Over dinner Ben, Logan and Alix told them all about what happened at the factory and at the Great Wall. With everything that had happened, it seemed like they had been gone about a week, but in reality, it had only been a couple of days. The events caught up with Alix and after dinner she went to bed. She needed a good night’s sleep to feel like herself again.
Chapter 27
Alix woke up the next morning feeling very refreshed, yet something was nagging at her. As far as she could remember, she hadn’t had any dreams, which were typically the main cause of that feeling, so she wondered what it was.
She found Shay and Logan in the foyer by the fireplace.
“Hey there sleepyhead,” Shay said grinning. “Feeling better.”
“Yes. It’s amazing what a whole night of sleep can do for you. Where’s everyone else?”
“Rick and Natalie are in the kitchen, I think. Gordon had some things to take care of outside the castle. I haven’t seen Ben, Ruth or Kris.”
“Hmm, I wonder how it went with the prisoner. From what Kris has said, they are hard to get information out of. I’m going to go look for Ben.”
“We’ll come with you,” Shay said, volunteering Logan.
“Okay.”
It took a bit, but they finally found him upstairs in his room. They gave him a hard time about sleeping so late, but he took it all in stride. He would have done the same thing to any of them.
After that they went to grab something to eat in the kitchen. Merideth had just finished making some muffins and the smell was heavenly. As they were eating, Ruth and Kris joined them. Alix was anxious to know what had happened.
“So,” she said, “did you learn anything?”
“Yes, actually we did,” Ruth said. “It seems that they have a physical description of you and a picture to go along with it. All Grynn are to be on the lookout for the Chosen One and there is a big reward for your capture. The best thing you could have done was change your appearance Alix. That was quick thinking.”
“How did they know where we were going to be?” she asked.
“They have people watching Grynn installations all over the world with strict instructions to do nothing but inform the higher ups if they see you or a large group of Nykara. They knew their contact lens factory had been taken over but instead of fighting for it they watched it to see why. When they saw us enter the factory the word was put out that you were most likely there. They created a large amount of Grynn energy at the Great Wall to lure us there. They were to capture you and wait for further instructions.”
“Why did he tell you so much?” Alix asked. “I thought it was hard to get information out of the Grynn.”
“He told us that because we left his team alive, he was willing to tell us what we wanted to know about the factory and Great Wall. But that was it. He wasn’t giving up anything else on what the Grynn are planning.”
“Who’s to say he even knows anything more,” Ben said.
“True,” Ruth said. “But what we got was valuable information and I’ve talked to Lee about getting as many of our lenses out to the Nykara as quickly as possible. If there are Grynn all over the world watching us, we need to know about it.”
“So, what happens to him now?” Alix asked.
“He’ll be taken to a place where we keep all the Grynn we’ve captured,” Ruth said.
“Where is that?” Alix wanted to know.
“The facility is in Antarctica. Very hard to find and extremely hard to escape from. There is only one way in or out at the facility itself, but the orange door in the room of rooms will lead you to that entrance, but you can only enter if you have the proper code.”
“Okay,” Alix said, not sure what she meant about a code, but that didn’t seem important right now. “So, what’s our next step?”
“We’ll continue to search for hidden Grynn bases but more importantly we’ll keep looking for François and Victor. None of this will ever stop until we take care of those two,” Ruth said. “As for you four, you should go back home and do what you’ve been doing. We’ll contact you if we learn anything useful.”
Alix nodded. Can we stay here until Gordon gets back?” she asked. “I’d like to say goodbye to him.”
“Of course, you’re welcome here anytime for as long as you’d like.”
“What are you going to do Ruth?” Alix asked.
“I’m going to go visit a few of the other Council members and update them on the current situation. In fact, I think I’ll go do that right now. Alix, be careful. The Grynn know what you look like so if you have to ever leave a safe house be sure to disguise or cloak yourself.”
“I will. You be careful too,” Alix told her.
Ruth left the kitchen and the four of them decided to go relax until Gordon got back. They went to the room with the movies and put one in.
Several hours later they’d eaten lunch and watched a few movies. Eventually, they heard Gordon calling for Alix.
“In here,” Alix called back.
“Miss Alix, Gordon said. “I’m surprised you haven’t gone home yet.”
“We wanted to wait until you were back. Can’t leave here without saying goodbye.”
Gordon smiled at Alix. “You’re like the daughter I never had. Thank you.”
Alix had to smile back. She was really fond of Gordon and knew she could trust him with anything.
Now that Gordon had returned, it was time to leave. They said their goodbyes to Gordon and Merideth then used the blue door to get back to Sunset Creek.
It was roughly 9:00am Montana time when they walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. The house was very quiet. They assumed Ted, Heather and Sharon were at work but didn’t know where Sean might be. Alix planned on telling them all about the trip to China, but it looked like she was going to have to wait until dinner to do that.
