Origin (Eternal Sacrifice Saga Book 2) (21 page)

The ground was covered with extinguished blooms.

Lost souls.

Death.

I fell to my knees and hid my face with my palms.

“Please, don’t do this.” I began rocking. Sobbing. Crying harder than I ever remembered. “I’ll be reborn. I won’t complain, I promise. It’s not their fault, please don’t do this. Please. Stop.”

Cade kneeled down beside me and pulled me into his arms.

“Why is this happening? What did I do wrong? Please, don’t let this happen. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to kill her, Cade. I didn’t mean to. This is all my fault. Please.”

My body jerked as I cried. Trembling. Shaking me to my very core.

“Shh, Chayah. Quiet. It will be all right. Shh. Shh. Shh.” He stroked my hair as my tears fell.

I cried. And cried, like a baby, for over an hour.

My soul was breaking.

My Tree was dying, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Cade held me tight while I wept, mourning the loss of life.

And it was all my fault.

Cade stood, drawing me to his chest, and carried me home. I was too distraught to even walk.

My heart was broken.

The Tree of Souls was dying. Humanity was dying and at that moment, I wished I were too.

As Cade carried me home, the lavender Aravot sky turned a dirty shade of grey as lightning cracked across the sky and rain began to fall.

Gabrielle later told me that day would go down in Aravot history.

Besides the Winter Solstice, it was the first day in all the realm’s existence that the invisible sun lost some of its light, and the heavens cried down on the Trees, mourning the loss of humanity.

When I was a kid, I was scared to death of storms.

I’d hide, huddled in a corner in my closet, because when the thunder and lighting would strike, the foster demon would come for me to play his little games.

He’d cut my arms until I bled, then sit and watch them heal.

Over. And over.

Then I met Phoebe, and everything changed.

From that day on, every time it stormed, Phoebe came into my closet, held me in her arms, and rocked me back and forth, telling me how there was nothing to be afraid of because the rain and thunder was just the Angels bowling in heaven.

It settled my nerves, and eventually, my fear of storms disappeared.

Today I learned the truth about storms in heaven.

The Angels weren’t bowling at all.

They were crying.

Zoe

“Chayah.” Cade’s voice ripped me from another Tree death nightmare. “You must wake now. We have Eternal business to attend to.”

“Who cares?” I muttered into my pillow.

I sure didn’t. I’d committed myself to lying here until I died. Which was going to suck, because I couldn’t die now. I was Eternal. Immortal.

Screwed.

“Zoe, you must come out of this. You have slept the entire day away. You yourself said your family needs you. Are you going to let them down this way? I expect more from the Eternal Mother.”

“Don’t call me that.” I pulled the pillow off my face. “The Tree is as good as dead. That means so is my duty. It’s over, Cade. I just want to lay here and die in peace with my Tree.”

I rolled back over and suffocated myself with my pillow.

“I know you’re upset, and I understand. But there are still lives to save, and we still have each other.”

“Right.”

Cade ripped the pillow off and threw it on the floor.

“Hey!” I sat up.

“Enough.” He glared. “Your family needs you. Your best friend needs you. You owe them this. Now more than ever.”

Cade was right.

If the world was going to turn into chaos, I guess I had to take care of whomever I had left. Though I didn’t even know what the point of anything was anymore.

I blew out a breath. “Does anybody know yet?”

“No. But Micah and Phoebe need protecting. And now that Remie is back to training, Phoebe refuses to allow anyone to see her.”

At least the Eternals still had each other. Phoebe didn’t have anyone, not even her Gemini.

I had to fix this.

“What’s going to happen to them? To us? Is this like, Revelations or something?”

“I don’t know. These are unchartered waters for us all. The Elder Council has been in emergency sessions since Gabrielle inspected your mark.”

“Why aren’t you there? Or me? Aren’t we part of this?”

“I have been here for you. You are my priority, Chayah.” He sat beside me running his hand over my hair. “You will always take precedent to me.”

