and killed the Nephilim, Ull, son of Thor—my
master. “That you survived at all is a miracle.”
I’ve
always been too busy feeling guilty about my failures to consider that most
people would have died. I was strong without ever knowing it. But part of that
strength came from the memory of the woman now sitting across from me.
I
relate the rest of the story, trying to focus on major events, but I find
myself talking for almost an hour. By the time I’m done, she’s heard it all. The photo. Tartarus. The Titans. Cronus. Hades. Kainda, Em, Luca and Xin. Everything. Including the angel’s proclamation about faith,
passion, focus and hope, and my subsequent revelation that those qualities
were, in fact, people—Em, Kainda, Kat and now, Mira.
To
finish things off, I retell the story of her rescue and how we ended up in a
cavern several hundred feet below ground.
After
hearing all of this, most of which I fully admit is ridiculous to say the
least, her response is to lean back on her hands and says, “Huh,” like I just
told her the Red Sox traded Wade Boggs.
I
assume she’s just trying to digest everything I’ve told her, or maybe trying to
figure out if I’m nuts and whether or not she should make a run for it. After
several minutes of silence she says, “Let me see if I’ve got this straight. You
were kidnapped, turned into a hunter—” she points at Kainda, “by her father,
Ninnis, took my mother, caused the crustal displacement event that killed
billions, all because the Nephilim want you to be the vessel for the spirit of
Nephil, aka Ophion, their leader. And now you’re leading a group of rebel
hunters, the U.S. military and a pack of Crylos against them in an attempt to
save humanity as we know it. Oh, and you have powers because you’re
supernaturally bonded to the continent. That about sum it up?”
I
look at Kainda, then back to Mira. “Yeah, actually, I think you’ve got a handle
on the situation. But...you’re okay with it? You believe it? All of it?”
“I’ve
seen the Nephilim with my own eyes. And the dinosaurs, though I have a hard
time believing they’ve turned nice, and I even kind of remember your seal
buddies saving me. But...” She shakes her head. “My father sees patterns. He’s
grown blunter about it since you knew him. Calls it the
fingerprint of God. I normally think he’s nuts, but everything you’re
saying... I don’t see any other way around it, especially given the fact that
I’m here at all.”
“Why’s
that?” I ask.
“When
the crust shifted, I was at home.”
“In
Portsmouth,” I say.
She
nods. “I watched as the water slipped out of the bay.
I
cringe inwardly, knowing what will happen next.
“And
I watched it return. The wall of water slid through the city. It killed
everyone, including my friends. And then, it rolled up the hill.”
“Prospect
Hill,” I say. “Two hundred feet tall.”
“The
water rose to the foundation of my house. It took my neighbors, and nearly took
me. I was knocked unconscious, but I survived. And when I woke up, the world
was frozen. The house was no longer at the top of the hill, it was the only building still standing on a plain of ice that stretched to the
horizon. I survived in the basement for months before heading south, where
Wright, Kat and Cruz found me in a church. The point is , I was the only survivor in New Hampshire. The only survivor. And somehow I ended up here, with you, and am now told that I’m one of four
women you need to save the world. What are the odds of that happening by
chance?”
“Probably
zero,” I say. It’s something I’ve had to come to terms with, too.
“It’s
crazy. Borderline stupid. Hell, I spent the last few
weeks arguing against the idea with my father. But now, after everything I’ve
seen, and what you’ve told me, I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to be here. Just like you are.” She looks at Kainda. “And you are.” She
shrugs. “I don’t know about you two,
master. “That you survived at all is a miracle.”
I’ve
always been too busy feeling guilty about my failures to consider that most
people would have died. I was strong without ever knowing it. But part of that
strength came from the memory of the woman now sitting across from me.
I
relate the rest of the story, trying to focus on major events, but I find
myself talking for almost an hour. By the time I’m done, she’s heard it all. The photo. Tartarus. The Titans. Cronus. Hades. Kainda, Em, Luca and Xin. Everything. Including the angel’s proclamation about faith,
passion, focus and hope, and my subsequent revelation that those qualities
were, in fact, people—Em, Kainda, Kat and now, Mira.
To
finish things off, I retell the story of her rescue and how we ended up in a
cavern several hundred feet below ground.
After
hearing all of this, most of which I fully admit is ridiculous to say the
least, her response is to lean back on her hands and says, “Huh,” like I just
told her the Red Sox traded Wade Boggs.
I
assume she’s just trying to digest everything I’ve told her, or maybe trying to
figure out if I’m nuts and whether or not she should make a run for it. After
several minutes of silence she says, “Let me see if I’ve got this straight. You
were kidnapped, turned into a hunter—” she points at Kainda, “by her father,
Ninnis, took my mother, caused the crustal displacement event that killed
billions, all because the Nephilim want you to be the vessel for the spirit of
Nephil, aka Ophion, their leader. And now you’re leading a group of rebel
hunters, the U.S. military and a pack of Crylos against them in an attempt to
save humanity as we know it. Oh, and you have powers because you’re
supernaturally bonded to the continent. That about sum it up?”
I
look at Kainda, then back to Mira. “Yeah, actually, I think you’ve got a handle
on the situation. But...you’re okay with it? You believe it? All of it?”
“I’ve
seen the Nephilim with my own eyes. And the dinosaurs, though I have a hard
time believing they’ve turned nice, and I even kind of remember your seal
buddies saving me. But...” She shakes her head. “My father sees patterns. He’s
grown blunter about it since you knew him. Calls it the
fingerprint of God. I normally think he’s nuts, but everything you’re
saying... I don’t see any other way around it, especially given the fact that
I’m here at all.”
“Why’s
that?” I ask.
“When
the crust shifted, I was at home.”
“In
Portsmouth,” I say.
She
nods. “I watched as the water slipped out of the bay.
I
cringe inwardly, knowing what will happen next.
“And
I watched it return. The wall of water slid through the city. It killed
everyone, including my friends. And then, it rolled up the hill.”
“Prospect
Hill,” I say. “Two hundred feet tall.”
“The
water rose to the foundation of my house. It took my neighbors, and nearly took
me. I was knocked unconscious, but I survived. And when I woke up, the world
was frozen. The house was no longer at the top of the hill, it was the only building still standing on a plain of ice that stretched to the
horizon. I survived in the basement for months before heading south, where
Wright, Kat and Cruz found me in a church. The point is , I was the only survivor in New Hampshire. The only survivor. And somehow I ended up here, with you, and am now told that I’m one of four
women you need to save the world. What are the odds of that happening by
chance?”
“Probably
zero,” I say. It’s something I’ve had to come to terms with, too.
“It’s
crazy. Borderline stupid. Hell, I spent the last few
weeks arguing against the idea with my father. But now, after everything I’ve
seen, and what you’ve told me, I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to be here. Just like you are.” She looks at Kainda. “And you are.” She
shrugs. “I don’t know about you two,
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