“I spent a lot of time on the streets being part of the world. People all over would look at me with fear in their eyes. And rightly so. I was a monster. I learned some things in all that, though. I learned that the right thing isn’t always so obvious or popular. I learned that people will say and do anything when they’re afraid. And I’ve seen enough fear in others’ eyes to know what it looks like.”
Stephen stood and leaned over the table to look Alistair directly in the eyes. “Why are you afraid?”
Alistair tightened his jaw and glared at Stephen. His breathing quickened. Stephen had hit a nerve. Plucking the answer from Alistair’s head would have been easy. But he knew in doing so, he’d lose a friend. Alistair’s friendship meant more than that.
“Please,” Stephen pleaded. “Give me permission to join the Outcasts and accept their assistance to find Waltz. After that, perhaps we can all sit down and discuss a better working arrangement.”
Alistair stood up and slammed his hands on the table. “I gave ye me answer as acting David. Then ye bring Edge in here to shame me into giving ye yer way. I should do more than let ye go to those Outcasts. I should cast you out.”
Alistair looked at Edge and Jax on either side of Stephen, then took a deep breath before sitting back down in his chair.
Stephen stepped away from his chair and pushed it back under the table, then stood between the other two men. “Should you, now?” Stephen asked, not expecting an answer. “That’s not a bad idea. It would certainly earn me a bit more credibility with them.”
“Then go,” Alistair said.
“What?” Edge and Jax asked in near unison.
“You can’t be serious,” Edge continued.
“Why not? Mighty took Stephen in, offered him family and a home. Instead, he’s pushing for us to take in one enemy to fight another. That’s not how we do things.”
“Alistair, since when has Enclave considered Outcasts the enemy?” Edge asked. “At worst, they were just those who couldn’t conform to our rules. That doesn’t make them Fallen. And it certainly doesn’t make them enemies of our cause.”
“Perhaps not. But now is a time for unity, not division,” Alistair said.
“That’s what Stephen is trying to do, to unite us in a common purpose,” Edge replied.
Alistair didn’t acknowledge Edge’s last statement, but pleaded with Stephen. “Mukker, ye should be here training. If ye truly believe yer vision, then ye should be here under the protection of Enclave.”
“I’m sorry, Alistair. Staying here while Pastor Buchanan is out there is something I can’t do. I’ll go search by myself, or get help from anyone who offers it. But I’ll not stay here.”
“Neither will I,” Edge added. “My pap is out there. I’m going to find him.”
“Stephen,” Jax said. “I’m here for you, bro, whatever you decide. Semper erit vera. Always be true.”
Stephen looked at Jax and smiled. “Semper erit vera.” He turned to Alistair. “Alistair, you’re my friend. I’m going to Outcast to accept their help. I’d like to know we’ll be okay when I return.”
Alistair dropped his head, his blond hair hanging around his face, making it hard for Stephen to see his expression. The Scotsman pushed his hair back and looked up at the three men. “We’ll figure it out when ye get back. Just be careful.”
“Thank you,” Stephen said.
“Eh! Heid doon . . .” Alistair feigned a smile. “Keep me informed, will ye?”
The familiar purple mist appeared and disappeared, taking the three men with it and leaving Alistair alone.
Chapter 6
Alistair walked through the flower garden of his mother’s family estate in Scotland. The rolling green hills in the distance filled his mind with more peaceful days. He sat on a stone bench and listened to the water flow in the nearby stream that kept his family’s lands green. The sun felt warm and rejuvenating. The breeze carried the gentle scent of highland Scottish heather to his nostrils, as he pulled the fragrance in deep. Being home was always nice, even more so after being stuck inside Enclave for the past few weeks since his last meeting with Stephen.
“Son,” the brittle voice of Alistair’s father called out. “We could have met in Enclave.”
“No. I needed to get away today, to a place where I can clear me heid,” Alistair called back.
“My penthouse in London would have worked just as well.” Charles stopped in front of Alistair.
