Our surroundings are precisely how I envisioned. I question whether I truly opened my eyes. Perhaps I had imagined them opening. My body is substantially heavy. The air is still. The haze gives the atmosphere a feeling of misplacement, as if I’m not on The Common, but in an expanse of white nothingness.
Solas’ words enter my thoughts, “You are The Keep. You are eternal. Your knowledge of secrets from over the eons are buried within… You know the past. You know the present… Ask of the universe what your future holds.”
The illusion of the white expanse vacillates. Vague colors of the rainbow emerge in swirls of pastel blemishes. Sounds murmur within, seemingly coming from a distance. Solas’ hand steadily grips my own, allowing him to see what I see. I drag him along as I take in the dithering fog around us and beings become corporeal.
The base of The Keep, where the mountainside meets The Common, is plagued with deformed bodies of Griffin sentries. Shrill squawks from those on the face of the mountain are quickly silenced by an invisible threat. Griffins drop, one by one. Some take to the sky, their leonine and eagle-like forms scouting for the unknown danger.
The hidden enemy takes them down quickly. I don’t understand what is happening. They are broken and motionless. Even though their bodies remain, I question whether they are still alive. One of the Griffins makes it to the vaulted door of The Keep, successfully opening it. I expect the remaining Gray Legion within The Keep to come charging out. The Griffin never makes it past the threshold of the entrance.
Fallen warriors become visible in succession as they land on The Common. Invading the oblivious haven of The Keep, the enemy legion is led by three; Lucifer, Cora, and the Fourth Duke of Sheol, Mephistopheles.
I begin to run after them. Solas jerks me back into his chest, and the vision of the future evaporates before our eyes, molding with the thinning fog.
I writhe within his indestructible grip, wailing with grief, regret, torment, and wretched sorrow. He shushes against my ear. Four Griffins descend around us, sending quakes through the ground. They screech at us protectively. My cries continue to convulse as I go limp in Solas’ arms.
One of the creatures expands its wings, lengthening its neck. Its feathers ruffle then its hackles stand on end, rousing over its body. It shrieks daringly, then metamorphoses in a terrifying way. The feathers and fur contract into its skin in the same manner that an angel’s wings conceal. His claws stretch into fingers, continuing to morph from lion paws to hands. Bones break at uncomfortable angles over his body, reconstructing its form until it rises as a naked man in front of us.
The shorthaired brunette growls at my captor, “Release her.”
Solas keeps me tight in his arms, supporting my weight for me. I’m too distraught to defend him, but I attempt to stand on my own. Solas contends, “I am only helping her. You do not want to fight with me. I promise it will not turn out well for you.”
The Griffin criticizes, garnering my attention, “We do not wish to fight with you. You are Cherubim and one of our Commanders, but we will not allow you to cause her harm. Release her.”
My sobs break voice, “It’s… It’s… He’s not…hurting me.”
The Griffin cocks his head to the side, examining me as I stand on my own and Solas’ arms ease around me. I place my hands on top of his, conveying my comfort to the Griffin sentries. The Griffin debates, “Why are you crying if not for help?”
I glance to Solas over my shoulder. He releases my body and keeps a hold of my hand as he steps beside me. I address the Griffin, “What’s your name?”
The Griffin takes a knee, bowing his head. The other three Griffins elongating into a bow. “My name is Ashford.”
Gaining a stronger voice, I divulge, “I assure you, Ashford, my wellbeing is not in jeopardy. It is your wellbeing that troubles me.”
Ashford elevates his gray eyes to me. “Do we disappoint you? Do you desire us to part from The Keep and The Gray Legion?”
I’m quick to counter, “No! That’s not what I mean! I’m so sorry!” Ashford’s head tilts with a snap. The movement is a quintessential trait of a bird. I wonder if he has spent too much time in his Griffin form. I make a mental note to speak with Theodora about it later. Calmly, I express to him, “I’ve had a vision of our enemy coming to The Keep.”
Ashford interjects with anger, “We will dispose of them as we always have. They are no match for us…nor you.”
