Foretold (Daughters of Saraqael Book Three) (28 page)

“Why don’t we round out the workouts with some cardio before the ritual?” Gabriel said. When the sisters groaned, he grinned. “Swimming,” he added. “I hear it’s good exercise for expectant mothers.”

When they left for Central that evening after completing the second ritual that day, Caleb, James and Gabriel once again carried the sisters so they could sleep. This time, the girls all slid into unconsciousness at the conclusion of the ritual, indicating how tired they had been going into it.

Every single Waresti who had been at the homeland was following them now. They all intended to participate in the coming battle, even the youngest of them. So they would stay at Central until the time came to leave.

Caleb thought again of the conversation they’d had earlier that day about doing what they could to try and prevent as much loss of life as possible. They hadn’t come up with any good solutions.

“We really can’t stop anyone from participating,” Gabriel had said. “We’ve been anticipating this battle for centuries, ever since Knorbis predicted it. There are going to be a lot of Estilorians who want in, whether they’re ready for it or not.” He sighed. Then he looked at each of the sisters. “Considering you three are going into battle while pregnant, there will be no arguing with anyone who wants to fight.”

Thinking now about the power behind the Great Foretelling, Caleb wondered if there were any more answers to be found there. Something in his subconscious was telling him to explore that further.

But now, as the lights of Central neared and they approached the landing platform that Sebastian had ordered prepared for them, he put it aside. Tomorrow morning would be soon enough to weigh and measure everything as they made their plans.

“Welcome back,” Caoilinn greeted them quietly when they landed. She bowed. “I am pleased to know that the rituals were all successful. We have your rooms ready and waiting for you.”

“Thanks, commander,” Gabriel said. Glancing over his shoulder toward the burnt orange wings flashing in the distance, he said, “We’ll make our own way back. You’ll have your hands full for the next little while, I’m sure.”

She smiled and bowed her head. “As you wish,
archigos
. Good night.”

The brothers turned and walked down the corridor leading from the platform to their rooms. They traveled through a few transition tunnels and then got to the courtyard, which they would cross to get to their rooms. When they emerged from the tunnel, they staggered to a halt.

The entire courtyard was filled with Estilorians. The brothers looked around with expressions of astonishment at the buzz of activity. Caleb saw representatives from every class.

After a brief moment of them standing in silence, a few of the Estilorians on the edge of the courtyard noticed them. They elbowed the beings closest to them and then all of them fell to one knee. Within a matter of seconds, all noise in the courtyard ceased and every Estilorian mimicked their respectful greeting.

Gabriel exchanged looks with James and Caleb.
They’re honoring the sisters
, he conveyed with a small smile.
And they’re sleeping right through it.

Turning, he said to the crowd, “Thanks. To all of you. We understand why you’re here and who you’re honoring. They’re exhausted after today’s rituals or they’d tell you themselves. But you’ll all get the chance to see them after they’ve rested.”

Everyone rose. The brothers started forward and the crowd parted to let them through. Heads bowed as they passed. The amount of reverence being shown by the beings around them truly shocked Caleb, though he kept his expression contained. It was nothing less than the sisters deserved, but what a remarkable difference this was compared to the vague feelings of unease or distrust that Estilorians had held toward the sisters even two weeks ago.

He knew for certain that despite all odds, the sisters had successfully united them. And he had to believe they would lead them to victory.

When Caleb woke the next morning, the sun was just starting to streak the sky with color. Although he had only slept for a few hours, he knew he wouldn’t fall back asleep.

His mind hadn’t stopped working even in slumber. He had dreamed about war. Of death and destruction. He had dreamed about the deaths of his family…saw Skye’s blood run across the field of battle. He had dreamed of what it would be like to cope with that depth of loss.

He knew it would kill him.

