by Amy Freeman
“We know when something has happened to one of our leaders. You will know,” he said. He rested a hand on her shoulder. “Do not worry. There is a purpose for this. The Divinity has a plan and you are part of it. Trust your instincts. As the Oracle, yours are sharper than any of ours here. If anything is to occur, you will know about it first.”
Anvil took Sam’s hand. “Do not worry,” he said. “Trinton carries a strength I have never encountered before, and if I trained him, then we think alike,” he smiled. “We will take care of each other.”
Sam returned the smile, feeling a glimpse of comfort.
Dobrushin introduced the rest of the council to Sam and then turned her over to Lenka, tall and slender with light brown hair that cascaded in thick curls past her shoulders—enchanting.
She took Sam up the steps to the golden door and gazed down at her with brilliant eyes, sensing her fear and hesitancy. “Do not be afraid,” she said. “This is a sacred sanctuary and this temple is fortified. You cannot be harmed within its walls.”
Sam nodded. Every time she had been told she was safe she hadn’t been. The enemy was cunning, able to circumvent every safety ever established for her. They approached the top step. Lenka did not move to open the door but turned to Sam instead. “Only the Oracle can open it.”
Sam looked to the large golden door. She turned to Lenka, lowering her voice. “Trin hasn’t...the Oracle...my power isn’t intact.”
Lenka smiled. “The binding energy will recognize you as its conduit.” She turned toward the door. “Open it.”
Sam looked upon the door with reservation, knowing it had been sealed and its purpose, what it signified to the Veduny tribe. She felt as if she were opening the Ark of the Covenant or King Arthur pulling the sword from the stone. She was just a little girl from Utah.
She tentatively reached for the large handle—its extravagant craftsmanship bewildering. At the touch of her hand the whole door erupted in brilliant light. All those present shielded their eyes, Sam included. The brightness gradually dimmed, but remained. Sam looked to Lenka who nodded in affirmation that this was expected and to pull the door open.
Sam gave the door a great pull, and with defiant creaking it rumbled open, dusty air pluming outward from its edges as it came to a stop. The dust settled, revealing a silken veil blocking the view of what lay beyond.
A hush of humility blanketed the room. Lenka looked to the council—the hope in the courtyard palpable. She turned to Sam. “This is a day we didn’t expect to see so soon,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “You bring us such hope after the horrible events of the past few months.”
Sam thought about how, in reality, it had been years. How the Veduny now wouldn’t have to wait that long, and she too had her first glimmer of hope that perhaps the Divinity, of which she kept hearing, truly was in control after all; that perhaps this was all part of a great plan.
“Go inside, Samantha,” Lenka said. “You must be protected.”
Sam turned and looked upon Anvil and the council. She nodded at them as well. They all bowed their heads in humility. “Thank you for helping us,” Sam said.
“No,” Dobrushin responded. “Thank you.”
Sam turned and pushed through the veil. She then heard the heavy door sliding forward followed by a loud vibration as it closed behind her.
CHAPTER FIFTY ONE
“Are you ready?” Llamar asked.
He had taken Trin to Anvil’s room and given him Veduny military attire to change into. Dressed in heavy black fatigues and leather boots, a long heavy overcoat added to the barrier that would soon be needed between him and the icy Russian air. A thick hat protected his head. His light eyes, light hair, and sun kissed skin were a stunning contrast to the all-black ensemble; beautiful and deadly.
Stepping out into the hallway, he asked “What is our plan?”
“We wait for Anvil to return. There is little I am allowed to do in the physical world. I will help all I can with information, but as far as physically doing anything, that will be left to you and Anvil,” he said. “I must inform you there is much unrest in our country right now. I doubt we will see anyone who is not Veduny up here. But should we run into military or anyone else it could severely impede our ability to do what must be done. We do not exist to them. Our people cannot come out of hiding until the way has been prepared. Until the Oracle and tribal continuity is restored that cannot happen, especially with such a powerful enemy at large. Humanity cannot know of us yet. It is not safe for us and it is not safe for them.”
Trin nodded.
“We must find that kindjal,” he said. “We will start with the mines. The rest will come to us.”
Trin remained silent.
Llamar looked at him in earnest. “You are right where the Divinity wants you,” he said.
The door swung open with a gust of freezing wind and Anvil stepped inside, quickly closing it behind him. He turned to see Trin in his military gear. A slight smile lit his eyes. “That attire suits you,” he said. Veduny power thrummed, running through his successor like a powerful electrical current.
“Is Sam all right?” Trin asked.
“Sam is safe in the sanctuary.”
Trin nodded without reply. Sam was never safe.
Anvil’s eyes gleamed. “It is time to go find my brother.”
Sam looked beyond into absolute darkness. The sanctuary was a windowless tomb—no light. Elements of panic stirred within her as she anticipated waiting potentially for hours under these conditions. It wouldn’t be the first time.
Moving forward, she began feeling her way through the inky blackness. There had to be a light source in here somewhere. None of the council members had mentioned any but she couldn’t imagine they would leave her in the dark. Then again, nothing about this experience had been what she expected.
