by Nathan Parks
He stepped forward, chest to chest with her. He stood several inches taller than her and did not give her any forward ground. “I will say this: due to a lot of unknown things taking place right now in your life, I will let you get away with that; but keep in mind: that one was a freebie. Next time you swing on me, I won't be as reserved!”
“Bring it! I could care less!” she seethed.
“You have no idea of what I am capable or of what you are no longer capable. So, I encourage you to figure out a way to get your point across without taking it out on the side of my jaw! May I also suggest you start acting more like the former leader you were and less like a teenager?”
Chapter Eighteen
Leah bit down hard on the inside of her cheek. She felt the heat rushing up her neck into her face. She wanted to lay him out . . . well, at least attempt to lay him out!
He leaned against his bike. “I can’t really share a lot about myself, and that is more out of safety for you and others. I am sure much will come out soon; but until then, I reserve the right to not share it. I can tell you, obviously, I am not gone . . . never have been. I can also tell you that I would rather have stayed away; however, just like your current situation, something must be done.”
“What do you know about my current situation?”
“That will be an answer to another question of yours. Metatron is the one who let me know what was going on with you and where to find you and told me to pick you up.”
“Metatron?”
“Yep. Like I said, you have friends in more places than you know, Leah. Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in our own little niche of the universe that we become blinded by it. We forget that there are a lot of other things taking place out of our scope of vision.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I guess I can respect that. Why, though?”
“Now, that I don’t know. There are very few people in the world that know I exist . . . although I believe that is about to change . . . and even fewer for whom I would drop everything to do a favor.”
“And Metatron is one of those,” she stated.
He nodded. “Yes, he is. He told me what happened at the Arch Council. He told me to get you and bring you here.”
She looked around, puzzled. “Here . . . ‘out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere’ here?”
He nodded in the direction of the beginning of the drive. “Well, actually up that way; but this is where our paths collide even more, and we are sitting here more so for me and not you.”
“What?”
“This is Eden, Leah.”
Leah’s eyes widened. She had heard of Eden. She had sent people to Eden. She had talked with people from Eden, but Eden was a place to which she had never actually gone. She knew what it held and its purpose but had never actually set foot inside.
“Why here?”
“Honestly, because this is where I am going; and since you are along for the ride, this is where you are going.”
She took it in for a moment and let it mull around in her mind. “So, what do I do? If this is where you are going, what is my role in all of this?”
He shook his head. “I wonder sometimes if I acted this stupid when I chose to be a Vapor.”
She knew he had insulted her, but his words hit her like a ton of bricks. “Wait! You’re a Vapor?”
“Guess you can say I’m your daddy.”
“That’s one thing I will not say!” she scoffed. “What do you mean by that, though?”
“I was the first Vapor. As I said, there are a lot of things I really don’t want to get into; but the fact is, that yes, I was the first to walk away from it all . . . neither a Fallen or an Eternal. In fact, it was my lips that uttered the phrase about being like a vapor; thus, the name stuck.”
She felt she was getting a headache. “The world really needs to slow its roll right now and give me a chance to process all of this.”
“Get on,” he stated as he straddled his motorcycle again, starting it up. “Let’s see what the world has for us. My thought is we ride this out and see where it takes us.”
She didn’t say anything more. She got back on, and they made their way down the drive.
◆◆◆
Serenity had managed to rest for about an hour and then got back up to see if she would have a chance to talk to Gene alone. So much was in chaos right now, and she knew that she and Chad would need answers for Leah back at the Sanctum. She had checked her phone a few times to see if anyone had questioned where they were yet, and she thought it odd that there were no messages or missed calls.
She made her way down the staircase positioned to the left of the tree. She was hoping that Tori had managed to fall asleep. This would allow them time to figure out a plan moving forward, as well as allow the teenager to recoup the energy that she surely would need soon.
As she walked down the staircase, the front door to Eden opened; and she watched as a tall man walked in . . . and then she froze. It wasn’t the man who made her stop but the fact that right behind him walked in her leader.
“What in the world is Leah doing here? Did she figure out where they were?” her thoughts raced. She attempted to walk quietly backwards up the stairs, hoping not to draw any attention to herself; however, just then the sound of small, running feet echoed down the stairs. Both the man and Leah looked up, and Serenity’s heart sank. She was going to hear it now!
Leah looked just as shocked to see Serenity as Serenity was her. “What the . . .” Leah almost squealed. “What are you doing here?”
Now, of course, this puzzled Serenity, because she figured that she and Chad were the reason that her boss had shown up. She wasn’t even sure what to say. Was this a test of some sort?
Serenity felt her mouth dry up like a sponge on a desert rock. Her mind raced trying to find a reason that Leah may believe but nothing came out. They both just stood, looking at each other.