Then he had dreamed about Skye and the family they made together, felt himself lift a bundle wrapped in pink and hold the warm, wriggling baby so he could kiss her fuzzy scalp. He breathed in her indescribably sweet scent and although he shouldn’t have recognized it, he identified it in his dream as baby powder. Beside him, Skye held another bundle wrapped in blue and wore a smile brighter than the sun. Despite his Estilorian ignorance about such things, he somehow understood that she was now pregnant with twins. That because of this as well as the three-quarters-Estilorian nature of the babies’ anatomies, her symptoms of pregnancy were more advanced than her sisters’ had been at the same point in their pregnancies.

And he understood that there was another definition of love awaiting them both. So when he drifted from the dream, he woke knowing what they had to fight for.

Skye was still sound asleep. She had thrown an arm and leg over him at some point during the night. Her head was tucked down in the crook of his arm. The heat radiating from her was now very familiar and comforting to him. He debated for a moment what he should do. Then he subtly touched on James’ thoughts to see if his brother was awake. If so, Caleb would get up as carefully as he could and shower while James kept watch, leaving Skye to get more rest before he woke her.

He learned through his efforts that James was awake, but otherwise occupied. Grinning, he went to Plan B: waking Skye the way he really wanted to.

Later that morning, the siblings gathered around the table in Gabriel and Amber’s room to eat breakfast. The night of rest had done them all good.

“I’ve been thinking more about our discussion yesterday,” Caleb said as he spread some blackberry jam on half a biscuit. “About how we can possibly save lives during this battle. Something struck me when you mentioned how motivated we all are by the Great Foretelling, Gabriel. Maybe the answer we need is in there somewhere.”

There were looks of consideration and head nods around the table.

“Okay,” Gabriel said after taking a drink from his glass. “Let’s run with that. What are some of the excerpts everyone remembers that relate to the battle?”

Skye frowned. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget the last line Leoma read to us. ‘In the end, as it always has, it will come to good versus evil.’ But I think we already know that. Us versus the Mercesti.”

Gabriel nodded. “Yes. That’s the very essence of what we’re dealing with. What else does everyone remember?”

“I sure remember this one,” Amber said dryly. Then she quoted, “‘At last, doubt will be overcome. And the new beings who had once been considered unworthy outsiders will lead us all to our fates.’”

“Overcoming doubt,” James said thoughtfully. “Well, I think we can say that has been achieved, judging by our welcome last night.”

“What welcome?” Amber, Olivia and Skye asked at the same time.

The brothers all laughed over their identical expressions. After their humor abated, Gabriel patted Amber’s arm and explained, “Let’s just say there are a lot more Estilorians here at Central than you’ll probably believe, and every single one of them wants to follow you gals into battle.”

The sisters exchanged glances. Skye felt the weight of Gabriel’s matter-of-fact statement squarely on her shoulders, and knew Amber and Olivia did, too. Caleb reached over to rub her knee, obviously sensing her thoughts.

Then Gabriel said, “The part of the Great Foretelling that most directly relates to the battle is the one that says, ‘Even those of us who do not know what it is to battle will soon find something worth fighting for. And it will be love, hope and joy.’”

They all considered that. Olivia twirled a strand of hair around her finger as her sharp mind worked through this puzzle. Then she said, “Another line that doesn’t mention the battle but seems to tie indirectly to that one says, ‘And so it will be strength, courage, wisdom and faith that bring them to us. But it will be love—that of which we know nearly nothing—that will prove most vital to our future.’ So that seems to say that, well, love is a key.”

Again, they paused to mull this over.

Skye smiled and shrugged. “Well, we all love each other. And we’re bonded, right? Making us stronger, you could say.”

“That’s it,” Caleb said, his eyes flashing. “We all experienced something indescribably powerful when we exchanged vows. We can all agree that our connection since then has been vital to many things that have occurred these past months, including the rituals.” When they all nodded, he said, “What was it Saraqael said? He said, ‘You are now six, and before long, you will multiply.’”

“Our number has grown through the pregnancies,” Olivia said, understanding. She exchanged a look with James. “Thus, our potential power has grown.”

