Vital (25 page)

“OK,” I said as an uneasy breath escaped me. “Bright side: we won’t die; dark side: a war is coming.”

“Both dark sides,” Landen said, reaching for me to come closer. “Instead of fighting for change, you aid those that do. For me and you, that would be agonizing; we’d have to guide others to do what we were meant to do.”

The seriousness in his eyes caused me to hold my breath. “So this is bad? It’s too late – they’re already on the scroll?”

“Normally, I would agree,” Perodine said, breaking our stare, “but I know the two of you had a life of illumination, and I believe that in that life you took action to use Witnesses as your aid; whoever you chose most assuredly vowed to help you defeat this evil in the current vessel you’re in.”

“Let’s hope,” Landen said as he tightened his arms around me and kissed my neck before he slowly stood, setting the intent to find Chrispin.

“Where are you going?”Perodine asked.

“To talk to Chrispin,” he answered quietly.

“If he isn’t inside, send someone out for him. They’re going to be watching you, and if they see that you’re calm, they’ll know they have the wrong girl - and then Olivia will be in danger.”

Landen tensed slightly, then left the room.

I sat down in the chair, and Preston slid down and crawled into my lap. I wrapped my arms around him and took in the peace I could feel coming from his tiny body.

Perodine looked up at me. “I don’t want you to explain; just a yes or no: do you know why time moved twice? Why the rings are moving backwards?”

I didn’t say anything; I just let my eyes tell her yes, then looked down to the scrolls. “All I’m worried about is getting Olivia back here and finding the right twin. Whatever I foresaw coming, I better have found a way to stop any one of us from forfeiting who we are and becoming Witnesses.”

She sighed. “I want you to be prepared for anything and trust that we’ll defeat this in the end.”

I swallowed as fear and anger caused my skin to flush. “No one’s dying on my watch.” I then nodded toward the scroll, waiting for her to translate. I managed to pick up on the soft melody that Preston and Landen were humming before. As I gently rocked Preston from side to side in my lap, for the first time he let himself be a little boy in my arms. I looked down a few moments later to find him sleeping peacefully. It made me smile to see him so calm; he was absolutely impossible not to love. I had no idea how Beth was able to go days without seeing him - then again, I had no idea how Beth had managed to survive any of the trials that life had given her.

All at once, I felt a cold chill all around me. I squeezed Preston closer, thinking the winter air had managed to make its way in from the observatory, but then the chill was gone. My body tensed as my eyes moved all around, looking for any sign of the demon. My change in demeanor went unnoticed by Perodine; she was too consumed in her work.

A low growl began to hum, then in front of the closed drapes across the windows I saw a darkness appear. At first it held no shape, but then the flawless image of the my evil angel began to take shape. He grinned coldly.

I should have been afraid, I realized that – but I wasn’t; I was furious. I simply nodded my head forward with the intent to force every part of my energy, my strength at it. He vanished before my energy reached him, but the windows behind the drapes paid the price; the shattering sound of the glass caused Perodine to jump forward on the table, and Preston jolted awake.

I shook my head from side to side, frustrated that I’d missed. “Sorry,” I said quietly.

“Sorry?” Perodine repeated, looking back at the glass that had fallen behind the drapes.

“I saw the demon...did you not feel him? I almost had him.”

I felt her confusion and concern as her wide eyes looked over me, then down at Preston. I felt the others running in our direction. I knew Landen would think I was insane now, that he’d think I was seeing things, and they’d all make me ‘rest’ - but I simply didn’t have the to time to do that. I stood, prepared to fight with them, then in front of me I saw a white glow and felt it began to pull me. I knew it was the rings; they were going to let me take this back.

I felt Preston squeeze my hand, then looked down at him to find him staring intently at me. His emotion was calm, but I felt his intent not to let me change this. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes...he was right: if I stepped through this, then the devil would know without a doubt that I had control of the rings now – and he’d have time to plot to stop me. I opened my eyes and ignored the light that was growing brighter in front of me.

“I really am sorry...I thought I had him,” I said, squeezing Preston’s hand.

The light faded as soon as my intent to keep things the way they were was made. Suddenly, I heard an angry growl so faint, I had to hold my breath to make sure I was hearing it clearly.

“Do you hear that?” I whispered.

Perodine’s eyes looked all around her, then she slowly moved her head from side to side.

At that moment, Landen, Brady, and Ashten charged into the room. I looked over my shoulder at Landen and thought,
Don’t be mad; I saw the demon, and I tried to hit him - but he moved. Perodine didn’t see him. I’m not crazy or tired; he was just too fast for me.

Sorrow filled Landen’s perfect blue eyes, and his expression was consumed with worry as he walked slowly to my side, looking all around me.
Are you OK? That took a lot out of you.

I nodded.

“Are we being attacked?!” Ashten asked, rushing to pick up Preston.

I felt Perodine’s concerned stare. “Um...the demon showed himself again,” she said quietly.

“You saw him?” Brady asked, looking all around the room.

“Willow saw him...she fought him,” Perodine said, walking around the table with the intent to find someone to board up the windows I’d shattered.

I felt the doubt rise in Brady and Ashten, but Landen reached his arms around me, forcing me to focus on his emotion, the love he had for me.
Call back a memory
,
he thought in a commanding tone, setting the intent to make me as strong as he could at that moment.

I closed my eyes as I felt his arms tighten around me, then thought of last night – the passion and love we shared - soon emerged. I felt my strength began to build again, then I felt Landen’s lips on my forehead as he began to rock us back and forth.

“Maybe you two should go home for a little bit,” Ashten said tenderly.

My eyes flew open, ready to protest. “No. I’m not going to Chara knowing that Olivia is out there...where’s Chrispin? I have to at least try and calm him down.”

