Really Michael? A quill? Okay, I respect that.
I nodded. There was some random piece of paper, a pencil, and pen. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. “Notebook it is.”
I picked it up placing it on the desk pushing the drawer as far as it would go, stopping just before it reached the desk. With one hand I awkwardly untied the leather strip that kept the book closed; I flipped the front cover open moving the torch closer so I could see what was written.
August 27th, 2:41 am
Noah. Oh, my, Noah. I am so sorry. I could have done something. I should have done something. I will never forgive myself for what happened yesterday morning. I shouldn’t have pushed you so hard. I should have never told you to scale that building. You weren’t ready and I didn’t see that. Noah—
Noah, I miss you. I miss your smile already. I had the healers trying to heal you all day. Unfortunately, none were able to bring you back. They said that your body was beyond repair. I yelled at them. Screamed. How could they dare say something like that about you? About my boy. No one says things like that about my son. No one! I even made three healers try to heal you together but nothing worked. The Speakers—God, you don’t even know what that is yet. You were too young. They are able to speak to the immortal, the Creators, and sometimes the dead. The Speakers told me late in the evening that you had already moved on. They told me you were safe and they even said that you spoke to them for a moment. They reported you saying:
Hi Susan, Tony, and Rosie. This place is amazing. So peaceful. Can you please tell Dad—Michael—these few things for me, I don’t have long so please just listen. Please tell him this: Dad, I’m not scared here. I’m not in pain. I’ll always be with you. I promise. Don’t be upset. I know that you always said that I was going to be the guide for the savior. Well, her name is Abigail, daughter of Scott and Maria. You know Carson? His younger sister. She’s two years older than I. I was never meant to be her guide, that’s not what the Creators had planned. Chase is supposed to be her guide. Please trust me on this one, Dad. Everything I am telling you is true. I was meant to tell you. You’ll know when it’s time to reach out to her and when you should tell Chase. Oh, and tell him I said hi. Ryan too. But Dad I don’t blame you and always remember this one very important thing—I love you. Goodbye, Dad. Until I see you again. I will never be far.
I will never forget your words. I believe you. I hope that where ever you are you know that I believe you. And I want to thank you for reaching me. I didn’t think you would considering you didn’t even know what a Speaker was but thank you for trusting. That is one thing that I have learned from you. The ability to trust. I feel like my dark heart can rest easy for just tonight knowing that you are in a safer place.
I lost a part of my world yesterday. I hope you never know the burden of regret that I will carry with me the rest of my living, breathing life.
Son, you were the greatest gift I could have ever received. Noah, you have my heart. I love you. I miss you.
Goodbye son. You will always be in my every thought.
Love your Father, Michael.
Noah Arthur Williams
August 26th, 10:53 am
Age: 9 ½
My breath caught in my chest. With my free hand, I wiped the tears from my cheeks. “Oh, wow.”
With a deep sigh, I hesitated to turn the page. I shouldn’t have ever read that. I turned the page though, but what lay on the other side was not what I would have expected. After that page, the notebook was hallowed out in the middle with the key from the night Chase and I picked a fight with the group from Limbo.
How—how did Michael get this? I don’t remember giving it to him.
I finally calmed myself enough to realize that it was time to move on. I decided to leave the key in the book, locked safely away in the drawer for now. I knew where it was so if I ever figured out what it was used for I could come to retrieve it from its safe hiding place. With my teeth and free hand, I re-tied the small piece of leather around the book placing it back in the drawer. I rose walking over to the book pushing it back into the bookshelf. I checked to make sure the drawer closed before walking to the door. “Noah, I’ll find your Dad. I promise.”
***
I had no idea what time of night it was but with all the events that had taken place in the last twenty-four hours my body was telling me that it was time to get some sleep; no matter how hungry or how badly I wanted answers.
I somehow found my room.
You’re not going to find anything else tonight. It’s too dark and too creepy. Just get some sleep. I’ll cover this whole Palace from top to bottom, front to back and every hidden hiding place and room... tomorrow.
I placed the torch in the holder by the door. I removed all of the straps of knives placing them on the desk; all except for one.
I’m tired, not stupid. Must be prepared for anything. Even in sleep.
I took a moment, realizing that I sounded just like Michael. I didn’t have the energy to change. I fell onto the bed. Nothing had ever felt as glorious as this bed did right now. It didn’t take long until my eyes got too heavy to open again.
CHAPTER FIVE - RYAN
Nothing. That’s what I had left. Nothing. There was no point anymore. Chase was gone. Abigail is gone. Owl went. I hadn’t even given him a name yet and he was taken from me. Ether was gone. Granddad was gone. I didn’t even get to see him or say goodbye. I should have called. Mom and Dad went so long ago I almost can’t remember what their faces look like.