“Why is this happening?” I blew out a breath. “Is this because I killed Lilith? Had I known about this…” Heat rushed to my cheeks. “This is their fault you know.” I stood, and began to pace, talking with my hands. “What did they expect? They refused to tell me anything. And now look what’s happened?”

Everything about this pissed me off. The rules. The secrecy.

How could I make informed decisions about something so important without being given the privilege of information?

Given my vision, I understood the hushed memories thing, but why hadn’t they revived yet? What was my so called Origin waiting for anyway?

To hell with this.

I stormed to my closet, rifling through to find something not screaming hair band groupie from Zoe 1.0’s 1990s vintage collection. I’d left all my new clothes in Capri, since we just jumped a portal here. I’d eventually have to send someone after my stuff.

“What are you doing, love?”

“We’re going to see the Elders. I’m done playing the fool. I need answers and to understand what this loophole is, and how it’s gone and messed things up. There has to be something we can do to stop it.” I changed clothes quickly. “Okay, let’s go deal with this Genesis business.”

Cade and I took the spiral staircase down to the Elder Hall, which happened to be in the lower level of our house.

This new role came with more responsibility than I’d bargained for. I just hoped I was up for it.

Cade took my hand and led me to a meeting room.

We walked in, and there sat—everyone.

The leaders of the Council, Archangels Michael and Gabrielle, and the other Eternal Elders: Sophie and Raz, and Lailah and Eli. They all stopped talking and stared at us as we walked in the door.

Gabrielle stood and came toward me. She pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheek. “Chayah. How are you feeling?”

“I’m here, despite the circumstances.”

I walked past her and took an empty seat at the head of the table, which I assumed belonged to me.

“Eternal Mother reporting for duty.” I banged my palms on the smooth marble. “No more secrets. How do I save my Tree?”

Michael gave me a less than hospitable glare. “You don’t.”

I shook my head. “I don’t buy that.”

Gasps echoed throughout the room.

Michael glared, rising to his feet, stiffening his shoulders. He crossed his arms over his broad chest.

Oops.

Cade stepped behind me and set his hand on my shoulder.
“Chayah.”

“I’m sorry, but there has to be something we can do. After five thousand years, it can’t end. Not just like that.”

“There are things at play here you do not understand.” Michael’s voice became rougher than he’d ever spoken to me.

“Then explain. I’m not the fragile human girl anymore, Michael.” I got to my feet. “I deserve—no, I need to know what’s going on. I’m Eternal now.” I pushed back my shoulders and straightened my posture. “I’m Chayah. This is and always has been my responsibility, and I’m not going to stand down now.” I slowly walked around the table toward him, holding in the anxiety splattered all over my face. “Tell me how to fix this.”

“You. Don’t.” He softened his expression. “You have carried out your duty with honor. Served your children well. But this is Origin business now. The Eternal Council is no more.”

“What? What does that mean?”

“This is your opportunity to step down from your duties and simply enjoy your Eternal reprieve with your Gemini. You’ve earned it. Take it. Because your reign as leader of Genesis is coming to an end.”

“No.”

I narrowed my eyes and stepped closer, straightening my shoulders.

“
My
reign starts now.”

He stepped back and glared. Almost amused.

“Chayah.” Cade tried pulling me back, but I shrugged him off. I had nothing left to lose.

The Tree was dying. Humanity was dying.

I would not let my family disappear without a fight.

“Let me explain how this works, Zoe.”

That can’t be good.

“No, Michael. I’ve been part of this from the beginning of time. And nobody’s bothered to explain this loophole. Or any of this, for that matter. You can’t just disregard me when it suits you.”

“Enough.” Gabrielle glided over toward us. “Michael is right. This is Origin business. But you are also right. These are your children. And you should know what’s happening.”

Michael pursed his lips and narrowed his stare at his Gemini, but kept his mouth shut.

“Please. Explain this to me, so I understand. I won’t just let my family die.”

Gabrielle nodded and smiled.

“We worry for you, Chayah. The role you would play once the Tree has died is of the utmost importance. And we don’t want to lose you. A grave prophecy has been passed down, and we fear its fulfillment if you take this on. We’re only looking out for your best interest.”

