“Abigail?” He heard the clatter of her teacup on its saucer. “It’s been ages since anyone has seen her. Are you sure?”
“No mistaking it. Shape shifting element of Body. She was kind enough to heal me.” He pulled himself up and out of the chair. Stretching, avoiding facing her directly. “Amazing she was able to do this much healing and not break a sweat.”
“And what did she want?” Sipping her tea, he could feel the stare burn through him. “She still thinks like a child at times. She always wants to trade. It’s her curse; an immortal that loses to the childish tendencies her body pushes onto her.”
“It was nothing,” He could feel his face flush with heat. “Just a kiss.”
“Ah, that’s right, I remember now. She always crushed over Hotan.” Her laugh released his tension. “Well, that was a small payment for such a big job, for sure. Shocked you are still here then. I would take you for one to run off the moment your feet were working.”
“Normally I would.” He flopped down on the edge of the bed, sitting there staring out the open door. “But, I have no idea where here is. Plus, I decided to get in some rest while I still could. Start fresh during the day.”
“I’m glad you stayed.” She finished the last of the tea in her cup and placed it on the windowsill. “Let’s get going in that case. I am sure you need a ride home and have things to tend to after being here for so long.”
“But what about Talib?” Standing up he followed her out the door and down the large hallway. Her long brown braid swung side to side against her slender back. “Won’t he be mad about me leaving? About you taking me home so suddenly? Plus, I think we need to talk about what exactly happened.”
“Talib knows where to find you if need be.” She held a door open, leading him into a rather large kitchen. “Plus he’s coming with us.”
“He’s coming with us?” The words fumbled out of his mouth. “Are you sure about that too?”
“How are you walking?” Talib’s voice cut the air, catching Hotan’s attention. “What is going on? You were still coming in and out of heavy sleep?”
“Abigail was here.” Saphellia pushed pass him, kissing Talib on the cheek. Grabbing a set of keys from the table in front of him, she went about her agenda. “How wonderful of her to help him heal, don’t you think, dear?”
“Abigail has been lost for centuries!” Hotan jumped at the clanking of the coffee cup as it splashed steaming coffee across the table. “She was the only one I could not track. She never took on the same form. Far as I knew, she was a bird half a dozen times! Or someone’s pet!”
“Let’s go.” He couldn’t help but admire how Saphellia blew passed the reaction and went about floating out the door. “Let’s get this poor kid home for the time being.”
“Where did you find her?” Chills ran down his neck at Talib’s intense glare. “You must have found her and failed to let me know.”
“Look! I have no idea where she came from! All I know is she scared the shit out of me last night.” He billowed back at Talib, having no patience for his condescending tone. “I thought I was losing my mind when a cat appeared and started giggling, talking to me! Imagine how I felt!”
“A cat?” There was a moment of silence as they stared each other down and finally, Talib started to laugh. “A cat huh?”
“Yea, a talking cat.” Blinking he couldn’t get over the sight of seeing a smile across Talib’s face. “I wasn’t sure what was going on when she woke me up in the dead of the night.”
“I guess I cannot blame you for the mischief of a little girl.” It was a relief to feel the tension break between them as he ventured to the door. “Go on. I will follow you out in a moment, I want to finish my coffee first.”
“Ok.” Talib was actually smiling and laughing.
“I told you he liked you. He really does care,” Saphellia winked at Hotan as he slid into the back seat of the compact car. “And scared too. I don’t think you’ll ever know how relieved that man is to see you walk out of that room on your own accord. He didn’t think you would recover fully from your little stunt a month ago.”
“He was probably right to think that. From how my body felt, I was going to be down for a long time.” Sighing, he pumped his fist, marveling over the fact there was no clues to the cold and heavy sensation that had hobbled him the night before. “Is it always so cold and dead feeling when you exert too much power?”
