Then, I think about what it will look like to have a fireball in my hand. I blink and somehow a small flame appears floating above my palm.
I almost cry out in excitement. I bite down hard on my lower lip to keep myself from waking Degory up. It looks like I have actually made fire manifest within my hand without having to be scared or angry.
Now, I focus on the flame. I want something bigger and more intimidating than a mere singular flame. No one would find this dinky thing scary. I picture what I want the flame to be and will the fire in my body to coalesce within my hand.
Slowly, the flame grows. The bottom portion starts to look more like a ball, and the flames above it stretch higher into the air. If I had to guess, the ball portion is about five inches tall and the flames reach about a foot above my palm.
Satisfied with my progress, I stand up and place another log on the fire before going back to my handsome sleepy-head. I shake him gently, and help him walk into the bedroom. I want to carry him, but I know I’m not nearly as strong as he is, so I didn’t even try. It would end with both of us on the floor.
I move the blanket out of his way and he lays down on the bed. I cover him up before climbing in next to him. Snuggling close to him, he instinctively wraps his arms around me, pulling me closer to him and not letting go.
Feeling better about our situation, I relax quickly and am able to fall asleep without any problems or worry.
Chapter 16
When I wake up, the room is still pitch black. I have to blink several times before my eyes start to adjust to the complete, and distinct, darkness surrounding me. I’m not sure what woke me at first.
After a few moments, my vision clears and I can see that Degory is already alert. He places a finger in front of his mouth telling me to stay silent. I stay as quiet as possible, straining to hear. I even pay attention to my breathing to make sure it isn’t too loud.
I want to ask him what he’s listening for, but don't get the chance. He shoots up out of bed before I can say anything.
“They found us. We need to leave. NOW!” he orders, fear apparent in his tone.
“What?” I cry, practically screaming.
I’m panicking. I only held the fire for a few seconds. They couldn’t have found us already, could they?
“How do you know?”
“I can sense their spirit power closing in on us,” he says, feverishly gathering his Captain’s uniform. “We don’t have time to waste.”
“How did they find us?” I ask, getting out of bed.
I scramble, trying to get everything together and ready to leave.
“I’m not sure, but it doesn’t matter now. We have to get out of here.”
He has his black robe and white, sleeveless jacket back on before I can blink. He grabs my hands to stop me from gathering all of our things, and looks me straight in the eyes to make sure I understand the urgency in his heart. There’s no mistaking his intentions.
“We don’t have time. We need to leave.”
I let out a frustrated growl and grab my winter attire, putting it on as quickly as limps allow. As soon as I finish, Degory whisks me into arms, barely giving me enough time to secure my arms tightly around his neck. He uses his shadow step to get out of the cabin and starts running to the north as fast as he can.
How the hell he is able to get me, a living being, out of the building with the shadow step baffles me, but my fear doesn’t allow me to focus on that issue. Physics really isn’t important when you have the army of Heaven chasing you.
The wind is harsh and bites at my cheeks as we fly through the forest. With the barriers up, I didn’t think they would be able to track my powers. I was gravely mistaken. With the shields weakening, I shouldn’t have tested their capacity to cover my spiritual abilities. Now, it’s too late.
After a few minutes of running, I am jerked forward as we come to a sudden halt. His grasp on me tightens so I don’t go flying out of his hands, and loosens when we come to a full stop. I let go of Degory to see what the problem is, but he keeps one hand in contact with my body at all times.
Turning away from him, I see a figure in all black has appeared about twenty feet in front of us. Degory grabs me tightly, getting ready to use his shadow step to get us out, but another figure dressed in all black appears in front of us.
Within seconds we are surrounded by around three dozen different people, all wearing the same black, long sleeve shirt, pants, and mask as the one that had shown up first.
Degory lets go of me, realizing that if we are going to get away, we will have to fight until there is a sufficient opening. He pushes me behind him, keeping one arm outstretched towards me, and unsheathes his sword, making sure no one will be able to attack me without going through him first.
“Sheath your sword, Captain Alden,” a low voice orders Degory.
The man that had appeared first is speaking to us. Well, to Degory.
He must be the leader.
“We are not here to harm you,” the leader announces. “We are under orders to take possession of the girl and bring her back to Eden."
The iciness of Degory's answer sends chills straight through to my bones.
“Over my dead body,” he snarls.
I have never heard him use this tone of voice before and in that moment, I realize I would never want to be on the receiving end of it.
“We will take her by force if necessary,” the man addresses as his eyes narrow.
Even though I’m standing right here, the man talks about me as if I am nothing more than an object.
As I glance around, I notice none of the men surrounding us carries a sword, but I have a feeling that none of them need to. They must be highly trained in hand to hand combat, which frightens me, but not nearly as much as Degory’s tone had earlier.
The men circling us slowly begin to close in. The closer they get, the more focused and determined Degory gets. The men start attacking two at a time, and yet, he has no issues fending them off.
