“I doubt that.”
He smiles at me nervously then looks out at the Lake.
“I think I should go in,” I offer.
“Why, because you think I won’t come back up?”
“No, it just may be easier for me. You’ve had to deal with a lot,” I reply.
“Listen, I can handle the lake.”
“Okay, just remember one thing if it really stars to play with your mind.”
“What?”
“I love you.”
He strokes my hair and kisses my forehead.
Then he jumps into the lake. He swims out into the center and disappears beneath the water.
Please, please let him make it back up.
I think about how much Marcus hates losing members of his team. I think about his Core. He has a hard time not blaming himself for things that happen to the ones he loves. I hope and pray he can get past that.
Marcus has been in the water for several heart-stopping minutes. I look out into the lake and there is no sign of him.
C’mon Marcus, you can do this.
It is now fifteen minutes. My stomach is twisted up in knots. He’s not coming back up. I survey the lake for the ten thousandth time; still no sign of him.
I plunge into the water and swim out after him. I can’t believe how hot the water is, but then I realize it may not be the water. My head feels feverish. I must be running low on Brom. I force my muscles to work even harder to get me over to Marcus.
I finally spot him a few yards away. I swim over just as he grabs hold of a small box tucked among an entanglement of weeds. He signals to me that we are going up to the surface. I shake my head “Yes.”
We begin to ascend. Suddenly I am stopped by the lake. By that I mean my body becomes as heavy as a ton of bricks. I cannot ascend. I am trapped by my own conscience.
Panic spreads to my eyes. Marcus looks down and sees I am unable to move. He comes back and tries to pull me up to the surface but even with all his strength, I remain unmoved.
He signals for me to look at something. I didn’t notice it before. There are a series of flashing images floating into in the water besides me. They are snapshots from my life.
Each photo comes and goes except for one: The photo of me and Sara. That’s what holding me down. I can’t move on because I still feel like her death was my fault. I told Marcus once that I was okay about Sara’s murder but I really wasn’t.
Marcus signals for me to let it go. He tries to make the image scatter but every time it does, it comes back. He pleads to me with his eyes.
I’m going to die here. I can’t let Sara’s death go. It was my fault. If I wasn’t running late that night, she never would have met up with the Pawn who killed her.
Marcus knows I’m thinking these kinds of thoughts because now, not only am I not rising to the surface, I’m sinking even further.
Desperate, he moves closer to me and guides my head forward. He signals for me to kiss him. I can feel myself about to black out. I use every once of willpower I have, bend my head forward and kiss Marcus.
Suddenly a blinding light appears and I am thrown from the Lake. I land facedown on the shore. Marcus appears just as I hit the ground. He rushes over calling out my name. I groan and roll over to face him.
“At least it wasn’t a dumpster,” I say.
He laughs out loud, stands me up and hugs me tightly.
I look up at the sky over his shoulder.
“Marcus, what’s that?”
He looks out into the sky and finds an army of beasts on Ports coming towards us—quickly.
“Khi.”
“I’m pretty sure, but let’s not stick around to ask them.”
Marcus scoops me into his arms and we take off into the sky. We head back toward the Port in the cave. Marcus flies as fast as he can while trying to avoid contact with the flame-riddled sky above.
That still doesn’t put enough distance between us and the Khi. They start blasting us with black power balls. Marcus swerves and dips to avoid getting hit. One of the balls hits a Grinn down below us. The Grinn is eviscerated instantly.
We fly over the McDemons marquee, the still-burning forest, and the wreck left by the Mother. The opening of the cave is too low for us to fly into. Marcus lands on the ground and we take off for the cave just a few yards away. The Khi send power balls whizzing just above our heads.
We enter the dark cave and feel around for the Port. The power balls land all around us. Marcus announces he found the Port. He says to take his hand but I can’t find it in the dark. He smashes the wall of the cave causing light to enter.
