CHAPTER 29
I was back at the house putting dishes away when I began to feel Athen’s aura tense up. I was thankful that I was finally beginning to be in tune with my family’s whereabouts and their feelings without being directly with them. Being so new to it made it hard to distinguish the different level of consciousness, unfortunately. He was out with Matilda so I wasn’t sure why this was coming over me. Hoping that the negative vibes that were disseminating around my body were false, I told myself that I was over reacting. I tried frantically to rid the fear that began to take hold. I left the kitchen and went over to the family room to look outside where I last saw Athen and Matilda in the woods. I scanned quickly and didn’t see anything. The feeling began getting stronger, but I convinced myself that I was getting overly paranoid. That was the problem with still trying to gauge the emotions of others. These skills were not easy to pick up.
I talked myself out of my panic attack, going back to the kitchen to finish putting the items away from the dishwasher. I saw Matilda’s reflection in the window running towards the house without Athen, and then suddenly his voice entered through my veins, “I will follow your soul wherever that leads me. We’ll never be apart again for as long as we were, but my immediate time might be ending. Ana, bring Cyril, quickly.”
The plate I was holding crashed to the floor. Arie came running down the stairs, and Cyril dashed in from the deck. They already knew. This wasn’t a false alarm. I didn’t need to say a word. I was seeing the present. Athen was surrounded by six black demons. They didn’t have the human form that I was used to seeing, but they didn’t have the image right before their death either. Athen had summoned me up. This wasn’t like before. He was the target, not I. He had the complete disadvantage. This was like my dream. Why didn’t I tell anyone? If the demons couldn’t get me they would get the next best thing to split our family apart and stop us from trying to do good in the world. The first legion had announced itself. Now it was our time to fight for Athen.
I ran as fast as I could following Arie and Cyril out the door. Our bodies darted through the woods as spirits did in the otherworld. I no longer had the restraints of earth or nature keeping me in check. We were mere seconds into our journey and almost to Athen, but it felt like an eternity. I knew in my heart this time was different. The images bothered me the most. I could see them in my mind just swirling around Athen, teasing him. This had been one big game to the demons thus far. This was my nightmare. I wouldn’t let this end the way it had in my nightly dance of good and evil. I had to get to him. We had to save him. I cursed myself for not telling anyone of the horrible demons that ate at me in my dreams.
The level of confidence and cockiness that Cyril had exhibited last time was nowhere to be found. I knew Athen was strong, quick and smart with his fighting ability. I, also, knew at this moment, he was in trouble. He was outnumbered for one, and I was helpless to save him unless we were there. Everything was a blur as I sped up even faster. I could see Athen crouching down. I couldn’t tell why he was doing that. I was concentrating so hard on my visions, I realized I hadn’t shared any of them still.
“He’s crouching. There are six black images surrounding him, Cyril. I don’t know what it means,” I screamed, my lungs out of air.
“We are almost there, just focus.” Arie planted the words directly in my head.
The trees and homes were unrecognizable shapes and colors on the backside of the village. Everything was a blur. I knew I had to get to Athen. Time was not on my side. There was no way I could lose him. We had barely found each other again. I didn’t understand why this was happening. Why was our family the target?
I saw Arie and Cyril slow down up on top of the hill. They had found Athen. I could see Athen look up at them in my vision in recognition before I met the others. As I tried my hardest to get there even faster, I cursed myself for not being up to their level of speed. I finally arrived at my destination. Meeting their gaze as I saw what was before us. It was not one creature. It was several just like my nightmare, and unfortunately, my eyes were far more developed than before. I could see that Athen was losing. It was my nightmare.
There were six black beings wrapping themselves through Athen, swirling in such a manner that was frightening beyond belief. I wasn’t sure if it was the pure number of demons or the advanced skill level that they possessed, but they were all over. Screams and crashes echoed out in between shrill laughter coming directly from the legion members. I knew this might not have an ending that I could live with. It might end like my nightmare. I forced myself to quit thinking those thoughts and concentrate on what was before me. All I could see of him was his white and green energy trying to hold them off. He was at his end. He was crouching, jetting one leg out, and reaching with his right arm. I saw him grab one of the demons and rather than it turn to air like I imagined, the demon only stiffened into a serpent and dropped to the grass. Could it be her?
