The One Awakened Read online

  “Welcome back, my friend,” Lucas said as he sat.

  “Thank you, Lucas. I wish it were under better circumstances.”

  Lucas nodded and then addressed everyone. “After our hearing with Valerie and Drake, it is clear to me that the Raizyns will soon declare war. Drake alluded to this during the hearing. As our laws state, once we receive their summons to war, we can then decide upon the date and location.”

  “Then, let us discuss our strategy,” Katarina said. Nolan liked her because she always got down to business. She had come to the meeting dressed in gym apparel, which most likely meant that she had plans to work out straight after the meeting. Her short, black hair was pushed back behind her ears, letting her green eyes with brown specks stand out against her pale skin.

  “Before we discuss strategy, I think we must determine what to do about Drake and Damiana’s child,” Alexandra said.

  Nolan forced himself to breathe naturally. “What is there to discuss?”

  “Has she awakened?” Lucas asked.

  He nodded. “Yes, she is doing well now that we have rescued her.”

  “Drake requested that his daughter be returned to him. Have you discussed this with his daughter?”

  “Sofia was kept a prisoner in a cell that drained her energy so Damiana could become more powerful. She does not want to be returned to the Raizyns,” he said calmly. “Furthermore, she is our savior and needs to be protected.”

  “Is she now? A child of two Raizyns, the king and queen no less, is going to save us?”

  “The Elders have confirmed that she is the savior,” Lucas said.

  “That occurred before we knew her lineage. What if they have programmed her to sabotage us? She is still a youngling, after all. We cannot trust her to be on our side,” she said.

  “If even one of us has doubts, we should do what we can to bring certainty to us all,” Felyse said. Nolan held his tongue. He had great respect for Felyse. From the way that she dressed to her mannerisms, she was an elegant woman. There was always wisdom behind her words.

  Lucas nodded in agreement. “We will send Sofia in front of the Elders again to make certain that she can be trusted.”

  “What about Rafe? Although he is my sister’s son, he is still Drake’s child,” Alexandra said. “He kidnapped Sofia from my sister and then infiltrated himself into their household. He did not come to the hearing, and we have not been able to assess him. What if he is not loyal to our cause?”

  “You might as well send him in front of the Elders, too,” Nolan said, finally unable to hold in his frustration. “It’s not like he will want to let Sofia out of his sight anyway. He is very protective of her. We all are.”

  “That sounds like a perfect solution, Nolan,” Lucas said. “We will send them both to the Elders for interrogation. We will reconvene when I have word from the Elders that they have their analysis ready. Are we all in agreement?” After everyone nodded his head, Lucas said, “Very well then. I will contact you when I hear from them.”

  Alexandra left first. Felyse and Katarina thanked Nolan for returning to his position and wished him well with caring for their savior. When Lucas and Nolan were alone, Nolan released his tension with a strong exhale.

  Lucas looked at him and laughed. “I was waiting for that.”

  He shook his head. “That woman drives me to the brink of fury. How do you deal with her?”

  “She is good at what she does, Nolan.”

  “She may be good at what she does in every other aspect of her job, but she is a Raizyn sympathizer, Lucas. She has been in love with Drake for life years, and I have no doubt that she is the one who helped him escape.”

  Lucas frowned. “You do not have proof of that.”

  “No, I don’t, but when this war is over, I am calling for a complete investigation into her connection with the Raizyns.”

  Lucas nodded. “I know. She has not been completely herself lately, but I still have faith in her belief in our Goddess. I will keep a closer eye on her.”

  “Thank you,” he said and then shook his hand. “I better get back home and inform everyone of our decision.”

  “Do you think they will have an issue with it?”

  He shook his head. “Absolutely not. I have no doubt of Sofia and Rafe’s loyalties. Sending them to the Elders is a wise decision. Plus, it will force Alexandra to give up her arguments for not including them in the war.”

  Lucas smiled. “I agree. I will see you soon, my friend. Blessed be.”

  “Blessed be,” he replied and then left the room. He hoped that what he said proved to be true. He believed both Sofia and Rafe were on their side; he just prayed that the Elders agreed with him. If not, the consequences could be disastrous.

  -o-

  “You have been gone for two days! Where have you been?” Damiana yelled at Drake the minute he walked into the dining area.

  He collapsed into his chair and waited for Jade to serve him water. When she left, he said, “The High Court summoned me.”

  “And you went? Did you not learn your lesson after the last time you went to court? They locked you up for almost two life years!”

  “I am here, am I not?” He did not have the energy to deal with her.

  “Finally. So, what took place at court? Why were you summoned?”

  “I was accused of escaping from my prison.”

  “That’s ridiculous. Rafe had his death day.”

  Drake waited for Jade to deliver his meal and then leave before saying, “I explained that, and as you can see, I am still free.”

  She exhaled her tension. “Did you accuse that wench of stealing our child?”

  He laughed exhaustedly and ran his hands through his hair. “We stole her child first, but yes, I demanded that they return our daughter. They refused. They said that she had not awakened from the damage you caused her from being in that cell. They said that once she awakens, they will allow her to choose where she wants to live. I highly doubt that she will choose here.”

