by G. P. Ching
“As Time, you control the rotation of every planet in the universe. Picture eternity as a giant grandfather clock. You will be the center cog, the piece that makes the others move.”
“How is that possible? No one could control all of that.”
“It is only possible when you become Time itself,” Aldric said.
“Phhhft.” Mara narrowed her eyes and focused her frustration on the stalks in front of her.
“Don’t ‘phhhft’ me. This is what you signed up for.”
“It sounds made up. I’m still wondering if I’m going to wake up in my bedroom.”
“Very soon, you will know for sure. Look.” Aldric pointed at the tassels. “We’ve entered the last dark ring.”
A hellhound ripped through the corn. Mara swiped with the sickle, slicing its shoulder. One of its claws ripped across her chest before it rolled to the floor. Aldric decapitated it with the short sword. Mara’s blood dripped to the packed dirt. The corn around them came alive, rustling ominously from all directions.
Aldric eyed the blood that oozed from her wound, discoloring what remained of her gray dress. “Run, Mara! Run! Kill anything in your path!”
“But—”
“I’m right behind you. Run!”
With a burst of speed that came from some panicked recess of her soul, Mara launched forward, weaving between the stalks. Every step sent pain rippling through her destroyed feet, and the open wound at her chest. The leaves sliced her skin into ribbons. The rustle of her body knocking into the stalks made an eerie din.
A hound leapt at her from the left. She swung the sickle, slicing through its neck. Ducking, she avoided another from straight ahead. She could see the bull's-eye. Almost there.
Aldric’s scream brought her up short of her goal. She turned back, a soul-shattering wail crossing her lips. A hellhound had ripped open Aldric's abdomen. His sword was stuck in a second and a third was approaching his bloodied face.
Run, he mouthed before the hound's teeth came down around his throat.
Tears burned in her eyes, but she pushed on. As she broke through into the bull's-eye, she told herself that she must survive. With Aldric gone, who knew what would happen if she didn’t? His soul was in God’s hands. Now Mara had to make sure he hadn’t died in vain.
Frantically, her eyes swept the ground for the scroll. There, among the browning stems, she saw its ancient parchment. She dove for it, ignoring the pain of the stalks she barreled through to get there. On her hands and knees, she dropped the sickle and unrolled the scroll.
Corn rustled behind her. She rolled to her back. A hound leapt from the shadows. She kicked at it, its claws digging into her legs.
“I claim the prize of eternity,” she yelled. “I am the beginning and the end, the drifting sand and the source of wind. I am the stars and the turn of the moon. The bringer of dawn, power mine, I am sworn!”
The ground shook, an earthquake that originated from within her. The hound backed away, whimpering. A ray of light poured from the sky into her heart, filling her with a liquid fire that closed off her throat and crushed her from the inside out. Just when she thought she would die a second death, her insides adapted, growing, growing, growing, big enough to contain the energy from above.
She stood, balancing on shaking legs, moving in time to the rumbling earth. The corn around her flattened to the ground. She faced God and Lucifer, still waiting at the edge of the field.
“I win,” she said to Lucifer, but her voice was a deep, hollow echo.
Her face lifted to the heavens. A star fell toward her, then right through her. As it passed, she noted the direction it spun, the speed, how planets revolved around it. Each of the planets had its own rotation, its own speed, its own time. She learned them one by one. The entire solar system, like music connected in perfect harmony, flowed through her new immortal body. More. More. More. The galaxy, then the universe poured into her. She was the clockwork. She was the machine that powered it all. Tick, turn, tick. It all worked together.
Spreading her arms, she opened herself up, and invited it all in.
Chapter 29
The Soulkeepers
Malini paced along the road in front of the bison exhibit. Lillian, Jesse, the twins, and Jacob lined up, eyes fixed on her, waiting for instructions. Gideon, in his cat form, paced at their feet. Helpers Master Lee and Grace had continued their search for the last Soulkeeper and Ethan remained in Eden caring for Dane. They had strict orders of what to do if Malini and the others failed. They were to return to Eden and keep the Soulkeeper line alive until a new Healer rose to power. Malini prayed they’d never have to use that particular backup plan.
