Uprising (Alternate Earth Series, Book 2) (15 page)

Just as I reach out a hand to grab Jai Lin’s arm, she leans forward slightly, allowing gravity to pull her off the edge of the mountain.

I stand there in complete shock. Thankfully, Michael’s reflexes are quicker than mine. He immediately takes control of my body and flies us over the edge of the mountain, following Jai Lin’s descent. The extra folds of her billowy dress act almost like a parachute, catching the wind and slowing her fall just enough for us to catch up to her. Michael reaches out and grabs an unconscious Jai Lin around the waist with one arm. He gradually changes our trajectory, and flies us back up towards the top of the mountain.

“
Why did she do that?
” I ask Michael as he relinquishes his hold on my body to return control to me.

“
Whatever she was seeing must have been too much for her to handle,
” Michael answers.

“
I hope it isn’t a permanent effect
,” I say, worried that Jai Lin’s mind might become trapped in her own nightmare.

“
So do I
.”

I fly us directly to the open courtyard between the two temples of the monastery. Mason, Malcolm, and Jered are standing there now, watching us as I land in front of them. Malcolm promptly relieves me of Jai Lin’s weight.

“What happened?” Mason asks.

I tell them all what transpired on the mountain peak.

“She’s lucky you were the one who found her,” Malcolm says, cradling Jai Lin’s limp form in his arms. “No one else could have saved her.”

It was true. None of the Watchers could have rescued Jai Lin from her fall.

“I should go tell Brand that we have her,” Jered says before phasing.

“Brand went to Beijing,” Mason tells me, knowing I would ask. “He thought Daniel might have taken Jai Lin home early.”

“Have you seen Daniel?” I ask.

Before Mason can answer my question, Brand, Daniel, and Jered phase back into the courtyard. When Brand sees Jai Lin’s limp body in Malcolm’s arms, his expression turns from one of hope to complete devastation.

“She’s alive,” I tell him, knowing exactly what he’s thinking. “We got to her in time.”

Brand looks at me like a man who is afraid to believe the truth. He walks up to Malcolm, who is more than willing to let him take Jai Lin. If I didn’t already know Brand was in love with Jai Lin, the way he’s looking at her now would have been a dead giveaway.

“What happened, Jess?” Daniel asks me.

I tell Daniel and Brand what I know.

“Why were you in Beijing?” I ask Daniel, knowing that, as Jai Lin’s personal bodyguard, he rarely leaves her side.

“She asked me to go back and retrieve some things for her in the palace,” Daniel tells us. “I haven’t been gone for very long, but apparently it was enough time for her to almost kill herself.”

“And you say it seemed like she was seeing something that wasn’t there?” Brand asks me, trying to make sense of what took place. “Like she was having a hallucination?”

“Yes,” I answer. “All she said was that innocent lives had been lost and that it was all her fault.”

Jai Lin stirs in Brand’s arms. When she opens her eyes, I’m glad Brand’s face is the first one she sees.

“Brand?” she says, sounding surprised to find him holding her. Her gaze takes in the rest of her surroundings before she asks him, “Why are you here? What’s going on?”

“Don’t you remember?” Brand asks softly.

Jai Lin is quiet for a moment before she gasps.

“The bodies,” she says, sounding on the verge of tears again. “All those bodies.”

“What bodies?” I ask, wanting to understand what she was seeing.

“I was standing on a hill, but it wasn’t a real hill,” Jai Lin says as Brand sets her down on her feet. “It was a mound of corpses. There were thousands of dead bodies surrounding me for as far as I could see. Please tell me that wasn’t real.”

“It wasn’t,” Brand reassures her, gently taking her hand.

“But it felt so real,” Jai Lin says, her eyes welling with tears. “I could feel them beneath my feet, and smell their rotting flesh in the air around me. How could something so horrible seem so real?”

“We think the princes opened the fifth seal,” Jered tells her. “You weren’t the only world leader who tried to kill themselves today. From what the news is reporting, there have been at least twelve other world leaders who committed suicide.”

“Who?” Jai Lin asks, sounding suspicious of the number of rulers who were lost that day.

Jered rattles off a list of the rulers he knows about.

“I feared you might already be dead,” Jered says. “Before I came here, they were reporting that you were.”

I watch Jai Lin’s expression transform from one of sorrow to tightly controlled anger.

