Envisioned (The Elemental Prophecy) (23 page)

“I won't let you down, I promise,” she said, grasping my hands in hers.

“I know,” I said pulling her into another hug. “I want to hear what Zane found out,” I told her before I stood up and walked over to Jace and Zane. Jace opened his arms to me, and I gladly entered his embrace. He wrapped his arms around me, and kissed the top of my head. “You okay, mi amante?”

I nodded, and then turned around to face Zane, my back now against Jace's torso. I looked up at Zane as I asked, “What did you learn?”

“Let's all sit down so I can explain everything,” he replied. We all sat in the living room, and my leg bounced up and down nervously as I waited for him to continue. “I don't even know where to start,” Zane said. He blew out his breath before continuing, “Not much is documented on Akasha, however, what is mentioned is amazing. Akasha is said to be pure energy, so powerful that some say it can obliterate anything it touches. Some have described it as similar to Zeus' lightning bolt, only more powerful. The problem with all the theories is that they are mainly speculation since no one has ever seen Akasha.”

“Is there any research on Akasha and Brielle?” Jace asked.

“There's some. They have documented that the One will be able to harness Akasha, which is thought to be the only way to defeat a God. Many believe this is why the Elders discount the Prophecy since their main purpose is to serve the Gods. They don't want any opposition or threat to them.”

“So they just want Uranus to come back and unleash Hell?” I asked.

“No, but they believe the Gods will protect them in exchange for their servitude.”

Jace laughed, “That's ridiculous. The Gods will do what they have to protect themselves. They will not waste their time trying to save any of us.”

“It gets worse. My contacts said that they have heard the Elders discussing disposing of the One.”
“Disposing? What do you mean disposing?” Jace asked angrily.

“Listen, bro, don't kill the messenger. They are searching for Brielle, but they still don't know who she is. They disregarded the Prophecy for so long, so they didn't bother searching for the One. The Elders sense the surge of power since Brielle awakened, but they haven't been able to place her, which I think is partly due to the protection of the Oracle. But, if they find her, they plan to capture her and, uh…” he trailed off, obviously uncomfortable with what he planned to say next.

“What Zane? They plan to do what?!” Jace roared.

Zane stayed silent, staring at his feet. “Please, bro, just tell me,” Jace said, slightly calmer than before.

“They plan to kill her,” Zane said softly, bordering on a whisper. Jace swiftly stood and proceeded to punch a hole through the wall between the living room and dining room before storming out of the house and into the backyard.

“Maybe I should go talk to him,” Zane offered.

“No, he needs to destroy some shit and blow off some steam. You know how he gets sometimes. Tell me how I can harness Akasha,” I stated. Jace was furious, I could feel it. I should be feeling the same, but for some reason I was almost numb, my only sense of emotion streaming from Jace.

“Well, there is no evidence on whether or not this is possible, but it is said that the One must merge all of their Elements and pull the fusion into themselves. From then on, they will be able to summon Akasha.”

“That seems too simple. There has to be more to it,” I contemplated aloud.

“If you believe the theories, you are the only one with the genetic structure capable of harnessing Akasha. There probably is more to it that isn't documented. I'm sorry that I can't be of more help,” Zane apologized.

“You gave me more information than I had half an hour ago, so thank you,” I replied. “I better go check on Jace,” I said. I copied his path, minus the wall-punch, and found him angrily shooting fireballs at one of the larger rocks near the edge of our backyard. I cautiously approached, and called out to him from a few feet away, “Wanna talk about it?”

The fireballs ceased as he turned to look at me. Our gazes locked as I waited for him to respond. After a couple of minutes, he finally replied, “Aren't you upset?”

“A little, but nothing compares to the way I felt when I almost lost you,” I answered. I knew I should be furious, that I should be sobbing my eyes out or screaming at the top of my lungs because of what Zane had just told me. Ever since that day, I couldn't focus on my emotions. I had put up a wall to keep the sadness, guilt, and anger with myself from escaping and drowning me like those Elementals almost drowned Jace.

“Are you still hung up on that?” he asked, scoffing in disbelief. After a few seconds, he screamed, “I'M FINE!!! GET OVER IT BRIELLE!!!”

I stared at him in shock. He had never yelled at me like that before. Tears consumed my eyes as I turned and started back toward the house. I did not need this on top of everything else I was trying to deal with. I was barely holding it together as it is. Jace ran to catch up to me, blocking my path as he apologized, “I'm sorry, mi amante. Let's talk. Please?”

I tried to maneuver around him, but he managed to stop me each time. I huffed in frustration, and conceded to talking to him. “What?” I asked, angrily. I could feel my fury overpowering his as his emotions morphed to regret and concern.

“Look, I'm sorry I yelled at you, but I'm just angry. Everyone is trying to take you away from me, to hurt you, maybe even kill you, and you're still fixated on my near death experience. I'm not what matters here, Brie.”

“You are what matters to me! You're everything! Don't you get that?! I don't care about the Prophecy, the Elders, or the Gods—I care about you!” I shouted back.

“Then why the obsession with your powers and Akasha?”

“Because I wasn't strong enough to protect you last time! I need to be stronger!”

Jace opened his mouth to speak, but changed his mind and closed it. He pulled me to him, and just held me in silence. I could hear his heart thudding as my head pressed against his chest. Nothing else mattered to me besides the beat of his heart, my home. I closed my eyes and let the precious sound envelop me, drowning out everything else. Once his heart ceased beating, the same fate would befall mine. Even if I could live without him, I wouldn't want to now. Hell, I wouldn't be able to after everything. The years of dreams, the love we've shared, and all we've experienced together in such a short time has interconnected us so deeply that there is no possible way to separate one from the other. Our souls would never survive it.

