Eleos (Book two in The Empaths series)

Chapter Three

Riley was ahead of the pack as they raced down the hill toward the city.

"This is so cool!" he called as he ran along the cobblestone path.

"Riley! Chill out!" Lilith yelled after him as she ran to keep up. "You're going to trip and fall on your face!"

Riley slowed to a walk to let the others catch up, still bouncing on the balls of his feet as they approached. "I'm sorry guys, this is just too much. I mean, when do you ever get the chance to explore a castle? A FRIKIN' CASTLE!" He was practically leaping out of his skin.

"It is pretty awesome," Jared agreed, staring up at the gigantic stone turrets that stood high above the city.

"And how incredible is that statue of Eleos," Lilith said, her face lit up in awe of the beautiful woman standing guard, watching over her world with her arms spread in welcome.

Lucy and Tristan walked slowly behind, hand in hand.

"How are you feeling right this second?" Tristan asked as he lifted Lucy's hand to his lips to brush them against her skin.

Lucy's face was flushed red with excitement. "Overjoyed, scared, thrilled... mostly overwhelmed, I think."

"I can't believe the size of this place," Tristan said, his eyes shining brightly as he looked around, trying to take everything in. "I mean, it's all so big!" He was grinning from ear to ear. "Look at those trees."

"They make a redwood look small, don't they?" Lucy replied, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked up at their massive branches stretching out over the parkland.

"And the mountains," Tristan continued. "Even they seem bigger here."

Lucy nodded as she turned her face to the snow-tipped peaks reaching up into the sky. She couldn't help but laugh as she looked back at the city. "This is unbelievable," she said, rubbing her forehead with her hand. "Unbelievable."

As they were approaching the gates to the city, they were stopped by a sound that none of them were expecting.

It was the sound of a man calling out.

Riley and Lilith were the first to notice him, turning to look as he ran along the city wall in their direction. Lilith's hand slapped over her mouth. She turned her bright blue eyes back toward their parents, who were even further behind Tristan and Lucy. They, too, had stopped and were watching the man, who was now waving his arms.

Not too far behind the newcomer, another small group followed.

"Stay there, kids," Noah called as he and Eden ran over to meet the man halfway between them and the other group.

Scarlett, Luke and the rest of their parents quickly caught up with Lucy and Tristan, while Lilith and Riley quickly walked back to join them, collecting Rachel and Jared on their way.

"Who are they?" Riley asked, looking at Luke.

Luke shook his head. "I have no idea. There hasn't been another living Empath in Eleos since the explosion. This is new to me." He squinted a little to try and make out who was in the group. "I don't recognise anyone," he mumbled.

They watched on in silence as Noah and Eden had a quick discussion with the man, and it was only moments later that they were laughing and embracing him. They spoke with him for a while longer before they ran over to greet the rest of his group.

In the midst of the huddle, Lucy could just make out a woman that they were all standing around protectively.

Even from this far away, Lucy could tell that this woman was special.