Sapphyre: Rise of an Angel (Sapphyre Saga Book 3)

by Felicia Leibenguth

  He walks out of the cage and leans his head against mine. “Wish I could hug you.” I sighed.

  He gives a small bark and I follow him to the door. There is only one way out and that is to jump. He let me go first then he followed. We head for the house and Donavon is outside with Thatch by his side in the middle of the yard.

  Zach growls and runs toward them after leaving me on the deck.

  I yell out, “Whatever he does to you, you both deserve it.” I grin. Zach is ticked and defiantly needs to get some revenge.

  Zach starts tackling both of them and I walk into the house and left him to his business. I have business of my own to tend too.

  “Garcia?” I call out.

  No response.

  “You have to face me at some point,” I grumble knowing she heard me.

  “That may be true, but not right now,” she laughed lightly.

  I sigh. “Fine…” I head up to my room. There isn’t anything else to do. Katrina went home and Thomas is out hunting. Zach is busy and Garcia is avoiding me for now. So I guess it’s a good time for a nap. I’m hoping it will help me heal faster.

  The next morning I feel much better. The dull ache is gone in my dislocated shoulder and I can move it better now. My shoulder feels like it’s just about healed. Probably a few more hours and half of me would be good to go. My broken arm is going to take a while though. It still hurts like crazy.

  I head downstairs for breakfast. Garcia is just finishing setting the table.

  “Done avoiding me yet?” I smiled.

  She laughed. “Maybe child. How can I help you?”

  “Why was Zach locked in the basement?” I asked a little grouchy.

  She smiles slightly then turns solemn. “Well, I guess it is something you should come to understand. When you were battling with Rashel and yelled out in pain, Zach became enraged. There are times when we are in our animal form, that our animal takes over. I was afraid he would kill Rashel. That is why I had him placed in the basement. It was the only place to keep him and Rashel safe. When it comes to protecting you, he has a hard time controlling himself, especially his wolf I have noticed. You may believe your claim on each other was broken. But in truth, it is still there, I see it in both of your eyes. The bond just changed when his body could no longer be human. If he ever regains his human form, I am positive you will feel your bond once again.” She paused to look at my face. “Do you understand?”

  I nodded slightly. “I guess so. Where is he now?”

  She laughed. “Behind you child.”

  I turn to look and there is Zach staring me in the face. I jump a little. I didn’t expect him to be so close. I start laughing. “There you are. You doing okay?”

  He rolls his eyes then gives his mom a grumble.

  “Hey, don’t you get grumpy with me. You’re still my son and the same rules apply no matter what form you’re in mister.” She smiled.

  Zach rolls his eyes again and shakes his head. Then he turns toward me in looks at my arms with a concerned look.

  “I’m fine. I’m sure this one can come off today, it feels much better.” I look at Garcia. “Can you take this one off? I would like at least one arm back.”

  She laughs, “If you’re sure it’s good to go, then we can do it now.”

  I nod, “Yes please!”

  She grabs some scissors and starts cutting the gauze and un-wraps my arm. I can finally move it again. I stretch it out moving it around. It feels pretty good but lifting it over my head hurts a little. Garcia sees a little pain cross my face.

  “Just take it easy with it today. No fighting or hitting anyone.” She smiled. “I know it will be hard for you.” She grinned.

  “Oh, ha ha!” I rolled my eyes with a smile. My thoughts turned toward Rashel. “How’s Rashel doing? Is she okay?”

  Garcia nodded. “She’s going to be laid up for about a week, but she is fine.” She reassured me.

  “Where is she?”

  “We sent her back home as soon as she woke up and was doing well. I know she wants a rematch. She was not happy about losing.” She laughed.

  I smile, “How about now?” I teased.

  Garcia laughs, “Only you.”

  “I know.” I grinned.

  Zach huffs.

  I laughed. “Maybe you can fight her on another day. But right now, you belong to me since I won.”

  Zach barks a laugh then licks my face.

