Cataclysm (Alternate Earth Series, Book One)

by S. J. West

  Slade looks surprised by Malcolm’s words, and vigorously begins to shake his head.

  “I would never betray my friends,” he says vehemently. “I don’t know what might have led me to do such a thing in your reality, but you have my word that will never happen in this one. I would rather give up my life than lose the faith of those I consider to be my family.”

  “You’ll have to excuse our reaction to you,” I tell Slade, seeing that he’s becoming upset by our revelation. “The betrayal of your counterpart hit us all pretty hard when it happened. He had our full trust at the time, and the memory of it is still fresh in our minds.”

  “I completely understand,” Slade says, “but you have my word that you don’t have to worry about me being disloyal to the cause here.”

  “Slade has been my right-hand man,” Desmond tells us. “I’m not sure what I would have done without his help the past few years.”

  “It will just take us some time to separate the Slade we knew from you,” Mason assures him.

  “I hope you can,” Slade says, still looking uneasy about the situation.

  “Desmond,” Brand says, “why don’t you show us what we need to do to set things up in here for everyone? I think the faster we can get people settled, the better.”

  Brand’s words effectively ease the tension that had developed with Slade’s reintroduction into our lives. It’s a surprise to us all, but one I feel sure a little time will ease.

  It takes about an hour to bring in all the cots and get them ready for people to rest on in the mine’s great chamber. We all pitch in and get the job done quickly. Brand tells us that he was able to send a message to Xavier and is simply waiting to hear back from him as to where we should all meet.

  “Why doesn’t he just come here?” I ask Brand.

  “He’s never been to this particular location. He doesn’t want to know where it is,” Brand says. “If he’s ever discovered as our spy, it would be better if he isn’t able to give up the whereabouts of this site under torture.”

  “Good idea,” Malcolm agrees. “It’s safer that way.”

  A young man, probably in his mid-twenties, with light brown hair and an easy- going grin walks up to us, with Abby close to his side. His face is friendly and slightly familiar. The warmth emanating from his brown eyes tells me he has a good heart, and that he’s someone who can be trusted.

  “Good to see you again, Carrig,” Brand says to the young man, holding out a hand for the new arrival to shake. “How are you?”

  “I’m doing well, thanks for asking,” Carrig replies in an accent that sounds exactly like Desmond’s. He shakes Brand’s hand before turning his attention to us. “My father thought you and your friends might enjoy a small tour of the mine while you’re here.”

  “And who is your father?” I ask, but already have a good idea who it might be.

  “Desmond is my father,” Carrig answers, looking a little bemused. “I thought you would recognize me from your own reality.”

  “I’m afraid you died when you were a baby, in our world,” Mason says, before asking Brand, “Did Turel come to Earth as a Watcher?”

  “No,” Brand answers, “he wasn’t asked to.”

  “Who is Turel?” I ask.

  Mason turns his attention to me. “That is Aiden’s angelic name. Since he’s not here, it sort of explains why Carrig is.”

  “That sounds like an intriguing story,” Carrig says, openly interested in hearing it. “Did this Turel kill me or something?”

  “Not because he wanted to,” Mason replies, sounding as though this is a subject he would rather not discuss. “He made a suggestion once to Desmond that, if your father phased you back and forth between time zones, he could prevent you from having to transform each day. Unfortunately, that plan didn’t work in your favor, and your body became so confused it stayed in a state of flux where you were half-human and half-werewolf. In that form, you were unable to eat. You became so weak from malnourishment that your life was ended prematurely.”

  “Wow,” Carrig says in shock. I notice Abby take one of his hands in hers for comfort. “I can’t say I was expecting that sort of fate in the Origin.”

  “I’m glad to see you, Carrig,” Mason says, his voice a little choked up by emotion as he remembers the past. “I think our Desmond would have enjoyed seeing you alive and happy.”

