Synergy (27 page)

Draven and I stepped through the gray haze first. As it encased us, I heard them, millions of them: the shadows. We pushed through the haze, thinking that was where they were. A room came into view. It looked like an elegant entry hall with marble floors and oil paintings, but I couldn’t take in the beauty of it. The whispers turned into screams, terrified, bellowing screams. It was so loud, so painful to my ears that I fell to my knees in agony. Draven was at my side instantly. He reached into my pocket, pulled out my headphones, and pushed them into my ears. Though his song was blaring, it couldn’t cover the cries of the dead. I heard Aden yell, “Show yourself!” as I found the strength to stand.

Instantly, dark images were surrounding us. They had more depth than the ones we saw at home. They weren’t shadows; they were more
like ghosts
, the way I saw my dad when I
was too weak for him to become solid. These people hadn’t lived dark lives; dark lives were given to them. It was as if every ounce of creativity or individuali
ty had been stripped from them.

They’d been executed for the pettiest crimes I could imagine, things like speaking too loudly or being out after curfew. It took a second or two to find a moment of joy, one that could help them remember love; it was almost like they’d never felt it. I began to
whisper;
“You are worthy,” knowing they’d been told over and over that they weren’t when they were alive. Those words held more impact than I bargained for; they helped faster than naming scents or moments in their lives.

I felt Brady push past us and rush to Willow’s side. The shadows that remained after our words were said were still in the thousands. Most of them were saying my and Draven’s name, as they always did, but I heard a few of them say Willow’s name. I heard them say, “
Show her
,” and the advice of my mother and Nana came to me. I had to show Willow how to help them; they were angry that she couldn’t see them or help them.

Willow yelled, “Get them out of here!” to Brady and Olivia, but I wasn’t going to leave there, not yet. Those shadows needed me; they needed to know that Willow would find her focus and help them one day very soon.

I yelled, “Silence!” Complete silence didn’t come, but they were quiet enough to listen to me. I felt the stares of Draven and Madison as I moved confidently through the ghostly images. “You want to be redeemed?!” I asked firmly as I moved closer to Willow. I could see a faint glow of light around her, Brady, and Olivia; it was like a protective bubble
. I could only imagine that
was what was making these shadows so mad. She couldn't see them or hear them, and everyone knows that you often find answers in the past.

Willow would never move forward if she didn’t perceive them to be real, if she didn’t understand that she wasn’t fighting to redeem what this dimension was today, but what it had endured. “Why do I need to show you when you stand in the presence of that definition?” I said as they parted my way and I saw Willow clearly. “Think of him, Wi
llow --
show them,” I said as I locked eyes with her. I knew Willow had to understand that some of these shadows had never felt the emotion she basked in. I knew that because the ones that I had at home hadn’t either, and when I showed them how much I loved Draven, I helped masses at once; that was what needed to happen now.

Holding my stare, Willow said, “Let it fall, Brady,” and in that instant the glow around her vanished and the ghostly shadowed images moved closer to her. It was hard for me to tell if she could see them or hear them; she looked too calm.

The whispers became even more silent, so much so that I couldn’t hear them over my headphones. I pulled them out of my ears and said, “Show them,” once more to Willow.

Her eyes smiled at me, and I could swear I could see her glowing. Then, an explosion of light erupted in the room; it was near blinding. She had done it: she’d helped well over ten thousand shadows with one thought. I was in awe of her power, the power that she had no idea she possessed.

I felt Draven’s strong arms around my waist, and I turned in
to him. He felt so tense; at first I thought it was because that was one of the hardest things we’d ever done, but then I couldn't get him to look me in the eyes.

I knew him well enough to know that he was questioning why I didn’t show the shadows our love. I wanted him to look at me so I could show him once more that both my mom and Nana had told me to show Willow how to do that. I played out the argument in my mind and knew I would more than likely lose, that he would tell me that that was the last moment I should have used to teach anything. I let my eyes fall as Draven released his grip on me. He still made sure his hand was on me protectively, but we were having a silent fight.

“What just happened?” Brady asked.

Aden was elated. I could see it in his eyes as he answered Brady. “We do see the living, but we see
way
more of the dead. They seek us
and we redeem them.”

“How?” Willow asked.

“We make them remember
love
,” Aden answered. “We say a word, describe something that brought that emotion to them, then they remember th
at they weren’t meant to be damn
ed, that at one time the power of that emotion, love, belonged to them. They remember, so they’re redeemed.”

“That’s what those words were? Words that simple?” Willow asked.

“These are the darkest souls I’ve ever seen,” I said quietly, letting her know that nothing about what had just happened was simple.

“They listened to you,” Willow said, locking eyes with me. I nodded once, still hearing my ears ring, feeling my heart race. “If I wasn’t here - how would you have stopped that many?”

I glanced up at Draven as I put my arm around his back, hating that she’d just pinpointed our silent fight, which had just be
gun. I looked down. “At home -
at home I show them my love for Draven. I tell them if they want to feel that, then they need to give me some space so I can help them.”

“But you didn’t do that
here,” Willow said as she glanced
at Draven.

I tightened my arm around Draven, feeling the tension in his body. “I didn’t. I didn’t because this is your world, your darkness. I won’t always be here;
but
you will. If they know you’re on their side, they won’t feed into the evil you’re fighting. They’ll protect you because you’re their light, their way out.”

Willow moved closer to us, locking eyes with Draven. “When you saw me, did you see Landen teach me the insight of truth?”

