The Diamond of Freedom Page 5

  Maetha becomes angry. “Couldn’t you tell you were in danger? Calli, you cannot allow yourself to get into that kind of position again. Are you listening to me? You have a jagged, sharp object in your heart that is like a serrated knife. Normally, you’re able to constantly regenerate your damaged tissue, but with the obsidian it appears you are in a constant and precarious state of danger. Didn’t you feel weak or lightheaded?”

  “Yes,” I answer, “but I just thought it was the kiss.” I smile and look down at my clasped hands.

  Maetha turns to Chris. “You shouldn’t touch her intimately again until this issue is resolved. Also, pay attention to her and look for signs of discomfort. Calli, if your heart hurts at all, you need to close the watch and heal it. Think of yourself as an ordinary human with all the implications that go with internal bleeding or blood clots. You’re a pre-med major, for goodness sake. Don’t ignore your pain.”

  “But you told me to avoid closing the watch.”

  “That was before I knew how deadly the diamond shard in your heart could be.”

  I don’t want to admit that my heart is hurting this very moment, but I know better. I could be bleeding out, hemorrhaging, or clotting. “Maetha, I should probably close the watch right now. Does Chris need to pull the car over first?”

  Chris automatically lifts his foot from the gas pedal, anticipating a quick maneuver.

  “No, keep driving. I don’t want Freedom catching up with us. Calli, close the watch, but let me heal you. I want to know the extent of the damage.”

  I pull the pouch out of my pocket and remove the watch. I can tell Chris is seriously worried and blaming himself for my pain. He keeps turning his head my way, taking his eyes off the road. I say, “Don’t worry, Chris. I’ll just have to put you out of my mind for a while.” I smile to try to reassure him, and lay my head back on the headrest, shut my eyes, and then close the pocket watch.

  My powers rush back into my body, but I resist using them. Instead, I feel for Maetha’s healing powers. I don’t feel anything different at first. Then the pain within my heart subsides, and my body begins to buzz. Maetha’s voice enters my mind.

  Calli, the sharpest point of the diamond is positioned through your aorta artery, and the bulk of the diamond is in your right ventricle. Your increased heart rate caused the point to move into your artery. Maetha pauses for a second and then gasps aloud: “Open the small side of the watch!”

  I open the pocket watch once again and feel my powers drain away. I am hit with a sudden wave of nausea and feel like I am about to vomit. My hand flies up to my mouth in anticipation, with the silly belief I can actually hold in what wants to come out.

  “Calli, are you sick?” Chris asks. “Do I need to pull over?”

  I shake my head as the feeling begins to subside.

  Maetha explains, “Calli, I infused your body with some of my energy to help you while your body replenishes your blood loss. I apologize for over-doing it. I’m happy to see you have a strong stomach, but what did you do to me at the end?”

  “Huh?”

  “You used your power on me as I was about to end the connection with you. It felt like you were trying to strangle me from the inside. That’s why I ordered you to open the watch.”

  “I don’t—” I lower my hand to my lap, but keep my head against the headrest and my eyes closed to keep from being sick.

  Chris asks Maetha, “Is she going to be all right?”

  “Yes, for now. I think Freedom’s stone is too dangerous to play around with. Chris, I need you to understand that when her heart becomes overactive, damage occurs, and if it’s not taken care of quickly, her life is in danger. We need to remove Freedom’s diamond from his heart before this dilemma kills us all,” she says under her breath, but still loud and clear.

  I am in need of topic change to help clear my mind. I ask, “How will we be able to end Freedom’s life if he always has the obsidian on hand to prevent us from harming him?”

  Chris answers before Maetha does. “Chop his head off! No, wait, blast his heart out with a really big gun. Obsidian won’t stop a bullet.”

  Maetha adds, “A bullet, or should I say a big enough bullet, would do the trick. I think he will need to feel comfortable enough not to use obsidian. I don’t think I’ll be able to be present when we attempt a take-down.”

  I ask, “How will we do that?”