“He’s calm,” Landen said, looking down at me. “He’s mad, concerned, but he isn’t letting himself worry because he thinks that the dream, that tattoo, is protecting her.”

“Who are the five with her? Did they drag her down the street? How did no one see her?”

As Brady stepped closer to me and Landen, looking all around me, I felt the awe he had for Landen. He didn’t understand how we could deplete and regain our energy so quickly, how Landen was the only one that could calm me down when I was out of control. “There are five flagships that are armed in the fleet that belonged to Donalt. They took a child from each Captain and were told that if they moved their boats, if they attacked, their children would pay the price.”

“They said that to their face? Why didn’t they scream or fight? We could have stopped this!”

“They took them from school,” Ashten answered. “I’m sure they told Olivia that if she didn’t go, the children would die. I doubt she even tried to argue or fight...her heart is too big.”

Perodine stepped back into the study. “Willow, go into the observatory while they board these windows up.”

Brady walked over to the table and grabbed my coat. I slid my arms through as I followed Landen out of the room.

“Where is everyone else?” I asked Landen when we stepped in the observatory.

Brady followed us, but he passed us by and climbed the stairs that led to the roof.

“Everywhere. Chrispin and Marc were on their way to the roof; they were going to try and see how close they could get to that island. August, Stella, and your dad are watching the looking glass; it’s moved under the water.”

“What? Under the water?”

He nodded. “August said he thought it would.”

“Can you still see it?”

“The water is clear now, and the rings are spinning, but the water is calm; it’s really weird to look at. He said that when it rose from the water, it would be time to use it.”

My eyes moved all around the room, looking for any sign of that dark demon; I swear I could feel him watching me.

“Well...maybe one day August will realize that you aren’t going to look through it.”

Landen smiled weakly, then nodded. Suddenly, I heard the growl again; it was low, but it was like it was laughing at me, mocking my attempt to fool it.

Do you hear that?
I thought.

Landen furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to listen, then his eyes told me no as his concern grew.

My anger escalated. I looked all around me. “Are you having fun making me look insane? I’m not! I feel you, and you don’t scare me. Why don’t you show yourself? What are you - a coward?!” I yelled into the room.

“Willow,” Landen said as he stood and firmly pulled me against him.
Stop
, he thought.

I shook my head as I pushed away from him. “How can you not hear that? Feel that?” I asked him, growing angrier.

He started to say something, but he halted as Perodine stepped in the room holding her notebook.

“Am I interrupting?” she asked, looking between us.

I held Landen’s stare and shook my head no. Perodine stepped closer to us. “I think the demon is toying with Willow,” she said, looking from me to Landen.

“Did you see him or hear him?” Landen asked in a firm tone, clearly believing that I was losing my mind.

Perodine let her eyes say no. “I don’t think we’re meant to. I read a text on the scroll that said that Aliyanna would fight the demon in the place where two worlds meet. I thought it meant the string. When Preston told you that the string was safe now, I assumed I was right, but I think it’s symbolizing her mind...two worlds, like dreams or her subconscious.”

I looked at Landen. “I told you dreaming was a bad idea,” I said quietly.

“She has to rest,” Landen said, not understanding what Perodine was saying. “She isn’t dreaming, so she’s exhausted, seeing and hearing things that aren’t there.”

“I agree...with Landen. You need to dream. If you don’t rest your mind, this trial we have no fear of will become more dangerous.”

“You want me to dream so I can fight him by myself? Fine, let’s do this,” I said shortly.

“Willow,” Landen said, grasping my waist again and pulling me against his tense body. “I just want you to rest so you can think clearly. I believe you; I know you see and hear things that are very real, but it’s impairing your judgment, causing you not to see what’s really going on, not to see people for who they are.”

I knew he was eluding to Dane, but I wasn’t in the mood to argue with him.

“I’ll sleep when we go home – but not here; we have to figure out when we’re gonna save Olivia, if we can do so before their stupid ceremony.”

Perodine walked over to me. When she reached my side, she uncupped her hand; there, I saw green leaves, small herbs. She reached for my medallion and turned in-between the points of the stars, then pushed the herbs in place and ran her fingers across the surface, whispering words I couldn’t hear clearly enough to understand. With her words, a white glow cascaded over the surface, then vanished, sealing the herbs in place. Finally, she turned the medallion around and let it rest against my skin.

“What is this? What did you do?” I asked as calmly as I could. Her power, her wisdom always left me in awe.

“Mugwort...an herb,” she said quietly, letting her hands rest on my shoulder. “It will protect you from darkness in your dreams. Evil cannot hurt you when you rest your eyes. Your mind will be clear enough to dream lucidly – and you need to be lucid if you’re going to understand what’s unclear to you.”

“It would have been nice to have that from the beginning,” Landen murmured, nodding to Perodine to show her how grateful he was for encouraging me.

“I didn’t realize dreaming had become elusive to her,” Perodine said regretfully, letting her hands fall from my shoulders.

At that moment, Dane walked in, and I looked at him like he was insane. I couldn’t feel him again, and I was getting more and more frustrated with him blocking me.

“What are you hiding?” I asked him coldly.

Landen pushed me behind him as rage consumed him.

Dane furrowed his eyebrows. “What are you talking about?” he asked in a low tone as he set the intent to defend himself against Landen.

Landen smirked when he felt it. “Like you could.”

“Watch me,” Dane seethed as he pushed his energy at Landen, who didn’t even try; he simply held his hand up, blocking Dane’s insane attempt to hurt him. With little effort, he sent everything right back at Dane, causing him to fly backwards - but he didn’t make it far; Drake was walking in at that moment, and he pushed Dane forward, then held him in the air.