United Eden (19 page)

I nodded as he disappeared, leaving me alone again, but the warmth and promise situating into its final resting place on my finger fil ed the empty space with an intangible form of Wil iam. I sighed, finding peace in the most unlikely of places.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

IMMORTAL ARMAGEDDON

Patrick kept his promise, not missing a single hour of the past three days. It was like finding my own little piece of heaven inside of hel . He didnt stay longer than a minute or two, apparently the Guardians were getting close to attacking Townsend Manor and there were a lot of things he was responsible for, but each time I saw him, he had some new joke of the Cracker Jack box quality and some message from Wil iam to leave me with.

Sometimes it was only a word, other times it was a sentence, but Id lived my life the past seventy-two hours waiting for these words from Wil iam.

I hadnt seen John or anyone else on his side of Inheritor insanity since the first time and that was more troubling than it was comforting. When it came to Johns kind of evil, I adhered to the
keep your friends close and your enemies closer
adage and, despite being held in his manor, Id seen more of Patrick than him. Things were quiet, not only because I was trapped in a black void, but because I felt it bal ooning around me and I knew the quiet was going to be bursting soon.

Not more than a minute later, Patrick appeared. Hed left me not even a half hour ago, but this wasnt what alerted me; his whole body was rigid with adrenaline and anticipation.

Its starting, he said, excited.

Fear crippled me as I imagined Wil iam pounding down Townsend Manors front door. He wasnt the kind of man who would accept any other position than at the front line and my only hope was the Council. It was a sad day when my last hope was the Council, but I had to believe they wouldnt let their chosen one lead the charge into the Sparta of Immortals.

No matter if that door magical y opens, I dont want you to move a toe from this clown box, you got that? he asked, shaking my shoulders gently.

Is there anything in our experiences together that would number one: lead you to believe Id stay huddled in a hole while people I cared about were in danger, and number two: that Id listen to any order you gave me? I asked, drawing my words out slowly in an effort to keep him in here with me as long as possible and out of the battle.

Listen to me, damn it, he snapped. I know we tease and bicker and make it our mission to give the other a hard time, but I need you to do what Im asking. And its not just me asking, Wil iams the one who asked me to tel you to stay put until he comes for you.

Im sorry, Patrick, and you can give my sentiments to Wil iam as wel , but Im not going to sit on my butt while the man whos tried to kil any Hayward he can get his hands on”

Not to mention you, he mumbled, but I didnt let it detour me.

”kil ed Annabel e and a couple of Wil iams guards, chased me around half of Europe, burnt down Wil iams home, tied me up
twice
with hel wire, and threw me in this black hole for a seeming decade, is final y being brought to justice, I ranted, knowing my evidence in my defense of why I should be al owed to unleash some revenge was fal ing on deaf ears.
And
he was responsible for making you kiss me, I stated like it was the worst offense, shuddering with exaggeration.

Its you they want, Bryn . . . obviously. I felt his arms open to capacity to make his point. Stay here, stay safe, let us take care of these slugs, and Wil iam or I wil come for you. Okay?

I was silent, fuming, and resistant. I was sick of being asked to take a backseat while everyone else put their eternities on the line. I wouldnt agree to Patricks appeal and I wouldnt stay put if that door opened.

Patrick waited a few more seconds for my answer, but receiving none, he sighed. Alright, silence is good enough for me. Thank you for your cooperation, he deadpanned, throwing his arms around me suddenly. He pul ed me tight against him, his muscles already quivering from the adrenaline hed be putting to good use in seconds. Im off to help save the world. See you in a few, he whispered, disappearing.

I knew it would be starting soon, probably in the next minute or two. Wil iam was only holding off whatever Guardian army hed assembled to wait for Patricks return, knowing his brother would have it no other way than joining him on the front lines. There was a part of me that wished I could sleep through the next hour or day or however long it took for it to be over, but at the same time I felt like I owed everyone a floor above me the respect of experiencing each second of the horror theyd be facing.

