Akasha 4 - Earth (13 page)

"And your powers will go with you?"
Shawn asked, wondering what would be the point of having the Athame
at all in that case.

"Yes," Arianna said. "But to find what
you seek, you must let go."

Shawn resisted the urge to roll his
eyes. He crossed his arms. "Fine – who’s first?"

Arianna stepped to the side, revealing
a long line of Shades waiting patiently on the stairs.

"All of them? Now? That would take all
night!"

"Have somewhere to be?"

Someone in the line cleared their
throat, bringing Shawn's attention back to them. They had all taken
solid form now. Shawn grumbled, lifting his hand over the first
Shade in line.

Arianna grasped his wrist, "Make sure
to do it right, Athame Wielder. Not only are we connected to the
Athame, but we are connected to each other. We'll know if our
sisters do not end up with the Goddess."

Shawn ripped his arm away from
Arianna, glaring at her. He turned back to the first in line and
forced his fist to open. "In love and in trust, in peace and in
wisdom, I release you, so mote it be."

The woman smiled, shimmering from head
to toe. Parts of her went translucent, then opaque again. Shawn
frowned.

"Try harder, Athame Wielder."
Arianna's voice echoed around the cavern. She was in her ethereal
form, floating above him.

Shawn repeated the chant. The Shade
shimmered more violently this time, and Shawn poured some of his
energy into her. She brightened, enough to burn Shawn's hand. He
pulled back with a hiss, and she lifted from the ground then
disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Shawn shook his hand, trying to stop
it stinging.

Laughter floated down from above. "A
release always comes at a small price."

Quiet waves of chatter drifted through
the line of women, and the air charged with excitement.

Shawn cleared his throat and wiped his
palm on his pants. "Next."

Chapter 19

Meditation

I jettisoned through space, holding my
breath, though I probably didn't have to. Instead of flailing
limbs, I kept my arms and legs rigid and straight. Wind caused my
eyes to tear up, but still I spotted that tiny pinpoint of light
and angled for it.

The shapes were still there. Just as
their blurry outlines came into focus, I saw them raise their arms.
This time I was ready for it. I spun a web of elements, creating a
shield in between me and them. I left my weaves loose, ready to
absorb the ball of light now racing toward me. It worked like a
charm. My shield shivered; silver waves of energy
pulsated.

I moved closer to the men. Their arms
rose again, shooting another blast at me. Again, I absorbed it. The
shield was growing more solid and steady with the added
energy.

I was close enough to hear their
voices now. One loud, commanding tone followed by several shouting
their consent. I needed to find the one in charge. I lowered my
shield and turned my ear toward the group. Another shout, and
smaller but numerous blasts flew by, narrowly missing me. I dodged
some and absorbed the others. I had to remind myself my body
wouldn't tire here, just like it didn't need to breathe. But the
mental exertion was exhausting. Soon, they were going to catch me
off guard.

Come on
guys
, I thought.
I am taking everything you're dishing out. Give me a
break.

The entire right side paused their
attack long enough to build momentum together. I turned, using my
shield to block their blast just in time. The left side did the
same seconds later. Their aim was slightly off, but caught my arm
nonetheless.

I looked down, a searing blade of
light slashed across my bicep. I flexed, confused that it actually
hurt. I forced myself to ignore the pain. Instead, I focused on the
group of men. Self-preservation mode apparently wasn't convincing
them; I had to try something different.

I held one hand to the back of my
translucent shield, and drew some of its energy. I felt the men's
signature on the elements; lots of air and fire. I weaved it
together, trying to emulate their power, with a personal touch of
my own. As soon as my weapon formed, I looked up and took
aim.

I almost stumbled back at the sight.
They all lowered their hands and took a step back.

Except one.

He launched himself forward, meeting
me in the inky black atmosphere. I positioned myself, keeping him
and the other men to my front, with the shield in between us. As
soon as he stopped, I released a little bit of earth from the
shield, making it transparent.

Well-defined muscles covered his
abdomen and chest, over his shoulders and down his arms. He wore
nothing except a loincloth covering the essentials. Very barbaric;
he probably had a name like Conan, or Thor.

"I am Ted," he said in a higher voice
than I would have suspected with that chiseled jawline. "We are
Shades, and although I understand you currently wield the Chalice –
you are not welcome here."

"Why not?" My voice was also slightly
higher than I wanted it to be.

His eyes narrowed, as if debating how
much to tell me. "Why have you come?"

"I need your help."

He didn't respond.

"Earth needs your help."

That might've done it; I could swear
his jawline softened. I glanced down at my arm, the wound seeping
blood.

He blinked a couple of times. "Why do
you think we could help?"

"I've visited the Shades of the
Athame; they were able to share their powers with me. I am trying
to defeat a threat to humanity."

He tensed, retreating back to his
circle. "Our sisters are rapidly disappearing! It is
you?!"

"No!" I followed him forward, refusing
to let him go that easy. "I don't wield the Athame! It is the one I
spoke of, the threat – he must be doing something to the
Shades!"

I don't think he believed me. He
turned his back, flying faster toward his group. I could see them
beyond him, preparing their light again.

I increased my speed, aiming for his
back. Just before I hit him, I yelled, "Hey!"

He turned, eyes wide. I expanded my
shield, encircling us both. Before he could react, I closed the
shield, tying off the ends.

He beat at it, caught inside. He
turned back to me, balling his fist. I glanced at it; light
emanated from between his fingers.

