Awakening - Book of Fire (Blood Heritage #1) (39 page)

"That is some sharp shit. Wouldn't have been so awesome if it had gotten a hold of you."

"Nope I guess not, that actually would have made for a really bad day." As it is there is an awful mess to clean up, I'm glad I didn't end up like her. It all happened so fast."

She could have killed you! Jackson says giving James a good hard once over. "Are you really ok? I know your physical condition, how's your head?"

"I think she intended to kill me, that's the really scary part. Though why seems to be the question. Admittedly I’m a bit shaken, but looks like I will survive, thats what counts right?" Jackson leaves the line of questioning alone, walking off with the evidence so James won't see the worry on his face.

Suddenly
James wants to run away , to get as far away from the situation as possible. He needs to clear his head, he still feels the fuzziness she created at the edges of his mind. He feels invaded, assaulted, and violated. She was inside of him, manipulating his most precious and deeply rooted memories and beliefs. She made him lose his way and he won't ever let anything like that happen again. He knows now the seriousness of what they are up against; knows without question he has much to learn, and he better learn it quickly. He waits for his debriefing on edge, and when it's over he is extremely anxious, his senses hyper alert and his nerves on pins and needles.

He has much to discuss with Amber when she gets done with her shift. He has to fully accept the journey and the destination if there is to be any hope of their making it together. He is ready to find out the nature of the game, and discover the rules that can't be broken. He wants to know about the Circle and their histories. He wants to know about the Father and the Son and all that has been created by the continuation of their bloodlines. He is ready to take a look at the world behind the veils of illusion and denial. It's time to open his eyes and really see.

When he gets to the shop, Amber is ready and waiting. "
What took you so long?"
she asks deeply concerned. He is in a very quiet mood and isn't really ready to begin the discussion that will keep them up long into the night. He wants to get something to eat and wind down for a bit. They will talk when dinner is done and he has fully regained his composure. When they get home, he leaves her in the kitchen chopping vegetables and takes a long hot shower. She is worried about him, but knows when he needs his space. Something must have shaken him deeply today. She will give him the time and space he needs, but she can't stop herself from worrying about him whether he likes it or not.

When he comes back into the kitchen, she has created a full meal of curried chicken and rice and a sweet herbed vinegar salad of sweet peas, rich goat’s cheese and baby onions. He smiles at her and she relaxes a little. He looks much more relaxed. Whatever was haunting him, he seems to have made peace with. They eat in quiet, neither wanting to begin a conversation both sense will break the spell of the food. When dinner is complete, she begins picking up and washing the dishes. She keeping her hands busy will help her to take whatever news he has for her a bit better.

James explains the day he has endured, tells her of the woman and how she weaseled her way into his mind. Sheepishly describes the near-miss with the incredible weapon and the questions that are now burning within him. He speaks of his desire to understand all that she now knows, he doesn't want her to leave anything out. He wants to know about her, the bloodlines, Rissa, and anything else she can explain. He will learn with her and from her and together they will find the answers they seek. He will no longer stand by and try to protect her from what comes after them both. He will prepare for the fight and take an offensive position. He will help her to win this battle on every front. She is unexpectedly calm as he shares details of his near death experience. She takes his intensity to heart assuring him she will share all she knows, and they will find out the rest together. Side by side they will make a stand. There is something about the first battle, the first casualty that makes the prospect of war a reality in the mind, when otherwise, it is still deniable, avoidable and unreal. He has realized the battle is upon them and they can either fight or die. Amber is very anxious but at least she isn't alone. Very few things in this world are more terrifying than facing the unknown alone.

James drives Amber to the meeting place and swears to her he will wait at the campsite no matter how long the meeting takes. Rissa refused to ride with them prefering instead to ride with another member of the Circle. She needs to catch up with an old friend she says, but Amber feels there is probably more to it. Before the girls enter the sacred gathering space they enjoy a cup of hot chocolate around a small camp fire James has built to keep himself busy. James distracts himself gathering more wood as the girls discuss what the evening will bring. Rissa warns Amber the Elders have been around for a long time, they will know more about her than she does them. She will likely feel like she's standing trial and they are all judging her. She is told not to speak unless spoken to and to answer their questions honestly and without hesitation. Only when they are satisfied with her answers and with her identity will they open up and allow her to ask what she wants of them. She is warned about the intensity of the ceremonial environment, the robes that hide their identities. The secrecy and the security is all necessary for their ultimate survival. They dream the dreams of a peaceful world, a place where myth and legend are merely stories. They dream a dream where the gates of hell are sealed shut and the monsters can't get out to torment the living. They are rebels, children of the bloodlines that refuse to hear the call of their masters. Amber wonders at how they separate themselves so clearly from the others, the monsters that are their brothers and sisters, and what of Amber? is she a monster in their eyes, or is she innocent, who are they to judge her? She feels the hypocrisy of their belief system and she feels anger welling up inside her.

