Lunch was a loud and boisterous affair that afternoon. They ate in the dining hall because so many immortals wanted to discuss and comment on the sparring they had witnessed. There were many old stories of training and battles waged throughout the ages told as well. And once Rohan started insulting the fighting capabilities of some of the others there, the tales grew bolder and, Alex thought, exaggerated.
From their discussion during the meal, Alex learned that Arianna had tried to teach the Nephilim restraint and moderation. Though they were all nearly invincible, she worked hard to instruct them not to interfere in mankind’s wars and their bids for power. They were not to overwhelm and dominate their human brethren. It appeared it was still a hard lesson for some like Rohan and Iain to hold to.
She and Jack made their way to the library after lunch, and they each did some exploring, discovering books and documents which would make the curators of the Vatican library weep to behold. The collection was so vast and well-rounded that Alex mused a person could spend a lifetime just soaking up the knowledge that abounded within.
That thought led to an idea, which she had considered for a fleeting moment the first time she had entered the space. But it had fled from her mind that night with all the other pressing matters which had occurred. If Arianna had indeed orchestrated the collection and lived with those documents, transcribing many, then perhaps Alex could remember them now, she mused.
Jack had stretched out on a couch – the same one he had placed her on after her vision the previous day – and was reading a current newspaper he had found. Alex walked over to one of the bookcases located along the wall that contained the library’s windows. Her eyes began to inspect the bindings that lined the wooden shelves. Some were new, but most were so very old. She let her eyes roam over the collection until she focused in on a volume wrapped in dark green velvet.
Alex hesitated for a moment, not wanting to have another vision pounce upon her. She was just too tired for that after her morning with Rohan and the others. Finally, Alex concentrated on just the memory of the book’s contents and gingerly touched the binding with her fingertips. There was no jolt, no jump in time, but more of a subtle view of herself peering into the book at one of the library’s many tables, turning the pages slowly and making notes on a parchment to the book’s side. Alex imagined walking up behind the figure of herself bent over the desk and looking over her own shoulder. She even began to read the pages, too.
Alex stood there for several minutes until she remembered what the book’s contents were about. It was a volume from a friend, Galileo Galilei, who was sharing his thoughts and observations with her despite his house arrest under Pope Urban VIII. He had smuggled the work to her, hoping for a discussion of his theories about infinity and how one might accurately measure the flow of time. Alex could see that Arianna was actually writing him a letter on the parchment now, indicating her great pride in his achievements thus far.
Alexandria returned to the present and moved on to another bookcase, hoping for a similar experience. This time she touched a very small volume and saw John sitting under a tree down by the estate’s lake, writing in the book. He was composing poetry, and the imagery he conjured up stirred her to great emotion. He compared the Nephilim’s life to that of a great mountain. Strong, straight and majestic, but even so, they could still be worn down and weathered away over time. She was touched by his honesty and truthfulness.
Alex continued seeking out interesting bindings and reliving the books’ contents for some time. She finally turned back to check on Jack and found that he was watching her with his hands stacked behind his head. She smiled and walked over to him and as she reached the couch, he sat up, patting the cushion next to him.
“Finished with your paper?” she asked.
“Long since. What have you been reading?” he asked, nodding his head towards the shelves.
Alex turned and drew her legs underneath her so she could face him. She related her attempt to see into her soul’s past interactions with the books there. Alex described how, by fully concentrating on just what she hoped to gain by touching the bindings, she had been able to see into the books at different points in the volumes’ pasts without having a problem.
“It’s getting a little easier, I think.” She grinned.
“After what I saw today on that field, I would say so,” Jack agreed. He had one hand draped on the sofa’s fluffy back cushions, and he raised his other to smooth her hair behind her ear and then lowered it to trace the edge of her cheek and jaw.
Alex felt so breathless at just the simplest touch from him.
“Jack,” she breathed out, trying to distract herself from these new and powerful feelings. “Will you tell me more about yourself?”
“What do you want to know?” he asked softly, his eyes following his finger still playing on her jaw line.
“Everything.” Alex smiled slightly.
“Well, that would take a while.” Jack chuckled, and his gaze slid to hers. “There’s not much to tell. I’ve already mentioned where I’m from, and that I have parents and a younger brother still there. You know about my military service, and what I do now. That’s about it.”
“No, I mean, I’m glad I know all of that about you. But I want to know more. I mean, I know you’re strong, brave, and really kind-hearted,” Alex said, leaning in and placing her palm over his heart, “but I want to know more about you. How old are you? What’s your favorite color, football team, where do you live, and what kind of car do you drive? What is your favorite food? What makes you happy?” Alex could have gone on all afternoon, but Jack raised his hand and placed it over hers where it rested on his chest.
