Cataclysm (Alternate Earth Series, Book One) (15 page)

As the Watchers continue to phase in all the people who live in the New York headquarters, each of them fall under Chandler’s spell and look instantly relaxed when they arrive. Eventually, Mason, Malcolm, and Jered complete their phasing duties and sit down with us to enjoy Chandler’s impromptu concert.

“Is everyone safe?” I ask Mason, taking one of his hands in mine, immediately feeling better just from touching him.

“Yes, we were able to get everyone out,” he tells me, tightening his grip on my hand. I can tell he feels the effects of Chandler’s music by the way his shoulders begin to lose their tension. “Brand and Nina are with Josh, making sure all the computers are wiped clean before they set off the self-destruct.”

“I hate that they’re losing that place,” I say, feeling a guilt I told Tristan not to feel just a little while ago.

“An unseen complication,” Malcolm says to me by way of comfort. “If my counterpart in this reality is worth anything, he’ll find Brand a new place to set up shop quickly enough.”

“I hope so,” I reply. “We’re supposed to be helping them, not causing more problems.”

“A few battles lost don’t make a war unwinnable,” Malcolm tells me. “It’s just part of what needs to happen. Who knows? It might be for the best in the long run.”

I decide to drop the subject when I see Brand and Nina phase in with Josh and Abby. They appear right next to Chandler. Nina’s head automatically whips in Chandler’s direction, as if his music has caught her off-guard. She seems instantly mesmerized by the tunes Chandler has twined together. Brand, Josh, and Abby walk down the stairs, but Nina stays where she is, watching Chandler. He has no idea she’s there, because he has his eyes closed as he concentrates on what he’s doing. Eventually, Chandler ends his song and opens his eyes to look out at all of us.

Everyone begins to clap for him, and he takes a modest bow. I see Nina say something to him, but, by that time, the people around me are talking, drowning out any chance for me to figure out what she’s saying.

“I concede,” Malcolm says reluctantly. “The boy has talent.”

Malcolm’s backhanded compliment reminds me to ask him a question.

“Why are you so hard on Chandler?” I ask him. “Every chance you get you put him down. Why?”

“Because you coddle him too much,” Malcolm says, not exactly harshly, but with a definite note of disapproval. “He isn’t a child who needs your protection, but that’s exactly how you treat him, Jess. I’m not knocking that, but you try to shield him from the real world, and it just inflates his ego. I’m harsh because I want to make sure he keeps a steady head on his shoulders. You just saw what he was able to do to a room full of scared people. What could he do to a whole nation of them? If he begins to think himself more important that anyone else, can you imagine the damage he could cause?”

“Chandler would never do that,” I say confidently.

“Maybe not,” Malcolm reluctantly grants, “but do you really want to take the chance? Do you want to see him turn into someone you don’t recognize?”

“I don’t think I can treat him any differently, Malcolm,” I confess. “He’s like my little brother.”

“You don’t have to change the way you treat him,” Malcolm tells me. “Just don’t ask me to. I’ll keep the boy straight, as long as you don’t interfere.”

I swallow hard because I know Malcolm is right. There isn’t any way I can know for sure that Chandler wouldn’t become power-hungry, and it doesn’t hurt anyone for Malcolm to voice his small jibes at Chandler’s expense every once in a while.

“All right,” I say, “I won’t say anything else about it. You do what you need to, and I’ll do the same.”

“Good. I’m glad we understand one another where the boy is concerned. I could tell the things I have been saying to him were causing you distress.”

“I understand your reasoning. I won’t interfere in it anymore. Well, unless I think you say something that goes over the line. Then, I’ll bite your head off.”

Malcolm chuckles, “As if I would expect anything less from you.”

“Brand!” I hear a familiar voice call out before I see the face that goes with it.

Desmond walks up to Brand and holds out his hand to him.

As they shake hands, Brand says, “Sorry for the invasion. This was the safest place I could think of to move everyone to quickly.”

“We’re glad to have you,” Desmond says in his distinctive Irish brogue. Desmond’s gaze turns to Mason. “Samyaza,” he says almost reverently, “it’s been a long while since I stood in your presence, brother. Brand told me about meeting you the first time you came to our reality. I was sad I didn’t have a chance to welcome you then. I’m glad we get to meet this time. Though, I wish it were under better circumstances.”

