Chapter 27

 

The helicopter lifted off from the Cape and turned due east, piloted once again by Alexandria and Gaius’ forms. Alex and Gaius’ true bodies sat just behind them, in the same seats they had occupied before, saying nothing but holding tightly to each other’s hands. Alex focused her full concentration on flying them safely away, while Gaius actively scanned the terrain they flew over for danger.

After thirty minutes in the air, Gaius released her hand momentarily to call the airport in Nuremberg, Germany. A stop had already been arranged at the hub to refuel the aircraft, but the date was left open according to their supposed vacation schedule. To mortals, they would appear to be wealthy young people, enjoying the benefits of their unencumbered schedules and possessions, moving on whenever it suited them.

Alex rose while he talked on his phone and slid one of the coolers closer to their seats. She took out food and drinks, feeling her body’s needs overcome her heart and mind’s unease from the attack. Gaius smiled briefly at her as she began to eat, reaching out to smooth his palm over her hair. Alex smiled in return, but continued to chew.

 

The S-92 had been in the air a little over two and a half hours as they passed slightly south of Frankfurt. They were just crossing over of a thick section of mountainous forests, when Alex felt resistance in the helicopter’s controls. She allowed Gaius to feel what she was sensing through their mental connection, and he asked her to give him control of his form once more.

“What’s happening?” Alex asked as she fought to maintain control of the S-92.

“Something’s wrong with the tail rotor, and that does not happen with this model unless it’s been tampered with. Hold on, Alex. This is going to get a bit rough,” Gaius said, and then ceased to speak as he worked to keep them in the air.

Alex smelled smoke and knew that they had more to contend with than just a problematic component or two. Gaius stood and walked to the back of the cabin and began to look for signs of fire. He took a fire extinguisher in hand, and worked on two fronts to stop the helicopter from failing. Alex offered to take the canister from him so he could focus on the controls and he nodded, then handed it over to her. But he continued to watch for other areas of smoke and fire encroaching while his mind fought to keep them airborne.

There was a violent shudder through the entire cabin and the S-92 lurched, throwing Alex and Gaius off balance momentarily. He caught her and directed their fall onto a nearby sofa, cushioning her body with his. Alex held the extinguisher up so that it did not strike his chest, but before she could regain her feet, the aircraft listed hard to the right.

“Alex, we have to get out of here,” Gaius said, moving her off of his body and quickly rising from the sofa.

“What?” she asked in shock.

“We can do this, love. It’s no different than leaping from the deck of the Fuga or our balcony at Aeoferth. Trust me,” he said, reaching for her hand.

“I do,” she said, though she knew her voice betrayed her. Alex was honestly terrified, but she placed her hand firmly in Gaius’.

Gaius brought Alex closer to the door with him, and she used her free hand to steady her as they walked along the slanted slope. He looked around and used his ability to move all of their cases and coolers alongside them.

“Alex, secret all of our gear away in your aura, and when we jump, command your power to safely deliver it to our side. Just as it sent all of the rough diamonds from the mine in Africa to Ahadi’s front door. Picture that, and your aura will comply. Can you do that?” he asked, as the helicopter made a terrible rending noise and alarms began to sound throughout the cabin and cockpit.

“I can, Gaius,” she said as she intoned to her Light what she needed from it now.

Gaius wrapped an arm firmly around Alex’s waist, and laid his left hand on the door’s controls. She saw his chest rise and fall as he drew in a deep breath.

“Wrap your arms around my neck and no matter what, love, do not let go of me. We’ll be pulled out, Alex, but trust me to get us to the ground safely. All I need you to do is hold to me and command our forms to follow us. Have them duplicate my every move,” he said, staring into her eyes as he gave her his instructions.

“I’m not letting go. Go ahead, Gaius, and jump,” Alex mentally answered.

She gave him a final, resolute nod and he did in return as he opened the door without further delay.

Alex gasped as they were forcefully pulled from the cabin, but she felt both of Gaius’ arms around her body holding her firmly against him and she knew they would make it somehow. She kept her eyes open while she also mentally watched their forms unhook their safety belts and take the same leap of faith.

The ground rapidly approached, and all Alex could see were dense sections of trees below their feet initially. She prayed as never before that Gaius would have the power he needed to slow their descent. She felt him do just that within the next breath, as his power engulfed them and their bodies were freed from gravity’s pull. She tightened her hold on him and he on her.

