This is why I felt the ancient magic surrounding her. It’s why she called me the kid. She’s not twenty-something.
“Oh my god—how old are you?” I whisper, my mouth gaping open.
Diana pulls her hand back from mine, her dark eyes wide with surprise. Clenching her jaw, she sits up a little straighter.
“I’m two-thousand-three-hundred-eighty-four,” she whispers. “But who’s counting?”
8
MY MOUTH drops open as I take in the revelation. I mean, I knew there was something special about Diana—something far more unusual than she was letting on. But this?
“Oh, don’t look so surprised,” she says. “You’re working with angelic beings and end of the world prophecies. Don’t tell me you’ve bought into the typical societal beliefs on time and existence.”
I shake my head, still searching for words.
“It’s not that—I understand time is relative in many, many ways. It’s just—you’re the first I’ve ever met who—”
“Who predates the birth of Christ? Yeah, well, what can I say? I like to keep a low profile,” she shrugs nonchalantly.
“How is it possible?”
It’s all I can think to say.
“I wish I knew. It’s part of why I want to harness some of the energy you’re bringing to the table. We’re working with universal energies and, for lack of a better word, God Magic here. I have tried everything to figure out my past and why I’m here. Why I can’t die. Why my life continues on and on. And I’m serious. I’ve tried everything.”
Goosebumps spread across the back of my arms and up my neck.
“You don’t know your past?” My words come out breathless.
“Nothing before the age of twenty-four,” she says shaking her head. “Guess that’s why I still look like this.”
“Wow,” I whisper in awe.
Diana leans in, her eyebrows tugging in and lips tilting downward. “I don’t have to tell you this stays between us—”
“Of course not—I don’t even know who I’d tell, to be honest,” I say, waving my hands out in front of me.
Diana nods. “Good.”
“Does anyone else know? I mean, you had to have had someone else you’ve confided in?”
Diana takes a moment, chewing on her lower lip. “Right now, the only one besides me—and now you—is Demetri.”
“Renaldo doesn’t even know?”
“Hell no. Are you kidding? I love that man to death, but he can’t keep time to save his life. I wouldn’t trust him knowing anything about my own,” she laughs.
I lean back in my seat, taking a long sip from my cooling tea.
“So, it’s all out there,” Diana says. “I guess now it means I can relax a bit around you.”
“In all honesty—you could have from the beginning. This mission I’m on—it’s not one many people understand. Especially if they’re not in on it. I tried once—” I say, circling my middle finger along the mouth of the cup, “I thought my brother would understand. We’d talked for ages as children about how we felt different. But—when I finally found my purpose, or I suppose it found me—he couldn’t quite deal. He’s Atheist, after all,” I shrug.
The weight of Diana’s gaze presses me to the back of my seat.
“He’s afraid it’s true,” she says after a few moments. “He doesn’t understand it—but he’s invested so much of himself in the idea there’s no god. No rhyme or reason to this mess we call life. It would literally rip apart his world to accept your reality.”
I blink rapidly.
“I hadn’t thought of it that way—”
“I’ll give you a little piece of unsolicited advice. Not everyone you love or care about is meant to go on this journey with you. Some are meant to influence the way you perceive the world when you’re younger—then they drop away, making room for new teachers. New influencers. New supporters.”
“Is that why you isolate yourself?”
“I don’t see what you mean?” she says, taking a sip of water.
“What you’ve been through—I can only imagine. You must feel like you’ve seen it all, been through it all. So what could anyone else possibly bring to the table?”
“Something like that,” she nods.
“Or does it have something to do with the man in the cave?”
Her dark irises almost look black as she locks eyes with me.
“What cave?”
I shake my head, “I don’t know—I just got a sense you lost someone who meant the world to you. It’s made you, I don’t know—it was a breaking point for you. It’s turned you into a different person in a way. At least that’s the impression I get.”
“Hmmm,” she says, staring at the middle of the table. “I’m not sure what to make of that, to be honest. I’ve lost people, sure—and it totally sucks. But it’s also a part of life. Or at least, life for everyone around me.”
“Isn’t that hard to deal with?”
“It’s not so bad. If you don’t get too close, it’s easy to move on.”
“Sounds lonely,” I whisper, my thoughts meandering to Gabe. I can’t imagine my life without him. When the time comes—
I shudder away the thought.
“Sometimes it’s better than the alternative,” she shrugs.
Sorrow wraps around me in waves, rolling off her like ripples from a boat. She keeps up a good front, but inside, she’s hurting—and it’s devouring her whole.
Suddenly, the air lifts slightly and I get a vision of a man with dark hair and eyes. He has an easy demeanor, hard—but loving at the same time. He’s tied to Diana in ways I can’t quite piece together. It’s complicated and messy and she has no idea he exists.
She’s too wrapped up in shielding herself to allow any new energies to flow to her. Instead, she’s been hellbent on finding out her past. When the time is right—I can do something to set them on their collision course.
All in the space of a couple of seconds, I see her change—going through the ages with different looks, clothing styles, and overall appearances. She’s been so many personas. She’s tried to blend in—she’s tried to stand out. She wasn’t wrong—Diana has literally tried everything to figure out her real role in this world.