I incline my head in appreciation, “Thank you. I’m afraid you won’t see them coming this time. They will arrive as ghosts; invisible to your senses. You won’t see, hear, or smell them. They attack swiftly and efficiently. I watched them take out each of you,” I look to the remaining sentries on the mountainside, “one by one.”
“When does this happen? We will be ready,” Ashford claims.
My eyes fall in disappointment. In my moment of remorse for not understanding the timeframe, I have a shameful thought. Solas squeezes my hand with a quick pulse before taking over for me. “The timing of the event is unclear. We will all do our best to protect each other. For this, I have two requests from you, Ashford.”
Ashford opens his arms, bowing his head to Solas, then regards him once more, “Anything you request, I will ensure.”
Solas nods once. “My first request is simple. When you know of a threat, call out my name in your mind. I will hear you, and we will prepare for war. The second is not a request. This is a demand as your Chief Commander; By no means are you to open the entrance to The Keep.”
Hearing my shameful thought spoken aloud sends my heart to the pit of my stomach. I backtrack in my thoughts to Solas, They could be slaughtered! What kind of person does that make me to not offer them sanctuary?
“If the enemy enters The Keep. It will be a slaughter of the entire legion. We cannot afford for them to gain entry. We won’t let it get that far. As soon as Ashford sends word, we will be on The Common and ready for them.”
Ashford doesn’t hesitate, “Certainly. We will be sure the others understand this as well.”
I thank him. Solas discharges them, “You may return to your positions. We will speak with Theodora and the others to let them know what to expect.”
“Yes, sir,” Ashford says with another bow. His bones begin to break again, his body shifting into his Griffin form once more. His fur and feathers sprout from his skin as his claws protrude from his paws. He shakes himself, settling his feathers into their rightful places, then takes off with the other sentries to their positions on The Keep’s mountainside.
The fog has dwindled immensely. Solas’ blue eyes shine brightly in the sun’s rays peering through the clouds. His jaw is set tightly. I inquire, “What’s wrong?”
He transfers his sight to me, then quickly back to the vaulted entrance. “Your emotions are too extreme. As much as I fear the outcome affecting your abilities, I think it would be best if we found a way to extract your Darkness.”
I release his hand, facing his profile. “I’m not ready. I need it for what’s to come. You’ve said so yourself.”
Solas shakes his head, “Maybe I was wrong. You can’t let your emotions get the best of you. The enemy will take advantage.”
Reserving my anger, I speak evenly, “You need to make up your mind. Do I need to be myself because that’s who can defeat the Horsemen or do I need to be someone else who hides their emotions, making me a cold-hearted bitch?”
He takes both of my hands firmly, “I want you to be yourself… I need you to be stronger than the Darkness pulling at your emotions. Not in the past eight and half years have you been this unstable. This is not you.”
I stand certain, “I can do this. Just give me a bit more time.”
Solas silently agrees, then motions with his head towards the entrance, “Let’s gather the others. Tell the Originals the vision came to you in a dream. They don’t need to know we induced the vision. You’re supposed to be resting anyway.”
Chapter 12
The Originals h
old their troubled gazes on me as I pace the Throne Room, explaining the vision of Lucifer, Cora, and Mephistopheles breaching The Keep. We know Cora, nor Mephistopheles, would be able to find The Keep without the King of Sheol. He is the only being of the three that have been here before.
Thoughts of Lucifer’s illusion—being Tallulah—induce a bout of recollections of the true Telly in Hawaii. I remember the way she looked at Jack as she sat in his car, and the way Jack casually defended her. A knot tangles in my stomach.
Michael speculates, “Is it possible the dream was just that; A dream?” The other Originals seem to consider this as well.
Michael has always had a way of getting under my skin without warning. He’s a splinter in my spine. I’m sure my eye twitches with his question. I step into his space, pointing harshly at my chest as I glare up at him, “I know the difference between a normal dream and vision. How could you be so adamant to put me on this pedestal of being your mighty Teloch and not trust me?” My stomach churns.