With a deep breath, Malini addressed the group gathered on the side of the road. “Today, we face the greatest challenge of our lifetimes. The devil himself plans to rip a hole in this dimension and flood our world with his minions. Months ago, a Watcher described Lucifer’s plan as bringing on the next great flood, only this time humans would perish while Watchers survived. We think he plans to bring forth a Watcher army with the intention of destroying life as we know it. We cannot allow any Watchers to escape this property.”
Samantha reached for Bonnie's hand for comfort. Jesse adjusted his glasses, a fidgety ball of energy. Lillian stood statuesque at his side.
“There is a team of physicists here under Watcher influence. If possible, restrain or incapacitate the humans. They are not acting in their own will. We have reason to believe that Dr. Silva has joined Lucifer’s ranks. Do not exercise restraint when dealing with Dr. Silva. Kill anything with black blood. Do not hesitate.”
Lillian squirmed, gripping the handle of her knife in the sheath on her leg. She flashed a forlorn look at Gideon, whose green cat’s eyes bore into Malini’s.
“You both heard me correctly.” Malini waited while her words sunk in. The Soulkeepers glanced at each other, some with greater understanding than others.
“I’ve been studying the satellite view of the area and I see three potential entry points to the Tevatron. The loop is four miles long, but the CDF Control Room is here.” Malini pointed with a stick at the drawing she’d made in the dirt based on the images from her phone.
“Gideon, Jacob, and I will go there. It’s the most likely place for Lucifer to plan the sacrifice. We’ll launch an offensive and attempt to take the crew out before the ceremony takes place. If we fail and the tear occurs, there are two subterranean access points, here and here.” She drew X’s over boxes on her drawing. “Those access points are the most likely places Watchers will attempt to exit if they get through. The twins will take the east, Lillian and Jesse, the west. Kill anything that gets through.”
Bonnie and Sam huddled together nervously. Bonnie gripped a medieval-looking spiked club in her hands, a weapon they’d brought from Eden. It was blessed and would cause damage beyond the force the twins could wield. Just like Lillian's knives and the spiked chain Jesse brought, the material would burn a Watcher on contact. Malini hoped it would be enough to hold back the flood if she and Jacob weren’t able to turn the water off at the tap. “Any questions?” she asked, eyeing them one last time.
Gideon leaped toward her, transforming into an angel in a grotesque twist of flesh. When he was done, he stood toe to toe with Malini, his eyes challenging her. “I have a question,” he said into her face.
“Spill it,” Malini said, fists going to her hips.
“How do you know? How do you know that Abigail has turned herself over to Lucifer? How do you know this isn’t all the devil's elaborate trap?” He snapped the words at Malini, his voice rising with the tide of anger that reddened his face.
Malini shook her head. “I know because it’s my job to know. When I became Healer I was given the ability to determine the greater good.”
“The greater good for humanity, not the greater good for us.”
Malini nodded and lowered her voice. “You know that’s how it works, Gideon. You taught me that.”
He brought one f
ist down into the other with such force it made Malini take a step back. “You are a sixteen-year-old girl who has been a Healer for less than a year. Maybe this time you are wrong. Maybe this time there has been a mistake.” His eyes cast downward.
Malini shook her head. “There's no mistake, Gideon.”
His upper body collapsed and he caught himself on his knees.
Stepping forward, Malini placed her healing hand on his shoulder. “I can’t force you to trust me. I know this is hard for you but I also know that this time I’m right. The future is always changing based on our choices. I can’t see every possible scenario. But I do know that in this case, this plan will lead to the best outcome.” She turned her face toward the others. “You have to trust in my abilities as a Healer. If you don’t, we’re as good as doomed. We might as well go in fighting blind.”
Gideon shrugged her hand off his shoulder.
“I need to know if you are with us or against us,” she said to him.
The angel ruffled his wings. The air around him sparked and crackled. “I told you before, I’m with you,” he said reluctantly. He spat the words and refused to meet Malini’s eyes.
