Into The Light (The Fallen Shadows) Page 12

  Katharine couldn’t bring herself to look in Ash’s direction, he had kept so much from her and this latest betrayal was too huge to let go. Her best friend in the world, the girl she grew up with and shared her innermost secrets with was dead. The girl who was supposed to stand up at the altar and watch as she married the man of her dreams would never fall in love again, have babies or go to college.

  If Katharine’s Tracker abilities worked the way they were meant to and the Guides and the rest of Heaven’s warriors were able to put all of the Descended back in Purgatory and Katharine was given the chance to return to her own life how could she go on without her confidant? Nothing in the world was the same anymore, she couldn’t even feel confidant about who she was anymore.

  “Molli, I just can’t believe this is happening,” Katharine cried. “I don’t understand how I could still see you, feel you and hear you if you were dead.”

  “That is the first thing I asked too and because you’re not a true mortal you can see, hear and touch souls after they have passed on. This ability is the beginning of your transition into a Tracker. I guess I died at the right time,” Molli attempted a joke but Katharine found nothing about the situation amusing. “Look I know you feel betrayed by Ash and by me I’d imagine, but you have to believe that I am okay with this. I wasn’t at first, I even took a few swings at Davon when I first met him, that boy can be a real cocky jerk.”

  “Too bad you missed,” Katharine managed a smile picturing Molli attempting to punch Davon. He truly was a cocky jerk. “How can you be so okay with this? Molli…you’re dead.”

  Katharine figured that Molli clearly didn’t understand what was really going on. She couldn’t imagine that the girl who had lived so fully and loved life so much would suddenly be okay with no longer being a part of it.

  “Ash can you give us a minute?” Molli asked. Without turning to face them, Ash vacated the room as requested. “Katharine it is everything they say it is, Heaven. It is a beautiful place where fear no longer exists and you are reconnected with everyone you’ve ever loved and lost. You are at peace. I get to spend an eternity looking as good as I do, without having to grow vampire fangs, and most of all I get to spend it with my Mom,” Molli smiled allowing a tear to fall from the corner of her eye.

  Molli’s mother died in a hit and run when Molli was ten-years-old. It was the most difficult time in Molli’s life and she spent nearly every night for a month at Katharine’s house. It took Molli a long time to get over the loss but she always believed she’d see her mother again someday. It gave Katharine a bit of comfort knowing that she had been reunited with her. It also made her wonder if Aunt Mary was lingering around somewhere.

  “So what now?” Katharine asked. “How am I supposed to go through this process without you?”

  “You’re not,” Molli promised. “Chance is planning on keeping you here until your abilities completely surface. You’ll go through the process here at The Anchorage and as long as you’re here I’ll be right by your side.”

  “And when I return home?”

  “I’ll still be with you just not in the physical sense.” Molli placed her hand on Katharine’s knee and patted it gently. Her words were not what Katharine wanted to hear.

  “When you do return home you’re going to do what needs to be done to end this war and once its over you are going to Harvard and becoming the best lawyer the world has ever seen. You can even sue Davon for being such an ass.”

  Katharine began laughing uncontrollably, the way Molli always did when she was uncomfortable or in a stressful situation only Katharine’s laughter turned into that familiar sound, the sound of sobbing.

  “I’m sorry but we must get started purifying Molli now,” Chance said poking his head into the room cautiously.

  “Are you okay?” Molli asked before signaling to Chance that he could enter the room.

  Katharine shook her head uneasily but wore half a smile. Molli helped Katharine stand and grabbed her into a tight embrace. “You should go get some rest, you don’t look very good.”

  Katharine thought Molli was just taking a jab at her, playing with her the way they always did, but she was feeling light-headed. Her pulse was racing and her chest began to tighten. A sharp piercing pain shot through up her arm and wrapped around her heart. She began to gasp for air. Ash, who had been lingering outside the room pushed passed Chance and rushed into the room grabbing Katharine before she fell to the ground.

