Akasha 4 - Earth (23 page)

Chapter
32

Finish It

The pads over my fresh tattoos were
soaked, many hanging off my skin. As I walked, I ripped them off.
The rain helped to take the sting away. I shut down the electrical
signals I used to pinpoint people. I couldn't be witness to a
retreating Alex, Susan, and Bee. Shawn had managed to take them all
away after all.

I skirted the perimeter of the camp.
Most likely, my stuff had already blown away.

I'll just keep walking
until everyone else is ready to move.
It
was mindless work, one foot in front of another.

A flash of yellow on the trail in
front of me broke me out of my trance. A rain jacket. Someone was
moving quick and staying low, keeping between the largest shrubs. I
followed.

"Stop!"

I froze in my tracks, racking my brain
for an excuse as to why I was out here.

"What are doing?" the voice
demanded.

I turned, opening my mouth, still
unsure of what was about to come out. Twenty feet in front of me,
the yellow rain jacket person stood, arms in the air. A guard stood
in front, pointing his weapon at them.

I ducked behind a tree.

"I said, what are you doing? Everyone
should be back at camp, packing up."

A woman's voice answered, "I have
information to deliver that can't wait. I need to catch Shawn's
group before they leave."

I know that
voice
. I crawled closer.

"Do you have clearance?" the guard
asked.

She held up a note. He snatched it out
of her hand, unfolded it, and read. "Is this for real? You've found
the one he's been looking for?"

My heart jumped up into my throat. I
peeked around another tree and saw Sabrina, nodding.

"Very well then." He handed back the
note. "Did you report to admin before you left?"

She shook her head. "No. Admin is
compromised. But the issue will be resolved soon."

He lowered his gun and motioned for
her to pass. I crouched down behind the tree. The guard walked by
on the other side, continuing his rounds. As soon as he was out of
sight, I stood and sprinted in the direction Sabrina went. I slowed
only when I found the yellow.

I had to stop her, at all costs. She
probably detected my powers when she attempted to heal me. She
already knew about my hair and tattoos. It would all be for naught
if I let her get to Shawn.

With the storm getting louder and
louder, sneaking up behind her was easy. I matched her steps,
closing the distance between us. I picked up a large, round rock.
My fingers gripped its curves as I held it up and back, preparing
for the strike.

Thunder cracked overhead. I swung,
connecting with her temple. She crumpled and lay still on the
ground. I threw back the yellow rain jacket, revealing a thin line
of blood trickling down her face. I pawed at her body until I found
the note. Just as I unfolded it, the sky opened up in a downpour.
The paper, and all the words on it, melted in my hand.

"Goddamn, handmade paper!" I threw the
note down, stomping it into the ground, finishing it off. My
backpack fell off of me, its contents tumbling out.

I stopped stomping; the note didn't
matter, I knew its message. I just had to make sure no one else
did. I looked down at Sabrina. Her chest still heaved with the
steady up and down of breath. I wiped my nose, squeezing the rock
in my other hand for reassurance.

Limbs still heavy with the numbness
that had overtaken my entire body, I raised the rock again. This
one struck her cheekbone. Another one higher – on her scalp. Bile
rose in my stomach. I fought it down, striking faster now, trying
to finish the job before my conscience came knocking.

I walked around the body
and kicked at her face to turn her over. I started in on that
side.
I've killed
before
, I told myself.
This is nothing.

But it was something. It was murder
with my bare hands. Up close and personal – with no powers to do my
bidding. Her face caved in. She was no longer recognizable as
Sabrina the Healer.

The wind beat against us, flapping her
annoying coat in my face. I tore it off her. Thunder boomed
overhead every few seconds, it seemed. I continued to strike, each
one landing home. My arm ached. I hit and hit and hit until a
strong gust of wind blew me back against a tree. My head bounced
against it, hard.

Lightning struck the tree I was
against. I looked up, just in time to see a burst of electricity
and huge branch, tree-sized itself, fall. I dove to the side,
covering my head with my arms. The ground reverberated with the
crash of wood on ground.

I peeked out, the lower half of
Sabrina's body hung out from under the branch.

Get up
, I told myself.
Make sure it is
finished.

I pushed myself to my feet, and
climbed over the fallen branch. Her head was still visible. I
blinked away the fuzziness and stared at my masterpiece. She looked
at me, one eye open. The eye blinked. I gasped.

I jumped over the rest of the branch.
My feet hit something solid and round. The Chalice.

I leaned over, and put on a glove that
also came out of my bag. I picked up the Chalice with a shaky hand.
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. My fingers traced the rim
of the cup once, then down, closing around the stem with a solid
grasp.

I opened my eyes and looked at
Sabrina, raising the Chalice above my head. I gritted my teeth, met
her eye, then brought the Chalice down hard. It only took one blow;
her temple shattered.

I turned and doubled over, vomiting. I
stayed crouched for several minutes, emptying my stomach. Finally,
I stood, wiping my mouth – hands still shaking.

Trying to avoid looking at the body, I
collected everything that came out of my bag. The Chalice lay near
her head, splatters of her blood dotting the interior.

I felt dirty all over, itchy. I wiped
my hands on my shirt, leaving dark red streaks on the white cotton.
Shivers ran down my spine. I tore off my shirt, used it to wrap the
Chalice and threw it and everything else in my bag. Even my naked
skin felt wrong. It was pulled too tight, stretching further with
every movement as if it would tear any minute.

