Caleb darted between trees toward the mountain bog. He passed the new well his father had recently ordered be dug. Its stone walls rose harsh and cold, an unwanted stranger in the woods. Why had his father built it? He'd said they needed it as a backup water source. It had to be a lie. Their other well was full. It had to be for a form of punishment. His father enjoyed finding new ways to punish and oppress. This had to be part of his plan. No time to think of what that plan involved now.
He moved away and headed east toward the road, a few miles away. It was the one road into the town of Benevolence—and away from it. His arms burned with the weight of Rachel. She grew cold. He had to stop soon and save her. A little further. He needed to be far enough away from the compound. He blocked his thoughts to hide his whereabouts. An icy wind cut ruthlessly across him with the promise of a harsh winter.
He forgot the bog began at the edge of the woods and plunged into wet muck. He stumbled and nearly dropped Rachel. He steadied himself and backed up to go around the marsh, when something stuck out of the mire before him. In the brown and green moss of the bog it jarred his brain. He stared at it. A pale, elegant hand. Female.
He sucked in his breath, gripped Rachel tighter—and ran back to the safety of the woods. Trees flashed by. Far enough.
He fell to his knees, hugging Rachel to his chest. Dead pine needles cushioned his fall. Deep breaths. In and out. He had to be strong for her. He unbuttoned his robe and laid it out on the forest floor, placing Rachel on it. Her blue bruises lay ugly against her pale skin. He tucked the robe around her to warm her cold flesh. He kissed her chilled cheek and pressed her hand to his face. Then he began his healing.
He moved his practiced hands over her curves. Using the incredible powers of his mind, he willed warmth and life back into her. He caressed and kneaded her sweet limbs. Please let her live. Was there really a human god out there watching over Earth who could answer his plea? Did this god watch over Elyons as well? And would he doom Caleb to a human hell?
He wanted to redeem himself either way through sparing others pain. Sweat broke out on his brow. Was she too far gone? His stomach tightened. He moved his hands faster over her. Come back, Rachel. Please. Her head lolled to one side. He stroked her hair as he worked and spoke to her.
"I do love you, Rachel. I never stopped. I wanted more, but it wasn't meant to be. I had to think of our children first." She remained cold beneath his hands.
This gift he had. Perhaps it was not enough for her. Many Elyons had healing powers but not like him. He lived as an anomaly. The others could only heal the living. Caleb discovered at an early age how to bring the dead back to life. He did not share this information. It would be used against him, especially by his father. In secret Caleb had practiced on dead animals he found, learning the time limits of death for his power to still work.
The first time he attempted it on an Elyon the fear of being caught and punished ensnared him. It would be more than whipping he received. He might not survive, and he had to survive to use his gift to help those in need.
His first save had been a man caught stealing. Adrian used him as an example to warn the community by whipping him to death. Caleb brought the man back to life in the woods. He was so amazed he had brought an actual person back to life he thought he would have a heart attack and die in the man's place. The man had shook his head and stood up on shaky legs, like a stunned animal.
Caleb shoved clothes at him that he had stashed in the woods and told him to head for the road and away from Benevolence. Find another town. Suspicion would grow if deserters kept showing up in one place. Mind control would get them only so far.
The man, awaking from his shock, had fallen to his knees and kissed Caleb's feet. Caleb pulled him up and directed him away. No thanks necessary, just his silence.
Seven more times he had done this. He imagined those Elyons out there in the world having a second chance at life. Living and loving and being embraced by humans who cared. Caleb had never failed to heal one of them until now. He bent over Rachel and pulled her to him, straining to bring her back. He rocked with her, willing his life into hers. Giving his heart to her as he once had.
She trembled beneath him. Color rushed back into her. Her bruises faded. She arched her back and gasped.
He held her to him. Her breath infused his neck with warmth.
"I just wanted to set you free," he whispered.
"Caleb," she whispered. "How did you save me?"