  “Am I having a heart attack?” Katharine asked struggling to release words from her mouth.

  “No, you’re having a panic attack. It’s going to be okay just take deep breaths,” Ash said demonstrating what he meant.

  He pulled out a thin tube from his back pocket stabbed it into Katharine’s shoulder. The needle stung as it met her skin; she winced in pain. “I know it stings but it will help you to relax.” Ash’s eyes were full of regret for what he had hid from Katharine. He stroked her hair gently as the liquid began to take affect. Katharine tried to push away from Ash still furious at what he had kept from her but her body was entirely too weak to move. Within a few moments she felt a sense of calmness crawl over her and she no longer felt the urge to fight Ash’s touch.

  “What did you give me?” she asked, breathing slowly and rhythmically.

  “It’s just something to calm your nerves, celestial Ativan if you will,” Ash replied with a smirk.

  Normally Katharine would have lashed out at him for giving her something without so much as asking if it were okay but the celestial Ativan, as Ash called it, was having a real effect on her and she felt her entire body beginning to fall asleep. She fought sleep for as long as she could then she heard Ash say, “I promise I will always protect you,” before she drifted off into a dream.

  7

  THE GUIDES

  Ash sat quietly on the ledge of the west balcony that overlooked the garden of golden twine, his head buried in a small book made from the leaves and tree barks from the west garden. The book was resting on his knees, which were raised just enough to create a space to rest the book upon. With the celestial sun beaming down on his face, Ash wrote vigorously on the cream colored pages of the book.

  With all the strength of the Heavens I hope I can survive what is coming. I made a promise to him but how can I turn my back on her? I am torn by that which is in my heart and that which I am sworn to do. How can a mind full of such knowledge be so utterly confused by matters of the heart?

  Ash had always been an avid writer and made it a point to jot his thoughts down every morning to clear his head and prepare himself for whatever the day provided. Of course, when Angelina came along he spent less time writing and more time with her.

  Emerging from the pages of the book, Ash peered over the side of the balcony to see Katharine running in the garden below. The sun bounced off the darkness of her hair and created the shape of a halo around her head as she swiftly jogged by. She had been jogging through the gardens a lot and Ash loved watching her from a far. She looked so peaceful and content running in circles around the Anchorage. He imagined it was the only time she found comfort and escape from her impending ascension.

  “Writing in your diary again?” Hartley, one of Ash’s fellow Guides, sneered as he strode out onto the balcony without hesitation.

  In total there were fifteen Guides of Heaven as the transition between a Transporter and a Guide was far too difficult for most potentials to endure. The Guides were the younger of the angel kin, the children of angels who served their garrison successfully and loyally. Some like Hartley were born to be a Guide.

  From the moment he arose, Hartley’s father, Uriel, began to teach him the ways of the Guides. He wanted his son to have a purpose in the garrison and serve his elders far more than simply providing nourishment and other services he felt were beneath him.

  He trained Hartley every day to fight and he never went easy on him. Often Hartley would be left with bruises on his face and all his appendages from his
training sessions. Uriel often said, “the marks of a warrior,” when he was questioned about being a bit too harsh on his young son.

  Being a Guide came easily to Hartley and he graduated from Transporter to Guide in under two years, a feat that was completely unheard of and one that never happened again. Davon resented Hartley for his accomplishment as it took him twenty years to earn his place as a Guide, a place he’d dreamt about since his beginning. Ash simply grew tired of hearing Hartley brag to his Trackers about his record-breaking accomplishment.

  Hartley was much bigger than Ash in both length and width. At six feet three inches he towered over the five feet ten inches Ash with his massive body with broad shoulders and muscles as large as some of the world’s top body builders. His golden brown Caesar-cut hair pressed firmly against his forehead.

  The glare in his hazel eyes could have pierced straight through Ash and into another realm had they had the ability to produce lasers.

