“Thank you,” I say as I still in front of Ascelin. “I don’t think you get enough credit. You’re such a good person. I…I just think you’re amazing, and I want you to know that. You’re going to find the right one for you someday.”
He offers me a little smile, and I can tell he hopes what I’m saying is true.
I step forward and wrap my arms around him. And it feels nice when he embraces me as well.
I feel like we’ve finally come to a truce.
I feel like I have my friend back.
“You sure you can handle this?” Ascelin says. His chest rumbles with his rocky voice. “Letting me do what it takes? It’s going to make you uncomfortable, Serena.”
I take in a breath. I know this. It’s going to be uncomfortable, because for the last few years, it was real for him. But I find myself simply appreciative. “I can do this. For him, for us, I can do anything.”
Chapter Three
It’s early the next morning when Davorian calls everyone in for a meeting.
Our time schedule is all messed up in the compound right now. The original crew was adjusted to a diurnal schedule, but the other agents have come in from all over the globe. We’re all used to different time zones, and no one knows when to sleep. Our instincts are still nocturnal, but it’s all just one big mess right now.
So, I can’t tell if I’m awake or tired when I head for the conference room.
Where once this room felt ridiculously large for the six of us that were based here, now it’s exceptionally crowded. The table seats eighteen, but now the walls are lined with people as well. I never realized I was a claustrophobic person. For the last century and a half, I've lived in this city, and millions of people visit it every year.
But now that we are all living in a tunnel in the desert, I feel like I can't breathe with all of these people around.
Davorian steps to the head of the table. He clasps his hands behind his back and looks out over the crowd. It's so strange to think that at one point he was the leader of the Academy. He was our teacher. At one point, all of us were his students.
We’re no longer students. Every single one of us is a seasoned soldier.
But he is still our commander and not a single one of us questions that.
"I can hardly express how wonderful it is to have all of you back here again," he says as he begins the meeting. "We've lost friends, so many of them, over the years. Every one of us has dealt with feelings of isolation at one point or another. We’re marooned from our own world. It's been a century and a half since we were with those of our kind—since we were in a world that suited our base instincts. But it helps, having the rest of you back here."
The room is silent save for his voice. Every one of us hangs onto his words.
"There are still twelve of us out in the field," he continues. "They will be arriving over the course of the next week. And when they are all here, our numbers will reach fifty."
Considering the fact that we got stranded here in the LightVerse with over five hundred darklings, fifty should sound like nothing. But considering that it's only been six of us here for such a long time, fifty feels like a massive number of people.
"While this compound was built to contain the entirety of our original army," Davorian moves on, "I think we can all agree that this is not the ideal living situation for over fifty people. I've spoken with many of you, and it seems to be the common agreement that no one wants to live in this compound permanently."
I'm relieved. And, also, maybe a little jealous. For the last three years, I had my own apartment. And now, just yesterday, I gave up on that.
Maybe that was a mistake.
"While every single one of us hopes that the gate will react soon, there is no guarantee that the DarkVerse gatekeeper will be found quickly." He speaks the truth every one of us has thought, but hardly dared to speak aloud. "The gatekeeper, Jaxon Gray, is a reasonable man. His request was that we do not make him a prisoner here. While that is the temporary necessity, we have agreed that he will not be kept a prisoner here. He has however, agreed that he will stay close by. So, if the gate were to react, he would be close. There is hope. I have every reason to believe the gate will open sometime within his lifetime."
It's been there in the back of my brain, but I have pushed it away every time it has surfaced.
I am completely aware of the fact that in this verse, I am immortal, but Jaxon is not.
He will continue to age. Already, he is physically four years older than I am. I'm in this for the long haul. Jaxon is my person. But what happens when we are still here in ten years waiting for the gate to react? What happens in twenty years, when he appears to be in his mid-forties, and I still look twenty-two? What happens when he is sixty?
Davorian speaks of Jaxon's entire lifetime. How do I fit into that equation? What will it mean for the feelings that exist between us?
I shove those questions back down. They're not something I want to think about right now.
"Since we have no guarantee of what the timeframe will be, I think we all agree that we need to live our lives the best that we can," Davorian says. I look around at the others and it's obvious who has been in on these discussions. They look relieved. They nod in agreement. And once more, I’m reminded that I am an outsider right now. Once upon a time, I was privy to these kinds of discussions. I was consulted. My opinion mattered.
But everything is different now.
"There are two ultralights that have a permanent residence here in Las Vegas," Davorian explains. "We have been lucky with the two of them. They are aware of our presence in the area. But their focus has never been on giving us issues. As long as we keep our space between us, they leave us alone. So, we leave them alone. They are good at their jobs. But still, we need to be sensitive to the fact that they are here. I want us staying out of their way. It does us no good to have confrontations with them. All it will do is draw the attention of the Kindred."
Just the word sends a ripple of anger and anxiety through every single darkling in the room.
My brain turns back to my own recent confrontations with the Kindred.
There were two of them within a few blocks of me just two weeks ago. And I had no idea. They were looking for Jaxon. No doubt, when they finish trying to persuade the new ultralight that recently manifested near Seattle, they will come back for him. They will want to know why we have not yet released him.
I realize now that it should be painfully obvious. The only reason why we would keep an ultralight among us is if he were the gatekeeper.
Which he is.
"We all want to remain close to the gate," Davorian says as he continues this discussion. "So, if you want, I think a few of us can take up a permanent residence in the city of Las Vegas. But I think for the most part, it will be smarter if the majority of us find homes in Henderson."
Henderson is a residential suburb of Las Vegas. It's where the families live. It's where those who love the weather but hate the smell and skin of Las Vegas tend to settle.
It's a nice town. Quiet enough, good schools. Though after living in Las Vegas and having the life I have had for so long, it sounds a little boring to me.
But as I look around, it's obvious that some of us are ready for boring. They've all had a lifetime of hunting down ultralights, kidnapping them, dragging them here to the gate, testing them, and then having to travel back around the world and return them to their lives. All while trying not to get killed.