  “Maybe… maybe you can take a video of me before you leave. You can give it to your Desmond, so he can see how I would have turned out,” Carrig suggests hesitantly. “Or do you think that would be too hard for him to watch?”

  “No,” Mason says with a shake of his head, “I don’t think it would be too hard. I think he would appreciate it a great deal.”

  “Then I’ll make sure it gets done,” Carrig promises.

  There’s a moment of silence, but I decide to break it.

  “Now for that tour,” I say. “I would love to see what else is here.”

  Carrig’s smile returns as he says, “Follow me.”

  While Carrig walks us through certain parts of the mine, it’s hard not to notice that he and Abby hold hands all the way through the tour. I know Brand’s daughter in this reality still has to withstand transforming into a werewolf every night, and as far as I know, she and the Sebastian in this world never met face to face. Yet, it’s still odd to see her with someone else and so young. What would have happened if Carrig had survived in our timeline? Would Abby have chosen Carrig over Sebastian? It’s difficult for me to imagine her with anyone else, but I try to keep in mind that this is a very different world. These versions of my friends, and even my enemies, have faced dissimilar events and their lives have been irrevocably altered because of those differing circumstances.

  The most interesting section of the mine that Carrig shows us is the underground lake with its clear, emerald-green water. According to Carrig, almost all of the artwork within the mine was sculpted by the men who extracted the rock salt from it. The care that was given to each detail of the mythical and biblical sculptures throughout the chambers isn’t something I would have expected from a group of salt miners.

  Near the end of our tour, Brand’s phone rings with a text from Xavier.

  “He says he has a few minutes to meet with us,” Brand says. “I would appreciate it if you and Jess came with me, Mason.”

  “Good,” I say, “I need to ask him about something Ravan said to me when we were rescuing Jered.”

  “All right,” Brand says, hearing this for the first time himself. “I would be curious to know what she said also.”

  “Where are we meeting him?” Mason asks.

  “The safe house by the harbor,” Brand tells us. “The one we went to after rescuing Tristan.”

  When the three of us phase to the large metal warehouse, we find Xavier and Noel already there waiting for us.

  “Sorry to hear that you lost your home,” Xavier tells Brand. “But I’ve sort of been preparing for that to happen. I have a place where you can set up shop again rather quickly. I’ll just need a day or two to get things ready.”

  “Where do you have in mind?” Brand asks.

  “Boldt Castle on Heart Island,” Xavier answers. “No one will look for you there. And it will finally get you out into the light of day.”

  “I’ll need a safe room for Abby,” Brand reminds Xavier.

  “I know. I have that covered. Don’t worry; she’ll be taken care of.”

  “I don’t suppose you could outfit it with one of those ‘no phasing’ rooms,” I inquire.

  Xavier looks at me hard. “Why would you need a prison like that?”

  “In case we’re able to capture my Lucifer,” I answer. “I would like to have a safe place to put him.”

  Xavier sighs heavily. “I suppose I could arrange it if it’s necessary. It might take some time, though, so don’t plan on imprisoning your Lucifer any time soon.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Now,” Xavier says, crossing his arms
over his chest, “tell me more about these dig sites you visited, and what you think they’re looking for at them.”

  We discuss our suspicions that Lucian is searching for the Ark of the Covenant at the locations.

  “I haven’t heard anything about the sites, much less what they’re searching for,” Xavier admits.

  “I saw Malik at the Dome of the Rock site,” Brand says. “Is there any way you can get us in contact with him or his wife, Tara? One of them might be able to tell us what they’re searching for.”

  “Let me check into it,” Xavier says. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Have either of you overheard Ravan and Lucian talking about a secret plan that they have together?” I ask Xavier and Noel. “She hinted rather strongly that, if I knew what they intend to do, I would get the hell out of Dodge before it happened.”

  “I haven’t heard anything about a secret plot,” Noel says, a worried look on her face.

  “Me neither,” Xavier says.

