Hope (The Descendant Trilogy Book 2)

by Theresa M. Jones

  Off to the left was an opening to a hallway that would lead to individual cells, but I wasn’t focusing on that hallway or beyond it, not right now anyways. I was sure soon I would be going down there. I enjoyed torturing my prisoners before we killed them.

  In the middle of the room was a single large cement pillar, maybe a foot in diameter. Chained to it was the first of the five Order members that I would interrogate.

  She was thin and pale, with green eyes and red hair. Must be one of the Irish ones, I thought. But I didn’t care where she was from. I cared about what she knew.

  I let my Power ripple across the room, tasting the flavor of all here. Frank was to my left and Nigel to my right. Two lower level members stood next to the pillar, in case she tried anything funny. And then the woman. She must be new. Her Power was raw. Pure, unrefined Power.

  “Why were you not at the Compound?” I demanded.

  She looked up at me. She had no hate in her eyes, only fear.

  “What is that? Where am I? Why am I here?” She went on and on, asking me meaningless questions I had no desire to answer. The questions she asked though, she should already know the answer to. I realized then why her Power was so raw, she hadn’t been trained yet. The Order must be slacking if they hadn’t tried to pick her up yet.

  “When was your birthday, child?”

  She looked at me again, confused by my question. “It was one week ago.”

  It made sense now. She was too new. I turned to Nigel and asked, “When did you get her?”

  “She was picked up five days ago. She must have just barely received her Power.”

  I looked back at her. She was terrified, literally trembling on the ground. I felt her Power again, so raw and new. It must be painful for her still. I tried to get a reaction from her. I tested her, throwing some Power at her. I could feel her tense, and her eyes began to water. I wanted her to explode, to feel the pain of too much Power and to release it into the air for me to gather up, but she didn’t know how to release it. It bubbled just below the surface, the way skin bubbles off the bones when burned. It searched around for an escape, so I gave it one. I telekinetically tossed my knife into her left eye, watched her blood flow down her face and heard her scream for mercy. I ignored her and pulled her Power out as she died.

  Order Power is too clean for us to keep within us, it tended to fester within and cause more harm than benefit. So I just destroyed it. I crumbled it beneath the onslaught of my Power.

  I looked to Nigel again, “Are they all this new?” I let my irritation show through my words. This would be a waste of time if they had no information for me and should have been killed already.

  “No. She was the most raw. There is one other, one from Australia that feels raw too. The other three are not.” He said as he shook his head.

  I nodded once, “Bring in another.” I didn’t have to say aloud that I didn’t want the other raw child. I wanted someone with knowledge. Someone who knew of me and knew to fear me. Someone I could make a difference with.

  The two lower levels uncuffed the redhead and dragged her body away to the elevator. Frank was gone already, gathering another one for me. He appeared at the pillar, the way we love to travel, with just the blink of an eye. The woman struggled against him, but Frank was a big man. Her futile attempts at escape were useless when he was her captor.

  After cuffing her to the pillar, he stepped away and came back to my side. The woman was also a redhead, and looked very similar to the one I just killed. Maybe they were sisters.

  “What have you done to Elsie?” She demanded, as if I would ever answer to a puny idiot.

  I ignored her question. “You are in my home now and you will address me with respect.” Or at least fear. But I saw no fear in her eyes, not like the first one. This one was brave. She reeked of hope.

  I continued before she could comment, “You have two choices here. You can either answer my questions and live to see the next day, or refuse and be tortured. But know, we enjoy torture and you will eventually answer my questions anyway.” I sent a bolt of Power into her then, live fire beneath her skin that boiled her insides, at least, that’s how it would feel. She squirmed helplessly for a moment before I reeled it back in.

  She looked at me defiantly, but didn’t speak. So I continued, “Where is The Compound?”

  Recognition flared. She finally knew who she was speaking to. She gathered her Power from within and let it flow down to her fingers. I could feel it. We all could. But I ignored it. She wasn’t that strong and I could easily terminate her.

  She looked up to me and started speaking in Latin. It sounded like a prayer of some kind, though I never studied Latin so I wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter to me. Since I had already thrown my knife at the other girl, I looked around for another weapon. Frank had a silver blade in the sheath on his belt. With my mind, I grabbed it and sent it to her. The knife plunged deep into her left hand and sliced through muscles and bone until it nailed her to the cement post. Blood oozed out from the blade and trickled down the pillar, staining it crimson.

  She stopped her chanting then. Before she could start it up again, I took the knife from her left hand, which caused the blood to gush out and down her arm, then stabbed it through her right one. She screamed, a rasping hoarse sound escaped her lips. But it wasn’t enough for me. I took the knife and let it glide down her forearm, leaving a scarlet river in its path.

  She continued to scream, this time more guttural than before. So I held her vocal cords closed. My Power was now surrounding her. She smelled of it. Her Power was so far hidden you almost couldn’t tell she had any of her own.

  She looked up at me, her green eyes blazing with rage. I asked again, “Where is The Compound?” What these morons didn’t seem to realize is that I have to know this. This was the most important thing. We realize they have safe houses located across the globe. But it’s the Compound where they hide. Without finding it, I couldn’t win my war. They could always try to fight me, and they could always try to stop the end from coming. If I could kill them all now, there would be no prophesied descendant. There would be no Order, there would be no one left. There would only be me and my Rising, and we would rule.