“…yes.” He could hear her breathing change at the thought. “It is quite the opposite of what you feel when using your power. For you it’s a new sensation all around. For us, we have never known the freezing sensation until now. Deep down we are all afraid of going too far and not knowing until it’s too late. We were never limited before and it terrifies many of us.”
“Has anyone died from it?” Staring hard at the back of her head, he saw her shoulders slump.
“Not to our knowledge. The worst case we’ve seen, was me. I had gotten myself in a bad situation. I found myself falling off a building, and by the grace of God somehow awakened in time to save myself. But at a heavy price.”
“From falling?” His eyes widened as she told her story. “How? How did you save yourself?”
“I am Wind. I managed to call upon it to catch my fall. The sudden large expulsion of the full extent of my power put me into a deep coma.” She turned and the heat of her glare hit his soul with a terrible grief. “I woke up roughly five months ago. To be exact, when your power peaked for the first time. When you released the first wave in the Cathedral, I came soaring out of my 80-year-old coma. Otherwise, I would still be in that very same bed you found yourself in.”
What could he possibly say to that? It was clear how lucky he was to be awake, let alone walking. Her rigid, slender face made sure to demand that he realize the seriousness of what he was capable of doing. His power affected everyone. It did not matter if he was directing it at them or not. Train wrecks on top of train wrecks had been going on this whole time because of his powers being in limbo. Talib had too much thrown at him in such a short time. He felt ashamed and selfish for not realizing how they were right there with him, riding the coattails of disaster. Every day all they could do was watch their world fall apart.
Breaking from the silent understanding, they sat there, lost in their own boiling pots of emotions. The old Hotan had really turned their world upside down. This whole time he was upset with his life being a mess when these poor people, for centuries, have been tormented. Especially Talib.
I couldn’t imagine watching Shellie in a coma for 80 years. Talib I am sorry. I had no idea.
Let us move on then. The car door opened and Talib shot him a quick look. “We need to get you home. I am sure Shellie and a few others are worried about you.”
“Thanks.” The car ride was agonizingly quiet. Hotan had lost his need for seeking out information from Talib.
“You said a while, but over a month?” Worry didn’t even describe the look on Shellie’s face as she held back tears of relief. “Over a month! Your bike was there, no one home, no signs of you anywhere! Then when you missed our shows at 7even’s, I started panicking!”
“I’m sorry, Shellie.” All he could think of was to hug her. “I am so sorry. It didn’t go as planned. I’m lucky to even be back this soon.”
“I was so scared.” Her body jolted as she started crying. “What exactly happened to you?”
“If I could tell you, I would.” Pain and sorrow filled him as he held her tight, still feeling the guilt from kissing Abigail. “It’s done and over with. For now I can take some time to heal.”
“Heal? How badly were you hurt?” Her green eyes were so wonderful to see. “Hotan, you can’t be serious? You’re going to kill yourself going on like this.”
“It’s complicated.” Her peachy skin, her brown hair that gave a shimmer of red in the sunlight, her rosy lips; he was seeing her fully with no fears of it fading away. “Let’s just say, I am feeling better about my situation. The best part,
I’m no longer color blind.”
“No longer?” His lips pressed hard against hers.
The warmth of her made his heart whirl. After being in that horrible cold dead sensation, he had grown to enjoy the warmth. She pulled back as she wiped the last of her tears on her sleeve. Regaining her composure, she managed a smile. “I wasn’t alone in my struggle this time. If I had tried this alone, I wouldn’t be here with you. That much I am sure of.”
“You can see color, you say.” Amused, she looked intensely into his silver eyes. “Then what does my shirt look like.”
“It’s green with red stripes.” Watching her eyes widen, he couldn’t help but smile. “And your watch is blue, and the house is a pinkish color, it looks like a conch shell. What a horrible color for a house.”
“How on earth were you able to-” She couldn’t find the words to ask. “Will I ever know what happened to you this past month?”