Skye gasped. Then she recited, “‘Led by faith in each other, the combined powers resulting from the exchange of vows will be beyond any possible belief.’ Oh my gosh. I remember thinking of how we had exchanged vows, but that it hadn’t seemed to me that the result was beyond any possible belief. Do you suppose…”

They all nodded. Everyone stood at once.

“Wait a minute,” Gabriel said as they all moved together. “The last time we did this, we ended up unconscious and in need of healing. We’d better do this with the other elders nearby, just in case.”

After exchanging glances, none of them spoke. They merely headed for the door.

Almost an hour later, Gabriel explained their theory to the other elders when they congregated in the large coliseum where they had conducted the first ritual. There was a long pause after he finished speaking.

“I believe you are correct,” Knorbis said at last. “This would obviously be much easier if my foresights had been clearer,” and here, he smiled, “but there is sound logic in your idea.”

“The last exchange of vows did not impact the baby Amber carries,” Ini-herit said. “I do not see that any harm could come of the attempt.”

“I sure hope my skin doesn’t turn purple this time,” Skye joked.

“Don’t worry,” Amber said. “If it sticks to pattern, it’ll turn light blue.”

Skye laughed. Olivia added, “And why should you worry, anyway? Evangeline can always fix it for you.”

“Yeah,” Skye said with a grin. “Good point.”

They all knew the chatter was simply to cover their nerves. This was a potentially dangerous undertaking. But with that risk could come spectacular reward.

“Okay,” Skye said, taking a deep breath and letting it out. “We’re doing the right thing. And it’s going to work.”

Her family nodded. They all gathered in a circle. This time, rather than stacking their hands on top of each other, as they had done the first time, they reached out and grasped each other’s wrists, covering their shared marks. The elders backed to the outer edge of the stadium floor.

As she had done the first time, Skye spoke first. “What was done before to bind us together offers us hope for all Estilorians. We’re family now, joined by blood as well as vows. For now and always, we’ll support each other.”

They all felt the build of power begin as she uttered the last word. Her eyes started glowing blue-green. It was an obvious sign that they were on the right track. And when a wind suddenly swept into the stadium, whirling around the six of them, they understood just how powerful this exchange of vows was going to be.

Caleb realized that Skye was somehow generating the swirling eddy. He used what influence he could to try and calm the effects so it didn’t storm out of control.

Following the pattern they established during the first ritual, Olivia spoke next. “We’ll encourage each other.”

The power experienced another surge as her eyes glowed blue-green. Suddenly, a flock of white birds entered the stadium. They flew in perfect formation, circling the six siblings on the outskirts of the wind.

Nodding resolutely, Amber said, “We’ll love each other.”

When her eyes started glowing blue-green as she completed the sisters’ vows, there was a flash of light in the center of the circle they had created. Each of them felt a sear of pain across their right wrists. Rather than break the circle, though, they simply tightened their holds on each other.

The ground trembled beneath their feet.

“We’ll believe in each other,” Gabriel said next, raising his voice over the noise of the wind and the screeching birds. His eyes also started glowing as the power continued building. They could all feel it reaching a critical point. They all also felt him using every bit of power he had to quell whatever energy Amber had called forth. The ground grew more stable, but the energy residing there was palpable.

“We’ll challenge each other,” James said, prompting the next surge of power as his eyes started glowing. The birds stopped circling and landed. They perched on the ground with eerie stillness.

The strength of the energy they had generated to that point was both awesome and intimidating. Caleb knew he would seal their fates with the last vow.

He did it without hesitation.

“And we’ll protect each other,” he said at last.

Then, after a brilliant flash of light and a rush of wind that knocked them all to the ground, there was nothing.

Caleb remembered the sense of grayness that followed their first exchange of vows. This second exchange resulted in a very similar sensation. Although he had been prepared for it, he couldn’t fight it.

From the moment the last syllable of his vow left his lips and the power surged beyond all of their control, he felt like he was floating in a gray void. Pain radiated like a brand in his wrist and the back of his neck, then subsided. His ears felt like they were stuffed with dampening fabric. The sound of his own blood coursing through his veins flooded his senses. His eyelids and limbs felt weighed down.

