Ascended (28 page)

It dawned on her that regardless of their actions against her prior to this moment, they were all on the same side now. The Guardians were her friends
—her family—and they were all trying to help her in her time of need.

The wind blew g
ently over the remnants of the Tower, and suddenly Vie felt the ache inside her soul being lifted right out of her.
All is not lost
, she thought, looking at the Guardians. She could hear Camulus’ words,
In every adversity you must seek out the seed of triumph
. He was their seed, and triumph was sure to come. All Vie felt now was the love of her friends; it gave her a renewed sense of hope in finding Carter.

She joined the Guardians standing at the manhole Camulus
had made in the ground. “Camulus!” she called his name. Her voice echoed in the hollow black hole that seemed to have no visible end.

“Gabriel, do you hear anything?” Vie asked
, hoping his superhumanly keen sense of hearing might offer something she couldn’t hear.

“No
. Nothing,” he replied. Gabriel couldn’t help but notice the distress on her face. “Don’t worry, Vie, if anyone can find Carter, it’s Camulus.”

“I knew it,” Vie said with just a hint of a smirk.

“Knew what?”

“That you believe Carter is alive
, too. I can see it, Gabe. I can see it in your eyes,” she replied.

Gabriel smiled at Vie. He knew she was right. Although he
hadn’t noticed when the change occurred, somewhere between the collapse of the Tower and Camulus’ descent into the earth, Gabe had had a change of heart, so to speak. Something told him the Chosen One was still alive; he could just feel it. All he wanted to do was to see the wisecracking, somewhat witty, pretentiously clever boy—the one he liked to refer to as ‘Romeo’—appear. Gabe put his arm around Vie and pulled her in next to him, saying, “Yes, I do believe he is, Vie.”

“Gabe?”

“Yes, Vie.”

“Sorry about before…I mean
, what I said back there…I didn’t…,” Vie struggled for words.

Gabriel placed his hand
to her lips and said, “Yes, you did, and I accept your apology, Vie.”

It felt good to have Gabe by her side, telling her he believed what she did about Carter
, and smiling at her as if nothing between them had changed. But it had changed; Vie leaving the Gates and breaking her promise to Gabriel was something she would have to answer for. Just not today. For today, the Guardians had made a choice to band together, hoping and praying that Camulus would succeed in his mission to save Carter Stone.

Down in the depths of Hell, Camulus was trying to do just that: locate and save Carter. He was having trouble excavating his way through the ruins. It was cold, dark and unsettlingly quiet, but he was determined to find the boy and return him, dead or alive, to where he belonged. The look on Violet’s face haunted him, but at the same time gave him purpose in his search. The boy was down there, that much he knew; he would not quit until he found him.

Carter was not the only soul lingering in the
darkness. There was another presence there, a dark and powerful one. It didn’t take long for Camulus to identify the apparition as Dimorte.

He hovered like a dark cloud overhead
, and then rained down his wrath all around Camulus. An army of Dark Ones appeared, surrounding the hollow pit in which Camulus stood.

It was then that
Camulus saw Carter standing in Dimorte’s shadow. He appeared to be fine at first glance, but when he stepped out from behind Dimorte, Camulus saw a very different Carter. His face was pale and his earthy green eyes had changed to an eerie shade of orange. Carter seemed to be under some kind of a spell; Dimorte’s malevolent spell, no doubt.

Camulus tried to conceal his fear that he was too late to save the Chosen One.

“Greetings, Camulus. So, this,” he pointed to Carter, “is what has brought you out of retirement?”

“What have you done to him
, Dimorte?” Camulus asked.

“Ha
! Oh, Camulus, you do make me laugh. I have done nothing to the boy. He is simply exercising his will. You know, his free will. Really, old friend, you have to stop interfering in the choice of one’s will,” he taunted.

“Is it your claim that the boy is choosing to be with you?”
Camulus asked in disbelief.

“I am
, and he has indeed made his choice,” Dimorte said with an immoral grin.

“I don’t believe you! If you
’ve touched one hair on his head, I’ll—”

“You’ll what? Look around
, old man, you are clearly outnumbered. But here, since you clearly doubt what I am saying is true, although I must tell you I am truly hurt by your distrust in me,” he smiled and continued, “just ask him yourself.” Dimorte stepped aside.

“Carter?”

“Camulus, I’m fine. He speaks the truth. I wish to stay here. It is my decision and you have no choice but to honor it,” Carter said robotically.