He pulled her up and put his robe on her. He would pay for losing it later. He had stowed his extra one nearby. "It doesn't matter. You must go. Head to the road and away from town. You must reach another town and ask for help. Before night comes. Tell no one about this. Pretend you have no memory. Find a church. Someone will help you."
She looked at him with watery eyes. "My children."
He grasped her arms. "I will watch over them. You need to go. Now."
She just stared at him. He shook her. "We'll both die if you don't."
She nodded and hung her head. Caleb lifted her hair away from her face. It shone dark gold in the sun flickering through the trees.
She pushed her hands in his robe pockets and then drew out a piece of paper. He watched her unfold it and read it. He knew it by heart, this last poem he could give her like he'd once given her his love.
She read the last two lines aloud. "Wrapped up in my heart with no place to go. Come, unwrap my heart and set me free in you." She looked up, a solitary tear rolled down her cheek. "You unwrapped my heart too, Caleb Madroc."
He pulled her close. Pine cones plunked around them. The wind blew a sweet, mournful song through bare branches. Yellow swirled down. The last dying leaves of autumn. In that moment he believed they were together, out for a walk in the woods before heading home to mate by the fire. A normal life. Somewhere else. Not here. He bent down and kissed her. At first, she didn't move and then she pressed herself into him. He stroked her hair and took her mouth as a token then he let go and pushed her off him.
"Go. Now. Be free!"
She stared at him with wild eyes and stumbled away, his poem clutched in her hand. Then she turned and ran. His cloak flowed behind her, protecting her. He watched her go. He unraveled his full heart and sent it with her. It did him no good in this place.
He wanted to leave with her, but he had to think of their sons. If he left, his father would kill them. The sun faded behind clouds. He still had work to do. He headed for the tree line to dig a fake grave. He pushed the image of the hand in the bog away. He didn't want to know why it was there—or who put it there. There was just one person who would, but he couldn't face that now.
It was time for his punishment for saving Thomas from humiliation.
His father would add to Caleb's scars.
Those scars Caleb could suffer with.
The scars of Rachel and his sons seared his heart forever.
CHAPTER 15
Charlie beat on his dad's back. His mom's wild eyes stared at him as she gasped for air.
"No!" Charlie summoned his strength and pulled his dad off, shoving him into the wall. It cracked with the force. His mom fell back into the tub. His dad turned around, anger blazing in his red face. He looked like a monster. Then he rushed at Charlie.
Charlie grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground. He choked him, enraged. He wanted his dad to die. They stared at each other in battle. His dad's arms swung at him.
"Charlie, stop!" His mom pulled herself up from the tub. He squeezed his dad's neck.
Tighter. Tighter.
His dad slumped against him. Charlie threw him down on the floor. He turned to his mom and handed her the flowered robe on the hook, averting his eyes from her nakedness.
"Charlie, what have you done?" Her voice was raspy, as she tied her belt.
"Me? Dad tried to kill you. What's wrong with him?"
His mom bent down to his dad, pushing broken glass from the mirror away.
"Mom, let'
s get out of here. Come on. We've got to call the police." Charlie tried to pull her up but she clung to his dad.
"No police. Help me, Charlie. Help me heal him. Not his fault."
"What do you mean, heal him?" Charlie shook his head. He could move things, break things…but heal? Could she?
She placed her hands on his dad's chest. He looked so pathetic sprawled on the floor. He didn't look capable of what he'd done. He had acted strange for days and now this. It was like he was hiding something. Or ashamed of something. He never knew his dad to be ashamed of anything.
Charlie bent down. His mom took his hands and moved them with hers.
"See? Touch him. Now wish with all your heart for him to be healed and wake up. Send your strength and life force to him."
Charlie pulled his hands away. What had his mom not told him about their shared abilities? Some genetic freakish thing? Jesus healed. God healed. People didn't heal. Did they?
I can't do this.
His mom pulled his hands back and looked at him with a determined expression. "Yes, you can. We can."
