Vaalbara; Visions & Shadows (24 page)

             
“We can’t use any waterfalls. Th-that’s how I ended up in Jason’s pond in the f-first place.” I took another deep breath. “It was my intention to go to
my
f-falls, but when I entered the Virtutes Falls I had a vision of Jason standing in his pond. I was lucky the vision wasn’t of him standing in the passageway or the kitchen. Who knows what would have happened then?” There we go - that was better. I’d made it through two whole sentences without a stutter.

             
“Alchera is right. She could have died if she had a vision while shifting through a waterfall.” Alandra didn’t look too happy about it…ending up that way.

             
Did you expect her to look happy?
Raighne’s voice caught me by surprise.

             
My mind yelled back.
What’s with you? That was an observation not a statement. I was thinking to myself anyway! And you wonder why I try to block you out?

             
“I can fly.” Jason said suddenly, shooting us a super-wide grin. “Planes, I mean.”

             
It was our turn to stare at him.

             
“You know…airplanes.” No one said a word. “
What
? I’m a man of many talents. Alchera didn’t just dream me up for no reason, you know,” he smiled. “Maybe if you people showed some interest in your fellow human beings you would’ve known that about me by now.” He was really in a teasing mood now.

             
I couldn’t help but smile at him. I had a feeling I was going to like this joker a lot.

             
“Jason, what did you do for a living before we came to get you?”

             
“I’m a vet. I thought you knew everything about me.” His voice still held the teasing tone.

             
Evin interrupted, “Once we are at this airfield, you are sure you will be able to get us a plane?”

             
Jason shrugged. “Sure, otherwise we can always steal one.”

             
“Cool.” This time Alandra smiled broadly. I was surprised by the way she was starting to blend in with the humans. She seemed to definitely be enjoying life on Earth.

             
“I do not think so.” Evin, on the other hand, didn’t look impressed at all.

             
“Don’t you guys have any powers?” Jason asked. “You know…like superhero stuff?”

             
I laughed. “No. No one flies or shoots laser beams out of their eyes…although that would be cool.” I nodded at Raighne and Evin. “The guardians have special talents, though. They can move really fast, they can heal people, and they’re incredibly strong. They can also communicate with their charges by means of telepathy. Personally—” I stopped abruptly once I realized what I’d said. I tried sliding lower in my seat.

             
Evin’s voice broke the uncomfortable silence. “I have the ability to stun people for a short period, giving me the opportunity to do with them as I wish. My twin, Aedan, can levitate objects, whereas Raighne can move any item no matter how big, although for some unknown reason he does not wish to use his talent.”

             
“Evin.” Raighne’s voice was laced with warning. 

             
Ignoring his brother, Evin continued, “There is also a young boy named Lucian. He has power over the sun, while his sister, Luna, can control moonlight. We have great hopes for them. There are many others like us. So…yes. We have talents and they are there for your protection.”

             
“What do you call yourselves then?” Jason seemed to be drawn into Evin’s explanation.
             
“The Vaalbara Boyz,“ I snickered.

             
Evin actually smiled. “We are immortals, Jason,” he replied. “We were created by Awo hundreds of years ago to prepare Vaalbara for your arrival. Awo is a kind and loving God who cares for all His creatures. And just as He loves you, He loves us. He allowed us to multiply and build our own kingdom. Alchera and Alandra’s father King Eryon, was our first King - placed on the throne with Awo’s blessing.” The car went silent; everyone was busy with their own memories of the amazing man…the amazing King who was now gone.

~*~

We eventually made it to the airfield. Waiting in a hangar, we left the talking to Jason. It was so quiet out. Well, only insane people like us came out at four in the morning to rent a plane. Luckily, Jason did know the people, from when he had to fly out to farms to check on sick animals.

             
Reappearing, Jason beamed from ear to ear. “Let’s go.”

             
“Is everything in order?” Evin looked worried, as usual.

             
“Yup, let’s just go.”

             
He kept looking back at the corner where Jason had just appeared. “Are they going to come running after us at any moment?”

             
“Will you JUST come on!” Jason led us to a medium-sized plane. Just looking at it made my stomach turn. If Awo wanted me to fly He would’ve given me wings.

             
“I need someone up front to help me fly this baby. Who’s the fastest learner?” Jason eyed the two men. This is literally the last thing I wanted to hear before boarding a plane for the first time in my life.

             
“I will. I want to know what is going on at all times.” Evin started towards the front of the plane, not giving anyone a chance to argue.

             
Raighne smiled his lazy smile and headed for the belly of the plane.

             
Everyone was too damn calm about this. Was I the
only
one nervous about flying?

~*~

The take-off wasn’t half as bad as I’d expected it to be. It was a little bumpy with Evin - the student - up front. I wasn’t surprised though. A few minutes into the flight I snuggled into my seat hoping to sleep through the whole trip. Raighne and Alandra were staring out of their individual windows admiring the landscape, as the sun slowly peeked over the horizon.

