by KT Webb
She ran to Kerr and crashed into his shaking back. He turned and pulled her into his arms. They didn't have long to grieve or be thankful for the sacrifice Romulus made.
"Kerr, we have to keep going."
"I can't just leave him here."
"We don't have a choice."
They stood and looked down at Romulus for just a moment before jumping back into the fray.
Chapter Thirty-One
FINAL BATTLE: PART TWO
Hadley
It wasn’t enough to fight. They had to win. Hadley pushed her way through the crowd with electrifying ease. The current coursing through her body delivered an intense shock to anyone who tried to stop her.
These were not people anymore. They fought without care and watched their comrades die without batting an eye. The sheer number of them was disheartening. While the Army of Hope had the advantage of well-trained fighters, the Dark Army had the advantage of only one mind. The only thing coursing through their bodies was the command to kill.
Hadley saw that Whitley and Joe were now surrounded by drones climbing up to stop them. They were powerless and didn’t see the enemy creeping closer. Hadley took a risk and sent out a massive energy wave. She believed in her heart that her ability would not hurt those she did not intend to harm. She was right. The enemies climbing toward her sister and brother-in-law were immediately destroyed when the energy wave hit them.
She turned away from the mound of bodies that now surrounded her family and set to work on the enemies approaching her and Callie. A sweet, musical sound broke through the angry din of battle. A trumpet blew in the distance and carried to them on a fragrant breeze.
Nora
The single beautiful tone caused the members of the Dark Army to suspend in time. A mist rolled in, pushing back the darkness that surrounded the two armies. Streams of ghostly smoke landed all around them, revealing miraculous additions to their numbers. Nora had to swallow the lump forming in her throat as she looked around at all the loved ones who had been taken from their lives.
The Old Immortals converged on Dorian for a long-awaited hug.
“I can’t believe you’re all here.” Nora managed to keep her voice steady.
“This is what we were meant to do. The battle is uneven as a result of all the lives Absalom has taken.”
“Cloud of witnesses?” Whitley called out.
Hadley laughed at their joke. Nora knew they were referring to the Biblical concept of the gathering of souls who watch over their loved ones after they’ve passed into Eternity. Many believed that the cloud of witnesses would also help them in their time of need.
A slow smile spread across her face as she took in the glowing beings around her. For the first time since the battle began, Nora felt certain of their success.
“We don’t have long before they’re back in action,” Malcolm said, stepping forward.
Nora looked around at the people who had gathered near her to see what had come with the smoke. They looked rough. Kerr had not been able to keep up with the injured after he and Romulus were attacked. Her eyes found the strained face of her husband. They would have a lot to deal with if they survived this battle.
“Son, let’s try something.” Romulus’ voice broke through the silence.
Kerr
His stomach did a flip when he heard Romulus address him. It only took a few moments for him to find the father figure he had just lost. He took a few steps toward him, tears threatening to escape his eyes.
“What do you want to try?”
Romulus held out his hands for Kerr to take. He placed both hands flat on his grandfather’s open palms. He felt the pain of every injured person on the battlefield. Both Kerr and Romulus closed their eyes and stood still. He felt the comforting warmth of his healing light wrap around them and permeate the air. As it built to a crescendo, it burst from them, hitting everyone who needed to be healed.
The sharp intake of breath sounded in his ears, but he felt the healing power embrace them. He caught snippets of the battle from every perspective and couldn’t help but feel the pain and fear that filled so many of his fellow warriors. He furrowed his brow and pushed out the strongest of feelings he could grasp: hope.
He couldn’t heal emotional wounds, but he and Romulus could restore some of the morale they would need when the battle resumed.
Nora
“Mommy!”
She turned to see a young woman come toward her. She thought Keira must be hiding somewhere behind the woman who appeared to be about her age.
“Keira?”
“Mom, I’m right here.” The words came from the mouth of the tall, curly-haired brunette in front of her.
Nora’s heart broke. Had her daughter aged while she was in Eternity? No. That was impossible. She wouldn’t believe it. When she was in Eternity, seconds here were like hours in the real world, not the other way around. So how was it possible that Keira was fully grown?
“Here’s the deal. I can open a door to Eternity, remember? I had to miss out on this battle when I was little, but there’s no reason I can’t come back and join you now.”
Nora was dumbstruck. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-four.”
“Did future me okay this?”
“Oh please, mom. I’m an adult. I don’t need you to give me permission, but the rest of these knuckleheads are here without permission.” Keira gestured over her shoulder.
Nora looked past the older version of her daughter to see six teenagers behind her. Two of the boys were clearly the twins Hadley was currently carrying. One of the girls could have been either Whitley or Hadley’s girl, but from the way she stared at the latter it was obvious who she belonged to.
Three of the others, two girls and one boy, shared various characteristics with Keira. And the final boy couldn’t stop staring at Joe and Whitley.
“Not that we have time for this, but what if you die?”
“Oh please, mom, we’re all way more powerful than you guys. Even Kade. It’s too bad the others are all still in middle school. You guys would have killed me if I brought them.”
