Cataclysm (5 page)

I scanned below, looking for whatever Athen must have spotted, when I noticed a pile of boulders. One boulder, in particular, caught my eye, as it was shifted into place magically with no one near it. The boulder moved to the left quickly and then sunk into the ground’s surface.

Sure Cyril couldn’t have witnessed this from his angle on the tree, I messaged him.
“Tunnels. They’ve made tunnels.”

Athen turned around and darted to the tree that I was perched in. I reached for his hand, gently squeezing it to signal it was time for our departure. Nodding his head, he swung me on his back, as we dropped to the forest floor. Cyril landed right behind us, and we took off down the mountain. There’s no way to know how many are in the tunnels, and now wasn’t the time to find out. Securing my grip around Athen as he propelled down the mountain, I was relieved to be leaving it behind.

The cool wind of the forest changed to the warm wind of the meadows, as we sped down the mountain with the knowledge that we would be back, but we needed more than just we three.

Pulling down the driveway to our Kingston home was exactly where we needed to be. The bright green ferns had unrolled their beautiful fronds, as if they were deliberately saying hi to us as they danced to the dips of the wind. I was very happy about the thought of getting to regroup here. The memories of being at this house, always grounded me. Hopefully, they would do the same for Cyril. The sky maintained its beautiful blue for the entire car ride back to Kingston. Cyril turned down the driveway behind us, which made my anxiety level raise a little.

“Do you think we’ll be able to expose enough of Azazel’s tricks to where Cyril won’t fall for one of Azazel’s traps, regardless how elaborate?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answer.

“If Arie thought that was a possibility, then I think all we can do is believe that we can pull this off. There are a lot of families to choose from. I think the sooner he hears straight from the family members who have already lost their loved ones, the better.”

“Yeah, it really does seem like there are a lot out there that this has happened to,” I said, shaking my head. “I can’t take much more of any of this. I feel like a horrible being.”

“No kidding. Arie owes us for this,” Athen scoffed.

“I don’t think Cyril will see it like that. Arie wanted me to reach out to her within a day or so of the Awakening, so that’s first on my to-do list. Although, I’m not sure it’s a true Awakening since she may never have left completely in the first place,” I muttered.

Cyril pulled his car next to us in the garage and shut off the engine. Taking a deep breath in, I quickly glanced at Athen who caught my eyes, nodding.

With the sheets pulled up to my chin, my eyes flashed open. Trying to quietly calm myself, I didn’t want to divulge this nightmare. It would do nothing but distract us from our bigger goal. We had to protect the mortals. What happened to me didn’t matter any longer. However, thinking that didn’t stop the worry that was crashing through my body like a tidal wave. I didn’t want to believe the images I saw, but I knew they were not to be ignored.

My nightmare was filled with nothing but images of me following Azazel everywhere and not by choice. I was shackled to him. My soul was no longer my own. I belonged to Azazel. Wherever he went, I followed. When he wasn’t near me, I was left with my feet and wrists shackled. The fear that this dream sequence left in its place was overwhelming, but I had to shake it. This was exactly how Azazel was thrown out of heaven, with his feet and hands shackled. Now it seemed like the images made it my fate too.

I was part of the monstrous, dark underworld. My dream didn’t tell me if it was because of a choice I had made, or because we lost the battle. The emptiness that filled my soul from those brief images, shook me to my core.

Turning over to snuggle up to Athen, I hoped feeling his body would somehow distract me from rehashing the visions. I slipped my arm over his back, getting as close to him as possible.

“Ana, you’ve done everything you can. We both know if you turned yourself over to Azazel, he’d still want a piece of the mortals. This battle is happening regardless of what side you’re on. His issue is that he knows how vital you are to our success. He doesn’t want you leading the white demons. Don’t be fooled. This battle is happening no matter where you land. The problem is that Azazel happens to want you to land on his side.”

Taking a deep breath in, I let Athen’s words sink in slowly. I hoped they would take the place of the worry, but as of now, they weren’t.

“I don’t understand how I can let myself focus on the negatives over and over again. So much positive is happening every moment of every day, and I get something stuck in my head and beat it to death.” I found myself fixating a little, which was not a trait I enjoyed exhibiting.

“We all face those internal struggles, sweetie. If someone receives a compliment and an insult on the same day, nine times out of ten, it’s the insult that stays with the person longer.”

Nodding my head, I knew he was right.

“It’s the people who know this, and use it to their advantage, that we have to worry about. It’s a powerful thing to be able to shift another’s entire well-being with a few words or an action.” His finger was tracing my arm. “It’s a sad thing when people think it’s okay to put others down, but it’s because they are lacking in their own life. We have to remember that. We’re gonna get through this.”

Hearing those words created a slight sense of relief. I wanted to live my life with Athen for all eternity. I didn’t want to be tricked into the dark side of the underworld. I didn’t want Cyril to be fooled either. I would do my best to ensure that my bad dreams didn’t become a reality.

“Maybe, this will make you feel a little better,” Athen whispered, as he turned me onto my back.

“Right here, in your arms, is where I’ll always want to be,” he spoke softly into my ear. His eyes flashed, and the closeness of his breath hovered over my skin, creating a desire that wouldn’t stop.

