Ascended (Fallen Guardian Saga #2)
Page 2
Raphael approached Fallon. “Gabriel is not going to be happy about this.”
Fallon didn’t seem to care. She was seizing the opportunity before her and was excited at the mere thought of taking Vie down. She looked at Raphael. “Vie came to me, not the other way around. I’m just lending a helping hand.”
This is not going to end well, Raphael thought.
Each Guardian selected her weapon of choice and took ten paces back. The bell rang and Fallon threw the first spear. Like a lightning bolt, it flew fast and straight at Vie’s head.
Vie put her hand up, caught it midair, and dropped it at her feet.
The crowd of Guardians who had gathered around the arena to watch the two fierce rivals spar gasped in awe at Vie’s defensive maneuver, and Fallon’s anger grew.
Vie grabbed a bow, nocked the arrow and shot back at Fallon. The rush of wind made a ‘zing’ sound as the arrow took flight.
Fallon darted out of its way, but not before it nicked her in the side of the arm, wounding her. She glared in surprise at Vie’s newfound skills but recovered quickly and took flight, knocking into Vie and taking her on a ride into the wall of the arena in retaliation. The watchers saw the fire in Vie’s eyes ignite as she spun around while still airborne and kicked Fallon hard enough to send her flying over the wall.
“You want to battle with me?” Fallon thundered. “So be it.” She stood up, ready to attack.
“I’m not afraid of you; there’s nothing you can do to me to cause me any more pain than I’m already feeling. I know what you think of me—what all of you think of me. You think I’m not worthy, that I don’t belong here. Come on, Fallon. You want me? Then come and get me,” Vie said, antagonizing her.
Fallon shouted a battle cry, running straight at Vie with the power of a god.
Out of nowhere, Gabriel appeared in front of Vie, shielding her from the force of Fallon’s attack. Fallon stopped just before she hit Gabriel; she looked into his disapproving eyes.
“Enough! You will both stop this now!” Gabriel ordered, his voice brooking no argument.
“She asked to spar with me, Gabriel,” Fallon argued.
“I don’t care who asked whom; this is not your personal fighting arena, Fallon. This is a place where we come to train, to teach, to learn what we need to do so we can fight against the evil around us. Not to fight against each other! What have we become? Ask yourselves this: are we any better than Lucian right now?” Gabriel sounded disappointed. “Fallon, I expected more from you as a leader, as a mature Guardian, as my friend.” He turned to the others.
“The arena is closed for today. You can all leave now.”
Vie could see how difficult it was for Gabriel to defend her. She knew the whole fiasco was her fault, but she just couldn’t seem to find a place to put her anger. She was beginning to feel like she was having an out of body experience: she could see herself doing and saying all of these terrible things but she couldn’t seem to control any of it. And now she was hurting the only person she had left in her life that she trusted and loved. Vie looked at Gabriel, only to watch him turn his back and walk away, leaving her standing alone with her pain…and now her guilt, too.
A sharp rap at the door caused Camulus to look up from his desk.
“Come in,” he bellowed.
“Camulus, this is not going to work,” Gabriel’s curt words preceded his body’s abrupt entrance into the room.
“What is not going to work?” Camulus was confused.
“Vie—keeping her here, not allowing her to be a part of any missions—virtually taking away everything she had, everything she is,” Gabriel said.
“She must remain here, Gabriel,” Camulus demanded, “and it is up to you to see to it that she does.”
“But if we could just let her go, just to say goodbye to Carter, I think then—” Gabriel started.
“NO!” Camulus thundered, interrupting him. “Gabriel, I don’t know how to make this any clearer to you. If she returns, the portal will open! You know this, Gabriel! Do you want to put everyone at risk just so Violet can have some sort of closure?”
Gabriel hung his head in frustration at Camulus’ chastisement, and in embarrassment of what he was asking. He fully understood the ramifications of his thoughtless request but was desperate to heal Vie’s soul.
Camulus knew what Gabriel was trying to do for his friend, and though he admired the reasoning behind the request, it was an impossible one to grant. Instead, Camulus had another suggestion, one that might work.
Gabriel called for a meeting with the Guardians, gathering them at the arena. He began by congratulating those who assisted with the downfall of Lucian, paying special tribute to Vie.
The Guardians clapped and cheered, praising Vie, and she smiled slightly, nodding her head in acknowledgement of their applause. Inwardly, she hated that Gabriel had put her in the spotlight right now, but she played along like a good Guardian should.
Gabriel continued speaking to the group, and was talking about making changes at the Gates when one of his fellow Guardians asked about their fallen comrade, Reese. Others joined in, echoing each other’s questions about rumors they’d heard surrounding Reese's betrayal and death during the mission.
Gabriel paused for a moment and looked around the group as he said, “What you don’t see with your eyes, don’t witness with your mouth.”
Camulus sneered at Gabriel, knowing he was not accepting Reese’s betrayal as fact, even though all signs pointed to the contrary. He felt that Gabriel, as their leader, needed to address these rumors sooner than later, but clearly today would not be that day. None of the Guardians dared to challenge Gabriel’s response any further, to Camulus’ relief.
