Choosing Eternity (The New Era Saga Book 3)

by KT Webb

Thatcher didn’t pause, he ran directly into the fire. Nora and Kerr did their best to search around the exterior, but there was no sign of life. Kerr closed his eyes and tried to feel Tahlia and Eric. Nora did the same. Neither felt anything, which either meant they were gone or dead.

  After what felt like an eternity, Thatcher came crashing back through the fire empty handed. He looked defeated.

  “We don’t know that they were in there,” Kerr roared over the flames.

  “But we don’t know that they weren’t,” Thatcher replied in anguish.

  Kerr looked at his wife. She looked so lost. They had been through so much recently that he didn’t know if she could handle losing the woman who had raised her. As he took her in his arms, he felt a tingle in his skin and the hair on his neck stood on end.

  “You!” Thatcher spat.

  “Oh come now, you knew I would be here. After all, the children were just a warm-up,” Absalom sneered.

  “You call massacring innocent kids a warm-up?” Nora demanded.

  “You say massacre; I say party games. Same thing.”

  “And what was the purpose of this?” Kerr gestured to the ruins behind him.

  “Oh this? This was personal.”

  “YOU MONSTER!” Nora screamed as she tried to lunge at the creature before them.

  Kerr barely managed to hold her back as she fought to reach their enemy. He knew that if she touched him, she would be burned. The way his skin swirled and moved told Kerr that Absalom had become one with the fire he played with in his former life.

  “Tell me something. Don’t you ever tire of being the heroes? Don’t you tire of being the Creator’s playthings? I know I don’t miss it at all. I do whatever I want, whenever I want. And no one I care about ever dies.”

  “Well, we’ve been over this, haven’t we? You don’t care about anyone but yourself. You haven’t got a clue what it’s like to love someone without it becoming a sick obsession,” Thatcher growled.

  Absalom shrugged. “Maybe so. But my point still remains.”

  A loud siren sounded nearby, making Kerr jump to attention. He felt the power building within Absalom and saw through his banter to realize he was about to make an even bigger move.

  “Nora, we need to go. Now,” he whispered.

  Nora reached out and grabbed Thatcher by the elbow and transported them away. When they reappeared in the library, Hadley and Whitley looked up expectantly. Their faces fell when they didn’t see their parents.

  “You were on the news. They saw you run into the fire. They saw you guys disappear. They saw Absalom” Dorian said.

  “I don’t care. Let people know about us. They need to if they’re going to survive any of this,” Nora yelled.

  Kerr drew their attention back to the television as a wave of burning energy released from Absalom. The helicopter footage held for a few seconds before losing connection completely. He knew instinctively that Washington D.C. was no more. If Tahlia and Eric had survived the fire at their home, they wouldn’t have survived the blast that leveled the capital of the country.

  Everyone disbursed after what they’d witnessed on the news. Whitley and Hadley went to be alone, but the others stayed in the library. Joe and Callie were missing, but they didn’t make a habit of joining the family meetings.

  Kerr found Joe sitting in the kitchen. He was pale and clammy. Kerr grabbed a glass of water and gave it to Joe.

  “You look terrible.”

  “I feel terrible. I feel like I did when we shared the vision with Whitley. The connection I have to Absalom is pulling at me.”

  Kerr furrowed his brow. “Then we need to try to see if there is something to it.”

  As much as the idea of being inside Absalom’s head again made his stomach clench, he had learned from the last time that they could gather useful information from those glimpses. He offered his hands to Joe and they both closed their eyes.

  When he released the heat wave that destroyed Washington D.C., he didn’t even take time to revel in the feeling of accomplishment that came along with completing the first few steps in his plan.