             
I closed my eyes, trying to clear my head. I didn’t want to think of anything. If I could, I would beg Awo to let me sleep for weeks on end. I drifted off to sleep…or, so I thought.

~*~

I opened my eyes again and a wave of confusion washed over me. I was looking at enormous buildings! Skyscrapers made of crystal-clear glass seemed to shimmer in the sunlight as they rose to humongous heights before disappearing into the clouds. People were going about their business when the ground began to shake forcefully beneath my feet. I didn’t have a chance to try and balance myself. Tumbling over backwards, I landed on my backside.

             
The shaking ground didn’t cause me to panic; it was the sound of all that glass shattering. The giant buildings were coming apart. Glass rained down on everybody below; a horrific rainstorm that pierced the flesh. 

             
I only registered the sight as being an earthquake when the earth began to rip open on the other side of the road. It was a small crack at first, but it grew wider fast - crawling jaggedly along the ground.

             
I wanted this vision to stop! The glass raining down on the mass of bloodied people…the gaping holes swallowing everything I could see…I had to wake up!

             
One after another, the tremors grew stronger, coming faster by the minute. I scrambled to my feet to get away from the gaping holes and shattering buildings. I had to get away. But, go where?

             
I hoped with everything I had that one of my Chosen Ones wasn’t stuck in this mess. The sign beaming through the shower of iron and steel indicated I was in the San Francisco business district. My blood curdled. Didn’t San Francisco have the worst earthquakes?  I started running faster in the direction of, what I hoped, would be
away
from the danger, when everything suddenly blurred.

             
My vision cleared, and what I saw almost made me want to pray to Awo that I was back in the business district. I struggled to keep my balance, as I quickly crouched down and crawled to the nearest street sign. Wrapping my hands around the metal, I held on as if my life depended on it.

             
A few feet away was a huge gorge, and everything and everyone around me was sliding into it. The ground below us was slowly slanted upwards, causing people to plummet to their deaths.

             
I wanted to cover my ears. I couldn’t bear to hear their cries for help, though I was forced to listen as I held on with all my strength.

             
The ground began to shift higher, towering into the sky. It was as if the whole bay area was tearing loose from the mainland, becoming its own fiery island of death. I looked up at the heavens and was stunned by what I saw. Elora was hovering far above us. My
sister
was the one responsible for all this chaos? While I suffered the experience of this nightmare, she had to suffer the reality of knowing
she
was the cause of this? My mind exploded…she was killing innocent people. And Awo
wanted
this - this maiming…this destruction of life - to be her destiny.

             
The Seventh Seal had been opened and these were the consequences.

             
The screaming of a baby brought my attention back to what was happening around me.  People were being crushed, while others simply dropped to their deaths. It was a horrible sight. The tremor below me kept growing stronger; it was like a roaring beast had been awakened from a long hibernation and now demanded his revenge. 

             
My arms were tired from the vibrations, but I held on with all my might. I had to close my eyes when a mother and her child plunged to their deaths. I tried to scream when I felt their hearts take their final beat, but the only sound that came out was an agonizing moan.

             
I felt nature as she died around me; the plants screeched as they were uprooted and torn to shreds. There was no escaping it.

             
A thunderous boom echoed through the air, making my whole body vibrate. A deafening squeal then shattered my eardrums - as if a billion fingernails had scraped across a hellish blackboard. A strong wind surrounded me in a matter of seconds - so strong I struggled to breathe. Wrapping my legs around the metal pole, I tried desperately to not be blown away. Panic was everywhere. The cries and prayers for mercy and forgiveness filled my soul. It finally struck me what I was witnessing. This was impossible! It couldn’t be. Yet…it looked like the San Andreas Fault Line had finally split in two.

             
Silence descended. It was as if Mother Nature had gone eerily quiet…as if she was waiting…

Chapter Nine

Time’s A Wasting

Time…

Once it’s gone, it belongs to the past.

We do not hold on to the now, and

We do not treasure the future…

We keep receiving this present, but we never open and cherish it until it is too late.

Until it comes no more.

The first thing I heard was the panic in Raighne’s voice.

             
“I am really scared now, Alandra. The other times she had a vision, I could reach her and bring her back.” Raighne held me to him. Through the haze I could feel his sweat-soaked cold skin, and heard his heart beating out of control. “But this time… Dear, Awo…she stopped breathing a minute ago! Look at how she is holding me. Something bad must be happening on the other side!”

             
My arms were wrapped tightly around his chest, my legs around his waist. My face was pressed into the curve of his neck. I must’ve imagined Raighne to be that pole I had been so desperately clinging to in my vision.