It was only a few more minutes before I heard the crash of something huge fal ing to the ground, fol owed by the rumble of hundreds, maybe even thousands, of footfal s vibrating the floor above. It didnt take long for the noise up above to grow in intensity, a muted roar interjected by loud rumbles or sharp crashes, sounding like Townsend Manor was being torn apart by hand.

My own adrenaline was shooting through every nerve ending, begging to be released. Al my limbs began popping in motion”waiting, anticipating, worrying.

I didnt wait long and, although I thought it would take significantly longer and thered be more fanfare associated with it, the dwarf-sized door in front of me opened. The mask was torn from my head and the wire banding my wrists and ankles coiled free right after.

The light of the room did a blinding job on me; a sheet of white was the only thing I could see. Rubbing my eyes, I tried to hurry my Immortal twenty-twenty vision back. It helped some, but the figure crouching in front of me was not Wil iam or Patrick, that much was obvious to even someone as impaired as I was at present.

Hurry, a voice instructed. It was familiar, but not enough so I could make an identification without a face. Get out of here.

I didnt think it was the smartest idea to let this nameless acquaintance in on my temporary blindness, but given he hadnt tried to kil or severely maim me yet, by that merit alone he couldnt have been one of Johns.

Who are you? I asked, expecting one of Wil iams guards to name himself. My vision was clearing and a standard issue black suit, combined with a tight haircut, was breaking through.

Andre, the man answered, bringing on a flood of memories that didnt inspire nostalgia.

I instinctively shrunk back from him. What are you doing? I asked, sure this was some kind of ploy to bait me out, but since I didnt see anyone else accompanying him”namely the female counterpart to John”I focused on buzzing my gift to the surface. I was past the point of mercy. Long past it. Just the shortest touch and this man would be dead. I could feel the intensity of this past week, this past year, bringing a potent charge of it to the surface.

He sighed, backing away a few feet from me, giving me space. Im an Inheritor through and through, in the way we were intended to be. Im not one of Johns mutated Inheritor mutts. Not any more, at least. He was becoming more focused so I could now see the lines running through his forehead. Our mission may not be to protect life, but it isnt to end life either. His words and expression seemed to be sincere, but I wasnt buying it.

Not coming from a man whod served John so wel in the past.

Thats convenient, isnt it? I said with acid. Since an army of Guardians busted through your front door and wil be cleaning up the mess upstairs with whosever is left standing.

Thats not why, he answered, shaking his head once. Theres been an underground movement in Johns Al iance for months now, either wanting to break off and move on to another Inheritor Al iance or doing what we could to aid those Mortals or Immortals whove had the misfortune of crossing John.

Real y? I said, stretching my legs out so they hung out the door. It was the first time my legs had reached their ful length in a week. I dont seem to recal you ˜coming to our aid when Wil iam and I were standing trial in front of the Council last spring.

His mouth curved up on one side. Yeah, wel , I was a late bloomer to the movement, he said, walking a few more feet away from me, stil in a crouched position. Ive never been known as the brightest crayon in the box, if you catch my drift.

The word understatement came to mind, but I took advantage of the increased space hed given me. I ducked out of the box, rising hesitantly, sure Id col apse if I attempted anything faster. Instead of feeling like unset gelatin, I found my body strong, primed for battle, if there was any left for me.

So youre letting me out because youve managed to infect yourself with a case of bleeding heart syndrome? I asked, taking a few steps towards the open door at the end of the room, careful to keep my distance from the colossal sized man.

He smiled. Lets just say Ive seen the light and leave it at that.

Before my notions of good and evil, up and down, and life and death became any more confused, I waved at Andre as I made my way towards the door. Wil iam was a floor away, our Union only days away. These promises had been al but lost the past week, but here they were, waiting for me on the other side of this door.

