Jade watched Fire dance. Aunt Bertha was sure that her eldest niece could hear Fire sing. The way she closed her eyes and swayed to the rhythm of Fire’s dance was proof enough. Bertha could see why Jade, of all of the girls, would have the hardest time in school…and why she was so close to Mindy. Fire and Earth were always dear friends.
As the girls settled in, Bertha took a deep breath. The moment had come.
She had no idea where to start.
“There are some things I need to tell you. The words are not easy to say, and they won’t be easy to hear,” Bertha’s clutched either end of her cane. It was lying across her lap, but it provided some sense of comfort. She supposed it was because wherever she went, the cane went, too.
Claire interjected, “It’s okay, Aunt Bertha. We’re careful not to tell anyone about our gifts…and we’re getting good at them, too.”
“Shhh…” Raven said. She did it kindly and squeezed Claire’s hand when she did. That was when Bertha realized that the older girls already had an inkling that she was ill. She could read it in the shadows in Raven’s eyes. Of all the girls, Raven would have seen Bertha’s death.
Bertha said, “There’s no easy way to say this. I’ve been diagnosed with cancer and it has spread throughout my body. The doctors gave me six months. The Keepers tell me three.”
Claire and Mindy reacted with shock, as Bertha expected. Jade gave a slight nod and put her arm on Mindy’s shoulders while Raven stared at the ground with a distant guilty look that said she already knew.
“When do you start treatment?” Claire asked. All of the girls were trying to be strong, but Claire, bless her heart, had that stubborn set to her jaw that said she was going to grab on with both hands and not let Bertha go.
“No treatment. I’m eighty years old and it’s time. We’re on this mountain for a purpose. I know you girls need to process what is happening, but I wanted to tell you why it’s so important that you learn as much as you can from me now. The Death Keepers have already given me warning, so I know it won’t be long.”
“But three months. That’s hardly any time at all,” Claire’s eyes filled with tears. The poor girl had lost her father, and then her mother went missing, and Bertha had been a favorite with Claire. Bertha loved all the girls equally, but she had to admit Claire loved her the most.
Bertha reached out and took Claire’s hand in her own, “It’s enough. Death isn’t the end. At least we have that. Those without gifts from the Universe walk into death blind. We are lucky.”
Letting the moment sink in, Bertha was surprised that it was Mindy who moved the conversation forward when she said, “Spirit Quest.”
Bertha nodded, her gnarled hand still holding Claire’s. When had her skin grown so thin and so wrinkled? Bertha remembered learning to ride a bike so many years ago. That child still lived in her, as did the twenty-year old college student, and the thirty year old school teacher.
She smiled at Mindy, “Yes, the Spirit Quest. After we’ve finished here, each of you will go off on your own into the woods. Listen to the Elements. You may be met with a familiar Element or perhaps a new face will greet you. This is a time of growth and bonding. When you are done, the Elements will bring you back. Time plays no role here, so don’t worry about anything you’ve got back home. All you need to think about is your Element.”
Jade looked as if she might say something, bit her lip and then shook her head.
Aunt Bertha knew her girls. She knew them well. She said, “Jade, I know you think you’ll be home for volleyball practice on Wednesday, and if the Elements who greet you allow it, you will, but this is bigger than any game, bigger than any test, so focus on learning what you’re here to learn and let go of everything else.”
Jade nodded. The importance of her gift still hadn’t sunk in, but Bertha knew it would. Jade was late coming to the Spirit Quest, late hearing her Element.
Bertha said, “I have one more thing before I send you on your journeys. I, Bertha Skye, daughter of the Universe and Keeper of the Secrets therein, do give this oath of my own free will. To Raven Gray, daughter of Lawrence and Amy Gray, I pass the Gift of Emptiness. May she carry it well in service to the Universe.”
Bertha’s spine flared as if on fire. Emptiness had protected her against cancer’s ravaging pain. Bertha hoped it would protect Raven now. She nodded once, stoic against the pain. Her gift had served her well. Let it now serve Raven.