“You really do want to know a lot, don’t you?” he asked in mock surprise. “Let’s see if I can remember all of these questions. I’m twenty-eight, I like the color blue, and I got my Master’s degree from the University of Georgia, so I’m a bulldog fan. I have a small flat in London that I live in when I’m not on assignment. I don’t have a car here, my firm provides me with transportation when I need it. I love Italian food or a really good steak.”
“Let’s see, what else? Oh, you wanted to know what makes me happy. I’ve been pretty focused on my education, then my service, then getting established in this career. In my off time, I go home for visits or I travel, but I haven’t left a lot of room for other things, really. But right now, here with you, I’m probably the happiest I’ve ever been,” Jack said solemnly, looking directly into Alex’s eyes. “I’m very happy right now.”
“I am too,” she whispered. Alex leaned forward and placed her other hand on the side of his cheek. “I don’t want you hurt, but I’m so glad you’re here with me,” she said sincerely, and she let her lips meet his.
Alex felt like this was where she wanted to stay for the next one hundred years, safe in Jack’s arms, and she told him, trying to get the words out while they kissed. And this was where he wanted her too, he whispered against her lips, safe and protected.
Finally, Jack pulled away and smiled gently, stroking Alex’s bottom lip with his thumb. “Why don’t you lie back and take a nap, then we’ll see what’s in store for the remainder of the day.”
Alex did not want to let Jack go, but she finally agreed. Though she did not think she could sleep, her body surprised her by rapidly falling into a deep, dreamless slumber.
Alex opened her eyes slowly and stretched under the blanket she found herself under. She looked around and saw Jack sitting and reading an old book that looked to be a first edition Lord of the Rings.
“Hey,” she said groggily.
He looked up at her over the pages he was reading. “Hey, yourself. Feel better?”
“Yes, I think. How long did I sleep?”
“About an hour.” Jack laughed at her incredulous expression. “Don’t be so surprised; your body’s going through a lot right now. You need the rest.”
“We
ll, so do you,” she scolded, sitting up and rubbing her face.
“I dozed for about twenty minutes myself while you were sleeping, so I’m good. Got a proposition for you,” Jack said. “What do you say to a little run?”
She wrinkled up her nose at the thought. Alex had never been one to go out running or jogging. Her knees always rebelled, and it made her back ache. She usually settled for bicycling, horseback riding, or swimming. But Alex considered her newly reinforced body and decided that running now might not make her feel like an eighty-year-old lady.
“Is it that bad?” laughed Jack. “You don’t have to, you know. I was just asking.”
“No, I had to think it over. I think I can go for a run, just don’t leave me behind. I’m not so fast,” Alex said, getting off of the couch and stretching as high as she could reach.
He stood as well, tucking his book under his arm and said, “That, you need not worry about, Miss Groaban. I’m not going to leave you behind.” Jack reached for her hand and walked with her back up to their rooms so they could change.
Alex and Jack both chose the same workout clothes they had worn the previous morning because someone had already laundered them and brought them back to their rooms. Alex made a mental note to ask Sabina who was taking care of all the chores there. If it was a group effort, she needed to get her name on the list and start contributing.
Jack knocked to make sure she was decent, and Alex met him at the door, suggesting that they go get water bottles from the kitchen. He told her that he did not normally run with water in hand, but he would if that was what she wanted.
After fetching what they needed, they headed for a door and saw Ahadi on their way out. They told her what their intentions were, and she reminded them to stick close to the main house. Jack nodded to her, and they made their way outside.
Alex zipped up her jacket and unrolled the fleece turtleneck below so that her mouth and nose were covered. Dragging the cold air into her lungs still did not feel too pleasant to her, so she protected her face. Jack started out at a slow warm-up pace but eventually, he really started moving. Alex found that she was not tired, though, or even really winded. Her newly discovered strength was paying off.
They chatted a little at first, but ultimately each was lost in their own thoughts as their feet pounded across the ground. They ran down to the stables, then turned left and continued along the line of fencing that bordered the pastures near the forest. It was a beautiful afternoon, so pristine and quiet.
They ran for almost forty minutes, Aeoferth almost out of sight, when Jack began to slow. Alex slowed to match his pace until they had both stopped. He leaned against the fence and tried to regulate his breathing. Alex did not seem to need a recovery period like she normally did when she attempted to exercise, but she kept quiet and opened her bottle for a drink.
