“What happened?” I barked.
Calvin kept his eyes on Charlotte’s face. “She walked into the river.”
“What? How did she walk into a river?”
“She was sleepwalking. I do not know what happened.” Calvin stepped toward me. “I woke up quickly, and Henry was on watch, but he was patrolling the area around our camp, and he didn’t grab her fast enough.”
The agonized look on his face forced me to calm down. He had tried his best to take care of her.
She opened her eyes. “I’m fine.”
I let out a sigh of relief but then wondered if she’d been awake the whole time. “Were you trying to torture me?”
“You can put me down. I just need to find dry clothes.”
I set her down. “Sleepwalking? When did you start sleepwalking?”
“I think this is the first time.” She wrapped the blanket tighter around her.
Mom walked out of the cave. “Charlotte?” They hugged. “Why are you all wet? What happened?”
I touched the damp spot on my shirt from Charlotte’s hair. “Apparently, Charlotte sleepwalks now.”
“What?” Mom released Charlotte from the hug. “Did you open up your mind?”
Charlotte shook her head. “No. I just remember falling asleep and then Calvin shaking me awake.”
Mom sighed. “I don’t know for sure, but I would assume it was Blake.”
“What trying to get her to drown herself?” I asked.
Mom nodded. “His abilities are more powerful than any of us understand.”
“Mom?” Charlotte said. “Can we find me clothes? I’m freezing.”
I grinned at her. Charlotte knew what she was doing. Mom needed an excuse to do what she did best—mother.
Mom put an arm around Charlotte. “Let’s see what we can find.”
***
We weren’t a big group. There were only seven of us. I was with Henry, Liam, Calvin, Theodore, Lawson, and Charlotte. Samantha and another group that included Mom hung back with the dragons. The third and largest group of the Resistance was supposed to be moving in quietly right behind us. Even though I’d rather have had Samantha with us, it was the smart move. Besides, those dragons would protect her far better than I could.
“Do you think you’ll be able to get me to the cathedral?” Charlotte asked again. She seemed so calm and collected, but she wanted to run through the plan a million times.
“Yes. We’ll cover you. I have no idea what’s waiting for us inside, but the number one goal is to get you inside the cathedral.”
She nodded. “Just tell me when to create the distraction.”
We had decided to enter on the west side of Bellgard. From what we could tell, that side was guarded almost entirely by the undead. Zombies were scary, but at least we knew their weakness.
“How many do you think there are?” Henry asked. His eyes were fixed on the dark sky. It looked like a storm was brewing. I had a feeling it wasn’t just a rainstorm.
“Expect thousands.” Theodore stood beside me. I still didn’t know that uncle well, and I couldn’t tell what was going through his head.
“Let’s do this.” Liam gritted his teeth. I knew he wasn’t planning to leave Charlotte’s side for a second. I was glad.
The forest cover crept up close to the outer wall, providing us with coverage from discovery. Theodore and I scaled the wall first. I jumped down on the surprised humans that were guarding. Evidently, it wasn’t just the undead. I took out the humans first, knocking them out with the hilt of my sword rather than killing them. I saw the rows of undead moving toward us, and my stomach dropped. “Charlotte, it’s show time.”
Within seconds, the entire area was covered in a thick haze. The zombies rushed back and forth like chickens without their heads.
“All right, everyone. Move!” I yelled, assuming my voice would carry back over the wall.
Calvin and Liam climbed the wall with Charlotte, and Henry and Lawson followed behind them. The zombies were confused, but that didn’t stop them from coming near us.
One moved to grab me, and I cut off its head. The head rolled across the ground with dark blood oozing out of it. Charlotte gasped. I couldn’t blame her. It was a disgusting sight.
We made our way through the city. I knew that it was only a matter of time before the real army showed up, but if we had any luck on our side, Charlotte and her Guardians—minus me—would already be in the cathedral by that point.
I killed, or rather re-killed, a half-dozen zombies on our way over to the large stone building. I didn’t relax for a second. I knew that as soon as I put my guard down, we’d be attacked again.
“Duck!” Lawson called.
I immediately bent over and watched a zombie head roll past me. Without the warning, it might have been my head rolling instead. We reached the cathedral and closed the door behind us. Theodore and Lawson stood guard at the door so I could talk to Charlotte.
“How long do you need?” I hoped Charlotte finally had an answer. The Onyx was burning a hole in my pocket, and I just wanted the whole mess over with.
“I don’t know. I don’t exactly have anything to compare it to.”