  I continued, “I have three more of you here. You think that if you don’t tell me, I won’t continue to torture every one of you until I get what I want?”

  She stared at me. She did not speak. She did not even flinch. She just stared.

  This time I stood up and walked to her. I thrust my four-inch stiletto heel deep into her calf which carved its way through her tissues and caused blood to bubble up and out of the hole. I could feel my heel slice through her muscles before scraping her bone.

  She screamed again.

  I pulled my foot up, blood dripped from my heel and left a puddle at my foot. I crouched down and looked her in the eyes. “Would you like to be a hero?”

  I threw my Power over her. I willed her to believe my words, willed her to trust me. I shrouded her in Power and made her doubt her god. She trembled with fear.

  “You can save the rest of your members that I have here. I can release them. I can release you. Just tell me,” I cooed, “Where is the Compound?”

  I paused, I could feel her waver. I poured more Power into her.

  She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and answered, “I will never tell you.”

  I slapped her across the face, her head snapped to the side. She was wrong, of course. I would make her tell me. I stood and walked toward the elevator before I looked back at Nigel and Frank.

  “You can both have your way with her.” Maybe after they subdued her and stripped her of her dignity and sanity, then she would tell me what I wanted to know. Otherwise, I would just kill her and move on to the next one. Eventually someone would tell me what I wanted to know.

  She was shocked. As soon as I said it, her face contorted, her eyes grew big, and her mouth popped open. She had already forgotten the physical pain I had created, no
w she was fearing the emotional scaring she would endure. Right before the elevator doors closed, I could see that Frank had already stripped his own clothes off, as Nigel was ripping the clothes off the woman.

  Chapter 6

  First Night

  That night, dinner was served at a large mahogany table. We didn’t sit at the ends, because then we would be too far from each other. Instead he sat at the head, and I sat to his right. We ate more food than I could have imagined possible, turkey and stuffing, green beans, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes. It was a Thanksgiving dinner for an army. The cook said it was a day worth celebrating. And I agreed with him.

  We laughed at how absurd it was to have so much food, but we enjoyed it and knew we could continue to eat off it for the next few days. We wouldn’t let it go to waste. It did however remind me of my mother and Sam, and how far away they were. I had never been without Sam. It was bittersweet, because though I missed her, I was also glad to be alone with David.

  And for a moment I felt guilty about how much food we had. I knew that there were others out there who had so little right now. Things out there only continued to get worse. But I shook my head. I wouldn’t think of it right now. I would only think of David and me. We deserved at least a little time to ourselves.

  After eating, we walked back to the bedroom. It was a grand bedroom, with a large king sized bed. The headboard was made of black metal, angels were sculpted into it. The bedspread was pitch black, blacker than the metal headboard and the white curtains wrapped around it like an angels wings.

  The carpet was black too and the walls were white. Everything was either black or white in this room. But it wasn’t weird or unnerving, it was regal and elegant. It was beautiful.

  Then I noticed David also staring at the bed and my cheeks warmed.

  His hand was warm on the small of my back, and without removing it he turned to face me, our faces now mere inches apart.

  I looked up into his eyes, as they saw deep into my soul. And then, the only thing I could think of was him. David. And me. David and me. Just us together.

  My right hand flew to his neck and pulled his face down to meet me, his lips to meet mine. Super speed is awesome sometimes. Within less than a millisecond our lips were attached.

  I had planned to shower first. To get the ten pounds of makeup off my face. To shave my legs and underarms again. To brush my teeth. And my hair.

  But I didn’t care about it now. I didn’t care about any of that. I cared about him, feeling him and loving him. Holding him and being everything he has waited for.

  He tongue was dancing a waltz with mine and the music was our hearts beating in sync. And all my cares were gone.

  He pulled me closer still, the heat from his hands made my body warm, especially when his hands slipped under my shirt. It set my heart into a frenzy. My hands everywhere all at once. His face, pulling him closer. His neck. His back, pulling me closer. His chest, grabbing his shirt within my fist. They wouldn’t be still.

  But his hands were the same. Behind my neck, in my hair, on my back, everywhere.

  Then his lips went wild. Not just on my lips, but on my neck, trailing a fire path down from my ear to my collarbone. I was on fire everywhere.

  My hands were no longer in my control, they moved of their own accord, lifting his shirt above his head and then to the floor. And then I stopped, stunned by the sight. David was gorgeous with clothes on, but with a bare chest, my insides coiled waiting for release. I let my fingertips trail down his chest, to his lower belly. And he shivered under my touch.

  My shirt was next, and though I have always been fairly shy and modest, all my modesty was gone. I was not scared or nervous with him. I was not embarrassed at having a man look at my naked body, not with him. He lifted the cotton shirt up and over and let his eyes rake over my tummy and chest.

  Faster than any human should be able to move, he lifted me into his arms and laid me on the bed, holding his weight just barely off me. We kissed again, just lying in each other’s arms, the fire continued to rage on within me though.

