The dire nature of Caeli’s struggle made the climb agonizingly slow. Each time they were forced to stop so that Ben could catch his breath increased Salma’s fear for her niece, but they reached the crater after approximately ten minutes. It took several more minutes for Salma to locate the place where Caeli’s lifeline descended.
Salma tried to pull on the vine, but it did not budge, and her hands were scratched as a result. She did not have the strength the save Caeli alone. Ben crawled over to join her near the edge and added his own efforts to Salma’s. They both pulled, and the ropelike substance inched upward. Ben and Salma held on and pulled again, and again. Several feet of vine now lay behind Ben on the ridge. Salma glanced over the edge and could now see Caeli dangling still out of reach below. Another tug and this time they gained only a few more inches, their strength was seeping away with each successive pull.
Then the vine slipped suddenly out of Ben’s hands as a wash of pain burst through his injured side. He ignored the pain and rapidly regained his hold on the root, bringing its downward plummet to a jarring halt after only a foot or so had been lost.
Salma called reassurance to Caeli below and made sure that Ben could hold a secure grip on the vine for a few minutes. She left them and walked a few feet off to the side and slightly down the hill. Salma saw the pedestal there, lying on its side where it had fallen. Salma ran to it and tried to pick it up. If she were not already so drained, she might have succeeded, but the weight was too much for her at that moment.
She moved to the other side and began to push against the round base, causing the top square platform to bump and thud as the column gradually yielded to her prodding. Once she managed to move the pedestal close to Ben, she angled it so that it lay parallel to the rim of the crater. Salma snatched up the excess length of vine and began to wind it around the cylindrical base. She sat behind Ben now, with her back against the column. As he resumed tugging on the root, Salma aided him and wrapped each subsequent length around the column as quickly as she could. This worked well for a little while, and the vine did not slip again. But, they were nearly spent and were forced to rest again with Caeli still beyond their grasp.
A startling jolt made Caeli’s shoulders feel like they might have been pulled out of their sockets. Her feet no longer felt any support beneath them.
"We are sorry. Our reserves are depleted. We do not have the ability to provide physical support for you any longer, but we will not leave you. We will use what energy remains to us to weaken that which pulls against you, but you must hurry."
Caeli was hurting all over, from her bruised and bleeding wrists, down her arms, and into her throbbing shoulders. She could not climb without the support beneath her feet, and the endurance of her friends was clearly failing. Caeli began to panic once more, but was again calmed by the cool mist that wafted down on her.
She looked down, but not into the depths below. She glanced at the wall near her feet. Below them where the land cracked open, the rock was smooth and glasslike. However, closer to the rim there should be unevenness where the land had been forcibly ripped apart. Caeli should be able to find some small opening or jutting piece of stone that could serve as a foothold. She moved her legs along the wall and finally pressed her foot against an area of stone that would suffice. A small triangle of rain-slick rock protruded from the wall a small step to her left. Caeli placed the toes of one foot on it and balanced her other foot on top of the first. The relief was almost instantaneous, and she felt hopeful once more. Perhaps she could hang on a little longer.
The ground began to quake again. Greater forces were gathering, waiting to be fully unleashed. The shuddering caused Caeli to swing loose from her foothold and sway slightly back and forth at the mercy of the vine to which she clung frantically. It was all Ben and Salma could do to maintain their positions near the snarling lip of the crater and hold on so that the vine would not be torn out of their hands. Thankfully, the quake lasted less than sixty seconds. Time was running out. If they could not free Caeli soon, they would lose her.
Ben and Salma began again with a determination that overpowered their fatigue and pain. Several times they pulled and tugged on the vine. Several times Salma was able to wrap more of the root around the base of the pedestal. They were making progress once again, but it was short lived. Each pull was getting smaller and smaller until exhaustion forced them to stop once again.
Salma lay down on her belly in the wet and muddy grass and looked over the edge. Caeli was looking up at that exact moment, and Salma saw her smile. That smile said what words could not. Caeli entrusted her life to them. She did not doubt that they were doing everything they could, and she was doing her best to hold on. And Caeli was comforted by Salma’s presence looking down on her from above.
Ben gave one final heave on the vine and Salma, stretched to her fullest extension, could just barely touch the tips of Caeli’s fingers. They were so close now. Ben tried to pull again, but the vine did not move. Blood ran freely down his side, and lines of pain were etched across his furrowed and straining brow. Salma quickly sat up and added her effort to the upward pull on the vine. It moved a few more inches, but neither she nor Ben could release the vine to reach over the edge and help pull Caeli up.
As the ground began to shake again, two bright flashes shot upward from the crevice, and the pair fought with all their remaining strength to save their friend. Salma began to panic as she noticed the frayed vine beginning to pull apart. It was about to break.
Beyond hope and seemingly out of nowhere, a man ran up from behind, strong and confident in his movements. He threw himself toward the edge of the crater and reached for Caeli’s hand at the precise moment that the vine snapped.
CHAPTER 36
Freed from his captivity by an unseen friend, Vin easily located Antonius' spirit and navigated to his location in the familiar clearing. The sight sent shivers up his spine. There were no good memories here. Vin saw the fallen tree which reminded him of the power unleashed the night he died. In the confusion, his own wind energy hampered the angels' efforts to fight Antonius. If only he had known at the time, how might the struggle have ended differently?
