by Maggie Mundy
He stopped, grabbed his desk, and coughed. He peered down at his handkerchief to see it full of blood. He was dying and needed something now to help him live longer. What was the point of having all his money and influence if he couldn’t live forever?
Wilson, his head of security, came in. James pushed the handkerchief into his pocket. He would not let anyone see any weakness from him.
“So have you found where this Sayell has taken the winged man?” Burtrom asked.
“We’ve found out where he lives and my men were there tonight and about to make a raid on the house when Sayell and his friends left. We followed the convoy to a place in the mountains.”
“Did he have Soren with him?”
“No, but Sayell and his mate Charles are holding out on you. They can all change. We saw at least fifty of his men and others fighting with beams of energy sent from their hands. We also saw more of them flying. Then there was a load of gas and everyone stopped and retreated. We overheard one of them talking and it seems Soren is in the house and the blending sequence didn’t turn out like they thought. He has healers looking at him now.”
“I knew it. Take me there now. I refuse to lose him when I’m so close.”
As they drove closer to the ranch, James smiled for the first time in months. He was getting a second chance. These healers could save him now. If they wouldn’t do it willingly, then he would take something they held dear. If they were all incapacitated right now, his men could slip in and take Soren. James was well aware both sides would do anything to get him back.
Chapter 21
Human Help
Soren could see the world around him but no longer felt a part of it. It might be his body, but it felt as if he was staring through someone else’s eyes. Liliath’s energy flowed through him like a poison, its wicked barbs latching onto every part of him. The only area she couldn’t touch was a small region of the brain where he held his connection to Anne. He would fight until he died to keep this Elevated out.
You are a fool. If they remove me now, you’ll die.
He would be happy to die, but Anne deserved to live. Soren could see the worry on his love’s face as she peered down at him. Then the battle was on. He started to fight Liliath and his body shook uncontrollably. Then the pain stopped. Genia, Anne, and the others surrounding him gripped onto the table as if their legs were giving out beneath them. He wanted to speak to Anne, but his brain could not connect with his mouth. He saw Anne peer across to Nicole.
“What just happened?” Anne asked. “I feel as if something has drained all the energy out of my body.”
“I don’t know.” Nicole walked across to the window and then turned back. “Whatever it is, it’s affected everyone else. The fighting’s stopped and they are all on their knees.”
Anne grabbed her chest and fell to the floor.
Chapter 22
Return to Pergor
Anne just wanted to stop the shakes. If she couldn’t cope with this then she would be of no use to anybody. These people around her hoped their lives would go on as before, but she doubted it. At this moment she expected the only male she’d ever opened up to was going to die.
She took a deep breath and the tremors eased. It seemed she was faring better than the others. Nicole, Evie, and Genia were out cold on the floor. She checked and they still had pulses. Anne grabbed onto the table to heave herself up. She peered around the room as she tried to stay upright but her legs were about to give out again.
Soren stood next to the counter and the leer on his face showed Liliath was in control of his mind. “You look frightened, Anne. You should be. I’m going to find Charles and Sayell and get a Demonic healer to remove your filthy thoughts from my head.”
He came forward, scooped her up in his arms, and headed to the double doors leading out onto the balcony. She didn’t have the strength to fight anymore.
In Sydney she’d believed she could get through to him when he took her into the sky. Now she wasn’t so sure. His wings sprouted from his back and he rose into the sky. It was early morning and she could see that whatever had happened to the women inside had affected all the other Midworlders as well.
The only people left moving were the FBI, who carried the Angelic Midworlders inside. As Soren flew toward the main road she saw two trucks approaching. One pulled over and a man got out and aimed a gun at them. A dart from the gun hit Soren in the chest. It would need to be elephant tranquilizer to affect Liliath. Damn, the reaction was immediate as the wind blew past her face as they plummeted from the sky.
Anne grabbed the dart and plucked it from his chest.
“I’ll protect you, my darling,” Soren said, as he wrapped his wings about them.
Anne gazed into his eyes and could see her love still fought to break free. Then the two of them hit the ground and everything went dark.
~ ~ ~
Anne’s body ached all over as if she had been hit by a truck. She was in the back of a vehicle of some sort. Soren lay tied up and so was she. She didn’t have the energy to hurt a flea right now and Soren didn’t look much better. His wings were still out but appeared bloodied and broken. She wondered who would be in control of his body when he woke up. She hoped he could fight Liliath. He shook and his wings were reabsorbed into his back, but he still remained unconscious.
The truck stopped and the back opened, letting the sunlight stream in, causing her to squint. Two men came in, jerked her to her feet, and dragged her outside. Another two men held Soren between them and carried him into a large building. It didn’t look like a home but more like a big factory. A small weasel of a man hobbled in front of them as they made their way down a corridor and into some sort of medical room.
There was an operating table and an anesthetic machine. She remembered this room from when she’d connected to Soren’s mind before. A man stood next to the table wearing a white coat. Anne had the feeling she’d walked into Frankenstein’s laboratory and she was going to be one of the lab rats.
The men strapped Soren to the table while they tied her to a chair.
