Out of Reach (26 page)

"Now that it's settled, Gwen, the rest of us
will get out of your hair. We've still a lot of work to do," Adil
reminds everyone.

Drawing me aside, Kade gently holds my arms,
ducking his head to whisper, "I won't be far and Hal has agreed to
stay and assist Hashim. They have a knack for this sort of
thing."

"Thank you," I mouth silently, grateful
someone I’m comfortable with will be staying to help me. Nodding
Kade strides after the others without a backwards glance. Sighing I
turn to face Hashim, who's taken a seat in one of the chairs.

"Let's get this over with,” I tell him,
flopping down in the seat across from him. If my brash behavior
offends him, Hashim hides it well; in fact he doesn’t say anything
at all. He leaves Hal in charge of my verbal instruction.

"While most Nephilm possess a wide array of
talents, there’s always a dominant one or two," he explains. "Since
telekinesis is the only trait we know you have for sure, we'll gear
today’s exercises to hone in on that."

"Let’s do it," I tell them.

"Alright, close your eyes."

Time seems to stand still here in this
underground lair. I have absolutely no idea how long I've been at
this, but I'm about ready to throw the ball at Hashim for a change.
After walking me through several mental exercises a lot like the
crap they push in yoga classes, the dastardly duo started lobbing
objects at me. Mostly rubber balls but Zafir managed to sneak a
pebble into the mix when he delivered our lunch.

I never saw it coming and the stupid little
rock hit me smack in the side of the head when Hashim wasn't
looking. The relaxation mumbo jumbo I failed to embrace was
supposed to help relax my mental shields and bring a clarity of
mind and body that would help me locate and access my powers.

After what feels like a millennium of
practice, that special little spot in my brain continues to elude
me and I'm past the point of being able to relax and, as Hal puts
it, let my mind and spirit become one. Grunting I throw a ball at
the wall as hard as I can.

"I can't do this!" I scream at my annoyingly
patient instructors.

"Slow your breathing Gwen, you need to
remain calm, focused," Hashim tells me for the hundredth time.

"It's not working," I lash out. Of the two
times I've used my powers, the first I don't remember and the
second I had my eyes closed. Sitting down in the middle of the
floor, I pull my knees to my chest, dejected. How am I supposed to
help these guys? Kade sneaks up on me, having retrieved the stray
dodgeball I'd lobbed down one of the many tunnels. He kneels down
in front of me, refusing to be ignored.

"What?" I blurt out.

"When the time comes you'll rise to the
occasion like you always do," he soothes. If his pandering is
supposed to make me feel better then he's forgotten who he's
talking to -- I'm all about results.

Arrgh, why the FUCK can't I
make this work?!
I want to scream at him,
but my pride won't allow it. Jumping up off the floor I take off in
the direction of my room, cave, cubby, whatever the hell they call
it, desperate for space.

"Don't worry, she's just having a redhead
moment," I hear Kade explaining as I jet down the connecting
passage.

A redhead
moment
, I snort,
isn't that the understatement of the
century
. Tumbling into my room I yank the
drape closed, which just doesn't provide the same amount of
satisfaction as slamming a door. Childishly I wad up a shirt and
throw it against the wall, stomping around the small space,
searching for a physical outlet for my frustrations. Finding
nothing and suddenly exhausted I fling myself onto the bunk, pull
my blanket over my head, and shut out the world, dreading
tomorrow.

Chapter 34

"Gwen." Kade's voice pulls me from my
slumber.

"What time is it?" I ask.

"Seven o’clock in the morning."

“Already?" It feels like I just closed my
eyes. Rolling over I peek up to find my friend watching over me,
his gorgeous eyes more luminous than usual in the limited
light.

"Do your eyes glow in the dark?" The
personal question just kind of slips out.

"A little," he answers, a grin spreading
across his face. "Ready to get started?" I smother my face with the
pillow to delay answering.

"Yeah, that’s what I thought." Kade laughs.
Sliding out from under the pillow I sit up.

"I don't get it."

"Get what?" Kade asks, sitting down next to
me on the bunk.