  Maetha responds, “I don’t know. I haven’t been able to see the future concerning any of this. This black fog is extremely disconcerting.”

  “Well, if you can’t see the future, then can we assume Freedom can’t either?”

  “That would make sense if Freedom is in fact only using obsidian to mask his whereabouts. However, he may have something else we aren’t aware of yet.”

  I ask, “Maetha, did you know Chris knew Freedom?”

  “No.”

  “Why not? I mean, you’ve been in Chris’s mind before. I would think Freedom would have stuck out.”

  “Calli, you know as well as I do, mind reading doesn’t work that way. I had no idea he knew Freedom. Why would he? I wasn’t aware Freedom was working with the government on this project. Besides, I’ve learned many times over not to delve into someone’s mind just to see what or who they know. Crimson taught me that from the beginning. She warned me to look only for the information pertinent to the task at hand. Delving deeper into someone’s mind results in confusion and madness.”

  “Who is Crimson?” Chris asks.

  “Crimson is the one who healed my wounds when the first splintering of the diamond took place many years ago.”

  “What can you tell us about her?”

  “Not much. She doesn’t operate like the rest of us. I’ve seen her only a handful of times in my life. Freedom seems to think her power is something he can obtain, like getting his hands on a Grecian Blue shard. I’m not sure where she derives her power from, but I do know her powers are different than those of the Diamond Bearers. Ours come from a source. She seems to be her own source. Freedom, like any power-hungry human, views her as someone to be found and conquered. I see her as the reason we are all here. I can’t quite explain it, and I don’t believe I need to. She’s separate from our situation. But this is all just my opinion.”

  Chris asks, “Is she a goddess?”

  “No—well, I don’t know. I don’t think it matters what she is or isn’t. Our task is to preserve the Diamond Bearers’ lives, end Freedom’s, and restore our anonymity, if it’s at all possible.”

  I ask, “Who is Deus Ex? I heard you mention that name on the phone.”

  “Deus Ex, or Samantha Juarez, is the Repeater who was working for Justin. She calls herself Deus Ex, and we will too to remain in her good graces. We need her on our side. After you and Chris left my place in Indiana, I waited in the tree-line for Freedom to arrive. I knew he would come sooner or later. I just didn’t know if he’d bring her along. After all, it was only a guess Freedom and the Repeater were connected. As luck would have it, he brought her. He remained in his car with an obsidian piece and two armed guards, and she went into the building. I used my invisibility to follow her and observe her behavior. She knew exactly where my room was and how to jimmy the lock to enter. She rummaged through my belongings, stealing my gold coins in the process. I understood she was repeating to have everything appear so flawlessly perfect. After having Brand take me with him on a few repeats, I know what that’s all about now.”

  Chris cuts in. “What do you mean ‘take you’ on a few repeats?”

  I explain, “Repeaters can pull people back with them when they repeat.”

  Maetha says, “Actually, Calli, so far Brand is the only one I’ve found who can repeat others with him. I was careful to keep that bit of information from Deus Ex. When I watched her steal my gold, I decided I’d seen enough, and I used my mind control to halt her actions. I was still invisible to her, but I spoke to her mind and told her to leave the building from a different door and to the
n head in the opposite direction of Freedom. Once we were far enough away, I revealed myself to her, but kept her in place with my mind control. She hasn’t been taught about the world of the clans and superhuman abilities, so I gave her a crash course. She was still resisting my help and advice, so I told her she could keep the gold she’d stolen from me. I also told her I could teach her how to block her mind from Freedom. I think the reason I won her over was I exposed the fact Freedom had never informed her about the rest of her world. However, even though she’s on our side at the moment, she’s a mercenary and will go wherever she feels serves her best. She’s in a safe location, and Neema will pick her up and meet us in Denver soon.”

  At the mention of Denver, my mind refocuses on Brand and the fact it’s probable he’s being held in General Harding’s military compound. Brand’s sacrifice to save our necks still stirs my emotions. He has grown so much since high school, matured with his power, addressed his issues, and he reconnected with Suz James, his true love. Too bad she ended up being his half-sister. Poor kid. I can’t even imagine what that must be like for Brand. I guess it would be like finding out Chris is my half-brother and trying to shut off those feelings. Then again, maybe I should try to view Chris in that way to avoid more damage to my heart.

