Awakening: A Timeless Series Novel, Book Four

by Lisa Wiedmeier

  “We can’t get close to him, only Colt can,” a French accent added. “You have to stop him. You have to convince Cheyenne he’s wrong.”

  Maes? I knew his voice, and the others; Brogan and Dex. They were trying to stop Marcus, but why send in Colt? Marcus would never allow him close to me.

  Then my eyes grew wide. This could only mean one thing. I’d gone back to Marcus, and he was on a rampage!

  I stepped inside the doorway, and the shadowy figures emerged. Maes, Brogan, Colt, and Dex were covered in cloaks, their heads poking out from heavy hoods.

  “He’ll see through my disguise, even if I can get Cheyenne alone. She won’t see what he’s doing to her. We’re the ones who drove her to this choice. It’s our fault,” Colt said, lowering his head.

  “No!” Brogan growled. “She’s the one who keeps making the same stupid choices as her mother…”

  “I’m making stupid choices?” I heard my voice reply, but it wasn’t me who was speaking.

  I turned to see a misty vision of myself emerge through the fog.

  “It’s your pushing and prodding that led me to this choice, Brogan,” the other me said. “You’re the ones who said I needed to marry him, that I had to do it to save the clans. And now you’re upset?”

  “No!” Dex said as he stepped closer. “This isn’t the way and you know it. You have to stop Ca—”

  “Stop me?” A hooded silhouette appeared beside me. “Stop me from what?”

  I knew that voice! A chill swept over me, and my breath caught as he pulled down his hood.

  Callon began circling the group.

  “You—you’ve gone m—mad with power, Callon,” Dex stumbled over his words.

  “I’ve gone mad?” he repeated. “After all the years I’ve devoted to the Timeless race, and you say I’ve gone mad? Tsk, tsk, tsk…”

  Colt stepped in front of Callon, making him pause.

  “What you’re doing isn’t right,” Colt said, and Callon glanced at my misty image. Colt continued, “You’ve let the power take over, and you’re using Cheyenne—”

  Colt’s words were cut short, as I shot a gust of wind at his chest. Callon smiled—a dark, horrible smile—and reached his hand out to his brother.

  “I’ll make this quick, Colt,” he whispered.

  “No!” I screamed and ran forward. “Callon, no!”

  Arms came around me, holding me back.

  “Cheyenne! Cheyenne!” Colt’s voice snapped me back to reality. He grasped my face between his hands. “Cheyenne, it’s me. It’s Colt! Calm down, you’re dreaming!”

  I blinked. I was back in my room, on my knees before the crackling fire, and Colt was holding my face.

  You’ve no place to run, Cheyenne, the familiar voice whispered in my mind. Even Callon would use you for your powers.

  “No,” I whispered. “It’s not true.”

  “Cheyenne?” Colt said, his gaze growing strained.

  You’ll destroy him, my angel. He’s not strong enough…

  “Look at me!” Colt demanded. “What just happened? Tell me, Cheyenne!”

  I shook my head and looked down. How could I tell him what I’d just seen? That his brother had gone mad with power, and I’d been the one to kill him…no, this vision was better left unspoken.

  “It’s nothing,” I whispered. “Just a bad dream.”

  “It wasn’t a dream,” Colt argued. “It was a vision.”

  “No, it was a dream. Something that will never come to pass.”

  I pushed myself into his arms, holding on tight. It was just a bad dream, because I’d never allow it to happen. Not now, not in the future, not ever. Marcus was the only one who’d ever share powers with me, the only one who wouldn’t go mad because he already had.

  I just had to learn how to control him before he controlled me.

  Chapter 11

  I fiddled with the hem on my knitted sweater as I sat alone in the kitchen. I hadn’t seen or spoken to Shad for a while now. I knew he was lurking, but I also knew I wasn’t ready to speak with him again. Not after my last nightmare.

