Awakening - Book of Fire (Blood Heritage #1) (40 page)

With the help of her guide Amber appears to hold herself in absolute control and nothing she doesn't want revealed escapes. The Circle has heard nothing of her knowledge, doubts or accusations. She is a blank page to their eyes, a young girl looking for information, scared and unsure of everything around her. They tell her of the books in the library, of how they hold the histories as they have managed to get them down. Some of it they admit is speculation, some of the writings are experiences narrated by those who were there, some writings of the past. They warn her to take the information for what it is, merely assumptions and ideas of a past that is beyond the scope of their understanding. It was once said that there is no reality, only our perceptions and therein rests the weakness of every written history. They do not mention the special book, Amber believes they have no knowledge of it. She assumes whoever is hiding her from the others probably sent it to her. She does not linger on the thought.

"Where do you think the original power came from?" Amber Asks

A very old man with sparkling blue eyes and skin the color of sand steps forward and begins weaving the tale. He sits cross legged by the fire animated as if telling a story to a group of enthralled children instead of this group of sophisticated and secretive individuals...

In the ancient times, they drew pictures of golden ships bringing the mysterious visitors here, the peoples worshipped these visitors and their gifts made life easier for them. Ancient peoples did not fear them, as they brought with them fantastical advancements in technology and intelligence. They took the role of leadership and formed beautiful and intriguing cultures. They played the role of human leaders, filling the desire for primitive peoples to follow strength and power. They shaped human history one century at a time. There are many universes and it is very ego-centric of us to believe we are the only intelligent life in all that vastness.

One visitor long ago began a hurricane of events, that have been sporadically recorded throughout history with awe and divine attachment. One visitor decided to became God to men and designed entire civilizations. His seed filling the world with powerful and intelligent creatures that have ultimately driven mankind further and faster than otherwise would have been possible.

Nothing is ever freely given, for many with these gifts there is a heavy price to pay. They are no longer a part of humanity, disconnected and separate from birth. Some will be taken, disappear without a trace, others will die at the hand of the Father or his twisted Son to feed the power, some will fall to his wars, his manipulations and his crafting of the world as he wishes it to be. Some will fight amongst themselves, others taken by man; the human folklore is full of Vampire slayers, killers of the man-beasts and Puritans that tame the witches. Many will live side by side with man, capable of so much more, but hiding within the simpleness of society. Some will rise up and lead while others take to the forests and seek refuge from the judgement and cruelty of the weaker race. Though many have infinite years, few remain through the dark ages of man. There is far too little here to keep them inspired and the darkness grows cold and dim quickly. Watching humanity destroy what was once spectacular has devastated many of the elders and many have given up the fight. Their Creator, never coming to take up the burden of leadership, never leading them to the promised land, they die without faith, without purpose and in isolation. We are each and every one born to follow, there is not one of us with the desire to lead when it comes right down to it.

We in the Circle have found ways to hide from his view, to observe and rescue as many of the chosen as possible. Each girl born with the mark has the potential of disappearing to wherever it is he comes from. He takes them away in his chariot and no one ever hears from them again. We don't know if he breeds with them, as he does the ones he leaves behind or if they meet some other fate, but it is our call to war. We are focused on stopping the disappearances, the death of innocent girls, and we hope to bring peace back to humanity. Most people don't even realize that we have been at war for centuries. We want to keep it that way, we want to stop this before it comes to the head that is predicted in the old writings. He has left us a warning, his promise for a terrible end to our world as we know it. He has shown us what he plans though there is much we still don't know. If we want to survive, or we care at all about the humans surviving, we must defeat him.

Some of the texts speak of a great disappearance, A moment when the chosen of the world will be taken into the heavens in an instant of brilliant light. Those left behind will be sent into a terrifying chaos, a hell on earth, a punishment for being inferior and unworthy. Perhaps this means he is coming to take all his children home, and perhaps this is exactly what we should want. Unfortunately, this is not the only possibility, there are many variations of this prophecy. No one really agrees on who the chosen will be. The problem is no matter which option we believe if we allow the chosen to be taken, those left in the world may come to a terrible end. The human race will quite possibly cease to exist. Many of us look forward to the moment when we believe we will be called home, but there are many also who fear it. There is no guarantee that what waits on the other side is a good thing. With so much violence in our natures, and what we have seen of the Father and Son, we can only hope there is something better waiting, though we cannot know the mind of a God. We truly know nothing of what is to come other than the prophesies and you are the only chance to end the war, to save us from the darkness that is coming. We are here to assist you in achieving that end.

Amber likes this man and his soft-spoken manner, she sees the doubt and fear behind his eyes and feels the hope that fills him. He is a compassionate man, truly concerned for the welfare of those who will remain in this damned place. He seems to truly believe that he will be among those taken to a better place, but can't rest knowing what fate awaits everyone who remains. Somehow he feels Amber can do something to ensure a better end. His passionate arguments get under her skin and make her feel guilty for even thinking about shirking her destined responsibilities. Her head feels foggy and all she can focus on is her desire to save them from the Father.

He continues his narrative with the same sing-song voice that only serves to mesmerize her deeper...

we are all children of the Father, we are all filled with the sin of his blood, we are impure and as such we are banished from ever being fully human, that doesn't mean we should abandon those that are not like us. Should any of us suffer for the circumstances of our birth? Is that not what many wars are fought over, merely the circumstances of birth? One nation or another, one color or another, one species or another. It doesn't matter, we are all inhabitants of this planet and if we cannot stand together and save it, there will be nothing left for us. If we stop the event, we can level the playing field. We can open the door for the coming of the real and true God. Unfortunately even with the scholars and histories at our disposal the belief in a higher power rests precariously on belief, unsupported and unsubstantiated faith.