Prophecy?
A lump rose into my throat. Déjà vu struck the second she said the word.

“What’s this about? And why in the bloody hell has nobody told me?” Cade’s fists balled, and his watered-down accent resonated from his chest.

I turned to him and smiled.
Wow.
He meant it when he said he would protect me at all costs.

I instinctively reached for his cheek.

“There are always prophecies floating about. But this one pertains to her specifically.” Raz came over. “And over the years, we’ve learned not all prophecies are to be taken lightly.”

“Especially this one,” Gabrielle interrupted. “As it plays upon your greatest weakness.”

“Which is?” I didn’t even know what it was yet. How they could, was anyone’s guess.

“Life,” she said simply.

“What?” I narrowed my eyes.

“A child.” Raz interrupted. “A pregnancy.”

“You mean another reincarnation?” Cade asked.

“No. A true pregnancy.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I glared, gripping my hips. “How could that even happen? I’m not human.”

“You retain your human blood, just as the Eternals do each incarnation,” Michael said. “Up to this point, your rebirth has only been from your blood, alone. But once you activated the Eternal Doctrine that which occurs once the Gemini Doctrine is no more, things changed. And if that is, in fact true, then we must take this prophecy seriously. We cannot lose one, or even more of our own, and this Evanescence Prophecy states…”

Gabrielle shook her head at Michael, and he stopped talking.

They were still hiding something from me, maybe lots of somethings, and I didn’t like it.

“The Tree. Life. It’s losing light, Chayah. It’s dying.” Tears fell from Gabrielle’s eyes. “There is but one way to stop it, but if she—if
we
fail, your Eternal light will vanish with it. A Trueborn daughter will be born dark, or perhaps without a soul at all. And she will be…”

I froze.

My greatest strength was also my fatal flaw—love for humanity.

For life.

Cade wrapped his arms around me as chills raced through my veins.

“Mine.” I swallowed. “She’ll be mine.”

Cade

“I need some air.” Zoe stared blankly ahead.

“Let’s take a walk.” I reached for her hand, but she shook her head.

“I just need a few minutes alone.” Her voice was weak. “Is that okay?”

“Of course, love.” Holding her cheeks, I wiped her tears away then kissed her forehead. “It will all be okay, Chayah.”

She nodded, covering my hands with hers for a moment, then left the room.

“How long have you known?” I turned to Raz and the Council. I clenched my fists, and my voice rang louder. “How long?”

“There are always prophecies floating about,” Raz said.

It took every element of strength to extinguish my anger.

“It has been in place from the beginning,” Michael said.

“And you never considered telling me?” I pointed toward the door. “Or her?”

“It has been over five millennia.” Raziel added. “The possibility…”

“Has always been there. And you never informed us. I’m beginning to understand Zoe’s frustration at not being informed. She called it bullshit.” I folded my arms over my chest. “I have to agree.”

“I’m sorry.” Raz clasped his hands together.

“And what are your apologies going to do this time? This could break her. I know it’s been a very long time since she sacrificed herself the first time, but it nearly broke her then. She’s not the same person. If her Tree dies or she has to choose between humanity and herself, or even a child—our child—how do you think this will affect her?”

Gabrielle set her hands on my shoulder to calm me, but I moved away.

“No. There is no excuse for this. Any of this. You should have told us. She would have, at the very least, had a choice. Now she has none—we have none. You took that from us both.”

“You’re right,” Gabrielle said. “We should have informed you.”

“Well now that it’s happened, I need to know what’s involved in this loophole. Zoe is going to want to know her options. I can tell you by her expression, she will return with questions. She’ll want to know if there is a way to save the Tree and not have a soulless child that brings darkness into the world.”

I glanced around at the Eternals.

“Is there?”

“Yes.” Raz admitted.

“And what is this mark about? Because mine has now changed, too.”

“All ours have,” Sophie said, holding out her palm.

“Explain.” I growled. I’d had enough, and someone was going to damn well tell me what was going on.