Turning to her niece, Bertha said, “You must resolve your issues with the Void this weekend.”
Raven pressed a hand to her side, a haunted fear setting in the depths of her soul. She smiled bravely and said, “I will.”
Bertha knew much of it was an act. She only hoped Raven could truly overcome the darkness settling on her soul and come out the victor.
~~ Raven ~~
Wandering between a pair of sturdy pines, Raven wondered what her great aunt could have possibly been thinking. Jade would have been a better choice for Emptiness, whatever that Element really was. Or Claire.
The goal of the quest was to find a quiet place and open to the Elements. Fire would speak to Jade, Water to Claire, Earth to Mindy…but Air’s silence was all-consuming. Raven could hardly bear it. Each girl wandered where her Element led. Raven just walked a random path with no Element to guide her.
And yet the Void whispered.
I know where your mother is.
Raven turned a circle, checking for her sisters. When she confirmed that she was alone, Raven whispered to Air, I’m sorry if this doesn’t work. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.
When Raven reached out to the Void, the Void took her, sucking her soul across time and space. She stood before the Master of the Void, a swirl of darkness among endless swirls of darkness.
“Who are you?” she whispered.
“The Unmaker,” The words blew across her cheeks and over her hair like a winter frost. “I’ll make you a deal. Share with me any memories of the Death Keepers in your mind, and I will share with you your mother’s exact location and the means to bring her back to your world.”
It was a deal far too difficult to refuse. Raven thought of what little she knew of the Death Keepers. In essence, she would be offering three memories in exchange for the means to save her Mom. As it was the Death Keepers who had kidnapped her Mom in the first place, Raven considered it an added bonus that the Void took a special interest in them.
“I agree,” Raven shivered in the chill of the emptiness. She wondered if the Void and the Emptiness Aunt Bertha bestowed upon her were the same thing.
A little voice whispered, No, I’m here.
Who spoke to her?
The voice was so quiet and yet so compelling.
Even while the swirl of darkness moved forward to complete the bargain, Raven whispered, “What are you?”
“The pause before creation, the space between atoms, the moment of possibility. You need me.”
Raven nodded as she felt icy fingers caress her arms. Every breath hurt her lungs, punctuated by shards of ice. Suddenly, she found herself remembering things from her childhood. As memories flooded her mind, she watched her father leaning over her crib, teasing her at breakfast, walking together, and singing to her.
Image after image of Dad, many long forgotten flooded Raven’s mind as the Void extracted her promise. She witnessed it all as if for the first time, until the point when he died. Raven saw things she didn’t remember. She saw the man who stabbed him anew. It was a young version of Harold. Harold!!!
Raven gasped. How could she not have seen or remembered? But then, it had been so long ago, and with a few changes to his face and the natural ravages from aging, there was no way she could have known before now. Her memory continued. She watched as Jade and Fire attacked Harold. She witnessed her younger self begging Air for help, but something went wrong and instead of Harold, her Daddy burned.
He screamed for just a second, an instant, and then disappeared.
St
range.
“Is this true?” Raven asked the Void.
“They are your memories.” The Unmaker said. She didn’t actually remember many of them before this strange and disturbing unveiling of her life.
Raven felt disturbed. She had long thought that she bore sole responsibility for her Dad’s death. Air whipped up the firestorm. The new memory, accurate and true, told a different story. Jade’s Fire struck at Harold who had a gift of his own. The Unmaker said, Harold. And her Dad disappeared before he died. That could have been the Keepers, too, taking her father away through some gift of the Universe.
Raven rubbed her eyes. They felt so cold, as if she’d been walking across a snow field with snow blowing in her face. She had a sudden moment of clarity. “My father was a Keeper.”
The Void didn’t respond. It pulled the last memories from her mind, the ones from last summer’s adventures when the Death Keepers kidnapped Mom, but then helped the sisters escape from the vampires.