Tears overflowed from my eyes as a pain that I had never felt before ripped through my chest.
I had nothing left to live for. Everything was gone.
I am alone.
CHAPTER SIX - ABIGAIL
Running... running... running. I was running. Why was I running? I looked over my shoulder.
I don’t see anything.
For some reason, though I was running. I kept running. Panic burned in my chest. Something was chasing me.
What?
Again I looked back, this time turning my whole body to get a better look. My heart froze. A figure. I tripped. Quickly stumbling I regained my balance. Glancing over my shoulder again the distance was now halved. I kept running. The chapel was close in sight now. I looked back again. Ten feet.
Maybe.
I stumbled again. I felt something pull at the back of my shirt.
“Please! No!”
It was too late. I grabbed at the wet leaves of the forest floor as they pulled me to my feet spinning me around and pinning me against the cold stone of the chapel wall.
“Please! Please!” I pleaded, pushing against the arm that was now across my neck. As I gripped their arm with both hands I opened my eyes to see who my pursuer was.
“Abigail,” their wicked smile sent a shiver down my spine.
Tears escaped from my eyes as I gasped for breath. “Chase?”
I shot up from the bed sucking in as much air as I could. A cold sweat covered my whole body. I scanned the whole room.
No one.
I tried to take slow even breaths but the image that was burned onto the inside of my eyelids made my heart skip a beat.
That was not Chase. It couldn’t be. But the evil, and hatred. Why? There was no way that that could ever be Chase. But the look in his eyes... it felt so real.
I crawled off the perfectly made bed pacing the room.
Dream readers. It must be. They must be from Limbo. Aaron.
My blood boiled.
By the dim grey light that came through the window, I guessed it was early morning.
So much for a good sleep.
I rubbed my hand over my face and sighed. “Alright.”
Shower. Wait, do they even work? Okay, see if the showers work. Eat something. Then plan something. There is something here and I am going to find it if it kills me.
“Which might just happen.”
***
After a cold shower, I changed into some clothes t
hat I had left in my room here, ate a stale peanut butter sandwich and was now sitting on the ground, dead center in the courtyard.
“Come on Owl. I know you can hear me. Help me find them. I’ll help you find Ryan. And I’ll make sure he gives you a proper name. Help me find him. We’ll help each other. I know you can hear me. Please give me a sign. Anything. You can hear me right?”
I stared up at the grey sky. There was still a light fog but at least I could see more than a foot in front of myself.
“Come on.”
Nothing. At all. There were no birds, big or small flying around. There were no animals running around, no people, nothing. Just nothing. No sound. Nothing. I could probably hear a pin drop from miles away.
“Ugh, this is so frustrating,” I growled covering my face with my hands.
Where do I even start? This place is so big. I bet I missed a million things in Michael’s office.
My thoughts were interrupted when I heard what sounded like a crow. The sound almost hurt my ears. I uncovered my face, looking up. A raven dove down from the sky coming just feet from me.
“Hello,” I said surprised. The raven moved just inches from my face before circling me three times then flying away.
“Hey! Wait!” I twisted around to watch it fly away.
Three times? Is Owl a raven now?
“What?” I knew that made no sense.
But what then? It can’t be a coincidence. Could it? But what does it mean then?
I jumped to my feet chasing after it. “Hey! Come back!”
***Ryan***
The ground was wet and cold. The black rock thirty feet above sporadically dripped water which was beginning to drive people insane. The cries and screams echoed off the walls. Since being here—I don’t know how long—being civilized was quickly being lost. People pushed and crawled trying to find any place to sit and slowly go crazy. I keep trying to tell people that anywhere they sit is going to be just as uncomfortable, but no one is listening anymore. The thing that makes all of this worse is I know all of these people. Every day I have seen these people, worked with them. But now they were all acting insane. Fights break out all the time. Parents leave their children to fend for themselves. And there is nothing I could do. All of Ether in one huge cave with no way out and no control. Well, almost all of Ether. I still haven’t been able to find Chase, Michael or Abigail.
“Are—are you Ryan Jacobs? Abigail and Chase. You’re friends, right?” It hurt to hear their names but I looked up to see who was talking. A small lady stood over me. She had grey hair that fell to her shoulders, her dark brown eyes still sparkled in a place as horrid as this. A long black shawl covered most of her clothes and figure. I looked away moving my back to try and find a more comfortable spot on the wall. I pulled my legs up in front of me resting my arms on top of my knees.
“Are you him? Are you Ryan? You know Abigail and Chase right?” She said quietly as she pushed another woman next to me away so she could sit. “Ryan, right?”
I sighed, looking at my hands. She was so close I could feel her breath on my neck. “Yeah, I’m Ryan.”
“You’re one of the Master Guards.”
“I was,” my voice conveyed no emotion.
