"Are you okay?" Luca asks. His hair and clothes are plastered to his body from the onslaught of rain pouring over us all, the water washing away some of the blood flowing from slow healing wounds.
"I'm okay," I tell him, but I'm not and neither is he. None of us truly are and I don't know how much longer we can keep going before we all fall under a sharp blade wielded from Fallen hands.
A loud boom of thunder ricochets across the sky with a burst of lightning filling up the dark spaces and that's when I get a crazy idea that just might be crazy enough to work.
I smile over at Luca and he looks at me like I'm nuts. "I've got a crazy idea. Can you cover me?"
"I'll do what I can." With a sigh he jumps back into the fray, taking on two Fallen at once.
Closing my eyes I draw on the raging storm. Raising my hands to the heavens, I focus all of my energy on imagining all of The Fallen being crushed where they stand by invisible hands. I make a tight fist and collectively an unearthly scream rings out filling the air around me. The inhuman sound of it terrifies me to the bone, but I keep myself focused, concentrating my energy now on the clouds sparking with flashes of light. In my mind I imagine all that light building and building until the entire sky turns white with hundreds of lightning bolts striking down straight into the hearts of every Fallen here. I open my eyes, silence falling over everything. Not even the rain makes a sound as every Fallen begins to whither away.
I crumble to my knees completely drained to my core. Luca, Will, and Eric rush to my side.
Will drops down in front of me, the last bits of blood washing from his face with the rain. He holds my face in his hands, a shocked look of what the hell just happened filling his eyes. "How did you do that?"
"I don't know. We were losing and I just wanted them gone, so I..." He starts to look blurry, in fact, everything's starting to look blurry and I'm finding it hard to focus my thoughts.
Will catches me as I fall.
***
The coldness of the hall seeps in chilling me to the bone as I stand before a door.
As I stand before the door.
The one that keeps moving away.
Now an arms length away it beckons, waiting for me to discover the secrets hiding behind it.
A red glow shines through the cracks around the edges of the door, its center moving in and out as though it were breathing. I reach out ignoring the sick feeling in my stomach warning me to stay away, because what I seek is behind that door. Jared is behind that door. I can feel him. The symbol on my wrist flickers in response, as the invisible cord connecting Jared and I together pulls me forward.
At the touch of my fingertips the door fractures apart, the pieces sucked into an all-consuming darkness hidden behind it that not even light can pierce. Reaching out, the surface ripples with fluidity at the touch of my hand.
I know what I have to do.
Tuning out the part of my brain warning me to stop, to turn away, to not under any circumstances go inside, I step through. Coldness like I've never felt before wraps around me in a frigid embrace and then I'm pulled through the darkness by some unseen force. Wind slaps me in the face, all direction lost in a void where you can't tell what's up and what's down. I twist and tumble, my body jerked every which way until I finally land hard in the dirt. Struggling to catch my breath I roll onto my back looking up at a clear night sky full of bright stars marred only by the leaves of tree after tree surrounding me.
I could have sworn it was just day. When did it become night?
I sit up slowly trying to get my bearings. The world tilts and spins and I brace my hands on the ground for support until the dizziness subsides and I can finally see where I am. I look around. Every tree looks the same with nothing to distinguish one from the other. Obviously I'm in the woods somewhere, but where that somewhere is I have no idea.
The hair on the back of my neck stands on end with the sound of chanting floating on the wind. Picking myself up I follow it and the closer I get the sicker I begin to feel. I don't know what words are being said or what they mean, but I do know it's nothing good.
Using the trees for cover I inch myself closer and closer until I'm close enough to see where the chanting is coming from. In a small clearing at the bottom of the hill, lit by the light of the full moon, I watch as Blondie chains Jared's arms and feet to the stone surrounding a narrow entrance to a cave at his back while hundreds of Fallen gather below them.
Producing a knife, Blondie slices across the palms of Jared's hands then he places two stone bowls on the ground under each one to catch the blood. Dipping his finger in one of the bowls, Blondie begins to draw symbols onto Jared's bare chest then moves on to drawing symbols around the caves entrance.