She steeled her resolve and rose to her full height, facing the Soulkeepers, who watched Gideon nervously. “This is my guidance to you as your Healer, not my personal will. If we are to have any hope of defeating evil, we have to work together. That means you are in one hundred percent or not at all. You can’t do this halfway. Are you in?”
One by one they nodded their heads.
“It’s time. We go on foot. Spread out and don’t get caught.” Malini turned and used the car to launch herself over the fence into the buffalo exhibit. Jacob followed. Gideon lagged behind but eventually moved in their direction.
“Wow, Malini, great speech. ‘You're either with me or against me.’ Damn. I didn’t know you had it in you.” Jacob smiled in her direction.
“It’s not funny, Jacob. We’re going into battle. People could die. Did you see how they looked at me? They think I came up with this plan on a whim. They don’t respect me. They don’t trust me.”
Jacob shook his head. “That’s not true. It’s not about you, Malini. Everyone knows you’re brilliant. They’re scared. Gideon’s heart is broken and the twins and Jesse have almost no experience with this type of thing. I know it’s hard but you can’t take it personally.”
“That’s easy to say but I have a hard enough time trusting in my abilities. They’re right, Jacob. I’m only sixteen and I’m not sure that everything’s going to be okay. People might get hurt. People might die, and it might be my fault. But this is the only way I know how to lead. My gifts tell me this is the right thing to do.”
Jacob scanned the horizon, watching the bison eye them cautiously from their watering hole. “Don’t step in it,” he said.
“I don’t have a choice. I have to do what I have to do.”
He yanked her arm toward him, pulling her against his chest. She narrowly missed a steaming pile of dung. “I meant literally,” he said.
“Oh, thanks.” Silently, she worked her hand down into his. As they crossed the miles toward the small building that marked the entrance to the control center, Malini glanced back occasionally to check that Gideon was still there. He was, but he made no effort to catch up. If he’d wanted to, he could travel through the light the way that Dr. Silva could travel through shadow, but he didn’t.
“He’s there, Malini,” Jacob said, tugging her forward. “He told you he would be. Don’t expect him to be happy about it.”
When they reached the entry point, Jacob made short work of the lock with the water from his flask. Gideon showed up just as they approached the elevator.
“How is this going to work, Malini? There’s nowhere to hide. As soon as we step on that elevator, they’re going to know we’re here.”
Malini lowered her eyes. “Yes. We won’t get in undetected. Lucifer's been tracking me for weeks.” She placed one finger over her lips and turned toward Gideon. Disappear, she mouthed.
He did, dissolving into the light that poured through the windows. The elevator doors opened and Malini stepped inside, pulling Jacob in behind her. She pressed a button on the panel. With a jerk, they descended below the Earth’s surface.
Nervous energy poured off of Jacob, who positioned himself slightly in front of Malini, his fingers never leaving the top of the flask he’d tucked in his waistband.
After a ridiculously slow ride, the thick metal doors opened.
Dr. Silva stood on the other side, her face an icy sculpture of fury. Her eyes narrowed at Malini, the illusion fading to the slit pupils of a Watcher. “You have to leave, now.”
Chapter 30
Jacob and Abigail
Jacob leaped forward, the water from his flask freezing into the blade that was perfectly weighted for his hand. “Back off, Abigail. I don’t want to kill you, but I will if you come near her, I swear.” He crouched defensively.
“Kill me?” She laughed. “Do you think you could?” Her body twisted into shadow and reappeared behind him, inside the elevator. “I’m very hard to kill, Jacob.”
Lifting Malini by the waist with one arm, Jacob sprung from the compartment. “Shouldn’t you be somewhere doing Lucifer’s bidding?” he said through his teeth.
“As it so happens, Lucifer was called away,” Abigail said.
Malini stepped around Jacob’s body. “That is his weakness, isn’t it? Only one place at a time. While he’s gone, why don’t you tell us how to stop this from happening?”
Abigail strode from the elevator, lighter than air. When she floated like that it was easy to tell she wasn't human. It reminded Jacob of the first night he'd seen her, outside his bedroom window.