She looked around at the vast section of land. What an amazing secret the place was, she thought to herself. So beautiful, even covered in winter’s bluster. Trees that were so ancient and tall loomed high overhead, and Alex thought that these old forests must have been like those which had inspired Tolkien to write about his Ents.
Alex turned back to Jack and noticed a movement behind him and to the left that was so fast it seemed to not be real, like a figment of her imagination. Surely it had been a shadow, she thought, but there was no breeze she could detect that would cause the tree branches overhead to sway. In fact, there was no other movement or sound that Alex could discern. The forest was too quiet, even in the dead of winter.
Reality dawned then, and Alex launched herself at Jack, trying desperately to reach him in time. But that second that she had hesitated was one too many. Before she could get to Jack, he was grabbed and hoisted up and over the fence from behind, then dragged into the forest beyond.
Alex’s fury and momentum gave her new speed and agility. She bounded over the fence, willing the air to buffet her across. She was running at full speed, and she caught sight of a dark purple aura up ahead moving in and out between trees. Alex was gaining on the dark Nephilim, but she did not know if it was enough.
“Please, God, let it be enough,” she prayed.
When Alex felt that she was close enough, she threw her aura out with such force that it toppled the dark one to the ground, but he did not relinquish Jack. Jack was still conscious and fighting with all his might. Alex ran until she was just a meter away when the intruder gained his feet. He held Jack in one arm, choking him high enough off of the ground for his feet to dangle, and with the other, he produced a long, curved knife. Dread settled in Alex’s stomach.
“You want him, I’ll trade you,” he hissed at her, his head moving in a most unnatural way, slithering from side to side like a snake’s head before it strikes.
Alexandria knew she should not look at Jack, but she could see him struggling out of the corner of her eye. She tried to stay focused on this Fallen one’s child. His aura was so putrid and dank that it felt suffocating to her. Alex began to remember this one and his game of toying with his prey first.
“You are Aagon; I remember you. You shall not leave this place alive if you harm one hair on his head. Release him and deal with me! I’m what you came for, after all,” she said, leveling her anger at him as her voice reverberated through the surrounding forest.
“Oh, yes! You. How are you here?” he laughed as though they were old friends having a familiar conversation, and it gave Alex chills to her core.
“Kronis rid this world of your stinking carcass, and yet you stand here before me. When Bertrand told me he had discovered you yet lived, I thought he lied, hoping to find power for himself in the tale. But when he didn’t return, I wondered what or who might be keeping him,” Aagon said as his voice lowered into a menacing tone and his eyes studied her.
“Imagine my surprise when I realized his story was fact, not fiction. How have you returned, or were you ever really dead at all?” His malicious laughter filled the air and set her nerves on end. “So, if you have returned, how is your little council of twelve? I imagine one is overjoyed to have you back, safe and sound. Maybe now he can retire from stalking Kronis all around the world. Was it a happy reunion?” he asked, angling his head to one side and waiting for her reply.
Alex did not know what to say, but she had to get Jack out of Aagon’s grip before he crushed Jack’s windpipe or worse.
“What? No answer?” Aagon gasped and then covered his mouth with the hand that held the gleaming knife. “Could it be that the great Arianna has not met all of her council this time around?” He hooted with laughter at her ignorance. “My, my, the good guys are playing dirty this time! Hmmm.” Aagon ran a finger across his lips, contemplating his next words.
“Why don’t you ask them what they’ve not told you, and then decide who you want to play for this time around? You might not want to be with friends like those, who don’t trust you enough to tell you the whole truth,” he huffed, and in one quick movement he crushed Jack’s neck and flipped the knife over, running it up Jack’s abdomen, cutting deeply into his flesh.
Aagon tossed Jack’s limp body at Alexandria and turned to leave, but she threw her hands out and froze them both midair, sending out such a shock wave with her anger and anguish that her ears popped, like a depth charge that carried on for as far as she could see.
“Oh, God, no!” she screamed. “No, Jack!”
Alex stood transfixed between the two, Jack hanging limply just a few feet from the ground and Aagon turned to flee. She did not know if she could only free one from her suspension. If she unfroze them both, Alex would not be able to save Jack and lay chase to Aagon at the same time. There was no choice who would get her attention first, so she had to deal with Aagon before she unfroze them both.
Crying aloud, Alex moved forward and took the knife, now soaked with Jack’s blood, from Aagon’s hand. She looked into his dark pupils and breathe
d heavily. She had never once thought she would have to take another’s life so soon after her training had begun, but this malevolent being would run back to his compatriots and spread the word of what had taken place there in the wood. No one she loved would ever be truly safe again.
