Ordained (16 page)

He came into sight a few seconds later with two books within his grasp.

“What did you find?” asked Abby.

“Chancellor’s own personal collection on Morphus,” he said, passing one each to Abby and Emily. “Problem is, one of them has yet to be translated from a really old dead language,” he added, pointing to the book in Abby’s hands.

“How old?” asked Emily.

"Hieroglyphics old. Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”

Abby looked to him warily. “Nothing you say could possibly be defined as good news.”

“Touché. Since you’re the ordained huntress, you won’t have to seek Morphus out. You’ll both be magically transported to another dimension for the fight. Only the winner gets to come back out.”

Confused, Emily asked, “Was that the good or the bad news?”

“Both, actually.”

“Is it still the first day of spring?” Abby inquired.

“Yes, however there is a clause. Should one of you find the other and try to engage in a fight you’ll immediately be transferred to the other dimension.”

“What’s the point of that?” asked Emily.

“So no one can interfere. The outcome of this battle is legitimate. For keeps.”

“So much for the Chancellor’s plan of having an all-out hunter battle.” Emily laughed to herself. She always knew Abby would get her way in terms of the battle. More than ever, her way was being solidified.

“It says here I’ll be transported to a chamber outside his lair.” Abby read through the pictures, tracing them in a snake-like pattern with her finger.

Surprised, Noel asked, “You can read that?”

“Crystal clear to me. But it isn’t written left to right or up to down. It seems to travel randomly across the page.”

“Weird,” commented Emily, “But, if it’s Abby’s destiny, maybe it’s meant for her eyes only.”

From the way his eyebrows tightened, Emily had the slightest inclination her statement did not bode well with him.

Chapter Nineteen

The only hunter to have an actual suite to herself, Valerie’s room was warm and cozy, filled to capacity with jewel-toned linens and accessories. Although her room was updated with electricity, she preferred the room lit by candlelight. Numerous candles bathed the room with a soft golden glow. A smooth and calming song reverberated through her speakers.

The Order learned of her clairvoyancy when she was seven years old. Never again was she allowed to participate in training activities with the other hunters. Although grateful to end the long, enduring workouts, her absence led to solitude. She was no longer on friendly terms with her fellow hunters. They exchanged nothing but pleasantries, if even that. And now that the hunters she grew up with had moved beyond the school’s borders, she was particularly quiet to those left within the manor.

From the day every hunter was brought to the school, they began accruing a monetary amount. Normally, the hunter would not be given access to this money until they were cast out into the world. Sensing her depression, and fearful she would commit suicide and deny them visions of the future, the Order allowed her access to her bank account at the age of eighteen. They also granted her permission to visit the town of Wellas at the edge of the mountain one weekend a month.

Her first purchase was a supply of sugary sweets from the local candy shop. Several years later, when internet access cards became available for her area, she got herself a laptop computer. Even if she was confined to the manor and the local town, she would not be denied her chance to see the world - at least from a World Wide Web point of view.

Valerie was lounging on her bed, playing on her computer. She had become a fan of chatting and online games which allowed her to interact with others.

Her eye was now a dark shade of black and it really ached. So much that it limited the time she could spend in front of the bright glare of the screen.

She was annoyed to hear a knock at her door, but she reluctantly opened it anyway.

“I know,” she said to Abby. “You’ve come bearing cookies and apologies. But to be honest, I’m only interested in the cookies.” Valerie snatched the chocolate mint cookies from Abby’s hand and returned to bed. She had been craving them since she saw them in her vision.

“Short and to the point. I like that,” replied Abby. “But I’m gonna need a moment anyway.”

“Whatever,” said Valerie, breaking into the bag of cookies.

Abby entered, closed the door behind her and took in the atmosphere.

“Nice. You have a lot more luxuries than I ever had. I was allowed one color. Dingy white.”

“God bless the internet. I’d have no worldly interactions without it.”

“How do you pay for it all?” asked Abby. “Emily was practically living in hostiles to make ends meet.”

“Online gambling. I’m really good at blackjack.” Valerie raised her eyebrows suspiciously at Abby. “How do you afford your lavish lifestyle?”

Abby didn’t immediately answer. Instead, she studied Valerie. “Why do I think you already know the answer to that question?”

“Just curious to see if you would confirm it, is all.”

Valerie hadn’t expected her to. Her visions had always pertained to the current active hunters. It was only recently that she began to see images of another, unknown female. She didn’t know who this person was until the night she saw Abby standing in the hallway reviewing the pictures upstairs. One of her many visions of Abby involved her using magic to produce a large sum of money.