“Obviously, I’m not dead,” Jai Lin says, a slight growl in her voice, “but I think I know why my name was on the list.”

“Why?” I ask.

“Because the other twelve were going to join me in my attempt to prove to the world who Ravan truly is,” Jai Lin says. “They were willing to stand up with me and make the other world leaders face the truth.”

“So by opening the fifth seal,” Daniel says, “Lucian has effectively eliminated anyone in power who would openly oppose Ravan.”

“Yes.” Jai Lin says, straightening her shoulders, “but they won’t get away with it. I won’t let them.”

“What are you planning to do?” I ask, fearful for her safety, but also quietly cheering her on to stand up against what was taking place in this world.

“I think it’s time I stopped working in the shadows to bring Ravan down,” Jai Lin tells us. “It’s time for us to rise up and stand behind what we believe in. Lucian may think he’s eliminated a threat against Ravan’s reign, but he’s actually done the complete opposite. The other leaders of the world can’t just sit back and deny what’s going on right before their eyes anymore.”

“If you publicly speak out against Ravan,” Brand says, “you’ll essentially be placing a target on your back. Lucian will kill you just to make an example of you.”

“I’m willing to take that chance,” Jai Lin says, not sounding unafraid of the risks to her own life. She wasn’t that stupid. But she did sound strong enough to deal with the consequences of her own actions. “Will you help me?”

“You know I will,” Brand says without hesitation. “I’ll stand by your side and fight with you.”

“Good.”

“What can we do to help with this uprising of yours?” I ask.

“My original plan was to form a coalition of world leaders to politically discredit Ravan in the world’s eyes,” Jai Lin says. “Obviously, that isn’t a possibility anymore.”

“To be honest, I’m not sure that would have worked anyway,” I say. “I think what you need to concentrate on is getting the regular people of the world to fight alongside you. You need to show them that Ravan is only concerned about furthering her own agenda.”

“How do you suggest we do that?” Jai Lin asks, intrigued by my suggestion.

“Nothing would work better than having evidence of the real her talking about what she actually thinks about the people of this world.”

“Even if I asked for an audience with Ravan, I don’t believe she would grant it,” Jai Lin says. “And I don’t think she would be honest with me, even if I asked her point- blank questions.”

“No, she wouldn’t talk openly with you,” I agree, “but she would with me.”

“
You
don’t need to be anywhere near her, either,” Mason begins to argue.

“Do you have a better idea?” I ask, not seeing one myself. “I’m one of the few people who know exactly who and what she is. Her ego is so big she’ll be drooling at the opportunity to brag about the things she’s done and plans to do. Why do you think she told me she was Lilith? She wants to tell someone her dirty little secrets, and I think that someone is me.”

“It’s too risky,” Mason says, shaking his head.

“But you know I’m right,” I say.

“Right or not, I’m not going to let you put your life in danger like that.”

“All of our lives are in danger,” I tell my husband.

“Maybe we can find a way for Jess to speak with Ravan and keep her safe,” Brand says. “Lucian isn’t with her all the time, and she can’t stand the other princes. Gabriel was the only one she allowed to get close to her. Let me speak with Xavier to see if he can find a good opportunity for Jess to get the proof she needs.”

“And after we get the video,” I say, “how will we show it to the rest of the world?”

“Josh should be able to help with that,” Brand tells me. “He’s connected to the Dragon Network, and that’s connected to every functioning satellite serving the rest of the world. All he needs is something to broadcast, and it will be shown on every television in the world simultaneously.”

“After the footage airs,” Jai Lin says, “I should speak so the world knows there is an alternative to Ravan’s reign. People shouldn’t live their lives thinking they have to do what someone else dictates. As you’ve said before, all they need is a strong leader to rally around. I can be that leader to get us through the turmoil Ravan and the princes are causing. My countrymen will support me and help keep me safe.”

“So will I,” Brand promises, tightening his grip on Jai Lin’s hand.

“I guess we need to speak with Xavier as soon as possible,” I say. “When can you get a message to him?”

“I’ll do it as soon as we go back to the castle,” Brand says.

“I need to return to Beijing to show my people that I’m alive and well,” Jai Lin says. “I want to check on the monks first, though. They’ve been using meditation to control the pain they’re in, so they don’t go mad like so many others have.”

