Ezra looks at me, then beyond me at Sam. What is he planning? Glancing back at Michael, he thunders, “And you will never take her. Even as I speak, I can feel her life force, her energy building. She will fight until the very end!”
Michael’s face contorts and shifts inhumanely, then snaps back to its original form. In one swift motion, he drops Nate to the ground like a sack of wheat and pitches the knife he is wielding straight into Ezra’s chest.
Everything moves in slow motion as I absorb the certainty that this is not an illusion. Ezra gasps from the force of the knife driving home and he rocks backward on his knees from the hit. My whole-hearted scream intermingles with the scream of my mother and the yell from the man who is holding me captive in his arms. Raging, I push against the knife at my throat, my only concern getting to my father. The knife Sam holds against me gives way easily, along with the arm holding me captive. I fall forward to the ground and crawl the short distance separating me from my mother and father.
Ezra is crumbling fast and Anna has taken hold of his failing body.
I put my hand behind my father’s head for support. “No, no, no! Nate, Xander, help!”
In an instant, Nate and Xander are at my side reaching for Ezra to help support him and Sebastian is hovering over Anna as she shields Ezra. Her cries are silent as she mouths repeatedly, “No. No. No.”
The pounding against the walls and ceiling is replaced with a resonance I have heard only two times in my life now: the sonic boom of an opening portal and the intimate pull and swirl of the energy from within it. I turn in the direction of the pull and see Michael moving backward toward the familiar glowing gateway. I can’t let him go back!
Heedlessly, I scramble away from my father and let the festering, hostile energy guide my attack. Hurriedly, I capture all the energy I can amass and the fire building within me is spurred when I feel Nate’s and Xander’s paired energy. No, they can’t risk my father for my safety! I turn to tell them both to stop and keep that energy for my father, but my eyes focus on Ezra and blood that is pooling beneath him.
I hear Michael in my head, “It’s too late.”
No, it’s not too late. It can’t be. I pivot on my heels and run to my father’s side. “I love you, Dad.”
I pinch my eyes closed, pull the blade from his chest and charge Michael. With vengeance my lone blinding goal, I grab hold of his shoulder and bury the blade deep within flesh. Until I feel the pain radiate from one definitive point in my own body, I thought I had struck him. Following the path of the burning ember, flaring now in my chest, I look down and see my hand clutching the shaft of the entombed blade intended for Michael.
Pained and short of breath, I look up into Michael’s ominous eyes as he backs away from me. Without my hold on him now, my legs give way and I crumble to the floor. The rumble around me begins to hollow. The swishing of the vortex and yelling voices become obscured. I try to concentrate on the muffled sound of scrambling feet and Nate’s voice yelling and screaming my name, but it all jumbles and melts together. The sensation of my energy within, my vitality, seeping out of me in unison with my pumping heart consumes me. No, it’s not supposed to end this way.
CHAPTER 24: PURPOSED
Nate
My yell for Jesca to stop is lost with everyone else’s as she lunges for Michael with the dagger in her hand. She grabs Michael’s shoulder and strikes down on him and they both still. Watching Michael’s expression, both arrogant and satisfied, I know Jesca is the one who has taken the blow. She releases a fistful of Michael’s shirt and stumbles backward, dropping to her knees.
“Jesca, no!”
I crawl away from Ezra and the others and catch her before she falls face first to the ground.
“God, no! Please no!”
I lay her across my lap, her gray tank top already soaked through from the blood she is losing. She is losing it so fast, too fast. I look up at Michael as he turns to enter the wormhole.
No, we have to stop him! I wipe the tears clouding my eyes and yell, “Xander!”
Without any further explanation, Xander is at Michael’s side, taking him by the shirt and tossing him across the room. Without missing a beat, Xander is on him, pounding his body against the wall. Michael tries holding Xander back, but he is relentless as he pounds him with his fist repeatedly.
All of a sudden, the most carnal roar slices through the rumble of the whirling wormhole. I turn to the roar and see Sam Crest running straight toward Jesca and me. Quickly, I scoop her up closer to shield her from the blow he is about to deliver. The blow never comes though. Sam runs right past to Michael and Xander.