  I half-listen to the two of them debate which route to take to the airport, my mind still on Brand. I wonder if he’s had tests done on him and whether or not his ability is detectable in blood work or x-rays. I feel sorry for him, being all alone. I miss him.

  Chris’s question to Maetha pulls me out of my thoughts. “What makes you think you can trust Deus Ex? And what kind of a name is Deus Ex anyway?”

  “I don’t know if we can trust her or not. But at the present, I see no other option. As for her name, Chris, I think you already know why she would give herself that name.”

  Chris lets out a gravelly guffaw. “Because she’s a conceited ego-maniac, that’s why. She thinks she’s God, and she believes only she can save the day.” His white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel doesn’t go unnoticed.

  Maetha says, “The name Deus Ex is derived from the Latin expression deus ex machina, literally meaning ‘god out of the machine.’ It’s a plot device used in many plays and books to describe an outside force that unexpectedly comes out of nowhere and solves the seemingly unsolvable problem the characters face in an extremely unlikely or impossible way. Shakespeare used this many times over to resolve a plot. Deus Ex likes to think she’s the plot device that solves the problems we mere mortals cannot. I can understand why she would think that, too. Up until a few days ago, she thought she was the only Repeater in the world. She thought she alone held the power to alter outcomes. So, if you think about it, the repeating power creates a sense of invincibility and total control. She feels like a goddess.”

  My mind brings up the confusing ending to one of my favorite movies where the two lead characters are rescued from their imminent deaths by giant flying eagles that come out of nowhere. That would probably be considered a “deus ex machina” moment.

  We arrive at the airport hangar, and Chris parks the car near the door. A middle-aged man comes outside and opens my car door. I climb out and walk with Chris and Maetha to the door of the hangar.

  Maetha introduces us. “Chris, Calli, this is my personal pilot, Rodger Rutherfield. Are we cleared for takeoff, Rodger?”

  “Yes, Ms. Lightner.” Rodger opens the door for us and follows us inside the hangar.

  Maetha Lightner. Huh, I never thought to ask about a last name. Something tells me she doesn’t normally use one and she probably hand-picked this one. Maetha never does anything without some significance attached.

  Chapter 4 - Heartache

  Maetha’s plane is a custom-designed Gulfstream G550, with seats for at least ten passengers. I flew on a similar airplane with my parents one summer when a pharmaceutical company paid for our trip to the Caribbean. My parents were amused with my behavior, mainly because I was concerned if the plane would have enough fuel to fly over the ocean. The pilot on that plane reassured me the plane could fly over 4,000 miles, which was many more miles than we would be flying that day.

  I think I was more comfortable then than Chris is now. He looks uncomfortable and awkward in the posh interior. I figure he must not be used to extravagance—just one more thing I don’t know about him and his upbringing.

  I’ve always known I had a good childhood, and I’ve tried not to rub it in with any of my friends. At least I tried not to let my friends know I was privileged. I think, for the most part, I didn’t come across as stuck up, however, as Suz pointed out, I always got everything I asked for. Some things just can’t be hidden when you’re the only child of two doctors.

  At the moment, my being at ease with the situation tells Chris I’m used to this kind of life. I sure wish I could read his mind. Better yet, a bit of telepathy would be great right now. All I can guess is that he’s worrying we come from backgrounds that are too different and he won’t ever be on my social level. If that’s what he’s thinking, he’s right. I will eventually be a Diamond Bearer. I’m already one, kind of. Someday, probably soon, I will have the full diamond and be an equal to Maetha. I wonder if he’s given that much thought yet, or if he’s figured out I will outlive him.

  I’ve thought about it a lot.

  After the dream I had of Freedom, the subject has been on my mind quite a bit. Freedom was right. Maetha put me on a path that will ultimately lead me to a life of pain and heartache, and then on to numbness and cold-heartedness, not something I would have chosen for myself. “Are you okay, Calli?” Chris asks me.

