Ascended (Fallen Guardian Saga #2)

by Debra Ann Miller

  “Something evil entered our world that day, but thankfully, it didn’t remain there for very long. Under the Chief’s watchful eye, that sweet little baby girl transformed into the most beautiful young soul I had ever seen in all my life. But the bottom line is that Lily gave birth to two healthy baby girls that stormy night, and only one returned home with her.”

  Katherine finished her tale and sat back, looking weary and yet relieved that the truth was out.

  Carter had sat, completely still and silent, while his mother shared her recollections of that night. He was stunned, to say the least, but admired her courage under fire. He only had one question left: the million dollar question, “Who was Lily’s other baby and where is she now?”

  “You already know who she is, Carter,” Katherine said, wondering why Carter had not been able to figure it out yet. The answer was so obvious, and yet he stared at her blankly.

  “It was Vie, Carter! Violet was Vivian’s sister. She was the baby Lily left behind on the reservation. Don’t you remember your little friend with the violet eyes who disappeared that day at the Tower? The two of you were inseparable, best friends. It was Vie; it has always been Vie!” Katherine exclaimed tearfully, not able to forget the image of the tiny baby separated from her mother and twin sister.

  Instantly Carter realized what it all meant. Lucian was going after Vivian to get to Vie; he didn’t have any use for Vivian at all other than as a means to capture Vie. He stood, kissed his Mom, and thanked her for telling him the truth.

  He ran upstairs to his room, preparing for battle. He opened his dresser drawer to get the Angel Blade and to his astonishment, it was gone. At first he was panicked, but then he thought maybe Raphael must have taken it—that was the only thing that made sense. He raced out to the backyard to look for him.

  Raphael showed himself. “What is it, Carter?”

  Carter told him everything he had learned about Vie and Vivian, and what it meant for Lucian.

  “He’s coming for her, Raph, you know he is. We need to be ready!” Carter spoke like a true warrior.

  “I need the blade,” Carter put his hand out, expecting Raphael to hand it over.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about Carter. I don’t have the blade,” he replied.

  “What do you mean you don’t have it?” Carter shouted, his panic returning.

  “Where was it?” Raphael asked.

  “I hid it in my room, in the back of one of my drawers. No one has been in my room since I put it there. Well, no one except Tess, but she wouldn’t know what it was, let alone steal anything from me,” Carter responded.

  Raphael raised an eyebrow. Although Carter was certain of Tess’ innocence, Raphael was not. There was definitely something suspicious about that girl—something that seemed off to Raphael—he was sure of it.

  “Carter, I need to speak with Gabriel and the others and fill them in. Will you be all right here for a little while?” he asked.

  “I’ll be just fine,” Carter said, his thoughts full of vengeance at the mere thought of Lucian.

  “Carter, you need to be careful while I’m away.” As Carter began to shake his head in disagreement, he warned him, “I mean it, Carter. Don’t go looking for trouble! And don’t worry about the blade, either. We—meaning the Guardians—will find the person responsible for taking it.

  “And don’t go looking for the guilty party on your own. You have no idea what Gabriel looks like when he’s angry; I wouldn’t want to deal with his wrath and neither would you, I can promise you that.” He spoke with both respect for, and fear of, Gabriel. Seconds later, he was gone.

  Carter still had a million other questions about Vie, and there was only one person who could offer the answers he sorely desired. That person was his mentor and his friend, the Chief. Carter decided to drive to the reservation to get the crucial answers straight from the horse’s mouth.

  When he arrived at the reservation, the Chief was sitting up on the plateau already waiting for him; he had known Carter would come, and he had waited many moons for this day to arrive.

  Carter sat down beside him silently and waited for him to begin.

  “Waka, I am proud of you for seeking your truth,” the Chief began.

  “I wish to hear your story,” Carter told him, “but you should know, my Violet does not have an evil bone in her body, and there is nothing you can say to convince me otherwise. Ever.”

