Chapter Fourteen

 

Life fell into a comfortable pattern after that. We helped the tribe in every way we could. We helped them to build more stable, secure homes, helped them hunt wild beasts for their meet and fur. While Shada had talked to the chief and asked that they stop their worship it had not changed much. It became less intense but I suspected it was more because they were getting used to having us there.

            Shada and I spent long hours talking at nights. She understood me in a way that I knew no one else ever would. While she had said Joshua was not her lover something within me knew that there was a part of her that had always wanted him in that way. I wondered what had kept their relationship from evolving into that. She was mourning his loss. I could not imagine coming to care for someone in that way and being with them so long and then losing them in that violent of a way. Especially considering he should never have been able to die. She had just assumed there would always be time for the relationship to change into what she wanted.

            It was very early in the morning, three weeks after I had come to the village. Shada had been sought after for her help. A woman had gone into labor and wanted the “god” to be present. I had finally learned to speak and understand their language. I had wandered outside and was waiting for the sun to rise in the sky. 

            Without paying any attention to where I was going I wandered outside of the village. It was the middle of the summer and even in the absence of the sun it was quite warm outside.  Without realizing it I started heading up the mountain that loomed over the village, where we had found the ancient grandfather. The lush green of the spring was beginning to fade just slightly as the sun scorched the land but it was still beautiful. 

            I was nearly half way up the mountain side when I stopped to look over the valley. I found a large flat rock that was the edge leading over the side of a steep cliff. As I observed everything that lay before me I could not help but swell with joy. I loved it here. Perhaps I would stay here for as long as could be permitted. Yes, Shada had asked me to come with her on her mission but I did not have any ties to her. It would be sad to see her go, she was quickly becoming a dear friend to me, perhaps even closer now than Daniel. But could I really leave a place where I felt so welcome? I had promised Zachariah I would return someday but we had a lot of someday’s ahead of us. But at the same time I could not shake the ever present feeling that nowhere was home now and that I was just simply all wrong and belonged nowhere.

            “The past is what makes us who we are but that is not where your destiny lies.”

            I was to my feet and turned around in one instant movement as my heart pounded in my chest.

            A small boy stood before me and I could not help but marvel at him. While at first glance his appearance was quite rough, he was dirty and wore nothing save ragged trousers which had been ripped off just below the knee. And yet he was the most beautiful and captivating being I had ever laid eyes upon. His skin was darker than those of the village. His hair was black as night and his eyes nearly the same color yet he nearly seemed to radiate. It was as if he had his own personal sun lying just under his skin, willing itself to burst from his skin. I knew right away that he was not like myself, his blood did not smell absolutely pure yet I was absolutely sure he was not human.

            “Please,” he said as he held his hand out, gesturing toward the large stone I had sat on, “sit back down.”

            Knowing I had nothing to fear from this strange child, yet having a million uncertainties running through my mind I sat. The child walked silently to my side and sank to the ground.

            The boy was silent and I could not help but stare at him. He could not be more than five years old and yet there was something completely timeless about him.

            “The things that you cling to will never set you free,” he finally spoke. “You must let go of those things and freedom will find you. The why’s and what if’s of your past no longer matter. You must simply look to the future and you will find the things you seek to set your soul free.”

            I wanted to speak, to ask him what he could possibly mean but he continued his cryptic speech.

            “Those who surround you, the people you see, you must fight for them. It is your duty and responsibility to keep them free. They are worth saving, even when it is difficult to see. Someday you will realize this, you are already starting to see it.

            “You are going to play a pivotal role in the salvation of mankind. They cannot continue their way of life without your intervention. There is a war coming that will finally resolve all conflict between mankind and those who will never die, whether it will be for good or evil it will be the end. All their lives hang in the balance. You must keep that balance. 

            “You hold within you a great capacity to love. Love for your friends, love for those around you, love for her. Never let them go, you need them all and they will be the ones to help you.” 