  Ever since Angelina many of the other Guides had looked down on Ash, none more so than Hartley, whose second, Agnon was killed in battle when Ash, who was too focused on protecting Angelina, made a fatal mistake.

  “Spying on me again Hartley?” Ash replied, slamming the book shut. He swung his legs around and allowed them to dangle off the side of the balcony, his back facing Hartley.

  “Why are you not with your Tracker? I thought the great Guide Ash was supposed to be with his assigned Tracker at all times,” Hartley asked mockingly.

  Ash ignored the question and gazed out into the distance where miles of homes hung on the tops of trees. Each home was built in an octagon and was made entirely of crystal. The crystals glistened under the celestial sun casting vibrant colors into the sky, creating a perfect rainbow. Ash followed the row of homes nestled in the middle of the trees until he found the one he was looking for.

  Under the mixture of vacant homes and those with residents living out their eternity among the stars, a light came on in the home of Trinity, an angel of the north garrison, just beyond the edge of the southern border where the Anchorage hailed.

  Trinity strode past the windows gracefully as she had done a thousand times before. She paused briefly to pick something up from the floor below her. As Ash’s gaze became more intense on the angel within the home, Trinity walked toward the window gracefully striding until she was close enough to place her hand on the solid glass that covered the exterior of her home.

  Although the distance between the two of them was extreme it was as if they were standing only inches apart as their eyes met in a common gaze. Even then Ash could see the desire in Trinity’s eyes. He had broken her heart but the torch she’d carried for him never seemed to burn out.

  Trinity was beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful angel in the north garrison. She was much smaller than most of the females in the north but her slender figure gave her the type of body the males yearned for. Her golden hair shone half as brightly as the celestial sun and the stare of her ocean blue eyes sent most male angels crumbling to their knees. She was the type of angel who could have had anything she ever wanted but all she wanted was Ash.

  For a time, before Angelina came along, Ash thought about being with Trinity many times. She gave him everything he needed and she worshiped him. Everything she did was for his benefit. She appealed to his every whim but when Angelina came into his life the idea of being with someone from his world seemed far too simple. It was a match that even his parents would have been pleased with and he was never one to do as his parents desired.

  “You could have had it so easy,” Hartley said motioning in Trinity’s direction. “She would have done anything to make you happy.”

  Ash swiftly turned around and jumped off the edge and onto the balcony floor. “What is it to you?”

  Hartley leaned over the edge of the balcony with his hands interlocking together placing all of his weight on his forearms and elbows. He let out a deep sigh and lowered his head until it was parallel with the ground below.

  “When will you realize that what you do affects all of us?”

  Hartley never forgave Ash for everything that happened after Angelina came along and he liked to remind him of that very fact as often as he could. For a long time Ash swallowed his pride and let his former friend dig into him but he’d had enough.

  “You don’t think I know that?” Ash rushed Hartley forcefully. He stood inches from his face waving his hand around as though it had a mind of its own. “I know what I did to the garrison, to our brothers. What do you want from me? I am suffering from my decisions; every day I suffer. You aren’t the only one who lost someone they cared about.” Hartley lashed back forcing Ash into the corner of the balcony. His height allowed him to hover over Ash in an intimidating fashion.

  Ash fit perfectly in between the end of the balcony and the wall connected to the doorway that lead back inside. For a few moments Hartley said nothing only staring at Ash, clearly angered. Ash stood his ground, keeping his focus firmly on Hartley. He leaned forward inviting a forceful blow to his face should he desire to hit his former friend. “Go ahead, hit me if you think it will help.”

  Hartley seemed almost surprised by the gesture. The Guide raised his fist and pulled it in a backward motion. He unclenched hand wrapped tightly around Ash’s neck. Hartley could feel Ash’s pulse racing under his fingertips.

