by HR Moore
CHAPTER 17
The next few weeks were difficult for Anita. She wanted to make things work with Marcus; how could she do anything else given what he’d done to get her out, but he was coming under more and more influence from Austin, his views becoming more radical and more entrenched. The time she spent with Marcus was tense and she felt guarded in his company. In stark contrast, she felt calm and safe when she was meditating in the Spirit Temple and she started going there every day. Every day she felt Alexander’s energy watching her from afar. He never came over, not wanting to invade her privacy or push her into something before she was ready, but she had to hide the spike in her energy whenever she became aware of his presence.
It was a beautiful Autumn day, the sun sparkling low in the sky, the air crisp and sharp, the ground covered in leaves that crackled under every footstep. Anita was lost in her thoughts as she walked to the Spirit Temple for her usual meditation, wrapped up warm with only her face exposed to the wind, but as she was approaching the Temples, she looked up, feeling powerful energy ahead. She caught sight of Helena descending the steps from the Body Temple, conversing animatedly with someone she didn’t recognise. Anita froze, her energy turning to hatred, feelings of anger at Helena and disgust at herself flooding back. She pushed the feelings aside and looked around for somewhere to hide; she wasn’t ready to face Helena yet. Given the limited options available, she selected a large oak tree and managed to scramble behind it before she was spotted. Helena passed, not seeing Anita, or at least not letting on if she had, and disappeared, still deep in conversation with the man she was with.
Anita had been wrestling with what to do about Helena. She’d considered confronting her, to find out what she’d been playing at, telling her she knew it was one of Austin’s memories that Helena had been trying to steal and demanding to know why. In the end, she’d decided the best course of action was not to do anything. Knowing Helena, the thing that would piss her off the most would be not knowing what had happened. No doubt she’d heard on the grapevine the rough story, but not to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth would be killing her. Helena had no problem with confrontation, in fact, she enjoyed it, but she hated being kept in the dark, so Anita decided that was exactly what she should do. She still wanted to know what the memory was about, but there was no chance Helena would tell her willingly and she’d have no way to tell if Helena was lying or not, even if she did.
Anita waited to make sure she was definitely gone before proceeding to the Temple of the Spirit and sitting cross legged in her normal spot. She didn’t have to wait long before she could feel Alexander observing her and she smiled, today not making any attempt to hide the effect he had on her. His energy rose in response and without stopping to think, she sent a nudge to the edge of his energy field. He responded immediately, striding over to where she sat, sinking down in front of her and taking her hands gently.
‘I’ve been so worried about you,’ he said softly. ‘How are you feeling?’
She smiled. ‘I’m getting there,’ she murmured, enjoying the close up view of his face, especially those glorious eyes. ‘How are you doing?’
He looked at her indulgently. ‘How am I doing? In comparison to what you’ve been through I’ve had a walk in the park, I’m fine.’
Alexander dropped her hands, sensing others about to walk into the Temple. ‘I don’t think we should talk in such a public place,’ he said, ‘I don’t want Marcus to find out through other people, especially now he’s working more closely with Austin.’ Alexander chose his words carefully, he didn’t want to be too negative about Marcus given the circumstances, however, it was a real threat and they shouldn’t ignore it. Anita nodded and Alexander led her to the centre of the Temple, the stone above his chambers sliding aside and they descended the steps, Anita excited to see under the Temple for the first time.
They entered a room that housed Alexander’s desk and several worn leather chairs. It was crammed full of books and pictures, but had a warm, cosy feel to it, with a lit fire in the corner that reminded Anita of home. ‘It’s amazing,’ she said, wandering around looking at the contents of the shelves.
‘I’m glad you like it,’ he smiled. ‘I can’t take credit though I’m afraid, I’ve hardly touched it since I took over from Philip. All this stuff belonged either to him or previous Descendants. I’ve barely even started working my way through everything; I’m trying to work out what kind of treasure trove I’m sitting on.’
‘A happy task,’ she said, spotting a rare energy book and taking it off the shelf to flick through the pages, ‘and quite a significant treasure trove if this book is anything to go by,’ she said, putting it carefully back on the shelf. ‘So, what do you know about what’s going on between Marcus and Austin?’ she asked abruptly, taking him off guard.
