“If you mean watching my daughter get shot in the head was perfect.” His voice was tense.
“Vetis, you sound as if I murdered her right before your eyes,” she griped.
“You did! You had that sniper friend of yours take her out before she could even see the sun. She wasn’t supposed to be in there for three days. Do you realize the trauma that she is facing?” I did not like to hear the tone in his voice. It was so menacing and angry.
How could I be hearing them? Had I died and gone to hell? It had to be hell, that’s the only place where I would hear two demons communicate at this level.
“Prudence had to die. It was the only way to get Dawn back,” Mona growled at my father. Her hands were on my face a moment later, cool and smelling of hand sanitizer.
“They attacked too quickly. Didn’t even give her time to get back to the camp. There was no warning!” My father was pacing. The rise and fall of his voice was telling me he was walking away and then back towards me.
“They had to. When she said it was a prison camp we couldn’t waste any time.” The hands lingered.
I wanted to open my eyes but the floating was too calming. If I opened them now I would be welcoming all the stress that came with being a warden. I wasn’t ready to face the responsibility again. It was hard enough that I had endured the last few days and managed to live through it.
“What about Nick?” my father asked. He had stopped moving. “Have you forgotten his involvement in all of this?”
“We know he’s the leak. Soon he will tell Lilly about Prudence’s death and she will have to revamp her army. That is what we want. We want her to fall flat on her face.” Mona’s voice was delicate and sweet. There were very few times that I had seen her angry. The way she was speaking now was only the calm before the storm.
“Dawn was in! Why can’t I get any of you to understand? She had them. They trusted her, she could have got all the information we needed.” My father’s voice was shrill. It was nice to know the two of us were on the same page.
“Maybe. It was a chance we had to take, Damien. Lilly wasn’t there, neither was her lieutenant. How many chances were going to come up where we could get both Dawn and the boy out at the same time?” Mona was starting to sound stressed. If I didn’t open my eyes soon, all hell was going to break loose.
“There would be plenty of chances. Half of those people didn’t have to die.” I felt movement beside me and Mona’s presence began to grow further away.
“Those people? They wouldn’t have batted an eyelid if the tables were turned.” Mona was on her feet. Her voice was shaking.
“It was too soon, Mona!” my father yelled at her. “Angie said it was wrong! I don’t understand why you won’t just listen to her.”
“It’s always about Angie! Everything is about your ex-wife!” I heard the clicking of her heels on the linoleum and the door slam behind her.
“She only meant well,” I croaked, opening my eyes to look at my father.
“She always knew how to make an exit,” he said angrily as he turned to look at me.
He was paler than usual. His suit was wrinkled and he looked like he hadn’t slept in days. He bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut. I had never seen my father this way. Even when his caseload was too much for him, he still managed to remain dignified.
“You are right, though.” I couldn’t feel my body. In fact, I felt like I was still floating.
“I know I’m right.” My father opened his eyes and looked at me. “How much of that did you hear?”
“Most of it I’m sure. I was floating along in the tunnels and I heard Mona.” I rolled my eyes in his direction but my face did not move. “Why won’t my body move?”
“It’s part of the spell. Your body has to remain immobile while it heals. I’m actually surprised you are alert enough to have a conversation.” He took a seat next to me on the bed and touched my hand. I could feel it there but I couldn’t move to put my hand firmly on his.
“So some idiot really shot me?” I blinked in amazement.
“Yes. It was part of Mona’s plan.” He rolled his eyes and frowned. “She thought that if we killed off Prudence then Lilly would be drawn out.”
“From where? Miranda doesn’t know where her mother is, you know. She has to be summoned to her.” I looked at my hand and willed my fingers to move. My extremities refused to listen.
“That’s what I told Mona. I am really starting to think that Nick has her brainwashed as well,” he grumbled angrily.
“What is going on with that?” I asked him. He was concerning me, I had never seen my father so disorganized in his thoughts.
“Nick told Helen and Rose that the priestess was the all-powerful. He explained she had been seen as the true leader of the hybrid army. He then proceeded to tell them that she would see the wardens burned. Stupidly the girls believed him and started an uproar at the camp. Next thing I know we are moving out two days ahead of schedule and Mona is the one running the operation.” He put his head in his hand and sighed.
“Why would he say that?” I questioned, my voice faltering for just a moment.
“He wanted them to run. Without the power of the four of you, the Army would fall. This would mean that we would forfeit the war.” He didn’t sound himself.
“I never portrayed her this way,” I said, softly rolling my eyes.
“I know. Your ward told us everything.” He looked at me and squeezed my hand. I could feel it but movement was still not possible.
“When did this happen?” I asked.
“When did what happen?” He looked at me, confused.
“When did he flip sides?” I had not had the chance to find out the reasons for Nick’s treachery. It could be something as simple as a threat on his family that turned him into a spy.
“I wish I knew, Dawn. I think he started this with good intentions. Somewhere along the way someone got to him and changed his mind.” My father shook his head. “He was such a good boy.”
“So when will he be confronted?” My mind could not quite absorb what was happening.
