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Chapter 303
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Once a year, on the second weekend of July, the otherwise sleepy little town of Lisbon Falls, Maine comes alive with fun and festivity. Normally home to only four thousand or so residents, on this weekend the population swells to two or three times that. The cause of all this activity is the annual Moxie Festival, a three-day celebration of Moxie soda, one of the first mass-produced soft drinks in the United States. The somewhat bitter, cola-like drink was invented in Lisbon Falls way back in the late eighteen hundreds and maintains an almost cult-like following in New England.
Among the many activities spread out over the three days are dances, races, contests, a fireworks display and the centerpiece of the Festival, a big parade.Peter and Laurie Thibout locked their bikes to the metal pole of a street sign and found seats on the curb along Main Street. For twenty years, the forty-something couple had been attending the Moxie Festival without fail. The parade was one ofRelated chapters
Leesa's Advent Chapter 304
Leesa watched the television in horror. The story was being reported on almost every station, replacing regularly scheduled shows. The broadcasts contained much more speculation than hard facts, but the gist of it was that a horde of what appeared to be zombies had attacked a crowded festival in southern Maine. Most people hearing the story would be flabbergasted or disbelieving, but Leesa knew better. Her mother and brother, watching with her and having suffered at the hands of vampires, also suspected the reports of zombies were probably true. Unlike Leesa, they did not know that the powers behind the attack were moving closer to Connecticut. She pushed the thought from her mind and listened to the somber-faced anchorman report what details he had.“In a scene that seems straight out of the television show The Walking Dead, a crowd of people attending the Moxie Festival parade in Lisbon Falls, Maine were attacked this morning by what appeared to be several dozen actual
Leesa's Advent Chapter 305
DOMINIC AND CALI WERE WAITING outside the entrance to the Weston College library when Leesa arrived. Her three mile walk had taken about forty-five minutes, and she had worked up quite a sweat in the hot, sticky air. She didn’t mind one bit, though. After suffering from a limp her whole life, she still hadn’t gotten over the thrill of being able to walk normally. She was going to enjoy it every chance she got.With the whole building wired for wi-fi, the library was a perfect meeting place. Even during the busy school months, the upper floor stacks provided enough privacy for Leesa to occasionally practice her magic there; now, with only summer school in session, she expected they would probably have the whole fourth floor to themselves.She bounded up the granite steps and entered the library with Cali and Dominic. Cali had brought her laptop, relieving Leesa of the need to carry her own computer with her on her walk. Inside the building, the cool, air-con
Leesa's Advent Chapter 306
As Leesa and Dominic approached Balin’s cabin, they spotted the old volkaane kneeling on the ground alongside the building, tending his garden. His back was to them as he busily pulled weeds from among a row of tall tomato plants, but as soon as they turned up the walkway to his home he stood up and turned to face them. His expression showed no surprise at their unplanned visit.“Welcome,” he said, wiping his soiled hands on the legs of his buckskin pants before reaching forward to shake Dominic’s hand.“Hi, Balin,” Leesa said. “You look like you were expecting us.”“Only for the last two minutes or so,” Balin replied. “Other than that, it is indeed a pleasant surprise.“Do humans make that much noise when we walk, even on packed dirt?”Balin grinned. “To volkaane ears, I’m afraid you do. But that is not how I knew it was you.”“How then?&rd
Leesa's Advent Chapter 307
One moment Leesa and Dominic were standing alone in the woods outside of Lisbon Falls, surreptitiously surveying the town below them through the trees, and the next Rave, Dral and Bain had silently materialized beside them. All three were dressed in black shirts and pants. Leesa hadn’t heard a thing, but Dominic turned his head just before their arrival, his heightened wizard senses detecting their approach at the very last moment.The night was pleasantly warm, without the humidity that had bedeviled them the last few days in Connecticut. A nearly half full moon peeked in and out from the partly cloudy sky. When the moon disappeared, it became fiercely dark in the woods, but Leesa could still make out the outlines of things around her. She was pretty sure her senses were slowly sharpening as she became more and more in touch with the magic inside her. She welcomed the darkness—it would provide excellent cover for the volkaanes to sneak safely into the town.
