The Evolved (The New Era Saga Book 1)

by KT Webb

  “You three need to get out of the way. You’re too much of a distraction, and you’re essentially useless to us right now,” Hadley told Romulus.

  He looked hurt, but she knew he understood. This wasn’t training, this was war.

  She whipped her head around to the other side of the battle and saw Thatcher and Absalom exchanging fire while Whitley attempted to block the fatal blows. Absalom was planning something. He could have easily killed them by now. She looked at Romulus and grinned.

  “Tut tut looks like rain!” Hadley yelled as the rain fell in sheets.

  The sudden downpour surprised Absalom enough that he lost control of the flames. As soon as the flames disappeared, she stopped the rain. Pulling back, Hadley prepared to take Silas on by herself.

  She struck him with lightning as she ran toward him. He yelped at the shock, but responded quickly. Hadley dodged a large ice spear as he shot it at her, only to be caught by a few smaller volleys he sent her way. Hadley pushed the pain out of her mind. She had a burned shoulder and cuts on her face and side. She didn’t have time to wonder where Kerr was as she prepared for the next attack.

  She threw a few more lightning bolts at Silas as she ran toward him. When she got close enough, she gathered the lightning and punched him in the face. He fell to the ground from the shock.

  “Whoop!” Hadley yelled bouncing on the ground. She turned to see how the other Evolved were fairing. Three to one, and they were barely making a dent in Absalom. She started to run toward the crater between the battles, but stopped short when her sister flung herself across the gap.

  “Hadley, look out!” Malcolm yelled, pointing behind her.

  Whitley

  She watched in disbelief as an ice wall formed behind Hadley. Her sister turned toward them. Hadley thought she’d won. What an idiot! The ice wall began moving closer to her. Inch by inch, Hadley was being pushed into the chasm in front of her.

  Whitley was moving in an instant. Thatcher tried to block her when he realized what she was doing, but she barreled him over. The only thought in her mind was getting to Hadley. After closing the distance between her and the gaping hole in the ground, she launched herself into the air. As she collided with her sister, she found herself face to face with her mother.

  Looking around her, she saw nothing but white. She was in a bright expanse that seemed limitless.

  “Whitley,” Tahlia said breathlessly.

  “Mom?” Whitley answered.

  “I knew this moment would come. I knew it would come to this,” Tahlia said sadly. “You chose to sacrifice yourself for your sister.”

  “Is that what happened?” Whitley asked. “I just knew I couldn’t let her die.”

  Tahlia nodded. “When faced with the possibility of her death, you chose to sacrifice your life for hers. Your prophecy has been fulfilled.”

  “So you’re saying I’m dead?” Whitley asked her mother.

  “No, you’re not dead, you’ve just finally become one and embraced the fullest extent of your abilities,” Tahlia replied.

  Whitley closed her eyes to fight back the tears that threatened to fall. She knew she was making the right decision when she launched herself at her sister. She didn’t hesitate for a single second because she knew it was time. Now she was standing in front of her mother, essentially being told that she was never going to exist outside of this white expanse again. She would never see her sister again, and she would never be able to laugh with her again. She would never see her father become President, or witness the reunion of her parents.

  “Hadley . . . dad . . . mom,” Whitley cried, turning her attention to her mother.

  “Oh, Whitley, I’m so sorry,” Tahlia told her as she enfolded her daughter in her arms. “I only just got my family back. I love you, Whitley. Never forget that.”

  Whitley let go of her mother and walked away. When she turned around, Tahlia was gone and she was alone.

  Nora

  Whitley was gone. She had watched as Whitley dove at her sister and didn’t come out the other side. Nora tried desperately to reach her through telepathy, but there was no response. Nora tried to concentrate on Whitley to take herself to her, but she was gone.

  Nora choked back a sob and reached out to Romulus.

  “Whitley is gone,” Nora told him.

  “What do you mean gone?” Romulus’ voice echoed in her mind.

  “I mean . . . ” Nora couldn’t finish the sentence. Her heart was breaking.

  “No!” Romulus yelled in her mind.