“Caleb? Wake up, Caleb.”

He did, going from nebulous to crystal clear in a heartbeat. Sitting up, he realized it had been Uriel urging him awake. James sat up at the exact same time. Knorbis knelt beside him.

Gabriel was crawling over to Amber. He pulled her into a semi-upright position, evidently planning to kiss her to stimulate her self-healing. Instead, blue-gray light flared where he touched her. He almost dropped her back to the ground, but quickly regrouped as she moaned and slowly opened her eyes.

Caleb and James moved over to their wives. Malukali and Jabari knelt next to Skye. Zayna and Sebastian knelt near Olivia. Ini-herit was with Gabriel near Amber.

Skye’s complexion had gone from flushed with excitement to waxy and pale. Fighting his alarm, Caleb pushed past the elders and touched her cheek. She was cool to the touch. When he moved his fingers to her pulse, it felt weak and thready. It occurred to him that she had funneled this new power longer than the rest of them.

Beside them, Olivia made sounds of regaining consciousness. Skye didn’t stir.

Amber
. Caleb had meant to send the thought to her through Gabriel, but Amber looked right at him and then crawled over. He realized then that they were all now fully joined in thought. It didn’t surprise him.

Okay, Skye
, Amber thought as she touched her sister’s face.
Enough drama for now.

He felt the humor in the thought. Her golden healing light flared.

Skye remained still, but her color had returned and she looked peaceful. Frowning, he closed his eyes and delved deeply into her thoughts. After a moment, he again opened his eyes and caught the questioning looks of his family.

“It’s okay,” he said at last, feeling the tension in his shoulders ease. “She’s just having a conversation with
Qel’a
. She’ll join us shortly.”

“Although I do enjoy visiting with you, Skylar, you cannot avoid facing the power of your abilities forever.”

Stepping out of the hard hug she had given her spirit guardian, Skye flushed and nodded, catching his kind and knowing gaze. “I know,
Qel’a
. I’ll admit that I panicked at first when I realized I was again conjuring that powerful wind. I now understand what we’ve done, and I know I’m ready for it.” Then she smiled. “But I just couldn’t resist visiting with you for a minute or two like this. You’ve been affected by this exchange of vows, too, haven’t you?”

“I have. We will see just how when the time comes.”

She took his hands and gave them a squeeze. “
Quyanaa
.”

“Thanks are unnecessary, little one,” he responded, stroking her hair affectionately. “You found your strength on your own. You and your sisters will all prove yourselves many times over in the coming weeks. You have courage, faith and wisdom on your side. And the most important thing of all.”

“Love,” she said.

He smiled. “See? You are already well on your way to winning this battle.” Then his expression eased into more serious lines. “I will be here when you need me. For now, you had better get back to your family before they come after you.”

I love you
, Qel’a, she thought as he faded from her mind.

Then she focused on quelling the energy that wanted to burst from her as she fully regained consciousness. She sensed Caleb exerting his own stabilizing influence.

“Here she comes,” she heard him say just before her eyes fluttered open.

“Sorry,” she said, noting that her family was gathered around her with concerned expressions. She didn’t argue when Caleb assisted her into a sitting position. Her head spun crazily. “Wow. Is my hair blue?”

Gabriel grinned. “No more than it was,” he replied.

She looked curiously at the mark on her wrist, having felt the pain there. There was now a deep blue-green circle at the center of the mark. “What’s on the back of our necks now?” she wondered.

“We haven’t actually gotten that far,” Amber said. She turned so that the back of her neck was visible. “So, what is it?”

They all gathered close, even the elders. “It’s a sun,” Olivia said. “The solid circle in the center is the same blue-green as the center of the marks on our wrists. There are six flames coming out of it. Gold, blue-gray, light green, dark blue, light blue and another dark blue.”

“The back of the neck is one of the most common spots for a Gloresti or Corgloresti to receive his or her first marking,” Ini-herit said.

