“Please!” she begged.
“Fine, what do you look for in a guy?” I asked.
Hecate answered without embarrassment. “I like them to be loving and caring, to take an interest in some of the things I’m interested in. I don't expect them to like everything I do, but a few common interests would be nice. He would have to be tall and dark haired, since I’m not attracted to blonds. He would have to have nice teeth and smell gorgeous. He would know his own mind and have his own opinions, but not force them on others. I don't care about his skin color or eye color or anything like that. I just want him to be nice to look at in my eyes. I don't care what anyone else thinks of him, I want him to love and respect me as much as I would him.”
“I think everyone wants that,” Eligos said.
“So you don't think I’m asking too much?”
“Not at all,” I told her. “You could have said: rich, with fast cars, blue eyes, small nose, big lips, small ears and so on…but you didn't; you just want a man with a heart. That isn’t a lot to ask for.”
“I don't want him to only see me as someone to warm his bed, and I don't want a selfish lover,” she added.
“Every girl would agree with you. I wouldn't want to be a bed warmer or be treated like a piece of meat either.”
“You will never be seen as that,” Eligos said, stroking my back slightly.
“Hey, guys, she’s setting,” Danny said, pointing out towards the sun.
All of us went silent. Hecate moved closer to Danny and laid her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and laid his head against hers. Eligos sat behind me and pulled me backwards so I was sitting between his legs. He wrapped his arms around me and put his head next to mine. I put my arms over his and squeezed slightly. We stayed silent as we watched the sun disappear beyond the horizon.
It was a beautiful moment. All of us were happy and comfortable around each other. We spoke freely together and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company. Who would have thought, after the way me and Danny started out, that we would be sitting together, close friends, with our lovers beside us, watching the sunset…?
Chapter Forty-Three
All You Have To Do…Is Try!
I was lying on one of the sunbeds in my side garden with Lily lying on the one next to me. I was telling her how nice it was up on the hill the night before, watching the sunset and feeling love and friendship all around us, as though it was in the air itself, surrounding us. She thought it was beautiful and asked if she and Jake would be able to go with myself and Eligos one night. I knew she would love it and so I told her I would go whenever she wanted, knowing that Eligos wouldn't say no to going there again.
“Are you sure he won’t mind, Keira?” Lily said to me.
“Listen, he loved it, he loves all the romance. He’s never experienced it before. It’s all new to him. When we got home and we’d gotten in bed, he pulled me into his arms and said he wished that we could do something that romantic every night.”
“Bless him! I actually feel really sorry for him you know. I know he’d go mad if he heard me say that, but I do. To go four and a half millennia without love, or even just a companion, I couldn’t do it.”
“You would if you had to,” I told her.
“Yeah, but he didn't have to. He could have gotten himself a girlfriend. He was on his own all that time by choice. He said it himself; he wasn’t interested in anyone. How could that be, really? He must have met billions upon billions of people over that amount of time. How could nobody have caught his attention?” she asked, bewildered.
“I don't know, but that's how it was. Lilith confirmed it. Not that I needed her too; he’s never lied to me about anything. He doesn’t have to and he knows that.”
“Oh no I didn't think he was lying, Keira. Please don't think that. I just can’t imagine it, that's all. But at least he found you; you two were destined to be together.”
“I told him I thought I was born to love him, that I was made especially for him. Whether he’d have wanted me or not, I would have always wanted him.”
“I know you would have.”
“And what are you two lovely ladies up to?” Tyler asked, as he walked over and sat on the chair in front of us.
“Not much,” Lily said. “Just chatting away and enjoying the sunshine.”
“Where’s Jake and Eligos?”
“Jake’s gone to see his mom.”
“And Eligos has gone to see some of the members of his army, his captains I think,” I told him.
“What’s he gone to see them about?”
“He just wanted to check everyone was OK and see that they were still training hard.”
“Fair enough,” he said, like he wasn’t really interested. “So have you got anything planned for today?”
“I’m going out with Marley. I need to talk to her in private about a few things,” I told him.
“Right, OK. Well, God knows what I’m gonna do today,” he sighed.
“You’ll find something,” I said, getting up off the sunbed. “I’m gonna see if Marley’s finished her breakfast and if she’s ready. I’ll see you guys later.”
I walked into the house and crashed straight into Marley.
“I was just going to shout for you; I’m ready when you are,” she said, smiling.
I got my car keys off the key holder in the kitchen and we left. I took her to the quiet little café me and Lucian went in a while ago. The one I never knew existed tucked away down a little backstreet. There were only three other people in there. I bought us a latte each and we sat in the corner next to the window.
“Is everything OK?” she asked.
“Yeah, I just need to talk to you about something. It’s something Lilith mentioned to me not so long ago and it made me think of you.”
“What is it?”
“Well, as you know, nobody up to now has been able to find out who’s killing all these people and giving the orders to attack us. Countless people have been questioned – Lords, Ladies, even goddesses have used spells, very powerful ones may I add, to try and find the demon responsible,” I explained. “I asked Lilith if there was anything I could do to try and help and she said…Not unless you know an extremely powerful psychic.”