  My tummy felt warm, as did my legs and every part of my body. It had been so long since I had been with a man, and never before had I been with a man like this. With complete love and trust. Not to mention, I knew I would be his first. The first woman ever to truly be with him, to love him the way human beings were created to love.

  He held himself up and looked down at me. “I love you more than I have ever loved a person before. More than I thought myself capable of.”

  I only nodded. I didn’t think I could speak clearly right now. I wanted so much more from him.

  “I will love you forever.” He swore to me.

  And then he didn’t give me the option to answer, as his lips crushed mine again, before removing the rest of my clothes.

  ***

  I was standing in a field, so long and wide that I could see nothing beyond it, no matter which way I turned. Everywhere I looked there was only green grass and weeds blowing in the wind. It was cool, but not cold. The sky above was blue and cloudless. The sun was barely rising, or maybe setting, I couldn’t tell.

  I wasn’t sure where I was, but it didn’t matter. The next moment I was no longer alone.

  In front of me were several woman, all so beautiful they hardly looked real. Models. But no, not models, they were all pregnant. They all looked different, with different color hair, some with brown hair, some with black, yellow, or red. All were thin, except for their protruding bellies. And they all wore long flowing gowns, but the colors were off. Only muted colors, grays, tans, and off-whites. There were a few that had bluish tinted clothes, or reddish, but it wasn’t real color. It was faded. They looked almost fake.

  They all stood in a semicircle, I counted nine of them.

  I stood off to the left, in front of them, but not directly. To my left, directly in front of the women appeared a man, tall and handsome, and shining like the sun. I had to shield my eyes, as did the other women.

  Then he spoke.

  “You have been chosen.” He said. His voice boomed all around us, and made me cower before him. I fell to my knees beneath his majestic glory. For a moment I thought he was God, or some kind of deity. He had to be. How else could he have looked and sounded like he did.

  The women all knelt before him.

  “The Beast has been cast from the Heavens and is creating an army here, on your planet. He is breeding an army of evil. God has chosen you to fight against this wickedness.” He explained. At first I thought he was speaking English, but he wasn’t. He was speaking in a language I didn’t know, and couldn’t recognize, but still I understood him.

  He walked to the first woman, a small, tan woman with almond eyes and long, thick black hair that rested on her calves as she knelt at his feet. He placed his hand on her head and spoke, “Peony. You are charitable. God is gifting you with Power.”

  Then he stepped to the next, a larger woman, not heavy set, but tall and strong. She was darker than the first, with deep brown skin and coffee colored hair. Her muscles shown, even in the way she held her head and the grip of her hands. She looked like an Amazon warrior. He placed his hand on her head and spoke, “Idadurant, you are diligent beyond others. You are gifted with Power.”

  He continued and I realized what I was seeing. It had to be Michael the Archangel, though he had no wings, so perhaps he was a god, Cratos the son of Zeus. Perhaps we were wrong this whole time in thinking he was an angel.

  Those women were the Primitus, the first humans gifted with Power from God. I was in awe as I watched him go down the line. He finished with the last woman, a tiny women, thin but not frail. She was paler than any of the others, almost ghostly white. Her hair was nearly the same color as her skin, with just a hint of gold. Even in stillness she was graceful. Just the slight movement in her head as she looked up at him was elegant and smooth.

  He spoke to her, “Arabella, you are filled with grace. You are gifted with Power.”
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br />   Then he stepped back and once again stood in the center, in front of them all. They all had their heads bent down, reeling from the Power he has gifted them with.

  “You are The First and will hence forth be called so.” They looked up to him and nodded. He spoke again, “There will come a day, when all the world is filled with evil, when evil has risen up to believe they can defeat God and bring about The End. On that blessed day, she will be born. She will be the one who has descended from all of you and she will save the world from termination.”

  Again, they nodded.

  Then they disappeared.

  He turned to look at me, his blazing eyes the color of the sun, and just as bright. I had to fight to look at him and not turn away. He repeated The Prophesy and added, “Allison, you are filled with love. Your blood has made you worthy. You have been gifted with Power.”

  Then he walked closer to me. I was still on my knees, but he held out his hand, an offering that I accepted. When I touched his hand I had to look down at it because it felt like he had lit me on fire. It was similar to the way my shield felt, when it manifested as Power. It wasn’t hot, but almost, and it tingled like a million heavy spiders were crawling over it.

  He helped me to my feet. Though he was still shining brighter than a star, my eyes were growing accustomed, or maybe he was dimming, but I no longer had to hide my eyes. He placed his hands on my stomach and said, “It is time.”

  Then everything was black. He wasn’t there, but neither was I. Immediately I remembered my nightmares from before I knew who I was and what was going on inside me. Before I knew anything about the Order or Power or the Rising. When Damien frequented my dreams, he often took away my senses, my sight, sound and taste. That’s how it was now.

  My breathing came in gasps and I could feel sweat start to gather behind my hair on my neck, and slide down my back. My palms were sweating too. I wiped them on my pants.

  Then I realized, I had pants on, and I could see them. I looked up again and noticed I was someplace now. Someplace different. The field was gone.