“You heal really fast,” Valerie observed.

“Tricks of the trade.”

“Wish I knew them,” Valerie said, her eye throbbing. It hurt like hell.

“You’re a human crystal ball. You seriously didn’t see that coming?”

God, she wished she had. “I have no control over my visions. I can’t will them.”

“Please tell me you’re at least mindful of what you say to the Order.”

Valerie had never fully trusted the Order. Though she never had visions of any of them, she simply did not trust their long-term motives. She watched hunter after hunter die against the monstrous Eraticus, told the Order and witnessed them do nothing to protect their hunters. Sadly, the one thing she didn’t recognize in the visions was that they all died on their twenty-fifth birthday. Had she known, she would have warned each and every one of them of what was to come. Perhaps a group of them together could have defeated him. Had she only realized…

“I only tell them enough to keep them off my back. And only what’s happening to their current charges.”

“So they really don’t know about me?”

“Not that I’m aware.” She offered a cookie to Abby but she politely declined it. “More for me then.”

She headed for the door. Before she opened it, she hesitated and turned back. “Has anyone seen your eye yet?”

“Yeah, right,” said Valerie sarcastically. “They wouldn’t notice if I caught on fire and flailed about in front of them.”

Valerie leaned back, unsure as to why Abby had suddenly stepped before her, her hand reaching out.

“Close your eyes,” Abby told her.

She did, before even questioning whether or not she should. Valerie felt Abby’s hand cover her eye and heard her whisper incoherently. Darkness turned golden, then it faded as quickly as it appeared. Valerie opened her eyes again. The pain was gone; she rushed to the mirror. Her eye had returned to normal. She pressed it in disbelief, as if it were only an illusion.

“I knew you were a witch but I didn’t know you could heal,” she said.

“Only minor wounds. Nothing serious.”

“Is that why you heal so fast?”

“No. It actually takes quite a bit of strength to access that power. It was only since yesterday I was able to heal my wounds completely.”

Abby headed for the door again.

“Don’t think I don’t appreciate it,” Valerie said.

Abby shrugged. “I gave it to you. The least I could do was take it back.”

By the time she returned her eyes to the mirror, Abby’s reflection was gone.

Chapter Twenty

“
Are we any closer to figuring out what happened to her?” asked Jonesy.

Together, Moore and Jonesy were patrolling the halls in the children’s building, making sure everything was as it should be.

Abigail had spent several days recuperating from the damage inflicted upon her by the demon attack. It was a peaceful few days, knowing she was locked away, keeping to herself. When she emerged once more it was only to destroy manor property. The next few days went by quietly, though not peacefully. Moore and others had casually past her in the hallways or seen her about with Noel or Emily. The daunting scowls given to the members of the Order sent chills down their spines. None lingered.

Her sudden outburst of fury followed by the evil glares assured him Abigail was indeed angered by her past here.

“No. Jayden’s been watching as best he can but he never overhears anything useful. I’ve told him to back off,” replied Moore, as he stuck his head into one of the children’s bedrooms. Nothing but a clean and tidy room.

Appalled, Jonesy replied, “What? Why?”

“She’s too dangerous. Investigating her will only infuriate her more than she already is. Quite frankly, it’s just not worth the risk. In fact, I’d like you to inform the other advisors to steer clear of her all together. The fewer Order members she comes across the better. For their own safety.”

Jonesy was clearly unnerved by this decision. “I wish you’d reconsider. Eventually, they’ll let slip the reason for their condition. If we could make all our hunters like her–”

“All like what?” Moore interrupted, appalled by the suggestion. “Murderous beings with no conscience of destroying human life? Then send them out into the world by themselves to decide who is worthy to live? Never. Whatever she is we don’t want to deal with it. We will not pursue this matter any further.”

Jonesy left in a huff but Moore didn’t care. He had already lost several hunters over the years. He wouldn’t be responsible for turning the rest into murderers.

He just wanted them gone.

Chapter Twenty-One

It was an early February morning. Abby and Noel regularly lived the opposite hours of everyone else, even more so than the hunters, staying up for every hour granted to darkness. Noel had fallen to sleep an hour prior. Sleepless, Abby had pulled out the book of hieroglyphics. It only took a few pages to know the material would be upsetting to Noel, should he ever discover it. He wanted desperately to know what was written in the strange language, constantly pestering Abby to finish it already. The more she read the book, the more she was grateful he couldn’t.