  “She is our seed and is still a youngling! How dare they keep her without our consent!”

  He began eating. He grew tired of talking and even more tired of listening. He just wanted to eat his meal in peace and go to bed. After the hearing, he had met with more of his troops. Everyone was ready except for him; he kept hoping for a reason to call off the war.

  “It doesn’t matter,” she continued after realizing that Drake planned to keep silent. “It is probably better off that Sofia stay over there. I had never wanted her brought here to begin with.”

  Drake sighed. “It’s over, Damiana. We cannot win this war. Let it go.”

  She laughed. “You fool! We cannot lose. Sofia is still a youngling, and she is in the best position for us. I will order her to destroy them, and she will have no choice but to obey me.”

  “And what if they kill our daughter to stop her?”

  She rolled her eyes. “They love her, Drake. They are too weak to kill her. Their love will be the death of them.”

  He nodded and stood. He had lost his appetite. She could care less what happened to their daughter, but he cared very much.

  “Where do you think you are going now?”

  Drake didn’t even turn around. “To prepare our troops,” he said and kept walking. He would rather sleep in the forest than listen to her voice for even a second longer. He was done with her. He would go through with the war because Lucifer wanted it, but after that, he would make sure that he never set eyes on Damiana again.

  -o-

  Drake sat upon the fallen trunk with his head in his hands. He loved the peacefulness of his forest. It wasn’t silent; small noises from the creatures who lived among the trees and between the blades of grass filled the air. He welcomed the chirps and tweets and rustling of fallen leaves over Damiana’s harsh whining.

  A twig broke, so he quickly looked up. He wasn’t expecting anyone and wanted to make sure to be prepared for an attack. If Damiana knew that he was fi
nished with her, then there was no telling if she would try to have him killed. And he wanted to make sure he could defend himself at all times.

  He relaxed the instant he saw Alexandra approaching him. “What are you doing here?” he asked as he stood and hugged her.

  “I needed a break from my life, so I thought I’d come here and get away from it all for a bit. I didn’t know you would be here.”

  He smiled. “Great minds think alike,” he said and then frowned. “I was so worried for you. I told you not to defend me.”

  “Of course, I was going to defend you against those idiots.”

  “I am very pleased to see you well. What news do you have?”

  “They are preparing for war. I tried to convince them to give Sofia back to you, but they wouldn’t hear of it.”

  He sighed. “Of course not. They only follow laws when it benefits them.” He silently celebrated that the High Council had come to that decision. He did not want to imagine what torture Damiana would put Sofia through if she were to come home.

  “I did get a delay for you,” she said and smiled. “They are sending Sofia back to the Elders to see if she is trustworthy to fight or if she should be quarantined for the war.”

  He hugged her again. “That is brilliant! Hopefully, Sofia will be quarantined and kept safe. Maybe they will do the same for Rafe.”

  “I suggested that as well.”

  “Thank you,” he said and sighed, happy to have been given the promise of good news. “I honestly don’t even want this war anymore. The thought of my children being hurt…”

  “Then stop it. Regroup. Find another way.”

  He sat back down and shook his head. “Damiana won’t allow it.”

  Alexandra sat next to him and laughed. “Since when is she in charge?”

  He gave her a haunting look. “I underestimated her for far too long, and now she is beyond control.”

  He saw the fear in her expression as she placed her hand on his forearm. “Drake, just leave her. Leave it all. Run away with me.”

  He caressed her cheek. “Alex, you know that I love you but only as a friend.”

  He knew he had crushed her heart because her eyes filled with tears. He also knew that she would not shed those tears in front of him. “I know, Drake, and you know that I love you. I will have your friendship over nothing at all. Please, leave with me. We will go somewhere where no one can find us.”

  He sighed. “You cannot hide from Lucifer.”

  “If the Diasodz win this war, the Goddess will win, and Lucifer will be too weak to do anything to us.”

  “I do not believe in your Goddess, Alex.”

  “I don’t care. Let’s just leave. We can go to Earth and live as humans. We will be free and safe and together.”

  “And what of my children? I worry for Sofia most. Saviors usually end up martyrs.” She looked away. He sighed. “You mean well, but my course has been set. I cannot change it now.”

  Alexandra straightened her shoulders and stood. “If you change your mind, you know how to reach me. I pray that I will see you alive and well after the war.”

  “As I do you,” he said and stood.

  He hugged her and held her longer than usual. Not for the first time, he wished that he had fallen in love with her instead of her sister, but his heart did not embrace her the way it did Valerie. Seeing Valerie at the court just proved to him all over again what it felt like to love and want a woman for his own. He knew now that he would never have Valerie, but he would not condemn Alexandra to a loveless relationship. She deserved better.

  She pulled away from the hug. “I better get back.”

  He nodded and watched her disappear. He had told her the truth; he could not hide from Lucifer, and he didn’t want to. He straightened his shoulders. This was not Damiana’s war. This was Lucifer’s war, and Lucifer had chosen him to be king. He needed to start acting like it, or everyone who followed him would end up dead. If he had any chance of saving his children and his people, then he needed to start rejecting defeat and start believing in success. With that thought strong in his mind, he transported back to his home to take his rightful place as king.

