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Chapter 399
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2024-10-29 19:42:56I catch his eye and we exchange smiles, but have no chance to talk before he’s off again.
We follow along behind him, but he’s moving at a fast jog and is soon lost to sight around a curve in the road. Once again, I find myself marveling at his physical conditioning. He doesn’t seem to ever get tired even though he’s traveling much faster than the rest of us, and by coming back and forth, he’s covering a whole lot more distance besides. None of the Marines show any signs of fatigue, either. As for me, I’m glad we seem to have left the steepest slopes behind us, though I’m certainly not going to sound like a wimp or a whiner by voicing that thought aloud. I bet my friends feel the same way. We’re all in good shape by now, but we’re for sure not Marines.
With the heavy gray cloud cover looming over us, darkness begins to descend early. December twenty-first is already the shortest day of the year, and we’re far
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Dawn has barely broken when we’re up and preparing to be on our way. No one is tired or complaining, though—we’ve gotten used to going to bed early and waking up with or before the sun. We all down a quick, cold breakfast of energy bars and C-rations and then we’re ready to go.Kai is waiting outside for us. His long hair is damp and plastered against his head—whether from an overnight rain or a heavy mist I don’t know—but he looks completely rested and refreshed, even though I doubt he slept much, if at all.As soon as we step out the door, Kai comes directly over to my dad and me. I’m pretty sure I see excitement in his eyes. And why not? We’re all pretty sure we’re going to find the portal we are waiting for today. For most of us that means venturing into unknown dangers, but for Kai it means going home. So why wouldn’t he be looking forward to that?“Good morning, Leah,” he says before turning to my dad. I only have time to smile before he begins giving Dad his report.“Everything
Leesa's Advent Chapter 401
Our wait for the portal to appear is a short one.“Anomaly!” Radar shouts less than fifteen minutes after we arrived at the edge of the forest. She points to a spot about halfway up the hillside. “Up there.”There’s no sign of any portal yet, but Radar is never wrong. We’re all ready to hurry up the slope, but my dad stops us.“Not yet,” he says. “We stay here in the trees where it’s safe until we see it begin to open.”Dad’s being smart and cautious to the end. Radar’s warnings sometimes come as much as ten minutes before an Anomaly actually occurs. There’s no need to expose ourselves just yet.The wait now seems interminably long, but in reality it’s probably only three minutes or so before the air begins to shimmer right where Radar pointed.“Okay,” Dad says. “Let’s go.”We hurry up the ridge, being careful not to get too close to where the Anomaly is forming. All the Marines hold their weapons at the ready—there’s no guarantee this is the portal we’ve been waiting for. It’s possib
Leesa's Advent Chapter 402
There was nothing Leesa and Rave could do about their diminished powers, so they set back out on their trek along the magical path. Always ready and alert, Rave’s keen senses were now extra aware and heightened. He was still supernaturally strong and fast, and with his fire remaining hot inside him, he hoped if it became necessary he could still use it in the way he slew vampires—by using the fire from his mouth. He wasn’t sure if that would work against the kinds of monsters that seemed to dwell in this place, however.For her part, Leesa had never felt quite so anxious. In all the adventures she had survived in the past, Rave had always been beside her at full strength. Usually Dominic had also been there, and she had her own magic to rely on as well, even though her magical abilities were much weaker back in those early days. Now, in what was probably the most dangerous place she had ever found herself short of the Necromancer’s magic table, her mag
Leesa's Advent Chapter 403
Leesa felr so refreshed and reinvigorated that she almost forgot about the weakening of her magic—almost, but not quite. She still worried about their lack of magical protection, but so far the forest certainly did not seem out to harm them. Now if it would just turn out that it could help them with more than just her thirst, she would be one very happy girl.Despite her renewed energy and her optimism about these woods being friendly, she and Rave maintained a careful pace, not taking their safety for granted. They knew something dangerous could appear as abruptly and easily as the spring had.They had gone less than a mile from the spring when Rave stopped again.“What is it?” Leesa asked quietly.“I think I hear birds.”Leesa listened hard, but heard nothing. Her hearing was no match for Rave’s.“Are you sure?” she asked. Birds would be a hopeful sign, she thought.Rave shrugged. &ldq
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We trek down the hill from the portal, maintaining a moderate pace and following as direct a route as possible as we weave our way among the many boulders. Kai makes sure to give a wide birth to the dangerous gray ones. We stay bunched close together in the order he suggested, with one exception. To the surprise or concern of no one, Jordy has taken his usual place beside Radar, right behind Kai and me. Plush and Lights follow behind them, with Doc and Rerun coming next. Sneak walks by himself, with Dad and Sergeant Moss bringing up the rear. The two of them should provide enough protection to the back of our small column.As we hike down the slope, Kai’s head seems to be on a swivel, constantly moving back and forth, his keen eyes alert for any sign of danger on the ground or in the air above. Thankfully, we reach the cover of the woods without incident.Close up, the trees look even more gnarled than they did from atop the hill. Even the tallest of them rises n
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I’m surprised to hear that. I had imagined this entire world would be filled with dangerous creatures. I’m curious why these woods are not, especially with the abundance of delicious fruit hanging from the trees. I’m not about to question Kai about it, though, since Dad is obviously keen to be on our way. Maybe the poisonous vines are enough of a nuisance to keep most creatures away. Or more likely, perhaps the deadly beasts that inhabit this world prefer flesh to fruit. Whatever the reason, Kai will tell us everything we need to know, I have no doubt about that. It’s nice to learn we’re in a relatively safe part of his world, though.The conversation done, Kai leads us deeper into the forest. We travel in the same formation we used earlier, so I get to walk beside him again. I can tell that he’s still alert, but he seems less anxious than when we were exposed out on the hillside.The woods change little as we move silently through t
Leesa's Advent Chapter 406
We head out through the trees again, in the same formation as before. Raj drifts back behind our small column to serve as a one man rear guard. As I watch Doc’s eyes follow him, I smile. She’s probably feeling the same way I always feel when Kai disappears on one of his scouting forays. I want to warn her it will probably grow even worse if she gets to know him like I’ve gotten to know Kai, but that’s not my place. Besides, we’ll be leaving tomorrow, and Raj will just become a fading memory.We walk for maybe an hour before we’re forced to a halt by a thick wall of the poisonous vines that reaches almost down to the ground. I glance to the left and then to the right, but the tangled mass of vines stretches as far as I can see in both directions.I look at Kai. He doesn’t seem surprised or upset, but I don’t understand why he’s not. Our way is most definitely blocked.Raj joins us at the head of the colu
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Kai pulls back the skin covering the doorway so we can step into the hut. Dad ducks his head and enters first, and I follow. It’s quite dim inside. A narrow column of daylight streams in through a round hole in the center of the thatched roof. The only other light leaks in through countless tiny cracks in the stick walls.Kai was partly right about not expecting much, but what he should have said was not to expect anything. There’s absolutely nothing in here except two large, furry animal hides that cover half the dirt floor. From their size and the thick brown fur with its distinctive black speckles, I realize they’re werebear hides. Having seen Kai in action, I’m only a little surprised to see that his people hunt the fearsome beasts.Kai follows the rest of us inside.“I told you it wasn’t much,” he says, smiling. “But it will keep you dry if it happens to rain, and the werebear skins are quite comfortable to li
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