There was no point in trying to sugar coat it, she wouldn’t respect him for it if he did. He took a deep breath and told her everything he knew. ‘From what I can tell, Marcus is being brought further and further under Austin’s wing. Since he managed to convince Austin to free you, their relationship has changed; Austin seems to respect Marcus now, in a way that he didn’t before. He’s even making Amber take orders from Marcus, not a move he would’ve played lightly; it’s probably to make Marcus feel like he has some degree of control. In reality he has no control at all. Marcus is being groomed to follow in Austin’s footsteps, in exactly the same way that Austin was by Tobias. No doubt Marcus feels he’s learning invaluable lessons that’ll put him in a more powerful position. He may even have some naïve notion that he’ll be able to bring Austin round, so he’ll do something about the energy if everything gets really bad. In reality, Austin has Marcus exactly where he wants him and all he has to do now is get Marcus so involved in his ‘business’ activities that he can’t get out. He’ll probably encourage him to do things of an incrementally more dubious nature, so each action is only a small step further from what he’s done before. Eventually, Marcus will be forced to make a choice, to do something so bad that he passes the point of no return, and at that point, Austin will have won. Marcus will no doubt hate himself for a time and wonder how he’s got so entangled in such a web of deceit that there’s no way back, the only hope of a way out being to go further into the clutches of the trap. You may still have influence over him, but you’ll have to be careful how you use it. For the first time in his life Marcus’ father is treating him like he’s worth something, like the Mind line is lucky to have him. Marcus has wanted his father’s acceptance for a very long time and it’ll take something significant to make him give that up.’
Anita sat down in one of the leather arm chairs and paused to digest Alexander’s words. ‘Do you think an ultimatum would work?’ she asked carefully, avoiding his eyes.
Alexander couldn’t hide his shock, nor the stab of loss he felt imaging a world where Anita had bound herself to Marcus in such a way that they could never be together, not to mention the risk that if Marcus did subsequently follow Austin anyway, she could have cause to blame herself. And what if Marcus chose Austin over Anita? Then all influence would be lost and there’d be no hope of ever prising him away from his father. ‘No,’ he responded, happy that he wasn’t just saying it for selfish reasons. ‘The worst way to deal with Marcus at the moment is to force his hand; he’d feel as though he were being backed into a corner and not like he was making a real choice by himself. He’s unlikely to want to give up Austin totally at the moment, especially now he finally feels he’s getting somewhere.’
‘Then what should I do? His views are already more extreme; he can’t see that some of the things he and Austin are doing are totally wrong. They’re forcing farmers, who are scared of losing their farms, whose crops are failing, who feel responsible for the impending food shortages, into paying their full rent regardless. They’re taking their livestock as payment for Gods’ sake and he can’t see it’s wrong. They have a responsibility to the peopl
e of the world and all they seem to care about is collecting what they’re owed.’ She stood up and started pacing, her agitation evident.
‘All you can do is suggest there may be an alternative way. Every time you take him head on he’ll go defensive, he’ll try to justify his actions rather than think about the logic behind what you’re saying. Showing how others are being more compassionate is more likely to work. That way he’ll come to the conclusion by himself, feeling like it’s his idea, not like he’s been railroaded into it by you or anyone else.’
Anita nodded, she knew what Alexander was saying made perfect sense. She struggled with such a round-the-houses approach, but she knew she’d have to try.
‘Anita, regardless of what happens, it won’t be your fault.’ She turned away, tears filling her eyes. He closed the space between them and put his hands on her shoulders, the familiar tingles returning and gently flowing around their bodies. ‘Austin’s been setting this up since Marcus was born and you can’t expect to bring him around on your own.’
Anita turned to face him, standing so close she could feel his breath skip across her face. She met his electric eyes with hers, heady at their proximity, her energy responding, as did his. Anita bowed her head, stepped forwards and wrapped her arms around his chest. He pulled her tightly into him, Anita feeling secure with his muscular arms around her, Alexander resting his lips on the top of her head and closing his eyes.
They stood, each enjoying the touch of the other and neither wanting to pull away. Eventually, Anita pulled back, looking up at Alexander. ‘Will you meditate with me?’
‘Of course,’ he said simply, as an idea came to him, ‘I want to show you something though. There’s somewhere special I want us to meditate.’
Anita looked up at him, intrigued. ‘Where?’
‘Just come with me,’ he said coyly, taking her hand and pulling her further into his chambers, into a room with an enormous, luxurious looking bed. She faltered as he pulled her towards the bed, grateful and surprised to see the shelves next to it swinging towards them, revealing a secret passage behind. Alexander stuck his head through and looked both ways to check there was no one there. The passage was dimly lit with lanterns along the ground and Anita wondered who maintained them, surely not the Descendants, as Alexander pulled her gently forwards.
