Chapter 8
“Well, Sky…” the doctor frowned, glancing over his shoulder at Sky, as he sat on the exam table. “That is what we’re calling you, right?”
“That’s what the lady wants to call me,” Sky said, crossing his arms in front of his chest, and regarding the doctor. I don’t like him. Why don’t I like him? Do I just not like doctors? “So, Doc, what is it? What’s wrong with me?”
“Well, there’s a couple of things…” the doctor said, trailing off, glancing over at Stella. “Stella, maybe I should talk to Sky alone.”
“Oh, Marvin, will you just spit it out already?” Stella asked, rolling her eyes. “You’ve known me long enough, to know that I’m not going anywhere. I’ve worked as a nurse in this hospital as long as you’ve been a doctor here.”
“Right. Stubborn assed woman,” Marvin said, rolling his eyes, as he adjusted his white, lab coat, pushing his black, ray-band glasses back, a strand of his white hair falling across his forehead. “First, let’s address the knot on the back of your head.”
“Stella said it looked like something hit me in the back of the head.”
“And she’s right. That knot is what’s causing your amnesia, at least for the moment. Even if it disappears, there’s no telling if you’ll ever get your memories back. The brain is a tricky part of the human body, Sky. No one knows what it can do.”
“So I might never remember who I am?”
“Exactly.”
“But that’s so sad!” Stella cried. “What if he has a wife? Kids? A job?”
“He’ll just have to start over,” Marvin told her. “But that’s not the only thing I found interesting.”
“What do you mean?” Sky asked, raising an eyebrow at the doctor.
“Well, when you got here, we ran the full workup. We drew blood, took fingerprints, x-rayed your teeth, trying to find any trace of who you are. I sent most of it to my brother, who’s a cop, and they found something very interesting.” He handed Sky the folder.
“What? What is it?” Stella leaned forward, looking over Sky’s shoulder, as he opened the folder. Her mouth dropped open, her eyes widening, and she jerked her head toward Marvin. “No way!”
“According to the database, this is Sky Cooper. Your brother.”
“What? But how is that possible?” Stella asked, taking the folder from Sky, and flipping through the pages. “He has the same blood type, the same fingerprints, even the same dental records? But I saw him die, Marvin!” she cried. “I saw him get hit by that damned truck! The blood. I was at his funeral!”
“I don’t have the answers for you, Stella,” Marvin told her. “But my advice, take this blessing and run with it. Not everyone gets a second chance like this.”
“I know, but that poor man!” Stella cried. “He was a wreck when he hit Sky. He’s serving life in prison! What do we do?”
“That’s a question you and your family will have to answer.”
“I… I’m your brother?” Sky blinked, trying for the life of him to remember something, anything, but his mind remained blank. “I wish I could remember this,” he whispered.
“I know,” Stella said, accepting the cup of water Marvin handed her, and bringing it to her lips. She took a small sip, closing her eyes. “Do you know how often I have wished for this?” she whispered. “To be able to see you one last time. To hug you. To laugh with you, and here it is! The dream, if only Dad were here too.” She blew out a breath. “But you’re right, Marvin. This is a gift. A miracle and I don’t plan on wasting this time I have with him.” She lifted her phone, glancing at Sky. “Just wait until Mom and my brothers learn about this. They’re going to be ecstatic!”
Chapter 9
“I’m sorry we couldn’t rescue your friends and family,” Jade said, as they appeared in a reign of color in the middle of the green valley. “But we’ll get them. I promise.”
“I know. I just wish those damned demons hadn’t been so close!” Shamus side, smacking his stick against the tree next to him. An apple fell out of the tree, and he caught it, biting into the fruit. “Demons ruin everything!”
“Agreed!”
“So, where are we?” Ashwin asked, plucking an apple off the tree, and taking a bite. “Hmm. That’s good!”
“Where your heart wanted to go,” Shamus said, narrowing his eyes on Ashwin. “China.”
“China? Why China?” Jade asked, staring down the hill at the temples lying in the distance, the people selling goods on the streets, and the mass of people roaming around.
