The Prophecies (The Sentinel Series Book 2) (13 page)

I sighed again. Cain did speak a lot of sense. ‘Ok you know them better than anyone. Names would be helpful and which side of the fence they’re on.’

Cain smiled. ‘That would be helpful, it would be very helpful if I knew. Ok, I’ll tell you what I know. Nereus and Helez are loyal to you. Nereus will die for you before the end. Nathaniel, Samuel and Matthias are not, they’ll be leading the witch hunt.’

‘Nathaniel’s my Dad.’

Cain frowned. ‘You’ve got your facts a bit wrong there, admittedly Nathaniel was your Dad originally but most of his DNA was replaced. You now possess equal amounts of DNA from all members of the Oraculum. Nathaniel is no more your Dad than Nereus or Helez or….Me,’ he trailed off. Cain was my Dad. I didn’t even know what to do with that information. I could hardly throw myself into his arms. ‘Technically you are the daughter of all of the Oraculum.’

‘So what happened to blood being thicker than water, what happened to family comes first?’

‘It was never going to be that kind of relationship Eve, you were created for a single purpose, it was never going to be about playing football, ice creams and building sandcastles on the beach.’

I smiled wryly. I’d never had that kind of relationship, not even with the fake parents the Oraculum had provided me with. I pressed on before I could get sad about that. ‘Ok so what about the others?’

‘I have no idea, they tend to play their cards close to their chest. You can’t come straight out with what you think, because you could be talking to someone who doesn’t think the same way as you. That would be very dangerous. I only know what I know because I keep my ears to the ground, because I see your future very clearly, though not all of it. Even when you stand before them, you won’t be able to tell who stands for you; they would never make it known in such an open forum like that. Those who yell the loudest might actually be trying to disguise their loyalty for you. I think, and I emphasise think, that Leon is for you, but I could be completely wrong, and the others I just don’t know.’

I nodded. ‘Who are the others?’

‘Sebastian and Jonah. Anyway you better wake up. Something really important is going to happen today, you definitely want to be there for it.’

I frowned. ‘What’s happening today?’ I looked back to Cain, who seemed to be fading into the air. ‘Where do I need to be?’

‘I have to go now Eve, but I’ll see you soon.’ Cain faded into a shimmer and vanished.

I paced the room under the watchful gaze of Seth and Caleb. What was going to happen that was so important? Another visit from the Oraculum perhaps? Another earthquake that I had to help with? Would I know it when I saw it? Should I wait in my room just in case I missed it? I’d showered and dressed so I would be ready for it but that still hadn’t made me feel any more prepared. It had already been past lunchtime when I woke and I was worried I might have already missed it. I was actually starting to worry that it was something bad and maybe I should stay in my room to avoid it.

I wasn’t a coward. The one thing that destroying the Reapers had taught me, was that I had incredible strength. Although admittedly I didn’t actually know how to recreate those powers but it was comforting to know I at least had it in me.

Confident that my Guardians would let me know if something happened or arrived, I decided to head out for a walk.

Seth immediately fell in at my side as we left the room and I knew he was going to be my shadow at least for the next few days.

The bright sunshine hurt my eyes as I stepped out, not having been outside for nearly a week. Instinctively I headed to the back of the fort to see Zach; a good fight would help distract me from the impending important event.

As we neared the grassy slopes, I stopped for a second, realising I was on my way to see Zach and that Seth was with me. A fight was certainly out the question with Seth here and remembering the animosity between them, I thought it might be best if Seth hung back.

I turned to look at him taking his face in my hand. ‘Will you wait here for me for a moment, I just need to say hello to someone.’

Seth frowned slightly. ‘Who?’

‘Zach.’

Seth’s scowl deepened. ‘You never told me you’d met Zach.’

‘You never told me that you had a brother, so I guess we’re even,’ I smiled, sweetly.

Seth’s eyes slid to the grassy slopes and his face grew dark. ‘And you and he are friends?’

‘Yes.’

He swallowed, nervously. ‘Just friends?’

I suppressed a smile, he was jealous. I leaned up on my tip toes so my mouth was almost level with his. His eyes slid back to mine, giving me his full attention as he put his hands round my waist.

