The Ascended (16 page)

After several minutes, I was finally able to get a grip on myself. This was different. I knew the dimensions of the hallway and also knew that I wouldn't fall into some unseen abyss. Sure, I didn't know what awaited me at the end of the hallway, nor did I know what had happened to my friends, but I was also a different person now.

I pulled myself up off the ground and slowly started walking forward. I kept my hands out in front of me to help alert me to any obstacle I might encounter. My pace was slow and cautious as I continued to proceed down the long narrow space. I used my gifts to see if I could sense the location of my missing friends, but felt nothing. This was not the way the plan was supposed to go. We had allowed ourselves to walk into an ambush. The question is why had Victor left me in the hallway alone? And why did he feel the need to mess with me?

"
Because I can,"
his voice whispered in my ear, making me shriek in fright. Whipping around, I stuck my arms straight out to ward off a possible attack.

"Where are you, coward?" I yelled, angry that I was once again at his mercy. I turned back around and raced down the hallway, away from the voice, back where I knew there was a way out. I allowed panic to get hold of me and in my mad dash to get away I crashed headfirst into an unseen obstacle.

My head reeled from the blow as I slumped down into unconsciousness.

***

A bright light shining in my face finally pulled me out of the black oblivion I had sunk into.

"Why is it I'm always the one knocked unconscious?" I griped to myself, attempting to sit up. My head spun and my stomach threatened mutiny. I closed my eyes briefly to gather my bearings.

"What the heck," I muttered, finally able to focus my attention on my surroundings. My eyes widened in disbelief as I took in the room I was in. I had seen this space months ago on a monitor in Victor's lab. This was where Victor kept our missing Links. I swept my eyes around the space, taking in everything in the room. My eyes skittered over the delicate furnishings that sat on the elegant oversized Oriental rug that highlighted the antique look of the room to a tee. The fact that it was hidden within a mountain was another story. The room was actually beautiful if not for the overwhelming sense of evil emitted throughout. I continued to scan the room, taking in each elegant detail. My heart jumped to my throat when I spotted two individuals on the far side of the room, studying me. I instantly recognized them as the Links I had seen on the monitor in Victor's lab. What a relief to find them not only safe, but also in obvious good health. I had harbored gruesome thoughts at the torture Victor was possibly inflicting on them. My relief was short lived when a third individual partially stepped out of the shadows on the far side of the room. A face as familiar to me as my own peered at me from the shadows.

I had dreamed of this moment for months as my eyes greedily took in his appearance. His hair was longer than before and he looked too lean, but other than that, his appearance was just as I had remembered it. I longed to search his eyes, but the shadows where he stood prevented me from seeing them. I couldn't help sending my emotions toward him, searching for the link we had once shared, but my emotions were deflected back almost instantly. I swallowed back tears. I knew our link was gone, but I had so hoped that I would somehow be able to reach him. It was obvious now by the way he deflected my emotional probe that he was forever lost to me.

I now knew why I felt the presence of pure evil in the room.

Mark was a Descended.

Standing up, I ripped my eyes from his and moved them to the pair of links we had come to save. I met the kindhearted eyes of the brother Lynn had never met. I smiled, hoping to reassure him. Finally, I turned my attention to Mark's sister. For months, my focus had been on saving her once we lost Grace and Faith. It had become crucial that we save at least one of the softhearted Guides that The Light had blessed each Band with. My eyes met hers, expecting the same warmth her Link held, but was shocked when I saw the calculating look in her eyes.

"For a supposed, Ascended you're awful slow," she said in a hard voice that didn't match her appearance.

Realization crashed into me as I used my new gifts to study her.

Someone was indeed evil in the room and it wasn't Mark.

Chapter 13

I swept my eyes back toward Mark and could clearly see what I had missed. Mark was not standing in the shadows avoiding me, nor was he blocking his emotions from me. I could just barely make out the metal cuff that surrounded his ankle. It had to be attached to some kind of power source that kept him from leaving the area.

"You blocked my emotions from him?" I asked incredulously, still reeling in shock.

"Of course I did stupid. I didn't want to miss out on watching you figure it out. I do have to admit, I’m a little disappointed at how long it took you to put the pieces together. The way father has been singing your praises, I expected something more," she said, eying me disdainfully.

"Now now dear, I've told you before, cattiness is not a human trait I admire," Victor said, stepping into the room. "Well Krista, look at you all grown up in your new leadership role. If I was partial to those still in the Heavenly Realm, I would say it looks quiet lovely on you," Victor said, eyeing me in a way that instantly made my stomach curdle.

Victor had always been a power freak and his shallow admiration towards me wasn’t so shocking.

I heard a growl of outrage behind me as Victor continued to drink in my presence.

Though it was irrational and the worse possible moment, but I could not contain the surge of joy that shot through me as the growl of disgust filled the room. Turning around I saw that Mark had moved out into the open as much as his electronic jail cell would allow.

My heart crashed violently inside me as I finally searched into his eyes which were nothing like the last time I had looked into them. Gone were the dead, lifeless eyes that haunted my waking moments. Instead the liquid chocolate brown shined brightly back at me.