Kris left to go talk to Sonya’s family and check on the funeral arrangements. Shay called her mom and so did Logan. Natalie and Rick went to their office to catch up on some work. That left Alix and Ben with a little bit of alone time. They got some snacks and went up to Ben’s room. They sat on the couch and Alix cuddled into Ben.
“What are you thinking about?” Ben asked.
“Sonya. With everything going on I’d forgotten about her funeral. I’ve never been to a funeral and I’m not looking forward to it.”
“I don’t think anybody will be looking forward to it. She was young so that makes it even harder.”
They sat there for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Eventually it was time for dinner. Everyone was there except Sharon and Sean. Sharon had to work late, and Sean was waiting for her to be done work. He said they would grab something to eat before coming home. Alix and Ben relayed the China trip to her parents. She could tell they weren’t happy about the Grynn and the Great Wall of China, but also knew there was nothing they could do about it.
****
The weekend passed uneventfully, and it was finally Monday morning. Alix was nervous. They were having Sonya’s funeral today. Thankfully, her family had agreed to conduct the Nykara service at the safe house in Sunset Creek. Her regular funeral had been on Saturday.
Natalie, Heather, and Alix had spent the morning making food for everyone for after the service. Alix had needed to keep busy, so it had been the perfect distraction. But now that was done, she was back to being nervous. She didn’t know why she was nervous, only that she was.
“Hey,” Shay said, putting her arm around Alix’s shoulders. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know,” Alix replied honestly. “I wish I knew what to expect this afternoon.”
“I know what you mean. But whatever happens, you’ll be okay. Are you afraid to meet Sonya’s family?”
“A little. What if they blame me for her death?”
“I don’t imagine that will happen. She died in the service of the Nykara and her family knows that. From what I understand it’s an honor to give your life for the good of th
e Nykara people and that’s exactly what she did.”
Alix nodded but didn’t say anything. She still felt guilty about Sonya and didn’t think anyone could make that go away.
People started showing up around 2:00pm. Alix and Natalie were there to greet everyone. Shay and Ben showed them to the dining room that had been set up as a waiting area with snacks and drinks. When everyone was there Natalie got their attention.
“Thank you all for coming here on such short notice. Alix is unable to travel for her safety and we greatly appreciate you agreeing to hold Sonya’s service here.”
Natalie moved away from the front of the room and a man took her place.
“For those of you that don’t know me I was Sonya’s father. Although she is gone, she will never be forgotten. She was always a strong-willed girl and that followed her into adulthood. She joined the military because she wanted to help both humans and Nykara. She was always passionate about doing the right thing and getting rid of the bad in this world. We were very honored when she told us she was serving the Kaelneth and knew she would make us proud. And even though she’s not with us today in body she will always be with us in spirit. I love you baby girl.”
Alix had been trying to fight the tears, but that last sentence had them flowing freely. Ben held Alix tightly against him as a few more people who knew Sonya spoke. When the last person had spoken, Natalie asked if anyone would like to say something. Alix felt it was only right to acknowledge Sonya in a room full of people that cared about her.
“I do,” Alix said, and made her way to where Natalie was standing. Ben and Shay went with her, each holding one of her hands. “I didn’t know Sonya as well as most of you did but she was still very important to me. She’s the reason that I’m still standing here today. She put her life on the line more than once to make sure I would be here to take care of the Nykara people. I owe her more than I will ever be able to say. Thank you for sharing her with us and I’m so sorry she’s gone.”
Alix wasn’t sure if she said the right things, but she’d said what she was feeling at the time. The three of them moved away and Natalie was back to take over.
“Thank you everyone for your very moving words. Please get your coats and follow me outside.”
Alix, Ben, and Shay looked at each other wondering what was going on, but they got their coats and went to the backyard. When they walked out, they saw Sonya’s body lying on a raised platform surrounded by fresh flowers.
Her friends and family started to form a circle around her. Natalie made sure that Alix, Ben, and Shay were standing to form the circle too. Everyone joined hands while Sonya’s mother and father stood on opposite sides of her body. Then her mother spoke.
“Magical energy that surrounds us and makes us what we are, we give you thanks for sustaining the Nykara people. We now return Sonya to your loving arms. Let her go back to nature the way it was intended.”
Sonya’s mother turned to face her husband. They held hands over Sonya’s body. Slowly a light started to form over their hands and soon it enveloped all of Sonya. Her parents lifted their hands up and with that move Sonya’s body started rising as well. Suddenly, her body burst into a million points of light that scattered to the winds. Alix could feel part of Sonya’s essence enter her when a few of the tiny starbursts touched her face. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
When the last points of light were gone, they all went back into the house. Alix could tell everyone felt a little lighter after what had just happened.
“That was amazing,” Shay said, as they followed the crowd back to the dining room. “That seems like the perfect way to celebrate someone’s life.”
“I know,” Alix agreed. “I feel like part of Sonya will always be with me now.”
Shay nodded. “Me too.”
They spent the next hour getting to know Sonya’s family and friends a little better. By the time everyone left Alix was mentally exhausted.
