Legends (To Absolve the Fallen Book 3) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  Legends

  by: Aaron Babbitt

  Copyright 2012

  Dedicated to Dr. Cindy Heider and Nancy Karraker, two women who have always inspired me.

  A special thanks to Taylor Talbott for the use of his moving and original lyrics, and to the entire band, Nisus, for the inspiration of my characters.

  Prologue

  The United States Attorney General, Albert O’Riley, stood before at least fifty reporters and attempted to compose himself. Ever since the news that had come from Missouri and the mysterious attacks on large groups of people around the world, the Administration had become reclusive, not wanting to confront the issue yet. The Press Secretary had been holding off the storm for as long as she could, but now it was time to give the people what they wanted.

  O’Riley cleared his throat. “Ladies and gentlemen of the press, my fellow Americans: Today, I come to you because a threat against our national security has been brought to my attention. As you may have heard, people in the area of Kansas City, Missouri are claiming to have seen strange occurrences. A man has been shown on the news who believes that there is a battle raging between the forces of Heaven and the forces of Hell. There has been footage of what appear to be devils, or something.”

  Chuckling, as he had been instructed, to show a lightening of his mood, he continued, “To the best knowledge of the United States Government, this is not happening. A clever combination of hoaxes and easily corruptible reporters has put the country in an uproar. I would like to believe that if Armageddon were nigh, we would be able to confirm it for you. Please, do not let these people create any kind of undue panic.”

  Then, he made his face serious again. “However, the people who started these rumors are not harmless. We have been tracking a series of attacks in other parts of the world that may be connected to groups forming in Kingstone, Missouri and Las Vegas, Nevada. I am launching a full-scale investigation into these cells. If the authorities in those areas choose to begin immediately, we advise them to proceed with caution. They may exhibit many cult-like qualities, and the people of your communities could be what they’re after.

  “We’ve been asked what ordinary citizens can do to protect their loved ones against this kind of incursion. It’s simple: Institute neighborhood watches in your communities. Talk to your children, and know where they’re going. Try to have everyone inside before it gets dark. Report any kind of suspicious behavior as soon as you see it. Just be vigilant.

  “We’re going to find these people and put an end to their campaign of fear and potential violence. You have my word. Are there any questions?”

  As soon as the question left his mouth, hands shot up all around the room. Of course he didn’t actually plan to answer any of their questions, but they got irate if they weren’t even asked.

  Chapter 1

  It’s strange how music can simultaneously be an expression of the soul and a manipulator of it. Musicians pour years of creative energy into their craft, in order for the sounds to better please us. The songs they give us come charged with their own emotions, and the good ones are those that speak to our own feelings the most. Nisus had an advantage. It, more than any other band of its time, spoke to the mood of its audience. Of course, a good deal of that can be credited to their supernatural abilities. Creating the mood one’s audience is in makes it much easier to speak to it.

  --Abigail Martin, Through the Eyes of a Martyr

  Abbie ran to the three children as they exited the car. They all looked tired in different ways. Though they were supposed to be on holiday, it was apparent that their troubles traveled with them. Their pain followed only a few steps behind, close enough that, if they were to stop, the sorrow would catch up and consume them.

  They ran to her as well. In a collision, the four prophets found themselves entwined with each other in an embrace of happiness and relief. In a strange way, it was almost like they were home again. For the length of a memory, they could feel like this was secure. Their minds could focus on this reunion.

  “I’m so sorry about London,” Liz said.

  “I am too,” Abbie agreed. “Alas, there is nothing we can do to right that wrong. We can only rejoice in the living, and I am ecstatic that you three have not come to harm that could not be mended.” With the last statement, she shot a playfully scolding look at Matt.

  “And you, Alex,” she continued, “are exceeding everybody’s expectations. I understand you spoke with Lucifer.”

  “You know, he waited until the plane ride here to tell me that,” Matt protested. “And everything else,” he went on in a hushed voice, “including that Lucifer is the one I stabbed.”

  “Many other disturbing things too,” Elizabeth added. “This is getting too big for us, Abbie. What are we going to do?”

  “We’ll keep a lookout for friends,” Abbie retorted with a grin, “and embrace them when we meet.” With that, she squeezed the three of them together in a comforting, protective hug.

  “It’s not surprising I wasn’t invited to the group hug,” Jeremiah’s sardonic tone rang from the mansion’s doorway. “I’m not really much of a hugging kind of person anyway.”

  “It’s good to see you again, Jeremiah,” Alex offered, “even though it’s only been a few hours since we spoke.”

  “It is good to see you,” Matt seconded.

  “Even I’m glad to see you,” Liz confessed with a laugh. “I must say, I kind of took your presence for granted. It’s a little scary being so far away.”

  Jeremiah was approaching at a leisurely pace. “I understand you all are doing very well for yourselves.”

  “It hasn’t been easy,” Matt replied.

