It rang true to him. His mother would understand. She wanted him to be himself, as long as he didn't hurt others. But he needed to hurt others sometimes in order to lead, that's what Adrian had said. Didn't all leaders have to make hard choices? Like the president who had to send people to war to kill in order to keep America free. It's what people believed in. Some had to sacrifice for the greater cause. And this was a new cause he had to believe in for his people. His people. Wow. He had his own people now.
"My mother, yes. My dad…well, he's another story. He wants me to be normal."
"You are normal here, Charlie. And you will be a great leader. You are a Madroc. We need you. I need you."
He looked at her. She looked so young, yet was so old and wise in her words. "You do?"
"I do. We all do. You are Elyon's new hope."
Doubt and fear hung inside him. It seemed like such a big responsibility. And who was he? Nobody. Nothing. But he wanted to be so much more.
"I don't know if I can do this," Charlie whispered. He let her see his thoughts. He wanted her to feel what he felt. Dark and light raged inside him. Like her. Could he follow the dark part of heart which Adrian said he had yet also embrace the good? He was just fourteen. A kid. How could he be the leader of a new world? Such a big task for anyone to take on, much less a nobody kid with zero experience.
Leah put her hands on the back of his neck and pulled him down into a deep, hard kiss. Her tongue pressed hot and soft in his mouth. He gave in and kissed her back, a kiss that unleashed the pent up longing and passion that filled his hormone-addled adolescent body. Drums beat the air in a fury infused with lust. She finally pulled her mouth away taking her heat with her. His mouth became cold and empty again.
"You can do this, Charlie. You are meant to do this. I will help you lead."
She flicked her hair with an encouraging smile. She became all girl again. His girl. He surged rich with power again. He drank from her power, Adrian's power. And his own. And he liked it. He saw how the Elyons looked at Adrian. He saw them bow their heads when he had entered the courtyard today. And it struck him now that they had been bowing to him, too. It filled him with greed for more.
Leah held up her hands again. "Come, Charlie, we must practice our dance, for tomorrow we perform before the community."
"And then what?"
She moved into him, her robe's star pressing into his like two shooting stars colliding in one fantastic explosion. "Then we are bonded the day after."
She stepped back and held up her hands again. The drums beat fire and wind around them in a swirling frenzy. He pressed his hands into hers. They swayed once more in a dream.
A dream he didn't want to end.
Laura opened her eyes. She lay on her side. Her neck burned. She put her hand to her throat and swallowed. It hurt. She sat up. Ben was flat on his back. His eyes closed. The Swiss Army knife lay next to him in the dawn light, accusing her of what she could have done. She picked it up and gripped the handle.
"Ben," she whispered. Could he still be possessed by Adrian?
He opened his eyes. She remembered the first day she had stared into them. She had never known anyone with gray eyes. They were so beautiful. A stormy sea below rolling clouds and thunder, filled with sorrow, loss, and desire. They looked at her now as they had on the first day she met him. Her Ben was back. She closed the knife and slid it into her pocket.
He sat up and held her tight. She felt his tears on her cheek. She had only seen him cry once. The night Charlie was born in pain and fear. He shook and she held him closer, murmuring in his ear that it would be all right. They embraced under the warm sun and faced a new day. The horror of the night faded.
"Laura, what have I done?"
"We're alive. He didn't win."
Ben nodded and looked at her. "It wasn't me." He touched her neck. "I'm so sorry. So sorry." He jerked away and stood up. Laura slowly stood. Her body hurt everywhere, but they had to go on.
"Time to find Charlie." She took his hand and placed it on her swollen stomach. Their child thumped inside, alive and strong. "We are stronger than Adrian. We are family. Do you remember what I told you a long time ago?"
He shook his head, unable to look at her.
"Love remembers. You didn't believe it once."
He looked at her with a pained face. "You helped me remember."
"Don't forget again. Please. For me. For Charlie." She pressed his hand into her belly. "For our unborn son."