  “Ya know, one of these days I am going to shock you and lick you back!”

  Garcia starts laughing.

  Zach and I spend some much needed time together. We ran through the trees like we used to and sat at the little pond in the woods. We don’t need to talk, we have a confortable silence between us and I love every minute of it. Maybe Garcia was right and our bond never fully broke. But I know it did at least change. I still love him beyond words, just as I always have and when I look into his eyes, no matter what color they are, I feel his love for me. The one thing that bothers me is the fact that the pull we had isn’t there. Maybe it is because he is a wolf and not human. But still, that pull lets me know he is there, that he is safe. Now… I’m afraid if he dies or I die, neither of us will know unless we’re right there when it happens. I am terrified to lose him and I know he feels the same about losing me.

  If this battle is my last and I die, I honestly don’t know how Zach will cope. That scares me more than anything. If he dies, I don’t know how I will handle it either. Of course neither of us will ever want the other to do something stupid. If I die, I would want Zach to move on and be happy. The world would be lost without him… so would I.

  Sitting at our favorite spot to get away, I turn and hug him tightly around his neck and whisper in his ear, “I love you more than life itself.”

  He leans into me letting out a small whine and I know he agrees.

  The days are counting down and I know moments like this, probably will never happen again…

  Fun

  Yesterday I was able to take off the last of the bandages on my broken arm. It’s feeling so much better and I’m able to move it around. It felt so stiff from being tied up for three days. I was actually surprised it took that long. I’m usually a quick healer. That’s when Garcia told me that because Rashel bit me in her wolf form, her saliva slowed down the healing process. She said it has to do with the enzymes in her saliva. That would have been really nice to know, I would have done better to avoid being bit. But I’m all healed up now so it doesn’t matter at this point. But I am still constantly learning.

  Lately, I have been worried. I haven’t heard form Harmony in a while… not since Bree passed. Katrina had that message for me from her. The prophecy which makes no sense. I do get the part about a child of dark and a child of light, clearly meant me and Malvent, will collide when the sun is night is the solar eclipse which Katrina seen in another vision. One will fall, the other rise is where it gets a bit tricky. What does it mean exactly about falling and rising? One is no longer in power while the other takes over, or one of us dies and the survivor rules?

  I get the war is over, but now’s the time, keep it safe, for it’s not done, this life just begun…? Completely lost me and I don’t get it at all.

  It doesn’t sound like a warning or anything so I guess I will find out soon enough… maybe.

  Getting back into the swing of things after three days is fairly easy. Sparring with everyone again makes me feel useful again. I hate moping around the house, but today I have some plans I want to do with Katrina, if she goes for it. I know she has been working on fighting skills with Donavon, but she doesn’t tell anyone. I caught them a few times out in the woods sparring and she didn’t do very well. How can anyone judge her though? She doesn’t have super strength or speed. She has human abilities as far as body goes, but her mind is of our world, the Supernatural World.

  We are sitting at the table. “Hey K?”

  “Yeah?” She turns toward me with a smile.

  �
��What do you say about you and I sparring in the yard?” I asked. She doesn’t know I watch her and Donavon from time to time.

  She looks shocked, then starts laughing. “That would go over well!” She laughed again. “Like I could ever win against you.”

  “Well, why not? You haven’t even tried.” I teased.

  Donavon grumbles and rolls his eyes standing behind Katrina.

  “I’m clearly not strong like you or fast.” She rolled her eyes.

  I smile, “You are strong mentally and you are a fast thinker. You’re not one-hundred percent human you know. If you’ve noticed, both you and Thomas have abilities that come from the mind.” I raise my eyebrows. I didn’t even fully realize that till now.

  Katrina thinks for a moment. “That’s true.”

  “So? You gonna fight me or are you chicken?” I taunt.

  She laughs, “I’m chicken.”

  “I don’t blame ya! I would be too!” I chuckle.