"How to use my power,” I admit,
deflated.

"Ah," he replies finally on the same page.
"It may take years to hone your known talent and a lifetime to
discover everything else you can do.”

“Great," I interrupt. Glaring at me,
exasperated, he continues.

"You have no idea how utterly amazing you
are, do you? Right now your powers may control you, but I promise
when this is over we'll spend as long as it takes for you to
discover how to own them."

Standing up and stepping away from him I
smooth my wrinkled clothes and retie my ponytail. "Okay, let's go."
Embracing his never-ending faith in me I slide my hand in his and
we walk together to breakfast, a team.

The whisperings and side-long glances begin
the minute we enter the main cave, and I know the others are just
as worried about my lack of control as I am. Clinging to Kade’s
trust I stand tall, refusing to give in to the “what ifs”
registering in the Wanderers stares all around me. Oblivious to the
tension, or so full of himself there just isn’t room for anything
else, Zafir bounds over to hug me.

“Today’s the big day! You did remember to
pack something nice for the after party right? ‘Cause I’m not
taking you lookin’ like that,” he waves his finger around
indicating my less than polished appearance. Socking him in the arm
I smile.

“Enough, Z.” Adil’s voice resonates as he,
Hal, and Basal join us. Bass hands me a cup of coffee.

“Extra sugar,” he whispers as Adil
continues.

“The original sealing was done at midday and
traditionally we have rewoven the enchantment at the same time,
which gives us a little over four hours to wait.”

“Okay, how does it work, who casts it, and
what do I do?” I ask all business.

“The spell will take all of us,” Adil
explains. “Gwen, you're essentially the catalyst. Your powers and
angel blood provide the initial push to force the Sylph into their
spheres, allowing the rest of us to complete the spell, sealing
them away for another five hundred years."

"What do you mean
push
?" I ask. Adil
scratches the back of his head and stares at his feet at a loss for
words. That’s when I realize he still doubts my ability to do
this.

"It's no different than what you did back in
the lab," Kade explains stepping closer to me.

"Okay, piece of cake," I affirm confidently.
Having my own reservations is one thing but I'll be damned if I'll
let these guys know it. Failure is not an option. Gwen Cohen gets
the job done, end of story. Seemingly appeased by my bravado, Adil
goes on to explain that when it begins the Wanderers will form a
circle of protection around me. As the Wanderers rework the old
spell, the stronger Sylph may emerge from their spheres and attempt
to dissuade us from completing our task. As long as I remain within
the circle I cannot be harmed, though the Sylph may try to seduce
me into helping them escape.

Pulling Kade aside when the meeting is over
I whisper, "I had my eyes closed that time in the lab, so I don't
know how I did what I did." Shrugging he takes my chin in his hand
and smiles.

"We both know you work best under pressure.
Don't fret. It'll work just like last time."

Rolling my eyes as he walks away I head back
to my bunk, no longer hungry.

"You ready for this girlie?" Zafir's gravely
voice cuts through the fabric of my door.

"It's time?" I ask rhetorically. Of course
it’s time, and Z has come to fetch me. Adjusting my ponytail I draw
back my curtain and find not just Z but a pack of guys outside.
Bass, Hal, and off to one side like a wall-flower, Kade. Affixing
my game face, I nod once, solemnly, and take off down the hallway
like I'm running things and this is my show.

The brawny contingent of men follows close
on my heels. Thanks to a fantastic memory I find the treasure trove
(as I’ve named it) without having to stop for directions. If these
four men are the only ones here who actually believe in me then I
still count myself extremely blessed. Refusing to let them down I
step into the trove, ready for battle and with something to
prove.

Striding into the central
open space I pause, allowing the Wanderers to orient themselves
around me. I watch as one by one they fall into place forming a
loose circle around me.
Good
, I think to myself,
they've afforded me enough space to walk around
so I don't get claustrophobic but not so much that I could slip
past one of them accidentally.
Staring at
the floor I wait—for what I'm not sure, but I remain still, my
racing heart the only sign of just how nervous I really
am.

