Chapter 21
Dreams and Visions.
A world is torn apart,
while another is said to start.
So many people are gone, now dead.
The sun has turned to its infamous red.
Only ten to be taken,
while the rest will be forsaken.
Alchera
I think someone once said you can die from heartache.
They’re wrong.
Standing on the top of a hill, I watch as everyone gathers around Janak and my father’s body that’s lying on top of a stone altar of some sort.
Some are crying, while others are staring blankly ahead of them as Janak says something I can’t hear.
He places his hand on my father’s chest, and a moment later, a twinkling light begins to appear as my father’s soul drifts up into the sky to be with Awo before his body vanishes.
A woman falls to her knees, and my eyes lock on her.
For a second, I feel a flicker of interest as she claws at her chest, but Thana and Brenna help her back to her feet, then remain standing on either side of her.
Is she the elusive mother I can barely remember?
“Alchera.”
I forcefully block Raighne for the umpteenth time.
The damn man is persistent. He’s been trying non-stop to get through to me since our last talk, which, by the way, didn’t go down too well.
I regret what I said to Raighne yesterday, but it’s done now, and I can’t turn back time.
Once again, the conversation replays in my mind as I watch them honor my father.
“Alchera! Wait, please. We need to talk.”
I swing around to face Raighne, and when he sees my expression, shock flickers in his eyes.
“You are grief-stricken over losing your father,” he states the obvious.
“You’re wrong,” I hiss as I shake my head. “I’m more than just grief-stricken. I’m pissed!” When his lips part, I hold up my hand to stop him from talking. “It’s the last straw. I can handle everybody messing with me, but taking out my dad, killing him off like he’s some worthless being? No! He is my dad. He is your King!” My voice rises, and I have to pause to catch my breath.
Raighne wants to say something, but I silence him with a look of warning. “You don’t get to speak now,” I snap. “You don’t get to say anything.”
I walk right up to him so he can see every ounce of my rage as I say, “Don’t follow me. Go back to your people and tell them I’m done. I’ll save the chosen ones, but I want no part in anything to do with Vaalbara. I’m done with you and your kind. You took everything from me.” I suck in a quivering breath. “I have nothing more to give.”
Without giving him a chance to say anything, I turn around and walk away while forcefully blocking him from my mind.
I’ve also been thinking about my time on Vaalbara and how it’s changed me.
Even though it’s made me stronger, it’s also turned me into a hard, bitter person.
I suppose it’s what they wanted.
I sneak into my living quarters like a damned escaped convict while everyone’s mourning my father.
Now’s the only chance I have to wash up. I hurry, constantly listening for any movement outside, and when I’m finally wearing clean clothes, I let out a breath of relief.
I search through all the drawers, and finding a pair of scissors, I do my best to cut my hair into a less shitty style.
I’m wasting time, but when I’m done, my hair’s cut short against my scalp and standing every which way.
Fuck. That doesn’t look much better.
I let out a sigh as a pang of loss threatens to bloom in my chest, but I smother it. I don’t have time to waste on stupid feelings.
With no time to spare, I rush out of my living quarters and break out into a run toward the forest.
I use the trees for cover, and finding the stream, I follow it as I make my way in the direction of the Virtutes Waterfall.
Today, I’m getting my ass off this damned planet.
I don’t take in any of the lush green shrubs and beautiful sights around me and only focus as I dart over the uneven terrain.
My chest begins to ache something fierce, but I ignore the pain and push my body harder.
It takes way too long, and only when the sun is starting to set do I break through the trees.
When I reach the pool, a cool breeze feels good on my clammy skin and my breaths are wheezing over my parted lips.
Remembering the pool isn’t as deep as it looks, I step into the cool water.
As I approach the curtain, I see movement up on a ledge, and shock shudders through me as a guard steps out from behind the waterfall.
Shit.
“Peace be, Princess Alchera,” he says. He bows slightly but still keeps his eyes on me.
Dammit! This is the last thing I need.
“Peace be,” I mutter, glancing around me for any sign of trouble. “I need to go back to Earth, and I’d appreciate your assistance in doing so.”
An older guard joins the younger one and asks, “Peace be, Princess. Should you not be at your father’s funeral?”
My eyes dart back to them, and I shove away the stab of grief in my chest.
There’s no time to mourn.
