Empyreal: Awaken - Book One (28 page)

Coralie quickly looked at him. “She
said that.”

“Who said what?”

“Tempest. She said that very same
thing. She said those same words to me. But Alex said that it
wasn't true … he said that I was different.”

He shifted towards her. “You are
different, Cor. You are a Warrior, yes ... but your heart, your
soul, your purpose …
you
are meant to be much different.”
Then Court paused to gather his thoughts and words. “Your soul is
so pure, and according to the Great Book, your purpose is somewhat
dependent upon that. You were born for
this.
Not to be like
me, not to be like Alex, not even to be like your parents. You were
meant to be ... well,
you
.”

Coralie shrugged. “I know that was
supposed to help my feelings ... but –” Coralie paused, then began
to speak again, but stopped when she looked into Court's eyes and
felt everything he was feeling.

Hurt, pain, regret. Regret for words
that he was about to release from his very own lips.

“Coralie ... I am Warrior, a First
Warrior, the youngest ever, in fact. You may not quite understand
all of this yet, but I will try to explain myself as comprehensible
as possible. I have trained and worked very hard for the position
that I hold. But I know that with that position comes extreme
obligation and responsibility. When the Elders call a mission, I'll
be the first to go...”

“No, Court –” she began to
protest.

“It's out of my hands. Arrangements
are being prepared as we speak.” Court said, looking out into the
night.

“But you don’t know … I mean, we can
stop them, we can postpone them, even...” Coralie
pleaded.

Court shook his head. “It won’t work.
Plans are being made ... you can’t easily dissuade the
Elders.”

“But how do you know that for sure?
How do you know about their plans? I mean, it’s not like
–”

He turned and looked into Coralie’s
eyes, deep into her soul. She felt what he felt. His thoughts, his
fears, his pain. She swallowed hard, pushing the feelings down into
the pit of her stomach. “You can hear them, can’t you?”

He nodded without a word, which there
was no need for.

For the first time, Coralie listened.
She heard every word, every thought, loud and clear. “No, Court!
You can't leave me. I need you. They can't split us apart,” she
cried out in panic. “No, no, I won't have it! We are much stronger
when we are together.”

He smiled, moving in closer than
before, looking into her eyes. He lifted his hand to grab a hold of
hers. “Now, that's...,” he paused, shaking his head, “... so,
untrue...”

“It's not – “ Coralie cried out again.
“It’s not – I need you!”

“The truth is that I am much stronger
with you. But you ... you are much stronger than any of us, Coralie
... much stronger … even on your own...” Court said,
admittingly.

“No, I don’t believe that.”

He pulled her hand up to his chest and
held her hand there. “I need you to be strong for me. I need you
here ... to stay safe. I need you to do this so that I can complete
my mission – whatever, wherever it may be – and so that I can get
back here … so that I get back to you.”

Though she was trying to fight them,
tears began to well up in her eyes. “But Court –”

“Do this for me, Coralie ... and know
that wherever I am, my heart is always with you. It lies and
resides here,” he moved his free hand up to her chest, and rested
his hand over her heart, “... with you always...” He pulled her
close and kissed her, with his fingertips of one hand still pressed
against her heart. With his other, still holding her hand, he
pressed it closer to his heart. Coralie could feel their hearts
beating harmoniously together. As if they were meant to beat, one
for the other.

Coralie knew that Court was
right.

Because of her actions upon Tempest –
whether merely intended or inflicted – the Warriors' fears had
become a reality. A war wouldn't be too far from certainty if the
Warriors could not gain swift, resilient control of the
Others.
Soon
everyone
would know about Coralie – who
she was, who she was to become.

Coralie looked out into the dark
night, still within Court's embrace. She knew that
they
were
out there. Those who would try to hurt her and those who would try
to protect her. And the time for the need for
one
against
the
other
would come soon.

But as for tonight, it was only her,
Court, and the stars that looked over them ... she would face
tomorrow when it came.

C
hristal grew up in a small town in the
South, spending most of her free time lost in a good book or
dreaming up characters of her own. She now lives in a somewhat
bigger, small town in the South with her family, and she still
enjoys getting lost in a good book and giving her characters a
voice. Her debut novel, Awaken, is the first in the Empyreal
series.

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