Paul and Keith, who were Amelia and Jenna's Links, were the last to pull me in for bone-crushing bear hugs. I giggled at their apparent happiness to see us.
"So, what's the plan Haniel," Paul asked once all the greetings were out of the way and we were all sitting on the oddly matched furnishings scattered around the room.
"When Jacob and his three other band members arrive, we will load up the provisions and sleeping gear that Robert and Shawn informed me you would need," he said in his typically formal way.
"Yeah, we kinda figured that. My question leans more toward what our plans are once we head out."
"The journey in motorized vehicles will take approximately five hours. I will be joining you there," he said, never being one to travel by traditional human methods.
Sam giggled. "Wow Haniel, talk about being a diva."
Haniel's expression at her words made us all burst out laughing. Picturing Haniel as the classic stereotypical role of a diva was comical.
Haniel had learned enough from hanging out with Sam and I over the summer to understand that Sam's remark was less than flattering, which made it even more hilarious.
"Haniel the diva, oh my lord, my side hurts!' Kieran chirped between the laughter bubbling out of her.
All seven plus feet of Haniel waited patiently while we finished laughing ourselves out. After several moments our mirth finally dissipated.
"Can I continue?" He asked Sam pointedly.
"Um, sure, sorry about that Hannie," Sam said in a tone that made it clear she really wasn't.
"Once we all convene at the location I have indicated on the parchment," Haniel said, indicating the map behind us on the dining room table, "We will set out on foot. The Dark Angel has chosen his headquarters wisely. There are no roads or trails that lead to Victor's headquarters. We will have to create our own path through the rough uninhabited terrain of Mt. Shasta"
"Then how does Victor get to his Lair?" Shawn asked.
I grimaced at Shawn's choice of words.
"He uses the motorized flying machines that seem quite popular with your military," Haniel said, clearly searching for the proper phrase.
"Helicopters," I provided, giving him some help.
"Ah yes, he uses helicopters to enter into his secure location. A word of caution however, once we are on the mountain, Victor will be aware of our presence. He will use whatever means necessary to deceive or destroy us. It is essential that you understand that Victor now possesses greater strength and ability than any of you have ever seen. He is no longer a mere pawn for the Dark One, but an ally, and is treated as such. His powers will equal mine in many aspects.
"What do you mean?" Sam asked, all joking gone from her voice.
"He will have many different resources available to inhibit the success of our mission."
"Like Daemons?" Sam asked.
"Daemons like you have never seen," Haniel answered without elaborating.
"Will they be worse than what we've dealt with before?" Sam asked, gnawing on her lower lip.
"Dude seriously?" Shawn said, clearly aggravated that Haniel had Sam worried.
"It's okay," Sam said pulling out of Shawn's arms. "I don't need it to be sugarcoated. What kind of Daemons?" She continued, turning toward Haniel for clarification.
"Daemons come in many different forms. To describe them all goes beyond my abilities."
"What else will we be facing?" I asked, noting an undercurrent in Haniel's vague explanation.
"It is impossible to know precisely what means Victor will use. For now, you should prepare yourselves for attacks in many different forms."
"Shawn and I purchased netting for us to surround our campsite with, per Haniel's instructions, to help give us some kind of barricade against any attack. The netting won't keep them out, but at least it will serve as a warning," Robert said, making it clear none of this was new information to him or Shawn.
"What about when we're hiking?" Jenna asked in a shaky voice, clearly not a fan of anything that could creep up on us either.
"Don't worry honey. We'll be on high alert as we hike up the mountain," her Link Keith said looking fierce.
An uneasy feeling suddenly curled its way through me. This would be another sad example of the fact that I was the odd man out. Of course, how could I complain about the absence of my Link in a situation that just the other day I was prepared to do alone?
"Ugh, I hope we don't run into spiders when we're hiking," Jenna mumbled.
"What spiders?" I practically screeched. Daemons I could handle, but if a spider fell out of some tree and landed in my hair, I would lose it completely.
