For the first time in his life, Ellis had seen real power. Even his mother, the Oracle, had never put on such a display. And he felt sorry for any fool ready to go up against this monster.
()()()
Atlanta, Georgia
The shaman stepped away from the window, turning to look at Arthur, who had just come into the room. She let the smoke escape her lips as she put the cigarette in her mouth. Clasping her hands behind her back, she shuffled to her chair but did not sit down.
"You requested to see me," Arthur finally said, looking at her like he didn't have the time for her. He was proud of himself. Proud of his accomplishments. Good for him.
"I see you are doing well. I just want to congratulate you."
She summoned me for this?
His thoughts made her smile as she continued, "Granger and Moon are both scrambling to reinforce their positions in the Structure, so I suggest you and the rest of your allies hurry before they retaliate. As for Mary Alexander, she is not a threat."
"I know," Arthur answered arrogantly. So predictable. She had hoped he would be different. But that changed nothing.
"Then my words are wasted. Since you have no more need of me, I request that you let me go."
"There is nothing more you will give me?" Arthur narrowed his eyes, taking in slow, methodical breaths. He had no intention of letting her go. But it didn't matter.
"What would you like to know?" She saw the question coming. The seed had been planted.
"You hold the last level, the one beyond Pillar, don't you?" he asked.
"If you want to call it a level." Smoke escaped her nostrils.
"But only the Oracle can claim that level, only the Oracle can know its secrets, right?" Arthur stepped forward, intrigued. He believed that she would reveal something. Funny man.
"What is your question?"
"You know it." Arthur cocked his eye, tilting his head to look at her sarcastically.
"Ask it."
"There was a time when we all could achieve this power. And you know how."
She took the cigarette out of her mouth; holding it in her fingertips, she watched it disintegrate. Arthur's eyes widened. Smoke continued to rise from her fingers, slowly filling the room. She opened her lips, letting the smoke escape slowly into a fine black mist.
"Are you ready to open Pandora's box, Arthur?" She watched as he stepped back. "I didn't think so." She began writing in the air with her finger, forming letters with the black smoke, then words and sentences for him to read.
Power Is Like Smoke: If You Breathe Too Much, Soon It Becomes Hard To Breathe.
And as soon as he read the words, the smoke dispersed. The room cleared, and she looked at the frightened man, who was beaming with knowledge. She was more useful to him than he could imagine. "Once you realize that there are no levels, no restraints, and no barriers, then you realize that last level never existed. And always was." She watched as his mind tried to understand what she was saying. But like always, he never did. "Yes, Arthur I could teach you. I could reveal the secret to you, but it would not help. Because your mind is limited. Good night." She walked past her chair to her bed. Pulling back her sheets to lie down, she paused. The shadow was back.
Bea, I've come for my sight. She could feel his persistence. He would not leave silently this time.
I know. She released her hold on his power, on all their power. The bonds of destiny were already intertwined. Fate could not be denied by anyone this time, not even her. She lay down, pulling the covers over her head, smiling devilishly as they all began to realize, all began to see--death was imminent.
Then came the outrage of pure anger and disbelief. Where is my daughter, Bethea? Where is Ollie?
()()()
Epilogue
Ollie's awakening was abrupt. She inhaled hard as if she was taking breath for the first time. She was dying. Her body was heavier than she remembered, and every part of her screamed like she was being burned alive. Had she died and gone to hell?
The pain slowly stilled, and a new sensation followed.
What felt warm and comforting in her sleep was now cold, harsh, and very unfriendly. Images came to her mind. They were foggy and unclear as she fought to remember something, anything. A tormenting rush passed through her. Her mind jolted, and pain brought vivid memories into focus. Ollie grabbed her head in shear agony, rubbing her temples to ease it even a little. She remembered her confrontation with Demon's Wrath, and she shot up from the bed and opened her eyes. But she saw nothing. Blackness greeted her as she blinked, trying to focus. Maybe the lights were out and it was pitch-black where she was.
Controlling her breathing as her heartbeat picked up, she waved her hand in front of her face, hoping to catch something in the absence of light, but nothing. This was no time to panic. She slowed her breathing, fighting back anxiety. What if the lights weren't out? Could she be blind? And where the hell was she?
"Hello?" she croaked. Her throat was dry and thick, as if she had something in it.
Feeling around on the hard surface where she had slept, she found it was covered in a thin material. She could tell by the cold coming through the cloth that it was either a metal platform or ice.
Clearing her throat, she yelled again. "Hey!" She clutched the thin sheet covering her. It was the only thing between her naked body and the open air; she didn't need to see to know that. Wrapping the sheet around her as best she could, holding it with one hand, she felt with the other hand to find the edge of the platform. Once she found it, she moved her legs to the edge, one at a time. As long as her legs were, her feet dangled. She began to wonder how far the floor was. Holding her breath, she moved one leg farther down until her foot felt the sting of the cold floor. "It couldn't have hurt you to put carpet in this cold bastard," she said, hoping that someone watching was getting their jollies from this.