Leesa's Advent Chapter 308
When the sun was almost directly overhead, Rave made his way toward the northern edge of town to see about getting through the cordon that surrounded Lisbon Falls. The length of fence had grown substantially since he had entered the village the night before and the guards all appeared alert and ready. With his speed, he knew he could make it safely past them, but he didn’t see a way to get by them without being noticed. The same thing with the fence—he could easily leap over it, but someone was sure to see him. The last thing he wanted to do was raise more questions and cause the authorities to increase the security around the town.He moved westward, walking casually and keeping at least fifty yards from the fence and the sentries, searching all the while for any place he might escape unseen. When the fence curved southward, he turned with it, following it all the way to the river that formed the southern boundary of the town. He gazed down at th
Leesa's Advent Chapter 309
It was half an hour past noon when Rave rejoined Leesa, Dominic and Dral in the woods north of the town. His two mile long journey from the river had given his inner heat plenty of time to dry his hair and clothes. Bain was nowhere in sight, and Rave guessed that his friend had decided to remain in Lisbon Falls until nightfall.Alerted to Rave’s approach by Dral, Leesa rushed forward as soon as he appeared and wrapped him up in a tight hug.“When you didn’t make it back by noon,” she said, “I thought you might be stuck in town.” She smiled and kissed his cheek. “I’d much rather have you here.”“I would have been back on time,” Rave replied, “but I found a surprise in the river I thought well worth the extra time—especially since I didn’t learn much else of use in town.”Dominic raised one eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “What did you find?”“Thre
Leesa's Advent Chapter 310
Leesa, Dominic and the three volkaanes sat leaning against trees near the river, waiting for Jenna to arrive, although Leesa was leaning more against Rave’s side than she was the tree trunk behind them. Bain had returned soon after dark and reported pretty much the same thing as Rave had—no solid information to be gleaned and an increasingly tightening security presence around the town. He had exited the village through one of the few areas still remaining to be fenced. He told them he expected the fence to be complete by the following night.Earlier, Leesa had dispatched the remaining two zombies much more efficiently than the first one, needing just a single short blast to fell each of them. She was very glad for the extra practice and experience, and was now much more confident she could hold her own alone against a small band of the creatures, at least. She had also used her magic to help Rave and Dral dig three holes a short distance back in the woods to bury
Leesa's Advent Chapter 311
Dominic and Dral returned shortly before dawn, arriving silently out of the dimness. Leesa had eventually fallen asleep and was now laying with her head resting comfortably on Rave’s lap. She had told him to awaken her as soon as Dominic returned, so he woke her by gently stroking the top of her head with his fingers. She sighed contentedly and opened her eyes. Seeing his handsome face looking down at her, she smiled.“Hi, handsome,” she said.Rave smiled back. “Good morning, sweetheart. Sorry to wake you, but Dominic is back.”Leesa turned her head and saw the wizard and Dral standing a few feet away. In the early morning twilight they looked safe and unharmed, like their trip had been uneventful, as she had hoped. She pushed herself up to a sitting position, still nestled against Rave’s side.“What did you find?” she asked Dominic.“Much that I expected,” the wizard replied somberly, &ld
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Serena awoke to the sound of birds chirping and the smell of fresh coffee brewing. She rolled over lazily, reaching out for Raphael, but the space was empty. With eyes still closed, she frowned. Where is that man? That man had probably been out of bed since the crack of dawn, beside himself with nerves for today’s big event, she thought regretfully. They were to be married today. Their lives intertwined for all of eternity. What man wouldn’t have cold feet at the prospect? And they’d known each other such a short time, too. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times, and frowned again. She had awakened in the safe house. Last night, she’d killed a man in her own home, and knew she could never go back there ever again. She didn’t care how good the Brethren’s cleanup crew could restore her home. It would never erase the vivid memories and horrors of what had happened there. She and Raphael would have to find themselves a new home, together. Until such time, this place would be it, th
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It’s going to be a long day without Raphael, Serena thought, as she washed and dressed. But she carried on. With so many loose ends to tie up, final checks to be made, people and places to coordinate, she scarcely had time to think about anything else. Except for her father. In the quiet moments between the bedlam of planning a wedding, she reflected upon him and her heart ached. She had arranged for a nursing home staffer to drive him and his wheelchair to the Chapel of the Holy Cross for the wedding. They didn’t usually allow weddings there, but somehow, Raphael swayed their decision. Kemuel promised to wheel her father down the aisle beside her, and she loved him instantly for that. But her dream was to have him walk her down that aisle. A sob caught in her throat, and she quickly shook her head to whisk it away. None of that nonsense, Serena. Don’t be greedy. At least he is alive and here to be a part of it all. As the day waxed on to evening, Serena felt unsettled. She hadn’t s
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Raphael spent the next few days cloistered with Serena, away from everyone and everything, like a honeymoon before the wedding. But every morning he made creative excuses to tear himself away from her for a little while and work with Fred. To make sure she didn’t visit her father, he dropped her off at her shop first so she could plan a small wedding with Callie and catch up on the mountains of paperwork.The healing sessions with Serena’s father went spectacularly, and with Raphael’s charisma, he convinced the nursing home staff to keep any improvements secret from her. They thought it romantic that he came to help with his fiancée’s father’s rehabilitation. Everyone there rooted for him, amazed at his miraculous awakening. All of the therapists worked their tails off during his therapy sessions, wanting to see their severely stroke-damaged patient beat the odds and walk his daughter down the aisle.On the morning of the fifth day, Raphael got Fred walking without any assistance.“Co
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Raphael grabbed her hands. “Do it!” he demanded. He placed them on his temples and spoke to her through their bonded connection. She felt every thought he had had of Sirona over the years straight to the present down their threaded connection. She heard every thought he’d had of her, including every word he had spoken while holding her in his arms at Dr. Chappo’s estate. He sent her everything that filled his heart and soul about her, and finally, at last, she knew.She knew. And knowing was everything to her. He gently brought her hands away from his face, kissing her fingertips as he eased them down, and she took a few steps backward, looking at him as if for the first time. No one before had ever felt about her the way he felt about her, let alone express so strongly all he’d expressed when she’d lain dying in his arms.“You’re in love with me.” She gasped, astonished. Tears welled again in her eyes, but this time, for a very different reason.“Yes.” He took a bold step toward her.