  Seeing Callon consumed with power had almost brought me to my knees. But why was I having this vision now? I hadn’t married Callon—I’d married Marcus—yet there were similarities somehow. If I’d married Callon, would this have been the outcome? Was this what Marcus was trying to show me? That the choice I’d made was the right one? But why would Marcus go to such lengths to convince me of something I’d already done? Maybe he was trying to support my decision when he knew no one else did, and when the one person I needed the most had left me alone…

  Shad’s last words buzzed in my ear. Don’t have an empty soul with no purpose.

  I sighed, and clenched my fists. I had a purpose. I’d fulfilled it, too, but it wasn’t completed yet. Perhaps returning to Marcus was the answer after all. But if I did, I’d bring Brogan’s words to fruition. I’d become a more dangerous threat to the Timeless race, unless I could make sure Marcus never found a way to control me. But I’d never learn that without using my powers, and they’d forbidden me to use them. Unless I used them in secret, though that seemed to have gone out the window, too.

  What was I supposed to do?!

  I glanced down the hall. It seemed no one was around. I could possibly sneak away for a little while and play with my powers, learn what I was truly capable of. I had to do something. I had a purpose, a goal that needed to be accomplished, and I wasn’t going to get it done by moping around.

  My jaw tensed. I’d prove them all wrong. Bridge or no bridge with Marcus, I’d use my powers to defeat him. I’d hit him where he’d least expect it. I’d step up where the others had fallen away. No matter what it could cost me.

  I was padding quietly down the hall when low whispers caught my attention. I guess I wasn’t as alone as I’d thought. I slowed my pace, determined where the voices were coming from, and stopped just outside the great room. I leaned against the wall, straining to hear. I just needed to pass by without being seen. I didn’t need any followers.

  “Listen, Nakari,” Andre was saying. “I know this is difficult for you. It’s been the same for all of us, but you’ve got to start looking beyond your jealousy. Cheyenne never wanted to hurt you, or anyone else. All she’s tried to do is fight, and while her choices have been a little questionable, you can’t make change without risk. You need to give her a chance.”

  Nakari sighed, but didn’t reply.

  “Callon’s tried for so long to bring peace, but without the Kvech to unite the clans, he can’t win. Cheyenne’s gone solo, but the path she’s chosen still has hope. So you need to put your feelings aside and help me support her.”

  “You think I can just brush everything aside?” Nakari’s voice was curt, but I could tell she was fighting back tears. “I could just about forgive him for breaking our engagement, after years of helping each other through our darkest times, so he could keep his promise of peace. But how can I forgive Cheyenne for breaking Callon’s heart, for throwing away everything he sacrificed for her…”

  “You forgave Callon,” Andre said. “You forgave him because you believed in him. So now you need to believe in Cheyenne.”

  It grew quiet, and then footsteps sounded. I pressed myself up against the wall, hiding in the shadows as Andre and Nakari headed up the stairs. I stayed still for a few moments more. Andre was supporting me with more than just words; she was working towards changing everyone’s attitude. She wanted them to support me as well.

  I smiled. I wasn’t about to let her down—or the others. I’d train, I’d learn, and I’d win. New determination set in as I hurried towards the front entry, pausing only to grab a jacket. The steel doors creaked, and I exited to the bright sunshine. I had to cover my eyes from the glare off the snow. No one was around; it was my chance to turn the tables on Marcus. I ran for the corral. Mandi would help me get far enough away for me to test out the new powers I’d gained.

  Mandi ran at a fast pace, feelin
g the excitement I had inside. I was finally beginning to see the shift in the tide, and I wasn’t about to let it stop. Progress, momentum, it was on my side and it was about time. Marcus wasn’t coming for me. I’d be coming for him!

  I didn’t need to direct Mandi where to go. She knew as her legs easily carried us through the snow. She brought me to the meadow surrounded by high mountains, the one place where I’d found some peace.

  I dismounted and set her off to graze. I waited a few moments for Shad to arrive. I’d seen his shadow in the trees. I knew he wouldn’t leave me alone. He wanted every chance he could get to whisper in my ear, to try and sway me to his thoughts, his ways.

  The crunch of snow caught my ear, and I smirked.

  Shad was waiting near the edge of the forest, in his Tresez form. What was he waiting for? Maybe he was unsure what I was up to.

