by Tiffany King
"I can?" I asked in disbelief.
"Krista, The Light has just been waiting for you to embrace your new role in this earthly realm. Your acceptance to whom and what you are was something you had to handle on your own. The Light knew if he allowed you to join the battle before you acknowledged who you are, the repercussions would have been disastrous."
"Why?" I asked.
"The Light believes that Victor would use your love for Mark against you if you went in there denying what you truly are."
"Haniel, if Mark wouldn't have gone with his father, would I have still changed into what I am now?"
"Not in the sense you are asking. You were special, even as a Guide, and your powers exceeded the others, but you would have remained a Guide if Mark hadn't left you," he said, sidestepping what I was truly asking.
"What I mean is, did The Light make Mark leave me so I could ascend?" I asked.
"Krista, The Light does not make individuals do anything. Remember when we discussed freewill?"
I nodded my head.
"Your freewill gives you the power to choose your destiny. Some things were written centuries ago. I cannot truthfully tell you if this was your destiny all along. I have not sought out the answer from The Light. I do not think knowing the truth will help you. You ascended because you survived where others have not. Always remember, you are not being punished, ascending is the greatest gift The Light could bestow on any soul."
I pondered his words for a few minutes. For years, Mark's presence in my dreams had given me peace and a sense of rightfulness. When those dreams turned to reality, my feelings increased tenfold. My heartbreak over losing him was crippling, but I wouldn't trade the moments I had with him for anything.
"So, this may have been our destiny all along?"
He nodded his head.
"Okay," I said, climbing off the boulder. "I still want to save him even if he no longer belongs to me. Not to mention the missing Links, taken from our band so long ago," I added.
Haniel nodded his head and together we worked out a strategy for the upcoming night. An hour later, we had a solid plan in place.
"We should convene with the others so we can help them prepare," Haniel finally said after we had exhausted every detail possible.
"Sounds good," I agreed as I brushed the debris off my bottom from my makeshift seat.
Haniel and I arrived back at the campsite and saw that the guys had been busy taking all the tents down and packing our gear. They had taken the oversized tarp that our tents had sat on and strung it over the fire pit, creating a shelter for all of us. I looked up at the sky and noticed it had become even more ominous while Haniel and I had been chatting.
"Everything okay Krista?" Lynn asked as I joined her and the others under our temporary shelter.
"Yeah, Haniel and I were just ironing out the details for tonight. He has agreed to let me come with you guys."
"What?" Shawn asked, shifting into his big brother role. "I thought we all agreed it would be too dangerous for her to join us," he said, drilling Haniel with a glare as if I wasn't there.
"Hey, I'm standing right here, Shawn. You can direct your questions to me," I said, using a voice of authority that suddenly seemed second nature to me.
I could tell by the shifting and sudden change in the emotions around me that my friends could clearly see a difference in me. By accepting the role as an Ascended, I had left the status of Guide behind and changed my Heavenly ranking. I could feel the difference and knew without a shadow of a doubt I had been created to lead the individuals in front of me.
"Okay then, so what's the new plan?" Shawn asked with all traces of anger gone.
I glanced at Haniel. He nodded his head, giving me his approval to continue my new leadership role.
"We'll proceed as originally planned with one exception. Now we'll split off into two groups. Jaime, Paul, Jenna, Keith, Lynn and Robert will go with Haniel. The rest of you will be with me. Haniel and I believe that the majority of the Daemons will be protecting the two Links Victor has kept hostage. Our plan is simple enough. Get in, grab them, and get out. Haniel says the Daemons Victor is using this time are the real deal. They'll no longer be using humans as hosts, so they may be harder to defeat."
"How do we do that?" Robert interrupted. "Are they like ghosts or something?"
I turned to Haniel so he could answer Robert's question.