  The power coursing through him was intense; it was nothing like he felt when his own power was present. He couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel when he reclaimed all the power that should belong to him. Thatcher had stolen it from him when he destroyed his Old Immortal shell. It was something he had expected, but he now found himself considering what the reclamation of those abilities would do for him. To say Iblis was powerful was not strong enough. The abilities that had been given to the angels were pure and intense. The Creator hadn’t intended to give power to any other beings when he made his angels, so the power wasn’t diluted.

  When Lucifer flung himself from Eternity, he took that power with him and it twisted and corrupted his soul. True vision and determination leaves an imprint on the world. When the Creator reset after his battle with Iblis, he didn’t have the heart to destroy him completely, or even lock him away as he did the Maladies. Absalom chuckled at the thought. The Creator’s passion and care for his creations would lead to his downfall.

  The raw power and corruption were reborn when Absalom was destroyed. He had been searching for it over the years and gathering the pieces of his predecessor’s fragmented soul. The Old Immortals believed he killed their descendants to regain power, but they were only partially right. The prophecies led him to take advantage of a loophole; by destroying the children of the Old Immortals, he was choosing the Evolved. If the Creator wanted five to remain, he would choose which five. It was unfortunate that his experiment with Malcolm was a failure, but Thatcher had proven to be a worthy replacement.

  Absalom had chosen them; he created the Evolved. They should be thanking him instead of fighting him, but they had rebuked him as they were supposed to.

  His mind returned to his plan. Killing the children had been fun and completely unnecessary, outside of distracting the Evolved from the big show. While they were worried about the heinousness of murdering the sick and innocent, he was able to get to the White House.

  Killing Tahlia and her human husband would leave the Evolved reeling. That was the trouble with investing in other people; it caused people to lose sight of their purpose. In the end, the Creator doesn’t care if the Evolved lose people they love. This whole painfully slow journey was only ever about Him and His ridiculous virtues.

  While the Evolved were busy licking their wounds, Absalom would be moving onto the next phase in his plan. There was no way they could stop him, even if they tried.

  Kerr and Joe exchanged a look that only they could understand. Kerr was disgusted. Joe appeared to be in shock. He was consumed by the thought that Absalom had chosen them specifically as he murdered their parents and grandparents.

  “He’s insane,” Joe said hoarsely.

  “He doesn’t think so.”

  “Obviously, but he is. Killing children and Whitley’s parents just to distract you? How can he even justify that to himself? What else could possibly be coming next?”

  Kerr didn’t have an answer for that, but Joe didn’t stick around long enough to find out. He got up and rushed out of the kitchen, heading upstairs. Kerr was exhausted. He didn’t know how much more he could take. He didn’t know how much more his family could take. He knew he needed to tell Nora, Thatcher, Dorian, and Romulus before he talked to anyone else. When he returned to the library, Hadley and Whitley had disappeared. Callie was nowhere to be seen, and Joe had gone upstairs.

  “We need to talk,” Kerr began as he launched into the information he had to share.

  “You were actually inside his mind? How?” Nora asked with concern.

  Kerr looked to Romulus and Dorian for an explanation. He had no idea how he’d managed to get inside his head; not just once, but twice.

  Dorian cleared his throat. “The best I can offer is a theory. I believe the connection Absalom forged with the Maladies left an imprint on them. They can sense him and feel when he taps into thei
r collective energies. Joe’s connection combined with Kerr’s ability must have allowed them access to Absalom’s mind.”

  “It’s probably easier right after he expels a significant amount of energy. The force with which he destroyed D.C. had to have depleted his strength at least a little,” Romulus offered.

  Kerr sighed and buried his face in his hands. “So what do you make of his delusions of grandeur?”

  “I think we’ve underestimated exactly how deeply entangled our brother is with Iblis. From what you’ve told us, it appears that he is almost sharing his consciousness with Iblis,” Dorian mused.

  “I can’t believe that he killed those children, Tahlia, and Eric just to throw us off the scent. I refuse to let that happen. We need to stay focused. Whitley and Hadley are out for the time being. We can’t expect them to focus on the battle right now. But the rest of us need to refocus and strategize. He is not going to win because we value human life.” Nora stood with her arms crossed.