  -o-

  Nolan entered his home and heard laughter coming from the recreation room. He entered to see Rafe, Angel, Ar’ch and Sofia watching a comedy. He tried to exit quietly, but Ar’ch turned around and saw him.

  “Hello, Father. I didn’t realize you were back,” he said, causing everyone else to turn around.

  Angel paused the movie and asked, “How did the council meeting go?”

  Nolan moved to stand in front of them so that they wouldn’t have to keep turning their heads. “They are finally preparing for war.”

  “Yes,” Ar’ch said. “It’s about time.”

  “Are they sending me back to my parents?” Sofia asked as Ar’ch pulled her closer to him.

  “Of course not,” he said. “I would never let them take you from us. Honestly, I don’t think any force could ever pull you away from Ar’ch.”

  Angel and Rafe laughed when Nolan smiled. Sofia looked up at Ar’ch and kissed him on the cheek. He pulled her even closer.

  “They could try, but they would fail,” he said.

  “What about me?” Rafe asked, causing everyone to become serious.

  Nolan pressed his lips together. “You are home, Rafe. They are not sending you to your father.”

  “But…”

  Nolan exhaled. “The High Council is concerned about where Sofia and your loyalties lie. Sofia is still a youngling, and you were raised by Damiana. So, they are requesting that the Elders invite you for a visit to assess whether you will be an asset or a threat to the Diasodz.”

  “That’s ridiculous!” Angel said. “How could they ever think that they would help the Raizyns after what Damiana did to Sofia?”

  “It’s okay. I get it,” Rafe said.

  “Me, too. They are being cautious,” Sofia said.

  “Well, then I am going with them,” Ar’ch said.

  “As am I,” Angel added.

  Nolan smiled. “I expected nothing less. I will let you know when you have been summoned. Until then, try to enjoy the rest of your movie. I’m going to spend some quality time with your mother,” he said and then left the room. Watching Ar’ch embrace Sofia made him want to wrap his arms around Valerie. They were overdue for some one-on-one time, and he planned to make sure that they had some immediately.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Rafe sat on the bench, twirling a willow branch around his fingers. He loved watching the branch caress his hand and pull him closer to it. Most people wouldn’t give a tree a second look, but he knew that each tree had a personality within it. The baby willows were the most fun for him because they always wanted his attention. He had gone there to think through some difficult decisions that he needed to make, but he enjoyed the distraction that the willows brought to him.

  “I thought I’d find you here,” he heard Sofia say.

  He jumped at the sound of her voice, causing the branch to slip out of his hand and retreat to safety. She sat next to him and smiled. He smiled back and pointed to the willows. “It’s peaceful here.”

  “I know,” she said and then paused and looked at him. “Talk to me, Rafe.”

  He sighed. He should have known this wasn’t a casual visit; Sofia must have realized that he felt troubled. She knew him better than he probably knew himself. He frowned with the realization that that statement held more truth than either of them even knew.

  “The other day Z asked me where my loyalties lie, and I didn’t know how to respond,” he confessed.

  Sofia pressed her lips together. He knew that expression. He had no doubt that she was trying to keep from yelling at him. She didn’t usually keep her opinions to herself, so he smiled at her effort.

  “I know you are trying not to go off on me, and I appreciate that. I know that Damiana is nuts, okay. I see that now. Anyone who can treat her own daughter t
he way she treated you is pure evil, but…”

  “But what?”

  He exhaled. “Our dad, Khameel, the demons and deminions…they are all good people, Sofe. They don’t believe in the Goddess, but they just want to be left alone to live their lives in peace.”

  “Really?” she asked, her doubt clearly showing in her expression. “Then why is Drake planning for war?”

  “The Diasodz keep going after the Raizyns and killing them because they refuse to believe in their Goddess. The Diasodz killed our grandparents, Sofe! They tried to kill our father, and when they couldn’t find him, they left him to die!”

  “And he killed plenty of people, too, Rafe. When does the killing stop?” she yelled.

  “I know,” he yelled back and then put his elbows on his knees and rested his head in his hands, taking a deep breath to calm down. When he did, he sat up and said, “And my mother and this side of my family are so nice, and I can feel the love among them. And even though I don’t know them well, I don’t want anything to happen to them, either. I don’t know what to do!”

  Sofia leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

  Rafe sighed and leaned his head against hers. “Could you kill our father?” he asked.

  She inhaled deeply and held it for a bit before releasing it slowly. “I will admit that he is not the monster that I envisioned him to be.”

  “He’s not, Sofe. He’s loving and kind and he’s had a hard life, but he loves us. How do I betray that?”

  She sat up and looked at him. “You don’t. If Drake loves us the way you say he does, then he will give direct orders for neither one of us to be hurt. If we are attacked, then you know he lied to you.”

  Rafe frowned. “Unless Damiana controls them all.”

  “Yeah,” she said and paused, collecting her thoughts. “Maybe you should sit this one out.”