Camulus could see that the boy was fading fast. All his energy was being depleted from his vessel
, and soon his soul would belong to Dimorte.

He could see the pleasure in his adversary’s eyes as he watched Camulus’ reaction to Carter’s
words. There was a long history between the two of them; Dimorte was the sole reason that Camulus was no longer serving as a Guardian. Although Camulus had an admired and prestigious position on the Council, his soul was created to be a warrior, and he was the best they’d ever had. He wasn’t going to let Dimorte win this battle. He charged unexpectedly toward him and tried to strike him down, but Dimorte had the advantage; they were on his turf now. His powers were exceptional anywhere, but even more so in his own world.

Carter stopped Dimorte from his retaliation against Camulus,
who was now lying on the ground. “No!” he said, placing his hand in front of Dimorte.

This angered him very much
, but he wanted the boy more than anything, so he stopped.

“I have agreed to stay here
, but he is to go free and unharmed,” Carter stated. He turned his attention to Camulus. “Go and tell Gabriel and the others we’re fine and that we’ve made our decision to stay here.”

Something struck a chord with Camulus immediately about Carter’s proclamation.
He said WE, so who was the ‘we’ he was referring to?
Camulus wondered. He had to respond with caution. He didn’t want anyone, especially Dimorte, to know that he’d caught on to his scheme.

“I mean no disrespect
, Carter. I just need to be sure this is your choice, and yours alone. You understand, right?” he asked.

“Of course,” he replied.

“Your time is up, Camulus! Get out before I have a change of heart with the undeserving generosity I’ve shown you,” Dimorte shouted.

“What’s the hurry, Dimorte? After all, we have an eternity don’t we?”

“I have an eternity
; you, old man, have about one minute,” he warned.

“I just have one last question for the boy,” Camulus said.

Dimorte looked suspiciously at his adversary. He did not want to underestimate Camulus’ power. He was wise and clever, and underestimating him at their last meeting had cost him everything. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

“You have one more question…proceed,” he directed him to get on with it.

“Carter, what would you like me to tell Vie about why you’ve decided to leave her?” Camulus asked.

“But I’m not
leaving her. She’s the reason I’ve decided to stay: to be with her.”

Carter
moved aside, and into the light stepped Vie, or what appeared to be an exact replica of her. But it wasn’t Vie; it couldn’t be. Camulus had left her, distraught but safe with the others up at the ruins of the Tower, on the surface.

Everything made sense
to him now. Dimorte was an evil genius who had used his powers to create a being who appeared to be Vie. The likeness was amazing, even down to her stunning violet eyes. The creature was a meticulously constructed masterpiece from head to toe.

Camulus looked at Dimorte
, and to his amazement, Dimorte was staring at the fake almost as if he believed she were the real thing. His eyes fixed on her like she was a trophy he had to have. For the first time, Camulus saw Dimorte’s intense obsession with Vie.

“Carter, look at me,” Camulus ordered
, knowing Carter had been deceived by the devil.

“Time’s up
, Camulus!” Dimorte shouted. He turned to his demons, ordering, “Show him out!”

“Carter…it’s not Violet! Look at her…look into her eyes! Dimorte has lied to you! Look at her soul
, Carter!” Camulus shouted as the demons forced him out, hoping Carter still had enough energy left to see into her soul.

Dimorte had deceived Carter
; it had been easy to do.

Carter had been warned by Raphael
long ago about the dangers of transferring his energy to Vivian to keep her alive. In doing so, it left him weak, and his abilities vulnerable and flawed; he could no longer see clearly into Vie’s eyes or her soul.

Carter had been
injured when the Tower collapsed, and his body was unable to heal as it normally would have, had he not been in such a weakened state already. The life was literally being sucked out of him now, and the more his energy dwindled from his vessel, the easier it became to manipulate him. Once the energy was drained, his powers would belong to Dimorte, and so would his soul.

Carter looked at Dimorte and then back to the being standing at his side. He used all the energy he had left and looked deep into her eyes.

He couldn’t see anything.

At first, h
e thought it was because he was so near death that he couldn’t get even a glimpse, but that wasn’t the reason at all. Suddenly, Carter realized the only reason he couldn’t see into her soul was because the being standing next to him, pretending to be the one he loved, was cold and dark and devoid of a soul.

He pushed her away and looked at Dimorte with vengeful eyes. Dimorte just grinned maniacally and watched as the last moments of Carter’s life played out.