They made their way through what seemed like a maze of tunnels, pausing only once, when Alexander thought he heard something. He’d explained it was probably just someone up above; there were vents all through the tunnels, serving the joint purpose of ventilating the chambers and enabling the Descendants to spy on those above to their hearts’ content. They finally arrived at a large, ornate door and Alexander turned to Anita, smiled indulgently as he pushed its heavy baulk open, and stood back to let her enter first. She walked through and looked around. Here too there was only a dim light from the same candle filled lanterns, so it took her a few moments to take in what she was seeing. She’d stepped into a columned space that seemed to circle around something in an open area in the middle. She could hear the soothing sound of running water, and, as she stepped forward, through a beautifully constructed archway, she finally twigged, spinning around violently to confirm she was where she thought she was.
Alexander laughed. ‘It took you a while.’
‘We’re directly below the points of the Temples?’
He nodded. ‘I’ve always thought it a shame more people don’t get to see it; it’s really quite beautiful down here.’ She looked around. He was right, it was. There was a raised pool in the centre, under the points, which was somehow surrounded by lush green grass. There were climbing plants trailing sweet smelling flowers as they wound round the columns and reached for the ceiling. There were rose bushes blooming with enormous white flowers, not the tight, uniformed variety, but the looser, freer kind. And there was a tiny pin hole in the ceiling, that, by some trick, let in enough light to illuminate every inch of the pool’s shimmering surface. The pinhole had been added by the Temple’s designer to connect the sacred pool below to the Temple points above. The point directly above the hole was inside the Council chamber, the area no one was allowed to walk over, however, the designer had also installed a magnificent skylight in the chamber’s roof, with a tiny hole in its centre, so the pool was always connected to the outside world. ‘Like it?’ he asked.
‘It’s incredible,’ she replied. ‘It feels so calm, like the energy is totally even, without even the smallest ripple.’
‘It is even,’ he said, ‘in the same way that the pool under the Observatory absorbs the energy ‘noise’ in the area there, this pool does the same thing here. It has a more potent effect here though as there’s less background energy to start with and the place has a special balance being under the points of the Temples. Nobody can explain exactly why; it just does.’
‘We’re meditating here?’ she asked excitedly.
He nodded. ‘I want so share something with you and here seems like the best place to do it.’
‘This isn’t what you want to show me?’ she asked, astonished.
‘No. I want to show you something inside my head.’
She smiled. Alexander was so private; she loved it when he let her in. She moved so she was standing right next to the pool and lay down on her back; she didn’t feel at all vulnerable with Alexander. He hesitated, ‘Anita…’
She turned her head and sent him a calm, level look, ‘…sush,’ she said, stopping dead any further words, placing her hand beside her, ready for him to hold. He moved to her and lay down easily on his back, placing his arm down by his side and taking her waiting hand. He turned his face to look at her, curved his head forward so their foreheads touched, and they both closed their eyes, Alexander controlling their destination, Anita relishing the trust she had for him, letting him take her wherever he wanted to go. The intensity was astounding; it felt like there was so much energy coursing between them that it might try to escape, ripping them apart as it went. She felt powerful, like she could do anything, like she was floating off the ground and Alexander was floating with her, supporting her, lifting her up.
The meditation settled and Anita looked around, confused, wondering if something had gone wrong. ‘Hey,’ said Alexander, ‘everything ok?’ Alexander had never felt anything like this before either. He’d practiced the love pose only a handful of times before, and never with anyone he actually loved. It was incredible the power that was flooding between them and he savoured the sensation, forgetting that Anita would be full of confusion.
‘Yeah, I have literally never felt better. The power’s unbelievable; you can feel it too?’
Alexander nodded. ‘I’ve never felt anything like it; it’s extraordinary.’
Anita sat up a little to make sure she wasn’t missing anything. ‘The pool is a place in your head?’ she asked cautiously.
Alexander sat up on his elbows, making sure he kept hold of her hand; he’d forgotten all about where they were given all the excitement. ‘It’s more than just a place in my head,’ he explained softly. ‘This is my Centre.’
‘This is your Centre?’ she repeated, stunned, trying to work out what this news meant. ‘Why?’ she asked; the best she could come up with.
‘Why is anyone’s Centre what it is?’ he laughed. ‘I’ve looked into all the research there is, but there’s nothing concrete about what causes our Centres to be what they are. There’s speculation it’s inherited from parents, but I don’t know what my parents’ Centres were and Philip would never go anywhere near the topic, so I couldn’t ask him. Given most people don’t even know how to meditate properly, the research is pretty limited, and those who do know usually consider it a sign of weakness for others to know the places in their heads. You’re the only one that knows any of mine,’ he said, looking down self-consciously.
