Chosen

by Denise Grover Swank

  “Again, what the hell does it mean?”

  “It’s all a guess, of course. This is all enveloped in mysterious prophecies. But many speculate that you are bound to her now. That you will feel a tie to her. Do you feel these things, Will?”

  Will scrutinized him. Phillip Warren was a very powerful politician for a reason, and that reason was his innate ability to make people trust him and do what he wanted. He reminded himself he couldn’t trust this man.

  “Not necessarily.”

  The senator laughed. “Bravo. Even now, you try to protect her. I heard about your afternoon in her room. There’s no need to lie.”

  “In that case, there’s no need for me to confess any feelings I may or may not have for Emma. You have your assumptions.”

  “Now, now, Will. No need to be defensive. Only an observation on my part. You’ve been anticipated for so long that there will be many questions. You should expect it. You should also expect many enemies. It was presumed a member of our organization would be the Chosen One. Many assumed it was dependent on Ms. Thompson, and they thought once she arrived they could approach her and see if it was one of them.”

  “My apologies for stealing their coveted crown. But what does any of this mean and what does it have to do with Emma?”

  “It has everything to do with Emma. She is the prophesied mother of the elevated one.”

  “The elevated one? You mean Jake?” That would explain why the other group was after him for so long. He struggled to remember the lines.

  “Jake? Her first son? No, many speculate that her second son will be the elevated one. It is believed that the Chosen One will be his father, which is what makes him the elevated one.”

  Will kept his anger in check. “How exactly were all those men going to see if they were the Chosen One?” He clenched his fist.

  “Not what you think, Will. She would have been protected.”

  “Would have been?”

  “The window of time has passed. It wouldn’t do any good now.”

  “What window of time?” But it all came together as he asked the question. The deadline. Alex being upset she hadn’t arrived on time. Even if it wasn’t too late, it would be most difficult given her condition. The Chosen One was presumed to be the father of the elevated one. She was to arrive during the full moon. The elevated one will arise from great sorrow could only mean Emma’s agony over Jake’s death. In the full moon after the summer solstice was the first full moon after the official beginning of summer. His head swam.

  That meant that he...

  “You’re a smart man, Will. I see you’re putting the pieces together. Let me ask, did your mark show before or after you impregnated her?”

  The fury spilled out before he could keep it in check and he hauled the senator out of his chair by his shirt.

  “I really wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the senator said, lowering his voice. “You have far too much to lose.”

  Will released him with a shove.

  “Have a seat, Will. If you can’t control yourself, I'll be forced to have my bodyguards join us. But I prefer the privacy.”

  Will sat, taking deep breaths.

  Phillip Warren assessed him with narrowed eyes. “You’re a dilemma for us. You have significance, yet you’re not one of us. Some will most likely want you dead, but we don’t know the consequences of that, either. If you die, does your power transfer to someone else or is it simply gone? Is it worth the risk to find out? But alive, you are dangerous to us. If only there was some way to make sure you were on our side, to ensure your loyalty.”

  “Who are you people?”

  The senator pulled a dining room chair from a table and sat down in front of Will, elbows on his knees, and leaning over to stare into Will’s eyes.

  “We are a secret organization, Vinco Potentia. A society formed by a select group of students at Brown University.”

  Will shook his head, trying to focus on the senator’s words. He was still trying to process the senator’s proclamation that he fathered a child.“Like the Skull and Bones society at Yale.”

  “Yes, very similar but much more powerful and much more secretive. Our group formed in the 1800s and recruited members who were interested in political influence. Former and present U.S. senators, congressmen, governors, political advisors. Men who made a mark on history with their leadership.”

  “What does any of that have to do with Emma or me?”

  “One of our members was a philosophy major. While still in school, he had a job archiving documents for the philosophy department. One day he came across some documents written by a little-known Italian philosopher, Lorenzo de Luca. De Luca fancied himself to be like Nostradamus; he made predictions. These were generally disregarded and the archival was in regards to his philosophy papers, but our member studied the predictions and found that while on the vague side, they often correlated to incidents in history. He brought the papers to the attention of our organization.”

  “Does this little story have a point?”

  “Patience, Will. We’re getting there. The group was divided on the importance. Some thought it was nonsense, but others saw the validity of it. The group splintered and we formed our own sect, using the papers as a basis to help further our own political causes. The papers had predicted World War II, Kennedy’s assassination, 9/11, among other things.”

  “Wait. You’re telling me that these things were predicted, yet you did nothing to stop them?”

  “Some things furthered our causes, others were too vague to completely understand until after their occurrence. Besides, there are others we did prevent, that the world never knew of.”

  “How long have you had these papers?”

  “About fifty years.”

  “How many of you are there?”

  “About thirty members, all very powerful men in politics or business. All with much to gain with the power that was foretold.”

  “I still don’t get what kind of power you think I have.”