Finally, Zarius spoke, “Well, I guess you both know each other. So . . . um . . . that is good.”
“Seriously, though,” Leah questioned, “why are you here?”
Just at that moment, from Leah’s right, Chad’s voice came bellowing out in some sort of attempt at rapping, “Rata-tat-tat, vampires go splat, as I come in, knocking them flat. I . . .” his voice trailed off as he walked into the foyer and spotted Leah. Then out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Serenity on the stairs with a “you-are-an-idiot” look on her face.
“Chad?”
“Um . . . hi, Leah!”
“What is going on?” she inquired. “I . . . wait . . .” She paused as pieces started coming together in her mind. “Did you really bring that girl here? After I told you to take her to the hospital?”
Serenity finally found two words; but as they came out of her mouth, she almost gasped, wishing she could grab a hold of them and pull them back in. “I quit!”
Chad and Zarius stood with blank looks. Zarius felt like he was on a hidden camera show; and Chad felt like Serenity was an accomplice in a heist and had just handed him the bag of jewels and walked away.
“You what?” Leah felt her head spinning. “WHAT IS GOING ON?”
“Um, I think what she meant to say was she quits . . . hiding what we are doing?” Chad looked at Serenity, still standing frozen on the stairs, with a “come-on-I’m-trying-to-save-you-here” look.
“No, I really mean I quit! I quit the Alliance. So, why I am here is no concern to you, and what I did with the girl is also no concern to you! I mean, come on, Leah, now you don’t have to worry about your Alliance or your reputation.”
“My what? Wait . . .” Leah threw her hands up, indicating everyone needed to just stop for a moment. “No, I quit!” she stammered.
Now both of Leah’s former warriors stood, blank-faced. There was enough confusion to fill a whole room full of smoke and mirrors.
Zarius just stood looking at all of them and started chuckling. “Well, I guess that leaves me and this guy,” motioning to Chad, “who hasn�
��t quit . . . unless you are next?” He questioningly looked in Chad’s direction.
The young man didn’t know what to say. He shrugged his shoulders. “Sounds like the cool thing to do, but I honestly am not sure what I am doing right now. I was just going to go make a sandwich, and suddenly I found myself walking into a sideshow comedy act!”
◆◆◆
“What the hell is a Vapor?”
Serenity and Chad were leaning up against a tall table inside Gene’s study. The older man was behind his desk, and Zarius and Leah were sitting in chairs across from him. They had just spent the last 30 minutes or more listening to Leah share her story about the Arch Council and her decision before them. Now both still had blank looks on their faces.
“So, this means that if I don’t quit the Alliance, you don’t get to show your authority over me?” Serenity asked with plenty of sarcasm pouring out of her mouth. Chad hit her in the side with his elbow. “I’m just saying!”
Leah looked over at her. She was calm, and her senses were about her. She knew from where the sarcasm was coming, and at other times she most likely would have gone off; but she could understand the meaning behind the words of Serenity’s question. “Listen, I get it. I was hard on you, and we didn’t always see eye-to-eye.”
“More like most of the time we did not see eye-to-eye, Leah.” This got another jab from Chad.
Leah paused for a moment and then continued. “What I am trying to say is this: I have always believed in you. I was hard on you because . . .”
“STOP!” Serenity put her hands up. “Just answer the damn question, Leah. I have to say I liked the belligerent Leah better than this soft one. Where do we stand?”
“Careful, Serenity, because I can promise you that I did hold back a lot more than you know; and now nothing is keeping me from unleashing on you. So, if you would allow me the chance to finish . . . I’m sorry. I don’t know where we go from here. I am starting to think there is a larger plan in motion than any one person, and we are all going to need each other in the end.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Gene quietly stated. “Now, if you all are done with this catfight, we can move forward!” He looked at both of them. Neither appeared to have anything more to say, so he moved on. “Now, Zarius . . . I must say I never thought I would ever see you here in Eden again.”
“There are people who never thought they would see him again . . . period,” Leah muttered under her breath but continued no further.
“I had never planned on being here again, Gene. Even now I would rather be somewhere other than here . . . with my wife.”
“How is Tanisha?”
“She is currently on her way to Austria, I believe . . . something about helping a priest there. The last time we talked she started asking me questions about my past.”
“Hmm . . . interesting. Like what?”
“I don’t remember, really. I was tired and actually felt like she was accusing me of lying.”
“Well, seems like accusing a dishonest being about lying isn’t news!” Leah knew she had pushed the envelope, but she was feeling irritated and hungry . . . not a good mix.
“Leah, you are free to walk out at any time you like. You may have been the leader in your house, but here I run the show. I am pretty easy-going . . . but still . . . my house.”
