Divinity: Immolation: Book Three (The Divinity Saga) (32 page)

My brows went up. Was it that easy for Cam to provide a crap load of real money at any given time? Whenever we needed it? Apparently, yes.

“My room? Do you think I should stay here as opposed to my apartment with China?”

“Now that you’ve told her you’re pregnant, I don’t think she’ll get too suspicious if you’ve decided to stay with me and we’re eloping. It’s your room here. For the most part I want you with me at my place.”

Eloping? Well, we were already spiritually bonded. The equivalent of marriage for supernatural beings with the exception of me being human.

“She fainted with the pregnancy news so I don’t know how she’ll take that. She already thinks
that I fell and hit my head. What if she wants to visit? She’s gonna want to know who everyone else is.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, resume as normally as possible until I return.”

I sighed.
“Cam, I don’t have a good feeling about this. What about Spencer? How long will you be gone?”

“I can make a million guesses but I have no idea where to start. I’ll have to confer with Aliks on that. We’ll try and find him though. The others will be around
you all to make sure that you stay safe. And…this is straight from Aon and Aliks, let the others know that no one died at the Hall. Apparently, they’ve known that something was going to happen. Animals and all have journeyed to another Hall long before this happened. I don’t know how long I’ll be but it shouldn’t be too long.”

A huge, internal sigh of relief took away the tension in my entire body and all of the sadness weighing heavily on my psyche.

“How long have you known that and why did you look like something was wrong before you left?”

He paused. I know he probably didn’t want to tell me.

“Edanai went to look for your friend, Lira. She’s missing now and she’s not answering me at all.”

Oh no. I felt sick again.

“Cam, you don’t think that…”

“I don’t know. Just promise me that you won’t be stubborn and remember the original promise that you made to me too. I’ll be back soon, you know I can’t stay away from you that long anyway. I love you.”

Why did I feel my heart breaking already? I was feeling the despair that Cam was probably feeling, given that realization. I didn’t particularly like Edanai but I certainly hoped that she was okay.

“I love you, too.”

XXXVII: Cam`ael

A
nother vision began to play behind my eyes. It was of Starling, lying on her back, her belly huge and round. She was alone in a lush, green field filled with white, bell-shaped flowers…in the full-blown throes —of labor. Sweat glistened on her forehead and temples, her beautiful face was contorted in pain and determination. I wanted…no, I needed to go to her but I couldn’t. That part alarmed me and I was infuriated at my inability to do anything to help and be with her.

Why couldn’t I move?!

In the distance, the dismal horizon began to shift and morph as if alive and it was menacing. Blood-red, fiery clouds began to coalesce, billowing and rushing in from afar at great speed. Darkness began to slither across the green grass, killing and tainting it with its oily, thick presence from across the field. Morning Star’s mocking, triumphantly resonating laughter began to rumble, coming from everywhere at once. I began to curse, feeling helpless as I watched it creep even closer to Starling once she began to push with a scream.

The vision suddenly snapped closed like a thick, black curtain, shutting the scene away from my eyes completely.

I found myself gritting
my teeth, wanting to howl in agony at my uselessness.

My eyes flew open as I came to and inhaled a deep breath only to grunt and nearly choke. I couldn’t see initially, feeling the weight of a lot of leaves, dirt, and g
rass packed over my body. More dirt, grass, and leaves invaded my mouth when I took another breath only to gag and spit angrily. A steady, pounding pain still lingered in the back of my skull.

I couldn’t remember
exactly what had happened shortly after talking to Starling telepathically.

What the hell had happened? I remembered flying towards the destroyed, smoking remnants of
the hall because I caught a glimpse of Edanai’s signature, then sheer physical pain erupted all over my flesh, and all went black.

I quickly sat up taking immediate note of my surroundings. It was obvious that I had been purposefull
y buried beneath all this brush.

L
eaves and grass crunched nearby. The moon and the illumination from the rubble of what was left of the hall allowed some light, even though I could see perfectly in the dark. There was another fallen here and I was on my feet in a flash, ready to wield my sword and pull forth light.

It was Edanai and she was alright.

My breathing was still ragged as I tried to shake off the last images of that disturbing vision.

I could never leave Starling alone, which meant that I’d better hurry back to her as soon as I can.
I’m sure that Morning Star was already up to devastation number three, and I knew that it wouldn’t be long before he found out that Starling was pregnant. Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if he already knew. He knew when we were together, and he knew that her becoming pregnant was a very likely probability. In fact, I’m sure that he was both banking on and anticipating it.

“Sorry. If I hadn’t been zapped and knocked unconscious myself too, I could’ve warned you, although I would think that your light would’ve offered you some sort of a buffer. Guess not.” She smiled.

“What the hell was that?” I groaned, rubbing the soreness in the back of my neck.

“Apparently, there’s a strong, protective, sanctified force field still surrounding the remains of what’s left. I just came to myself about five minutes ago. Luckily the forest guardians managed to conceal our vulnerable bodies, hence the mouth and face full of leaves, dirt, twigs, and berries.” She grinned.

I was appreciative and I scanned the trees, boulders, and bushes with acknowledgment and a nod of thanks. They rustled softly in response.

Well, that made sense. It explained why Edanai couldn’t answer me earlier either.

Edanai still had a few stray leaves in her long, dark hair and her bangs wisped gently across her forehead in the slight night breeze. She was wearing a cream colored halter style breastplate, and dark brown, leather shorts with thigh high boots. Her smooth, olive toned skin shimmered with a thin layer of sweat, enhancing her long, muscular legs and the gentle ridges of muscle in her flat torso and abdomen.

