Divinity: The Gathering: Book One (68 page)

Humans were screaming everywhere, running in panic
, and trampling each other in order to escape harms way though blindly, through the thick and acrid smoke that billowed and surrounded them in a fiery prison.

Fire was catching everywhere, conveniently
, and I doubted there’d be any hope for many to get out at all. Morning Star knew exactly what to do and it was working. Shadows swarmed over the fallen bodies of people who had either been trampled, lay dead or were dying — hovering to siphon the souls as they exited.

Well, this covert operation didn’t go as planned.

Swarms of fallen and demons were tossing people through the portal, as if they were nothing more than sandbags and they flew into the shimmering dark portal, screaming in terror.

I held a hand firmly to the wound in my shoulder. It still burned and hurt
, but it was healing. The darkness that had tried to snake its way into me was weakening, tamped out by the light within.

I looked around for Nay, for some dire
ction as to where Star’s friend would be, and hoping I wasn’t too late.

“Cam, you alright? I got them, heading to the car now! Hurry!”
Nay’s voice came through telepathically.

Thank you Elohim I said a quick silent prayer.

              Something was breaking, ripping from its girders with a rusty groan and from the sound of it —I could already tell that it was a giant structure somewhere nearby. I glanced up at the stage, as a long, metal tower supporting lights and wires rising high above, began to sway, lean, and then topple towards us. Through all the chaos and mayhem, the screams of anguish and panic… the band still played on and it was more of a victory march, which sickened me.

I felt several burning, stinging sensations on my leg all at once. Looking down I saw the vile, distorted face of a yellow eyed imp sneering and hissing as it clung to my calf with its claws; trying to gnaw through the material of my pants with razor sharp needle teeth. I reached down to grab it by the top
s of its little horns, twisting its neck in one turn like a bottle top, and then dropped kicked the disgusting thing like a football, straight into one of the burning fires.

I was just in time as the creaking and groaning of burning metal screeched and the tower finally came crashing down…towards all the people who r
emained near the tour buses. I ghosted into my spirit form and shot straight towards the police cruiser, hoping Nay had made it in time himself with Star’s friends.

“Where are you? Do you need my help?”
I called back to him.

“
We’re in the car waiting Cam, man you’re slipping
.” Nay laughed.

             
I darted through the mayhem, weaving my way through the buildings, parked cars and the wild stampede of frightened mortals — the sounds of sirens began to wail through the night in the distance.

I waited until it was clear before ghosting back into flesh form
, and fixing my uniform in case another officer stopped me for any reason.

“
Cam, Star wants to go home…she’s worried about her friend and about you. Should I take her
?” Rahab’s voice came through just then.

I smiled at that.

“
Yeah, that’s fine, have Ry follow you guys too. I’ll meet you there, I’ve got her friend and her boyfriend with me here so I’ll be bringing them both back to her place anyway and I don’t want her to think I’ve forgotten about her.
”

“
Okay, see you there.”
Rahab replied.

I could see them in the back seat through the tint of the cruiser. Nay stood
with his arms crossed, leaning against the cruiser with a snide expression to further rub it in my face, that he had been quicker than I was.                                      “Easy when you don’t have to fight off several at once, and kick a field goal using an imp,” I said rubbing my shoulder.

He laughed, “That was child’s play, too easy. Just like clockwork. We may not have to worry about Morning Star for a while after this gathering.” He said.

              I eyed them in the backseat of the cruiser, both unconscious, but handcuffed together.

That was her friend and her boyfriend alright.

“Don’t ever believe that, now who’s slipping?” I smirked.

“You okay?” He nodded towards my shoulder.

I pursed my lips with a quick nod, “Let’s get out of here. We’ll take them back to her apartment.” I said as I climbed into the driver’s seat and Nay got in.

             
I wasted no time turning on the police lights and sirens and flooring the cruiser. With the current traffic and road blocks, emergency trucks arriving one after the other, the crowd of humans and numerous emergency cars swarming in…we may be a while, unless —I invoked some magic.             

              I circled the parking lot sensing something wasn’t right before I even saw her running through the parked cars, she was scared and she was crying. It was apparent that she was running from someone or something, and I automatically went into protective alert mode. I pulled around with a screech and drove further into the parking lot; almost hitting her when she ran out in front of me from between a set of parked cars and almost fell. I slammed on the brakes, parked the cruiser and jumped out; running over and scooping her up into my arms protectively.

             
At first she was untrusting of me; taking a moment to stare into my face to make sure it was me before breaking down in a fit of tears, and holding me tightly. She was trembling and sobbing uncontrollably, and I knew it was useless to try and ask her anything right now. I needed to calm her down. I stroked her hair and guided her to the cruiser.

“Wh-
where did you go?” She stopped and asked, looking up at me with accusing eyes.

I hated seeing her face streaked with tears and the fear in her eyes, “I’m sorry, I had to take care of some things. Come on, let’s get you back inside,” I soothed
, motioning towards her apartment with a nod of my head.

She tensed, “No! No
, I don’t wanna go back inside. I need to get China…Drake is here, but he’s…” She began, only to break into another sobbing fit.

             
Hearing her bring him up made me stiffen with anger. So he was here, then why was she upset and crying about it?

