04 Last

by Lynnie Purcell

  “I know this is a happy moment, where we all feel glad you’re not dead, but, dude, do you think you could find something to cover your junk with?” Spider asked.

  Daniel looked down and realized for the first time he was naked.

  “Oh,” he said.

  Alex made another sound of comfort and trotted her way toward the house. As she moved, the Nightstalker Alex disappeared and the girl returned. Spider turned to look, but I turned his head back to face me instead. My glare told him not to look, if he knew what was good for him. Alex did not take long to dress. When she was clothed again, she brought Daniel a change of clothes. He took them gratefully. Alex helpfully held out a pair of pants and shirt to Anna. Anna looked at them as if she had never seen clothes before. It was apparent she did not feel the need to dress just because of us.

  “I have no intention of staying in this form for long,” Anna said. Her dark eyes focused on me again. “I am sure you are wondering what I am doing here.”

  “Yeah, it crossed my mind,” I said.

  “We have come to join your fight with Marcus,” Anna said.

  “How’d you know about that?” I asked.

  “We may be animals, but we are far from stupid,” Anna said. “Word gets around, even for our kind. You plan to attack Marcus. We want to help. We have traveled all this way to seek you out.”

  “But why?” I asked. “I don’t mean any disrespect, but most Nightstalkers I’ve seen are content to go their own way. They don’t get involved in battles just because they feel like being noble…they get involved because people like Marcus force them in to it…”

  “All things change,” Anna said. “Even Watchers and Nightstalkers.”

  “Is it just my imagination or have you gotten more Zen since I last saw you?” I asked.

  “I suppose I have changed as well,” Anna said with a small smile. “Or, I should say, I’ve been changed.”

  “Right…” I said.

  I looked at Daniel and Alex. They were looking at Anna with distrust. Their memories were tainted by the fact that she had abducted me and sent me to hell, or as close to hell as I could get on earth. My own memories were similarly tainted. But I also had the final moments between changing her in to a Nightstalker and Lorian’s death. She had fought him with real emotion, had done her best to kill him. She really did love the Nightstalker next to her. She really had regretted her actions.

  I was willing to bet that if I asked the historian she would say I was encountering an entirely unique event. The past had never seen this moment before. My decision had no precedent. With such a weight on my shoulders, I knew I had to find out more. I had to act with the future in mind.

  “There has to be something you want in exchange for your help attacking Marcus,” I said.

  “You might find it strange to know that you have already helped us,” Anna said. “The lines separating Nightstalker and Watcher are not as great as many of us have thought. There is a chance to lead good lives as Nightstalkers, lives not dominated by hate.”

  “So nothing at all?” I asked.

  Anna turned to look at the others. Some of the Nightstalkers were making low growling sounds to get her attention. They did not agree with her terms.

  “Some of the others would like a promise that when we win the war with Marcus, we will be left alone. No one will come hunting for us; we can live in peace.”

  “As long as you don’t harm innocent people unwarranted, we will have no reason to hunt you,” Daniel said.

  “It’s a promise,” I said.

  A low sound of approval went through their ranks.

  “It kind of looks as if all the pieces are just falling in to place,” I said to no one in particular.

  “Yeah, but for what?” Alex asked.

  She had a point. It was impossible to tell if we were lining up to be slaughtered or lining up to stop Marcus. Both were a likely outcome. The idea reminded me of what had just happened…the attack we had just lived through.

  “We can’t stay here,” I told the group. “Marcus’ people have been here. He might send more. We can’t take the risk of a fight before we attack him.”

  “We are willing to go wherever you have set up camp, provided we are given enough space – no prisons,” Anna said.

  “That’s fair,” I said.

  “We should talk to Reaper before we decide to take them to camp,” Daniel said. “He might want them closer to Israel. No sense in moving them twice.”

  “He’s up at the cave now,” I said.

  “Actually, he’s there,” Alex said.