  “You need to get out of there. If Thatcher or Hadley inadvertently hit you with their abilities, you will die. Bring Dorian and Tahlia with you,” Nora told him.

  Nora knew Romulus would see the logic in her instructions, but she didn’t look away until she was certain they were heading up to her. She looked back down at the fight. None of the Evolved had sustained any serious injuries, but the fight was only just getting started. The door burst open and Dorian came in with Romulus carrying an unconscious Tahlia in his arms.

  “I can’t leave her. She needs me!” Tahlia cried as she opened her eyes.

  “Tahlia, you know you will only be in the way. You’re injured, you need to rest,” Dorian told her calmly.

  Nora looked away from her aunt. She couldn’t handle the grief right now. She needed to focus on the battle. Kerr was near Malcolm, helping him anticipate Absalom’s next move. She had cloaked him from the Old Immortals, but the other Evolved could still see him. He had already helped Malcolm avoid a few narrow misses from Absalom. She looked down at Hadley, urging her to wake up before Silas gained the upper hand.

  Hadley

  She felt something slam into her back. As she fell, she was momentarily disoriented. A vibration began at the base of her spine and spread slowly through her whole body. She felt herself being lifted off the ground. She opened her eyes, and was no longer in the battle. She was in a white room that seemed never ending. The silence was deafening. She turned around and her breath caught in her chest. She saw Whitley, and she was crying.

  They stood facing each other for a moment before they both started talking at once.

  “Where are . . . ” Hadley began.

  “Hadley, listen . . . ” Whitley began.

  Hadley gestured for her sister to go first.

  “Had, we don’t have much time. You need to get back to the battle,” Whitley told her.

  “What about you?” Hadley asked with uncertainty.

  “I’m not going back. I can’t. Do you remember what mom told us after our prophecy?” Whitley asked sadly.

  “That we were two halves of a whole. Just like we’ve always said.” Hadley didn’t understand.

  “That’s right. And our prophecy identifies us as the divided. One being divided in two. In order to win this fight, one of us had to go back.” Whitley forced the words out. “I chose me. I love you so much and I can’t imagine living without you. We can’t both survive this, Had. You have to survive. You have to win.”

  “Whitley, no.” Hadley felt like she’d been punched in the stomach.

  “You know this is how it had to be. I need you to understand. As soon as I saw you fighting Silas, I knew. I knew in my gut that you needed me. You didn’t need me to fight next to you, you needed me to be part of you so you could fight,” Whitley cried.

  Hadley didn’t want to accept it. She didn’t want to be left without her sister. Without her best friend. How was she supposed to go on knowing that her twin would never be with her again? The light began to dim, leaving Hadley to understand that the choice had been made for her. She looked in her sister’s eyes and pulled her into a hug.

  “I love you, Whitley.”

  “I love you, Hadley.”

  When she opened her eyes, she was back in the battle, and she was glowing. She saw Thatcher throw a fireball as she fell to the ground.

  Thatcher

  Thatcher watched helplessly as Hadley crumpled to the ground again.

&nb
sp; “Hadley, you have to get up,” he whispered.

  “Nora, she has to get up. Tell her,” he pleaded.

  The rain was pouring and the wind was picking up. Thatcher knew Hadley realized her sister was gone. She had to pull herself together and use her anger for the right reasons. He smiled sadly as Hadley slowly stood and turned to face Silas.

  “She will be alright. She got to say goodbye,” Nora cried in his mind.

  Thatcher looked over at Malcolm. He knew he needed his help. All the kid could do was fly. He tore himself away from his thoughts and threw another lava ball at Absalom.

  “Thatcher, it’s rude to interrupt father/son time like that,” Absalom said coldly.

  “Tahlia was right, you do like to play with your food,” Thatcher said sardonically.

  “Hmm, well, she’s not wrong. It’s more fun if I toy with you first,” Absalom said, sending out a flame that burned Thatcher’s leg.

  He cried out in pain, but couldn’t bring himself to break eye contact with Absalom. He knew this was just one of his games. He wanted Thatcher to look away, so he maintained eye contact.

  “You’re a coward, Absalom. You are so wrapped up in yourself that you can’t handle that someone else could be more powerful than you,” Thatcher said.