“It’s good to see you, too,” Mason says, holding out his hand for Desmond to shake. “Your counterpart in our reality is a very good friend. Desmond, I would like to introduce you to my wife, Jess.”

Desmond looks in my direction, gracing me with one of his charming smiles, an expression I readily recognize. I’ve seen it on the face of the Desmond I know and care about countless times.

“It’s an honor to meet the vessel of Michael,” Desmond says, bowing slightly in my direction. I notice his eyes look at my friends gathered around me. “As I understand it, I’m standing in the presence of a host of Archangel vessels. I feel truly blessed to be able to meet all of you. From what Brand has told me, you’re here to help us win this war against Lucian. I hope you can, because we’re running out of ideas on how to combat his growing influence over the world. Things have been going downhill for us the past few years. I have to say that your presence has given us all a lot of hope for better days to come.”

“I think the first thing we need to do is get everyone settled,” Brand says. “I’ll talk to Xavier about establishing us in a new place in New York, but, until that time, what’s our best option for settling people here?”

“I’m afraid all of our rooms are occupied,” Desmond tells us, “but we can set cots up here in this chamber for the time being.”

“Sounds good,” Brand replies. “I don’t think we’ll need to stay here for very long; a few days at most.”

“You’re welcome to stay here for as long as you need to,” Desmond says, as our gracious host. “We’re all in this together.”

“Desmond,” a man says from behind us.

It’s a voice I recognize, but not one I thought I would ever hear again.

When I turn to face the man walking up to us, I almost pull my sword out and end his life before he has a chance to cause any trouble. I have to remind myself that this version of the man isn’t the one from our reality, because the one there is dead. Caylin ended his life out of mercy, even though he betrayed her loyalty as one of her chosen.

“Hi,” Slade says when he reaches us. “Welcome to our home.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I sense Malcolm’s body tense at the first sight of Slade. I know he’s working through the same logic I just did, which is probably the only reason he isn’t beating this version of Slade into a bloody pulp.

There’s definitely something different about this Slade, though. He’s…
happy
. The Slade we knew was sarcastic and a bit rough around the edges. This Slade has an easygoing smile, and his face is completely open, as if he has nothing in the world to hide. Perhaps he doesn’t. Since this reality doesn’t have hellhounds, he never received the bite that altered his fate in our reality. If that one, tragic event had never taken place, would we have had this Slade in our lives? In the grand scheme of things, I suppose it really doesn’t matter one way or the other. Our Slade is gone, never to be given the chance at true forgiveness.

“Samyaza,” Slade says, bowing to Mason respectfully, just as Desmond did, “it’s good to see you again. I know you aren’t the one we used to know, but you
are
the original.”

“Please, just call me Mason,” my husband tells him. “That’s the human name I chose. I have to say, it’s odd to see you here, Slade.”

“Really?” Slade says, sounding intrigued by Mason’s statement. “Why is that? Am I dead in your reality?” he asks jokingly, with a small chuckle. From our continued silence, he soon realizes that his joke is the truth. “Mind if I ask how I met my untimely demise there?”

“You betrayed us,” Malcolm tells him, rather harshly and bluntly. “I hope that isn’t a part of your nature here also.”

Slade looks surprised by Malcolm’s words, and vigorously begins to shake his head.

“I would never betray my friends,” he says vehemently. “I don’t know what might have led me to do such a thing in your reality, but you have my word that will never happen in this one. I would rather give up my life than lose the faith of those I consider to be my family.”

“You’ll have to excuse our reaction to you,” I tell Slade, seeing that he’s becoming upset by our revelation. “The betrayal of your counterpart hit us all pretty hard when it happened. He had our full trust at the time, and the memory of it is still fresh in our minds.”

“I completely understand,” Slade says, “but you have my word that you don’t have to worry about me being disloyal to the cause here.”

“Slade has been my right-hand man,” Desmond tells us. “I’m not sure what I would have done without his help the past few years.”

“It will just take us some time to separate the Slade we knew from you,” Mason assures him.

“I hope you can,” Slade says, still looking uneasy about the situation.

“Desmond,” Brand says, “why don’t you show us what we need to do to set things up in here for everyone? I think the faster we can get people settled, the better.”

Brand’s words effectively ease the tension that had developed with Slade’s reintroduction into our lives. It’s a surprise to us all, but one I feel sure a little time will ease.

It takes about an hour to bring in all the cots and get them ready for people to rest on in the mine’s great chamber. We all pitch in and get the job done quickly. Brand tells us that he was able to send a message to Xavier and is simply waiting to hear back from him as to where we should all meet.

