Children of Sun (Oracle's Legacy)

by R. B. Holbrook

  Granger understood. He still felt the pain of losing his mother. But he had no intention of losing Ollie. And he would definitely help them get the others as well.

  "Granger?" His attendant came into his cabin.

  "Don't worry, he's just letting off some steam." Granger tried to comfort her, but it was Ellis he wanted to help.

  His mind traveled into Ellis as he destroyed the room.

  "Sir, we have a visitor."

  Granger looked at his watch, and then he looked out the plane's window. The black limousine was pulling up on the tarmac. It was time to get down to business. He put on his suit jacket and straightened himself up. He walked to the door of the plane and headed down the steps. Once he got to the car, he opened the door and got in. He sat quietly, looking at Mary Alexander, who didn't look happy at all. She was still shaking from her encounter with Ollie.

  "I heard you had a busy day, Ms. Alexander," he said very professionally.

  "Why have you brought me here? I have a meeting with Logan Brashire." She looked at him with apprehension, as she should.

  "And you've been a busy woman. Kidnapping. Ransom. Murder. Plots galore. If I didn't know any better, Mary, I would think you were ambitious." Granger laughed at her.

  "Very funny." Her face paled. "If you know what kind of day I've had, you'd know I'm not in the mood."

  "You brought that on yourself." Granger got serious with her. "Mary, you know that family you kidnapped? They were friends of Mr. Brashire's as well as myself."

  Her eyes widened with a very real fear. "I--I didn't know they worked for you. They didn't mention you, a-and I--"

  "The thing is, they don't work for me."

  "Wha …?"

  "My interest in them is more … personal. And the woman you were targeting, who is now in Blade custody, was my primary interest."

  Mary's shaking became more visible.

  "But don't worry, Mary, I'm going to let you keep your seat in the Grand House. However, I need some guarantee that you will behave." He cleaved straight through her energy defenses as she tried to struggle. She reached for the door to leave, but by the time she had opened it, he had found the last grain of her soul that he needed and consumed it, with much satisfaction.

  With her hand on the doorknob, Mary lay on the seat of the car, defeated. And as always, the feeling of regret in her was stronger than anything. She was now his puppet.

  Do not look into the eyes. Look within. Take hold of what is yours before it is taken away. Take it to heart.

  Granger laughed as he learned of the prophecy. "And you were even warned." Ollie was the eyes it spoke of, and her soul was what was taken away, by Heart.

  What grabbed him, unsettled him, was the images of what she had encountered less than an hour ago. He saw Ollie and the carnage she had caused. Granger compared some of those kills to an image of a seer Mary had found several days before in a motel room. They were the same. Ollie must have killed the River historian. But why? It had to be Moon-related.

  Though Mary saw an evil woman with evil intent after the encounter, Granger saw determination. Resolve. Nothing malicious, but calculated.

  What the hell…?

  He jerked to attention as his cell phone alarm went off.

  "Granger, it is Arjun." His mentor's voice came though the minute his ear hit the receiver. "You're not going to like this, but Joc just came out of his room with no memory of the past hours. The last thing he remembers is arguing with you, being attacked by Ollie, and then nothing. He swears he does not remember calling Sebastian. He did not even know he knew the man's number. And he swears he does not recall Moon coming to kill him."

  That was when the ten-ton steel wall fell on him. Ollie had set it all up.

  She had infected Joc's mind and used him and Granger to get off the yacht. That was why she had wrote the note to save Joc's life. He was innocent. But what about her encounter with Mary? Had she deliberately left Mary alive? Did she deliberately get caught by Blade?

  It made sense to keep Mary alive if she knew Blade would capture her. It would be an ace up her sleeve, one that might help to find her family if she wasn't able. Like if she was captured by Blade. Or did she volunteer to be captured by Blade?

  He wanted to break something. Kill something. He had never been used in such a way. And he hadn't even seen it coming. She was good. Real good.

  And when he found her, he was going to make her ass pay dearly for it.