“Ye know I don’t like it there. Besides, Mum left me this estate because it’s me favorite. It’s me favorite because it reminds me of her.” He looked at Charles who sat next to him. “The two of ye would bring me here in the summers. It seemed a magical place then, as it does now. It helps me to see things more clearly.”
“What’s on your mind, son?”
“The Outcasts, or maybe Stephen. Both, I guess. Stephen returned from his meeting with Zander. He says the Outcasts he met, along with Zander, want to help. He believes more will agree to help too. They’ll help find the David and fight in the battle.”
“Did you say it was okay?” Charles said.
“Not really.” Alistair laughed, thinking back to the meeting. “But ye know Stephen. He’s determined to do things his way. He’s a bit stubborn.”
“He sounds like an Outcast, if you ask me.”
“I kind of snapped and said the same thing. I shouldn’t have though. I’ve never had a friend who I would trust more than him. He means well. Perhaps he’s right. It’s just . . .” Alistair stopped. He didn’t want to finish the sentence. It wasn’t what he wanted to discuss with his father. Or was it?
“Just what?” Charles pressed.
“I hear the murmuring. I hear people asking about Stephen, questioning if he should be the one to lead us. I’ve wondered it too. But since I’ve learned that we truly are descended from the Royal House of Stewart, I can’t help but feel me place is as a leader. I always thought yer stories were nonsense. Having heard them from Anthony, I know they’re real. All the expectation of leading and being a rock for people to look to that ye pushed on me as a kid came crashing back on me. Only this time, I feel ready. I am ready.”
“Then lead, son.”
“Am I supposed to? This battle, I know in my heart this is Stephen’s time to rise to the occasion. I believe the vision. What if he’s to lead more than the battle? What if he’s to lead Mighty?”
“No. Pastor Buchanan appointed you as his replacement and at Stephen’s urging. I was there. Stephen knows he isn’t fit to lead. I suspect he doesn’t want to lead.”
“What do ye mean?” Alistair asked.
“If he wants to lead Outcasts, let him. Perhaps being an Outcast is his place. He’s never liked our rules. He has no problem defying the council. Sam has even noted Stephen’s wanton disregard for him, the head of the council.”
“He has guid reason not to like Sam. Well, maybe not good. But Sam certainly hasn’t tried to help the situation,” Alistair said.
“Alistair, you are the David now. Do what you think is best regarding Stephen. He’s your friend. But be careful of all the Outcasts. They’ll try to change everything and corrupt Mighty, given the chance. They cannot be trusted.”
“Perhaps.” Alistair’s mind wandered back to the heated debate between himself and Stephen. Why had it bothered him so much that Stephen questioned him? That was expected from Stephen. And things had worked out. For a moment, he considered jealousy, but dismissed it. The fact was, Stephen needed to understand that he couldn’t always have his way.
In his mind, he saw Stephen—his friend—smiling as the purple mist engulfed him.
Alistair looked up to see Charles was walking back toward the house. Alistair caught up to him. “Dad, why would someone be engulfed in a purple mist? How can that happen from inside my quarters at Enclave?”
Charles snapped around and stopped. “Purple mist? From inside the quarters? Vanishing isn’t possible from inside Enclave, except for the designated
vanishing zones.”
“That’s what I thought too. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by anything Stephen does anymore. Still, he continues to do the impossible.”
“I don’t know, Alistair. That is extraordinary. Let me know if Stephen does anything else out of the ordinary, and I’ll see what I can find out.” Charles paused a moment and looked down, lost in thought. When he seemed to notice Alistair waiting on him, he snapped his head up with a start. “Oh, and let’s keep this between us, for now.”
****
Stephen stopped on the sidewalk to look around. He had spent five years in the South, most of that time in Chattanooga, Tennessee, not too far from where he was now, in the quaint town of Gatlinburg. Still, this was the first time he had ever been to the tourist town nestled in the Smoky Mountains.
