“It was that devastating?” Skye nearly whispered the question.
“It was but things are changing now. My vision has changed several times. The visions alter based on the knowledge you have gained and the decisions you make. I’m hoping that together we can figure out a way to keep the casualties to a minimum. This must be resolved quickly.”
“Does there have to be any casualties?” Skye asked. She couldn’t help feeling naïve for asking.
“It’s sweet that you want that. It shows your caring nature. Unfortunately, there are always going to be fatalities. Our job is to try to control that.”
“That’s why we asked you here. How do we control this? How can we stop it?” Cloud asked from behind them. Julia turned and gave her a sad smile.
“There is no way to stop it. What is set in motion will happen. All we can do is try to make the outcome less bloody than its set to be.” Julia replied.
“Am I really going to destroy the world?” Skye asked in a hushed whisper. Julia looked down at her with sympathetic eyes. “Am I so evil that I just deserve to die?” Maddox pulled Skye against his body at the question.
“You don’t deserve that. You could never be evil.” Julia nodded at Maddox’s assessment.
“Your boyfriend is right. You aren’t evil. You have powers that no one else has. That means you will always be something that all supernaturals are aware of, are cautious of.”
“The prophecy says that I’m going to end the world as we know it.” Skye said.
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you are going to destroy the world. Ending the world ‘as we know it’ can be interpreted in many different ways. If I’m used to one way of life and that suddenly changes, then the world as I knew it is over. It’s a dramatic way to state a prophecy. In reality, all prophecies are mysterious and overrated most of the time. Come, let’s sit.” Julia walked over to the couch and sat down.
They followed her lead and sat together. Maddox held onto Skye’s hand as he sat on one side of her while her parents sat on the other side. Kel, Buck, Mike, Evan, and several others sat and listened in from behind the couch Julia was sitting on. No one spoke. In that moment no one knew what to say.
“I can’t tell you exactly what your powers are capable of. What I can tell you is that when the time comes you will have to choose whether or not to use them.” Skye gasped.
“How am I supposed to just decide if I don’t know what I’ll be doing?”
“You have to search your heart and assess the situation in front of you. When it comes to the battle, you will know inside of you if you should pull out the power that’s hidden within you.” Julia answered.
“I can’t do that. You’re asking me to just use powers that may massacre anyone near me. I don’t know how many people I could hurt or anything.”
“Skye, you have to look inside of yourself in that moment. Only then will you know if you will need to use that power or not. I know you want me to give you a straight answer, but seers don’t do that. We are not allowed. We can’t change the future for you. We can only guide you.”
“We have you here so you can tell us what is going to happen. I need help. I can’t be responsible for the lives of all of those people without even knowing what will happen to them.” Skye put her face in her hands exhaling loudly.
“The power that has been given to me comes from many generations of seers. I can’t abuse that power no matter how many times that I may want to. I can only advise you. I cannot tell you what to do. If I started to do that, I would be the one in control and I could be dangerous. I could use my knowledge to benefit only me and no one else. I’m sworn as a seer to let others have their freewill.” Julia said gently. Skye looked up at her with a slight nod.
“I get that. With great power…” Skye muttered.
“Yes. Responsibility for those powers are a bitch at times.” Julia reached over and took Skye’s hands in her own. Maddox stiffened but didn’t move otherwise. “Skye you are a good person who has been dealt a crappy deal in life at times but you are still here fighting each and every step to be a better person. You care about everyone around you and you even care about those who seek to destroy you. Not many would be so forgiving or so understanding. I know I sure as hell wouldn’t be.”
“It’s not their fault they fear me. None of us know what I’m capable of. Fear is expected I guess.” Skye said with a shrug.
“That is exactly what I mean. I wouldn’t look at it that way. I can tell you by the emotions coming off of your friends and family in here in waves, that they would not be so forgiving either. You have to trust in yourself. I can, however, tell you something though that won’t affect the battle, but will help you be ready.”
“Anything,” Skye breathed.
“Be ready. They will be here surrounding this cabin and ready for an early morning fight after two days.”
********
Two days. Only two days. When Julia had dropped that piece of information everyone nearly panicked. Well, everyone except for most of the demons. They seemed to be looking forward to the battle. Skye supposed she couldn’t blame them for that. They had been protecting her and her family for so long and now they were finally going to get a piece of the action they had been promised. Still.
Skye sighed as she listened to her friends and family as they tried to get as much information out of Julia as possible. The seer wasn’t offering much else to them. Skye understood why she couldn’t although she wished Julia could have. She was willing to put her life on the line for those who were always doing the same thing for her. The thought of losing anyone around her scared Skye to death.
Through it all Maddox held her hand silently and rubbed her gently with his thumb. Skye could tell by his composure that he was tense. Maddox seemed to be more nervous than she had ever seen him before. Skye knew the battle was serious, but Maddox seemed to be taking it harder than she thought he would. He was a silent statue next to her. Oddly enough, it helped keep her calm.
“I have to go now.” Julia said interrupting Skye’s thoughts. “Skye, could I speak to you alone first?” Skye nodded and followed Julia to the porch making sure to shut the door behind her. Julia turned and smiled at Skye with a look of regret. It worried Skye.
