There was no difference in the Palace, either. Not that I could find. Everything was unchanged. Except for the fountain.
Standing in front of it I placed my hands on my hips. Then crossed my arms over my chest. Then dropped my arms to my side.
“Why are you dry?” I asked holding my arms out. “Why do I care? What does this mean? Should I care that you have no water anymore? Are you trying to give me a sign that I don’t understand? And why is it so damn quiet?!”
I sighed sitting down on the edge of the fountain. I was frustrated. The silence was starting to drive me mad. I had too many questions about too many things and no idea where I should start. I placed my hands over my face.
Oh, Abigail. Just think. This is what you do, remember? You can figure this stuff out. Well, if everyone was here that’s what they would be telling you anyway.
“Oh, who am I kidding? How am I supposed to find a whole city of peo—whoa!” I took my hands away from my face to see a raven—the same raven from this morning—only inches away from my nose.
I squinted. “What do you want?”
The bird spiraled into the air before circling me three times, crowing. The bird then stopped in front of me again.
“Do you know Owl?”
The bird didn’t move.
“Are you Owl?”
Again, no movement.
“Do you know who Owl is?”
The bird spiraled.
Okay, maybe we’re getting somewhere here.
“Do you know who Ryan is?”
The bird spun in the air.
“Do you know Chase?”
Again he moved.
“Do you know where Chase is?”
This time the bird remained still.
Great.
“Do you know where Ryan is?”
The bird circled me three times before taking its place in front of me again.
Wait.
“What?! You know where he is?” I asked in disbelief, standing.
It crowed. And as if I were to take a wild shot in the dark I would say it even sounded excited.
“Where? Where is he then?”
The raven spun three times before flying towards the main gates.
“Wait!” I ran after it.
When I got to the doors it was waiting for me. At that moment, sadness washed over me. I missed Owl.
It led me down the stairs into the forest.
“I wish you could tell me where we were going,” I said as I ran behind the bird.
It crowed.
“I don’t know what that means,” I growled.
It spun three times again before stopping.
“Here?”
It crowed.
“Here?” I asked again.
It crowed.
I looked down.
Trying to communicate with a bird is very frustrating.
It landed at my feet and hopped in a tight circle, it crowed then took off diving between the three branches.
“Hey, wait!” I yelled turning to watch it fly away. “Come back!”
I sighed turning back. “You are the first thing I have talked to that hasn't tried to kill me.”
Looking down at where the crow had been there was now a perfect circle traced in the leaves. “Wait a minute.”
I dropped to my knees. The ground was cold and damp but the leaves still crunched as I pushed them out of the way. “What is this?”
As I moved the leaves my arm began to sting. I grimaced. “Something bad I'm guessing.”
Where the bird had made the circle in the leaves what the symbol for Limbo carved in a piece of rock embedded in the ground. The triangle had shifted to the left in front of me.
“So Ryan is in Limbo?” I whispered.
It did make sense but I couldn't understand how it would be this easy.
“I can’t just walk in there.”
Down there? How do I even get to Limbo? Where are the stairs? Chase said stairs, right?
“Oh, what did I read about Limbo?” I placed my palm to my forehead trying to remember anything that would help.
I was pulled from my concentration when I heard what sounded like something heavy being dropped on the forest floor echo through the trees.
A door?
I placed both hands to the ground, alert as I scanned the area.
I should have brought more weapons.
I pulled my only knife from my ankle strap. I flipped it through my fingers as I stood.
“Please! Please! You're hurting me! I swear it wasn't me! I swear!” The voice was louder than the echoes from a few moments before.
I ran behind the nearest tree when I detected movement.
“You’ll never win! She’ll find them! I might die, but Ether will win!”
***Ryan***
“I have a daughter, Olivia,” her eyes lit up as she began to speak. “Her hair is a beautiful brown that falls to her waist. Her eyes always remind me of the grass in the middle of summer on a sunny day—they are so green. And her smile—” she looked down. “Any problem I had was gone when I saw her.”
“When?”
“I haven’t seen her in eleven years. She’s twenty-one now.”
“I’m so sorry, Jo.”
We both fell silent.
“I bet you want to know what happened,” she looked up at me and suddenly—for some reason—I felt guilty.
“Only if you want to. I completely understand if you don’t want to.”
“She disappeared when she was ten. I have never been able to figure out what happened. She was just starting to hone in on her powers. It was prophesied by the Alpha Witch—she is the original witch—that Olivia was going to be the witch to become the next Alpha. Her powers were much more intense than most witches even mature ones. I think she might have gotten scared. She might have been taken too. Once we discovered her disappearance the community immediately started searching, but whenever we tried to track or locate her the spell would fail. I try every day now—not since we have been here though, there’s too much risk. I know she’s still alive though. Somewhere—good or bad—she’s still alive. I can feel it. Many believe that she’s dead because she hadn’t mastered her powers before she disappeared but I just don’t believe it. Even though she hadn’t mastered them she’s smart. She was always very good at figuring things out. Even as a toddler she was doing spells that were far beyond her years.”
