"The beginning is always today."
-Mary Shelly
When the fate of the world hangs in the balance only the Blessed can assemble the pieces. A group of chosen children can bring the world back to light. If the Blessed fall, the world burns.
~Two elements bound through love~
~One with a force that defies gravity~
~An unlikely hero in the dark~
~An Eye that sees all~
~Shadows that reach for the light~
~A dream, an illusion to us all~
~A changer of time ~
~A Channel to hold them all together~
Each Blessed child has a role to play. Each must make their own sacrifice.
The world is in their hands.
A prophecy? Soren rolled his eyes. What a cliché.
His eyes scanned over the list of chosen Wielders again, a few of them reminding him of Wielders he already knew of. He slammed the Book of Time shut, dust clouding the air around him. The text swam in his head, conjuring thoughts he never thought he would dwell on.
A dream, an illusion to us all.
Was the Book of Time referring to him? Was he one of the Blessed?
He shook the thoughts out of his head. No one would ever choose him. He would always be used for Grimm's games. Leaning back in his chair, he thought of the Channel mentioned. It couldn't be Grimm. There was absolutely nothing light in his agenda. So that meant that the Channel must be Adira.
If his mind was swimming before, now he was submerged underwater. He couldn't think of her without his breath catching in his throat,without his heart picking up pace. Even if she didn't know it, she was drowning him.
"Dude,"an annoying voice rang from the doorway. "Did you even sleep last night?"
"What do you want, Elian?" Soren asked, glancing over his shoulder at the wiry boy.
Like the night before, his scuffed goggles sat on the crown of his head with his hair sticking out in different directions.
"Grimm just called a meeting," he answered hitching his thumb over his shoulder.
"This early?" Soren asked, wiping his hands down his face. "It's the ass-crack of dawn. Did he say why?"
"Nope." He shoved his hands into his pockets as he shrugged his shoulders. "Just said it was urgent."
"Soren!" Grimm's yell reached his ears from downstairs. "Get down here,now!"
"Shit,"Soren mumbled, rising from his chair. "This definitely won't be good news then."
"When is anything ever good news anymore?" Elian asked, stepping aside for Soren. "These are dark days, dude. If I had to guess, I would say the end is coming."
Soren wanted to tell Elian that he had no idea what was coming, especially if Grimm had his way with the Foulings, but he kept his mouth shut. Surely the boy would go running if he knew, and that would be one more thing to add to Grimm's list about how Soren ruined everything. Grimm would officially mark the day he took him in as the worst decision he'd ever made.
He made haste down the stairs and entered the study. It was surprisingly not nearly as messy as he had assumed it would be. He wondered who Grimm had ordered to clean up his party this time.
Everyone was there, seated in a circle. Grimm was at the farthest end with Raydon at one side and an empty chair on the other.
"Finally,"Grimm sighed, motioning to the empty chair on his other side. "Come sit, quickly. We have much to discuss and plan."
"Plan?" Soren asked as he walked around the circle of chairs.
"Yes, plan. Something has happened."
Once Soren was seated, he gazed around the rest of the circle. Terran was seated next to Raydon, with Elian placing himself in the empty seat to his left. Then came a group of three that were rarely at the house, usually off on Grimm's missions. All three of them had the same creamy brown skin with dark eyes laced with flecks of gold -refugees from the Wastelands.
The first was Carver, who scared the shit out of Soren. The man flashed a smile at him, revealing his pointed set of teeth. Soren had picked a fight with him when they were twelve, and it didn't end well. The nearly foot long claws that grew from his fingernails could have torn him to ribbons, but instead left the scar that trailed down his cheek. The bastard.
Carver's sister, Lilla, was seated next, her lips pursed impatiently. She had painted them purple to match her dyed hair. Soren was glad her lips were shut - thinking of her voice still gave him chills. With a song, she could hypnotize almost anyone to do her bidding. With her cry, she could flip the emotions of anyone in hearing distance. With a scream, she could render an opposing group useless as they covered their ears in pain. Soren had learned all of this the hard way, when she used to practice her talents on him. The bitch.
Their cousin, Geo, was the most bland person he had ever met. He wasn't fiery and cruel like his family, but he obviously wasn't good if he ran around with those two. He'd barely even heard him speak a word besides 'yes sir'. Geo's body was a rock. Literally. Nothing could penetrate his skin and in a fight, he could transform into a different boulderized version of himself. It was kind of creepy if Soren was being honest with himself.
After the trio came the sickly-looking Titan then Lacoria who was seated next to Soren. He felt her eyes on him, but he didn't dare look at her and give her the wrong idea. He very much wanted to keep his pants on today, and every day when it came to her. There was something about her sucking the life out of people that was a huge turn off, even for him.
"Now that we are all here," Grimm started, grabbing everyone's attention. "I was contacted by Aeron just an hour ago. Something happened in Acadia."
"Is my Wren okay?" Titan blurted out, almost falling from his chair. "Is she hurt? I thought they - "
Grimm held up his hand and silenced the blabbering man. "Three of our insiders were compromised yesterday afternoon."
Titan was violently shaking in his chair, its metal legs clanging on the wood floor. His face began to turn crimson as the veins in his neck bulged. Soren feared that in any second his body would transform and he would tear the room to pieces.
"Soren," Grimm addressed, noticing the building tension. "Please calm him."