The town had little shops off the main road that resembled small German villages. Each shop was unique—selling handcrafted trinkets, fine leather goods, or cheaply mass-produced souvenirs for tourists. Smells of leather, candies, chocolates, perfumes, and grilled burgers filled the air as the cool mountain breeze blew through the night. People from all over were here to see the little town and the nearby Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
Stephen looked up at the night sky. He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen the stars so clearly. If only the city lights would go out, he was certain that he’d be able to see so much more. It made him miss traveling the countryside.
Max stopped next to him.
“We’re meeting them here?” he asked.
“That’s what they said. They’re a small group. But just like the London band, these Outcasts have far-reaching influence with friends that come and go. We’re meeting the core of the group.”
Stephen walked toward their destination, down a secondary road off the main strip. The farther away from the crowds they got, the louder the babbling waters of Cliff Branch Creek grew. He stopped to enjoy the moment of serenity.
“What is it now?” Max asked.
“Patty would love this,” he said. “Not the crowds, but the nature around here. Listen to it—the creek. Can you hear the breeze rustling through the leaves? When all this is over, I think I’ll bring her back with me.”
“We really should keep going. It’s just up ahead,” Max said.
Stephen didn’t understand the hurry. If you don’t take a moment to enjoy the simplest of life’s beauty, then what’s the point? Why fight? Why not just let Fallen win this battle and let the apocalypse begin? Why fight for people to have more time to change—to do better—if you can’t be happy in doing it.
“Relax, Max. We’re fighting for life, right? This is it . . . life. See the water?”
Max nodded.
“From our vantage point, there’s no beginning or end. It twists and turns. Plants and animals enjoy its refreshing waters. It cleans and rejuvenates. It is life to them, and they enjoy its pleasure. Should we be any different?”
Stephen was certain he saw a faint smile on Max’s lips just before it faded.
“Come on,” she said. “They’re expecting us.”
Stephen nodded down the street toward the Mysterious Mansion, a type of haunted house. “Why there?”
“What makes you think—” Before Max could finish her thought, Stephen smiled and tapped his finger against his temple. “Eh, right!” she said. “How long have you known?”
Stephen walked down the street toward the concrete pad bridge with wrought-iron railings and replica antique street lamps. “Since we left London, I’ve known every stop you plan to make.”
“Of course you have.” Max rolled her eyes and tossed a stick of gum into her mouth. “Why have me come along? You know all the locations. You don’t need me. Edge or Jax couldn’t have come?”
He stopped in the middle of the bridge, eyeing the rickety-looking Mysterious Mansion. “For one, they know you. Two, Patty said she needed Edge and Jax to help her with something the David asked her to do. Most importantly, you didn’t trust me at first. Now you do. That’ll mean more to them than me bringing along anyone else.”
He nodded toward the attraction. It was a three-story white building resembling something built in the mid-eighteen hundreds. The siding was clapboard, wooden shingles covered the roof, and atop a small tower rested a copper weathervane. A black carriage sat outside. Stairs led to the entrance of the house. High above, a black-hooded figure looked down from the top balcony. Eerie music played in the distance. “Five came. They’re in a room around back.”
Max laughed. “I’m not sure if I can get used to you.”
“I don’t use my gifts all the time. Honestly, I’m still not used to them. Not too long ago, I felt like a monster.”
“You? A monster? Your gifts, what you can do, I’ve never seen anything so beautiful. And that’s not just because I’m alive because of you. Stephen, with your abilities, you can bridge gaps and bring people together.”
“Yeah?” Stephen asked, not waiting for a response. “With my gifts I can also see that people don’t really want to unite. People pride themselves on their differences. Pride’s a problem. People think they want to be different. But when others aren’t okay with their choices, they get angry. Funny, right? People take pride in being unique, but get angry when people won’t accept them into their ‘normal’ social groups. It’s like people are searching out new ways every day to be angry and alone, isolating themselves from society and saying how horrible everyone else is for not doing the same. Literally, there are people who rejoice in how different they are and judge others for not being the same way. Does that sound like people who want to come together for a cause?”
