Chapter 30

It took her a while, but Agnes was successful at going around the army of Dreamkillers in her mission to warn Vince of the inevitable onslaught. She really didn’t know if he was on this side of the coast or not, but there was a feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her he was. She had to warn him.

“How much farther did Vince’s mother tell us to go?” Karl felt like his legs might fall off at any moment. He needed to sit down. “We’ve been walking for hours.”

Chris realized by looking down at her watch that he was right – they had been walking for almost two hours. “She told us that she’d meet us where the grass starts,” she answered and then looked around in despair. “But that was a ways back.”

“Maybe she forgot us,” grunted a young soldier as he brushed passed them with a sarcastic sneer on his face. “Just like that girl you preached to us about – our savior? She hasn’t saved any of us and she never will. She hasn’t even managed to save herself.”

“I’ll tell you one thing Orion has done,” brought up the minister who had married them the night before as he walked up to them carrying a walking stick. “He has forever closed the gates to Heaven.” He took a long sorrowful look at the young soldiers who were walking around without direction. “They don’t know what it is they’re fighting for.”

Karl and Chris looked the army over and saw what the minister was talking about. There was no direction in their eyes as they looked around with blank stares. Not one seemed to harvest a soul.

“Without direction,” Karl whispered, “we’re all lost.”

Chris wrapped her arm around his shoulder and tried not to let her tears show. “It’ll be all right once we know Mykella has fulfilled her prophecy.”

Karl let out a sigh and turned to face his new bride. “How can we really be sure? It’s like he said; how can she save us if she wasn’t even sure if she could save herself?”

Chris looked into his dark eyes and took his hand and placed it on her breast. He could feel her heart beating strong. “Faith,” was all she had to say.

“There you are!”

There was not a soul in the area that hadn’t jumped when Tracy appeared from around one of the tall trees.

“I was wondering where you had all gone and ran off to.”

Chris walked over to Vince’s mother behind sorrowful eyes. “Tracy,” she began and Tracy lifted her hand.

“No, no. I have swords and armor for everyone, including helmets. As I mentioned earlier, they’re not the best smith work, but it should suffice.”

“Tracy,” Chris began again and saw that Tracy was about to say something else. “Your son is dying!”

Everything stopped at that moment. In fact, that was literally what happened because when Tracy heard that her son was dying, she stopped all time. She wanted to be alone with Christene. “What are you saying to me, Child?”

“Vince fell down shortly after reaching the grass and when we reached him, he told us to go on. He,” Chris was struggling to find words. “His soul was gone when we left him.”

Tracy stared at Chris for a while. She was trying to find a lie in the words that were spoken, but by the use of words and Chris’ body language, Tracy knew these were not lies. Chris would never lie to her, and Tracy knew that deep down.

Tracy blinked her eyes and made Time halt even for Chris and she made her ethereal way back to where her son must be still sitting. And there she found him, his back leaning up against a large rock with his head lolled to one side.

Tears were screaming down her face as Tracy rushed over to her son and picked up his head and cradled it in her arms. “No, dammit. You cannot die. I won’t let you!” She looked down at Vince and remembered the only time she had ever held him. She held him just moments before leaving the convent (with Queen Nanaac in tow) to go into battle with either Orion or King Darvon. When she handed Vincent back to Sister Agnes, she told her that she wanted Rick to look after him.

As Tracy looked down into her son’s eyes now, she saw the tiny infant eyes. “There is still so much left for you to do,” she whispered. “Mykella needs you now more than she did when you helped her inside her mother. She’s in so much pain,” she paused and then looked down at him again. “She’s about to abandon her God, Vincent. You must live.”

From some far-off place he could hear his mother telling him that Mykella was in danger; not just in the physical sense, but also spiritually. But why couldn’t he see his mother? Why was everything a dull void of darkness? He would find a way to go to Mykella, if he could manage it. But right now he didn’t really know how he could even accomplish leaving the grassy spot where he had fallen down – he couldn’t even see that grass spot. He thought his eyes were open, but everything was so dark that he couldn’t see.

