The Awakening (48 page)

He raised a second arm to join the first and complete silence descended on the room.

“My fellow Soldiers of Sorrow,” he announced. “Before we get down to the reason I have called you all here tonight, Brother Dakin has brought it to my attention that he narrowly avoided detection whilst trying to recruit new brothers and sisters in The Black Tap. Yet again, the HASEA fiends swooped in, raining down their bigoted oppression of the superior races. And for what? Humans?”

There was a roar of indignation from the crowd.

“Well no more!” Asmund grew louder. “They think they can do what they want without repercussions. Where was the justice when their newest recruit - the one they put their misguided faith in - killed Brother Dakin’s maker?”

There were more cries and fists pumped in to the air.

I froze.
Rahuman was his maker? No wonder he hates me!

Around me there were more roars of anger. Fangs popped down and shifters struggled to keep their human form intact.

“The HASEA is nothing more than a bunch of human lovers who have made weak Pandemonians and Hybrids roll over like faithful dogs!” However, mark my words! Tomorrow evening that changes!” he paused. “Tomorrow The Sorrow comes.”

The room hushed.

I leaned in further, pressing my nose against the glass. My heart hammered in my chest. I prayed no one looked up.

Sage Asmund pointed a finger at the crowd. “So far, none of you have managed to complete the simple task of killing one solitary little Chosen. But it is out of your hands now. Hades has spoken. The boy is to be left to the Sorrow.”

There were murmurs of disapproval from the crowd. The devil let out a guttural growl that drowned out everything like a vocal tidal wave.

Asmund looked at the beast warily. “Do not let yourselves become angry brothers and sisters, you all still have so much you can give. This is what we have been waiting for. Why some have pretended, and others have remained hidden for so long. As I speak, The Sorrow lies in wait, unable to pass through the Veil. But its tracking is complete. The boy cannot run or hide. Tomorrow evening, we will attack the Warren and force that old fool to unseal the Veil! The Sorrow will pass through and claim their Alexander Eden!”

There was a crescendo of roaring enthusiasm. I could feel my skin crawling. I’d thought I was safe. But these people were declaring all-out war. Just so that
thing
could come and kill me.

“The boy represents more than a simple threat to Hades. He represents
hope
. Hope of a new rising of Chosen. Hope of our defeat. Hope of an end to the Ageless war. When The Sorrow extinguishes his life, the faith of the HASEA dies with him. More will turn to us.” He raised his hand into the air and coiled it into a fist. “Then we will crush those that remain!”

The room exploded into a roar of noise. He continued to shout above the snarls, growls and hisses. “Brothers and sisters, many of you may lose your lives tomorrow. But know that you fight for a cause greater than yourself. A right to be free of the HASEA! To sweep aside the human vermin. To prepare Earth for Hades reign!” He thrust his fists into the air and the roar from the crowd was so heavy, it made the window vibrate. I shrank back from the glass. I didn’t need to hear any more. My mind was racing. I needed to get back. I needed to warn everyone.

The SOS were coming to kill us.

*

“I’m going to rip his frigging head off!” hissed Scarlett. “I trusted that bastard with my life.”

“Scarlett, calm down,” interrupted Tyler, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “Faru, how did no one know that Dakin’s maker was Rahuman?”

The whole of Orion - minus Sophia - as well as Scarlett and Tyler were standing in Faru’s office. After witnessing the SOS meeting, I’d sprinted all the way back through the maze of corridors to The Black Tap. The bar had been crawling with agents, loading our attackers into armoured vans. Gabriella and the rest of the team had still been there. I’d breathlessly explained what I’d seen to a horrified reception. We’d headed straight back to the Warren and called an emergency meeting with Faru, where I’d repeated what I’d witnessed again.

Faru placed his hands down on the desk and shook his head slowly. “He made us believe that his maker had been a Bloodling long since dead. He had always been such a good Guardian, I had no reason to doubt his words.”

“But what about the mind thing? Surely you would have seen?” I said.