“We have a way to end their pain, but it isn’t a cure. It’s a death sentence,” I tell Jai Lin. I go on to explain exactly what needs to be done.

“I’ll tell them so they know there is another option open to them,” Jai Lin says. “Please, let Leah know how sorry I am for her loss. I can’t imagine that what she did for her mother was an easy thing to do.”

“No, it wasn’t, and I’m not sure how soon she’ll be ready to help anyone else.”

“The monks are extremely patient people,” Jai Lin assures me. “Let me know when you think Leah is ready. I’m sure some of them, if not all of them, will take you up on the offer.”

“I should probably get back to the castle,” I say. “I want to make sure I’m there when she wakes up, in case she needs me.”

“Of course,” Jai Lin says, bowing her head in my direction. “It doesn’t seem like enough, but thank you for saving my life. I don’t know how I can repay you for doing that.”

“Just help us save this world,” I tell her. “That’s all I ask.”

“That is an easy promise to make,” she tells me.

Mason phases us back to the living room in the castle. I have it set in my mind that I’ll go up and check on Leah, but it’s quickly changed when I see who is waiting for us in the room.

Desmond and Slade are there, watching the news with a couple dozen other people.

“Desmond,” Mason calls out, pulling the attention of the two men away from the news broadcast.

As they walk over to us, Slade says, “I finally have some good news for you. I found Horace, and he says he knows exactly where King Solomon’s tomb is.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“It’s nice to have some good news for once,” I say, feeling some relief that we are making progress on at least one front. “Is he willing to take us there?”

Slade lifts an eyebrow. “For a price.”

“His ring?” I ask, already knowing what price the Horace on our Earth made Lilly pay for his help once upon a time.

“Yes,” Slade answers with a worried frown. “The only problem is…I have no idea how we’ll find it. Horace has been searching for it for years with no luck. I’m not even sure where to start looking.”

“Faust has it,” I say.

Slade looks surprised by my intimate knowledge on a subject he probably just learned about himself. “How do you know that?”

“We had a similar situation occur on our Earth,” I say, not wanting Slade to think I have precognitive abilities.

“How did you get Horace’s ring back from Faust on your Earth?”

“The person who retrieved it used King Solomon’s ring on Faust,” Mason answers. “If we’re lucky, maybe we can find the ring in the tomb while we’re there and use the same trick here.”

“Where is Horace now?” I ask.

“He’s been hiding in a bar in Kathmandu,” Slade tells me. “The only reason I was able to find him is because a fellow Watcher owns it. It was pure chance that he heard I was looking for Horace.”

“Brutus?” Mason questions, sounding amused.

Slade nods his head. “Yeah. How did you…” Slade pauses and just shakes his head. “Never mind. I just need to remember to assume your foresight is because it’s already happened in your world.”

“Brutus hasn’t bought the bar yet,” Mason says, sounding like it’s only a matter of time before it takes place in our reality, “but it is one of his favorite places to go. I’m confused about something, though. If Brutus knew you were looking for Horace, why did it take you so long to locate him?”

“Brutus pretty much pulled away from all of us when the Watchers took the world over,” Desmond explains. “He didn’t want to get caught in the middle. He told me he was more of a lover than a fighter, and that this fight wasn’t one he wanted to be involved in. So, he bought the bar and cut off all communications with the rest of us after that, at least until now. He just happened to hear through the grapevine that we were searching for Horace.”

“When can we go see him?” I ask.

“We can go now if you want,” Slade says with a great deal of reservation, “but I should warn you that Horace is a drunkard. Brutus was trying to pour some black coffee down his throat when I left them. I doubt it’s had much of an effect on him yet. Even when he’s sober, he can be a real bastard to deal with.”

“Really?” I ask, surprised to hear this. I’ve only known Horace for as long as I’ve known Chandler, though, I did know the story behind Horace’s connection to Chandler’s family.

Chandler’s father made a deal with Horace so he could provide a better life for his family. Unexpectedly, Horace began to genuinely care about Chandler and his parents. They invited him into their home and hearts, gifting him with their love and friendship. From what I was told, this made a new man out of Horace. Or perhaps it was the man he always was. He just needed someone to show him kindness and show him the way to a happier life. Now, Horace managed Chandler’s musical career, without the use of magic. Horace was such an integral part of Chandler’s life that he earned the moniker of ‘Uncle Horace’. As far as I knew, there wasn’t anything Horace wouldn’t do for Chandler…which gave me an idea.

