Vital (37 page)

I raised my arms in front of me, reached my energy around the five small children in front of the altar, then breathed out, sending a rush of wind beneath their feet. The chants grew silent as the men watched the children rise through the top of the mountain. I moved them to the side and felt the relief and gratitude from the men outside; I knew they were safe.

I stepped boldly forward, holding the stare of Drake’s intense dark eyes.

As I reached the base of the altar, one of the men in black cloaks stepped in front of Drake. His hood shadowed his face.

“Do you accept this power?” he said to me.

I nodded, prepared to move him out of my way by whatever force I needed.

“Do you take the soul in this man as yours for eternity?” he asked me.

I nodded, then with a glance flung his body from the altar and climbed the steps to Drake. The chants began again. As I looked into Drake’s eyes, my soul found a way to see them as two, Drake and Landen side by side. In my mind, I took the power I felt Aella push through me and created an image of her. From my perspective, I was stepping closer to Landen and she was stepping closer to Drake.

I reached up for Landen and pulled him to my lips. My body felt Drake’s addictive sensation, but my soul only felt Landen. Drake’s arms went around me and held me so tight, I almost lost my breath. The room began to shake, and rocks broke free from the walls and crashed down. I pulled away just enough to look into their eyes. All around us, the room was glowing red, and between us a bright light beamed. Suddenly, the men stopped their chants and began to scatter, screaming in horror.

The walls began to crash all around us.
Hold on
,
Landen thought.
Drake is taking control.

I squeezed my arms around Drake’s body, feeling the energy of Landen reach out for me.
Don’t let them know you're back...wait for me...this isn't over
,
I thought, looking into the soul of Landen.

I felt an understanding come from him, then the sparkle of his soul left and the mesmerizing darkness of Drake’s eyes came to life. He smiled at me and tightened his arms around Olivia’s waist. I felt a burst of energy erupt around us, rushing us through the air. We passed through the opening of the mountain as the walls collapsed on the men left inside.

When we couldn’t rise any higher, our bodies began to fall fiercely back to Earth and we crashed into the ocean with stagnant force. I felt Drake’s arms lose their strength as he fell deeper into the water. I held my eyes open, trying to see him in the darkness of the angry sea. I dove deeper, swimming at full force into the swirling water. I couldn’t see him, but I could feel his energy.

I didn’t think Olivia’s body would allow me to stay under the water much longer; I could feel her fighting for her survival. Below me, I saw a light and pushed deeper to reach it. As I got closer, I saw the image of Aella holding Drake’s limp body. Her lips were to his, giving him the breath he needed to stay alive. When I reached them, she looked up at me; her eyes were so green, the water shifted to emerald. As I looped my arm under his shoulders, the image of Aella pushed us away, her force propelling us up through the water. I felt Olivia’s lungs scream in protest under the pressure.

I kept looking for the surface, and just when I thought I couldn’t make it another second, we broke through. The breath that I took when we finally made it was the sweetest breath I’d ever felt. As we bolted through the air and crashed onto the deck of the lead battleship, I landed on my back with Drake on top of me. As I looked up above me, I could see the ocean reaching for the sky; all around us was a wall of water, bleeding into the sky.

I gasped, feeling the power of victory. I could feel Drake taking in breaths, then coughing his way back to life. He raised up, finding me in Olivia’s body beneath him. The look in his eyes was of utter astonishment. “How?” he said to me.

I reached my hands for his face and smiled as I leaned up to let Olivia’s lips touch his cheek. He turned his face, catching her lips - not for the pleasure of my kiss, but to gain strength, energy. I let his hungry embrace linger for a second longer than I should have, giving him the energy I knew he’d need to face Dane, then I rose from Olivia’s body before the guilt could distract me.

He seemed to know the moment I left and released his passionate kiss from Olivia’s lips. They both looked up at me, but I was looking past the helm. The wall of water began to fall, and as it did it consumed the tiny rock island. The boat began to push back as the waves washed away from the rocks. I heard the crew yelling at each other, trying to gain control of the massive ship. I looked down at Drake and Olivia. I needed to tell Drake it wasn’t over. Olivia seemed to know that I needed her voice, and she nodded as I moved back into her body. Confusion was the only expression Drake could hold as he looked into her eyes, finding my soul there again.

“It’s not over. The devil is at the palace. How fast can you get there?” I asked. As the words left my lips, a wave came from under the boat, forcing the massive ship through water. Drake’s arms tightened around me, prepared for the worst - and a second later the boat crashed into the coast of Delen. We were both gasping for breath, overwhelmed by the sheer force of nature.

Drake looked past me, then down. “Within a few moments,” he said to me. I nodded and rose from Olivia. Drake then pulled her up and threw her body over his shoulder; in that instant, time froze.

He weaved his way through the crew on the deck and moved up the shoreline. I could see the wave of a passage beneath a lighthouse; he was going there. Once he stepped through, time resumed. I knew I could just call myself to my body, but I wanted to see the room; I wanted to know where Dane was standing. I looked to the distance, found the roof I was on before, and moved there. From that point, I could see the palace. I focused on the opening to the observatory and moved there. As I perched on the roof, I cautiously peeked in to see Landen still sitting in meditation. My father, Ashten, August, and Marc were sitting on the edge of the pool, and Perodine and Alamos were pacing the floor. Beth was at Chrispin’s side, and Brady was in the center of the room, prepared to protect our bodies.

Dane was staring at my closed eyes from the doorway. Preston was at my body’s side; he felt me above him and glanced in my direction, then moved his tiny body in front of mine, blocking Dane’s view. In that instant, I was back in my body. I laid still and calmly evaluated the emotions of the room to see if anyone had seen me. Finding them all undisturbed, my thoughts called out to Landen.
We saved her; Drake is on his way here.

