war he now waged against the Brotherhood? Had they not taken everything from him?
How can it be? He reflected on the very reasons he had had for abducting Airel in the first place. He knew how special she was; that’s why he took her. He knew she had to be set apart, protected, watched closely, instructed, trained. He had heard clearly what El had told him, that she was absolutely crucial to the turning of…historical events. He dared not allow his mind to dwell upon these, even in brief.
But all was lost.
How can that be possible?
Have I missed something, El? He drove on in silence as the sun set in the sundering west. I thought it would not be possible for her to die, ultimately, given what You told me. I thought I could protect her. I thought my efforts would be adequate.
He could think of the situation no longer. He had a limited endurance these days. He could take only so much reflection on Airel before he sank either into despair or rage.
He had to find someplace to stay that was crowded, somewhere he wouldn’t be noticed, somewhere the stolen Toyota would blend right in if parked for several days. He needed time to strategize and think.
He turned right with the light onto Atlantic in Muizenberg and drove a little way.
Then, on Alexander Road, he veered left. This is as fitting place as any.
There would be murders here; it was inevitable with Kreios. Soon.
CHAPTER XVI
Arabia, 1232 B.C.
IT WAS DARK. PERFECT.
Uriel sat on her bed and concentrated on the lesson uncle Yamanu had taught her the previous day. It had been incredible when he showed her how to use the gift of the Shadowers. Perhaps it is not the only gift I possess. But it is the most fun I have had in a long time, Uriel thought to herself.
Slowly as she focused her mind, the dense fog of the art descended upon her physical features. Unlike her uncle’s signature manifestation though, no mist, no cloud, no vapor attended it. No. As for Uriel, she simply disappeared from physical sight, even from spiritual sight. She was simply not there.
In time she would learn how to make other things disappear. Soon she would be able, with practice, to be able to render physical objects immaterial; she would be able to walk through drawn shades, closed doors, even walls.
But not tonight. Tonight was just a beginning.
Tonight she was not visible to the naked eye, whether that eye illuminated the face of man or angel or beast. Therefore, she crept as quietly as she was able to do from her uncle’s house, down the deserted city streets of Ke’elei, past the guards, up the inside of the main gate tower steps, across the city wall, and down the outside of it. The skidding scrambling noise she made as she slid down the face of the stones did attract some attention, but when the guards were unable to see anything, they continued on their rounds.
Overjoyed and elated with her new freedom, she set off in search of her beau. She didn’t know where to start other than right outside her doorstep. She had faith that the road would carry her there. Somehow. That was more than enough for her.
Though the tall redwood forest concealed her in its deep shadows, allowing her to rest her gift easy, conserving energy—for it did take a great deal of concentration for her to use the gift of shadowing—still, the deepness of the forest was threatening. In the back of her mind she was unsettled.
She talked a good game, especially to her dear father Kreios. If the truth be known though, she was still a scared little girl inside and she missed him terribly.
But what was done was done; what could she do now? There was no going home. She was a woman now and was restless to make her own decisions. Her father had to let her go eventually in any case. Perhaps she was like the tulips that pushed the late snows aside in early spring, sending their tender green shoots up to bloom audaciously before the season was quite yet ripe. It was not her fault that Kreios was not ready for her to depart. To bloom.
He would certainly not be ready for her to marry, either.
Ah, Subedei! She longed for him more than she could begin to say. As she reflected on her fantasy lover, her mind drifted and she became unguarded. She forgot that