She thought about turning back to the massive door, pushing it open, and asking Lenka, but decided it wasn’t worth the risk. Having no light was not an emergency and this was the only place she was safe from the enemy. She began processing what she did know. She was back in time. Electric light was available but she wasn’t sure if it was something the Veduny used. With the power of the tribe, it almost seemed archaic.
She began edging forward again with her hands in front of her, feeling in the empty air trying to sense her surroundings. The sanctuary didn’t feel overly expansive, as the rest of the temple had. A faint scent of incense and stagnant air laced the environment.
As she continued forward she sensed a shift—nearly imperceptible, but in this particular area the air seemed different, almost living. She continued forward, using the sensation as a compass and ran into something solid. Her hands flew out in front of her to avoid falling when a faint light burst right beneath her palms, bathing them in crimson. She gasped, pulling her hands away and the ghostly light vanished. Sam stood frozen in place, reminding herself she was in the sanctuary—she was safe.
She drew a deep breath, extending her right hand. A pale light emanated directly beneath her palm, about six inches down. She stared in awe. Moving her hand further, the haunting light followed, moving with her hand like a reflection. Sam sensed the familiar deja vu she had felt so many times since meeting Trin. Whatever this was, somehow she knew it and it knew her.
She lowered her hand, making contact with a cold smooth surface. Light erupted outward revealing a round gem stone platform approximately twelve inches in diameter. Her heart raced as familiarity grew, followed by a sense of dormant power. A line emerged down the middle of the shiny surface, brighter than the rest of the stone—a streak of light cutting through the center. She stared as it gleamed. Gathering courage she placed both hands directly on the object through a hazy film of dust.
A radiant giant cat’s eye, identical to her pendant, shone beneath her palms, capping off a smooth marble pillar that stood about three feet in height. Through the dim light she could just make out the rest of the room—approximately forty
feet wide and eighty feet in length. A plush white carpet extended the length; the walls the same white marble as the pillar. Detailed mystical engravings bordered the ceiling, just as she had seen in the courtyard. She gazed in wonder, yearning to understand the meaning behind each one.
A momentary glint of muted light snared her attention. She squinted, gazing to the far end of the room. A dark sheen glimmered in the pale luminescence of crimson light. Sam stared—moving toward it. The far wall of the sanctuary had the appearance of smooth black glass, a strange contrast to the rest of the room. She continued forward. As the distance closed, an occasional glimmer of soft light streaked various parts of the wall, reflecting what little light emanated from the stone in the center of the sanctuary.
As she reached the end of the room the properties of the black wall became clear. A wall of solid alexandrite stretched several feet, rising before her like a movie screen. Stretching forth her hand she touched the surface.
A face flashed in the wall for a fraction of a second, vanishing as quickly as it had come.
Sam stood in shock, gaping at the smooth dark surface, unable to look away. The image resurfaced—a mere shadow of a human figure blurred by the gemstone and concealed in the nearly nonexistent light. It watched her from inside the wall—muted, penetrating eyes holding her in a fixed gaze.
Sam realized her observer was submerged in water, hovering perfectly at ease, treading in the depths of the murky black waters staring at her, watching, waiting. The phantom stretched forth a hand—beckoning, luring her to the solid crystal wall. Sam found herself moving toward it, responding to the will of the concealed stranger who held her fast in an encrypted gaze, hand outstretched. Her fingers made contact with the cool surface, lining up with the stranger’s outstretched fingers, as if they were a mirror image of her own. Everything went dark.
Disoriented panic clapped her chest—adrenaline firing in her veins. Sam struggled—black, cold water shocking her body, stinging her flesh. She fought, struggling to find a way to the top, straining not to inhale. Every direction met with nothing but pitch black, endless ice water.
Her lungs ached, begging for unattainable air, the biting cold rapidly taking over as hypothermia pushed cold fingers into her flesh. Trin’s face flashed in her mind, panic turning to unbearable anguish as she knew she would never see him again. She was going to die. What had she done?
A hand grabbed hers inside the darkness. The pain vanished, biting cold gone. No air filled her lungs, but somehow she no longer needed it. Her hair floated from her face as she lurched forward, water rushing over her cheeks and forehead as a phantom stranger pulled her through it. She felt safe, comfortable—she wondered if this was death.
Steadily, methodically the being pulled her through the pitch black water for several minutes. The thick material of her gown billowed about her legs as she floated behind—the individual swimming through the water at a steady pace, never slowing, strong, reminding her of another.
After what seemed like forever, a pale light shimmered up ahead. Rugged stone walls glowed in muted aqua haze on either side—a tunnel. Water filled the area from bottom to ceiling, nowhere to escape. Her guide, still obscured by the murky water, held her hand, drawing them closer to the ghostly light. She strained, desperate to see a face, but darkness prevailed—concealing the individual in shadows.
The light grew brighter, larger, and within moments she broke the surface, spinning around in the dark cavern, eager to catch a glimpse. She was alone, as if she had been from the start. The water temperature soaked through her skin like biting teeth and she pushed through to the edge of stone, the onset of another tunnel above the water line. The strange light glowed from within. Pulling herself out of the icy water she climbed on to the dry stone floor. The cool air assaulted her, offering little relief. She struggled to her feet, hugging her wet body. Without hesitation she followed the faint light, hoping to find its source—hoping it involved heat.