I picked up the backpack and continued
to walk through the storm, only pausing to brace myself against the
stronger wind gusts. Trees and branches crashed down around me.
Between the soaking wet ground, lightning, and hurricane force
winds, I wasn't sure there would be a forest left come morning. I
decided to let fate work its magic, expecting at any moment to be
crushed by a tree or blown away by the winds. But fate brought me
something different. Fate brought me a cave.

By the time I reached the entrance, I
was stumbling over my own feet. I forced myself to go as far back
as the shallow shelter would allow. No sign of a vicious wild
animal.

Darn.

I tucked my knees into my chest and
hugged them, shivering. The world outside was destroying itself.
Water seeped in, creating a small pool that reached the tips of my
toes. I pulled them back further. I closed my eyes, taking in deep
breaths and trying to ignore the fact that I had just committed
murder. I reached out for human forms around me. The storm
interfered. Electrical signals bounced around.

I extended my reach and finally
located two large groups. One on the river, one on land – both
headed west. I went in the other direction, seeking Bee, Susan, and
Alex. They were eastbound, walking slowly, their faces would be
turned away from the wind. Everyone was fleeing, leaving me alone.
No distractions; I had to come to terms with what I'd just
done.

Still, it wasn't too late to join
either group. A quick run and I could catch either of them. I just
had to make a choice – which direction to run? East or west? Bee or
One Less? With Bee, I would spend the rest of my life running and
hiding, trying to protect her from Shawn and the storms we
apparently created when we were together. With Shawn, I could face
my fears, but risked never seeing my daughter again.

Indecision kept me firmly planted on
my butt. I reached into my bag, and my fingers brushed something
hard. I gripped at it and pulled out the Chalice. I held it up. It
was my only company – the only real and solid thing left in my
chaotic world. I removed the shirt wrapped around it and grasped
the bare stem of the cup.

Chapter 33

An Unlikely Ally

I shot up, leaving my body and the
storm behind. I spotted the telltale circle of light and aimed for
it. Instead of hanging back, I landed on their platform. My toes
tingled as they touched down on glowing, not-so-solid ground. I
looked up at the men that were left. They huddled in a group. They
weren't alarmed, just…expectant.

Ted approached. "What have you
done?"

I met his eyes, but didn't
answer.

He continued, "Look around you. The
power of the Chalice is becoming tainted."

I turned, surveying the atmosphere. It
was grainier than I remembered. I looked down at my toes, the floor
beneath us was losing color.

"If you continue down this same path,
it will only get worse. And the power of Akasha will no longer come
to you." Ted crossed his arms, glaring down at me.

"I know, but I did what had to be
done." As soon as I said it, the atmosphere around us went a little
grainier, and we sank a few inches into the floor. Everyone there
had to make the effort to levitate, myself included.

"That is the wrong mindset," Ted said.
"You need to make it right."

"How?" I asked.

Ted stepped to the side, as did the
group of men. Their circle opened up, revealing two people in the
center. I gasped as they walked forward. Sabrina moved toward me,
face intact and a blank stare in her eyes. Her arm was wrapped
around that of another – Cato.

Ted explained, "We've never had a
woman here before. The Chalice itself represents female power,
which is why only male Shades come. But now, the balance is off."
Ted lowered his voice as they came to stand before us. "You must
right your wrongs."

I blinked at Cato. They were the same
dull, blue eyes, surrounded by wrinkles that I remembered. My
tongue grew thick in my mouth. I didn't know what to say to him, so
I turned to Sabrina. Her eyes were wandering.

"I killed you," my voice echoed in
space.

She looked at me, forehead creased.
After a few moments she replied, "Yes. Now I remember. Why?" Her
eyes rolled up and to the left until she gasped. Now they were wide
with surprise. "I was about to do something to put you at jeopardy.
Something I knew about your powers—"

"She is the Gaia," Cato interrupted.
My eyes shot back to him and he continued, "And she is out to stop
my son."

"Your son needs to be stopped," my
voice rose several decibels. "Your son deserves to be killed." I
turned to Sabrina. "You did not deserve it, and I'm sorry for what
I've done."

Her lips pressed together. She took
several deep breaths through her nose.

Someone should tell her
she doesn't need to do that anymore.

Everyone remained silent, waiting for
Sabrina to speak. She never did.

Ted leaned into me and said, "You know
what to do."

I looked at Sabrina, and raised my
hand above her head. She didn't stop me. I closed my eyes,
recalling a small meditation chant my mom made me do anytime I was
overly stressed or upset. "In love and in trust, in peace and in
wisdom, I release you, so mote it be."

Sabrina shimmered, growing brighter. A
wisp of smoke rose up from the palm of my hand. I yanked it away.
Sabrina was still there.

I looked at Ted. He lowered his head,
but didn't say anything. My hand shook with pain. I held it steady
with the other, and put it back over her head. "In love
and—"

"Wait!" Sabrina interrupted me. "Your
powers."

"What about them?" I asked.

"I just wanted to tell you, they'll
come back to you. Start small, a little at a time. Once you
rebuild, they'll be stronger than ever before." Her eyes were wide,
unblinking. "Baby steps."

"Thank you," I said.

She nodded her head once.

With a much softer voice, I began
again, "In love and in trust, in peace and in wisdom, I release
you." My last words were barely a whisper, "So mote it
be."

In a flash, Sabrina disappeared. My
palm singed with pain, but the ground beneath us hardened. We
lowered our feet to it. I turned to Cato. "Are you
next?"

He shook his head. "No."

We continued to look each other over.
It was so very hard to read him. Like always. "So, your son has
created a destructive organization, One Less. Susan has taken over
The Seven, or what's left of it. Which side are you on?" I
asked.