“I’m not extremely powerful, Keira.”
“But you could be. You’ve never really tried; you’ve never had too. What if you could see them, Marley? If you knew who it was we could stop them before anyone else died.”
“I can’t control it like that. I have visions, and they just come when they want to. I’ve never just made them happen you know; they just do.”
“Would you try?”
“I don't know…What if I fail.”
“Marley, you probably will a few times before you see anything that could help. Don't worry about that. If you can’t do it you can’t; it’s as simple as that. None of us would hold anything against you. You’d have tried and that would always be appreciated. We all need to stop lazing around and do something, but without a lead, something to start us off, what can we do?” I said.
“Who would help?” she asked, looking deep in thought.
“Most likely Hecate and myself. Possibly Eligos and Unsere.”
“Who is Unsere?”
“A friend, she is a goddess. She should be able to help us, and she’s really nice. I think you will like her.”
“Is she as nice as Hecate?”
“She is. I’ve known Unsere longer than Hecate. I met her when I first went to Hell. If there is anything she can do to help, she’ll do it,” I told her.
“What will I have to do?”
“I’m not sure yet. I read a few books in the Palace library while I was away a few weeks ago. It said that with practice and concentration, a physic should be able to see whatever they wanted to see. As long as they opened their minds.”
“My mind is always open. I’ve never been any different – that’s why I have visions.”
“So wil
l you try for us?” I asked. “Please.”
“I’ll try, but I can’t promise you a result, Keira. I wish I could.”
“Don't worry! I told you, just trying is appreciated.”
“When are we going to start then?”
“As soon as possible.”
“OK,” she said, taking deep breath.
We both went quiet for a while and drank our lattes. I could tell she was worried. She wanted to help as much as she could, but she was frightened, and I understood that. She was so young and this was all so new to her. She had lost half of her family, and seen things she should never have had to see. She knew what was coming could possibly mean that some of us, all of us, could end up dying, and yet she remained by our side and had vowed to stay with us till the end. No matter what the outcome. She was braver than she thought, stronger than she knew. Maybe, just maybe, if she pulled this off, she would realize what power she had inside her.
“As a matter of fact I had a vision last night,” she said, not looking at me.
“About what.”
“I’m not sure. I saw two figures, but I couldn’t make out who they were. One was on the floor, in what looked like a pool of blood. He was half lying in the middle of some big drawing, like a circle with patterns inside…”
“He?” I interrupted.
“I think it was male. I sensed both the figures were male. I could be wrong though.”
“OK, carry on,” I said softly.
“Well, the other figure seemed to be throwing energy at the one on the floor. Then the one who was standing had a dagger of some kind in his hand. He walked over to the one on the floor and went to stab him I think,” she trailed off.
“And then?”
“And then the vision ended.”
“Do you know where they were?”
“No, it was quite dark, no sunlight. The room looked like it was made from stone. It was old, no furniture, just some rock slabs dotted about. I saw candles on the floor and flames without candles to support them around the back of the room. But that's about it.”
“I don't know what that means. Do you?”
“No idea, but I didn't feel scared. Just angry, upset, it was…strange.”
“I don't know what to do with that information, but I’ll remember it. I suggest you do too, just in case.”
“I never forget my visions. Not any of them, I could tell you every vision I’ve ever had,” she told me.
“Wow!” I said, rather shocked. “Every one of them?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve only ever had two visions.”
“What happened in them?”
I explained the visions I had when I was going to leave Salem, and the one I had when I was out with Lucian, showing our relatives summoning their power.
“Were you frightened when you had them?” she asked me.
“Well, I wasn’t exactly happy. I didn't know what was going on.”
“Don't ever worry about them. I doubt they would be able to hurt you.”
Marley’s mobile started ringing. It was Beth asking what time we would be back and if we needed them for anything; she wanted to go out somewhere with Lucian. Marley told her to enjoy her day and if any of us needed each other we would call. A moment later my mobile rang. It was Eligos calling from Lily’s phone, he was just checking we were OK and asking if I’d spoken to Marley about the tracking the demon yet. I told him I had and that she would try. He said he wasn’t going to mention it to anyone else in case it made her panic.
“When are we going to start?” Marley asked once I’d hung up the phone.
“We could start tonight if that’s OK with you?”
“Yeah, OK.”
When we got home we found only Lily, Jake and Eligos at the house. Tyler had gone off somewhere not long after Marley and I had left. Beth and Lucian had gone out and Danny was at home. We found them sitting in the living room watching the news; waiting to see if anywhere else had been attacked.
“It’s gotten worse,” Lily told me as I walked in the room. “There are now more than 150,000 people missing.”
“What are the police saying?”
“Not much; they are refusing to comment.”
Marley gripped my arm and pulled me away for a moment.
“You can tell Lily and Jake; in fact, you can tell them all. I don't mind,” she whispered.
