Fated Release (Fated Keepers Series Book 2) (8 page)

Chapter 11

Tris

Orin decided it was time to head back to Alabama and he left me very little choice in the matter. My headaches and dizziness are back with a vengeance and truthfully I'm starting to worry a lot too. I try to hide most of the stuff from him. He’s already overbearing enough. I can't imagine how he would be if he knew how much all this was really affecting me. I just want to get home to Arsema. I feel like she needs me right now, as much as I need her. Screw this Shaman crap. We will figure something out without it.

A wave of dizziness hits me right as I go to step over a giant ant hill and I reach for the nearest tree to steady myself. Touching my hand to my forehead, I shield my eyes while I wait for the dizziness to pass. It doesn't take long, but when I pull my hand away slightly rubbing along my face, I see it is covered in blood. I reach up with my other hand and pull it away covered as well. My eyes are bleeding like a blown artery. Orin glances back at me and immediately he is at my side with his shirt pressed to my face. I can barely breathe around it and so I snatch it away to hold it myself. When I yank I stumble back just a little and lose my balance altogether. I land hard on the cold frozen ground.

I make a move to get back up and feel the dizziness hit again. Closing my eyes to try to will it to pass, I see something other than the normal blackness accompanying closing my eyes. Actually, what I see is in full blown color. Like a rainbow, all the bright colors are dancing behind my eyelids.

I see a young girl, I'd say around twenty or twenty one maybe, is walking along a sidewalk gazing all around her at the area like she is looking for something. She is beautiful. Dark skinned with wild crazy hair spread out around her head in a halo of curls. She has dark brown eyes with golden flecks shining through the normal dull color causing them to come to life. I can see pain and acceptance written in her features. She is dressed warmly in jeans and a coat, but I can see jewelry adorning her fingers and wrist. On her neck is a strange tribal piece that looks like a snake crawling up a cane. For a moment I am so caught up in her appearance that I don't realize where she is. That is until she knocks on the front door of Grans house.

I find myself back in the forest on the ground with Orin holding me in his arms when I come back to. I hear Orin’s phone ringing in the distance and think he really needs to get it, but I can't bring myself to speak the words to him. The girl in my mind is taking all of my attention. “Girl. Arsema’s house” I know I am not making any sense to Orin and it doesn't seem to matter. He is here holding me, consoling me. There will be time for words later.

His phone starts ringing again. This has to be the fourth time in as many minutes. It must be important. Something that I think Orin realizes at the same moment. He stands and walks to grab his pack and after pulling his phone from the outside pocket, he presses talk.  His eyes grow wide with whatever knowledge he has just been given. Pressing end, he hangs up the phone not bothering to reply to the caller at all.

Chapter 12

Reine

I stop in front of the house I have been lead to by the Earth. It is ordinary, yet beautiful at the same time. It is pale blue color with white shutters. The lawn in immaculate with beautiful flowers of all varieties throughout. My spirit approves. I see a small swing set peeking out from the backyard. It looks like it was well used for many years but has since been forgotten. A white picket fence stretches around the house from one side to the other separating it from the open fields on each side. I see neighboring homes down the street with children out playing hopscotch. I climb the ten steps or so leading to the front door and take a deep breath. I can feel only good vibes emitting from inside.

I can feel the pulses of energy pushing me forward. But I hesitate; I stay rooted to my spot for a few minutes longer. Taking in my surroundings, I calculate an escape route in case I would need one and then I step up to the front door and knock. The door is opened almost instantly. Oh my goodness. Now I realize why I hesitated. I can feel the Craecia all around me. I can feel their presence throughout the house, their supernatural energy dripping off them like dew off of a flower. Except they will never be as beautiful as a fully blossomed flower at the beginning of spring, no they are all just one step away from being as evil as their counterparts, the Orfeo.

Instead of turning away like I really want to do, I walk in. I am not moving on my own accord. My Shaman spirit has taken over and is leading me forward to where it knows I need to be. I am terrified and angry and I want to go home, but I can’t. I know that now.

Home does not hold dear memories for me anymore. I will always be reminded of that horrible day eleven years ago when my sister was murdered right in front of my eyes by the evil Orfeo.

We were sitting outside under the beautiful green lush tree in the garden. Enjoying our picnic, when four men stormed in and took her. They dragged her out by the hair, screaming at her to ‘Shut up’ and yelling at me to stay where I was. I couldn’t do anything. I was only a little girl, barely 9 at the time and I had not come into any of my shaman powers yet, not that they would have helped me.  I couldn’t stop them; I stood there helpless watching them drag her away.

They had a knife to her throat, blood already dripping from the wound where the knife had nicked her. Tears rolling down her face and eyes pleading for me to stay. I waited until they were gone from my sight and then I ran as fast as I could into our village square where my mother owned a small shop selling herbs. I remember frantically retelling her everything that had happened. That night was the first night I was allowed to attend a meeting with the elders. That was when I first learned of the Craecia and the Orfeo, and even though I have been taught they are not the same, in my mind, one wouldn't exist without the other.

I will never forget this day nor will I ever forgive myself for letting them take her. I still cry myself to sleep some nights thinking of her. Since that day, I have been making plans for the day I finally cross paths with any Craecia or Orfeo. I will kill them all if I have to. Even if this goes directly against what I have been taught, it is something that I feel needs to be done to avenge my sister’s pointless death. No one will be spared.

Now I find myself in a house full of them. Craecia that is, and I feel my blood boil. The time has come to avenge her death, but first, I need to see what plans mother earth has. I know she wouldn't lead me here for revenge. There is another reason. I just need to wait and listen.