Draven nodded as every muscle in his body hardened.

“He would find peace around all of you. Do you want to know why?” Willow asked.

Draven didn’t answer her. She looked down at me. “Because all of you speak the truth. There’s no doubt in your words.” She smiled weakly. “Thank you for teaching me that. I know that the love I feel you have for Draven would have helped them faster because you knew what you were doing, and because that love is just as powerful and real as what I feel for Landen
...
I
will hold on to that lesson, I promise.”

With her simple words, she ended the silent fight between me and Draven just as quickly as it began. He turned me in his arms and kissed me tenderly at first, but then the passion that our touch always created took over. He was telling me he was sorry once again, and I was telling him he had no reason to be sorry. Shyness caused us to pull away as we heard Brady ask if the others could come in now.

We were picking up the bags we’d dropped when Ashten and Winston stepped into the entry hall. A cold wind caused me to halt. Draven’s eyes met mine, and
I saw the dread I felt there.
Grayson came through next with the traveler that was with Ashten, and the room became so cold that I felt my teeth chatter. Before I could say anything that would keep Monroe in the string, Austin stepped through with her. At that moment, a gro
wl thundered through the room.
I knew that growl
...
it had been embedded in my memory: it was the evil angel.

I glanced
over my shoulder to find that it had manifested in the center of the room. I swear it looked bigger there. Its ash wings spread over twenty feet in each direction, and its body was bold and strong. Though its image was portraying a beautiful man, I knew what it could become. Monroe and her b
r
others had stolen its attention. I reached for Monroe and pulled her behind Draven, then held her as tightly as I could. Winston stepped forward and smiled wickedly at the angel, and it returned the gesture. Grayson stole its attention as he said, “Give her back.”

The angel let out a bellow that framed one word, one command: “Come.”

I noticed that the angel’s image was moving, like something was hitting it. Then I saw Willow, Brady, and Olivia with their hands extended like they were pushing some kind of invisible energy at it, but it was having little to no real effect.

Grayson glanced over his shoulder, ensuring that Monroe was safely in my arms. Aden and Madison were doing their best to help me shield her behind Draven.

The angel waved its hand, and a force that I couldn’t see or explain pushed us all away from Monroe, leaving her completely defenseless. I screamed her name, but my voice was silent. I couldn't move; none of us could.

As Monroe locked eyes with the angel, she was just as calm and placid as she always was. Slowly,
she said, “Pater me te
mptatis
.”
I knew enough Latin to know that
she’d said, “Father, tempt me n
ot
,
’
” or at least something close to that. My greatest fear was confirmed: that evil being was her father.

It was clear that those words were powerful. A fierce, cold wind blew through the room, and the angel’s expression grew sad, as if he were human or had the emotions a father would have for his daughter. I saw waves of energy ripple across his image and noticed that Willow and the others were pushing everything they had at it. It must have worked because the angel vanished.

Grayson dove across the floor and pulled Monroe to him, then rocked her from side to side as Draven helped me up. His eyes were locked on Winston. None us could find a way to trust him; it was like he wanted to go with that angel, that he wanted his father to
take him somewhere deep in The R
ealm. I was terrified for Monroe. No one should have to face what she just faced, especially a child. This entire situation brought new meaning to the phrase ‘dysfunctional fam
ily.’

I noticed Willow’s stare and said, “I told you I didn’t want to bring our demons to your doorstep,” in a vague attempt to apologize.

“And I told you they were already here,” she said, clearly not bothered by the display Monroe’s dad had shown them.

I couldn't understand why she didn’t have more questions, why she didn’t demand to know who he was, who Monroe was. I was starting to understand how right Madison was; Willow was truly focused on one thing: Landen. She looked at Monroe, then to her brothers. “We’ll talk about this when you’re ready. We’re more than willing to help you, to help you and your family.”

“You don’t want to help us,” Grayson said. “You want to destroy him, and that’s fine with me.” He quickly got a dirty look from Winston. It was becoming more and more clear to me that Winston was struggli
ng to make a decision on whether
or not he would become darkness. Grayson was struggling to talk him out of it and protect Monroe at the same time. Grayson had encouraged Monroe to be with me at my house to keep her away from Winston; I’d bet money he thought Winston would betray him and take her to their dad.

“I don’t want to destroy him. I just want him to stay out of my dimension. Out of all of them,” Willow said placidly.

Willow came to my side and put her hand on my shoulder, sending that calm emotion through me. She must have known I needed it, that I was terrified and angry at the same time. She let go of me and made it a point to touch both Aden and Draven. She hesitated before she touched Madison, but she did anyway, and I could see the gratitude in Madison’s eyes; Willow had managed to take the edge we were all on away.

Willow glanced back at all of us. “They’ll find rooms for all of you. Hopefully, you won’t need them long. When you’re ready to help me, I’ll be with Landen.” She then left the room with Olivia and Brady at her side.

I walked over to Monroe. I wasn’t taking another step forward unless she assured me that I should. Her safety was more important to me than where Landen was. He obviously had enough people fighting for him; Monroe only had us.

Chapter Twelve

I had a sick feeling that told me I’d just made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I didn’t hide Monroe; I served her up on a sliver platter for her father. I was furious that Silas knew I was coming here and had made no attempt to stop it. How could he do that? It was just as bad as the fact that I knew right now that he was watching others die, waiting to turn them into what he was. I wanted to know what he was waiting for the rest of us to turn into, and I was prepared to rip him into shreds when I saw him again.