            The child’s face grew serious and almost looked pained. “I am afraid that someday you will watch the woman you love the most die for you. I am afraid it cannot be avoided, it will be necessary.

            “Now,” he continued, “you must be going. Things are being set into motion. Your friends will need your help soon. It is all beginning.”

            A strange thing happened when he had finished speaking. I simply blinked and when I opened my eyes again the boy was gone. I looked around me, searching for his hiding place but there was no signs of him left. He had simply vanished.

            After only a moment something caught my eye. It was small, lying on the ground where the boy had vanished from. It was the sudden gleam of light reflecting off of it that caught my attention.

            Curious, I leaned towards it and picked the object up. It was strange; I had never seen anything like it before in my life. It seemed to be some type of jewel, like a diamond but completely translucent. It quite large for a jewel though, bigger than a robin’s egg. But none of this is what made it so strange.

            There were several other jewels within it it seemed. And they all revolved slowly around the center. There were three rubies on the very outer ring; they moved the slowest, lesser eyes might not have detected the motion. The next ring held two emeralds, these revolving slightly faster. The innermost ring held four sapphires, these moved the quickest. All these revolved around a single opal, each of the different colors dancing in perfect harmony on its surface. All this was attached to a thin silver cord, long enough to be worn around the neck.

            I simply stared and watched the strange object as the different jewels made their slow dance throughout it. It held me in a trance as I tried to understand what it meant. Why each jewel moved in its timed pattern and I marveled at the beauty of the one they all revolved around. 

            I sat there for several long minutes, just simply staring at the strange thing before I remembered the thing the child had told me. My friends. It is all beginning. 

            I slipped the necklace around my neck. I rose in one nonexistent movement and leapt off the side of the cliff. As I took off at a run as my feet reached solid ground my thoughts reeled. Who was the child who seemed to know my thoughts, desires, and seemingly future? Where had he come from and where did he suddenly disappear to? What did it all mean? I could hardly comprehend it all.

            The thudding of the ground against my feet pulsed in my head as I thought of the things I had been told. I thought I understood what he meant by looking to the future. I was trying to do that and to let go of my past. But what did he mean by freedom finding me? This I could not understand.

            There was a war coming. Something inside of me seemed to realize this now. I could feel it in the air, contention rising, the struggle for power. Zachariah had said there had always been a struggle to keep balance but something much bigger was coming. The end.

            But the thing that disturbed me the most of all the things I had been told was about the woman. I would see the woman I love the most die for me. Something deep within me, from deep inside the hole in my core shuttered and cried out in agony. This reaction within me frightened me. It was so strong, carnal in nature and origin. No, I could not let this happen. 

            But my mind started to wander and wonder at the possibilities. What could change that would drive Elizabeth to change her heart, to come back to me and ultimately give her life for me? No, I could not allow this to happen, I scolded myself. As appealing as this idea may have been, no matter how I desired to have her back, I could never allow this to happen. I would not see her give her life for my sake. 

            I made a vow to myself in that moment. I could never see Elizabeth again. I could not even allow myself to look upon her from a distance. I knew that if I were to ever to see her again, the desire to be with her would overpower me. My will would crumble. Yes, I would have to stay away. If I stayed away she would live a long and full life, she would die an old woman with the man she had already left me for. Just as it should be.

            A new thought occurred to me now. I would never be able to move on completely with my life when I was going to keep such a commitment to simply keep her alive. How could I ever get over this hurt with this new knowledge? I realized that this was never going to happen until she had actually died of natural causes. Then again, fifty years shouldn’t seem so long to someone like me. Fifty years…

            I had tried to fool myself, convince myself that I was making progress with Shada. She had become close to me but she was a friend, that was all she would ever be. She would never have the hold on me that Elizabeth did.

            Somewhat futilely I tried to push these thoughts to the back of my mind. I had a task before me; I must get back to my friends. 

            It took me only three minutes, second seconds to get back to the village. I went straight to our “gift” and found Shada inside.

