I returned my attention on the small group of men standing around the Source. They weren’t Dalca’s men; they were government officials who’d made their move the second Dalca and the Sensitives were pulled back.
I silenced them. Compulsion and shielding were some of the most useful powers I had. No one here could break through it, but Dalca had contingencies in place, I wasn’t naïve. I felt the pull of his shield and compulsion over mine. But this was my advantage. I belonged to this Earth and he did not. I pushed and pushed until my shield broke his and I was in.
The men in front of me jerked back. Now fully aware of the sight before them. Where they had only seen me approach before, they now saw all the attack teams ready on every approachable entrance to the lake and my group of no less than a hundred Sensitives right behind me.
‘I don’t want any more carnage.’ I said.
They looked around, hatred and disgust evident in the way they recoiled at my presence.
Dalca and his immediate posse were being picked off one by one by Troy and his small group of Sensitives.
‘You know no one here deserves to die, look at how many innocent lives have already been taken.’
‘Your kind is an abomination; you don’t belong to this world.’
‘Yet here we are, and we’ve worked harmoniously with you and yours.’
‘Do you know how many Collectors have murdered innocents?’
‘How many non-Sensitives have done the same? The depravity of the human condition knowns no bounds.’ I argued.
‘Perhaps, but they’re our burdens to carry, without the added fear of people like you.’
‘People like me deserve a life too.’
‘No, not among us.’
He wasn’t going to yield. And in that moment, I truly knew what it was to be hated through no fault of your own, but instead through what you were burdened with at birth and cursed with at creation.
My eyes flicked to the burning orb behind him. It was hovering with such innocence I wondered whether these morons actually knew the raw power behind it.
‘Surrender, Agent Hart.’ He said sternly, raising his gun and drawing my eyes back to him.
A flash of his badge confirmed that he was FBI, of course he was. Christ. Could this get any better?
‘What’s the hold up, Hart?’ Peyton asked through the comms.
‘Might want to check with Belfort,’ I kept my eyes on the man with the gun trained on me. ‘But I’m pretty sure we’ve got some of DC’s finest here.’
‘You’re shitting me.’ She muttered, loud gunfire echoing somewhere behind her. ‘Give me a sec.’
‘Don’t leave me hanging too long.’ This was a very delicate situation. If I was taken out by this idiot before I even made a move for the Source, I would be pretty pissed.
‘No kidding.’
The agent in front of me tightened his grip on his weapon. I had no doubt that they’d come in prepared with Serum rounds, it’s what I would have done. There were faint tremors in his hand as he stared at me. He was beyond afraid.
‘Take them out,’ Peyton shouted. ‘They’re not going to stand down, I’ve just gotten word from Belfort, they’ve been instructed to take you out.’
Perfect. I shook my head and stepped closer and he inched backwards.
‘Surrender!’
There was no point pushing this argument. They remained fixed in front of the Source, their eyes darting between it and me.
“All teams, do you copy?”
“We copy, Ace.” Illarion replied.
“We’re a go.”
“God speed.” Alex said. “See you on the other side, Ace.”
I dropped my shield and forced the power to burn through me.
‘You’ve left me no choice.’ I muttered. ‘It never should have come to this.’
‘What are you talking about?’
I raised my palms and powered the energy inside me. In that moment, they knew exactly what I was talking about and they knew that the side on which they stood was the wrong side.
***
Illarion
The moment the order came in I knew we were about to face down the wrath of everything was building up to this moment.
My mind fractured and my heart denied me the truth of what was taking place. All I could focus on was the very real and probable end most of us out here and the woman I love, were facing.
My gaze shot around the unfolding scene and my breath was torn from me.
Up ahead I saw Dalca breaking through the small army Troy was powering to hold him down and further up, the Source was glowing, growing from within itself bathing the entire half of the park in a white light unlike any I’d ever seen. Everywhere the light touched, it scorched.
‘Go!’ I shouted to my small army and saw that across the lake Alex had done the same.
As I rushed down the path, I braced myself for two female soldiers who were charging at me. I threw my hands out to either side and slapped my forearms into their throats taking them both out simultaneously.
‘We have to get down there before that thing consumes everything!’ I yelled into the comms connecting us all. Alex’s grunt came in response as I saw him get slammed into the ground before he fired and shot the guy, ‘I’m on it, meet me down there!’
On the far north, Peyton and Matt were moving in. Small bursts of light came from all directions as guns fired every few seconds or so.
As we continued to fight for our lives and our future, the sky above the Source was cracking and tearing, each strike of lightning getting lower and closer to the ground. Within a few minutes it would make contact, and all of this would have been for nothing.
‘Ila!’ I heard Ace shout through the comms. ‘We have to stop this now!’
‘I’m coming.’ I raised my gun and fired at another woman running toward me.
My attention was drawn toward Ace, she was staring off to the right, when I looked over, the air was punched from my lungs.
Seven soldiers from a unit I didn’t recognize were making their way down toward her. No one engaged them and no one dared get in their path.