  “Oh yes, now comes the pointless banter. How about we skip that part and I kill you all?” Absalom said.

  “That would be ideal, but it never seems to happen, now does it?” Thatcher threw back at him.

  Absalom had begun to circle around him slowly like a panther stalking its prey. He and Malcolm both turned to face him at each new angle.

  “Do you know what’s down there?” he asked, pointing toward the cavity Silas had created. “Heat. Fire. The core of the Earth.”

  Thatcher didn’t know where this was going, but he didn’t think it would end well. He was now facing the other side of the battle. He realized the rain had stopped and the wind had died down again, but from the intensity with which Hadley was fighting Silas, Thatcher knew this was the calm before the storm.

  Hadley

  As Hadley stood up, she could feel the difference. For the first time in her life, she didn’t feel like she needed anyone. She had to regain her bearings. She could feel the power building inside of her as Whitley’s half joined hers. It was a strange sensation and left her feeling slightly disoriented. She strode to Silas and began engaging him in hand to hand combat. She was angry and needed to take it out on him. Silas fought like a girl. He had clearly gotten used to using his abilities to intimidate and murder.

  “Hey, let’s play a game,” Hadley said to Silas. “I’m sure you’ve heard of electroshock therapy? Well, it’s not really a common thing anymore, because it’s all cruel and unusual . . . but I think it would be perfect for you. Mostly because you’re also a cruel and unusual.”

  Silas was confused for a moment, so she decided to just show him what she had in mind. One after another, Hadley pummeled him with bolts of electricity. He shook and convulsed each time she struck him. Now that she was no longer divided, she was able to tap into both the weather and the energy around her. She was fast, and she was resourceful.

  Silas sent another ice spear soaring toward her. Holding up a hand, Hadley suspended it in air, then she spun it around a few times before splitting it into hundreds of tiny shards. With a smile, she sent the shards soaring back toward Silas. He cried out as each shard sliced at his skin.

  “I think you’re playing for the wrong side, little girl,” Silas said as blood dripped from the tiny cuts.

  “Don’t ever question what side I belong on,” Hadley replied, holding both hands up. She called a lightning bolt and struck him down.

  He whimpered from the pain. Hadley walked up to him and smiled slightly.

  “That was from me. But, this, is from Whitley.”

  She sent currents of energy through him. He convulsed on the ground. She caused every cell in his body to explode, one by one. For a moment, she enjoyed his screams of pain. All the people he had killed, all the pain he had caused, and all the moments she would miss her sister seemed to make his prolonged torture worth it. Then, because she knew she was full of light, she sent one last burst of energy through him, and he disintegrated in front of her.

  Malcolm

  Absalom was getting desperate. He saw his brother fall and was not going to let that happen to him. But Malcolm knew that Silas was nothing compared to Absalom. Silas was just a lackey. Absalom only kept him around to be his errand boy. Once Caprice had died, Silas was all but useless anyway.

  Malcolm knew Absalom could take them all out in a matter of seconds, but he wanted to mess with Thatcher.

  “He’s scared, Malcolm. He sees that he can be taken down too. Now that all of us are focused on him, he is going to get more ruthless,” Kerr whispered next to him.

  Malcolm had only survived this long in the fight because Kerr helped him understand and determine what Absalom was feeling. Malcolm nodded his head to let Kerr know he understood. He didn’t want to draw too much attention to Kerr. If Absalom knew he was there, he would be in danger.

  Thatcher and Malcolm were now facing the panicked Absalom with the absolute certainty that this would be the end. The wind began to pick up again as Hadley came to join them. She would let them end it, but she wanted to help. Absalom turned his attention to Hadley. She was the one he could gain the most power from at this point.

  The sides of his mouth twisted into a wicked smile as he shot a fireball at Hadley, only to have it deflect and hit him in the side. He hissed in pain and sent another volley in her direction. She stood with her arms crossed behind an energy shield, and another round shot back at Absalom, this time striking him in the leg. He howled in anger at the look of boredom on her face.

  “Really? Picking on a girl?” Thatcher taunted.