Having linked with Titan before, it was even easier to reach his mind this time. It was in a frenzy, thoughts tossing themselves around his brain without a single trace of order. He latched on his thoughts of madness - his nerves - and pushed them down, making his heart steady and breathing even out. Soren made Titan believe he was calm,believe that no matter what had happened to Wren, he would find her and make sure she was safe. In a blink, Soren was back in his body and the room was quiet.
"Fancy, Soren," Carver grinned from across the circle. "Looks like you're not so worthless after all."
"Hey,"Raydon snapped, his eyes glaring at Carver. "I'm the only one that can give him shit. Back off."
"Gentlemen," Grimm chided. Soren could tell from his voice that if another outburst happened, he would lose all patience. "If you would, please."
Both men snapped their mouths shut, turning their attention back to their leader. Soren wanted to make Carver think he was being eaten alive by rats, but he decided another time would suffice.
"As I was saying," Grimm continued. "A group of three was sent out on a mission to find Wren yesterday and only one returned. He said the ice Wielder... does anyone remember her name?"
"Marina," answered Soren. "Her name was Marina."
"Ah, yes." Grimm nodded his head at Soren. "Thank you, Soren. He said the ice Wielder, Marina, compromised the mission, putting all of them in danger. A Wielder named Casson was killed because she could not control her powers and revealed them to Authorities. Herself, Colson, and Wren were all captured and taken to the Pits."
"My daughter won't survive a day down there," Titan said, his voice remaining as calm as his stature. "We need to get her out. She has the Eye. Think of all that she can do for you. This must be priority."
"An Eye?" Lilla asked, her voice soft and silky, making Soren shudder. "There hasn't been a seer with the Eye in over a century."
"Didn't one of you tell me that there was also a Channel in the Pits?" Carver butted in. "Grimm was supposed to be the last one. What if she is more powerful than Grimm?"
Suddenly, Carver was lifted from his chair and thrown into the back wall. Soren couldn't tell if the cracks he heard was from his body or the plaster. Either way, he couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face as he watched Carver struggle against Grimm's force.
He knew the feeling all too well - the invisible hand squeezing his neck, the air that wouldn't pass through his throat, the hopeless feeling when he realized there was nothing he could do to fight against it. It was one of the worst feelings, and he enjoyed seeing every bit of those feelings cross Carver's face.
Grimm stood from his chair, still holding his arm out in front of him,squeezing the thin air with his hand. Each step he took towards Carver, his fingers squeezed harder and harder.
"I had a friend when I was a child," Grimm said, his voice laced with venom. "He was just like you. Arrogant. Stupid. A worm. He was a water Wielder - a very powerful one too. He could boil, freeze, manipulate, and even create water. His was the first power I stole for my own. I watched him gasp for air as every ounce of magic left his body and you know what I did next? I laughed."
Grimm continued to step closer as Carver's face began to change from red to purple.
"Don't you see? I could just as easily pull your claws and your teeth from your body and into mine. But in a world as vast as ours, I need friends. You are my friend, right?"
Carver managed the smallest nod that Soren had ever seen. Grimm loosened his grip, letting Carver take a breath before squeezing once again.
"I froze my best friend then shattered him to pieces. I didn't even blink. So, if you think for one second that I won't kill you where you stand... think again. I will not tolerate any form of disrespect towards me. No one in all of Evaros is even close to having a fraction of my powers - not you, not your siren sister, not the Channel in the Pits. NO ONE!"
Grimm released his hold on Carver, sending him clattering to the ground in heap of wheezes and whimpers. As if calming the fire inside of him, Grimm took a deep steadying breath before turning back to the rest of the group still seated in their chairs.
"Does anyone else have any thoughts they'd like to share?" he asked, opening his arms, waiting for someone to speak. He smiled and narrowed his eyes. "I didn't think so. Raydon, I'm tired of talking. Tell them what is happening."
"As soon as this meeting commences," Raydon began. "We will load up the vehicles and head down to Acadia."
Soren could feel the anxiety rise in the room, but not a soul opened their mouth to argue or question what Raydon said. Grimm had probably made them all shit their pants.
"There are matches all day today at the Pits," Raydon continued as he rose from his chair. "Today is the day it ends. Wielders will no longer live in fear. With our help, and the help of those inside, we can take Acadia for our own."
Soren gazed around the circle at the lit up eyes and the nodding heads. Raydon was inspiring them with just a few sentences. Soren would have had to tap into all their minds to get them to agree with him,no matter what he said - even if he shouted 'death to all humans'.
"Grimm has instructed Aeron and his group to be a part of the audience at the matches today. When the time comes, they and the Wielders fighting in the matches will turn their powers towards any Authority that they can spot. Soren, your job is to contact the Channel, let her know we are coming, tell them to rebel and let them know they will have back up in the audience. If they can make it out and get Aeron to the Wall, we will be there to help finish the job. Any questions?"
Everyone was silent for a moment. Then Soren spoke.
"What happens to the Channel after its all said and done?"
Grimm was the one to answer his question.
"I steal her ability and become twice as powerful as I already am. Then she dies."
A/N: Well, part three here we are!
Playlist - Wave by Beck
Image: Soren
I'm honestly very nervous about this part of the book. It's going to be very emotional, very dark, and hopefully you guys will like it.
Looking back at the prophecy Soren read, who do you think are the Blessed?