The Diamond Bearers' Rising Read online

  “Goodnight, Calli.” He kisses me again and then walks away.

  I’m left standing in my doorway thinking about our earlier passionate display and wondering when everything fizzled. I guess it was when I voiced concern over being exposed in the living room. I didn’t mean we couldn’t remain together and enjoy each other’s company. Chris must have taken it that way. Oh well, it’s probably for the best at this time. I close my door and get ready for bed.

  * * *

  I awake with a jolt, having just seen several disturbing images in a dream. Was it a dream or a vision? I can’t tell. I was positioned on the roof of a tall building looking down at the streets and sidewalks. Many people of all ages were crying out in pain. Some were already dead. I ran down the stairs at Runner’s speed and frantically tried to heal as many people as possible, but as soon as I healed one, more became ill. Others died before I could get to them. There were so many affected people. Too many.

  Even though I’m awake, my heart still races and beads of sweat cover my forehead. The overwhelming situation in the dream/vision is a reminder of what I’m up against. I make a mental note to make sure we have plenty of Healers in Portland when the Elemental cosmic blast hits.

  I check the clock on my nightstand: 2:30 a.m. I roll over and focus on my healing power to calm my body, so I can get back to sleep.

  * * *

  My eyes pop open and I turn my head to the window. Daylight illuminates the drapes. I get up and pull the drapes open. A thick layer of clouds blocks the sun. A man bundled in a winter coat, scarf, gloves, and a hat stands beside his car, scraping the heavy layer of frost off his windshield. Exhaust smoke drifts lazily through the air. I wonder fleetingly what kind of life he lives. What is his profession? What circumstances led him to live here a mile above sea level? I enter his mind and find he’s a nurse and is presently worried about being late for work. He overslept after over-partying last night.

  At least his evening was a party. I bet he didn’t have any idea what was going on across the road.

  I get dressed and put on my lucky necklace Uncle Don gave me.

  Walking out into the living room, I find Maetha sitting on the couch with a laptop computer and headphones. She has a plate of cut-up vegetables and fruits on the side table. Chris is bent down in front of the fireplace, adding a log to the fire. He stands and greets me.

  “Good morning. Sleep well?”

  “More or less.” I walk over and give him a hug. “Thanks for a wonderful evening last night.”

  “No problem.”

  “What’s for breakfast?”

  “Crimson food.” He points to Maetha’s plate. Then lowers his voice and says, “I could really go for a breakfast sandwich or a whole stack of hotcakes. This whole ‘Unaltered’ thing has increased my appetite. Come on.” He takes me by the hand and we walk into the kitchen.

  Crimson greets us and we dish up some fruit and nuts and take our plates out to the dining room table. Before we can sit down, Brand and Beth arrive.

  Brand walks directly to me and gives me a big hug, saying, “I’m so glad Max didn’t post about you yesterday. That would have been horrible.”

  I pull back, but still embraced. “For Jonas, too.”

  “Well, yeah. So, what ended up happening?”

  Chris clears his throat, pulling my attention to the fact Brand and I are still in a half-hug. We let go of each other and take a step back. Brand puts his arm around Beth’s shoulders.

  I say, “Max shot me.”

  “What?” Brand and Beth exclaim together.

  Crimson walks out of the kitchen holding her plate of food. “We will discuss what happened when the rest of the Bearers get here at noon. Understood?” Her statement is more of an order and not a question.

  We nod our heads.

  Crimson crosses the room to Maetha.

  I say to Beth and Brand, “Have you two eaten breakfast? There’s some food in the kitchen.”

  Brand looks at our plates. “That’s not breakfast. Maybe there’s some real food in the fridge. Come on, Beth.” Brand leads her into the kitchen.

  Before Beth walks through the door she turns to Chris and me. “Happy New Year.”.

  “Yeah, you too.” I smile. She looks confident and happy today. I don’t know that I would be so upbeat following the holidays without my parents.

  My thoughts go to my parents. I should call them.

  Chris and I sit down. He hands me his phone and says, “Here Calli.”

