I ducked down in the grass when he turned Midnight around and started to ride again, ignoring his missing sword. Possibly, he didn’t want to have anything to do with it. Whatever he was going through must have been painful. Eli hadn’t said anything for me to reach that conclusion; his eyes betrayed him. After all, I’d recently found out his mother had passed away. Did he not have a father or siblings?
Eli’s horse went right past me. Luckily, I still lay flat in the grass. But when he suddenly stopped, I thought Eli had spotted me. I expected him to get off his horse and lecture me about spying. But instead, he placed his hand behind his back from over his shoulder, still looking forward. Something shiny caught my eye. Holy crap. Eli’s sword was flipping back to him. I only got one shocking glimpse of it. A cross was embedded in it. How did he get an angelic sword?
The sword landed precisely in his hand. His shoulders slumped and his chest rose and fell. Looking up to the sky, he yelled at the top of his lungs, “Why? I don’t want it!” After a few seconds, he sat tall on his horse and rode back to the others.
The view and the clouds reminded me of home. As I ran, I slowly stretched my wings open, feeling the breeze push them back. Without any effort, the force of the wind glided me as if I were skydiving. As I soared, at one with the sky, I saw the most heavenly sight. Giggling with elation I dove into the fluffy cloud.
The vast white mist engulfed me. As I continued to plunge, the town below and the ocean to the right came into view. I fanned my wings back up and out, having seen enough. Being an angel, the clouds held my weight—I became weightless. Lying flat on my back, I placed my arms behind to support my neck and inhaled deeply. I felt nothing but serenity. I felt nothing but—
“Ahhh!” I jumped to a guarded stance. “What are you doing here?”
Eli raised his brows as if to say “are you kidding me?” “I’m certainly not spying on you, because this happens to be my neck of the woods, or clouds. And you live on the other side of the island. No one knew I was coming here, except for me, myself, and I, so I guess I should apologize.” His tone became more sarcastic with each spoken word.
I placed my head down in embarrassment because I’d gotten caught. “I didn’t follow you.”
“Well, at least you’re admitting it in a denying way.”
“What?” Did that even make sense?
“Never mind. Why did you follow me? Did your uncle put you up to this?”
I looked at him with a brave face. “No, he didn’t. I-I just wanted to know...”
Eli crossed his arms, giving me that sexy smirk as if he liked what I’d said. “Did you now? Did you want a kiss or something?”
“No. You’re so full of yourself. How could you walk away when the world needs you?”
Eli started to pace around the cloud we were standing on. Then he let out a mocking laugh. “The world doesn’t need me. The world needs a hero. That’s right. The knight thingy your uncle is talking about, he’s got everyone he needs, and if you add Jack, that’ll be seven. See?” He threw his hands up in the air. “You’ve got your seven.”
My face burned with anger. “You know very well Jack can’t fight like us. He’s human.”
Eli stopped pacing. “You don’t need to be like our kind to win a battle. You just need to be brave. I guess you need to have hope too, and to believe in your fight. Jack has more courage than any one of us. Human or not, he might be your key to ending this war.”
“How do you know that? You know something we don’t know, don’t you?”
I flinched when Eli appeared right in front of me. “Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t.”
I had to use a different approach since I wasn’t getting to him. And I hated that I wanted to kiss him. I had no explanation for the sudden feeling erupting inside me. “Why do you have an angelic sword? Who gave it to you and why did you throw it here?” I pointed by my feet. “Why did it go back to you?”
Eli seemed flustered. “I had a feeling someone was watching me. I should have done something about it. And you sure have a lot of questions you’re not privy to know the answers to.”
I pushed his chest with my hand, but he didn’t budge. “Then do it! Do something about it,” I demanded.
Eli’s nose wrinkled and his lips had a hint of a wicked smirk. I knew that mischievous stare. He was up to something naughty. “If you can catch me, I’ll let you see my sword. I assure you, there is nothing angelic about it.”