“Can I ask you a dumb question?”
“I suppose so,” she says, quirking an eyebrow. “Am I gonna regret this?”
“Maybe?” I chuckle. “Why Diana? I mean, if you’re so old, you have to have a different name, right? Hell, many names. So how’d this one stick?”
A broad, goofy grin spreads across her lips. It actually suits her face, helping to lighten up her energy. For a fleeting moment, it feels as fresh and young as she looks.
“What can I say? I’ve loved Wonder Woman since her inception,” she shrugs nonchalantly.
9
STEPPING OUTSIDE, I’m taken aback by the energy of the full moon. I’ve never noticed its power quite like this before—and I have to admit, there may be more to its timing than I originally thought. Still clutching Gabe’s hand tightly, I pull up short, tilting my chin to the sky and soaking in its essence.
“Everything okay?” he asks after a few moments.
Eyes closed, I smile, and take in a deep breath through the nose.
“I have a good feeling about all of this,” I finally say, turning my gaze to him.
“Excellent. See, what did I tell you? Aren’t you glad you talked with Diana? You’ve been a different person since you came back,” he says.
“When you’re right—you’re right. It’s part of the reason I love you so much,” I say, squeezing his hand.
Grinning back at me, he takes the lead as we continue our walk to Diana’s cottage. Without trying the front door, we follow the walkway to the back gate and enter through the garden. Demetri and Diana are already there, working in silence. They busily set the stage, creating the sacred space according to their specifications. A small altar sits inside a larger circle of stones, flowers, and other
items.
In a weird way, I feel like a third wheel to the whole event. As much as I know about magic and universal energy, they’re on a completely different level as they work together. Taking a seat on a stone bench just outside the circle, we listen to them muttering incantations under their breath and moving in sequence to one another.
I’m in awe of the concentration the two of them have to channel their focus and energy—even as we entered. They haven’t even met Gabe yet, but their concentration is so focused, it doesn’t matter.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding,” Gabe whispers, leaning in close.
My eyes widen and I shake my head. “Right? I’m telling you Gabe, I could watch the two of them all night. The swirls of light around them alone are mesmerizing.”
He nods. “Even I can see it, so you know it’s powerful magic they’re operating with.”
After a few moments, Diana and Demetri cease their work and walk up to us.
“I didn’t want to disturb you,” I say standing up.
Diana lingers behind Demetri, who thrusts his hand out, “You must be our angel.”
Gabe reaches out, shaking his hand and shooting me a sideways glance. “Just call me Gabe.”
“Nice to meet you Gabe. Thanks for accepting our request to join us. Diana and I figured it would work best to have angelic presence intertwined with the Violet Flame’s energy.”
Diana stands back, her eyes scrutinizing everything that is Gabe—and I can’t blame her. For those who can see him, the real him, he’s beyond simply a gorgeous man. He’s pure light.
From her reaction, I know she can see through his persona and to the truth of him.
“Wow,” she finally says, her eyebrows arching high. “I’ve heard of angelic beings in passing from other psychics I trust—but in all my years, I’ve never taken in one before. Until just now, part of me wasn’t even sure you existed.”
Gabe smiles. “Unless we chose to reveal ourselves, you’d never know. Even with all the power you have, Diana.”
“Good to know,” she says, tipping her head to the side.
“What do you need from us?” Gabe asks, wrapping an arm around my back and drawing me close.
“Well, we’ll need Morgan’s map, for starters. You brought it, right?” Diana asks.
Nodding, I pull it from my back pocket. “It’s right here.”
“Good. Gabe, can you imbue the map with some of your energy?” Demetri asks, picking up a small, ornate athame.
Holding up a palm, Gabe shakes his head. “That won’t work for angelic energy.”
Instead, he takes the map from my grasp and walks to the altar with it. Kneeling down, he bows his head and places his hands on the map. Light bursts from his palms, escaping from beneath his pressed hands and out the sides. The map glows brightly for a moment, then fades as he pulls his hands back.
Stepping aside, he leaves the map on the altar and rejoins the group.
“Whoa,” Diana and Demetri say in unison.
“Morgan, I’m going to need your energy within the circle, so if you can sit on the South end, you can be our anchor,” Diana says pointing to the spot on the circle she’d like me to take residence. “I’ll sit to the North and Demetri will be working with the Violet Flame in center. He’s had a lot of experience working with its energy, so I feel more comfortable being the conduit for everything else. Once the first half of the ritual is done—your half—we’ll ask you to take a seat with Gabe so we can switch gears. Sound good?”
“Whatever you need,” I say, taking up my spot along the circle.
“Gabe, if you can have a seat on the bench, that may work best. What you’ve given us will be more than enough to call upon the energies of the final angels to open up—but we don’t want to taint the energy, so it searches for you and not the others. Does that make sense?”
“Perfectly,” Gabe nods, taking his seat.
Drawing a deep breath, Demetri steps inside the circle and kneels in front of the small altar. Diana begins walking clockwise as she quietly speak-sings while she sprinkles large, crystalline chunks of salt along the circle’s edge—binding the circle in protection.