“Certain things have come to light over the course of the past few months that have brought about the change I’m about to announce. It’s good change, one that promises to be a benefit to all the new warriors sent here to train. It is with great pleasure that I am announcing Fallon’s assignment as the new Head of Missions,” Gabriel said proudly.
There was a collective gasp in the room, followed by silence. Head of Missions was Gabriel’s position; it had always belonged to him. Though Fallon was one of the best, she was no Gabriel. No one was.
Fallon’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets with surprise as Gabriel motioned for her to join him at the podium. She stood up and looked directly at Vie, grinning in victory as she sauntered past on her way to the front.
Vie wondered what wrong she’d done that had been bad enough to deserve this punishment. It’s not bad enough that my heart was ripped out of my chest when I lost Carter, or that I was told I could no longer go on missions, but now I have to watch as Fallon gets her wish to fulfill a destiny I’d always believed was mine. Then, just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did. Gabriel announced that he would be heading up the new recruits training division along with Vie.
Fallon shot daggers from her eyes, enraged with jealousy at the thought of Gabriel and Vie as a team again. The group of Guardians who had been on the last mission with Vie all began to cheer for her and even started chanting her name.
Gabriel held out his hand, prompting Vie to join them at the podium.
She stood up, glared at Gabriel, and defiantly said, “No, thank you,” before exiting the arena.
Gabriel charged out the door behind her and shouted, “Violet, stop!” but she continued to walk.
“Vie, I am ordering you to stop now!” It pained Gabriel to use his authority, but he had no choice in response to her insubordination in front of the group.
Vie stopped but did not turn around. She couldn’t face him; she couldn’t stand to see the pity in his eyes. She knew the only reason he was relinquishing his leadership position was to stay behind to babysit her, and that hurt almost as much as losing Carter. Her entire existence was crumbling before her eyes and she couldn’t stop it.
Gabriel placed his hand on her shoulder, turning her around, forcing Vie t
o face her humiliation.
“Vie, what is happening with you? I thought this would make you happy,” Gabriel said in a softer, gentler voice.
“Did you really think it would make me happy to know you’ve given up your life to stay back here and babysit me? That you’ve promoted me to some position you believe will appease me for a moment and make me forget about Carter? There’s nothing you can give me that would make me forget about him! There is nothing you can sacrifice for me to take away my pain. Don’t you get it, Gabe?” she shouted.
“Is that what you think? That I’m staying behind to babysit you? That I’m trying to appease you? That I think this will make you forget about Carter? You, you, you is all I hear, Vie! Well guess what? This is not about you!” Gabriel yelled right back at her.
“I hate to burst your self-absorbed bubble, but I am staying behind for Reese, not you! You see, Vie, the people here believe Reese betrayed the brotherhood, and I’m certain he did not. I’m staying behind because I promised Reese I would find and expose the real traitor and make whoever it is pay. I can’t do that if I’m off running missions.
“Oh, and contrary to what you believe, I selected you for the training arena because I believed you were the best Guardian for the job…a decision I am regretting right now. You see, I saw something special in you long before our mission and before Carter Stone. From the moment I first saw you, I knew you were a force to be reckoned with—a special soul—and a warrior like me. The person standing before me right now is just a shell of the one I used to know. We spent months trying to teach Carter to push through the pain and anger to realize his destiny, and here you sit, engulfed in your own. I’m glad Carter isn’t here; I’m sure he’d be as disappointed in you as I am,” Gabriel said sadly, walking away.
The words Gabriel spoke were harsh and they echoed in her head as she raced down the hall. She rounded the corner and sat, holding her knees, crying, replaying his words in her head.
Gabriel was right about one thing: Carter would be disappointed. Vie was thinking that she was even disappointed in herself, but she couldn’t seem to control any of it. She rocked in the corner, sobbing, and wanting to give up.
Then she heard a voice—Carter’s sweet-sounding voice—saying, “Everything is going to be all right. You can do this, Vie.”
She jumped up, excited, and looked for Carter, but he was nowhere to be found. “Carter!” She called out to him, searching up and down the halls frantically. Realizing he wasn’t there, she reverted back to her squatted position in the corner of the hall and then she heard it again.
“You can do this, Vie,” Carter’s voice whispered in her head.
Gabriel had already returned to the podium, ready to announce his next change within the Guardians’ venue when suddenly the door slammed open. He looked up and there stood Vie in the doorway. There was a dead silence in the room, all eyes focused on her. She took one step forward, and with a firm, resounding voice she said, “Gabriel, I accept.”
Chapter Three
Fade Away
It was Saturday, and Carter sat in his room, looking out the window at the rain still falling from the sky. He didn’t mind the rain. In fact, it was quite the opposite: it reminded him of Vie. He closed his eyes and he could see her spinning exuberantly in it, watching while the droplets of water kissed her skin. It was a memory Carter kept close to him; it was their first date, their first trip to Devils Tower.