Placing her feet on the ground, she slowly stood up, feeling awkward and stiff. On wobbly legs, she tried to find balance. Fatigue hit her. She leaned back against the platform to catch her breath, only to slide on the edge of it. Ollie grabbed for the air as she tried not to fall, but she ended up on her ass. Taking a deep breath, she just sat, wanting to see. Damn it.
"Will someone please," she said very calmly, "please have the courtesy to tell me where the hell I am?" She closed her eyes, realizing that having them open did her no good. Taking a deep breath, she began to crawl until she found a wall. Using her hands, she felt along the wall, trying to find a door, a window, or something that would let her know what was going on. The wall was smooth and dry. She could only imagine that the room was like an examination room, especially after finding what she believed to be a table that had some kind of cold metal tools sitting on top. Among them, she found something sharp and took hold of it, just in case she needed to kill something.
Continuing her pursuit, Ollie felt a small amount of warm air in the cold room. It was on one side of her, and she seemed to be getting closer to the source. Feeling uncomfortable, she clutched the sheet she had around her and stopped. Pushing back her fear, she continued.
Slowly she reached out to the source of the warmth and felt something soft, smooth. Were those hairs? Ollie jerked back as a cruel laughter filled the room. Hell, she wasn't alone.
"Did you enjoy the show, you sadistic asshole?" She cringed tightening her grip on the sharp object she had found. In her weakest state, he seemed to lurk not once, but twice.
"Sharp as ever." The demon's smooth voice made her skin crawl. She needed a bath just from hearing it. Remembering his hands on her … She was going to kill him.
"Where am I?" She backed up, feeling him looming.
"Aren't you going to ask why you can't see?"
Ollie cursed. So she was blind. She felt him caress her cheek as she stabbed out at him, but she got nothing. The sharp object was slipped from her hand, and he laughed.
"I see your fight has returned. Goodie."
"What did you do to me?" she snappe
d.
"I had the pleasure of killing you and watching you die." His voice was right in her ear. She jerked her head from him, only to hit it against the wall. As the pain throbbed, he laughed harder. "This is too fun."
"I'll kill you." She wanted to rip out his throat. He had deliberately pushed her over the edge and killed her. Now he was tormenting her.
"You'll try." His hands grasped her arms, picking her up and slamming her against the wall.
"Let me go!" she shouted.
"Why? You belong to me now, to do with as I wish." He chuckled as she struggled, kicking out her stiff legs. Had she really died? "If you calm down, I might humor you and tell you about your funeral."
Ollie stilled. "My what?" Ollie didn't remember dying like she had the first time. But then she recalled that warmth and familiar comfort. She remembered the soft glow of … Oh, no, no, no.
"How long …?" She couldn't finish the sentence. It was too real.
"You were dead for four days." His face was so close now that she could feel his breath on her nose. She turned her head to the side. Four days? The last time she had died, it had only been half a day. How did she … why was she alive?
And what about … "My family?"
"They'll be fine. It takes a while for people to cope with death."
"Shit! You lousy muthafucker, let me go!" They needed to know she was okay. They needed to know …
"No. You belong to me." He spoke in her ear, and his grip on her skin tightened. "Who do you think dug your sorry ass up? And as far as your family is concerned, they're safe as long as they know you're dead." He said it so plainly that she knew it to be true. He was right. They were in danger because of her in the first place. This was for the best. She had to keep her distance. But there was no way in hell she was going to be this bitch's toy.
"What are you going to do with me?" she asked quietly, feigning cooperation.
He was silent for a long time before letting her go. "I'm going to make you perfect. When I get through with you, you'll be so obedient that all I'll need to do is pull your strings. My own weapon of death," he said.
A puppet?
Ollie slid down to the floor, knowing she could do nothing without her strength, her powers, and her vision, for starters. That only meant that it would be a long road ahead of her to get stronger. Strong she was good at. And strong was what she needed to kill that bastard and get out of this hell, blind or not. She knew what it took to placate the enemy and allow them to feel comfortable. And when she got her opening, she would strike. Moon was right to call her the number one internal threat, because when the time came, she was going to bring this son of a bitch to his knees and cut his head off, execution-style. And if there was anyone else who wanted to play with her, they could bring it the hell on, because she was no one's puppet. Oh, yeah. This is personal.
)()(
Glossary Excerpt from
Fundamentals of Structure History & Modern Ideology,
Vol. 1, Tenth Edition
Blade: The House that embodies physical energy. Noted for its military prowess and top-notch warriors, its seal appears as multiple interlocking blades. Estimated population: one million.
