Akasha 4 - Earth (34 page)

I craned my neck, looking at the faces
of the group of men. They looked anxious, but they would have to
wait. "Before, with me, Shawn used The Great Rite to steal my
energy. Is that partly what tainted his power?"

Cato flinched. "I'm sure of
it."

"So if I used The Great Rite – would
it do the same to me?"

Ted answered this time, shaking his
head, "Not if both, or…" He cleared his throat, face going red.
"All parties are willing."

I couldn't resist, "You mean like a
threesome?"

The word 'threesome' echoed in the
open space. Cato and Ted shifted on their feet, suddenly avoiding
my gaze. A few snickers floated up from the group of men behind
them, and some glares. I think I even saw one in the back crossing
himself.

I stepped forward, Cato and Ted
parting to give me way. "Don't worry." I glanced at Cato, "I'm not
that desperate for power…yet." I continued to the group of men.
"Step forward if you wish to move on – step aside if you wish to
stay."

They hesitated, seeking guidance in
each other's eyes. Finally, one brave soul stepped forward. More
than half followed suit. Less than a dozen moved away.

I looked at the palms of my hands,
already glowing in anticipation.

Would this one
burn?

I chose the already injured hand. Burn
marks on the palm, recovering dog bite on the wrist. Without
warning, I flung my arm. Power burst out in a wide arc, from one
end of the group to the other.

I exhaled the words of the spell,
using air to intertwine my breath with Akasha, "In love and in
trust, in peace and in wisdom, I release you." The men were gone in
a wisp of smoke before I finished speaking. I lowered my arm, and
my voice, "So mote it be."

It suddenly felt empty. I turned back
to Cato and Ted. "And you?"

In perfect sync, they answered, "We're
staying."

It was a little creepy, and I had to
remind myself they were just ideas, or images of the men they had
once been. I tried rubbing the goose bumps out of my arms. I
glanced at my hand. There was no pain this time. Did that mean my
conscious was clear?

"So what now?" I asked.

"Now, we prepare you." Cato said,
stepping forward.

I stepped back, narrowing my eyes.
"How?"

"Well, what do you need?"

I took a deep breath. "I need you to
answer a question, first. It comes from Micah." I glanced at Ted,
then back over to Cato. "Does the mission of The Seven, according
to the doctrine, supersede family ties?"

Cato didn't hesitate. "Yes, it
does."

"Oh," I mumbled. I was almost positive
that was the wrong answer.

"However…" Cato continued.

My eyes snapped back to
him.

"That doctrine no longer
applies."

He was right, Susan had rewritten it,
but after he had died. "Since when?"

Cato smiled. "If I'm honest, since the
day you stepped into our lives, Kaitlyn."

That is a better answer –
I think.

Cato asked, "You are trying to decide
whether or not to trust me, which is understandable. After all – it
is my son you are trying to kill."

"Micah stands with me; don't you
consider him your son – or at least as much of one?" I snapped
back.

"If not more so," Cato answered. "He
was my natural choice to take over as Rais."

"Not Susan?"

Cato shrugged. "The Seven has never
been run by a woman. But – times are changing."

"That they are," Ted
mumbled.

I wondered if he was a former
Rais.

"Let me share some of my knowledge
with you." Cato held up his hand, palm out toward me. "You can
decide whether or not to trust me later."

I hesitated.
Couldn't hurt, right?

"What is your element of choice?" he
asked.

I stepped forward, raising my good
hand to meet his. I glanced into his dull, blue eyes. "Earth," I
said.

Chapter
52

To Say the Least

Micah cracked open his eyes. His
eyelids were heavy, and the light that crept in was
blinding.

"Are you okay?" a soft voice asked. It
wasn't Kaitlyn.

Micah tried again, squinting against
the early morning sun. Details of a darkened form slowly emerged.
Natasha.

Micah groaned. "I have to
pee."

"Oh," Natasha glanced around the
circular tower, eyes resting on a bucket. "Do you want me
to—?"

"No, no. Sorry; it can wait. Where’s
Kaitlyn?"

"She…got restless, I think. Said she
was going for breakfast." Natasha didn't look at him. She was
concentrating.

For the first time, Micah noticed the
tingling at his palm. His arm twitched.

"Hold still," Natasha said. "Almost
done."

Micah glanced down, "Oh."

The barely detectable glow between
each of their palms was the telltale signature of Natasha's energy
transfer.

Micah looked back at her.

She wavered, sweat dotting her
forehead, then toppled over.

"Natasha!" Micah pulled himself up,
then rolled, using his arms to drag himself forward.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Just…winded." She
rolled over on her back, breathing hard.

He lay down next to her, doing the
same. "We are pathetic."

She laughed. "To say the
least."

"I'm still not sure I have the energy
to even make it down the stairs." Micah sat up slowly, propping his
back against the wall.

Natasha sighed. "I'm
sorry…"

"No, no. I didn't mean it that way.
It's just – I've got to find some way to keep up with
her."

Natasha sat up, leaning against the
wall, too. "We need more people. We can still make it
work."

Micah looked at her with a wry smile.
"Thanks, I—"

His eyes traveled outside the tower.
"Wait, is that her?"

Natasha followed his line of sight,
squinting. "I can't tell. Things are kind of blurry for
me."

"Well, not for me." Micah made an
attempt to stand. He couldn't get off his knees.

Kaitlyn was already past the train
tracks, headed downtown.