I see him standing on the Port, a few feet away. I run over to him just as a series of power balls comes straight at me. Marcus shields me by wrapping his arms and wings around me.
I pop my eyes open and see clouds; I can’t believe we made it back home. We are lying on the cold ground at the base of Tamera Falls. Our arms are still wrapped around each other.
“Do you two ever keep your hands off each other?” Ameana asks snidely.
Marcus and I share a sigh of relief. We look around and find Jay and Wolf there as well.
They help us up and Marcus pretends to be upset that they didn’t follow his orders. But there is no real conviction in his voice. He is glad they waited for us. It means that no matter what happens, the Guardians are still a team. Even more important, they are a family.
****************
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: DAY THREE
By the time we get to The Sage’s place, Marcus and I had filled the team in on what happened in Difi. Talking about it brought back some of the sights, smells and sounds of Hell. It made me queasy. Marcus looked down at me and I guess he must have known what I was thinking. He whispered and reminded that we had survived the ordeal.
How is that even possible?
I try to let the horror of Difi go and focus on what’s really important: Rio. After all this craziness, we are actually about to get Rio back!
We walk up to the fish shop and knock on the door. My hands are sweaty and my heart is racing. I didn’t realize just how much I had missed Rio until now - the way he knows what you’re feeling even if you are nowhere near him, and even though he knows your feelings often before you do, he never rats you out. I’m sure he knew that Marcus and I were in love with each other the second he saw us together but he didn’t voice it out loud.
It’s not just his power I miss; it’s him. He was always a reflective kind of Angel. And not that it matters but…he’s hot. I mean it. He has a dark, sexy, brooding thing that I love. He’s always on the cutting edge of fashion. And his eyebrows are perfect. Seriously, I could get mine done every day and they wouldn’t look nearly as good. So not fair.
I didn’t want to delay getting to Rio for another second. I can tell the others felt the same. They nearly run the old lady over when she answers the door. She tells us The Sage is out taking his walk but that we can come in.
We rush pass her and enter the tea room. The Oka sits in the middle of the room. We all run to it and wait with bated breathe as Marcus pulls out the box with the key.
Inside is a black square about the size of a playing card with small carvings throughout. He places it on top of the glass coffin. Nothing happens. Marcus says if Tony lied to him he will kill him right where he stands. Ameana tells him to give it a few more minutes.
She was right. The key begins to spread out and form a mirror image of the complex carving on the Oka; soon, the key matches every inch of the carving. We wait, not really knowing what to expect.
A light begins to glow around the Oka. The light eventually engulfs the Oka and forms a prism-like shape. The light then disappears just as suddenly as it appeared. The Oka splits open. Rio’s body is elevated a few inches above the Oka. Rio is free.
We wait. Silence fills the room and pounds loudly in my ear. I can tell the others are thinking the same thing.
Were we somehow too late? Did something go wrong? Why
isn’t he moving? Did Lucy do something else to him that we don’t know about?
Just when I am about to crawl out of my skin from anxiety, Rio’s eyes pop open. The relief in the room is palpable. He breathes hard. We all attack him with questions. He is okay? How does he feel? Does he need help getting up?
He looks around at all of our faces and says, “Whoever’s horny, can you please tone that down, you’re killing me.”
We all laugh despite ourselves. He gets up out of the Oka. I rush to hug him. I hold him so tight he accuses me of having gained some superpower while he was gone. Everyone gets their turn to welcome him back; he looks a little dazed, but other than that, he is as good as new.
Rio knows how everyone feels by the color of the wave they are giving off. He says most humans radiate self-doubt and loneliness but it’s rare for beings to ever feel just one thing. Usually it’s a mix of waves with different colors.
Rio sees a black wave every time someone is in mortal danger. Once the person is dead, their waves disappear completely. Many times the Guardians were able to rescue me because Rio read my wave and knew I was in danger. He, like all the Guardians, has saved my life numerous times.
