Many on both sides of the crowd cheered. Mel and Adam nodded in agreement. Jeremy looked back and motioned for the other twenty or so KTP leaders to move forward. Mel motioned for the rest of the 12-L council to move forward as well. Everyone met in the middle and shook hands.
Mel extended his hand to request the bullhorn. Jeremy handed it over.
“We come in peace today,” he said. “We don’t want any violence.”
Again, many on both sides of the crowd cheered.
Jeremy nodded as well. Adam couldn’t tell by the looks on the faces of the other KTP whether they agreed with Jeremy or not. The peacekeepers would need more than just Jeremy’s support if they were going to accomplish anything.
Jeremy looked at Mel and said, “We all know why we are here today. One of the newest members of your ranks has killed our leader. I have made it clear to the Keepers of Transcendent Power that this was an act of self-defense. Adam shielded himself when Paul shot at him. He didn’t intend to kill him. Due to such an unprecedented event, I was willing to listen when Adam suggested that we call a truce so that none of us have to live the way we have been living. We don’t have to live with this violence and persecution. We have decided to hear your case. There are many of us in the KTP who would like to find a peaceful resolution as well.”
“Adam, please state your case to the members of the KTP,” said Mel as he backed up to give him the spotlight.
Adam had expected Mel to do all of the talking. He was caught by surprise when he was asked to speak. He hadn’t prepared a formal speech, but he knew exactly what he wanted to say and what Mel wanted him to convey to the audience. So he took the bullhorn and spoke from his heart.
“For more than a century the KTP has recruited members by way of force and has deemed that, if anyone is a peaceful practitioner of Refined Transcendent Power, they must join the KTP or die. Under Paul’s command, the KTP would do anything to keep RTP a secret. Some in the KTP use RTP for violence, evil, and illegal activities, which goes against the teachings of your forefathers.”
At this there were angry rumblings from both sides of the crowd—some angry at the accusation, some angry at the truth of the statement.
Adam swallowed hard, rubbed his sweaty hands on his pants, and continued. “The KTP has kept the knowledge of Refined Transcendent Power a secret from the rest of society. This has caused all of the peaceful ones, the ones who do not want to join the order and use RTP for illegal activities or for evil purposes, to go underground into hiding and lives of persecution of fear, never knowing when they might be confronted by a member of the KTP. I believe it does not have to be this way. We do not know how many peaceful practitioners there are for sure, but as you can see from the turnout today, our numbers are in the thousands, if not tens of thousands. If this is the case, then it stands to reason that, despite the best efforts of the KTP to contain Refined Transcendent Power and get all of the membership within its order, it has not worked.”
Adam heard gasps and murmurs coming from the ever-growing crowd as he was speaking. He could see more peacekeepers in the crowd, but there were still many more members of the KTP. Some looked angry while others nodded their agreement. Everyone was listening intently.
“There is no containing RTP. It will be taught, no matter who tries to contain it. Therefore, since the KTP leader who strongly enforced these archaic rules is gone, we are here today to ask you all to hear our case. We believe many of you may disagree with the KTP policies regarding RTP, and this could be your chance to speak out for change. We believe that we can all live peacefully among each other and practice RTP without fear. We come here today to ask for a treaty. We ask you allow us to live peacefully. We ask that you quit forcing peaceful people to join your ranks. Let the membership be strictly voluntary.”
Adam looked at the faces on the KTP side and saw many who looked as if they agreed with him. They were clapping, cheering, and nodding in agreement. He wondered if some of them were former peacekeepers who had been captured by the KTP and forced to join against their will.
“Paul was good at one point in time,” he continued. “Terrible things happened in his life that caused him to turn to using RTP for evil. He let hatred fester inside of him. I wish we could have had the opportunity to show him that RTP can be used for good and for healing—spiritually, mentally, and physically. I plead with you to try to learn from Paul’s mistakes and come to a peaceful resolution.”
