“Ones like us?” I asked. “What are we?”
“You tell me,” he said, raising his arms in exasperation. “I’ve never felt auras like yours.”
“Yeah, see,”—I curled my hair around my finger—“we don’t understand this aura thing.”
Morgan raised an eyebrow, examining us. I felt like a monkey in a cage getting ready for an experiment. “All right, come to my office.” He led us to a side door into his tiny and cramped office.
He beckoned toward one of the only two chairs, indicating I should sit, while he took the second one. Before I sat I glanced back, making sure the guys were with me. And my breath was knocked out of me. Looking like seductive perfume ad models, Victor and Micah leaned against the wall. Victor stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets, and Micah crossed his arms over his black leather jacket. Good God!
Trying to focus, I turned back to face Morgan. “Thanks for receiving us.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” Morgan propped his legs on his desk. “I’m just curious about your auras.”
“As are we,” I said.
“You talk as if you can’t sense them.”
“I can’t, but he can.” I pointed to Micah, who nodded to confirm it.
“I see.” Morgan squinted, studying us. “And why are you here?”
“We need your help.” Suddenly, I felt like a guilty woman getting ready to confess a crime. My chest tightened as the ridiculousness of the situation hit me. I almost laughed out loud. “Things we don’t understand have been happening and someone said you could help us.”
“Do you know who I am?” he asked, getting up. “What I do?” I shook my head, embarrassed. Tsking, Morgan turned to the wall behind him and, from the floor, grabbed what look like a rolled rug. “I’m a priest. A priest of a forgotten creed.” He unrolled the rug and hung it on screws on the wall.
When he retreated, I gasped.
I think he was about to explain the drawing, but noticed my reaction and waited. I stood and walked toward it.
It was the throne room of the crystal palace, showing the thrones lined up and the gods and goddesses elegantly seated on them, holding their staves. Levi was in the middle, Ceris on his right, Mitrus on his left, then Imha and Omi and the others I didn’t know. Under them, there was a large symbol.
“I know them.” I ran my fingers over the drawing.
“You do?” Morgan asked, his eyes wary.
“This is Levi, Ceris, Mitrus, Imha, and Omi.” While saying their names, I pointed to each respective figure. “I don’t know the others’ names.”
With wide eyes, he said, “The others aren’t as important. They aren’t lesser gods either, but the ones that make the big decisions are the ones you named. How do you know them?”
I glanced at Victor and Micah, scared of revealing my secret to a stranger. I swallowed and said, “I have visions about them.”
Morgan’s big round eyes became even wider. “You do?” He sounded excited. “Do your visions become real?”
“Well, I kept seeing this guy in my visions, and he told me everything about himself. Then, I met him in person.” I pointed at Victor. “He didn’t know me, but I know all about him. And there was the episode of the burned town in Switzerland. I saw it happening. It was Omi. He threatened the nymphs on a lake nearby. The nymphs didn’t give him the information he sought, so he killed them and wiped out the city.”
“Really?” Morgan’s eyes gleamed in awe. “You do know what they are patrons of?”
I glanced back at the beautiful drawing in the rug. “I’m not sure.”
“Well, Levi is the god of life, balance, and spirit. Ceris is the goddess of love, family, home, and beauty. Omi is the god of war, courage, and wisdom. Mitrus is the god of death, the underworld, and the dead. Imha is the goddess of chaos and discord. And the others”—he pointed at them in the drawing—“are the god of the sun and the day, the goddess of the moon and the night, the goddess of nature and seasons, the goddess of entertainment and artists, and the god of magic.”
Intrigued by its familiarity, I stared at the symbol on the lower part of the rug. I squinted, examining it. It was white, like it was made of crystal, and composed of a thick circle and, in the center, the sign of infinity, which started shining when I set my eyes on it.
“Did you see that?” I asked, pointing to the symbol.
“See what?” Morgan asked.