Even though the Tower offered Carter warm memories of Vie, it was also representative of devastating ones, where he’d lost Vie not once, but twice. He was determined he wouldn’t allow the Tower to destroy the very memories that kept him alive. He vowed not to suppress even one thought he had of Vie, knowing all too well that if he did, she might disappear forever. Although he retained each memory, both good and bad, he had not yet returned to the Tower, a place that had once offered him great peace and solace.
Carter’s mother, Katherine, made her way up the stairs to his room with a meal she’d prepared, though she suspected he’d refuse to eat. She had discussed her concerns with Henry, her longtime friend, and he had promised to send her son home from the hospital even if it meant he had to throw him out.
Carter had been practically living at Weston Memorial for the past month since Vivian’s collapse at the Tower, having convinced his mother that she should homeschool him so he could spend every waking moment at Vie’s bedside. He did all his schoolwork there, unwilling to leave her side for one minute longer than was necessary each day.
Katherine knocked, disrupting Carter’s thoughts, and entered the room carrying a tray. She set it on the bed next to him, but she knew he wasn’t going to eat. Katherine was a doting mother who was becoming extremely worried about her son. She wanted with all her heart to ease the pain Carter was feeling and felt helpless in the knowledge that she couldn’t. She worried about what would happen to him if the girl he’d loved was no longer here, and she hoped and prayed every day that God would send her son the miracle he needed—the miracle they all needed.
She couldn’t take it any longer. Like Henry, she was frustrated and decided she needed to do something, anything, to help her son push through the storm.
“Get up!” Katherine said with a firm tone. “Grab your jacket. Come on, let’s go.” She left no room for refusal.
“Where are we going?” Carter asked.
“It’s Saturday; we’re going to the reservation,” she replied.
“No, Mom, not today,” he said, turning back to face the window, despondent.
“Yes, Carter, today,” she insisted, grabbing his arm.
“Do you think you’re the only one who feels like he can’t function without Vie?” Katherine started her lecture. “What about Henry? Don’t you think he would like to stay in bed, curled up in a ball, wallowing in his own misery? He doesn’t, Carter. He pushes though it, he moves forward, and he hopes that today will be the day Vie opens her eyes.”
“Well, I’m not Henry, and I don’t know what point you’re trying to make!” Carter shouted.
“Well, then, let me make my point clear. Vie would be so completely disappointed in you right now; I’m glad she’s not awake, so she doesn’t have to see what I do when I look at you. Carter, I saw you two together, and it was a rare and wonderful thing you shared. Vie awakened something inside you, something strong and fierce…and something I no longer have the privilege of seeing. You know, Carter, the way I see it, you’re one of the lucky ones. You’ve been given a gift—but you’re squandering it away.” Her face was filled with sadness and regret.
“I can’t help it. Existing in a world without Vie is like trying to breathe without air. Don’t you think I want to have that positive sunshine-y attitude about waking up to a brand new day like you do? I tell myself every time I enter that hospital: today will be different, today she’ll return to me. Well, guess what? It doesn’t work. Yesterday, today…nothing changes,” Carter stated mournfully.
Katherine watched her son unleash what he had been keeping bottled up inside. She moved closer to Carter, her tears flowing freely now, and gave him a warm, tender embrace that only a mother can give; the hug that makes it seem like everything will be all right, makes you feel safe, loved, and gives you strength to carry on.
Releasing him, she said, “Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow is the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present. Come on, Carter, let’s unwrap the present and see what it holds.”
Reluctantly, Carter took his mom’s hand and followed her to the Jeep parked outside. They drove to the reservation, neither of them uttering a word. Although Carter had agreed to go, his heart just wasn’t in it.
They arrived and unloaded the supplies that had been donated to the children on the reservation. The two of them headed toward the recreation center, which no doubt would be full due to the many days of rain they’d been experiencing. The children all ran to Carter immediately, excitedly jumping up and down and hugging him.
Being on the reservation, Carter realized, was exactly what he needed. Only there was he able to forget, if only for a moment, the pain residing in his soul.
After hours of play with the children, Carter watched as they retreated to the story circle with Katherine. He loved listening to his mom read stories to them; it reminded him of his own childhood and the comfort he’d felt in every bedtime story. What he especially admired was the way Katherine changed the stories as she went along. She altered the names and places of the words written on the pages, replacing them with the names of the children sitting in the circle. Katherine believed it was important for the kids to attach themselves to the stories, and the best way to accomplish that, she’d always told him, was by hearing the names of their friends in the words read. Today, Cici was going on an adventure to a magical place; her little face lit up when she heard her own name sail from Katherine’s lips, straight to her ears.
Carter noticed the Chief standing in the corner with his arms folded, almost glaring at him. Though Carter loved his father dearly, he didn’t turn to him for answers to the questions he’d had throughout his life. He had always looked to the Chief for guidance; it was just the way it was, the way it had always been with them. The Chief was a very important part of Carter’s life and had been for as long as he could remember. They had a silent bond, unbreakable and unwavering, and he believed the Chief could see into a place in him that no one else even knew existed…no one except Vie.
He nodded at Carter and signaled for him to meet with him outside. The Chief stood under the awning, staring out into the rain, and a moment later, Carter was standing beside him.