I huffed, not expecting his words, but I was up for a challenge, especially if I could get him to open up. “You mean when I catch you, you’ll let me see your sword.” Just when I finished my last word, Eli melted into the clouds.
Chapter 18
I spotted Eli easily. His black shadow stood out from the white clouds. Catching him was the problem. He hopped from one cloud to the next and sometimes went through them. I couldn’t tell how far we’d traveled, but we were quite a distance from where we’d started. Every time my hands would grasp him, he’d slip through my fingers. Hearing his mocking chuckle only made me angrier and more determined. I had to find a way to trick him. And I had just the plan.
Sometimes in order to win a chase, you had to change roles. Instead of being the pursuer, you had to be the target. Chasing after Eli was exhausting because I had to move at the same speed as him. To change the game, I stopped looking for him and hid, using the thick clouds as my shield to hide me from his line of vision. Seemingly worried about where I was, he started searching for me. He slowed down and changed into human form just enough to catch a breath, then moved to the next cloud.
With perfect timing, I tackled him from the front. “Got ya.”
Eli was not expecting me, nor had I thought it through. From the force with which I threw my body and the impact, we tumbled across the sky, weaving in and out of white mist. Somehow we broke away and landed on the clouds.
“I told you I would catch you,” I smirked, standing up. He remained seated with his legs spread apart, appearing awestruck.
“You kind of cheated, but I’ll let you have this win.”
I almost threw a punch at him. “Let me?” I sneered. “For the record, I didn’t cheat. I played it smart.”
Eli stood up. “Whatever you say.”
I clenched my teeth so hard, my jaw hurt. He knew how to bring out the worst in me. “A deal is a deal.”
“Fine. I’ll let you see mine, if you let me see yours.” He waggled his brows flirtatiously.
“That wasn’t the deal, Elmo.” I smirked.
Eli lifted the corner of his lips, just enough to let me know he was amused. “You want to see the sword or not?” he continued.
“Fine.” I pulled out mine. It had a symbol of a halo with a sword etched through the middle. On either side of the halo were angel wings and the inscription “Angele Dei” across the blade, meaning “Angel of God” in Latin.
Eli took a second to examine it. His eyes glistened as he seemed awestruck. “Mine is nothing fancy or spectacular like yours. And why do you want to see it anyway?”
I took several steps to him. He had willed out his sword and pointed it downward.
“I want to see the sword you tried to get rid of but something wouldn’t let you,” I explained. “You’ve been trying to get rid of that thing, haven’t you? What kind of person would refuse such a rare gift from the angels?”
Eli ran his hand down his face and shook his head. “You think an angel gifted me this sword?” He let out a laugh. “Well, you’re wrong. There is nothing angelic in my blood. My mother gave me this.” He raised it to the sky.
“Mother?” I said, baffled. The steel blade appeared strong and the design was not of the angels’ markings. In the middle of the gold handle was the cross I’d had a glimpse of as it passed my line of vision. The handle itself was crafted with black lines intertwining into an array of intricate designs. “That’s a Knights Templar sword,” I murmured softly.
“I know.” He glided his finger down the blade.
/>
“Then why won’t you help us?” I demanded to know. “Obviously you’re one of their descendants.”
Eli willed his sword away. It disappeared behind his back, just the way I would have done it. “You know nothing. Nothing about me is human. I won’t be a part of something that could kill any one of you.”
“How could it kill us if—?” Then I had a thought, recalling the first time I’d seen him in the cafeteria. I had no evidence but it was worth the shot. “You can astral travel, can’t you? You’ve done it before, when you first saw me in the cafeteria. You can travel in the present too. That’s why you took off.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Do you even know what that is?” His jaw clenched.
I knew he was lying. “Out-of-body experience.” I followed behind him when he started walking away.
“You have no idea of the consequences when you travel. Astral travel.”
“Then let it be my consequence.”