"But what I've done…" He pressed his fingers to his brow as if to erase the deed.
"This was not your fault, and there is nothing you've done I can't accept. I told you that a long time ago. It hasn't changed. I believed in you then. And you believed in me then, too. You said I had all the human elements that matter."
"You do."
"And so does Charlie."
"I know. I need the chance to tell him."
"You'll get the chance."
Together they hastily disassembled their camp and took off through the woods again, eating as they went. Laura fought the urge to go it alone as she had long ago when Ben helped her survive against her brother. She feared Ben's death then as she feared it now. Once, everyone she loved had died. She believed then she was cursed. It's why she had left Ben. She believed then that if only one person she loved survived, she could live with herself. But what if Ben didn't survive now? And now they had a son. A son who had been taken and Ben would never back down from getting him back.
They would soon be face to face with Adrian and his people. He had betrayed her. This was her chance to end him. She would not redeem him like she had tried to redeem her brother. He was beyond redemption. She saw his plans. Saw how he kept his people in line by fear. Saw how he forced them to do horrible things to bring out their hate and evil deep inside.
She would end him. She had to—or they would die.
CHAPTER 28
Adrian stood once more before the elders. They stared at him with stones in their thoughts to cast him out. This day had to come. Too many of his flock were fleeing. The night of free love he gave them had opened a crevice that now grew wider and wider, with Tollen aiding. His people wanted the freedom to make their own choices. The freedom to become part of human society and be like them.
Stupid beings.
They were crushing the future of their new planet. Why had they come here if to fail? They only saw their own pleasure. They would be the downfall of Elyon and Destroyers. Could they not see that they needed to unite together and stand as one to rule Earth? He had looked into the future and now saw his people blended with humans as equals. Laura was still there but a mere shadow by his side. His sons were gone.
And he alone knew the reason why their females had gone missing. If they discovered the reason he would be the next stoning victim. His people accepted his brutal ways that abided by the law, but he had acted outside the law. His crimes must be kept hidden.
"Brother Adrian, the time has come to name another leader," Tollen said.
Adrian stared at him, feeling the animosity roll off his senior elder who coveted his place.
"Our flock is leaving," Tollen continued. "More have disappeared into the night. Men this time, too. You let this happen with your festival and night of free love. You gave them too much and now they want more. They won't listen and won't follow the rules of breeding. They don't respect you, Madroc."
"You mean you don't respect me," Adrian said between clenched teeth. Tollen stared at him. The other elders remained silent, watching him. "We hunt down the ones who have fled and lobotomize them. They will falter in cloaking their whereabouts at some point and then we break them with fear. And we implement our new community in the human world. It's time. Great success comes with great sacrifice. We must reinforce this with our people."
"It's too late. Our future is unpredictable now," Tollen said. "And we can't kill or lobotomize everyone. Soon there will be none left. Who's next? Me? Caleb?" He pointed at Cal
eb who stood in the corner with his arms crossed, expressionless. "Or perhaps your new son?"
The other elders spoke in agreement with Tollen. Their voices rose louder, in protest. Adrian thought fast. He could not lose his power. Not now when Charlie had just arrived and Laura so near.
"I name Charlie as sole leader," Adrian said.
Silence fell in the room. The fire popped and hissed as the wind raged down the chimney.
"The boy?" Tollen laughed. Anger burned inside. The fire spit sparks out on the floor as if fueled by his rage.
"Charlie is Elyon's new hope. He's my brother's grandson. My twin who was sent here to begin a new world for Elyon and—"
"And he failed."
"But he left behind his prodigy to spread his seed. And this prodigy has been raised by humans with the Destroyer in him we need to succeed. He can help us assimilate into human society and use them for our needs until they are under our power. They will then have no choice but be dominated by us. I have seen him perform with the promise of this, right, Caleb?"
Caleb stepped forward. "Yes. I'm training him."