“Why doesn’t he just come here?” I ask Brand.

“He’s never been to this particular location. He doesn’t want to know where it is,” Brand says. “If he’s ever discovered as our spy, it would be better if he isn’t able to give up the whereabouts of this site under torture.”

“Good idea,” Malcolm agrees. “It’s safer that way.”

A young man, probably in his mid-twenties, with light brown hair and an easy- going grin walks up to us, with Abby close to his side. His face is friendly and slightly familiar. The warmth emanating from his brown eyes tells me he has a good heart, and that he’s someone who can be trusted.

“Good to see you again, Carrig,” Brand says to the young man, holding out a hand for the new arrival to shake. “How are you?”

“I’m doing well, thanks for asking,” Carrig replies in an accent that sounds exactly like Desmond’s. He shakes Brand’s hand before turning his attention to us. “My father thought you and your friends might enjoy a small tour of the mine while you’re here.”

“And who is your father?” I ask, but already have a good idea who it might be.

“Desmond is my father,” Carrig answers, looking a little bemused. “I thought you would recognize me from your own reality.”

“I’m afraid you died when you were a baby, in our world,” Mason says, before asking Brand, “Did Turel come to Earth as a Watcher?”

“No,” Brand answers, “he wasn’t asked to.”

“Who is Turel?” I ask.

Mason turns his attention to me. “That is Aiden’s angelic name. Since he’s not here, it sort of explains why Carrig is.”

“That sounds like an intriguing story,” Carrig says, openly interested in hearing it. “Did this Turel kill me or something?”

“Not because he wanted to,” Mason replies, sounding as though this is a subject he would rather not discuss. “He made a suggestion once to Desmond that, if your father phased you back and forth between time zones, he could prevent you from having to transform each day. Unfortunately, that plan didn’t work in your favor, and your body became so confused it stayed in a state of flux where you were half-human and half-werewolf. In that form, you were unable to eat. You became so weak from malnourishment that your life was ended prematurely.”

“Wow,” Carrig says in shock. I notice Abby take one of his hands in hers for comfort. “I can’t say I was expecting that sort of fate in the Origin.”

“I’m glad to see you, Carrig,” Mason says, his voice a little choked up by emotion as he remembers the past. “I think our Desmond would have enjoyed seeing you alive and happy.”

“Maybe… maybe you can take a video of me before you leave. You can give it to your Desmond, so he can see how I would have turned out,” Carrig suggests hesitantly. “Or do you think that would be too hard for him to watch?”

“No,” Mason says with a shake of his head, “I don’t think it would be too hard. I think he would appreciate it a great deal.”

“Then I’ll make sure it gets done,” Carrig promises.

There’s a moment of silence, but I decide to break it.

“Now for that tour,” I say. “I would love to see what else is here.”

Carrig’s smile returns as he says, “Follow me.”

While Carrig walks us through certain parts of the mine, it’s hard not to notice that he and Abby hold hands all the way through the tour. I know Brand’s daughter in this reality still has to withstand transforming into a werewolf every night, and as far as I know, she and the Sebastian in this world never met face to face. Yet, it’s still odd to see her with someone else and so young. What would have happened if Carrig had survived in our timeline? Would Abby have chosen Carrig over Sebastian? It’s difficult for me to imagine her with anyone else, but I try to keep in mind that this is a very different world. These versions of my friends, and even my enemies, have faced dissimilar events and their lives have been irrevocably altered because of those differing circumstances.

The most interesting section of the mine that Carrig shows us is the underground lake with its clear, emerald-green water. According to Carrig, almost all of the artwork within the mine was sculpted by the men who extracted the rock salt from it. The care that was given to each detail of the mythical and biblical sculptures throughout the chambers isn’t something I would have expected from a group of salt miners.

Near the end of our tour, Brand’s phone rings with a text from Xavier.

“He says he has a few minutes to meet with us,” Brand says. “I would appreciate it if you and Jess came with me, Mason.”

“Good,” I say, “I need to ask him about something Ravan said to me when we were rescuing Jered.”

“All right,” Brand says, hearing this for the first time himself. “I would be curious to know what she said also.”

“Where are we meeting him?” Mason asks.

“The safe house by the harbor,” Brand tells us. “The one we went to after rescuing Tristan.”

