Uprising (Alternate Earth Series, Book 2)

by S. J. West

  “We need to have a meeting,” Nina tells Brand urgently, releasing my hand so she can walk up to him. “Everyone needs to hear what we just found out.”

  Brand sets down his rolling pin and brushes off his hands.

  “What’s happened?” he asks, looking at Nina and me with concern.

  “I think we just discovered what Project T-7 is,” Nina announces, turning her head to look at me. “Show them what Tara left for you.”

  I hold up the miniature gold trumpet so they can see it. Both men narrow their gazes on the small instrument before their eyes widen with newfound wisdom.

  “It all makes sense now,” Brand says, mirroring Nina’s words. “Let’s gather everyone together so we can discuss what needs to be done next.”

  Brand and Nina phase away, presumably to gather those who need to know about the princes’ plan to sound the trumpets.

  Mason cleans his hands before walking around the island to come stand in front of me.

  “This is bad, Jess,” he says, not trying to pretend that our discovery is anything but. “If they’ve been planning to sound the trumpets after the seventh seal is broken, they must be pretty confident that they can’t be stopped.”

  “But they started searching before we traveled back here,” I remind him. “We still have time to stop them. I still don’t understand, though, why just seeing this little trumpet made the other pieces of the puzzle fall into place for all of you.”

  “We should probably wait until everyone is gathered together to discuss it,” Mason says, taking my hand and phasing us to the library.

  Eventually, all the vessels, Malcolm, Jered, Tristan, and the other Watchers staying at the castle, gather in the library so we can discuss what we learned.

  “I’ve always considered myself extremely intelligent,” Malcolm says as he stands with his arms crossed over his chest at the front of the room with Brand, not sounding arrogant, just truthful, “but I didn’t put everything together until now.”

  “Ok,” I say, “I understand the significance of the trumpet. That’s obvious. But why do you all seem to think you should have known before now?”

  “We had all the pieces,” Brand begins to explain. “We just didn’t put them all together until we saw the trumpet.”

  “What pieces?”

  “Well,” Brand says, “first off, the name of their mission should have been a big hint, Project T-7. Seven trumpets sound during the Apocalypse. Then, the fact that they were digging up sites associated with King Solomon, and the fact that they wanted to get their hands on the Ark of the Covenant.”

  “What’s the connection between the Ark and the trumpets?” I ask.

  “Do you know the story about the Battle of Jericho?” Malcolm asks me.

  “Just the basics,” I admit. “Joshua led his army in the battle. They blew some…trumpets…” I fall silent as I remember Mama Lynn telling me the Bible story. “Wait, are you saying the princes are looking for those trumpets?”

  Malcolm nods.

  “Why did they think they would be in the Ark of the Covenant?” Chandler asks, still sounding confused.

  “Because, while the seven priests blew the seven trumpets,” Malcolm says, “the Israelites were also instructed to carry the Ark of the Covenant behind the priest. It was completely logical for them to think that Solomon might have kept the trumpets inside the Ark for safekeeping. But, obviously, he didn’t. He was smarter than that.”

  “Has Slade found Horace yet?” I ask Brand. “We have to get to Solomon’s tomb to either retrieve the trumpets first, if that’s where he hid them, or confirm that they aren’t there so we can look elsewhere. Either way, we have to get them before the princes find them.”

  “I’ve sent Isaiah to speak with Slade,” Brand reassures me. “He’ll let us know the status of Slade’s search.”

  “So were these trumpets that were used in the Battle of Jericho always destined to be the trumpets blown during the Apocalypse?” Rafe asks.

  “I can’t really answer that,” Brand admits. “Only God knows the true answer, but they are holy relics imbued with God’s grace. I believe sounding them after all the seals have been broken open will have the same effect. They’ll have seven consecrated trumpets and seven Archangels to sound them.”

  “Evil Archangels, at that,” Leah says as she sits on the couch in the room, holding her mother’s hand.

  “Exactly,” Brand says.