“Where are your friends?” She quietly asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t think they are here. I’ve yelled for them, I’ve looked for them. I’ve done all of our tricks we have to find each other and I still can’t find them. They’re not here. I don’t know where they are.”
“They’re important to you correct?”
I turned to her. “Of course they are. Why would you even ask me such a question?”
They’re all I have left.
“I can help you then. Well, I can try my best,” for a moment she almost looked excited. How could someone be excited in a place like this?
I could have laughed. “How can you help me? Why do you want to help me?”
“I’m a witch,” she whispered.
I looked around to make sure no one heard what she had just said. That would start a whole new set of problems that we didn’t need. “Are you serious?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “I’ve been trying to find all of you since we appeared here.”
“What are you going to do?” A small spark of hope burned in my chest.
“I have to see if I can feel them first. Give me your hands.”
Before I had a chance she moved to sit in front of me taking my hands from my lap.
“Think of Chase. Think of him and only him. Nothing else.”
She stared at me until I nodded. She closed her eyes taking a deep breath.
Chase. Chase. Chase.
After what seemed like an eternity she squeezed my hands tighter. “I—I—” she let go. I opened my eyes to see her drop her hands in her lap.
“What?”
“I can’t feel him.”
“What? What does that mean?”
“I’m not sure. You can always feel a person dead or alive.”
“So he’s alive then?”
“No.”
“Then he’s dead?” I asked in disbelief.
“No.”
“What is he then?” I snapped. A few people turned to look but with so much chaos going on they quickly lost interest.
“I don’t know. I have never felt—or should say—not felt that before. Like I said you can always feel a being.”
The spark of hope I had vanished. “What—what about Abigail?”
“We can try. But at this point it doesn’t look like I can promise anything,” she grabbed my hands again. “Think of Abigail.”
Abigail. Okay. Abigail. Don’t think about Chase. Abigail. Just her.
The woman squeezed my hands. “I feel something. She’s not here. I can’t tell where she is.”
I stared at her. “Really? Why can’t you feel Chase? How come you can’t tell where she is? You can tell where they are?”
She chuckled. “Sometimes, but not always. And I don’t know why I can’t feel Chase. Like I have said that has never happened before.”
“So what does it mean then? She alive, right?”
“As far as I can tell she—” she let go of my hands grabbing her head. She curled into a ball screaming so loud that it rose over all the noise.
“What’s wrong? What’s happening?” It was then I realized that I didn’t know her name. “Are you okay?”
“I think—I think they know,” she said through blood-curdling screams.
“They? Who are they?”
As suddenly as she started screaming she stopped.
“Are you okay?”
“They’re trying to block me. I have one chance to send Abigail a message. It won’t be clear. Not at all actually.”
“Do it!” I yelled.
“Okay, okay. Give me your hands again.”
“Can you send Owl to her? Wherever he might be?” Sadness overtook me again.
“Unfortunately, no. I’m sorry.”
“Okay,” I held my hands out. “What are you going to do?”
“A raven.”
“Okay?”
“What is something unique to Owl that you have never seen any other bird do?”
I thought for a moment. “He likes to get really close to you. Like he trying to tell you something in secret.”
“Okay.”
“And he also will fly around you three times then suddenly fly away,” I missed him too.
“Alright then,” she took my hands, closing her eyes.
“Concentrate. Concentrate on Abigail and Owl’s movements. Nothing else.”
I nodded closing my eyes.
Abigail. Owl. Abigail. Owl.
A dull pain ran through my body.
“I—” the woman stopped squeezing my hand. The pain increased.
“Are you—”
“Shh!”
I snapped my eyes shut concentrating again.
“Okay, I—I think it worked,” she said tak
ing a deep breath letting go of my hands.
“You can’t be sure?” As soon as the last word came out of my mouth I realized how rude I just was. This woman just endured all this pain so I could find my friends. No benefit to her.
“No. I don’t have access to all my powers now. I’m sure they will block me completely soon.”
We shared a moment of silence.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“What was that? What did you just say? I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.”
She smiled. “She will find you. All of us. And Chase too. In the end, it wasn’t just the right thing to do, it was the only thing to do.”
Even with the possibility that it didn’t even work, she still had lit the spark of hope inside me again.
“I’m sorry, I never got your name.”
“Josephine, but you can call me Jo,” again, she smiled.
I nodded. “Thank you, Jo.”
CHAPTER SEVEN - ABIGAIL
Nothing is different. Nothing at all. What am I missing? How can everyone be gone but everything look the same?
All the walls around the city were still standing. All of the houses and shops were still standing. All of the crates and boxes and miscellaneous things lying around the city were still there. The only thing was different about the city was the fountain.
No water? What does that mean?
The Divine Fallen Page 3