I nodded to her and turned to the others. I told Lily and Jake what I had discussed with Lilith and Marley. They were both intrigued, and told Marley the same as I had – not to worry whether she could pull it off in the end or not. Marley said she wanted to start learning everything she would need to do straight away.
We turned the TV off and closed all the curtains. We didn't want any distractions; Eligos said even a bird flying past the window could break her concentration. She sat on one of the armchairs and closed her eyes, trying to relax herself.
“Right, everyone, stay quiet,” Eligos told us all. “Marley, when you’re ready let me know.”
He sat on the sofa facing her, next to me. We all waited.
“I’m ready,” she said after a few minutes.
“OK, Marley, I want you to listen to my voice,” Eligos said softly. “No one else will speak. If you see anything start talking; if you want to stop, just say so.”
She took a deep breath and nodded.
“Nothing will harm you; no one will know what you’re doing.”
Again she nodded.
“Tell me who is doing this, concentrate, ask for help. You have a strong mind power; ask it to help you and us.”
I didn't understand what he was saying for a moment, then I realized. We all command our power, we use it when we want to, and it lies dormant when we don't. Our instincts control it; we tell it what to do subconsciously. That's what he wanted Marley to do, to tap into her power and use it to its full potential.
She sat there quietly for a long time. Everyone remained silent. There was a weird buzz in the air. Everyone was nervous.
“I’m not getting anything,” she sighed, opening her eyes. “Nothing at all.”
“It’s OK,” Eligos told her. “It’s your first attempt at something you’ve never done before. Don't worry. It will take patience and practice.”
“I’m sorry, guys,” she said, looking at us all in turn.
All of us told her she had nothing to be sorry for. She said she would keep on trying, several times a day and at different times. If she got anything at all she would shout for us.
Marley spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening in her room, occasionally coming downstairs for a drink or a snack. We knew she was still trying to see something, but none of us questioned her. We wanted her to be as stress free and relaxed as possible. Eligos and the guys were outside training. Lily joined in with them sometimes and actually beat Lucian in one fight. She came running in all excited to tell me she’d ‘kicked his arse’.
I’d spent most of my time sitting in front of the TV, something I didn't do very often. I made the mistake of watching some of the chat show programs. I got so annoyed at how stupid the stories were, and how obviously fake some of them were, that I started shouting at the TV. When the TV didn't answer me or the people on there didn't change the subject, I got so frustrated that I threw an energy ball at it and blew it up. Eligos and Tyler came running in to see what the noise was. When they saw the TV set they both glared at me.
“What?” I asked, looking at them both.
“What happened?” Eligos asked.
“Chat shows are fake or most of them anyway. It’s pathetic –“Oh someone’s sleeping with my man” or “Oh I don't know who my baby’s father is’’,” I said in a sarcastic tone. “Why go on the TV with that?”
“Hmmm,” Tyler smirked, “You gonna fix it or buy a new one?”
“I don't think it’s fixable, so I’ll go shopping for a new one probably,” I told him.
Eligos smirked and walked back outside, closely followe
d by Tyler.
After they left I went upstairs to check on Marley. She was asleep on her bed. I didn't know what to do with myself after that. I had to learn more about my power, but it was so strong that it would be dangerous to practice close to the house. I didn't know what I was fully capable of either, so I didn't want to be too close to people in case I lost control and hurt someone. Sadly for me, I would have to either go out alone and practice and risk not being able to snap out of it, or wait until we were attacked and then let the power flow free.
Eligos had said he wanted to come out with me, just the two of us. He said he would be able to snap me out of it if need be or move away quick enough before I hurt him. I didn't feel comfortable with that though, although I knew it was a good idea. I was so scared of hurting him. I decided to watch the guys practice for a while, then went to help Lily with the cooking.
Chapter Forty-Four
Oroan
I would like to say time passed quickly, that the weeks that came and went only felt like days. But they didn't. The last few weeks or so dragged terribly. More people had disappeared – the total was now over 450,000. Spain, Australia, Poland and Egypt were just a few of the places to have towns attacked. People were going into hiding; religious groups were now saying the Apocalypse was coming. Others chose to ignore what was going on in the world and live their lives as normally as possible. They still went to work, took their children to school, and went shopping. However, it was obvious people were nervous, wondering whether they would be next to disappear.
I’d sat at the window in a little café with Hecate one morning watching everyone. It was a sad and frightening sight to see. Lilith had told me that Lucifer had executed more than three thousand demons, some of them Lords and Dukes; because he had heard they were secretly involved with the rebel leader. None of them confessed or gave any clues or hints about anything at all before they died. He felt guilty sometimes; after all, he had known some of them for thousands of years. But he said he would rather execute than risk setting a follower or possible leader free.
Eligos, Hecate and Unsere were nervous, I could tell. All of them wondering whether old enemies would accuse them just to get them killed. I’d heard them discussing it one night, but surely since they were with me, they would know that they were on our side. I wouldn't allow anything to happen to any of them anyway; I would tear the Palace apart bit by bit and kill anyone or anything that tried to hurt any of them. If I couldn’t get to them in time and Eligos died, I would kill myself. Of that I was certain.