  I redirect my gaze from the window I’ve been staring out of and smile faintly at him. “Yeah. You?”

  “Just dandy.”

  I watch him try to relax a little. He shifts and wiggles in his seat, attempting to find a comfortable spot.

  Maetha brings us a couple of Clara Winter’s juice drinks from a mini-fridge and sits down across the aisle. “All right you two. Tell me about those necklaces you’re wearing. Did your Uncle Don give those to you?”

  Chris answers. “Yeah, he believes in a lot of strange things.”

  Maetha angles her head to the side and looks at him curiously. “Chris, there are a lot of crazy things in the world of powers, wouldn’t you say?”

  “Sorry,” he says. “My ordinary human side keeps sur-facing.”

  “No problem, Chris. Your time as a regular human was not long ago compared to mine. My human life was several thousand years ago. I do remember how hard it was to break my mind from the programmed thinking of my day. Of course that included believing in Ra and Isis and thinking the king possessed the powers of a god. I’ve encountered some crazy beliefs in my time, such as: moldy bread can heal an infection, the world is flat like a pancake, and a photograph can steal your soul. Of the three, the moldy bread was not so far off base. Some crazy beliefs are based on superstition, like the photograph example, and others are conclusions based on limited knowledge, like the flat earth concept. Technological advancements are ongoing. The digital age keeps improving, and with it will come more explanations and scientific discoveries. Chris, your mind must always stay rooted in the real world, where mine must solve the mysteries of the esoteric. So, tell me about those necklaces.”

  The airplane begins to move forward slowly as Chris describes the different effects Uncle Don said were present in the bloodstone, carnelian, and ruby in his necklace and the golden topaz, carnelian, and sardonyx in mine.

  Rodger Rutherfield’s soothing voice sounds through the cabin. “Seat belts, please. We’re cleared for take-off.” We fasten our seat belts and continue talking.

  Maetha listens intently to Chris’s explanation and then says, “I’ve seen bloodstone used to stop massive hemorrhages. It didn’t work every time, but often enough to be considered a remedy. Ruby may be a source for increased energy, or it may just be placebo. It’s said sardonyx can protect against crime. I’m unsure about any of
these claims, as it’s difficult to make a clear judgment when emotions, feelings, and opinions are the main determining factors.” Maetha rubs her hand along the smooth leather of the seat and I have to wonder how often she travels this way. My thoughts are drawn back to the subject at hand. “Even so,” says Maetha, “there’s been some evidence of stones performing in given ways or there wouldn’t be claims. The golden topaz is the stone that has me intrigued. I’ve never heard of that one’s power. May I see your necklace, Calli?”

  I pull the leather cord over my head and hand it to Maetha. She examines the stones with an intense expression on her face as if she’s trying to peer into a soul. She hands my necklace back to me and then takes Chris’s and examines it with the same intensity.

  I tell Maetha more about Uncle Don and how he had stumbled upon the obsidian when attending a gem and crystal convention.

  Maetha asks, “Did he know of any other crystal that could nullify the effects of the obsidian?”

  “We didn’t ask him. Sorry, didn’t think about it,” I answer.

  Chris interjects, “Oh, but he did say that the obsidian wouldn’t affect our lucky stones’ powers. He said his were not canceled by his obsidian. Their powers work together somehow.”

  Maetha’s perfectly shaped eyebrows shoot up. “What’s your uncle’s phone number?”

  Chris tells her the number and she enters it into her phone contact list. “I’ll call him once we’re up in the air. What we need to find is a crystal or rock that will block the effects of the obsidian. I’m not sure if Freedom has figured that out or not. We definitely need to know.”

  The plane taxis to the end of the tarmac, turns, pauses, and then accelerates down the runway. When the back wheels lift off the ground, my stomach lurches like it always does when any airplane leaves the ground. We climb in altitude quickly and I glance out the window and observe the many ponds and lakes dotting the Florida peninsula like puddles—a mass of green and blue.