"No, they will have substance to them; however, they will not resemble anything you have ever seen before. Their outward appearance to an angel is appalling and grotesque. They come in all shapes and sizes, just as humans, but that is their only similarity. Daemons will use any means necessary to bring you down, they will try to gauge out your eyes, bite through your flesh and use their claws to rip through your skin. They will sneak up on you and attack when you least expect it. Your Guides will use their skills to pinpoint the Daemon's locations for you; however, this is far more difficult when there are multiple Daemons in the vicinity."
The panicked looks on my friends' faces was evident as they digested Haniel's somber words.
"That's why we're splitting up," I said, trying to reassure them. "My powers will help deflect the worst of the attack towards my group, same goes for those of you that will be going with Haniel. The difference will be that your group will 'destroy and conquer,' while mine will be on more of a 'rescue mission.'
"How come Victor doesn't need to use human hosts anymore to carry out his dirty deeds?" John asked, standing behind Kieran with his hands on her shoulders.
"The Light believes that Victor has offered The Dark One something he deeply desires?"
"And what is that?" Sam asked.
"A part of a broken link," Haniel said quietly.
I kept my face impassive as all of my friends looked at me horrified. "Yes, they believe Mark has also Ascended or I guess you could call it Descended," I said, looking at Haniel for confirmation.
He nodded his head in agreement.
"So, you think Victor has promised Mark to The Dark One? Why doesn't he just create his own Descended spawn?" Sam asked, clearly disgusted.
"Even The Dark One does not have such abilities. The Protector-Guide link, and subsequent Ascension for some, is an ancestral inheritance from one generation of Links to the next, not something that The Dark One can emulate. Control of a Descended soul would be a valuable treasure," Haniel explained.
"Why doesn't he just use Victor?" Kim asked in her usual soft voice.
"Victor has his own agenda which is a possible explanation as to why he did not have complete support from The Dark One when he originally kidnapped Krista and Mark. The Dark One demands complete loyalty, without freewill. Had Victor already offered himself as a Descended to the The Dark One, Krista would not be standing here today."
"I wonder why Victor would do that," Sam mused.
"Do you not know the answer?" Haniel asked looking at her intensely.
"Because Victor wants to be his own boss," I answered. "He doesn't want to have to answer to anyone, not The Light or The Dark One. He is selfish and offered up his own flesh and blood so he could continue to prosper."
"Krista is correct," Haniel said.
"So, while Krista is leading us in to rescue our missing Links, you will be destroying Victor and his Descended?" Shawn asked, carefully skirting around using Mark's name.
"That would be correct." Haniel said without hesitation.
Sam came over to stand next to me. She placed her arm around my shoulder, offering moral support at Haniel's words.
"I'm okay," I said. I hope he can be saved, even if we aren't Links anymore.
"What?" Robert asked, clearly confused.
"Our Link was broken the moment Mark sealed his soul from mine," I said looking at Haniel for confirmation.
Once again being of little words, he merely nodded his head.
"So, all hope is lost?" Sam asked as her shoulders slumped.
"One can always hope, Sam. That is the
privilege that all those in the earthly realm are given. Hope is a powerful emotion that should never be given up on," Haniel affirmed.
"Well, I don't believe it," Sam replied stubbornly.
"Sam, even if Mark isn't a Descended, our Link is gone. We no longer belong to each other."
Sam's eyes filled with tears at my words, but I kept the wall I had erected around my heart firmly in place. "It's fine guys. I've accepted my responsibilities as an Ascended and that's what matters now. It's my job to get us in there and rescue who we can," I said, addressing the group as one.
My words seemed to open the flood gates and for the next hour we discussed strategies. I could tell my Band still wasn't overly crazy about my part in the whole mission, but I stoically ignored their exchanged looks of concern.
By lunchtime we were famished, but at least we had a solid plan in place. Kieran and Jenna made a mountain of sandwiches out of the last of the bread and supplies. I loaded up my plate with chips and one of the thick sandwiches, before I settled on one of the logs. I balanced the plate on my knees just as the first snowflakes began to fall.