  I glanced towards the mountain river, the sun’s rays glistening off the water. What should I try first? I could easily create a whirlwind, a water funnel perhaps. Or bring down the winds from the mountains. Mandi snorted, and it reminded me that if I did too much, the chances of her bolting would be high, which meant I’d have a long walk home in the snow. Something small would have to do.

  I closed my eyes and concentrated on my fingers, flexing them. It took but a moment for that familiar tingle to run through me. The long dormant beast stirred. There was no anger in it, though. It was calm, waiting for its release. I was the one in control now.

  I stretched my arms out over the meadow and opened my eyes, willing the snow to rise. The snow rolled beneath my fingers as I created a vertical column towards the sky. I twisted it and forced it to take a shape, a white butterfly.

  With the flick of my fingers, the wings fluttered in the blue sky. I easily moved it around the meadow with one hand. How different my power had become. If I could imagine it, I could make it real. There was no struggle. It just came out willingly, gracefully.

  I circled the butterfly above the mountain lake and brought it back behind me. Shad tilted his head as it neared his hiding spot, unsure what to make of my creation. He watched in awe as the magic unfolded before him.

  I closed my eyes, imagining what it would feel like to fly, when what felt like a snowball hit my back. I lost my hold on my creation, and watched as thousands of tiny particles of snow drifted down from the sky, dumping a layer of white across Shad’s hair and shoulders. The dog had thrown a snowball to distract me.

  He’d moved closer, and his amber-rimmed eyes studied me, unsure.

  “Power doesn’t have to cause destruction,” I said. “It can create beauty as well.”

  A fine mist drifted from my lips, and I rubbed my hands together. Having them exposed to the frigid air hurt. I blew on them, trying to warm them before I attempted something new.

  Shad remained quiet. He’d changed his clothes, and was wearing a blue sweater that looked very familiar.

  “Stealing clothes from Daniel?” I asked.

  He looked down at his sweater, tugging at the sleeve.

  “What? This old thing?” he shrugged.

  Without warning, the familiar blue hue began to grow in my palms, and my eyes grew wide, as suddenly my hands lit on fire.

  I threw them out in front of me, and shoved them in the snow, trying to put out the flames. Shad ran to my side.

  “What happened?” He stared down at my hands. “Did I see that right? Did your hands just catch fire?”

  “I—I don’t know!” I bunched my fingers into a fist, forcing snow between them.

  “Does it hurt?” He grabbed my wrist.

  I stared up at him and blinked. Other than aching from the cold a few moments ago, there was no pain.

  “No,” I whispered.

  “Pull them out,” Shad said. “Pull them out and let’s take a look.”

  Why was he smirking like that? I could have some serious burns! I might not even be able to use my powers anymore. And what would my family say? There’d be no way to hide this; they’d know I’d been training.

  I closed my eyes, not sure if I wanted to see my ruined palms, and slowly pulled my hands from the icy wetness. I held them out before me, keeping my gaze away.

  “How bad is it?” I asked.

  Shad didn’t answer. Great, it had to be downright awful.

  I sighed, and slowly opened my eyes. A blue and orange flame flickered in my palms, like from a gas stove. I gasped, and suddenly flames ran up my coat sleeve. A shriek left my lips as Shad tackled me into a snow bank. He shoved me face forward. My heart raced. What was happening to me?!

  “Calm down, Cheyenne,” he said. “If you panic, the flames will spread.”

  “It’s a hell of a lot easier for you to say, Shad!” I screamed. “You’re not the one on fire!”

  “You’re such a baby! Close your eyes. You were holding the flames just fine when you didn’t know they were there!” he barked back.

  I stilled.

  “I was what?!” I asked.

  “I said you were holding the flames in your hands. Just stay calm.”

  I glanced across the meadow at Mandi. Her head had perked up and she was watching me. Calm, he said. I just needed to be calm.

  “Get off me.”

  “Are you going to stay calm?”

  “Do I sound calm?” My voice grated, but it was the best I could do under the circumstances.