Michael grits down to me, “You will remember your pla—”
Vomit spews from my mouth, and I double over before him. It splatters across his boots, chunks of food sliding down to the floor. The room goes silent. Nobody moves. I know I should be embarrassed or worried, anything but delighted, yet there is no stopping the reverberation of laughter building from my core and spilling from my lips. Beck snickers from my left. Theodora quickly backhands him across the chest. Jack comes to my side, urging me up.
Michael chastises, “I’m glad you find humor when your body is clearly warning you of the dangers humanity faces.”
I wipe my mouth, sobering my amusement. Becky scampers into the Throne Room, “Sorry. I was just on the phone. Red Meadow is on lockdown. It’s crawling with government: SWAT, FEMA, the EPA, you name it.”
The color drains from my face. I utter, “What? What happened?”
She elaborates, “People have been reporting skin boils. It started as just a few reports, nothing to worry about. It appeared to be a viral infection, but the reports have been tripling daily. Dead wildlife is being found in droves. People are dropping dead in the streets.”
“What caused the boils?” Jack prods.
I can hear Becky’s heart pounding, adrenaline running through her veins. She answers with heavy breaths, her voice rising as she continues, “The city is blaming it on government. They think the government contaminated the water supply. Grigori know better. We’ve known this was coming and kept an eye out, but it moved faster than we expected.” I wave a hand, urging her to get to the point. She throws her hands up in exasperation, “It’s the fucking Horseman of Pestilence!” She directs her hands towards the vomit on the floor, “By the looks of it, we don’t have much time.”
I look to Theodora, “Gather the legion. Pack as many weapons as you can. We’ll make the Roe Estate our home base, assess the town, and go from there.” I glance between Alice, Eric, Jack, and Solas, “We’re flying.” Finally, regarding each of the Originals, I demand, “The rest of you should remain at The Keep. We can’t leave it unguarded, and I’m taking The Gray Legion with me. I also can’t have any of you caught off guard because you’re too focused on what I’m doing. Trust me. Let me do what I was created for.”
Michael concedes. Everyone stares at me with blank expressions. Solas claps his hands, “You heard her! Load up! Get a move on! Go! Go! Go!”
Jack squeezes my hand. “Do you need help back to your room?”
“No. I’m fine. Go get ready, and I’ll meet everyone on The Common.”
He kisses the back of my hand and turns to follow the others. The hand he releases goes straight to my stomach, a sickness brewing steadily. Raphael pushes a large flask towards me, “Take this with you. It only takes a sip. Don’t waste it, but use it when you need to.” I nod in thanks, leaving the Throne Room without a second glance at the Originals. Especially Michael.
Taking the steps of the corridor two at a time, I swig the healing tonic water from the flask. The cap is secured again as I push into my room. My mind should be a chaotic mess, yet I’m engrossed with my mission. It doesn’t take much time for me to be strapped down with my weapons. I slide my duster on and tuck the glass charm necklace from Solas beneath my shirt. There’s a knock at my door. Swinging it open wide, Camael’s form fills the doorway, rigid and stern.
“May I come in?” he requests. There’s a slight moment of concern in his countenance.
I motion for him to enter, “Is everything alright?” and shut the door behind him.
“This Lilim; Cora. She is what we call a Dream Walker. Your connection to her should not be as strong as it is. You are not twins. Though you share the same mother, that connection should not be strong enough for her to pull you into a dream. She would have to possess something that belongs to you; a lock of hair, a piece of clothing, a vile of blood. Is it possible that she has any of these things?”
I cross my arms over my chest, “No. We’ve only met in her dream world.”
“Would Lucifer have something of yours that he would give her?”
My brows converge with a delicate tilt of my head. I think back. My blood would be all over Sheol from the torture I’d been through. It would be too dried up by now to be of any use. I raise my head, my features going slack. “The Enochian opal necklace Jack gave me. I couldn’t enter Sheol with it when I was searching for Solas… I gave it to Telly to hold for me…but it wasn’t Telly, it was Lucifer. That can’t be it, though. If I couldn’t enter Sheol with it, how could he or Cora have it?”