“Understood.”
Chad raised his hand as if he was in middle school, and Serenity put her palm in his face. “Really? I guess we raise our hand now?”
“Ha! I have no idea what we do now, but I do have a question.” he retorted.
“What is it, Chad?” Gene asked.
“Can we just slow everything down for a moment and catch up all the players? Like, who is he?” pointing to Zarius. “And again, what is a Vapor?”
Zarius shifted in his seat. He knew the questions would come; and he knew, just like he had shared with his wife, he would have to expose himself to the world. Hopefully, it would be with small doses at a time. “I can explain the answers if you want me to, Gene.”
“That is up to you. I do not tell the stories of others; that is up to them . . . or maybe a Watcher . . . which I am not.”
“I will share with you as much as I feel you may need to know, but I ask that you respect my wishes in not sharing anything that I say here with anyone else. If Leah is right and the future has our paths going in the same direction, it is only fair that you all know who you are working beside. What I have to share is not known by many and is also personal. I am a private person and would have liked to remain that way, so please respect that.”
They all nodded.
He took a deep breath. “Time to come home,” he thought to himself.
◆◆◆
She could feel the cold Austrian air begin to fill the cabin as she stood to retrieve her carry-on luggage from above her. Her muscles were tight from the long, 13-hour flight; and she was excited to get to her room and rest before meeting Gerault in a few hours.
The cabbie was talkative and, fortunately, he didn’t need her to carry on the other side of the conversation. She didn’t bother letting him know that she had been here once before and let him go on and on about all the different things she should do while she was visiting.
The drive from the Klagenfurt International Airport had taken only about 45 minutes. Soon the car came to a stop, and she stepped out while the driver retrieved her bags from the trunk.
She took in the view that surrounded her. There were no words to describe the breathtaking, surreal, and inspiring landscape. Even in the light of the moon, it was clothed in shimmering beauty. From where she stood, she could see mountains and the valley without even moving. She loved her desert, but she now realized how much she had missed traveling.
She looked over the roof of the taxi at the Gasthof Zirbenhof, a comfortable, dark wood building with orange and green accents. There were flower boxes dotting the windows, and there was a sense of an “at-home cottage” feel to it.
She tipped the driver and took her bags from him and then walked the short but clear path to the small hotel. She thanked a young cheerful couple as they held the door open for her. There was an inviting fire that was crackling in the fireplace across from the reception desk. She was tired but felt a thrill to be once again in a different country, getting ready to do what she loved doing.
After receiving her room key from the slender and attractive Austrian, who seemed to be in her mid-30s, she made her way up a flight of stairs, down the hall, and to her room. She felt a sense of relief come over her as the door closed, and the room embraced her. She could just sit for a few minutes and try to take all this in.
Her room was made of lightly-stained wood. It held a hand-carved double bed and a green wardrobe. In one corner were a bench seat and table. This would allow her to spread out her notes and research if she needed; but then again, she had a hunch that most of her time would be spent away from the hotel.
From where she sat on the edge of the bed, she could see the pointed bell tower of her final destination lit up with several beams of light. The church was one of the centerpieces for historical researchers who would venture to this small slice of heaven. A building of gothic accents and a tall, slender bell tower that could be seen from miles away welcomed tourist and pilgrim alike.
The room smelled of old days gone by and new wood polish. She began unpacking her bags and putting away her clothes. She figured if she was going to be staying for a while, she might as well make herself at home. She pulled out a picture of her and Zarius and placed it beside the bed. Missing him would be the biggest downside of this trip, and knowing that he was facing some big challenges ahead for which she could not be there made it even harder.
Chapter Nineteen
“My hope is that in sharing this I will be able to keep things straight and clear,” Zarius started. “There is a lot to it; but if it is not all shared, I can promise you that we will end this conversation with more confusion than
when we started.”
He looked at Chad and Serenity and then to Leah. “I promise you this: what you think you know, you do not know; and what you do not know is everything. I know that may seem a ridiculous statement right now, but trust me on this. You need to open your minds to the possibility that both mortal and immortal have been deceived.
“Yes, I betrayed my kind at the start of the rebellion or what has become known as the War of the Serpents. Why I did or the reasoning behind what I thought I was doing is neither here nor there. I did, and I accept responsibility. What happened several ages after that is what we need to talk about.
“Many ages ago the Eternals, both good and bad, began an open conversation. The Clans had become weak . . . much like today, and many were wanting to seek a way to return to what they knew before the exile. An agreement among mortal man, those Eternals who had not been exiled, and the Clans had been reached to hold a council to see what form of arrangement and penance could be achieved. This meeting was known as the Council of Shammah.
