Ascended (Fallen Guardian Saga #2)

by Debra Ann Miller

  “Come, walk with me Waka Ozuye.” The Chief addressed Carter by his Lakota name, one that meant ‘sacred warrior.’

  “It’s raining,” Carter said, confused by the request.

  “It is, my son. Perhaps together we can return the sun’s rays,” was the Chief’s cryptic reply.

  “I’m not really bothered by the rain,” Carter said.

  “Of course you’re not; a drowning man is never troubled by the rain,” the Chief responded with another riddle.

  They walked to the edge of the plateau that looked out upon Devils Tower and sat together on the cold wet earth. The Chief always sat on the ground, claiming it permitted him to think more deeply and to feel more keenly. He said being at one with the earth was a way to see more clearly into the mysteries of life and come closer in kinship to other lives around him. He sat Indian style, placed his hands on his knees and glanced at Carter, waiting for him to follow. Reluctantly, he did, and the Chief closed his eyes, preparing to meditate beside him.

  “Listen to me, Waka,” Carter heard him say. “The sky sheds its tears for you, my son. It is time to dry those tears and bring back the golden rays of the smiling sun.” His statement was profound, and Carter struggled to grasp what he was being told.

  He showed his surprise at the Chief’s insinuation that he was the reason for the rain. He broke away and opened his eyes, looking directly into the dark mystical eyes of his friend.

  “You think I’m the reason for the rain? Skies don’t cry; people cry.”

  “Yes, Waka, people cry; yet you have not. You must cry to free your soul and to rid the dark clouds from the sky,” he said.

  “If I cry, then I say goodbye to Vie. I won’t say goodbye to her, not now, not ever,” Carter shouted.

  “No, Waka, crying does not mean you have to say goodbye to her. It tells her you love her, it tells her your soul weeps for her, it tells her you will never forget her,” he said wisely.

  The Chief stood up and turned Carter around to face the Tower. “Cry for her Carter; release the rain inside your soul!” he half-encouraged, half-demanded.

  Carter looked at the massive rock in the distance and was suddenly overcome with emotion, falling to his knees and screaming her name as the tears came flooding to the surface.

  The Chief rested his hand on Carter’s shoulder and smiled at his release. It was bittersweet for him to witness the sorrow deep inside Carter’s soul, but necessary nonetheless.

  When Carter was finished, the Chief helped the exhausted young man to his feet and said, “Your journey has just begun, Waka. If you stay on the path, you will find what you are looking for.”

  Carter looked into his eyes, almost as if he could see his destiny looking back at him; he knew with certainty that the Chief was speaking words of truth.

  As the Chief turned Carter back around to face the Tower again, the clouds parted, giving way to the warmth and comfort of the sun. There was nothing more magnificent than the sunshine after the rain.

  “You see, Waka, sunshine is a ray of love that gives life to every living thing…every living soul. You started a journey that you must continue, no matter what the cost. Every man has his own destiny. The only imperative is to follow it, to accept it, no matter where it leads him. And I promise you, my son, your journey will lead you to exactly where you belong,” he said with conviction.

  Carter looked to the horizon, knowing the words the Chief so eloquently conveyed to him were words of great knowledge and truth: in order to honor Vie, he had to walk the path no matter how difficult it seemed. He gazed out toward the mighty rock towering behind the picturesque landscape of the reservation. It was then that he saw the most vibrant rainbow hovering over it.

  He thought of Vie. Suddenly, he could feel her presence in the wind that blew across the plateau. The gentle breeze caressed his face like a warm kiss from her lips.

  The Chief smiled at Carter and said, “It’s a new day.”

  Katherine and Carter said their goodbyes and started toward the Jeep. Carter heard a sweet little voice calling to him to wait. He stopped and saw Cici coming toward him, carrying something in the hand she had hidden behind her back. Carter kneeled down to face her and looked into her big round eyes.