“Soon, I hope. You know, your mother was married to his uncle. She is not taking the betrayal lightly. It was one thing when her husband died but to have another member of his family switch sides at the start of the war, now that is just too much for even her.” He spoke softly but I knew what he meant.
My mother was at war with herself, she didn’t want to think that family could turn on her.
“This has to be killing her inside,” I moaned. I could feel my mother’s pain surging through me.
“You need your rest, Dawn. Please sleep.” He leaned over and kissed me on the forehead.
“I love you, Dad,” I said, wishing I could wrap my arms around him.
“I love you too, princess,” he whispered as I closed my eyes.
The tunnels welcomed me again. There were no vivid dreams or visions. The only thing that I saw was the clouds and the blue sky. I was alone in my head, with this new feeling came the realization that I was at peace.
***
I could hear singing in the distance, a voice that was sweet and almost angelic lulling me from my tunnel. I felt my body twitch. I was able to move, or so I thought.
“Where’s Marshall?” I demanded, my eyes opening. Mona was sitting in the chair next to the bed.
“How disappointing,” she retorted. “I figured you would ask about your dear Wesley.”
“Wesley is fine. He is strong-willed. Marshall is not,” I said, trying to sit up. My head started to swim, causing me to fall flat onto the pillow again, the room spinning above me.
“Your ward is quite strong. Do not doubt him,” Mona said, placing her hand on my forehead. “Please do not move. You are nearly healed but not enough to move about yet.”
“How is Marshall?” I demanded again, wishing to hear news of my friend.
“He mourns, as he should. He’s preparing
your funeral,” she said softly, sitting back in the chair and looking at me.
“You mean Prudence’s funeral. As you can see I am very much alive,” I groaned, turning my head to face her.
“Yes, I meant Prudence,” she grumbled to herself. “I figured you would want news of the boy though. They have learned what he has become. Well…I should say, they think they have it pinpointed.”
“So there was a change in him,” I said, closing my eyes to keep the room from spinning.
“You could say that. He is an anomaly.” She leaned back and stretched out her legs.
“How so?” I asked, peeking at her through the cracks of my lids and then squeezing them tightly shut.
Why is the room still spinning with my eyes closed?
“He has traits of many. There are hints of vampire, demon, wolf, banshee, and several other bloodlines that were thought to have been dead for millennia,” she yawned.
“How is that possible?” I demanded, my eyes shooting open again. I focused on her, even as the walls around her swayed to and fro.
“The scars on his body would suggest several possibilities.” She was being vague.
“What scars? I did not see any scars on him.” I bit my lip.
Then again I had not done anything with him on the one night he lay with me. Plus I didn’t feel there was a need for me to go searching his body for any new marks.
“There are bites, scratches, tears in his flesh. He was a guinea pig for God’s sake.” She leaned forward, exposing her arms. “There are arteries in the arms, legs, and neck. Easily accessible to a pureblooded creature. He can sense change, shift his image, feel death around him. When you were shot he nearly killed the men who were attending to his wounds.”
“He seemed so normal,” I frowned, feeling my eyes swell with tears. “He seemed so human.”
“He would. The harbinger blood in his veins is the most dominant. It almost masks the rest of the mixture.” She put her arms down and smiled. “He is stronger than you could imagine.”
“And Marshall?” I asked yet again. Why was she not telling me what I wanted to know? “Dad said that he knows I’m not really dead.”
“He doesn’t know who you are, if that is what you are asking. He believes that you sacrificed your body so that you could save the others.” Mona’s eyes sparkled for a second.
“He is a good boy. Please make sure no harm comes to him,” I stated, wishing that I could sit up.
“Nothing will happen to him or any of the captives.” She smiled. “His sister, though…we had to sedate her. Lilly has her convinced that purebloods want to kill all hybrids.”
“She’s not the only one that was convinced of such things.” I swallowed, realizing in that moment just how dry my throat was.
“So we have learned. The lies and deception that were around that encampment were beyond the belief of any of us. These people suffered a severe trauma and it’s going to take a large amount of time to reverse what she did to them.” Mona reached out and grabbed my hand.
“Where is Krista? Kelly?” I asked, attempting to roll my head towards her.
“We brought Krista and Kelly with us. You do know that you cannot become yourself quite yet. There are still a few strings to fix before we can allow that. Just know Kelly has done well being you.” Mona pushed a strand of blonde hair from my eyes.
“They are here, though? Do they know I am here?” My voice was stronger and I could feel excitement pulsing through me.
“No. The gag still stands. Nobody can say anything. The only reason that Aaron knows is because he is connected to you. Even if we didn’t tell him, he would feel you the moment he was close enough.” Mona frowned at me. “For now you will remain here and then we will alter your appearance one more time. Temporarily. Until we have a better plan for the switch.”
“I understand,” I sighed. Not that I was hoping to get back to being me, it just would have been nice to not play dead.
“You know what shocks me?” She raised an eyebrow and gave me a twisted smile.
“What?” I blinked a few times. The room was slowing.