            “I have to go,” I said as I flew around the room gathering things to leave. “I have to get back to Spain.”

            Shada seemed confused but she suddenly started packing as well. “Now’s as good a time as any I suppose.”

            “What?” I questioned as I pulled my bag onto my back.

            “I was going to tell you tonight that I needed to get going. I believe Adofo is in Spain now. I did not want to wait any longer and loose him,” when my expression was still slightly confused she continued. “I’m coming with you, at least for a while anyways.”

            I nodded my head once and walked back out into the village. I quickly found the chief. He had been tearful when we told him that we had to leave but he gave a week smile and nodded his understanding.

            I could not help but feeling that I was leaving a piece of my heart here as we raced north. I had come to love it there, love the people. I doubted I would ever find people so good again.

            “Where did that come from?” Shada asked as she nodded towards my chest.

            I clasped a hand around the strange object that bounced on my chest. “I found it,” I said simply.

            “So why did you decide to go back all of the sudden?” Shada asked and changed the subject as we flew over the land.

            “Let’s just say I had a gut feeling my friends needed my help,” I said. Most likely she would think I had started to go insane if I told her the truth. 

            That was the nice thing about Shada. She seemed to sense when I didn’t want to talk and she didn’t ask any more questions.

            The sun only rose and fell once before I could smell the salt in the air, taste it in my mouth. Soon I was able to hear the soft lapping of the water against the sand. It was calm waters today.

            “Do try and keep up,” Shada grinned before she dove into the water without the slightest hesitation.

            My blood pounded and raced as we shot through the water but it was not because of the effort and exercise. Something was coming and it was going to be big. War was approaching, that I could not deny. The balance between the safety of the humans and the Ever who would rule them was becoming rocky. The scales were about to tip in one direction of another. No matter the direction it fell, there were going to be lives lost on both sides.

            I had asked Zachariah about the desire to protect the humans. At the time I had felt little towards them. They were all the same to me and I had my doubts if they were worth fighting for. Yes, I had realized that everyone had potential to become good and pure but till they came to that point I was not going to put forth any effort to save them. Now I could not help but feel the drive to protect them all. Everyone had potential, even if it was just the slightest spark within them, it made them worth protecting. I knew there were those people who had had the light within them at one time and chose to squash it in every way. They had turned to the darkness full heartedly and willed it to consume them wholly. Those people were not worth protecting, they may as well be on the same side I was fighting against.

            This new drive spurned me on and my arms and legs sped faster and faster. Had I not felt such a need for haste it would have been difficult to keep up with Shada. She was so well practiced and experienced that I doubted there was anything that was difficult for her. She was fast and moved with an utterly inhuman or perhaps non-Ever grace. She was nearly ghostlike as she glided through and across the water.

            Swimming the straight went much more quickly this time. It had taken me a few days the first time but I had also gone aimlessly, heading out into open sea at times. With my new drive it took only a few hours.

            I was the first to climb out of the water onto the rocky ledge. As I stood I reached a hand down to Shada and pulled her up, even though I knew she did not need it. 

            “Something is wrong, William,” she said as she looked into my face. “I can see it in your eyes. Something is deeply troubling you. You know you can tell me.”

            Yes, I could have told her but she would have thought I was losing my mind. “Yes,” I breathed. “There is something wrong and I have to hurry back.”

            I could see the concern in her eyes as she searched my face. I was telling the truth, I just couldn’t tell her all of it.

            “Alright,” she said as she nodded. I tried to smile at her but did not succeed as I took a few steps away from her.

            We had only walked a few feet from the ledge before she stopped suddenly. Again, she became perfectly still, her eyes closed, just as I had seen her do before.

            She took several deep breaths, though she made no sound. I stopped breathing all together, unsure of what I was supposed to be doing. I felt as if I were interrupting by making any sounds.

            She opened her eyes again and another one of her sly smiles spread on her lips. “He’s here somewhere.”

