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  Essence

  Natalie Jones

  Essence 2020 Natalie Jones

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  For Serena and Aleks.

  May your magic always live on in your hearts.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue: Magic

  Unsettling

  Stranger

  Secrets

  Assets

  The Long Version

  City of Angels

  Uncertainties

  Stonewalk

  At First Sight

  The Old Guard

  Hunting the Hunters

  Changing

  Undistracted

  With the Heart

  Heroes

  Just Outside Her Window

  One Step At A Time

  Transgressions

  Guarded

  Bad Intentions

  I Must Insist On It

  Gone Crazy

  What We Live For

  A New Chapter

  Making Deals

  Pax Vobiscum

  Inside

  Prologue: Magic

  13.5.2006

  “Do you believe in magic?”

  Her mother’s voice was warm. Her breath was sweet. The girl's heavy eyelids slowly closed. She forced them back open. She didn’t want to sleep. Her eyes burned. She wanted one more glimpse of her mother’s face.

  Raindrops softly tapped the window. The girl turned to look. Tiny beads of water stuck to the glass. Light flashed then thunder shook the house. She jerked and looked back at her mom with wide eyes. From the corner, one small lamp dimly lit the room. It clicked off when her father entered.

  The girl's mother wrapped her in a soft, woven blanket and gently rocked her. The comforting motion forced the girl’s eyes closed again.

  Jayde finally gave in to the sleep that had been threatening to overtake her. Do you believe in magic, her mother’s words echoed in her mind.

  It was the last thing she would ever hear her mother say.

  *****

  Where are you? Dax thought as he studied the road below.

  The Guardian leader shielded his onyx eyes from thick sheets of rain. Straw-colored hair stuck to his neck and shoulders. He pushed the wet strands from his face and searched the twinkling headlights. Car tires swooshed through standing water on the newly paved black asphalt. Yellow and white lines illuminated under street lights suspended in the air by gray poles bent like taut bows. The road wound through the canyon like a snake in a field.

  The five Guardians who joined Dax on the mission stood lower on the hill but with the same position - wings tucked in and hands shielding their eyes. They searched the freeway for the human Medium, even though Dax alone would be able to sense her presence. The woman was set to leave for the mountain cabin with her family just before sunset. Dax hoped she hadn’t been deterred by the spring storm. She was late.

  Dax wrung his hands. He had to take her tonight. The Defectors would only give his plan one chance, and he was lucky to have even gotten that. After all, taking the human against her will was more than just a violation of their oath - they had fought a war to stand against the very act he now intended to carry out. In a twisted way, he was lucky the Defectors had lost one of their last sources of Essence. The threat of death had made them all desperate. So, Dax had his chance. If the plan didn’t work, if he wasn’t able to pull it off, the Defectors would regret what they had done. They’d never give him a second chance.

  Dax checked the position of the other Guardians as he ran through the plan again in his mind. The others stood closely by Myst, his Second-in-Command. Short black hair stuck to her umber skin. She pulled a chestnut cloak tightly around her tall, muscular frame. Dax knew what she had done for him. When he first told her about the plan, her eyes flashed with hesitation. But the flames of her reluctance were quickly extinguished with the water of her own allegiance to him. She would always obey, and that was exactly why he had chosen her as his Second.

  As if she could feel his eyes on her, Myst turned and looked up the hill. “Any sign of her?”

  There was barely enough light for Dax to see her bold green eyes. “Not yet,” he spoke confidently like things were going exactly as he had expected. But time was running out.

  Myst turned away from her leader and looked to the other Guardians. Damien, a short and stocky fighter with shaggy brown hair, stood close to the massive and muscular Xavier. Xavier’s hair was almost identical to Damien’s except his was more sand than acorn. Both Guardians shifted their weight nervously as they searched the road.

  Gale and his companion Eve whispered to each other quietly. Eve’s bouncy brown, shoulder-length locks were drenched, and from behind in the dark, it was hard to tell who was who. Myst could distinguish them only by the colors they wore. Gale was in black, and Eve was in her signature purple cloak. Myst could feel their fear and growing skepticism. She had gone to extra lengths to get their agreement for the mission, but she still wasn’t sure they fully supported the plan. Not in their hearts anyway. Gale, in particular, had vociferously objected to the capturing of the Medium. It was a violation of the Defector’s core beliefs. But so is starvation, Myst had retorted when they had first discussed the plan. The argument worked. Just as she had done, Gale and the others suffocated the flames of their own resistance.

  “There!” Dax yelled. He slid down the side of the soggy hill until he stood next to the others. “I feel her.”

  Myst took a deep breath, relieved. “How close?”

  He pointed.

  Their eyes followed an invisible line from his fingertip to a small, red sedan cruising down the road.

  “Say when, Dax. We’re ready.” Myst pushed her cloak back over her shoulders, ready to open her wings.

  Dax extended his wings first, but before he could speak, a voice cut through the darkness behind them.

  “Leaving so soon?” A secret thrill lurked beneath the sharp tone.