“No. I cannot see into the minds of Pandemonians, or hybrids. I can only establish a communication link with them. That is all.” His face seemed to crumble with distress. He bowed his head and took a deep breath. “Sage Asmund was a dear friend to me; I have known him for over a century. How could he do this to us? Dakin, served this base for decades. Never once did I suspect he had ulterior motives.” His hands coiled into fists on the desk.“And Sylvia. All of these years, supporting the Alliance and protecting the Earth from the threat of Hades. How could I have been so close and failed to see it? Even Lafelei’s words alluded to her betrayal.”

The Sage nodded and lowered his voice lowered until it was barely audible. “I thank the Elementals that you were able to discover the meeting Alexander. If not, I truly believe it may have been the end of the Warren.” He bowed his head. “I am truly sorry for my failure. I should have known.”

I looked around at the room. Everyone seemed beyond uncomfortable at seeing our leader so upset. I tried to think of something to say, but couldn’t find the right words. Rachel found them instead.

“Don’t blame yourself Sage Faru. We all trusted the wrong people. Dakin was my friend. I can’t believe he was part of something like this.” She gestured towards Echo. “Scarlett and Tyler worked with him every day and had no idea. We all feel hurt, but there’s no point in going over why he did it. Tomorrow night, this base is going to come under attack. We need to protect Alexander and everyone else from what waits beyond the Veil.”

Her words were met with sounds of approval. Faru raised his head. “Rachel is right. We must not allow personal emotions to cloud the facts.” His tone shifted. “We need to prepare ourselves for battle. I shall speak with the other Sages and request additional support. Tyler, on my orders I want you to take a group of Chosen and place Sylvia under arrest. Put her in the prisons.” He took a deep breath. “I am disbanding Echo. When tomorrow comes, you fight with Orion. If Dakin does return for any reason - which I doubt he will – no one is to speak a word of this. Are we clear?”

Tyler nodded, saluted and left the room. Faru turned to face the redhead.“Scarlett, I want you to take Alexander’s brother as far north as you can, to one of the Outposts. Tell no one here which one you choose. And stay there with him until the battle is over.”

Scarlett reacted as if his words were blows. “What? No way!” she shouted. “My teammate betrayed me, I want to be part of this fight too. I can drop Mikey somewhere safe and come back.”

Faru stared at her with his white eyes, which seemed to be shimmering with a newfound intensity. “You will do as I command Scarlett. I understand your passion and we all truly appreciate your commitment to the Alliance. However, if tomorrow’s assault does not go to plan for the SOS, they may attempt to use Alexander’s brother as insurance. We cannot bring him here, because that would only endanger him further. We must get him as far away from Chapter Hill as possible. And I need someone I can still trust to keep him protected.”

I nodded an agreement. “He’ll need you to protect him Scarlett. And besides, if anyone was going to protect him, I’d want it to be you.”

I spun around to face Gabriella, who purposefully avoided my gaze. She cleared her throat. “The SOS are coming here to free The Sorrow. The Sorrow wants Alex. It’s better if he isn’t here in case…you know, they succeed.”

Scarlett nodded. “She’s right. He’ll stand a better chance, the further away he is.”

Faru looked pensive. “Perhaps it is better if you were not here Alexander.”

“Are you kidding me?” I almost shouted. “Not a bloody chance. I’m not going to let everyone around here die for me, while I’m hiding hundreds of miles away.” I tried to calm myself down. “Besides, The Sorrow found me. Running is only delaying the inevitable and puts people I care about at risk.” I shook my head. “When I took the oath of a Guardian, I swore to stand by you all, even if that meant dying. So when the SOS attack tomorrow, I’m going to be standing right there next to you.”

I stared at each person in the room. Most of them looked impressed, which hadn’t been my intention. I didn’t want to impress. I wanted them to understand how I felt. I’d spent so long feeling powerless and afraid. I wasn’t afraid anymore. I had friends and people to care for and protect. I had a cause to fight for. One I believed in. I looked at Gabriella, who returned the gaze. Our eyes stayed locked together like they had the first day at school.