  “But we have Gabriel,” I remind everyone.

  “Thankfully,” Brand says with a sigh in relief. “But that won’t stop them from sounding the other six trumpets and causing a great deal of damage.”

  “So there’s really nothing we can do until we discover whether or not King Solomon hid these trumpets in his tomb?” Gabe asks.

  “We can try to think of other places the trumpets might have been hidden, but, right now, our best bet is the tomb,” Brand says.

  “There’s something I can do while we wait,” I say, feeling my heart sink at the thought of what I need to do next. “Lucifer insinuated that he learned the princes’ plans while he was with them. I can try to find out what he knows.”

  “Don’t place yourself in any unnecessary danger,” Zack advises me. “You know as well as I do that he’s a master manipulator, Jess. Don’t let him pressure you into anything you don’t want to do.”

  “I know,” I tell Zack. “I’m not naive about who Lucifer is.”

  Mason looks at me doubtfully. “You care about him,” my husband says, empathetic to my dilemma. “He’ll use that against you, too, Jess. You know he will.”

  “I’ll be careful,” I promise.

  “There’s also the matter of asking him for help with the infected,” Rafe reminds me. “I don’t think he’s going to do that without getting some sort of compensation.”

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” I say, bracing for my talk with Lucifer. “In fact, now is probably as good a time as any to see if rescuing him will pay off for us.”

  When I stand up, Mason stands up also.

  I look at my husband, loving that he wants to go with me, but also knowing his presence would do more harm than good.

  “He won’t talk openly with you in the room,” I tell Mason. “You know that.”

  “Then I’ll stand right outside,” Mason compromises. “If you need me, I’ll be close by.”

  “He might not even be awake yet.”

  “Then you won’t have any reason to stay down there for very long. I’m not letting you go without me, so stop arguing,” Mason says stubbornly.

  I sigh in defeat, but secretly I love my husband even more for wanting to stay by my side and support me in the difficult task that lies ahead.

  “Good luck, Jess,” Xiulan tells me before Mason phases us to the basement.

  Of anyone in the room, my ability to gain Lucifer’s cooperation affects her the most. If I am able to talk Lucifer into attempting to release the souls of the infected, she’ll be the first one he helps. I feel a bit conflicted about that outcome. I know freeing Xiulan’s soul from her body is the only thing I can do to help her, but I also know her death will cause someone I love dearly a great deal of pain. It’s a catch-22 really. I want to help, yet, if I do, I cause Leah the heartache of losing a loving parent. No one will come out a winner in this scenario, except for maybe Lucifer.

  I have no way of knowing exactly what he will want in return for his help. In his weird, slightly twisted way, I believe he cares for me. I saw it in his eyes right before he pushed me out of the window in Lucian’s office. There was something in the way he gazed at me that spoke volumes. Deep down, I know Michael has been right all these years. Lucifer may have initially come to me because of my connection with Michael, but he stayed because of me.

  I’ve always felt like I was his connection to the human world. I was his glimpse into what made us so special, and there was a time I thought he trusted me. But I broke that trust when I offered him back his A
rchangel crown, or at least that’s the way he saw it. Since that night, I never expected Lucifer to be my friend again. Yet, I felt as if we were being given another chance, here on this alternate Earth. Could a change of scenery truly fix the problems we have? I’m not sure. All I do know is that I want my friend back. For all his faults, I still feel like there is some good left in him, and that I am one of the few people, perhaps the only person, who can grab a hold of that kernel of good and keep it from getting swallowed up by the darkness that threatens to completely consume his soul. If God can continue to maintain His belief that His son can find redemption, then I won’t give up my hope that such a miracle will come to pass one day.

  Mason phases us to just outside the graviton cage. As I reach for the door’s latch, my husband places his hand over mine.

  “Wait a second,” he says, tenderly taking my hand.

  I look up at him questioningly.

  “I think we both know that he’ll ask you for something in exchange for his help,” Mason says. “Just promise me you won’t give in before thinking it through completely.”