Branches whipped by as he lowered them in between several towering trees. Alex felt them hover for just a second – one that stretched far longer than a second should, she thought – then their feet gracefully touched the earth. Their forms were right behind them, imitating their every move. Alex began to lessen her hold, but Gaius kept her against him as he threw them to the ground.

He fell onto his back, cushioning her fall again, then immediately rolled her underneath him. Alex looked up into his eyes just as the sound of their helicopter crashing quite near them ended the early morning silence of the German forest. An explosion rocketed through the trees, and Alex felt the blast of sound and heat roll over where Gaius had them safely cocooned under his power.

“Don’t move, Alex,” he mentally said, raising his head to look around. She watched him scan the terrain and when he was satisfied they were alone, Gaius refocused on her face.

“We made it,” she sighed with relief and smiled.

“Yes, we did, sweetheart,” he said, and smoothed her hair as he leaned in to give her a quick, but tender kiss. “Come with me. We cannot remain here for long.”

He quickly regained his feet and steadied Alex as she rose from the ground. They brushed the dirt off of one another and moved over to where their luggage was. He retrieved their swords first, then Gaius located a thick coat for each of them. Their forms did the same with the extra suitcases brought along for them.

Alex zipped her jacket all the way up and turned the collar up too, so more of her neck was covered from the frigid air. Gaius told her to instruct her power to keep their cases secreted away and to have it all travel along behind them. Alex issued the command, and she watched as it all lifted from the ground and trailed along in their wake as they started forward.

Gaius took them over to where the wreckage was, and they looked at the smoldering remains of the S-92. Alex got a good view of what was left of their aircraft; and she shook her head in disbelief that they had escaped as they had, sustaining no injuries from a crash that would have killed a mortal. Gaius took his mobile in hand and called Nassor, for his team had been the closest, stationed at Gunther’s German abode. He was not kept waiting long, and within just two rings he had their fellow immortal on the line.

Gaius explained what had happened and received confirmation that Nassor’s group was indeed already in Hungary. Ahadi and Rohan’s groups had also touched down, and Elrick’s team from Valencia was expected to land within the next twenty minutes. Gaius listened to Nassor while he reached into Alex’s pocket and slipped her mobile out. He activated the GPS on her phone and gave Nassor precise coordinates for their location.

The two men talked through their options while Alex took over the watch, scanning the terrain for encroaching danger. It was finally decided they would make their way southwest, to the nearby town of Dammbach and rent a car. From there, he and Alex would drive east to Nuremberg. The time it would take them to complete those steps, would allow several of their brethren to leave Budapest in one of the Nephilim’s smaller Piaggio planes and retrieve them.

Gaius thanked Nassor as he ended the call, and then placed Alex’s mobile back in her pocket. He noticed that his copy was doing the same thing he was, and he chuckled aloud. Gaius reached for Alex and took her hand in his.

“Sweetheart, we have to hide this wreckage before we move out of the area. There would be too many questions if we leave it behind. I can do this with your help,” Gaius mentally told her.

“Of course. Tell me what you need, Gaius,” she said softly into his mind.

“Have your form take my copy’s hand, and let it appear that we’re combining our power to accomplish this. But here, under your cloak, we will truly combine our auras and send all of this to the North Sea.”

“What about our stop in Nuremberg to refuel? Won’t they miss us when we don’t arrive?” she asked.

“No, Nassor has already tasked John, Gunther, and Archimedes with making the necessary calls. They’ll have the airport and any officials who might have spotted us going down believe that we purposely set down here. But the wreckage cannot remain for that story to prove plausible. Follow me mentally, and we’ll have all of this removed within minutes.”

“Alright,” she said and nodded, and then let him lead her power through their connection.

Alex looked on as Gaius’ power billowed out of his body and encircled what was left of the helicopter. He funneled it through their copies, so that it looked as though their forms were generating the cloud of Celestial power. Gaius pulled just enough of Alex’s power out of her to give his the needed increase in strength necessary to lift the wreckage, and sent it flying over the incredible distance to the North Sea.

She tilted her head back and watched as it all left the forest. Alex blew out a heavy sigh while her Light worked alongside Gaius’ to see the effort through, and he glanced down at her when he heard the sound. Gaius squeezed her fingers as he studied her eyes. He could see clear evidence of the fatigue that had been steadily building within her over the last few days. But Alex noticed his inspection and she put a smile on her face as she winked at him.