“Camulus!” Carter shouted forcefully with his last indrawn breath.

Camulus heard his cry and knew he was
being summoned. He answered Carter’s call with a vengeance. He drew his blade, beheading every demon in his path.

He
had only left because Carter had made a choice, exercising his free will, and Camulus was compelled to obey his request. But now, he was free to answer his call of duty to the Chosen One in response to Carter’s cry for help. He ran fast and saw Carter’s weakened body just before it hit the floor. A blind rage like a fire swept over him, and Camulus dove for Carter and reached for his hand. Just as he grabbed it, Dimorte stepped on his wrist, crushing it beneath his foot.

“Not this time
, old man!” he said, grinning.

Dimorte
held a glass vial in his hand. It contained all of Carter’s absolute and omnipotent powers, and he taunted Camulus with his victory. He held it up, admiring all the power it held; his eyes were filled with lust, greedy for it, and his soul was filled with pleasure at the conquest.

As Camulus lay on the ground with Carter’s lifeless body beside him, he could see the channel he
’d carved out when he had descended for revenge. A single ray of sunlight beamed down upon them, flashing with the brilliancy of a well-cut jewel. It summoned him, and he knew it was time to go home. With all his might, he swept his leg behind Dimorte, knocking him off balance, and then he grabbed Carter’s wrist.

Into the sunlight they rocketed
, like a missile in flight through the narrow shaft of light. Everything began to shake, like an earthquake of disastrous magnitude.

Dimorte reached for the
vial and held it safely to his chest. He lay still, looking up at the ray of light with hate-filled eyes. He smiled wickedly into the light, feeling the awe of satisfaction in his defeat of the Chosen One. The vial contained everything he needed to obtain absolute power; he didn’t care that Camulus had taken the boy’s vessel, because he had his soul.

The light got brighter and brighter and Dimorte continued to enjoy the glory of his triumph. It was as if an invisible battle
were taking place within the light as Dimorte stood there, holding up the vial like a trophy.

“I’ve won!” Dimorte
’s voice thundered. “Do you hear me? I hold the power of the gods!” he said as he broke out into a sinister laugh.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Screams of the Songbird

The Guardians were waiting to hear something
—anything—from their leader, Camulus. Gabriel had tried to communicate with him using telepathy, but he couldn’t seem to reach him. They were getting anxious and hope was fading fast.

Vie had not left the point of entrance made by Camulus
, and it had been hours. She remained frozen in place, hovering over the gaping hole, holding on to the one thing she knew for certain: that Carter was alive. She had absolutely no doubts about it because she could feel his heart beating in sync with hers.

Gabriel was worried about
her. He went over to where Fallon was, to speak with her about his concerns.

“What are you thinking?” he asked
.

“I’m thinking the same thing you probably
are, Gabe. I’d hate to be you if Carter doesn’t come out of this alive,” Fallon replied, looking back to where Vie stood.

Gabriel looked at Vie
, perched like a statue at the base of an opening that led to a place where the darkest souls dwelled. She stared into the abyss, holding on to the irrevocable love she and Carter shared, believing that nothing and no one could destroy their unbreakable bond. Their love had already been tested, and she believed wholeheartedly that it could transcend through any circumstance, including one of evil…including Dimorte. Their souls were as one, tied together for eternity.

“Do you hear that?” Gabriel asked Fallon. Immediately
, the Guardians looked at each other and then they saw Vie’s surprised reaction.

Revenge descend
ed perfect, sudden, like a curse from heaven. She recognized her father’s laughter as the sound of his revenge. The blood-curdling noise they heard got louder and louder until it was identifiable to all of them. It was the sound of laughter; Dimorte’s sinister laughter that swept out from the depths below.

Vie wavered and shook as she listened to his hauntingly evil mirth.

A sudden sense of fear followed almost immediately, racing through her soul like the chill of an icy wind.

Gabriel and Fallon heard a
heart-wrenching cry of distress coming from Vie. Without delay, they ran to her aid. She had her hand on her chest and an unmistakable look of sheer terror in her eyes. She was gasping for air, struggling to breathe. Gabe tried to help her but she pulled away from him. “Vie, what is it? What’s wrong?” he shouted at her.

“Car…Cart…Carter is…
,” she gasped and placed her hands over her ears, trying desperately to block out the sound of Dimorte’s laughter in her head.

