Taken (Breaking the Darkness) (20 page)

Thinking back to my dream about Gram and Mom at White Sands sent a wave of sadness over me. What if the reason I dreamed about them being together was because she’d passed on to the other side and was, in fact, with Gram? Maybe that was the best place for her. I always quietly prayed we’d be together again. This would have been a great time for her to be there for me. Instead, I am alone with no one to turn to.

Maybe she could astral project as well. How did I not think of trying to find her before? Maybe I could connect with her out there or at least just see if she was okay.

“Kasha?”

I turned around to the unexpected sound of my name. I was so lost in thoughts of Mom, I stopped paying attention to the people coming and going through the church. The sun had all but set, leaving only the two of us standing in the sanctuary lit by the moon and the glow of the flickering prayer candles.

Even in astral form, Graven’s eyes remained the same silvery grey I could so easily get lost in. He looked almost the same as he did in his physical body. Well, the human version of him anyway. He stood before me dressed in his usual fitted tee and perfect designer jeans. He even wore a pair of sexy Rocky brand snake and waterproof boots. I’m not sure what use he could have for a pair of those in the astral plane, but I envied his attention to detail. I hadn’t really mastered the shoe thing myself. It would have been nice to see him in the flesh, the way the shadows would have bounced off his chiseled features. Yet his eyes still managed to have a unique sparkle.

“What are you doing here?” I crossed my arms in front of me, breaking the silence.

“I needed to see you again. I want to…” He blew out a breath and his eyes jetted around the room before returning to lock in on me. “There are so many things I want to say, to ask, to explain. Are you okay?”

He inched his way closer. For a minute I thought he was going to reach out and touch me. I backed out of reach.

“No, I’m not okay. Not in any way am I okay. My body is battered and beaten. If I go back, the physical pain is too much to bear. Here, it’s my mental pain that makes it hard to hold on. There’s so much I don’t understand. What do you want? You should just leave me alone.”

He stood there looking at me. For someone who came seeking a talk, he sure didn’t have much to say.

“And what the hell are you anyway?” I let go of myself and waved a hand at him.

“I am of the Fromarian Clan of Gargoyles. My brother and I are the last of our line. I can tell you all about my heritage and my family at another time. I’m worried about you now. I need to find you!”

“You did find me. Here I am.” I nervously shifted back and forth. “How did you find me here anyway?” I demanded.

“I feel like I’ve known you for centuries. It was so easy to connect to you. I’ve been waiting for you.” I could see in his eyes he struggled to find the words to express whatever he tried to convey.

“You and everyone else it seems,” I replied. What did I care what he was looking for or if he thought he knew me?
Give me a break.

“No, not like that. I’ve been trying to find you since last night. There’s something blocking me from finding you in your physical state. Once you projected, I could sense you. I wanted to give you some time alone, so I’ve been just hanging back.”

“You’ve been watching me this whole time?” Could he really be so nervy?
Can I not get any privacy?

“No, I was outside. I could feel you getting ready to take flight so I had to let you know I was here.” He paused. I waited.

“I knew there was something about you from the second I laid eyes on you, something special.”

“Yeah, like I was pretty much naked and had the look of a lost puppy dog.”

“Well, there is that.” He nodded and his lips curled up in the corner just enough to let me know his mind was filled with images of me in my birthday suit.

“But there was something more intense. I wasn’t certain if you were the one, but I cannot deny it.” His eyes became sincere and were as solemn as steel.

“Which one, the one with all the great super powers?” I snapped at him. I was so sick of hearing about how special I was and how great I
would
be.

“Honestly, I really am unaware of what kind of powers you have or if you have any power other than being able to astral project. Anyone can do that. Of course, it just usually takes them years to master what you’ve been able to do in days.”

He closed the space between us. “Hear me out for a minute. Please.