She smiled.

Faru stood up straight. “Thank you Alexander. Your selfless courage epitomises what it means to be a Guardian and a Chosen. You do your forbearers proud.” He gestured towards us all. “I shall sound the sirens to gather everyone together so that we can begin to prepare for tomorrow.”

As he said the words, a sudden thought clicked into my head. My stomach burst with adrenaline. “Sage Faru, is there a way to prevent the sound of a Siren affecting non-Chosen?”

Faru raised his woollen eyebrows. “A simple Witch’s spell could easily do so, yes.”

I clapped my hands together. “Okay, we’re going to need loads of speaker wire. I think I’ve got an idea.”

*

The clouds were the colour of burned flesh. Loud growls of thunder boomed in the distance. Streaks of lightning ignited the sky and crashed down to the ground in jagged forks on the horizon. The rain fell in thick sheets, belting against the glass.

I turned away from the window and headed back to the fireplace. Gabriella was sitting on the sofa, dressed in a sleeveless top and jeans, her bare feet curled underneath her body. Her hair spilled over the back cushions. She ran her fingers absently along the exposed flesh of one of her arms.

It was a few hours after our meeting with Faru. Sylvia had never managed to make it to the prison – a connected policeman had found her in a dumpster not far from where the meeting had taken place. Her throat had been slit.

Mikey was safe, hidden away somewhere several hundred miles north. The thought my family so far away from the danger made me feel better. It no longer shocked me at how much I cared about them - even that idiot John...a bit.

Faru had assembled a meeting in the Feasting Hall. The room had been full to the point of bursting. There’d been waves of shock and anger as he delivered the news, followed by a resigned acceptance. Afterwards we had all gone to our apartments to eat and get some sleep so that we could rise early in the morning and begin to prepare. I’d sat in silence for a long time on my couch, before knocking on Gabriella’s door.

I sat down next to her on the sofa, warming a hand by the fire.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” I said staring into the flames. “I thought I was. But then it occurred to me...I’m going to have to actually kill people tomorrow aren’t I?”

Gabriella lifted her back off the cushions. “You already have killed Alex. Rahuman remember?”

“I know. But I did it without thinking...you know. Like survival instinct. But at the bar, my instincts told me to go straight for the swords, but I fought them and decided on the safer option instead. It almost cost me. Tomorrow, I know that it’s kill or be killed. I’m just...I don’t know if I can.”

“Alex, I know that it’s hard. Killing anyone is not a decision any of us take lightly. But the Soldiers of Sorrow are the worst kind of evil. They are coming here with the sole purpose of killing as many of us as they can and serving you to The Sorrow on a platter.You need to understand, you’re a Chosen Alex – a walking weapon. It’s inside you. You have to stop fighting it and let it take over.”

I turned around to face her. “That’s what I’m frightened of.” I pressed a hand against my stomach. “What’s inside scares the living hell out of me. You saw what I did to TJ. I couldn’t stop myself. Midnight told me about the darkness he felt inside. I-I think I have it too.”

Gabriella paused for a second. “Alex, I already told you. When you hurt TJ, you were drunk and going through your Awakening. You weren’t yourself. Look, I don’t know how you feel inside. All I know is what I see. And what I see is a kind, strong, caring person who is willing to put his life on the line for what he believes in. We all have a darker side,” she placed a hand on my arm, “but we all have good too.”

I felt myself relax. I leaned back into the sofa and let out a deep whoosh of breath. “You’re right...as always,” I said, rolling my eyes.

Gabriella’s face drew tight and she squirmed as if I’d asked her to imagine her deepest phobia. She looked away in some subconscious attempt to avoid the question. I leaned over and gently pulled her around to face me. I stared into her eyes.

“Ella, I know that something bad must have happened. But you can’t keep it inside forever. I think it’s time you told someone.”