“I was there,” I answer. “I’ve paid my respects. Now, if you’re finished questioning me, I’d like to pass through. I’d appreciate your help.” There’s tension in my voice, as clear as a freaking bell.
“Why do you need to shift to Earth, and where’s your guardian?” the older man asks.
“My business is my own, and I’m in a hurry,” I snap, anger tightening my tone.
The younger guard bows his head and heads back to his spot behind the curtain of rushing water.
“If it’s your wish.” The older guard turns and indicates for me to step through the curtain. “You’ll need to clear your mind of everything but your destination. If you think of anything else, things could go terribly wrong. Please ensure you focus solely on your destination before you pass into the fall’s curtain.” He starts to move back behind the waterfall. “May Awo guide you on your travels.”
“That’s all I have to do?” I check with him.
“Yes,” he nods, then goes back to his place on the ledge.
I wade through the water, and when I’m standing right in front of the curtain, droplets of water pelting me, I concentrate on clearing my mind.
My breathing slows, and I feel myself relaxing. I picture Fish Creek Falls in my mind’s eye, but as I take the step into the curtain, a vision robs me of my ability to think.
I see Jason kneeling by a pond. He’s crying, tears running down his cheeks. He punches at the water while shouting.
I feel his pain rip through me .
And then… I see nothing.
There’s darkness all around me, and my stomach lurches. I try to suck in a breath of air but only manage to inhale water. It burns into my lungs, suffocating me.
I panic, and my arms flail to the side. I hit something rough, coated with a layer of slime. Pushing myself away from it, I immediately bob to the surface, and I cough before desperately gasping for air.
Jesus, the water tastes like shit.
I cough again and spit the disgusting taste from my mouth while I glance around me.
Where the hell am I?
Standing in a pond in someone’s backyard, it takes a moment before I realize this is Jason’s property.
Holy shit.
To my left is an artificial waterfall with a large aviary located behind it.
I must’ve come through the waterfall when I had the vision of Jason.
I quickly look around again but don’t see Jason anywhere. After I drag my slimy butt out of the pond, I check the large aviary, but there’s nothing in it, not even one tiny little bird.
I walk out onto the other side of the yard and spot more cages. Their doors stand wide open, and four dog kennels lay empty to my right. All the animals are gone.
I jog around the side of the house, and finding an open sliding door, I slip inside.
My heart is pounding in my throat, and I can hear mumbling from somewhere inside the house.
I sneak through a living room, and when I near the kitchen, I notice Jason kneeling by the large cage where I last saw the two beautiful gray birds in my visions.
He’s leaning his forehead against the steel bars of the cage while his whole body convulses with sobs.
I can feel his heart breaking.
“Where are you?” he cries. “How can you all just be gone? ”
As I reach out to comfort him, he startles and swings around.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Surprisingly I understand everything he says even though I’ve never spoken his language.
Understanding different languages must be one of my talents so I can communicate with all my chosen ones.
I drop my hand to my side, not having a clue how to handle the situation.
“I’m Raighne, and this is Alchera,” Raighne suddenly says in English from behind me, giving me a damn near heart attack. “We need to talk.”
I don’t glance at Raighne and keep my eyes locked on one-hell-of-a-shocked-looking Jason.
“You just walk into my house uninvited and demand you want to talk to me?” Jason snaps, his accent not too thick. He doesn’t take his red-rimmed eyes off us.
I can’t blame the man. I sure wouldn’t trust the situation if I were in his shoes.
“We mean you no harm,” I say. “We’re here to help.”
Jason inches away from us, giving both of us apprehensive looks.
“May she use the restroom?” Raighne shoves a bag at me.
Jason throws his arms in the air, shaking his head. “Why even ask? I mean, I only live here. Normally, people ask before they trespass on private property. But, hey, who am I to say anything? Help yourself.” He lets out an incredulous burst of laughter, then adds, “Down the hall, first door on the right.”
“Take the elixir,” Raighne mutters.
Shit. My eyes and clothes.
I hurry away, and entering the restroom, I quickly shut the door behind me.
When I catch sight of myself in the mirror, I cringe a little. It’s a damn miracle Jason isn’t screaming his head off.
I open the bag to discover regular human clothes.
I strip out of the wet leather and put on a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and a hoodie. When I find sneakers in the bag, a smile curves my lips for the first time in days .
Seeing the small, brown vial, I take the top off and quickly drink the bitter elixir.