Miss Dawson, he cal ed out as I was stepping through the door. Dont go up there unless you want to die. Things arent looking so good for your Guardians. I think John was expecting them and he was ready. Il show you the back way out” Andres voice turned to a blur as I moved down the hal , feeling terror mixing with the adrenaline thrusting me forward. Whatever was going on up there, whether Andre had been exaggerating or not, I had to see with my own eyes. I had to convince or pry out, if need required it, Wil iam, Patrick, and whoever else I could.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

TOGETHER

The end of the hal ran into a set of concrete stairs I leapt over, needing only two bounds until I was at the top of the staircase, nothing but a steel door separating me from the mayhem on the other side. It was the kind of door that was likely padlocked with a line of hinges and locks running down the entire seam of the door, but Id discovered there was very little that could hold me back when Wil iams life was at stake.

I closed my eyes, inhaling as I pictured smashing through the door. I went from stil as a statue to screaming as I kicked the door, a dent forming around my foot. The door gave, opening with ease like it was constructed of nothing more than cardboard.

Bursting through it, I expected to find myself dead in the center of battle headquarters, but instead I found myself surrounded by the books and beauty of the manors library. My eyes fel on the table where Id been nothing more than a disil usioned girl in love with her professor at the time, back when things had been simpler and less dark.

A noise that rattled the books in the room broke my moment of reminiscing. I ran towards the doors on the other side of library. One was hanging unhinged, so I tossed it to the side and stepped out into the chaos.

And if ever thered been a scene that had been made of chaos, this was it. Nothing could have prepared me for what was playing before me now. Not what Id seen of battle and hate personal y or what Id seen dramatized on the big screen or what Id seen of documentaries of wars in school. There was nothing that could prepare you for malice and murder playing out in front of your eyes.

There were bodies everywhere, tiling the marble floor, garlanding the staircase running down the foyer, stringing from the chandeliers . . . and these were just the unmoving ones.

There were stil hundreds of alive-at-the-moment ones in hand to hand combat, utilizing whatever they could to give them the upper one. I watched one man lift the limp body nearest him and throw it at the one charging him, sending the man flying backwards through a second floor window.

Groups of bodies crouched over a single body held to the ground, drawing out a life that could have gone on forever had it not been for me. I knew this day had been coming before I came into the picture, but the exactness of this day had been punctuated by me. Death wasnt just my gift, it was my curse.

It was what was surrounding me.

There were no tears”the emotion charging through me was beyond any relief I could give it. When my gaze fel upon a mans eyes freezing mid-scream, to stay that way forever as the Inheritors surrounding him with their hands dril ed into his skin smirked away to the next closest Guardian, I went into action.

I knew I should be helping any one I could, the one who needed my help most at closest proximity, but I needed to find Wil iam. I
had
to find him.

If death was al we had left to count on, we were going to meet it together.

I hurdled over endless bodies, both living and dead, relying on my internal compass to find him. If he was anywhere in the manor, I knew whatever tether it was that tied us together would lead me to him, but I didnt feel the usual tug I did when he was close. There was nothing but a slack rope, begging to be pul ed taut. Desperate, I searched over each face in passing, praying none of the silent ones would be his.

Making my way to the end of the foyer, an Inheritor noticed me approaching. In the midst of mayhem, he noticed me. Luck was something as evasive as a golden ticket when it came to me. Ripping the giant bronze gong from its cables, he heaved it on to its side, tossing it like a Frisbee my direction. I ducked just as the giant disc whizzed past me, crashing into a cluster of men behind me.

Not achieving his goal of slamming his target with a two ton flying saucer, the man marched towards me, making it no more than a tile length in my direction before someone hip-checked into him, sending the Frisbee thrower flying across the room.

Go find him, Paul yel ed, shrugging out of his jacket. Ive got your back.

This time tears pricked to the surface. Either Wil iam had convinced him or, hearing word of the upcoming war, Paul had eagerly asked to be a part of it (although I didnt doubt the latter had more to do with him being here). Paul had wanted nothing more than to separate himself from me, yet here he was, defending me so I could find Wil iam.