  “Well, keep your eyes and ears open when you’re around the two of them. Maybe they’ll let something slip in a casual conversation that will give us a hint to their scheme. Whatever it is, it can’t be good.”

  “Brand told me that you want to use a special dagger on one of the princes to stop the progression of the seal openings,” Xavier says. “Do you have a particular one in mind?”

  “Yes,” I say. “Considering what we know from our own world, I think Gabriel will be the next prince who is supposed to open his seal. Since he’s obviously taken the place of Levi in this reality, he should have the fourth seal in his possession. Maybe if we can prevent him from opening it, the others won’t be able to open theirs either.”

  “There’s no way of knowing if that will work,” Xavier points out.

  “No, there isn’t,” I agree, “but do you have a better idea?”

  “No; I can’t think of one,” he acknowledges. “I’ll keep an eye out for an opportunity for you to corner Gabriel and try this dagger trick out.”

  “It needs to be as soon as possible,” I say. “The longer we wait, the worse things might get.”

  “I understand the urgency,” Xavier says, as if I don’t need to remind him. “I hope you appreciate how hard it is for me to keep a balance between my work with the resistance and my work with Lucian and his rabble. I can’t give away that I know too much, or I lose the advantage of being able to feed Brand information when he needs it. I took a great risk even sending him that text about the headquarters being compromised. It only takes one touch for them to kill me, you know.”

  “We might be able to do something about that,” I say. “One of the vessels has the ability to make talismans that can prevent you from being killed by an Archangel’s touch.”

  Xavier’s expression perks up at this news. “That would be extremely helpful.”

  “All she needs is some supplies and a place to work,” I tell Brand. “Then she can make them for all of you.”

  “I’ll make sure she gets whatever she needs,” Brand says. “I assume this is part of JoJo’s talent?”

  I nod. “Yes. In fact, if you can find the material, I want her to make me another outfit while she’s at it. Jered’s blood pretty much ruined the one I wore here.”

  “I’ll get a list of items from her when we go back and have someone procure the supplies for her,” Brand promises.

  “I need to leave,” Xavier tells us. “I have a lot to organize in a short amount of time. I’ll see if I can arrange a meeting with either Malik or Tara. However, it might be a little hard if they’re both at a dig site that I’m not supposed to know about. There’s no way for me to explain that type of knowledge.”

  “Just see what you can do,” Brand says. “If you don’t see a way to get the information without compromising your position, I’ll figure something else out.”

  “All right. Give me until tomorrow. Noel or I will meet you back here in twenty-four hours. I should have more details on when you can move your group to Boldt Castle by then, too.”

  Brand holds his hand out to Xavier, who immediately shakes it. “We owe you a lot. Thank you.”

  “Just doing my part for the revolution,” Xavier jokes. Xavier lets go of Brand’s hand and says, “I’ll do my best to get things ready, but don’t expect a miracle. I might need more time.”

  “I know you’ll do what you can manage,” Brand replies.

  Xavier and Noel phase away, and we return to the mine.

  After we get back, Brand sits down with JoJo and makes a list of supplies she needs to make the talismans for the Watchers here and a new suit for me. I know it won’t take her long to make the items, especially with all of us helping her do some of the work that doesn’t require much skill. The stitching and molding is something she will have to do by hand because that’s how her talent works, but we can at least help with some of the grunt work of cutting things out for her.

  While we wait for some of Desmond’s people to fetch the supplies for us, I notice Tristan, who is now fully-clothed with some borrowed items, watching Sophia with wary eyes. I walk over and sit down with him on his cot.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask.

  “Jered told me Sophia is actually my father in this reality,” he tells me. “I’m having a hard time reconciling that fact. It’s hard to imagine him as a woman.”