  The Chief just grinned at Carter, pleased at his confidence in the beautiful young Guardian. “No, Waka, she is not evil. But she was born with evil in her. Violet came into this world with unmistakable devil-red eyes, the eyes which only evil-dwellers possess. Yes, there was evil inside her, Waka, but there was a light, too. Her eyes called out to me and I knew she needed to be saved. I knew upon our sacred land no evil could dwell, and so did the Dark One.

  “Within the first few days of her life, those eyes changed from devil-red to the most beautiful shade of violet I had ever seen. It was then that we named her…Violet. When you arrived for a visit with your mother, you took to her immediately, as she did to you. You gave her light, and she blossomed within that light. We gave her love, and she grew within us. He had given her powers and she thrived like a warrior.

  “Whatever evil was born in Violet had disappeared along with our memories of her birth. Wherever she had come from did not matter to us; we understood where she was supposed to be, and she was our gift to the world,” he said.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about Violet?” Carter asked. “All this time you knew who she was, and you said nothing.”

  “I could not, Waka; you had to find your own truth. You had to discover the three gifts that would bring her back to you: life, love, and understanding. Now that you understand about Violet, she can come to you.” The Chief nodded as he spoke, counting off the three gifts on his long fingers.

  “But how? Violet isn’t here and she can’t return to me. I’ve lost her,” Carter said, his head bowed.

  “Waka, the world is round. The place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning,” the Chief replied with his unique words of wisdom. He tended to dispense his knowledge in riddle form, challenging Carter to decipher them in his search for answers. Though the riddles appeared quite complex at first, Carter always discovered the answers staring him right in the face.

  “I have to get back to the ranch. I didn’t tell my mom I was leaving. She’ll probably be worried,” Carter finally said, after they’d sat in companionable silence for a few more moments.

  “Go, Waka…be safe, my son,” the Chief rested a hand on Carter’s head, almost as a benediction, and then returned to his own home.

  In the meantime, Henry had been pacing the floors in turmoil after his visit from Carter. He was devastated that Lily had concealed the truth from him about the birth of their twins. He couldn’t imagine any reason she would have had that would justify hiding the knowledge from him for all those years. How could she not tell me about the babies? he thought.

  He decided he couldn’t wait any longer. He was going to go crazy if he continued to sit in his house with nothing but his thoughts for company. Henry decided he needed to be with his daughter. He grabbed his keys and headed back to the hospital.

  Henry sat with Vivian, holding her hand, and praying. He didn’t seem to have much left, but what he did have was his faith and he was not going to lose that, too. It would have been easy to get lost in his pain and blame his God for taking away the people he loved, to ask, why me? But Henry chose to believe there was a bigger plan for his life, even though he might not be able to see it at that moment. His faith sustained him and he clung to it like a life preserver.

  Henry sat in the chair in the corner of Vivian’s room, mentally and physically exhausted by the events of the night. In a matter of minutes, he nodded off.

  Suddenly, he was awakened, not by any sound, but by an eerie chill in the room. He jumped up when he realized there was a dark shadow hovering ov
er Vivian’s body.

  ”Get away from my daughter!”

  The shadowy figure turned to look at him. Henry knew without a doubt that he was staring at the face of something horrifying, something dark, and something of pure evil. Surprisingly, he felt no fear; his adrenaline was pumping but fear was not an option, nor even a passing thought. Protecting his daughter was the only focus.

  “You have no business here. Leave!” Henry ordered.

  “Oh, but I do,” the dark figure finally spoke. “I am here for Vivian. I own her now,” he said, taunting Henry.

  “You own no one. Go back to the hell from which you came,” Henry began to move closer to Vivian’s bed.

  “Soon enough, my friend and I will be taking your beautiful daughter with me,” the malevolent being grinned in Henry’s face.

  Henry closed his eyes to shut out the vile image, and started praying out loud, trying to banish the evil in the room. Over and over he repeated them, each time speaking louder and louder.

  The dark figure circled around Henry repeatedly, laughing at his desperation. Then he glided directly over to Vivian and said, “Did you really think you could win, Henry? You took something precious from me, and now I am taking something precious from you.”