‘Seth, do you doubt the love I have for you?’

‘No, but…’

I gently pulled Seth’s head down and I kissed between his eyes, right on top of his scowl. ‘Then I don’t want to see this scowl when I come back.’

I turned and ran down the slopes, feeling lighter still at having Seth in my life.

Zach wasn’t fighting when I approached, he was busy helping some of the younger Guardlings, but as soon as he saw me he broke away and embraced me in a big hug.

‘Good to finally see you, I thought you’d got scared of me beating you up. How are you?’

‘Good to see you too,’ I said, deliberately side stepping the question of how I was. Though I felt better than I had done since my return, there was still a part of me that was screaming inside. There was still a part of me that felt so guilty over Caleb and Clementine’s death, and I wasn’t ready to deal with that yet. Zach pulled away and looked at me, then his eyes slid to the corner of the fort where I knew Seth was waiting.

‘I take it we’re not going to fight today.’

‘Not today, maybe tomorrow.’

Zach frowned as he studied me. ‘You’re still in a lot of pain aren’t you?’

I side stepped again. ‘You think too much of yourself, you don’t hit that hard.’

‘Eve. You know what I meant. I’m sorry about Caleb, he was a good bloke.’

I looked down at my feet, as Zach reached into my chest and crushed my heart. ‘I know.’

Zach was supposed to make me feel better not worse, I suddenly felt tired again. The deep depression I had been in for the last few days and thought was on its way out was now drifting back into my heart, surrounding it like a blanket of nails. I took an involuntary step back, away from Zach. I didn’t want to talk to him about Caleb. In reality the only person that I could talk to about how I felt about Caleb was Caleb, the one person I had been avoiding looking at since my return. I looked around for him now, but he was nowhere to be seen. Had he left me now I was stronger, or had he never been there in the first place and my hallucinations had now stopped? Standing next to Zach, I felt very alone. I looked round for Seth, suddenly panicking that he might have left me too, but he was still standing where I’d left him. I suddenly needed him and his arms around me. He had been holding my hand as I walked over the thin ice the last few days, preventing me from falling into the deep crevasses beneath and now standing here without him, I felt lost and vulnerable. They all had their roles to play in healing me, Seth made me stronger, Eli had to make me feel safe, Quinn’s continual presence was familiar and comforting, and Zach was supposed to be making me laugh. I almost scowled at him for not fulfilling his obligation.

‘Zach, I’ll see you in a few days,’ I muttered, taking another step away from him. Zach nodded sadly.

I turned and made my way slowly back up the grassy slopes towards Seth and as soon as I got close, he took me in his arms and hugged me tight, knowing instinctively what I needed from him. Quite why his brother hadn’t figured out what I had needed from him was beyond me. The blanket of nails, dissipated, though I knew it was only lurking in the wings, ready to pounce again.

Eventually I pulled away and started walking back round the side of the fort, with Seth at my side. I spotted Lucas and Quinn waiting for me. Quinn swung me into his arms as I approached but there was something flowing from him that I could feel as soon as he held me. He was excited.

I pulled back. ‘What are you so happy about?’

‘Me? I’m not.’ His eyes slid to Seth. ‘Just pleased to see you out of bed.’

Something wasn’t right and I felt unease in my stomach. Quinn was grinning so inanely I was sure he was putting on a front so that I wouldn’t see the truth. Had something bad happened?

‘I need a word with Quinn actually.’ Seth stepped forward and shoved Quinn away from me, clearly annoyed that I had suspected something.

‘What’s going on?’

I looked at Lucas who was busy studying his shoes.

‘Nothing. Lucas is going to stay with you whilst I talk to Quinn.’

I watched Seth and Quinn walk off in confusion. I searched Lucas’s thoughts in my head for any clue but to my annoyance he was singing loudly in his own head, making it difficult for me to hear any thoughts other than the words of the song. I glared at him and he smirked.

Over his shoulder I saw Caleb by the pool and I wondered casually over as Lucas followed. I sat down dipping my feet into the cool waters and Caleb sat next to me.