My fingers ran through his hair, as he gently kissed my neck. His intoxicating effect brought me to another place of happiness. It allowed me to leave all of my worries for another time.

“You are the sweetest man, I’ve ever encountered,” I proclaimed, bringing him closer to me.

“And you are the most sensational woman.” His lips brought a tenderness to my being. His eyes caught mine, and he wouldn’t let go as our souls intertwined. He brought me to that place of serenity that only we two could understand.

***

I was bundled up in one of my favorite velour robes, sitting out on our bedroom deck, sipping a cup of tea that Athen had prepared for me. The morning view of the sparkling sound was the motivation I needed. Reaching out to Arie was a must. It would tell us if our plan worked or not.

The door behind me opened, and Athen sat next to me on the other chair.

“How’s he doing?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“Well, I’ve lined up a few families that he and I can visit today.” His lips pursed, shaking his head. “I hope my sister was right about this entire thing. It’s hard to believe that she thought Cyril was so close to being swayed to the other side. Her thinking that keeping him in a constant pursuit of getting her back would be enough of a distraction seems like a long shot.”

Shrugging my shoulders, I didn’t really have an answer. It seemed kind of far-fetched, but she seemed pretty certain.

“I know. I shouldn’t second-guess everything. I mean she’s already gone, but I just hope she’s right,” he said.

“Me too,” I murmured as I thought about the families Athen was going to take Cyril to today. Taking a sip of my Oolong tea, I turned to Athen.

“She implied to me that she knew he was in contact with Azazel or some of his minions. I think that’s what threw her over the edge. Does he know you’re taking him to visit people today?” I asked.

“Yeah, he seemed interested, actually. Probably hoping to keep his mind off things.”

“I personally hope that when I show up at her hotel, things start to trigger her memories. I’m so scared about none of the memsors working. What if it was just a fluke with you?” I asked, shaking my head. “I think I’m going to drive myself crazy,” I said, standing up.

“I’ve gotta get my clothes on and dry my hair. The sooner I track her down, the quicker we’ll know what kind of mess we’re dealing with.” I brushed his leg.

“Between watching you fight those demons, and this, you are driving me absolutely mad,” he said, lifting me up and spinning me around.

“I had no idea how sexy you could make this process, or that it would affect me like this.” His grin was lighting up the deck.

“I was wondering why you were watching me fight those demons on the mountain,” I exclaimed, kissing his neck. “Now let me down, you weirdo!”

***

Arie was staying at the Westin in Seattle. At least, that’s where she was supposed to be. According to what Cyril had just seen during the Awakening with her, it looked like that’s where she ended up. The images fit perfectly. I was filled with excitement and fear. In less than an hour, I was going to find out if our plan worked. Either the memsors worked, or they didn’t. I shuddered at the idea of that last thought. The ramifications of her not remembering me would go a lot deeper than with just our family. A war was looming, and an army needed to be built, and we didn’t have time for any kinks.

Pulling off the ferry, I saw lines and lines of cars waiting to drive onto the ferry to head back to Kingston. I let my mind wander to the rest of the day’s activities. I had the stack of items Arie had wanted to bring as memsors. We couldn’t afford to wait for months. Even with the memsors, it still took Athen months. I needed her back today, foggy or not.

My iPhone’s melody began ringing through the car, distracting me from my useless thoughts.

“On,” I spoke to the hands-free unit.

“Hey, Sweetie. Just wanted to fill you in,” Athen’s voice drifted through the speakers. “We’ve already met with the first family.”

“You’re kidding! Did their story make an impact?” I spoke louder than usual with the car noise rumbling through.

“To put it lightly. You know, my worry with this plan is that he’s going to figure out the connection of Arie planning her own attack. He’s not going to handle that well no matter who tells him. However, I can tell you that the news coming from us would be a lot different coming than if it came from her.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” I reminded him. “I’m still on my way to see if she’ll even remember us. One step at a time, right hun?”

“No, I know. They also mentioned that Azazel targeted more than one family member.”

“Whoa. Only one fell for it?” I asked.

“Yeah, poor guys.” Athen paused for a few moments. “I’m gonna take him to one more family up in Bellingham before calling it a day.”

“Love you too.” The phone clicked, and my music instantly turned back on, pounding the lyrics of 3OH!3’s
Set You Free
through the car.

Driving off the ramp to Seattle made my insides flutter. So much was riding on this. If she didn’t remember me soon, we’d have to move on without her and hope after the battles were over, that we’d all be around to reconnect with her. Letting my mind go down that path, made my nerves get a little frazzled. I didn’t want anything to go wrong. Finding a Starbucks, I swung into the parking lot. I needed a Chai Tea to calm myself before making my way to the Westin.

***

It seemed like the longest elevator ride in the history of modern civilization. I wasn’t sure what to expect. With a huge bag swung over my shoulder, all I could do was hope that I would at least get the chance to spread some of the memsors from the bag out in front of her, even if she didn’t remember me. As long as Arie looked at Matilda’s collar, we had a shot. If she hadn’t found the first memsor, this was pretty pointless.