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  Though they were gone, I wasn’t saved; I was in agony. My soul craved the peace that it had witnessed. I began to fade again, though this time it wasn’t graceful. My body and soul were at war. I didn’t know if it was some kind of wicked illusion or not, but I could see my essence vanishing into thin air. I was freezing and growing weaker with each second that passed.

  Silas appeared at my side and knelt down next to me. Madison glared at him, not knowing him well enough to trust him. Silas’ hands gently cradled my face, and with his touch I felt warmth, the peace that my soul was craving. As his hands moved down my shoulders along the sides of my body, I felt myself getting stronger, but I couldn’t gain control over my thoughts, over my body. I couldn’t convince my soul to stay, to understand that I wasn’t done with this life. All at once, I heard screams and saw ash falling all around me. It felt like knives were in my lungs, in my throat. I was suffocating, and I didn’t know why. I was dying, just like I did every night in my dreams.

  Flashes of light came to my eyes, and memories that I knew didn’t belong to this life came to me. I saw the battles that Silas had just fought come to life over and over, different places and different men. I saw myself pulling ash from men twice my size. I felt the victory in my soul. I watched as my body was pierced with every weapon imaginable; in my memories I felt no pain, I saw no damage -- but now, right here in the center of this ancient graveyard, I felt the pain, I saw the blood. It was as if I were dying a thousand deaths at once.

  Seeing the terror in my eyes, Silas began to whisper what sounded like a prayer in another language. He then lifted me up and let his lips rest on mine; he wasn’t kissing me, he was pushing light, warmth -- life through me. I felt every part of him seep into my soul. The pain left, but the memories remained.

  I heard a name; it was whispered, it was yelled, it was spoken over and over by Silas: Julia.

  “Julia,” I said against his lips as I took ownership of my life, of his peace once again.

  He pulled away from me and looked over every part of me slowly as if to ensure that I was healed from whatever that man had done to me.

  “You’re glowing,” Madison said in an uneasy tone.

  I looked down at my skin to see the glow that she was talking about fade into my body.

  “Go home,” Silas said firmly as he pulled me to my feet.

  My eyes grew wide. “Are you insane? You don’t show yourself for weeks, then you appear, kill people, save my life -- and all you have to say is ‘Go home’?!”

  “What do you want me to say?” he said as he gripped my arm and began to lead me out of the graveyard.

  Madison walked swiftly at our side, unsure of whose side to take.

  I didn’t try to stop him. I knew he’d make sure I got home, and that would give me plenty of time to get the answers I wanted out of him.

  “Um...I don’t know...‘Hey, it’s good to see you. How have you been? By the way, I just killed six men to save your life. Go home, have some tea, read a book.’ That would make more sense than just ‘Go home.’”

  “Fine. It’s good to see you, Charlie. People are trying to kill you. Go home.”

  “Why today? What happened? Who flipped the switch? You know Monroe had a nightmare about her dad last night? She showed me the crows.”

  “She showed you the crows -- and you ran right to them?” he asked, shaking his head, refusing to look down at me.

  I glanced at my side at Madison to see a guilty expression washing over her face.

  “Crows aren’t bad,” I mumbled.

  “If Monroe shows you something, you might want to listen,” Silas said shortly.

  “Yeah, well, she can be confusing at times. She doesn’t like to take sides,” I argued pulling my arm from him. I kept his quick pace, though; he was talking, and I knew if I kept walking I’d have his attention.

  “She isn’t confusing. She sees life through symbols, and she has no way to explain anything to you; all she can do is show you.”

  “Who is her dad? He told her to come to him. I have to stop that.”

  “Is that your new battle cry now? What happened? Did you get bored hunting?”

  “No. That hunt will last until it’s over,” I countered.

  “Yeah. Why don’t you teach us to do that black smoke-pulling thing? That would help,” Madison said in a tone that reflected pure awe for Silas.

  He looked down at her and tried to hold in the grin that his anger was capturing. “You’re too alive for me to teach you that.”

  “And what are you?” Madison asked curiously.

  “Not alive,” Silas said under his breath.

  Madison raised her eyebrows as our eyes met. I swallowed hard, then looked up at Silas. “Who is he? Tell me who the biggest threat is. Should I be looking for him or Bianca?”

  “I’ve already told you who the biggest threat is.”

  I glared up at him. “We aren’t talking about Draven. Bianca is hurting someone else. Did you know that? She has two men, and one is very powerful.”

  “They’re both powerful,” Silas said shortly.

  “So she’s the threat?”

  “No.”

  “Silas, drop the jealously act. I’m doing the best I can here. I have a fifteen-year-old girl in my care who’s terrified, a boyfriend who’s horrified of who he is, and the demon that caused this has two more people – people that were supposed to help me get out of here.”

  Madison looked quickly at me with confusion and betrayal in her eyes.

  “That’s a lot of problems, Charlie. I only have one: keeping you alive,” Silas said, clenching his jaw.

  “Well, if that’s your problem, then so is everything else because I’m not going to hide from this.”

