Hope (The Descendant Trilogy Book 2)

by Theresa M. Jones

  They nodded, then stood, one by one to introduce themselves. The ones I hadn’t met before that day were, Henry, Jonathan, and Francis. There were six of them total, eight if you counted David and I.

  David and I sat at the furthest end of the table, with Rick directly in front of us. He stood and spoke.

  “We welcome you two Order Members to our meeting to discuss with us the future of the world. We all understand the importance of what we are doing, and we all agree that something more must be done.

  “The first order of business will be to explain what we know so far about what The Rising is up to now. We know that many of our newest members are being kidnapped, along with the Order members who went to collect them. We believe it is the Rising, though we don’t have any proof. We also do not know exactly what they are doing with them. We continue to try to track them, to find out where they are hiding, but we haven’t been able to find them yet.”

  He paused to take a deep breath. “We really have no idea where left to look, and even what we will do if…when we find them.”

  This time it was Christopher who spoke. He looked older than most of them, though that didn’t mean much here. His hair was barely dark anymore, with gray and white streaks covering the black that used to reside there. He had a mustache that hid his upper lip, it was also gray. He had dark green eyes, a darker shade than David’s emerald color.

  “We had hoped they would scatter after Damien’s death, but it appears the opposite has happened. Thankfully, we don’t believe they have opened anymore of the Seals. If they cannot soon, the Horsemen will have to leave, and hopefully the world will be returned to peace once again.”

  His words are filled with hope, hope that seemed naïve. If they didn’t scatter, then they regrouped. And if they regrouped, there was a reason for it. It wasn’t likely they would just give up. They were ruthless killers.

  I tried to hold my tongue, but I had never been very good at it, so I asked. “Who is leading them now?”

  Nicholas said, “We aren’t certain. Unfortunately we aren’t really certain about anything anymore, but we believe that it is the woman he considered his right hand.”

  He paused, not wanting to say what we were all thinking. The woman, the beautiful, terrible monster that killed an Order member right beneath our noses, was the new Leader of the Rising. He was a traitor, he told them where to find my family, but he was Sharon’s brother, and I had forgiven him already. He was manipulated by her, that monster.

  “We fear they are gathering together, but we don’t know to what end. Perhaps for an attack. Perhaps to release the Seals. We do not know.”

  “So what do we do?” Again, I couldn’t keep myself from asking the questions as they popped into my head. This whole thing felt too formal for me. I wanted answers right away. I wanted to solve the problem as soon as possible. I didn’t want to sit around an oval table, safe and sound, only to wonder about what could or should happen.

  “We try to determine their plans so that we can stop them.” Henry spoke this time.

  He was shorter than the others, with coffee colored skin and hair darker than the blackest of raven’s feathers. He looked the oldest of all, with wrinkles creasing every inch of his face, which meant something. If you had wrinkles and were an Order Member, you had to be really freaking old. Usually the Power keeps your skin nice and tight for much longer than normal.

  I had to think about that. What could their plans be? Obviously they want to continue to open the Seals, but what else? Could they really be planning an attack on The Order?

  “They don’t know where The Compound is, right?” I asked.

  “No, if they did, we would know. They would be here already.”

  “So, the safest place is here. We should gather all Order members. Even those who’s Power is still bound. We have to keep everyone safe.”

  “Allison, when Power is bound, you are basically powerless, and thus cannot enter The Compound.” It was Rick who spoke to me. The others seemed amused at my lack of knowledge, but I did know this. It just didn’t seem right. “Those of us who are bound, cannot enter, though they shouldn’t be bothered by The Rising. We just have to catch up to everyone before they do, exactly on their birthdays, so that we can bring them here right away.”

  He turned to Christopher, “We should send out some of the guard immediately to be ready to go and retrieve any members on their birthdays.”

  Christopher nodded and wrote something down in a notebook, that I hadn’t even noticed he had until that moment.

  This was my moment. The moment I had been planning on. The reason that I wanted to join this meeting. Did I care about the Rising and what they are planning? Yes. But was that my main reason in coming today? No. It was something more selfish, more personal.

  “What about the children?”

  They looked at me. Most of them blank, like they couldn’t imagine what I was talking about. Some of them were annoyed, or doubtful. Rick looked at me with sympathy, he knew why I asked. He knew me too well. But before any of them could question me or my motives, I made my stand.

  “We all know that Powerless children are able to stay here, we know that because of Samantha. So why not bring all the children here and when they turn six, instead of binding their Power, why not train them. Here at the Compound, we have the resources; we have the teachers at our expense, and even healers if something goes wrong. Imagine an Order member that has their entire life to train, instead of waiting until they are in adulthood.”

  I stopped to catch my breath. I knew that this was something I was both excited and anxious for, but I hadn’t realized how passionate I was about it. The men sitting around me all looked at me. Some of them glanced at each other, pondering my words. But before they could object, I continued again.

  “The reason we began binding the children was because too often they couldn’t control the Power, it overwhelmed them. But here, we could change that. And really, with everything going on, there is no place safer in this world for them than here. For all of us really, we should all be here.”