  Alex pointed behind me. Reaper was on the trail. He was alone, but unmistakable. It was impossible to miss his towering form, even in the snow that was drifting around us. He had come to meet Sara. He had not expected an army. His eyes widened when he saw us.

  “Was there a party I didn’t get invited to?” he asked as he got closer.

  “Always,” Daniel replied.

  Some of the tension drained out of Reaper at Daniel’s response. Reaper smiled and put a brotherly hand on Daniel’s shoulder.

  “I am glad you are safe,” Reaper said.

  “Thanks,” Daniel replied.

  “Don’t do it again,” Reaper commanded.

  “I don’t plan on it…” Daniel said.

  Reaper focused on Anna. He remembered the deal he had with her. More than a month separated us from the events at Lorian’s house, but Reaper was not one to back down from a deal once it was made.

  “Have you returned to get your memory erased?” Reaper asked.

  “No,” Anna said. “I’ve come to fight.”

  “They all have,” I said.

  “Really?” Reaper asked.

  “Yes,” I said.

  Reaper didn’t need the assurances I had needed. He welcomed the help. He spread his arms out to include all or the Nightstalkers in front of us.

  “Welcome to the Saints, then,” he said. “And thank you.”

  As one, the Nightstalkers let out a low growl that filled the valley floor. It was supposed to be comforting. Instead, it raised the hair on the back of my neck and forced me to resist the urge to get in a combative stance. Spider stepped closer to me at the sound. Anna’s face had found another smile – she was excited at the dawning violence.

  Reaper and Daniel were focused on the steps ahead. The drama of the past hour receded to the necessary attention of the present.

  “The fight is getting closer,” Daniel said. “I think we should plan on tomorrow.”

  “I agree,” Reaper said. “Time is not on our side.”

  “We were going to ask you where you want them,” Daniel said, gesturing at the Nightstalkers.

  “Israel would be best,” Reaper said.

  “We will need to scout a good area that they won’t be found,” Daniel said.

  “You and Jackson would be the best suited to scout that out,” Reaper said. “I trust your assessment.”

  “Then I’m going,” I said.

  “Me, too,” Spider said.

  “And me,” Alex said.

  Reaper didn’t appear as if he wanted to argue with any of us. He was too distracted by what had to be done. Things were picking up pace. He had to act and react. Arguing just got in the way of that.

  “Fine,” Reaper said. His eyes lingered on Alex. “Just...be careful.”

  “We’ll try,” Daniel said dryly.

  “Sara and Shawn will start ferrying the weapons the historian gave us back to the camp while you are out,” Reaper said. “When you get back, we will discuss attacking Marcus.”

  “Okay,” Daniel said.

  “Could you have Sara or Shawn take our stuff with them?” I asked, pointing back to the house. “And have one of them give the book to Ellen for me…”

  “Yeah, sure,” Reaper agreed. “I’ll get Jackson for you,” he added.

  Reaper turned around and went back up the trail, his step quicker now that he had a mission. Alex hugged Daniel t
he moment Reaper was gone. Her hug was fierce. She pulled away from him and put a threatening finger in his face.

  “If you ever do that to Clare again, I will make you suffer!” she warned.

  “Understood,” Daniel said, his boyish smile playing on his face.

  “Good,” she replied.

  Daniel’s smile grew. I had never felt so grateful for a smile in my entire life.

  It didn’t take Reaper long to get Jackson, five minutes at the most. The others came with them. The historian was still carrying her sword and her rifle. Jackson was grinning from ear-to-ear. Margaret’s face gave away her relief; her violet eyes showed her happiness. The snow swirled around her with more force with her emotion. It gusted playfully, as if it were trying to get her to play a game of tag. I knew she was glad to see Daniel alive and well. Serenity was controlled; her joy was quiet and internal. The love I had seen in her eyes was repressed. Eli was unchanging.

  Jackson slapped Daniel on the back happily.

  “Knew you’d be back,” Jackson said proudly.

  “I’m glad you were so certain,” Daniel said.