Jeremy stepped forward again and said, “It is obvious by our actions and our willingness to meet you here today that we also desire to find a peaceful resolution. Many of us disagreed with Paul’s practices and rules. Many were afraid to speak out for the same reasons that you give.”
As Jeremy was speaking, Adam turned around to glance at the peacekeepers. He was shocked to see that there were now several thousand people standing behind him. Many of them were standing in the Namaste pose. The KTP was well-organized and had arrived ahead of time and in full force. From what he could tell, the peacekeepers’ numbers were getting close to matching, if not exceeding, the KTP numbers. The anxious feeling in his chest began to lift and was replaced by a slight, but growing hope.
He focused his attention back on Jeremy as he was saying, “I am now the leader of the KTP, and I decree a truce between the KTP and the peacekeepers. A peaceful agreement has been made.”
Most of the audience—peacekeepers and KTP alike—erupted in applause and cheers. People were hugging and laughing. Some people from both sides stood motionless and expressionless, perhaps in disagreement with the arrangement.
“It is on our handshake, our honor, and our word that we reach this agreement,” said Mel.
Jeremy went down the line and shook hands with all of the 12-L council members. The rest of KTP’s leadership followed suit.
Just as the handshaking was almost over, Adam looked beyond the KTP leadership at the crowd. A few yards behind them, he caught a glimpse of Ian and Helen, Maddie’s former caretakers, emerging from behind a tree at the edge of the meadow. Ian bellowed something similar to a military command, pulled an assault rifle out from under his jacket, and raised it above his head. Adam turned to look in the same direction that Ian was looking and was horrified to see several hundred additional KTP members dressed in combat fatigues emerging from the surrounding trees, also with assault rifles.
“No!” Adam heard himself scream in an otherworldly voice.
Time seemed to move in slow motion as the realization set in about what was happening. The 12-L and KTP leadership all turned to look at Adam, and then upon seeing the look of horror on his face, turned to see what was causing him such distress. At the same time, most people in the crowd looked in Ian’s direction.
Upon seeing the armed KTP members, many people on both sides began to flee into the woods.
Mel grabbed the bullhorn and roared, “Stop! Ian, no! This was not our intention. Peacekeepers, hold your ground.”
Many of the people who were running away stopped.
“It is our intention,” said Ian in a loud, formidable voice. He looked at the crowd and screamed, “You betrayed Paul—all of you!”
“Ian, you have no authority here, and you will not speak for The Order!” Jeremy warned.
Ignoring Jeremy, Ian fired a single shot into the air, and the armed KTP began running toward the crowd with their guns raised in the ready position.
There was a brief moment where time seemed to stand still and no one dared to move. Then suddenly the backup plan kicked into full gear. Adam heard Mel’s battle cry. The remainder of the peacekeepers, who had purposely remained hidden, began to pour out onto the field. They came running in fearlessly. There were men, women, teenagers, people of all cultures, races, ethnicities, and all walks of life. Adam estimated that several thousand people had materialized on the field in a matter of seconds.
Ian and his troops were momen
tarily startled, which gave the peacekeepers the few extra seconds they needed.
“Get ready!” Mel commanded.
About that time, Ian yelled, “Go!”
“Go!” commanded Mel.
The peacekeepers and KTP members raced toward one another and merged into a massive battle. Bullets began to fly all around them.
Jeremy looked at Adam and Mel, eyes wide, as he earnestly mouthed the words, “I swear, I had no idea,” and took off running in Ian’s direction.
Adam watched in amazement as an assault rifle appeared out of nowhere in Jeremy’s hands as he ran, and then he panicked.
He was a novice at this RTP stuff. What the hell was he doing out here? He was going to die.
He spun around, frantically looking for Maddie. He spotted her a few yards away, flanked by several of the 12-L and KTP leaders alike. She, and many others around her, had manifested what looked like tactical riot gear. They were advancing toward the enemy, beating off attackers with shields and batons.
Adam saw Caragh and Callum standing back to back, each with both hands extended. When bullets or attackers came close to them, bright balls of energy burst from their hands, knocking back anything in their path.