A heavy feeling of dread weighs down on me. Whatever Blondie's up to it's bad. Really, really bad.
Needing to get closer I step carefully down the slope of the hill using the trees to hide behind. My toe catches under a section of tree root I failed to see and I fall forward, hitting the ground hard where I then slide and roll until coming to a stop out in the open.
"Well, if it isn’t Hanna Harper. Come to play have you?" Blondie singsongs. He licks the blood from his fingers as The Fallen below separate to make a path. With dramatic flare Blondie jumps down from the rock he has Jared chained upon as he waits for me to engage.
I ignore him focusing in on Jared instead.
"Jared," I call his name and his eyes shift to meet mine. They're darker than I've ever seen them, the bright green they once were now swallowed away with the choice he made. "I know the real you is still in there somewhere and I know this isn't what you really want. And I'm here to tell you it's not too late. There's still time to change your mind and tell them no." His face remains blank, his eyes colder than ever. Distant. "Jared." He turns his gaze away, my words holding no weight.
Blondie starts to laugh. "Oh, Hanna, my sweet, sweet Hanna, isn't it obvious? You've lost. Jared belongs to me now." His smile grows, his ice blue eyes twinkling in the moonlight. "But by all means,” He steps to the side, motioning me forward. "Try to save him."
I take a small step holding myself at the ready should he or one of the other Fallen attack. I take another small step. Hundreds of ice blue eyes watch my every move.
"Well, go on then." Blondie waves me on. "No one's going to try to stop you."
I take another step and then another all while keeping my eye on Blondie. One side of his mouth lifts into a confident smirk. He doesn't think for one second I'll be able to reach Jared and maybe he's right, maybe I really have lost this fight, but I've come too far to give up now. If there's a chance I can get through to Jared, no matter how small, I have to take it.
My heart pounds so hard and loud in my chest I swear I can hear the sound of it echoing throughout the trees as I climb up the rocks to where Jared's being held. "Jared." Whispering his name I touch his face. He look down at me, eyes glazed he doesn't really see me at all. I hold his face in my hands. "Jared, please come back to me. Please." I kiss him hoping for a tiny spark of recognition to light up his eyes, but there's nothing in them except a cold emptiness.
I try in vain to hold back all the tears waiting to be shed as I stare into his vacant eyes, so dark and so lost, searching for any part of him that might be found. "Jared, please stay with me." The feel of the symbol warms my skin and I notice a soft blue glow on his forearm, the mirror image of my own symbol. I lean in whispering into his ear. "I know I hurt you and if you want to hate me for it or punish me I'm okay with that, but don't take your anger out on a world that doesn't deserve it. Remember all the things worth fighting for." With his arms in chains I can't line up the symbols like I'm compelled to do, but maybe if I just touch it...
A burst of light explodes between us and in that light I see a lifetime of his memories ranging from moments shared with his parents, to moments with his friends, to moments with me. Through his eyes I see the way he sees me, the way he's always seen me, and my heart soars w
hile it breaks because I so stupidly hurt him. But I know now, really know, that whatever I thought I felt for Will wasn't real because this, what I feel for Jared, what I've always felt for him, even when I was too blind to really see it, is what's real and it transcends everything.
The light between us fades to a soft glow and he looks at me, really looks at me. "Hanna?"
I catch him by surprise with a quick kiss he soon reciprocates. "Fight for me Jared, because I'm fighting for you."
Hands grab the back of my shirt, dragging me away. Pulling me over the rocks the hands holding me then throw me to the ground below. Eyes black, mouth pulled back in a snarl, Blondie jumps down then grabs me by the throat. Jerking me to my feet he shoves me into a tree, slamming the back of my head against it in the process. "What did you do to him?"
Instead of answering I peer over Blondie’s shoulder, smiling as I watch Jared fight against his restraints.
I reached him.