  We’d reached Wesley’s house. My car. I was trying desperately to think of a way to make him stay with me, talk to me. I knew he knew something, something that could help us.

  “Listen,” he said as he opened the driver side door and pushed me in. “You don’t have to look for anything,” he said, slamming the door.

  I tried to open it, but he was holding it closed. So, I turned the key and slid down the window as Madison climbed in the passenger seat.

  “Why? Why do I not have to look for it?” I asked Silas.

  “Because it’s coming right at you. You can’t stop it. All you have to do is survive it, and it’s my job to make sure you do.”

  “Why is it your job?” I asked sarcastically.

  “Because I never break a promise,” he said as he leaned in and forced his lips against mine.

  At that moment, my mind was invaded. Sharp images that would shift and overlap came to me, and I heard myself say ‘Promise’ to him over and over again. As I saw him nod and pull me closer, I tried to see when this was, how it was a catalyst for what was happening now, but all I could see was a sky filled with stars, sand on my feet, but no salt in the air.

  Silas pulled away and said, “Go home,” then he vanished.

  “Well, that was interesting,” Madison said, relaxing into her seat.

  “Is that what you call it?” I mumbled.

  “He’s not what I thought he would be.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know...with that peaceful emotion you described, I kind of expected him to be the opposite of Draven.”

  I angled my eyes at her to judge her words carefully.

  “But he’s just like him. Only apparently, he’s not alive. Did you leave that part out?”

  “I didn’t know that part. I don’t know what he is,” I said under my breath.

  “Some kind of warrior.”

  I felt a sick feeling absorb my stomach as I imagined Silas doing what I saw him do to those men to my Draven. “Would you believe me if I told you that I could do that before? In another life?”

  “Would you believe me if I told you I could do it, too?” she said, raising one eyebrow.

  “You remember that? Past lives?”

&nbs
p; “I don’t know if I remember that or not. I swear, the more time we spend in The Realm, the more it messes with my mind. I remember things all the time, but it could be that I think I do because Britain described me vividly in a past life. Apparently, that’s what I was doing to him long ago, but something stopped me.”

  “What do you think that was?”

  “The same thing that’s stopping me now, stopping you.”

  I took in a deep breath. “Do you love him?”

  She was quiet for a moment as her eyes gazed into nothing. “I have empathy for him. He doesn’t want to be who he is. He chose to be an Escort because he doesn’t want to be lost in The Realm. Britain wants to overcome who he is, not take control of that place like Bianca.”

  “Is that what he told you?” I asked with disdain.

  “Why are you anti-Team Britain all of a sudden? If anything, you should be cheering him on. I told you, if he figures this out, with what he knows I could help you help Draven fight it, too.”

  “I just want to make sure you’re with the person you want to be with. Not with him to help me. You should be with who’s calling your heart.”

  “No one is calling my heart. I told you before; I will not be anyone’s second choice. What’s going on with Britain and I now is right for right now, but I can’t tell you it will be tomorrow. Besides, my love life isn’t what’s causing all the turmoil right now.”

  I smirked at the irony in her words and tried once again to just tell her that the boy was real. Not only was he real, he was in the arms of Bianca at that moment.

  As I opened my mouth, she spoke. “So what is this about Bianca having our way out? Did you forget to tell me something?”

  “I might have had a chance to tell you if you hadn’t decided to chase after some bird.”

  “Fine, I was wrong. I admit that -- and that’s hard for a Scorpio. Can we move on now? What’s going on?”

  I took in her inquisitive eyes, and what they were hiding. Her insecurity. She wasn’t ready to hear this. “Draven saw something last night: they followed Bianca and watched her take two guys; we think Landen was one of them.”

  “Who was the other?”

  I hesitated for what seemed like countless minutes. “I think he’s some kind of prince or something, maybe even a king. The world is dark. If she gets control over that...I don’t know what can happen.”

  “What do you want to bet Landen is like us, light? Why would she have light and darkness?”

  “Collateral damage, I guess. She was after the prince. She took him first.”

  “He could have been bait for the other one.”

  “I don’t know,” I mumbled.

  “If you’re right, I bet that Willow girl is near crazy at this point.”

  Nope. She wasn’t ready to hear this. I put the car in drive. “Let’s go get Monroe, see if she knows anything. Then maybe we can go to Chara and see if Willow’s there, if anyone knows anything -- if they’re even missing.”

  When Madison didn’t respond, I looked to my side to see her staring forward. Her pupils had expanded; she was seeing, and I had no doubt she was in Chara. I thought about following her, but I couldn’t make myself. I wanted her to see this on her own. I wanted that little boy Preston to show her Esterious, show her that prince. I didn’t want to be around when she finally figured this out.

  A second later, her eyes focused. “No one’s home there.”

  “You knocked on the door?”

  “I looked in the windows. No one’s in sight, not even that little boy. Maybe it’s not them she took.”

  “If she did take them, more than likely they’re in that Esterious dimension.”

  “Want to see your way there?” Madison asked, tilting her head, daring me to do so in front of her.

