Envisioned (The Elemental Prophecy) (36 page)

The Court was the largest room I had ever set foot in. It was enormous, with giant pillars towering up to a ceiling at least forty feet above my head. The ceiling domed upward in the center, and a huge painting of all of the Gods spread within the dome. Floor to ceiling windows were housed throughout the walls, which were each embellished with a mural depicting an Element.

Eight gold thrones sat parallel to the far wall, which was adorned with bright flames emblazoned in hues of red, yellow, and orange. I glanced back at the wall behind us, which had waves swirling in various shades of blue. The wall to our left displayed clouds in tones of white and gray set against a pale blue sky. The wall to our right boasted trees, plants, and earth in tints of green and brown, along with mixtures of the two.

The guards continued to escort us towards the thrones, eliciting a feeling of deja vu from yesterday. Had it really only been yesterday that I had to watch Jace whipped after having our mark stripped from my flesh? A shudder ran through me at the thoughts of yesterday's events.

The benches lining the aisle we were walking down were packed with people, no doubt here to see the One be tortured and possibly executed. My mind was dominated by thoughts of what the High Council would do to us. Would they kill us both on the spot? Imprison us in some otherworldly jail? Or my worst fear, separate us until we died.

Stop thinking like that,
Jace scolded.

I can't help it!

Just think happy thoughts,
he replied. All of a sudden, a animated
slideshow of Jace and I played in my head, with some images portraying memories, while others looked like glimpses of our future—Jace and I dressed in a wedding gown and tuxedo, us making love on our wedding night, Jace kissing my huge, pregnant belly, and then Jace and I each holding a baby. Tears welled in my eyes from the images, and I looked at Jace, who had a sad smile on his face.
They are supposed to make you happy, mi amante, not make you cry,
he said as he squeezed my hand tighter.

They're perfect, Jace. I will cherish them forever,
I replied as we stopped before the High Council. It didn't matter what we had to go through because the images Jace had shown me would always give me hope and determination. Nothing was going to prevent me from creating those memories with Jace. I wiped my eyes, and stood tall, waiting to hear their judgments against us. The Oracle shimmered into place next to me, giving me a small smirk before turning to face the High Council.

The High Council consisted of four males and four females, all of which had pure, long white hair. Jace had told me earlier that each Element was represented by both genders, and they were seated as such, each wearing a robe in their Elemental color with their Elemental symbol displayed proudly in the center. The two Air Elders were seated to the far left, their white robes looking like an extension of their snowy locks. To the right of them sat the two Fire Elders, followed by the Earth Elders, and finally the Water Elders anchored the High Council on the far right.

The male Fire Elder stood before addressing the court, “We are here today to pass judgment on the two Elementals before us, Jace Vasquez and Brielle De Luca, on the counts of blasphemy, assault, destruction of property, and four counts of first degree murder.”

The crowd went into an uproar, yelling obscenities at us and booing. I rolled my eyes at the display as the male Fire Elder yelled, “ORDER! Order in the court!”

All sound lowered to a murmur before completely extinguishing. The Fire Elder continued, “We have several witness statements supporting the charges, along with witness testimony. How do you plead?”

“Not guilty. We were defen—"

“Silence! We do not wish to hear your lies!”

The Oracle spoke next, “They have the right to defend themselves.”

“You are lucky to not be standing trial with them for your blasphemy regarding your so-called prophecy,” the female Water Elder spat.

“The Prophecy is real. The One stands before you now,” the Oracle countered.

The crowd gasped and began to talk all at once, just like the crowd back on Santa Catalina. Murmurs of “the One'” sounded all around us before the male Earth Elder stood and yelled, “Lies! All lies! Do not listen to her!”

One person in the crowd stood and shouted, “But she is our Oracle. She knows all!”

“We hereby strip her of her power. She is no longer our Oracle, and believing her lies will result in penalty,” the female Fire Elder stated in a desperate attempt to regain control. The crowd was on the verge of rioting, out of control with people arguing for and against the High Council.

“You hold no such authority. Only the Gods can strip me of my power,” the Oracle calmly stated. Fights started to break out in the Court, the mob mentality fully taking hold of the crowd as they threw punches and kicks.

“You,” the male Fire Elder seethed as he pointed at me, “this is all your fault! You are guilty! Seize her!”

Jace moved in front of me, blocking me from the advancing guards. His hands blazed with fire as I armed myself with my Akasha. Audible gasps reverberated around us from the sight of Akasha lighting up my palms. “The One!” was shouted from all directions, but my focus was on the High Council, who all stood and directed their attention to us. Their eyes were all illuminated with their respective color as they summoned their Elements in preparation to attack us.

Jace was already engaged in battle with the guards, shooting fireballs and dodging Water and Earth attacks. More guards rushed in from side doors, and fear took hold of me as I saw that several of them held the Elemental guns we had seen back on the island. I wasn't sure if my Air shield would deflect the bullets, but I would keep it up as long as I could.

I erected my shield around Jace and I just as the High Council directed their hands toward us. I concentrated on our invisible armor as the various assaults pelted the outside. At first, all of the attacks, including the bullets, ricocheted off the exterior, but the constant barrage deteriorated the strength of my Air. I focused everything I had into our force-field as spots speckled my vision and the room swayed around me. Several attacks penetrated the shield, some hitting Jace and I, while others darted by. I knew I had to do something fast, before I passed out. I pulled all the power from my Elements and directed it into my shield before expelling it outwards, just as I did when Kiera and my dad attacked me, except with more force. The images Jace had shown me flashed in my mind before the familiar blackness drowned me.