She turned her head to look at him, rolling her body towards him so she could place her free hand on
the side of his face and gently turn it back towards her. She looked into his blue eyes, seeing there a reflection of the longing she felt, and dipped her head to kiss his stubborn lips. As their lips touched they felt a jolt of energy like nothing either of them had ever felt before, so strong it was almost painful. They responded instinctively, Alexander rolling his shoulders towards her, wrapping one arm around her, pulling her to him, his other hand grabbing a handful of her hair, locking her lips to his. He rolled her gently backwards, lowering her lightly to the ground, pining her there with his weight. The world around Anita seemed to swirl. She had no idea if she was sitting, lying, standing, floating; she was lost in his mouth, his smell, the hard contours of his body. It was like she was both grounded, supported by the grass pushing up against her back, and at the same time suspended, drifting in the air. Alexander pulled back, his breath ragged, looking hungrily down at Anita’s serene figure on the grass. He leant back towards her, planting soft, slow, heavy kisses over her face, Anita running her fingers playfully across the exposed skin at his neck. He bit her lip, exquisitely, seductively and Anita’s stomach clenched. She took a deep breath and pushed him gently away, sitting up to face him.
‘I think I love you, Alexander,’ she said huskily.
He looked ecstatically back at her. ‘I think I love you too.’ He pulled her to him, folding his arms protectively around her, caressing her back, not quite believing he wasn’t in a dream.
‘I think it’s time to wake up now,’ said Anita. ‘It’s so perfect, what I’m about to say isn’t allowed in here.’ Alexander pulled them abruptly out of the meditation, not sure he wanted to hear what she had to say. They woke up to the feeling they were falling, their stomachs lurching upwards as they landed on the ground with a heavy thump.
‘What was that?’ asked Anita, alarmed.
Alexander looked astonished. ‘I don’t believe it,’ he said, delighted.
‘What?’
‘We were floating, when we were meditating. I’ve heard about this happening, but only ever at the Spirit Temple in the clouds and never without extensive practice. I just can’t believe it,’ he said, grabbing her and pulling her into a rough, excited embrace. Anita had never seen Alexander so animated, so went with it, clearly this was a big deal. A couple of seconds later, Alexander let her go, remembering why they’d left the meditation so quickly. ‘What did you want to talk about?’ he said quickly, bracing himself for the worst.
Anita took a deep breath. ‘I love you Alexander, but I owe it to Marcus that nothing more happens between us until I’ve had a chance to end it with him first.’
‘Is that all?’ Alexander asked, relieved.
‘Yes! What did you think I was going to say?’
‘I don’t know, that we couldn’t be together, or something equally horrible.’
She took his hand. ‘Alexander, when I meditated with Marcus it was also in the love pose. I’d never even heard of the pose, let alone practiced it; you stayed away from it for obvious reasons, but when I meditated with Marcus, the feeling was less intense than when you and I meditate normally together. I thought maybe that was just because Marcus is a Mind and you’re a Spirit, but after what I just felt, I know that can’t be all it is. I don’t feel for Marcus what I feel for you,’ she said hesitantly, ‘it’s as simple as that, but I don’t want to cheat on him; I can’t do that to him after what he did to get Austin to let me go.’
‘I understand,’ he replied. ‘You’ve been through a lot together.’
‘I just hope me leaving him won’t push him further towards Austin.’
‘It might,’ Alexander said truthfully, ‘but Marcus and his choices are not your responsibility. He has to account for his own actions and you have to account for yours. To stay with him when you don’t love him wouldn’t be good for either of you.’
‘I know,’ she said. ‘I’ve made up my mind; I just need to talk to him. Come on, let’s go, the longer we’re alone together the more likely my resolve is to break,’ she flirted.
He smiled as he got up and took her hand to help her to her feet. They left, Alexander firmly closing the door behind them before taking Anita’s hand and leading her back the way they had come.
Neither of them noticed Gwyn hiding in the shadows, watching them leave, her energy suppressed as low as she could make it go. She’d been in the tunnels earlier and had heard Anita and Alexander coming towards her. She’d ducked into a side tunnel and suppressed her energy, hoping they wouldn’t see her, but she’d kicked a lantern as she went, a muffled scraping noise floating to their ears. They’d paused at the sound, however, when nothing followed, they’d carried on, Alexander explaining to Anita that it was probably someone from above.
Gwyn had silently followed them to the pool, and watched as they’d entered and closed the door. She couldn’t follow them inside; they would have heard the door open, not to mention that Alexander would have definitely detected her energy. Instead, she waited until they came out, seeing if they would give anything away. To her great disappointment, they moved silently back towards Alexander’s chambers, but they were still holding hands and Gwyn reasoned that was suspicious enough for Marcus to want to know about it. If her boyfriend had been down here with another girl, she would want to know, and anyway, she didn’t like Anita, so it would give her great pleasure to cause her some pain.