  I moved my head from side to side as I pulled out on the main road. “Not alone. I told you it was wicked there.”

  “It can’t be any more wicked than what we see in The Realm.”

  “You really want to go there? You want to see?” I said shortly.

  “No.”

  “Then why are you pushing me to show you? Making me feel guilty?”

  “Because something’s eating away at you, and I want to help you with it.”

  I squinted my eyes, then sighed. “I just don’t want you to hate me when you go there.”

  “I could never hate you. You know that. What’s going on?”

  I glanced at her. “I just think this isn’t all about me - and when you figure that out, you’re going to be mad.”

  “Charlie!” she screamed as she braced her arms in front of her.

  I slammed on my brakes before my eyes ever had the chance to look forward. We were almost out of town, near the corner of the last block, and I didn’t see anything, any reason for her to freak out like that.

  “What?!”

  Madison eyes were wide with fear. “You almost hit her!”

  “Who?!” I asked, looking around. There wasn’t anyone near us.

  “Pull over,” Madison said, pointing to the side of the road.

  I turned the wheel and moved my car to the curb, but Madison was out of the car before I even stopped. I threw the car in park and chased after her as she ran around the corner of the last building on the block. When I reached her, there was no one there but her.

  “Have you lost your mind? I didn’t hit anyone. I only glanced away for a second.”

  Madison’s hands were running through her long dark hair. “I saw her. She was older. She had on a long black pea coat, silver hair.”

  “Nobody’s here. Come on, let’s go,” I said, wanting to go home now - the faster the better. Something wasn’t right about today.

  Right as we turned, the woman was there, staring deep into Madison’s green eyes. She was older, and her silver hair was pulled into a neat twist behind her head. On her neck she wore a silver necklace with a pentagram charm. The aroma of sage lingered heavily around her.

  “You have been called,” the woman said to Madison.

  “Excuse me?” Madison said as her eyes raced over the woman.

  “The Goddess of Mother Nature has called for you. The Great Witch has sent me to tell you to come.”

  “The goddess? The Great Witch? Lady, are you OK? Did we hit you and not know it?” Madison asked.

  The woman stepped forward and reached for Madison’s hand. “Fear not. No witch brings harm. You are called by a great power. You will be protected.” The woman then looked down at Madison’s hand and closed something within it before turning and stepping around the corner.

  I rushed after her, but when I reached the corner she was gone. I looked down each side of the street, within each car; she was nowhere to be seen. I ran back to Madison and found her frozen in place. Her eyes were wide as they stared into thin air.

  “Madison, what did she give you? Is it hurting you?!” I asked as I unclenched her hand; there, I found a necklace like what the woman was wearing, a pentagram within a circle.

  “I-I need paper,” Madison stuttered as she pushed past me. She climbed in the passenger seat of my car and pulled a sketch pad out of her bag. I sighed as I climbed in the driver’s seat. I kept looking all around for that woman, but she was nowhere to be seen.

  My attention moved to Madison. Her hand was flying across her pad, and the images were nothing less than alarming.

  Chapter Four

  At first I thought it was a Zodiac wheel, but as she drew and sketched out words in another language, the image grew darker. A Scorpion was in the center of a pentagram, and circles were all around it. When she was done with that image, she began to draw herself, but the image was ragged. Her hair was tangled; her eyes were bloodshot and swollen. Around her neck was a medallion; it was a sun with a crescent moon within it, and she shadowed in the area around the moon, making it look like black glass.

  She turned the page and began to sketch the most elaborate image of an angel I’d ever seen. It wasn’t a good angel, tho
ugh; it was more like a demon. The face was just as perfect as the men we’d watched die, but there was an anger in its eyes. Its wings expanded across the page with utter detail; she made them look like ash.

  My heart began to race as she sketched other images: ours. A light was reaching for Monroe as the rest of us tried to protect her.

  She turned the page frantically and sketched another image, an Ankh, and beneath it she wrote the world ‘love.’ Then beneath that she drew a body of a faceless girl. The girl looked dead, and blood was pooling from around her.

  “Madison! Madison, stop!” I yelled. “You’re acting like you’re possessed – what’s going on? Where are these images coming from?”

  “When she touched me, I saw them,” Madison said as she let her pen fall.

  “What do they mean? Who is that faceless girl?!”

  She ignored me and turned the page back to the first image she’d drawn with the Scorpion. “This is the devil’s trap. I’ve seen it in those books.”

  “So what was she saying to trap him? Is that angel him – Monroe’s dad?!”

  “I don’t know,” Madison said as her eyes gazed forward into her memory.

  “I told you this wasn’t all about me. Do you know what made you so upset in that image? Why were you crying like that?”

  “I don’t know,” she said under her breath. “It didn’t feel like it was me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I felt mad, not sad.”

  This was so not good. “Look, that lady was just messing with you. No one besides Austin is coming for us, and if they were, we have Silas. Mother Nature – seriously?”

  “I don’t think she was crazy. She was channeling somebody.”