  “I imagine not,” the demon agreed. “But this is the job you were trained to carry out. Whatever happens, there is a strategy at play here that is bigger than any of us realize. You can rest assured that you aren’t making it easy for them either. Prophets are coming together in a way they never have before.”

  “That was actually more of Metatron’s doing,” Alex reminded him.

  “See what I mean? Your work has already been done for you, and he may not even realize the error in his tactics. What you have done is of further importance. You’ve given them somewhere to go. The three of you have set up a proverbial beacon that other prophets won’t be able to ignore. And here, this whole time, you thought you were just staying alive.”

  “A beacon?” Elizabeth replied, lost in her thoughts.

  Alex turned to her with a look of confusion on his face. “What?”

  “Jeremiah, is there anyone still working in my lab?” Elizabeth asked.

  “A few people go in and out of there to keep an eye on Angel Technologies, and I have some techs in the building, your best assistants, to keep the computers in the mansion running efficiently. But, since you’ve been gone, no one has set up shop in there. Why do you ask?”

  “My computer, has anyone touched it?” Elizabeth inquired as she started walking briskly to the mansion.

  “No,” the demon called to her back. “I gave express orders to stay away from it.”

  Jeremiah, baffled, looked at the rest of the prophets for an answer. Alex shrugged his shoulders and turned to follow.

  “I think I know where this is going,” Abbie said excitedly as she, too, joined the procession, almost running
to catch up.

  ***

  Pastor Daniel Green stood behind a white marble pulpit; his eyes were closed, and his lips moved inaudibly. After five seconds, his eyes slowly opened, and a welcoming, peaceful smile formed over his face.

  His British accent was slight, unobtrusive, and his tone was calm and commanding. “My friends, I am honored to stand before you in this, our time of triumph. Can you feel the forces of darkness and hatred? They are afraid of us because they know that we have already won.”

  There were four television cameras catching every move Dan made. Five hundred mortals and nearly a hundred prophets sat in an auditorium that could easily hold eight times that many people. They filled about a quarter of the seats on the bottom level. The balconies, as well as many of the floors above the ground floor, were unfinished. And, for the time being, it was fine. The congregation would not be large enough to necessitate a building this big for some time, but eventually it would happen.

  Two of his deacons, who—like he—had been faithful apprentices to Abigail Martin, used mental powers they had learned from Abbie to gauge the effect the speech was having on the crowd. However, all prophets had been ordered to refrain from manipulating any mortal’s reaction to Dan Green’s sermons through the use of supernatural powers. Indeed, he didn’t even possess any powers to manipulate emotion.

  “People must be allowed to choose for themselves,” Daniel had said to his deacons as they planned this first sermon, “no matter how boring I may be.”

  Now, Dan stood before his small, but intrigued congregation, letting the words he’d just uttered sink in.

  “We’ve won,” he repeated. “Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Daniel Green, and I have been asked to pastor the Bastion of Hope. And, before I get started, I would like to thank the brave producers of Prometheus Broadcasting, who, among many other producers, were bullied by the United States Attorney General, Albert O’Riley, to not air this message to you and did not succumb to the pressure. And I offer another special thanks to those who can be here with me in this unfinished auditorium. Your presence with me today means more than you know.

  “Please excuse the state of affairs in this building, but we have been remodeling. Soon, we hope that it will be a little more presentable. However, this is one sign of victory—this building. As long as it stands, and as long as we occupy it, we have won the battle over the darkness that would eclipse the illumination of enlightenment and peace.

  “No matter what you may believe they are, there are powerful, evil entities who wish to enslave us. Complete conquest is their goal, but there is one whom they fear, one whom they cannot hope to defeat. Alex Tanner and his allies fight for us here and in Missouri.

  “Though our enemies are strong, they are not strong enough. They know that a line is being drawn that they will not be permitted to cross. That line runs through this church and through Kingstone, Missouri. It’s a line that can only be crossed if we let it be crossed.

  “We have the power to hold them back, and that, my friends, is what the foes of mankind and goodness dread the most. I invite every person who can see me, every person who can hear my voice, to help me enforce the line in this place. Our strength can only come from the unity of like minds. Our faith, secure in a force that is greater than those who seek to destroy us, will carry us through this tribulation, but our determination to drive the evil back is the only hope to provide a safer world for our children.

  “I don’t intend to preach to you about God or afterlife. I offer no salvation for your souls. I can’t promise that no harm comes to good people. I’m not trying to start a revolution against beings you may or may not believe in. I don’t want anyone in this sanctuary to feel pressured or manipulated into something. I’m just doing my job, getting up here and relaying the way I see things. We will be here to defend the line as long as we are alive and needed. The people of this city may always consider us friends, and we ask nothing in return.

  “Feel free to come and rejoice life with us or to help us hold the line. Our doors are always open. You don’t have to believe in us; we’ll still be right here.”