I can feel him getting closer
,
Landen thought.

Tell me when he's here
,
I thought.

I knew he could feel my intent to confront Dane; it confused him, but it also made the emotion he felt toward Dane grow fiercer.

Did he do this to you?
Landen asked, not hiding the rage he felt.

If you're calling the Devil ‘he’, then yes.

Drake’s coming down the stairs.

Wake now
,
I thought as my eyes flew open.

I sat up slowly and let my legs fall to the side of the table. I felt the astonished stares of the room. My legs were tingling as my body felt my soul take charge once again. I felt Olivia and looked to the doorway to see Drake standing protectively in front of her.

“Olivia!” Beth said aloud.

I felt Chrispin’s emotion elevate to bliss as he rose from his mocking meditation. My eyes moved across the room to find Landen standing. His jaw was locked, and his shoulders were back; he was prepared for a fight. His eyes moved from me to Drake. Drake returned his stare, then they both looked at me, waiting for my direction. The others in the room noticed the lack of celebration and felt the tension between the three of us. I stood and slowly turned to Dane, who was standing in the doorway. He was staring back at me, standing as tall as he could; his expression held no emotion, yet I could feel rage within him.

Landen and Drake came to my side, staring Dane down.

“They’re possessed!” Dane yelled into the room.

Our family looked nervously back and forth between him and us.

“Perodine, do something! The devil that took your love has consumed them! Stop them – if you don’t, he’ll take them all!” Dane yelled.

I stepped forward, staring into the dark eyes of evil. I could only hope that once I made this devil fall, I would find my best friend – my Dane. I hid the grief I wanted to feel for him and called forth anger for the one who had caused my family so much turmoil. I felt like a fool; I could have avoided so much of this trial by simply reading between the lines. I tried the recall the last moment I remembered Dane acting like himself and found myself just before the climax of Venus. I remembered that everyone was put to sleep and that Drake, Landen, and I faced the evil angel. That had to have been the point that Dane left us. I cringed, knowing how many moments Clarissa had spent in vacant arms, not understanding what she’d done to lose the compassion of her soul mate. My intent now was to make the devil feel everything he’d invoked. The only way victory would come would be if I found the lost soul of Dane.

I stopped just inches in front of him. My heart grew cold as I thought of the flawless image of the evil angel. Snow began to fall through the open ceiling. I felt Drake and Landen behind me, as well as the utter confusion from the ones around us.

“I have something for you,” I said to Dane, tilting my head, mocking a taunting smile.

His eyes grew darker, and a growl came from his chest. “There is only one thing I want of yours,” his voiced mocked the demon I knew was within. He looked to my chest, and an evil laugh came from within him, echoing against the stone walls.

“To want something powerful, you must understand what it feels like to carry it,” I responded, unshaken by his demonic display.

I could feel Landen fighting the desire to push me away from him and end this battle, but he felt my confidence and simply stepped closer to me. I reached my hands for Dane’s chest, and as they touched him I pushed the terror I felt from those small children through him, the grief I felt from Clarissa, the pain I’d felt when Landen and I were separated. I felt the vibration of the energy, and smoke began to seep from beneath my hands. The devil in Dane just smiled as the emotion swarmed through him; I knew then he was enjoying the agony we’d felt .

A sly smile spread across my face as I began to show him just how insignificant those emotions were. Sunlight beamed through the open ceiling, and the warmth that love always gives consumed the room. I began to push the emotion of utter devotion that I felt from Landen, the devotion I felt between every soul mate – every innocent child. Dane’s body began to breathe in and out heavily, and his arrogant smile left. Suddenly, an angry roar filled the room, and from behind him the powerful wings that I’d captured in my art before broke out from the black shirt he was wearing. He placed his hands on mine, trying to stop me, but I smiled and focused harder on the bliss I was determined to bring to this world. His roar grew louder, then my skin began to burn, and the force pushed me back. I could see the burns I’d placed on his chest. He looked down, then up at me. The illusion of Dane’s body vanished, and the evil angel rose higher, expanding his wings across the entire span of the observatory.

As the image of the evil angel became more defined, my fury for everything he’d put me through grew, and with that emotion thunder roared and lightning bolts charged into his image.

At that point, Drake and Landen wouldn’t allow me to engage him any further. Landen pulled me behind him, then he and Drake stepped forward. Drake pushed a force of energy at the demon, which repelled against him on contact, making the wind blow back at us. Landen then thrust his energy, only to receive the same response. I stepped forward between them, and the three of us forced everything we had at it. As it reached the core of his body, it screamed out in protest, then rose and suspended in the air. A cloud of grey ash swirled around the massive wings, then encased the body of the devil.

We let our hands fall, sure that we’d brought destruction. As a violent wind swarmed through the room, Landen reached for me and pulled me to his chest, sealing us in his energy. A moment later, the room grew silent. I looked up from Landen’s chest; in the doorway laid a pile of ash. Landen placed his hands on my face and pulled my lips to him, kissing me passionately. His emotion begged me for forgiveness.

No...I was wrong...
I thought, holding him tighter.

He pulled my face away and looked intently in my eyes.

I let you walk away...I could have found another way
,
he thought. “I love you,” he said aloud.

Everyone flocked around us, searching for answers.

“Did we just lose Dane? Is this over? Is the devil defeated?” Brady asked, begging for Landen’s attention.

The heavy weight of grief consumed us all. I looked to the ash to see Alamos and Perodine studying the remains carefully. My father gently pulled me from Landen’s arms to look over my body, and I felt his pride rise when he saw that I was not only alive, but stronger than I’ve ever been. Drake turned me and wrapped his arms around me. I felt his hum and smiled.