"I got your back Sis, don't worry," Shawn teased. He had experienced my bug phobia firsthand when we were picking out furniture together at a garage sale and a big fat hairy spider crawled across the arm of an old recliner we had been contemplating. Needless to say, my screeches could be heard in the next county. After that, I flat out refused to even consider the recliner, convinced that a nest of them was hiding beneath the cushions.
"Thanks," I said, grateful I could always count on my brother.
"So apparently, we have multiple obstacles to face," Shawn said, doing a spectacular impression of Haniel.
His words broke the tension that had enveloped us all since learning that Victor would have multiple Daemons and who knows what else at his disposal.
Shawn's little joke started everyone talking at once. We all seemed to be in fairly good moods considering the uncertainty of the situation. When Jacob's small band arrived, we were all laughing and joking. Haniel of course, took his customary meditative position in the corner of the room. Once again, I was passed around in warm embraces. After the hugs had been issued, I found myself surrounded by my fellow Guides as we chattered about mundane things, steering clear from any subject that was off-limits. I could sense their keen interest in me and knew they had discussed my hybrid powers, but was relieved that none of them asked about them. After a half-an-hour of chitchat, we got ready to head out.
The guys got to work loading up the back of the Explorer with all the gear. They laid the second and third row seats down to maximize space. It was decided that Shawn and Robert would drive the Explorer and the rest of us would ride in the passenger van that John had rented from the airport.
Lynn gave Robert a searing kiss before she climbed into the last row beside Sam and me. The other Guides and Protectors piled into the second and third rows while John and Jacob sat in the driver and passenger seats.
It was a long scenic drive to the Cascade Mountain Range, where Mt. Shasta was located. After several hours, our tired crew finally pulled onto the narrow dirt road that Haniel had marked for us on the map. The trees encroached on the vehicles from all sides with many of the branches trailing along the exterior of the cars. After a quarter of a mile, the narrow lane ended, disappearing into the vast denseness of the mountain terrain. "Amelia's Paul," as we called him, since Jaime's Protector was named Paul also, slid the door open. We all took turns filing out of the large vehicle and standing in the narrow gap of empty space between the van and the forest that threatened to swallow us whole.
"Well this ought to be fun," Lynn muttered to Sam and I as we studied the woods beyond us.
Sam and I both shot her grimacing looks, causing her to burst out laughing which got a questioning look from Robert as he opened up the hatch of the Explorer.
"I wonder where Haniel is," I said to my friends.
"I see you made it here after all," Haniel said, stepping out from the forest in front of us. "I believe the journey should have taken less time to travel," he continued pointedly, looking at the new hiking boots that incased my feet.
I grinned at him sheepishly. "You couldn't expect me to trek through this terrain with my tennis shoes on," I said, trying to defend myself.
"Evidently not," he responded in a way that would have sounded sarcastic coming from anyone else but him.
"Besides, everyone decided t
hat boots were the only way to go," I said, indicating the boot covered feet of all my friends. The whole crew had immediately jumped on board when I noticed a billboard advertising the REI store on the way here. We all made quick work out of finding the right boots and heavy-duty socks. Even the guys, with their tough attitudes didn't want to have to deal with bugs climbing in their shoes.
"I see. A wise decision," Haniel said, dishing out rare praise.
"Exactly," I said impishly before heading off to help my friends divvy up the supplies.
The weight of the food, water, tents and backpacks filled with clothes was distributed evenly between the Protectors. They left the lightweight sleeping bags with shoulder straps for us "delicate Guides," as John put it, to carry. The wise crack of course earned him a firm sock in the arm from Kieran.
"I'll show you delicate," she taunted him, dancing away from as he tried to grab her. "No, way, I'm much too delicate for a big strong man like you to touch," she added, using her supernatural speed to keep herself at arm's length.