“The sun is a very powerful symbol in Native American cultures,” Skye said. “It’s associated with healing, guidance and spirituality, among other things.”

Olivia nodded. “Many ancient cultures have sun symbols. Those qualities are nearly universal.”

Amber turned back around to address her siblings. “Y’all feel what’s simmering under the surface, don’t you?” She exchanged looks with them, received their nods. “Gabriel is helping me keep this contained, but it feels…”

“Like it wants to be unleashed,” Skye concluded.

“Yes. That’s exactly it.”

“For me,” Olivia said, exchanging a look with James, “I feel a huge pressure on my mind. There are thousands and thousands of thoughts clamoring in my head.”

“I’m doing what I can to filter them,” James admitted, “but the pressure is unbelievable.”

A cry from outside the stadium alerted them to the unexpected presence of Aurora and Titan. The siblings got to their feet.

“I must have missed Aurora’s thoughts with all of this noise in my head,” Olivia said with a frown as they hurried to the stadium doors. “I hope I didn’t worry her.”

Uriel and Ini-herit reached the doors first and pulled them wide. Skye gasped in wonder.

Aurora, Titan and their cubs sat just a foot from the door. Behind them, above them and around them were hundreds of animals. Skye saw cats and dogs, birds and butterflies, snakes and frogs…just about every kind of animal contained at Central that could breathe air. The animals all sat and watched the stadium’s occupants with a sense of expectancy. Wearing hesitant and uncertain expressions, a crowd of Estilorians had followed the animals and was now gathered in a semi-circle around them.

“Okay,” Olivia said a bit breathlessly. “I guess I know whose thoughts are trying to get through now.”

James reached over and grasped her hand. “Focus.”

She swallowed and nodded. Then her eyes started glowing light green and James’ dark blue. They worked in silent concentration. The animals left the area in droves, ignoring the Estilorians surrounding them as they obeyed whatever message Olivia and James were conveying. Eventually, only Aurora, Titan and the cubs remained.

Skye thought what she had just witnessed was absolutely awesome. She turned wide eyes to Olivia when her sister’s gaze returned to its normal color. The Estilorians around the stadium exchanged incredulous looks.

“Holy cow, Liv! You and James can control all of the animals!”

When Olivia swayed, several pairs of hands reached out to steady her. “Whoa,” she said, shaking her head as if to clear it. “What a rush.”

James grinned. “That was incredible,” he said. “We could hear every one of their thoughts. They responded instantly to our commands.”

Olivia moved forward to bend down and give Aurora and Titan hugs and head scratches, then rubbed the bellies of the cubs. “We have control now,” she said, looking over her shoulder at everyone still standing in the stadium. “It takes a toll on our energy, of course. But we have it. Even the cats will now listen to our instructions, though I wouldn’t impose my will on them unless absolutely necessary.”

“Actually, Aurora and Titan are wondering whether Skye and Amber have decided on names for the cubs,” James said.

“Oh,” Skye said, exchanging a look with Amber. She smiled. “I have my name picked out.”

“Me, too,” Amber said.

Surprising all of them, she stepped forward and squatted next to the cubs. They were writhing on the ground making mewling noises as the male cub tried to bite his sister’s ear and she batted his nose in protest. When Amber reached out a hand, the male cub separated from his sister, twisted to his feet and pranced right to her, sitting down and nudging her hand to the top of his head. Amber gave him a small smile. “You’re full of spunk and enthusiasm, and I think you’re destined to cause mischief. So your name will be Loki, after the Norse god.”

As soon as she announced it, there was a glow of blue-green light from her hand to the top of the cub’s head. Her eyes widened. Then she stayed crouched for a moment, silently holding Loki’s unblinking gaze.

“We can hear each other,” she said after a full minute. Her voice was barely a whisper. Gabriel reached down to touch her shoulder, obviously hearing the awe and emotion in her voice. “He’ll obey my thoughts.”

“How cool,” Skye said with a delighted grin.

