Hank,” she says, cutting me off. “Just don’t get us killed.”
I shrug and raise my right hand above my head, eyeing one of my newest additions. It’s what is allowing me to conjure my powers so easily. I then pull Nicole in tight with my left. “I kind of thought after the show you just put on, you’d want to die, or at the very least, disappear forever beneath a maelstrom of water.”
Her face pales. “Did that many people see me?”
I nod. “Every man is jealous of me and every woman on the beach hates your guts.”
Under the circumstances, her cheeks actually flush a little with a hint of rare humiliation.
“Don’t worry, Marion ,” I say, closing my fist, watching her eyes roll. “I got this.”
I hope….
I breathe in deep and push.
*
“Report,” the voice spoke, echoing through their shared consciousness.
A pressure built up in his head, warning him of three incoming communications. When he was young, a single pulse almost killed him. It was the first time he experienced the mental intrusion, but now taking as many as he was now was second nature, like feeling a phone softly vibrating in your pocket.
“Underway in Orlando, Susanoo,” a feminine voice said.
“And in the desert,” added a deep masculine voice.
He waited for a third confirmation. But it didn’t come.
So instead, he sent a stronger pulse to her, hearing a squeak as it hit, causing her a small amount of…discomfort.
“And you?” he thought.
“Yes, Susanoo… My apologies. Everything is underway in Washington as well.”
Susanoo smiled, projecting his emotion into the thoughts of the others. They would see to their own duties and eliminate their targets. It’s the only way they could all take the next step unhindered.
He had confidence in the others, even her. Over the years, she had softened her stance on things, but in the end, she always completed her tasks. No matter how reluctant. They were his equal in countless ways. Their targets were also the most exposed and the weakest of the quarry they sought.
But mine , he thought, this time only to himself, this one is different. He holds the power of the Ancients.
Susanoo laughed. If only he knew the true potential of his abilities… The Chosen and the Source together. He smiled at the thought.
He completely disconnected from the realm within and forced his consciousness back into the physical world. A tree lay by his feet. It was the first time in years that he lost his temper like that.
He forgot how good anger felt.
As he practiced countless times, he quickly composed himself and cleared his mind, facing the ocean. Susanoo reveled in the salty breeze wafting off of it. He simply raised his hands out to the side, like he was saying a prayer. But he wasn’t… He was calling to the elements. He was calling to his element.
A pull on his stomach threatened to pitch him forward, but he fought through it, concentrating on the task at hand. It had also been years since he used this part of his gift. The talents were handed down to him and the others at birth from their parents. Then when they were still young, their training began.
Young…
How long was it now? He couldn’t fully recall honestly. When you’d been alive as long as the Judges , time really meant very little. Their bodies and minds never aged—never slowed. They’d live among the scourge of the world, or sometimes they’d stay in hiding for just as long, bored with it all.
It sickens me that we’ve had to wait this long.
While their physical looks never changed, their accents did depending on the region they lived in. Like a human, you eventually adopted the language—English or not—of those around you. Not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves when they did surface, they stayed within the parts of the world they looked like they belonged in.
Susanoo remained in Asia, his features allowing him to pass as one of them. Phoenix stayed mostly around the islands between
I shrug and raise my right hand above my head, eyeing one of my newest additions. It’s what is allowing me to conjure my powers so easily. I then pull Nicole in tight with my left. “I kind of thought after the show you just put on, you’d want to die, or at the very least, disappear forever beneath a maelstrom of water.”
Her face pales. “Did that many people see me?”
I nod. “Every man is jealous of me and every woman on the beach hates your guts.”
Under the circumstances, her cheeks actually flush a little with a hint of rare humiliation.
“Don’t worry, Marion ,” I say, closing my fist, watching her eyes roll. “I got this.”
I hope….
I breathe in deep and push.
*
“Report,” the voice spoke, echoing through their shared consciousness.
A pressure built up in his head, warning him of three incoming communications. When he was young, a single pulse almost killed him. It was the first time he experienced the mental intrusion, but now taking as many as he was now was second nature, like feeling a phone softly vibrating in your pocket.
“Underway in Orlando, Susanoo,” a feminine voice said.
“And in the desert,” added a deep masculine voice.
He waited for a third confirmation. But it didn’t come.
So instead, he sent a stronger pulse to her, hearing a squeak as it hit, causing her a small amount of…discomfort.
“And you?” he thought.
“Yes, Susanoo… My apologies. Everything is underway in Washington as well.”
Susanoo smiled, projecting his emotion into the thoughts of the others. They would see to their own duties and eliminate their targets. It’s the only way they could all take the next step unhindered.
He had confidence in the others, even her. Over the years, she had softened her stance on things, but in the end, she always completed her tasks. No matter how reluctant. They were his equal in countless ways. Their targets were also the most exposed and the weakest of the quarry they sought.
But mine , he thought, this time only to himself, this one is different. He holds the power of the Ancients.
Susanoo laughed. If only he knew the true potential of his abilities… The Chosen and the Source together. He smiled at the thought.
He completely disconnected from the realm within and forced his consciousness back into the physical world. A tree lay by his feet. It was the first time in years that he lost his temper like that.
He forgot how good anger felt.
As he practiced countless times, he quickly composed himself and cleared his mind, facing the ocean. Susanoo reveled in the salty breeze wafting off of it. He simply raised his hands out to the side, like he was saying a prayer. But he wasn’t… He was calling to the elements. He was calling to his element.
A pull on his stomach threatened to pitch him forward, but he fought through it, concentrating on the task at hand. It had also been years since he used this part of his gift. The talents were handed down to him and the others at birth from their parents. Then when they were still young, their training began.
Young…
How long was it now? He couldn’t fully recall honestly. When you’d been alive as long as the Judges , time really meant very little. Their bodies and minds never aged—never slowed. They’d live among the scourge of the world, or sometimes they’d stay in hiding for just as long, bored with it all.
It sickens me that we’ve had to wait this long.
While their physical looks never changed, their accents did depending on the region they lived in. Like a human, you eventually adopted the language—English or not—of those around you. Not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves when they did surface, they stayed within the parts of the world they looked like they belonged in.
Susanoo remained in Asia, his features allowing him to pass as one of them. Phoenix stayed mostly around the islands between
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