So you can see the dilemma, Amber: we may not like what we are, or where we come from, but we are here now and we are alive. We desire nothing more than to remain alive. We do not wish to spend the rest of our days suffering for the fact that humanity is considered insignificant and disappointing to it's creator. We have not hidden ourselves away for centuries only to fall into the abyss at the end of creation. The Father is not omnipotent, flawless and blameless as a God should be, therefore he is vulnerable and we must take advantage of that before it is too late. A war is coming and we must protect ourselves before it comes knocking on our door.

Unfortunately even if the end is diverted on this front, the world is dying slowly. Mankind will have to wake up and realize all the damage it has done. Without drastic change and extreme action the end will be inevitable anyway. All we are offering is a chance, a choice instead of certain destruction. We believe when it comes down to the final days, the good in them will overcome the greed and apathy, they will see their mistakes and their weakness and stand together to save this world of theirs. We will stand among them, offering courage and support as they battle to save themselves. We can only give them a chance at salvation, but we have hope they are capable of more. We believe without the ego and interference of the Father and the Son humanity will wake up as a whole and stand together embracing the old ways, the pure ways and nature will be reborn stronger than ever. The serpent must be crushed but everyone in the past who has tried to cut off it's head only winds up with two where there once was only one. Only the chosen one can truly kill the beast.

Perhaps, Amber you can look at the Father and his corrupt Son as the Satan of the old books. He is the tempter, the corrupter, the destroyer sent to end mankind. You are the Savior the blessed one with a shining blade sent to behead the vilest of creatures. There is always a hero in every story child, and you are meant to be ours.

Taking her hands in his, looking deep into her eyes, he whispers: " we are all depending on you, don't fail us now. You are the way and the light."

Rissa is silent throughout the entire evening, she wants Amber to create her own opinions and seek out her answers without interference. When the time comes to disperse, the circle is broken with a spell of protection and grounding and each participant slowly makes their way back to wherever they have come from. Amber has not recognized many of their faces. This is not surprising since many must have traveled great distances to be here. She senses in this breaking of the circle, speed and discretion are essential and no further contact will be permitted without the full gathering. This is the way of things. This is their shield, their survival.

The voice inside her head has been quiet and she wishes it would speak up now and lift the fog that has her feeling so sleepy. Rissa leads Amber from the cave quietly, unsure if she should say anything about the strange experience. Something is wrong with Amber but she doesn't know what it is. For a long while Amber stares up at the stars as if deep in thought. When Rissa asks if she is alright she waves her off telling her to go on home, she will see her in the morning. "I have so much to think about." Amber mumbles.

"
Beware child, his gift is suggestion, you are being misled.
" she hears the soft echo of the now familiar and welcome voice. This voice she has decided is reason and logic and for some reason makes her feel safe. She trusts this voice over the others. The spell of the evening is fading but the intensity of the call to action and the power of the words still remain mixed into her already jumbled and disjointed stores of information. Amber feels the need to ground herself, to take some time thinking and talking things over with James. She has no intention of chasing dragons without knowing for sure it is the path she wants to take. She sits down at the crackling fire with James. Amber quietly resting in his arms, staring up into the brilliant night sky in deep contemplation. He remains silent, allowing her time to think.

Amber had not anticipated the ideologies of the Circle, she went in expecting shallow preaching of superiority and possibly even human elimination. She expected a disregard for human suffering and the complexity of the situation. She never anticipated she would be drawn into their world, their goals, feeling ultimately on some level they might be right. She feels in her soul he must be stopped, but has no understanding why it seems so urgent. Her hatred for the Father, only a response to his apparent attempts on her life and those she loves. She cannot grasp an understanding of the danger he poses to everyone and everything, the small matter of his actions with his children is sufficient enough for her to judge him a force of evil in need of destroying. She is more concerned over the life of a few women and children than the bigger picture. She is not yet seeing things globally or universally.

Amber begins to understand how important it is for her to lead the attack. Over and over in her mind the necessary steps repeat: find him, stop him, kill him. She is much more skeptical that beyond that, humans are capable of returning their world to balance. She has little hope they will free themselves from certain death, but at least then it will be by their choice, free will, freedom. Back to that word, that concept....freedom, such a phantom concept, much like faith...immeasurable and fluid but desirable beyond reasoning. Both concepts alive and breathing outside of logic... outside of sanity...outside of reason. Where they exist, little else matters, where they do not exist there is little to live for. She can't imagine the world enslaved and living in fear. Her head swims in a fog as each thought slips away before fully coming to fruition.

She feels no real clarity, only the voices in her head chanting on about how everyone is depending on her, how the fate of humanity rests in her hands. Endlessly she hears the whispers in her mind. Slowly something James said to her earlier comes into focus like a ripple on the surface of a pond...
She was inside my mind, she manipulated my thoughts, I felt so foggy....
Foggy... that's exactly what Amber is feeling. She pushes at the whispering, focuses her mind to see the invading threads of controlling thought, revealing them, twisting them sharply and snapping them off at their source. Amber feels the heat of anger rising and pushes it outward toward those who would invade her most personal space. She cannot trust the Circle now, as a whole they are the enemy, trying to brainwash her into taking up their cause. Amber won't be forced into following the Father, or the Circle, she is determined to forge her own path through this deadly obstacle course. So few people she can trust now, and the world seems to be falling apart around her.