Camael advises, “They could be keeping it on the surface, using it when needed. It would certainly provide Cora with a connection to you.”
I point out, “I need to make it a priority to find it.”
He suggests, “While it would be good to find it, you may not have to make it a priority. There’s a ward you can place on your skin, as I did for Jack to contain his abilities. It will block her from pulling your consciousness into the dream world.”
My arms drop, slapping my things as I straighten my spine. “What do I need to do?”
“I do not have the ability to create this particular ward, but your Chief Commander is highly capable.”
I jerk the front folds of my duster. “I’ll ask him when we make it to Red Meadow.”
Camael nods once. “Be sure that you do,” he calls after me as I leave.
On The Common, Jack, Solas, Alice, and Eric are itching to fly to Red Meadow. They follow my lead in tandem, running over the precipice of the cliff to release our wings as we drop. We swoop higher over the ocean in contention, not towards each other, but against time. It will be mid-day by the time we make it there. The Griffin triplets will lead the remaining Gray Legion to the Roe Estate later in the evening, arriving at nightfall. I miss Red Meadow, as I’m sure the others do as well. The Keep has never felt like home. It has become a transient space used for times of war—like now.
I fear what we will discover in Red Meadow. With the population dying faster every day, will there be anyone left to save? What’s going to happen if Red Meadow becomes a ghost town? Will the government leave? Will the sickness spread across the globe?
We come across helicopters continuously circling above the town, and are forced to fly higher in the clouds. We skirt them unnoticed and find an unwatched area of woods to land in. I lead them back towards the town, “I need everyone to split up, we’ll cover more ground that way. Alice, you’re with me. We’ll take the east side where the school and downtown are. Solas, take the residential area to the south. Eric, take the west. Jack, take the north.”
Jack suggests, “Meet at the manor?”
I give a curt nod, “One hour. That should give everyone plenty of time to see what’s going on.” I rake my eyes over each of them, “Remember, we are only observing. If you see anything suspicious, don’t engage alone. We will meet at the manor to determine the next steps as a team. Got it?”
The gang agrees, splitting o
ff in different directions. Alice stays quiet as we push through the brush of the trees towards the town. We make it through the tree line into an open field at the rear of the historical buildings lining downtown. With angelic speed, we bolt for the closest dumpster and crouch low behind it at the sound of someone’s voice. It sounds muffled, as if something is covering their mouth, “Nineteen to Base.”
Another voice answers through radio static, “This is Base. Go ahead.”
“Block six is clear,” he reports.
Base acknowledges, “Copy.”
Heavy boots march closer, then fade as Nineteen turns down an alleyway. I zip to the corner of the building, chancing a peek at him. Alice is at the opposite corner of the alley’s entrance in a flash, scanning Nineteen as well. He’s covered in black tactical gear with a gas mask over his face. A semi-automatic rifle hangs across his chest. There are no markings to distinguish if he’s police, military, or anything else.
Alice and I glance to each other with the same idea, nodding in agreement. When Nineteen makes a left at the next corner, taking him to the front of the buildings, we creep into the alley to follow. We check our surroundings as we pursue him, hoping to find out any information. Downtown Red Meadow is a ghost town. Trash litters the streets. Cars are parked in the middle of the road, some with doors left open. Many storefront glass windows and doors have been shattered from looters who have destroyed the beauty of historical Red Meadow in their panic. I pull Alice to a stop, losing sight of Nineteen as he turns down another alley. I whisper harshly, “I don’t understand! How did we not know about this sooner?”
She whispers back softly, examining our surroundings, “It must have happened fast. Do you think that guy is police? He didn’t have any patches.”
Nineteen’s muffled report to Base echoes down the empty alleyway, “Nineteen to Base.”
“This is Base. Go ahead.”
Nineteen informs, “Block three; clea—Hey! Come back here!”
The Helio Trilogy: Volumes 1-3 Page 83