            “Let’s go then,” I said gravely and turned. Without waiting for her to say anything else I took off.

            We darted over the varied terrain, crossing mountains, valleys, shallow water. I could see that she was in her element now; this is what she was born and trained to do. Once she found her target and purpose she would see it through. And her expression was, well, blissful, almost. The furrowed lines in her forehead relaxed just a bit, her lips at a lighter set. Yes, this was her purpose in life. To hunt, to track.

            In a way I envied her. She knew exactly who she was and what she wanted right now. She had direction and meaning. I however had only cryptic messages from a mysterious child as direction and knowledge of my purpose in this impossible life. Yes, for this reason, I envied her but another part of me was terrified of all the experience she had gained throughout her life.

            “It is not far now,” I said as we slowed. “What is your plan now?”

            “If you would not terribly mind, William,” Shada said as she suddenly stopped and I stopped with her. “I would very much like to stay with you and ask for your help in my cause again. I suppose I have no real reason for it, but I feel very close to you already. I very much wish to remain close to you,” she again gave me that odd look that I could not completely understand. “Have you thought anymore about my request?”

            “I will do what I can to help you,” I said, feeling slightly uneasy. I felt torn. Shada was getting close to me, a very dear friend. I felt the need to be with her growing stronger. But I could not ignore what I had been told. “But I have a duty to my friends that I must fulfill. They need my help.”

            “Then we shall have to find a way for things to work out,” she said as she ran a hand down the side of my face.

            Something inside of me shuttered slightly as she did this. The weaker half was nearly screaming at me that I was a fool. I knew this woman would have given me anything I could have wanted were it in her power. She was offering to stay with me and I had a feeling it would have been for as long as I wanted. But the other half was something I could not fully explain. This situation was not meant to be. She would never be exactly what I needed. I could already see the differences in us. She was so headstrong and heavy willed. I could sense some underlying bitterness towards the human race. Even though she had lived those few weeks with the tribe I sensed a strange emotion in her. As if she were tired of being around them, not just the tribe, but all humans. I could only partially understand it. No, this could only end up badly should I let it go in the direction she desired. That strange hole inside of me shuttered and shied away from her. 

            “I will do what I can to help you,” I repeated as I gently but firmly pulled her hand away from my face, a more difficult thing to do than I had expected.

            She looked seriously into my eyes but said nothing. I somehow got the impression that she had not taken me as seriously as I had meant it. 

            We both continued silently after that. It did not take long before we reached the city. It was twilight now, the sun was losing the fight to the power of the night, everything becoming still and quiet. Everything but one thing.

            Any other eyes would not have seen the movement, my own barely caught it. And even at that, I only saw the dust suddenly parted in the air as if it had been forced to move by an unseen object. Less than a fraction of a second later I suddenly felt as if I were going to be crushed in half.

            “You came back!”

            Just as it felt as if my eyeballs were going to pop out of their sockets Daniel released me. I gasped for air as I dropped back to the ground. 

            “Yes,” I choked. “I promised I would.”

            “I am truly sorry my friend,” he said as he wrapped his arms around me again, this time without such crushing force. It was amazing how his completion had made him so much stronger. “I hope you can forgive me for any unease I may have caused you. I can assure you that it was not intentional.”

            I had been hoping to myself all this time that Zachariah would not actually tell Daniel my original reason for leaving. Apparently those hopes were in vain.

            “There is nothing to forgive. I simply had a moment of childishness, old memories eating at me and I was trying to get away from my past. I am sorry for abandoning you,” I said, trying to recover any feelings that may have injured.

            “I am simply glad to have you back,” he said with a smile before turning his attention to my companion. “And who might this be?” His expression was cautious but not suspicious.

            “My name is Shada,” she responded before I had a chance to reply. I noticed that she had tensed slightly, her position almost looking protective. What could the reason for this be? Was she trying to protect me from Daniel? I put a hand on her shoulder and she relaxed slightly.

            Daniel simply looked at her and did not say anything for just a moment. 