Jesus. Yuck.
Seconds tick by, and I still feel the same.
Damn, I kind of hoped the elixir would’ve taken away my pain as well.
The thought makes me peek in the bathroom cabinet, and seeing a box with the word painkiller printed on the side, I glance at the shut bathroom door before I take the medicine.
Opening the box, I’m confused as I stare at a bunch of patches.
Who the hell uses patches as painkillers?
Well, beggars can’t be choosers.
I take one and carefully stick it over my ribs before straightening out my shirt and hoodie.
The box seems to be full, so I take out another three, hoping Jason won’t notice they’re missing.
Hold up. Jason’s leaving with us, so why not just take the whole box, right?
I stand for a moment, feeling guilty about stealing it, before shoving the whole box of painkiller patches into my bag.
I glance at my reflection in the mirror to see if the elixir has worked and notice only my eyes have changed. Instead of sparkling like emeralds, they’re just plain green now.
I suck in a deep breath, and when my ribs don’t ache as much, a smile tugs at my lips.
I leave the bathroom, and when I finally make my appearance, both men just stare at me.
I notice Raighne’s eyes are light blue, but otherwise he also looks the same, and not like the younger version when he was pretending to be Ryan.
Seeing him wearing jeans and a T-shirt is weird, though.
Hot weird.
Jason is the first to speak. “What do you want?” His voice falls like icicles around us.
“Jason, I know this is strange and– ”
“How do you know my name?” He takes a step toward me, which makes Raighne take a step forward as well.
“It’s kind of hard to explain without sounding crazy.” I try to give him a smile to put him at ease.
“Well, why don’t we take a seat in the living room, and then you explain it to me.” He shoves past me, and we have no choice but to follow him.
When I take a seat across from Jason, Raighne sits down beside me.
All the chaotic emotions I’ve felt the past week threaten to overwhelm me, but this isn’t the place or the time to think about it, and I forcefully shove it back.
“You better start talking,” Jason snaps, pulling me from my thoughts.
I look at him and take a deep breath before I say, “I’m going to tell you something that will freak you out, but try to stay calm.”
He just stares me down, not giving me anything to work with.
Well, here goes nothing.
Letting out a sigh, I continue, “I know your name because I’ve had a vision about you.”
What else am I going to say? The truth is all I have.
“I know it sounds crazy.” I give him a pleading look. “In my first vision, you were standing in the passageway of the aviary at the back of your house, talking to your birds. At some point, you looked right at me as if you sensed I was there.”
His eyes are glued to me, telling me I definitely have his attention now.
“In the second vision, you were in your kitchen. You had two beautiful gray birds with you. The love I felt in the visions was overwhelming, Jason. It’s what makes you so special.”
When he lowers his head and lets out a shaky breath, my heart squeezes for him.
I get up, and crossing the living room, I take a seat beside Jason. Needing to comfort him, I place my hand on his back.
He clears his throat, and with a thick voice, he says, “When I woke up this morning, they were all gone. The birds and fish. My dogs…they’re go ne. Even poor Siege, who’s dying of cancer. Who would take a sick, old dog?”
He covers his face, and his body shudders as he cries for his animals.
I scoot closer to him, feeling an echo of his sadness in my chest.
This is the heartache I didn’t want any of my chosen ones to experience.
“They’re my life,” he mutters. “I just want them back.”
He pulls away from me and drops his face into his hands, a heartbreaking sob shuddering through his body.
“Your animals are waiting for you safely on Vaalbara,” Raighne says.
Jason’s head snaps up, and my eyes dart to Raighne as I say, “You couldn’t have told us this sooner? The man is in pain, Raighne. Your timing sucks.”
“Vaal…what?” Jason mutters next to me. He looks from Raighne to me like we’re crazy.
“I’m here to take you to Vaalbara. It’s a new Earth.” I pause for a moment, then break the news to him as best I can. “All hell is about to break loose. It’s the end of this world, and you have been chosen to be saved. There’s a new Earth waiting for you, and your animals have already been taken there.”
I watch him cautiously, waiting for a response.
I’d lose my shit if someone dropped such a crazy bomb on my ass.
“It’s the end of the world?” he asks, his face masked with disbelief.
“Yeah, pretty much.” I nod, folding my hands on my lap. I look down and start to fidget, not knowing what else to do.