  Margaret hugged him just as fiercely as Alex had. I could sense that her touch came with its own form of admonishment. She was chastising him for leaving us, for making us all worry. Daniel’s touch was reassuring. They did not share their emotions aloud.

  “Are you ready?” Reaper asked.

  “Yes,” I agreed.

  I held out my hands to the others, in preparation for our journey to Israel.

  “I am coming,” the historian said.

  No one dared argue with her. No one was that stupid.

  She grabbed my hand, and for the first time I was allowed in to her brain. It was an odd place. She thought like no one I had ever met, including Naomi. It was also the most overwhelming brain I had ever felt. I was glad she was on my side, instead of trying to crush me with the weight of her thoughts. She would win that battle. Her thoughts gave me a location without me asking for it. I acknowledged the thoughts and focused on the image. I pulled us all in to the world of the darkness.

  We were in a different part of the same desert we had found Preacher and King. A flat area stretched out around us. The mountains were to our right. Our area was a bit raised and backed by the mountains. It was perfect for a camp. Not only could we see who was coming, but we also had the high ground if Marcus discovered us prematurely.

  “This area has changed,” the historian noted.

  “How?” I asked.

  The historian pointed at a mountain to our right.

  “That mountain is much shorter than I remember.” Her eyes took in the horizon. “We should see if there are any worthwhile threats nearby. We do not want our allies to come across any surprises.”

  “Spread out,” Daniel said, “But don’t wander too far.”

  Daniel held out a hand to me, a clue that I was going to come with him. He was not eager to let me out of his sight. Spider joined us without asking. I knew the boy was working up the courage to tell Daniel the truth of their shared heritage. I left Spider to the secret he was keeping – it was his truth to tell. Alex and the historian went a different way while Margaret and Jackson went a third.

  As we walked, I focused on our surroundings. I searched for hidden enemies. I stretched my mind out to feel if anyone was nearby. Again and again, I thought of the cave and what had happened. It was impossible to pretend as if it had not happened. Our luck had finally run out and Daniel had paid the consequence. I had thought we had more luck to spare – that we would always find a way out of trouble. The truth of Daniel’s death refuted that logic. How much ‘luck’ would it take to stop Marcus? Had we used it all up?

  “What was it like?” I asked after a moment, to get my mind off Marcus.

  “What?” Daniel asked.

  “The change into a Nightstalker,” I said.

  “Oh,” Daniel replied. “Blurry…there was so much anger. I can’t remember most of it.”

  “Are you scared it will happen again?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Daniel admitted. “But there are worse things.”

  “Alex seems to be managing,” I pointed out. “Maybe she could help you.”

  “I couldn’t think of a better person,” Daniel replied. He frowned as he too searched the rocky, sandy terrain of the desert. “Do you trust Anna’s offer to help?”

  “Yes,” I replied.

  “Why?” he asked.

  I shrugged.

  “I just do,” I said.

  “The attack on Marcus will definitely be tomorrow,” Daniel said. “I’ve seen it.”

  “Have you seen how it ends?” I asked.

  “No,” Daniel admitted.

  “Are we getting closer to your other vision?” I asked.

  “The one where the world ends in a sea of darkness and suffering?” Daniel asked.

  “Yeah, that would be the one,” I said.

  “Yes,” Daniel replied. “Everything is falling in to place. Tomorrow will decide everything.”

  “Everybody always talks about the world ending,” Spider said. “But is it really the world ending or just humanity? Cause, you know, the world probably wouldn’t care if we were gone.”

  “That’s a bit grim,” Daniel said.

  “Everyone gets all up in arms about the whole of humanity disappearing,” Spider said. “But what I care about saving is the people I know. The whole world is too difficult to try to save. I want to stop Marcus, because he puts people I care about at risk. It’s that simple. Why can’t that be our reason for going after him, instead of some prophecy crap?”

  “It’s as good a reason as any,” Daniel said.

  “I thought so,” Spider said. “And my way doesn’t make me all worried that the end of the world is gonna happen any second. It makes the weight of what we’re doing feel more manageable.”