“To find the person you need to find,” Shamus told her.
“And where are your buddies?”
“Back home. I’m the only one who needed to go with you,” Shamus told her.
“And I’m guessing, that Elijah must be here,” Ashwin said, swallowing. Just the thought of seeing his brother causing all sorts of feelings to rise up inside of him. “Well, I guess we’d better get this over with.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Jade muttered, thinking about the man who had lured Julie to the dark side, and the man, who was the father of her baby. The man, who was the father of Josslyn’s children. It was so messed up! “Come on. Let’s go.”
“Wait! You’re going to need this,” Shamus cried, grabbing the book where it sat at his feet, and tossing it toward Jade.
“The book!” Jade frowned. “I swear I was holding this when you left the underworld.”
Shamus grinned. “I might have stolen it from you.”
“But it’s my family heritage!”
“And I was curious,” Shamus told her. He pointed his stick down the hill. “You’ll find him among the monks. Bye Jade. Bye Ashwin.” He disappeared in a reign of color.
“I still can’t believe your friends with leprechauns,” Ashwin said, as they started down the hills. “That’s pretty cool! Being able to move throughout the realms, with just a wave of a stick.”
“Yes. Leprechauns are pretty cool, and I promise, I’ll tell you all about my adventure with the leprechauns later,” Jade told him. “But right now, we have more important things to do.”
“Like find Elijah.”
“And get our powers back.”
“Right.”
They reached the bottom of the hill, weaving through the masses.
“There are so many people here!” Jade cried a moment later. “You know, I always wanted to come here, but you do realize we’re really far away from home, right? Even if we do find Elijah, how are we going to get home?”
“We’ll probably have to trust Elijah.”
“Trust a demon.” Jade scowled. “I don’t like it.”
“Yes. I know. You’ve said that. Hey, Jade, look.” Ashwin pulled her to a stop, pointing at a house that was hidden in the hill. “Do you see that?”
“I do,” Jade said, staring at the purple smoke rising from the house, white lightning zinging through the air. “Magic. The best thing I’ve seen all day! Come on!” She grabbed him by the arm, pulling him forward, and started up the steps leading to the house in the hill.
“I don’t think they could have made more steps if they tried,” Ashwin said, panting, as he clutched the banister a few moments later, glancing at Jade as she bounded up the steps. “How are you in such good shape? You could teleport!”
“I’ve only been teleporting for less than a year, Ashwin,” Jade told him, as they climbed the steps. “Before that, I went for a run every morning. It energized me.” She laughed, pulling him forward. “Oh, don’t be such a baby, we’re almost there.” She dragged him up the last couple of steps, flinging the door open, and stared at the man sitting cross-legged on the floor, chanting.
“Elijah?” Her eyes widened as she stared at him, dressed in a bright orange robe, his hands extended to his sides, as he chanted. “What is he doing?” she asked, glancing over at Ashwin.
“Beats me,” Ashwin said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Praying?”
“The leader
of the underworld…. is praying?”
“You know I can hear you, right?” Elijah asked, dropping his arms to his sides, and glancing over his shoulder. “Hello, Jade. Hello, Ashwin. Good to see you again, and I’m not the leader of the underworld. I never was.”
“As if that makes a difference,” Jade muttered. “You’re still evil!”
“Which makes this very interesting,” Elijah said, grinning, as he rose to his feet. “What are you two doing here?”
“We need your help,” Ashwin said, tightly.
“You need my help?” Elijah asked. “Wow. How the tables have turned. I believe it wasn’t long ago, that I was asking for your help,” he said, glancing over at Jade. “Oh wait. That wasn’t you. That was Sky and your nieces.”
“Yes, I know, you needed their help in order to save Julie,” Jade said, backing up a step, and keeping her distance from Elijah. “What exactly are you doing here, Elijah?”
“Trying to stay alive,” Elijah told her, as he poured a glass of water for himself. “Water?”
“No thank you.”