“Who is the woman?” the man in the white coat asked.
Weasel man answered. This time when he turned towards her she saw his face more clearly. She recognized him. It was James Burtrom. A face known throughout the world. How the hell did he get involved in all this?
“Sayell mentioned a woman the alien was attached to,” Burtrom said. “I assume this is her. Is he damaged? Will you be able to get the tissue samples you want?”
“I need to do another bone marrow biopsy to gather the stem cells. Hopefully within the day we should be able to inject them into you to replace your defective cells. What happened to him to cause his injuries?”
Burtrom stamped his foot like an angry child. “Charles and Sayell failed me. Something happened at the ranch they went to. When we got there, people were laying around out cold. Soren flew into the sky with the woman and we shot them down. I was a fool to trust Sayell. He wanted this one for his own reasons. I need to rest, but call me when you’re ready for the transfer.”
Soren didn’t move as the doctor took more specimens from him. Anne sent her thoughts out to him, but came up against a blank wall. Either Liliath blocked her or Soren was so hurt his brain wasn’t functioning anymore. She couldn’t stop the tears flowing down her cheeks as she gazed at him.
Anne tried to move but was hit on the side of the head and everything went black again. When she came around, Burtrom was back and laying on a stretcher bed next to Soren’s. The doctor injected something into Burtrom’s arm. Soren remained unmoving.
The doors of the laboratory burst open and Anne saw the most wonderful sight. Ridge, Edric, Heath, and Suzie were there along with other members from Ridge’s Enclave.
The two thugs aimed their guns at Ridge and the others.
Ridge and Edric moved so fast the two bodyguards were knocked out before they knew what happened. Edric came over and untied her. Anne tried to stand, but her legs were still like jelly. He helped her over to Soren. The doctor put his hands up to surrender. He obviously wasn’t getting paid enough to risk his life.
Soren lay pale, unconscious, and his pulse was already thready. A gurgling sound came from Burtrom as he started to froth at the mouth and seizure. His whole body convulsed as his eyes rolled back in his head. Then he screamed as his skin ripped open. Vomit rose in Anne’s throat as blood soaked into Burtrom’s clothes. The skin on his face peeled off the bone so the muscles on his skull gleamed wet with blood.
“No,” he yelled.
Then he lay still. The doctor went over and checked his chest with a stethoscope. He glanced up and shook his head. Ridge picked up Soren and Edric carried Anne.
“We can’t sort this out here,” Lydia said. “You should get him back to the ranch so the others can try to heal him.”
The sky grew dark as the group arrived at the ranch. So much time had been wasted and Angelics as well as Demonics would be coming for them. Soren was placed back on the table in the living room again. Nicole and the others appeared to have recovered and were checking on Soren. Genia held her hands over his chest. Soren’s breathing was rapid and his lips were turning blue.
“Can you save him?” Anne asked, trying to hold back the tears.
Nicole came and put her arm around her.
“If he’s anything like Ridge, he’ll keep fighting. We won’t give up on him.”
Genia moved her hands away from Soren’s chest. The serious expression she wore didn’t fill Anne with confidence.
“Liliath has tried to take over his body, but he’s rejecting her. At this moment I fear it will kill them both. She needs a body and won’t give up on his.”
A small man Anne hadn’t seen before came across and stood next to Genia. He stared down at Soren. “Put her in me,” he said.
Genia shook her head. “But she’ll kill you.”
“You all know I’m dying anyway. Let me help this young man. It would be good to know my life meant something after all.”
“Anne, this is Arthur,” Genia said.
“Thank you.” Anne didn’t know what else to say.
Evie moved forward. “We will need to move fast before she realizes what we’re doing. Anne, I want you to be the connection and try and bring him back to us.”
Anne stood next to Evie as the group gathered around Soren.
Nicole spoke. “Genia, if you hunt out Liliath within him, I’ll collect her power and remove it. Then Evie can control the transfer.”
While the women worked, Anne closed her eyes and put her hands on either side of Soren’s head. Anne remembered the first time she saw him in her dreams. He had been no more than a face in the darkness she had been drawn toward. Everything seemed dark and then she could see a faint light and a glimpse of a thought. She latched on and would not let go.
Soren’s body was in so much pain. His mind screamed as Liliath seeped like a corrosive fluid into his cells. She needed to get Liliath’s attention so she would be preoccupied and not see what the other women were doing. Liliath took the bait and tried to wrap her evil thoughts like tendrils around Anne’s mind. Liliath needed the remnant of Soren Anne held or the connection would never be complete and Soren would reject her.
Liliath was full of so much hate for her people. She believed they were fools who wasted so many opportunities and now she wanted to be free of them and rule Earth. Anne’s head felt as if it was going to crack open as Liliath probed deeper. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold out and hoped the others were ready. If she didn’t pull back now, she would be lost.
Anne opened her eyes and prayed she had done enough to save Soren. Genia still held her hands over Soren’s chest. Anne could see a faint light almost like a golden thread leaving his chest above his heart. Nicole tugged on the thread and the exertion caused sweat to bead on her brow. Evie was winding the thread into a golden ball like a knitting yarn.