“Is something wrong?” Skye nervously asked.
“I hope not. I believe in you. I’ve seen glimpses of your life as you have grown up and you always surprised me. You could have followed a darker path, all things considered, but you didn’t. You suffered in silence and you made the best choices you could have. You chose love. Love and life are always the most important things you could ever have in this lifetime. Remember that when the time comes. Remember who you are.” Julia took Skye’s hand in her own.
“I’ll try. I hate this… I hate all of this. I wish I could just make it go away. I would sacrifice myself to save everyone any future problems.” Julia shook her head at Skye.
“That would only cause more grief and pain than you could imagine. Trust me when I say that. You have to live.”
“I’m trying.” Skye said with small smile.
“Trying is all I can ask of you.” Julia let Skye’s hand go and surprised her by pulling her into a small hug. Skye froze at first and then accepted the warm hug for what it was. She hugged her back. Julia pulled back and sighed.
“I know you have a lot to prepare for. Trust me when I say that most of it is already ready. You have the strength in numbers, power, and everything else you may need. All you need to work on is trusting your instincts. That is what will bring about a more peaceful resolution in the end.”
With that Julia walked out to her car and drove away without another word. Skye stood on the porch watching as her lights disappeared into the night. Trust her instincts? Skye always had a bad habit of second guessing herself. She knew that would be a weakness if what Julia said was correct. Taking a deep breath, Skye nodded to herself quickly and walked back inside the cabin into the waiting arms of Maddox. He
wrapped his arms around her, kissing her forehead gently.
“Everything okay?” he whispered.
“I hope so.” Skye said leaning her head against his chest. “I really hope so.”
Chapter Twenty Two
Two days. It amazed Skye how fast two days could come and go. Forty-eight hours of planning. Those two days were brutally long with training and the setting up of traps and barriers. Magic spells were put all around the cabin to help keep any enemies from entering just in case they needed a place to retreat into.
The nights seemed shorter. Skye spent them in Maddox’s arms making sure to soak up every second she could with him. He was more gentle with her than he had ever been. At first it worried Skye. She thought he was afraid of breaking her or worse that he thought her somehow weak. But then Skye realized Maddox was just trying to take his time with her just in case they didn’t have time later. The thought broke Skye’s heart. She loved Maddox all the more for being so sweet with her.
Evan worked with Skye over the two days on her meditations. He wanted her to do as Julia asked and trust herself. Skye wasn’t sure how meditating was going to do that, but she trusted Evan to guide her so she did as he asked. Skye had to let go of deep seeded issues of mistrust, not only in herself, but in others, in order to learn how to truly trust. Skye’s childhood had made it hard for her to trust anyone fully. She worked on releasing that mistrust, and only allowing love and light inside of her heart and mind.
Evan knew she was progressing well and he was so proud of her for it. Skye still felt confused though. She wasn’t sure if she had truly changed or not. The constant worry of what was just around the corner had her more scared than focused at times.
*****************************************
Maddox kissed Skye softly to wake her up. Skye opened her eyes in the darkness and looked at him. She didn’t have to ask. She knew it was time. Their two days were up. It was time to fight to survive and fight to protect. Skye glanced at the clock and looked back to Maddox confused.
“It’s midnight. Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?” Skye knew the plan was for everyone to be up by ten p.m. so that they could be in position and ready. Julia had warned them that the army would be there to attack sometime early in the morning. That meant they had to be ready before then.
“We all decided that since you are our secret weapon maybe you should have a little extra rest.” Maddox whispered into her ear before kissing it.
“That’s sweet but not fair to the others.”
“Skye, you are about to have to face down… a lot. Taking a little extra time to rest is fine. We are covered and safe. Now we have to get ready.” The sadness in his eyes was overwhelming. Skye knew he loved her and worried for her, but this was deeper than she had ever expected from him. Grabbing his cheeks, she pulled his mouth down to hers and kissed him with everything she had in her. Maddox groaned at the taste of her lips and the feel of her body.
“We are going to be okay. We are going to make it. Okay?” Skye asked him. Maddox smiled slightly and nodded. Although Skye didn’t know if she believed her own words, she hoped that Maddox believed them.
Slipping out of bed, Skye put on a pair of comfortable black yoga pants and a tank top. She wanted to wear something that would be easy to move around in. She didn’t need to be constricted by her clothes when fighting. Every small advantage mattered now. Skye tied her hair into a bun on the back of her head and glanced over at Maddox. He was watching her intently. He walked over to Skye and kissed her once more.
“I wish I could just take you away now and be alone with you, just to keep you hidden from all of this.” he muttered.
“After this is over, we should do just that.” Skye touched his face pausing only for a brief second before turning to walk out of the bedroom and join her family.
Skye knew there might not be an ‘after’ for some of them, especially herself. She wasn’t about to admit that. Morale was needed and she was determined to lead by example and look positive.
“Skye you are going to stand in the middle of the small field out on the side of the cabin. We will have you, as well as the rest of this place, surrounded.” Buck said looking at Skye and Maddox who was trailing in behind her.