  The Guardians turned in unison. A petite angel dropped from the air and pulled the hood of a black cloak from her face. Her red lips matched her eyes. She smiled. “But we’ve only just arrived.” Three more Mirus Hunters dropped down behind her. All held long, glistening metal swords.

  The Guardians stood in a line silently waiting. They had known it was possible their enemies would find them and the plan would be disrupted, but Dax wasn’t expecting Charese. It was a bigger setback than he wanted to admit. He glanced back at the car. It was still close. They’d need to be quick.

  “Ash,” Charese called to a pale, black-haired angel. He moved forward, next to her. His wide grin seemed permanent. “Take him.” She pointed a gloved finger towards Xavier.

  Xavier straightened his muscular frame then pulled a wood staff from his back and held it out in front of his chest. “Ready when you are.” He never shied from a fight.

  Ash stepped forward and slashed his sword through the air several times as a threat, but Xavier only winked, inviting the conflict.

  With only her mind, Charese took hold of Xavier’s weapon. It stuck in the air as if in cement, and when Ash lunged forward to strike, Xavier had no choice but to let go of the staff and side-step, allowing Ash’s blade to pass by his midsection.

  The other Guardians spread apart as they rushed up the hil
l, all holding their swords. Myst moved towards a muscular female angel with white hair and black eyes. Dax went towards Charese. Leader versus Leader. He screamed as he moved with wings partially opened to increase his momentum. His aggression forced Charese to take her mind off Xavier’s staff. She grabbed Dax’s feet with her thoughts instead, and he fell face-first into the mud. The distraction was just enough to allow Xavier the chance to retrieve his weapon. He grabbed it and blocked just as Ash’s sword reached his chest.

  Jace, a tall and lanky Hunter with awkward movements shot into the sky from behind Charese. He picked a spot behind the Guardians. His plan was to divide and conquer. When Jace landed, Gale spun on his heels to confront him but lost the grip on his sword. It slipped onto the muddy hillside. Jace recognized the blunder immediately, and with wings still fully extended, he shot toward Gale.

  Eve had been distracted by Charese’s presence but she turned in time to see Jace headed straight towards her companion. She stepped between the two, giving Gale a chance to recover his weapon. Jace slashed at her face, but she blocked then parried, bringing her own blade close to his neck. Jace ducked underneath the swift slice and shot back up into the air and out of view.

  “Gale, Damien!” Dax yelled. “The car.”

  Gale knew what Dax wanted. They had to carry out the plan, even though their Mirus enemies had arrived to stop them. Gale looked at Eve desperately. He didn’t want to leave her, not as she faced Jace and the other Hunters. His loyalties were divided, and he was paralyzed. The love of his life was in danger, and Charese - the Monster - the most powerful and evil angel alive, was near. How could he leave Eve behind?

  “Go!” Eve reassured him. “I’m fine.” She lifted her sword again, prepared for Jace to return.

  “Now!” Dax screamed again.

  Gale forced the fear from his mind. Eve was a capable fighter, and their mission was about to fail. Damien, who hadn’t entered the fight, was already halfway down the mountain headed towards the car with open wings. Gale turned and was gone.

  Dax got back to his feet. Charese still stood near, casually, as if there wasn’t a fight happening around her. She simply smiled.

  Dax yelled again and lifted his arm as a warning. Mud streaked down his face. Charese grabbed his feet with her mind and again sent him back into the mud.

  “Too easy,” she laughed. This time, she moved to Dax and pinned him to the ground with her foot. Some leader, she thought and raised her sword up over his body. But as she thrust the sword down for the fatal blow, Eve rushed in from the side and grabbed her by the waist. Charese’s sword flew from her grasp as they tumbled to the ground. When they landed, Charese unsheathed her dagger. Even though she was smaller than Eve, Charese prevailed in the struggle. She forced her way on top of the bigger but less skilled Guardian then leaned in to whisper. “Defector scum.” Her breath warmed Eve’s cheek. Before Eve could respond, Charese slipped her dagger under Eve’s ribs and into her heart. Eve gasped for air desperately. Charese twisted the blade and drove it in deeper.

  Eve’s vision faded, and she could no longer breathe. Acceptance washed over her. There was no longer fear, only a feeling she had to do everything in her power to help her friends. She pulled a small blade of her own from her braided leather belt and with all the energy she had left, drove it into Charese’s neck.

  Charese yelped and launched into the air. She dropped the dagger to cover her wound with both hands. Blood streamed through her fingertips. The wound burned and she ground her teeth together to suppress another scream. I hope you’re still alive. She wanted another shot at making Eve suffer. Charese dropped slowly back down to the mountainside next to Eve’s still body. She pulled her sword and dagger back into her hands with her mind then kneeled and looked closely into the lifeless eyes.

  A long, ear-piercing screech from tires on the freeway below interrupted the fight. Metal on metal contact sent sparks spraying from the side of the small sedan. The car the Guardians had watched from the hill slid along the edge of the freeway on its side until it crunched to a halt. The crash distracted them all.

  Charese stared at the car, still clutching her wounded neck. Jace and Ash moved forward to get a better look.

  “She’s dead.” Charese could sense the Medium, and she knew the human had been killed.

  Dax lowered his head. The mission had failed.