  Granger ended the call and dialed another number, leaving Mary in the car. She had a meeting to go to, and he didn't want her to be late.

  "Granger?" Geo answered.

  Granger quickly rattled off the location where the family was being held.

  "I owe you." Geo sounded relieved.

  "No. This was my pleasure. By the way, Mary wasn't the one to sic Blade on Ollie."

  "What? Then who was it?"

  "That I don't know, but I'm working on it. You need to protect your family. I know how Blade works. They won't be happy with just Ollie. They will try to go after those she knows as well, to root out Moon." Granger remembered it all too well. Her mother was a testament to Blade's tactics against Moon.

  "I'm already on it. Bring her home."

  That was a given.

  Getting back on the plane, Granger called for the only one who could decipher Ollie's plots. "Ellis."

  Ellis didn't stir in the back cabin for a long time before finally surfacing.

  "Listen to me. I need an answer only you can give me. If your sister planned all of this--keeping Mary alive, getting caught by Blade--if she deliberately--"

  "Hell, Ollie," Ellis groaned. She's a genius, he thought. In less than a day, she manipulated and maneuvered some powerful organizations. He covered his face with his hands. She first got Blade's attention. They knew she would be there. The only reason she would get captured would be to use them to get to our family. And if Mary was left alive… just in case Ollie's plot failed, Mary would be the road map. Ellis collapsed in a chair, head in hands.

  "She played them like chess pieces," he said finally.

  "She played us all."

  Granger was going to hunt Ollie down if he had to take down Blade to do it. She had left behind too many unanswered questions. And an extremely pissed off soul possessor.

  ()()()

  22

  East St. Louis, Illinois

  The Oracle sat inside the small room that was their temporary holding cell. Moving her mind to the outside walls, she saw a dark sky coming. Blade helicopters were landing around the vicinity; many of the River agents posted at the holding facility had surrendered.

  Blade made sure the River agents used noise suppressors to keep the attention off the area. Some of the River agents created illusions to make sure no one was paying attention. She was impressed, but the illusion would not last.

  Just as Blade was getting the riverfront compound under control, another helicopter arrived. Though it was Blade on the outside, it was hell on the inside. It was not long before the military helicopter opened fire on the guards outside, killing them all. Her daughter was always over the top.

  Guards inside the compound were scrambling for cover as other Blades, now under her control, turned on the surrendered River agents, killing them. Some of the Blades that were resisting Ollie's energy were killed by their own comrades. Did she have to be so crude?

  The shaman closed her mind to the carnage as she focused on her family members, who was not aware of the war being waged on their behalf.

  "Cold," Bones said faintly.

  "Bones?" Miko watched as Bones's eyes closed. Terror gripped the little girl as her best friend and brother slowly began to slip away. "Cee?" She looked up at her sister.

  Cee was as terrified as Miko, believing there was nothing more to be done.

  "Mama? Please?" Cee pleaded to the old woman.

  "I have told you before, Cee, this world is a balance. All things must balance. Life and death, push and pull,
give and take," Mama said calmly, settling her energy deep inside to prevent interfering with what needed to be done … no matter how much it hurt.

  Cee closed her eyes, holding Bones close to her. "Forgive me." She spoke into the little boy's ears. "Please forgive me."

  O-no's thoughts played in the Oracle's head. Is she giving up? She can't give up.

  "Cee?" Wolfe got up off his butt and went to her. "There has ta be--"

  "I don't know! I don't know!" she cried, hugging her brother. "Mama, what am I supposed to do? I don't know." She wailed in so much agony that the old woman had to drop her head to shut out her cries.

  "Miko, dear, open the door." The old woman looked at the young girl, who had tears in her eyes. That was the only thing she could give them. It was more than they needed.

  "What're you sayin'?" Wolfe looked at her like she was crazy.

  "Mama?" The kids all looked scared.

  She said nothing, for the door would open one way or the other.

  "Miko, please!" Cee cried, knowing that if anyone could save them, it was Mama. But she had no true understanding.

