The Prophecy Of Hope

by Kelly Hall

  “I know they are there, but not which room. I have always allowed him his privacy when it comes to his journals.”

  Canter couldn’t help but be curious to read the books. The amount of history Ignis had recorded must be amazing. “There is no telling how many secrets are hidden in those pages. Is there any particular way to tell which book I’m looking for?”

  “They are dated. I’d try to look for the years around my birth in 382 AD. Specifically the few years before it.”

  “Any particular thing you’re looking for? Something that might stand out?”

  “Yes, any mention of Kayne.” She watched as Canter’s eyes widened and gave a nod. “I need to know if there is any history between them.”

  “Okay,” he said, looking at his feet as he was lost in deep thought.

  “He’s not the enemy, Canter. I don’t want you to think that. But he thinks that keeping secrets is going to protect me. I disagree. Knowing the truth just might give me an advantage.”

  “I understand, but could you tell me something?”

  “Sure, but this is very important, Canter. It could help us in our search for Kayne. I’m going to need to find out if there is any way to trap him, kill him, bargain with him.” She wanted him to be focused on his task and had a feeling she already knew what he was about to ask.

  “Where were you this morning?”

  Before she could open her mouth to answer, not really sure what she could tell him or should, the ground shook as an explosion sounded from the north tower.

  Chapter 5

  Smoke billowed down the hall, and every bit of dust in the castle stirred as the foundation rumbled. Jarreth hung on to Delilah for dear life and even grabbed Katie to pull her away from the glass chandelier that chimed above her head.

  “Was that an earthquake?” asked Katie, still clinging to Delilah’s arms and her weapon, which she’d drawn in case the rumble was followed by an attack.

  Delilah gripped her own sword, though she felt like the cream filling in an Oreo, stuffed between Jarreth and Katie. “No. I think it was a bomb.”

  “It came from the basement,” said Father Timms, running down the stairs as the front door came open and Rebekah and Canter entered the dust-filled room.

  Aziel appeared down the smoky hallway, emerging with Mace and Liam who were covered with soot and coughing. Mace held on to something, a foot-long rod that clinked to the floor when she let go of it.

  Delilah’s eyes narrowed, and she walked over to pick it up.

  “Don’t touch that!” said Mace. “It’s got a few bugs.”

  Delilah had the strange feeling the steel was calling out to her, wanting her to not only touch it, but to keep it. “What is it?”

  “It’s her latest creation,” said Aziel. “She was going to demonstrate it for us when it blew up.”

  “It’s a fire sword. The blade gets really hot. But it broke off and hit the ammunition table and blew up my gunpowder.”

  “Awesome,” said Delilah. Unable to restrain herself, she reached down and picked up the rod.

  “Put it down,” said Rebekah. “I didn’t remodel this place to have it wrecked by one of her contraptions.”

  “It was nearly finished, but now that the blade is gone, I’ll have to start all over.”

  Delilah held the end away and pushed the ignition switch. Fire blazed up from the end.

  “Whoa, babe!” Jarreth backed away. “Put the thing down.”

  “I don’t want to.” Delilah swung the sword’s handle, the fire blazing where the blade used to be. The others backed up. “It’s like it was made for me.”

  “Shit,” said Canter. “Leave it to Del to have an affinity to a broken sword.”

  Jarreth laughed. “That’s why she didn’t find it sooner. It wasn’t invented yet.”

  “Can you turn it off?” asked Mace.

  Delilah hit the ignition switch, and the fire died. “Can you forge another blade for it? I’d like to have it.”

  Mace let out a long breath. She was hoping someone would like the creation, and it was even more of an honor to create a hunter’s affinity weapon, but she wasn’t sure how long it would take her to forge another one that would be stronger than the last. “It’s yours, but I don’t know when it will be ready. I’d like to try and find a different metal for the blade.”

  “Perhaps I can help you make it stronger,” said Ignis, who was standing in the back of the room where he’d been watching Delilah with her new toy.