“No. I don’t even want to think about it. All that matters is I’m back. I want to take some time to focus on my life for a change. I learned a valuable lesson, not to rush things, and I plan to slow down. How did you guys manage without me at 7even’s?”
“Well, we got lucky. Hisota showed every night and with Metsy helping, we were able to put on a decent show. Still was lacking, didn’t do many of our usual songs. We all agreed there are just some that you sing we couldn’t possibly do even half as well.” She came in for another hug. “We’ve all been so worried about you! Kyle insisted that he had heard from you and you would be back soon.”
“Sounds like you were the most worried about me.” Sighing, he kissed her passionately again. His heart ached to have to break the moment. “I am heading home. I need to get some rest but I will see you tomorrow, Shellie. Love you”
“See you tomorrow.” With one more squeeze she reluctantly let him go. Hearing the exhaustion in his voice, she knew he needed the rest. “I love you too.”
It was nice being in his apartment again. Small, quiet and dark. It was just as he had left it over a month ago. Dropping onto his couch, he stared up at the ceiling as he mulled over all the information he had obtained. There was so much to consider and he now realized how much his power affected the others. Chills crawled across his skin. He was pulling the strings and jerking others in several directions.
Hotan must have known he was able to do this, but he lacked the will power to move past losing his family. This had to be what started this mess.
Rubbing the cold sensation back out of his arms, he sat back up, staring at the photo album on the table. Abigail had retrieved it from the trash. He was never to see that album, but by pure luck he was able to have something of his mother’s. The dainty necklace and charm he wore made itself known to him constantly. Pulling it out of his shirt, he looked it over. She had even thrown it out, but he remembered at one point she had worn it religiously. The only thing he had of his mother’s was the necklace. It was also a constant reminder of who had broken her. The nameless father who smiled so smugly in all the photos fueled his hatred for the ruined lives they had lived.
What have you done? Immediately he knew he was hearing Callan. What have you started?
It’s been a while since we last spoke. Lugging himself off the couch, he started the shower, hot water blazing. I’ve managed to get my power under control.
Geliah is pissed. The voice sounded shaken. He’s tearing the place apart. He’s been unable to track you for a few weeks now.
And that’s bad? He jerked his shirt off, freeing himself from clothes he had been wearing for God knows how long. I needed to seal the leaks and I guess he noticed. Good.
Be careful, he will not keep his promise. Staring at himself in the mirror as he listened to Callan’s words, he knew what that promise was. The same one that Talib refused to tell him about months ago.
He wasn’t planning to wait a year anyway. At least he could recall that night in the church. He had been able to recover that much from releasing Hotan’s hold on his mind. I’ll have to take it one-step at a time.
He knows about the girl. Do not underestimate him in terms of using those around you to his advantage. Hotan could feel the desperation. Callan was trying to make him feel the trepidation involved. I am stuck here. I want out, but I am afraid I am far too weak. I can’t get pass his ability to control my own fears. At least I can be your eyes when I am able to push passed his hold on me.
I’m sorry. Hang in there, this can’t continue much longer. He finally broke his gaze from his own reflection and embraced the hot water that beat upon his head and muscles. I will get you out of there.
So many of them needed his help and he barely knew what he could do. He didn’t even know what started the whole mess exactly. His body relished the hot water. He never wanted to feel that close to death again. It was like being trapped in a cold husk, with no way out.
If it wasn’t for Abigail, I would still be there.
He was lucky to be conscious. Saphellia was proof that he should have been completely unreachable, comatose to the world and those around him for eternity. She had spent 80 years like that, with only Talib nurturing and watching her all that time.
It was clear to him now, that Talib was the one suffering most of all. Saphellia naturally could see it better than everyone else what Talib was feeling and thinking. He was broken, heart and soul. Dealing with all this chaos and this last leg of the race proved too much for him. Talib was shutting down and closing the doors to everyone despite the situation that lay in front of them. His judgment had been compromised, just as Hotan’s leadership was all those centuries ago. Mistakes proved most devastating.