"Well isn't this heartwarming," Mark's sister said.

"
Tsk-tsk
, Harmony, cattiness," Victor admonished her gently. His affection for her went against every conceived notion I had of him.

"I am capable of affection Krista, after all, she reminds me so much of myself at that age," Victor said, picking my thoughts from my head.

I cringed and securely closed the door surrounding my thoughts to stop any further intrusion.

"You did this to her?" I asked, sickened by his words.

"This was my wish for all of you," he said, eyeing Mark with obvious disgust. "Imagine the power I would have held.”

"You would give your own flesh and blood to The Dark One?" I asked, not bothering to hide my disgust.

"It’s an honor," Harmony said, sneering at me.

I shook my head, looking at her with pity. She was just another pawn that The Dark One and Victor were using.

"Don’t give me your pity
Krista,
I’ve spent years perfecting my gifts. Haven’t you even wondered why you haven't been able to connect with your precious Link all these months? That was my doing. I’ve blocked every attempt either of you have made, cutting both of you off. I broke your Link just like father requested," she said gleefully, gloating in her deeds that had destroyed my link with Mark.

I expected anger to well up in me at what she had done, but my pity for her only increased as I clearly saw the disillusions Victor had been feeding her for years.

"Oh my God, I said I don't need your pity, Angel whore," she said, spitting the words at me.

"Harmony dear, you mustn't let her get to you like that. Come along my dear. We shall leave her alone with something that no longer belongs to her," he said, indicating Mark in the far corner.

I felt disgust flowing through me at his referral of Mark, like he was nothing more than an innate object or something.

"Mason, here," Harmony commanded. I watched with shocked curiosity as her link rushed to her side like a puppy, shooting me an almost apologetic smile.

The door slammed closed behind them, leaving me alone with Mark for the first time in months.

I slowly turned around, cautiously eyeing him. Unanswered questions burned through me. If Harmony had been blocking our emotions for all these months, did that mean Mark regretted his decision to leave me? And if he did, how did he feel about our Link being broken?

Without meeting his eyes, I slowly walked toward him. I knew that I should be using my time to reach Haniel and figure out where my friends were, but for the moment I shut all of that out. I was just an ordinary girl seeing her ex-boyfriend for the first time since a terrible break-up. I wiped my sweaty hands on my jeans as I stood a foot from him. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally worked up the nerve to lift my gaze to meet his. My heart constricted as his chocolate brown eyes drank in my appearance. I was dying to know what he was thinking and knew that I could have picked his thoughts from his head effortlessly, but I did not feel right invading his privacy that way. Our Link was completely gone and yet, I found myself drawn to him like never before. I smiled at how wrong Victor had it. He had always assumed that as a Guide and Protector, you lost all your freewill, but here I stood, no longer a Guide, and I was still taken with the boy that stood before me.

"Krista," he said, lifting a hand as if to touch my cheek, but jerked back as an electric shock raced through him.

I stepped forward to help him, but was knocked backward on my butt as my hand encountered an electric current.

"What the heck is that?" I said, standing up to rub my sore bottom.

"It's an electric cage," Mark said, pointing to the voltage boxes lining the perimeter. "As long as this is turned on," he said, indicating his ankle bracelet, "I can't leave and no one can enter."

I moved closer to his space, eyeing the voltage boxes warily. He sat down on the floor as close as he could get without getting shocked. I did the same sitting directly in front of him.

"You've Ascended," he said, after a few minutes of silence.

I nodded my head, not wanting to admit that we had all assumed he had Descended.

"It suits you well. You've never looked more beautiful."

I grimaced at his
words,
since I was sure I pretty much looked like pond scum. I had dried Daemon blood on my pants and who knew what else.

"You left." I said, no longer able to contain myself.

He studied me for moment before finally answering. "He told me you believed I left you on my own freewill, but I didn't believe him. I could have never left you. How could you believe that? Didn’t I show you countless times how I felt about you? I didn't break our Link Krista. You did by buying into his lies."

I jumped to my feet indignantly. "I didn't break our Link, you left me." I said, louder than I intended. "You told me you were doing what was right, that we all should have our own freewill."

"Krista, I never said any of those things," he said quietly.

"Yes you did, everyone heard you," I said, choking on a half-sob.

"Krista, I didn't say those things because I was no longer there."

"What?" I asked
,
sinking down on the floor as an awful truth began to creep over me. "Tell me you’re not saying what I think you are." I pleaded in a whisper.

He nodded his head.

The room began to spin. How had I let this happen? Mark never said those things because he was not in possession of his body. Victor had used the time I was unconscious to use Mark's body as a human host. The lies that left his mouth had been orchestrated by Victor. He was right, he didn't break our Link, nor did Harmony. By believing Victor, I alone had broken our Link.

I bowed my head as sobs racked though me. I had done this.

"Krista, look at me," he pleaded.

I lifted my tear streaked face. "Krista, I think it was all meant to be. Haniel had spoken many times about how special you are. How you would do great things. I believe The Light always planned for you to be an Ascended."

"But, what about you?"
I asked
,
sickened by what I had done.