“Good morning, everyone,” he said and then took a bite of his apple. After a round of good morning responses, Ar’ch looked over to Rafe and said, “Fill up, half-brother. You and I are going on a trip today.”
He enjoyed watching everyone stop mid-bite at his announcement. His mother responded before anyone else. “And where is it that the two of you will be going?”
“I’ve made arrangements for us to visit with the oracle today,” he replied and then scooped some eggs into his mouth to hide his amusement at their reactions.
“What if I don’t want to go?” Rafe asked.
“Are you afraid of what she might reveal?” he challenged.
“Of course not.”
“Then, it’s settled. We leave at noon. Plus, you don’t turn down an invitation from the oracle. It would be most rude.”
“I’m going with you,” Angel said.
Ar’ch shrugged nonchalantly. “Suit yourself, but you know the oracle. She might not let you come up.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
Ar’ch smiled. “Great! I expected nothing less. Plus, someone has to keep us from killing each other.” He couldn’t help but laugh at the expressions around the room. “Lighten up, people. If I wanted Rafe dead, I would have already killed him. Geez.”
“Son, your mother and I do not need more to worry about,” his father said, sobering Ar’ch up.
“Yes, Father. I apologize, Mother. I am simply trying to make the best of a difficult situation. I promise to behave as best I can.”
His mother smiled. “That promise is so typical of you, my first born. Antagonizing others is part of who you are, but take it easy on Rafe. He does not know you the way we do.”
“Nor do I like him the way you all do,” Rafe said. When Valerie gave him an admonishing look, he said, “What? I’m just stating the obvious.”
“You must both learn to behave if we are going to have a chance at saving Sofia. Ar’ch is making an effort. He reached out to the oracle who has always guided us well throughout our life years. He would not do that if he weren’t willing to accept her guidance, and I believe she will instruct you all to work together.”
Rafe looked at Ar’ch, so he smirked and took another bite of his apple. Rafe turned his attention back to Valerie and said, “I will do my best not to bury him on our journey.”
Ar’ch could not stop himself from laughing aloud. “This is going to be fun.” Worry filled his mother’s face. “Oh, Mother, please relax. We will not harm each other today. You have our word, right Rafe?”
“Right,” he replied.
“I guess that is the best that I will get from each of you. Angel, I expect you to hold them to their promises.”
“You ask a lot of me, Mother,” Angel replied.
Ar’ch scooped the last bit of eggs into his mouth. “I will see the two of you in a couple of hours,” he said as he rose and left the room.
-o-
Three hours later, Ar’ch, Angel, and Rafe stood in the portal room. Rafe noticed that Ar’ch had on hiking boots and was grateful that Angel had instructed him on what to wear. Ar’ch pulled out their erports and handed one to Angel and kept one for himself.
“I’m sure you will understand my decision not to give you full access to our home without the presence of one of us. I mean, it’s not like you gave us the erport to Damiana’s home,’ Ar’ch said.
“You don’t trust me. That’s old news. Got it,” Rafe said. Ar’ch’s insistent need of showing his displeasure at having Rafe there grew tiresome. On the other hand, he loved to irritate Ar’ch, so he understood the reciprocity.
“Great,” Ar’ch said and smiled. “We’ll meet at the epicenter, then.” Ar’ch placed his hand on the portal and disappeared.
Angel looked at Rafe. “Once the oracle sets him straight, he won’t be so obnoxious. I promise.”
“I won’t hold my breath.”
Angel held out his arm awkwardly. “You have to hold onto me in order for me to take us both to the location.”
“Right. Of course,” Rafe said and grabbed Angel’s arm.
When Angel put his other hand on the portal, Rafe felt his body go through its transition to the new area. He had kept his eyes open, so he saw Ar’ch staring right at him when they became whole. Point for him for not appearing scared. After showing his strength to Ar’ch, Rafe looked around to take in his surroundings.