  “I have nothing that belongs to you!” Henry shouted.

  “Your precious Lily does!” the Dark One thundered. “And mark my words, I will regain what was stolen from me!

  “And know this, Henry Thorne,” he continued, still laughing, “that until that day comes, I shall keep what belongs to you: your precious daughter. You do read your Bible, pastor, correct? What is that phrase? Ah, yes…an eye for an eye!” He faded away.

  Henry opened his eyes and looked around the room, but the evil being in the room was gone. He couldn’t figure out if he had been dreaming, or if what had just happened was real.

  It couldn’t be real, Henry thought, clutching his Bible to his chest. Vivian was resting comfortably, sleeping like a baby and looking like an angel. Henry felt sure he must have been dreaming, but he was shaken nonetheless by the horrific scene that had just played out.

  Just then, Vivian opened her eyes and smiled at Henry, as if on cue.

  It was all he needed to see. Vivian’s smile reminded him that love was a power much greater than hate, and he knew he would protect his daughter with his love, always. Henry took Vivian’s hand and smiled back at her, and then watched as she closed her eyes for the last time.

  The phone rang at the Stone residence and Carter picked it up. “Hello?”

  “Carter? It’s Henry…Vivian is gone.”

  Chapter Ten

  The Last Piece

  Gabriel couldn’t stop thinking about the blade he’d seen lodged in Reese’s chest—the same blade he’d given to Carter before Lucian chased them up the Tower. Where have I seen that blade before? he pondered. Gabriel knew he had to get another look at the blade to see if he could remember where he had seen it before.

  As much as he wanted to see the blade again, he worried about leaving Vie right now. She had said she was all right, but that was the type of thing she did, pretending everything was all right just to spare others the burden of worrying about her. She was also the type Gabe worried about because once she got an idea in her head, she just ran with it, ignoring the risks. He knew her well and feared she might do something impulsive that would jeopardize her safety, so he decided his visit to Carter would have to wait.

  He thought about everything that had happened, beginning with the first days of their mission. He tried hard to recall the details of everything that had transpired while they were there; he knew that somewhere in his memory there was some small detail that would lead him to the traitor.

  Gabriel actually wished he could be Vie just for a moment; having her photographic memory would come in handy for him now. As he continued to think about Reese, he suddenly remembered seeing him having words with Fallon before he left the Gates. She had been irate with him, and Gabriel could almost see their conversation in his mind; he remembered hearing her say that she should be going on the mission, not Vie. At the time, Gabriel had thought she was just blowing off steam, but in hindsight he began to think that her anger was more like a controlled rage.

  He thought back further and recalled another detail that had seemed inconsequential at the time but now seemed significant. The night of the dance, Jeremy had told Gabriel and Carter that Tess was the one who had delivered Vie to the Tower. Why would Tess bring Vie to the Tower? he wondered. He wasn’t buying into the story about her being jealous, and that she’d ‘just wanted to make Vie walk home.’ None of it made any sense to Gabriel anymore. Something is wrong.

  Another surprising detail entered his mind, one which had, once again, meant nothing to him at the time but could explain everything now. Vie had told Gabriel about Lucian coming to her in a dream and whispering the word Ephemeris in her ear.

  Gabriel thought hard and then it hit him: the word hadn’t made any sense at the time Vie had told him about it, because it wasn’t an English word. Ephemeris originated from a Latin word which, when translated, meant ‘diary’ or ‘journal.’

  The truth flashed in his mind: Vie’s soul diary was the last piece of the puzzle they needed in order to figure out what was really going on. I need to see her diary—and I know just who is going to show it to me, he thought.

  Excited by his discovery, Gabriel headed back to Camulus to formally request a viewing of the diary. The diaries were sacred and only able to be viewed in extreme circumstances, but Gabriel was certain this qualified.

  He knocked and entered Camulus’ chambers without waiting for permission from within. He noticed Camulus did not seem surprised to see him at all. Gabriel was surprised at how worn Camulus looked—as though he were carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. It wasn’t like Camulus to allow his burdens to show, but today it was clear something was weighing heavy on his heart.