  Doing as she was told, Miko stood up and shot out her arm toward the prison door. Energy flowed violently through her arm and pushed out from her fingertips as she twisted her hand in a jerking motion. The door shook once and then buckled before flying outward. It took two Blade enforcers with it as it crashed into a wall on the opposite side of the hallway. Miko was already a level-two House of Heart telekinetic at age seven, thanks to Ollie. The girl was so gifted.

  As soon as the door was unhinged, Ollie peeked around the corner with shock in her eye. "Damn, Miko. You're the shit," she laughed, holding her side as she hobbled into the cell.

  "Ollie!" everyone screamed in joy.

  "Sumabitch." Wolfe grinned.

  Ollie's eyes immediately fell on Bones. Then she looked over at the old woman, as she picked up Ollie's angry thoughts. Why didn't you help?

  "Ollie, he's dying! He's dying in my arms!" Cee screamed hysterically as she held up the fragile body of their brother. "I can't bring him back from this!"

  Life and death, the woman told Ollie, knowing that if anyone could understand, it would be her.

  "Hell." Ollie dropped to her knees in front of Cee and Bones. Grabbing hold of Cee's shoulders, she shook the woman. "You can give to heal. Now, take to heal," Ollie told her.

  "What?" Cee tried to understand.

  "You always give your own energy to heal, and you're good. I've seen what you can do, but it ain't enough. Take mine," Ollie said. Cee looked at her, mortified. As soon as the healer opened her mouth to object, Ollie snapped, "Cee, I swear if you let our brother die, I'll kill you!" Ollie hissed it with such malice that Cee froze. "Do it," Ollie growled.

  Cee dropped Bones in Ollie's lap before grabbing the hands that were on her shoulders. Cee began to drain Ollie slowly. "Take it!" Ollie demanded, knowing Bones's time was up.

  The Oracle saw energy, so strong and clear that it was like light, quickly pass from one sister to the other. And just like that, Ollie fell over on the floor. As she held up her hands, Cee breathed as if she was holding something precious. The silence in the room was heartbreaking. Trying to avoid looking at her broken sister, Cee closed her eyes, and tears ran down her cheeks. "Please forgive me," she said before placing her hands gently on Bones.

  A low-level tremor passed through the fragile body lying on Ollie's lap. No one said anything as the energy was being transferred. The color was slowly coming back into his cheeks. When she finished, she touched Bones's face and smiled as if she knew everything would be okay.

  "Wolfe?" Sunny said as Cee's eyes began to close. Then she began to slump.

  "Wolfe," O-no and Sunny both called for him. Wolfe ran over and caught Cee before she fell back.

  "This ain't nothin' but … damn it!" Wolfe shouted.

  "O-no, pick up Bones. Sunny, grab Miko's hand." The old woman still sat quietly and calmly. "Wolfe, grab your wife and head outside. You will be fine."

  They all looked at her, not understanding.

  "Wolfe, put my daughter over your shoulder and take Ollie's weapon. You will need to move fast. Go." She closed her eyes as everyone moved to comply.

  "What 'bout you and Ollie, Mama? I can't leave y'all. Yer family'll burn me alive," Wolfe said, taking Ollie's gun in one hand while the other held Cee in place over his shoulder.

  "You are family, Wolfe. They won't hurt you. And Cee will defend you until death. Take my babies and go." She smiled confidently. They were safe now; Ollie had made certain of that.

  "O-no." Wolfe got the boy's attention. He had been looking down at his sister, who was barely breathing.

  "We can't …" Miko reached for Ollie, but Sunny picked up the girl.

  "Go," the Oracle demanded, pointing to the door, not willing to accept another question.

  Wolfe was the first out into the hall. They all crowded behind him in fear. "Hell's bells. Where're we? And where're we goin'?" He looked down both hallways; they were so clinical that they showed no hint of which way was out.

  "Left," Bones whispered, and O-no jumped in surprise.

  "Bones said left." O-no seemed almost happy.