“All those trinkets I gave you. They held no power. Yet you managed to create illusions, craft new items from the old, even turn water into blood.” She winked. “This is why my daughter feels that you believe you are superior to her.”
“We all know that wardens have equal power. I have no more power over her than she does of me,” I groaned. I wasn’t even back in the graces of my family and Rose was already haunting me.
“Well, I’m not so sure about that anymore. Yes, it is said that wardens have the same power levels. However, I am not a water carrier but yet Rose is. Her father was, but I have never had the ability to do a damn thing with water.” She sighed. “I think the blessing is what did it. I think God blessed you in a way that Lucifer did not bless my daughter. Or there is far more to the warden bloodline than I know. Either option is plausible.”
I laid there a moment, pondering on what she had just said about the division of power, when a realization hit me.
“Wait! You set me up?” I felt the anger sear through me but no fire came to my fingers.
“No. When I created the priestess, she was simply all-powerful. There was nothing she couldn’t do. I put that thought in your head to give you confidence. I had no clue that you would be so rigorously tested by Lilly and her Army.” She blinked. “I also had no idea the power you would have over her lieutenant. He must have a soft spot for all wardens; he can’t seem to leave them alone.”
“He made it obvious that he was into Prudence,” I shivered. “Wait a minute! I was able to do all that magic when he was around.”
“Yes you were.” Mona smiled wide. “Just means that he doesn’t have as much control over you as we thought. It could also mean that he is only able to neutralize your warden power and not the additional blessings you apparently have been given.”
“That doesn’t make sense, though,” I moaned.
“It makes perfect sense to me. Now you need to get your rest.” She patted my knee.
Why was everyone telling me that I needed to rest? I felt like I had been sleeping for days.
“If you say so,” I said dryly as she stood up and started to walk towards the door.
Halfway there she turned and looked at me, her face contorting oddly.
“Oh, your other boy. Adam.” She smiled again. “He remembers everything.”
The color drained from my face.
My mind swam with many thoughts. Had he confronted Kelly? What had she done? Why were his memories resurfacing so soon? I wasn’t ready to deal with the explanation as to why I had my brother mess with his memories. I didn’t want him to feel as if he had made the wrong choice by being with Rose. All things considered, I didn’t even want to think about all the things that had happened between us during that short period of time. I guess sooner or later I was going to have to deal with the mess that I had made.
Chapter Two: Silent Confessions
“Miss Prudence?” A familiar face peeked through the door of my immaculately white room.
“Marshall!” I exclaimed, putting the spoon I was eating my Jell-O with down.
“They told me I could see you. I had to sign a ton of paperwork stating that I wouldn’t speak about it to anyone. Some blonde woman touched my face said some words and walked away. I swear this place has the oddest visitation practices.” He smiled at me as he walked towards my bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Much better. The doctor said there won’t even be a scar.” I smiled at him sweetly.
“That’s great news.” He approached me, his hands in his pockets. “Would it be too forward to say that I was scared to death of losing you?”
“Of course not,” I laughed.
“Great.” He heaved a heavy sigh. “That was probably the most traumatic experience of my life.”
I reached over and patted his hand.
“It’s completely understandable.” I tried to reassure him, but I was unsure if it was successful. There were no changes in his demeanor and he seemed shaken.
“The boy you spoke of before we were taken. Was that blonde hybrid?” Marshall asked out of the blue. I had to make a double take to see that he was serious. “He knew you before all of this. He knew you well. The way he looks at you is with longing, as if you are some long lost love. Someone who used to mean something to him.”
“There was a time when he and I shared affection for one another,” I said in a monotone.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to bare my heart and soul to Marshall. Yes, I had told him quite a bit about myself without ever really saying anything at all. I just did not feel that I needed to explain my involvement with Aaron.
“He was human then.” Marshall smiled at me and my eyes shot open. “Oh goodness, Miss Prudence, I was just kidding.” He broke out in laughter as I tried to calm my erratic heart.
“Marshall, when the time comes I will tell you everything that you could ever want to know about me. Until then, be patient.” I reached out and grabbed his hand.
“Are you really a priestess?” he asked me again, in the same tone he had asked me in the mall back in New Mexico.
“For all intents and purposes, yes.” I nodded at him and his smile grew.
“Are you the priestess that Lilly said was in the prophecy?” He raised an eyebrow.
My skin turned cold as I pulled my eyes from his.
“No.”
“I was hoping not. They made you sound like you were bringing the apocalypse with you when you came. Thank goodness it wasn’t really you.” He let out a heavy sigh and smiled at me again.
“Are they treating you well?” I asked.
“Yes. You will never guess who I met!” he gawked, his eyes sparkling.
OK, so now it was gossip time.
“I have no idea,” I laughed as he curled up next to me in the hospital bed playing with my hair and stroking my arm.
“I met two wardens! The fire Girl and the wind Girl. The two that John always spoke so much about. You know, I thought he was lying to me about everything. After I met them, I could tell that he had damaged them.” He looked at me with those childlike eyes.
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