“Alright, which way?” she asked, hoping to redirect his acute focus on her.

“Southwest,” he said, smiling gently over her obvious ploy to distract him. “We’ll take a few moderate leaps at a time. We only need to travel a little over four kilometers to Dammbach. But, it’s not yet six a.m., so we’ll have to wait in the edge of the forest a little longer before the rental store opens.”

“Lead the way,” Alex said, still grinning despite it all.

Gaius pulled her a little closer and tenderly brushed his lips across hers before he turned and led them from the area.

 

Their forms stayed just behind their actual positions, and their cases followed along as well, invisible to any mortal or immortal who might be watching their progress. Both Alex and Gaius continuously surveyed the forest for danger, but found none as they worked their way closer to the small town nearest them. Gaius kept Alex’s hand firmly held in his, and she drew strength from just the promise that his nearness brought.

When they were finally within one last leap of Dammbach, Gaius halted their progress. They took cover there on the edge of the wooded area, and he moved one of the coolers closer to their position. Alex looked on as he began to unpack breakfast for them, and she smiled at his thoughtfulness. She scooted herself nearer and helped him with the impromptu meal.

They ate quietly, still focusing on surveying the area for the enemy. Alex packed their trash away without a word and moved over to their luggage to find her gloves. She mentally offered Gaius his and he thanked her, then took them in hand while she looked further for their scarves. Once she was a little warmer, Alex came back to sit atop a piece of luggage next to where Gaius was perched.

Together, they watched the sun rise and light begin to filter through the forest. Sounds of activity in the nearby houses and shops could be heard from where they awaited their chance to move forward. Gaius kept one of Alex’s hands in his as the hours slowly ticked by, his form doing the same to her copy.

 

Alex felt her eyelids growing heavy, and she asked her aura to give her needed resilience. It was neither the time nor place for her to fall asleep. She felt Gaius’ fingers squeeze hers as he watched her effort to remain awake. Alex grinned, but her smile immediately fell away. She sensed them just as she saw his eyes narrow.

“We have company,” he said tightly, and she nodded that she felt them too.

Gaius leapt to his feet and Alex did within the next breath. Gaius strode quickly away from their cases and Alex followed him as she lifted her sword. She directed their copies to imitate their movements, so that all four of them were armed and ready, though they were over ten meters apart.

“Alex, get behind me and stay there. Have our forms do the same and let me retain control of my copy,” he instructed mentally, in the unyielding tone he used when great danger encroached directly on her.

Alex said nothing, only moved behind his body. She knew she still had to appear weak, but she only wanted to shelter them both in that moment and it was so hard for her to play the part. Gaius backed up several steps until Alex was sandwiched between his body and a very large tree trunk. She lightly settled her hand on his shoulder, and felt him reach back with his left hand and briefly pat her hip. But Gaius stopped almost as soon as he had touched her and gripped the hilt of his sword.

“Follow my lead, Alex, and be ready to play along. This won’t be easy, love, so stay strong,” Gaius mentally whispered to her.

“I will, Gaius. You too,” she whispered in return.

The children of the Fallen were almost upon them, and Alex felt eleven fanning out and steadily working their way through the trees in their direction. Her eyes become extremely focused and Alex knew they were glowing with Ganymede’s golden Light as the enemy threatened her very heart. She asked her form to only convey the power Arianna had and not what she had been gifted with in her current lifetime, though, as she also tried to guard that secret while the Fallen watched it all play out yet again.

 

“Gaius,” one named Feylak drawled, grinning widely as he assumed the lead and stepped out ahead of the other ten.

Gaius said nothing through his form, he only watched as Feylak took another step closer.

“What, not going to talk to me, mate?” he asked, angling his head as he attempted to see Alex’s form tucked behind Gaius’ body. “Come now, you can’t think to keep her behind you all day. Let the wife step out and say hello.”

“Alex, stay exactly where you are. Do not listen to him,” Gaius instructed, his tone a dangerous one now.

Every dark immortal down their line laughed aloud at Gaius’ command. Several shook their heads as they glanced at one another.

“I must commend you,” Feylak said, bowing slightly toward Gaius. “You have her well trained, Gaius. Finally,” he added, and took yet another step in their direction.

“Come no closer, Feylak. You are not going to take her, so don’t try,” Gaius stated firmly.

“Really, old friend? And who will stop me, hmmm? You? You’ve no one else out here, and she certainly can’t help you,” he sneered.