Blondie's nails dig into my chin. He jerks my head to the side, forcing me to look at him. "Don't think for one moment you've won. It’s getting close to midnight Hanna and the gates are already opening." I stiffen at the sharp edge of his knife pressed firmly just under my sternum. "You're too late. You were too late the moment he chose against you." He presses a little harder and I feel a stream of warm blood trickle down my stomach.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
I sit up so fast I fall off the sofa onto my knees where I immediately check to make sure Blondie didn't cause too much damage. Luckily, I projected back before he could push the knife in too far. I sigh in relief until Blondie's words fill my head.
It's getting close to midnight Hanna and the gates are already opening. You're too late. You were too late the moment he chose against you.
I seek out the clock. 10:28pm.
It's not midnight yet, which means there's still time.
I have to believe there's still time.
Will comes into the room just as I'm picking myself up off the floor. He rushes to my side helping me the rest of the way up. His clothes are torn and bloody and I'm reminded of the battle with The Fallen in the yard. "Where is everyone? Are they all okay? And wasn't the sofa burnt?" I glance at the sofa I had just fallen off of taking in its melted leather and charred pieces.
"Yeah, sorry about that. We needed some place to put you in a hurry and it was either this or the glass-covered floor. I would have moved you but we've been pretty busy." He's eyes shift to the fresh blood on my shirt. "Are you hurt? Did you astral project again?" Before I can answer he's already got my shirt lifted and is healing me.
"Where is everyone?" I ask again.
"They’re safe," Will reassures me.
"The Fallen. Did I—”
"Take them all out in one swift motion using lightning as your weapon? Yeah." He looks at me in amazement. "I've never seen anyone do something like that before. Hell, I didn't even know something like that was even possible." He pokes my shoulder. "You're a total badass." He smiles and so do I.
"Let's hope I can be a badass again when we go after Jared because I know where Blondie's keeping him and he's being guarded by hundreds of Fallen. Way more than what we encountered here." I step around him, glass crunching under my shoes with every step. “Where did you say everyone is? Has anyone gone after Jared because he's not at the factory anymore though technically you can still get to him from there if you're willing to step through a portal of sorts."
"We've sent some scouts out to the factory but none of us have been out there yet. We couldn't wake you and no one wanted to leave you behind after a second wave of Fallen attacked." At my questioning look he adds, "You've been asleep for awhile." He grabs my arm when I step around him in search of the others. My eyes flick to the clock. 10:33. I don't have time for all of Will's questions. I need to get to Jared as soon as possible. "Did you say Jared's being guarded by hundreds of Fallen as in hundreds?" Will asks.
"Yes, and we need to get to him like right now because Blondie's already started some kind of ritual. So again, where is everyone cause we need to go?"
"They're in the basement gathering supplies. What kind of ritual?"
"I don't know." I head for the basement. "I'll explain everything I know once we get everyone together." I reach for the door handle just as the basement door opens revealing Kat.
"You're awake." She hugs me quickly then turns back to the basement stairs yelling, "Guys get up here! Hanna's awake!"
Adam races up the stairs in seconds, the pounding of his boots loud and heavy. Shoving Kat out of the way, he pulls me into a bear hug pinning my arms to my sides; his hug of choice lately. He squeezes so tight that not only is he cutting off my air supply, he's also dangerously close to cracking a rib or two.
"Dude, she's turning blue," Owen says while maneuvering around Adam, who's blocking most of the doorway.
"Sorry Hanna." Adam loosens his arms a little and I suck in a breath. I'm about to wiggle away since he still hasn't let go when a dark thought enters my mind. What if this is the last time I ever get to hug him? Do I really want to shove him away now just to save a few seconds? No, I don't. I bury my face into his chest, my arms wrapping tightly around his back. If this is the last time I hug my brother it should count for something. "For the record," Adam says, reluctantly letting me go. "I hate it when you astral project because when you do you don't wake up and it's scary as hell?"
"I know. I'm sorry. I don't mean to make you worry. Most of the time I don't even know I'm doing it. It just kind of happens on its own. But it's a good thing it happened this time because I know where Jared is now and even better, I was able to reach him. We've got a chance."