“There’s a new Earth?” Jason asks, scooting to the edge of the couch.
“Yes.” I really hope he’s starting to understand. I don’t know what else to tell him.
“My animals are there?” His voice pitches.
“Yeah, they’re safely there,” I assure him.
His tone is deceptively calm when he says, “You took my animals.”
“Ye–”
Suddenly, Jason lunges at me, and his fingers wrap brutally around my neck. I’m shoved back onto the couch, unable to gasp as he chokes the living hell out of me.
“You took my animals?! You dare touch my children and then break into my house! I’m going to fucking kill you,” he hisses in my face.
I gasp for a breath of air and grab his arms.
When I try to focus on Jason, all I see is Ares, and the horror I suffered at his hands bleeds through my soul.
I start hitting him as hard as I can while bucking my body wildly.
The next moment, I’m hitting the air as Raighne yanks Jason off me.
I grab at my throat and scramble away from them until my back hits the wall. I keep sucking in huge gulps of air, trying to ease the burn in my lungs while my ribs are aching something fierce.
I can breathe. I’m safe. There’s no Adeth. No Ares. Raighne’s here.
Jason drops to his knees with Raighne standing next to him, ready to restrain him if he has to.
“I’m so sorry. I’ve never laid hands on a woman before. I just want them back. Give by animals back,” Jason begs.
I turn my face away from them, and I feel the same anger pulse through me that I felt the day my dad died. Before I can stop the words, they burn over my lips. “I chose your animals over my father.” I suck in a desperate breath, and a sob sputters from me as I shout, “My father died so your animals could live.”
Jason glances up at me.” What?”
“I was told I could have one request, and I used it to save your precious animals,” I spit at him. “I didn’t save my father and let him die. I didn’t know any better. I didn’t understand. I begged for your damned animals. Obviously, my wish was granted.” I glare at him. “It was my dad’s funeral today, yet I’m standing here trying to save your life, so I fucking suggest you get your ass up and pull yourself together. I have nine other people to save before I can take you all to Vaalbara, and we’re running out of time.”
The air is thick with tension as Jason climbs to his feet. His eyes lock with mine, and we stare at each other.
I have no idea what I’ll do if Jason keeps losing his shit. We’ll have to forcefully drag him to wherever the next chosen one is .
Jesus, what if they all reject me? I can’t control ten people who want to beat my ass.
Letting out a tired sigh, I say, “I know you want to see your animals again. You have one of two choices. Either you come with us willingly, or we take you by force. It’s your choice how this plays out.”
God, I don’t want to take Jason by force.
“I’ll see my animals if I go with you?” he asks, his tone still unsure.
“Yes.”
“Where are we going?” he demands.
“I don’t know yet. I’m waiting for the next vision, but you should pack a bag because we could leave at any moment.”
His eyes stay on me for a few seconds before he nods and walks out of the living room.
I rush forward and watch as he heads to a bedroom at the end of the hallway.
“Let me look at your neck,” Raighne mutters as his fingers brush over my throat.
“I’m okay, it’s nothing,” I mutter as I pull away.
Before I can put more distance between us, he grabs hold of my arm, and I’m yanked flush with his solid chest.
His features are carved from stone with anger, but he says nothing as he wraps his fingers around my neck.
When his warmth trickles beneath my skin, I close my eyes and focus hard to keep my walls up so he won’t see into my mind.
“So stubborn,” he grumbles before letting go of me.
I quickly turn away from him, and exhausted because of everything that’s happened to me these past three months, I struggle to fight back the tears.
Swallowing hard, I lift my chin and force myself to suck it up.
Unfortunately, my voice is shaky when I say, “Thanks for the clothes.”
“Brenna chose them,” he murmurs in a much gentler tone.
“They’re here?” I ask with my back still turned to him.
“Yes. They’re waiting outside.”
Jason returns to the living room, looking like he’s ready to go to war .
He’s changed his clothes and has a huge duffle bag in his hand. Taking one look at him, you’d think he’s ready to conquer Mount Everest.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he says, giving me half a smile. “I’m not the weird one around here. I don’t know where you two are taking me or what I'm in for. I want to be prepared.”
“I didn’t say anything,” I mutter, too relieved he’s coming with us and we don’t have to use force.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shoots through my head, driving me straight to my knees. Just as I hit the floor, Raighne’s arms wrap around me.