Revelations (Bloodline Series) (29 page)

“What
about us?”

“I
thought maybe we…that is, you and I…should stay a day or two just to see if
anyone is sent to look for us.”

“Why?”

“It’s
the only way we will know for sure if she was powerful enough to see not only
you
,
but where you were. It’s not like we can stop by and ask her, is it? Also, it
would be interesting for me to see who they sent after me.”

“Will
we have to fight?”

“No,
we will leave before it comes to that.”

“I
thought you wanted us to go to earth and collect more souls,” I frowned.

“I’m
sending a small group out later today, just to see if anything happens. If it’s
safe and we’re uninterrupted, then I will send you and some others in a couple
of days.”

“Okay.”

“Keira,
this has been a setback, and while I know what I’m about to ask will go against
what we originally planned and what you asked me for, I’m afraid I need to ask
it. I need you to take on a larger city. I don’t want this to keep dragging on;
people are getting restless. We’re going to have to make our move very soon.”

“Then
why don’t we just do it now?”

“People
still don’t trust you. Once you have proven to them that you will do this, we
can all work together comfortably. Besides, I’m expecting more souls to join us
tomorrow, and they will need to be brought up to date with everything. Mason,
Tina, and a few others will take care of that.”

“How
many are coming.”

“At
the last count, around fifty thousand, but there could be more now.”

“Wow...that’s
amazing.”

“I
know. I think once these people are here, we will have the numbers we need to
launch a full on offensive. If the numbers you told me were accurate—I mean the
number of demons who will be sent to fight us—then we will easily outnumber
them,” he explained. “Keira, this is another reason I need you to attack on a
larger scale; I’m going to need fifty thousand bodies for these spirits to
inhabit.”

“I
understand.” I took a deep breath. “Send me wherever you want. I’ll get you
what you need.”

“Thank
you. Now I’m going to leave you while I speak to the few who are still here.
Feel free to do as you please, you do not have to stay in here. Once I’m
finished I’ll find you.”

Chapter 36

Lessons

Keira

It
was getting dark now and I was enjoying sitting in the long grass just outside
the building, looking up at the stars. There were so many of them out, and I
found myself getting lost in their beauty. I could have happily sat there for
weeks, just looking at them.

After
Ballantine left me, I must have fallen asleep again. When I woke and left the
room, the halls and other rooms were silent and empty. Ballantine had been in
the dining room talking with Mason, so I’d decided to get some air. It wasn’t
long before Ballantine joined me.

“How
are you feeling?” he asked as he sat beside me.

“A
little anxious and still sad, but I’ll be fine.”

“I
understand.”

“My
heart feels heavy…it’s a horrible feeling.”

“I
know that all too well Keira. In time it will get easier. You will always mourn
their loss, but you will also be able to think of them and smile. Instead of
missing them and being hurt, you will remember all the good times. It will
still sting, but it will make you happy when you remember the time you spent
with them. They will forever be in your heart.”

“Is
that how you feel when you think of your wife?”

He
paused for a moment before answering. “I will always love her, and I will never
love anyone else the way I loved her. We had some amazing, incredible, and
beautiful times together, and I will never forget them. I feel happy and
thankful to have met such a wonderful woman, and honored that she loved me as
much as I loved her. I think about her every day. Even after all these years I
can still smell her perfume.”

“Ballantine,
if you understand what it is to love, why would you have me leave Eligos? Why
would you say that he could be killed if he doesn’t join us, knowing how much
it would hurt me? If you know what it feels like and you’re doing all this to
prevent people’s sadness in the future, wouldn’t that also include me?”

“It
does, but you are so young, you could meet someone else. Before you shout me
down, I understand you may never want to. That is why I said I would ask my
people to try and not kill him. It’s also why I said you may want to try and
persuade him again when the time comes.”

“I
support your cause…I do…but there is something you must know.” I turned to face
him so I could look straight into his eyes. “Once this is over if anything
happens to him...I won’t want to be here anymore. I’m going to ask you to take
care of it.”

“You
want me to kill you?” he asked, looking horrified.

“Yes.
I can’t live in a world, realm, whatever you want to call it, where he doesn’t
exist. I just can’t.”

“Keira,
I’ve wanted you by my side for a long time. I want us to be friends; I don’t
think I can do that.”

“I’m
begging you. Please don’t make me live in a world without him...please
Ballantine, please, promise me you will let me go.”

He
took a deep breath and stared at me for a moment. “Okay, I promise. But let’s
hope it doesn’t come to that.”

I
nodded.

“This
is a very upsetting and distressing conversation. How about we lighten the
mood? What do you say I give you a little demonstration of what you’re capable
of?” he smirked.

I
smiled as he stood up and walked a few feet away from me.

“Keira,
right now I’m going to show you a few tricks to give you some idea of just how
much power you have. This is not so much to be able to attack and fight with,
but more to use it for your own entertainment. Now, before you ask why, let me
tell you it’s simply because I don’t want you to get worked up. I’m going to
try and stretch your imagination to show you that almost anything is possible. Sometimes
you need a little inspiration to help you on your way to discovering what you
are capable of. If I was to simply show you offensive skills, you wouldn’t
learn anything for yourself; you would only use the things you had been taught.”

I
leaned back on my arms and watched.

“Keira,
you need to understand just how powerful you are now.” He smiled, raising both
arms in the air. “You need to remember, if you can imagine something, then the
likelihood is...you can do it.”

