The ground quaked beneath us, vibrating the floor. Storm teetered on her feet, bracing herself against the wall, while Honor sat down, extending his hands as if he would hold up the walls if they collapsed.
“If we feel it here,” Nightmare said, turning to Darkness.
Darkness gave him a single nod before taking my hand in his. “Remy, we must go.”
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
Storm, Honor, Nightmare, and Darkness walked around me as if they were my bodyguards. I felt ridiculous stepping into the shed wearing all of the artifacts, but the feelings vanished the minute we arrived on Earth.
The skies were blacker than I’d ever seen. Thunder rolled as lightning crashed and rain poured down on us in vicious waves. I had only one thought when I saw the violent weather… Aunt Joyce.
I wanted to go to her and make sure she was safe, but there wouldn’t be an Aunt Joyce to go to if we didn’t stop the war. If we stopped it, I’d be able to go to her afterward.
“I recognize this area,” I said as Darkness protectively placed his hand on my back.
“Oh?” he asked, carefully scanning the area.
“We’re close to Noah’s house,” I said, chewing my cheek.
The ground rocked. We’d only felt tremors in the Between, but here, the ground shook so hard it was nearly impossible to stay upright.
“The Oracle was right. It’s begun,” Darkness said, gesturing toward an area in the woods that remained illuminated after a lightning strike.
As we headed closer, I could hear the distant screams, cries, and shrieks echoing as the battle raged. After several steps, something caught my foot and sent me falling to the ground. Urgently, the others picked me up and looked me over to make sure everything was in place.
“What is that?” I asked, squinting at the blob on the ground.
Storm’s eyes glowed, lightly illuminating the area around us. On the ground, there was a deceased, mangled demon with black furry skin oozing an inky, sticky substance onto the grass.
Nightmare pointed to different lumps scattered across the surrounding area. “They are everywhere.”
“That is a lot of them,” Honor mumbled. “The Light must be winning.”
Nightmare picked up what appeared to be a deflated golden balloon that emitted a gentle flicker. “Lots of them around here, too.”
“This is bad,” Darkness said.
“There is so much happening,” Storm said, pressing her fingers to her temples. “Violent storms everywhere. It’s hard to concentrate.”
Darkness placed his hand on her shoulder. “Stay calm so as not to make it worse. They are not your storms.”
“Still, I can feel it,” she said, clenching her teeth.
“Use it to fight,” Darkness said, peering into the distance.
I shook my head. “I don’t know how to fight.”
“Keep your head clear, and have faith that the artifacts will guide you,” Honor said.
“They aren’t doing anything!” I said, balling my hands into fists. “It feels like I’m just walking right into my grave. Why can’t this be easy?”
Storm wrapped her arms around her middle. “It’s different for all of us. We had more time to come to terms with everything than you do.”
“I can feel it inside me bubbling like a hot pot of stew,” Darkness said, holding out his fingers as bits of dust and debris swirled around, growing larger as he stared at it. “All I have to do is think, and it happens.”
“Can you do anything?” I asked.
Darkness shook his head. “No. I use particles. Nightmare can use mind control, and Storm can manipulate the weather.”
In the distance, a blood-curdling scream ripped through the air, sending shivers down my spine. The surrounding shadows seemed more sinister as we once again started toward the battle.
“What did Calista do?” I asked, wrapping my hand around the medallion as it warmed my wrist.
Nightmare shrugged. “I’m not sure. As far as I know, she never had to use them.”
“She just always kept things in order. She treated everyone with kindness and fairness. Calista was a good listener who just seemed to know how to solve problems,” Storm said, clearing her throat.
“Great,” I said, letting out a heavy sigh. “Basically, no one knows what I’m supposed to do.”
Darkness pressed his lips together. “Perhaps you just need to be there. We will fight for you. This isn’t your war. I will do anything and everything to keep you safe.”
“As will I,” Honor replied, pressing his hand to his heart.
“Us too, of course,” Nightmare added.
My eyes focused on the warm medallion around my wrist. “I just wish there was something more I could do to help. All this work to convince me that I’m Balance reborn or whatever, and I can’t even do anything helpful.”