He had been there before and recalled all too well what had been taking place during that time. He felt his anger rising as the memory of watching Ar’ch lather Sofia with lotion by the golden willow tree came back. He remembered how much he wanted to tear Ar’ch away from Sofia because he had no right to be so close to her. Knowing everything he now knew, Ar’ch actually did have a right to romance Sofia, but that still didn’t make Rafe feel any better about it. Ar’ch barked out a laugh, so Rafe turned toward him, clenching his fists.
“Sorry, man,” Ar’ch said through his laughter. “I saw you get upset, so I peeked inside your head. I had no idea that you had seen us together. That’s just priceless.”
“What is he talking about?” Angel asked and looked at both of them.
Rafe gritted his teeth but tried to reel in his anger. “Mel, Khameel, and I were doing surveillance of your property when we came across him and Sofia having a little alone time here.”
“You were there? So, why didn’t you three attack? You definitely outnumbered them,” Angel asked.
“Khameel thought that Ar’ch would have killed me, and he forced us back to Damiana’s house.”
“Khameel saved your life then because I most certainly would have killed you,” Ar’ch said.
Rafe felt his knuckles straining and forced himself to unclench his fists. He took a deep breath and told himself not to let Ar’ch get under his skin. He silently admitted to himself that he did not have the strength back then that he had now, so Khameel had probably made the right decision. He also realized that Sofia was in danger because of him, not Ar’ch, so he needed to let his anger go and find a way to work with the irritating bastard.
He looked around and took in the rest of the surrounding area, something he had not given himself the luxury to do before. The beauty of the surrounding nature did not go amiss, but the willow tree seemed different. “I thought that tree was all gold,” he thought aloud.
Angel turned to the tree. “It’s been all gold for the past two life years. Before that, it was just a regular willow tree. Maybe it’s going through another phase. What do you think, Ar’ch?”
Ar’ch’s expression turn somber. He took a silver branch in his hands and caressed it. “Let’s hope that’s all it is.”
Rafe let his eyes drift to the forest in the far distance. “What did you call this place again?”
“We call it the epicenter,” Angel explained. “Behind you is the lake which represents water. The sunflowers over there represent the sun and, therefore, fire. The tall grass over there represents wind; you can watch it sway whenever a breeze comes through. And the forest and mountains over there represent earth. So, this is where all four elements meet. Our epicenter.”
“That makes sense. So, where do we go from here?”
Ar’ch pointed to the mountains and looked down at Rafe’s hiking boots. “Not so bright, are you?”
Rafe sealed his lips and took a deep breath as Ar’ch started to laugh and walk toward the mountains. Lucky for Rafe, nature surrounded him, and that was his element. They walked toward the forest in silence. The tall, brown grass gravitated toward him and he held his hand out to tickle the tops of the blades. The closer they got to the forest, the more relaxed he felt. He opened himself up to accept its harmony into his heart.
He had just begun to wonder about how long they had been walking when they reached the edge of the forest. The overcast day had made it bearable. Even with the reprieve from the sun, his dry throat wanted water. Ar’ch and Angel stopped walking and took swigs from their water bottles, so Rafe
did the same.
“This is a portal that will bring us to the bottom of the mountain. That should save us some time,” Ar’ch said when he found the tree with the portal markings on it.
“So, why didn’t we just travel to that portal in the first place?” Rafe asked.
“I wanted to make sure you got out of your system whatever it is you might have had pent up before we reached the oracle.”
“You wanted me to clear my system?” Rafe laughed. “Okay, if you say so.”
“Here it is,” Ar’ch said, ignoring him. After making sure that Angel knew where to touch, Ar’ch teleported to the next destination.
Rafe took hold of Angel’s arm again. Angel turned to him and said, “You don’t need to be nervous.”
“I’m not-” he began to argue and then realized that Angel most likely felt his emotions. “I don’t like the unknown.”
