Ordained (23 page)

Days passed and Abby and Noel still hadn’t spoken. They had passed in hallways, slept in the same bed, but never once said a word to each other, not even with their eyes. March was a week away. Her hours were numbered and decreasing at what seemed to be an exponential rate. This wasn’t how she wanted to spend her last month with her husband, but at the same time, she absolutely refused to drag him down with her. Should she not return, she hoped his anger would see him through, help him move on faster.

Abby had been spending most of her time training with Emily or sitting with Valerie. This night she was quietly relaxing in Valerie’s suite.

Valerie opened the double glass doors to her personal veranda and stepped out into the rushing wind. She closed her eyes, inhaled a deep breath and released it slowly, meditation-like. “Do you ever feel like you’re living a half-life?”

Abby needed no time to think of a response. The same thought had occurred to her often. “Like I have the words ‘life for rent’ tattooed across my forehead. I’m here, it’s mine, but at the same time, it’s not. Doesn’t matter what I do, or don’t do for that matter. Whatever’s meant to be will occur whether I want it to or not. I’m nothing but a pawn.”

“Least you’re out there living. Not stuck in the tower of a huge-ass mansion in the middle of nowhere waiting for the day your savior comes to set you free.” She paused, then said forlornly, “But no one ever does.”

“Don’t envy me. My life’s no fairy tale either.”

“You at least found your Prince Charming, sword and all.”

Abby replied quietly, “Yeah, right.”

Abby took in the view. Whispering winds blew through the forest that surrounded the manor. The town below had gone to sleep, leaving nothing but glowing lamp posts. The stars seemed close enough to reach up and grab.

Thinking aloud, she said, “Please don’t let my last days be spent in this god-forsaken school surrounded by people who are actually praying to their god that I don’t make it back.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that,” Valerie grinned. “Their god likes you better.”

Abby had told Valerie about the gypsy’s reading and how she was destined to die. Valerie, however, did not agree or disagree with the theory. “Do you think I’ll make it back out?” she asked.

Valerie didn’t answer. She stared off into the horizon, perhaps pretending she didn’t hear the question. Her indifference, however, would not dissuade Abby.

“Valerie?” she asked again, sweeping her head into Valerie’s line of sight.

She hesitated. Then, without even so much as glancing at Abby, mumbled, “The vision…the one I told Noel about…the one that you hit me over…”

“Yeah, what about it?”

She sighed heavily. “What I saw happen to you in my vision. It hasn’t happened yet.”

Abby felt a twinge throughout her body. “But I suffered a great beating. I lost like a third of my blood. That rarely ever happens to me.”

“The injuries you got from the grinloch weren’t the ones you had in my vision. What I saw was…you had a pierced side…and a stake sticking out of your chest.” She raised her hand to her heart. “And your eyes…they weren’t moving. You were lying in a pool of blood. And your eyes…they were so still, lifeless.”

Abby slumped down into a patio chair. She was so taken aback that all she could do was stare into the darkness. Nothing moved – not her arms, not her feet. She couldn’t even blink. Even the light burn within her chest that had been constant these past few weeks seemed to dull.

“So yes,” Valerie answered numbly. “I think there may be a chance you won’t come back from this.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Valerie never planned to tell Abby the truth about her fate. She had known all along, but learned long ago that she couldn’t change fate. She tried – several times in fact, by telling Chancellor Moore about the upcoming deaths of her fellow fighters, but to no avail. One by one they fell anyways. What good was knowing if she couldn’t do anything to change the outcome? She eventually accepted the deaths and minimized her reports.

Then she read the journal Madam Melina had sent to her. The woman who wrote it was a descendent of Melina’s who also had the gift of foresight. She was born in seventeenth century Europe, right in the middle of the Thirty Year War. Tens of thousands were captured, tortured and burned alive during the European witch hunts that spanned across three centuries. Althea, Melina’s ancestor, was one of these women. Cursed with foresight, she saw the famine coming and urged her townsfolk to better prepare against the crop failures. When they finally came, the poor and starving people blamed her for their suffering. In their hysteria, they accused her of witchcraft, bringing on the famine by praying to the devil to rid the town of Christians.

Even after the accusations, Althea continued to share her visions with any that would listen, in hopes that even one would believe her and act on it. She was begging for acceptance and faith in her gift even as they were taking her to be burned.

Though Valerie certainly had no intention of dying for others, she too wanted to use her visions for good. If there was the slightest chance fate could be undone, she would try her damnest to do so. And she would start with Abby. She just knew this vision was the key to Abby winning the battle.

She no longer tried to avoid or fight her gift. She concentrated harder than ever to unblock the vision that eluded her. After two frustrating days without success, Valerie dared the journey down the path to Twindel’s.

“I wanted to thank you for lending me this journal,” she told Madam Melina as she returned the old worn book. “It returned a sense of clarity that I lost some time back.”

