The RisingThe Rising Book One The Darkness Series

Chapter 14

It was all hands on deck. Everyone pitched in packing up food and supplies, medicine and first aid needs were thrown into bags. We boxed up food and equipment, bagged up clothes and blankets. Trucks and cars were loaded up. Plans were made and directions were given.

It was organized chaos almost instantly for the rest of the night. Kids were piled in one room. A sleepover for them while the adults got everything together. Liem stuck close to Mira. She felt periodic taps into her head as he checked on her when she wasn’t in his direct line of sight.

“I’m fine Liem.” Mira begrudgingly told him as she laid down on the bed with Naomi curled against her. “I’m with the kids, Naomi called me.”

“I’m just checking on you. Are the kids okay?” There is a distinct irritation in his tone.

“Yes, Torak is here too. What time do we leave?” Ignoring the coldness, Mira brushes it off to stress. Why is he pissed? That man wasn’t in his face!

“I’m not pissed. Not really. Sorry, I heard you. I want to protect you but I don’t know how. I don’t even know if I can protect myself or Jonah.” It’s then Mira realizes this is about something deeper, more emotional, and his inability to protect someone else. His wife. He couldn’t save her. “I didn’t know how. Still don’t. You think really loud.”

Smiling, Mira watches Naomi, sound asleep and safe under Torak’s watchful eye. Deciding to take a step out of her comfort zone, she goes to find Liem. Closing the door behind her, Mira turns around and jumps instantly, finding Liem standing behind her with a grin on his face.

“I’m sorry about your wife,” Mira whispered, understanding more than she had about his motives to protect her. Motioning for her to follow him, Liem led her into the room across the hall.

“I want you riding with me in the morning. I think Naomi would like you with us but we’ll have Torak in our truck and being as he sensed what I couldn’t, I’d say you are better off with him guarding you.” She couldn’t argue with his logic. The wolf seems to have more control of his abilities than the others and agreed without an argument.

As quiet fell in the house, Mira returned to her bed for the night. Sleeping wasn’t going to come easily but she felt a look into the fire might help her clear her head.

The fire simmered low in the hearth as she sat down in front of it. The shadows flickered around the room casting an eerie feeling through the room.

“It’s nothing, Mira. Just your imagination working overtime.” Reminding herself that they were safe for the moment, she looked over at Torak. The wolf lifted his head to return her gaze. “We are safe, right?”

The wolf thumped his tail and settled his head on Jonah’s chest. The boy wrapped his arms around his wolf and snuggled him.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Turning back to the fire, Mira settled herself against the chair. Deep breaths, in and out, slowly she felt herself relax. Little by little she drifted out of her body, out of the room. She floated, down the stairs and out of the house.

The air was cool outside in the darkness. A thin layer of a gray fog covered the ground. The air felt thick and weighted as she stepped through the fog.

“Brave girl, leaving the sanctuary of your charmed home to face me.” The man with the light gray eyes leaned against Liem’s truck.

He didn’t seem surprised to see her. He was completely at ease in the darkness as if he owned the night. Looking around, Mira saw the night guards standing watch and not noticing either of them.

“They don’t see us,” she wondered if she had fallen asleep and was still in the room.

“Of course not. Your corporal form is still upstairs sitting by the fire. Unless you reach for one of them without my consent, they won’t know a thing.” He smiled then but it didn’t reach his eyes. Those gray eyes remained cold and calculated.

“So you brought me here?” One way or another she was going to figure out how to control who could suck her into these waking dreams.

“This time. Why didn’t you acknowledge me earlier? I know you saw me just as I know you were desperately trying to get your boyfriend to help you escape me.”

Mira realized that he has more power than she did. And he knows how to control it. “Who are you? Why can’t anyone else see you?”

A slow smirk slid across his face as if he held all the answers she’s been looking for. Mira didn’t like it, she definitely didn’t trust him. But she absolutely wanted answers. She was fairly certain that he held the answers she needed to hone her own power.

“So many questions.” He walked away from her, pausing only a moment to look back and see she wasn’t following him. With a curve of his finger, he brought Mira to his side without her taking a step.

“How did you do that? You can’t force me to do something I don’t want to do!” Mira protested, yet she was moving step by step with him.

“I want privacy for our conversation. I don’t plan on hurting you, Emberwing. Not yet anyway.” There's humor in eyes over his private joke.

They walked to the back of the clearing, away from the guards who stood watch and away from the lights of the building. They stopped in the shadows of the forest. The trees hiding them from anyone searching for her.

Liem will look for her. He will check on her again and when he can’t find her, he’ll look for her. This man can’t keep Liem from finding her.

“Oh, but I can, love. I can make sure your Liem never finds you again,” He states reading her thoughts.