The man has started talking to me, but I barely listen. Already itching to escape and then another man walks in. This one has my undivided attention as soon as he enters the room, but I ignore the pull. He is beautiful. The second guy that is and his voice sends chills up my spine. I fight the urge to rub my hands along my arms to calm the goose bumps, but there is no need. His next words are like water on a flame. Anything I thought I was feeling goes up in smoke. Soulkeeper! Seriously! Merde!!!

After straightening out the idiot in the hot body I am informed of a girl upstairs. I don't waste any time waiting around for permission; instead I head up the stairs towards the pull. A different pull this time. This time I feel like my spirit has found its home. I rush to the room and then stop in front of a door. Pushing it open I see a young beautiful girl laying there. She needs help a lot of help. I feel the power she holds within and I feel the strain on her future if her bonded doesn't come back home soon, but I also sense more. She has a terrifying fate ahead of her and something tells me, I am the one to help her.

Chapter 13

Lyon

I feel like crap! I thought for sure a little rest would help me shed this exhaustion that seems to be following me, but instead I think I feel worse. I shake off the comforter and go looking for my cell to call and check on Orin and the rest of the gang, before I remember my talk with Rochelle last night.  I am still having a hard time believing that my brothers have gone rogue, but I can't deny the events of the recent days, the parts of them I can recall anyway.

I’m about to get really frustrated with my pointless search when Chelle walks in the room.

“Hey! I was just about to call you, but I can't seem to find my phone anywhere!”

“You nerd… didn’t you tell me last night that you had lost your phone?” She says while laughing at me.

“Oh yeah.” God, I'm losing my mind. I can't seem to remember even the smallest things. My body feels like it is deteriorating from the inside out and I have the vaguest memory of something really important that I am supposed to be doing.

“Ughh, I think I'm dying.” I say to the room in general as I rub my hand along the back of my neck. I have never felt more helpless in my entire life.

“You’re not dying! Stop being a big baby. Come on, let’s get a bite to eat and then we will grab you a new phone.”

              Two hours later we have finished our meal and I have a new phone and new number. I still feel like I have been run over by a semi truck, but I don't mention it anymore. There is no need to stress Chelle any more than I already have. I can't imagine the amount of pain she is feeling right now knowing the path that Orin and Haas have chosen, and then I went missing (accidently of course) for several weeks too. She was probably freaking the hell out.  I know I would have been. She probably thought I went rogue too.

              We are back in the hotel and Rochelle is putting away the leftovers while I sit down and try to relax. All day my mind has wandered unbidden. I feel like I need to be moving, need to be searching for something. It’s driving me crazy, this feeling. I want to ask Chelle about it, but something makes me hold my tongue. I don't question the gut instinct; instead I ponder these thoughts on my own.

“Hello?!? Anyone in there?” Rochelle asks as she waves her hand in front of my face.

I snap out of my dreamlike trance and look up at her.

“What?” I ask her a little stupidly?

“Dude, I have been talking to you for like five minutes. Where’s your mind at?”

“Oh! I don't know. I was just thinking about Orin and Haas. I just can't wrap my mind around them being Orfeo.”

I shake my head to try and clear some of the fog away. It is not helping. Rochelle looks at me suspiciously.

“Well you better, because trust me they won't hesitate to attack you if they catch you off guard. The past no longer matters to them. We no longer matter. They are not the brothers we once knew.” She tells me sadly. I see the pain and fear she is trying to hide, but I don't mention it to her, instead I try to lighten her mood a little.

“Do you remember that time Orin decided to go out on a mission alone?” I chuckle thinking back on the experience.

“We found him tangled in a net of his own making, where he had been strung up for what, two days? And Haas said we should just leave him for a little longer.” I chuckle softly; remembering that day like it was yesterday. We have been teasing him ever since.

“We probably should have, but I really wanted him to roast the geese we caught while we looking for him. He makes the best roasted fowl ever!” She laughs remembering.

“Do you remember when we were all taken in to the council meeting and given the prophecy and the mission?” She asks me.

“How could I forget? That mission is what led me to find… to find…” My mind draws a blank. It’s like I knew what I was going to say and the moment I tried to focus on the thought, it disappeared like a wisp of smoke in the wind.

“I know right! It led me to find myself too! I don't know where we would have all ended up without that mission. And do remember how important we felt. Each of us was called in separately and I thought for sure we were going to all be separated and given different task, but they kept us
together!” She hops in her seat with excitement. As if the mission was being handed to us right there and then.

“I remember you crying like a baby when you thought you weren't chosen to join us…” I say picking on her.

“I didn't cry!” She says as she hits me with the closest pillow.

I duck and roll to the side narrowly missing her strike. “Ok. Ok. It was the dust in the air.” I joke.

This time she throws her shoe and it hits me in the shoulder. I am laughing so hard at her that I can't even toss it back at her. We both call truce and sit back down out of breath. Rochelle gets a faraway look in on her face and then she repeats what we heard that very first day, the same thing I repeat to myself every day.

“Find the chosen one and unlock the key to our salvation. Save us all, Save yourself.”

I have always felt like that last line was spoken just for me. Like a foreboding premonition of the task to come. They could have easily said
Save Yourselves
but instead it was delivered singularly. Save myself. From what exactly? Why do I feel like I'm more lost right this second than I have ever been in my life? What piece of the extremely difficult and big puzzle am I missing? And what do I need to do to find it?