“Oh, and the girl isn’t even here. If she’s not back in her body by now, it may be safe to assume that she might have been captured and taken.”

“Shit.” I sighed, vigorously running my fingers through my hair to comb through and shake out the debris.

Edanai studied me as I did so for a while in silence. My guess is that she was trying determine if I was still angry with her for all that she told Starling earlier. I was but there were much bigger things to worry about right now, like the vision I just had.

“Would you mind checking to make sure first? I’d like you to either remain at my place or join the others where they are in the human realm for now, to also help protect them until I get there. Bring Lira with you if she’s back.”

“Sure.” She replied half-heartedly.

I shook my head looking over the massive destruction beyond. She turned to look too.

“I still don’t get it. But for some reason, I have a feeling that they know more about Morning Star’s plans than we do. They were warned though, that much was told to me by Aon and Aliks.”

“Warned by who? And why now?”

“That is all we are privy to know.” I replied with sarcasm.

She looked as if she wanted to say something else but she didn’t. She turned around to stare off into the distance of about a few hundred yards.

The shell of what was once a great hall, one of several that has been around for many, many millennia, still sat smoking and burning in a mass of nothing but charred stone and blackened, burnt wood. Nothing prominent remained despite the protective field, which had purposefully been left behind.

“You be careful. I hope we do find her. I’ll be in touch.” Edanai said as her wings snapped out and then she began to ascend, cloaking herself as she did.

Then, I was alone. I sighed. My first personal thought was that
Lira was as good as gone but then I thought of another avenue that I could take.

Aliks was certainly taking his sweet time with the deciphering of the text and it didn’t make sense to me. It should not take this long, let alone for permission to disclose it but maybe it was because I was a fallen, I supposed. Elohim had shown me where the rest was, and even led me directly to it, allowing me access to dig it up. I had a right to know…I’m supposed to know. My patience was wearing thin.

I needed assistance once again.

He seemed to be expecting me to summon him this time, which made me wonder if he had finally completed his task.

No. He hadn’t.

“I need to know if Lira is still free, and if she is then why hasn’t she returned to her body yet?”

“How would I know that?”

I looked at him wryly.

“She has her own free will. Her spirit isn’t being monitored. Her talent is her own to use wisely.” He shrugged.

I shook my head in exasperation.

“Can you at least tell me if she’s in trouble?’

“How long has it been since she’s been out of her body?”

“A very long time. She was coming here to see what happened and as you can see, she’s not here now.”

“There’s no telling then.” He lamented.

“You’re absolutely useless, you know that?” I barked with irritation.

He sighed with boredom at my insulting tone, “Is this what you summoned me for?”

Then, a thought hit me.

“No. I need your truth meter. I’ve got a particular Psyren to interrogate and I’ll need you there to tell me if she’s lying or not.”

“You don’t need me for that. What would she be lying about anyway?”

“Everything. I also need to ask you something…a request of my own, if you will.”

He gauged me, waiting for me to get on with it.

I paused, finding it strangely hard for me to even say the words let alone think of the possibility.

“I want to make sure that if anything ever happens to me, that Starling and my children will be protected from Morning Star.”

Aliks was surprised and he stared at me blankly for a moment before speaking.

“Why do you think that something would happen to you?”

“Just allow me the peace of mind and guarantee, please.”

I was dead serious.

That word alone raised both of his brows.

“I can’t interfere…”

I sighed heavily and turned away from him to stave off my rising frustration and temper, while resisting the urge to lash out at him.

“But…I can watch over them as both Aon and I have already been instructed. You know that we are not allowed to impede upon the divine path of any being.” He added.

“Fine. I understand that and that’s all I ask. Now let’s go.” I said through clenched teeth.

~~~~****~~~~

Apparently, not having expected both an angel and a fallen to arrive and arrive…together, the City of Psyrens was left nearly deserted, yet glowering eyes watched from dark alleys and homes with intense curiosity. Even the aural bandits scattered and cowered in fear and confusion.

Even if Grace didn’t have Lira, she may be able to negotiate her back from whoever did—pending that it wasn’t Morning Star.

But then again, Lira was a scout. That possibility was slim to none. No one would give her up or make the trade. She was way too valuable in that regard.

“She’s not here, Cam.”
Edanai reported to me.

I sighed dejectedly.

“Ok, thanks. You stay safe and keep in touch in the meantime.”

“I always do. The same goes for
you too. You’d better stay alive…for all of us.”

Now why did she have to put that kind of pressure on me now? I laughed emptily to myself.

We continued to walk with caution, observing everything and every being as we made our way to the large, luxurious mansion, sitting right in the middle at the very end of a long road that was flanked by homes, bars, and shops.

“Starling, are you okay?”
I then asked.

“Damn you, Cam! Where have you been? I’ve been calling out to you forever!”

“Sorry. Is everything okay?”

“
Yeah, it’s fine. I was checking on you. Any word? What happened to you?”

“Carelessness.”
Was all that I was going to tell her and admit.

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

I chuckled.
“You worry way too much, Starling but coming from you, it means a lot. How’s the reunion?”
I said to redirect her annoyance.

“She’s not here yet. I hope it goes well though.”

“It will. I’ll try not to be long. And please don’t give Rahab and Ry a hard time. You know what I mean.”

I heard her sigh softly
. “Fine. I love you.”

I laughed.
“I’ll be back soon. I love you too.”

“You’d better.”