My Darkness reacts to her taunting. My body warms, bit by bit, healing much faster as blackness fills my eyes. “Who the fuck are you?” I growl.
She stands straight, boredom lacing her tone, “Damn. They said you left the Darkness behind.”
I rise to my feet. The dry desert surrounds us once more. The irritated storm rolls over the wasteland of cracked, red clay. “I’ll give you two seconds to explain who you are before I rip your wings from your back.”
She laughs. It’s not a normal sound of amusement. It pitches and cackles, undoubtedly reminiscent of a person whose mind is malfunctioning on the precipice of insanity. “I’m everything you could never be for our mother. She never liked you. Where you were supposed to be her treasure, you failed her. I, on the other hand, overcame the abomination I was destined to be and fulfilled every wish she desired—All but one. That will be corrected soon enough when I destroy you.”
My wings surge from beneath my skin. “Good luck with that.” I charge for her.
She disappears in a cloud of smoke, her crowing laughter trailing her wake. “See you soon. The Keep is not so far away. Tick tock, Ivy. Tick tock.”
“She’s waking up,” I hear Becky announce.
I open my eyes, pushing myself to sit up as Beck, Jack, and Solas march to my bedside with worry. I take in our surroundings, my room within The Keep, roll my eyes with a scoff, and fall back to my pillow, covering my face. “I do not want to be here right now,” I groan.
The covers are pulled back from my face. Jack barks, “You didn’t tell anyone about your new visions.”
I snatch the covers over my head again, “I told my Chief of Command. I didn’t need to worry everyone until we figured out what was going on.”
Jack yanks the covers away, glaring down at me. I sit up again, giving him the dirtiest look I can. He insists, “What happened?”
Throwing the covers away from my legs, I push myself from the bed and through their hovering forms. “Good question. Who won?”
Solas crosses his arms tightly over his chest, “Nobody won. We didn’t finish the race when you plowed into a building. Was it her again?”
I spin on my four onlookers, examining each of them. “Building?” Solas nods while Jack’s irritation twists into dismay. I hasten to ask, “My car?”
Becky stands from her perch on my bed, “Totaled.”
My head falls to my chest, “Fuck.” I meet Solas’ hard gaze, “I’m going to kill her.”
Turning back to my dresser for a new change of clothes, Solas presses, “It was her again; the Fallen warrior?”
I remove my clothing from the dresser, moving to the bathroom, “It appears Lucian was not my only sibling.” I slam the door behind me and explain as I change, “Lilith has another daughter. She has it out for me but hasn’t said why. I imagine it’s because I killed her brother and helped put her mother in purgatory. She wants me dead.”
Opening the door, I’m met with infuriated expressions from Beckett, Solas, and Jack. Becky’s eyes bounce back and forth at the ground, searching for something in her mind. Without deviating her focus, she solicits, “How old does she look?”
I shrug, “Seventeen? Eighteen? Why?”
Becky requests, “Can you tell me anything else about her? What does she look like? What color are her eyes? Have you seen her wings?”
I step closer to Becky, “She has long, black hair. She’s a little shorter than me. Her eyes are green, but not bright like most Archs. They appear muddied—if that makes sense—and her wings are black like most Fallen’s are.”
Becky shakes her head, bewilderment in her countenance. “Her name is Cora. We thought she was dead. She’s been missing for over ten years. She’s not Fallen, though. Cora is a true Lilim with a human father.”
I cock my head to Beckett with a pointed look. He gives me a small smile, “I told you she could help. B knows things we don’t.”
“What’s her story?” Jack poses.
Becky states, “Cora’s father was married, and his wife was expecting. When the baby was born, Lilith switched Cora with their daughter in the middle of the night. None of the Watchers ever found out what happened to the baby, and Cora spent seven years with her father and his wife. There was a tragedy I don’t know the details of, and Cora disappeared.”
My hands find my hips, “Well, she’s very much alive and wants me dead.”
Beckett examines, “You told Chief she’s been putting visions into your head. What is that about; All talk, no show?”