  “I forgot to give you something, Carter. It’s from Vie,” she said shyly, and handed Carter a wilted violet.

  Carter remembered Vie had given a violet to Cici on their first visit to the reservation together. Vie had been very attached to Cici, as was Cici to her. Looking at it, Carter could almost see Vie walking toward him with the delicate purple flower tucked behind her ear. He handed it back to Cici, telling her, “Vie would probably want you to keep this.”

  She pulled him close and whispered in his ear, “No, Vie asked me to give this one to you. I still have mine.” She pulled another violet from behind her back.

  “She did? When did you see Vie?” Carter asked, certain that her answer would reflect the many weeks since they’d visited.

  “Yesterday,” Cici replied.

  Stunned by her casual response, Carter asked Cici where she’d seen Vie

  With a timid little smile, she said, “I saw her where the violets grow,” and then she ran, giggling, back toward the reservation.

  Impossible, Carter thought as he watched her run. She stopped and turned back once, gazing at Carter with secrets in her eyes. The Chief appeared beside her, put his arm around the little girl, and nodded his head at Carter as if to agree that it was so.

  Katherine called out to Carter, “We’re going to be late picking up Sarah if you don’t get a move on.”

  Carter turned and walked to the Jeep, his thoughts jumbled, carrying the mysterious wilted violet in his hand.

  After they returned home, Carter decided to head to the hospital to check on Vivian’s progress. Though he understood it was Vivian, not Violet, lying in the bed, it was his only remaining connection to Vie. It was through her vessel that Vie had come to him, and he felt it was still the only way he could communicate with her.

  He entered Vivian’s room and no one else was there, so he sat beside her and took her hand in his. He leaned over her and whispered, “I received your gift, Princess.” He tugged her fingers back, placed the wilted violet in the palm of her hand and then closed it, almost bolting out of his chair when the violet lit up in Vivian’s hand, glowing magically in a soft white light.

  He turned quickly at the sound of someone knocking at the door, and when he looked back at Vivian, the light was gone and so was the violet; it had faded away, just like Vie.

  Chapter Four

  Change

  The meeting of the Guardians had disbanded, leaving Gabriel and Vie alone in the arena. Gabriel had known all along that Vie would make the right decision because she was a fighter. If there was one thing he knew about Vie unequivocally, it was that when ‘fight or flight’ instincts came into play, Vie would always choose to stand and fight. Her acceptance of her new position was the first step in healing her soul, and Gabriel could not be more proud of the courage she’d displayed in her willingness to move forward.

  “Surprised?” Vie asked Gabriel, referring to her choice.

  “Nope,” he responded confidently. “I knew you’d come back.” His grin was charming with a hint of a confident smirk.

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really, because I understand things about you that you’re completely unaware of,” Gabe said, circling around her like a hawk, still grinning. “For example, you have no idea how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have, whereas I see your inner strength emanating always.”

  “So I’m strong, you say? Then how come I can’t find the strength to function in a world without Carter Stone? Everything has changed and I feel stuck, like I’m not even me anymore,” Vie said sadly.

  “Well, then, perhaps you should find a way to look at things differently,” Gabe proposed.

  “How so?”

  “You believed your destiny was t
o go on missions with the Guardians—until you met Carter, and then you believed he was your destiny. Now you say everything has changed, and instead of thinking that perhaps this is your destiny, you question it. Maybe, just maybe, this change is exactly what will lead you to your true destiny. A wise man once told me, ‘when we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves,’” he concluded.

  “Just some words of wisdom to think about, Vie,” Gabriel said, leaving Vie with her thoughts as he exited the arena.

  Vie thought about Gabriel’s words. But I can’t believe there’s any way this can be what I’m meant to do. There’s something missing: Carter.

  She did grasp that, for the moment, she was unable to change her situation, so she decided she would need to change herself…or at least the way she was handling her apparently-human feelings. As she sat deep in thought, she heard Carter’s voice again. It was the same voice she had heard earlier that day in the hall.

