Taken (Breaking the Darkness) (12 page)

“Gram was all I had. Now I’m alone.” The heaviness of my statement filled the room.

“I’m going to try not to be offended. Right now, at this moment in time, you have me. I’m standing before you as your friend. In this place, you’re not alone. Now let us go over a few details on how this works.”

A friend? Maybe. There was sincerity in his eyes. I accepted his offer of friendship at least for that moment in time, as he called it, until Ziona and The Taker instructed him to do otherwise.

Graven didn’t waste any time. He went over a few key pointers on making sure I wasn’t exposing myself to any other possible viewers out there. He explained different ways to blend in with my surroundings. At least an hour had passed with me practicing some of the techniques.

He stopped mid-thought and gazed straight into me. “What is your real name?”

“What?” He caught me off guard with his bluntness and ability to see through my lie. “Lyra is my real name. Well, it’s my middle name. I was afraid to tell you my first name. I didn’t want you to go back to Ziona and tell her what I was doing. At this point, since you know where I am and didn’t tell her before, I guess it can’t hurt to tell you the truth. My given name is Kasha Lyra Alexander.”

“Kasha, that’s a pretty name, unique, kind of like you.” He whispered, “Thank you for telling me. I know our time is limited, but I think if you managed to sense Ziona and get into that meeting, you should be able to find your way back to me. You’re welcome in my home anytime. It is rare for anyone to come out here. I do have a hired hand or two, but they stay out with the horses. My home is protected. I’m the only one who would see you here.”

“Oh, thank you,” I said softly.

“But heed my advice to always be aware of what is going on around you. I might not be here in the house. I have a number of obligations. There are many dangerous people in my life, especially at my clubs.”

At that, the little bit of peace in thinking I had a safe place to communicate with someone who could maybe help me, more than just by reading a book and lecturing me, drifted away almost as fast as it appeared. I realized if I went to him and he wasn’t at this house, he could be in a position that could expose me. My nerves shot my hand back up to my chest.

“Why do you keep grabbing at your chest? That is the third time I’ve seen you do that.”

“I wear a necklace on my physical body. It has an amulet that my grandmother gave me. It helps relax my nerves when I think about her. She was always there for me. Always.”

I paused, thinking back to Ziona’s constant inquisition about my grandmother not telling me about who I really was or might be. I still found it so hard to fathom her lying to me all those years.

“Ziona, she claims that Gram knew what’s about to happen to me. Something about my
transformation
.” Sadness crept in around me. I knew it was almost time to get back. I also really needed to try to get back to talk to Patience and Phaela.

“Maybe your grandmother had her reasons for omitting some of the truths that you seek at this time. At least at this point you aren’t really lying to Ziona. She has been known to get the truth out of the most tight-lipped people.”

“What is her story anyway? What is she?” I probed.

“It might be better if you don’t know more details at this time. Your ignorance to what she is and what she seeks are probably keeping you alive.”

I shot him an evil eye. How—after I just explained to him that I was upset that my gram may have lied to me my whole life about who I was—could he keep more of the truth from me?

“Be angry at me if you please, but there will be a safer time for you to know more details. I will do what I can to protect you.”

“I’m sure!”

“You should go. I might be able to find you. It really depends on if there are any enchantments keeping unwanted guests out. I will keep my ears extra open to see if I hear anything about what they truly want from you. But I cannot go around asking any questions. If anyone were to suspect I was helping a prisoner or hiding one, for that matter, it wouldn’t be good news for either of us.”

“I agree.” I didn’t want to leave, but I knew I had to. “Thanks for your help… and the invitation to your home.”

I MADE MY way out the door slowly. I enjoyed the landscape of Graven’s property. I wanted to be there. I wanted to know more about him. I wished I could share more about myself. I should have asked him to travel with me, maybe show me how he does it. Even if it was a short trip, it could have been fun.

I was concerned about getting back to my body before they noticed I was sitting in the same position for a few hours. The only problem was that I knew I needed more answers. Sitting and staring at four walls I couldn’t even see wasn’t going to get me anywhere. I needed to get back and talk to Patience. Maybe she had a way to help me contact Gram.

Gram must have had a lot of the answers. Clearly she knew I might not be an average human. I guess it was possible I wasn’t even human at all. How could I live this long and not know? Shouldn’t I have felt something at some point?

Before I even realized it, I was standing back in the kitchen where I last met with Patience and her sister Phaela. No one was there, but a kettle of water was about to shout out for someone to come in and greet me. I called out to Phaela. If Patience were there, unless she was in her astral form, she wouldn’t have heard me calling.

I wondered, if someone was astral projecting near me, would I be able to see them? Phaela could see me, but Patience could not. I never thought to ask Phaela if she could project. It was all so new to me. I wasn’t sure how much of this could be learned versus a natural ability. I hadn’t decided if this was going to be a gift or a curse. If my circumstances were different, I would think this was the most amazing thing that ever happened to me. There are so many places I would love to go and see.

The encounters with my new abilities were stressful and scary. Along with them, a crazy she-devil bitch and a dark crime lord of some sort were holding me captive. I was living a nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from.

It was hard to believe they were interested in me because I could astral project. It wasn’t like I was the only one who possessed the ability. They already had Graven on payroll. They at least knew for sure that he was able to see astral travelers.