Oh, my God. My mom can read my thoughts, too!
She nodded. "And now we need to save your dad."
Stunned, he moved his hands with hers over his dad whose chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. His dad lived and yet he'd almost killed his mom.
Rage infused Charlie again. "Mom, if he wakes up and tries to hurt you again, I'll kill him. I will."
"He didn't mean it, Charlie."
"Like some kind of tumor pressing on his brain making him do crazy things?" Charlie had read about such things. "And he almost killed you…and the baby."
"No, he wasn't. And it's not a tumor."
Charlie said no more. Water still poured from the shower head. Steam spewed around them in a tropical hell, his hair and clothes plastered to him. He let his anger fade away and willed his dad to be strong again. He had no idea what he was doing, but he did it for his mom's sake.
"Laura? Charlie?" His dad opened his eyes. He looked up at them and then his hands. "What have I done?"
"It's okay, Ben." His mom kissed his dad's hands over and over.
"No, it's not okay," Charlie said. His chest hurt. Breathe. Breathe. "You tried to kill Mom!"
Charlie helped his mom up and pulled her back to the door. His dad slowly stood. They all dripped from their shower struggle. His mom turned off the shower. Could this be some kind of mental disease his dad had? A disease he would have someday? Fear, distrust, and anger mixed together. At his dad. At his mom.
"It's not me," his dad covered his face. "It's not me. Someone is making me do it. I'm so sorry."
His mom moved further away, clutching her robe and her stomach, her face pinched. His dad reached for her, but she stepped back.
"Laura, help me. I'll leave until the baby comes."
"Yes, you need to leave, Ben."
Charlie looked back and forth between his parents. "What is it, Mom? What's going on?"
"I've heard that before."
"What?"
"It's not me." His mom stared at him, but her eyes were somewhere else.
"It's not me," his dad repeated.
"I don't know for sure it's not you." His mom moved back another step.
"Who else could it be, Mom?" What were they talking about?
"Someone who may want me dead," his mom said. "Again."
His dad stared at her, his hands reaching for her, pleading, but she shook her head. "You need to go, Ben. I have Charlie to think of now and our baby. Just go!"
Rage flared in Charlie. His mom's words cut through him like fire. He grabbed his dad. "You heard her. Get out, Dad!" He shoved him into the bedroom and out the hall door then locked it.
"Laura? Charlie?" His dad banged on the door.
His mom moved toward his voice. Charlie pulled her back, but she shook her head at him and he let go. She placed her hands on the door and leaned into it. "Go to the motel in town. For now." A sob broke from her. "We need to be safe from you."
Silence hung heavy. Then a fist slammed into the door from the other side.
"You're wrong. I know you are. And I'll stop this, Laura. I will. Charlie, you have to believe me!"
A final bang reinforced his words. Footsteps moved away. Silence. Then a door shut. His mom leaned against the wall and cried.
Charlie hugged her. What had just happened? Would it happen again? And his mom was like him. Why hadn't she ever told him? And his brother would be dead now too if he hadn't stopped his dad. He felt life and death decisions hanging over him. He wasn't ready to deal with this and be a man yet. He was just a kid suddenly terrified of his own dad—and his own destiny.
CHAPTER 16
Adrian faced the community leaders. Some looked unhappy. Some looked worried. But Tollen's face held scorn. Caleb walked slowly into the room and stood by the fireplace. The flames shot up the chimney as if announcing his arrival. Adrian knew why he didn't sit. The pain from his whipping prevented it. He had never cried out, which had enraged Adrian even more. His son must learn not to interfere with his leadership, like letting that stuttering idiot, Thomas, off. Showing mercy only made the weak weaker, and he would be seen as weak if he could not control his son.
"Brother Adrian, we must address the deserters." Tollen frowned at him. "Their number is growing. And they are all female."
"Perhaps we need to actually catch the deserters—if you can Brother Tollen—and either lobotomize or stone them."