They walked in such indescribable unity that it was almost otherworldly. Ace thought the same, I felt her fear rush into me and that forced me to run faster.
Christ. This was it. The Legion.
A small wave of confusion filtered through the connection in our shield. When my eyes locked on to the source of the confusion, panic broke out. Dalca had torn down Troy’s defenses and he had spotted Ace.
‘This fight is about to become one sided!’ Ace called through the comms. ‘I need back up now!’
Grinding my teeth, I shouted out in frustration and looked around, I was the closest and I was still too far away. I threw down a Collector that had pushed past two of the Sensitives in front of me and raised his weapon.
I threw my fist out, distracting him for a quick second before he dropped to his knee and attempted to swipe me down in the process.
I jerked back and slammed my foot into his chest.
‘Troy, plan B, get to Ace now!’
Troy dropped everything and instantly ran toward her.
A quick release of the safety on my gun was enough to earn me the upper hand as I continued to struggle against him, whoever these Collectors were, they were much more powerful than any we’d fought before. He tried to fire first but my shot cut him off. When his head hit the ground, I knelt and turned his face toward me and cursed; they were the same guys Ace and Aurel had fought in Paris, black eyes, super powered. I bowed my head for a moment and gathered myself.
‘Alex,’ I switched my line off from the rest of them. ‘You there?’
‘I’m here.’
I watched as the war consumed the entire city, echoes of gunfire and broken screams filtered through the night.
‘The Collectors we’re dealing with are shot up with something, if they come into contact with our people, they won’t stand a chance.’
‘
What about that new shit show down there?’
The army of seven were steadily continuing their approach. Every instinct inside me told me I knew what I had to do, every instinct inside me told me I already knew what they wanted.
‘Illarion, what do you need me to do?’
‘I’m going for the Source; I have to get Ace out of there.’
‘I’ll get our people out.’
For a solemn moment, I closed my eyes and prayed that somehow, some of us would get to see the sunrise.
Over the horizon I saw the burnt orange star start to crest, I saw the warmth of a new day, a new chance, something our people have never had before. Freedom; a life free of shadows and anonymity, free of lies and propaganda, a chance to live in the open, if we survived tonight.
‘Illarion, what are you planning?’ Alex asked when I remained silent.
‘Something I’m really hoping will work.’ I replied, ‘Get our people out,’ I added and then shut the comms down.
I pushed myself up and holstered my gun.
Troy had reached Ace and together they were fighting back the black eyed Collectors as the seven team army advanced.
Over the lake, Alex was doing the same, he was mowing down one after the other, a glace to the back confirmed that Matt and Peyton were holding their own.
Daniel fought beside me, every punch, every shot, every powerful take down came from a place of every person’s own determination. Everyone here had their own reasons, but the one, underlying cause was driving us all to fight side by side, our existence, for all our friends who would perish if we failed, for all our friends who already had because this came when we were unprepared, when we should have been listening and working together.
A loud crackle of roaring thunder rolled through the dense atmosphere; and an explosion of bright white light tore through the sky.
‘Ace!’ I shouted, running through the sea of fighting, ‘The portal!’
The lightning had struck the orb and the Source was opening the door.
Her eyes shot up behind her, the bright light bathed the entire half of the lake in brilliant light as the sky ripped and everyone ran for cover. Everyone except Ace and Dalca. He’d thrown Troy off him and was now standing face to face with her.
No. My heart leapt into my throat.
‘Daniel!’ I yelled, running toward Ace. ‘Cover me!’
Daniel started firing over my head, shot after shot took out each person running toward me, but all I could focus on was her and the army who were now a few feet out.
She stood rooted in her spot.
Ignoring the burning in my muscles, I pushed through the pain and threw myself over a park bench and continued.
‘On your six!’ Daniel called.
I ducked and a shotgun echoed behind me. Thank God for good shots.
‘Keep going.’ Daniel yelled. ‘You’re almost there!’
Another violent shudder rolled through the sky and this time several explosions of thunder coupled with blinding lightning, just below it about ten feet from the ground, the portal was growing, and Dalca and Ace stood deathly still. Neither were saying a word but I saw that from within each of them, there was a white glow emanating. They were battling, this was it. She was holding her power and Aaryon’s standing up against Dalca and the Source he controlled.
With each strain of power, I saw the lines of concentration etched on her face. Behind her, Troy stood tall, still like them. The glow radiated from within him too. The three of them brought forth some sort of light that seems to ebb and flow, arching toward the Source.
And as the power between the three of them grew, linking with the Orb above, I felt my heart stall, and everything quieten. I didn’t know if that was the panic or if time really was slowing.
In less than a heartbeat, Dalca raised his arms and so did Ace, behind her Troy stood firmly planted, his eyes glowing white as she pulled power from him.
Then, Dalca released his power as did Ace and the large, loud crash of the two powers colliding forced an explosion so big and so vast that it erupted outwards causing everyone to go down, including Ace.
The combination of the bright blue stream of energy and Ace’s white one, caused an electric blue current to ripple outwards into the sky.