  I don’t know much about Tristan’s father, Rolph, but from what little I was told, he didn’t give Tristan much love or respect. He used him like a tool in his Watcher arsenal, forcing him to perform despicable tasks that were damaging to his soul. I’ve never asked Tristan what acts of barbarism his father made him carry out in the past. It really isn’t any of my business. But I do know that the Watchers of our world often make their children hunt down and attack innocent people for sport. I can’t imagine someone as sweet-tempered as Tristan being forced to do such a horrible thing.

  “Do you want to talk to her?” I ask.

  “Yes and no,” Tristan admits, with an uneasy sigh. “Honestly, I’m not even sure I know what to say to her.”

  With the furtive glances Sophia is giving Tristan, I can only assume she desperately wants to talk to him, too.

  “Maybe you should just let her do all the talking,” I suggest. “It’s obvious she wants to know more about you. Perhaps if you talk with her, you might be able to understand your own father a little better. From what I’ve seen so far, she seems to care a great deal about her daughter, Logan. You might be able to see a side to your father through her that you haven’t seen in our reality.”

  “I felt sorry for her when Logan decided to stay with her sister, instead of escaping with her. But, Logan did seem torn between wanting to go with Sophia and staying.”

  “When I told Sophia that you were her child in our reality, she did what was necessary, and got you out of there,” I remind Tristan. “I think you owe her at least a little bit of your time to speak with her. It isn’t going to hurt anything. Maybe it will even help you in some way. As I said, she does have your father’s soul inside her. She might be able to give you some insight into how to approach your dad when you go back home, if that’s something you want to do.”

  “I’ve thought about it,” Tristan admits. “What I really want to do is get my brother away from him.”

  My head tilts of its own accord. “I didn’t realize you had a brother,” I admit.

  Tristan nods. “Yes. He’s a little younger than I am. My father is one of the few Watchers who had more than one child with a human. Most of them were so traumatized by the birth of their first child that they never wanted to go through it again. My father wasn’t one of them. I guess he wanted a backup in case anything ever happened to me.”

  Such a thought is disconcerting, to say the least. That a father would actually think about the death of his own child and plan ahead for it is demented.

  “Not all of the werewolves are bad, you know,” Tristan says. “I think a lot of them would do what I did i
f they had somewhere safe to go.”

  “Well, maybe you can do something to help the others when you go back,” I suggest. “Maybe you’re the one who is supposed to help them break the bonds they share with their fathers and start to live normal lives, where they can find a way to atone for the sins they’ve committed.”

  “Jered has encouraged me to ask God for forgiveness,” Tristan tells me. “I understand the fact that He will forgive me if I’m truly repentant, but I don’t feel worthy enough to do such a thing yet. I need to do something significant before I can go to Him.”

  I place a comforting hand on Tristan’s back. “I understand. I think you should think through what you want to do and how you want to go about doing it. You know Mason and I will help you in any way we can. All you have to do is tell us what needs to be done.”

  “Thanks, Jess,” Tristan says, with a wan smile. “I’ll let you know after I figure it out.”

  Tristan looks over at Sophia, who is still peering at him expectantly.

  “I guess I should go talk to her,” he says. “I think you’re right. Maybe she can give me a different perspective on my father. I wonder why he chose to be a woman in this reality. It seems strange. My father’s always been so manly. I can’t imagine him as a woman, acting all soft and nurturing.”

  I let out a small laugh. “Well, there’s only one way to find out. Go talk to her.”

  Tristan nods and stands from the cot. “Wish me luck.”

  “Good luck,” I tell him. “But I don’t think you’ll need it. She wants to get to know you just as much as you want to know her; it’s obvious from the way she’s looking at you.”

  Tristan walks over to where Sophia is sitting on her own cot, and asks if he can sit down with her. Sophia smiles up at Tristan, pleased that he’s finally come to speak with her. They soon fall into what appears to be an easy conversation with one another, and I even see Tristan smile at one point. I know then that, whatever it is Sophia tells him, he will use the information to his advantage when we go back home. I didn’t know Tristan had a younger brother, and I sincerely hope he finds a way to save him from their father’s clutches.