  “Don’t give up, Vie. I’m right here with you. Can you feel me?” she heard him ask.

  Suddenly Vie felt Carter’s fingertips brush her hand. She unfurled her fingers and let them wrap around his until she could feel the heat of his palm pressed against her own. Then, almost as quickly as the feeling came, she felt his hand detach from hers, and his fingers gently slip away.

  Vie looked down at her hand, distraught that he’d let go. To her amazement, she saw a wilted violet lying in her palm. She quickly stood up and looked around the arena, thinking someone was playing games with her, but no one was there. Just as before, Vie was alone with nothing but her memories of Carter—and now a wilted violet.

  This can’t be happening, she thought. “But it is,” she started talking out loud now.

  “Carter, I hear you!” she began shouting to him, fierce in her determination to be heard. “I won’t give up, Carter. I’ll never give up!” She stood in the center of the arena, looking all around.

  Hearing Carter’s voice gave her great strength, but actually feeling him empowered her. This was proof for Vie that Gabriel was wrong; being a trainer was not going to lead her down a road to her destiny, because the road to her destiny began and ended with Carter Stone.

  If it’s change they want, then it’s change they’ll have. No more playing nice, Vie thought. I want and need answers now, and Camulus is going to give them to me.

  She stormed out of the arena, determined to confront Camulus, unwilling to be put off any longer. She wanted to know who she was, where she’d come from and why she couldn’t return to the one she loved. She hadn’t been given any of this information thus far, but all of that was about to change.

  Vie stormed into the chambers where Camulus stood, almost as if he had been waiting for her. She addressed him in a loud voice, “Camulus, we need to talk!”

  “Violet, please come in. I’ve been waiting for you,” he said soberly. Camulus understood that a warrior like Violet would not have easily accepted the vague explanations given to her when she’d returned to the Gates. He had known she would seek out the truth of her existence because he would have done the same in her shoes.

  “Come, sit, my dear,” he waved his hand toward the chair in front of his desk. “You’ve come seeking answers?”

  “I have,” she answered.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Well, first, I want to know who I am,” Vie said.

  “You know who you are, Violet; you don’t need me to tell you that,” Camulus replied with a smile.

  “Don’t play word games with me, Camulus; you know what I’m asking you. I don’t want to hear your sermons about walking down paths and following without questions; I’m just not interested in anything but the truth,” Vie stated.

  “Fair enough,” Camulus said, seeing the fierce look in her eyes. “Tell me what you think I can offer you.”

  “The truth, Camulus! Where did I come from? Who are my parents? And why am I so connected to Carter Stone?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” he replied, looking solemn.

  “You expect me to believe that the great Camulus, Ruler of the Gates, has no answers? Do you really think I’m that naive?” She stood up and leaned over him, close enough to feel his breath on her face.

  “Violet, regardless of what you do or don’t believe, I will caution you only once: remember with whom you are speaking,” he warned her.

  Violet took a moment and sat back in the chair trying to compose herself. She would never have behaved this way in the presence of Camulus before now, but she was fueled by the betrayal of the Guardians and felt almost entitled to her actions.

  Someone had revealed to Lucian that she was human, and that someone had come from the Gates. The only thing Vie knew was that no Guardian could extract that information if it didn’t exist. And if it existed…then Camulus was definitely aware of it.

  “All I can do, my dear, is tell you what I know,” Camulus stated, ready to talk.

  “One day I was training with Gabriel right outside the entrance to the Gates, when out of nowhere you appeared to us. You were so young, so weak, and so delicate. Your clothes were soaked in blood and even though tears fell from your eyes, you showed no signs of fear. Gabriel ran to you first and the two of you looked at each other almost as if you were sharing your innermost thoughts and feelings. You were wounded severely and Gabriel placed his hand on your leg and healed your wounds. We weren’t sure how or why you’d come to us, but what we did know was that you were sent to us for a reason and we hoped, in time, that reason would be realized. It was very soon after you arrived that we recognized you had unbelievable powers and abilities that resembled those of the Guardians. We understood you were different, but you were one of us just the same.” Camulus ended with an endearing look.