  Ash’s former confidant brought his fist forward quickly stopping inches from his target. “I have thought about this moment for as long as I can remember. The way it would feel when my fist met your smug face. How gratifying it would be to cause you physical pain but now looking at you I realize how weak you truly are. I would be a fool and a coward to fight such a weakened creature.”

  Hartley pulled his hand back and unclenched his fist releasing Ash’s throat slowly. Ash grabbed his neck and coughed profusely. Hartley backed away and turned to walk out but stopped midway. “End this war, end it for Agnon and all of our fallen brothers.”

  Ash said nothing as he watched his betrayed comrade fade into the blackness of the darkened hallway of the Anchorage.

  The Guides had a very strict routine when they weren’t on runs or on the battlefield. They would wake every morning with rise of the celestial sun and make their way into the golden twine garden for meditation. They would sit with their arms and legs folded in front of them, lined side-by-side in groups of five, dependent upon their ranking, and pray.

  The garden would remain perfectly silent, without so much as the rustling of shifting bodies creating sound, for over an hour. Meditation helped them maintain their calm during battle. Once meditation ended they would be shuffled into a room in the back of the Anchorage, a room pushed far away from everything else, the Gorivo.

  “Gorivo” was one of the largest rooms in the Anchorage. Ash spent much of his mealtime hiding out in his sleeping quarters. He never needed the nourishments that the other Guides needed; his bloodline didn’t eat the way other angels did. They were above all laws of basic needs. Ash only took time to eat during mealtime when the other Guides questioned why he was not getting his nourishments. He had to maintain the role of a normal Guide so no one would catch on to the truth.

  The Gorivo was set up much like the lunchroom cafeteria at Carnegie High School. Rows of bench tables lined one-by-one stretching from one wall to another. The bench tables were pure white and like almost everything else in the Anchorage they were lined with thin strands of golden twine. The walls were made of a translucent material that allowed the light from the celestial sun to shine through.

  Each bench table had a view of the blurry images of homes within the garrison far in the distance, a constant reminder of what they were sworn to protect. Light from the celestial sun covered the room and when it was dull, chandeliers lit with flames gave the Guides the light to see. In the Gorivo the Guides would nourish themselves with fruit and vegetables from Arabella's garden.

  Arabella was an angel of the south who provided the Anchorage with foods grown fr
om her sacred gardens. The food she provided the Guides was filled with all the nutrients of God himself to give them strength and agility when they needed it in battle.

  As the widow of Hartley’s fallen partner, Agnon, Arabella remained in the Anchorage only a few weeks after her husband’s death before she could no longer bear seeing other Guides run off to battle, perhaps to face the same fate as her beloved Agnon. Although responsible for her husband’s death, Arabella never blamed Ash. She understood loving someone so much that all logic was cast into the wind. Still, she never made it back to the Anchorage.

  Ash made his way to the east garden where Chance was waiting for him. The Elder been kept away from Katharine ever since she found out the truth about Molli. Chance tried to see her, to sneak into her room at night the way he would before they came to the Anchorage. He wanted to explain to her why he’d kept Molli’s death a secret, why he would hold such vital information from her, but it seemed Chance was never far behind and always caught him just before he reached his goal.

  Ash resented Chance for this and resented the way the other Guides looked at him, especially Hartley. There were times he thought, if only for a moment, he would tell the others the truth about who he was, but those were fleeting thoughts, as he knew he’d never be able to return to the life he knew the life of a Guide.

  Chance and Davon were standing facing a cluster of flowers that had been sculpted into the statue of an unnamed angel. The flowers grew within one another forming the body of the angel while their vines snaked upward to paint the image of the angel’s wings. Their hands were placed folded behind their backs and standing in perfect silence but both looking very intently at the sculptured angel amidst the flowers.

  Ash had become the expert at entering a room silently, so much so that he had begun to consider himself something of a Ninja, though none of his fellow Guides were as quick to label him as such. He wondered how long he could stand just a few inches from them before either of them noticed he were there.