He
looked up towards the heavens, and I followed his gaze. A feeling of excitement
washed over me as I watched dozens of stars begin to shoot across the sky. It
looked so beautiful. A cool breeze brushed my skin, causing me to shiver a
little, then I noticed all the leaves that had fallen from the trees had
started to dance around us both. They circled us a few times, but they were
forced so high above us they disappeared from sight.

“Don’t
stand up for the next few minutes; you may go dizzy,” he told me.

“Why?”

“Watch
and enjoy.”

His
eyes turned cobalt blue, and he looked up once again. This time all the stars
started to move around so fast that I found it hard to keep track of any of
them. Then it was daylight, and both suns became visible for a couple of
minutes before dipping below the horizon and allowing the stars to dominate the
sky again. It didn’t take long to realize what he was doing. He’d taken control
of the planet, and we were spinning around much faster than we should have
been. It was amazing to both watch and experience. He did it a few times before
aligning the planet back into its rightful position.

“You
see Keira, all you need is imagination. Why don’t you try something? We can
take turns if you like,” he laughed.

“Are
you serious? My imagination isn’t at its best at the moment.”

“Just
think of things that make you happy.”

I
stood and walked over to him, a little unsure of what to do. He put his hand on
my shoulders and told me to relax, then sat a good distance away from me. I
hated being put on the spot like this; how was I supposed to do anything close
to what he’d just done? I found it hard to think of anything beautiful or
calming. My emotions were running high; I was filled with sadness and anxiety.
How could I create or do something as wonderful as what Ballantine had when I
felt that way?

I
stood still for a few minutes. Nothing happened. He waited patiently, telling
me to take my time and relax.
That is easier said than done.
I took a
few deep breaths and closed my eyes, cleared my mind as best I could, and
allowed the angel to come through.

“Don’t
think with your brain, Keira,” Ballantine said. “Think with your heart.”

I
didn’t respond, but I did do as he told me. Memories came flooding back to me
of my childhood before my father was taken from me. I smiled to myself as I
remembered playing with him on the front lawn.

“Think
of the things your heart wants,” Ballantine spoke softly. “Think of everything
it holds dear and finds beautiful. Let your imagination merge with your
longings. Let your fantasies come to life.”

I
imagined what it would be like now if my father was still alive. I imagined how
he would react to meeting all my new friends, and what it would be like if we
had all been together since childhood…five loving families all rolled into one.
My mother may have been happy having others like her around. She may not have
been frightened or felt alone. I imagined us all living close by, like
neighbors, able to see each other every day.

“Keira,
open your eyes,” Ballantine said. “Look behind you.”

I
opened my eyes and looked at him for a moment, noticing the look of
bewilderment on his face. He pointed behind me. When I turned around I couldn’t
believe my eyes. In front of me were several houses, all beautiful, with
gorgeous colorful gardens filled with flowers. I noticed a swing with two young
children on it, a boy and a girl around the age of eight. Three more boys were
kicking a football around, and another girl sat on the porch steps of the house
next door. She was reading a book with an older woman who was probably in her
thirties. A few seconds later a man and a woman walked out of the house where
the children were playing, each with smiles lighting up their faces. They stood
on the porch with their arms around each other, watching the children. They
looked so happy, so in love and content.

Tears
ran down my face as I realized what I was seeing. The children playing football
were Lucian, Danny, and Jake. The young girl reading was Lily, and she was sitting
with Evelyn. The boy and girl on the swing were Tyler and I. The two adults,
happy and much in love, were my mom and dad. Everyone was carefree, the
children innocent and playing happily together. I could feel the warmth and
love they all felt for each other. I cried even more, but the tears were happy
ones. I continued to watch, and two more adults came into view. This time it
was my granddad and Tyler’s father, David. They joined the children and started
to play football with them, sometimes tackling them and playfully forcing the
children to the ground so they could tickle them.

I
looked in the directions of the other houses and saw the rest of the guys’
parents, some gardening while others simply sat outside enjoying their time,
relaxing. The only person who was missing was Eligos. He wouldn’t have been
part of the family; I wouldn’t have even known he existed when I was a child.

Suddenly
all the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. A feeling of euphoria raced
through me. I could sense someone standing behind me, and I instantly knew who
it was. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and rested his chin on the back
of my head. I closed my eyes for a moment and attempted to put my hand on his
arm, but instead of being able to feel him, my hand passed straight through
him. I turned quickly to look at him.

“Eligos,”
I whispered.

“I
love you,” he smiled.

“I
love you.”

I
got hot pain through my chest and reality set in. Everything was an illusion;
none of this could ever come to pass. I felt my heart crumbling in my chest,
but instead of continuing to feel sad all I felt was rage…raw, uncontrollable
rage. Eligos disappeared in front of my eyes. I turned to face where I’d projected
the images of my friends. All of them now stood staring at me.

“This
isn’t fair!” I cried out. Each of them began saying my name over and over, telling
me not to leave them.

“Don’t
make me leave,” the younger version of myself said, now in tears. “I don’t want
to leave them.”

“Keira,
Keira, don’t make us leave; we like it here. Don’t send us away!” the other
children sobbed.

“Shut
up!” I screamed, covering my ears. “I can’t take this.” No matter how hard I
pushed my hands against my ears it still didn’t drown out their pleas. “STOP!”