Glancing up at the sky beyond our protective tent, I could see that the heavy clouds had moved in over us and were rapidly dropping oversized snowflakes. The temperature drop from the night before made it so that flakes began to stack up on each other instead of melting, blanketing the area around us. I couldn't help wondering whether this was a gift from The Light or a curse from The Dark One. I could see the perks of leading our attacks that night when Victor might have his defenses down, although a frozen snow covered mountain would prove difficult for escape if the battle took a turn for the worse.
The conversations around me dwindled down as we finished our lunches, keeping our eyes on the snow that continued to fall. Each flake was roughly the size of a cotton ball making it tough to see much beyond our temporary shelter. The others did not voice their concern, but I could feel their mixed emotions rolling through the camp. Taking my new role to heart, I tampered their mixed emotions back easily and filtered them instead with courage and peace. The task was as easy as breathing to me and it felt second nature to do it.
I had discovered the night before that it was almost painful to be surrounded by conflicting emotions. Unanswered questions swirled around in my head. Did Haniel feel the same pain I did from negative emotions? If so, does that mean I'm now more a part of the Heavenly Realm than the Earthly one? What would all of it mean when the night came to a close?
Chapter 10
The afternoon slowly drifted into the evening. As the clouds finally parted, the moon and stars shone brightly down on the snow that was more than a foot deep. The snow made the night lighter than it normally would have been from the whiteness that surrounded us.
Haniel arrived as we were making our final preparations. He glanced at me appraisingly, obviously getting a feel for how I was feeling about the situation I would soon be facing. It amazed me how well I could read him now. I would have called it an out-of-body experience, but truthfully, I had never felt more in control of myself than I did at that moment. My heart still ached painfully for the love I had lost, but other things seemed bent on crowding that ache away. My love for my friends and their safety dominated every cell in my body. I could feel it radiating through me as the time of our departure loomed ahead.
Haniel flashed me a rare proud smile as he read my thoughts.
"The time has come," he said, addressing all of us.
His words triggered a flurry of activity as the Protectors swiftly removed the tarp above our heads and wrapped it around the backpacks we had piled up near the campfire. It was decided that the only commodity we would carry were flashlights and pickaxes for protection. The rest of the supplies would only weigh us down.
Once the packs were securely covered, Robert and Lynn came over to join Sam, Shawn and me. Lynn gave Sam a quick hug. "Be careful okay. Don't go off on your own like you've been known to do."
Sam blinked back tears. "I won't, not like Shawn would let me even if I tried," she said, trying to lighten the mood as she stepped back and turned to her brother.
"Stay safe," she said, choking slightly on the words.
Robert nodded and pulled her in for a gentle hug. "We'll see you soon," he promised, using his thumb to wipe away a tear from Sam's cheek.
Sam gulped back a half sob, burying her head in Shawn's shoulder.
Lynn turned to me, giving me her usual hard penetrating stare. "We need you," she said fiercely, giving me a hard hug. "Don't forget that," she added, making her point abundantly clear.
"I know, I promise this isn't a suicide mission for me. Maybe a couple days ago it was, but all of that has changed now," I said, finally coming clean.
She gave me one more probing look that softened when she could see the resolve on my face. Turning toward Shawn, she gave him a quick hug. "Take care of my besties," she said in an uncharacteristically strangled voice.
"I will," he said solemnly, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.
Robert pulled me in for a long hug without saying a word. I could feel his turbulent emotions as he glanced at us one last time before he and Lynn joined the other group. Sam's eyes stayed locked on them as we watched the other Bands say their own goodbyes. Haniel and I had decided to split the Bands to help preserve the lineage of each group as much as we could. The chances of all of our members being completely decimated were slim, but the likely hood that all of us would survive was a pipe dream as well. Preserving even a small fraction of each Band was better than nothing.
Haniel joined my group before we headed out. "You have the power," he said, looking at me intensely.
I nodded my head. "I won't let you down."