My spirits lifted seeing him defeat that being. But witnessing his reaction as he did it made me realize that he had obviously been holding them off for some time, and then I watched the demon slither away and regenerate. One against six was unimaginable, and they were regenerating. Athen was exhausted. His spirit was diminishing. These were definitely not minions. These were well-developed demons. I saw Cyril leap into the mess and then Arie. As I began to position myself to jump in, Arie screamed out to stay put; that I was needed on the outside of the circle. I couldn’t fathom what she was talking about. Athen needed my help. We obviously needed numbers and watching on the sidelines was only going to quicken his demise. I was witnessing my true love be defeated because of me, and now I’m told not to move. I wasn’t going to listen. I was going to act.
“Ana, I love you. I’ll see you soon. I promise. Please listen to Arie and learn. This is how a white demon dies. Remember, it can be beautiful.” I heard Athen’s voice radiating over to me. I fell to my knees. I knew what this meant but refused to accept it. I continued to witness the spectacle as it escalated. The black and white images began to wrap themselves and release much faster. It looked like Arie and Cyril were able to annihilate two of the demons as soon as they jumped in. There was hope. My nightmare was wrong.
I saw Cyril grab another one of the black demons and crush it. It fell to the grass lifeless. I was beginning to feel invigorated as I saw Athen begin to get a reprieve, until I realized there were still six demons. They were still regenerating. Another one darted from the sky in an instant as a loud thunderous clap occurred.
Tears began streaming down my face as high pitch sounds began screeching through the air making sounds my ears were barely capable of hearing, followed by another loud cracking boom, and that was it. That was when I knew it was over. Athen was gone. There was a green burst of light. Then I saw his white spirit begin to spiral up towards the sky. I dropped my head to the ground screaming. It was my fault. I was afraid to stop watching his spirit as if by tracking it I could stop the process. The black spirits vanished immediately leaving Cyril and Arie in their full form. They both came running over to hold me. I kept looking up into the sky, screaming. I could no longer separate his image from the clouds. My body began to uncontrollably shake. To have found love and lost it so quickly was more than I could handle. I closed my eyes and prayed to be taken with Athen. I could have stopped it.
“Ana, Ana, listen to me! Listen to me!” Arie was shaking me. I didn’t even know how much time had passed on the hill or how long she had been yelling at me. I didn’t care. I wanted Athen. I did nothing to stop the demons, and now Athen was gone. I didn’t know how long it would be before I would ever see him again. My head began pounding. I wasn’t sure how much longer I would be able to sit upright.
“It was just like my nightmare. It was just like my nightmare. I can’t go on. Please, this was my fault. If only I had said something. I just can’t
. Please leave me be.”
“Ana, we can bring him back. Ana, you have to focus. This is the time that we should be planning. Come on, Ana! Don’t waste time. The sooner we start, the better our chances to get him back sooner. We don’t have time to worry about that stuff right now. We must begin the Awakening.”
I looked at Arie and finally realized what her words meant. I was wasting time. I needed to do whatever they said. I needed to quit feeling sorry for myself. Athen did it for me. I need to gain courage and do this for him. They knew how to bring him back. I didn’t. I had to be strong. Cyril and Arie helped me up, and we began speeding back to the house. I knew I would do anything it took to get him back as quickly as possible. I cringed at the thought of how long it took them to reconnect with me this last time. We had to start the Awakening, whatever that entailed.
By the time we got back to the house, I could barely hold myself together. I looked to Arie hoping she would begin explaining things to me, but she didn’t. She went straight to the study. Cyril dashed upstairs leaving me to my own misery not knowing what to do or what was expected. The tears began welling up again. I knew I had to follow Arie to find out what she was doing, if for nothing else then my own sanity.
“What are you doing? How can I help?” I muttered to Arie.
“I’m reaching out to the other families to let them know to be aware. The legions have begun their formation. There is a movement to destroy us, and we seem to be the family they started on. Once I do that, we’ll hope that enough time has settled. We need to track him. Get him before his complete immersion. It’s a balancing act. We do it too soon, we’ll find him, but we’ll miss our chance because he won’t be ready. He won’t recognize us. We do it too late, and we won’t be able to locate him for a long time. We need to begin the Awakening, and you must follow our instructions, Ana. The Awakening is the most crucial part of the entire process.”
“The Awakening? So how long are you talking in generalities? Hours? Days?”