They are conspirators, searching out the young and weak and hiding their identities from those who would come for them. They study the powers, write down the histories and the identities of the powerful ones as they show themselves to humanity, each time revealing something of their pride, their power, their intention. They hope to learn what it is the "Gods" are trying to accomplish. Why they feel the need to interfere and intervene in humanity. The Elders of the Circle are waiting for the opportunity to strike back, to send the intruders back to where they came from. The consensus is they are from another universe, somewhere far beyond our stars. The Elders want to purify humanity, to eradicate the bloodlines from the earth and ultimately to return home to the other place, where they believe their reward or heaven will be. They have come to believe the Father is a rebel against his own people and once they can defeat him, they will be rewarded with eternal life. They wait for their true God to come take them home.

Amber holds her breath as she is taken into the cavern, the damp walls of the temple sending a sense of
deja-vu
through her. She has been here before, when she was young, when they held her down and her mark was removed. She has seen the faces of the old ones, the fearful ones. She has stood among them as they spoke of her fate, her power, her destiny. They had not known whether to keep her among them, with her grandmother as her keeper, or send her far away with another family where she might be less likely to be found. Unfortunately for Amber, they chose to send her away to become an orphan, to live among the lost and the unwanted and to grow strong or die without the guidance of the loving woman who wanted her the most. They did not want her to be brought up within the circle, didn't want her to understand her power too early, to become too strong in the ways. They hoped she would stay hidden and lost until they were ready for her. Aria would keep an eye on her from a distance, ensure she never realized the truth. They knew how desperate her situation was when she was younger and refused to allow Aria to step in and save her. She thinks now the Circle hoped she would not survive to adulthood, that life would eradicate the problem of her power for them. They were too fearful to do it themselves, but she feels their hatred as completely as their admiration of what she might become. She does not trust them and every fiber of her being is standing at alert in their presence. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, the thought floats to her from across the room, she is unsure who let it out, but she knows it is directed at her. This group is not as united as they pretend to be. She feels a division of sorts. Power players in opposing corners manipulating the game subtly while staying out of the spotlight of leadership. The Circle is no longer united. She has friends here, but enemies as well.

Amber feels her mind fall under the influence of another, she is thrown into bits of conversation, shown images and overcome by feelings that don't belong to her.....

Aria has already suffered the loss of Amber's mother, the Circle tells her she was taken by the Father and will never be found. The others don't know where the missing are taken, only that once they disappear they don't return. They have ideas, believing they are returned to their proper home, but no one has ever returned to confirm the theory. They claim they don't want Amber to meet the same end, and so she is being protected in the only way they know. Though Aria comes to them begging for the life of her granddaughter, she will be denied again and again. Amber will have to endure the circumstances she falls into and Aria will be powerless to be more than a shadow in her life, unless she wants to defy the direct orders of the Circle, and she isn't ready to make a move like that. Either side terrifies her and she is stuck right in the middle....

Amber takes a deep breath as a voice again comes to her... You must know the truth to choose the right path... They can't hear me, don't know what I'm telling you...I am shielding this part of your experience from their prying eyes... Be careful who you trust.. the connection is broken and she feels warmth surrounding her.

Amber realizes that these people are to blame for her childhood, for the life she was given, for all that she has suffered. She could have been loved, cherished and raised by the woman she longed to know more about. She feels the anger rise up within her, who do they think they are to determine what is best for her? Who did they think they are protecting children by sending them into a system that promises insecurity, abuse and death? What do they have to gain by separating children from those who love them and want to protect them? She has no respect for the decisions the elders have made on her behalf and thus has little faith they will provide her with anything that will illuminate her situation. It seems each faction involved is only in it for their own good and not looking at what is best for the big picture. What is with all this selfishness and corruption. It has been said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This gives her a chill, aren't they telling her she will become the absolute power, perhaps even stronger than the elders, than the creators, than a God.

Though she knows they are watching her, she allows her mind to wander and her emotions to come as they will. She allows them to see the truth inside her. Allows them to see her doubts and questions. There is little value in trying to hide anything from this group. They can see and hear everything. She has no choice but to let them judge her for what she is. She doesn't know if they will approve of what they find, but she doesn't care. She just wants to get a feel for what she is supposed to be facing. They stand around her, a dark circle of eerily cloaked dark figures, she can't see their faces in the dim light, they stand still and silent and her heart races as she feels the powerful vibrations around her, she can't separate the individual energies, they are focusing their efforts into one invasive and exploratory intention, and she is an open book to them. She catches phrases and thoughts that escape their control and her wariness of their intentions is solidified. They are not even solidified in their goals, some want war, others to go home, some want to eradicate humanity and others the bloodlines. Some want to see her revealed in her glory, and others to kill her before it's too late. She finds it ironic that each somehow believes they are separate from their birthright, they are not like the others, the abominations they so thoroughly hate. She stifles a laugh, powerful or not they are no different than any other racist she has ever met. Her mysterious benefactor carefully monitors her reactions and her knowledge, happy with the rebellious nature and anger already building within this young girl.

One by one they break the tension of the circle, pushing back their hoods to reveal their faces, so non-threatening once the formality of their ritual is broken. They speak to her as if they have known her all her life, they don't mention or apologize for the past they caused. They behave as though they are proud and excited over the development of her gifts. They speculated at what she might become, at the potential for the powers combining within her. They haven't been able to determine what her spirit animal is, it is still hidden within her, not revealing itself in her postures and subconscious movements. They assure her it will come as she matures and when the time is right all will be revealed.