“I think we should take Chandler with us,” I say to Mason. “I know they don’t have the same relationship in this reality, but maybe there’s a universal connection there that we can use to our advantage. If he learns what Chandler means to him on our Earth, it might be just what we need to persuade him to help us here.”

“It couldn’t hurt,” Mason agrees.

“Have either of you seen Chandler while you’ve been here?” I ask Desmond and Slade.

“I saw him walk out of the house,” Desmond says, “but I can’t tell you where he was going.”

“I think I know,” I say. I lean up and kiss my husband on the cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

I shake my head. “No. I won’t be long.”

I walk out of the house and head straight towards the powerhouse. If I know Chandler at all, I’ll find him there doing something special to honor Xiulan’s passing. As I suspected, I find Chandler playing his flute near the spot where Xiulan crossed over from this earthly realm into a heavenly one. His back is turned to me, but I know he feels my presence without having to see me.

The melody Chandler is playing isn’t one meant to evoke sadness. The song is one of quiet joy, celebrating the life of someone who gave us the most precious gift she could give to the world: her child. Everyone who knows Leah loves and cherishes her. The light of her soul is so radiant that people naturally gravitate towards her, without always understanding why. No matter what happens, she always holds her head high to face any struggle head-on, without fear. In his own personal way, Chandler is thanking Xiulan for bringing Leah into our lives, and he is promising her that we will take care of her little girl in her absence.

When Chandler is through, he turns around and grins at me.

“It was beautiful,” I tell him. “I’m sure she loved it.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” he says as he strolls over to me, closing the short distance between us. “Where do you think her soul is?”

“What do you mean?”

“Each reality has its own version of Heaven, right?”

“As far as I know, yes.”

“Since she was originally a part of our reality, do you think her soul went back to ours, or will it stay in this one?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I didn’t think about it.”

Chandler gives a small shrug. “I was just curious. I would think that she would probably want to be in ours, since that’s where Leah’s soul will go after she dies.”

Chandler turns his head and looks beside him. I know what he’s doing without him even having to say it out loud. Chamuel is speaking with him.

“Ahh,” Chandler says a few seconds later, “that would make sense.”

“What makes sense?” I ask.

“Chamuel says that God would have given Xiulan the option of either staying in this reality or traveling to ours after her soul reached Heaven.”

“That makes sense,” I say. “I’m sure that’s what happened to the ones who went through the Tear during the years it was open. Some of them would have wanted to return to their own reality or stay in the one they traveled to, depending on where their loved ones were.”

“At least Leah will be able to see her mother again someday,” Chandler says. “I suppose that should be some comfort to her.”

“Well, come on,” I tell Chandler, looping an arm around one of his. “I need your help with something.”

“Help with what?” Chandler asks as we make our way back up to the castle.

“Slade found Horace. I thought you might be able to help us with him, since you know him better than anyone else.”

“I know
my
Uncle Horace,” Chandler clarifies. “I’m not sure how much good I’ll be in convincing this one to help us.”

“It can’t hurt,” I say. “It would make me feel better if you went with us to talk to him.”

“I have no problem going, Jess, but I don’t want you to pin all your hopes on my presence making him do the right thing.”

“I’m actually hoping to use his greed to help us,” I admit. “From what I understand, he’s been searching for his ring for a very long time.”

“I remember Uncle Horace telling me about Lily retrieving his ring from Faust for him,” Chandler says. “Does this Horace even know Faust has it?”

“From what Slade said, I don’t think he does. Come on. Let’s go see what happened to Horace in this reality.”

When Chandler and I return to the others, we decide that Brand, Jered, and Malcolm should come with us. I know Brand would rather be by Jai Lin’s side, but we need him to help coordinate our efforts to retrieve the trumpets from King Solomon’s tomb, if that’s where they are. My gut tells me that’s where we’ll find them, and I always trust my gut.

“Once we have the trumpets,” I say to the group before we phase to Kathmandu, “what are we going to do with them?”

“If we have the trumpets,” Malcolm says, “I say we take them back to our reality with us. We have to get them off this Earth before the princes find a way to steal them from us.”