Karl? Chris? He thought he was calling out their names, but no one came back to get him.

If he can hear his mother but not see her, then why is he all of a sudden also hearing the voice of Mykella calling out for him? I’m here, Sweetie. Daddy’s coming. Where are you?

Orion has me trapped in his damned future! He’s going to fight God and I think Orion will win. Dad, I’m scared. I don’t want to die.

I know, Baby, I know. You have to get out of there. If you managed to get into Orion’s future, then you need to get your ass out of that time.

And how am I supposed to do that? Orion gave me a pull to get me here.

God chose you to become a Dream Crusader first, Mykella. I believe that now is the right time to use that gift.

I already have. I’ve been to Orion’s past.

No – that was Orion doing the network for you. You need to deviate from his mind. Keep the line open, but find a new way out.

I don’t know if I can.

I believe you can. Who else is there with you? Besides Orion.

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Mykella didn’t want to say it; she was too ashamed to even think of what would happen. You, she finally said after a moment of eternal silence.

If he had a face, Vince was sure his jaw would have hit the ground. But,

Don’t argue with me, Dad. You are seated to Orion’s right side. I didn’t recognize you at first – but then you talked and I knew…I knew.

Vince could hear her weeping but did nothing to console her. How could he? Finally he spoke. Then you need to get into my head, Mykella. I’m sure you can find discoveries far greater than anything Orion will show you.

I don’t know who to be more frightened of: Orion or you.

Well, I’m sure you can win me back over. You have the Light with you. I may not be able to see you, but I can sense a blinding light surrounding your aura.

* * *

Orion looked closer into Mykella’s face and saw the tears that fell to some unseen floor. He looked into her eyes for some answer to why she was suddenly weeping. But then he realized that at that precise moment, the tables had changed. He didn’t think she had the strength – after being so easy to manipulate for so long – but now she was coming into her power.

Mykella closed her eyes and relaxed her muscles. She tried to forget the pain in her hand, it wasn’t easy. She slowed her breathing and thought of her father.

Mykella disappeared from wherever Orion had taken her.

He lowered his head and sighed. She had escaped his own power and this worried him. He knew he had much more power, but he wasn’t sure now how much she had that she had never known she had before. He must be cautious now if he is to win his war.

* * *

Just as everyone finished putting on their armor and checked their weapons, Chris heard a rustling in the trees. She wasn’t expecting this to happen so soon – she wasn’t even sure if she was ready anymore.

“Quiet,” she called out as she tried to get her voice heard by their army, yet not loud enough to be heard by their enemy. She pointed to the trees with her sword. “I think they’re coming.”

Karl went over to her and then glanced back at the small army. Before he thought that their number was very impressive, but now he wasn’t sure if there were enough of them to withstand the might of the Dreamkillers. “Form a front line,” he ordered. “The rest fall behind.” He took Chris’ hand and turned her around. When their eyes met, “I’m going to march in front,” he said.

He had expected her to protest, but she gave him a sympathetic smile instead. “I’m right next to you.” She really had hoped that Vince would have completed the trio that was started when they all agreed to be Mykella’s Watchers.

And like Karl, Chris had expected Karl to disagree with her choice, but instead he brought her to him and squeezed her in the tightest embrace he would have ever given a woman. “I love you, Christene,” he whispered in her ear.

“Not because of war?”

“I think I fell in love with you when you asked me if I could keep a secret when we were on that plane ride back to Chicago.”

Chris closed her eyes and smiled and squeezed him as hard as she could. “I love you.” She felt like she was twenty again. Karl made her feel that way – not Vince.

Then they all heard the rustling of leaves coming from the forest and Karl pulled himself from Chris and turned to face his army. “Are we ready?” he called, but he really knew the answer to that stupid question. No one was ever ready for war.