“A long time ago, I crossed paths with a witch, a seer, if you will. She grabbed my arm as I was walking through an outdoor market. Most of the time, I wouldn’t have paid a woman like that any mind. They were almost always looking for a handout.

“When she grabbed me, her grip was that of an iron cuff. I was taken aback by the strength she had. She took hold of both my arms. Time and motion around us all but stopped. Her eyes went completely white.

‘She will need you. You must betray your heart and walk amongst the darkness in order to find the truest light. You will know when The Taker tries to take what can only be yours.’

“She released me and her eyes regained their color. Time no longer stood still. The crowd around me started to roar so loud I almost didn’t notice her still talking to me. Her voice this time was softer but had an edge of agitation.

‘
Son, can I help you? Why do you stand in my path, staring at me in that way?’

“She gave me a slight shove and then she was on her way. How long I stood there I will never know. I was stationary for an extended period of time, trying to digest and sort out what she might have been talking about.

“I had no idea who the
she
was to which she referred. All I got was that there was a female in need of help. At the time, I had no knowledge of anyone called The Taker. The one thing that was real to me was how powerful the encounter with her was. Probably one of the most intense experiences I’ve ever had with a witch or otherwise.

“I have carried her message with me for too many seasons to count. From that day forward, I knew there was a path for me. I have made choices against my heart to find my way to you.”

I uncrossed my arms. “You can’t be serious. You expect me to believe that? I don’t even know you. How dare you blame me for your choice to work with the scum of the earth?”

He tried to interject, but I held up a hand and continued.

“And another thing… How can you refer to me as
what can only be yours?
Just because this man or evil dark lord has kidnapped me and stolen me from the real world doesn’t make me part of your prophecy or your destiny.”

“The old woman wasn’t the only one who told me about you. About ten years ago, there was a woman at one of our functions with The Taker. She looked like an angel. I knew she couldn’t be, especially because she accompanied the darkest being I’ve ever known. Her yellow and white hair hung down past her bottom, and she wore a white gown that touched the floor. It was like looking at a beam of white light.

“When she walked past me, her eyes flashed a bluish silver. No one was within earshot; she made sure of that. She grabbed my arm and whispered to me,

‘You are the key to the treasure. She will need you. You will need her. Together you will bring the light.’

“After she released my arm, she walked away. She never looked my way again. She was as serious as could be. I knew better than to approach her or question what she said to me. If I had, it could have put both her and me in danger. I knew she was referring to the same female as the witch a few lifetimes ago.”

Before he could go on with his story any longer, I interjected. “So what exactly makes you think I’m this treasure that you need? Or that I need you?”

“Excuse my bluntness, but you clearly need me. You are flying blind out here. You are a captive locked away where no human could ever find or save you.”

“So you’re going to save me now?” I laughed at him. Maybe I meant to insult him. He already deceived me once.

“Or I will die trying!” He wasn’t fazed by my rudeness. “I am by nature a protector. My kind has been employed and enslaved by many powerful people throughout time. Once we dedicate ourselves to our charge, it is very hard to break it.

“Sometimes there is a rare type of bond that unites us with another; the connection is broken only by the death of the other. I suspect there is a chance we are meant to have this union.” He knew he treaded lightly with his confession.

“If I’m wrong about the level of our connection, it has no bearing on my commitment. I have dedicated myself to finding and protecting you since the day that witch grabbed my arm. My connection and dedication to you has grown over the centuries. I knew in my heart I would know you the second I laid eyes on you.

“Did you feel it? When you looked into my eyes that first time in the conference room?” He searched my face for conformation.

I huffed a little and looked out the window. I didn’t want to answer him, but the truth was I did. I did feel something. It was instant. I trusted him. I didn’t know why or how, but I knew I could go with him. I just wasn’t so sure I trusted that feeling.

“There was something, something different about you. I was drawn to you. I felt like I could trust you. That’s why I think I went with you and didn’t follow Ziona.” I reconsidered my openness with the truth. It may have been a mistake.

