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Chapter 389
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Leesa's Advent Chapter 390
“You heard her,” Dad says. “Let’s get out of here. Down to the dock, everyone.”We make our way over the lowest section of the old wall and head down toward the water, staying grouped together for safety, just in case. I walk alongside my dad, with Radar on my other side. The Miracles are all close by. A ring of very alert Marines with rifles at the ready surrounds us. I notice that most of them have their faces turned skyward, which makes sense. Other than the serpents Kai warned about who only come out in darkness, there shouldn’t be any danger left on the island. Threats from the air, we’ve learned all too well, are another story. A gauzy layer of fog blowing in from the ocean masks portions of the sky, adding to the atmosphere of danger.As I follow the soldiers’ gazes upward, I’m a bit surprised to see the sun floating so low in the eastern sky, where the fog hasn’t yet reached. With everything that’s happened already today, it feels like it should be later in the day. We landed
Leesa's Advent Chapter 391
Radar sees me looking and grins. The rest of the Miracles turn around to face me and break out into the Happy Birthday song.“Happy Birthday to you,” they sing. “Happy Birthday to you. Happy birrrthday dear Blaaaaaze, Happy Birthday to you.”I feel my cheeks begin to grow warm from the attention. It looks like my friends have chosen my new nickname, too. I kind of like it. Blaze. It’s simple, to the point, and strong.“I would have baked you a cake, Blaze,” Radar says, grinning. “But in case you hadn’t noticed, we’ve been kind of busy the last day or two.”I can’t help returning Radar’s grin. We’ve been pretty much inseparable ever since we were young tots, and I can safely say I’ve never known Radar to bake anything.“Yeah,” I reply. “I’m sure that’s the only reason you didn’t bake a cake. Let’s just forget that you w
Leesa's Advent Chapter 392
The crossing doesn't take long, fifteen or twenty minutes maybe, which is just fine with me. Every time we hit a patch of rough water, my stress level bounces upward with the boat, despite my best efforts to remind myself that everything is fine. As we slow down to approach the wharf, the mermaids swim closer to our vessel. The dolphins remain a bit farther away.“I guess…this is farewell…for now,” Selene calls up to us.I realize we haven’t had a chance to tell them about our plan to go into their world. I wonder if they’ll be returning as well, or if they’re stuck here in our world.“The woman who sent you here has asked for our help,” I explain quickly, knowing our time to talk is short. As soon as we dock, we’ll be hurrying away from the water.“We’re heading for higher ground,” Radar adds, “so she can open a portal for us to enter your world through.”Selene’s almond-shaped eyes widen in surprise. She clearly had not been expecting this.“Be careful,” she says. “Our world…can be
Leesa's Advent Chapter 393
We haven't even made it across the road when the silence is broken by the last sound any of us could have expected to hear—the roar of throbbing motors.I have no idea what kind of engines are making the clamor, but it’s far louder and more powerful than the noise generated by the boat we just rode on across the bay. And it’s getting louder by the second.“Motorcycles!” Sergeant Moss shouts. “Coming this way.”None of us Miracles has ever seen a working motorcycle, but the sergeant is certainly old enough to recognize the sound. I wouldn’t doubt that he rode one in his younger years, either. He seems like that kind of guy. I catch myself holding my breath, wondering whether the riders are human—or something else.Dad recognizes the sound as well. “Get out of the road!” he orders. “Now!”We race across the street. There’s no time to get any farther than the sidewalk
Leesa's Advent Chaptr 394
The unexpected explosion of green light had momentarily blinded Leesa. When her vision returned it was as if she were looking through a thick film of green plastic, the afterimage of the flash of Ralin’s magic, she knew. Closing her eyes, she massaged her eyelids softly with her fingers. She felt Rave’s hands gently grasp her by the shoulders.“Are you all right?” he asked, his voice heavy with concern.Leesa nodded. “I think so.”When she opened her eyes again, she could not believe what she saw—and more importantly, what she didn’t see.She whipped her head around frantically, desperately searching the unfamiliar landscape. What had happened to their backyard? Where was Ralin? And Dominic? What was going on here?“Where’s Ralin?” she shouted. “What’s happening?”Rave’s voice was calmer than he felt as he drew Leesa against his chest. There was no point in adding to her anxiety.“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Some kind of magic, apparently. I don’t know any more than you do.”Of cours
Leesa's Advent Chapter 395
Leesa and Rave gazed out over the stark, forbidding landscape. This was not a place anyone would visit willingly, that was for sure.“We’ve got two choices, I guess,” Leesa said finally. “We can stay right here and hope that the magic somehow undoes itself and we end up back home, or we can start looking for whomever or whatever might have had a part in this and get them to undo it.”“I vote we start searching,” Rave responded. He looked around them once more. “You’re the wizard—pick a direction.”With the pale sun almost directly overhead, there was no way to label any direction. Leesa spun around in a slow circle, surveying their options. There was nothing as far as the eye could see in two directions, and she had no real desire to head any closer to the volcanoes. That left only the woods, if that’s what the dark outline in the distance was. She raised her arm and pointed toward it.“That way,” she said.“Works for me,” Rave agreed.She took Rave’s hand, not wanting to chance that
Leesa's Advent Chapter 396
As Leesa and Rave pushed onward across the barren plain, they encountered no more serpents, saw no creatures of any kind. Nonetheless, Leesa kept the invisible shield wrapped around them, protecting them from any more strange and unexpected dangers this place might suddenly throw at them.Another hour of hiking brought them close enough to see that the dark line they had viewed from a distance was indeed the edge of a large wooded area—more of a forest, actually. The trees bore no resemblance at all to the grotesque, stunted trees that dotted the plain, nor did they look at all like any trees Leesa had ever seen.They weren’t all that tall—perhaps thirty-five or forty feet at most—but they were astonishingly lush and beautiful, covered with bright, emerald green leaves edged in a golden hue so bright it almost glowed. The leaves grew so close together they formed curved, mushroom-like caps that blanketed the top half of every tree. So thick was
Leesa's Advent Chapter 397
The surviving wyvwern had now disappeared from view, leaving Leesa and Rave alone at the edge of the forest once more. The attack was already beginning to feel unreal, but the lifeless carcass of the creature stretched out on the ground just a few feet away provided grim evidence that it had been very real indeed.“The sooner we figure out a way to get out of this place and back to where we belong, the happier I’ll be,” Leesa said.“I’ll second that,” Rave agreed.Leesa stared at the virtual wall of plant growth beside them. She didn’t know why, but she had a feeling that the answers they sought lay somewhere inside this forest. She still didn’t see any way she and Rave could enter, however. She was growing more and more tempted to try to blast her way in, but she held herself back. She would save that drastic step as a last resort.“I guess we may as well keep walking and hope we find a path into this
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Leesa's Advent Chapter 727
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
Leesa's Advent Chapter 726
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
Leesa's Advent Chapter 725
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
Leesa's Advent Chapter 724
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