“Suit yourselves,” Elijah said, shrugging as he brought the glass to his lips. “Ever since I escaped the wasteland, I’ve been running. Demons have been hunting me. Witches have been hunting me. Even leprechauns, fairy’s, and mermaids.” He rolled his eyes. “Hades really put a bounty on my head. A bounty everyone wants to cash in, but here, I made a nice home or myself, and even put a cloaking spell over the city. No one will ever find me… except for you.” He frowned. “How did you two find me?”
“A leprechaun.”
“A little bit of luck. Of course.” He paused. “So, what exactly is it that you need my help with?”
“We… we…” Jade sighed, rolling her eyes. Oh my God, Jade, will you just spit it out already? “We lost our powers!” she finally spat out, lifting the book in her hands. “Look!”
“Oh yes, the famous Morgan book,” Elijah said, eyeing the blank cover. “And you lost your powers too?” he asked, glancing over at Ashwin.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Liam,” Jade said, scowling. “I trust you know the story, about the Sapphire of Raj?”
“Of course. It’s a legend in the underworld. A sapphire, that holds more power than one can withstand. “
“And we were stupid enough to go searching for it, and put it back together,” Jade muttered. “And now, Liam is more powerful than ever!”
“And let me guess… he wants to use it to get rid of the hybrids?”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“The Gods have always been wary of the hybrids in the magical community,” Elijah said, striding back across the room, and sitting on the floor once more. “And Liam… well, he’s hated them from the very beginning.”
“Why?”
“Because Satan was half-angel, half-demon.”
“What!” Jade’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t I ever know about this?”
“Because the Gods wanted to keep it a secret. In fact, Satan is Liam’s father.” Elijah told her. “When Liam was born, he was deemed to be a powerful force in the magical community, but he had a choice to make. To choose good or evil. He chose good, and the decision drove Satan crazy. That’s why he got so powerful because he was betrayed by his own son. Now, it looks like Liam has decided to embrace his dark side.”
“But if he gets rid of all the hybrids, that would include him, right?”
“Or he could just harness all the power for himself,” Ashwin said. “And re-create the world.”
“A world with his father in it,” Elijah said. “Who he never got the chance to know.”
“Why does it always come down to family?” Jade asked, sighing. “Milo was Satan’s brother, now Liam is his son.”
“It’s the way of the world, Jade. It’s all one big circle.” He patted the spot on the floor next to him. “Now, how about you tell me about everything that’s happened since I last saw you.”
“I don’t think…”
“I need to know everything if I’m going to help you.”
“Fine.” Jade huffed out a breath and took a seat on the floor next to Elijah. She glanced at Ashwin, as he sat next to her, turning to Elijah, and telling him everything that had happened. The myth that Jorja had shared with them about the stone, about her daughter, Jordyn being kidnapped, their search for the sapphire, the two brothers, and finally the moment Liam had taken all of the power.
“Hmm. Well, that’s very interesting,” Elijah said. “But I’m afraid I can’t help you, Jade.”
“Why not?”
“Because in order to restore your powers, we need a sorcerer or sorceress. Last I checked, they were all down in the underworld, and I can’t go down there. Everyone is looking for me. They’ll kill me!”
“Not even for Julie?”
“What?” Elijah jerked his head toward her. “What do you mean? What’s wrong with Julie?”
She and my sisters have been kidnapped by Liam,” Jade told him. “He needs them for something, which means, he also has your unborn child. That child is a hybrid. A half-demon, half-witch. Who knows what he’ll do if he gets ahold of the child!”
Elijah narrowed his eyes on her. “You know, before I met your family, I didn’t care about anything. Not about people. Not about kids. Not about a damned woman! Now…”
“Now you actually have a heart?” Ashwin asked.
“No. I’m just different,” Elijah said, holding out his hands. “Now, take my hand.”
“Why?”
“Because if you want to save your sisters, your family, and get your powers back you’re going to have to trust me,” Elijah said, glancing over at Jade. “And you too,” he said to Ashwin. “Now come on, we’re wasting time. Do you trust me or not?”