            “How have things been while I’ve been gone?” I asked, simply trying to lighten up the awkward silence.

            It seemed to have worked as Daniel looked back at me but his face suddenly turned downward. “Honestly I’m not really sure, but not exactly great.”

            “What’s that supposed to mean?” I questioned.

            “Come,” Daniel said as he started off down the street. “Shada, you are welcome too I suppose.”

            I looked back at her to see her tense angry expression. She had almost as terrible temper as I did. If looks were deadly, Daniel would surely be dead. Trying to ease her discomfort I extended a hand to her.

            “You can trust them,” I said low enough that only she would hear. “He’s my best friend.”

            To this she looked slightly hurt for a fraction of an instant but she recovered quickly and took my extended hand.

            We moved slowly through the streets as we headed for Daniel’s home. There was still just enough light outside to be seen by curious eyes. None of us spoke as we walked but my thoughts were reeling inside my head. The action of holding Shada’s hand in mine was off, just didn’t feel quite right. Her hand fit there easily but all of my insides felt as if they were being rubbed with itchy wool. The action was just slightly uncomfortable and was just enough to put me on edge. She traced small circles on my hand with her thumb and the moment she took my hand I sensed her relax instantly. This was exactly what she wanted, the direction she wanted things to take. A part of me wanted this too. I wanted to be able to move on with my life. I was starving for love and affection and the thought of spending eternity alone was more than I thought I could bear. But that strange black hole inside of me had woken and it was not happy. It was telling me something was wrong, that what I was doing was never meant to be. It snarled and snapped within me, the action obviously directed at the woman beside me.

            That black hole frightened me. It was a strong part of who I was whether I wanted it to be or not. I could not ignore it and I had doubts that it would ever go away. I wanted to obey it immediately and drop Shada’s hand but I knew how that would make her feel. I had already shown enough rejection to her but more importantly I knew she needed an anchor right now. She didn’t seem to trust Daniel yet and I could not blame her. Over such an amount of time it would be difficult to find trust in anyone. I could bare it for just a while longer.

            Daniel rushed up the front stairs to their beautiful home and opened the door. As soon as he was through the door he had Katherine in his arms as he pressed an almost sickening loving kiss to her lips. I was swiftly reminded as to why I had left in the first place.

            As soon as the scene of affection was over they both looked back at us as we crossed the threshold. Daniel raised one eyebrow as he took in the fact that her hand was in mine. Katherine smiled and pressed her hands to her lips. When Daniel’s face grew questioning I instantly realized what he was wondering about. He was assuming I had experienced a completion with Shada. Again that black hole inside of me shuttered and made a small whimper of agony. Trying to be discrete about this entire episode I shook my head and trying to relay the message that they had both assumed wrong with my eyes. Daniel’s smile instantly died and Katherine’s happy expression was replaced with a slightly sad half smile.

            “So,” I said as I moved toward one of the large chairs in the sitting room. I was careful to be tactful when I let go of Shada’s hand. Even though it was entirely unnecessary, they all sat as well. We would be just as comfortable standing as we would be sitting. “Are you going to tell me what you meant earlier?”

            I noticed that both Daniel and Shada had relaxed and I breathed a little easier. “Three weeks ago Zachariah showed up here and said that he was leaving, that he had to go somewhere. He didn’t even give me a chance to ask where or let me offer to come with him. He just told me to watch out for unfriendly Ever in the area and took off.”

            “So he’s been gone all this time?” I questioned. I did the math silently in my head and realized he had left only about a week after I had. Daniel and Katherine had been here by themselves. “You don’t have any idea of where he has gone to?”

            “No,” Daniel said as he reached for Katherine’s hand. I knew the movement was unconscious, it was just natural for him now. She was a piece of him, almost like another limb that could exist unattached to him. “I went back to his place and searched for any answers. I didn’t find anything that would indicate why he left like he did.”