He was dressed more casually than I’d ever seen him in a white linen shirt that hung loose over khaki green shorts. He looked tanned and relaxed, he grinned at me as he sat down on the edge of the pool dipping his bare feet into the water.

‘Caleb I’m sorry,’
I said in his head, I didn’t need Lucas thinking I had gone completely mad. Though clearly talking to dead people was a sure indication that I was going that way.

‘
Don’t be, I had a choice to come with you or not, you never made me, and I would always have regretted it if I hadn’t
.’

‘You’d be alive if you hadn’t.’
I sighed sadly.

‘Eve we all know what we are getting ourselves into when we sign up to be your Guardian, even more so when we sign up to be your personal guard, and I’ve never regretted the decisions I made. Being with you, fighting for you, saving your life. I’m so proud that I’ve been a part of your life, that I’ve somehow contributed to the saving of the world.’

‘
I never wanted you to die for me; I never wanted anyone to die for me.’

‘I know, but that’s how it’s supposed to be, and you know what, if I had the chance to relive my life, I wouldn’t change a single thing, except maybe take a bigger knife with me when I came with you to the Reapers.’

I giggled, despite the situation.

‘You have to move past this now Eve, you can’t keep beating yourself up over this. None of this was your fault. If you hadn’t gone, Persia, Izri and all those children would be dead by now. You have such compassion and bravery and I know you don’t regret going you just regret that I died.’

‘
If I’d been stronger…’

‘Rubbish, your strength was what saved them. And you being stronger is nothing to do with you, that’s down to the Oraculum, they should have told you sooner. What will it take for you to move on? If you want my forgiveness, you have it. As far as I’m concerned there is nothing to forgive.’

I felt suddenly lighter, like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, whether I was talking to a ghost or just a hallucination I knew he or it was right, I had to move on.

‘And you and Seth.’

My stomach lurched. What did he know that I didn’t?

‘When all the saving the world is done with, you two have a very long and bright future together. So don’t wait now for the end of the world to come, start living that future today.’

I smiled.

‘Anyway, I must go. I’ve got a volleyball match in ten minutes, take care of yourself Eve.’ Caleb smiled at me, as he stood up, then he ran off, fading into nothing. I sat staring at the reflection of the sky on the surface of the pool as it changed from the palest blue, through scarlet and gold to an inky black and with every bit of daylight that faded, I felt the guilt and anger slip away. It would always be a part of me, a badge I had to wear, but I couldn’t let it consume me.

I felt a heat behind me, the warmth of a body as Seth sat down with his legs either side of mine. I leaned back against him as he wrapped his arms around me.

‘I’ve got something to show you,’ he whispered in my ear, his hot breath on my neck making my stomach clench with desire.

He stood up and then helped me to my feet. Taking my hand he led me off into the woods. Once we were enveloped in the trees, I couldn’t see a thing, not even Seth but I knew he wouldn’t let me fall.

We came to a clearing and Seth took me back into his arms again, curling himself around my back.

I looked up at the stars, flooding the night sky like a blizzard. We were so small in the grand scheme of things. Out there were millions of other planets, probably with millions of other life forms.

Suddenly a slash of green ripped across the darkness, a tear in the black canopy above, but a second later it was gone.

‘What was that? Was it a shooting star?’

Seth kissed the back of my neck. ‘Just watch.’

Another tear lit up the sky above us, a gold blaze, quickly accompanied by a smaller red one. It was stunning. I stood in silence for a few moments waiting to see if there was another one and I wasn’t disappointed, a white gash tore through the darkness followed by another.

‘It’s a meteor shower, the earth is entering into the debris left behind from the comet Carissimi.’

The Latin for beloved.

I looked up at him and I saw him smile at my recognition of the word.

‘It was an unusual comet because it had two tails, both of which could be seen with the human eye. It was thought that it was two comets or two halves of the same comet that were caught in the same orbit. Two comets inextricably linked for all of eternity. That’s why they called it The Beloved, two halves of a whole, two soul mates destined to be together.’

I turned to face him in his arms but he leaned back away from me, fiddling with something in the darkness that I couldn’t see.

The clearing suddenly lit up around us, thousands of fairy lights strewn across the trees creating our own private cocoon of stars.