“This can’t be stopped,” Abigail said. “You are fools to try. A team of humans has been altering this facility to prepare for this sacrifice for weeks. The place is swarming with the influenced and the Watchers who manage them.”
“We’re not leaving, Abigail,” Malini said.
Pivoting on her heel, Abigail’s black cloak flowed organically with her, the cloth arcing as if it had a life of its own before settling around her ankles. Her platinum-blonde hair floated to rest at the center of her back. “Then follow me,” she said over her shoulder. “If you refuse to leave, you might as well have a front-row seat for the show.” She walked away from them, toward a railing at the end of the hallway.
Jacob pleaded with Malini in hushed tones, “Why do I have a feeling this isn’t going to end well? Maybe we should leave. We’re no good to anyone dead.”
Malini shook her head but offered no explanation. Jacob walked to the railing, following in Abigail’s footsteps. His breath caught in his throat when he saw the scene beyond. In a pit three stories deep, a monstrous black machine loomed against the concrete. A stone altar had been welded to a steel platform at the center. A room the size of a school gymnasium held a row of computers, and panels of toggle switches, buttons, and blinking lights. A dozen humans buzzed between the electronic equipment, while other humans worked to perfect the platform and altar.
As promised, there were Watchers, too. Jacob looked down upon Auriel and his mouth filled with the taste of maggots. A second later, he recognized Cord on the other end of the room. He pointed them out to Malini. Others came and went with the humans, only discernible from this distance by their otherworldly beauty.
With a grave purse of his lips, Jacob watched Abigail descend the stairwell and join the chaos below. “She isn’t telling them we’re here.”
“She’s still hoping we’ll leave,” Malini said.
“Why? I don’t get it. She either wants us dead or she doesn’t.”
Malini brought her lips to Jacob’s ear. “No matter what Abigail says or does, don’t think for a minute that she wants you to see her like this, Jacob. Her illusion covers loads of imperfections, but her feelings for you are not one of them. She doesn’t want us to see her do this and she doesn’t wa
nt to be the cause of our deaths.”
“Ironic considering she’s the focal point of a plan to bring about the end of the world,” Jacob whispered.
Malini nodded.
An explosion of sound and light turned their attention toward the pit. A pillar of red, sparkling smoke dissipated into a chorus of coughs from the surrounding humans. Lucifer’s blond curls and white smile beamed from the center. The tailored suit he wore made the corncob he nonchalantly juggled in his left hand seem out of place.
“What’s with the corncob?” Jacob whispered. Malini placed a finger over his lips.
“Don’t fight until I tell you to,” Malini cautioned under her breath. “Go along.”
Lucifer’s voice boomed from below. “The inconvenience of my absence has been rectified.” He pointed the cob at Abigail. “Tell me good news. I need a pick-me-up after what I’ve just been through.”
Abigail glided to his side and whispered something in his ear. Her eyes flicked up toward Jacob and her finger pointed at Malini. Lucifer grinned.
“This is good news.” He pointed a hand at Jacob and Malini. “Look who’s joined the fun. Come on down, kids. You won’t want to miss this.”
Jacob glanced back toward the elevator only to find a thorn bush had erupted from the concrete and filled the hallway.
“You won’t be going back that way.” He shook his head and coaxed them forward with his hand. “Cord, Auriel, would you mind escorting our guests to the viewing area.”
“What was that you were saying, Malini, about Abigail not wanting us to die?” Jacob said.
Shhhh.
The Watchers materialized to their left and right, grabbing Jacob and Malini’s elbows and pushing both forward. Down the industrial metal stairs, Jacob faltered, catching himself every third step, trying to keep up with the Watcher's rough handling. If Malini was afraid, Jacob couldn’t tell. Her face was completely blank. He tried to trust in her bravery, that she’d know what to do, but his heart betrayed him, pounding in his chest. Every drop of water within twenty yards called to him. It was all he could do not to use it. When they reached Lucifer, Auriel and Cord pushed him forward and he crashed to the concrete floor at the devil's feet.