He tried again, fell, and knocked over
the backpack Kaitlyn left behind. Something clattered out. He
sighed, mumbling, "I'll never catch her."

I'll never survive
this.

"I have a headache." Natasha rubbed
her temples. "I miss ibuprofen."

Micah stayed on the ground, bumping
something by the backpack. He rolled over, picking up the object.
It was the Chalice. His eyes lit up with an idea. "Natasha," he
asked. "Do you have a knife handy?"

Chapter
53

Choosing a Name

I spent the night pacing the
observation tower, stopping at every full circle to check Micah's
ragged breathing. With all my pent up energy, I never felt so
powerful – yet so powerless at the same time.

When dawn came, I was finally sitting
still, looking out over the river. I closed my eyes, reaching out
and practicing identifying Elementals in the area. I counted
everyone at the amusement park and everyone at the One Less camp. I
pressed further, testing the extent of my skill. Judging how far I
went was hard, but I could at least pinpoint higher population
areas. I scrutinized each form, finally realizing I was searching
for the telltale signature of a Gaia. I was searching for Bee. I
couldn't find her.

Good
, I told myself, wiping a tear trailing down my
cheek.

Natasha came in shortly after. I
couldn't stand to watch her struggle to fix the damage I had done
to Micah. I left.

I walked out of the observation tower,
letting my skin drink in the gift of full sun, and took a deep
breath. I made my way to the cooking fires. The smell of meat
permeated the air.

What is that? Squirrel?
Rabbit? I could really go for some wild dog
, I smiled to myself.

The sound of laughter caught my
attention. A group of kids, squealing and yelping, were playing tag
around a dilapidated carnival game. A water gun horse race, by the
looks of it. The horses had been torn off and were now in the kids'
hands. Bee would've loved it.

We hadn't come across many kids in the
past few years. Either they were kept hidden – protected, or not
many survived the sudden push back into the dark ages. I laughed
when a little blonde girl crouched down around a corner, then
jumped up to scare the living daylights out of her older
brother.

Another group of kids rounded the
bend, the older children outpacing the younger. Toward the back of
the group, a skinny, darker-skinned girl panted to keep up. A Fire.
She snapped her head around, black braids swinging out in a wide
arc.

I staggered back.

A Fire – those braids. I
know this.

Pain ripped through my chest, settling
deep in my stomach.

* * *

"Easy there, Princess."

I turned, first meeting Shawn's blue
eyes, then glancing down, into Ahi's brown ones.

I staggered back, almost
tripping right into Akasha. I lunged forward and fell on my knees.
Akasha rose; I turned again to Ahi.
Chills
ran down the length of my spine, despite the fire at my
back.

Ahi had been the mist all along, on
her knees in front of Shawn. He held a pistol to her head. I looked
behind them for the other four swirls of mist. Alex was one, held
to the ground by three larger men.

"Where's the baby?" Shawn asked,
shoving the tip of his gun against the back of Ahi's
head.

Shawn's finger was on the trigger,
already squeezing. "Release. Your. Akasha."

Ahi shook, looking to me for
help.

"Kaitlyn," Shawn asked, "is the baby
mine?"

Above us, Akasha crested the treetops,
chasing down Shawn's plasma.

Akasha or Ahi? Save the
world or save Ahi?
Why did it always have
to one or the other? I was determined to make the right choice this
time. I was determined to save both.

Ahi angled her head away from the gun.
Blood dripped from a gash in the side of her head. "Help me,
Kaitlyn."

Before the lump in my throat even
finished forming, I shot my hand straight up into the air. Akasha
rose, overtaking Shawn's plasma.

I looked at Shawn and whispered, "Too
late."

Akasha burst as I released its energy.
Bone-shaking thumps went off, and I dove for Ahi. I wrapped my arms
around her as we tumbled, end over end, straight through the wall
of fire, and back to Earth.

* * *

"Let her go! What the hell is wrong
with you?"

I unwrapped myself from around the
little girl at her mother's insistent screams. The girl was
crying.

"Oh, shit – I'm so sorry.
I…I was having a nightmare."
How else
could I explain it?

The girl and I were helped up, then
pulled apart, her mother escorting her away. I was left to face the
crowd that had gathered.

"Kaitlyn? Are you okay?" Someone
touched my arm, keeping me steady.

"No," I answered honestly.

Kaitlyn, Chica, Mommy,
Gaia, Lucy…

I chose the least painful of titles,
blocking out the devastating memories the other names
held.

I straightened, shaking off the touch
at my arm. "The name is Lucy." I swallowed, "And I need to go for a
walk."

"I think that is probably a good
idea." The man gestured to the exit of the park.

My stride was quick; I
never looked behind me though I could feel the weight of a thousand
eyes boring into my back. I walked straight for downtown Denver,
then the length of the 16
^th
Street Mall, heading for
One Less.

My nightmares had caught up with me,
and I finally understood what I had to do – what I should've done
all along. Akasha could reign, but not at the expense of human
life.

I paused, eyes tearing up. Something
dropped at my feet.

"Excuse me, could you please hand that
up?"

I bent down, retrieving a piece of
large red material, tied in a bow. I handed it to the woman
standing on a ladder above me. She secured it to a lamppost, right
next to a clump of gold balls.

Christmas decorations –
already?

Other holiday paraphernalia was being
placed up and down the outdoor mall. Good to know everything wasn't
sacrificed in order to stoke the cooking fires. The air smelled of
pine and cinnamon.