            I contemplated this for a while. Zachariah kept to himself a lot but it seemed strange that he would just leave Daniel like that. Something must have either been incredibly urgent or really upset him. More than anything else I was utterly shocked that he would leave his duties as a doctor like this. This was most uncharacteristic.

            “I think I’ll go back to his place and take a look,” I said as I stood. Without a doubt I knew Zachariah better than Daniel did. And Daniel was not exactly the most observant person anymore. Ever since his completion he’d been different. His world revolved around Katherine. This wasn’t exactly a bad thing, I was very happy for them, he was just different. I sometimes missed the old Daniel.

            “We’ll come with you,” Katherine said as she stood. It was scary how her and Daniel moved in exact synchronization as he rose by her side.

            I nodded once and looked to Shada who had stood as well. “Would you like to come with us?” I questioned.

            “I still have some time, I suppose,” she said as she nodded her head. “I can still sense that Adofo is not too far.”

            I gave her a half smile. This could get really complicated if she stayed much longer and if I didn’t figure out a way to handle things. Pushing those thoughts aside I dashed out the door. Darkness blanketed the earth now and we did not have to use restraint as we raced through the streets. Well, perhaps Daniel and Katherine did to keep at the same pace as us lesser Ever.

            As we reached the door Daniel took a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. 

            “He gave me this just after you left,” Daniel explained.

            I simply nodded and entered as Daniel held the door open.

            Everything was silent in the darkness. There were no stirrings of life. Katherine quickly lit a few candles and a soft glow was cast on the room. It looked nearly exactly as it had when I had left, everything still in its place amongst the organized chaos. 

            “I’ve looked around,” Daniel said as his eyes scanned the room. “I haven’t noticed anything that would have set him off like that.”

            “Let’s look again,” I said as my eyes searched his belongings. “You two take the back room.”

            They nodded once and moved into the small room at the back. I moved to the large long table that occupied nearly a third of the front room. It was filled with books, most of them medical, papers he had written of which looked of a medical subject as well. There were maps stacked neatly on one end, including the map we had looked at to find Nickoli. If there was anything that was going to give us any hint as to where Zachariah had gone to it would probably be here. The rest of the room was simply collections of Zachariah’s life.

            After taking a moment to look around Shada turned to the opposite end of the table. “What exactly are we looking for?”

            “Anything,” I said as I picked up a very old piece of parchment. I was written in a language I did not recognize but it didn’t seem significant.

            “I’m afraid I’m not going to be much help,” she said as she started looking through papers.

            “Well, it can’t hurt for you to look.”

            We both sorted through papers for a few moments. I could hear Daniel and Katherine in the back room and their attempts seemed to be as futile as our own.

            “Will,” Daniel called as he came back into the front room. “I’ve already looked, there’s…”

            “Hold on,” Shada said as she picked up a small scrap of paper. I looked up at her sharply and was at her side in one invisible movement. “I might have found something.”

            She handed the paper to me and Daniel gazed over my shoulder to read what it said.

            There were only two words written on it and it would have been easy to look over it as scrap. I instantly realized no one but Shada would have probably have noticed it. Written in Zachariah’s elegant hand writing was:

 

Dominic

Adofo

           

            “Adofo,” I whispered as I looked up into Shada’s face.

            Her expression was hard and determined and it startled me to see her look this way. She was ready to end this and she looked ready to kill.

            “Who’s Adofo?” Daniel asked as he reached for the paper.

            “A very bad man,” Shada hissed as she started for the door. “It’s time for me to go.”

            “Wait!” I shouted as I lunged after her. I caught her wrist and she instantly stopped. It was not exactly because I had physically made her stop but I suspected I was the only one here she would have stopped for. She instantly turned around to face me, her expression irritated and impatient.

            “What?” she demanded. “Surely this must be what your friend went after. Why are we waiting around? I am going after him whether you come with me or not William.”

            “Just wait,” I said as I looked intensely into her fierce eyes. Once I could see that she had cooled enough that she would actually hear me I continued. “We have no idea where exactly Zachariah has gone to.”