  “We’re not sure of your power, nor Ms. Thompson’s, other than she’s the mother of the elevated one and the supplanter.”

  “What?”

  “We believe her first son, Jake, is the supplanter, which is why the other group wants him. We disagree over who the winner is. We believe it is her child with you. The other group believes it to be Jake.”

  “Winner of what?”

  Senator Warren sat back and crossed his legs. “Power. Control. Influence over the world.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “Any crazier than a mark appearing on your arm?”

  Will grimaced at the reminder. Anything that gave this lunatic validity was bad.

  “So what? You wait years for these boys to grow up and have some kind of showdown? Then the winner takes over the world?”

  “We think that the boys will not necessarily rule themselves, but have influence. It could be that their battle occurs before adulthood.”

  Will remembered the prophecy that Jake gave him. It didn’t fit with the senator’s version. Jake’s version sounded like the elevated one would rule.

  “Can I hear the prophecy?” Will asked.

  “I don’t see the point.”

  “If this directly affects me, shouldn’t I be allowed to know what it says?”

  “Very well.” The senator walked over to the bookcase and pulled a small bound book off the shelf.

  “Are those the real papers?” If they were, perhaps he could steal them and hold them as ransom for Emma.

  “No, the real papers are in a safety deposit box in Washington, D.C.” The senator smiled and raised his eyebrows. “I’m not going to make it that easy for you.” He opened the book and pulled a pair of reading glasses from his pocket.

  “The Chosen one will serve

  The mother of the two

  Elevated and Supplanter

  Will battle for control

  Their influence will be felt

  Across the l
ands

  “The elevated one will

  Conceive in the full moon

  After the summer solstice

  Born of great sorrow

  The mother shall accept

  Her Chosen One

  And he will bear her mark

  Protecting her until the end.”

  It’s not the same prophecy.

  The senator closed the book and raised a smug eyebrow. “Happy now?”

  “Are you fucking kidding me? You’re screwing up people’s lives over that? That’s the worst poem I ever heard not to mention a bunch of vague bullshit.”

  “Yes, I can see how you would think so, but there is other supporting evidence. Dates, locations, all written in a code we had cracked. How do you think we knew where to send you to find Ms. Thompson? How do you think the other people knew where to show up to find you and capture Jake?”

  “Jake is dead. He was in the truck when we saw it explode.”

  “Yes, I know you insist on that, but we believe differently. It doesn’t fit with the prophecy.”

  “Listen to yourself. A grown man talking about some fantasy. That’s a bunch of bullshit and you know it.”

  Warren looked at him for a moment before answering. “You know, Will, I might be inclined to believe you if you hadn’t shown up with a mark on your arm that matches the one in this book.” When he opened the pages and showed Will a drawing of his mark, Will knew he lost any chance of reasoning with him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  “So now what?” Will asked.

  “Now we must decide what to do with you.”

  “What about Emma?”

  The senator smiled. “You really do care, don’t you? What if I told you that our plans are to kill her after she gives birth to her son?”

  Will gripped the arms of the chair instead of breaking the senator’s neck.

  “Aww, just as I thought. I think we can work out an arrangement.”

  “What kind of arrangement?” Will asked through clenched teeth.

  “Your cooperation in exchange for her life. You will work for us and we will provide for her safety.”

  “Somehow ‘provide for her safety’ means something completely different to me than ‘we won’t kill her’.”

  The senator shrugged. “In either case, she lives. Besides, you know even if we let her leave, the other group would kill her. So technically, we are providing her safety.”

  Warren was right. They would kill her. “So what am I supposed to do for you?”

  “For now, I prefer to keep a close watch on you. The best way to do that is to make you a member of my personal security team.”

  Will laughed in disbelief. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “Actually, no. It’s brilliant, if I do say so myself. I can personally keep track of you and ensure your loyalty. And if something should happen to me that you caused or could have prevented, Ms. Thompson is disposed of.”

  Will scoured his mind thinking of a way out of this. The only one he could come up with was to try to escape.

  “Will, you are much too obvious. I can see you are searching for another option, but there is none. Suppose you get past all the armed men here, and I must admit it is a possibility. Just remember that you will both be hunted, and not just by our group but the other group as well. This past week will seem like a cakewalk compared to the life you will live. What about when Emma is very pregnant? Or after the baby is born? How hard will it be to run then?”

  He was right and Will hated him for it. They couldn’t run forever, especially with a baby. Will sank into the chair.

  “That’s a good boy, listening to reason. I assure you, we will take very good care of her.”

  “I want more than your assurance, Senator. I want your guarantee. And I assure you, that if anyone hurts her I will hunt them down and kill them. But you Mr. Senator, will be first.”

  “Then I think we’ve reached an agreement.” He beamed with approval. “First I want to meet with Emma, and then you and I will leave for Washington.”

  Will resisted the urge to ask what he planned to say to her. “I would like to see her before I go.”

  “I’m sure you would, but I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” Senator Warren said.