"I wouldn't do that in here; you would
destroy us both," I said. It seemed likely enough.

He believed me, releasing the energy.
It hovered in between us until I drew it into the shield. He
watched it merge, then looked through the shield at his men. They
wavered in indecision. They certainly couldn't target the very
thing that held their leader.

"Okay." He crossed his arms. "You have
my attention."

I took a deep breath. "I’m not going
to harm you, but I think we can help each other. The same man I
intend to destroy has the Athame. He alone is responsible for what
is happening with the Shades. Teach me, and I'll find the
Athame."

"What do we get out of it?" he
asked.

"You mean besides helping your sister
Shades?"

"Yes."

"And helping Earth?"

"Yes," he repeated.

I huffed. "What do you
want?"

"To be released."

"I can do that?"

"I believe so."

I thought for a minute. It was worth a
try. "Deal." I extended my hand.

He just looked at it.

All right.
I let it drop.

"So I’m ok to come back?"

He nodded. "Yes – and next time, you
will be releasing at least one of us."

"I will?"

"To prove that you are both reliable
and capable."

"Okay, until next time." I released
the shield and we separated. I didn't turn my back until I was sure
I was out of firing range.

Back in my body, I sat upright, taking
a deep breath. "Ow!" I looked down at my arm. It bled profusely.
"Shit!"

I slowly made my way down the ladder,
off the captain's bridge. As soon as my feet hit the deck, the door
opened.

Arnold poked his head out, eyes drawn
straight to my arm. "What kind of meditating did you
do?"

I just smiled, riding the high of my
victory. A bleeding arm wound, or Arnold, couldn't bring me down.
He handed me a first aid kit. After wrapping the wound, I walked to
the back deck then slid in under the blankets with Bee. I was in a
good mood. No nightmares for mama tonight…

* * *

"Easy there, princess." Shawn's words
echoed through my head, annoying me. Blue eyes stared through me.
The fire was there, as was Bee's snoring – my only
grounding.

My shoulders sagged, but I looked
around; still no one else.

"Where's the baby?" he asked.

I looked back at Shawn, there was no
Athame this time. Instead it was a gun, cold and dark against his
white skin.

I blinked, feeling Akasha at my back.
Before, I destroyed Akasha, letting Shawn have his way. That
wouldn't have been the right decision.

"Kaitlyn – the baby is
mine."

I mirrored his words with my own lips.
He didn't seem to notice. He continued with the same words, and the
same motions as before.

The light behind me started to rise. I
walked around Shawn this time. His back was now in front of me, and
I could see Akasha beyond him.

He continued talking as if I were
there, "It's already too late!"

I raised my arms with Akasha, forcing
it to go faster; to go higher. The light increased with power, and
I had to shield my eyes. Just as blood tinged the flame, Akasha
breached the top of the wall and my insides shook with
anticipation. This was what I was meant for; I was fulfilling my
purpose.

"Yes!" I shouted. This had to be
right.

I released Akasha over the whole of
the world. The sky fell, smothering the fire and throwing us to the
ground. After the explosions stopped, I lifted my head to look at
Shawn.

His clothes had caught fire, but he
made no move to put it out. Instead, he lay on the ground
motionless. Bits of bone poked through his cheek. The rest of his
face was scorched, like the ground he lay on. He rolled his eyes
toward me. "Too late."

Chapter
20

The Great Rite

"Captain says we're going to have to
pull ashore tonight," Alex said.

"Why?" I asked. "Hold still, honey."
Bee's hair was long enough to braid, if only I could keep her still
long enough.

"One of the boilers stopped working.
They don't want to attempt fixing it while everyone is on board.
We'll camp under the trees – you know, like we used to." He nudged
my shoulder.

One of the braids came loose. I
sighed, brushing out her hair again then letting her go. I'd try
another time. She squealed then ran off, circling the
deck.

I glanced at the shoreline. "There are
no trees." It didn't matter, I had missed camping ever since we’d
gotten into the canoe in West Virginia, like I was homesick for
solid ground.

"Oh, cheer up, Katie. I'll round up
some trees for you."

I smiled as he walked away, busy
sorting out which supplies would come on land with us in case of a
catastrophe. I followed his lead, but on a much smaller scale. A
change of clothes for me and Bee, my mom's charms tethered together
by fishing wire, and a few blankets. All of it fit in the pack I
had been carrying the past year. Hopefully Susan had the Chalice
with her; maybe I could pay the Shades a visit again
tonight.

Later that afternoon, I watched the
shore go by as we moved from the Missouri River to the Platte. The
captain joined me at the railing.

"How goes it?" he asked.

"Good," I said. "Will you be joining
us tonight?"

"Part of it. I'll oversee some of the
repairs but they'll kick me out eventually. I'm no
engineer."

I laughed, and we both turned back to
the shore. We passed a large building standing right on the bank of
the river. Completely dark, the place looked abandoned, most of the
windows broken.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Fort Calhoun's Nuclear Power Plant.
It was shut down about a year before Daybreak because of some
damage caused to the reactors during a flood."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

He shrugged. "I keep tabs on what
happens on my rivers. And Arnold, Mr. Pro-Nuclear, keeps tabs on
the plants closest to us."

"And those?" I gestured at two long
boats with stacks of storage containers on top. They looked like
miniature versions of some of the huge shipping barges that used to
go up and down the river.