“I know very well how evil Damiana is. I believe you on that account. I have asked the Goddess many times to help me forgive your father, but I still can’t seem to do so. Maybe if you share with me your experiences with him, I might be able to see him differently through your eyes.”
Rafe mentally debated whether he wanted to share information about Drake with anyone. Angel must have sensed his discomfort because he asked, “How is Liana doing?”
He avoided Angel’s eyes. “She’s in a cell in the dungeon. It’s not the best circumstances, but she is a strong and brave woman.”
“We must save her.”
“We will save them both,” Rafe reassured him.
“How?”
“The prophecy has already told you how. All three of you must work together, son,” Valerie said.
They looked at each other with the same despair; they had to convince Ar’ch to work with them whether he wanted to or not.
-o-
Ar’ch sat beneath the golden willow tree and closed his eyes. This had become his and Sofia’s willow tree ever since he had brought her here on a picnic. He could still remember her shyness about being in a bathing suit around him; he also remembered with too much clarity how intense their kisses had been.
Focus, he chastised himself. If he couldn’t find her, then he’d never be able to kiss her again. He had been a fool to push her away before, but he would make damn sure that he never let go of her again. He just had to find her first.
Ar’ch took a slow, deep breath and focused on clearing his mind. He felt his body release into a meditative state. This was second nature for him, especially with his affinity to air. He opened his mind and searched for Sofia’s essence.
He had so easily connected with her a week ago while sleeping, but he hadn’t felt her since then. If only he had had just a few more seconds with her, he might have been able to locate her. Then, he wouldn’t have to rely on Rafe to find her. He would not allow that pathetic excuse for a brother to lead them into a trap.
Sofia, please hear me. He tried again for the umpteenth time, but she did not answer him. He exhaled in frustration and opened his eyes. Just then, a few leaves fell from the willow tree. His heart quickened as panic took hold, not because the leaves had fallen, although that alone would have done it; this willow never lost its golden leaves. The real problem lay in the leaves themselves. The leaves were no longer gold; they had turned silver.
Ar’ch looked up in a panic; several other leaves had turned silver. He shook his head in disbelief. Obviously, something was wrong. He had no doubt that something terrible had happened, and his gut told him that danger surrounded Sofia.
Goddess, I beg of you. Please, help me find her. Despite all the grief he had felt lately and even despite hearing all that his mother had had to endure, he still believed in the Goddess and her love for them all. We need your help, Goddess. I need your help.
Ar’ch felt air brush against his skin, causing goosebumps. His initial reaction had been to give in to his panic, but then he felt the air caress him, and instead, he embraced peace and calm. He took a deep breath and felt the Goddess appear.
No other essence felt like Hers. He could not really see her, just a fluid vision of beauty. She had no features to gaze upon, but his mind knew Her magnificence. He bowed his head and thanked her for coming.
My dear child, it pains me to see you so, the Goddess said in his mind.
Ar’ch felt her shake her head, and he sensed that he had somehow disappointed her. He thought perhaps it was because he had pushed Sofia away, but the thought just didn’t feel right. Whatever the reason for her displeasure, he wanted to fix it. He would do anything to make his Goddess proud of him again.
Oh, child. I love you, as I love all my children. None of you are perfect, but each of you deserves to be loved. You must let go of your stubbornness, Ar’ch. You must trust your brothers.
He inhaled deeply. Did She really have to go there? Of all things to ask of him, why did She ask the one thing that he did not want to do?
Your brothers cannot save Sofia without you, Ar’ch. And you cannot save her without them. Work together, or lose everything and everyone you hold dear.
He considered arguing, but he felt the Goddess’ essence vanish. He bowed his head in defeat. What kind of sadistic test was the Goddess putting him through? He groaned in frustration. There had to be another way, or at least, there had to be a way to make sure things happened on his terms, not Rafe’s. Now, he just had to figure out how.
Chapter Five
Sofia paced about in the small space of her crystal cell. She could stand and move around, but she could not escape. It had been two days since she had been tossed down there like a sack of potatoes. Damiana had ordered her not to hurt the demons or deminions when they brought her food, so she had been powerless even in those moments.
She tried to reach Ar’ch every time the cell ceiling opened, but she never had enough time to complete her attempt. She tried meditating and thinking about connecting with him, but only silence filled the room, and it was deafening. She prayed to the Goddess to help her, but even those prayers went unanswered.
With nothing else to do and no hope of being saved, Sofia began trying to use her skill. She could draw fire to her palms so effortlessly now. As the fire flickered in her palm, she rejoiced that she still had use of her skill within her cage, even if she couldn’t contact Ar’ch. After she created a strong amount of fire, she threw it at the wall and prayed that it would have some effect, any effect. Unfortunately, the fire went right into the wall and was absorbed. It didn’t even leave a burn mark. She tried repeatedly until she felt her head swim and her body sway. She vaguely remembered falling to the bed before losing consciousness.
-o-
Damiana sat above Sofia on her throne and observed her daughter through the port that she had embedded in her armrest. Sofia attacked the wall with her power before passing out. She turned off the port and smiled. A wave of energy pushed into her body, causing her to gasp. She relaxed to allow the energy to flow more fluidly.