Alex raised the blade and sank it into his chest, cutting in a diamond pattern just as she had done to the training mannequin until his chest cavity was open. Reaching in with trembling fingers, she took his heart in her hand.
“Why didn’t you stop? Why? You could have been forgiven!” she screamed and sobbed. “You could have known grace!” Alex pulled back and took the heart some distance away before she hurled it into the forest with all of her strength.
Alexandria felt completely ill and was shaking all over, but she steeled herself to look at the damage the demon had inflicted on Jack’s body. He was so pale. His throat looked crumpled, and he was slit from below his navel to his collarbones. And there was so much blood.
“Oh, Jack,” she whispered as she cried. “I’m so, so sorry. I wasn’t fast enough, but I will heal you. I’m so sorry.”
Alex lowered Jack to the ground so he would fall no further. She knelt beside him and bent over his body, putting one hand over his stomach and one over his throat. She began to build up as much of her aura as she could until she felt like she could create a tidal wave with it. When Alex knew she had enough to completely overwhelm Jack’s injuries, she leaned down and placed her lips over his, letting out a deep breath as she willed time to resume.
Alex released the wave she had stored over Jack and poured her very soul into her effort, willing all of his fatal injuries to be repaired and Jack to be healed. For him to be safe and with her once more. Alex felt his organs, bones, skin, and blood resume their rightful places. Felt his neck begin to take shape again, and sensed his trachea become the tube it was meant to be. She felt Jack’s lungs inflate once more and heard his sharp intake of air as he breathed her aura into his lungs.
She poured all the affection and gratitude for him into that flow, willing him to live. “Live, Jack… oh please live,” Alex pleaded within her mind. “Don’t leave me.” She stayed connected with Jack, praying and transferring her energy to him, until she heard Rohan’s yell.
“Alex, let me see him,” he said.
But she would not be moved. She stayed there beside Jack, her lips pressed to his.
“Alex, I’m sorry.” Rohan sighed and lifted her by her waist so he could have a look at Jack’s injuries.
She began to fight Rohan, trying to get back to Jack, but she heard Jack cough and breathe in deep gasps of air. Rohan let Alex sink back beside him as he began to look over Jack’s chest and neck. Jack’s clothes were still soaked in blood, but he was completely whole again. She had mended him, and that realization caused her to sob aloud. Alex put her hand over her mouth to stem the emotion pouring forth.
She was aware of other voices then. Sabina, Elrick, John, and Benen were all there. John came over and looked at Jack as well, then took Alex’s hand.
“He’s going to be just fine, Alex. You did well, my dear.”
But she could not look at any of them. Alex stayed transfixed on Jack’s eyes, willing him to wake, and John released her palm.
She knelt beside him, brushing his short hair from his forehead and staring at his closed eyes. Alex leaned down, putting her lips to his ear. “Jack, you have to wake up now. No more napping. I need you to look at me. Please, Jack, open your eyes and look at me.” Alex leaned down and kissed his lips once again, not caring who saw her.
Finally, Alex registered some movement in Jack’s arms, then his chin shifted up slightly and finally, she felt him sigh against her lips. She pulled back and watched as his eyelids fluttered open, his blue eyes meeting hers.
“Hey, don’t stop,” he whispered.
Alex laughed through her tears and leaned down to kiss him once more, so happy that he was there once again with her. “I’m so sorry, Jack. So very sorry you had to suffer like this,” she cried softly.
“Shhh,” he crooned. “No apologizing, remember?”
She laughed softly. “Yes, I remember.”
Sabina came over and sank to her knees beside Jack, opposite Alexandria. She took Alex’s hand and implored Alex to look at her. Finally, Alex allowed her gaze to turn towards Sabina, and she saw tears streaming down her friend’s face as well.
“Let’s get him back to his room and cleaned up so that he can rest. You have healed Jackson well, Alexandria, but he will still need to recover for a little while. His body was very traumatized by Aagon,” Sabina said through her emotion.
Rohan came forward and knelt on the other side of Jack. He placed one arm under his knees and one under his shoulders. “Ready?” he asked. Jack gave a small nod, and Rohan lifted him as though he weighed nothing, and then turned to head back towards Aeoferth.
Alex did not look back to see Aagon’s body, she just walked quietly beside Rohan and Jack, with Sabina on her other side. The group finally reached one of the castle’s side doors, and Sabina moved forward to hold it open. They moved through the halls and up the stairs, passing so many, but Alex could not look anyone in the eye. She just wanted to get Jack to his room.