It is impressive watching him fight. He’s so quick to block and retaliate that I can barely see the movements at all. I’m mesmerized by his methods that I can only focus on Degory. I can tell by his movements that he doesn't want to really hurt anyone.
Even though they are attacking him and trying to get to me, he's not aiming for any vital points but, instead, focusing on just keeping them away from me.
The leader barks orders to take on Degory more at a time, saying that they need to overpower him, or distract him, if they are going to get closer to me. They come three, four, and five at a time, and still his concentration never wavers.
It isn’t until they begin coming at him six, seven, and eight at a time that he starts having difficulty. I try to keep track of his actions, as well as those of the ones attacking us, but I simply can’t keep up. They are all moving so rapidly.
I, even, attempt to keep tabs on the leader but lose sight of him almost instantly. I blink and he vanishes. Searching all around us to see where he had gone, I can’t seem to find him. I know this isn’t going to be good. Panic flows into my body again.
Watching cautiously, Degory continues to fight. He isn’t losing energy, but I can see that fighting that many men at once is starting to overwhelm him. He can’t dodge or counter all of their moves at one time.
Being distracted, he is just as surprised as I am when the leader reappears behind us. Degory's eyes widen and he quickly attempts to push back his attackers in order to intercept the leader's advances.
The head of the group seizes me around the waist and I scream bloody murder as he drags me away from my protector. Degory whips around and lurches forward in an effort to free me, but our attackers use the distraction to their advantage.
I scream again as they slam Degory into the ground, effectively pinning him there so he cannot move to defend himself or try again to free me. I watch as he struggles against them, but they only push him harder against the cold earth.
“Th
ank you for obliging, Captain,” the leader acknowledges.
There is no sarcasm or humor in his voice, only duty. He has to respect a Captain, no matter his crime.
I thrash about as much as I can to break free from the leader still holding me, but his grasp never loosens. He has a hand positioned over my mouth now, too, so that I can’t scream anymore. It’s like being pinned by a statue. He’s strong, but not nearly as strong as Degory. I can feel it in his grip.
“Our mission is completed,” the leader announces mechanically. “Now, let's return with the subject."
The leader nods towards one of the men helping to hold down Degory. The man stands up and walks a few feet away from the rest of us, just as stoic as the leader. He performs some sort of strange hand gesture, while mumbling some incoherent incantation. Before my eyes, a large door appears, wreathed in a bright light.
The man mumbles some more and the door opens before us. The leader picks me up with ease, carrying me towards it while I scream as loud as I can again, hoping someone – anyone – will hear me and stop these men from taking me.
I can hear Degory calling out to me and yelling for the men to let him go. They don’t even acknowledge his protests. The soldiers watch with thousand-mile stares as he struggles against their hold. They heave him up from off the ground and escort him through the doorway ahead of me.
As we approach the doorway, the white light that emanates from it becomes brighter until it seems to consume us. Making our way through is unlike anything I’ve ever felt or witnessed before. I feel trapped by the light – like it’s trying to purify my soul to be able to pass through, but it can’t because I’m not dead yet.
The second it completely surrounds us is when we reach the other side, and the white light dims behind us.
My first glimpse of Eden is disappointing. I don’t see much besides a large, gray room with a dome-shaped ceiling. Before they move any further, a black mask is placed over my face so that I can’t see. I can hear Degory calling my name still, but I know they are going to take him somewhere else.
I’m so terrified of what’s going to happen next that I can’t get myself to answer him, and let him know I’m okay. It doesn’t help that I have no idea where we are headed. My grunts and groans bounce off the walls, and I still hear Degory's angry, frantic voice. I don’t think he can hear my protests over his shouts.
I continue struggling as the leader carries me through Eden. As soon as we leave the building, I start screaming and don’t stop the whole time the leader is carrying me, but I'm not aware if anyone can even hear me. I don’t even know if anyone is watching the soldiers drag me into Eden to be hidden away for the rest of my life.
What I can feel, is a million pairs of eyes watching us as we make our way through the city, but I don’t hear anyone else’s voice besides mine and Degory’s as he struggles somewhere behind me now.
We walk until we reach a certain building. I can’t tell how far we have traveled. I’m not sure for how long he carried me either, because of how focused on getting away from my captor I have been.
I can tell when we enter a building, because my screams echo off the walls. Becoming increasingly frightened, I realize that I can’t hear Degory yelling my name behind us in between my cries.
Where have they taken him?!
We weave down hallway after hallway, or that’s what it feels like. We go down several flights of stairs before I hear bars opening. The leader sets me down on something soft, but I can’t tell if it’s a chair or a bed.
Even though I can’t see, I kick at him and flail around. I tear off the mask and make a mad dash for the doorway. The leader catches me easily around the waist and flings me against the cement wall opposite the bars like I’m nothing more than a children’s toy.
My head smacks hard against the concrete with a loud, cringing thud, and everything fades to black.
