to him since that fight at the house.”

“So, you know he’s working with the Gadramicks?” I drop the shield. James isn’t going to try anything. I trust him.