  Mace sighed with relief. She had been meaning to ask Ignis for the favor, but he had been so wrapped up in Rebekah’s drama that he hadn’t had much time for her. “I hoped you could”

  “Of course. As a matter of fact, I think I’ll be spending a great deal of time down in the basement doing what I do best. I’m sure Rebekah has everything else under control.” He turned his eyes toward Rebekah’s, and she nodded.

  “I think that’s best.” She tried to keep her tone light so that no one else would see that she and Ignis were having problems. The less they all knew, the better, and she was sure that was one thing he would agree with her on.

  “Agreed.” Ignis stepped forward and took the sword’s handle from Delilah. “You three should get cleaned up, and I’ll head down to the weapon’s lab and get things cleaned up.”

  Canter found it hard to look the mage in the eye and, instead, walked over and hugged Katie. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes,” she said. “It sounded worse than it was. And you’ll be glad to know that Jarreth grabbed me and pulled me to safety.”

  Jarreth and Canter slapped hands, and then Canter went in for a hug. “Thanks, man,” he said, patting him on the back. Jarreth had learned his lesson about not looking out for her before, and it meant a lot that he had thought to keep her safe.

  Jarreth cleared his throat, thankful that his friend finally trusted him again. “No problem.”

  “Aren’t you two sweet?” asked Aziel, who passed by looking like his hair had been singed.

  “Hate to tell you, angel, but you might want to check your wings, seeing that you only have one eyebrow.”

  Aziel put his fingers to his brows, both of which were intact, and Jarreth busted out laughing.

  “Don’t be mean,” scolded Delilah. “Are you okay, Aziel?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Congratulations on finding your affinity weapon.”

  “I hate that you nearly had to get blown up in the process, but I’m also glad that I finally know what it is.” She had waited forever.

  Jarreth put his arm around her and squeezed her close. “I’m a little jealous, I have to say. I want a sword that lights on fire too.”

  Aziel gave him a smug look. “I have one, but they wouldn’t let me bring it to the academy.” He turned to Delilah. “Yours is modeled after mine. Mace has been asking me a lot of questions about it, but I don’t think Michael will let me have it back while I’m here.”

  “That’s so cool. Thanks for helping her out.” Delilah went to give him a hug but couldn’t get too close because he was still covered in soot.

  Aziel chuckled and looked down at himself and how dirty he was. “I had better go and wash up.”

  “You do that,” said Jarreth, taking Delilah by the arm as he noticed Rebekah and Canter exchange a look.

  Rebekah and Father Timms left to go assess the damage, and Frankie headed off with Lulu to get the cleaning supplies. Canter and Katie were left with Jarreth and Delilah.

  “Congratulations, Delilah,” said Katie, offering her a big smile. “You have to be excited about the sword. I know I was when I found my gladius. I never wanted to use anything else.”

  “It was the same with our blades,” said Jarreth about him and Canter.

  Canter nodded in agreement, the task that Rebekah had given him still burning in the back of his mind.

  “What’s eating you?” asked Jarreth.

  “Yeah, what did Rebekah want?” asked Katie with a nudge. She didn’t mind t
hat Canter had gone off with Rebekah and figured he’d have no problem telling her all about it later.

  Canter shrugged. “It was nothing.”

  “If it were nothing, she wouldn’t have called you away,” said Delilah. Surely, if something was up, he’d share with them. “What did you talk about?”

  “If I could tell you, I would.” He hated keeping secrets from his friends, but his vows went deeper. Maybe that was the position Ignis was in? He made a mental note to stop looking at the mage like he was the enemy. To be fair, even Rebekah had clarified that it wasn’t about that.

  “She made you vow,” said Delilah with a suspicious stare. “It must be some kind of top-secret stuff.” She crossed her arms and searched Canter’s eyes. He was growing uncomfortable but trying hard to hide it.

  Katie came to his defense. “Let’s leave him alone. We’ll all have tasks to perform for our Huntress, and while some will be more important than others, we should respect the privacy she requires.”

