Enduring Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #3)(40)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

Hello? I asked.

No answer.

Chapter Twenty-One

Liam

Charlotte stood in the pounding water of the waterfall. The steady flow had sped up as soon as she stepped under it. What should have been strong enough to knock her over somehow didn’t seem to affect her. Her long brown hair lay wet down her back, and for a second, I had a flashback to the not-so-peaceful body I’d seen in Ruth’s town. That memory made me want to scoop up Charlotte and hold her. I couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to her—I wouldn’t let it.

“She is very important to you.” Calvin’s comment surprised me.

I tore my eyes away from Charlotte. “Of course she is.”

“You love her.” It was a statement and not a question.

“Yes. I have for a long time.”

“Would you do anything for her? Take care of her no matter what?”

“Of course I would.”

“She is going to need you. I can only do what must be done if I know you will be there.”

“What must be done? What are you talking about?” I glanced back at Charlotte before returning my gaze to Calvin.

“I am going to do something that will look rash, but know that if I did not do it, she would be the one.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“It does not matter. When the time comes, I need to know you will do everything it takes to protect her.” He put a hand on my shoulder. “You will know when that time is.”

I nodded. “I would give anything for her, even my life.”

He let out a deep breath and dropped his hand. “That is why you belong on her Guard.” He walked around me and closer to Charlotte. He reached out a hand and then stopped. He obviously wanted the same thing I did—to hold her, to make sure she was okay.

If things were different, I might have actually liked Calvin. He was genuine and dedicated to what he believed in. He was the kind of person you wanted on your side. But he was what kept Charlotte from me. I had to be with her. I never imagined I’d fall in love like that, but once I had, there was no turning back.

“How much time do we have?” I kept expecting the door to burst open. Things were almost too quiet.

“I do not know. I hope Charlotte returns in time.” Calvin kneeled next to the water as though he was ready to jump in. “I am afraid of what will happen if we try to force her back before she is ready.”

“Return? Like she’s really not here anymore?”

“I would expect it is an out-of-body experience. The Source does not communicate or truly exist on our plane.”

I eyed him skeptically. “This sounds way too much like The Matrix.”

Henry laughed. “I watched that movie. Interesting concept.”

Calvin stood up. “Sometimes I forget you spent so much time in the lost world.”

Henry shrugged. “Just a year.”

Calvin turned to me. “What is she like back there? Is she different?”

I selected my words carefully. “To be honest, she was miserable without you. She was only a shell of how she used to be.”

“But she relied on you. You two were close.”

Uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, I shifted my weight. “Yeah, because she needed someone to lean on.”

“She did not lean on me the way she leaned on you.” Henry surprised me. Usually he was so careful about what he said. Maybe the seriousness of our situation made him more open.

“She came to me when she was upset, but she also felt guilty about it.” She didn’t need to. I liked being the one she turned to for support.

Calvin smiled slightly. “She did not need to feel guilty. I would never hold it against her. I love her more than anything.”

“I know.” Despite how much I wished it weren’t true, it was. That did nothing to lessen my jealousy or my need.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Charlotte

I slowly became aware of my body again as I was pulled from the water.

“Charlotte!”

“Calvin?” My mind struggled to make sense of all of the new information. I felt as though an entire textbook on being an Essence had been inserted into my brain. After a few more seconds, the sensation disappeared, and I felt normal again. “How long was I in there?”

“Not long, but it was scary enough. Did you get the information we need?”

“Kind of.”

“What does that mean?” Henry asked.

“I need to find the Source.”

“Didn’t you just talk to the Source?” Liam asked.

“It said the actual… wait. That’s it. The other Source. Calvin, where is the source of this waterfall?”

He took off his shirt and tried to use it to dry me off. “At the top of the mountain. It is not part of any other river. It starts at the top of the mountain and flows through the city. It is said the water is so connected to the Source because it comes from it directly.”

“It does.” I was positive. “I need to get up there. I have to find the source.”

Calvin nodded. “We can make it up there.”

I refused to look any of them in the eye. “I have to go alone.”

“No. Liam and I will go with you.” Calvin said it with such determination, but why would he say both him and Liam? Why not just him?

“I can do this alone.”

Calvin took both my hands in his. “This is not a matter of ability. We will not allow you to go alone.”

“I need to find Kevin first. I need to give him instructions.”

“So you know what to do with the Onyx?” Liam asked.

“I do. The challenge is going to be timing everything right.”

“We have not heard from Kevin yet, but that is good news. We feared you would run out of time.” Calvin pulled me into his arms, and I enjoyed the way his hands stroked my back.

“I need to get a message to him.”

“I can do it.” Henry sounded so adult. I guessed we all did by that point.

“We need to set up a signal. He’ll have to put the Onyx on Blake while Blake is submerged in the river. But it has to be done at exactly the right moment.”

“We do need a signal,” Liam said. “But what can carry that far?”

“Can you still do that weird bird call you used to do?” I remembered Liam annoying all the neighborhood dogs with it when we were kids.

He nodded. “Yeah, I can still do it.”

“Henry, tell Kevin what I just told you. He needs to get Blake in the river with the Onyx pressed against him. He has to wait until he hears Liam’s annoying sound. He’ll get it.”