We introduce Rio to Wolf. Right away he reads Wolf’s wave. Then Rio raises his eyebrows and says, “Seriously?”
I think everyone in the room would have given their left wing to know what Rio found out by reading Wolf’s wave. Wolf wisely chooses to ignore Rio’s comment.
Marcus asks him if he needs to recharge. He says he’s okay but the rest of the group pleads with him to rest. He refuses to even think about it.
“I’m fine, considering. I just need to see Miku. Where is she? Chasing down Pawns?”
“No.”
“Back at the house?”
“No.”
“Marcus, where is my sister?”
“Miku has Turned.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Miku would never Turn. She doesn’t have it in her to be evil.”
“Rio sit down. We have a few things to tell you,” Ameana says.
“Screw that. I don’t want a recap. I want my sister. Where is she?”
“We don’t know.”
“How the hell could you not know where a member of your team is Marcus?”
“She isn’t part of our team,” Marcus replies.
I can actually feel the rage bouncing off of Rio. I’m quick to clarify.
“What Marcus means is that for the time being she is lost to darkness. But we will get her back and she’ll be a Guardian again.”
“Why don’t I see her wave?” Rio asked us.
“You don’t see anything?” Jay asks.
“No. All I see is Lucy’s wave. She’s around here somewhere. There is a sea-size wave filled with evil, revenge and chaos. That’s weird. I’ve never felt Lucy before. She’s always been able to block me.”
“That’s not Lucy. The wave of evil and destruction is Miku.”
Distraught, Rio sits down. We gather around him and catch him up on what he missed. Even though he said he didn’t need it, it was something that he would not be able to escape. After we recap the situation, he looks out to us. But I can tell he’s really reading a wave because his eyes look glazed over.
“That wave can’t be Miku. She’s absolutely evil,” he says mainly to himself.
“She loves you Rio and she just couldn’t handle losing you,” I offer.
“Did she really kill Junior?” he asks us.
“Montrose had the Council put a Dy on Junior so he could hide the Oxen. Redd knew the Oxen would give her more powers so she went after it,” Ameana says.
“And you know once a Dy is placed on you—” Jay says.
“—the only way to get to it is to go through flesh and rip it out,” Rio finishes.
“Exactly.”
“It’s my fault,” Rio says quietly.
“It’s not. Things happen. We can’t just hold on to them. We have to let go. Trust me on that,” I say, remembering my ordeal in Lake Sariah.
“What’s important is that we can save Miku from staying evil forever,” Ameana replies.
“How? The Summit has taken place. As of ten minutes ago, we entered day three.”
“Yes, but we can find her and prove that you’re alive. That will stop her from committing whatever evil act she’s planning today,” Jay says.
Wolf tells everyone to be quiet. He is listening for something.
“What is it?” Marcus asks.
“We have to go. Now!” Wolf rushes over to the door and tells us to follow him.
“What is it?” Ameana asks as we head to the door.
“The Omari and I are still connected. I hear an alarm blowing. It sounds like a trumpet. It’s a sound only the Omari can hear.”
“What does that mean?” Rio asks.
“The Council has placed a ‘seek and destroy’ order against your sister. The Omari are coming for her.”
“I really thought they would wait to see what her final act is,” Marcus says as we jet past the old lady.
She doesn’t even look up. Then Marcus suddenly stops. He turns to the lady and addresses her.
“How long has The Sage been gone?”
“Three hours now,” she says.
“Is that normal?”
“No, usually he comes back after thirty minutes”
Marcus looks at us, horrified.
“What is it?”
“I know what Redd’s last act is—she’s gonna kill someone the Council cares about just like they tried to kill Rio. Redd is going to kill The Sage.”
**********************
It’s not hard to find where Redd is. Wolf follows the sound of trumpets blaring that only he can hear. But even without him, we would have been able to find her. All we had to do was follow the massive crowd of Angels heading to midtown Manhattan.