Another elder spoke up. "And he has proven himself?"
"Yes," Caleb said. "He is a willing Destroyer. And eager to learn."
"Even killing?"
Caleb nodded. "Yes."
"A small animal he killed, I hear," Tollen said, waving his hand as if he were already in charge. "What about humans? Can he mind bend and kill humans if ordered?"
"He will soon enough, Adrian replied." Caleb glanced at him, a puzzled look on his face.
"When?" Tollen questioned in a mocking tone.
"Within the day. Trust me. I have planned it. He is my blood. And his mother is on her way. She will help Charlie lead."
"And what if this female doesn't want to be part of our community?"
"Then she will die."
The wind rattled the windows. Cold had blown in, chasing the warmth away that teased them for a day. Snow threatened now.
"And he is to be bonded with the female, Leah, tomorrow?" an elder finally said.
"Yes," Adrian said. "Today they perform for the community. Tomorrow they will be one and Charlie will be one of us. Let him show his true colors. If he does what I think he can do—let him rule. The people are drawn to him."
Adrian let the elders talk amongst themselves.
"Name Charlie as leader," Caleb appealed to the elders. "Do it at the bonding ceremony. It will be a double message to the community. And my father will guide the boy. Elyons are eager for change. And Charlie is their new hope."
"It's true," spoke up another elder. "They flock to him. Haven't you seen? They touch him as if they believe he is their new savior come to lead them into our promised land."
"Even if that land is a desert with no water?" Tollen frowned at the elder.
Caleb held up his hands. "They would drink the sand then. They don't know the difference. They are blind. They need us to lead them." The elders turned to him. "I say, let Charlie be named the new leader of our community."
"He is the rightful heir to the mission that came before us," another elder said. "It's a sign. We can look into the future once he's ruler and see how he'll change our fate for the better."
The others joined in. "Fate." "Destiny." "Meant to be."
"My father began our great community," Caleb said. "You would all be in hiding back on our dying planet if it weren't for him. Now Charlie is the one to help us move into our next phase. The people will listen to him and, with us shaping him, it's a win-win situation."
Adrian nodded at his son. But could he trust him? He had lain with the female. Something he hadn't done in years, and he was training Charlie properly. But Caleb had no desire to lead himself. He was too weak in mind and heart. Perhaps he wanted the boy to lead to move the responsibility of leadership away from himself. Charlie's heart was full of dark. And dark was what they needed to steward them into a new world.
"Aye," one elder said. More echoed the same. Tollen had not won this time. He nodded and gave his blessing. For how long, Adrian couldn't know.
Tollen would only win over his dead body.
And that would never happen.
Caleb knocked on Charlie's door. Time to take him to the sanctuary ceremony with Leah. The boy answered with a hopeful face, but his smile fell when he saw who it was. Jealousy reared its head again as Caleb thought of Charlie bedding Leah. He had to remind himself that his anger was for Adrian and not for this innocent boy taken from his home and molded in his father's likeness.
"It's time. You and Leah are to perform."
Charlie nodded and stepped out into the corridor. They walked slowly to the sanctuary through deserted halls. Caleb had precious little time to speak with Charlie alone. The entire community waited for them.
"Charlie, you're meant to be here. You know this, right?"
Charlie looked at his feet as they walked. "I belong here."
"My father wants you to lead."
"I know."
"Do you know what this means?"
Charlie looked at him. "Adrian said that being a leader comes with hard choices to make."
They stepped out into the courtyard to cross to the sanctuary, but Caleb put a hand on him to hold him back. "And sometimes those hard choices can change if you choose." A chill had settled in the air. It snaked its way into his robe, filling his insides with dread.
Charlie stared at him. "What do you mean?"
Caleb looked around to make sure they were still alone. "You don't have to give in to your dark side to rule. There are many who believe otherwise. Many who want to live a human life. A life of love and free will. A life where they can blend in peacefully."