             
The vision of pure death. The unspeakable, terrible earthquakes and the chaos that had followed. All those people…thousands of them suffering. My body began shaking from shock, and the tears raced down my cheeks.

             
“Alchera? You are awake!” Raighne held my tear-streaked face up to his before pressing it back into his chest. “Shhh, all will be well.”

             
I pushed away. “It was awful. Raighne, th-they’re all going t-to d-die!” He pulled me back into his embrace. “So many p-people are going t-to d-die, Raighne. Th-there is going t-to b-be a d-dreadful earthquake, and the…”

“You do not have to talk about it now.” Raighne’s voice was tender, as he slowly helped me up. “Do you think you can focus on why we are here now or do you need to rest?”

             
“We're here?”

             
“Alchera, we are in Ireland. Remember? Jason flew us here to get Sarah and Doug.” He looked at me with an alarmed expression on his face.

             
There were so many images flashing through my mind - most of them pictures of disaster and pain. I remembered getting Jason and then…

             
I jerked up as if someone had pinched me hard. “Sarah…D-Doug! How much t-time have I wasted?”

             
“You were out for about twenty minutes after we landed.” Jason spoke from his spot by the open door.

             
“We have t-to go now, but,” I paused, and focused on Alandra. “It would be better if we d-didn’t all go t-together.” I saw Evin wanted to interrupt, but I continued quickly, “We have t-to go f-fetch t-two people and won’t all f-fit in the car. Alandra, could you stay and protect Jason f-for me?” I took another deep breath. My tongue felt like it weighed fifty pounds. “Please?”

             
Jason gave me a dark look; he certainly didn’t like the idea of a woman protecting him.

             
“You know I will.” She didn’t hesitate, which made me feel a bit better about my plan.

             
“Thanks. I d-don’t know how long we’ll be, but we’ll meet b-back here at the plane when we have th-them.” I was so tired of stuttering. I really wanted to ask Awo why he gave such an important destiny to a manic chimp.

             
“Maybe you should take my mobile number just in case something happens,” Jason chimed in. “You never know, you might need us. See? I can help.” There was a sting in Jason’s words. He was clearly offended, but he had no idea how powerful Alandra was as far as protection detail was concerned. He’d simply have to deflate that male ego.

             
“Jason…Alandra and Evin are skilled t-to protect you against immortals you d-don’t want t-to meet. It is Alandra’s destiny t-to ensure th-that we all return safe to Vaalbara. She has trained well f-for th-this.” He seemed to accept this bit of news far better than what I said next. “We d-don’t have any mobile phones t-to call you with by the way.”

             
Jason looked lost. “How do you people communicate back where you come from?”

             
“You walk up to a person and say, ‘peace be.’” Alandra’s tone was flat as she answered him. I had a feeling she’d just made her first joke and I had to admit, it wasn’t bad. I smiled.

             
“That sucks,” Jason moped. “I’m sure the people you’re going to fetch will have a cellphone, otherwise I would strongly advise you to get one.”

             
Raighne stood ready by the door waiting to help me out of the plane.

             
“May Awo bring you back safely to us.” Alandra gave us a tight smile before taking Evin’s hand.

             
Raighne hailed a cab to take us to Dublin City. I didn’t know which hospital Sarah would be in, so we figured the city would be a good place to start. There were two hospitals not far from each other according to the information desk back at the airport.

             
We drove in silence for a while. I tried clearing my mind; it felt like I was switched on high gear - my mind raced as if Sid was running a marathon inside my brain.

             
I closed my eyes and listened to the car’s wheels humming on the road. I was just about to relax when the whirring of those wheels on the pavement began to sound like gale force winds rushing through my ears. …I swallowed hard. The next disaster was about to begin. 

~*~

I opened my eyes slowly, scared to death of what I was going to see this time. But the view in front of me was quite peaceful, just a petite young girl kneeling before me.

             
The girl looked up at the heavens with big black eyes. Standing up quickly, she darted into the trees like a startled rabbit, behind what looked like a small house. Her straight black hair blew wildly behind her, as the woods started to open up and a beautiful waterfall came into view. I looked at the strange scene and knew that this was at least a way for me to get to her.

             
It was late afternoon and the sun began to dip behind the falls. The girl turned to me and called out words that made every hair on my body stand on end.

             
“My name is Sky, Alchera. God has told me you would come for me, so I’ll wait right here for you. Think of me by the Kegan Falls in Japan.”

             
I could see the tears sparkling in her eyes.

             
“You don’t have long, Alchera. It’s coming…”

~*~

I came to with a jolt.

             
“What is it?” Raighne’s worried voice was the first thing I heard.

             
“I’ll t-tell you later.” I didn’t want the driver to overhear, considering he’d change course and head straight to a mental asylum, where I was beginning to believe I belonged.

             
Tell me now.