Sabina once again held the door open, and Rohan headed straight to the watercloset with Jack. He sat him gingerly on the side of his tub and turned the shower on, getting the water nice and warm. Alex moved forward and helped Jack remove his jacket and gun holster, then his tattered shirt. Finally, she knelt to take his shoes and socks off.
“I think I can take it from here,” said Jack smiling. “I just feel kinda sore all over, but I’m good.” He looked up at Rohan and thanked him. Rohan nodded and left the bathroom.
Alex stood to leave Jack to his shower too, but he stood slowly and enfolded her in a hug.
“Thank you,” he whispered against her hair.
Alex could not stem the flow, and tears ran hot down her cheeks, touching Jackson’s newly mended chest.
“Oh, Jack,” she breathed. “I thought I had lost you. I was too slow, and I hesitated too long.”
“Shhh,” he said softly. “We’re both here, thanks to you. That’s what I’m concentrating on right now, and so should you.” He pulled back and mouthed another thank you before he softly kissed her. It was not an urgent kiss, but one of tenderness and quiet supplication.
Alex was so grateful he was alive, and she tried to show Jack that through her touch. She held him to her so that she could feel his heart beating and know that he really had made it through Aagon’s brutal assault. He was there. He was really there, she told herself over and over like a mantra.
At last, Alex pulled away and looked into his eyes. “I’m going to leave so you can have a shower. I’ll be right back over, though. Don’t worry,” she said, hoping to reassure him, knowing he did not like to let her out of his sight.
Jack nodded, and she turned and left his watercloset. Sabina was still waiting in the bedroom, and she came over to Alex. She brushed Alex’s hair back and kissed her first on one cheek and then the other.
“Alex, go have a shower as well, and I’ll bring some food up for you and Jackson, okay?” she suggested.
Alex felt so numb and cold inside that she did not have it in her to argue, so she nodded mutely and walked across the hall to her bedroom. She headed for her watercloset and started the warm water stream in her shower. While the water was heating, Alex turned and looked at herself in the mirror.
Gone was the joy she had felt earlier that morning, and replacing it was a pale, shell-shocked vacant look. She had Jack’s blood all over the jacket and shirt she wore, and it covered her hands. She looked at the dried blood and felt the bile rise in her throat. Alex barely made it to the toilet before she began to retch. Again and again, she was sick until she thought there was nothing left in her stomach.
S
he began to pull against her clothes, struggling with them as if they had a will of their own and did not want her to shed them. Finally free of her bindings, Alex threw everything into the wastebasket and stepped into the shower. She sat on the shower seat and held her hands under the stream, watching the floor of the shower turn red.
It was Aagon’s blood mixed with Jack’s, and it made Alex weep again. Dear Lord, had this been what her brothers felt like after they had found her in Lord Lenley’s library, she wondered. Alex knew now she would have to tell them everything. They could not be stuck with an image of her so hurt and not know the real reason why.
She continued to let the water flow until she saw red, then pink, and finally clear water at her feet. Alex dragged herself off of the seat and began to wash her body from head to toe, beginning with her hair. The thought that she was trying to push away worked its way back in, and she gasped and held her hands out against the tiled wall to brace herself.
She had taken a life. Not quickly. Not with her opponent standing a chance to defend himself, but slowly and methodically until she was sure he could hurt no one else ever again. What then did that make her, she asked herself. Alex began to retch again, but there was nothing left in her stomach to come forth. She cried and keened until her throat felt raw. But still she stood there, hoping that the water would somehow wash away her sin and make her whole again.
Alex finally pulled herself together enough to finish her bath, and stepped out to dry off. She gathered her robe around her and made her way out of the watercloset, intent on dressing, then going back over to sit with Jack. When Alex entered her bedroom, however, she found him lying on top of the bed’s comforter, fast asleep.
She stood watching him rest until she began to sway on her feet and finally headed back into her closet. She changed into sweats and quietly padded over to her bed, all while Jack slept peacefully. Alex did not dare pull back the covers for fear of waking him, so she gently climbed atop the bed and lay next to Jack on her side so that she could watch his slow and steady breathing.
He was alive, she told herself over and over until her eyelids drooped. Just before Alex lost her battle to stay awake and watch over him, she prayed for no dreams. She could not see Aagon or what she had done to him, not now. Just not now, she prayed. Maybe later, when she felt less brittle and less dirty. With a heavy heart, Alex let go and succumbed to rest.
Chapter 21