He saw Roman donning a gladiator helmet and steel breastplate while swinging a steel sword so large that Adam doubted he could even lift it. Roman wore a determined smile. Was he actually enjoying this?
Adam heard Maddie yell, “Adam, watch out!”
In the same instant, he heard bullets whizzing by and felt a stinging, painful sensation in his bicep. He reflexively grabbed his arm and felt the slickness of blood. He pulled his hand back and stared at the blood in disbelief.
“Adam!” screamed Maddie. “Are you okay?”
She came to him and put her hands on his shoulders. It suddenly seemed like they were in a cone of silence as bullets ricocheted off an invisible force around them.
Dazed, he shook his head, looked at her and said, “I think so. It’s just superficial.”
Relief flooded her face. She covered his wound with her hand and it healed instantly.
“Either do something or take cover!” she yelled into his face. “I can’t just stand here shielding you. We have to fight.”
He inhaled sharply and remembered his vow to himself. He would die on this field fighting if it meant Maddie and the others could live free lives.
With a renewed sense of purpose, he grabbed her face with his hands, kissed her roughly, bellowed a battle cry and ran headlong into the crowd.
Wyndolyn and many of the peacekeepers were standing motionless in the Namaste greeting stance with their eyes closed. As Adam ran past them, he could hear bullets ricocheting off their invisible shields. He heard someone scream. It was one of the gunmen. The gunman fell. And then another. All around them the gunmen continued to fall from their own ricocheting bullets. All of the shielded peacekeepers remained standing.
As Adam ran, he envisioned himself being able to see bullets in slow motion. He focused all of his thoughts on blocking the bullets or any other form of attack. As he ran, time slowed down into a quantum moment. He was moving quickly, but the bullets were coming at him slowly. He imagined his body being made of steel. He swatted the approaching bullets out of the air like flies. He saw a punch coming toward his face. When the fist made contact, it bounced right off as the attacker screamed out in pain. Adam punched the attacker back, knocking him to the ground. He kept running. He had one target in mind—Ian. He would pay for this dearly.
Adam ran by Jonathan, who stood nearby with both hands outstretched. A few yards away was a heap of KTP attackers lying pressed together on the ground as if in a football dogpile. As other attackers advanced on Jonathan, they were pulled by an invisible, magnetic force into the human pile. Struggling only seemed to make the hold stronger.
Roxy and Tarek had joined forces, moving in what looked like a beautiful martial arts dance. Each flying in the air, spinning, kicking, flipping, punching, and blocking in ways Adam had thought to only be possible in the movies. They were so fast the attackers didn’t know what hit them—but Adam could see everything vividly in slow motion.
Shannel had manifested nunchucks in both hands and was swinging them rapidly with the grace and expertise of a ninth-degree black belt. Everything that came into her path felt the wrath—bullets and body parts alike. Adam watched in slow motion as a bullet ricocheted off the nunchucks and struck the attacker in the heart, killing him instantly.
As he searched the crowd for Ian and Helen, Adam saw Albert limping along on the field using a stick for a cane. He started to head toward him to check on him but stopped short when he realized what Albert was doing. As attackers ran by, bypassing the seemingly harmless, injured old man, he would slyly trip them with the stick and then snicker.
The old bastard was enjoying this.
One attacker caught on to the game. After being tripped, he jumped to his feet and proceeded to throw a spinning heel kick aimed at Albert’s head. Adam winced, expecting to see Albert get the total knockout. Instead, to his and the attacker’s surprise, Albert’s hand shot out and grabbed the foot in an iron grip an inch from Albert’s face. He gave the shocked attacker a sly grin before he flung his leg with enough force to send the attacker hurling through the air and into a tree. TKO!
Adam continued to push his way through the crowd but stopped again when he saw a lightning bolt strike the ground and knock Sancha, Mel, and hundreds of other peacekeepers off their feet. The air smelled of ozone, scorched grass, and singed hair. The people on the ground weren’t moving.
