Beckoning Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #1)(33)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

“Yes. Your other nephew, I would think, but I have heard nothing of him since Theodore was imprisoned,” Percy said calmly.

“Theodore is in prison?” The way Monty said it made it clear that he felt distaste at saying the name. I was confused as to who Theodore was, and how Monty had another nephew I didn’t know about. Did that mean he was my cousin?

“Yes. He turned on Blake when he realized Emma’s power was gone. Of course, Blake had also turned his anger on Theodore when he realized that his daughter was not the Essence. I wondered if Emma had children. It seemed the only explanation for why the Essence had not been found.” Percy looked from me to Liam and then back to Monty. “I am sure that you came to me because you want help in retrieving your niece?”

“Yes,” Monty answered immediately.

“And all three of you then are prepared to enter into battle, even you, Liam?” Percy watched Liam intently.

Liam looked straight into Percy’s eyes, and spoke without hesitation. “Yes. I care about finding Charlotte as much as they do and, besides, I would never leave Kevin and Monty hanging.” I was impressed; as old as Percy was, he really was intimidating.

“Admirable, young man, but I hope you realize the danger you are about to face. This is no game,” Percy warned.

“I understand,” Liam said.

“And you, too, Kevin?” Percy asked, looking at me. “Even if retrieving Charlotte is possible, it will be incredibly dangerous. You need to make sure you understand what you are undertaking.”

“We’re talking about my sister. Trust me; I’m in,” I assured him.

“And you know that I realize the stakes, Percy, but this is my niece. She’s just a kid and knows nothing of her background,” Monty said emphatically.

“I understand and will do anything possible. If Charlotte is really the Essence, we all have a lot at stake.” Percy called the man, Tomas, into the room.

“I will have Tomas show you to a place to sleep. Rest up. We will begin training tomorrow.” Percy glanced at me when he said that, almost as though the words were meant only for me.

Chapter Eighteen

Charlotte

I waited in front of a majestic cathedral with a man who had been introduced as the blacksmith. He was a small man without any distinguishing characteristics, but it was obvious he was well respected. I pondered how I had gotten to where I was standing at that moment. How had I ended up in this strange world, living in a castle and being asked to attend a ceremony I knew absolutely nothing about? I looked down at the dress I wore and once again marveled. Though somewhat uncomfortable, I did feel beautiful.

There were crowds of people around me, and I was trying to figure out what they were there to watch. It almost seemed like they were all staring at me. The crowd was made up of people of all ages; I even saw several women holding young children wrapped in blankets to keep out the cold. It was snowing lightly, and I wished that I had my warm cloak. Suddenly, the blacksmith gestured for me to start walking, so I moved toward the door as it opened.

Upon entering the cathedral, I was immediately struck by the architecture. The cathedral was built into an actual mountain. The entire back wall was composed of waterfalls. Small waterfalls filled out the sides of the wall, while a long waterfall cascaded from the center rock wall and continued down the length of the room. A marble basin stood about halfway down, with a rock walkway through the water that led to it from the front of the room. The two sets of Guards I had seen the night before were positioned on each side of the larger waterfall with the older men on the left and the younger on the right. When I turned to look behind me, I saw silhouettes of the outside crowd pressed against the frosted windows.

The older Guardians held swords with intricate patterns detailing the entire length of the handle. Blake held two swords, one in each hand. I was trying to make out the patterns when suddenly the younger men fell to their knees, and the older men handed over the swords, stepping one foot into the water as they reached across.

The blacksmith gestured for me to start walking on the rock path. At first I was tentative, but after a few steps, it felt completely natural. Slowly feeling stronger and surer of myself as I progressed, I carefully took each step until I reached the basin. As though someone was feeding me instructions, I bent down and dipped my hands in the water basin. I knew exactly what I had to do.

The water initially felt cool but rapidly warmed until it was almost hot. The waterfalls intensified; the loud noise of the pouring water echoed off the vaulted ceiling. It felt like the entire room was shaking. I looked up and saw that all eight of the swords were glowing bright green; I found that I couldn’t focus on the faces of the boys, only the swords.

Slowly, the swords started to change color and become a lighter green. I tried to focus on the faces around me, but I still couldn’t. Everything blurred except for the swords.

I moved toward the swords, walking through the shallow water unaware of what was propelling me forward. Barely feeling the now cool water, I somehow knew it was the right thing to do. I stepped to the bank and stopped directly in front of one sword to place my palm gently on the blade. The blade suddenly turned bright blue before fading to a lighter shade of blue. I reached for the free hand of the guardian holding the blue sword. He took my hand and stood. As the boy rose, the blurriness subsided, allowing me to see. I was holding hands with Calvin.

Calvin beamed and seemed even taller than the last time I had seen him. I finally tore my gaze away from his and saw that the Guardian closest to him was looking at me with a cold, hard stare; it was James.

I felt strange; I had never felt so full of emotion, but I wasn’t afraid. Usually, a situation like this would have made me pass out, but none of the anxiety was there. I had never felt stronger. Calvin squeezed my hand, and I looked directly into his eyes as one word escaped his lips. “Charlotte.” I smiled and squeezed his hand in return.

I had almost forgotten about the men on the other side of the river, but I looked over as Blake addressed those assembled. “The Source has given us back our power. The dark days are over. A new Essence is among us. She has chosen the next Gerard, and so we look to him to lead us by her side.”

The older men began walking out of the building one by one, and then my Guardians, which I had begun to see as such, followed them. I stole a glance at James’s face one last time before he turned to leave. There was no humor left, just anger.

Finally, Calvin led me to the exit, and we walked into the throngs of waiting crowds. I looked back at the building and saw that the mountain it was built into had a faint glow, as though lit by a high-voltage light.