"Okay guys, we got a change of plans. The girls will get the heavy stuff," John joked, making a grab for the sleeping bag I had cradled in my arms.
"Uh oh, no way am I lugging all that stuff up the mountain. I'm a delicate girl for sure," I said laughing.
"Me too," Sam chimed in, raising her hand in the air.
"Um, smart move girls," Kieran said, finally stopping long enough for John to catch her. "Whatever would I do without my handsome stud to carry my heavy belongings," Kieran said from the security of John's arms in a voice dripping with southern charm.
"Playing with fire there my dear, you know I can't resist that sweet honey-filled voice," he said huskily before dipping his head down to claim her eager lips.
I turned away quickly, telling myself it was rude to intrude on their intimate moment, but to tell you the truth, I felt a little jealous. Not because I had a thing for John or anything like that. I lusted after the tender, intimate embrace they shared. My friends had been careful about their displays of affection when I was around over the summer, so seeing Kieran and John locked in each other's arms made my knees threaten to buckle. I closed my eyes and forced my emotions back under control.
When I opened my eyes again I saw that Sam was studying me, well aware of what I was feeling. I turned away and pretended to sort through the rest of our provisions.
"Hey, Haniel, how about you teleport our stuff up to the campsite for us," Shawn joked as he threw one of the oversized backpacks onto his back. The two small aluminum pans we had hooked to the side clanged together as he adjusted the straps so the pack would set flush against his back.
"Teleport?" Haniel asked, clearly confused.
"Yeah, you know that whole beam me up Scotty thing."
"Scotty?" Haniel asked, more baffled than ever.
"Shawn, isn't that way before your time? As a matter of fact, that's almost before my time too," Jacob added laughing.
"You wish old man," Shawn said, pretending like he was walking with a cane. He chuckled when Jacob let out a fierce growl and tried to snatch the invisible cane from Shawn's hands. "Kidding man, seriously though, I've been a "Trekkie" for ages. Of course, the last movie didn't do the classics their due justice."
"Hey, I liked the newest one," Sam said, raising her eyes suggestively. "Captain… whatever his name was is hot," she added mischievously.
"I'm sure," Shawn said, swooping her up into his arms.
Sam giggled as he dangled her upside down. "Stop," she gasped, trying to keep her shirt from sliding up.
"Shawn, we could use your help when you're done screwing around," Jacob called from the back of the van where everyone had finished loading up the gear.
I adjusted the straps of the sleeping bag on my back and pulled my iPod out of my pocket. I slipped on my headphones, letting the music drown out my friend's voices. I was overjoyed to be with all of them, but after almost four hours in a van, I craved some space and this was the only way I knew how to get it while being surrounded by so many people.
Chapter 5
It took us most of the day to hike to the temporary campsite Haniel had chosen beforehand. The hiking wasn't as bad as I had originally anticipated although the throbbing blisters on my heels would beg to differ.
The terrain of the mountain slowly changed the further we hiked. The trees now seemed larger and more forbidding. There was a tranquil beauty to the vast wilderness that surrounded us and yet, an eerie feeling that something unexpected could happen at any moment. Strangely though, the weight that had been sitting on my chest for the last two months began to ease and I wasn't sure what to make of it. Was I getting closer to Mark? Within the cloud of unease that had each of the Guides on edge as we trudged along, I could pick up the slightest flicker of pure goodness shining in the midst of it all. Maybe it was coming from our missing pair, but somewhere in my heart of hearts I wanted to believe it belonged to someone else.
Haniel stayed by my side the majority of the afternoon and after several hours I removed my headphones so I could chat with him.
"You are done with your instrument?" He asked, indicating my iPod Touch.
"iPod Touch," I corrected. "Yeah, I love music, but after a while it begins to give me a headache."
"I see," he said. "So, tell me what you have learned about this mountain," he continued, making it clear that my recent research hadn't gone unnoticed.