"Follow Krista's lead. She will not lead you astray," he told my group before he departed with his own group.
We watched him and our friends trudge through the deep snow away from the campsite until they disappeared from sight. Their journey would take longer than ours since Haniel planned on taking them around the mountain to the back entrance of Victor's lair. My group's journey would be much easier with a straight path right up the mountain.
"I guess we should head out," I told everyone, stomping my feet in hopes that the movement would get a little blood flowing to help the numbness.
The Protector's led us out of the campsite and the Guides and I fell in behind them. Jaime and Sam flanked my sides while Kieran and Amelia moved to the rear of the group.
Hiking through the thick snow made talking difficult and within a few minutes we were all breathing heavy. "Sheesh, obviously super lungs isn't part of my new powers," I gasped as I tied my windbreaker jacket around my waist and pushed up the sleeves of my hoodie.
"Yeah, because being able to read minds, save people, and have an Archangel at your beck and call isn't enough," Sam teased.
Jaime laughed at her words. "Sam's got a point Krista, besides if you're so bent on wishing for new powers, I would wish for the ability to fly, that way you would already be there," she joked. Her remark made all of us girls burst out laughing.
"Perhaps breathing would be easier without so much chatter," John said, using his voice of reason.
Kieran mimed his words behind him, making us laugh even harder. It felt good to let go of the sadness we had all felt at the campsite.
Our laughter wound up winding us though, so any further talk was put on hold as John led us up the mountain at a grueling pace. Thirty minutes later, we entered a pass that was somewhat flat and allowed us to catch our breath.
"I would give my left arm to a starving zombie for a drink of water," Sam huffed as she worked to even out her breathing.
"Suck on some snow," Kieran said, scooping up a handful.
"Eww that's gross," Sam said, wrinkling her nose up in disgust. "Who knows what you might be munching on."
"Spoken like a true city girl," Paul joked. "Believe me, there have been many times that I've been hiking in Utah and have had to rehydrate with
some good old-fashioned snow. It's no different than drinking rainwater. Both come from the same sky."
"I guess," Sam said, still looking slightly disgusted at the snow in her cupped hand.
"He's right Sam, my dad and I used to eat snow all the time in Montana. You just want to stay away from yellow snow," I teased.
"That's disgusting," she said before finally popping her handful of snow into her mouth.
I giggled, getting a kick out of her expression. Suddenly, something felt wrong. There was something dark and evil close by. It felt like I was being submerged in water as my ears began to hum, sending my senses into overdrive. I scanned the perimeter of the pass with one glance, seeing nothing yet, but I knew they were there.
"Over there to the right," I pointed. "They're coming quick."
The Protectors herded the Guides together, forming a tight circle around us. My stomach twisted as I recalled a similar time we had circled up like this and had failed. I quickly readjusted so that the guys formed a line in front of us instead. "This way you have more room to maneuver," I reasoned.
"Krista, are you sure they're coming? I'm not picking anything up," Kieran asked.
"Absolutely sure, they're coming from the east," I said, pointing to the trees in front of us.
The guys tensed up at my words, waiting for the Daemons to enter the clearing.
My senses tuned into the beasts that stalked us and I could feel their bloodlust as they got closer to the pass.
Sam gasped beside me as she and the other Guides finally sensed the oncoming Daemons.
My own breathing quickened when they entered the clearing. I swept the beam of my flashlight over each of them, shocked by the grotesque figures in front of me. Haniel had been too kind in his assessment of them. To say they were horrific looking would have been putting it mildly. Their heads were covered in multiple horns that rose grossly from their heads. Outwardly, they had a red tinge that I had always associated with what a demon would look like, but as they made their way toward us, I realized the reddish tint was more of an oozing bleeding mess. It was as if all their skin had been melted or peeled off. As grotesque as they looked, it didn't come close to the stench that permeated the air around them. The only features that came halfway close to what I was expecting were their menacing glowing eyes that distorted their features even further.