But I didn’t answer. I tilted my head and saw it clearly; the infinity sign was the number eight lying sideways.
I stumbled back, my breathing coming in little snatches of air. “I’ve seen this symbol as long as I’ve had visions.”
“This is the creed’s symbol,” he explained. “The pantheon’s name is Everlasting Circle. We believe our gods are the true and only ones who exist. The others—Egyptians, Greeks, Celts, Mayans, and even the Christian God—are all based on the Everlasting Circle. However, with the appearance of other religions and myths, the Everlasting Circle was forgotten.”
“But why do I have visions about it?”
“If your visions are about the past, present, and future …” Morgan paused, reaching to a smaller rolled rug under his desk. He opened it over his desk. I gasped again.
The rug contained a drawing of three identical women with silver hair and gray eyes, wearing simple white dresses.
“I saw them with Ceris,” I whispered. “Who are they?”
“They are the Fates. Their names are Mani, Nay, and Lavni. Or, the past, the present, and the future, respectively. And, if what I’m suspecting is true, you have the Destiny Gift, a rare gift from them. In fact, I thought it was only a legend, or an idea.”
“What? Why?”
Morgan smile widened. “I have no idea, but this is exciting!”
“I’m not excited,” I almost shouted, then retreated to my guys. “I’m confused.”
“So,” Micah spoke up. “You’re saying that the things she sees are true?”
“Probably.” Morgan shrugged.
Oh God, so now what? Imha would torture me until I died to tell her something I didn’t even know. I would rather die now, without any suffering.
“But why would I have these visions?” I sat down on the chair so the world would stop spinning around me.
“A warning?” Morgan rolled the smaller rug up again. “Did you know your aura isn’t as strong as theirs?” He pointed to Victor and Micah.
“What do you mean?” Victor asked, finally speaking since we had arrived. He stood behind my chair.
“Your aura.” Morgan looked at Victor. “And his.” He pointed at Micah. “Are inexplicable. I’ve never heard of auras like yours. Now yours,” he said, looking at me, “it’s strong, stronger than all I have seen, but it’s nothing compared to theirs. So, perhaps, your aura shines because of your gift.” He looked at the guys again. “Now I wonder why your auras are so much stronger.”
I closed my eyes, feeling a headache coming. “Still, it doesn’t explain why I would have this gift, or whatever this is.”
Morgan sat in his chair. “Like I said, perhaps the Fates want to warn you of something that’s to come. Or maybe something that happened that they need you to look into.”
“But what?” The strength drained from me. I was so tired of thinking about this, of trying to put the puzzle pieces together.
“Why don’t you tell me about your visions—which ones seemed more vivid?” Morgan asked.
I held a laugh back. “All of them.” I told him about the first vision of the gods, the one about Levi and Mitrus disappearing after a fight, since it was the first out of the dream Victor pattern, but Morgan didn’t let me continue with the others. He paced in his tiny office.
“By the Everlast, so it is true,” he exclaimed.
“By the Everlast …?” I whispered, not following.
Morgan waved me off. “It’s an expression, associated with my creed.” He clasped his hands together. “We call the crystal palace you described th
e Clarity Castle. And that object they used to kill each other, it’s not a spike. Those are evil objects they aren’t allowed to make.” He laughed, sounding giddy. “Don’t you see? Your vision shows what happened thirty years ago. That’’s why the world is in chaos. My acolytes and I have been saying Imha took over, but we weren’t sure about it. We have been praying for Levi to regain control and balance the world once again, though we had no idea what happened to him. “This”—he pointed at me, and I assumed he meant my vision—“explains the darkness, the chaos, the evil that took over the world.” Morgan’s face was blanketed by worry and realization. “I can’t believe he’s dead. It can’t be. Imha will destroy this world if she stays in power. What else do you know?”
I gulped, kind of embarrassed about being in the spotlight. “I think Ceris is hiding, and Imha and Omi are hunting her.”