I pull Jesca back from my chest to look at her. Her eyes are half-open, barely holding on to the glimmer of life left within them. I search for help. Xander is holding Michael against the wall alongside Sam. Michael is not giving up without a fight and Sebastian rushes from Anna cradling Ezra in her arms.
I look down at Jesca’s pale face. She isn’t going to last much longer. The last time I tried to save her on my own, I couldn’t. Xander saved her. I look up at Xander and at the same time, he looks at me. He struggles to keep Michael pinned against the wall with Sam. “Nate! Save her!”
I have to try to do this. I close my eyes and immediately see her warm face full of life smiling up at me as I danced with her; the night of our date.
“Nate.”
Her soft whisper pulls me from my memory. Her olive-green eyes have faded, the fight in them almost gone. No, this is not going to happen. I pull her to me, cradling her to my body. Hot tears spring from my eyes and the knot in my throat thickens my breathy words. “I am not going to let you go, do you hear me! You will not die in my arms!”
With no reservations, I relinquish every bit of my energy, my life force, to her. The initial current is slow, but I feel the flow of it take on a rhythm, the same as the pumping of my heart. “I said I would always protect you. I will give everything, every part of me, to make sure you live, Jes. You have so much more to do in the world. That is your purpose.” I choke on my last words. “You, Jes, you are my purpose.”
I close my eyes, and hold her close to my body, letting my life force restore the woman I will always love.
CHAPTER 25: SET FREE
Sam
Seeing Michael manipulate Jesca’s hand, guiding the dagger into her, the trigger unleashes me from Michael’s hold. Jesca drops to her knees and falls forward. Nate breaks her fall and cradles her in his arms. I pinch my eyes closed, remembering the likeness of this scene—Anna dying at both Michael’s and my hand in that cabin.
I look from Nate and Jesca to Ezra, dying in Anna’s arms. Xander has pinned Michael to the wall at the far end of the room.
As I stalk across the room, I yell, releasing the pent-up hatred and bitterness I hold for Michael. When I reach him, I slam my body against his, making Xander stumble away and Michael gasp for air. Quickly, Michael pushes back against me, trying to break away. A second pair of hands push against Michael’s chest; Xander. I glance behind us as the scene unfolds; the open wormhole, Anna crying with Ezra dying in her arms, Jesca and Nate huddled in the middle of the floor. They can’t die here. If they do, their souls will be tortured by these beings for eternity. Xander’s yell interrupts my thoughts, “Nate, save her!”
Xander growls before pounding his fist into Michael’s face repeatedly. “I will kill you, you son of a bitch!”
I don’t blame him for wanting that revenge. I too want revenge. My whole life has been fueled by power and vengeance. He wants to avenge the death of his parents, the death of everyone taken from him. Most of all he wants to dull the pain of not being the one to save Jesca right now. The thing is, he should be seeking his revenge not only on Michael, but on me as well. Yes, Michael controlled my hand, my mind, but I was part of all the death in his life. I should sacrifice my life for stealing so much of his.
>
Xander looks back at Nate and Jesca once more. The fear his eyes exude is palpable. “Nate! No!”
I took this boy’s parents from him. Now, his blood, his cousin and the woman he loves are dying, once again under my influence. I took him from his true legacy, his true purpose, all those years ago. I stole his life to serve my own and Michael’s. This hate and revenge festering within him will turn him into me. I can’t let that happen. Sacrificing my life for taking so much of his is not enough, but it is what I have right now.
“Xander.”
Xander takes his forearm now and presses it into Michael’s throat. As Michael gasps for air and tries to grab hold of Xander, he seethes, “I will not lose them, Michael. Do you hear me?”
Michael’s face is turning purple now, but he has enough strength to hiss, “You will lose all of them, Xander.”
Xander’s forearm tenses and he presses it harder into Michael’s throat.
I holler to pull his attention to me before any more damage is done. “Xander, stop!”