  Kerr admired his wife. She was so strong and determined. She may not know why they were all looking to her, but he did. She would be the one to lead them through the trials they would face before the final battle. She would be the one the world would turn to when it was time to fight. He would stand by her side and follow her lead.

  Chapter Twenty-Two:

  Whitley

  Hours after the apparent death of their parents, Whitley found herself sitting on the stairs listening to a heated argument between Joe and Callie. Neither had witnessed the news reports as they happened live, but after the energy burst was released they both flew into the library looking terrified.

  Whitley hardly had time to think about her parents. She and Hadley felt fairly certain of their demise but didn’t want to give up hope entirely.

  “What’s going on in there?” Hadley inquired as she sat down next to her twin.

  “Oh, you know, just arguing about you, me, and the end of the world.”

  Callie could be heard screaming at Joe from behind closed doors. Joe shouted back but was clearly trying to calm her down.

  “I know you felt it too! You can’t pretend he’s not out there, and hiding here isn’t going to get either of us very far! If anything, it’ll make it worse on them. They already have targets on their backs.”

  “Callie, calm down. You’re missing the point of us being here. I’m not here to hide. I’m here to fight. If they have targets on their backs, we’ve got them on our foreheads.”

  “What do you think we’re gonna do? We’re mortal, remember? How can we possibly help them? We’d be better off taking your girlfriend and going on the run.”

  “Girlfriend?”

  “Don’t play dumb, Jo-si-ah.”

  Whitley sat on the stairs silently arguing with herself. The blush rose in her face as she listened to Callie accuse Joe of the relationship she had contemplated many times. She definitely had feelings for Joe, but she wasn’t about to go jumping into some the-world-is-ending relationship. Maybe if they both made it out of this alive, she’d revisit those feelings.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Joe tried to change the subject. “And please, don’t call me Josiah. It’s Joe.”

  “Whatever. Look, I don’t know how long I’ll stick around, so think about whether or not you’re going with me. It’s not like she’d be interested in you anyway; she’s not like us.”

  Whitley had had enough. She stood and strode to the door. She shoved through and barreled into the sitting room. She could feel her sister watching. Hadley was likely ready to jump in if she needed her to, but she didn’t need help with this.

  “You’re a coward,” Whitley announced.

  Callie gaped at her. Whitley knew Callie wasn’t used to anyone talking back to her or challenging her.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I didn’t stutter.”

  “What gives you the right . . . ”

  “No. You don’t get to ask me that. You have no idea who I am. You have no idea what I’ve been through. I have fought against Absalom. I sacrificed myself for my twin sister. I was forced to say goodbye to the most important person in my life to fulfill a prophecy that I didn’t want to participate in. I spent five years suspended in limbo. I was given my life back just to find that everything had changed. I became a human walkie-talkie for communication between Eternity and here. My mother was kidnapped and tortured by you asshats. My freakin’ head almost exploded because of all the souls that got sent to Eternity thanks to your old pals and boss.” Whitley looked between Joe and Callie. “And after all that, when I was given the option to die or come back to the uncertainty that is my life, I chose my life. My mortal life. I would rather die fighting the despicable evil that is threatening this world than just disappear quietly.”

  “What . . . ”

  “I’m not finished.” Whitley gave Callie a look that could have killed her where she stood. “You don’t get to question my rights in this world. Especially not when I just witnessed the possible destruction of my parents. You don’t get to question the motives of anyone here. But we can question yours. If you’re so desperate to leave, no one is keeping you here.”

  “I . . . don’t know what to say,” Callie began. “Excuse me.”

  Callie shoved past Whitley and averted her eyes when she entered the foyer. She ran up the stairs and disappeared down the hall. A slamming door told them she had entered the room she was sleeping in.