Vin glanced through the trees, half expecting to see his wrecked car in the distance. He looked for the spot where Caeli had fallen, but could not find the blood-stained rock. Though the clearing was the same, this was not the same forest. What Vin saw was both familiar and unknown. Instead of his car of the bloody rock, Vin saw Antonius standing there. The deacon looked angry and, at the same time, completely astonished as he stared across the clearing.
Following the madman's gaze, Vin was shocked by the sight. The man who had been unconscious in the hospital bed in that other room was lying on his back near the opposite edge of the tree line. He appeared unchanged. The catatonic state which enshrouded him remained intact.
For the first time, Vin was able to see the man clearly. He was six feet tall, with dark hair and a well-defined facial bone structure. He was dressed in blue jeans and a dark blue polo shirt. Vin also noted the wedding ring on the third finger of the man’s left hand. He could not believe what he was seeing. Could it be possible? Vin recognized the man lying on the ground a dozen feet away.
This is what Antonius came to retrieve. It made sense now. There was no soul inside this living shell. If Antonius knew the method, then he could place himself inside the empty vessel and permanently possess it. Obviously, Antonius did not concern himself with rights of ownership; and the poor soul would not be present within to prevent the deacon from usurping control. It would be an abomination of all natural law.
Yet, if this was his ultimate goal, then why did Antonius stand unmoving, staring across the grassy span? Why wasn’t he rushing to claim his prize? Vin looked closer at the deacon and saw the little indicators that he missed before. Antonius was struggling, though almost no movement could be seen. His efforts were revealed only through the strain portrayed in the furrow of his brow and the desperation
in his eyes. Something or someone restrained the man. Given the encasement from which Vin himself was recently released, he found it a fitting turn of events.
However, it did not appear that Antonius was suffering or being harmed in any other way, merely held against his will. When their eyes met, Vin saw the anger and fear of a man who has seen his end draw near and was making his last frantic effort to avoid an undesired fate. Vin offered no sympathy or compassion. The gaze he returned spoke only of a long overdue vengeance.
A sudden recollection came to his mind, and Vin was no longer certain about carrying out that vengeance. He had been given a message when he was released, and the body on the other side of the clearing helped Vin understand what it meant. He was going to have to make a choice to let either his anger or his heart guide him.
"Decide, Brother Eyvindr." That voice, commanding yet kind, offered him confirmation that his conclusion was correct.
When next Vin looked across the clearing, he saw a shimmering which materialized into that of a tall, imposing figure with the suggestion of large wings spreading from his massive shoulders. A fiery, red and orange sword was held intimidatingly in his right hand. The unmistakable visage of Michael stood glaring across the clearing at Antonius, who now began to shake with a dire sense of trepidation at the avenging sight.
Michael would grant no mercy and would not be thwarted by the comparatively novice skills of a recently mortal man. He turned his heated gaze toward Vin and awaited the decision. Vin’s response would decide, once and for all, the fate of the deacon.
"I’m saddened that it must end like this. In your madness, you threw away any chance you might have had to avoid this outcome. But you have committed crimes, sins if you will, that cannot go unpunished. You chose your own fate, and now, I choose mine," Vin gave a final look into the eyes of his enemy before turning and walking toward the body on the ground behind Michael.
Looking directly into Michael’s gaze, Vin made is choice.
"I choose to follow my heart."
"So be it."
Michael stepped forward, crossing the clearing in a few quick strides. His approach sent Antonius into hysterical gibbering, alternately begging for release, demanding freedom, and threatening violence. At hearing such profanity hurled against him, the look on Michael’s face revealed a cross between amusement and satisfaction for the ultimate vengeance that he would carry out against this man.
"Your words are impotent, little man. Remember, I have been at this a much longer time than you." As the last words passed Michael’s lips, both images disappeared from the clearing. The deacon's words were replaced by hoarse screams of terror fading rapidly into the distance.
Vin did not understand the method needed to accomplish what he wanted to do, so he just concentrated on placing himself inside the body that lay on the ground. For several moments nothing happened, but then he felt a tugging sensation and his mind seemed to spin. Vin closed his eyes to keep from having the unpleasant feeling of nausea while the world tilted around him. It was over as quickly as it started.
He opened his eyes. Everything was clouded by a slight haze, and his eyes were very dry. Vin blinked a few times, and the trees he looked up at came into sharp, clear focus. It took a moment longer for Vin to realize that he felt heavy against the softness of the wet ground beneath his torso, and he felt chilled by the wind and the dampness. Vin tentatively moved his arms and legs, and then worked himself into an upright position. He did it! He succeeded. He was earthbound, alive once again, and the body was an excellent fit.
Vin stood slowly and walked around the clearing, reveling in the tactile sensations that now returned to him. The senses he previously took for granted were now vivid and exciting to experience. The smell of the air after the rain, the way the hairs on his arms stood on end when chilled by a passing breeze, and the sense of strength in his hands and arms were just a few of the returning impressions that were nearly overwhelming. Vin stretched and paced around the clearing, acclimating himself to the rapid changes in perception.