He and Chris made their way to the middle of the front line and stood in front of them. They turned in the direction of the rustling and drew their swords up to attack position above their shoulders.

“Down with Orion!” Someone had screamed from behind the front line which was followed by roars of approval.

“Attack,” Karl and Chris screamed in unison and they began running toward the trees and stopped suddenly as a single figure emerged, crawling on their hands and knees, blood and innards trailing behind her.

“Agnes!” Chris dropped her sword and ran to the old woman. She fell to the ground just inches from Agnes’ head and reached out for the bloodied woman. “What…how?” There were probably a million questions she could think of given time, but Chris’ head was congested with sorrow for the woman who had rescued them from impending death so many years ago.

Agnes reached out and grabbed Chris’ hand and squeezed it. “Don’t worry about me,” she said and saw that Chris had glanced at what should have been inside her body with horror in her eyes. She smiled. “The pain stopped a while ago.”

“I’m so sorry,” Chris was weeping and there was nothing Agnes could do to help her understand.

“I can’t feel anything, Child – I only wanted to stay alive long enough to warn you.”

Karl made his way over to them and silently cursed Orion and his Dreamkillers. Couldn’t they have just killed her and gotten it over with? “What did you want to warn us about, Sister?” He knelt down beside his wife.

Agnes’ eyes gleamed at his use of Sister. “You know I’m no longer involved with that damned Sisterhood?”

It pained them to do it, but Chris and Karl forced a smile and nodded. She lowered her head, the soil smelled fresh as it almost touched her nose, and then coughed. She tried to raise her head, but she had no more strength. Chris squeezed her hand.

“The Dreamkillers are almost here,” said Agnes in a weak breath. “I thought they didn’t see me hiding in the bushes, but,”

“Shh,” whispered Chris. “You shouldn’t talk.”

“They…they found me and did…” she was fighting to find words but the terror in her eyes spoke for her instead. “They left me for dead.”

Karl tried not to look at the trail Agnes was leaving behind.

“They’re almost to the meadow. Attack first – give them the element of surprise.” Agnes looked up at Karl and grinned, but the grin would not falter from her face. Agnes died staring up at Karl with that grin on her face.

Karl and Chris felt the hands they were holding loosen and then go limp.

Chris closed her eyes and tried to say a prayer for Agnes, but none would come to her mind. She had raised herself as a pagan witch, but had grown into adulthood with a Christian belief. But recently, even that has been shaky. “We should bury her,” she finally said after some thought.

Karl lowered his head and shook it in disgust with himself. “I wish we could,” he began, fearing what might come from her mouth. “But if what she said was true, the Dreamkillers are only a couple of miles from here. If we are to attack first in the meadow, then we have to leave now.”

Chris didn’t want to think about leaving a friend to rot here, alone. But still, she knew that Karl was right. If they hesitated, their enemy would be on top of them in no time.

“When all’s said and done,” Karl looked into his wife’s eyes. “I promise that we’ll give Agnes a proper burial.”

Chris sighed and then let Agnes’ lifeless hand fall to the ground and then she stood up and turned to face Karl, who had stood up at the same time. “There was no need for them to kill a defenseless old woman,” she said, taking a quick look down at the body. “You know that, don’t you?”

Karl wrapped his arm around her shoulder and embraced her. There were plenty of things he wanted to say to her to comfort her, but he knew now was not the right time. If they live through the battle, there would be time to mourn their fallen comrades later. Instead, “I love you,” he whispered in her ear.

Karl turned and saw that the rest of their army had decided to rest on the ground and he had to laugh at himself at how comical the scene looked – men wearing armor trying to sit down on the ground. He heard quite a bit of “umphs” and “ughs” as they slowly sat down.

“I hope none of you gotta piss,” he called out to them behind a smile and he shook his head. “Get back up – there’s a war to be won!”