I scanned the parking lot, seeing and sensing nothing at first. Rahab and Ry rounded the corner up ahead
frantically, and stopped short when they saw me with Star in my arms.

“Is she okay?” Rahab asked with wide eyes.

“Meet me at the farmhouse.” I quickly said.

“He was here,” Rahab growled through clenched teeth.

That only verified that Drakael had been here, and I wondered both why and where he had gone.

“Please, don’t go again…don’t leave me,” Star whispered and looked up at me then, sniffing with child-like innocent eyes that glistened with tears.

              It was then that I realized what her weakness had been all along. The thing she most feared despite her typical independent attitude, and I don’t know why it never donned on me before, knowing what she’s gone through in her young life.

She was afraid of being left behind or b
eing abandoned by those she cared about and loved.

I held her to me tighter.

“I won’t leave you again, I promise.” I whispered into her hair as she held onto me tightly.

“Come on. I’ve got your friends in the car.” I told her guiding her back to the cruiser.

She looked up at me in surprise, her crying diminishing, and her mouth dropped.

             
Once we neared the passenger side, Nay got out and opened the back door for her to see.

They were still soundly sleeping
, but Nay had removed the handcuffs, which I was grateful.

“Why are they knocked out?” Star turned to me and aske
d.

“They’re okay, we had to render them unco
nscious,” Nay added.

“I’m gonna head back home now, let me know if you need me again,” He then whispered to me.

I nodded my thanks and Nay turned around to head towards a shadowed area of trees along the back fence of the parking lot.

             
Star knew why we had to render them unconscious, and she had finally stopped crying with an occasional sniff.

She turned to look back up at me with a smile. Her wet eyes made her appear incredibly beaut
iful right now, as strange as that sounded.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

“You’re welcome. I’m gonna have Rahab take you…”

“No. You said you wouldn’t leave me. I’m sta
ying with you,” She cut me off as she wrapped her arms around my torso again. I held her close to me and stroked her hair, “Okay, I won’t.”

I needed to find out why she was terrified and running if Drakael was just here and even more so…why was he here in the first place?

“Come on, let’s go back to my place then.” I told her.

We left her friends at the apar
tment where they would wake up with limited memories of what happened. I didn’t think they’d be in any danger where they were, but just in case, I hid another one of my feathers behind the sofa for protection.

We all headed back to the far
mhouse, awaiting Edanai, and any news she may have had regarding her other friend Joel. I didn’t particularly care for his well-being, especially if he turned out being a scout, but Star did and that was the only reason I was bothering.             

             
I asked Rahab, Ry and Macai to hang around for a bit until I could get her to sleep and sealed off protectively in the bedroom upstairs. She lay curled against me, clutching onto me tightly with her delicate arm draped across my chest. I took in the scent of her hair, her skin, the warmth of her body and the steady rhythm of her heart beating.

This was the thing I had longed to feel, the thing I wanted the most from her
, and I could feel it now. It was the most satisfying, most wonderful feeling in all of my entire existence, and being able to have experienced it with her, was way more than I could have ever asked, wished or hoped for. Lust was nowhere in the equation, it didn’t need to be. This feeling of love was far more tangible, long lasting and quenching.      This had been Elohim’s gift to me, and I cherished it graciously.

“My heart aches, it’s terrible. All those people, I don’t understand why God didn’t step in to help them,” She whispered against my chest.

She was talking about the concert, the concert she would have been killed in. If I was going to be punished for not following through with the request, it hadn’t come yet.

“How do you know he hasn’t or won’t?” I whi
spered, while stroking her hair and her back.

             
She looked up at me with a smirk, searching my eyes, and I leaned down and kissed her tenderly.

Once our lips parted, she spoke first, “He didn’t do anything during the hurricane,” She whi
spered, then bit her lip as if she regretted saying that.

“He didn’t?” I replied in more of a question.

Elohim always did things that made sense to him for the greater good, but never to humans who didn’t understand because they couldn’t see that far ahead.

I felt for her though then. She was still harboring
pain and guilt, it was evident and I couldn’t blame her for being upset and hurt.

“If you mean letting a bunch of people die by e
ither drowning, starving or dehydrating to death…I’m not sure.” She said.

I paused for a moment.

How could I say anything to her without giving away too much?

“Letting is a harsh word in that regard. Som
etimes, taking people out of this realm is saving them.” I told her in the simplest way I could think of.

“I guess so. I just wished that sometimes his help would be more direct
, and that it didn’t involve having to take people away from those that need them and would miss them.” She then said.

“Everything happens for a reason is cliché
, but it has some truth to it,” I then told her pushing a few curls away from her eyes and caressing her smooth cheek.

Her lushly, lashed
, dark navy blue eyes peered up at me again in admiration, “I can believe that I guess, because I can’t help how I feel about you,” She caressed my cheek lovingly.

I smiled, tracing a line around her full lips with my index finger softly before leaning in to kiss her again.

“
Cam, her friend is fine…he was with some girl…they were really going at it so I didn’t bother to interfere. He’s cute too, cute ass…and um he’s definitely a scout….side of light
.” Edanai’s voice came through.

Well, that’s news. I thought.