Stephen turned to face Max. “Or I could just make them all get along. I can do that, control thoughts, insert ideas into the subconscious. I’ve even taken full possession of people’s bodies before. I link my mind to another’s. It’s like a dream. But I haven’t done it in a while. A kid died once, because of me.”
Stephen watched as the admiration washed from Max’s face. Her eyes saddened and teared up. He realized he was letting his emotions seep out and into Max’s mind. He reined them in. “Sorry about that. Strong memories make my emotions harder to control.”
Max wiped a tear from her cheek and sniffled. “It’s no problem.” She paused a moment, then said, “So, what? Should everyone want to be the same in order to get along?”
“No. Being different is okay. But don’t just celebrate your own differences. Celebrate others’ too. That’s a problem I see among God’s people. We don’t want to allow for the human factors that make people different. It seems to be a problem at Enclave too.
“The point I really wanted to make is, I’m just a person like anyone else. You’ve seen the best side of me. I wanted you to know the worst. I’m no savior. All I want to do is what’s right.”
“Serve the Almighty?” Max asked.
“Yes, the best I can. So let’s go.”
The two continued past a small crowd of teens waiting to enter the mansion and walked around back, facing the wooded mountainside. A large metal door hung nestled in the slope, surrounded by mountain stone. Stephen pulled the door open to see a string of lights leading into the darkness.
“Ladies first.” Stephen chuckled as he made a sweeping gesture with his hand toward the darkness.
The heavy door clanged shut behind them as the two walked down the hall, eventually stopping at another door. Stephen tugged, but it didn’t budge. He listened to the thoughts on the other side. Five Outcasts, waiting to see if Stephen could get through.
Stephen pushed his thoughts to them. I could force it open. I’d rather be invited in.
He heard a female voice reply, You’re invited if you can get the door open.
“Stand back, Max. The door isn’t the only test.” Stephen waited until Max put a few feet between them. Stephen took hold with both hands. The handle snapped off. He took hold of the metal frame around the door. It creaked and popped, bending under the
pressure of his strength. Suddenly, it gave way, and Stephen tossed the buckled metal frame—door still attached—to the side.
He raised his hand in the doorway, stopping the wall of water that had rushed at them with the force of a tsunami. Stephen brought his hands together, as though saying a prayer, then thrust them outward and apart. The water evaporated as Stephen and Max walked through to the center of the room where the five stood.
“Impressive.” A woman in the back stepped forward into the light, her long black hair fading into an ashen silver near the ends. She had olive skin and chocolate eyes, and she strutted with authority. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen anyone dispatch of our test so easily. You have our attention, Stephen.”
“Thank you, ma’am. But I’m not here to talk.” Stephen looked to Max. “Tell them what you’ve witnessed and learned about me. Starting from the beginning . . . until now.”
Chapter 7
Patty stood in the small meeting room, waiting for Alistair to finish talking with Sam in the doorway. This was the first time she had ever been summoned to any type of official meeting in Enclave. The timing concerned her, too, with Stephen having been away for several days in his search for Outcasts.
Pastor Buchanan had always spoken with her casually any time he had met with her, even concerning her assignment. Alistair, however, had sent her an official summons to discuss a matter of importance. Perhaps he was sticking with protocol while he familiarized himself with his new duties. It couldn’t be easy, assuming command in the middle of such a tense situation. Mighty numbers had never been smaller. Morale seemed as low as Patty had witnessed. There was a division presenting itself amongst Enclave. Over what, she wasn’t sure. Alistair, without notice or training, was thrust into a position in which he was supposed to lead. She felt bad for him.
She had been away from Enclave since the wedding. This was the first time she had seen him since he’d taken the reins. He looked serious, maybe even a little sad. Not at all like himself. The Alistair she knew was often jovial and liked to make people smile.
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