“Oh, yes I can!” Alex yelled through her form.

“Alex, be quiet,” Gaius instructed, but the enemy was truly laughing now.

“My word,” Feylak whispered in wonder. “We were told she was no longer Arianna, and I think they’re right. Arianna would’ve never allowed you or anyone else to talk to her like that.”

“She doesn’t yet understand the true danger your kind poses. But if you end me or harm her, she will. And whatever you hope to gain from this little ambush, will most assuredly fall from your grasp,” Gaius said evenly.

“Yes, well,” Feylak said, exhaling at length. “You see, we weren’t sent here to end either of you. No, you’re both coming with us. And so long as you don’t lash out, we won’t either. Do you hear that, Alexandria Groaban?” he yelled, as he stepped to his left in an effort to see her face.

“We are not the aggressors here! Only your husband is, if he chooses to strike out. We only intend for you to come and meet a few more of us. Surely a conversation is not such a bad thing,” Feylak mused. “How could words, after all, cause your beloved to murder another in cold blood?”

“You will not be taking us anywhere, Feylak,” Gaius said again.

“Gaius, wait,” Alex breathed. “If they just want to talk…”

“They want your head, Alex! How many times do I have to tell you? Now be silent,” Gaius said forcefully.

“Gaius,” Feylak said in disgust, “I do not want to end you like this. We need you both in good health and in one piece. So, be a good little soldier and put her needs before your own. Let her walk out of here with us, so we don’t have to carry you both out bound and gagged.”

“Do you hear that, Alex? What kind of ally would restrain you, hold you against your will? No, Feylak, we go nowhere with you. Alex and I will fight for our freedom and our lives,” said Gaius, nodding his head once.

Feylak muttered several expletives under his breath and lifted his sword.

“Remember, Alex, you have Arianna’s power within you,” Gaius said aloud, as he prepared for the rush. “Use it now, love, like never before.”

“I will,” she whispered, as it truly began.

Alex let her Light billow out of her form and, though it was only the equivalent to Arianna’s amount of power, it was still enough to cause the line before them to either step back or be burned. Gaius’ form leapt high in the air and his sword met Feylak’s, as he too left the ground to avoid the wave of Celestial Light. Their swords created their own light display as they arced heavily against one another, dark energy meeting the power from on High.

The two men came back to the earth outside of Alex’s ring and she threw another arc in their direction to encircle them. She wanted none of the others to join in the battle and outnumber Gaius while his form fought so valiantly. Alex moved her form away from the tree and she called on the Light to continue its path as she raised her sword. Her eyes locked with one named Nebsun across the wave she was generating.

He took the silent invitation and leapt higher than Feylak had, and bounded in her direction. Nebsun screamed in pain as her Light rose higher and severely burned him on his way through. But as soon as his feet touched the ground his sword was lashing out at hers. Alex met him strike for strike and actually managed to smile at him as she fought a very determined foe.

She felt three try to rush the arc she had placed around Gaius and Feylak, but Alex lifted Arianna’s Light until it domed the two, giving the enemy no way in. The three were caught in the expansion, as though they were moths in a spider web. She heard their screams echo through the forest as they met their end against a power far greater than theirs.

Nebsun glanced over his shoulder when he heard his fellow dark ones dying, and Alex took the opening he so foolishly provided for her copy. She struck out and sheared his head from his shoulders in a powerful swipe, just as she heard Feylak give a strangled cry of his own.

“Now what?” she yelled at Gaius, over the small expanse of ground between their two forms.

“Let another in for me to fight, Alex. Now!” he commanded, and she lowered only the front of the dome surrounding his copy.

But two made it into the dome with Gaius’ form before the Light sealed them away, and Alex watched as another two bounded over her wall of Light to engage her form. She dug in and began to fight in earnest, knowing that they could not end her in that form, yet determined to give as good as she was getting.

The difference in her strength was decidedly noticeable to Alex, but she continuously told herself that Arianna had held the dark ones at bay for millennia, so she could certainly use that power to fend off two.

Alex dove under one and allowed his comrade’s blade to strike his chest instead of her back as she made her escape. He roared in pain and took the head of the one who had dared to put a blade to his skin, before Alex could regain her feet. He whirled around and began to stalk toward her as his injury healed and resealed itself.

“Don’t do it, Delano,” she breathed as she slid away from him on her back, using her elbows and feet to scoot away.