I explain, “I thought they were visions at first. To begin with, I saw things through her eyes. We think she was working with Logan. I don’t know what they were doing, but she killed him.”
“Logan’s really dead?” Jack asks.
“I’m sure of it. Then, she started pulling me into some kind of dream state. I pass out and dream of her in a desert. She never touched me. With this last one, I tried to attack her, but she disappeared the same way the Fallen appeared out of nowhere with Uriel.” Merrick’s face pops into my thoughts. I shake it off. “Wherever she’s taking me, it’s not tangible.”
Solas notes, “You healed yourself faster while you were out.”
I avoid his prying gaze, “Guess Raphael’s training is working after all.”
“Bullshit,” Solas declares in my mind.
I defend, I couldn’t help it. She was taunting me, and the Darkness pounced.
He speaks aloud, “I still want you to train with us when you’re not with the Originals.”
I agree, and we plan to take our chances tomorrow in the Throne Room after Solas places wards on all the entrances. Beckett reflects my own thoughts, “Who needs to study Enochian Hierarchy anyway? It’s all some ploy to keep everyone in their place.”
Eric beseeches my father’s status as an Original to help him, Jack, and Solas smooth things over with the other Originals. It doesn’t go well, resulting in Michael ‘grounding’ us to The Keep and threatening to maintain a close eye on every move we make. My willingness to hold up my end of the bargain in giving them my full cooperation wavers, yet I’m not one to break promises. I’ll continue to accommodate their needs to be in charge of my actions, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have my own agenda.
My study time with Eric and Alice, as well as my one day off a week, is my chance to train with Solas’ guidance. Everyone trades off their efforts during these times. Some days, I train with Jack, Eric, or Alice. Other days, the Griffin triplets alternate training me. Each day, I feel more myself than I have in quite a while. Though, mostly, I train with my Chief in Command.
Solas encourages me to use my Darkness to my advantage, and its results are astonishing. For the first time since being a fledgling, I am in control. I can call upon the Darkness when I need it and send it back to the depths of my core when I don’t. I’ve learned how to allow small portions of my Darkness free. Now I’m able to use it without anyone realizing it’s still there. It’s not the full potential I’m capable of when I let it drown everything out, but it’s enough to show the Originals the improvement they search for. I force the Darkness down when I’m around the Originals. They believe their mentoring is paying off, none the wiser of the secrets we keep. One of those secrets not being Becky Carmichael. Michael is delighted to have Becky join us at The Keep, told her to give her family his best regards, but agrees with me that she should stay out of harm’s way.
When I’m not training, I’m eating or sleeping. It takes a lot for me to sustain the energy to train non-stop. After the first three weeks, Solas demands me to relax.
Relax. I almost forgot the meaning of the word. It is also a difficult feat when things have been quiet. Apprehension becomes a burden in the pit of my stomach, waiting for the metaphorical wrecking ball to drop. It’s only a matter of time.
I admitted to the Originals about Cora and the dreams she has pulled me into, and Becky helped explain who she is. Michael is furious that Lilith was able to keep a Lilim hidden fro
m him. With controlled rage, he rants of their abomination. A piece of me sympathizes with her. Just as I am not the ideal being of Light nor Dark, Cora and I are both considered to be taboo creations.
Cora hasn’t attempted to force a dream upon me since our return to The Keep. My father, being the harbinger of death, has known many beings capable of this ability, yet it is mostly associated with twins due to their connection through birth. It’s called transcendent projection. From what information has been gathered on the ability, one being descends into a lucid dreaming state, projects themselves within the dream to wherever they wish to be, then attract and influence another being into a lucid dream of their own. The two beings are able to connect in secret without disturbances. This leads us to believe that my vision of Cora murdering Logan with a dagger coated in Kapet was a true vision, not a dream she was inducing. We are unsure if it has happened yet, but no one is in a hurry to stop it from happening if it hasn’t.
