Relentless (53 page)

He looked up into her face, tears streaming out of him.

She leaned in closer to him and smiled, holding his eyes in gentle contact.

‘‘But
who you are
. . .’’ she said, placing a hand over his chest, ‘‘is
indestructible
.’’

A gust of air escaped his lips as his chest collapsed, and he cried in tremendous heaves.

Julie squeezed his hand. Grant cried out and threw himself around her shoulders, holding her tight.

And he felt the warmth of her heart flowing through him.

The tears came down but they were different than before. Now they were strengthening him.

After a long squeeze, he let her go, and Julie backed up to stand beside his mother.

They both watched him, beaming with warm smiles.

Swimming in the warm feelings they flooded him with, Grant squared his shoulders.

He placed one hand on the cloudy ground beneath him.

And very slowly, he extended his legs.

The moment he was on his feet again, reality returned and he was inside the crumbling underground structure.

The ring on his finger—the Seal of Dominion—was glowing too brightly to look at. Its shimmering light filled up the entire chamber.

Still the Keeper stood there watching him, oblivious to the danger.

Grant took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Peacefully.

He turned to face his grandfather.

And the earthquake immediately stopped.

Grant knew without seeing that the violence raging in the skies above, outside, had vanished also.

The Seal stopped glowing, as if someone had simply unplugged it.

But the underground structure was too far gone, and it continued its imminent collapse.

The Keeper’s eyes grew big, disbelief written across his face. ‘‘What are you
doing
? Your hour is at hand! The prophecy—’’

Grant didn’t react. He only looked at the old man in pity.

‘‘The Secretum wants to twist you and use you for their own purposes! But I made you master of your own fate! Will you so easily throw away the control I’ve given you?’’

Grant spoke softly. ‘‘In all this time, has it never occurred to you that perhaps none of
us
are the ones in control?’’

He turned away from him and walked to where the Dominion Stone stood on its easel. The spotlight that had shown upon it had long since fallen there in the dying building. But the tablet itself stood upright, stubbornly clinging to its easel.

He pushed the whole thing over.

‘‘What are you
doing
?’’ the Keeper screamed.

‘‘Making my choice,’’ Grant replied simply.

The Keeper stared at Grant, thunderstruck yet making no move to stop him or even flee. ‘‘The Secretum is forever, boy! Even if I fall, another will take my place!’’

Grant walked calmly away, though he could hear his grandfather’s voice screaming, fading in the distance . . .

‘‘You really think you can
resist
the Seal of Dominion?! Your destiny is written in stone! You may keep it at bay for a time, but the Seal is chaos, and it cannot be restrained!’’

The structure finally collapsed and came to a rest behind Grant, his grandfather’s echoes dying away, as he found his way back to the elevator.

Great billows of smoke chased him up the elevator shaft. He was forced to exit through the subway, as more quakes on the surface had collapsed much of the Wagner Building.

Ascending the subway stairs, he was greeted by blue skies and the light of a bright, beautiful, cloudless morning.

Cresting the top of the stairs and out onto the sidewalk, he found the others there waiting for him. But they weren’t looking at him.

An enormous crowd had gathered, watching them. Quizzical expressions colored the spectators’ faces. Every age, every race, every working class, every walk of life was represented among those who looked at the long line of men and women who had emerged from the collapsing building they stood before.

Grant, Alex, Morgan, Payton, Fletcher, Daniel, Lisa, and over a dozen others stood side-by-side in a row, stunned at the sight of the sea of people before them.

The world had just changed in plain view of everyone there. It would never be the same again.

No one spoke, as both sides of this strange spectacle looked at the other in consternation.

Grant’s group certainly appeared the most bizarre, especially Grant himself. He was covered in soot and grime and blood, his clothes were torn, his hair was mussed, he looked as though he had drowned in sweat and tears.

He glanced down at the abominable object that rested on his finger and would never come off. His thoughts turned to his mother and his father. And to his sister, whom he knew would be awake soon.

And he thought of Hannah, as he looked back into the eyes of every person there. They seemed more interested in him than any of the others.

It was as if they were waiting. Watching, to see what he would do next.

From the corner of his eye he saw Alex surveying the crowd in front of them. She seemed like she expected it somehow. After a second, she turned to him, looked him in the face and, with a frown said, ‘‘You’re not gonna
cry
again, are ya?’’

Despite himself, despite everything, Grant grinned wide.

Then he laughed.

Out loud.

So hard his shoulders shook.

‘‘Help me!’’

Grant’s head snapped up, scanning the crowd. The others did the same.

‘‘Fear of falling,’’ Alex said, squinting, looking about. ‘‘I feel it . . . over there!’’ She pointed past the crowd.

The entire crowd turned to look as Grant and the rest did, and saw a woman dangling from a metal fire escape ledge, three stories off the ground, just one block away.

Grant felt Alex’s hand on his shoulder just then, but he didn’t look at her.

There was no need.

No need for any more words.

He was tired, emotionally spent, every muscle in his body ached.

He had absolutely
nothing
left.

‘‘Somebody please!’’ the woman screamed in the distance.

Grant set his jaw firmly in place.

Every person present watched and waited.

Waited for someone who would save the day.

‘‘I can’t reach!’’ the woman cried.

Grant let out a steadying breath.

He stepped forward.

‘‘Hold on,’’ he called out. ‘‘I’m coming.’’

EPILOGUE

Substation Omega Prime
The Secretum of Six
Ruling Council Inner Chamber

Far away and buried deep beneath the earth’s surface, the ruling body of the Secretum of Six scanned the latest report. Glances were exchanged, notes written on paper.

‘‘Substation L.A. is lost,’’ one of them said, ‘‘as is the Dominion Stone.’’

‘‘The Stone no longer matters,’’ Devlin replied at the head of the table. Today his accent of choice was a hard, German inflection. ‘‘Its absence serves our end goal. Everything is falling precisely into place, as we’ve always known it would.’’

‘‘Maximilian Borrows is dead,’’ offered another.

‘‘Also irrelevant,’’ a woman spoke up. ‘‘Another will be chosen. What matters is that we have what we have awaited for so long. The Bringer has come.’’

Devlin smiled and intoned in his booming deep voice, ‘‘The prophecy of Dominion is fulfilled. The one we have prepared for and awaited for thousands of years walks among us. Everything is unfolding as we know it must. And do not forget, we still have a great advantage.’’

‘‘What advantage?’’ the woman asked.

‘‘The wheels turn all around him,’’ Devlin replied. ‘‘Yet the Bringer does not see . . . does not know . . . what he will bring.’’

THE DOMINION TRILOGY
by Robin Parrish
continues . . .

BOOK II
Summer 2007

BOOK III
Summer 2008

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks to . . .

My entire family for putting up with my insane work schedule. Special thanks to my wonderful, long-suffering wife Karen for enduring the ‘‘must write now’’ absences of your newlywed husband. We’re in this together, babe. Now and forever.

Ted Dekker for your friendship and all the great career advice.

My friends Todd, Tina, John, Laura, Dylan, Mary P., Steve, and Mary S. for all the prayers and encouragement. Thanks for not letting me give up.

All of the teachers, professors, and writing professionals who have, over the years, offered instruction and support.

My editor David Long and his magic pencil.

My brother Ross and his family, for always showing excitement and wanting to help.