"Really? Hanna that's great." Kat throws herself at me, hugging me excitedly just as Luca comes up the stairs. He watches Kat with a sad longing held in his eyes. She's been giving him the cold shoulder ever since he admitted to holding back crucial info regarding astral projection. Info that would have been helpful to know even though knowing most likely still wouldn't have changed the outcome of Blondie's knife getting all up close and personal with my stomach.
She should forgive him. I have.
Eric is the last one up the stairs, cell phone in hand. "I just heard back from Montgomery. There's still no sign of Jared, Blondie, or any other Fallen at any of the factories. However, they have located the entrance to the tunnels now that they've stripped away all the concealment wards The Fallen put up."
"Jared's not in the tunnels anymore. Blondie's moved him to the woods somewhere. He's got him chained to the mouth of a cave and there are hundreds of Fallen standing watch. But Montgomery and whoever he's with can get to him through a door in the tunnels."
Eric's eyebrows gather in confusion. "There's a door in the tunnels that leads to the woods?"
"Sort of. It's more like a portal. My astral self went through it and it dropped me off in the woods somewhere."
"Tell me everything you saw. Maybe I'll know where this place is." Eric closes the basement door then leads us into the kitchen where I take a seat at the table even though what I really want to do is to go straight out the front door and not stop until I've reached Jared.
I take a deep breath, my eyes shifting every few seconds between Eric and the clock. "There were lots of trees. Obviously. Um, no roads or buildings, or anything that stood out of the ordinary. I was standing at the top of a hill and below me at the bottom there was a small clearing where all The Fallen were gathered around this large rocky hillside with a narrow cave at its center watching Blondie begin some sort of blood ritual."
"I think I know where this cave is," Eric says with a look of deep thinking creasing his forehead. "It's not too far from here actually. Tell me about the blood ritual. What exactly did you see?"
"After Blondie chained Jared up in front of the cave he cut open Jared's palms, collected the blood in bowls, then used the blood to draw symbols on Jared's chest and around the entrance to the cave."
"Do you remember what symb
ols Blondie used?" I can see a deeply worried look within Eric's dark blue eyes and it's starting to freak me out. What if Blondie was right? What if I am already too late?
"Yeah, I think so."
Luca hands me a sheet of grocery list paper he's just ripped from a notepad hanging on the front of the fridge along with a pen. Closing my eyes I dig into my memories, taking myself back to the moment Blondie started drawing on Jared. I copy down everything I can make out then slide the paper across the table to Eric.
"This is what you saw?" He's panicking, and now so am I.
I nod my head. "Yeah. Why? What does it mean?"
"Shit." Eric stand up so fast his chair falls over. "Shit. He's going to do it." He runs a hand through his hair. "Will, get Hanna geared up. Meet me outside in five. I've got to call Montgomery." In a matter of seconds he grabs his keys off the counter and heads for the front door with the phone held to his ear. He curses under his breath when Montgomery doesn't answer. He turns back to our confused faces while calling Montgomery for a second time. "Seriously guys, five minutes." He glances at the clock and so do I. 10:52pm. "We can't spare any more than that." And then he's gone giving us no explanations.
I follow Will to his room to get geared up while trying to keep myself from losing it. I've never seen Eric panicked like that before. He's always been the cool headed, rational one and to see him freaking out now has got me so far on edge I'm about to tip into the abyss below. "What did Eric mean when he said 'he's going to do it'?"
"I don't know. I only recognized a few of the symbols, not enough to know what they mean. I'm just as much in the dark as you are, but if it has Eric scared, it's definitely bad. That I do know." He hands me a weapons harness. "Put this on." Once I've maneuvered myself into it he loads it full of assorted knives then busies his hands strapping even more knives to the sides of my thighs. He looks me over, grabs three more knives from the weapons case, and hands them to me to tuck into the waist of my jeans. At this point I'm beginning to get concerned I'll end up stabbing myself before we even reach Blondie and the other Fallen. I'm about to say as much when he says, "Okay. I think you're good." His eyes roam over me, his hands checking to make sure all weapons are secure. "Let's go."
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