Legions

by Karice Bolton

  The Watchers Trilogy

  LEGIONS

  KARICE BOLTON

  Copyright © 2011 Karice Bolton

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, and events either are the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover design: PhatpuppyArt.com

  The Watchers Trilogy

  DEDICATION

  To all of the people in my life who always tell me to go for it!

  Love you my dude! Jon, you are the best husband a girl could ask for…

  Mom, thank you for always giving me encouragement and to my dad who is watching down over us all!

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I want to say a simple thank you to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all of the other avenues available for the indie publishing world. It allows the art of storytelling to continue to flourish in unexpected ways!

  Also to my wonderful and very patient editor – you know who you are.

  COMING April 2nd, 2012:

  CATACLYSM

  BOOK 3 OF THE WATCHERS TRILOGY

  BY

  KARICE BOLTON

  TO CONTACT THE AUTHOR PLEASE VISIT HER WEBSITE AT

  WWW.KARICEBOLTON.COM

  OR

  EMAIL

  INFO@KARICEBOLTON.COM

  OR

  FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER

  @KARICEBOLTON

  Chapter 1

  I closed my eyes as tight as they could possibly shut, not wanting to see any of the images that were shoving their way into my psyche. I was hoping that the images I saw dancing in the smoke of the flames were nothing more than hallucinations. Seeing Athen’s body that close to another’s was more than I could comprehend. I didn’t know how this was supposed to be connected to the Awakening or getting him back to us. With my body squirming and trying to get away from the visions, Cyril and Arie had to tie me down so I didn’t disrupt the process. My body was going against everything I was supposed to be doing. Both my body and my mind were in a battle against each other. Neither wanted to accept the vision of Athen and the demon together. With my legs kicking, and arms flailing in all directions, all I wanted to do was to flee - but my soul knew better. If I disrupted the Awakening now, all hope was pretty much lost on getting Athen back soon.

  Next, my most intimate moments with Athen began being projected against the flames - the night a perfect backdrop to highlight our images together as one. I didn’t know if it was only me who was seeing that, but the amount of pain I was suffering made me not care. Cyril and Arie kept the flames tended while I did my best confronting the physical and emotional pain that was running through my entire body. When I thought there were no more tears to be had, the wetness continued streaming down my cheek. I had no control over anything.

  My lungs began to tickle. A cough began stirring in my abdomen. I wasn’t in control of anything physical or mental. I tried to gesture towards the flame, turning my head the other direction thinking it was the smoke that was causing my lungs to twitch when Cyril shook his head.

  “It’s not the smoke, Ana. It’s the...” Before he could get the last word out, I was gasping for air. I tried to take breaths in, but it was as if my lungs were already full. Every gulp of attempted air left brought on another coughing fit.

  I turned back to the fire only to be accosted by the very images I had been doing my best to avoid and never make a reality. One image flashed right after the other of the two of them together – holding hands, walking a beach, getting coffee. The serpent woman and Athen were participating in all things that normal couples do, only they weren’t a normal couple. I knew they weren’t. They couldn’t be. Couldn’t Athen see that? She was a fraud. I didn’t understand what I was witnessing but did my best to take in every image’s detail, no matter how small seeming, in case it was needed to hunt him down.

  The physical pain writhing through every part of my body was nowhere near the emotional distress I was feeling. If I didn’t know better, I would think I was hallucinating. Unfortunately, it was nothing of the sort. I had lost Athen because I refused to believe the images that were coming to me in my dreams. I jeopardized his safety because I didn’t want to utter aloud what I was seeing in my mind. With every beat of my heart, a shot ran through my veins slicing up along some extremity making way for the next iron-hot rush of blood behind it. I found myself getting lightheaded time and time again because I’d suck in all the breath I could. So fearful any movement would make the pain worse, I tried letting out air, little by little.

  I didn’t know how much more I could take of this, but when I thought I could handle no more, I reminded myself that Athen, too, went through this very same process for me decades earlier. I also pushed out the one tiny fact that I didn’t want to dwell on, which was that there was no one chasing after me to get in the way of my reintroduction process. There wasn’t someone fighting for my attention. It seemed like I was going to have to fight for Athen’s affections. He wasn’t faced with those challenges. Closing my eyes tightly to shield out the burning sensation that was becoming overwhelming, my lungs let out a scream that I couldn’t bottle up any longer. I needed Athen. We weren’t meant to be apart.

  Chapter 2

  The Awakening had gone how it was supposed to, at least from what I was told. I don’t remember that much of it, except for the excruciating pain. My arms still felt like they were on fire in every single one of my joints – even the little ones. I thought what I had gone through during my reintroduction process was horrible, but it was nothing compared to the horrible pain that ripped through my veins during the Awakening. It took all of the strength that I had to endure the process – that and the thought of Athen. His images carried me through it. He had done the same for me half a century ago. Everything I was doing now was for him. I was determined to get him back with all of us, his family.