            “Well, if he’s close to Adofo I can find him,” she said testily.

            “We should wait for a few days and see if Zachariah comes back. Just give it a little while. If you start to sense that Adofo is leaving I will not stop you from leaving. But I will stay here until I know what has happened to Zachariah.”

            She stared into my eyes and I could nearly see the struggle that was going on within her. She wanted to go now and I already knew that she was not a patient woman. She had already waited three weeks to continue her cause simply to be with me. But she still wanted to be with me. I could see it in her eyes that she did not want to leave me. I felt terrible that I could have this kind of control over such a strong woman but it was not at all intentional. I had done nothing to lead her along this way.

            Finally the struggle seemed to die down and she nodded her head. “I will wait with you but if I at all feel Adofo slipping out of my range I will go.”

            I nodded once and released my grasp on her. “Thank you,” I said as I wrapped my arms around her. This move might have been wrong of me and I did not want to be giving her the wrong ideas. But I could not deny that a part of me needed her, despite what the black hole was telling me. She understood parts of me that Daniel, nor Zachariah ever would. I needed her by my side until I could figure out what was going on.

            We all left Zachariah’s place and headed back for Daniel’s home. It would be the most comfortable place to wait as it was at least seven times as big. As much as all of us wished to take some kind of action all we could do was wait.

            The days passed slowly and it was near agony. It was good to be with Daniel again, to have time to talk and catch up on the things that had conspired in the last weeks, but the two women did not exactly make it pleasant to be in the house. Katherine was bound and determined to make Shada look like a proper lady. This did not exactly go well with Shada. She had put up her argument that she had been forced to wear skirts and dresses for hundreds of years and that she was tired of the limitations that they came with. Shada was bound and determined to make Katherine see that her strange dress of altered men’s clothing was the superior. 

            I felt horrified as I heard them arguing in whispers upstairs and deduced I was the subject of their fight. 

            “They why hasn’t he had a completion yet?” Katherine hissed and I could almost hear the smug expression I knew was on her face.

            “What does that matter?” Shada spat back. “There doesn’t need to be some kind of magical voodoo for two people to fall in love. And besides, it’s not like completions are that common. The rest of us just have to make do with finding a meaningful relationship the normal way.”

            I almost felt sick to my stomach and in a way wished I could indeed vomit. I was going to have to be very cautious to not let things spiral out of control with Shada.

            And so the arguing continued. Apparently they couldn’t agree to disagree, on anything.

            Katherine had gone out shopping and Shada, in her twitchy impatiens went to scout out the city. Daniel and I were both a little more than relieved to have the absence of shouting women. It was the first time we had gotten a chance to talk alone since I had returned.

            “So if you haven’t had a completion with Shada why is she with you?” Daniel questioned.

            “Like she told you, she’s been after this Adofo for nearly half a century,” I responded. “She wants my help to destroy him. I told her I had to take care of my obligations first but that I would do what I could for her.”

            “You’ve already told me this,” Daniel said with a smile as he shook his head. “Tell me the real reason she’s still here. She wants to go, why does she stay?”

            I sighed. Of course Daniel had chosen now to all the sudden get so intuitive. “She wants something… more from me. I think she just assumes that something will eventually evolve between us. I can’t bear to send her away. I don’t have feelings like that for her but I like being around her.”

            “I don’t know why,” Daniel said with a chuckle. “She’s not exactly pleasant.”

            I chuckled. “That’s only been since Katherine told her it was unflattering for a woman to wear trousers.”

            We both laughed at this for a moment. “Women,” Daniel muttered. I could only nod in agreement.

            “I think we should go back to Zachariah’s,” I said once the laughter had died down. “There has to be something we missed. There’s got to be some other clue.”

            Daniel rolled his eyes slightly. “We’ve both looked now, me twice. I don’t think there’s anything to be found, William.”