“I’ll never trust you,” Jade told him, reluctantly placing her hands in his, and gripping the potion she’d grabbed from the attic in the house, knowing that if it came down to it, she would vanquish him in a heartbeat. “But I will tolerate you, if it means getting my sisters back. So let’s get this over with.”
Chapter 10
“This is where you live?” Sky asked, as he stepped out from the car, slamming the door shut, and shielding his eyes from the bright sun, as it faded into the distance. He walked around the car, stepping up onto the cracked sidewalk, staring up at the small, brown house in front of them.
“Yup. It’s all mine,” Stella said, as she lead him up the steps. She reached for the door, glancing over her shoulder. “Isn’t it crazy?” she asked, thinking a moment. “That you ended up here, of all places and that I’m the one who found you?”
“Maybe it was fate,” Sky said, not really knowing what to say. What could he say? It wasn’t like he knew where he’d been all these years. It wasn’t like he knew what had happened to him. Everything was just blank, and it was really, really annoying! He blew out a breath, and closed his eyes, trying to ease the thumping inside his chest. You got this, Sky. You got this.
“You’ll be just fine,” Stella whispered in his ear, as if reading his thoughts, and pulled open the door. They stepped inside the house, and the eerie silence of the house seemed to echo around them. It’s like I could hear a pin drop, Sky thought as he slipped out of his shoes, glancing at the worn couch and love seat in the living room, the fireplace sitting just underneath the TV, and the window looking out into the busy street. He turned, following Stella into the kitchen.
“Stella, you’re home!” an older woman, with long, gray hair said, as she rose from where she was sitting at the table. She wrapped her arms around Stella, glancing over her head at Sky. “Is that…”
“Hi, Mom,” Stella said, returning her mother’s hug. “And yes, this is Sky.” She glanced over her shoulder at Sky. “Sky, this is our Mom, Sherilyn.”
“Oh my God. Sky!” Sherilyn rushed forward, stopping in front of Sky and cupping his face in her hands. “It’s really you!” Tears filled her eyes. “You have
no idea how long I have been waiting for this moment. Praying for this moment, and now you’re here!” She pulled him in for a hug. “You have no idea how much I have missed you.”
“How is this even possible?” a dark-haired man asked, glancing over at Stella. “We saw him die!”
“I’m well aware, Connor.”
“I still have nightmares about it,” another dark-haired man said, shaking his head. “The sound of those tires squealin. The screams. The shouts, and him lying there, not moving.” He shuddered. “I just don’t understand!”
“We don’t have to understand it, Winston, we just have to accept it,” Sherilyn said, glancing over her shoulder at her other two sons. “But you really don’t remember anything?” she asked, glancing at Sky.
Sky shook his head. “No. I’ve got this big lump on the back of my head, and boy, does it hurt! And my memory… it’s just blank. The doctor said my memories might never return.”
“Can you imagine, not knowing who you are?” Connor asked, looking at Winston.
Winston shook his head. “No, but I sure hope he remembers how to eat!” He held a hand to his stomach. “I’m starving!”
“Winston!” They all laughed, rolling their eyes.
“Don’t you ever think about anything other than food?” Connor asked, rolling his eyes at his younger brother. He stepped forward, clapping a hand on Sky’s shoulder. “It’s good to see you, man. Things have been boring without you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know you don’t remember this, but when we were younger, you were a bit of a risk-taker. You always tested all of us, and boy, did you love that bike of yours. You did jumps, spins. Hell you nearly gave Mom and Dad a heart attack!”
“Bless his heart,” Sherilyn whispered, holding a hand over her heart. “I just wish he was here with us, so he could see what a handsome man you’ve become.”
“Where is he?”
“He passed, shortly after your accident,” Sherilyn said, as they took their seats around the table. “When we lost you, it took a toll on him. He blamed himself for what happened, and started drinking… a lot.” She reached for the rolls, passing them down the line. “One night, after too much to drink, he drove home. He was going too fast, and the roads were slick. The car spun and hit a guard rail. He died instantly. It was a lot to digest. Losing the two of you so close together.” She sniffed, ducking her head.
Anarchy Rising Page 4