  I still blamed myself for the events that took him from us. It was hard not to. The guilt riddled my every thought. My visions told me exactly what was going to happen, and I did nothing. He didn’t have a chance in the attack. That many demons against one of us was almost impossible. The worst part, that eats at me every second of every day, was that the events that unfolded matched my nightmares almost perfectly. If I had only told him about the dreams I was having maybe none of this would have occurred. I just didn’t want to believe that my nightmares could be real. That was my gift, seeing these visions. At least, that was what my family told me. To me it felt more like a curse.

  Once Athen was taken away, we immediately began the Awakening process. Thankfully, before the pain swept through my body, I was able to get a glimpse of him. He was doing okay - looked fine, but the beautiful, familiar green glow was missing from his eyes. His eyes looked like mine did before my family reintroduced me. He looked as if nothing ever happened, actually. I was thankful for that.

  Not having him near me was the worst. It was hard even getting up and ready for the day – no laughter to begin my day in a wonderful way, no hug, no kiss. I longed for him beyond anything I ever thought possible - to just be touched by him one more time. I promised myself that we would get him back soon, not 50 years like it took for me. I don’t think I could last 50 years without him. A shudder ran up my spine only to be met with an overwhelming amount of guilt and grief.

  There was a gentle and familiar mist seeping through the air as I looked out our bedroom window onto Puget Sound. The water was calm this morning, only slightly moving with the breeze. At least there was something consistent and familiar I could grab onto. Anxiety began building as I heard the voices from downs
tairs become louder. The murmurs of the other families provided little comfort as I longed to be held by Athen. I knew this was the path that would get me to my true love once again, but every step felt like an enormous step backwards not forward. I was grateful to be back at our Kingston home but knew we would be headed to Victoria, B.C. where Athen appeared to be located. Thank goodness for our little homing beacon, Matilda. I missed her almost as much as Athen but knew she was the key to bringing us all back together with him. We were able to keep tabs on him since Matilda was with him. Not hearing her snorts and pants was really disheartening.

  I kept reminding myself that Athen had to go through this process with me, too, when I was attacked by the demons. If he could handle it, then I could. The more I let my mind wander off thinking of Athen I could feel tiny swells of excitement building at the prospect of being reunited. Being in the same city, that close in vicinity to Athen again, was something I needed and the sooner the better. I only hoped that I did everything correctly so that we could reunite quickly. I wasn’t going to make the same mistakes he made, which made our reunion 50 years in the making.

  I readied myself to greet everyone downstairs. I had come to know many of these fellow Fallen Angels and their descendants as the activity from the demons rose in frequency. Many of them had been through the same things as I; some had their loved ones returned to them already, and others were still waiting, like me. Our family knew where Athen was, but it wasn’t time to get him back yet. Knowing that Athen had endured this very feeling for decades - one that I had only known for mere weeks - was almost crushing. I don’t know how he stayed so strong. I was just going through the motions trying the best I could to be of use to my family; anything to bring Athen back in his true form.

  I grabbed my grey wool sweater from the closet and shuffled down the hall to the gathering that was downstairs waiting for me. The chill wouldn’t leave my bones no matter what I wrapped around myself. As I struggled to get my arms through the sweater, I realized how everything had become such an effort since Athen was taken from us. The grief had penetrated every fiber of my being.

  All of the Christmas decorations had been put away by Cyril and Arie, for which I was eternally grateful. The New Year had begun and brought nothing except misery so far. Somehow I was sitting in the family room sipping a cup of coffee that Arie had brought me, just staring into oblivion. I don’t even know how I got there. I noticed I did that quite a bit – arriving places, never remembering how I got there. The fire was roaring, but the ice in the air was overwhelming. Part of our area rug was folded up on the corner, and I immediately thought about Matilda, our bulldog - our little homing beacon.

  I pulled the sleeves of my sweater over my hands to warm up. There was far too much loss in the room to have the warmth of the flames penetrate the flesh of any of us. If I could only feel the warmth of Athen’s touch. As I looked around the room, I could tell immediately which families were waiting for loved ones like I was, and which families had already experienced their return. A flash of envy appeared inside of me, which I squashed immediately. I’m sure that was all part of the demon’s plan to have us turn against one another.

  It had become apparent in the last few weeks as we reached out to others that we were under attack. This was our first opportunity to discuss our options as a group. We needed to find out as much information from around the area as possible. I only hoped I was up for it. I knew this was far too elaborate an undertaking for the dark demons to be concentrating on only us white demons. There was a more intricate plan laying in wait for us. We had to uncover it before it was too late.

  I tried to focus on the task at hand, but my mind couldn’t stop drifting to the images of Athen in the last weeks. His green eyes glimmering with hope as I remembered our past, the kindness in his touch as he would brush my cheek, the warmth of his body lying against mine. I tried to shake myself from going down that path. I needed to remain strong and focused. I glanced at one of the beautiful paintings near the sofa table. The vibrant reds splashed throughout made me focus on my fury that was beginning to build. Going down memory lane would only make it that much more difficult on me.