There are many things I’m uncertain of. Questions tumble through my mind like brewing storm clouds on the verge of an epiphany. Where are the Horsemen? Is Lucifer controlling them? Why was Roman sent to murder Ruth and Frank? Why is Cora so quiet? Is Logan really dead? If so, what did he do for Cora? Surely, Lucifer knows of Cora. Are they working together? Are they all working together; Lucifer, Cora, and the Horsemen?
I think, If they’re all working together, we’re fucked.
Chapter 11
The gray sky blends seamlessly with the thick fog low on The Common, prickling my skin. The temperature has been rising over the last month, on the precipice between winter and spring. The fog is dense, rendering the Griffin sentries invisible on the mountainside of The Keep. I wonder if they are able to see through the haze effectively. If I were alone, I would be uneasy about the lack of visibility, perhaps even concerned about my own vulnerability. Yet, the strength and confidence my Chief of Command unknowingly provides me with preserves my calm.
As we amble towards the center of The Common, Solas mentions, “Remember when I told you there are some oracles who are able to use the very air around them to see the past or future of a location?”
“Sure,” I mumble, examining the slick, dewy grass under my Chuck Taylors.
He turns to me, ceasing our progression, “I thought the fog may give you something to grasp onto and give it a shot.”
I quirk a brow, “You want me to induce a vision?”
He rubs the back of his neck uncomfortably, “It’s been quiet for weeks now.” His hand drops to his side. “I’ve got this gut feeling that something’s not right. We’re missing something.”
With my arms crossed over my chest, I agree, “I know what you mean.”
“First,” Solas deflects, “I want to try a little exercise.”
“What kind of exercise?” I reflect in a tone of skepticism.
Solas steps backward, the fog gradually engulfing his large frame. He shrugs playfully, “Kind of like Marco Polo.”
As he disappears into the haze, I call out, “You want to play Hide and Seek?”
There’s no reply. I sigh. Dammit.
I start towards the direction he left. The only sound is of the waves crashing gently against the base of the cliff. The wind is absent, which is strange for The Common. I stop in my tracks, searching around me for an opening in the haze, hoping to catch a glimpse of Solas.
A low whisper grazes my ear, “Come find me.” The words are so faint, I almost think I had imagined them. I spin around to nothing. The ghost of his presence feels like a fleeting memory.
I use my angelic senses to listen, but there is nothing out of place. I close my eyes. Not the slightest bit of air displacement vibrates against my skin. The ground crunches lightly beneath my steps. Solas’ voice enters my mind, “You’re not even trying. Use your senses. All of them.”
Over half an hour of drifting across The Common through the sheen of grayness becomes dizzying. I open my mind to Solas, This is bullshit. I’ve been all over this place. Where are you?
“Think outside of the box. You are still playing by the rules. They are children’s rules. You are an angel. There are no rules.”
I mutter, “No rules, huh?”
I take a moment to close off my mind to him, then silently slip off my shoes and socks. I place them beside the closed vaulted entrance to The Keep. My top slides over my head, and drops on top of my shoes without a sound. Soft cracks rake up my spine, my body enjoying the slow release of my wings. I time the waves, my bare feet touching the grass with each rumble against the rocks below.
Three hundred steps towards the cliffs, I drop to a crouch. My fingers dig into the ground, my empathic walls falling away. I reach out, inch by inch, grasping the emotions flowing through the earth by degrees around me. I cock my head to the side, curiosity eating at me as I find nothing across The Common. I push a little further. The boredom of a Griffin sentry rolls through me. I reach past it, allowing my empathy to rove up the side of the mountain. At the top, I find Solas. I know it’s him. His pride, love, and admiration are clear; much clearer than our surroundings. Mischief tugs at the corner of my lips and the prey becomes the predator.
Stealth is paramount as I take my time scaling down the cliff and into the waves below. I dive deep, swimming far enough that Solas won’t hear me emerge. A thought crosses my mind as I surface to catch my breath and regulate my heart rate, Hope I don’t get caught this far out. The last thing I need is for Michael to find me here.