With the suddenness of a trigger being pulled, Vin remembered where he was and what was happening around him. He made his choice, for Caeli, and now had the means to act on it. Vin began to run, choosing the only pathway he could discern through the woods. He hoped this would lead him back to the open field where the battle was being fought. He wondered if the struggle still raged now that Antonius was gone. In response, the earth beneath his feet heaved and sent him sprawling, but Vin quickly recovered and put even more effort into getting out of the trees.
He was panting by the time he finally reached the tree line and the open field. Vin was only a few dozen feet from the base of the incline, where he sent Ben and Salma earlier. They were no longer there. He stopped for a fraction of a second to take in the scene around him. The angels could no longer be seen at the top of the rise, and the assailants were nowhere to be seen in the field. Presumably, they were either dead or fleeing. It didn't matter right now, as long as the battle was finished.
As Vin’s gaze reached the top of the ridge, he saw Ben and Salma near the edge of the crater working desperately to pull Caeli up from the depths. Even from this distance, he could tell they were struggling. Vin sprinted up the hill, and lunged forward to grab hold of Caeli’s hand just as the vine which held her precious life snapped. He vaguely noticed that Ben and Salma were sent tumbling away as the tension on the vine was released. His attention was focused on maintaining the grip he held on his wife. Vin pulled. Caeli was ascending slowly, trying to find additional support as she was finally able to reach the ground in front of his now crouched form.
With a final shudder, the gap in the ground began to close upon itself. Caeli and Vin were thrown down the hill. Vin wrapped his arms around Caeli and held on with every bit of strength he could muster. He would not lose her to anything else. They rolled together toward the bottom of the hill before finally coming to a halt a few feet above the field.
Vin still held her tightly, even after they stopped moving. He was not sure, after everything the last week put them through, how she would react to his newly acquired form.
When the rolling ceased, Caeli looked up to see the face of the man who saved her life. Through a sudden outburst of uncontrollable tears, astonishment and happiness lit up her face as Caeli saw Vin's face smiling back at her.
EPILOGUE:
Salma glanced out the window at the couple who stood side by side at the end of the dock down by the pristine lake. They had been virtually inseparable ever since they arrived nearly three weeks earlier. Ben insisted that the four of them spend some time at his lake house to recover from the physical and mental ordeal they had all endured. As Salma watched Vin and Caeli now, like a mother bird keeping watch over her chicks, she thought how odd it was that so much had changed in such a short time.
Just then, both Vin and Caeli turned their heads, looked up at her, and smiled knowingly as if they sensed her watching them. Salma let the curtain fall into place across the glass and turned away to find Ben sitting on the couch, feet propped up on the table in front of it, also smiling up at her. Salma walked across the room and sat down next to him, allowing him to place his arm around her shoulders.
"You never did tell me how you got Vin to agree to this," she stated casually.
When they initially returned, Vin was adamant that he wanted to whisk Caeli off to some remote location for a month or so. He wanted to give them time to recuperate and forget the entire ordeal, and time to allow himself a chance to renew his sense of peace with the world he had recently rejoined. With half of the insurance money that Kent's company did not want to reclaim, the other half of which both Vin and Caeli insisted on splitting between Ben and Salma, Vin was not worried with their financial needs for the foreseeable future.
Yet, somehow, Ben managed to convince Vin that he and Caeli would be better off if they stayed close to home and somewhat familiar surroundings, at least until Ben got all the paperwork compl
eted and the fallout from the investigation blew over. In reality, Ben wanted to ensure that the couple would have no lingering problems, whether they be testimony in the chief's trial, questions in the federal case that crossed state lines, or even the simple clean up and repairs in their home. Mostly, Ben wanted to keep an eye on both of them for a little while. He was as concerned as Salma, only Ben had found a more viable excuse to use on Vin. Nonetheless, he could not resist teasing Salma.
"Guilt," he answered simply with a mischievous grin poorly concealed on his face.
"Guilt? About what?" Salma asked in confusion, taking the bait.
"I simply told Vin that if he took Caeli away, you would pester me relentlessly, preventing me from getting any rest and, thus, delaying my recovery. Naturally, Vin did not want to be the cause of so much suffering and agreed to stay." Now Ben could no longer contain his laughter and Salma joined in his amusement.
Caeli saw the curtain fall back into place across the window and turned to look up at Vin, still amazed that he stood there beside her. He was leaning casually against the railing, looking out across the lake, admiring the view of the mountains and trees surrounding the lake. She stood there in silence, holding his hand and admiring the view from her vantage point.
"You're staring again." He reached out and pulled Caeli close in front of him, wrapping his arms snugly around her as he continued to take in the serenity of his surroundings. A gentle breeze stirred the air around them.
"So are you. This landscape suits you. I still can't get over it. It seems surreal. I thought I lost you for good."
"So did I. I thought that when the fight was over, our borrowed time would be gone, and I would have to move on, alone. Having to leave you behind was the worst part of it all. And yet, here we are." Vin bent forward and kissed the top of her head.
The Book of Elements Page 34