  “Did you read my mind?”

  “Yeah. Give them a call.”

  I sit back in my chair and dial their number. I realize I’ll need to work more on my mind blocks.

  My mother answers. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Mom. It’s Calli. Happy New Year.”

  “Allan, it’s Calli.” My mother’s voice sounds frantic as she calls for my father.

  I hear the other line pick up and my father says, “Calli?”

  “Hi, Dad. Happy New Year.”

  My mother asks, “Are you all right?” I can tell she’s incredibly worried.

  “Yes.” I wonder at the concern in her voice.

  “Are you in Denver?”

  “Yes.”

  She lets out a sigh of relief. “I just got off the phone with Mable. She said you’re on the news and you were shot. I tried to call your phone, but I couldn’t get through.”

  “I’m fine, Mom.” I was on the news?

  My father asks with deep concern in his voice, “What happened, Calli?”

  “I can’t really talk about it over the phone. You understand.”

  My mother’s voice rises, “You’re too young to be going through this. I want to talk to Maetha.”

  “Charlotte,” my father says, “let Calli do her job. You don’t need to talk to Maetha.”

  “I want to know why my daughter is being subjected to this kind of danger. She’s too young.”

  “Mom, I’m fine. Honestly. My arm is all healed. I’ll come visit you soon and tell you all about it. Maybe by then I’ll have an update, too.”

  “Allan, I think we should hire that bodyguard we talked about.”

  “What?” I exclaim.

  “Charlotte, we’ll discuss it later with Calli.”

  “Mom, you are not hiring me a bodyguard.”

  Chris’s head perks up and he looks at me with a “say what?” kind of expression.

  “Besides,” I add, “I’d end up protecting the bodyguard. I don’t need the added responsibility.” Not to mention we’re not about to bring in someone who doesn’t know anything about this world of powers, abilities, and diamonds. “Look, I’ve got to go now. I love you both, very much.”

  “We love you too,” my father says.

  “I’ll talk to you later.”

  We end our call and I hand the phone back to Chris. My exasperated eyes meet his and all I can do is blink repeatedly and shake my head.

  Crimson comes over and sits across from me with her plate of food. She reaches out her two hands, one toward me, one toward Chris. We clasp hands and the secrecy blue mist settles around us. Letting go, she picks up a raw almond and says, “I want you to lead the Bearer gathering, Calli.”

  “Me?” What? “Why? I mean, wouldn’t the news of Marketa’s death be better delivered if it came from Maetha?”

  “Maetha wasn’t here. She only has hearsay to offer.”

  “I could project my memory to the others,” I suggest.

  “I don’t want everyone knowing I can use telekinetic powers in the presence of obsidian.”

  “Are you hoping to expose the other dissenters by having me lead the gathering?”

  “No. I want you to take charge and let the others know you are more than capable of handling this position.”

  “What if I don’t feel that way myself?”

  “But you do feel that way, Calli,” she says. “Your conversation with your mother just now proves it. You know you’re more than capable of holding your
own and you wish she’d be able to see that.”

  “That was kind of a different topic.”

  “It’s all the same. Remember what I said about not revealing you have the Blue Diamond’s powers, and don’t lose your cool with the other Bearers.” She pauses, then looks beyond me with an unfocused gaze. “The news of Marketa’s death will be disturbing to all.”

  We sit in silence for a few moments, picking at our food, but mostly just pushing it around. The blue mist fades away indicating we should be careful what we say out loud.

  Brand and Beth return with their plates. Brand managed to find bread and, from the smell of it, strawberry jelly.

  Chris glances at Brand’s plate and lets out a whine as he turns his gaze to me. “No fair.”

  I appreciate his attempt to lighten the somber mood.

  Beth’s chosen selection of food is consistent with a Runner’s diet.

  After Brand and Beth sit down, Crimson says, “Anika will arrive tomorrow.”

  Brand grunts.

  “Do you have something to add?” she asks him.

  “No, sorry,” he states, slouching forward.

  “I think you do. Let’s get this settled, shall we. Anika does not grunt when she hears your name, Brand. Why do you?”