Breath: The House that embodies life energy. Noted for its healers, its seal appears as rising smoke. Estimated population: less than one million.
Code of Silence: The first law passed by the Structure. The law requires all those possessing the seal to live silently among normal humans without revealing their civilization, to protect humans as well as the Structure.
Connectivity: The belief that all things are connected; the cornerstone of enlightenment. Also known as a power that the Oracle possesses that allows him or her to connect to every individual in the Structure.
Energy seal: A genetic damper created to limit energy usage. The seal creates a tattoo-like mark on the skin that identifies each House and warns others of specific levels; the less the seal dampens energy, the more it spreads across the skin. Seals can only occur genetically. They usually start to form on the arm, chest, or back. (Also seal.)
Enforcers: Soldiers of the Structure, mostly belonging to House of Blade. The ranks, in descending order, are elite enforcer, stealth enforcer, chief enforcer, and enforcer.
Enlightenment: A process that requires the slow stripping away of limited perspective. The process involves understanding the balance between all things and how everything is connected. Key components include an open-minded approach and wide-eyed wonder. Enlightenment is required to harness more energy for manipulation.
First offense: The crime of high treason in which one or more individuals tries to kill the Oracle or tries to destroy the Structure. This crime is punishable by death.
Flame: The House that embodies emotional energy. Noted for its empaths, its seal appears as dark flames. Estimated population: one and a half million.
Foundation: Those who have no genetic marker to produce a seal or those born with latent seals. Normal humans are considered foundation; though normal humans have the potential to harness energy, none has done so in over ten thousand years. (Also seal-less.)
Grand House: The presiding council that governs the Structure, it is made up of three high-ranking members from each House, representing their Houses. The Grand House creates rules and laws to help the Structure survive among the vast population of normal humans.
Heart: The House that embodies a balance of energy. Noted for its members' ability to have any type of power, its seal appears as heart-shaped leaves on a vine. Estimated population: one million.
Historian: A seer with the sole ability to see into the past.
House: A society classified by the type of energy that its members can manipulate. Currently there are seven established Houses: Blade, Breath, Flame, Heart, River, Stone, and Sun. Houses were once known as schools that specialized in specific types of energy.
Level One: The first level of enlightenment, in which the seal covers a small portion of the body no more than several inches wide. A Level One person can have limited power with limited energy. About three-fourths of the Structure population is at Level One. This beginning seal is called a birthmark.
Level Two: The second level of enlightenment, in which the seal covers up to one-fourth of the body. Level Two allows more energy usage, and the powers are more potent than at Level One. The energy sustains the wielder, adding two hundred years of life. About one-eighth of the Structure population is at Level Two.
Level Three: The third level of enlightenment, in which the seal covers more than one-fourth of the body but no more than half. Level Three allows a steady flow of energy and up to ten meter (approximately ten yards) radius for many powers. The energy sustains the wielder, adding five hundred years of life. Warning: it is recommended that children wait until maturity to achieve Level Three, unless they want to extend their childhoods. Thought a rare accomplishment, about less than one-sixteenth of the Structure population is at Level Three.
Level Four: The fourth level of enlightenment, in which the seal covers more than half of the body but does not completely cover the body. This occurrence is extremely rare and is barely recorded. Level Fours have an almost limitless supply of energy and a wide radius to use powers, up to approximately 1.5 kilometers (approximately one mile). Their powers evolve; some Level Fours develop multiple powers or the original powers become extremely potent. Energy sustains the wielder, adding a thousand years or more of life. The energy automatically heals injuries and cures illnesses. With a conscious effort, the wielder can use his or her own energy to shield him- or herself.
Living death: The ancient barbaric practice of stripping a person of his or her ability to manipulate energy. This practice leaves a person catatonic and unable to function normally, ultimately leading to his or her death. Once used as capital punishment by the Uni'ki.
Moon: A House believed to be extinct or on the verge of extinction.
Mouth: The Oracle's ambassador. This person advises the Grand House
on the Oracle's behalf and presides over Grand House meetings.
Oracle: The leader of the Structure. The most powerful person in the Structure, the Oracle does not directly rule the Structure but is considered its guide. Only in cases where the Structure or Grand House gets out of order does the Oracle step in.
Pillar: The last level of enlightenment, in which the seal covers the body completely. This level allows a limitless supply of energy, with which the wielder is not required to eat or sleep for days at a time. This level is so rare that it is almost nonexistent; only one Pillar has been recorded since the Structure's beginning. Pillars have a wide range of powers and abilities that can affect several kilometers (fifteen kilometers being the highest documented). Many abilities can cross over energy classes. Though it is not certain, a Pillar has been said to live for thousands of years because of the level of energy, which protects the wielder like a shield, automatically making Pillars almost invincible.
Prophet: A seer with the sole ability to see into the future.
Children of Sun (Oracle's Legacy) Page 37