“Of course, with her lover out of the picture, she would be next,” Morgan mused, resuming his pacing. “And I would bet my life Ceris is trying to find a way to bring Levi back.”
“What do we do in the meantime?” Victor asked, startling me. Not that I could ever forget his strong presence and his delicious scent, but he was so quiet and stoic sometimes, it was hard to think he had any emotion or interest left.
Morgan tapped his fingers on his desk. “I’m trying to think. There must be a reason Nadine is having these visions. I just can’t figure it out.”
Neither could I. And my life just might depend on finding the answer.
Chapter Twenty
Carl came in and reminded Morgan he needed to attend the next rite. Morgan invited us to observe the ceremony, and we agreed. He didn’t seem to have any new ideas about what my visions meant, and I thought maybe we could learn something from attending one of his religious functions.
We entered the same room I had seen Morgan in during my previous vision—the large high-ceiling beige stone room, with side pillars that held white flags. The Everlasting Circle symbol was painted on each of those flags. There were candles around the perimeter of the room and an altar in the back. The poster I hadn’t been able to see during the vision now burned my eyes. It was another drawing of the gods, with the symbol behind them.
While he rushed around the room and prepared the rite, Victor, Micah, and I observed him.
“You don’t believe in the crap he’s been telling us, do you?” Victor asked in low tones.
I turned to him, and responding in a voice equally low, I said, “Do you have any other explanation for what is happening?”
“No, but come on.” His eyes were doubtful. “Gods and Fates and gifts? How can he prove any of this?”
“Do you have proof the Christian God exists?” I rolled my eyes at Micah, who snickered beside us. So far, I had believed in the Christian God, but now, everything and anything seemed plausible—or doubtful.
Victor remained quiet.
“His aura is strong too,” Micah said, his gaze following each of Morgan’s moves. “And he has the gift of sight.”
“Okay,” I said. “Explain something to me. Everyone has an aura, right?”
“Yes,” Micah answered.
“But these auras are different?”
He nodded. “Yes. There are good auras, weak auras, bad auras, and special auras. Ours are the latter.”
“Special how?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Just special. They feel different. Purer, stronger. Victor’s and mine are much stronger than yours, though.”
“This mess is so insane,” Victor muttered.
I ignored Micah and stepped closer to Victor, hoping my eyes could express my feelings. “I don’t know what to believe; I don’t know who to trust. But here we are, and trust me, I’ve been debating whether I’m not in a vision right now. This isn’t easy for any of us. Unfortunately, it’s all we’ve got so far.”
I could see I hadn’t convinced him, but how could I convince him of something I wasn’t completely convinced of myself?
Morgan called our attention and directed us to stand under the altar.
The rite started.
With white chalk, he drew the Everlasting Circle symbol on the floor and chanted. The words in the chant asked Levi to come back, to be resurrected, and bring light to the darkness.
Whatever else he said or did, I didn’t catch.
I felt the usual stab, the warmth running inside my body, the prickle over my skin. The darkness took over, and I wasn’t there anymore. I was on top of a steep, red rock, looking at many other red rocks. It reminded me of the Grand Canyon, though I was sure it wasn’t the exact same place.
“We are near the Grand Canyon.” A woman’s voice came from behind me. I turned to see who it was, then gasped when I saw the identical Fates. They continued, speaking together, and said, “It’s called Cathedral Rock.”
“This is where you need to come,” one of them said.
“Don’t scare the girl off, Lavni,” another said. It was confusing. Even if they decided to formally introduce themselves, I would never know who was who. She continued, “But you have to hurry, my child.”
“Otherwise, the world won’t have a chance,” the third one said.
“Excuse me?” My head spun.
They approached and pointed toward the horizon. “The world can’t survive in the chaos it is in.”
“To have a chance of avoiding the end, you and your friends need to come here,” Lavni said.
“What is so special about this place?” I asked, looking around. All I saw were red rocks.
“Ask Morgan. He knows,” one said with a knowing smile.