When Amber stood, Skye moved forward and held her hand out toward the female cub. With much more hesitation than her brother, the female eased forward and sat in front of Skye. She held her head at a cautious angle, but didn’t move or flinch when Skye touched her. “You, my shy friend, are calm and unassuming unless provoked. Then you’re a force to be reckoned with. I’m going to name you Suvi, short for Vesuvius.”

There was another flare of blue-green light, this one unsurprising after Amber’s experience. Skye felt the animal’s connection to her mind almost instantly. Her smile widened as the cat’s thoughts filtered into her own.

“Oh, gosh—that is so fierce!” she said.
I can’t wait to spend more time with you as you grow
, she sent out to Suvi, and was rewarded with a nudge to her hand.

“I believe we should move back into the stadium,” Jabari said, looking around at their audience. “We have much to discuss.”

She got to her feet and walked back the few steps to her family.

“Aurora and Titan would like to join us,” Olivia said. “And Loki and Suvi, too, of course.”

There were no objections as they all filed back into the stadium and closed the heavy doors behind them. Sebastian brought forth enough chairs to accommodate all of them, as well as a table for them to sit around. He then produced glasses and pitchers of water as well as some grapes and cheese and crackers for the sisters. The cats sat beside the table.

“I believe we should evaluate all of your abilities at the earliest opportunity,” Jabari said when they were all settled in their seats. “Gabriel, you now appear to have the ability to heal.”

“It seems like it,” Gabriel acknowledged with a thoughtful frown. “When I touched Amber, I was thinking I needed to stimulate her self-healing. But instead I produced some kind of energy myself.”

Ini-herit reached beneath the table and pulled a dagger from his boot. Then he sliced it across his palm and wordlessly held his hand out toward Gabriel. Placing his hand on top of Ini-herit’s with intent concentration, Gabriel generated the same blue-gray light as he had before.

Ini-herit’s palm was healed.

“Okay,” Olivia said, nodding. “I think there’s been some transference between all of us. My ability to communicate with animals, for example. James now has the same ability on the same scale, and Skye and Amber were able to bond with the cubs. That wouldn’t have happened before this exchange of vows. Now Gabriel can heal. I wonder if any of the rest of us can?”

After a bit of experimentation, they discovered that Olivia and Skye could heal themselves or anyone in their family, but not anyone else.

“So the pattern appears to be that spouses now share the same abilities, and then each of the sisters also has a small amount of shared ability,” Jabari said. He looked at Caleb. “What about you, Caleb?”

Without commenting, Caleb turned in his seat away from the table and held out a hand. A flash of dark blue holy light lit up the stadium.

Skye gasped and clapped her hands together. “Perfect!”

Then they all turned to Amber and Olivia. The sisters looked at each other, then down at their hands, and finally at Skye.

“I don’t feel anything,” Amber said. “I’ve indirectly experienced what you do when you produce holy light, Skye. I just don’t feel it.”

“I don’t either,” Olivia said, staring at her hands with a look of consternation on her face.

“Maybe you do not require this ability, since you each have your own weapons,” Uriel suggested.

“That’s it!” Skye said, beaming a smile. “When we first assumed our powers at the Becoming ceremony, Amber received her sword, Olivia received her bow and I received my light.”

Amber glanced at Gabriel, who in turn looked at Sebastian. The Lekwuesti elder nodded and held a hand over the table, producing Amber’s sword and Olivia’s bow and arrows. Getting to their feet, Amber and Olivia took their weapons up.

Amber’s sword immediately started to glow. She stepped away from the table. “I feel it now,” she said. “It’s…beyond anything, really.”

And when she waved her sword, the blade burst into blue-green flames of energy. Skye registered the looks of amazement around the table. Olivia walked a few steps to the side of the table and nocked her arrow. It flared with light as she drew it across the bowstring. When she fired it at a spot on the ground about thirty feet away, the target flashed with blue-green holy light upon impact.

“I think we can say the vow exchange was a success,” Knorbis said after a moment of stunned silence.

“And I believe there is even more to come,” Jabari said. “Next, we test the elements.”