When the three of us phase to the large metal warehouse, we find Xavier and Noel already there waiting for us.

“Sorry to hear that you lost your home,” Xavier tells Brand. “But I’ve sort of been preparing for that to happen. I have a place where you can set up shop again rather quickly. I’ll just need a day or two to get things ready.”

“Where do you have in mind?” Brand asks.

“Boldt Castle on Heart Island,” Xavier answers. “No one will look for you there. And it will finally get you out into the light of day.”

“I’ll need a safe room for Abby,” Brand reminds Xavier.

“I know. I have that covered. Don’t worry; she’ll be taken care of.”

“I don’t suppose you could outfit it with one of those ‘no phasing’ rooms,” I inquire.

Xavier looks at me hard. “Why would you need a prison like that?”

“In case we’re able to capture my Lucifer,” I answer. “I would like to have a safe place to put him.”

Xavier sighs heavily. “I suppose I could arrange it if it’s necessary. It might take some time, though, so don’t plan on imprisoning your Lucifer any time soon.”

“Thank you.”

“Now,” Xavier says, crossing his arms over his chest, “tell me more about these dig sites you visited, and what you think they’re looking for at them.”

We discuss our suspicions that Lucian is searching for the Ark of the Covenant at the locations.

“I haven’t heard anything about the sites, much less what they’re searching for,” Xavier admits.

“I saw Malik at the Dome of the Rock site,” Brand says. “Is there any way you can get us in contact with him or his wife, Tara? One of them might be able to tell us what they’re searching for.”

“Let me check into it,” Xavier says. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Have either of you overheard Ravan and Lucian talking about a secret plan that they have together?” I ask Xavier and Noel. “She hinted rather strongly that, if I knew what they intend to do, I would get the hell out of Dodge before it happened.”

“I haven’t heard anything about a secret plot,” Noel says, a worried look on her face.

“Me neither,” Xavier says.

“Well, keep your eyes and ears open when you’re around the two of them. Maybe they’ll let something slip in a casual conversation that will give us a hint to their scheme. Whatever it is, it can’t be good.”

“Brand told me that you want to use a special dagger on one of the princes to stop the progression of the seal openings,” Xavier says. “Do you have a particular one in mind?”

“Yes,” I say. “Considering what we know from our own world, I think Gabriel will be the next prince who is supposed to open his seal. Since he’s obviously taken the place of Levi in this reality, he should have the fourth seal in his possession. Maybe if we can prevent him from opening it, the others won’t be able to open theirs either.”

“There’s no way of knowing if that will work,” Xavier points out.

“No, there isn’t,” I agree, “but do you have a better idea?”

“No; I can’t think of one,” he acknowledges. “I’ll keep an eye out for an opportunity for you to corner Gabriel and try this dagger trick out.”

“It needs to be as soon as possible,” I say. “The longer we wait, the worse things might get.”

“I understand the urgency,” Xavier says, as if I don’t need to remind him. “I hope you appreciate how hard it is for me to keep a balance between my work with the resistance and my work with Lucian and his rabble. I can’t give away that I know too much, or I lose the advantage of being able to feed Brand information when he needs it. I took a great risk even sending him that text about the headquarters being compromised. It only takes one touch for them to kill me, you know.”

“We might be able to do something about that,” I say. “One of the vessels has the ability to make talismans that can prevent you from being killed by an Archangel’s touch.”

Xavier’s expression perks up at this news. “That would be extremely helpful.”

“All she needs is some supplies and a place to work,” I tell Brand. “Then she can make them for all of you.”

“I’ll make sure she gets whatever she needs,” Brand says. “I assume this is part of JoJo’s talent?”

I nod. “Yes. In fact, if you can find the material, I want her to make me another outfit while she’s at it. Jered’s blood pretty much ruined the one I wore here.”

“I’ll get a list of items from her when we go back and have someone procure the supplies for her,” Brand promises.

“I need to leave,” Xavier tells us. “I have a lot to organize in a short amount of time. I’ll see if I can arrange a meeting with either Malik or Tara. However, it might be a little hard if they’re both at a dig site that I’m not supposed to know about. There’s no way for me to explain that type of knowledge.”

“Just see what you can do,” Brand says. “If you don’t see a way to get the information without compromising your position, I’ll figure something else out.”

“All right. Give me until tomorrow. Noel or I will meet you back here in twenty-four hours. I should have more details on when you can move your group to Boldt Castle by then, too.”