Xander looks at me sideways, but doesn’t stop his attack on Michael.
I take hold of his forearm with my hand and yell over Michael’s manipulation, “Xander, that’s enough!”
He angles his head toward me, eyes narrowed and red-rimmed with anger.
Michael takes advantage of the moment and hits his forehead on Xander’s nose. Xander stumbles from Michael, giving him the break he needs to flee and try to escape into the wormhole. Before he can make a move, Sebastian is at Xander’s side, taking hold of Michael, and pinning him hard against the wall again.
Sebastian yells, “Xander, gather everyone and get them into the wormhole!”
Xander doesn’t move or acknowledge Sebastian’s words; he just continues to stare at me. I see the mixture of resentment, hate and loathing he holds for me. I think I see something else, compassion, but it is fleeting when Xander turns back toward Sebastian and bellows, “What about you?”
Sebastian shakes his head rigorously. “Just get them all out of here!”
Xander wavers, looking from Sebastian to me.
I growl, “Go! Save them!”
I quickly look away and Xander’s rushes to the others. Michael grinds his teeth and gasps for air. “You think—you are—free—from me, Sam?”
Sebastian peels Michael off the wall by his shirt collar and slams him against it hard once more. I keep my palms planted on his chest, making sure he doesn’t head for that wormhole.
Michael continues to antagonize, “You kill me, all of you will die when you return to Earth.”
Sebastian yells at me, “Go help Xander! I will hold him!”
“No, Sebastian! This is my fight!”
Michael’s strength surges and I feel mine depleting quickly. I look over my shoulder and check on Xander’s progress with the others. I can’t hold Michael off much longer. Xander is crossing the room with Ezra in his arms and Anna by his side. He helps Nate stand with Jesca in his arms, and then they move toward the wormhole. “Go, Sebastian! You need to help seal the wormhole!”
Sebastian’s voice thunders, “You have to go with us, Sam! You can’t stay here! Once we seal the veil!”
Somehow, Michael untangles our hold on him and he grabs Sebastian by the throat, lifting him from the ground. I try to pry Michael’s arm from him, but he brings his other elbow around, making contact with the side of my face. I’m thrown off balance, letting go of the hold I had on him. Finding his escape, Michael throws Sebastian across the room and punches me as I lunge to trap him again, knocking me to the ground. He runs straight for the portal.
CHAPTER 26: FISH OUT OF WATER
Jesca
My first conscious intake of breath is harsh. The air feels like fire rolling down my throat, through my ribcage, and into my lungs. I cough and the slight jolt magnifies the pulsing pain surging through my skull. It is the same feeling I got when I woke beyond the veil. I blink, then squint shielding my eyes against the bright, fluorescent lights above. I look down quickly and let my sight span wildly along the white tile, looking for everyone who was with me beyond the veil. Nate is the first I see lying face down on the white tile. A flash of him holding me in his arms telling me that he wasn’t going to let me die plays in my mind. He saved me.
Looking around more closely, I realize we are back in the facility. We made it back! I try to rise up on all fours to get to him, but my body is not responding like it should. I’m physically weak, immoveable. I breathe in. Wait, how long ago did I take a breath? I can’t think straight. The thoughts in my head are spinning out of control. What is going on? I try to rise, but it feels like I am fighting against what my body wants to do, give up. With my body low to the ground and only in control of moving my head for now, I scan the floor quickly, looking for everyone. I see Ezra lying on his back with Sebastian next to him.
I speak, but my voice is gone, just a rasped whisper, “Ezra.” My thought gets to him though. He coughs then scrunches his face up in pain. The panic creeps in as I witness what is happening. What we are experiencing. Wheezing—we are wheezing.