  Whitley felt her family behind her in the foyer. She turned toward them and shooed them away. Hadley stepped forward and closed the door of the sitting room to give Joe and Whitley a chance to talk about what had happened.

  “Look, I’m sorry for the way she’s acting. We’re pretty terrified right now.” Joe tried to wave off the conversation.

  “Oh I understand why she feels the way she does, I just don’t care. I want you to understand that we’re not just hiding here. My family goes out into the world every day to try and build an army that is likely doomed. We’re preparing to fight a battle. The final battle. And we don’t have time to babysit a sulky whiner. If she wants to leave, I’m not going to stop her. And if you want to—”

  “I don’t,” Joe said softly.

  Whitley looked up at him and felt the blush rise in her cheeks again. “Also, what she was saying about you and me . . . I don’t want you to get the wrong idea . . . ”

  “Oh, no. I know we’re friends. You’ve been the best friend I could ever ask for. So, thank you for that.”

  “That’s not what I meant. But if you’re content with being friends, then I am too.”

  “What did you mean?” Joe took a step toward her.

  Whitley felt her heart pounding in her chest. What was she thinking? This man was a fallen angel. He was a Malady. He had done terrible things to people. While she knew all those things were true, she couldn’t help but find herself taking a step closer to him. They now stood closer than they had ever been. She looked up into his sad gray eyes.

  “I meant that she was wrong, that I wouldn’t be interested.”

  Joe grinned and wrapped an arm around her waist. She felt like her skin was dancing. As Joe leaned down, she stood on her tiptoes to reach him. When their lips met, it was as though she had been waiting for him for an eternity. She wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed herself to be pulled deeper into their kiss. She knew words could never express the way she saw him; he was living proof that redemption was possible. Whitley ran her fingers through his hair and smiled against his lips.

  “Wow.”

  “Right?”

  Joe took her hand and kissed her palm. “In all my years, I never would have dreamed I would be worthy of a girl like you.”

  “That’s your problem; you have to let yourself be forgiven. Stop torturing yourself already. But, in all fairness, I’m just as surprised as you are.” She winked.

  Joe smiled and kissed the top of her head. The door opened a crack and Hadley peeked in.

  �
��Whit? They’re about to do a special report on the status of the President. Do you want to come?”

  “Absolutely.” She reached out and took Joe’s hand in hers and led him from the room.

  Hadley raised an eyebrow as she passed, and Whitley rewarded her with a raspberry. Her sister laughed and followed them into the library.

  Chapter Twenty-Three:

  Thatcher

  The report had been a waste of time. No one was certain whether or not Eric and Tahlia had been in the White House when it was destroyed. He didn’t want to give up hope that Absalom had failed in his attempt to kill them.

  Washington D.C. lay in ruins; the body count rose every minute. But as they watched the news, it became evident that Absalom had targeted major cities across the world. Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Hong Kong, Cairo, and Rome had been decimated. The reports were flooding in, and they all said the same thing; it looked as though an atomic bomb had been dropped in the center of each city. So many people had lost their lives due to Absalom’s vile behavior.

  Kerr, Nora, and Thatcher decided it would be best to go search for survivors amongst the devastation. They were done hiding; the world had seen them on the news anyway. They needed to show themselves and make their purpose known if they were going to continue to gather people to fight for their cause.

  Thatcher was worried about the twins. The girls had been holding out hope that their parents would be alright, but they looked completely let down when the reporter did not deliver good news. Both Hadley and Whitley left the library after the report was done.

  Dorian and Romulus sat on the couch as Nora explained the plan to them.

  “We’ve got to get out there and show that we’re here for the people. If we don’t show our faces, there will be those who believe that all they have to look forward to is death. We have to show them there’s something to fight for.”

  “We have to stop assuming that people won’t understand our abilities. Absalom isn’t hiding. People have seen this massively horrid beast killing innocent children, so they’re not going to be afraid of us,” Thatcher insisted.