Descended (40 page)

Then without warning, Lucian in the form of the massive
hellhound,
was running after them straight up the side of the tower. His eyes were beady and red and he was charging at them with a force that Vie had never seen before.

“Run Carter!” she said in fear of the beast.

Carter hoisted Vie up pushing her to move quickly. She was trying to go faster but couldn’t and Lucian was gaining on them. Suddenly, Vie slipped and fell down past Carter. He scaled back grabbing her hand in the nick of time with the beast’s teeth clenched and ready to devour them.  Vie told Carter to go ahead of her but he wouldn’t move until she was above him. If the beast was going to have a meal, he didn’t want it to be Vie.

They were half way up the tower, still climbing but having a hard time gaining any ground. It was too steep and they kept sliding back down. Lucky for them the hellhound was having the same trouble ascending the tower. Vie had grown tired and told Carter to go on without her but he refused, yelling at her to get up and climb. Carter held on to her wrist with one hand and was climbing with the other, dragging her up with him as he went. Then Carter heard a scream and when he looked down the beast had swiped
Vie’s
leg with his giant claw and she was bleeding severely. Lucian was right behind them and Carter knew in seconds he would have Vie clenched between his teeth.

Suddenly, the sky opened up and the Broken
Spectre
appeared
again
. Carter looked into the bright light and suddenly he flashed back in his mind back to when he was three years old and playing in the field. There was a little girl with him and he could feel a love between them. Then he saw a beast, just like Lucian, and he started to chase them. They ran to the tower hiking and climbing, trying to escape the beast. The little girl slipped and he saw himself grab her hand trying to save her from the beast and then he saw her eyes, her beautiful violet eyes looking up at him with so much love and realized they were the same eyes he was looking into right now. They were
Vie’s
eyes.  Carter had come full circle. The little girl in his memory was Vie and in a split second he knew what he had to do to save her. Carter had remembered everything. He had torn down the walls that had blocked his soul for so long.  He felt cleansed and released by the revelation and could feel a power inside of him that he had never felt before.  It was losing Vie all those years ago that had angered Carter, trapping the memories deep in his soul where he could not feel the pain of losing her.

Then out of nowhere a light surrounded Carter just like it had with Vie before. All he wanted to do was save her life and now he knew why.  Carter had loved her all of his life.  She had always been his soul mate and he would love her forever. He loved her enough to save her again so with all his might he lifted his arm and swung Vie up to the top of the tower. The tower rose up from the ground, just like in the flashback, and then came crashing down, sending Lucian flying down straight into the ground, straight back to hell where he belonged. Carter was free falling again hoping that this time the ruler of the skies would show some mercy and take him too. He saw
Vie’s
sweet face and her beautiful violet eyes looking down at him, holding out her hand and calling for him as he closed his eyes and spread his arms out to his side. Suddenly his arms were wings, big white wings with golden feathers flapping in the wind, taking him safely to the ground. Carter’s destiny was finally realized the moment his anger was freed from his soul, giving him wings to fly.

When Carter reached the ground, Gabriel was waiting for him with pride in his eyes. Carter asked him why he was saved. He told him he wanted to be with Vie and asked him how he would feel if someone took her from him. Gabriel understood his pain but told him it was not the way it was supposed to be. He said we do not fully understand the design of his plan, but we must follow it to the end. He explained that Carter was “the chosen one” and that he knew it was a heavy burden to carry, but he would see it would all make sense in time. And then Gabriel said
something that Carter would never forget
.  “Life can only be understood backwards; but must be lived forward.” Carter did understand his life better now that he had opened the door to his past. It helped him to realize that their story was not over, not by a long shot.
Carter believed Vie would return just as she had all these years later and he would be waiting for her every day until it happened. This time he wouldn’t forget her or lock her memories up in his soul. No matter how painful losing her would be, he vowed to hold on to her, to her memories, to keep her with him until the day he died. He told Gabriel he would never forget her and that he would never let her go. Then Gabriel said, “Goodbye for now” and disappeared.

Carter went to the hospital to check on Vivian. He entered her room and Jeremy was there. He put his arm on Carter’s shoulder saying nothing and then left the room. Henry walked over to Carter and thanked him for saving his daughter and for loving her.  Then he joined Jeremy in the hall.  Carter looked at her, lying there sleeping like an angel, and then leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Come back to me princess.  I’m waiting for you and I’ll be waiting for you forever.” Then he gently kissed her lips.

The End