  Brand’s cheeks turn red. “I’m not religious. And if I was I wouldn’t push it on anyone else.”

  “You allow yourself to be bothered by her opinions.”

  Brand waves his hand in front of him. “She firmly believes she’s right and everyone else is wrong. And she’s always going on about God’s will.”

  Crimson pauses a moment. “I will say this to all four of you. Anika has an important role to fill, one that will save thousands of lives. It is in her ability to feel confident in expressing her religious opinion that will be key. Do not squash her gift.”

  Brand extends his neck forward. “That’s a gift?”

  “Yes. It is, Brand. I have yet to hear you speak so devotedly about anything important in your life.” Crimson turns to Beth. “You chose Anika for your team. Why?

  Beth replies matter-of-factly, “She is dependable and honest.”

  “Exactly. She doesn’t try to trick you or play games to get her way. She does what she says she’ll do and when she says she’ll do it. And she holds firmly to her values. Religion or not, those traits are what make her special and of use in our cause.”

  Brand looks down at his plate with a blank face.

  I ask, “What do you recommend we say to Anika when her ideals clash?”

  Crimson looks around the table at each of us before speaking. “Every situation is different. There is no one answer to that question, Calli. But, consider the possibility that the five of you—should you all choose to become Bearers—might be around each other for hundreds or thousands of years and bickering with each other is not going to help you follow nature’s will. When Bearers quarrel, humanity suffers. However, communication and calm discussions that allow both parties to fully express themselves help everyone appreciate and understand unique perspectives. Moreover, the choice to become a Bearer comes with it the understanding to put aside your pettiness. That goes for Anika, too.”

  Maetha comes over to the table. With a grimace, she says, “The bookstore shooting is all over the news. Calli will need to go to the police and clear her name.”

  I ask, “Are the news reports saying anything about Max or his blog?”

  Maetha says, “No. The reports are based on cell phone footage caught at the scene. It’s being described as an argument that escalated into a shooting. Basically, there isn’t anything else for reporters to scoop right now, so, you’ve made the headlines.”

  Brand takes a big bite of his bread, a splotch of jelly sticks to the corner of his mouth. “You’re famous, Calli. Can I have your autograph?”

  I close my eyes and shake my head. “Splendid! I just got off the police radar.”

  Crimson adds, “They’ll be looking for Marketa, too.”

  “What about Max?” Beth asks Crimson.

  “Him also, of course.”

  Beth looks around the room and asks, “Where’s Marketa?”

  Not missing a beat, Maetha points to me and says, “You’ll need to appear wounded. They have footage of you bleeding on the floor. Your shoulder should be bandaged up. They also have witnesses who saw you take the flash drive.”

  Chris says, “We’d better make a clone of the flash drive in case they want it.”

  Crimson nods her head. “We’ll do that before you go, Calli.”

  Chris reaches his hand out and covers mine. “I wish I could go with you, Calli, but I can’t. We’re not supposed to be on speaking terms, let alone friendly or intimate.”

  “I know, but like I told my mom, I can handle this, Chris.”

  Crimson wiggles a finger back and forth between Brand and me. “Actually, I want you to take Brand along. He can help you avoid bad situations.”

  “I could just give her my quartz and she could do it herself,” he jests, but I know he’s joking.

  I roll a grape between my fingers. “I don’t know how to use it, Brand. I suppose I’ll just have to take you.”

  Jie Wen’s bi-located form appears near Maetha. He addresses Crimson. “I need to speak with you in private.”

  Crimson nods, gets up from the table, and heads over to him. She walks around his form, leaving blue mist as she privatizes the conversation.

  Brand leans in and with raised eyebrows and a big grin says, “So, you and Chris are on intimate terms?”

  Beth smacks his shoulder. “That’s rude.”