The pain in her chest was agonizing
; it burned like a living coal in her soul. She continued to fight to catch a breath to speak. It was a stabbing, debilitating pain that wouldn’t let up, piercing her heart as if a knife were cutting straight through it. Vie dropped to her knees and let out an earsplitting scream.

Gabriel knew what was happening
; he’d felt it, too. Carter was gone. All he could do was watch as Vie let out a deafening shriek that echoed throughout the valley and resided painfully within his soul.

Back at the reservation, everyone gathered together, horrified by the screams of their songbird.

Enapay
looked to the Chief and said, “What on earth is that sound?”

“It is
Kitala
; something has happened to
Waka
!” he exclaimed.

Henry and Kade were still waiting at the cabin for Jeremy and Vie to return. They heard a sound outside the door and when Kade opened it, Jeremy fell into her arms.

“
Oh my gosh, Jeremy!” she shouted. He was dazed and weak; she helped him to the bed, getting him comfortable. When Kade went to the bathroom to get a cold towel for his head and a glass of water, Jeremy grabbed Henry’s arm.

“Jeremy, are you al
l right? What happened out there? And where is Vie?” Henry asked, but Jeremy had no answers for him.

“I saw Vivian!” he exclaimed.

“My Vivian?
But—” Henry stopped. It might seem impossible, since Vivian had already passed away, but he knew Jeremy was telling the truth. “Where is she?” he asked, afraid to hear the answer.

“I don’t know,” Jeremy replied
, still confused about it. “But what I do know is that Vie saved her soul, Henry.”

“Where is she? Where is Vie?” Henry asked
again, looking around for her.

“I’m afraid I don’t know that
, either, sir,” Jeremy said with regret.

Then they heard the terrible cries again coming from th
e Tower, and they looked at each other, horrified by what and from whom they believed those cries were coming.

“Stay here and rest. I need to speak to the Chief. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Henry said.

Jeremy
lay down and Henry closed the door behind him. Before he headed down the path, he looked up to the sky and said, “Please, please save my little girl.”

The others were talking amongst themselves
, trying to figure out what they’d heard and where it was coming from. The cries had sounded like a creature in pain, but no one could recall ever hearing that kind of screech before.

Vie’s scream
s from afar continued to echo throughout the land. Henry’s heart was heavy with worry, and he could see by the devastation in the Chief’s eyes that he was aware of exactly what creature those cries had come from. Henry approached him, and they united in their unspoken heartache over the screams they both knew were coming from Vie.

“Come
. Sit, everyone,” the Chief said, bringing a sense of calm to the chaos. “Enapay, get your brothers,” he ordered.

It was time to dance. The Native American
s’ dance was like no other in the world; the dance was spiritual, and was used for prayer; a way of expressing joy or grief; and a method of becoming closer with nature and man.

The powwow began with
Enapay and his brothers on the drums. Their hands hit the drums with a steady, heavy, consistent beat. They beat in time with the heart of Mother Earth, providing healing powers to those in need: to Vie and to Carter. The beat of the drums filtered down throughout the land, extending its unmistakable rhythm across the Tower.

Boom, boom, bo
om, boom…boom, boom, boom boom…

In the midst of Vie’s mournful scream, Gabriel noticed the ground began to rumble beneath their feet again. He alerted the others by pointing to the ground.

Fallon and the others had already felt the trembling underfoot
, and had looked at Vie, believing she was the cause of it.

I
n one swift, tumultuous moment, everything changed. The sky opened up and the Brocken Spectre appeared once again. Rays of light reached through the phenomenon from behind, casting a shimmering light on Vie. It was a truly an amazing sight to see, as if the Spectre were speaking to her and Vie was suddenly aware of it.

She fought hard, pulling back on her scream, trying to control the power inside her
self, trying to stifle the pain. There was one brief moment of complete stillness, and Vie could now hear the beat of the drums. She listened intently, hearing, in the rhythm of the drums, the message that was carried to her by the wind. It was calming, and it was an awakening for the young Guardian.

F
rom out of nowhere, came a loud roaring sound. Like a rocket at liftoff, a force ascended speedily from the surface of the Earth and soared high above the ground where they stood. Smoke filled the air like a thick blanket, and as it cleared, the Guardians got their first glimpse of the arrival.

It was Camulus, and lying on the ground beneath him in the rubble was the still and lifeless
body of Carter Stone.