“Why am I in the middle? This sounds like more protection duty to me. I can fight.” Skye saw the looks on her family and friends faces and didn’t understand. They were obviously concerned, but did they have no faith in her at all?
“They are coming for you. Not us. You are the target. It only makes sense to put the, well basically, bait in the middle. We will know where they are planning to attack.” Buck answered. Skye gave a short nod of understanding.
“How close are they?” Maddox asked as he put his hands on Skye’s shoulders and pulled her against him.
“Half an hour out at most. Evan’s magical detectors have already set off a few alarms, so it won’t be long.” Buck said glancing down to Skye.
“Ready?” Kel asked.
“As much as I’ll ever be I suppose.” Skye answered immediately regretted her wording. She took a deep breath and tried again. “Let’s go kick some ass.” That earned her a smile from Buck, Kel, as well as a few of the others. Gary and Cloud were still miserable though. Skye didn’t have to look behind her to know that Maddox’s face would resemble that of her parents.
Everyone walked outside to take their positions. Skye stood in the middle of the field as instructed. She noticed that the people immediately surrounding her were Maddox, Cloud, Gary, Prue, Evan, and Buck. She wasn’t surprised by any of them. Prue had even become close to Skye over the past weeks in the cabin. She was actually a friendly female demon and Skye was happy to have her around. Prue also always found a way to get under Buck’s skin, so that was a plus.
Kel winked at Skye before falling over to her hands and knees to begin transforming right in front of them. Skye couldn’t help but gasp at the sight. Her best friend was convulsing as her bones broke quite loudly and reformed into new ones. Skye’s eyes got even wider when she saw scales covering Kel’s newly forming body.
What in the world was she becoming? They hadn’t discussed ahead of time what Kel would be during the battle. When Kel had finally transformed completely Skye let out a giddy laugh and slapped her hand over her mouth. It was truly an inappropriate time to laugh. Skye couldn’t help it. Kel was absolutely magnificent. She was a large beautiful green dragon. Kel’s dragon eye winked at Skye and Skye could have sworn she saw a big ol’ dragon grinning at her before taking off into the sky.
“Life is NEVER boring around here.” Skye mumbled to herself.
Skye took another calming breath and waited. She focused on the power building inside of her as well as the will to survive. Skye needed to save everyone she could, even those who wanted her dead. Skye knew it was only right to try and save them. They couldn’t help but fear her.
Minutes passed quickly, more quickly than they had ever done before in her life. Then, Skye heard them. The sound of thousands of supernatural footsteps running towards the cabin. Skye’s flesh was instantly covered in goosebumps and her eyes stung from tears that wanted to fall, but she wouldn’t allow that. She would show no fear in front of those who were there to protect and fight for her.
In what seemed like a blink of an eye the cabin was surrounded by the supernatural enemies. Skye slowly glanced around at them. Elves, demons, shapeshifters, and many other creatures she wasn’t familiar with, were all standing side by side ready to attack her. Skye couldn’t help but wonder why they couldn’t unite for good instead of only when they had a common enemy.
“We want to give you a chance to end this now.” Skye announced loud enough so that all could hear her. “We do not want any bloodshed here tonight. Stop this attack and we can part ways friends. No one needs to be harmed.” Her voice had been surprisingly steady yet forceful enough to let those know she was serious.
“You’re an abomination!” one of the demons shouted out to her
.
“No. I am one of you. I am part of most of you. I have shared bloodlines, yes, but I am not evil. I am not going to destroy your lives or the way you live them. Leave now and you will never have to see me again. My family and I,” Skye said gesturing to everyone with her, “we will leave you be. We will forget this because we understand you are scared. This is the only chance you will get.”
Silence followed Skye’s speech. After a moment a few began muttering to each other and whispering. Skye saw a sudden movement. She gripped her blade and was surprised to see that the movement was hundreds of supernaturals leaving. Skye wanted to smile, but knew she had to keep her calm facade up. Several hundred were still surrounding them looking as if they had no intention of leaving.
“Please. Let there be peace between us.” Skye tried once more.
“There is no peace.” Someone in the crowd spat the words at her.
With a loud roar from the crowd, it began. Rushing forward, the attackers did what everyone expected of them and ran straight towards where Skye was standing. Before any of them could get close enough to do anything hundreds of demons ran out of the woods behind them and attacked. Luke and his demon soldiers had surprised them from behind. By the looks on their faces, none of them had expected Luke and his army to be there to defend Skye.
More of the attacking army tried to retreat once they saw that they were up against Luke. Instead, they were cornered by his demons and were unable to get away. Luke and his warriors slashed the attackers quickly with their swords. There were severed body parts all over the ground. Skye thought she was going to vomit. This was not the time for weakness. More supernaturals advanced towards her and the inner circle that was defending her.
A werewolf ran towards Evan with hunger and hatred seething from his eyes. Evan didn’t move. Skye was about to scream his name when she saw Evan raise his hands towards the werewolf as it got closer to him. With a flick of Evan’s wrist sparks of fire left his hands setting the beast ablaze. Within seconds the beast had disintegrated into ash in front of his feet.
Shattered Skye (The Skye Chronicles Book 3) Page 14