  He moved back slowly, watching me closely. I sat up, my hands still buried in the snow bank, and stared at what was left of my jacket and sweater. Black charred fabric reached up to my elbows. I wasn’t going to be able to explain this one when I got back.

  I took a breath and pulled my hands out. A deep blue hue mixed with flecks of orange and red rippled in my palms. I was holding fire in the palm of my hands. I was in awe. The skin below showed no burns. In fact, the only thing I felt was warmth running through my veins. The chill I’d had earlier had disappeared.

  How was I doing this? This had to be one of Marcus’s gifts from our marriage. A gift that could be a great help during battle. I just needed to learn to control it.

  “Can you stand?” Shad offered his hand to help me up.

  “I think so.”

  The moment his fingers touched my arm, flames shot up them again, reaching my shoulders. I immediately fell into the snow and rolled over on my back. Angry amber-rimmed eyes locked on mine. He bared his teeth.

  “What’d you do that for?!” He rubbed his hand over a raw patch of skin that hadn’t been there earlier.

  I’d burned him.

  “I—I didn’t do that on purpose!”

  He huffed, kicking snow in my direction, then headed back towards the boulder.

  I lay still, calming my racing heart. I glanced at what was left of my jacket. Even if I snuck back into the house, I’d have to burn the rest of the jacket to hide the evidence. However, at this rate, I might not have a jacket by the time I returned.

  I sat up and held my hands out before me again. The fire was gone. I flipped them back and forth, amazed.

  “It’s gone,” I said.

  “I can see that,” Shad sneered.

  How had I done this in the first place? All I’d done was rub my hands together to keep them warm… I rubbed them together again, and blew on them. I pulled them back, nothing. I tried again, still nothing.

  I glanced over at Shad. He sat still, his arms crossed.

  “It’s not working,” I said.

  “Is that all you did before?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I was cold. I was trying to warm my hands.”

  He didn’t reply, but instead looked up at the sun.

  “You need to head back,” he said, and started walking towards the forest.

  “It’s early,” I replied. “I’ve got plenty of time.”

  He glanced back over his shoulder.

  “Not when you have to walk.” He shifted and took off into the forest.

  I looked around. Mandi had disappeared.

  “Dang.�
��

  I followed his path into the forest. It was going to be a long, cold walk back.

  My mind whirled through what had just happened. I’d held fire in my hand, maybe not perfectly, but I’d held it nonetheless. The options of what I could do with this new power were limitless—once I learned to control it.

  Remaining calm was a key point. It was only when I’d opened my eyes and seen I was holding fire in my palms without getting burned that I panicked and lost control. And when Shad had touched me…

  I bit my lip. I’d burned him, and it could happen again if anyone else got too close. It was tough secluding myself from my family, but I needed to stay away from them for their own protection.

  Whinnying in the distance caught my attention. I searched through the meadow and trees, listening for Mandi. A snort sounded and she headed for me. I brushed the loose hair behind my ear, feeling the air on my naked arm where I’d burned my sleeve, but I didn’t really feel the cold. And as I thought about it, I wasn’t cold at all.

  Mandi stopped a few feet before me, her head bobbling up and down. I took a step forward and then paused. What if I burnt her, too? Her caramel eyes studied me with uncertainty.

  Sorry, girl, but you need to stay away till I can figure this out.

  She nodded in understanding and waited for me to pass. As much as I wanted to ride her back, it just wasn’t safe. I couldn’t take a chance of hurting her.

  Mandi followed me as I trudged through the snow. I’d already been walking for hours, and the sun was now setting. It’d be dark by the time I arrived, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to sneak by without anyone noticing. They’d all be lined up by the fire in the great room, in a perfect position to see the missing sleeve and charred material. Unless I snuck up through the rear entrance.

  I tensed, thinking back to the last time Colt and I used it. Had we locked it from the inside or not? I was pretty sure we had. I sighed; I’d have to use the front entrance.

  Finally, Mandi and I arrived home. The light from a small lantern illuminated the front steps to the old building. Either Colt, Daniel, or Lilly had placed it out there for me. They were waiting for me to return, so they knew I’d been gone.