Vie ran to him. She stood silent a moment,
then dropped before him like a broken branch. She placed her hands under his head to lift it off the cold, dusty ground as she called out his name in a broken, trembling voice.

“Carter,” she whispered
.

There was no reply from Carter, nor would there be. All that was left of him was a vacant, soulless vessel. The Guardians formed a protective circle around Vie
, with their hearts bowed down like violets after the rain.

“Carter…
Carter, wake up!” her voice grew louder as she tried to rouse him.

“I’m sorry
, Violet. I did everything I could, but it was too late,” Camulus said apologetically, his heart heavy.

“He’s not gone,” she scolded Camulus. Her anger began to build
until it was ready to boil over. She was enraged by her loss and engulfed in her grief.

“Carter
, I know you can hear me. Please, wake up…please!” she tried again, begging him. “Don’t you leave me! You promised you would never leave me.” Tears began rolling uncontrollably down her cheeks.

Gabriel wanted to help her so badly
, but he knew there was nothing he could do or say to take away her pain.

With fury in her eyes, Vie rose up from her knees and stood
, stoic, in the single ray of the light reflecting down on her from the Brocken Spectre in the sky. “He can’t have him. I won’t let him!” she shouted to the Ruler of the Skies.

“Do you hear me
, Dimorte? I refuse to let you have what belongs to me!” 

Something divine seemed to cling around her like some subtle vapor as she confronted her unseen enemy. But Carter still did
n’t wake up, and her unanswered pleas angered her further. She looked back at Carter and reality hit like a ton of bricks. She lost all control; the pain of his death unleashed itself from her soul, and an ear-piercing scream unleashed from her vocal cords.

The Guardians listened to
the same heart-wrenching scream they’d heard when Odessa had made her confession about killing Vie’s mother, only it was far worse this time. This time, the scream contained the gamut of emotions Vie carried in her soul for the boy she loved. His death was destroying her, ripping her apart from the inside out, and they could do nothing to save her from unimaginable devastation. They all grabbed their ears, trying to protect themselves against her deafening screams.

Gabriel
watched as Vie stood above Carter’s body with her hair blowing in the breeze and a light still cast upon her. But then he noticed something strange: it wasn’t the light from the Spectre that was shining down on her, it was her own golden aura that had once again reappeared around the fearless young Guardian.

T
he aura that had seemed to offer nothing to her before suddenly had power. Carter’s body was lifted up from the ground and began to levitate, rising up toward the Spectre. Vie’s aura extended out, cocooning his lifeless body, as if to show everyone she and Carter were joined together as one. Her shield was impenetrable and his soul was intertwined with hers; she wasn’t letting him go.

Vie’s eyes were fixed on Carter
. Memories of him flooded her mind. She could see his piercing green eyes, she could hear the sound of his laughter, and she could smell his clean scent in the air. Just thinking about him and the love they’d shared seemed to stop the rage inside her.

Her screams softened
; her vocalizing changed into one long, startlingly angelic musical note that floated out from her amazing voice. It was the most pleasing sound any of the Guardians had ever heard. Even in her darkest hour, Vie had found the strength to control her power, to pull back and turn it into something spectacular.

Gabriel could not have been more proud of her than he was
at that moment. The single note coming out of Vie stunned the Guardians; they looked at her in awe. Gabriel ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her. He held her tight so she could feel his love and would know she was not alone. Everything was perfectly still and tranquil.

Boom!

There was a sudden, loud explosion, followed by a blast of fire from below. The surface of rubble upon which they’d been standing began to rise up from the ground, lifting the Guardians up with it. The unexpected brute force of the eruption knocked Gabe off his feet, but Vie remained standing with her eyes closed, her arms out to her sides, and her head still tilted up toward the Spectre. The Tower continued to rise higher and higher, reaching toward the Brocken Spectre. The Guardians had never witnessed anything like it before. It was tumultuous and chaotic and no one knew what was happening.

From the realms of Hell, Dimorte stared up through the light as the Tower resurrected itself. He could hear his daughter’s screams, and he could see the aura she’d placed around the Chosen One. He heard her words, and although Vie had no idea of the power she held, Dimorte did. She was the Dark Princess, one of royal blood, one who held the power to claim any soul from the world to which she belonged.

Vie had staked her claim on Carter when she
’d placed him in her aura. Dimorte looked at the vial in his hand, and then back up to the light. He shouted vengefully, “This isn’t over!”