Angel smiled. “We are just going to the bottom of the mountain. We still have to hike up to her place.” He touched the portal and they appeared next to Ar’ch.
Ar’ch started up the path, and Angel and Rafe followed. “What’s she like?” Rafe asked.
“The oracle?” Angel asked. When he nodded, Angel continued, “She is old, like really old, but don’t tell her that,” he laughed. “She’s over a hundred life years old. The essence of our Goddess keeps her alive. She appears frail, but I wouldn’t test her strength. Her affinity is spirit, and the last entity you want to mess with is spirit.”
“What if-” Rafe began and then hesitated.
Ar’ch chuckled. “It doesn’t matter if she likes you or not. It’s not her place to like you or judge you. She serves our Goddess, and if the Goddess has a message for you, she shares it.”
“Will you stay out of my head?” Rafe yelled.
“Nope. Until I know you are trustworthy, I will have access to your thoughts. If you try to block me, I will take that as a threat and kill you.”
Rafe rolled his eyes and thought, You are a first class ass.
Ar’ch laughed. “Yes, yes I am.”
Angel looked between the two of them and said, “The oracle will not harm you, Rafe.”
Rafe thought about a conversation he had overheard between Drake and Damiana. “My father and Damiana spoke of prophecies. Would this be the same oracle?”
Angel nodded. “There is always only one oracle, so it must have been she, which just goes to further prove that she meets with everyone whether she likes him or not.”
They walked for a while in silence again before coming upon a clearing with a bench. A pitcher of water sat on the bench with three glasses. Ar’ch immediately went to the bench, poured himself a glass and sat.
“Now what?” Rafe asked as Angel handed him a glass of water.
“Now we wait for a sign that we have permission meet with her,” Ar’ch replied.
“Are you kidding? I thought you said that you arranged this meeting.”
“I did, but I didn’t include your protector over here in my arrangement, so we wait and see what Cybil decides.”
Just then, three crows swooped down and landed on the picnic table. Each bird stared at one of them for a moment before flying off in unison. Rafe watched the birds fly around the bend of the mountain.
“I guess we are all invited. Let’s go,” Ar’ch said. He stood and led the way up the mountain.
Chapter Seven
Patrysha stayed behind the closed bedroom door as Cybil opened the front door and invited Ar’ch, Rafe, and Angel into her home. The bedroom door allowed her to see everyone without allowing them to see her. She had her shields securely locked in place, knowing that she would need her energy for later. They had never met her before, but she had seen them in her dreams. Before the day ended, she would know each of them very well.
“Welcome, children. Come in,” Cybil said. Cybil had her silver, waist long, thin hair pulled back from her face with a thin, black headband. Patrysha loved when she could convince her to wear the band because it allowed her emerald green eyes to stand out against her brown, frail skin. She especially loved when Cybil used her element and the gold specks in her eyes began to swirl like melted, gold lava.
“Thank you for seeing us on such short notice, Cybil,” Ar’ch said.
“I was happy that you contacted me. Hello again, Angel.”
“Thank you for allowing me to join them,” Angel said and then bowed down to kiss her hand. Angel stood almost a full foot over Cybil. All three men towered over her, but Patrysha knew that they understood that her small package packed plenty of power.
Cybil smiled and then turned to Rafe. “Welcome, child. Be at peace. You are safe here.”
Rafe looked at Angel before replying to Cybil. “Thank you. I have heard great things about you.”
She laughed. “Then Ar’ch has not shared his experiences with you.”
Ar’ch smiled and turned on the charm. “Come now, Cybil. You know you are my favorite oracle.”
She chuckled. “Ah, flattery. It doesn’t always work for you, child, but it will work today.” She pointed to the small table within her cottage. “Rafe, please take a seat.” She walked over to the other chair and waited while Angel pulled it out for her. “Thank you, Angel. You are too kind. You and Ar’ch can have a seat on my sofa, please.”