Eli whipped around. His face was just a breath away from mine. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Then show me.”
Eli pierced his eyes into mine. His heart drummed a mile a minute. “You want to feel pain, Lucia? You want to know what happens to people when they astral travel?”
“I-I—” I didn’t know what to say. I certainly didn’t expect him to say the things he did.
Eli extended his arm to me. “Take my hand.”
“No.”
“Take my hand, Lucia.” His tone was stern.
I shook my head.
“Last warning.”
“Last warning for—ELI.” I screamed. My stomach dropped, along with my body. Eli’s arms embraced me as we plunged through multiple layers of clouds with my back facing down. Hair whipped my face and the force of gravity made me dizzy.
“You didn’t heed my warning, Lucia,” Eli grumbled.
“So you’re trying to kill me?” The normal reaction for someone in this situation would be to fight back, but my instincts told me I wasn’t in danger. “What are you doing?” The clouds got smaller as we plummeted faster by the second. I began to have second thoughts. Wanting to believe so badly I could get through to him, I’d let it possibly cost my life.
He ignored my plea. Looking squarely in my eyes as air rushed against us, he said nonchalantly, “Get ready to die.”
“Eli!” A battle raged in my mind. I wanted to push him off me when he closed his eyes, but he became heavier. “Eli!” I shook him in desperation. It was all I could do. I couldn’t believe this was going to be the end of me. Hoping my wings would be strong enough, I had one last resort. But I didn’t even get a chance to try.
BAM!
Darkness engulfed me and then as if sucked up into a vacuum, I dropped into a tunnel. Spinning and turning, I had no idea which way was up or down. My body suddenly became still and there was no sound. I had no idea where I was...until there was light.
“Lucia....” I heard my name and felt my body being lightly shaken, “are you okay?”
My eyes fluttered to adjust to the light. The scent of pine whiffed through my nose. Eli’s blurry face flashed in and out, until finally it came into focus. His dark, worried eyes bored into mine. Before he could ask me another question I shoved him, but he didn’t budge. “What’s wrong with you? You almost got us—” A beautiful church I’d never seen before rose behind Eli. I dropped my hands from his chest and glanced around. “Where are we?” There were red, orange, and yellow leaves on the ground, indicating it was fall.
“We’re back in time. It may sound crazy, but when you astral travel, part of you dies. That part is still up in the air. The part that is still alive is here, however, and that’s what I’ve been trying to warn you about. If you die here, you can’t go back to your body. And no matter how much you want to, don’t intervene. This is the past. What’s done is done. If you do anything to alter it, there will be consequences in the future.”
I nodded in understanding and repeated the most important part of his words, “If you can’t get back to your body, then you die.”
“You’ve never met death, have you?”
I shook my head and bit my bottom lip. What was he trying to show me?
Eli dropped his hands from around my waist and took a few steps back. He had been holding me up with my back against the wooden structure of a cottage to keep me steady. I had no idea how we had landed in that position, but as long as we were alive, I didn’t care.
“What are we looking for?” I asked, watching him crawl in the dirt to the window.
Eli yanked me down. “Shhh. I don’t know. I was looking for Vince’s past, hoping it could help us. Maybe you can help me find a clue,” he whispered. “Just watch and listen.”
Peeping through the dirty window, it was difficult to see clearly. I observed a family sitting at the dinner table. The first thing I noted was their clothing. They all wore long belted tunics and they had simple wooden furniture. It was fascinating to actually see this period in time. I figured we had traveled back to the early 1300s.
After the prayer, they feasted on their meal. The family—the mother, father, and two sons who appeared to be in their teen years—looked so happy. They were talking, laughing, and having a great time, until they jumped out of their seats.
Five horses galloped up to the house and the men who had been riding them barged in. They wore thick brown pants, khaki belted tunics, and long black capes. They had on helmets hiding their eyes, and swords belted to their waists. They were either some kind of secret organization or part of the king’s army.
