Airel: The Discovering (Airel Saga Book Two)

Chapter X

Somewhere in the Mountains of Idaho—Present Day

I WAS SITTING READING in my new room when an overpowering fear stole into me. Something was seriously wrong, but I couldn’t put my finger on what. I closed my eyes and tried to think of what to do. Far in the back of my mind, I could hear She whispering, but I couldn’t make out the words.

“Come on, what is it?” I was shaking now, cold and scared. But what was I scared of? Then it all hit me. The feeling, the smells, and the sounds.

“Kale,” I screamed. A minute later, Kale burst through the door.

“What? Are you okay?”

“Kim. She’s in trouble. He has her.” I couldn’t place a name, but his face loomed in my mind. “We have to hurry; he’s going to kill her.”

A shadow of pain crossed his features. “I believe I know who has her. But how do you know she is in danger—can you feel it?”

“Yeah. It’s as if I’m right there with her. Please, we have to do something.” I tried not to panic, but the feelings of fear and worry were powerful.

I gathered myself together a little and asked, “Who is he?”

“His name is Stanley Alexander. He is the reason I took you; or, as I like to see it, rescued you. He was watching your house, stalking your family. If I had not stepped in to save you, you would be dead now.”

My heart crashed. An icy wave washed over me and I gulped, trying to keep things in check. I wanted my voice to be small as I said, “Is he Michael’s father?” I knew the answer.

“Yes. Stanley is part of the Brotherhood.”

I recalled what I read about them and shuddered.

“Okay, you have got to tell me what’s going on. No more secrets, no more mysterious ‘you shall know in time’ crap. I need to know who you killed in that theater and what I am, really. Am I one of the Sons—er, Daughters—of El? Am I related to this Kreios? And why is all this happening to me?”

“I know you’re confused, Airel.”

“Please, we need to go save Kim. Can’t we leave now?”

“Airel, you have to know what you’re getting into. There is more that you must understand.” He looked at me with compassion in his eyes. “May I start from the beginning?” Kale inhaled deeply as if to prepare, and I sat back down—I had stood up during my tirade and didn’t remember having done so.

Kale began. “You are a descendant of Kreios. He is your grandfather. Great to the tenth, at least. You, as well as all of your ancestors on your father’s side, all the way back to Kreios, have within your genetic code the gift of the abilities you’re just beginning to see. These gifts lay dormant, however, until triggered directly—spiritually—by contact with one of the Brotherhood.”

So it was on my dad’s side. I thought back to my dad and everyone on his side of the family. I couldn’t remember any weirdness happening with them.

He stopped. I nodded for him to continue. “It’s like a switch. It’s off until you happen to meet the wrong person in the supermarket. Then you begin to manifest supernatural abilities. It activates you. Airel, that’s why you don’t have any relatives with these abilities—Immortals are only activated in adolescence. Once you pass into adulthood, the chance is gone forever.”

I breathed in and out slowly.

“You are a Daughter of El. The last one was Eriel, in the line of Kreios.” He looked pained for a moment. “I know this is quite a lot to take in, but you need to understand quickly; our time is running short.” He was pacing the room.

“Tell me about that night in the theater.” I wasn’t completely sure I wanted to know, but my mind was driving me forward, hungry for resolution. I had to know, or I would go crazy.

“The man I killed was one of the Brotherhood. He was latched onto you strongly. I had to kill him before he killed you. You see, they know when someone is turning. They can feel it, sense it. Once you started to get sick, it was like blood in the water.”

He paused and reflected. “There are laws of the land for a reason, Airel—but the letter of the law is dead. It’s not always an act of evil to take a life. Especially in cases like this. These, of the Brotherhood, do not understand reason. They do not understand our ethics. They only understand violence. Death. Destruction.”

I nodded again, knowing there was more; I was ready to beg for it.

He looked deeply into my eyes. “The Brotherhood is not just some criminal underground. They are the real half-breed. Part human and part demon. Every man has a demonic counterpart, a Brother. That is what makes them so very strong. Being in proximity to any member of the Brotherhood will drain you—they feed on your power; and if you engage them in a long battle, you will be defeated. You see why, now, as soon as I discovered he was one of the Brotherhood, I had to kill him quickly. No time to wait. Not even if the movie was interesting.” He smiled, and the smile was true, honest.

“I understand. So you’re like my advisor, my guardian?” I asked.

“Yes. I am a servant of El—God. We have been fighting the Brotherhood for thousands of years. I am here to train you, to help you. I would have liked it to have happened under better circumstances. But this was the best I could do. I have tried to give you every good gift since you fell into my hands.”

He continued, “Now it seems that Mr. Alexander has found a way to draw you out, and I must leave the decision in your hands. If you want my counsel … it might be better to allow Kim to die than to give yourself up. You’re more extraordinary than you realize. We cannot lose you, Airel.”

I flushed with anger at the thought of ever abandoning my best friend in her hour of greatest need to the whim of some lunatic. After all, to what purpose had God gifted me so radically? So that I could lay it down when it was most needed? I didn’t yell at Kale, though. I held my anger in check, for once. “I don’t care if you can’t lose me. I can’t lose Kim. I understand what you’re saying, but I can’t just stand aside and let Kim die because I’m ‘so important.’” I took a few deep breaths.

Then a thought occurred to me that should have been obvious. “Will you help me?” For a moment, as silence filled the gap between us, I wondered if he would.

Then something else crossed my mind. “Kale, what’s Michael’s role in all of this?”

Kale stood like a statue, looking at me with clear hazel eyes. He did have beautiful eyes—sometimes. “Do you really want to know?”

He didn’t need to say it. I knew what he was going to say, and yet I couldn’t believe it. Michael loved me; he couldn’t be in league with his father. “I don’t believe it. He … he …”

“Loves you? No. He doesn’t. He used you and now he’s gone. He left last night. And I let him. If we do not confront Stan, he will come to us. Do you not see, Airel? Michael is part of the Brotherhood. He was sent to your school to get close to you, to find out if you were really what they thought you were. He is the reason why you were activated—the day he came into your life was the day your old life ended.”