My heart was beating so fast I couldn’t even fathom everything that was going on. Too soon, too late – I had no idea what this meant.
Arie turned to look at me, her eyes red with tears, “This evening will be our best shot.” She grabbed my hand. “But, sweetie, it’s no guarantee. Trying to disrupt the process this way is a very painful event for the one connected to him intimately. More so than anything you have faced thus far.”
“I don’t care.”
“I know you don’t, but I wanted to warn you. Regardless of whether our timing is right or not, the process is still the same. Go rest up as best you can. I’ve got to get the word out. Cyril’s up doing the same. I know this isn’t easy, but we’ll do our best to call him back tonight. We’ve got one shot. If we don’t do the Awakening right, it could be decades.”
“Will I see him tonight if we do everything perfectly?” I asked with the little energy I had left.
“Oh no, Ana. I didn’t mean to imply you would see him tonight. It’s just the process that is starting. If we are lucky, we’ll see him in a few months at the earliest. The Awakening basically calls out to his spirit so his senses aren’t locked up completely. Hopefully, he’ll be aware of us more easily when the time comes.” I knew she was doing her best at acting positive for me, but it fell flat.
I let go of her hand and was leaving the study when I turned around to ask her one last question.
“So when I was taken, the whole one shot thing…. It was missed with me?”
“Yeah, it was missed with you. We went in too early. We tried to tell Athen to wait, but he was so full of rage and despair he wouldn’t listen. And we got to you too early. He started the Awakening too early, almost immediately actually. His emotions got the better of him. You hadn’t even fully regenerated yet. You had no time to settle in. You had no recollection of us. We probably only got to you a few hours too soon, but it was enough to have to make us wait decades. That’s what we are hoping to avoid tonight.”
“I see… If only I had said something. I don’t think I could live with these nightmares for eternity. I just didn’t want to believe they could be true…”
Every part of my body ached. If they weren’t able to get the timing right, how could we possibly make it work when I didn’t even know what I was doing. I trudged over to the couch in the family room and snuggled with Matilda. My world was once again turned upside down. All I could do was wait and see the process unfold. Do as I was told when I was told. I needed to ensure that I did what I needed to bring Athen home soon. It was the least my beloved Athen deserved. I didn’t know that I could last decades without him. I didn’t feel as strong as he was. It might be better if I’m taken too so I don’t have to live without him. At least in the other form, I didn’t remember him.
I had fallen asleep on the couch and was awoken by Cyril and Arie who were dressed in what looked like very old-fashioned, velvet robes. Cyril’s was a dark royal blue with black trim. Arie’s was black with silver trim and embroidery on the sleeves. She had another one draped over her arm. I assumed it was mine. They helped me up and began getting my current outfit stripped down. They placed me in the heavy robe and in a different situation, I would be able to appreciate the beauty of these robes, but now I was only doing what I was told.
“We’re going to go out back and get things ready. Give us twenty minutes. We’ll have everything in its place. It will be the perfect part of night to begin the awakening. Make sure you make it out on time.”
I nodded and still had no idea what was expected of me, but I had learned to trust my family. If they chose not to tell me certain things, there was always a good reason. I had to trust this was another time like that as well. As they left the family room, I began to feel a glimmer of hope build through my body. I hadn’t felt Athen’s presence once since I saw his spirit leave the hillside; an empty void was left for me to deal with, but I began to feel that was all about to change if only I trusted. I began to feel life come through me again. I had to make sure I was fully aware and able to perform whatever duties were asked of me. I knew I could I get Athen back soon, possibly sooner than months. What was in my favor was my ignorance. I had to trust Arie and Cyril with all of the details -the ritual, the timing, everything. I had no way to rush anything as Athen had done with me. He knew the process and followed his emotions rather than trusting the ritual. I had that in my favor. I trusted the ritual. I breathed in, closing my eyes gently only to see a horror facing back at me. The woman with the serpent eyes was caressing Athen’s arm. I saw her lips moving. She was looking directly at me. Uttering the words, “I win. He is mine.” She was smiling callously as she did in my other dreams. She seemed so sure of herself. As if she knew she had won him - like he was a trophy. I forced the images out of my mind. I was determined not to let these creatures succeed with whatever it was they were trying to do. I wasn’t prepared for them to invade my mind like they were, but I had to get strong and flush these thoughts out.