Smiling, she replied, “It does seem to do that to people. I too pushed away from my gift at one point. I think we all eventually come to the conclusion that the benefit no longer outweighs the cost.”

“Did you ever find yourself unable to access your gift?”

Confused, Madam Melina asked, “How so?”

“I’ve been seeing the same vision for quite some time now. Only this vision. It seems to be caught on a loop and can’t advance to the next scene. There’s something important I’m not seeing and no matter what I do, I can’t get to it.”

Madam Melina shook her head in agreement. “Yes, once.”

Valerie’s eyes lit up with hope. A heavy weight she didn’t even realize was there suddenly lifted.

“I was so focused on the other person in the vision, determined it had something to do with them, when in fact the vision turned out to be for me.”

Valerie’s heart sped up. “So you think the other person in the vision is irrelevant? That it’s really about me?”

“Possibly. Are you truly seeing the other person clearly? Perhaps you’ve inserted someone in the vision that doesn’t really belong there. Maybe your vision stops and repeats because you are misinterpreting what you’ve seen and can’t continue until you see it for what it really is.”

Valerie felt a sinking feeling in her chest. “How am I suppose to fix that?” she whined. “I’ve been concentrating so hard to push through and I just can’t.”

“Your mind is refusing to accept any other alternative to the sight. Tell me,” she said, disappearing behind the counter, “have you ever tried receiving the vision through a dream?”

She reappeared with a worn book on Divination in her hand.

Valerie recalled the vision she had in the basement. Unconsciously, she reached for her forehead, as if she head-butted Abby once more. “I dreamed it once but it had the same result.”

“Were you sleeping or napping?”

“Napping,” stated Valerie.

“Good,” Madam Melina said smiling, though Valerie saw nothing good about it. “Then there’s still hope for you pushing through it. Your body needs to enter the REM cycle. Your mind has already formed an opinion about the vision and it’s wrong. There are neurons in your brain that are particularly active during the REM cycle. Allowing yourself to see the vision during this time period may help you break through the block. I’m going to mix you a sachet specific for dream clarity that you will place under your pillow.”

Taking the book, she disappeared into a back room separated only by strings of beads. When she returned, she held a bowl containing dried daisies and lavender buds, a mixture of dried herbs and what appeared to be miscellaneous dried roots. To the bowl she added a few drops of different liquids and began stirring the mixture. The gypsy then handed her a small amount of liquid in an amber glass vial.

“What’s this?” Valerie asked, looking to the brown liquid swaying gently in her hands.

“It’s a mixture of lavender and cypress oils. I want you to anoint your eyelids with it as you get into bed. Do you still have some of the incense I gave you before?”

Valerie nodded her head yes. She honestly hadn’t known what to do with the stuff and hadn’t burned any of it.

“Good.” She stuffed the mixture into a muslin sachet. “Burn one of those on your bedside table as well.”

“And all this will help me see this vision for what it really is?”

“Yes, I believe it will.” Madam Melina sealed the sachet and passed it to her.

Valerie smiled. For once she felt hopeful. Tonight would be the night she learned the truth. Tonight would be the night she saved Abby – she just knew it.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Two days after confirming her fate with Valerie, Abby and Noel still hadn’t spoken. But together they found themselves in the Chancellor’s office once again. They were additionally joined by Ethan, Jonesy, Lincoln and her absolute favorite, Jayden. Socially, nothing had changed. The Chancellor and his advisors hung back out of reach and Jayden still kept an annoying eye on her.

Jonesy had been rambling on for awhile about Morphus and his abilities. When Noel realized she had stopped paying attention, he gently bumped her and cleared his throat. It was the first time he had touched her in a week.

“You must never underestimate him, for he was raised by the Goddess of Discord and will have no conscience over the lengths he will go to destroy you.” Jonesy said it as if he admired it.

“Morphus likes to take on each as an individual. He enjoys watching his victims succumb to their fears,” added Lincoln. “How does he learn them?” He was playing dumb. He and Abby knew more about this demon than they clearly did.

“Quite simply. He has the power to absorb both your energy and memories just by touching you. The longer he holds on, the more he learns. He’ll learn every thought and fear that’s ever crossed your mind and use them against you.”

“And once he absorbs your energy, he will be capable of anything you are. Any tricks you have in the bag will be up for grabs,” warned Jonesy.

“What are your fears Abigail?” the Chancellor asked directly.

Jayden shifted in earnest.
Yeah, right.
As if she would ever disclose any fears to them, of all people. “I don’t know,” she mumbled.

“Everyone has fear. It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Lincoln pointed out.

The Chancellor must have sensed her reluctance, for he said, “Whatever they are, you must deal with them before you face this demon. Or they will become your downfall.”

Abby suddenly felt a strong vibration down her spine. Noel’s abrupt reaction told her he felt the same. For the first time since their fight, they looked into each other’s eyes. Not with regret or forgiveness, but with incredible apprehension.