When I wake up, I have no idea where I am or what time it is. I have no clue how long I was out. It even takes me a few moments to realize that I’m in Eden rather than home or in the cabin with Degory.
I try to sit up and immediately have to lie back as a wave of dizziness sweeps in, as well as a sharp, radiating pain. Carefully looking around, I know now I’m still in the cell the leader placed me in. The cement walls and barred doorway are unmistakable. The only question left unanswered is: how long have I been unconscious for?
Placing my hand on my head, I can feel bandages wrapped all the way around it, as well as a moist spot, from what I assume is blood, in the back. Someone must have come in to bandage my wound while I was unconscious. I know I hit the wall really hard but I didn’t think they would go as far as to crack my head open.
I assume the one who bandaged my head is the one who put me on the smaller-than-twin-size, uncomfortable mattress. The leader of the group that came after me didn’t seem the type to help me up and lay me on the bed after he threw me against an unbreakable wall. I don’t think that man had a single kind bone in his body.
Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly, trying to calm my nerves and keep my head from spinning. After several minutes I’m able to sit up without feeling nauseous.
There’s no window in my cell, only the three walls and the barred doorway. I don’t see or hear any guards around. I suppose they don’t need any with how thick the bars are.
I think about trying to heat the bars until they either melt, or I can try to kick them away, but even if I can, there was no way I would be able to find my way back home. I have no idea what path we took to get here from that empty, domed room.
A door creaking open and slow footsteps coming my way makes me forget what I’m thinking about. Fear has made its way back into my heart and mind not knowing who it is coming my way.
As the footsteps come closer, I can hear three sets of footsteps rather than the one I assumed was there. The steps keep coming for several seconds before their shadows come into view.
I can’t see it, but there must be a torch near the door they passed through to cause the shadows to appear. It makes such a small amount of light that I don’t notice it until there is someone there to cast a shadow from it.
Backing up against the wall where a flat pillow is situated, I know putting distance between me and whoever is on their way won’t keep them from harming me. Not in a place full of people like Degory who have special abilities to help them.
However, I have to do something to keep myself sane in this place. I pull my knees into my chest and wrap my arms around them as tight as I can. Curling into a ball may not help either, but it makes me feel like it will make it more difficult for whoever is coming to try and kill me, or whatever their intentions may be.
Would Eden really kill me before even giving me a chance to prove myself not dangerous? No way…
It’s a fake sense of security, but I’ll take it over my panic and fear of being caught.
Finally, my waiting ends after several minutes of anticipation. Three individuals come into view and look in on me from the barred doorway.
One is a tall, busty woman with long, mahogany brown hair, while another is a woman that is about the height as me, with black hair that’s pulled back into a tight bun. The third is the one I’ve been waiting to see.
The women wear the same black robes that Degory’s uniform has, but no white jacket to go along with it, so I assume they aren’t Captains. They are standing closely behind the last person, not allowing more than a foot of distance between them.
“Degory!” I cry, relief overflowing and creating tears.
I get up from the bed and race to the bars, placing my hands on them to see if he will come towards me. However, he makes sure there is two feet between him and the door. Just enough so that I can’t reach him.
Wanting reach out to him, I stop myself when I realize he is purposefully keeping his distance, which sends waves of terror through me. I can see pain in his eyes. He doesn’t stare into mine, opting to rather gaze just above my head s
o it seems to his company that he’s looking at me.
It doesn’t calm my fear knowing he’s putting on a show for his guards. Hell, the show might be for me – I don’t know what to think at this point.
“I have been ordered to inform you of what awaits you,” he addresses, formerly.
My heart aches seeing him unable to look me in the eyes and talk to me plainly. There is something is really wrong. Something happened and I need to know what.
“Lieutenant Martin, Lieutenant Hacker,” he addresses the women next to him. “Leave us.”
“Yes, Captain,” they respond in unison, without hesitation.
Do they not see the emotion in his eyes?
I guess they believe he’s back on their side, since they aren’t arguing.
They turn towards the door and exit without another word. Degory watches them leave, and doesn’t move a muscle. I don’t even see his chest lift to let air into his lungs, so I’m not even sure he breathes. The door shuts loudly and we are finally alone.
“Sunny…” he sighs.
I can’t read the emotion in his tone. He still doesn’t look at me. His eyes lower to the ground so that I can’t even see the top half of his face. It’s covered by a shadow.
There’s something I can’t recognize in his timbre, but I can hear the pain in his voice now. I want to hold him so badly, and take away his agony so he doesn’t have to feel it.
“I’m so sorry,” he exhales, almost folding under his sorrow.
“Degory…” I whisper, confused.
I can’t understand why he’s apologizing. It’s my fault they found us, not his. He seems so different with the other two Reapers here. I’m glad that he was putting on a show for them and not me, but he’s beginning to frighten me.
Did he sell me out to his leaders so that he could get a free pass for his crimes?
Waiting a Lifetime (The Waiting Series Book 1) Page 15