  The prophets led an ovation that soon overtook the crowd. The mortals seemed to like the message, but they weren’t exactly filled with the spirit. It didn’t matter though. The purpose of this airing was introductions. Truly moving the people to action came later, when there was more at stake.

  Dan looked directly into the nearest camera and added, “To all of my brothers and sisters who wander through the wildernesses of this world, longing to be with kindred spirits, and hoping to survive another day: You are welcome too. Until the day when we can all be reunited, you will be in the forefront of my thoughts and prayers.

  “May the light of righteousness always pierce the darkness.”

  Dan bowed his head out of respect and solemnity, turned, and sat down in his chair. Another man, someone Dan had only met once, stood to continue along the “inspirational and enlightening” theme he pushed on his deacons. Evidently, they’d risen to the occasion. Many speakers had volunteered for the opening of the church that Jeremiah had named Bastion of Hope. A diverse cross-section of prophets wanted to testify to what they’d seen, to the role that prophets play in everyday life, and Pastor Green thought that was a good idea.

  He swore that this church would begin serving the people, whether it was finished or not. After all, the demons were not going to allow them time to complete the building, and an attack could come without warning, so there was no time to lose. In two hours, the message he had given would be sent, along with the testimonies, through all Prometheus Broadcasting radio and television stations in the world. It would be translated into twenty different languages. In three more days, he would transmit another message.

  Jeremiah had been perturbed when Dan and Abbie asked him if they could broadcast immediately. He hadn’t planned to broadcast for another week, but the logic was sound, and the prophets won out. The demon pulled some strings to give them what they wanted.

  Now, Dan felt compelled to make the project a success. The people of this city and the rest of the world would need prophets to guide and protect them in the times to come. Prophet presence in Las Vegas definitely made it a target for a demonic strike, but that presence also gave the city the only means by which it could withstand—or even, perhaps, repel—such a strike.

  For better or worse, prophets had immigrated—and would continue to immigrate—to Las Vegas. They had to have a safe place to congregate, and the people of Vegas would need somewhere to run, someone to look to, when things got bad. Dan Green would give them that place. He didn’t know if history would remember him as a hero, villain, or nothing at all, but he knew his role to play.

  Now, more than ever, as another prophet stood on stage and gave his own testimony, Dan better understood Abbie’s choice for him to lead the church. He wasn’t a particularly charismatic person. Indeed, he was often described as “gruff.” But people somehow knew to rally behind him. Pastor Dan had a military background. As such, it had seemed a little strange that he would be picked, when there were so many other reasonable choices. Then, it dawned on him; Abbie was certain of a fight.

  Of course, this wasn’t the first time he’d been chosen to protect an embattled locale, though never one as perilous as the current one. He knew that death was a probable outcome here, but the ground must be held. If Vegas fell, many mortals and prophets would die; fear would sweep the United States—and probably the world; and Kingstone would stand alone.

  Things were about to get very bad for everyone. Dan knew this was a lull, a regrouping time. The demons had made many strikes against prophets all over the world, and so far the stories remained relatively quiet. It wouldn’t happen that way in Las Vegas. Jeremiah had no intention of going quietly. Prometheus’s clandestine owner had done a fabulous job of putting both Vegas and Kingstone in the public eye. Jeremiah was preparing for a full-scale invasion, and he wanted the world to see it.

 
; Sometimes that demon really did have good ideas.

  ***

  She hadn’t even thought about it since she left Las Vegas. Now, Elizabeth stood in front of her computer, the one she had a thought-provoking and utterly terrifying conversation with about two weeks ago.

  At her behest, it had not been touched. She was afraid of what other people could do to it and what it could do to them.

  The same instant message box appeared with one line of text: “I missed you.”

  Elizabeth gasped softly and looked around at the others in the room with her. Only Jeremiah and Abbie had known about Liz’s encounter. Alex and Matt, following Elizabeth’s gaze, read the message, then looked back to her questioningly.

  She said nothing, but went to the computer and sat before the keyboard.

  “I’m sorry I left without much explanation,” she typed. “And for not taking you with me,” she added.

  “You’re scared,” came the reply. “I came on a little strong.”

  Elizabeth laughed nervously. “I’d like to try something,” she wrote after a moment to absorb the perceptiveness of her computer. “But I want to know how you...feel about it.”

  No reply came, and Liz continued. “I want to take you back to Kingstone with me. When I put this computer—you—together, I installed an uninterruptible power supply. I don’t know if you’re a program or some sentient part of my computer, but you don’t have to worry about being without power for the trip.”

  The response was short. “A program?”

  “Software,” Elizabeth typed. “I want to be careful with you until I figure out what’s safe and what isn’t.”

  “Could I be both a program and sentient? Could I be more than both?”

  Elizabeth turned to look at the others, the same questions evident in her eyes. Alex seemed to be lost in his thoughts again. Matt seemed to consider the conundrums, but had no answer. Jeremiah only watched with mild interest. Abigail, though, had a theory.