  “I won’t make a rash decision,” I promise. “Whatever he asks for, I’ll tell you what it is before I give him my answer.”

  Mason’s shoulders sag in relief. “Thank you.”

  I tighten my fingers around Mason’s hand. “We’re in this together, remember?”

  “I know,” Mason says with a weak smile.

  “But?” I ask, knowing he wants to say more.

  “But…I also know how much you want him to change, Jess. I just don’t want to see him disappoint you again. You were so upset when he didn’t accept his crown. I can’t bear the thought of you placing yourself in that sort of position a second time. I hate seeing you hurt, especially when there’s nothing I can do to fix it.”

  “Nothing?” I question, astounded that my husband doesn’t realize exactly what he does for me. “Mason, you do everything for me in those moments. You listen to me. You hold me while I cry. You tell me everything will be ok, and make me believe it. How can you think you do nothing? I couldn’t have made it through the last few years without you being there for me every step of the way. So never, ever think that you do nothing, when the complete opposite is true.”

  Mason brings me into his arms and just holds me close. It’s exactly what I need; to be loved and made to feel safe. In all honesty, I don’t want to talk to Lucifer, but not because I fear him or dread having a conversation with him. If I’m being honest with myself, I have to admit that, on occasion, I’ve listened for the creak of the rocking chair on my front porch, signaling his return into my life. I’ve yearned to have him come back and speak with me, so we could clear the air between us to find some common ground on which to rebuild our friendship. Now that I have a chance to speak with him about it, I worry that he’ll reject me the same way he did the night I offered him his crown. The way he threw me to the ground like I meant nothing to him, is an experience I can never forget. What if he turns his back to me a second time? Can my heart survive that sort of treatment twice in one lifetime?

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to go in there with you?” Mason asks.

  Of course I want you to go in there with me, I think to myself, but know better than to say. Nothing would get accomplished with Mason in the room. He and Lucifer would simply bicker and waste precious time rekindling the fires of an old feud that can never be extinguished. We didn’t need to anger Lucifer. Pushing his buttons would only defeat our purpose for rescuing him.

  “Yes, I’m sure. I can handle Lucifer.”

  Mason kisses the top of my head. “If anyone can, I know it’s you.”

  I take a step back and try to smile for my husband, even if I don’t feel like smiling.

  “I’ll be fine,” I attempt to reassure him, and myself.

  “I’ll be right out here if you need me,” Mason promises, not being fooled by my attempt to make things sound easier than they will be.

  “Thank you,” I tell him, turning to open the door, and stepping inside the graviton cage.

  There are only two pocket lights within Lucifer’s cell. One is directly over the security control panel and the other one shines directly down in the center of Lucifer’s cell. After I close the door behind me, I look through the bars and find Lucifer still lying on his cot, motionless. Perhaps I won’t have to speak with him after all. I begin to breathe a sigh of relief at this possibility, until I see him partially roll over onto his side and peer at me over his pillow. I feel as though I’m a teenage girl who has just been caught by a boy as I tried to sneak into his bedroom.

  “Are you just going to stand there and stare at me, Jessica, or are you actually going to speak?”

  I step up to the bars because if there is one thing I don’t want to appear as in front of Lucifer, it’s weak.

  “I didn’t expect you to be awake so soon,” I tell him.

  “A hearty metabolism can be a benefit sometimes,” he tells me, rolling over onto his stomach and wrapping an arm around his pillow as he considers me. “Drugs don’t normally stay in my system for very long. They had to keep administering sedatives to me on an hourly basis in their little chamber of horrors.”

  “You look a lot better than when we found you,” I say. “Though, you could still use a bath.”

  “Are you offering to give me one, Jessica?”

  When I look at Lucifer’s face, I find him grinning devilishly at me, letting me know he’s teasing me with his question.

  “I didn’t come down here to fulfill one of your juvenile fantasies,” I tell him. “I have something more important to discuss with you.”