They waved their hands and the horizon changed. The darkness of the sky descended, winged creatures advanced, and lightning struck.
“If they catch you before you arrive, it will be the end.” I heard the Fates’ voices, though they weren’t by my side anymore. “The world will be at war with the darkness. And the darkness will win.”
Images flashed before me on the vast horizon: the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Cristo Redentor in Brazil crumbled to the ground, winged monsters devoured people in parks, huge waves brought gigantic sea creatures up to die on beaches, fireballs hurled from the skies burned the ground, children yelled and ran from schools as earthquakes destroyed everything. All the while, Imha stood on the side, observing and laughing with pleasure.
My stomach revolved and I fell on my butt.
Micah and Victor knelt by my side. Morgan stood close behind. I scanned the area, realizing I was back from the vision and we were alone in the beige stone room.
“What did you see?” Micah asked, leaning closer, his cool breath washing through my skin. I inhaled deeply, hoping his sweet scent would numb my senses and I could just stay down and not care about anything else. “Nadine, talk to me.”
“Nadine.” It was Victor, his voice holding a gentle tone. “Say something.”
I didn’t want to say anything. All I wanted was to close my eyes and forget about gods and Fates and visions and auras.
But I didn’t. I could feel within my soul my vision was true. “What is so special about Cathedral Rock?” I asked Morgan in a clear and loud tone, masking my fear and my frustration.
He pressed his hands together. “Cathedral Rock is a gateway to the Clarity Castle.”
***
“That is, if the stories are true,” Morgan said from the backseat of Victor’s car. We had left Jacksonville and were now on the road toward Sedona, Arizona. To Cathedral Rock.
“With us, which story has not been true?” Micah asked, eyeing his backseat partner.
Morgan threw his hands up. “Man, I’m on your side. That’s why I’m coming with you, isn’t it?” He sounded more like an excited young man than a fifty-year-old priest.
“How long to Sedona?” Micah asked while I stifled a laugh. I just hoped he didn’t kill Morgan before we got there.
Victor glanced at the dashboard. “Thirty hours, according to the GPS.”
Morgan leaned forward.
“We need to make a stop in Wichita.”
“Kansas?” I asked, looking back at them, and saw Morgan nod. “Why?”
“I know a priest there. Last week, on the phone, he mentioned he was studying the gateways,” he explained. “We might need his guidance.”
“Again, why?” I asked.
“Because the gateway is a place of strong power and it isn’t out there for everyone to see,” Morgan said. “It’s hidden somewhere among those rocks, and I know nothing about what to look for. My friend does.”
I turned to our driver, hoping he wouldn’t snap again for having to take us even farther. With a sidelong glance, Victor nodded.
“All right, boys,” I said. “We’re going to Kansas.”
Chapter Twenty One
It was almost midnight when we stopped at a hotel past Birmingham, Alabama.
This time we took two rooms, and Micah called dibs on sleeping with me. In the hallway, after bidding goodnight to the others, I caught Victor’s gaze lingering on me. I saw something there, something I couldn’t quite grasp. Was he jealous? No. Then worried? That wasn’t it either.
Inside our room, Micah threw himself at one of the beds, tossing me one of his trademark smiles. “So, darling, will you join me?” He patted the empty space beside him.
I rolled my eyes and rummaged through my things. “Why are you in this?”
He sat up straight. “What do you mean?”
“Why are you here? Why are you coming with us and helping us?”
“I thought it was pretty obvious. Because of you, darling.” He winked and I rolled my eyes again. “Okay, seriously, I don’t know.” His tone became quieter. “There are a few moments when I believe that whatever is happening to us has something to do with the darkness surrounding the world.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “The bats and the feelings make me think the darkness is involved in our problems, I guess. But this world doesn’t bother me. I even like the dark. What I don’t like are these pains and the impression I’m missing something, that I’m still missing some part of me.”
Destiny Gift Page 15
