Emerge: The Awakening (17 page)

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FIVE

“What’s with all the secrecy?” Allie grumbled.

“Patience is not in your repertoire, is it?” Vince grinned.

“You’ve met me, right? Oooh! Art museum!” Her eyes sparkled with excitement when he turned down the tree-lined drive past the lagoon. “The Van Gogh exhibit opens tonight! How’d you get tickets? Mom said only the snooty patrons were invited.”

“Gregg helped me out.”

Allie was in her element among the crowded halls, diligently avoiding Naeemah’s attempts to chaperone.

“I know this isn’t your thing, but it means a lot that you’re willing to do something I like,” Allie said as they strolled through the gardens for some fresh air. “I promise I’ll happily go see the next ‘shoot-em-up-blow-em-up’ movie with zero complaints.”

“Nice try, Short Stuff. You like those movies just as much as I do,” he laughed.

“Uh-oh, you’re on to me.”

“Allie, are you feeling alright?” He reached to feel her forehead. “You’ve got a fever and your eyes are all glassy.”

“I guess I am a little hot.” But she was far more than merely hot. A fire smoldered somewhere deep inside her and she had a bad feeling she might lose control.

“I-um, I’m going to see if I can find an aspirin.” She slipped back inside and made a beeline for Naeemah.

“Please excuse me,” Naeemah murmured to the exceedingly handsome Immortal beside her—the one staring at Allie like she had three heads.

She did a double take of her own. “You’re Emma’s friend, Greyson,” she said breathlessly. It was beyond weird to recognize a person she’d never actually met.

“Well hello, Lovely, you must be the one Nae and Gregg have been fussing about recently.” His smile was breathtaking.

Oh my hotness.

“Another time, Greyson,” Naeemah said firmly, ushering her away. 

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” she frowned, instantly in mom-mode.

“Something’s happening. I feel like I’m on fire!” Her eyes filled with scalding hot tears.

“You are fine.” She smiled. “We have been expecting this. It’s all very normal, so don’t freak out. Go tell Vince you aren’t feeling well and ask him to take you home. Emma will meet you in the common room when you can get away. Just concentrate on your breathing and you will not lose control.” 

“You okay?” Vince asked when she returned.

“I’m sorry, I really don’t feel well.”

“It’s alright. Let’s just get you home.”

“Take care of our girl,” Naeemah called after them.

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Allie headed straight for her full-length mirror as soon as she got home. She noticed it immediately. She had a freaking tan. Nothing out of the ordinary, except it was winter and it hadn’t been there this morning.

I need Emma.

She stepped onto the terrace, and with a deep breath and a graceful flip, she leapt to the ground. She slipped into the old shed where Ming and Daniel had recently installed an entrance to the tunnels.

It was a long run to the common room and Allie was soon out of breath. When she finally arrived, drenched in sweat and more than a little freaked, she breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of Emma’s laughter.

“Sweetheart, it’s okay,” Emma laughed as Allie burst into tears and hurled herself into her mentor’s arms.

“Oh my, you are a mess. Tell me everything.”

“I’m so hot! And I’ve got this weird tan! I’ve never had a tan in my life! I’m a redhead; I don’t tan. I freckle, but most of my freckles disappeared after my Awakening!” She couldn’t catch her breath. The fire in her core spiraled out of control and she doubled over.

“Come, Allie.” Ming Lao pushed her into a seat. “Deep calming breaths like we’ve practiced. Regain your center and when you are ready, tell us everything you’ve experienced this evening.”

“Clearly something is emerging,” Emma said after Allie finished relaying the details. “But I think we’re going to have to brainstorm on this one.” She smoothed Allie’s tangled curls from her face.

“Not that you aren’t always pleasant,” Ming said, “but your mood today was much more jubilant than usual.”

“I noticed it, too,” Naeemah agreed as she swept into the room.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to ruin your evening.” 

“Vincent Van Gogh tutored my son, Seamas. I am not missing anything I haven’t already seen a hundred times.”

“Really?” She nearly forgot about her current struggle.

“You will meet Seamas at Christmas and he will tell you all about the great Impressionist painters. Now, about that unusually chipper mood?” she teased.

“It was a nice day. It rubbed off on me.” Allie shrugged sheepishly.

“Yes, it was unseasonably warm. And with her odd tan and fevered skin, it’s like her power is reacting to the sun and maybe she’s just overheated?” Emma speculated.

“How are you feeling now?”

“Still blazing, but not quite so freaked.”

“It’s possible your gift is like mine, and you have an affinity with sunlight, but it could manifest differently for you.”

“Wait. What now?”

“I’m responsible for bringing the sun down here in the dungeons,” she said. “I believe you might be absorbing sunlight like I do, but you’ve taken on more than you can handle, which could explain the fever and tan. Stay out of the sun for a few days and you should be fine. Right now all we can do is be diligent in our observations and let this evolve naturally.” 

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Monday morning dawned dreary and overcast, which left Allie in a bad temper. It was Thanksgiving break and she had an early session with Naeemah, but she wasn’t in the mood. She just wanted to hang out with her boyfriend and be a normal lazy teenager, but she no longer had that luxury.

As she stepped outside, the sun broke through the heavy clouds and she felt a surge of joy only to feel an equal plummet of misery a few moments later when darker clouds rolled in.

“How are you feeling today?” Naeemah asked when she arrived in the underground.

“Fine, but that could change rather quickly. Partly cloudy days seem to come with drastic mood swings.” She flopped onto the sofa with a huff.

“I know you are miserable, sweetheart, but it will get better.”

“That’s what they keep tellin’ me. I’m just a little disappointed my first gift is so lame.”

“You should take pride in your gifts, Allie,” she reproached. “They are not party tricks, they mean something.”