  “Thank you,” said Canter. “I had hoped you’d understand.”

  “Wait, you mean you’re not going to tell me either?” Katie had assumed that once they were alone, he’d at least tell her all about it.

  “No, I’m sworn on my life, and I’d appreciate the three of you respecting that.”

  Jarreth held up his hands. “No worries, brother. I’m good. I understand how it is sometimes.” He gave Canter a wink.

  “I’m not telling you either, asshole. Look, let’s just forget about it, okay?”

  “Fine,” said Katie with a hurt look in her eyes.

  Jarreth shrugged but remained quiet. He had to be supportive in case he was ever in the same situation. “I guess this means we’re supposed to ignore what you’re up to?”

  “If you can.” He had a feeling that was wishful thinking. He had to figure out a way to slip out and go to the tunnels without being seen, which meant going when everyone else was sleeping.

  “Come on, let’s go sit in the garden,” said Katie. “With the dust, I could use some fresh air.” She was more than ready to get him alone and away from the pressures of Jarreth and Delilah.

  He took her hand, and they left their friends, arm in arm, until they got to the garden bench where he and Rebekah had just been. Katie waited for him to sit, and then he pulled her down in his lap. “You know I can’t tell you, right? You understand, I mean?” He thought that she might still be hoping that he would confide in her.

  Katie understood better than he thought. “I do, and I think it’s very admirable that you have Rebekah’s trust with things. She thinks a lot of you. You could move up in ranks to being her top commander someday. Besides, we’re here to fight, and we’re all going to have a part to play.”

  Canter had always wanted to do something great with his career with the Fellowship, and while the entire structure was falling apart on the Church’s end, Rebekah might still hand out ranks and appoint commanders as always. She didn’t seem to want to change anything, unlike the Church had threatened, and with the other commanders unable to leave their posts, they would be locked down with the Church. Rebekah might not have any choice but to appoint other leaders. “I’d like that as long as it was for Rebekah.”

  “You’re just as much in love with her as the other men, aren’t you?” asked Katie with a teasing tone.

  Canter stroked her cheek. “That’s nonsense, and you know it. I’m in love with you. No one else, not even the Huntress.”

  “It’s okay, really,” said Katie. She understood what it meant to be one of her hunters, even though she had a slightly different perspective. “I think we’re all a little in love with her. I mean, Delilah and I, whether Delilah would admit it or not, we want to be her, so our adoration is on a different level, but you men? You all want to stand out to her and be her champions.”

  Canter shook his head. “I just want to be worthy of her, worthy of the price she paid. She died for us, Katie, when she was nothing more than a young girl your age. Could you imagine that? It was unheard of in the time, I’m sure. I couldn’t even imagine being her father. The sacrifice he made.” He closed his eyes and imagined a gray-haired priest, the one from the painting in the front room. He looked at him through his mind and saw him talking to Ignis. The mage had much shorter hair and a long beard that made him look like a different person. It was odd that he could see him that way, and he had a strange feeling that it wasn’t his imagination that brought him that image. He opened his eyes and blinked for a moment.

  “Are you okay?” asked Katie as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

  “Yeah, I guess I’m daydreaming. It’s been a long morning already.”

  “Let’s go upstairs and lie down. Rebekah is still preoccupied with the mess, and I’m pretty sure no one is going to attack the castle.”

  “Let’s just sit here a while,” he said, and he leaned in and kissed her. They had been going at it a lot lately, kissing and flirting and lots of heavy making out. It was all new to Canter, but he was making up for lost time any way he could. He didn’t regret his decision to wait for the right girl.

  He pulled away and stroked her cheek. “I love you.” He whispered the words against her lips and kissed her again.

  They let the rest of the world melt away, sure that anyone could see them from the castle if they wanted. Neither one of them cared.

  “I love you too.” She got a bashful look, which wasn’t much like Katie, but it got his attention.

  “What’s that look about?”

