Authors: Laura Kreitzer
“
What?” I stood up, chest swelling. Really, how many versions of the prophecy could there be? “Is everything a lie?” There was a trace of annoyance in my tone. Hadn’t people heard of the saying “honesty is the best policy”?
One of the Ladies put her hand on my shoulder and returned me to my sitting position. She was tall, and her hair was like liquid silver. She had a fair face and angled features.
“
It wasn’t always that way, Bright One,” Zola rasped, bringing my attention back to her. She leaned back on her perch with veiled eyes. “But some have not been able to handle the power with the grace we’ve always promised ourselves. You cannot trust those around you. Be cautious, always.”
“
Who can I trust?” The irritation in my voice was more pronounced as my heart leapt in my chest. If there was anyone around me that I couldn’t trust, I didn’t know what I would do. I couldn’t imagine Andrew, Ehno, or Lucia ever doing anything to hurt me, and I knew my father would protect me. I just knew he would. That was what fathers did, right?
“
Illuminator, you can trust your kindred soul and those who died to save mankind.” That answered one question: Andrew, Ehno, and Lucia were trustworthy.
“
Kindred soul?” I asked, eyebrows raised. Andrew had said Ehno and Lucia were kindred souls.
“
Have you not met him yet?”
“
Are you talking about . . .” Andrew? I finished in my head.
“
Ah, you have met him.” She nodded to herself as if I had answered her earlier question. “Confide in him. He won’t lead you astray. He will do everything in his power to protect you. He will love you more than any human could ever love another.”
I numbly moved my head up and down in a nod. He cared for me, he obviously wanted to protect me, and I was pretty sure, even within a few hours of being with him, that I had quickly fallen for him. Normally I could barely tell if I liked a guy within two dates, let alone love someone. My head felt like it was being weighed down with anchors and dumped into the ocean.
“
And what about my father?” I questioned to try and quiet my mind. No such luck.
“
He loves you dearly.” She smiled her toothless smile at me. “You can trust him.”
I already knew that, but I had to be sure so I could crush that small fragment of thought that he wasn’t as perfect as I wanted him to be.
“
And what about other angels?” I pressed. The thought of Karen being so sweet and nice to me, and how I just completely fell for it, made me feel sickened and angry.
“
Their minds have been altered,” she reminded me. “They know you are the chosen one, but they are easily manipulated. Until their altered minds are repaired, you cannot trust any of them. They are not bad, but their minds are easily corruptible.”
“
Why are you telling me all of this through a book?”
“
The Ladies of Light will capture me,” she stated. “You’ll need to find me.”
Automatically, I turned to look at the three women. They didn’t speak. They gazed at the old woman, their posture so straight it was as if a steel rod had materialized in their spines.
“
Find you?” There was a note of real desperation in my voice.
“
Oh no, Bright One, not these Ladies.” She coughed out a soft laugh. “Each cycle brings about new Ladies. The cycle I am speaking of will be the new Ladies of 1700. If you find me, I’ll be able to help you save them all.”
“
Um.” I paused. “Do you mean A.D.?”
The Prophetess sighed. “Yes, Luminous One. But that is not why I have left this message for you.”
“
Why have you?”
“
The prophecy.” One of the Ladies handed her a clay cup. She took a sip before she continued. “You were born to Illuminate the dark ones. But you have also been born to vanquish those full of shadow. This is one part of the prophecy the Ladies of Light have taken out of context so angels will believe you are there to kill the Shadows, when in fact it is to kill them.” Her voice lowered. “They are frightened of you, as they should be. If you learn to control your power, you will be able to kill them.”
I shot up like a rocket. “I’m not a murderer!” The idea was repugnant. “Sure, I’ll fight to save the Shadows, but I won’t kill anyone.” The thought was ghastly, as Lucia so eloquently put it earlier. I couldn’t fathom taking someone’s life, like those Shadows who took Abelie’s. Even though in the back of my mind I thought about how I was willing to hurt Susan to break the angels free. Deep down I couldn’t really do it; I knew that.
Zola’s face stayed controlled and unemotional and completely unfazed. The only thing she did was raise her eyebrows in an irritating and superior way. The three Ladies of Light looked absolutely hawk-like.
“
Not a murderer? What if it saved your kindred soul?”
That was the last straw.
Though I couldn’t see the book anymore, I knew my hand was still placed upon the page. Livid, I yanked my hand from the book, and the scene around me vanished in an instant. When I opened my eyes, Andrew gazed at me, waiting for me to say something. He stretched out a consoling hand. Kindred soul. The words flittered across my mind, and I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
“
I can’t stay here,” I said pointedly. Suddenly, everything came out in a rush. “I need to bury my mother, and who knows what my family must be thinking. They probably think I’m some terrorist. We need to get this all worked out, and I need to call Jenna.” I took in a breath before I steamrollered on. “She’s probably worried sick. And my dog, Hercules. And now I’m supposed to be a murderer. I’m supposed to kill the Ladies of Light, and I’m not supposed to kill the Shadows,” I went on desperately, my voice high-pitched and somewhat hysterical. “I’m supposed to Illuminate them. And everything is a lie, and I don’t even know what’s true and what’s false and you’re an angel . . . and I love you and you admit that you love me. And I’m just a little crazy right now.” It was starting to become difficult to talk due to my hysteria. “And all I can think about is getting out of this place before I go absolutely nuts. And now here I am—”
Andrew silenced me with a kiss. I felt a rush of gratitude for his intervention. His fingers came up and lightly pulled me closer. Reflexively, my eyes closed, and I let out a long sigh as I relaxed under his touch. It was only for a couple of seconds, but it seemed as if his embrace melted away all of my hysteria. My frustrations disappeared for a moment, but when he pulled away, it all slammed back with force.