“Sorry,” she muttered. 

“I know how trying these early years can be, but it will pass and you will understand how much you have ahead of you. When I first ventured out on my own, I was so scared and excited at the same time, eager to see what life was like outside the sheltered walls of the palace.”

“How did you manage to escape Agra?” She was hoping for another trip into Naeemah’s memories and not another grueling workout.

“Sit back and I’ll show you, but I must warn you, it isn’t pretty,” Naeemah added in her melodic voice, causing Allie to drift into a world swirling with shadows.

She felt Naeemah’s voracious hunger and fear. She was to lay asleep for three days, a result of the drug that left her as though dead, then she would make her escape into the night.

Lying confined in the darkness of her own sarcophagus, she woke, and the days continued to pass. The palace mourned the loss of their beloved empress, but still, Naeemah remained trapped in her tomb.

She was on the brink of starvation, dehydration and madness when the lid finally scraped aside. Her young cousin, Dilras, peeked inside.

“Here, my cousin,” the girl said in a rush. “Eat quickly. We do not have much time.”

“It was to be only three days!” Naeemah choked on the pitiful meal of bread, roasted peppers and water.

“Your husband has not left your side until this night, I am sorry. You must appear as my young harem maid. If we are questioned, I will answer,” she said with a great deal of confidence.

“I do not think I can manage it, my strength is gone. Why would you have a harem maid? You are a harem maid.”

“We must leave now.” Dilras ushered her from the burial chamber. “I have a horse for you and your bags are packed with gold and provisions. My father awaits you beyond the southern gates. He will escort you to your father’s ship.”

“How have you managed this?” Naeemah commanded.

“I am to wed Aurangzeb.” She held her head high.

“They have placed you beside my son?” She studied the naive girl. “Grandfather has returned, then?”

“He arrived not long after your death, in the guise of my young uncle and advisor.” 

“You must listen closely.” Naeemah mounted her horse. “Grandfather cannot be trusted. He chose you because he believes you are weak and easily manipulated. He chose you because you are the opposite of me. Do not let his assumptions ring true. The job you seek is a difficult one and it can destroy you.”

“I am strong, Cousin.”

“Be good to my son. He deserves to know the love his father and I shared. If I hear otherwise, you will answer to me. Do not waste his all too brief life for your personal gain.”

“He will be a great man.” Dilras smiled proudly. “And I will do everything I can to see him happy.”

“See that you keep your word.” With that, Naeemah rode into the night, toward the northern gates—away from her waiting uncle. 

The desert sands swirled in Allie’s mind, turning into a cloud of cold white snow.

Naeemah meandered the streets of Kathmandu searching for the bazaar to purchase supplies for her journey. 

As she wandered through the stalls, she felt him. He was very old and powerful…and curious. She darted down a side street.

Surely father has not sent someone for me already?
The man was absolutely determined to find her. She slipped through the market, but he stayed close on her tail. As it started to rain, she turned and caught a glimpse of him. He was handsome, but it wasn’t worth the risk. She would find her supplies in another part of the city.

Allie’s heart sank at the look of anguish on Gregg’s face when his young Complement evaded him. Naeemah hadn’t recognized him from such a distance. 

Mount Everest loomed before her now and Allie couldn’t fathom where Naeemah might be going. She walked for weeks, through the cold frozen Himalayas, never encountering another soul, until an Immortal girl began following at a discrete distance. 

She was small and timid, never venturing close enough to be a bother until one night as Naeemah slept, she crept into her camp.

The girl drew a sword, resolved to challenge Naeemah at her most vulnerable, but she didn’t find an unwitting opponent.

Naeemah leapt from her bed and they circled each other. The feral, unkempt girl launched an attack without preamble, her unsettling eyes glowing like molten lava in the night. She was just a child, but she was vicious. Allie was sickened by how swiftly and brutally she brought Naeemah to her knees, her blood staining the snow scarlet.

The girl bent to cup Naeemah’s skull and Allie cringed at the deadly shrieks that pierced the night. Her head throbbed with an echo of Naeemah’s pain and the dark shadows sent her into oblivion.

When Naeemah stirred, she felt cold, hard stone at her back and the scent of mildew filled her senses. A fire crackled in the next room, bringing little warmth to her meager pallet on the floor. Her eyes snapped open and darted around the monk’s cell. Pain flooded her mind as tears of loss streaked her face. She wasn’t alone. Another Immortal lurked nearby. Naeemah rose cautiously, feeling the absence of her gift like the loss of a limb.

Dark obsidian eyes full of concern peeked into the room.

“Where am I?” Naeemah asked.

“Shaoshi Mountain,” Ming Lao answered. “Was this your destination?”

“Yes.”  

“My husband, Jin Jing, and I found you at the base of the mountain not long after you were attacked. We brought you here to recover. Abbot Jing Zong has cared for you. He will provide the respite you need at this difficult time.”  

Allie watched the weeks pass as Naeemah learned to live without her gift. She trained with Jin and Ming under Jing Zong’s tutelage and found her strength again.

“Thank you for allowing me to stay,” Naeemah said after a hard afternoon of sparring.

“The Temple accepts all who come, but especially Immortals in need of a safe haven.” The Abbot smiled.

“I feel for the first time in my life like I can handle anything. Like I am finally enough. I have a confidence in myself and in my abilities, which I never had before.”

“You are yet Unproven, child?” he frowned as if he saw something she did not.

“Oh no, I am not ready—”

But even Allie knew she was ready for her Proving.

“It is time.” Jing Zong nodded. “Long past time, I imagine.” He gestured toward the temple gardens and Naeemah’s eyes went wide with fright.

“Now? No, I—”

“No one is ever truly prepared for this moment, but it must happen, child. If you will allow me to guide you, I will stand in for your mentor.”