As Ar’ch and Angel took their places on the sofa closest to her, Patrysha held her breath. It was silly, really. They could not see her because of the door nor could they sense her with her shields in place. Still, Patrysha did her best to stay silent within Cybil’s compact house. From where she stood, she could see the sitting room where Ar’ch and Angel sat, the table where Rafe and Cybil sat, and the small kitchen behind them. This was the whole house, except for the room that she hid in and another one on the other side.
Cybil extended her hands and asked for Rafe’s hands. He cautiously placed his hands within hers, and she smiled. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. She sat there for a few minutes just holding his hands and breathing. Then, she opened her eyes and patted his cheek. “It is so nice to finally meet you.”
“What does that mean? Can you confirm who he is?” Ar’ch asked from the sofa.
“Of course I can, though you already know,” Cybil said. “He is the child of my prophecies. He is your mother’s child, the one who had to be born on Earth for us to have our savior.”
“So, Valerie is my mom?” Rafe asked.
“Yes, dear. And she was beyond distraught with the prophecy that I gave her. I had feared that she might not follow through with giving you up, but she prayed to our Goddess for guidance.”
“And Drake is my dad?”
“Yes, child. We do not get to choose our parents, but we do get to choose who we become.”
“So, Sofia…” Rafe whispered.
“Sofia is our savior, dear. It is because of you that Sofia can save us all. You are as much a hero to our kind as she is,” Cybil said and stood.
“That’s it? He doesn’t get a prophecy?” Ar’ch asked.
“You know very well that only the Goddess determines who gets a prophecy and when. Today is not his time.” Cybil looked at Patrysha through the door and nodded, inviting her to join them. “I would like to introduce you all to someone who will be of further help to each of you on this journey.”
Patrysha opened the door and stepped in front of Ar’ch and Angel. “Hello, gentlemen.” She smiled at each of them, knowing that they were each carefully assessing her. She, too, had pulled her long, deep brown hair away from her face so that they could see her light green eyes with their amber specks. She wore no make-up; her pale, pearly skin was flawless, and her long, dark lashes and light pink lips always made her look dainty and presentable.
“This is Patrysha, my dear friend,” Cybil said. “She is an empath, and she is here at the Goddess’ bidding.”
Patrysha watched the three boys look at one another in confusion. “Be at ease, gentleman. My skills are like Cybil’s, though I canno
t see the future or provide you with any prophecies. I can, however, help you to make better sense of your path if you will let me.”
“If that means that you will help us save Sofia, I will do anything,” Rafe said.
She smiled. “I believe you all would. So, shall we get started?”
They all hesitantly agreed, and she directed each of them to find a place on Cybil’s property where he could fall into a deep meditation. “When you are ready, I will appear,” she said and sent them on their way.
“Will they be receptive?” she asked Cybil once they had disappeared.
Cybil nodded. “Yes, they will be resistant but receptive.”
She inhaled a deep, calming breath. “Then, may the Goddess guide me on this journey.”
“She is already with you.”
She smiled and hugged her dear friend and then walked outside. She dropped her shield and felt for an emotional pull on Cybil’s property. She felt Angel’s energy first. She had assumed he would be the first to hit her radar since he, too, had an affinity related to emotions. She followed his aura to a small stream behind Cybil’s cottage. She silently sat beside him and closed her eyes.
After a few cleansing breaths, she opened an emotional realm and pulled Angel into it with her. Their bodies sat in a meditative state while their entities met in a white, empty bubble. Angel opened his eyes in wonder.
“What is this?” he asked.
“This is an emotional plane that I can create to help Diasodz heal from their emotional burdens,” she said.
“I have an affinity to water. I can control and affect emotions, so I’m not sure why you felt that you needed to meet with me.”
“You do so much to help ease the emotional burdens of those around you that you tend to neglect your own. I know a little bit about that,” she said with a wink. He looked away. “Talk to me, Angel. There is no judgment here. I am here to help guide you.”
-o-
The One Awakened Page 5