  Absalom was done playing games. He crouched low, seeming to pull liquid fire out of the ground. He stood up holding two balls of lava in his hands. There was no warning. In an instant, the lava was flying at Thatcher. Time seemed to slow. He heard Hadley’s raw scream, he saw Kerr rush forward, and he heard Nora gasp in his mind.

  Malcolm made a split second decision.

  Thatcher

  The lava was heading straight for him. He didn’t have a chance to react. This was it. He looked at Hadley to his right. The grief was already present on her face, but something zipped past him and the impact never came.

  “Argh!” Thatcher cried out and fell to his knees as he felt a surge of power and strength enter him. He looked to his left and saw Malcolm lying on the ground with smoke rolling out of his chest. Kerr was on his knees beside the lifeless body. Thatcher knew it was too late.

  The lightning flashed in the sky, and the thunder boomed overhead. Hadley had joined him just in time.

  “Get. Them. Out. Nora,” he yelled each word as the rage bubbled over.

  He took Hadley’s hand. Their power connected and the storm picked up. Fire, lightning, and energy crackled in the air. It enveloped them in a whirlwind of power. Thatcher looked around him and realized this was it. He looked at Hadley and squeezed her hand before releasing it.

  The fire in the vortex dissipated when he lost contact with Hadley. Hadley stepped back, giving Thatcher room to take care of Absalom.

  When Thatcher saw how Absalom looked at them, he was disgusted. Absalom’s face was full of awe and hunger. He envied their abilities.

  “You know, Thatcher, we could have a good life. If you join me now, your little girlfriend can come too. I’ve taken a bit of a liking to her,” Absalom yelled.

  “I would rather die,” Thatcher told him.

  “I can arrange that. There’s no one left that is stupid enough to jump in front of you to save your life. Malcolm was a waste of space,” Absalom said as he spat on the ground.

  Thatcher felt the heat in his gut rise and spread through his body. Not only had Absalom killed Malcolm, but he was also trying to belittle him. Thatcher thrus
t his hand forward and a beam of light shot from it. He was momentarily taken aback before he realized what it meant. Malcolm died. Absalom now only shared his abilities with Thatcher.

  Thatcher smiled as the realization sank into his mind. Every descendant of the Old Immortals Absalom killed had their ability taken from them. Now, each of those abilities was coursing through his body as well as Absalom’s.

  He glanced over his shoulder. Everyone was gone, even Hadley. He hadn’t noticed the storm die around him. Absalom looked at him with unrestrained malice.

  “They’ve all left you. They left you here, all alone. Is that the kind of family you always wanted?” Absalom taunted him.

  Thatcher ignored his comment and smiled at him. “You know, this isn’t going to be that difficult.”

  “What’s this? You discover some new super power and you think that means you have the upper hand?” Absalom asked wickedly.

  “It gives me a fighting chance,” Thatcher told him. “Because now I can do everything you can.”

  Absalom lunged at Thatcher, his body igniting into a human flame. Thatcher dove out of the way, listening to Absalom laugh as he landed. He realized that even though he now had the same abilities as Absalom, he had no idea what they were or how to use them all.

  “Neat trick,” Thatcher said, trying to sound unimpressed.

  Absalom laughed louder and threw another lava ball at Thatcher. Instinct kicked in as Thatcher reached up and caught the lava in his hands before throwing it back at Absalom. He was pleased to see the look of surprise in his enemy’s eyes as the lava struck his arm. Thatcher couldn’t believe that worked. He simply decided the lava wouldn’t burn him because he could use it too, and it didn’t. Absalom was no idiot. Thatcher had to move quickly before Absalom caught on to his thought process.

  Taking a few steps back, Thatcher found himself stumbling over something in his path. He landed on the ground with his legs on top of the obstruction he’d fallen over. The smell was unmistakable, and took him back to the night his parents died. Burning flesh. To his horror, he had tripped over the body that used to be Malcolm. He found himself looking into the staring eyes of the thirteen-year-old, who had been tortured and killed because he went against his father. The pain in his chest intensified as his eyes traveled down to the gaping hole in Malcolm’s abdomen. This boy did not deserve to die.