Leesa's Advent Chapter 723
A bundle of nerves, that’s what she’d turned into. Since leaving her father’s, Serena had been nothing but a bundle of nerves, rehearsing over and over again what she would say to Raphael up on the Rock. Looking all around her now, frightening memories kept popping into her mind, making her think that at any moment, Steve or Wheezer were going to jump out and nab her. Unfortunately, she had gotten to the summit way too early, and now paced like a caged bobcat. It had to stop. The bad guys are dead, Serena. Think positive, and let go the past. So, finding a suitable rock to sit on, Serena decided to do a little meditation to soothe her worried heart. “When I see him, I’ll know the right words to say,” she notified the birds. It may sting for a bit, but it’s for the best.****Raphael showed up at the base of the mountain with time to spare, and noticed Serena’s Jeep already parked. Perfect, he thought. He checked his pocket for the millionth time, making sure the ring box hadn’t fallen
Leesa's Advent Chapter 722
Raphael watched Serena leave the nursing home from behind one of the bushes in the front. She seems in good spirits, he thought. Only when he saw her disappear down the street did he dare to venture out of his hiding place. He walked into the nursing home and headed straight to the reception desk.“Hello, I’m here to see Mr. Sikes.” He smiled amiably at the receptionist.“Wow, two visitors in one day. Fred’s a lucky guy. Sign in right here, please. You’ll sign out before you leave. Take this badge so we know you belong here. Room 103 is down the hall, make a left, and he’s at the end on the left.”He looked at her name tag, and winked. “Thanks so much, Judy.”Walking down the hall, he found himself fidgeting with the badge in his hand. Am I actually nervous? Hell yeah! Raphael, the man, is about to meet the father of the woman he loves. Raphael, the man, is about to ask for this guy’s daugh
Leesa's Advent Chapter 721
Great! Just great! There’s a leak in my bedroom ceiling. Wait a minute, that’s not right. I’m not in my bedroom. I’m locked away in Dr. Chappo’s house. She remembered more. Being bound to a gurney, her body broken and dying. But I’m not lying on a gurney now, and I actually feel great. How could she be dying and still feel great? And what’s with the rain shower on my face? Slowly her eyes fluttered open, and she gasped.It was raining. Angel’s tears. Raphael’s tears, to be exact.She lay in his arms, and from the way he shuddered and sobbed, she thought maybe he didn’t know she lived. To be honest with herself, she’d only realized this fact just a few moments before. Iridescent wings were outstretched and trembling though no breeze made them flutter so.She gently raised her hand to caress his cheek and whispered softly. “Shh…there now, Raphael, shh. It’s all right. I’m ok
Leesa's Advent Chapter 720
Raphael noticed a knob on the box. It made sense to dial it to its lowest setting. He followed the tubing to its clamp on Serena’s side and decided to completely clamp it off. Now, no more blood could flow. But he still needed to get the needle out of her arm. He found gauze and tape on the tray stand and proceeded to extrude the catheter from her arm carefully so as not to injure her. He replaced it securely with the gauze and tape. His hands shook. I can’t fall apart like this right now! He quickly shrugged off the threat of paralyzing fear.“Hey, Raphael, this guy says his name is Steve. Isn’t that the name of one of guys who assaulted Serena?” Gabriel asked.“Yes, yes it is,” he said through gnashed teeth. Rage filled him and he clenched his fists, trying to gain some semblance of control. “Bind him, tightly. Make sure he can see Dr. Chappo. I’d like him to see what happens to assholes like him when they choose
Leesa's Advent Chapter 719
Searing hot pain shot like lightning throughout every inch of Serena’s body. Well, every inch she could feel, which left her very disturbed indeed, because she couldn’t feel anything past her waist. She could barely breathe without severe pain ripping through her chest and back. She knew what that meant—broken ribs. But what about her legs? Where were they? And why did her wrists feel shackled? Oh, dear God! What’s become of me? Her shallow breaths quickened. Her heart raced and fought for freedom behind her aching chest. Tears burst through her closed eyes and flowed untapped down the sides of her face.A voice sliced through the whooshing sound in her ears. A voice she knew all too well, and had come to despise with every molecule in her being.“Uh, Doc, I think she’s coming ’round. What do you want me to do?” Steve asked.“Hmm? Oh, nuffin. Nuffin, Seeve. Jus’ keep watchin’,” Dr. Chappo sl