He intrigued me. Everything about him was a contradiction. How could he work for those dark and ruthless people? He ran a collection of nightclubs and he loved to dance and ride horses. He was polished smooth on the outside but had a rugged core that I was sure denied weakness. His home was simple but by no means inexpensive. It amazed me that he had the sensitivity to help a lost traveler.

I feared not knowing what his angle was. Not at all did he seem like the type to be all sweet and cozy with random females, especially ones that threatened the security at one of The Taker’s meetings. He was ridiculously hot and ran a nightlife scene of his own. Any array of women was probably at his disposal any time he wished.

My thoughts started to drift into imagining what type of females he might have hanging around when I heard someone coming into the kitchen. A bit of jealousy started to simmer. How unlike me. Lucky for me there was no time to waste that mind power on trivial concerns.

I turned at the sound of both the teapot whistling and Patience rounding the corner. Great, now what was I going to do? Screaming in her face to tell her I was there crossed my mind, but what would that prove? Other than making me sound crazy if Phaela was there. I called out her name instead. “Phaela!”

“Hold your pipes, sweetheart. I’m coming. I don’t move as fast as I used to, you know?”

Before she turned the corner to join us, Patience began to speak. “Hello, child, I’m glad you are back this soon.” She waited for her sister before continuing. “How did you make out? Did you have another visit with Ziona or any others?”

“Well, yes, she came again. This time she brought me a half-eaten apple. She is so good to me.”

“The sarcasm can wait for a day when we can sit together and sip on some tea. What happened when she came in? Did she hurt you again?” Phaela scolded me like a small child.

“No, not really. She just basically threatened me and told me she could help me if I would tell her what she wants to know. Of course, I don’t know much of anything. I’m certainly not going to tell her that I have a way of communicating with the outside world. Who knows what or how she would manage to put a stop to this?

“I wanted to follow her immediately out of the room when she left. The problem is that she manages to distract me enough that I can’t see how she actually leaves the room. I never see the door open. It’s like she walks into the shadows and vanishes.

“It took me a few minutes, but I did manage to get myself into astral form and ready to seek her out. I focused on every bit of her that I know. I found myself watching her lead some sort of business meeting.”

Phaela told her sister the basics of everything I was saying. “Kasha, what was the meeting about?”

“Nothing that interesting. They talked about some stock market stuff, some property management, things like that. What they were talking about was less out of the ordinary than the vibe in the room. Ziona had on an outfit that wasn’t really business appropriate, and she had a few borderline violent outbursts.”

Patience carried over two cups of hot tea to the table before she interrupted me. “Kasha, were you able to distinguish where she is keeping you?”

“Following her didn’t help me at all. The meeting took place in Sedona, but I don’t know if that’s where they’re holding me. At least I’m not that far from home, if that’s the case. There was a lot of commotion at the end of the meeting and she was gone before I had the opportunity to follow her.”

I looked back and forth at Phaela and Patience. It was hard having a conversation with someone who couldn’t see or hear me. Phaela did a good job relaying to Patience what I was saying. It pained me watching the concern in her eyes.

“I know she’ll be back soon. She told me a few hours and it’s been at least that. I would rather be in my body when she gets there this time. Being sucked back from a blow to the solar plexus wasn’t very fun. Please tell me you have some information for me?” I feigned hope.

“We did do some research and asked around a little bit to confirm our suspicions about who Ziona is working with or for. He goes by many names. These days most call him The Taker.” Phaela raised her mug to her lips, but instead of taking a sip, she just blew gentle ripples across the top of her steamy tea.

Patience interjected. “I have read and written many a tale of him. What his true name is I am unaware and am sure that few, if any, know. No one has ever known his location. He moves around often, and the wake of his destruction and misery is left to fill the void of what he has taken from so many.

“He controls a majority of organized crime. All those that choose to live in the shadows of the dark side concede to him. He has found ways to pad his crews with some of the truest of hearts. Those that don’t go to him when he calls are taken. He keeps them for his bidding. What and whom he has no use for are eliminated and discarded.

“He is as bad as they get. There are others that walk in the darkness that have tried to challenge him over the centuries. All have failed. He now, for the first time, is dealing with the challenges of evil contenders growing in his image.” Patience finally sat down with her tea in hand. She looked exhausted from the agony of having to even speak of such atrocities.

Phaela looked down at her sister with what looked more like pity than concern. She walked to stand beside her sister and continued for her.

“We will do our best to help you. We fear for your safety as well as our own. No matter what happens, you are in danger. If you don’t give him what he wants, then you could be as good as dead. If you are as special as we all think you are or will be, he won’t let you go, at least not without a fight.”

My eyes felt like they were going to burst from their sockets. I wanted to pace the room with all the nervousness that just flooded out any hope for good news. I couldn’t move or say a thing. All I could do was stand there looking at nothing in particular.

“Patience has been hitting the books. She’s found mention of a young woman born with extraordinary capabilities. The stories don’t really give great detail as to her time or what gifts she’ll possess. She will be filled with light and test the darkness. She will have the insight or sight. It is hard to tell from the translations what to expect. We think The Taker has been searching for this girl for a very long time. It is likely he thinks you could be her.” Phaela rose from her seat at the table and stood with her sister.

“Me? Why me? I don’t understand. How could anyone think that? Other than the fact that I can all of the sudden astral project, there’s nothing special about me. Why do you even think I could be this girl?” I pleaded with the sisters. It just couldn’t be me. If The Taker thought I might possess that kind of power, no wonder he kept me in his sights. I shuddered at the thought.