My body trembled as I began to stir. My eyes fluttered opened to the face of a terrified Jace, who softly smiled when our eyes connected. He helped me sit up slowly, and I took in my surroundings—the pillars lay lopsided against the walls, benches were littered around the room, and glass from the shattered windows peppered the floor. All of the thrones were overturned, and everyone but the male Fire Elder and female Water Elder of the High Council were lying unconscious near the back wall.

The Elders were arguing with the Oracle and a familiar man. It dawned on me that the man was Zeus, and I immediately feared that I had royally fucked up to warrant his presence.
It's okay, he's here to defend us,
Jace informed me.

This perplexed me. Why would he intervene on my behalf? If what Jace said about the Gods not caring about their descendants was true, then why would Zeus be here to defend me?

“Do not question me!” Zeus boomed. The two Elders sank to their knees and bowed their heads, submitting to Zeus' command. “They are to be pardoned of all charges and left unharmed. That is final,” he continued.

“Yes, Almighty Zeus,” they said in unison.

“Anyone of the High Council or its followers that disobeys my command will be punished as I see fit. Understood?”

“Yes, Almighty Zeus,” they repeated. The Oracle looked at me sadly, and I wondered why, especially due to the fact we were given a full pardon.

Jace helped me stand and we walked over to Zeus and the Oracle.
What happened?

You created a sonic boom. Almost everyone was knocked unconscious. I think you even killed some people.

Oh, God! Not anyone from the crowd, right?

I'm not sure, mi amante,
Jace uncomfortably replied. It made me sick to think I might have killed some innocent bystanders. I needed to get better control of using my combined elements so that I didn't kill or hurt more innocent people. Yet another task to add to the list before setting out on our journey.

Many more innocent people will be hurt or killed if Uranus returns, just remember that. You are doing all of this to stop him,
Jace said, attempting to make me feel better. It worked slightly, but I was still disgusted with myself. I couldn't even force myself to look at the damage I had caused. I was such a coward.

“You are not a coward,” Zeus chuckled. We were now standing in front of him and the Oracle. “You did what you needed to do to save yourself and your flame. You are much more important than any of these people here.”

I gave him a small smile, “Thank you for intervening—I don't think it would have ended well if you hadn't.”

Just then, the room trembled around us. Zeus and the Oracle's eyes diverted somewhere behind me, and I turned, horrified at what I saw. Hades stood in the middle of the room, amidst the debris I had caused. He greedily eyed me from head to toe, causing a chill to run over my skin. His image was identical to that of my nightmare's.

“What are you doing here, Hades?” Zeus asked angrily.

“Righting several wrongs, brother. This 'One' of yours has done so much, yet is not held accountable for her actions. She murdered four Elders yesterday, and possibly several here today, yet she goes unpunished. How is that fair?”

“Are you questioning your ruler and king?!”

“Why are you avoiding the question? You are intervening in matters that do not concern you, Zeus. You yourself said that we are not to interfere in the lives of mortals, yet here you are, offering unfair assistance to the One.”

“These Elementals are blinded by their fear of her. Her death dooms us all. I could not allow them to kill her,” Zeus countered.

“Since you have been interfering, it is only fair that I am allowed to interfere, as well. A test to prove she is worthy of the Gods' efforts,” Hades suggests.

“There will be no such test! I know when you have ulterior motives, Hades, and this scheme has just that,” Zeus replied.

“She needs consequences for her actions, brother! She abuses the powers she was given. Look around you!” Hades screamed, motioning to the destruction and bodies around the room. “If this isn't reason enough, maybe I should summon the Moirai to see how they feel about you interfering with Fate.”

I knew Hades didn't give a flying fuck about the people I killed or the destruction I caused. He wanted an excuse to steal my powers for himself, if that's even possible. The look on Zeus' face showed that his hands were tied. He had interfered, and it was only fair that his brothers, Hades and Poseidon, were allowed the same given they were supposed to share authority with Zeus. I'd rather go to the depths of the ocean with Poseidon than spend one minute in the Underworld with Hades. Zeus turned to me and said, “I'm sorry, my child, but Hades is right. My interference here today allows him to do the same. I do not want to chance the Moirai punishing either one of us for my actions.”

“This is all just a ploy to steal my powers. You can't let him do this!” I pleaded.

“What did you have in mind, Hades?” Zeus asked, ignoring my plea.

“A test for her and her flame to prove their worthiness. I take her to the Underworld, and he has three days to rescue her.”

“We can't be apart for that long! We will die!” I argued.

“Zeus can extend the separation period to three days for this test, can't you, brother? You will still experience all of the pain and side effects from your separation, however you will not die for three days of being apart.”

“Why three days?”

“Three days of being in the Underworld will cause your soul to separate from your body, even if you are not dead. Then, you will become a permanent resident,” Hades creepily replied with a smirk.

I'm sure that was his intention—me as a permanent resident in his realm. Once I died, I'm sure he planned to try and take my powers for himself, just like my nightmare depicted.