The Void’s icy breath blew across her mind, showing Raven the gate to her Mom’s prison. First, you must get the key. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and a Keeper must join together to open the portal to the Dark Keeper, the one who lost Time. He has a key that you can take.
“Show me details. You promised.” Raven didn’t like vague notions. She wanted a concrete visual.
The Void responded.
As Raven grew colder and colder, she saw more and more. Knowledge poured into her mind, and she knew that she could rescue her Mom. The cost would be dear. She didn’t know if she could pay it. Someone had to cross worlds. Raven knew she would have to do it.
The Dark Keeper is evil and cunning. He will not return to his cell easily.
“Show me how to take it,” Raven said.
Unless the Universe gets involved, you will have to bring him across, obtain his help in crossing the barrier, and then once he has brought you all back, returned him to his prison.
Everything was planned and patterned in her mind. It seemed easy, and yet Raven knew that the risk was enormous.
I release myself from the Void. I appreciate your help in providing a service for a service. The words came from Emptiness.
Raven heard a pop and then she was staring at her body from the tree tops. She peered down on her physical form. Her face was blank with no eyes, no mouth, and no nose. As the Void withdrew, her features appeared again. One moment Raven was above the trees, the next she was lying on the cold ground staring at the tree tops.
Air and Emptiness both vied for attention. Are you okay? You’re back! What happened?
Raven groaned. Every part of her body felt like it had been submersed in an ice bath. She felt alternately numb and on fire, cold fire.
That was when the attack started. The Void had no intention of releasing Raven. She could feel the pressure from within, a cold force stronger than anything she had ever felt before. Air’s tornado had nothing on the Void.
She felt her body start to freeze from the toes up, and her shivering turned to violent shaking.
Air’s voice faded again into the frost.
Her new Element, Emptiness, whispered encouragement. Air will find Jade. Don’t let him into your mind.
But it was too late. The Unmaker’s path into her mind was paved by the memories of her father. The Void crept slowly across her soul, leaving barren footprints where it touched. She went blind first. Next, her sense of smell disappeared. This time she stayed inside herself, feeling the void’s icy touch as it tried to take her body.
Awash with horror, Raven realized too late. The Void’s prior dealings with her were just pokes and prods, not a serious attempt to take over, a test of her power, her ability, her style of defense. Now, the Void was eating her from the inside-out. She felt those first memories fade and then disappear.
The more Raven panicked, the quicker the Void progressed.
She didn’t know how to hold onto herself. Feeling disoriented and confused, Raven no longer even knew what she had lost. Emptiness whispered Make your mind quiet.
Raven didn’t know how.
She tried not to think.
When she did, the thoughts were snatched up by the Void. Even trying to talk to the Emptiness was difficult. She lost track of her thoughts and her words became garbled and confused.
The Void pressed further and Raven’s sense of self dissolved. Aunt Bertha’s wisdom saved Raven at that moment. The Emptiness latched onto Raven’s spirit and held firm as the Void reached into the space where she hid, looking for the last vestige of Raven.
Raven’s body lay stiff and frozen, her face that of the Void servants, empty of all senses and expression.
~~ Mindy ~~
Earth surrounded Mindy.
A warning.
Raven.
Darkness.
Void.
Frightened, Mindy reached out to all of the Elements at once. Earth first, then Fire, Water, Air. There were others, the quiet Elements, Gravity and Emptiness. Mindy sought them all.
As she hid in the depths of Earth, Mindy made a simple request, Save Raven.
~~ Claire~~
Water felt the Void’s footsteps on the mountain and led Claire away from Raven. She tumbled anxiously along the creek. Claire asked, “What is wrong?”
He wants you. Join me as Water. We’ll run.
Claire had no idea who ‘he’ was, but she trusted Water.
Water carried Claire far down the mountainside, away from the Void, away from Raven’s losing battle. Claire followed along, wondering who they were running from.