  "Okay. Now we're cookin'." Wolfe began to walk. It was very clear by the shuffling of his feet that Cee was a burden to him, but he was more than willing to carry her, and he didn't show any signs of discomfort other than his walk. Bethea was glad to have him in the family. "A warnin' to y'all--ya may see blood and guts. Possibly death. But I guarantee nightmares and future ther'py sessions when we get outta this muther."

  Bethea's mind followed them as they made their way out safely because of Ollie's temporary Blade zombies. I am proud of you. She sent the message to her daughter, who was conscious and barely alive.

  ()()()

  Ollie heard Mama's words in her head, but she couldn't move or speak. She fought to stay conscious, just to know her family was safe. She had to know.

  They are safe now, Ollie. She felt a hand on her face gently easing her discomfort. I know you don't understand, and for that, I apologize. I hate seeing you in pain, but that is your gift. You bring death and pain to those around you. You think your only purpose for living is to protect them. But Ollie, in doing so, you made them weak. They must fight now, without you. They must be strong and grow stronger, without you.

  Ollie struggled to remain conscious. She couldn't let them. They shouldn't have to fight. They shouldn't have to struggle like she had all her life. She wanted it to be easy for them.

  Life makes us stronger, made you stronger. You can't live that for them.

  Now it is time for you to claim death, so you will find peace. And don't worry, we will all meet again. It is set. And as if a weight had been lifted from her, Ollie felt her mother's presence vanish.

  Her breathing still labored, Ollie felt some strength return, but only enough to open her eyes. She tried to call for her mother, but her voice was no more than a strained breath. Energy slowly returned, but not nearly enough to fight the deterioration of her seal, which she felt more at that moment than she had before her energy was drained. It was eating away at her too rapidly.

  It wouldn't be long before she died. She only had minutes left. And yet she found energy to move. Or was it just will? Struggling, Ollie turned slowly onto her side and pushed and pulled her way to the door. She at least wanted to die seeing that her family was safe. That was all she wanted.

  The absence of her energy was … She rubbed her arms, feeling …

  Ollie looked up at the door but was flipped onto her back, head hitting the floor. A figure all in black pinned her down on the floor, spreading her legs before lying on top of her, locking her there. The black-covered face hovered inches from her own face. Ollie fought against the hold but found that her body was unable to move. The intruder was definitely male and too strong for her, even if she had her energy. He was crushing her.

  "Boo," he said, a smile in his voice.

>   "Who … the hell … are you?" she breathed, hardly making a sound.

  "That's my girl." He breathed heavily, enjoying her struggle. Ollie recognized that voice.

  "Demon," she growled, wishing her last moments weren't with this bastard.

  He laughed. "I've waited for this day for a long time."

  Ollie froze. Something was traveling over her skin. Her mind began to crawl with a nasty fear that was not hers. The demon was infecting her with his power--negative emotions that she hadn't the power or energy to counter. She had no way of defending herself. And he knew it. Perfect timing.

  "You're … a sadistic bitch," she spat as her heart began to pound too fast to be normal.

  ()()()

  Demon's Wrath watched as her chest rose and fell with panic. His power was working faster on her than he had anticipated. Her energy was low, and her seal wasn't in sync with her body. It had taken him several days of lying in wait for this moment, and now it was his. Their first face-to-mask encounter.

  "Every time you open your mouth, you turn me on." He lowered his head and rubbed his mask-covered face against hers, knowing it would kick up her adrenaline. She stilled as the fear laced her mind like a drug. "Someone so broken, abused, and so deadly. You're intoxicating," he whispered in her ear. She jerked her head, so he followed the motion and stared down in her face.

  "Stop this," she said, breathless, fighting against his power. But it wouldn't be long. She was too far gone.

  "I would prefer to take you fighting. Strip you here and take you like Granger did. Maybe I should call him and let him hear you moan to your death while I'm taking you. The thought is making me so hard." He pressed his crotch into her pelvis so she could feel. Her eyes grew wide, and she opened her mouth to scream, but only air came out. It was done. He had broken her, and the taste was delicious.