  “Allison, we all know how you feel, because of your relation to Samantha. And really, she has stolen all of our hearts. But we do things for a reason. This is the way things have been for centuries now.” Henry said.

  “I understand that you may think that this is only for my own selfish purposes, and to be honest, it is a little. But that isn’t all. When the bindings started, we didn’t have a Compound. There was no safe haven for Order members. There was no building or structure so secure and so infused with Power that it could have been possible to train the children at that time. But we have it now. The Power within these walls can keep them safe, even from themselves. This is something we can do. Just imagine the possibilities.”

  Again I had to catch my breath and calm myself. I placed my hands on the table so that I could remain steady and continued again, “When John Coleman first commissioned the Compound, he had hoped it would be a safe haven for children as well as adults, but the children couldn’t stay once they were bound.”

  A few men nodded at this, some may even remember John Coleman. Rick looked strong, he looked proud. I knew he would agree with me. He was almost saying to me, just with his eyes, Go on, Allison. Convince them. I already knew he was in favor of this. I knew I would have his support.

  “If what we need is a trial period, I can offer that. I can help train Samantha. Her birthday is very near now, and I will not allow her Power to be bound. She has been here for months, walking amongst the Power that surrounds us, and perhaps that will help her. I will help her. And here, among friends and Powerful, she can master her Power. I’m sure of it. And I believe all the children would be able to.”

  I placed my hands back in my lap and leaned back in the chair, no longer on the edge of my seat. I spoke my peace, I pled my case. I did what I could. Now I had to await their verdict.

  Rick was the first to speak. “I agree with Allison. I believe that with
the right teacher and the right amount of practice and focus, all the children would be able to master the Power if they stayed within these walls. And I agree that we will need them, as the Rising grows and continues to attack this world.”

  Then David, “I can lead a group of teachers to help with their training. Obviously not all of us, there will still be some assigned to helping the new adult members, but some of us can be spared.”

  “And we have all seen how wonderful Samantha has done with the Artists; perhaps they will be willing to assist with the transition for the children.” Christopher added.

  Hope spread through me. Could they accept this? Would they accept such a drastic change? Could I keep my Samantha with me?

  “But what about their parents? Not every child that descends has the Power. Often the parents will be powerless. Do you expect them to so easily give up their children to a group of strangers?” Henry asked.

  “We can show them their lineage. Prove to them what the child is capable of. Explain to them about our war with the Rising. We can give the parents the option, to bind the Power, or to let the child come with us to learn and be prepared. To be a part of the greater good. And most importantly to be safe during this time of war. They could never refute it, never argue with us. The proof is apparent. World War III is here. People are being killed every day, and for what?”

  Henry looked skeptical. He knew what I refused to say aloud, that there might not even be a parent alive that would be so willing to give up their child. To send their child to a hidden compound, somewhere they could not know the location of, somewhere they could never go themselves.

  When Rick spoke, he commanded attention. “We can at least give them the option. They may be just as unlikely to allow a binding then to let the child come with us. Once they witness the child receive the Power, they will be willing to help. We have been, for so long, doing these things behind the parents back, just for the greater good. When perhaps what we should be doing is giving the parents the option.” His Power wafted out from his every pore, his passion and life clung to each of us, willing us to listen and believe in his words.

  They all nodded agreement. I let out the breath I hadn’t known I had been holding in. David grabbed my hand beneath the table and squeezed just strong enough to let me know he supported me. I smiled and had hope. Which was really all we could do…was hope.

  Chapter 10

  Lilith’s Plan

  Magnus was still chained to the post, my Power kept him unconscious. I didn’t want to hear the ramblings in his head. I didn’t even want to hear my own ramblings. I was leaning back on my sofa, resting and thinking, trying to understand what was happening.

  Pregnant.

  I shuddered at the unspoken word. At the word that Magnus thought. At the possibility. I could never be a mother. I eat children, or I could if I wanted. Really I could never stand the brats. I could hardly even stand adults, and they had at least a little more sense than the snot-nosed chaos bringers.

  Damien and I hadn’t been together for a full month before he sent me on my assignment to manipulate and infiltrate the male Order member. And he and I did have several naked encounters in the sheets, but I killed him almost five months ago now. And there was no way I could have been with a man so soon after Damien’s death. Not to mention, I really didn’t have the time. I mean, I have bed Hadrian twice already now, but that was recent. Up until we came here, I had been too overwhelmed with the Seals and the army to even find the time to fuck around.

  My hand went to my stomach, not in a loving way, but a curious, could-it-be-possible way. My stomach hadn’t really gotten any bigger, though if I lay flat on my back, it no longer sunk in like it used to.

  My boobs did seem larger and more robust, and they hurt like a mother. And when I really thought about it, I hadn’t had my menstrual cycle in months. I had just been so busy I never really noticed it.

  Pregnant.

  Could it seriously be true? I woke Magnus with a mere whisper to his mind. He eyes flicked open, all terrified and shaken. His head was at an awkward angle, as his arms were stretched high above his head. And his legs were curled beneath his ass, his fat hung over his ankles. Sweat dripped down his face, neck and arms. But I didn’t physically harm him, yet.