~~Jade~~
Jade had never been a strong Elemental, but she heard three Elements call for her at the same time. Fire, Air, and Emptiness all clamored for her attention. When she found out Raven was in danger, Jade ran up the mountain. She wasn’t fast enough, so Air picked her up, giving her the power to fly.
When Jade reached her sister, she thought Raven was dead. Kneeling beside her, Jade put her hand at the side of Raven’s neck, feeling for a pulse.
Fire whispered, You need me. Emptiness and Fire are the Void’s greatest enemies.
Jade felt helpless and frantic. She called out to Fire, “If you can save her, do it. Whatever you need. Just tell me what to do.”
She felt heat flow from her hand into Raven. Although deliciously warm to Jade, to the Void the heat burned like a branding iron. Raven’s body screamed. To Jade it sounded like she was hurting Raven. The scream carried a strange echo within itself.
Pulling away, Jade said, “I’m sorry. Raven.”
Fire pushed forward, holding the heat to the ice of Raven’s existence. She said, That’s not Raven. Put your hand on her head.
Jade did as instructed, anxious that she might kill her sister with the heat.
Fire’s next thoughts tormented her. Fire said, She’s practically dead already. You can’t kill her. If we stop, she’s already dead.
Fire and Jade poured on the heat until Raven’s white face turned pink.
“Wake up,” Jade shook Raven. She felt so relieved when Raven opened her eyes that she didn’t notice what was missing.
~~ Raven ~~
Raven threw herself against the wall of her prison. It was pitch black and tiny. When she tried to move she was caught in a strange web that held her in an impossible grip, and yet nothing was physically touching her.
It was like gravity, maybe it was gravity. Raven felt as if she was caught in a deep swimming pool and trying to sprint through the water. At some point her movement became so heavy that it stopped.
Physically Raven was on that Sacred Mountain with Jade. She knew that this trap was mental or spiritual. Somehow she had to break free and get back.
Raven had no idea how to win. She was missing a vital part of herself, the smarts, the cunning that gave her an edge. Here in this strange midnight darkness she had been brought down to an essence of spirit, whole and complete unto itself, but with no physical matter or mind to interact with. She was incomplete.
<
br /> Raven tried to think, but her thoughts were quiet and slow. She knew that Emptiness and Fire were enemies of the Void. What was the Void? The Unmaker lived at the edge of the Universe in utter darkness. Some people thought the Emptiness and the Void were the same thing, but the Emptiness was that pregnant moment right before something is created.
Although Raven was only a spirit, she knew that even spirits carried the essence of their being. Raven drew Fire to herself. Somehow since the Void had trapped her, Fire became close while Air grew distant. Fire’s warmth gave Raven hope. Next she drew Emptiness, the spaces between atoms dancing with electromagnetic energy from Fire.
As she strengthened herself, the web loosened, but Raven was still trapped.
~~ Mindy ~~
Earth’s bonds were tighter since the Spirit Walk started. Mindy could hear Earth calling her clearly. The Void had withdrawn from Raven completely, but it had taken something of her with it. Mindy approached her older sisters cautiously.
Jade was helping Raven up from the ground. Raven shook so hard her teeth chattered. She was too busy worrying about Raven being cold. She didn’t see, didn’t notice that Raven was a shadow of herself.
Mindy said it aloud. “Missing.”
Jade misunderstood. She said, “What? Is Claire okay? Where did she go?”
Mindy pointed at Raven.
“Raven.” Mindy said.
“She needs help getting back to camp.” Jade answered, hoping she could get through to her sister.
Mindy was used to being misunderstood. She walked beside Jade while Jade half carried, half-held Raven up while they walked back to camp. Mindy didn’t dare touch Raven. The Void would love to have Mindy in its grasp.
~~ Raven ~~
Raven squeezed her eyes shut. They ached from being so cold. Her fingers felt aflame. She said, “Mindy was talking about me, when she said, missing.”
A Time to Die (Elemental Rage Book 2) Page 8