“We will knock when we are ready. If we run out of time, you knock.” Calvin always explained things so simply.
I hugged Charlotte, well aware that I was probably getting zombie guts on her. She didn’t seem to care. She was a far cry from the girl she had been a year before.
As soon as the doors closed behind us, I heard them barring it. We’d left Charlotte, Liam, Henry, and Calvin inside. I also heard shouts and knew a whole new wave of Blake’s men, zombies and otherwise, were on the way. I hoped Samantha and the rest of them got to Bellgard on time.
Theodore, Lawson, and I jumped up on the wall to get the lay of the land. What we saw wasn’t pretty. The streets were littered with zombies and men, and Charlotte’s haze was dissipating. I knew it wasn’t her doing. Blake had the power to stop it.
I looked into the darkness outside the city and saw nothing, not even the smallest sign of the dragons. Either they were doing a terrific job hiding, or we were in big trouble.
Lawson walked along the wall, and I followed until we were back around the other side of the cathedral. We got there just as Mom jumped up on the wall.
Mom patted my shoulder. “Good job, Kevin. Now it’s my turn.”
“What do we need to do? Where is everyone else?”
“They’re coming, and it’s the opposite of before. We want Blake’s attention.”
“I think we already have it.” I pointed as a sea of zombies parted to let Blake pass.
Blake stopped just below us. “Emma. To what do I owe this honor?”
“As if you don’t know.”
“I see you have adopted their way of speech. What a shame.”
“Why are you doing this? Haven’t you taken things too far?”
“No!”
Mom grabbed a hold of my arm. I wasn’t sure if she was doing it to protect me, or to anchor herself. “What happened to you? When did everything change?”
She was doing a great job of stalling him. I had no idea how much time Charlotte needed, but this was buying us some time. As long as his attention was on Mom, he probably wasn’t messing with Charlotte’s head.
“You made your decision, and I made mine.”
“Why is everything so black and white for you? Isn’t there a middle ground?”
“Middle ground? You chose to turn your back on me. Worse, you took up with a man of their kind, and gave birth to a half-breed Essence.”
“Half-breed? You son of a bitch.” I itched to punch him.
Blake laughed. “Sorry, my mistake. You gave birth to two half-breeds. How can I just sit back and watch them destroy our world?”
Mom stared him down. “Destroy our world? The only one doing that is you.”
“Stop stalling, Emma. You have lost. It is time to face the music.” Without turning around, Blak
e directed his men. “Attack!”
I pushed Mom’s arm to get her attention as several arrows flew toward us. I hoped she’d understand she needed to duck. She did, but she also lost her balance. Instead of falling, she was caught by my father, who must have scaled the wall while we talked to Blake.
Another volley of arrows headed toward us, and we jumped off the wall. I unsheathed my sword again, ready for more of Blake’s undead army. I went to cut off another head, but someone beat me to it.
Monty grinned.
“Where did you come from?” I asked, still shocked to see Monty and Dad.
“No time!” Monty yelled before cutting off a zombie’s head.
Chapter Twenty
Charlotte
“I need to be in the water.” That much was obvious as soon as I walked into the cathedral. My connection to the Source was always strongest when I was directly touching water. I might have been connected to all of the natural elements, but water gave me the most direct route. Water also gave me the most power.
“Like submerged?” Liam seemed apprehensive.
“I think I’m supposed to walk into the waterfall, and I’m guessing the Source will take over from there.” I really wasn’t positive, but I assumed that the Source wasn’t going to let me drown while we spoke. Theoretically, the Source could also give me the temporary ability to breathe underwater, but hopefully, the Source realized my Guard wasn’t going to be okay with that.
Calvin pulled me into his arms. “I know you believe you need to do this, and I do not doubt you. But please be careful.”
“I will.” I moved into the flowing water. The last time I’d stepped in the river, I’d found out Calvin was my Gerard.
I took a few more steps directly into the spray of the waterfall. At first, the pressure from the water made it hard to stand up straight, but then warmth cocooned me while I experienced a prickly sensation in my arms and legs. Strangely, I wasn’t scared. I closed my eyes, and I was no longer aware of the water pouring down on me.
Charlotte. My name came out silkily, in my head and outside of my head all at once. It was as if my entire body was covered in the sound. I could feel every vibration.
Are you the Source? My words sounded as if I was shouting, but I was pretty sure I didn’t say anything out loud.
What do you believe?
I don’t know. How was that for honesty?