When she reaches her location at the North end of the circle, the circle seals itself—shooting rays of light straight up in the air and illuminating the three of us inside a pillar of moving radiance. Outside the circle, I can barely make out Gabe, sitting on the bench with his hands between his knees.
Demetri begins his part of the ritual, drawing power from the moon and invoking the frequency and energy of the Violet Flame. As it starts to flow, Diana pulls energy from me, and directs it all like a composer as its directed to flow to the map. Her hands work assuredly and it’s very clear she sees the energies she’s working with as much as I do.
For a moment, I can’t help but stare and watch in utter awe at the brilliance and beauty of it all.
A broad, toothy grin spreads across my face.
It’s happening—it’s finally happening. Things are moving again and everything is finally coming into alignment.
Soon I’ll have my answers and can finally move forward with my mission. With a little luck, Diana will have her answers, too. I love it when a plan finally starts to come together.
10
THE COMBINATION of Demetri’s decrees with Diana’s incantations sound like something more ethereal than of this world. The map glows under the direction of the two of them as they work together to pull in the Violet Flame energy, along with bringing in their own intentions. Purple, violet, and magenta energy swirls within the circle and between each of us.
With a crackling sound, the energy pulls back, and the map goes dark. Demetri gently closes the map and stands up. Bowing to the altar, he walks to me and hands over the map.
“Your part of the ritual is complete. If you can exit the circle, we’ll move on to the next phase,” he says, his voice melodic.
Without a word, I nod and accept the map from him. Energy rolls of it in waves, and I know how powerful its significance is. As I walk through the circle, the pillar of light splits apart like a curtain. Diana picks up her bowl of salt and walks clockwise again around the circle to seal up the tear.
“That was fast,” Gabe says as I take a seat.
“It really was,” I say, holding the map in both hands—equally afraid to take my eyes off the remaining ritual—and to look at the map.
We sit in silence, watching the two of them take up different positions. This time, Diana sits opposite the altar from Demetri, as he removes the ornate athame he produced earlier. He continues his incantations and decrees for the Violet Flame, as well as calling upon Saint Germain and the legions of light.
Diana leans in, offering her hand as Demetri gently flicks it with the athame. A small well of blood pools in the palm of her hand, then she releases it into a small bowl on the altar.
Without warning, the energy feedback from this tiny gesture rocks the sacred space, throwing Demetri clear from the circle. Landing hard on his back, he blinks in surprise, but scrambles back to the altar and places his hands on either side. He bows his head in concentration, his words barely audible.
“Through the divine power of liberty, justice, freedom, and victory the Violet flame transmutes this discordant energy back into Light—cause, core, effect, record, and memory. Now and forever…”
He repeats the words over and over—
Suddenly, Diana’s body stiffens. Her arms arch backward and her entire being elevates from the ground. White light blazes from her eyes, fingertips, and hair strands—shooting in all directions.
Demetri stands up quickly, stepping back with his mouth agape.
From every direction and nowhere all at the same time, a voice echoes in my entire perception—like it’s a part of myself and not something separate.
“Sacred information locked and stored can only be unbroken by the one bound to the initiation. The forces of Karmic Law are set in motion—but will only make sense in acco
rdance to the will of the deliverer. For attempting to circumvent this Law—a price must be paid.”
With that, the map bursts into flames in my hand and I immediately drop it to the ground. Purple flames lick at the tattered document, consuming the entire thing in the matter of seconds.
My mouth drops open in a silent gasp as I watch everything I’ve worked so hard for obliterated before my eyes.
Gabe’s hand touches my back, but instead of being calming, I drop to my knees beside the pyre and raise my tear-filled gaze to the commotion in the circle. Diana’s right arm, still flooded with light reaches out, as she places her hand atop Demetri’s forehead. As she does, Demetri’s body goes completely rigid. His arms lay stiff by his sides and his mouth opens wider than any human’s should. White and blue light streams from his body, as it’s absorbed through Diana’s hand. The whole thing takes less than a few seconds, but as her hand pulls back, the light from both of them subsides.
Demetri immediately collapses, falling to the ground with a sickening thump.
The light from Diana takes its time being reabsorbed and redistributed. After a moment, her body lowers to the ground and the light in her eyes fades completely.
Anger spikes inside my belly, and I stand up.
“I had it—I had the map and you ruined it,” I spit.
“Morgan,” Gabe warns, his voice soft. “She’s not herself—not yet. Give her a moment to come back.”
After a minute or two of complete stillness—not even breaths dare to break the silence—Diana begins to blink away the daze of whatever energy just consumed her. She shakes her head as she assesses the scene in front of her.
“Oh my god, Demetri—” she screams, her voice high and shrill.
Diana rushes to Demetri’s side, falling to her knees as she reaches him.
Demetri’s eyes roll back behind his eyelids in an odd—and terrifying way. His body flops in her arms like a rag doll as she pulls him into her lap. The scene isn’t all that dissimilar from the vision I had in the diner—though the man was someone else.
The Chronicles of the 8th Dimension - Limited Edition Box Set (4 Books): A Supernatural Thriller Box Set Page 5