Stirrings of power, like butterflies in my
stomach, move though me. The angel blood sings within my veins,
desperate to join the sudden chorus of heavenly voices all around
me. Captivated by the beautiful song I lift my head only to find
the Wanderers are silent, most standing with their eyes closed,
concentrating.

Am I the only one who can hear it, the
piercing melody, the chanting?

I feel powerful, as if some
dormant part of me has been drawn out, forced to life by the
Wanderers. I meet Kade's eyes, which burn with intensity over the
shared experience. They answer my unspoken question:
Yes, this is power, this is what your power feels
like.

Delighting in the revelation I smile,
stretching my arms wide towards the sky. The smile fades as quickly
as it began when flameless fire begins to descend from the ceiling,
vaporizing the instant it hits the ground. Clouds of every color
swirl up around me, blocking the Wanderers from view. Trapped in a
foggy cocoon I try to keep my breathing slow and steady like Hashim
taught me, remaining as calm as I can. Both Hal and Hashim agreed
that remaining calm was the surest way to reach the hidden synapses
of my mind within which my powers reside.

A myriad of colors coalesce into a
purplish-grey mess of constant motion. Around and around the mist
twirls, revealing human-like faces which leer at me for a moment
before becoming lost again in the twirling vapor. And the voices, a
jumble of harsh, grating voices hurt my ears. The cacophony of
sound makes it difficult to decipher what any one individual Sylph
might be saying.

There is no time in the vortex: I may have
been standing there three minutes or three years when a clear voice
reaches out to me over the din.

"Greetings, Nephilim."

Seconds after I hear him a humanoid shape
pulls itself from the wall of Sylph. Towering over me he continues
to float just above the ground and more closely resembles what I'd
always imagined a genie would look like, right down to the sickly
green cast of his skin. His malevolent eyes drink me in and he
laughs, a deep rumble that makes my skin crawl.

"You don't cower. I must admit, it’s not
something I'm used to."

"You don't frighten me," I lie boldly.

"Hah!" he laughs again. "I haven't the
pleasure of getting under your skin yet, pretty one." The nickname
disgusts me but I manage to swallow my retort at the last second.
"We could be quite a team, you and I." He’s trying to entice me,
and grinning he circles me slowly, dissolving into the fog for a
time before reappearing again.

"Really!" I blurt out. Now it’s my turn to
laugh, not buying for a second the demon in front of me could be
good for anyone.

"Don't underestimate me!" he hisses
maliciously, eyes burning like coals. Reigning in his anger he
smiles again, all charming arrogance once more. "I am Al-Alem,
knower of all."

I remain stock still, holding my ground as
he sidles up next to me, whispering seductively as he strokes my
hair.

"I could be yours."

Graphic images of my deepest desires are
projected onto the walls all around us and I have no doubt this
devil pulled them straight from my mind when we touched. Still the
images intoxicate me as I watch everything I've ever wanted play
out in front of me. The pictures dance and dazzle on a looping feed
that repeats over and over again. Through it all, Al-Alem is with
me, holding my purse as I exit a limo, engulfed by adoring fans.
Working side-by-side with me in the lab. Waiting back stage as I
accept the Nobel Prize for curing cancer. Holding my hand through
darker whims of vanity, entrancing me with the awesome powers at my
disposal. The connection he weaves between us is primal, intimate.
I need him, I want him. Physical cravings surface and the
projections become more heated, passionately confusing as he morphs
into the faces of my lovers. Al-Alem, the answer to achieving
everything I hope for.

Dripping with perspiration and drunk on my
own ambitions Al-Alem invades my space again. "It can all be ours,"
he says pausing. "Come with me Gwen, past the circle."

The
circle
, I remember, suddenly sobering.
Misreading my flinch, Al-Alem plays his trump card. The mist to my
right dissipates enough for me to make out Kade.

"I'm a generous man, generous enough to
share you even with the likes of him." I stare at the mighty hero’s
bowed frame, fallen to his knees, eyes squeezed shut in anguish,
still holding his place in the circle.