She felt her powers growing as the crystal absorbed Sofia’s spent energy and transferred it to her. “That’s it, daughter. Rest. Let your energy escape your body and fill mine with power. Together, we will rule this world.” She rested her head back against her throne and smiled as she became drunk on her daughter’s energy.
-o-
Ar’ch hadn’t slept well last night; he couldn’t stop thinking of the Goddess’ words. He needed someone to talk to and decided to seek out the most neutral person in the house, his father. He hadn’t found him in his usual places, so Ar’ch searched for him using his mind until he found him in his lab. Nolan hadn’t gone to his lab in quite a while, so that piqued Ar’ch’s curiosity. Once he reached the lab, he knocked on the door.
“Come in,” his father called from within.
Ar’ch opened the door and found his father deep in concentration, bent over his work station. A large lamp on the table dimly lit the room. He recalled being a child and watching his father tinker with his toys, as he fondly used to call them. He used to be in awe of his father’s ability to make his toys disappear and reappear. His reactions always amused with his father back then.
He smiled at the memory. “I apologize for interrupting you, Father.”
Nolan put down the device in his hand and straightened up, wiping his hands on his work pants. “You are always welcome to interrupt me, son. How can I help you?”
Standing in front of his father, he felt silly. “I, um,” he said and ran his hand through his hair.
Nolan smiled. He walked around the table to be closer to his son and leaned against it. “Does this have anything to do with your new half-brother?”
Ar’ch rolled his eyes. “Please do not call him that.”
Nolan laughed, his deep voice soothing out some of Ar’ch’s irritation. “Son, whether you like the sound of the words or not, the facts remain the same.
You need to make peace with it.”
“How do I make peace with my enemy? How do you? He was brought up to hate us, and he kidnapped Sofia, who is now being held in a cell because of him! He admitted to us that Damiana sent him here to destroy us. How can you trust him?”
“What choice do we have?”
“I can force him to take us to Sofia and rescue her.”
“He is already willing to do that, son.”
“What if it’s a trap?”
“Then, you will be ready.”
Ar’ch exhaled in frustration. “I don’t trust him.”
“I know. You’ve made that perfectly clear.” Ar’ch rolled his eyes. His father put a hand on his shoulder. “Son, you asked me how I can trust him. I don’t think I fully do, but the prophecy states that the three of you must work together. And I trust our prophecies.”
Ar’ch licked his lips and knew he had to tell his father about yesterday under the willow tree. “The Goddess visited me yesterday.”
His father’s eyes went wide. “That is a blessing indeed. Tell me what took place.”
He shared with his father what had happened and then said, “I don’t know if I can work with him.”
Nolan took a deep breath and then looked lovingly at his son. “You are one of the most level-headed people I know…most of the time.” Ar’ch smiled when his father raised his eyebrows at him. “You are letting your emotions get the better of you. You already know what you need to do. The Goddess has never led you astray, and She won’t do so now. Trust in her.”
Ar’ch exhaled and released the tension he had been holding. He already knew that would be his father’s answer, but somehow hearing it brought him peace. He looked toward the device on the table. “What are you working on?”
Nolan walked around his table and showed the device to him. “For life years, I have been trying to transfer my ability to move objects into a portable transportation device. I’ve never been successful, but ever since Sofia arrived, my skills have strengthened.”
“All of ours have.”
His father nodded. “Even after she was taken from us, I still felt stronger, so I decided to try to perfect my device.”
“And?” he asked with interest.
Nolan beamed. “I’m very close to making it work. I can feel it. And if it works, then we won’t need to find a portal to move from one location to another. We will be able to use this!” he said and held up the small, black stick.
“Doesn’t our erport already do that?”
“In a sense, yes. When I invented that, I was trying to invent this device but had failed. The erport allows you to go back to your programmed portal. This device will allow you to travel to any location regardless of whether a portal is close by.”
Ar’ch took the device in his hand and turned it around. “This would change our transportation completely.”
“Exactly! I’ve been able to move myself across the room, but I haven’t been able to give it enough power to truly work. I plan to perfect it while you boys are on your journey.”
“What journey, Father?”
Nolan smiled. “The journey to bring our savior home.”
Ar’ch smiled back. “I’ll leave you with your toys, then.” He began to leave but turned around at the door. “And thank you for listening.”
“Son, I will always be here for you.”
“I know, Father,” he said and then left him to his device.
As Ar’ch closed the door, he heard sounds coming from the dining area and went to investigate. Mel, Angel, and Rafe sat around the table. Kai filled a plate with food at the serving table. Ar’ch’s distrust came surging back, and he couldn’t let it go.
“Kai, care to join me for a bit?” he asked.
Kai looked over to where Mel, Angel, and Rafe were sitting and then back to Ar’ch. He put his plate down and met him at the door. “Sure. What’s up?”
Ar’ch avoided looking at the table and led Kai away from the dining area. He kept walking until they were at the stairs. Each step released a little more tension from him.
“What’s going on?” Kai asked when they stopped.