It laughed. I say it, because despite the volume, I couldn’t tell if it was male or female. You are unique among Essences.
Is that good or bad?
Both. Your unique position was the only way. Your uniqueness is what will save society.
Because that isn’t a heavy burden.
Did you believe being an Essence would be easy?
I didn’t choose to be one. I didn’t even know what one was until a little over a year ago.
Would you have it any other way?
My head felt cold, and then suddenly every significant moment since stepping through the gate played in my mind like a movie:
The first moment in the garden, meeting Calvin, our first kiss, Bellgard, my introduction to the Guard, our ceremony, the heart wrenching agony of leaving, getting Mom back, Liam becoming a Guardian, my kiss with Liam, and more Calvin. Lots of Calvin, including two recent memories I should have been embarrassed to be sharing. I wasn’t because I knew with unwavering certainty that the Source already knew. It knew everything.
The cold dissipated.
You visited the scroll. You know the words.
Yes. I know what to do.
Do you? Do you truly understand?
Are you purposely trying to confuse me?
No. Remember that nothing is as simple as it looks.
What looks simple? Nothing in my life is simple anymore.
What does love mean to you?
Love?
What comes to your head when I say that?
Two names.
Which one first?
What does it matter? They come together, in one rushed line.
You are angry?
Yes. I couldn’t lie. You gave me so much—too much. It only makes it hurt more.
Hurt is not always a bad thing.
It isn’t?
How can you know true happiness if you do not know pain and agony?
I shuddered. Isn’t there a middle ground? Like happiness and only some agony?
You really are unique, Charlotte.
What do I need to know? How do I do this?
You need to find the Source.
You are the Source.
I am the voice of the Source.
I’m so confused.
You will find the answer. At the Source, the sacrifice must be made at the exact moment when the Onyx is placed in the water with the darkness.
Oh, yeah. That clears everything up.
Find the Source and find your strength. Energo needs you.
Huh? That doesn’t help either.
Nothing. No response at all. It felt cold again, but worse than before. Then in a flash, I was filled with all sorts of information. It hurt, as if someone were jabbing me with something sharp. My head throbbed, and I couldn’t make sense of anything. Then, as quickly as it started, the pain disappeared.
Hello? I asked.
No answer.
Chapter Twenty-One
Liam
Charlotte stood in the pounding water of the waterfall. The steady flow had sped up as soon as she stepped under it. What should have been strong enough to knock her over somehow didn’t seem to affect her. Her long brown hair lay wet down her back, and for a second, I had a flashback to the not-so-peaceful body I’d seen in Ruth’s town. That memory made me want to scoop up Charlotte and hold her. I couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to her—I wouldn’t let it.
“She is very important to you.” Calvin’s comment surprised me.
I tore my eyes away from Charlotte. “Of course she is.”
“You love her.” It was a statement and not a question.
“Yes. I have for a long time.”
“Would you do anything for her? Take care of her no matter what?”
“Of course I would.”
“She is going to need you. I can only do what must be done if I know you will be there.”
“What must be done? What are you talking about?” I glanced back at Charlotte before returning my gaze to Calvin.
“I am going to do something that will look rash, but know that if I did not do it, she would be the one.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
“It does not matter. When the time comes, I need to know you will do everything it takes to protect her.” He put a hand on my shoulder. “You will know when that time is.”
I nodded. “I would give anything for her, even my life.”
He let out a deep breath and dropped his hand. “That is why you belong on her Guard.” He walked around me and closer to Charlotte. He reached out a hand and then stopped. He obviously wanted the same thing I did—to hold her, to make sure she was okay.
If things were different, I might have actually liked Calvin. He was genuine and dedicated to what he believed in. He was the kind of person you wanted on your side. But he was what kept Charlotte from me. I had to be with her. I never imagined I’d fall in love like that, but once I had, there was no turning back.
“How much time do we have?” I kept expecting the door to burst open. Things were almost too quiet.
“I do not know. I hope Charlotte returns in time.” Calvin kneeled next to the water as though he was ready to jump in. “I am afraid of what will happen if we try to force her back before she is ready.”
“Return? Like she’s really not here anymore?”
“I would expect it is an out-of-body experience. The Source does not communicate or truly exist on our plane.”
I eyed him skeptically. “This sounds way too much like The Matrix.”
Henry laughed. “I watched
that movie. Interesting concept.”
Calvin stood up. “Sometimes I forget you spent so much time in the lost world.”
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