            “You don’t have to come,” I said as I stood. Just as I did the door burst open and there was a whirlwind of two shouting women.

            “But I’ve already bought it for you! It’s just your size! At least try it on!” Katherine said as she tried to shove a very feminine looking box into Shada’s arms. It was unfortunate that they both had to come back at the same time.

            “How many times do I have to tell you?!” Shada shouted as she hurled it back at Katherine. “I’m not going to wear a dress ever again!”

            “Just try it!” Katherine screeched as she opened the box and pulled out a very lacy and stylish looking blue dress.

            Shada gave an exasperated sigh as she simply walked away from her.

            I chuckled as I walked towards the door. “I, uh…” I sputtered as she made a move to put an arm around my waist. “Daniel and I were going to go back to Zachariah’s place to make sure we did not miss anything.”

            “That’s right,” Daniel said as he rose suddenly, his expression looking slightly frightened as he headed toward the door. 

            “Danny,” Katherine said as she set the few boxes in her hands on the ground. “I’m coming with you then.”

            “And I’m coming with you, William,” Shada said as she gave Katherine a smug look.

            I rolled my eyes at the two of them and made a hasty exit down the stairs. The last three days had been the longest of my life. The tension in the house was nearly thick enough to cut through with a knife.

            I knew it was going to be a futile attempt to find anything new but I had to escape. I searched through the papers that littered the large table again and again. If there was going to be any indicator of where he had disappeared to surely it would be within these maps. Yet there was nothing that I saw. No indicator as to what had set him off.

            “I told you, William,” Daniel said as he looked into a vase that was nearly as tall as he was. “There isn’t anything to be found.”

            I gave a defeated sigh as I dropped a stack of pages back to the table. Daniel was right, there wasn’t anything further to be found. “We’ve got to be missing something,” I said as I flopped into the throne chair. “He didn’t say anything else?”

            Just as Daniel was about to answer the front door swung open.

            I nearly didn’t recognize the man who stood in the door frame. Even though it was impossible, Zachariah looked as if he had aged twenty years in the last month since I had seen him. His face was that of a man who had seen death and knew that it was coming for him and that there was nothing he could do to prevent it. I could see the fear that was hidden in his eyes and the way that his shoulders were slumped in an almost resigned way. I had never seen a man look so grave and so terrible.

            Katherine entered the room and froze as she took Zachariah’s appearance just as we all had.

            “What has happened?” I whispered, unable to make my voice work as a strange sense of fear settled into my stomach.

            Zachariah’s eyes met mine and a cold chill made its way down my spine. Something had gone terribly wrong. 

            It was a moment before he spoke as he looked at each of us in turn, his eyes only pausing slightly on Shada. “They are all in terrible danger. The humans. The time is coming and they may all very well be destroyed.” As his eyes met mine again I saw the panic he was fighting there. He broke from his stance in the door and made his way to the bone chair where he dropped in a heap it seemed ironic considering the things he had just said. 

            As he looked back up his expression had changed from fear and panic to a disturbing expression of resign. “I hope you all are ready to fight. War is coming.”

            In that moment something seemed to slide into place in my mind. Yes, something big, far beyond each of us was coming. I had been told war was coming and that it would be the end. Something within me understood what had not yet been revealed. The humans were going to either be obliterated or enslaved and we were going to have to do something about it. Action was not just an option, it was the only choice.

            The knowledge of what was to come seemed to loom on the horizon of my mind. The darkness that was the horrid being we faced was staring us down and preparing to devour each of us. There was no way to run from it without letting it destroy the whole world, I could feel it. No, we were going to have to run towards it head on. 

            Balance. That is what this was about. We were to be the keepers of the balance. All human society was depending on us now and we must be the ones to fight for it. Even if I wanted I doubted I could hide from this. Their fate was tied to my own somehow. While I was no longer one of them, in this cause I would finally meet and face my own fate.

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[Fabian G. Franklin]

I was thinking this would make a very cool movie, sort of like Heroes the television series but with Evers instead