Ar’ch shook his head. After telling him about the prophecy revelations, he said, “I just can’t shake the feeling that he’s manipulating us. Did you see how close Mel and Rafe were? What if this is a setup, Kai? What if Mel let us catch her, knowing that he would come after her and infiltrate us?”
Kai looked back toward the dining area. “You’ve read their minds, haven’t you?”
“Mel wouldn’t put her shield down, remember? And what if Rafe has somehow learned how to block me and only show me what I want to see?”
“I don’t want to believe that Mel is evil, but I am with you in not trusting Rafe. Why don’t you just take him to the oracle?”
Ar’ch clapped Kai on the back. “Brilliant idea, my friend! I’ll go set that up now. Thanks,” he said and headed upstairs to request a meeting with the oracle.
-o-
Rafe saw Mel’s face fall when Kai left with Ar’ch. She recovered quickly enough, but he knew his friend better than most. “You okay?” he asked.
She shrugged and stuck a piece of pineapple into her mouth.
Angel looked toward the door Kai had walked through before turning to Mel. “You know he likes you, right?”
“I don’t know. It’s not a big deal,” she said as she stuck another piece in her mouth.
“Yes, it is,” Angel said. “Love should not be ignored or wasted.”
Rafe knew that Angel deliberately avoided looking at him, but he understood the message and it had nothing to do with Kai and Mel. Well, two could play that game. Rafe stole a piece of pineapple off Mel’s place and said, “Just give it time, Mel. If it’s meant to be, it will be. The last thing you want to do is throw yourself at him and push him away.”
“I’m not throwing myself at him,” she replied. “And stop taking my food!”
Rafe laughed. “You’re so possessive,” he teased but got up to replenish his own plate.
Angel also rose, but he deposited his plate on the tray for used dishes. “If you guys will excuse me, I’m going to see if I can find out where Ar’ch went. If I can, I’ll send Kai your way.”
Mel smiled. “Thanks, Angel.”
“Don’t mention it,” he said and then looked over at Rafe. “See you guys later.”
Rafe sat down next to Mel and put one of his pieces of pineapple onto her plate. “Happy now?”
She playfully punched him. “You didn’t have to be so mean to him.”
He feigned innocence. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“He’s a good guy, Rafe.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I get it. He’s an angel, sooo good.”
“You’re impossible!”
Rafe smirked. “Why, thank you!” he said and bumped shoulders with her, causing her to laugh. He knew he had made Angel uncomfortable, and he felt bad about it, but he wasn’t ready to trust anyone just yet. He trusted Mel and only her. He knew that she cared about him, especially after the last two months. Everyone else…well, he would just have to wait and see where they each stood when the time came to decide.
Chapter Six
Another day had passed, but it felt like it had been a week. The ceiling door slid open, so Sofia looked up to see Damiana standing next to a deminion. Damiana noticed the untouched food on the tray and frowned. She raised the tray with a device in her hand and had the deminion exchange it for fresh food and then lowered the tray back to within Sofia’s reach.
“Eat up, girl. You need your strength,” Damiana said.
“Why? So that you can become more powerful? No, thanks. I’d rather die,” she replied, anger lacing her words.
Damiana smiled her wicked smile which sent shivers across her skin. “Oh, defiant daughter of mine. You will suffer so much more before I allow death to take you if you do not cooperate.” She sent a stream of electricity through Sofia, cau
sing her jaw to clamp shut and her body to thrash, sending her to the ground. “We will repeat this every hour until that food is gone. Are we clear?”
Sofia tried to decipher if she deliberately nodded or if her body still shook from the aftereffects of the shock. She looked up at her mother and hoped that her eyes reflected the hatred that she had for her.
“We could have been such a powerful family if only you would have sided with us. Oh, well. At least, I can benefit from the power you have. Hopefully, when I come back, that plate will be empty,” Damiana said before closing the lid and walking away.
Sofia lay still on the floor, waiting for the last few tremors to fade away. She tried to calm her breathing but couldn’t. She thought of Angel teaching her how to calm her mind and her spirit through yoga. Tears sprung to her eyes.
She looked at the food. She knew that she needed to eat if she was going to have a chance of finding a way out of this situation, but the reality was that she could not escape. The longer she lived, the more powerful Damiana became, and that meant that those she loved most would be in even greater danger. Sofia curled into a ball and gave in to her despair.
“Someone help me,” she whispered. “I don’t think I can last much longer.”
-o-
Ar’ch awoke with determination in his step. He had spent yesterday avoiding everyone. He had wanted to be alone with his thoughts to make sure that he could accept whatever outcome came from the meeting he had scheduled with the oracle for today. When he reached the winding staircase, he looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows and glanced across the lake at the golden willow tree. He frowned and clenched his teeth with worry; more of the branches were turning silver. Surely, that was not a good sign.
He entered the dining area to find everyone enjoying breakfast. It annoyed him that none of his family members seemed to have the slightest reservation about Rafe; they treated him as if he had always been part of the family. He walked to the serving table and grabbed himself a heap of fruits on one plate and eggs on another plate. Then, he plopped himself down right next to Rafe.
The One Awakened (Chronicles of the Diasodz Book 5) Page 4