“You have been trying to contact her for eleven years?”
“Yes. Five years ago I thought I had finally reached her but before I could make clear contact I lost the connection. Whoever blocked me, was much more powerful, which leads me to believe that it was Olivia.”
“Wow, I’m so sorry, Jo,” she seemed so happy, I don’t know what I would do if I lost a child. It’s bad enough losing Chase.
“Thank you, Ryan,” she smiled. “Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself? Keep ourselves sane for a little while longer down here.”
“Ah, well, what do you want to know?”
“Anything you would like to tell me.”
“Well, okay. You know who Chase and Abigail are right?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve known Chase since I was born basically. We grew up together. He’s my best friend,” I lowered my gaze. “I miss him. I miss Abigail. Hell, I miss Michael. I don’t know what to do. Owl and Granddad are gone too. I’m sorry,” I realized that a tear had rolled down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away, glancing up to see if she noticed.
“It’s okay. No need to be sorry. Tell me whatever you like.”
“I’m a guard of Ether.”
“You’re selling yourself short.”
I looked up at her to see her smiling. “Selling myself short?”
“You and I both know that you are the highest ranked guard in the city. You’re like Michael’s right hand.”
“Michael’s right hand,” I had to laugh. I shifted my weight, crossing my legs. “How do you know this? I try
to keep that on the down low, so to speak.”
“Why?”
“Why, what?”
“Why keep in on the down low?”
“Well, I keep my status under wraps because if people trust you and think you are one of them—which I am—then they are more likely to listen to you when something horrible happens. Plus, I think the other guards are more comfortable,” I explained. “I don’t know, that probably seems silly because everyone knows.”
“People speak very highly of you, I hope you know that.”
“Really? Well, thanks. I just don’t understand what has taken over people down here. I watched a father just leave his infant son the other day. I couldn’t believe it. I rocked him for hours but it never stopped crying. Finally, I found a guardian—Ms. Wilson from church—she has been caring for all these children. I don’t know how she is still sane when everyone else around her isn’t. I try to help her when I can but there isn’t much she can do either though.”
“Have you tried to reign in some people?”
“Yes. I’ve gotten a few people but we’re outnumbered. I don’t know what else I can do. And without Chase and Abigail here I’m at my wit's end.”
“Well I’ll help you whatever way I can,” Jo said placing her hand on her chest.
“Thank you.”
“So how did you meet Abigail?”
I thought for a moment. “Official meeting? We ran into each other in the hall. She couldn’t find the library. We had run into each other before. We were trying to protect her on Earth. Didn’t really have time for greetings then. It’s funny it really hasn’t been that long since we’ve met but I feel like I have known her for as long as I have known Chase.”
“Well if the stories are true you have all been through a lot in a very short amount of time.”
I nodded.
At that moment, the memory of Granddad flashed in my mind. It was quickly washed away though when a loud echoing crash bounced off the wet stone.
Jo looked over shoulder quickly turning back to me. “Ryan, come with me.”
Before I had time to react she pulled me to my feet. In a blink, we were being trampled by people trying to get to the one gate from the cave.
“What are we doing? Where are we going?” I yelled over the madness.
She never said a word until we reached the dark corner of the cave. “They’re here for me. They know we have tried to contact Abigail.”
“That must mean that whoever has us didn’t get her.”
“Exactly,” Jo nodded.
I stared at her. “I don’t know what to do. What should we do?”
“Ryan, take this.” She reached up to her neck pulling at a long chain that was hidden in her shirt. She took my hand placing the necklace in it. She held my hand closed as she continued: “They’re going to take me. I’m who they are looking for. They are going to want to know where Abigail is and when I don’t tell them they are going to kill me. This pendant, though, will help you and Abigail find each other. The Spirits will help you. Whatever you do, keep it safe. After you find Abigail take it to the City of Spirits. It far outside the walls of Ether. They will help you as much as they can. Ryan, you will find Abigail, you will find Chase, and Michael and Owl too. Ether will win. The Spirits are on your side, whatever they can do they will. Thank you for the lovely conversation, Ryan. You are a beautiful person. You will be in my thoughts.”
“Jo, I—” I was speechless. The noise around me made my ears hurt.
“You can do it, Ryan. You’re strong. Remember who you are. You’ve lost that—you’ve lost who you are. I want you to promise me that you will do this. Abigail will find you. You’ll find Chase. Promise me.”
All I could do was nod.
“Okay, then.” She pulled me into a hug. She smiled holding my shoulders. “I’ll be okay.”
Again, I nodded.
She smiled squeezing my hands before turning and starting towards the crowd.