I burst into the sky, shaking myself dry as I rocket higher. The blast of wind helps dry my clothes as well. I maintain my altitude and soar virtually silent back to The Keep. Solas lays back on the top of the mountain with his eyes closed, a smug grin across his face. I pluck a feather from my wing and watch it float back and forth as it drops through the thinning fog. Before it touches Solas’ chest, I begin descending towards him. The midnight feather lands over his heart. He opens his eyes as I pounce on top of him, “Found you!”
His body tenses then slackens as he realizes it’s me. He wraps his arms around my biceps, locking me to him. “You sure did,” he smiles. “Took you long enough. How did you figure it out?”
I fight against my own laughter, “That’s top secret information I’m not at liberty to discuss.”
Solas grins wider. “Is that so, princess? Maybe I’ll have to torture it out of you!” He rolls me over, tickling my sides. I squirm below him crying lightheartedly for mercy. He pauses, pinning me to the ground, “Giving up?”
In light of my mood, I breathlessly speak without thinking, “Only for you, Chief.”
Solas’ expression changes from exhilaration to content before falling humorless. His eyes travel from my eyes to my lips, then back again. An ache in my heart and in my core grows, pulsing stronger. Solas deliberately leans closer at a maddening pace, bit by bit. I close my eyes, waiting.
“I’m sorry.”
I open my eyes, his face a hair’s breadth away. “Don’t be sorry.”
He pushes away from me, “It’s not my place. It’s not my decision.” He rises to his feet. “It’s your choice, and I won’t make you choose.”
I roll my eyes, standing and brushing the grass from my clothes. “I don’t want to keep dragging you both along. I know I need to make a decision and I will…soon.”
Solas nods absentmindedly. “Where are your shoes?”
I tease him, whispering, “I had to be stealthy…like a cat.”
He chuckles, and we dive back to The Common.
“So, how does this work; with air or fog?” I prompt.
He notes, “I’ll talk you through it. Do you want me to join you?”
I shrug a shoulder hesitantly, “Maybe for the first time. Do you think there could be manifestations into reality with it?”
Shaking his head in negation, he reaches for my hand, coming to stand at my side, “No. Of all methods to induce visions, I see this being the least likely to cause a manifestation. I’m worried it won’t
be a strong vision, but we will see if it will work.”
I regard him over my shoulder, “How do you know how to do all of this? You don’t have Second Sight.”
“True. Without the ability of Second Sight, I can’t have visions. All we’re doing is meditating. It has worked for you since the beginning. I’d like to know how far you can be pushed with it. Are you ready?”
I take a deep breath, letting my empathic walls down and allowing my mind to be open to his telepathy and emotions. I close my eyes. “Yeah.”
Solas’ deep voice rumbles low, “Breathe in and out. Relax your body.” I follow his directions. “Feel the fog glide over your skin. Note the temperature of it, the texture, the heaviness.”
My exposed skin tingles. Upon his mention of the fog’s weight, my body becomes grounded, connecting in a series of roots from the top of my head through the soles of my bare feet. Being grounded in place, I imagine the impossibility of being moved from my position. I am solid, an extension of the earth. I am strong, a mountain of myself. I am timeless, an immortal spirit of The Keep.
Solas instructs, “Good. Nice transition. Maintain that feeling of eternal being.”
Time passes, yet it doesn’t. I’m here in the moment, but the moment is considerably vast. There’s an image of Beleth commanding his legion of Griffins on The Common. I know it’s the past.
My guide reminds me, “Don’t dwell on the past. Release it. Let it fade.”
It fades, developing into a white cloud of smoke.
Solas directs, “Imagine the smoke becoming thick. Generate your own vision. Visualize that smoke as the fog around you. Try to see your current surroundings without opening your eyes.”
I see the haze across The Common in my mind. It hovers an inch above the dewy blades of grass around our feet. It swarms our bodies. The haze is so thick, it becomes a white screen before us. Solas encourages me to open my eyes. I’m hesitant with worry that it will break my concentration. I reinforce my connection to the earth, then open my eyes.
The Helio Trilogy: Volumes 1-3 Page 82