  I heard Cyril’s voice from the living room trying to gather everyone together. I felt the shift in movement as people began making their way towards me. Since I had been the last person to re-phase from such a long time away from my family, I knew everyone was counting on my memories from the other side. They were hopeful that I’d somehow hold the key to how they would get their loved ones back as quickly as possible. Obviously, they didn’t put two and two together that if it was that easy, Athen would be by my side right now.

  I pushed my snide thoughts aside and concentrated on the good intent of everyone here. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around to see a stranger with tears in her eyes looking at me with the same level of desperation that I felt. I realized at that moment I had to get out of myself and look at the bigger picture. It wasn’t just Athen I was going to be fighting for any longer. I held her hand briefly, and I stood up and went in front of the fireplace to speak to the group. I finally felt the warmth of the flames on the back of my legs soaking through the jeans that I was wearing. I looked around at everyone, all so welcoming and filled with anticipation. I was ashamed of myself for envying any of them. They were here to help. We were all in this together.

  “Hi, everyone. I know many of you from my previous existence. At least, that’s what I’m told. You’ll have to forgive me for not being as quick as I should be with my memories.” I said trying to force a smile. Arie came up next to me to stand, grabbing my hand for support.

  “As we all are coming to find out, there is change beginning to occur from the evil ones. We need to be vigilant in protecting the family members that remain while still attempting to get our loved ones back as soon possible. Don’t be foolish and neglect the ones who are still with us. I have a feeling there will be evil creatures waiting for that very moment. We must not let our guard down. They’re counting on us to be distracted, and since there are so many of us with those distractions we must ensure the safety of each other. We can’t create any larger openings for them. I get the feeling they are lurking where we might least expect them.”

  I had no idea where this confidence was coming from, but I felt empowered. I had the knowledge of my staged life and the experience of the rephasing still a part of me all within a breath away from each other. I felt very in tune with the feelings that were washing over me from fellow Fallen Angels in this room. I also realized I was able to sense most of their thoughts. I was thankful for these newly-developed skills. Quickly pausing on individuals, I was able to see where and how their family members were taken and the thoughts and worries of the families as well as the darkness that was attempting to cloud over the room. It wasn’t just me who had to squash the feelings of envy and jealousy. My heart began beating swiftly as I began to sense a change in the room. A sense of hope and unity began stirring in the room; the thick sense of loss and despair was beginning to dissipate. I wondered if it was the words I spoke.

  “We’ve divided everyone here into groups so that we can obtain as much information as possible as quickly possible. We need to uncover where, and how you lost your family member. Explain any abnormalities that might have occurred prior to them being taken away and any human anomalies that you may have noticed prior to the event or even after. Obviously, after the hikers and snowboarder incidents in Whistler, we know that the demons aren’t afraid to pull from the human world to complete their tasks. That being said, the hikers are still on the loose, so to speak. Unfortunately, now they’re on the demon’s side. My guess is since they were willing participants, they will be a crucial part of one of the Legions - so be on guard. I think we have about six groups carved out here, and Arie will give an iPad to each of your groups to start writing whatever you can outline for us. Write anything down no matter how small you think it may be. We are going to take all of the iPads and compile eve
rything. We’ll be looking for any patterns or similarities that we can find. They aren’t as smart as they think they are. After this exercise, we’ll be able compile some good information and send it out to everyone.”

  “We’ll get our loved ones back. If there is one piece of advice I can give, it’s to remember that it’s harder on us than for them. They don’t know that anything is out of the ordinary. As of now, they don’t know we exist.” The words that escaped my lips made me choke up. I paused to regain my composure.

  “They don’t know what they’re missing, only we do. Their memories of us are gone. But remember the moment the process is ready to begin, the feelings will be rushing back to them like a wave crashing down on their soul. Make sure to be there for them the entire time and don’t give up. The process is a long one. I’m still going through it.” I was feeling stronger than I had in a long time. The thought that I could help the others gave me purpose.

  “After tonight, we won’t be able to meet here again,” Cyril began, “We need to ensure that the demons can’t detect our plans or any of our contact with each other. We must keep them thinking that we’re all behaving as separate entities. When we do meet up, it’ll need to be in smaller groups, always at someone’s home, never in public, and we’ll then have to figure out a system to spread the findings.”

  Arie had handed out the iPads to everyone, and the groups began working hard deconstructing the last few weeks of their lives. I was thankful Arie, Cyril, and I had already performed this act. I was able to sit in front of the fire, listening in on others, hoping I’d hear something that would piece everything together immediately. I waited earnestly for some such outcome as the thoughts and words came pouring over me, but my mind continued to drift to Athen, and I was unable to piece anything together. I excused myself and went up to our bedroom. As of now, I was an empty shell of a being. I was no longer whole.