  “Could an Order member and Rising member actually conceive a child?”

  He straightened his head and tried to adjust his body so he no longer hung limp. “It has never been heard of, or even thought of.” He didn’t speak what he thought, that no Order member or Rising member would ever want to, or even think of it.

  “Okay. But what if it did happen? What would happen to the mother?”

  He seemed to be thinking rather intently. He knew he had to be careful with what he said, I did already have him chained just because of his thoughts.

  “I don’t see why it wouldn’t be possible. Often times, a Rising member will impregnate, whether willingly or unwillingly, a Powerless woman, and thus the woman usually dies at the child’s birth. We don’t pay much attention to the Powerless though, so I don’t know how it affects them. I know they usually become very ill, but that’s about it.

  “But in the situation of a female Rising member becoming pregnant, it is not unheard of, just rare. I know Rising women do not get any normal symptoms of pregnancy, usually. The surge in Power from the fetus’s combined with the mother’s Power, is usually enough to compensate for any normal symptoms, other than the lack of a normal menstrual cycle.”

  I nodded. I already knew all of this. I had seen at least a few other Rising women get knocked up. They were naïve; they believed they would become even more Powerful with the child’s help. But after the child was born, they felt empty, used and washed up. It was almost like the fetus was stealing the mother’s Power. Which would make sense, when we kill someone, we steal their Power, so why wouldn’t a child too.

  “But, to have an Order member and Rising member conceive together…” He shook his head, as if it was a disgrace, a shame. “I would think that the mother, whether Rising or Order, would be in serious pain from the rival Power. It would be like the demons and angels fighting within her womb.”

  As he spoke, my stomach roiled. I could feel the poisonous angel Power burning in me, in my abdomen and up to my chest, to my heart that pumped the fire throughout my veins. Acid burned in me. Bile rose to my throat. I pulled the cold, silver trashcan to me telekinetically, threw my head over the side of the couch just in time for the vomit to spew out. I heaved and coughed it all up and out before I was able to lay my head back down. A shudder slithered down my spine raising goose bumps on my skin and I shivered.

  Magnus didn’t look concerned. He was probably hoping I would die. A weak Leader should die, should not be allowed to lead.

  I took a deep breath, stood, and walked to the bathroom. I threw a wave of Power at him to knock him out before I left, I didn’t want him making any trouble while I was preoccupied.

  The bathroom was large and pretty, gold handles everywhere with a black marble backdrop. It was probably the only place in this building that wasn’t surrounded in tan. I mean, the floor was still tan, but that was it. The entire wall above the sink was mirrored with only golden cornered tips, so I could see myself clearly as soon as I walked in.

  My skin was pulled taut against my high cheekbones. My normally radiant sapphire eyes, were now dull, a lifeless gray-blue, and they seemed to bulge out just slightly. I was pallid; my normally deep rose lips were pale and blended in with my skin. And my hair, my perfect, glorious hair that was more beautiful and golden than even the sun, was now dull as well. A bland, boring, dead yellow that blended with my skin as well and made me completely washed out. Pale on pale on pale. Ugh.

  Pregnant.

  I shivered again.

  I reached to the golden handle of the sink and turned on the flowing water. It was cool against my sweating palms, so I let it flow unrestrained down my hands and off my fingertips, before I cupped it and spl
ashed it to my face.

  I was the Leader of the Rising. I was the most beautiful and Powerful human being in this entire world. And with this fetus inside me, I would have even more Power. I would not let them take me down. I would not let them tell me I was weak. I was not weak. I was strong and perfect.

  I stood up straight, pulled my shoulders back and held my head high. This could be to my advantage. Imagine the Power of a child with both Rising and Order blood. And he would be mine to control, mine to groom to be what I want him to be. My successor.

  I would need help. I would have to make sure that the Rising blood was stronger. I mean, the fetus is growing inside me. But I would need to make sure of it.

  I heard a knock on my office door. I listened out with my mind. It was Nigel and Frank both. I would need them. I would first have to show them that this would not weaken me, but the opposite. I didn’t want to kill either of these two men, but if they threatened my position, I would have to.

  I pulled my hair back into a high ponytail, pinched my cheeks and licked my lips. I straightened my black, pencil skirt and pulled my blood red blouse a little lower down my chest.

  Lucifer, help me.

  I started walking toward the couch, but then changed my mind and went to sit behind my desk. Nigel knocked again, and this time I felt him reach through the door with his Power, searching for me.

  I pushed him away, harder than I needed to. He had no right to enter this office without my permission. Whether I was here or not, he should never let his Power flow through my office unless I have given specific permission for him to do so.

  “Enter.”

  They walked through the door, bowed side by side, and then straightened in unison. I still loved the bowing thing.

  “The fifth wave is now ready. We have trained them nonstop and I believe they will be able to defeat some Order Members. We only lost ten of them this time.” Frank said, trying again to win my favor. The first few waves we created in the army were too raw and unskilled, and Frank was too merciless that a couple dozen of them died during training alone. This was not acceptable. We did need the strong ones, but we could use the weak too, if only for distractions.