  “True,” Daniel agreed.

  “Also, we’re brothers,” Spider added.

  I almost laughed at Spider’s way of telling Daniel the truth. It was hard not to. He had purposefully led Daniel down one path, just to make the announcement causal…and infinitely more shocking.

  “Well, that’s…” Daniel started to say.

  Daniel stopped walking.

  “What?!” he demanded.

  “Brothers. Genetically similar. Same papa, different momma,” Spider said. “You know what the word means, right?”

  “I…uh, well, how do you know?” Daniel asked.

  “Odette told me,” Spider said. “She said you would die. I’m sorry for not warning you.”

  Daniel did not hear the apology. He turned and put his hands on Spider’s shoulders. He looked at Spider’s green eyes and his familiar features. Spider was Daniel as a boy – only Spider had softer angles to his face. Daniel ignored the fact that the truth had come from Odette and focused on the reality he could not deny. Spider looked too much like Daniel. Spider was his brother. When he realized the truth, Daniel smiled. He pulled Spider in to a hug. They shared a moment. For the first time, Spider was defenseless. He was happy and surprised at Daniel’s reaction; he was happy to have a brother. Finally, they broke apart. Spider was pleased, but he was not above teasing Daniel.

  “Dude, that hug went on for a little too long,” Spider said. “People might talk.”

  “Clare can’t talk – not intelligently, anyway,” Daniel said.

  “Hey!” I said.

  “See?” Daniel asked.

  Spider nodded in agreement. “Good point.”

  They shared a smile, and then they put the moment behind them. The change between them was palpable, though. I could feel them both coming to terms with the truth of their relationship. They would have to work on it, but it was the beginning of something that would last forever. I could tell that Daniel was overwhelmed with the idea of having a real brother – a brother of flesh and blood. It was similar to how I had felt when I had learned Ellen was pregnant. It changed everything.

 
; Their happiness set a strange counterpoint to our task. Despite the strength of their emotion – and the consequent happiness it brought us all – the reality of searching for enemies in strange territory, so that we could get close enough to attack and kill Marcus, was not lost on me. We were about to start a fight we would not back down from.

  It would decide the future of us all.

  Chapter 20

  It did not take us long to search the landscape. The biggest threat we encountered was sunburn. It was the perfect spot to start bringing Nightstalkers to Israel. I just hoped their natural urge to roam did not mean they wandered to close to Marcus’ stronghold. Someone would have to stay and keep them in check – as much as possible. Certain we had found our spot, we traveled back to the abandoned town.

  Sara and Shawn were busy ferrying weapons and armor from the historian’s cave to the camp. Reaper was speaking with Anna, getting a handle on how the Nightstalkers could best help us. He did not even seem to realize she was naked – he was too focused on the task at hand to care. Serenity and Eli were nowhere to be seen. I figured Serenity had taken him back to camp – hanging around a group of Nightstalkers was not the best place for Eli. Reaper stopped talking with Anna when we appeared.

  “Find a place?” Reaper asked.

  “Yes,” Daniel replied.

  Reaper’s eyes shifted to mine.

  “Would you mind taking the Nightstalkers there?” he asked. “Sara and Shawn are busy right now.”

  “I don’t mind,” I said.

  “Anna and I were discussing it, and we’ve decided that we should probably have some of our people stay with them,” Reaper said. “Someone we trust who can liaise between the two groups. That way there will be no misunderstandings.”

  “I’ll do it,” Alex said.

  “Oh…” Reaper said.

  Reaper’s eyes switched to hers. She obviously had not been his first choice. I could tell he was still trying to look after her, despite her choice of Eli having been apparently made. It was difficult for him to let go of the emotions, not as easy as he would like. Alex sensed his hesitation but misinterpreted it.

  “Can you think of a better choice?” Alex demanded. “Can any of your people move between both forms? Do they have the history I have with the Saints? Do any of them not fear the Nightstalkers?”