The memories of Sebastian’s words are in my head. “Titanium and helium are increasing. At high levels, both can cause changes in the lungs and breathing problems. At high levels, Helium will silently suffocate us—”
What if the changes spiked while we were gone? How long were we gone? Was it just a matter of days? Weeks? I try to slow my breathing, but the hissing sound of my esophagus contracting just makes me more nervous and the panting is out of control. Hold my breath, I have to hold my breath until I can get to them. I close my eyes and remember Nate just before we came back. The feeling of him holding me, his heart pulsing in time with mine like it always has. Him feeding me his life force, ignoring his own life to save mine. I open my eyes and try to focus on Nate’s form beyond the ripened tears, ready to fall.
“Nate.”
My voice sounds so hoarse I barely recognize it, but he hears me and stirs. The identical hissing sound rising from my throat comes from him now.
Without realizing, I take a deep breath and it hitches and spasms. Fire engulfs my esophagus and I want to cry out, but instead I hold it in. Hold it all in. He slowly turns his head toward me and lays it back on the ground; he is so weak. If only he didn’t use so much of his life force on me. Damn it, I won’t let him die like this. Any of them. They don’t deserve this death. I keep my eyes trained on Nate as I force my mind to connect with my body again. My right hand raises stiff and shaking as I stretch it in his direction. Same with my leg, but my leg is more of a spasmed jerking motion as I bend it to gain traction. It takes so much energy to move and I want to breathe deeply, but I would only be breathing in a quicker death. I tell myself slow and shallow, hoping that when I reach him and the others, together, our combined energy will help us hold on long enough for—for the others—if any of them are still here. One convulsing limb at a time, I slither closer and closer to Nate.
A low, raspy groan just beyond Nate brings me to a halt. “Jes.”
I raise my head a little higher and look just beyond Nate. It’s Xander. He raises his head and winces, having just taken in a deep breath. He realizes what is happening and his eyes widen and look at me. When he breathes again, his fight for breath matches mine and Nate’s. I think, “Xander, slow and shallow.”
The next reach of my contracting hand lands on Nate’s hand; it is so cold. I pinch my eyes closed and think of what we must look like to a fly on the wall; cold, dying fish flopping about, trying to breathe out of water. The morbid thought pisses me off and I grab his hand tightly. When I look at Nate, his eyes are closed. Without hesitation, I call out in a scratchy voice, “Xander!”
Without me saying anything more, Xander takes hold of Nate by the back of his shirt and pulls himself closer to him. I feel a hand, Xander’s, grip my free one tightly. My eyes meet his a
nd the safety in them melts the fear a little bit. I hear him think, “We need to hold on until they find us.”
My head shakes and jerks as I turn to look back at Ezra and Sebastian. Ezra is so still and Sebastian is the only one moving. When Sebastian raises his head, he looks at me and claps my father’s motionless hand. I know that he is aware of how we must fight to hold on, hold out long enough to be saved. My head jerks back slowly to Xander and Nate. Nate’s eyes are open now; Xander’s energy must be working. Together, our energy is healing. I look down at our joined hands and forcibly drown out the wheezing breaths among us.
I feel a vibration, a patterned, pounding of feet getting heavier and heavier—They are approaching. My eyes move from Xander to Nate in panic. What if it isn’t our salvation, but the end?
My eyes never leave Nate’s and Xander’s hand as the muffled sound of Monica’s familiar voice pierces the silence. “Jesus, they are back! Quick, get the others. We need to put them under or they won’t make it!”
I blink my eyes and try to control my jerking head to look at her. I feel arms around my waist lifting me, pulling me up, away from Nate and Xander. With work, I finally mouth the word, “No.”
The room spins and I catch a glimpse of the person who is hauling me off the floor. Nick? Why is he here? They were supposed to leave. Everyone was supposed to leave!
Warm hands grab hold of my face and pull my attention away from him and to her determined blue eyes. Elicia!
Her voice is shaking and urgent as she whispers, “We got you. We got you.”
They stayed behind. Why? Did something happen? Could they not make it out? I want to ask her so many questions, but I can’t.
I feel a small sting, then sharp pain course through my arm. I look from Elicia to Nick, confused and scared. Elicia whispers, “We have to save you.”
Copula Chronicles: The Complete Collection: Origin, Descend, Ascend, Legacy Page 68