  “The only reason I spent the afternoon with her is because she kept asking for me and hurting herself trying to get to me. If I just disappear, the same thing will happen. Let me tell her goodbye. Please.” Will had never begged before, but he was willing to do it for Emma.

  Warren tilted his head and smiled. “This is why you will make a valuable asset to my team. You point out subtle things I might miss. See? I’m not a monster, Will. I'm a reasonable man.”

  Will disagreed, but kept his opinion to himself.

  “Let’s go see her then. I’m eager to get back to Washington. Lots of things to look forward to. Things are changing.”

  If one more person tells me that, I’m going to fucking punch them in the face.

  The security detail accompanied them back to the medical building. Will found himself observing the guards, weighing the risks. Six men. It would be tricky, but he could do it. Then what? Emma couldn’t run. He could use her as a hostage; they wanted her alive at this point. But that would never work. They knew he’d never hurt her. He could use the senator as a hostage instead. The thought excited him. It could work, but he’d have to hold Warren, and move Emma all the while keeping several men with guns at bay. It would be a logistical nightmare. Plus, they might use Emma against him. And even if they got away, then what?

  The group continued across the compound, the thumping of the footsteps filling the silence, every step an albatross tugging on Will’s resolve. How could he leave her here?

  They entered the building and Will knew he had to make his decision soon. He glanced around. No vehicles out front; that could be a problem. He would need a getaway car. One guard sat at a desk in the front. He appeared bored until their group showed up, then snapped to attention. He would be more aware with the senator upstairs, but he looked like an easy target to get past. Will couldn’t see what type of gun he had. Most likely a handgun. Most security guards did. The lax security earlier told him they weren’t used to providing actual protection, which was surprising given the clientele they must be used to protecting. But then again, they were in a secret compound in rural South Dakota.

  They reached the elevator bank. Two elevators, three floors; that would work against him. Emma was on the second floor. By the time he got Emma and Warren on the elevator and got to the first floor, every armed man would be waiting for the doors to open. It still might work; it would just be harder.

  The group boarded the elevator. Will would have preferred to take the stairs. There were too many bodies on this elevator. He observed the operations panel. Emergency switch, phone, three floors and a basement. An escape hatch in the ceiling. If Emma wasn’t hurt they could get on the elevator and climb out the top and buy themselves more time. But she was, so that wasn’t an option. Shit. This fucking sucked.

  The doors opened and they exited as a pack, Will in the center, Warren in the lead. Will wondered what Warren would say to her. That’s what killed him the most, the thought of not being here to protect her. He couldn’t bear the thought of her suffering anymore. If only he could be sure she would really be safe, and dare he hope, somewhat happy.

  They reached her room and two more guards stood outside her door. A total of nine men. Still doable. He only had to overpower one, grab Warren and figure out the rest from there. The group stopped.

  “How’s our patient doing this evening?” Warren asked with a chipper tone.

  The nurse’s eyes widened and her face paled. “Senator Warren,” she stammered, standing straighter. “Uh, she’s been sleeping, Senator. She was much better after he showed up.” She pointed to Will.

  “Yes, I heard he had a calming influence on her. Let’s hope it continues.” He looked directly at Will and narrowed his
eyes. “Will, I’m going to ask you to remain outside while we have our chat.”

  Will didn’t like the order but knew he had no choice so he said nothing, in an attempt to look passive. But Warren read right through him and chuckled as he turned to walk in the room.

  ***

  Emma woke to see a tall and handsome man standing next to her bed. His face lit up with a warm smile.

  “Hello, Emma,” the man said. “Glad to see that you're on the way to recovery. We were very worried about you.”

  She blinked. Who was he? He seemed familiar.

  “I’m sorry, I haven’t introduced myself.” He extended his hand. “U.S. Senator Phillip Warren, from the great state of California.”

  She had no idea why a senator would be in her room, let alone Senator Warren. She knew he was running for president. She reached out her hand, but she was either weaker than she realized or the pain medication threw off her coordination and her hand fell before reaching his. He smiled at her and patted her hand in a fatherly gesture.

  “That’s okay. You’re still tired.”

  She looked around for Will. “I don’t understand why you’re here.”

  “I had to meet our special guest. You have been much anticipated.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  He waved to the chair by her bed. “May I?”

  “Of course,” she said, but her stomach clenched in spasms.

  He sat down and leaned toward her. “I bet you have no idea how special you really are.”

  She stared at him in confusion.

  “No, I can see that you don’t. You, Emmanuella Thompson, are priceless.”

  The moment he called her Emmanuella the familiar feeling of dread sent prickles crawling up her back. “I don’t understand…”

  “What if I told you the fate of the world was in your hands?”

  Emma stared at him in disbelief. “I’d tell you that you were crazy.”

  He laughed. “I think that’s the second time tonight I’ve been called crazy. No, I can assure you that I’m not.”