The sick man called Arthur stood next to the table and he turned and smiled at Anne. She didn’t know him but mouthed the words ‘thank you’. He nodded his head in reply. The thread came to an end and Evie moved the golden ball closer to Arthur. Then, as if the ball moved of its own violation, multiple threads reached out and wrapped around Arthur’s body.
Evie stood back, no longer able to control the energy. The threads spun around Arthur’s body faster and faster and then disappeared as they were absorbed. His legs gave out and Edric caught him before he hit the floor. He placed him on the couch and Genia moved across and ran her hands above his chest.
She turned back and smiled.
“It worked. It would appear the residual of the crystal from our original Homeworld left on your organs acted like a magnet drawing in her energy. How do you feel?”
Arthur smiled weakly.
“I can feel her in me. The pain is bad, but I’ll cope. I’ve known worse.”
Genia touched his forehead. “I can help ease the pain. Once we’re on Pergor, the Angelic Guardians will take you to Homeworld and remove her. I’ll make sure they make your last days comfortable.”
Ridge walked into the room.
“The fight’s still goin’ on and our people are gettin’ weak. If we’re goin’ over to Pergor, we need to go soon. How is Soren?” Ridge said as he gazed down at his brother.
Nicole touched his arm. “He’s weak and won’t survive if we can’t get an Angelic Guardian to treat him. His connection with Anne helped to save him, but now he needs to be restored or he may die. His body has been abused so much I don’t know if he’ll ever be whole again.”
Ridge shook his head. “Let’s go before Sayell and Charles regroup.”
“Do you think they have any idea of what we’ve done?” Anne asked.
“They know they can’t make contact with Liliath,” Ridge said. “Once we’re in the conduit, the FBI will use their gadget again to disable them. Lydia thinks it was more powerful before because so many of us were usin’ our energy beams and it amplified the effect.”
“Let’s go then,” Nicole said.
Ridge picked up Soren in his arms and Edric picked up Arthur. When Anne walked out on the balcony, she peered down to see the fight still going on. Tiny touched her arm and scooped her up. As they flew into the darkening sky, she glanced back down and could see Charles point in their direction. She just hoped they could stay one step ahead of them and get to Pergor first.
The world she knew disappeared from sight as their group made their way into the conduit. As before, there was every color of the rainbow and she felt entranced and in need of the calm.
Tiny moved forward to catch up with the others. Anne could hear a buzzing sound she hadn’t noticed when she came through the conduit before. The closer Tiny flew to Edric, she realized it was coming from Arthur. As Edric flew on, Arthur put his hands up around Edric’s throat.
Arthur’s eyes were like golden orbs. Edric tried to pull Arthur’s hands away from his throat. Ridge and the others returned to help and pulled Edric free. Arthur’s body glowed as his mouth opened and he gave out a screech like a banshee. Anne covered her ears.
“I’ll not return to Homeworld,” Arthur screamed. “You’ve all been fools if you thought you could end this so easily. I’ll take you all with me. This man’s body and what it contains is the gift I have been waiting for.”
The light around Arthur intensified and the vibration made Anne’s head hurt. Her eardrums ached as if they were being ripped apart. Tiny and the others tried to move away, but it was too late as the explosion hit.
Anne didn’t know how long she’d been out but could tell someone held her when she opened her eyes. She was st
ill in the conduit and could see everyone was there except Arthur. The walls of the conduit shimmered and faded in spots so you could see the space beyond.
She peered at her companions. Soren still lay unconscious in his brother’s arms. Nicole flew across to her and Tiny.
“Are you all right?”
Anne nodded. She just wanted to get to Pergor and make Soren well again. Before they could move, Anne shivered as she sensed someone else joining them in the conduit. Sayell, Charles, and the others moved in front of her. Sayell put his arms up in a gesture of surrender.
“What are you doing here?” Ridge asked. “Liliath is gone.”
“We know but something’s happening on Earth you should know about,” Sayell said.
Before Sayell could explain further, a strong wind sent them all tumbling through the conduit. Anne held on tight to Tiny as they fought against what felt like a hurricane in the small tunnel of light.
“What is it?” she shouted to Tiny.
“It’s the Guardians. They’re leaving Earth.”
A moment later, the group was all in the crystal chamber. Tiny let her feet down and Anne moved across to Soren whom Ridge had placed on the floor. Soren opened his eyes and smiled weakly at her. He glanced around the chamber and then took her hand and squeezed it.
“Back here again. I’m sorry I left you. I tried to fight her but she was so strong.”
“It’s okay. She’s gone but the conduit is failing and all the Guardians are leaving.”
Nicole stood beside them.
“My Guardian, Mira, is coming and she’s bringing an Angelic Elevated with her. They’re going to try to heal you, but we’re running out of time.”
Soren coughed and gasped for air. Then all the crystals in the room started to shake, causing a humming sound. A light formed over by the raised platform and two forms appeared. One was a pixie-like angel, who she assumed was Mira, and the other a tall, elegant woman who glowed.