He abruptly shut the water off, arms out and pushing against the tiled wall as he watched the last of the water go down the drain. He had a lot riding on his shoulders.
Hotan was right to fear making any mistakes. It cost him everything and if I’m not cautious, I will suffer the same fate.
Being down a month was a mistake, but he could only hope that what he was able to do that night truly did something good. He was at least able to defend himself and communicate with ease.
I have learned so much. Tomorrow I will sit and talk with Talib. Worse, I am now their leader, more blind than the old Hotan ever was all his life.
Chapter Twenty
“Hello there, my son.” It was the first time he had seen a priest in the Cathedral. “How may the Lord help you? Is there anything I can do for you?”
“I’m actually looking for Talib.” Hotan eyed the man carefully; there was something about him, almost a faint radiance coming from his very being. “He said I could find him here. He does know I am coming.”
“Ah, yes, he is in the back. I will go get him.” There was no need for the three steps he had made. “Oh, he must have felt your presence.”
“Thank you for tending to the visitors, Lucius.” Talib exchanged a bowed head with the blonde priest. “It helps make it look legitimate.”
“Nice touch.” He watched the priest, something seemed odd, but his body was saying it was familiar. “Who is that? He seems, off.”
“He is Lucius. He is the element of Light.” The door echoed as it closed behind the priest in the back of the Cathedral. “Do you remember him somehow?”
“No. I just had this overwhelming sensation. I feel like I have a type of built-in radar but haven’t learned how to use it.” He sat on the pew, sliding over for Talib to sit. “Every nerve in my body wanted to shout the answer, but I have no way of knowing otherwise. I did not get any memories from your brother. Those were his to keep I suppose.”
“I was hoping some information would transfer to you. I guess that was asking for too much.” Talib was still standing in the aisle way, his eyes distant and sad. “What do you need from me? You said you had some questions that you wanted to ask me in person.”
“I wanted to find out some history. The book talks about the timeframe and where you came from, but after that, nothing.” Rubbing the back of
his neck, staring at Talib as he tried to be as sincere as possible. “In fact, I have no idea when you went into watcher mode and no clue when the first one woke up. I know you might have covered some of it before but, now you have my full attention. There’s no more questioning if this is real.”
“I imagine that does leave a lot of unanswered questions.” To Hotan’s relief he sat down next to him. “Are you familiar with the Bible?”
“Sort of,” He hadn’t spent very much time in church, let alone reading the Bible. “I know about Adam and Eve, Moses, Noah, and stuff?”
“Well, that is a good start. When Moses came to the new land, thirteen tribes were separated and laid out across the land. Israel, to give you an idea of what part of the world we are from, would be close to where we lived. Our tribe was the smallest, but we were given a small lot of land that happened to produce strong animals and an abundance of food. On top of that we were promised the tenth firstborn child from the other tribes to ensure we prospered and continue to produce priests and diplomats. In the end, there were three fates given to our people, the Levites.” A sigh of remorse escaped his lips as he paused a moment. “Immortality, death, or enslavement. We are labeled in the scripture as the Levites, slaves that tended to the Tabernacle for the other tribes. It says so in every Bible there is now.”
“It must be sad to see yourselves written out of history.” Staring into Talib’s silver eyes, he knew deep down there was no deception to his story. “But the few of you that escaped made it to an island. That’s where you became immortal, right?”
“Yes, we called it Nirvana or Eden. My brother was in a deep depression after that point. He never regained himself despite all my efforts to soothe his heart.” There was no denying how much he cared for his brother as he stiffened and continued to answer him. “When we left we were hoping to show our forgiveness towards the kin of our debtors and trespassers. We split off and traveled the world far and wide. We attempted to teach good and better the lives of our fellow man. Instead, we only found heartbreak. The world was soaking in greed and corruption. Lives cursed for generations for the sins they had committed in the time we had been gone.”
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