"With stipulations," Haniel continued, breaking into my thoughts.
"What kind of stipulations?" I asked apprehensively.
"You will not be alone on your quest. The other active bands will join you, as will I."
"What?" Sam asked incredulously. "I thought the livelihood of humanity will be put at risk if you were to help fight with us."
"The agreement has already been breached. Victor would not have been able to control and dominate so many Daemons without the direct help of The Dark One. The Light has given me the authority to make whatever decisions are necessary. Victor has been hard at work rebuilding his army, and his forces have grown."
"So, you're telling us that the battle we endured two months ago was like a chess match?" Robert asked.
"Chess match?" Haniel asked puzzled.
"Like a game," Sam said, trying to explain Robert's analogy.
"Ah, yes. Victor orchestrated every aspect of the last meeting. All except one," he said, looking at me pointedly.
I blushed at Haniel's words. My friends had been awestruck at the power I was able to emit that saved us all that night. Haniel had told me weeks later that in all his years training Guides, he had never seen any stop so many Daemons at once. I knew he believed it was because I was special, but in all actuality, I knew it was something else. When Victor had stripped everything from me, something inside of me snapped and I was able to somehow harness all my power and use it against the Daemons we faced. I wasn't anything special, unless you counted the fact that I was the only Guide that had survived the separation from their Protector, and I wasn't sure if that could be counted as a virtue or a serious character flaw.
I pulled away from my errant thoughts when Haniel continued. "Krista, you are allowed to accompany us on our journey, but are instructed to stay behind in the camp when we move forward."
"Are you kidding me? No way, I'm not staying behind…"
Haniel raised his hand, cutting off my rant. "Then you stay here," he stated, leaving no room for argument. "The Dark One will be able to use your vulnerability against you with those he has turned," he added, making his implication clear. If Mark had indeed embraced his father's dark side, he could use it against me. It seemed surreal to think that Mark would use my love and the bond we had shared against me, but I knew it was a distinct possibility. Haniel had told me not long after Mark had left me, the exact circumstances that had transpired when Victor had changed. How he had turned the love of Mark's mother against her. I knew that if Mark was forever lost, he could kill me as easily as his father had killed his mom.
True evil was a force to be reckoned with.
"Fine," I agreed stubbornly. "What do you mean stay behind at the camp though?" I asked as the rest of his words finally registered through my head.
"As you are already aware, Victor has chosen to seclude himself on Mt. Shasta. His facility is nestled deep in the heart of the mountain. He has also used the mystical reputation that Mt. Shasta has acquired through local folklore to his advantage. He uses Daemons in their true form to scare away any unwanted visitors, which has only fueled the superstitions that surround the mountain."
"Mt. Shasta? I'd never heard of it before you mentioned it a few weeks ago," Lynn finally piped in. "Is it in California?"
"It is located five hours north of the area you call San Francisco."
"It makes sense that Victor would choose such an obscure place," Sam said quietly. "If he's building an even greater army, he'd need a spot where he's least likely to get unwelcome visitors."
"What's he planning Haniel?" I finally asked, moving past my initial excitement of finally doing something, to being a little concerned. The fact that Haniel had consented to intervene and be a part of my mission was enough to sound an alarm in my head.
"It would seem that Victor has decided the world would be a much better place with less human interference. It has come to our attention that he is now taking greater advantage of forgotten souls by resorting to possession. Their thoughts, feelings and any emotional attachments are wiped clean while he uses them for his bidding."
"How is that any different than when a Daemon possesses a human?" Lynn asked.
"When a Daemon possesses a human they can only use one host at a time. Victor is able to possess multiple forgotten souls at once."
"How is that even possible?" I asked with disbelief coloring my voice.
"The Light did not share his insights with me. My duties were handed down to me by one of The Light's most trusted Angels. We do not question The Light," Haniel said, making it clear that even the thought of doing so was ludicrous. >My chest began to heave as my emotions finally got the best of me. A lone silent tear welled up and escaped beneath my closed eyelid, followed by a cascade of tears streaming fast and warm down my cheeks.
Pull it together Krista, I thought, trying to calm down.
I knew I needed to get a grip on myself. Joan could walk in at any moment, and explaining my torrent of tears was just something I didn't relish doing. Of course, knowing I needed to get a grip and actually doing it were two different things, especially while sitting here listening to the words of this stink'n song…"You left me all alone in love, and now I desperately long to feel your touch."
I need to stop torturing myself like this, I thought again.
The song came to a close and I swiped the last of my tears away. Pushing the chair back, I stood up reaching to turn the volume back down so it was merely background noise. I turned around, intending to hit the bathroom to do damage control before Joan caught a glimpse of my swollen face.
I gasped when I saw the tall imposing figure standing in front of me.