“
Like I told you before, we will get through this together,” he declared with obvious sincerity. I wanted to tell him how much it meant to me that he was here for me, but words weren’t enough. He placed his hand on my knee, and I deflated under his penetrating gaze. “Now, what did you see?”
“
It was Zola. She said the Ladies of Light would capture her, which means she’s probably already locked away somewhere. And she said I’m supposed to kill the Ladies, not the Shadows. That I’m supposed to save the Shadows by Illuminating them. I planned on doing that anyway, but not the killing part.” I took several breaths, the panic about to spill over at any moment. “She said I was powerful, and the Ladies should be scared of me.” Once I said the words, I realized how silly they sounded. I couldn’t imagine being more powerful than the Ladies of Light—the same ones who tore through an army without a bat of an eyelash. I wish I knew where that power was, because I felt like I was greatly lacking.
Andrew nodded slowly and frowned in concentration. “That makes sense.”
I heaved a great sigh, though it sounded more like a roar of frustration. My nerves were wound as tight as guitar strings—you could probably play a tune on them. “I’m glad you found clarity, because I haven’t. I’m so confused.”
“
We’ll be there for you. We’ll find the answers.” He said this so firmly, so absolutely, it made me jealous he felt so sure, because I didn’t feel very assured.
“
Where are the others?” I wondered. “I don’t think it’s wise to stay here for long with all of those Shadows waiting outside.”
Andrew turned toward the direction of the staircase, and abruptly, Ehno, Aiden, and Joseph emerged from the hallway of books. It was nice that Ehno and Andrew were linked: it saved time.
They stared at me, waiting for instructions. When had I become this all-knowing leader? I didn’t know diddly about this world.
I took charge anyway. “I’ve seen angels just pop in and out of existence. Why can’t we just do that now?” I wasn’t sure if “pop” was the right word. “I know that Joseph can’t and, of course, there’s Abelie.” I sighed as my thoughts rolled around in my brain like tumbleweeds. I shot a few covert glances towards Abelie. “Or how about a portal to another dimension, Lucia? And, as a matter-of-fact, why couldn’t you guys just do that at the underground lab?” The pressure, all the weight from everything, sat heavily on my shoulders.
Ehno, Andrew, and Lucia exchanged uneasy glances. “It took me a while to figure it out,” Lucia admitted. “At the lab, there must have been a spell to prevent us from leaving. At least leaving in a magical way.”
Ehno nodded. “It makes sense, especially after we found out that Karen was the Soul Stalker out to murder you.”
Each time I uncovered something, it was as if a knife were twisting further into me, refusing to let me solve this mystery.
Lucia walked over to me, her long auburn hair falling forward as she bent down to me. Her blue eyes searched mine for several seconds before she spoke. “The Divine Library is infused with powerful magic to protect it from the outside world, which ultimately keeps us inside. The only way in and out of here is through the front door.”
Thinking about being on the other side of that door where all those Shadows were sent a strange excitement through me. There was a burning fiery urge for justice that filled my veins.
“
Well”—I stood and turned towards everyone—“I hope you’re ready to leave because I’m unsealing that door.”
CHAPTER
28: BE AT PEACE
It was about being mentally prepared. Before, there were roughly thirty Shadows. Within the twenty-four hour timeframe we had been inside the Divine Library, who knew what kind of crowd had accumulated. The Ladies of Light could be standing on the doorstep or possibly the Soul Stalker. I shuddered. My master plan of leaving the library suddenly felt stupid and idiotic, but I was hungry and Abelie deserved to be laid to rest.
The others stood behind me as I gazed at the wall where the door used to be. No one pressured or pushed me forward to unseal the door. Andrew was at my back, the key outstretched on his palm. I took in a deep breath before I reached over and grasped it securely in my hand. We needed to leave. I had to keep telling myself that we were doing the right thing. For an hour I gave myself pep talks.
In my other hand was the
Timeless
book, which I handed to Andrew as I placed my palm against the smooth stone door. I took another necessary deep breath and whispered, “Unseal.”
Sparks lit around the edges, and the outline of the door formed. Like a moron, I placed my ear against the crack and listened. The door was shut securely, so of course I wasn’t able to hear anything. It was like putting my ear to a seashell. It sounded like the ocean, the air weaving in and out of the space between my ear and the rock.
“
Did you hear anything?” Ehno chuckled from behind me.
I turned around to cast him a glare, which made him laugh harder. “No,” I said icily, but couldn’t help to smile in return. “Lots of rock, but definitely no roll, to my dismay,” I deadpanned.
Everyone laughed at my very dry humor, and Andrew raised his eyebrows to hair level.
“
Not my best attempt at humor.” I shrugged.
“
Trust me,” Andrew smiled, “you are quite witty and funny. We understand that you’re feeling a little overwhelmed right now.”
Lucia and Ehno nodded in agreement.
“
You got that right,” Joseph said, absolutely serious. “I’m not some ‘special chosen one,’ so I know it has to be a million times more difficult for you than me. Plus, you just lost your mother . . .” he trailed off feebly, and my eyes automatically darted to Aiden who stood over Abelie’s body in the distance.
Andrew stepped in my view. “Let’s lay her to rest.”
I nodded imperceptivity and turned to insert the keys. A reckless daring seized me, and I inserted and turned them. A puff of dust rose from the cracks as the door scraped across the stone floor. A violent wind whipped across my face. I expected to see the Shadows light the distance with their fire. There were none—no Ladies or shadowy figures on the horizon. But it was dark, and my vision was not as great in the inky blackness.