After a minute I could hardly see her anymore. “Jo, wait!” I ran as fast as I could pushing people left and right.
“Jo!” I grabbed her hand turning her around. “Wait.”
She smiled.
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Of course. It’s the only thing to do. I’ll be okay.”
“I—just—” I looked down at the pendant. It was then that I realized why it was. “A tree. This looks—”
“Yes. The tree on Abigail’s arm. Well before your lifetime and even before mine they knew. Wait until you see the City of Spirits,” she smiled a smile that I wouldn’t have thought possible to see in a place like this.
I closed my hand around the pendant as the chain swung from my fingers. “Thank you, Jo.”
She nodded.
I pulled her into my arms. “Thank you.”
Letting go she squeezed my shoulders again before smiling. As she turned and disappeared into the frenzy of people I promised myself that I would never forget her smile.
***Abigail***
“Ether will win!”
Taking a deep breath I looked around the tree to see four men pulling a woman along.
Is that?
I hid back behind the tree again as the struggled continued.
Where did they come from?
The sound of the struggle intensified. The woman screamed.
Okay, what do I have?
I looked around.
Okay, so one knife. That’s good.
I leaned back against the tree taking a deep breath looking around again.
Tree branches. Tree branches?
“Yes!” I fell to the ground finding a bent ‘y’ shaped branch. “I’ll make it work.”
I pulled my hair tie from my hair putting it around each branch pulling it back. “Not the best but—”
I grabbed as many acorns as I could, shoving them in my pocket. I knelt down beside the tree pressing my left shoulder against the tree.
They were closer now. Three men were dragging a woman half the size of any of them along the forest floor as one man—larger than any of the other men—lead them along.
I took a deep breath. “Okay.” I pulled back the elastic holding the acorn balanced.
Leader? One of the men? No, they’re moving too much. Leader it is.
“Okay.” I aimed and fired.
He let out a loud scream as he cupped his left ear. Two of the men ran up to him as the third pulled the woman’s arms.
“Come on, use it. Use it! Kick. Anything,” I whispered as I loaded another acorn hitting another man in the back of the head.
“Come on woman! Please!” I whispered. I shot another acorn making it land just in front of the woman hoping she would get the message. She looked around quickly before kicking it. The man shook her telling her to keep still. I shot another and again she kicked it.
“Let’s go!” The leaders’ voice boomed through the trees slapping one of the men’s hands from his shoulder. The woman started to kick the man holding her, twisting and turning trying to escape from his arms.
The man began swearing as the other three came to his aid.
“Bingo.” I threw the slingshot to the ground taking off towards the group, gripping my knife tightly in my hand. I jumped on the back of the leader pulling the knife across his neck.
Please don’t be a healer. Please.
As he fell to the ground two of the men grabbed my arms making the knife fall from my hand. I struggled to set myself free as they dragged me back from the woman—and knife.
Do something. Come on.
Thinking wasn’t going to accomplish anything right now. It wasn’t like Chase was around.
As they threw me to the ground two thoughts crossed my mind.
Do I try and run? Or do I cover my head and hope for the best?
I felt a hand grab my jacket pulling at it when the man holding the small woman said: “Hey, do you guys know who that is?”
The man holding my jacket looked d
own and spit at me.
Ew.
“I don’t care.”
“Who is she?” The other man who threw me to the ground asked placing a hand on the wrist on the man holding my jacket. At that moment I realized that was nothing to distinguish the men from one another. They all looked strangely similar.
“She’s—”
The man stopped short. Without any warning, all three men dropped to the forest floor, each curling into a tight ball screaming in agony.
I pushed myself up on my elbows looking over my shoulder.
“Her name is Abigail.”
At that moment, I didn’t know what to do. Watching in awe, the small woman lifted her hands and tilted her head back. The screams of the men intensified before abruptly stopping. Lowering her hands and lifting her head she walked over to me holding a hand out. For a moment all I could do was stare. But eventually, I rolled over on my back and took her hand letting her help me to my feet. She held her left hand behind her and the knife came flying to it. She flipped it through her fingers before holding it between us.
“Hi. I’m Jo.”
All I could do was stare at the tiny woman that stood in front of me.
“I’m—I’m sorry. What?”
“I’m Josephine, but you can call me Jo. You’re Abigail Cody, right?” She smiled waving my knife between us. “Here you are.”
Slowly I reached for it taking it from her grasp. “Hel—hello Jo. Ah yes—yes I am Abigail. I’m sorry but do I know you?” I still wasn’t used to people knowing who I was.
She laughed. “Oh, no sweetheart. We have never met before.”
“Oh—okay—well—thank you. Thank you for—” I waved the knife in a circle to all the men lying lifelessly on the ground. “—for this.”
“No problem. Anything to help you,” the smile fell from her face as a look of discomfort replaced it.
The Divine Fallen Page 4