  Charese ran her fingertips over the cut on her neck. The skin had already started to pull together. The flow of blood slowed to a trickle. “I think you vagrants needed that Medium more than we did.” Charese rose back into the air. “Let’s go, boys.”

  “Wait!” Ash still faced Xavier. Both angels were covered in mud, and Xavier’s arm had been cut in two places. “Let’s finish them.”

  Charese looked at the blood on her hands. Her neck throbbed. “It’s not worth it. The human is dead.” She rose higher and disappeared. The others followed except for Ash. He didn’t move. “When we meet again, make sure to have that staff, you roach.” Ash pointed to Xavier’s weapon. “I’d like to show you a magic trick. You bring one weapon and leave with two. If you leave at all.”

  “Haven’t you heard?” Xavier flipped the staff in his hands several times. ”Two is better than one.”

  Ash watched Xavier then snorted. “Sure thing, maggot.” He rose into the air and flew south, the way the others had gone.

  ***

  It took the Guardians only seconds to reach the crash below where Gale and Damien stood by the demolished car. Each human had been pulled from the wreckage, and two of them were clearly dead. The man’s bloodied face was unrecognizable. The woman's body was crumpled. Her limbs turned out awkwardly at unnatural angles. A small child about four years old was still alive. She sat with folded legs where the angels had placed her at the side of her road. Her plump face was red, and her eyes squeezed shut as she cried.

  Dax stood by the woman, staring as if stuck in a catatonic state.

  “What happened?” Water splashed under Myst’s feet as she landed next to Gale.

  “It didn’t work,” Gale answered. “Instead of pulling to the side of the road, we startled her. She crashed.”

  “That’s her?” Myst pointed to the woman.

  “Yeah,” he said. “That was her. Our first Medium.”

  Sirens rang out in the distance. The sound pulled Dax from his trance. “We’ll find another.” He had already begun preparing arguments for why he should have another chance. “Let’s go back for Eve then get back to Stonewalk.”

  Gale looked around. “Where’s Eve?” He shouted to Dax. Dax looked away. Gale looked to the others. Xavier avoided eye contact, and when his eyes met Myst’s he knew the answer.

  “I’m sorry, Gale. There was nothing we could do.” She looked away and headed back up the hillside behind Dax and Xavier.

  Gale dropped to his knees. He wanted to scream but remained silent. He never should have left her. He’d never be able to forgive himself.

  Damien went to his friend’s side. “I’m sorry.” He kneeled and put his hand on Gale’s shoulder.

  “This is my fault.” Gale held back tears.

  “It wasn’t your fault,” Damien whispered. “You did what Dax ordered you to do.”

  Gale recalled the events, his jaws clenched. Deep down, he knew it was a bad idea to leave Eve. He shouldn’t have listened to Dax. In fact, he shouldn’t have gone along with the abhorrent plan in the first place. Maybe it was a sort of karma. He knew stealing the Medium was wrong, but when the others decided to go along with it - when Eve decided she would help, he felt obligated to follow. Never again, he thought. Never again will I follow orders I don’t believe in.

  “Let’s go,” Damien tried to push him on. The others had already left, and if the Mirus decided to return, they’d be vulnerable.

  Two cars, each driven by a single driver, pulled to the side of the road. A man jumped out of a tiny, blue car. He rushed to the scene. Twenty feet back, a woman stepped out of her yellow S
UV. Her cell phone was glued to her face. Her eyes were wide with terror. Neither human knew the angels were there.

  Gale stood and walked to the child who still sat at the edge of the road. His mind was in a fog, clouded by guilt. Gale had been older than this child when he lost his own parents. Maybe the little girl wouldn’t remember. Gale pictured his father being stabbed during the war. He tried to push the image from his mind. The memory of his parents’ deaths was unfaded. It still haunted him. He wished he could have done more to save them. And now there was Eve. He had failed her too.

  Gale crouched in front of the girl. Their eyes met and she stopped crying. She looked directly into his eyes and reached her tiny arms out towards him as if asking him to pick her up.

  “She sees me!” he called out to Damien who had been watching silently.

  “What?” Damien couldn’t hear over the loud sloshing of the passing car tires. He approached and crouched next to Gale.

  “She sees me,” Gale said again.

  Damien looked at the girl and recognized it immediately. Unlike the other humans who circled the scene unaware of Gale and Damien’s presence, the little girl was looking straight at the angels curiously and holding her arms out to them.

  “Well,” Damien said, “Like mother, like daughter I guess. We can go tell the others, but taking a Medium so young is going to be problematic.”

  “Take her?” Gale kept his eyes on the girl. “No! We aren’t going to take her. We aren’t going to tell the others about her either.”

  “We aren’t?” Damien stood, anxious to leave. The others would be back inside the safe, warm walls of Stonewalk soon, and here he was drenched and cold on the side of a human road. The Mirus knew they were there, and the last thing Damien wanted was a fight, especially a fight with Charese.

  “I just cost this girl her parents. I’m responsible for their deaths. I’m the one who startled them. I need to make things right.” Gale looked up at his friend. “I won’t let another person die. I’ve killed too many already.”