  She shook her head. “It’s silly.”

  He kissed her again and pulled away to rest her forehead on his. “Tell me.”

  With a sigh, she gave in and decided to let him in no matter how embarrassing. “I don’t know, just saying that to you. Hearing it back. Grady never said it. He thought it was sappy. I mean, I’m sure he felt it in his own terrible way, but the words just weren’t part of his vocabulary.”

  “His loss.” Canter searched her eyes, and she shrugged. “Did you love him? Did you want him to say it?” He knew Grady was a damned fool but had no idea he could reach a new level of stupidity.

  Katie shook her head. “No, and no. I’m happier than ever now, Canter. I feel like we’re in a fairy tale. I’m the princess of the castle, and you’re the handsome prince who is going to steal me away. I know it’s cheesy. I’m not exactly the princess type.”

  Canter chuckled. “In my fantasies, the princess always carries a sword, and she battles dragons and other beasts. She’s a beautiful badass, like you, and not some delicate, wilting flower who needs saving.”

  They kissed again, and this time, their bodies moved against each other eagerly and full of longing.

  “Someone’s going to see us,” said Canter as she reached for his shirt and tried to tug it off.

  “Let’s go somewhere then.” She looked over at the chapel. “I bet no one can see us in there.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Canter had never dreamed he’d ever entertain the idea of having sex in a church. “Isn’t that blasphemy?”

  She ran her hand down lower. “Feels like you’re up for it. Besides, it hasn’t been used in centuries.”

  Canter grabbed her hand and quickly led her across the yard to the chapel. “Let’s hope no one’s feeling religious.”

  Chapter 6

  Grady had thought hanging from the tree had been bad the day he’d stumbled into the 2K’s campground, but that was before he’d been thrown down in a narrow, wormy hole with mosquitos and ants. During the daytime at least, he could see what was crawling all over him, but at night, it was the worst. The pitch-dark hole made it impossible to think about anything other than the torturous itching from all of the bites.

  He tried not to scratch with his filthy nails, but he had rubbed the flesh raw in places. So much for thick skin, he thought. It was stronger against weapons but totally useless against whatever the fuck was gnawing on his flesh with their tiny teeth.

  Being chain
ed to a pole that ran over his head by his neck made him feel like a dog, and he wondered if this was where they held their enemies. He deserved better than that. He had given his life to be a hunter and allowed himself to be changed, too. The very least the Cuntress could do was give him a little fucking respect.

  He heard his guard cough and hoped the bastard was getting sick.

  He considered his options again. The damned hole was too narrow and deep to jump out of, and he knew if he tried to climb, his guard would only kill him. Even if the bastard went away, he would still be chained up. Grady couldn’t take it anymore. “Get me the fuck out of here!”

  “Shut your fucking mouth,” said his guard. “You’re being led away tomorrow, and you can consider yourself lucky.”

  Grady recognized the voice. “Port?”

  “If you must know, yeah, it’s me.”

  Port had been with his friend the day Grady stumbled on the rogue hunters’ campsite. Grady had talked to him more than anyone else in the camp, and while they weren’t friends, they were familiar.

  “Let me out, dude. You know me. I told you about my girl, about those photographs of the Huntress, everything. You know I don’t deserve this.”

  “Look, man, if you’re hoping to play on my heartstrings, you can stop wasting your time. I don’t have a fucking heart, and I don’t give a fuck about what happens to traitors.”

  “The Huntress is the goddamned traitor, not me! She went on a date with our enemy. Doesn’t that make you sick?”

  “I don’t care if she bent over and took it up the ass from him. You still have to be respectful. She died for you to be what you are, and that’s why we honor her with our lives.” Port had to trust that she had the best intentions for the hunters and keeping her Fellowship strong. Now that the Church was moving out of the picture, he was actually excited to see what would happen next between the Fellowship and the 2Ks.

  “Let me out, and you can tell them that I escaped,” Grady said. “I’ll save Brock Barnes a walk to the edge of camp.”