"But the kids back home call me a freak. I am a freak." He thrust his hands out. "No one there looks like this. No one there has the power to do what I can do except my mom and she hides it. And no one there likes me like Leah does. No girl ever will."
Caleb thought of Leah instructing Charlie in the ways of breeding and bile rose in his throat. The boy didn't know what he must do with her when their bond was complete. He would then become a man. Ceremony music drifted across the courtyard.
"You can be powerful without giving into hate and evil. And just because you have power doesn't mean you should use it."
"Why not?" Charlie's voice rose. "I like it. I'm good at it. Others like me for it. I belong. Maybe it's you who doesn't belong. I mean, why doesn't your father choose you to lead with him? Huh? Maybe you're not so powerful. Maybe you're really not a Madroc."
Caleb grabbed his arm. "True power is giving yours up to help the greater good. True power is in helping others. My father doesn't understand this but I do."
Charlie jerked away from him. "Yeah, well no one has helped me until now. Not my mom or my dad. Adrian and Leah helped me. I thought you wanted to help me, too. You showed me how to use my real powers. Why show me if I'm not to use it?"
"Adrian's way is not the only way. We can change things. You and I. Some doubt my father's leadership. Now is the time to make a change."
"I don't want things to change. My whole life I didn't fit in. I like fitting in."
The music grew louder. "We must go. They are expecting us. Don't say a word of this conversation to anyone."
Charlie frowned as if debating the wisdom of all that Caleb had revealed.
"Promise me, Charlie."
"Why should I?"
"I can show you more powers."
Charlie was silent. The music grew faster in its tempo calling to them. "Leah's waiting for me. She wants me to be what I am."
"I do, too, in a different way. I can show you."
Charlie shook his head. "I want to be what Adrian wants me to be. He doesn't think I'm a freak. He's the dad I should have had."
He strode away from Caleb and stood at the sanctuary door. He hesitated then pulled the door open. Music and light blared. Leah waited for Charlie at the altar. His father stood at the podium above her and th
e community waited for their new leader.
In Charlie's final words hope dimmed in Caleb that together they could change their world. Hope for the boy. For his sons. For his very life.
CHAPTER 29
Another day in the woods got them closer to Charlie. They had to be close now. They spent another night in the cold, this time Laura had the knife in her hand and the gun by her side. She kept jerking herself awake, afraid of waking to Ben pinning her down with a monster in his eyes. She shook with exhaustion as they trudged along, her energy almost depleted. The baby took any reserves she had left. She swayed on her feet and Ben grabbed her arm then took in a sharp breath.
A shot of adrenalin rushed through her as a building thrust itself before them, forbidding in its immense octagonal shape. They stopped and huddled behind a massive oak tree. Music floated to them. It moved slow in tempo then rose in a frenzied pounding. Chanting voices clamored with it. Laura gripped her knife in one hand and Adrian's whip in the other and closed her eyes.
What she saw sickened her. Images of Charlie mind bending, slashing and healing, then killing a poor rabbit. Worse was that her son enjoyed it. Then a crowd flowed around him. Touching him. Wanting him. Her heart ached. A pretty girl kissed Charlie, and a great stone plunged deep into Laura's heart. This was the girl Adrian had chosen for him. No. Not my son.
But these weren't the memories of this whip. These were images Adrian showed her now. He knew they were here. She closed off her mind with the desperate regret she had ever let it open.
"Sounds like a church ceremony," Ben whispered.
"It is. The whole community is in there but a few guards around the perimeter." She opened her eyes. "Adrian has chosen a girl for Charlie."
"A girl?"
"To bond with. To breed with."
"Oh my God. He's only fourteen." He pulled out his cell phone. Still no signal. "Damn."
"There's no one to call, and they know we're coming."
"Our one chance is to shoot our way in. We use your powers to fight them off, steal one of their vehicles, grab Charlie, and get away before they catch us."
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