I smiled at him sheepishly before plunging in with the details I had come across. "The legends go back many years. The townspeople believe that hidden beneath the mountaintop is an entire sunken continent called Lemuria. They believe it is inhabited by mystical beings, even to this day. I'm sure Victor has used the legend to take control of the mountaintop. The townspeople believe the dark and evil undertones of the mountain come from the inhabitants of the lost continent as a warning to stay away. They respect the legends and treat this mountain as sacred ground."
"Very good, Victor has found the inner catacombs of the mountain and has been using it for his purposes for many years. The Light has informed me that The Dark one plans on using Victor and this mountain to try to take over what The Light has created. They will be stopped."
"What is Mark's role in all of this?" I asked quietly, hoping my friends couldn't hear.
"His plans are murky at the moment. It is unclear what path he will ultimately decide to take."
"So, there is hope?" I asked.
"Krista, there is always hope. At one time even Victor stood on the pinnacle of hope before he leapt into the darkness he shrouds himself in," Haniel said, making his point clear. There was always a chance of hope, but the question was, could that small chance of hope ward off the evilness that was eagerly waiting to suck it in?
"Then I choose to hope," I said stubbornly.
"That Krista is one of your greatest virtues. You put your heart and soul into what you believe."
"Yep, I'm a regular cup half-full kinda girl."
"What cup are you referring to?"
"Never mind, it's just a phrase we use to show when we're optimistic."
"Ah yes, well, optimism is good."
"Haniel, Is this the spot you marked on the map?" John called from the front of our pack.
I was startled to see that Haniel and I had allowed a gap of about a hundred yards to grow between us and the others. Picking up our pace, we finally stepped into a small flat clearing where the rest of our group was waiting. We had been hiking up a fairly steady incline the entire day, so it was clear why Haniel chose this relatively flat spot for us to make camp. The clearing was unobstructed by trees, leaving a clear view of the majestic snow-covered peak. Judging by the dark ominous looking clouds starting to roll in, it was clear we could be in for some heavy snow. The temperature had definitely dropped the higher we had climbed. I untied my hoodie from around my waist and slid it over my long-sleeved shirt.
"This is the location," Haniel said. "It is imperative that you set up camp immedia
tely. Victor is undoubtedly aware of our presence and you will need to prepare for what could come. I must now meet with The Light," he said, stepping out of the clearing into the dark woods beyond. "Do not tarry," he added before disappearing into the trees.
"Sheesh, talk about trying to freak us out," Jaime grumbled, dropping the double-sized sleeping bag she had been carrying onto the ground.
"It's fine babe, we'll have the tents up and nets around our campsite in no time flat." Paul said, pulling Jaime in for a quick hug.
"I'm not worried," she said, clearly offended. "I was just pointing out that after spending thousands of years with humans, you would think Haniel would have a little more tact. Especially with the youngins' around," she added jokingly, knowing it bugged the guys to be called that.
"Ha, that's so funny," Robert said sarcastically, dropping his pack to the ground.
Within minutes we had all the supplies lined up on the oversized tarps that we brought to cover the ground. The guys made quick work of erecting the three tents and then went to work stringing up the mesh netting that Shawn had reassured me would keep out most of the creepy crawlies.
Kim, Kieran and Sam set up a mock kitchen area and started preparing dinner on the campfire that John had started. Since it would have been disastrous if Lynn, Jaime, Jenna and I helped in the kitchen, we instead unrolled the sleeping bags and got busy placing them in the appropriate tents. I couldn't help crinkling up my nose as I crawled into one of the tents dragging a sleeping bag behind me. The smell of the nylon material triggered unpleasant memories from my childhood when I had gotten the flu while camping.
"Ugh," I muttered as the smell crowded my senses.
"That's right, I forgot you hated "tent smell," Lynn said, climbing in behind me. "Are you going to be okay sleeping in here?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine, besides I'm not sure how much sleeping I'll be doing anyway. The nightmares so don't make sleeping worth it," I said, smoothing out the second sleeping bag.