  We talk for a while. I know she isn’t ready to fight with anyone other than Donavon. She wants to be there when the War comes and I know she wants to help more than anything. I’m just so scared that something will happen to her. I know fighting with Donavon is helping her a lot, and that she is improving. But Donavon is taking it completely easy on her. He can kill her in a second if it was a real fight.

  I don’t worry too much about Thomas these days. He has become a great fighter and because of his small size, he is super-fast, even faster than me. I have a hard time catching him when we spar and run through the woods. He can also knock me out in a split second with his gift. Since Bree had passed away, I have become closer to Thomas. He is the little brother I never had and it’s like he’s filling the void of my sister Bree.

  Of course no one would ever take her place. She was and is my sister, my friend, and even my protector. I miss her beyond words, but I also try my best to keep my promise to her… not to cry. Of course I will break down and cry then I hear her voice telling me to suck it up. I listen and try to move on. She may not physically be here, but I know her spirit is with me. I can feel her from time to time helping me through some rough patches and guiding me on the right path that I need to stay on. I talk to her as if I can see her still, but only when I’m alone. I don’t need anyone thinking I’ve completely lost it. But all that matters is I know she hears me and does what she can to help me. I can never repay her for the wonderful life she was able to give me before my awakening into the Supernatural World.

  I have no idea what the future holds for me or my family. All I want is for everyone to be safe and alive at the end of this. Once we get past this, then maybe I will be able to breathe once again.

  I know there is something I need to do and I’m dreading it. I want to write a letter to my parents in case I don’t survive. They need to know the truth about Bree and I, whether they believe it or not. They deserve to know the truth about what happened to us and what we were. I can’t just leave them for the rest of their lives wondering and waiting for us to come home or try to figure out what happened to us.

  The posters and the news stories about Bree and I break my heart every time I see them. Seeing my parents on TV begging and pleading for us to be brought home… it kills me. I want to run to them and tell them I’m okay. But how can I? What if I don’t come home, what if I die? They will only have to start mourning my loss all over again. I can’t make them suffer twice. I want to at least give them a letter telling them that I wasn’t coming home, and telling them what amazing parents they are and that I wouldn’t have traded my life for any other.

  Zach walks up behind me in my room and I quickly wipe the tears from my cheeks. I don’t need to make him worry.

  He lets out a low sigh.

  I turn and give a soft smile and hug him. How I miss his strong arms around me. If I could only go back to my dream of the wheat field and stay there, I would just stay in his strong arms forever.

  I sighed to myself. I wish my life went back to normal, back to the way things used to be… simple, mind filled with thoughts of Zach and not the War. There is a lot I would change if I could go back, but I can’t and these are the cards we were dealt, so we have to deal with it and get ourselves through this. We can only depend on ourselves.

  Everyone headed outside to spar to get in some practice before dinner. I don’t feel much up to it so I sit with Katrina and Garcia on the deck and watch everyone else.

  Zach is getting in some good moves.

  “Katrina, child?”

  “Yes?”

  “Have you seen where this field is? We are still unsure of the place, though we think we have an idea.”

  Katrina sat and thought for a moment before answering Garcia’s question. She starts shaking her head. “No, I didn’t recognize it either. I keep trying to figure it out, but I can’t seem to find it.”

  Garcia smiles and wraps an arm around Katrina’s back. “No worries child. We will figure it out.”

  “You said it was in the trees right K?” I asked.

  She nodded.

  “Well, we know it’s not close to his home in Death Valley. Maybe it’s here in New York? Was there anything familiar about it you can think of?”

  She thought for a while then started shaking her head. “No, it’s not a place I have ever been.”

  “Garcia, do you think it’s in South Dakota?” I asked remembering the story Bree told me long ago about how she met Harmony.

  Garcia smiled. “It’s the only place it could be. Where it all started and where it will end.” She sighed.

  Katrina looks a little confused.

  “The Black Hills of South Dakota is where the first War took place. I guess it’s where the last War will be. It only makes sense.” I clarified.