  I don’t give him any attention. My eyes are focused on the fact Maetha has been left out of the blue circle. I hear Beth ask again about Marketa and hear Maetha respond with a terse, “She’s not here.” Maetha’s expression remains unchanged, unaffected as she walks away into the kitchen. I can’t help but wonder what she feels right now. I look back at Crimson and Jie Wen and spy on their conversation by reading Jie Wen’s lips. His positioning behind Crimson makes it difficult for me to have a consistently clear view of his mouth, but I don’t want to move or it might be obvious I’m watching them.

  He says, “Doctor and his family . . . informant hasn’t checked in . . . remote location. China.”

  He pauses while Crimson says something, then he continues. “The location . . . near my place.” Jie Wen stops, listens to Crimson, then his eyes shift over Crimson’s shoulder and connect with mine. His glare turns dark. I can feel his angry frustration as he asks, “Why does she need to be involved? She doesn’t know anything about this. I want Brand.” Crimson says something else. Jie Wen adds, with his nostrils flaring, “They could be dead in four days!” Jie Wen glares at me a moment, then disappears.

  The blue mist dissipates, and Crimson comes back into the kitchen without looking in my direction. I let out my pent-up breath and try to refocus on the upcoming gathering.

  Chris’s hand covers mine as it lays motionless on the table. He gently squeezes my hand. I look over to him and find he’s studying me intensely. “What’s going on?” he whispers.

  Using mindspeak, I say, I think I’m going to China. I intertwine my fingers with his, appreciating his attentiveness. His eyes reveal the deep level of concern he has for me.

  With Jie Wen? Why?

  Someone needs to be rescued. Crimson must have told him she wants me to go. He’s not excited about it.

  Go figure. When?

  Pretty soon.

  Well, I’ll be leaving as soon as the gathering is over. I need to get back to D.C. by tomorrow.

  My heart feels incredibly heavy. Are we ever going to get the chance to grow our relationship?

  Chapter Two - The Gathering

  The noon hour approaches, the beginning of the gathering is less than ten minutes away. To say I’m nervous would be an understatement. I sit alone at the dining table in deep thought, having sent Chris to get me some water. I’m not thirsty. I just needed a momen
t alone to listen to my thoughts. Being around Chris has a way of clouding my brain and muddling it with emotions and feelings. Not that that’s a bad thing, but right now I need to focus on the task at hand.

  I call in my mind to Crimson. Could I use the obsidian fragments of the bullet Max shot me with to show the others?

  Yes, she answers. A few moments later, she enters the dining room from the hallway, holding the metal First Aid box. She sets the box on the table in front of me. Do not remove the diamond, Calli.

  “I won’t,” I reply out loud and wait for her to leave the room before opening the lid. My powers rush out of my body upon exposing the obsidian within. Inside I find the pieces of obsidian bullet Max shot me with, the large non-powerful obsidian chunk that Crimson used to blast Marketa’s heart out, Marketa’s obsidian piece she had hidden on her belt, and her diamond.

  The diamond is clean of the heart muscle and blood. I never felt the strumming sensation, so whoever cleaned it must have kept a large piece of obsidian exposed to nullify the diamond’s power. The same way General Harding cleaned off Rolf’s diamond.

  I run my finger across the edge of the diamond that up until last night resided within a woman who had been alive I don’t know how long. Why did she have to try to kill me, I wonder? I reach inside and pick up one of the larger shards of the obsidian bullet with my thumb and forefinger. It has sharp edges because of the nature of obsidian and how it breaks apart. This small fragment, if it was the only piece in the whole house, would be enough to suck out all my powers. It’s amazingly terrifying. I put the piece back and pick up Marketa’s belt medallion. I saw her wear this belt day in and day out but never suspected it had a secret weapon.

  I close the lid of the box slowly, waiting for the moment when the obsidian is blocked and my powers return. I pay close attention to what I’m feeling even though I’ve felt it many times before. I know the obsidian is an absorber of powers and once it’s blocked or far enough away, my powers no longer get pulled out. The lid clicks closed and I feel the diamond infuse my body with an almost stinging sensation. I take a sharp breath and close my eyes. The Sanguine Diamond seems to continue to emanate powers in the presence of obsidian, it just can’t make enough to overpower the obsidian, I conclude.