“I love you. We'll get through this,” he whispered, breaking the silence.

“Promise?” I asked softly.

“I promise, mi amante. You know I will never let anything happen to you,” he replied.

“I know,” was my simple response. And I did know. There was no doubt about it—engrained in every fiber of my being was the fact that we both would protect each other with our lives. I looked up into his beautiful, warm eyes, my chin resting on his chest as I gave him a small smile. “Are you ready to go back inside?” I asked.

“Yeah. I'm sorry I reacted that way, but you are my weakness. Everything else I can handle.”

I laughed softly, “You're my weakness, too. I'm afraid that has been, and will continue to be, used against me.”

We started walking back into the house, hand in hand. Zane and Kimber were still in the living room, concern written on both their faces. As we reached the living room, Zane stood and said, “I'm sorry, bro, I didn't mean to upset you. Just relaying the info.”

“I know, man. I'm the one that should be sorry. This is not your fault, at all. I shouldn't take it out on you,” Jace replied apologetically.

“No worries. I would be furious if you told me that about Kimber. I'd probably uproot the whole house,” he joked.

We all laughed, severing most of the tension in the room. Zane filled Jace in on what he missed after he left the room. Jace was skeptical, and started a barrage of questions, which Zane didn't have answers to. This left both of them frustrated, and Zane decided to leave and do more research. Kimber promised she'd text me if Zane found anything, but Jace insisted that Zane call him immediately with any new information. Kimber and I both rolled our eyes and smiled. We both knew that she was still going to text me, no matter what Jace or Zane said.

After they left, I was eager to talk to Jace about his thoughts on Akasha with the new information, limited as it was. Plus, we still had some hours left to practice some more, and I didn't want to waste any time. If Elementals, the Elders, and Uranus were coming for me, I was going to be prepared. “So, what do you think about everything?” I asked Jace as we sat together on the couch.

Jace released his breath in a huff. “I'm not thrilled about it. I don't like the idea of using your body as a vessel for Akasha, and I definitely don't like that the Elders want to capture and possibly kill you.”

“If Zane is right, my body is made for Akasha, so there's nothing to worry about.”

“I'm not willing to test our lives on a theory,” he commented.

Jace was right. If I accidentally killed myself harnessing Akasha, I would be signing his death certificate, also. I shouldn't be so careless, but I had to protect us. If I didn't train, if I didn't fulfill the Prophecy, we would both be dead anyway.

“You have to trust me. I know I can do this,” I pleaded.

He sighed, which I caused him to do a lot, and took my hand in his, “If anything happens to you Brie, I swear to God, I will…”

I stopped him, putting my free hand to his lips, “Nothing will happen to me. Stop being so negative.”

“Fine, let's go practice before I change my mind,” he said in defeat.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I squealed in excitement as I jumped and wrapped my legs around his waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck and quickly kissed him before untangling myself and sprinting into the backyard, with Jace laughing as he trailed behind me.

The night sky was completely black, the stars seemingly devoid of light, and the stench of sulfur permeated the air. I could hear screeching, along with the flapping of wings, but the poisoned atmosphere stung my eyes, blurring them and obscuring my vision. It didn't matter, I knew she was there. I could feel her fear wrenching my soul apart. I rubbed at my eyes, clearing them well enough to see the Cyclops restraining her, keeping her from coming to me. Tears streamed down her face as she fought against him, her powers almost completely drained, the silver in her eyes diminished.

Some invisible barrier was preventing me from reaching her. I threw myself against it, only to be thrown back ten feet. I got back up, and threw myself at it again and again, bruising my body to no avail. I pounded against my invisible prison, desperate to save her. I threw fireball after fireball, which bounced back effortlessly, some hitting me harmlessly before landing on the earth. As I reared back to throw myself again, the Cyclops threw her up into the talons of a Harpie, who dragged her up into the dark night until I could no longer see her. “NOOOO!!!!!!!” I screamed as I sat up, back in my bed. I gasped for air as I frantically checked for Brielle, who was surprisingly undisturbed by my outburst. She slept peacefully next to me, and my rapidly beating heart calmed some. I usually didn't wake her, but this nightmare rattled me to my core; I needed to hold her, to feel her heart beat, to hear her lungs breathe in air.

I lightly traced the edges of her face with the backs of my fingers, caressing her soft, creamy skin. Her eyes fluttered open, taking a few seconds to adjust before registering my face. She softly smiled, and snuggled closer to me. I breathed in her scent, letting it envelop and soothe my tumultuous emotions. I savored the feel of her skin against mine, cherishing the fact that she was with me, even if the nightmares foretold otherwise. I ran my fingers through her hair, and she responded with a sound of pleasure, almost like a purr. Then she asked, “Everything okay, my love?”

“Yeah, just the nightmare. Really got to me this time,” I replied.

“Wanna talk about it?” she mumbled, her cheek pressed under mine. The warmth of her skin comforted me more, knowing she was safe and warm with life, not cold from the grasp of death.

“Nah. Go back to sleep, mi amante. I just needed to hold you. I'm sorry for waking you,” I said, kissing her on the forehead.

“I wake you with mine all the time so don't apologize. I love you.”

“Until my last heartbeat,” I said, stifling a yawn. I didn't want to go back to sleep, my need to protect Brielle opposing my exhaustion. Even though I tried to fight it, sleep eventually overcame me.