“Agreed,” I say. “Even if we failed to prevent them from opening the seals, we can at least stop them from sounding the trumpets and making matters even worse.”

“Jered!” Tristan says, running into the library where we’ve all gathered. “I need your help.”

“What’s wrong?” Jered asks, looking worried.

“Nothing bad,” Tristan says with a smile. “Hopefully something good. Logan has reached out to me. I would like for you to come with me to meet her.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if Sophia went with you instead of me?” Jered asks.

Tristan’s smile fades. “Logan won’t talk to me if I bring her mother. She made that crystal clear.”

“I don’t understand,” I say, chiming in. “If she doesn’t want to be with Sophia, why does she want to talk with you?”

“I’m not totally sure,” Tristan admits. “But she said she wanted to speak with me and only me. I don’t think I should pass up this opportunity. It’ll at least give me another chance to try to convince her to join our side.”

“No, I agree; you should go,” I say. “Just be careful. I don’t want the two of you walking into a trap.”

“Jess is right,” Malcolm says. “This might just be a ploy to capture the two of you.”

“Wait here a moment,” Brand says. “Nina just took Rafe to a small hospital in Russia. Let me bring her back here to go with you, in case there’s any trouble.”

“She isn’t going to leave Rafe there alone,” I tell Brand knowingly.

“Isaiah and Zack went with them,” Brand informs me. “He won’t be left alone. I’ll be right back.”

Brand phases to retrieve Nina.

In less than a minute, he’s back, with Nina right beside him.

“Where do we need to go?” Nina asks Tristan.

“She wants to meet me a couple of blocks away from her father’s home,” Tristan says, handing Nina a slip of paper with something written on it. “This is the address.”

Nina takes the paper and reads it quickly. “All right. Are you ready to go?”

“One moment,” Jered says, phasing and returning seconds later with his sword in his hand. “Better safe than sorry.”

Nina holds her hands out to Tristan and Jered. “Let’s go, then.”

“Good luck,” I quickly say before the trio phases away on their own mission.

“All right,” Desmond says to us, “is everyone ready?”

After we all say yes, Desmond and Slade phase us to the bar in Kathmandu.

Mason has only told me stories about the bar Brutus likes to frequent in Kathmandu. I didn’t know what to expect, but I guess I didn’t think it would feel as homey as it does. The interior is constructed out of a dark rough-hewed wood. There is a second floor opened to the main room, but I can only see the banister from where I’m standing. The actual bar is built into one end of the rectangular space, and a large stone fireplace is built against the other. Round tables with chairs fill the room in a checkerboard pattern.

It’s nighttime in Kathmandu, and the bar is filled with boisterous patrons who have imbibed enough spirits that their out-of-tune singing doesn’t seem to be bothering them. For the most part, the atmosphere is jovial. The only cheerless spot is where Horace sits. He’s nursing a large cup of what I presume is coffee and bellowing at the folks singing to stop. He holds his head, with both hands pressed firmly against his forehead like that small act is the only thing keeping his skull from shattering into a million little pieces. This world’s Horace is still bald around the crown of his head, with the grey hair at the base of his skull long and stringy. The full beard on his face looks like it might be housing more germs and tiny critters than I want to think about. He’s dressed shabbily in mismatched furs that look as germ-infested as the rest of him.

“I hope he doesn’t smell as bad as he looks,” I comment dryly, feeling my skin begin to itch.

“I wouldn’t hope too hard,” Mason says. “I think it would be a wasted effort.”

We follow Slade as he makes his way through the crowd to Horace’s corner table. We draw a few looks, especially from the females in the crowd, but I can’t blame them for staring. If I were to suddenly look up and see the handsome men I’m with walk into a bar, not knowing who they are, I would stare at them in wonder, too.

“Horace,” Slade says, taking a seat beside our dirty little djinn, who might just be the key to saving this world, “are you sober yet?”

“About as sober as I ever want to be,” Horace replies gruffly. With wary eyes, he watches as we all sit with him. When his gaze rests on Chandler, there’s a moment of hesitation in his sneer. It’s fleeting, but it’s enough to give me hope that Chandler’s presence will be beneficial in our talks.

“Do I know you, boy?” Horace asks, eyeing Chandler, like he’s trying to place him in the long history of his life.