  “So, South Dakota it is.” She smiled slightly.

  We sit and watch as Thomas, Donavon, Thatch and Zach all sparred. It’s more like they are letting off steam and messing around, which is good for all of us. The constant sparring in the yard is depressing and proof of what is coming. So it’s refreshing to see them all messing around and actually laughing.

  It starts turning into a game of freeze tag and Garcia and I join in the fun. I coax Katrina to join in, and against her protests I pull her in anyway. It’s time she learned she is just as capable as any of us. She just hasn’t found herself yet. I know there is more to her than painting and seeing the future. But she will learn it on her own. I don’t even know what she may be fully capable of, but whatever it is, it won’t surprise me.

  Once Katrina gets into the game, she starts having fun and I see her confidence start to build up again. I think that’s what her problem has been. She doesn’t feel confident in herself and feels lesser than us because she’s not as fast or as strong. But one day she will prove herself wrong. We already know where she stands with us and she’s up there with the best.

  We all keep the game at a slower pace, not for Katrina, but because, how fun would it be if we tagged each other every second and unfroze each other every other second. It’s more fun and challenging to slow things down.

  Everyone started laughing so hard, we have to stop the game when Thomas and Donavon take a face plant into the mud from the recent rain. Everyone is soaked from head to toe from the pouring rain.

  I pause and watch everyone as they laugh carelessly. This is what we need, some freedom and fun. It feels like it has been years since we all laughed and joked around like this. So much has gone on from the time I transitioned to now. I feel as though I have lost so much. My normal life, my parents and my sister have all been taken away. But as I look around, I also gained so much. A family, who is willing to do anything for me, even put their lives in jeopardy for me. I almost want to cry, but Garcia is the next to take a face plant in the mud and that has me laughing hysterically. Then someone threw a mud ball that hit me in the side. I look to see Zach scratching his paw into the mud creating a small mound of mud. He then hit it with his back foot causing the mud t
o splatter all over me.

  “Oh, game on!” I yell as Zach starts running away from me.

  Meditation

  One week down… one week to go…

  Time seems to be flying by. The past seven months have been nothing but suffering for all of us. Since the time Katrina gave us the countdown to dooms day, nothing has been the same. I want nothing more but to crawl in a hole and hide from the world until it’s all back to normal. But I can’t. This whole thing is between me and Malvent and I’m the only one who even has a chance of taking him down. I just hope that everything I’ve learned is enough to end this, and set those who have been trapped and tormented, free.

  I don’t know why I’m meant to be here to defeat this monster. Why me and not someone else? It’s never made sense to me but at this point it doesn’t matter. It’s my job, my duty to set things right. Since mixes like myself are no longer allowed to exist, maybe I will be killed in the end anyway for what I am. Neither Malvent nor I were ever meant to exist in the first place. But yet, here we are, both determined to destroy the other…

  We are planning to leave in a few days so we can go to South Dakota and find the open field in the Black Hills. We want to see how it is set up and find out where Katrina seen Malvent coming from. We need to prepare best we can. Besides that… there is nothing more we can do but hope that everything goes our way and we all walk away alive. At this point that is all I want, my family to stay intact and survive. It may be too much to ask for, but I can at least hope.

  I started meditating a while ago to relax and breathe. My favorite spot to be alone to meditate is in the garden situated in the middle of the house. I remember the first time I walked into Zach’s house and saw this spot. I was drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

  It’s so calm and relaxing in here and without any distractions. It’s what I desperately need at this point. Sitting on the bench in Indian Style like I used to in kindergarten, I place my hands on my lap and lose myself in the darkness of my closed eyes. I completely blank my mind out and think of nothing and it’s freeing to be able to do this. So many thoughts run through my head day in and day out that I need time to recharge my brain and shut it down like a computer that has been overworked. I don’t know how much time has passed and I don’t care, I’m in the zone of nothingness. I can’t hear anything around me and that is what I like most. Well, until Katrina scares the crap out of me.