Adam screamed, “No! Sancha! Mel! No!”
He ran toward them, scanning the area as he ran to see if he could identify the manifestor who had caused the lightning. He saw Maddie and several others running to the downed people as well. He did not see Luis or Mannie. Where were they?
He saw Maddie crying and screaming. “Sancha! Mel! Oh my god!”
She got to them first, checked their pulse and listened for heartbeats. It was then that Adam spotted Ian standing about a hundred yards away with a smug grin on his face. Helen and a large group of KTP were with him.
Maddie placed one hand over Sancha’s heart and one hand over Mel’s as she closed her eyes in deep concentration. Adam felt like his own heart might stop as he ran toward them, waiting in suspense to see if they were okay.
Before he reached them, he heard a loud crackling sound and saw an orange flash out of the corner of his eye. Then everything went black.
Chapter 49
Adam’s eyes shot open when he felt something heavy come down on his chest. He sat up, swinging wildly.
“Whoa! Whoa! I’m not the enemy, man,” said Jeremy as he stepped back and held up his hands to show he meant no harm. “Ian almost took you out with that lightning bolt. Hurry, we have to catch him.”
Adam whipped his head around.
“Where’s Maddie? Where’s Sancha and Mel?”
“There’s no time. We have to take Ian out. Get up.”
“Why should I trust you?” Adam spat.
Jeremy said, “Adam, I swear to you. I had nothing to do with Ian’s attack. You have to trust me. Who do you think just saved your life? Now let’s get the son of a bitch.”
Jeremy pulled Adam to his feet. They both took off in Ian’s direction.
Ian, Helen, and a few hundred of their cronies were still about a hundred yards away and ready for them. Ian and Helen both raised their hands and looked toward the sky. Clouds swirled around and lightning bolts began raining down from the sky. Jeremy and Adam dodged the lightning as they ran.
Adam saw a lightning bolt heading directly for Jeremy. His anger and determination renewed, Adam relinquished all conscious thought and focused on saving Jeremy. In the next instant, he saw the lightning bolt bend in a sharp angle and head straight toward Ian and the
KTP.
Wide-eyed, Ian and Helen barely had time to dive out of the way. A couple of their cronies were not so fortunate.
Jeremy looked at Adam like a proud father would look at his son.
When Ian got back on his feet, his mouth fell open in surprise as he was forced to dive again as another lightning bolt narrowly missed him. Then another lightning bolt hit nearby. A few more KTP fell while others scrambled to dodge them. All of the lightning bolts that Ian and Helen had manifested were now raining down upon them.
Adam looked at Jeremy, surprised. Jeremy looked at Adam, also surprised. Neither knew who was responsible for redirecting those last few lightning bolts. They simultaneously looked behind them and were shocked when they saw Luis and Mannie grinning widely.
“Great job, guys!” Adam shouted.
Behind the boys, Adam could see thousands of peacekeepers and KTP stampeding toward them. He saw Mel, Sancha, and Maddie leading the angry mob, now intent on demolishing Ian, Helen, and their cronies. Adam felt relief wash over him. They were okay.
Horrified, Ian’s and Helen’s faces fell as they realized that thousands of people were using RTP against them.
“Fire!” Ian screeched.
Ian’s supporters opened fire. Bullets ricocheted as the peacekeepers held their ground, and several of the KTP dropped at once. Ian was knocked off his feet when a bullet struck him in the chest. Helen ran to him.
Adam held his breath. Was it over? Was Ian dead?
Helen and a couple of Ian’s henchmen grabbed Ian by the arms and dragged him off into the woods. Someone hollered, “Retreat! Retreat!”
The rest of the KTP resistance started disappearing into the trees.
Without even thinking, Adam gave chase, flanked by Jeremy, and followed by the angry mob led by Mel, Sancha, and Maddie. They spread out in the woods, searching for the deserters. They searched for at least an hour, but there was no sign of them. It appeared that hundreds of people had disappeared without a trace.
After Thought Page 24