“The things you told me and taught me about astral travel were true and did work for me. I believed in you. That’s why I went to seek you out.” I hit him hard with my eyes. “You deceived me. Why didn’t you tell me what you are or that you knew these other people aren’t altogether human?”

“I did not deceive you. I told you there were things I couldn’t tell you at the time. I was unsure of who you were. I felt it in my heart that you were the one, but I had to be sure. I was cautious not to tell you too much. For one thing, I didn’t want to scare you away. More than that, I didn’t want to tell you anything that could put you in more danger.”

“Well, I almost died anyway. Anton, Levi, whatever you people call him, did unthinkable things to me. I don’t know if my body will ever recover from the damage he inflicted on my flesh and bones.” My voice was well above a whisper.

“Perhaps maybe if you could have told me about what they are, I could’ve better protected myself. If my grandmother would have told me any of this, maybe I wouldn’t be where I am now.”

“Listen, there is a chance that is true. Sometimes bad things bring about changes that we need. That is why they’re trying to break you. They know in extreme conditions we must search deep within for the strength and power to save ourselves. That can mean different things to different people. You cannot deny that you are now different. Only you know what transformations you have made in your heart.”

I moved over to the wall of windows and looked out into the distance at the rock formations that surrounded us. I observed the Madonna and Child and imagined it was my mom holding me as a baby, the nuns standing there praying over them, over us. I hoped someone prayed for me now.

I turned back to find Graven standing tall behind me. He was double my size even in this state. His eyes captivated me, and I found it hard to speak.

“I am different. My heart has hardened. I don’t know if I’ve transformed into anything but a paranoid and frightened woman. I haven’t noticed that I can do anything special. I did talk to my dead grandmother briefly. Twice, actually. Does that count?” I stumbled over my words. His presence was all-consuming.

“Did she tell you anything special? Was she able to answer any of your questions, anything about why they might be keeping you?”

“No. She likes to talk in riddles. I usually have no idea what she’s talking about. Sometimes if I think enough about what she says, I can decode or assume some of her intentions.” I paused as I tried to push images of Anton hovering over me out of my mind. “She came to me during the attack. I think I lost consciousness when Anton held me down.”

I could see the rage blister in his eyes at the mention of Anton.

“She told me about his blood being from a dragon and that my amulet would help protect me. She also said something about an eye for an eye. When I came to, I thought about putting out his fire with ice and jabbed my finger in his eye. A drop of blood fell from his face. That’s how I knew it was a spot of weakness for him.”

He looked at my chest and focused his gaze on the symbol embedded in my skin. I knew it wasn’t there when we met. He knew it too, but didn’t say anything. He bobbed his head in hopes I would continue.

“She also told me I would find my inner truth and my heart will link me to my truest self. She then said something about it taking the blood of the dragon to release the dragon’s blood.” I reached up and touched my chest.

“The drop of blood that fell from Anton’s eye landed on my amulet that I always wear. My grandmother gave it to me and told me not to take it off. Apparently, there was a spell of some sort etched into it in dragon’s blood. When the dragon’s blood combined, something happened. The amulet charged up and burrowed itself into my flesh, as you can see.” I waved a Vanna White hand in front of my chest.

“I see.”

“She also told me the amulet would enhance my connection to the elements. I really don’t know what that means. It’s scary and freaky knowing this thing’s inside me.”

Graven joined me by the window. “I have seen people control the elements before. Usually they can only access one element. She said
elements
?”

“Yes. Those you have seen do this, were they human?”

“I have seen both male and female, young and old. As to their unique heritage or breed, I am not really certain. If I had to guess, I’d say they were a combination of things. Some used their gifts for the greater good, others in the shadows of darkness.

“And then there have been those that use dark magic to gain new gifts. There are humans out there that will do anything to gain power. They will give anything to people like The Taker. He takes what he wants and more. The price is always too high, much higher than anyone bargains for.”