“As I said, the Ageless War is coming to an end. Many Pandemonians we thought were with us have been re-claiming allegiance to the Hades, most likely in fear as to what will happen after he prevails.”
“What will he do?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Hades craves domination. With The Sorrow serving him, he is unstoppable. Where do you think he will go once he has claimed Pandemonia?”
I breathed in sharply. It was obvious.
“Can’t you send Guardians through to help fight the war?” I suggested.
Faru sighed. “If only it were that simple. The reason we cannot is actually part of a bigger problem. One that involves the Awakenings, and one which has made you very important Alexander.” “And tat is?” “They haven’t been happening.” My eyebrows knitted together. “Huh?” Faru pointed a long slender finger at me. “Alexander, you are the first new Chosen in over three years.” I didn’t know what to say. It was a bit difficult to gauge how important that was. Or what it meant. “There used to be about six hundred new Awakenings every year across the world. Now there are none…apart from you.” “What? I mean why?” “We don’t know, but it is something the other Sages and I have been trying to understand for some time.” Gathering my thoughts I said, “So I presume it’s a problem for the HASEA.”
Faru gave a long sigh and rubbed at his neck absently. “A very large problem. We are being stretched thin, trying to deal with all the Pandemonians. It’s the same all over the world. To make matters worse, since reclaiming allegiance to Hades, many traitorous Pandemonians have formed their own alliance known as the Soldiers of Sorrow. They act on the will of Hades. Over the last two decades, hundreds of Chosen were sought out and killed by the SOS before we had a chance to reach them. It appears that they attempted to do the same to you.”
I remembered the creature that had chased me from the woods. Recalled the hatred I had seen in those blood red eyes. The scent of death which had seemed to ooze from it. I shuddered when I thought of what would have happened if that shadowy figure hadn’t intervened.
“But you managed to protect me,” I said in a small voice.
Faru nodded. “The Coven experience premonitions of Awakenings from time to time. They predicted yours. We have members of the Alliance known as Infiltrators. It’s their job to work themselves into your life so that you turn to them when your Awakening comes. Normally we have much more time between detection and Awakening. In this instance it happened far sooner than we expected, so the infiltration became more to keep you alive and ultimately bring you here.
A cold wave washed over me. He’s talking about Gabriella. She was forced to become my friend. She didn’t want to know me.
I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. I felt sick to my stomach. Faru’s face clouded with concern, clearly not sure what he had said to upset me.
“Alexander, is something wrong?”
I shook my head, trying not to let tears spill over. “I’m fine,” I managed to croak. I guessed Faru couldn’t read my mind right now, or he would know how betrayed I felt.
Without warning, a sharp pain hit my temples. I yelled out and tried to hold onto something. The nearby wall passed right through my outstretched fingers. I fell to my knees and sank down towards the Nexus. I felt hot and sick. I wiped a shaking hand at the rolls of sweat which were appearing all over my skin and looked up at Faru.
“What’s happening to me?” I managed to yell through the pain.
“We have held the mind connection for too long. I have to release you or it could cause us both damage.”
Faru sank through the floor with me, as we drifted down through the air. He stretched out his right hand and placed it onto the crown of my head. My back arched as once again, electricity surged through my body. The wrld around me grew blurry. The people above us became less defined. Their bodies melted away into shapeless blobs. The house interior broke down, pieces of wood and bricks falling into piles around the unidentifiable mass of people. As my thoughts diminished and the world dissolved around me, I heard Faru’s voice, a megaphone booming in my head.
“Alexander Eden,” he boomed. “It is time for you to become what you were always destined to be.” My head was swimming, his words darting in and out of my brain. I flailed a hand around trying to reach for something. Clutched at nothing.
“A Hero, chosen from billions. The evolution of souls.” His voice grew faint. My view grew darker. Yellow spots flashed like paint specks in my eyes.
“You have a choice to make. You can either deny your true path, or you can join us.”
The words were like whispers as the last circle of light faded from my eyes and the darkness seeped in with its midnight cloak. I could sense the sharp grip of the old Sage once more, his fingernails digging into my skull. I was too far gone to feel the pain. My knees buckled and I fell forward, tumbling faster into the abyss below.
“Alexander Eden, will you join us?”
Even through the swirling feeling of misery still gnawed at my insides, threatening to consume me from the inside out; I knew there was only one real answer. I parted my lips and breathed out a single word.
“Yes.”
Faru clicked his fingers and everything went dark.
My head throbbed and my tongue felt like a damp sock. Unsticking my eyes, I looked around. I was lying on a four poster bed. The room was a blend of dark wood flooring and cream walls. Thick crimson curtains had been pulled together, a solitary shard of light sneaking through a crack in the middle. A dim glow came from a bedside lamp. On the other side stood a grandfather clock; its pendulum swung lethargically from side to side, filling the room with its soft ticking.
Then I noticed the large chair on the far side of the room. Gabriella lay curled up on it, covered by a small blanket. A sense of longing tugged at my stomach. It felt like years since I’d seen her. She sighed softly in her sleep and nestled into the chair. It tugged again.
But directly underneath the desire were the feelings of hurt. Of betrayal. I’d foolishly believed that this girl actually cared about me.
All lies.
It had been her job to get me here. I was an assignment.
Forcing myself to look away, I stared up at the beamed ceiling. My mind replayed everything Faru had told me. Lying in this bed, it would be easy to pass everything off as a crazy dream. But being here at all meant the very opposite. My headache grew worse, so I let my eyes drift together.
I must have dozed off, because I awoke to the sensation of being watched. Gabriella was sitting upright in the chair, gaze focused intently on me. Seeing that I was awake she bolted out of the chair, sending the blanket sliding along the floorboards. “Alex!” she exclaimed. “How are you feeling?” I let out a thick groan. “That good huh?” she smiled and sat on the bed. “What happened?” I croaked. “Why do I feel so rough?” “It’s a side effect of mind merging. You should feel better soon.” “How long have I been out?” Gabriella looked up at the grandfather clock, which ticked in response. “About fourteen hours.” “Wow, that’s one hell of a power nap.” I lifted a cement hand and rubbed at my sticky eyes. “Where am I?” “Still at the Warren, in my room actually.” “You live here?” She nodded, sending raven hair spilling down her face. Absently she swept at the strands with the back of a hand.
A sudden wave of sickness rushed through me. I leaned over for a glass of water which had been placed on the table. My shaking fingers knocked it off the edge. Before the glass could hit the ground, Gabriella shot out a hand and caught it without spilling a drop. “Here, let me,” she offered, motioning towards my lips. “I can do it myself thanks!” I barked, snatching it from her. She looked taken aback. “Alex is everything okay?” Without drinking, I lowered the glass.
“Is that a joke? Ella, I thought you were my friend. But it was all an act wasn’t it? You don’t care about me at all. You just wanted to get me here!”
Her eyes went wide. “No, that’s not true!” She tried to take my hand, but I snatched it away. The look in her eyes suggested she were about to cry. The notion knotted my stomach. But I was hurt.
“Then after everything I’ve been through,” I persisted, “kidnapping, car accident, accidently almost killing someone and getting dragged halfway through London’s underground system-oh and nearly flattened by a train, I