  “Then how did you know I was human?” she asked.

  “You bled the blood of a human and cried the tears of one,” he replied.

  “What about my connection to Carter?” she asked, feeling it was fated.

  “I believe Carter sent you here—just as he did during the mission, by the way—to save you. You and Carter knew each other as children and were very close. I’m told you met and bonded instantly at the reservation until one day, the Dark One came, hunting for Carter. You were both in danger, you were hurt, and Carter sent you to us. End of story,” Camulus finished.

  Camulus could see these were not the answers Violet had hoped for. His story did not offer much in the way of closure for her. In fact, it was just the opposite: his tale opened up a whole new can of worms and he knew her curiosity was bound to get the best of her. There were just too many holes in his story…too many unanswered questions for which Vie would be determined to find resolution, even if it killed her.

  Camulus could see the exact moment when she decided she was on a new mission, a personal one; it burned brightly in her eyes as she stood up. She reached her hand out across the desk to shake his hand and that’s when everything changed.

  As their hands met, Vie saw flashes of her earlier existence. The first flash was of Lily, Vivian’s mom; then Katherine, Carter’s mom; then the Chief; and finally, Carter. The scene was so real, it was as though they were standing right there in Camulus’ chambers. Stunned by what she saw, Vie quickly released his hand and abruptly excused herself.

  Camulus looked at her, worried that she’d just had a glimpse inside him; in fact, the more he thought about it, the more he was sure of it. For the first time, he realized just how powerful Vie truly was; he knew it was only a matter of time before she figured everything out for herself. He called for the guard who stood outside his chambers and told him he needed to see Fallon immediately.

  There was a knock at the door, and Gabriel entered. “Sir, I need to speak with you about something.”

  “Gabriel, I really don’t have time to speak with you right now,” Camulus replied, frustrated.

  “Camulus, please, this will only take a minute,” he implored.

&n
bsp; “Very well, one minute. That’s what I can spare.” His reluctance was obvious.

  “Remember when I asked you about the Angel Blade, the one Lucian used to kill Reese? You told me it went missing, correct?” Gabriel looked to Camulus for confirmation.

  “Yes, yes, that is what I said,” he agreed, distracted and trying to move the conversation along. “Gabriel, do we really need to keep rehashing the events of this mission? I mean, if you have a question to ask me, just spit it out so we can both move on with the business of the day.”

  “Fine, then. I’ll just ask. Here’s what I want to know: if you noticed the blade was missing, then why didn’t you tell me about it?” Gabriel looked as if he knew the answer to his question already and didn’t expect the truth.

  “I couldn’t. You had already left for the mission when I’d discovered it was gone. Gabriel, you really need to find a way to ease your conscience and put things with Reese to rest. I know how difficult it is to have someone betray you, especially someone you trust more than anything, but you need to find a way to let it go. Just let it go,” he said, almost begging.

  Gabriel glared into Camulus’ eyes. He couldn’t believe what had just happened here. He now had an idea of what Vie had felt when Lucian told her she was human and she’d discovered Gabriel had lied to her. Camulus, his friend and mentor, had just done the exact thing to him. He’d lied right to his face. There has to be some sort of mistake.

  A knock at the door broke Gabriel’s thoughts; in walked Fallon.

  Gabriel turned away from Camulus, walked past Fallon without even glancing her way, and exited the chambers.

  Fallon noticed the look on his face and asked, “So what was that all about?”

  “Gabriel is not the reason I summoned you here,” Camulus said. “Actually, I thought there might be something you might wish to tell me,”

  Fallon stood still, pondering what to do. She could tell by the look on his face he knew something. But what? she wondered.