“Don’t do it?” he sneered incredulously. “What? End you or have you!” he shouted.

Alex’s eyes grew larger from the unveiled threat and she stopped her retreat on the ground. She narrowed her eyes then, and leapt back to her feet before him.

“You will never touch me,” she whispered.

“Wanna bet?” he chuckled and lifted his sword.

More Light began to arc from her sword, and Alex had to force it to grow no stronger than Arianna’s as she fought the powerful dark immortal before her. He continuously lashed out at her neck, and Alex started to see his repeated pattern and angle of attack. She thought of Abdalla and Nassor’s calm and patient instruction, that a swordfight was but a dance. A deadly encounter, but a dance nevertheless.

Alex’s form smiled, and she waited for Delano to step forward with his left leg as he prepared to strike at her neck yet again. She squatted low as soon as his left foot left the ground and planted her sword firmly in his abdomen. But she rose within the next breath and drug her blade up through his chest as she stood tall again. Delano could only register a strangled cry as he fell backward.

She pulled her sword free and immediately took his head to ensure he could not heal himself a second time. She turned to see Gaius’ form fighting only one now in his secluded dome. Alex looked around for the final two and could not see them. She scanned the terrain and realized they were actively suppressing their power. They were a mere six meters from where her form stood, hiding behind trees and waiting for their turn.

Gaius ended the one his copy was fighting then, and he looked to Alex’s form.

“Are you uninjured?” he yelled, panting heavily from the fights he had just engaged in.

“I am. But there’s two more, Gaius. Can we take them, too?” she asked, sounding very unsure, though inside she was ready to wipe them both from the face of the earth.

“Lower your Light now, Alex. Do it now!” he commanded, and Alex obeyed.

The moment the barrier was removed, the final two moved in. Alex was more than ready for them, as they screamed a battle cry and lifted from the ground to come down with their swords over Gaius and Alex’s heads. She waited until their feet were almost touching the ground and she surged Arianna’s Light at their bodies. Gaius let his own Light billow away from his form, and the combined amount of power was enough to force their enemy to their knees. He and Alex stepped forward and took their heads with no further delay or hesitation.

Gaius’ form immediately turned and gathered Alex’s copy in his arms. He held her against his heart and she clung to his body among the dead strewn all around them. She began to cry in earnest and Gaius said nothing, only continued to keep her molded to his form.

 

“How did we do?” Alex whispered to his mind, while her form feigned reaching a breaking point.

“Very, very well, Alex. I am so proud of you,” he said through their connection, reaching behind him and patting her again.

“As I am of you,” she said with obvious pride heard in her tone. “What is going on, Gaius? Are they trying to give me more of what the game brought? More death, so I’m ready for their fathers once we reach Hungary?”

“Perhaps. Though these last eleven did not follow the path those in France did,” he said and turned then to face her.

Alex’s true body was still sheltered between his body and the large tree he had selected meters from where their copies stood. Gaius cupped her face with his left hand and gently swept his thumb across her skin.

“They were more interested in taking you, rather than setting up the battle we know is coming. It makes me think that a Fallen one sent them to have you walk away from me and straight to him, through their children. Running ahead of the other Fallen, but letting our counterparts assume responsibility,” Gaius speculated.

“And in doing so, they were also keeping me from calling on Ganymede. They think I only call my father into play when the threat involves hundreds of their children, battles on a large scale,” she said, as she tried to guess the enemy’s plan.

“Alex, I don’t have any illusions now that we will make it to Nuremberg without others stepping into our path,” Gaius said gravely.

Alex nodded her agreement.

“So, we have a choice. We can go into Dammbach and rent a vehicle as planned, using the roads that will most assuredly have significant human traffic on them as we make our way east. Or, we can continue to work our way there under our own power, lifting with the wind and keeping mortals removed from what is lying in wait for us.”

“Are you really asking me this, Gaius?” Alex said and grinned at him.

“Not really.” He smiled in return. “Do you know how much I love you, Alexandria?” he whispered into her mind.

She heard the tenderness and affection in his tone, and it felt like a caress to her heart and soul. Exactly what her spirit needed at the moment.

“I do, Gaius,” she replied. “For I love you that much and more.”

“Come here,” he said, and drew her lips to his.

He held her to his true body and clung to what was honest, pure, and right in a world that seemed to have suddenly gone mad around them. Mad with lust for power and the desire for that which Gaius held most dear – his wife.