“Where is Jacques de Molay?” The bigger one who had charged in first, gripped the father’s neck.
“There is no one here except us. You can look,” the father choked.
Two soldiers guarded the mother and the boys while the other two searched the cottage, trashing whatever their hands could get hold of. They searched the other two rooms and came out shaking their heads. I wanted to help them, but I knew better than to intervene. I had no choice. Eli placed his hand on my shoulder as if he knew what I was thinking.
“He’s not here,” one soldier stated.
The loud sounds of the pots and pans being thrown made me squint, afraid of what would come next.
“I’m giving you one last warning. Where is he?” the bigger man asked through gritted teeth, tightening his grip on the father’s neck.
“I told you already. I don’t know. I haven’t seen my brother in years. Please, you have to believe me.”
The bigger man threw the father across the room, where he landed near one of the pots. The father grabbed it and got up as fast as he could, stumbling and dazed. “Get out!”
The bigger man chuckled as if the father’s action was comical. “For protecting and hiding a criminal, you are sentenced to death.” He turned his attention to his soldiers. “Bring me the sons, but kill the rest.”
“No, please! I told you I haven’t seen my brother,” the father begged on his knees. “Please. Let them go. You can take me.”
The bigger man didn’t even look back as he headed for the door. The father bravely fought off one of the soldiers with his pot, but there was no hope when the second one punched him in the stomach.
“We can’t just sit here and watch it happen,” I whispered to Eli.
Eli held me in place, his hand sliding down to my arm. “You feel for them, don’t you? You feel their pain. You can’t change destiny. This is the part of astral travel that sucks. Why would you want to witness this?”
He could have taken me to a happier place and time. But no, he’d had to show me the worst part of astral travel. I supposed when it came to finding Vince, there wouldn’t be any good aspects.
I watched the terrified mother. She wanted to help her husband, but clearly didn’t know what to do. And with two soldiers pointing swords at her and her sons, she couldn’t do much. I turned my attention to Eli when he tugged me lower.
?
??We should—” he started to say and then stopped when we heard a woman’s voice. I thought it was the mother’s at first, but it sounded too cocky to be her.
“Vince. Can’t do the dirty job yourself? You were always a coward,” a stunning woman with a long dark braid announced bravely. She must have appeared out of thin air and was not of that time. Dressed in dark pants, a white long-sleeved blouse, and a black vest, she had weapons in every pocket visible. Holding a small dagger, she wiped the bloody blade on her pants.
How and when had she appeared? And obviously that was Vince, the one who had approached Abel because he wanted Eli?
The woman had already freed the mother and the two boys and killed one of the two soldiers who had been guarding the father. The other three soldiers were on the ground, wounded.
For her to move that fast, she was definitely a supernatural being. She had wounded three men in the few seconds I had turned away. And since Vince was a demon, only a supernatural would be bold enough to stand before him. Eli’s shoulders were tensed, ready to bolt through the wall.
“What are you doing?” This time it was my turn to hold him back.
He didn’t respond, but his eyes were glued to the picture. Did he know her?
The bigger man, Vince, grinned menacingly. “So you’ve come back in time. Are you following me, Ikelia?”
Ignoring his question, she retorted, “What do you think you’re doing? I told you I would protect this family. My job is done. Go away, Vince. Crawl back to Cyrus. See what happens when you tell him you’ve lost to a woman.” She flipped her long braided hair back and gazed at her fingernails as if she were bored.
Vince’s fingers curled into a fist. “You might have saved this family, but there are others.”
“It’s the only family that needed to be saved.”
Vince stepped closer. “What makes you think we’re done here? I’m still alive.” He drew up his sword. “After you’re dead, I’m going to take the sons, and then I’m going after all of them.”
“You are delusional and a psychopath. What a great combination. You’re really screwed in the head. I’m so glad we’re not on the same team anymore.”