I took a deep breath and opened the French doors to meet Cyril and Arie. I knew I had no other choice but to trust. I couldn’t let my mind wander. I could not let the serpentine eyes sway me. I needed hope. Athen was full of hope.
The cold air hit my face bringing me to confront another uncertain reality. I was fighting to get Athen back, and I wouldn’t stop my journey until he was in my arms again. The night awaiting me beyond the doors embraced me yet offered little comfort. There was no sign of life, only silence. What had happened to me, to my life? This new existence had been more captivating than I could ever have imagined. I had loved and lost more in this short period of time. I knew it was only the beginning, if I could only survive for him. I heard the whispers from the others and retreated to what I knew was expected of me. The Awakening was to begin.
LEGIONS
Book 2 of The Watchers Trilogy
E
xcerpt
I noticed him from afar. My heart began beating a little faster. He was bent over a long, wooden table with books spread around him. He was touching his forehead the way he did when he was concerned about something. My mind flashed to the night that he came to pick me up from the bar when the stranger was lurking. His beautiful eyes glistened, but they lacked that familiar green glow. It was hard to not go running over to him and jump on his lap. Hiding as best I could, I slowly walked to a bookcase that had art history books stacked neatly.
I snuck another glance at him. His pull was so hard to resist. I couldn’t jeopardize the process, being here was bad enough. Cyril and Arie would kill me if they knew I was even here checking on him. We had a plan. I promised I would follow it, and apparently my word didn’t mean anything to me any longer. I didn’t know how I got this close. I felt that I was in control of the situation - everything would be ok. Plus, after hearing he wasn’t alone at the Starbucks made me think of all kinds of horrible scenarios. I just had to double check… Make sure she hadn’t completely gotten to him yet.
He was taking notes feverishly. I was puzzled over what in the short time he had in this new existence would compel him to research something so frantically. I made a mental note to myself to figure out what books he was looking at. I pretended to be looking for something in the stack of art books as I tried to come up with my exit plan. I got my Athen fix and he was alone, which made me feel a million times better. That’s all I needed for now. As I did my best to pretend to be interested in the stack of books, I accidentally knocked the top book off the pile. As it was about to crash to the floor I caught it but not before causing enough of a commotion to get a group of guys to look over at me from the table across from Athen. One of them winked at me, which made me cringe. In normal circumstances he was probably good looking. However, nobody compared to Athen. Other men were on the verge of being repulsive.
Before I knew what was happening, I felt a singeing pain coming from behind me. I quickly spun around to see Athen staring right at me. Our eyes locked. I opened my mouth to speak, nothing would come out. It was like the first time I saw him at the Pub in Whistler.
Concern washed over his face, his body became rigid, his eyes distant. I couldn’t understand why. Was I seeing recognition or fear in his eyes? He quickly grabbed his coat and notebook, giving me one last look and darted out before I could say anything, leaving a pile of books in his wake.
I knew what I did was wrong. I never should’ve come to get a glimpse of Athen. I had to be reminded of his presence. I couldn’t stay away. The wait had been excruciating, and I wanted to make sure he was okay. Thanks to my clumsiness, I wasn’t sure if he was. I found my way quickly over to the table where he was sitting to see what he was researching. As I got closer to the table my hands began to shake. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, maybe historical or technical books or how about comics? There were seven books laid out all over the table, some open and others in tidy piles. My gut became snarled as I approached the first book he left open. I recognized it instantly.
The book was a dictionary on Angels and Demons. The same one we had in our collection back in Whistler.
Chills began at the base of my spine running quickly through the rest of my body. Why would he be interested in this topic? I began quickly shuffling through all of the books. Every one of them was on either one or the other subject. I had no idea what this meant. Recognizing that the only people who would know what this signifies would be infuriated that I was even at the library - let alone making eye contact with him. The industrial, dull metal clock on the wall was ticking away my fate as my insides twisted with fear at the prospect of having to come clean with Arie and Cyril. A sigh escaped as I headed out the way I came in; only this time there was not excitement building - just fear and disappointment.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Karice Bolton lives in the Pacific Northwest with her awesome husband and two wonderfully cute English Bulldogs. She enjoys the fact that it rains quite a bit in Washington and can then have an excuse to stay indoors and type away. She loves anything to do with the snow and seeks out the stuff whenever she can.
The Watchers Trilogy: Awakening Page 47