A choked scream broke free from me as I ran toward them.
Everything went dark and silence followed.
God no, please let her be okay, please let her get up. She was fine, she had to be. I prayed, ignoring the persistent fear telling me otherwise.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Ace
Holy shit balls. I wasn’t expecting that.
My breath came out in small staggered gasps and the rest of my body was trying to catch up.
My ribs were on fire and I was sure that at least four of them were cracked if not more. I also assessed that the impact of hitting the ground like that had torn up my knees, my palms and probably the left side of my face.
My jaw still worked, so that was good, but it still hurt like hell.
‘Don’t move.’ Dalca’s familiar voice broke through the rushing blood in my head.
My hands instinctively reached up for my side. God that hurt. Ignoring it as best as I could, I stood, despite his warning. He wouldn’t kill me, he must have known that.
‘Still no good at taking orders, I see.’
‘Fuck you.’ I managed to say.
Troy got to his feet and stood still behind me.
‘That is interesting.’ Dalca nodded behind me.
I ignored him. Now that we were basically toe to toe, I saw how the year and realm hopping had been cruel to him. His face was sullen, the pallor sickly. His red eyes were washed out, like blood pooling in the bottom of a sink.
‘It makes sense now why I wasn’t able to take you completely.’ He mused.
‘Oh really, care to share?’
His eyes narrowed and he smiled.
‘I think you already know.’
‘Oh, I do.’ I muttered back. ‘Just seeing if you were paying attention.’
While his brain churned over what was happening, I took my moment to call on all the power inside me. As the sky rippled and burned with static energy, the men surrounding us stepped back, Dalca stood fast, his eyes suspiciously looking at the portal and then to me.
‘You really do have one foot here and one there, don’t you?’ He asked.
I looked back at Troy and Illarion off to my side.
‘Interesting.’ He mused again. ‘I’ve never seen that.’
‘Guess I’m not as plain as you thought.’
‘I’ve never thought you plain, Acacia, you must know that.’
‘It’s over, Simon.’ I said, allowing my brain to be free of the pain his name had caused me. ‘You know I’m right. You’ve lost.’
The seven man army circled us.
Illarion’s frightened eyes met mine and Alex rushed to a halt beside him.
‘You really think that’s the case? That when you end this tonight that another war won’t start?’
‘Wars start all the time, but this will not be one that’s won by you.’
‘Humans are afraid of us, it’s inevitable that they will do this again. Surely you must realize that.’
‘Maybe.’ I muttered, fatigue and pain slowly taking over. ‘But it’s not up to you. It’s up to us and us alone.’
As I called on more and more of the power, I felt it draining and pulling, I felt each Sensitive here, I felt all their fear and all their joy, I felt every emotion that had ever run through these people in this park.
‘When this ends, and it will, I will make sure you never leave that realm again.’ I muttered.
Dalca smirked, but he sensed the honesty in my words, and I sensed his fear.
‘Do you really think you have enough power to do that, Acacia? You’re only half a Divine. You’ve torn your power and given it to these two, undeserving and unworthy men. A human,’ he said with disgust, ‘And a soldier.’
He added.
My breaths started to slow as the power inside me took everything that wasn’t necessary, my body was just a vessel, but the power is what gave me life.
‘You don’t have enough energy to take me out and contain the Source.’
The portal above us grew, the tear in the sky slipped open wider and whiter, from the other side I felt it calling me, beckoning.
Dalca was desperate. His mind was racing a million miles an hour and before he could act, I turned to Troy and gave him a quick, knowing look.
When I turned my eyes back to Dalca, I breathed out in relief when I saw him back away. His eyes darting between me, Troy and Illarion.
‘No,’ he shook his head looking up at the was the Source connected with me and reacted to my presence, ‘It’s not possible.’
He stepped backwards when the surge of power flared causing the Source to react to me and bend to me.
‘No,’ he repeated again, ‘How?’
‘I guess it’s because I’m worthy,’ I said simply, ‘I’m not just a Divine anymore.’
‘Aaryon…’ He muttered.
‘I am the Celestial Being and I am your end.’
Troy, right on cue, swiftly used his power and threw Dalca, into the air. Then, Matt and Illarion, Alex, Troy and I ran forward.
The Source spat and fizzled, calling me, drawing me toward the brightness of it and like it slipped into my mind and somehow spoke to me, I heard the words start to form and repeat over and over as Troy and Illarion were caught in the light beside me.
The warrior’s blood will open the door and in the morrow the battle will soar.
But only when the door is sealed can the human race be healed.
The Dark and the Light will soon be one and there in the quiet the chosen one will come.
Warrior, lover, protector and friend, with their love it will finally end.
I felt our beginning and I felt our end, I felt new life being created and I felt it being taken. I knew what I had to do.
I looked up at Illarion and I looked up at Troy, they’d both made me who I was and they both played such a big part in my life. The Lover and Friend.
Alex and Matt rushed past us, taking out whoever got too close, and I stood watching everything unfold; the Warrior and Protector.
Jack of Hart- Wild Card Page 56