             
It was a vision of a new Chosen One. She is in danger. I have to get to her fast.’

             
I was looking at Raighne’s hand on mine and couldn’t help but think back to a much easier time; to a dream that’d been crushed by a completely unrealistic reality. I so missed that silly teenage dream…when I craved to be touched by ’Ryan’s’ hands.

             
I held his hand to my cheek, and placed a kiss in his palm. His hands…those hands had taken my pain away. His were the hands that’d shown me affection, whereas Carter’s…

             
No, Alchera. Please do not think of him ever again. He does not deserve a passing thought from you. Think of me, of us.
Raighne ducked his head closer to mine and kissed a tear from my cheek. Moving his lips teasingly up and down my jaw, he erased every thought from my mind in mere seconds. My breathing hitched, and I turned my face to his. My lips grazed his ear as I inhaled the scent of seduction and serenity, the beautiful mixture that was, my Raighne.

             
“Where to now, mister?” The cab driver’s voice brought us slamming back to reality. His accent was heavy and we had to strain to understand what he was saying.

             
“Which hospital do you think would handle a patient with terminal cancer?” The question popped out of my mouth before the thought could even cross my mind.

             
“Me granny-aunt died of the liver cancer two years back. God rest her kind, lovin’ soul. We were pretty close, me and her. Lovin’ the lady, I did. She passed in the St. James. It’s not far, another fifteen minutes’ drive, I‘d say.”

             
When spoken, the vision flashed before my eyes. I suddenly remembered the cross on top of the large building. It was unlike all others. The lower part was a sword blade - the cross of a warrior - the Cross of St. James. I could hardly contain my excitement.

             
“Yes! Take us there, please.”

             
Raighne leaned into me, and whispered, “Will you be able to recognize them?”

             
“Yes. I just hope we find them soon…enough.”

             
We crossed a bridge and turned right. After a while we turned left onto St. James Street, an address I knew, and soon found ourselves in the familiar parking area.

             
I was so excited, I threw open the door before the car stopped, and ran for the entrance. Suddenly, I stopped.

             
“What?” Raighne asked, as he came to my side. “Why did you stop?”

             
I could feel the desperation welling up inside my throat. “I…I’m useless. I have no idea what to do now…this is all the vision showed me of this place. What’s the use of having me if I can’t even sense them? They’re all going to die, and it’s going to be my fault!” I felt so hopeless, that it scared the hell out of me.

             
The last time I felt like this, I was Aislinn. I was trapped in that old cursed life. I was a nobody all over again.

             
“You are doing fine. Do not ever think like that.”

             
I couldn’t look at him. Here was Raighne, a grown man, and I was a foolish eighteen-year-old girl. He must’ve thought me completely childish. Heck, I didn’t even know how long this incredible man had lived.

             
You do not want to know my age, it is best you leave it an unknown piece of information.
             
Now, that was the wrong thing to say to me. Now I had to know.

             
I looked around me; the area was absolutely beautiful. The gardens were a brilliant green, with hundreds of colorful flowers in bloom. My eyes searched the parking lot for any sign of Doug and Sarah, but there was none. Panic gripped my heart as I thought of Sky, waiting for me to save her from whatever was heading her way. I felt alone, empty - only this time the pain wasn’t for myself, it was for my Chosen Ones out there…waiting to die. At this rate Adeth would definitely get to them first.

             
“No!” I shouted. “How will they survive?” I threw myself down on a bench just outside the entrance, frustrated beyond belief.

             
Raighne kneeled in front of me, and gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Tell me what is going on with you so I can help.” His intoxicating voice fell over me like a cloud of calm and peace. 

             
“I can’t get rid of the feelings. It’s like everything I’ve been through in the shack keeps haunting me. I feel like a failure…lost to Carter’s evil. It seems as if Adeth is slowly overpowering me from within, like I’ve never escaped.” Damn, I had just voiced my darkest fear. Wouldn’t that make it come true somehow? Plus, I’d gone and opened myself up to another - to Raighne of all people - a man who’d already been blaming himself for every misstep I‘d taken along the way.

             
“You are still the same Alchera as before that happened. You are a survivor, and the strongest person I know. Adeth cannot hurt you anymore. I am with you, and I promise I will not let it happen again.” I gave him a weak smile, appreciating his efforts.

             
My eyes kept scanning the area. Worry for Sky was starting to eat at my insides. I got up so fast Raighne fell backwards. I was looking directly at Sarah! She didn’t look surprised when I came running at her; she just smiled her pretty smile at me.

             
“Hi, Sarah,” I began, trying to sound as normal as possible. “How are you feeling today?” I felt such a bond with her after ‘sharing’ her pain that it felt right for me to just greet her as if we were old friends.

             
“I’m feeling stronger today, thank you for asking.” She tilted her head as if trying to place me. “Why do you look so familiar? Have we met?”