  “Camulus, I need to see Vie’s diary,” Gabriel stated.

  “That’s impossible, Gabriel.”

  “I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist upon it, Camulus. If I have to, I’ll take it to the Council,” he threatened.

  “Do what you must, Gabriel, but going to the Council will not change anything,” Camulus said.

  “I beg to differ with you, sir,” Gabriel replied, respectfully. “I believe they will allow it when I share information with them that I’ve gathered.”

  Camulus didn’t seem shocked by Gabriel’s findings. As Gabriel’s former trainer, he knew this warrior was the most exceptional Guardian he had ever seen, and from the moment Gabriel had left his chambers after their most recent meeting, Camulus had known it was only a matter of time before he’d figure out what was really going on.

  “Gabriel, it won’t change the fact that I no longer have Vie’s diary in my possession!” he raised his voice.

  “What? Why not? Where is it, Camulus?” Gabriel asked.

  “I don’t know. It’s missing and I don’t know who has taken it.”

  “You’re lying to me, Camulus, just like you lied to me about the Angel Blade and Reese. Did you think I wouldn’t figure it out?” Gabe was indignant. “You see, you forgot one important detail about successfully telling a lie: you need to make sure your timeline is intact. Reese left for the mission before I did, not after, so if he really did take the blade as you say he did, you would have had plenty of time to inform me about it.

  “How could you, of all people, look me in the eye and lie to me?” Gabriel asked him.

  Camulus had no answers for Gabriel. It was easy to see the pain he carried within himself over his actions. Lying to Gabriel was the most difficult thing he had ever done, and he’d done it to protect Fallon. In truth, just as Gabriel was like a son to him, Fallon was like a daughter. He could not justify his actions; all he could do was bow his head like a guilty man, ashamed.

  There was a knock at the door and Raphael entered.

  “Gabr
iel, I’ve been looking all over for you. Something is about to happen—something big—and we need to prepare for war,” he said.

  Gabriel asked Raphael to fill him in, and he did. He told Gabriel and Camulus about how Carter had figured out that Vivian and Violet were sisters, and why he believed that Lucian was going after her.

  Gabriel was quite impressed that Carter had been able to figure out the exact same thing they’d just discovered about Vie’s life and bloodline. He had already recognized Carter’s abilities, and he was thrilled that he was finally beginning to use his gifts.

  Then Raphael asked, “Did you know the Angel Blade has been stolen from Carter?”

  This was definitely new information for Gabriel. He questioned Raphael about where the blade had been hidden and when it was last seen.

  Raphael told him, “The blade was kept in Carter’s room, and the only other person who was in there was Tess.”

  In an instant, the solutions to all the problems in Gabriel’s head became crystal clear. Although Raphael had relayed Carter’s belief of Tess’s innocence, Gabriel felt differently. The ‘light bulb went on,’ as the humans were fond of saying.

  “Tess was with Carter when the blade went missing. Tess drove Vie to the Tower,” Gabriel said while circling Camulus. He’d figured out what Camulus had tried so hard to hide.

  Camulus was trapped and he knew it.

  “Where is she?” Gabriel thundered at Camulus, but he received no answer.

  He grabbed Camulus and demanded an answer from him. “Where is Fallon?”

  Watching the exchange, Raphael was sure Gabriel was losing it; he couldn’t believe his eyes. He tried to pull Gabriel off Camulus, but he could not loosen Gabe’s grip from the neck of their leader.

  “Gabe, please! Let him go!” Raphael begged.

  Gabe suddenly became aware of what he was doing, and noticed Raphael looking at him as if he were a stranger. Gabriel had always been an example of moral character, the one who kept order amongst the Guardians, and the one they trusted to lead them with dignity and honor; it bothered him to have Rafael see him in a less than honorable light. He looked back to Camulus, who had shown no fear despite Gabriel’s rage, and slowly loosened his grip.