Hourglass

Chapter 1 - Three Book series

CHAPTER 1:

November 17, 2018

Thick vapors mingle over a bubbling cauldron. A woman's trembling hand stretches over scattered spices and herbs, reaching for a tiny, plastic vial. She struggles briefly with the seal until it pops off and shoots across the room. A stream of hushed words escape her lips while she adds three drops into the king-sized pot. The swirling liquid instantly explodes with raging smoke and flames.

Cece jumps back, guarding her eyes. After a moment, she rubs them then pats down loose strands of red hair poking through her high bun. Sweat drips from her forehead past her brows and trickles into her eyes, forcing her to blink. The earthy fragrance of cloves fuses with the air, alerting the other guardians.

Alice races into the room with Bridgette close behind. Bridgette's hands waft wildly through the fumes obscuring her vision as her eyes tear.

"Cece, don't!" shrieks Alice.

"You're not talking me out of it this time," Cece replies.

"Please, I'm begging you."

"There are no alternatives. Why can't you see that?"

"We'll come up with something, we always do," adds Bridgette.

"No, it has to be now, or it'll be too late," says Cece.

Their disturbed expressions reveal the gravity of the situation. They are headed for a journey fraught with peril if they dare break the covenant.

"The ruling force of the universe is free will," Bridgette says.

"The covenant stands for watching, guiding, and protecting, and that's what I'm doing," Cece replies.

"No, you're interfering. They're accountable for their choices and must live with the consequences," argues Bridgette.

"Not if it means the entire world will vanish. Nothing will be left. No people, animals, buildings." Cece throws her hands up. "Nothing!"

As the smoke slowly dissipates, Bridgette's temper flares. She clenches her fists against her thighs, tries to soften her voice, but her fierce tone spills through. "We have limitations. They learn at their own pace, or they don't learn at all."

"Everything's messed up. Everything is wrong. Nothing is the way it's supposed to be. We have to fix it before it's too late," Cece explains.

"You're not listening. The consequences can be deadly," says Alice.

"I'm creating sensations, dreams, and visions. I'm even speaking to him through subliminal messages. But nothing's working."

"He's receiving your messages," Alice says, "but he's dismissing them, or he's not ready to take action."

A disturbing silence prevails as Cece racks her riotous mind. She sways her head from side to side, raises her arm, then murmurs, "Forgive me."

"NO!" Alice and Bridgette scream as they lunge toward Cece.

A surge of energy bursts from Cece's palm creating a magnetic field that propels Alice and Bridgette against the wall, holding them immobilized. Cece's eyes are dead cold as she drains their powers, rendering them defenseless. "I'm sorry, I had no choice."

Lights begin to flicker. She quickly positions her hands over the pot and repeats a whispered phrase until the window rips open and fills the room with a gust of wind. Simultaneously, a bright blue beam shoots from the ceiling into the pot.

Thank you so much for reading!! :-) -