  “Do tell…” Lucifer says, his eye narrowing at me with intense curiosity. “I guess I should have known you only rescued me so I could do something for you.”

  Did I imagine it, or did Lucifer actually sound hurt by my possible motivations?

  “Do you think I’m that kind of person, Lucifer?” I ask, realizing I care what he thinks about me. “Do you honestly believe the only reason I would help you is so you would do what I ask?”

  “So you’re not going to ask me to do something for you?” he asks, daring me to contradict his assumption.

  “Of course I am,” I say, not wanting to deny the fact. “However, it’s not the only reason I went to get you. I was planning to anyway, even before I needed your help. It just took us a while to figure out where they were hiding you. Otherwise, I would have been there sooner.”

  Lucifer stares at me for a few seconds, as if he’s trying to determine if I’m telling him the truth.

  “What is it that you want from me?” he finally asks.

  “Did they tell you what happened after the fourth seal was opened?”

  “Yes. They were quite pleased it all seemed to work out so beautifully, even though you tried to stop them.”

  “Did you know Ravan was Lilith when you first saw her at the party?”

  “No,” Lucifer says, and I know he’s telling the truth. “I didn’t recognize her at the time. Odd that she should still be alive here, though. She’s almost as old as the Earth itself. By all rights, she should be dead.”

  “Do you know how she’s been kept alive all this time?”

  “I have a guess,” Lucifer says hesitantly.

  “Does it have anything to do with Faust? Is it djinn magic?”

  “Yes.”

  “How?”

  “And ruin your figuring out such a juicy mystery for yourself?” Lucifer says, appalled by such a notion. “Absolutely not. You’ve always been rather resourceful, Jessica. I feel sure you’ll be able to figure it out on your own soon enough.”

  “Do you know what Lucian wants her to do for him?” I ask. “He doesn’t seem like the type who would keep anyone around without having a purpose for them.”

  “Of course he wants her to do something for him,” Lucifer says, sounding bored with the turn of the conversation. “That’s painfully obvious.”

 
“How does he intend to use her?” I ask.

  “Do you want me to spoon-feed you everything?” Lucifer says irritably. “You’ll just have to figure it out. Besides, I’m curious to know if what he plans will work. I don’t want to be the cause of it failing.”

  “Why? Do you plan to use what you learn here on our Earth when we get back? We’ve hidden your partners in crime, remember? I doubt you’ll see any of them for a very long time.”

  “I can be an extremely patient person when I have to be,” Lucifer says, pulling his pillow under his arm and propping his head against his fist. “Instead of wasting your breath asking me questions I’ll never give you the answers to, why don’t you ask me this favor you want from me?”

  I take a deep breath and say, “Can you release the souls of the people who were infected by the birds?”

  “Ohhh, discovered that nasty little surprise, did you?” Lucifer says, sounding impressed. “I wondered how long it would take.”

  “Can you help them or not?” I ask, becoming irritated.

  “Honestly? I’m not sure,” Lucifer answers with a small shrug. “It’s not the same thing as what I do to the princes when they disobey me. The principle is essentially the same, but I wasn’t the one who cursed the infected. I have no way of knowing if my power will be enough to release their souls from their bodies. I would need a test subject.”

  “Would you be willing to at least try?”

  “Of course!” he says a little too enthusiastically. When he smiles at me, I’m totally prepared to hear, “For a price, of course.”

  “What do you want?” I ask, bracing myself for his demand.

  “Oh, my,” Lucifer says, tapping his index finger against his lips as he pretends to consider all of his options. I’m pretty sure he’s already decided what he wants from me. “This must be what it feels like to make a birthday wish.”

  With those words, Lucifer’s eyes light up with an idea that I’m sure I won’t like.

  “Speaking of which, I know exactly what I want from you, Jessica.”

  Lucifer doesn’t say anything. He just smiles at me, his sparkling blue eyes twinkling even brighter.