"It doesn't fix the problem, Brother Adrian. You can't kill or lobotomize the entire flock. You'll be erasing our purpose for breeding here. Erasing our powers, our strength, and our ability to build our world on Earth. I have looked into our future and it is changing. And not for the good."
The other community leaders nodded and began talking at once.
"You knew the rules set forth before signing on to this mission. Would you rather be back on Elyon in hiding on a dying world, persecuted for your beliefs?"
"No," Tollen said calmly. "But we can't lobotomize our entire flock and risk losing our community we've strived so long to build."
"If you follow the rules you'll have no fear of lobotomy here," Adrian said with a smile. "Besides, it's a small number who desert. You are overreacting to the situation, Brother. Even if the females reach the outside world, they are too terrified to speak about our community. And we self-destructed our ship when we arrived. There is no trace we ever came here. The humans wait for our return. They will never find us. All will be well."
He wanted to draw the subject away from the female deserters. If they knew the truth his leadership could be over. Even he had to follow rules. And Tollen could not become leader. He held him under his authority. But for how long? At times his visions of the future became hazy, lost to him. He could not lose all that was to be. He had to forge ahead to rule the world.
Caleb moved closer to the table. "And what if more than a few want to leave, Father?"
All eyes turned to Caleb.
A chill rolled through Adrian. The fire didn't kill the cold that had blown in with fall. Adrian stood up and looked down at his leaders. "Then we will deal with them. For now, we must expand the perimeter security. All who leave from now on and are caught will die by stoning. One example is not enough. This should reduce these traitorous deeds. Agreed?"
He asked for their permission, as if he needed it. He did not, but he let them think they were part of the decision-making process. Soon he would have another by his side to help him lead. One he had spent years grooming. One with powers as strong as his own. Charlie. A true Destroyer at heart, unlike Caleb. And when Adrian's new heir was born another son would ensure leadership for generations.
The leaders looked at one another and nodded.
"But Father, how can you encourage the flock to stay without death hanging over them? Your laws are too heavy for them. You don't let males and females choose one another. They don't want to be assigned anymore. They want to live li
ke humans, free. And the women want to raise their own children."
Tollen nodded. "Yes, Madroc, they want it so badly some have been caught mind bending elders to get them to do what they wanted."
"And they were whipped severely for it," Adrian said. He rose taller, angered that he was not addressed with respect. They faced one another, eyes locked. "Serves them right for disobeying the rules. Perhaps you would choose to break the rules, too. Perhaps you would let the flock do what they want without being mind bended. If so, we can arrange for the same punishment for you, Brother. Perhaps we should do it now, as a deterrent so you won't be tempted to break the rules. Caleb can escort you to the whipping shack and we can all have a good show. Yes?"
Tollen's jaw twitched and his nostrils flared. Then he let out a big breath and looked down. "No, Brother. I would never disobey the rules."
"Neither would I."
Adrian looked at Caleb as he said it. He had whipped him extra hard for losing his new robe. He wondered for a moment, if indeed his son had lost his robe or given it to one of the flock members. Weak. He was tired of battling a weak son, and at near sixty he felt himself getting old, but he needed his mind and body to stay young in order to succeed.
Adrian looked out the window. The trees stood half bare now. Winter lurked. And in winter, problems within the community grew as the flock became restless indoors. Crime against each other rose. Fights, thievery, and the occasional rape. This would serve them well against humans but not themselves.
The leaders watched and waited in silence.
"We've created a church-like community to blend into this world. And our community is based on laws. We have these laws for a reason, to establish ourselves on this planet. Our leaders before us created them so we could survive." Adrian turned back to the table. "We cannot deviate from them. If we do, we will not survive. Chaos will reign. More will leave. We will be strewn to the world. We will be diminished. And our leaving Elyon will have been for nothing. Would you rather be back on a dying planet hiding from our society? Many of our fellow Destroyers died or were lobotomized in the Destroyer Uprising for our cause. Do you want to suffer through it again?"
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