When we get to where the commotion is, we try hard to take in the scene. Hundreds of Angels look on as Redd uses Samson String to tie a six-year old boy to the top of the Empire State Building.
The sun has yet to rise on New York City but lights from inside the buildings give on-lookers a bright view of the awaiting calamity.
“The Sage has powers. He’ll be okay, right?” I ask, unable to take my eyes off the small boy.
“No. He can live forever, but once he dies, that’s a wrap,” Jay says, also fixated on The Sage.
“He can see the future, why didn’t he prevent it?” Ameana asks.
“He can see it, but that doesn’t mean it’s his job to stop it,” Wolf says.
“No, it’s our job. Let’s go,” Marcus places me on a nearby roof and takes off with his team. They head for the top of the Empire State Building.
Just then they spot Redd hovering around her hostage. She laughs sadistically as she makes circles around him. There are several Para but they are standing back. I’m guessing they are waiting for the Omari. I’m torn. I don’t want the Omari to hurt Miku but I also don’t want anything to happen to The Sage.
Suddenly a sea of flames shoots out from Redd’s hands and hits the Sage. I scream and the crowd of Angels gasps as they watch The Sage get set on fire. It is only a few seconds later that we realize nothing has happed to him.
Redd has placed him in a Holder. That means nothing can happen to him as long as he is inside there. But that also means all she needs to do is remove the Holder and The Sage’s life will come to an end.
Jay flies down and makes the crowd of Angels move back. The few humans that were there are made to leave the area completely by the NYPD. Several motorcycles and high-end vehicles are on the scene. The Paras are out in full force. The crowd shouts up at Redd. Some call for her to come back to good. Some call out for the Omari to end her life.
Below I spot Benny Stone, Chaser in hand, running through the crowd. I run into the building and head down the elevator to stop him. When I get to the ground I have lost him. I frantically check the surrounding streets but Benny i
s gone.
The roar of the crowd grabs my attention. Nine Paras, sectioned off in groups of three, part the clouds and descend upon us. Even among Paras, they seem to be more graceful. They move in uncanny union. It’s like they are one Angel.
The Omari cut through the sky and hurl a series of red Powerballs at Redd. She skillfully ducks and then attacks back. She sends a hurricane-like gust of air at the Omari causing them to break formation.
She then calls for the ground to gather and form a massive hand. The hand reaches out and buries some of the Omari. They quickly get out from under and counter attack.
Some of the Powerballs miss and go into the crowd. The Angels on the ground spread out and run towards safety. Redd can be heard laughing at them as they flee the area. The Omari surround her. She looks them over and seems to enjoy being the center of attention.
“I’ve never killed an Omari before. This will be fun,” she says sweetly.
I look out in search of the Guardians. I see them in the air trying to get to Miku without getting hit by the Omari’s Powerballs; or by Redd for that matter.
Rio calls out to Miku. He tells her it’s okay and that he is alive. She is enraged by this. She yells at Marcus and says she’s not gonna fall for his mind tricks. I can understand why she thinks Rio isn’t real. It’s easy to get a substance that allows you to take on the appearance of someone else. I know from past experiences.
Rio tries to convince her but she refuses to believe it. She shifts her focus to Marcus. She launches a series of fireballs at him and the rest of the team. Ameana was less than a second away from being charbroiled, when Marcus pushes her out of the way.
Jay takes a hit but is able to bounce back. Meanwhile, Wolf is busy trying to protect the crowd below. I cut through as many Angels as I can but there is still no sign of Benny. Where could that sneaky little Pawn be?
Rio tries to get close to Redd but she keeps launching fire his way making it hard to get near her. He pleads and pleads but she refuses to believe that it’s really him. Meanwhile the Omari stage a three-sixty counterattack on Redd. They have her surrounded.
She moves with the ferocity of the Mother chaser we encountered in Difi. They miss her by a few feet. The Omari are not dissuaded by the failed attempts to catch her. They attack once again, this time from behind.