Whitley and Joe’s son looked at Nora and gave her a shy smile. How could the son of two mortals be more powerful than the Evolved? And what did she mean the others? Did Nora and Kerr have more than four children?
“Okay. Let’s do this. But you promise me that if any of them get injured, you get your dad to heal them.”
The group of teens laughed loudly. “Mom, we’re not gonna get hurt. You’ll see!”
It was strange for a young man who so closely resembled her husband to call her mom, but Nora took it all in stride. It wouldn’t be long before the battle began again and they had to be ready.
Whitley
Whitley watched the exchange between Nora and the future children of the family around her. She was particularly interested in the shy boy who would be her son. She couldn’t help but wonder what his abilities were.
Joe hadn’t taken his eyes off their future son. He appeared to be stuck between awe and confusion. She squeezed her husband’s hand, and he squeezed hers back.
Whitley made eye contact with Naomi and Ezekiel as they stood across from her on the battlefield. She was impressed with how much Naomi had grown since leaving Absalom’s control. She had gone from being self-absorbed and narcissistic to fighting for the lives of the innocent people around her. Ezekiel still reminded her of the guy wearing a tin-foil hat she’d once seen on a park bench. His eyes flitted around suspiciously, and he didn’t talk very much.
She was shocked from her musings by a deep rumbling as the opposing side regained mobility. They leapt back into battle without a second thought.
Chapter Thirty-Two:
THE FINAL BATTLE: PART THREE
Thatcher
The battle seemed easier to face with his parents by his side. His father and mother were able to use the abilities that had been stolen from them because Thatcher relinquished them when the Cloud of
Witnesses appeared. The Dark Army was falling at a steady rate.
He and his dad threw fireballs at the people who drew near to them as a result of their mother using her ability to draw them closer. It worked well.
Thatcher had also noticed the Old Immortals without remaining descendants fought with abilities he was only familiar with because of his fight with Absalom. Lucien and his ancestors sent beams of light at the enemy. The beam would fill the soldier with light until it poured from every orifice, then the body erupted.
He continued to fight until he heard Hadley scream.
Hadley
She fought alongside Callie. She electrocuted anyone who came near her and tried to protect Callie in the same fashion. Hadley was trying to protect someone near them when it happened.
Her back was only turned for a few moments, but that was all it took.
“Hadley! Help!” Callie called to her.
She whipped around expecting to see the spunky woman fighting more than one enemy, but instead she found her face to face with Malice. The Maladies had avoided much of the battle, but they probably decided to join when the scales tipped in favor of the Army of Hope.
Now, Malice faced Callie with a revolver trained at her forehead. Callie knelt before her, looking up with defiance.
“You think you can just leave us and join them?” Malice spat.
“Yes. And I haven’t felt this alive in centuries.”
“You’re a traitor. That’s all you ever will be.”
Hadley pulled back ready to kill Malice, but she hesitated a moment too long. The metallic click followed by an earth-shattering bang left a gaping hole in Callie’s forehead. She slumped over as Malice smirked and stepped over her dead body.
Hadley didn’t hesitate again, she sent a shock of lightning through Malice until the woman collapsed on the ground breathing heavily. When the Malady looked up at her, Hadley snapped her finger and Malice disintegrated in front of her.
She rushed to Callie’s side. “No, no, no.”
Her scream erupted from deep within. Hadley was holding the person responsible for bringing her parents back to her as the blood poured from the hole in her head.
Kerr
Kerr felt the anguish that Hadley sent out as she held onto Callie. He didn’t bother going to her because he couldn’t save Callie, and Thatcher was already trying to rally his wife. He fought alongside his son. Kerr had offered the boy a baseball bat, but he declined, telling his father to watch and learn.
Kerr laughed and watched as his son took off at lightning speed. He ran around a group of drones faster and faster until they imploded. Kerr was dumfounded.
“How did you do that?”
“Long story. You’ll live it, so I don’t need to give away any spoilers.”
“What’s your name?”
“I’ll tell you if you promise not to change it.” He waited for Kerr to nod. “Roman. You wanted to honor Romulus.”
“I wouldn’t change that. It’s perfect.”
The boy grinned before taking off to implode more of the Dark Army.
Nora
She and Keira fought together with her other two daughters. She had learned their names were Elise and Mila. She had no idea where those names came from, but she loved them.
Her daughters were extremely powerful. They had abilities she had never dreamed possible. She knew from Mila that the battle was close to an end. She told her they had lost scores of people, but the outcome still looked good.
“You can tell the future?” Nora was curious.
“Not exactly. I can see a variety of outcomes. It’s not like daddy’s visions.”
She nodded, but before she could say anything further, someone struck Nora from behind. She fell to the ground, her vision going in and out of focus.
“Mom!” all three girls shouted together.
“Well, isn’t this a surprise?” Avarice mocked.