“Who are you?!” Demanding an answer, Mira tries to block her thoughts as she’s done before.

Sitting down on a fallen tree, the man pulls Mira with him. She put so much effort into fighting for control, Mira felt dizzy and sick to her stomach.

“Don’t fight me, Mira. I’m older and stronger than you are.” He didn’t even get angry about it. It’s as if he knew she would try. “My name is of no matter. I’m whoever I want to be. At this moment, I’m just a man.”

“So what do I call you then? You want to talk obviously. I don’t talk to people I don’t know.” Stranger danger has never hit home more than it did at this moment.

“My name is Kaiden. I am the hand and fist of Pyremius. I serve the dark as you will some day.” He sounds so sure of himself.

“I’m not going to serve anyone,” Mira refused his opinion. “And if you serve Pyremius, why don’t you just kill me?”

“Because he has seen you as useful. You have not yet opened up to your power.” He questioned her without giving her questions a second thought.

“I don’t… no I haven’t. I don’t know how. And why can’t I refuse to answer you? That’s annoying!” Mira began getting irritated with herself and him. Kaiden holds a power over her that doesn’t allow her control. How can she fight against this?

“You’re going to exhaust yourself if you don’t stop fighting me. As I said, I’m older and wiser, and more powerful than you. Your friends in there I can kill with a snap of my fingers. Would you like me to demonstrate?” That’s the last thing she wants him to do. “I can save the child for you. She can be your pet when you open.”

Disgusted by his suggestion, Mira stood up, pressing her power against his, she took one step then another. It’s as if her body is heavily weighted down with hundreds of pounds hanging from her.

“I won't let you hurt anyone!” Mira growled with each step she took. “I won’t let you touch anyone!”

He laughed at her. That was humiliating. She no sooner took a step away from him when he brought her right back to where she was. She was only wearing herself out. How is she the one to save the world when she can’t even deal with something as simple as walking away from him.

Breathing heavy and wearing herself out, Mira stopped fighting him and braced her hands on her knees as she caught her breath.

“So,” struggling to catch her breath. She spoke slowly. “You don’t want to kill me, you don’t plan on killing my friends as long as I talk to you, and I’m the only one who can see you. Is that right?”

“I didn’t say I wouldn't kill anyone. But for now, Pyremius wants to see you open. You, and for the moment, your friends are to live to watch and to learn.” Kaiden again leaned back casually as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

“So why are you here? Just to watch me open?” She wasn’t sure what that meant but she isn’t comfortable with a peeping tom keeping tabs on her for his devil boss.

“Mira! Mira! Where are you?” Liem’s voice echoed in her head.

“I’m here! Liem, I’m outside with Kaiden! He…” Her connection lost, Kaiden flicked his wrist and sent Mira flying back into the cold metal of a truck.

The wind knocked out of her, it took a moment to get her breath back. Picking herself up, she looked around and noticed the guards staring at her. The front door of the building flew open and Liem rushed out with Torak and Raine right behind him.

“Mira!” Liem stopped, staring past Mira, further back by the tree line.

She knew what he saw. She felt the anger and rage building in Kaiden just as much as she felt the fear in the woman he held three feet off the ground.

Slowly Mira turned around, her eyes meeting Kaiden’s. “You don’t have to do this. Please! I’ll tell them to go inside. Just don’t hurt her.”

She begged to save a stranger’s life. A woman she hadn’t said two words to. A person who was only trying to find answers and safety just like everyone else. A woman who wasn’t going to live through the night. Why?

Because Pyremius deemed it so.

Liem and Raine were held back. Slamming into an invisible force, they pounded their fists against the barrier desperate to get through. Mira watched helplessly. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t stop him and she couldn’t help her friend.

Knowing she was the only one Pyremius is interested in, Mira reached out for Liem, “Go back inside! Get back to safety! I’m who he wants, not you!”

“No! Mira, he wants your power not you!” Liem called back. “Get inside, Mira! Get inside!”

Even if she wanted to run inside she couldn’t. Her feet were trapped in the fog. There was no running inside, no running away, no escaping from this nightmare. Mira was trapped.

“I’m the one he wants. Please don’t hurt her. I’ll go with you. Just don’t hurt her.” Mira tried to plead with Kaiden again but it was too late. With a snap of his hand, he broke the woman’s neck and she dropped lifeless to the ground.

“That’s the only warning you will get, Emberwing. I suggest you open to your power soon. Pyremius isn’t known for his patience.” He stood there clear as day one moment. Then the fog swallowed him and Kaiden disappeared.

The solid wall that blocked Liem and Raine from reaching them fell. Mira felt the release of magical power and dropped to her knees. Kaiden held more power in his pinky than she had in her entire body.

How could she be the one if she can’t even protect her friends?