Needing a night off from dinner, Rick picked up Chinese food and they all sat together and watched TV for the rest of the evening. Alix went to bed feeling sad about Sonya’s death, but content with what had become of her in the end.
Chapter 28
The rest of the week was as normal as it got for Alix now. Schoolwork in the day and reading at night. She’d checked in with Ruth and Kris everyday, but they had no news of anything Grynn related. Alix still woke up every day with the small nagging feeling in the back of her mind. She still hadn’t had any dreams and it was really starting to bug her. She felt like she was missing something.
It was Friday night, so that meant movie night. In honor of Valentine’s Day the following week, Alix had picked out two romantic comedies. Ben rolled his eyes, but there was no way she was changing her mind. When the second one was over, she was grinning ear to ear. She just wished Shay had been there to see them too, but she knew it was important for her to see her parents and sister too.
When it was time for Alix to go to bed Ben walked her to her room, gave her a sweet kiss and then went to his own room. She crawled into bed feeling really happy.
****
Alix was walking down a tree-lined path in the forest. She smiled when she realized it was the same one from her very first Nykara dream. In all her previous dreams she had been walking out of the forest, but this time she was walking toward the clearing. When she got to the meadow, she saw a figure standing on the other side. The person turned around and Alix had a huge grin on her face. It was Sonya. Alix ran to her and hugged her as tight as she could.
“I’m so sorry Sonya,” Alix said, as a single tear escaped her eye.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Alix. You’re not the reason I was killed. The Grynn can take all the blame for that.”
“But if it wasn’t for me …” Alix started.
“No,” Sonya said, stopping her. “If it wasn’t for you then my life wouldn’t have had a purpose, Alix. After I left the military, I had no direction. You brought me a new purpose and I can never thank you enough for that. Serving the Kaelneth was the greatest honor I could have ever had.”
Alix didn’t know what to say to that, so she just nodded. “It’s really good to see you again, even if this is only a dream. I don’t know if you can answer this or not, but what happens when you die?”
Sonya smiled. “Always so curious, but that’s a question I can’t answer. All I can tell you is that you have nothing to fear when it happens.”
“Okay,” Alix said, slightly disappointed.
“As with the rest of your dreams, I’m here with a message. Beware the Essus Alix,” Sonya told her.
“What is the Essus?”
“Unfortunately, I cannot say anything else. All I know is that it’s vital and you must heed this message. Beware the Essus.”
Then Sonya was gone.
****
Alix woke up and blinked at the ceiling. It was the middle of the night, but she knew she wasn’t going back to sleep. She was happy she’d seen Sonya but frustrated at the same time. What was the Essus and why couldn’t anyone in her dreams tell her more than that?
Getting out of bed she found her robe and slippers and headed down the hall. She was going to the white room to get some answers. When she entered the white door, Melodie was there waiting for her.
“Melodie, I need to find out what the Essus is,” Alix said.
“There is nothing here about an Essus,” Melodie told her.
“But there has to be. This room is full of never-ending information.”
“This room only contains information if it is already known to the Nykara and was written down. I can promise you there is no mention of the word Essus in here. So, if anyone has ever known about an Essus they did not record it.”
Alix was twice as frustrated now. She found the nearest chair and sat down. Why did something that seemed so important have to be new to the Nykara? She knew she needed to figure this out but had no idea how to go about doing that.
“Of course, Alix. Just say my name if you need me.” And with that Melodie disappeared.
Alix stood up and started walking. She walked up and down numerous rows and was thinking about the word Essus. She was hoping that something would jump out and help her.
Over an hour later, she was still walking, and nothing had revealed itself. Taking a better look at where she was, she saw the books still on the table from the last time they were there. She picked up Joyce’s journal and smiled. It had been great to meet her and tell her that what she’d learned was going to help save thousands of lives.
A huge yawn escaped Alix’s mouth. Wondering if there was anything else in the journal, she took it, found the closest couch to sit on and started flipping through the pages.
The next thing she knew she was being shaken awake.
“Alix, wake up,” Ben said.
“Huh?” she said, still mostly asleep.
“You’re in the white room,” he told her. “My guess is that you came down here last night and then fell asleep.”
“Yeah. I had a dream about Sonya, and I came here looking for answers.”
“You can tell me all about it later, but I need you to come with me right now.”
Now that she was fully awake, she could hear the urgent tone in his voice.
“What happened?” she asked.
“There was a coordinated attack on Nykara last night. Hundreds were hurt. Ruth called me because she couldn’t get a hold of you.”
“I left my phone in my room. I didn’t mean to fall asleep here.”
“I know, but you need to get dressed. Ruth needs you.”
Alix ran up the stairs and to her room. She quickly changed out of her PJ’s and put her hair in a ponytail. She didn’t know what she needed to do so she grabbed the bag with her special power items and went to meet Ben in the hallway.
“Ruth said to meet her in the yellow room,” Ben said as they headed back to the closet that led to the stone staircase.
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