The snow crushed and sank underneath each footstep. The mines were not far from the temple and they traveled on foot to decrease the chance of detection.
A reluctant breeze nudged through a cathedral of ancient pines that towered above them, merging their bristling thick branches, allowing only the occasional glimpse of the endless starlit sky above them. Trin and Anvil’s heightened senses made it easy for them to navigate through the massive pines, drops, and steep inclines of the terrain. Both dressed in black from head to toe, it was easy to remain within the shadows. But the shadows would not hide a Veduny aura from the enemy. They forged ahead in stealth and silence, communicating only through thought.
Samantha asked about Anavi on the way to the temple.
Trin looked up at him as they pushed through the brush and pines.
She said she had experienced another vision while looking through her gowns. She experienced it as if she were Anavi. She heard her thoughts. She was hoping I would be able to tell her what it meant.
What did she say? Trin asked.
Anvil continued pushing through the snow and frozen bare branches. Anavi said ‘what have you done to him?’ when Ashbel entered the room.
Trin squinted in confusion. Was she talking about you?
I would assume so, Anvil replied.
Trin ducked under a solid, large branch and kept moving. She didn’t say anything about it to me.
We were unable to finish, Anvil replied. We arrived at the temple and Aleksei came to collect us. The conversation changed and we never returned to it. He continued looking ahead as he moved through the crusted snow. I was hoping she had mentioned it to you. Samantha already has answers she isn’t aware she has, answers that would be very useful to us.
Trin glanced down. I know, he said. Her visions are horrible. They exhaust her.
She is the Oracle at a very difficult time, Anvil replied. You and Sam are restoring justice and there are no blueprints for your task. But you are not alone.
Yeah, Trin huffed. You say that a lot.
Anvil smiled and looked back to the path. We are never alone, Trinton.
You say that a lot too, Trin said. He pushed another branch out of his way.
Anvil gazed ahead as he walked. I have witnessed and experienced loss and tragedy I cannot put into words, he said. But I wait...and I listen because I know a higher power is involved. There is a purpose for all of this and I believe one day it will all come together right in front of us, and we will be stunned at how much of it was actually part of the plan all along.
Trin shook his head. You are a stronger man than I am, he said.
Anvil stopped. So did Trin. The incoming threat flickered through the distant branches; an ominous light source waxing and waning, coming right toward them.
The light advanced, still a good distance off but definitely coming their way. Anvil and Trin remained still, watching, reading the energy surrounding the intruders. What are they doing up here?
I do not know but they must not be permitted to see us.
A party of soldiers approached, advancing the mountain Trin and Anvil were currently pushing through. Flashlights illuminated their path as they navigated the oppressive darkness.
Trin and Anvil looked to one another as the solution formed in their linked minds. They turned to run.
“Остановка!” The command to halt echoed through the dense forest. Five Russian soldiers were now in pursuit of them.
Trin and Anvil flew from them with the speed and fluidity of gazelles; another element that was sure to put the soldiers on alert. Within seconds, Trin and Anvil were out of reach. The soldiers didn’t follow for long, stunned at what they had seen.
Trin and Anvil knew the party would not catch them but they would begin searching. If Trin and Sam’s arrival had ever threatened to affect history, it was right now, in this event that had just taken place.
Trin and Anvil continued running, dodging trees and hurdling over large boulders and jagged ledges like panthers.
Trinton, we’re heading for the valley. It will lead us back around toward the mines.
What if there are more of them there?
We’ll deal with that then.
The two warriors flew through the terrain. Rocketing through the tall pines and deepening snow their heightened senses detected a huge obstacle off in the distance right where they were headed. The men slowed in unison, coming to a stop, both of them listening intently to the sounds echoing over the crest up ahead. Exchanging a glance they moved to the top. Below the ridge, blocking the only entrance to the Veduny mine was an entire company of Russian soldiers.
CHAPTER FIFTY TWO
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Trin said. “This entire massive mountain range and they set up camp here?”
Anvil focused, reading—scoping out the military platoon and scanning the mine entrance for any disturbance. “Do they know what they’re sitting on top of?” Anvil turned to Trin. “Are you getting this?” he asked. “Their target isn’t military.”
Trin began his own inspection, scanning each man and the collective purpose that covered them all. He looked at Anvil, stunned. “They’re looking for us.”
Anvil watched the men. “What could have provoked this?” he uttered. “And why military?”
“We don’t need this now,” Trin said.
Anvil concentrated for a moment. “I think I can get them to move so we can make it to the other side,” Anvil said. He looked at Trin. “Bundle up.”
Trin pulled his overcoat tightly around himself. The winds came up from the east, Anvil’s eyes shining vibrant blue. Soldiers scrambled, shielding their faces from the storm whipping through the camp, blinding them and stinging their faces. Russian commands filtered through the chaos as the men made for their tents.