Nora tried to stand but couldn’t get her bearings. She reached up and touched the tender spot on the back of her head. When she drew her hand away, it was covered in sticky blood. She looked to Keira for help.
Elise and Mila kept Avarice busy, while Keira helped their mother stand.
“You always told me that when you were faced with killing Avarice, you couldn’t do it and someone else had to. I think it was us. You wouldn’t have told me that growing up because you didn’t want to encourage your kids to come back in time through Eternity to join a bloody battle.”
Nora tried to protest, but she couldn’t find the words. She was fading in and out of consciousness.
Keira, Elise, and Mila stood together and held hands. They closed their eyes and faced Avarice. The Malady began to laugh at the sight of the three young women. As Nora felt her grip on reality slipping away, she heard Avarice’s laugh turn into a gurgling sound. The Malady sputtered and spit while she struggled to take a breath. Then she collapsed to the ground.
Nora closed her eyes and prepared for death to take her. The only regret she had as she drifted off was that three of her children would never be born.
Dorian
He rushed to Nora’s side and tried to wake her. He checked her pulse—nothing. He looked to her daughters as they stood around him calmly.
“How can you be so calm?” Dorian sobbed.
The little girl he had rescued from death and raised as his own was lying on the ground in front of him. He pulled her into his arms and allowed the grief to rack his body. He had to get to Kerr. Dorian knew there was no saving her now, but she should be with her husband.
“No. Don’t move her,” Keira commanded.
“Keira . . . I’m so sorry.” Dorian choked on the words. “It was my job to protect your mom. I failed.”
“Papa, she isn’t the one we will grieve today,” she said as her eyes filled with tears.
Dorian looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean? Your mother is dead.”
“One of the many gifts we have developed collectively is to restore life to the recently deceased,” explained Elise. “But we have to do it quickly.”
“Okay, then do it.”
Nora’s daughters exchanged a pained look. Dorian had no idea what was going on; as far as he knew, the only one with the power to raise the dead was the Creator.
“Papa, Elise, and Mila never met you until today,” Keira tried to explain. “You don’t survive this battle. The only way for us to save our mother is for someone else to give their life for hers. You have to trade her places.”
Dorian stared at them. “You mean she will live and I will die?”
“Yes,” Mila replied through her tears.
“Okay. What do we need to do?”
He listened as the girls explained that he must lie down next to Nora and take her hand. They would take care of the rest. He did as he was asked. He looked at his three granddaughters and knew that they would become the people in front of him because of what he was about to do.
“You’ll have a few minutes where your souls will exist on the same plane. Use that time to say your goodbyes,” Keira said as she tried to hold back her emotions. “I love you, Papa.”
“I love you too, Keira. And I may not be around for you girls, but I love you. Never forget that.”
Dorian took Nora’s lifeless hand in his and closed his eyes. There was no pain, only a strange tugging and a gentle drifting feeling.
He opened his eyes to find himself standing face to face with Nora in the white expanse he’d heard Whitley talk about.
“Dorian, what are you doing here?” Nora’s voice was thick with fear.
“Nora, we don’t have much time. Your daughters are incredibly powerful. They are able to bring you back to life if I sacrifice myself for you.”
“Oh, Dorian, I don’t know what to say.”
“I want you to have those children, Nora. I want you to live a full life. I have lived a very long life. It’s time for me to step aside.”
“I don’t want you to die
.” Nora was sobbing. “But I know that if you don’t, I will. I’m not a selfish person.”
Dorian shook his head; he knew that her thoughts were only on the children she wouldn’t have if she didn’t live through the battle they’d been preparing for.
“This is not selfish. You have to live. If you don’t, who would come back to help us in our time of need?”
Nora looked at him with eyes full of unshed tears. He pulled her into a tight hug and held on for as long as he could. Nora started to fade away in his arms, so he whispered that he loved her before she went back to her life.
Chapter Thirty-Three
THE FINAL BATTLE: Part Four
Nora
“I love you too.”
“Mom? Get up, something is changing.”
Nora snapped her eyes open and looked around. She was lying back on the battlefield. Her hand still rested in Dorian’s as he lay next to her. She leaned over and kissed his forehead. She tried to hold back her tears, but it was nearly impossible. She slowly rose to her feet, never taking her eyes off the man who had saved her in more ways than she could ever repay.
“Mom, the Dark Army is defeated.”
Nora looked at Keira with a furrowed brow. All around them, dead bodies were littering the ground. Without the life in their eyes, it was impossible to tell who had belonged to which side. Eternity had become deafeningly silent. The only movement was that of the survivors climbing over the fallen in an effort to reach each other.
Their numbers had depleted so drastically. She’d lost sight of most of her army during the battle and was heartbroken to discover so few of them survived. They knew it would be like this, but they fought anyway.
Her family made it over to her, and hugs were given all around. Hadley and Thatcher stood with their sons and daughter as Tahlia and a wounded Eric hobbled over. Kerr and their son joined Nora near the girls. Whitley, Joe, and their future son came into sight, followed by a weeping Naomi.