The Ascended (The Saving Angels 3)

"Yes, hopefully they'll be saving Forgotten Souls just like us one day. I feel for my poor Logan though," She added sadly.

"Why?" I asked confused.

"Because, Grace was three months pregnant with his Link when she was murdered."

I gasped in horror at her words. The loss of Grace had been hard on all of us, but I was particularly grief stricken at losing her. I was so upset that had never thought to consider the impact her death would have on what we were created for.

"What will happen to Logan?" I asked with dread, knowing that Protectors could not survive without their Guides.

"He won't die," she said in quick reassurance. "He was too young for the link to work that way. Haniel said he will always miss what he never had a chance to cherish, almost like missing a limb, but Haniel said her soul will always belong to Logan. One day when he joins her in the Other World, it will be as if they were never separated."

"Jaime, I'm so sorry. In my own selfishness lately, I never considered the full-impact Grace's death would have on all of us, but most of all your own family."

"Thanks Krista, but it's okay, this is what we we're created for," she said, sounding sadder than I had ever heard her.

I reached over and gave her a hug, getting a barrage of images from the pain she was in. My emotions sifted through her pain in rapid succession, and I poured the right amount of peace into her, taking away her melancholy and sadness without even thinking about it.

"Wow, Krista how do you do that?"

I shrugged my shoulders, slightly embarrassed by the awestruck look that covered her slender face. "I'm not sure, it just happens on its own accord now."

"That's amazing. Haniel told us your gifts had accelerated, but holy cow that's insane. I know that I should still feel bad, but I can't seem to find an ounce of sadness in me now. This is the first time in the last few months that I don't feel like I have the weight of the world resting on my shoulders. You are truly blessed."

"I'm glad," I said. For the first time since discovering them, I didn't resent my new abilities. Jaime's peace gave me hope that maybe I wasn't some kind of freak after all.

"All right first crew, it's time to get some shuteye," John said, rising from the log he had been sitting on. We decided it would be best to sleep in shifts so the camp would be protected.

"I better get some sleep while I can. Thank you Krista for helping me for the first time in…well, I don't know how many nights, but I know I'll be able to go to sleep right away without worrying."

"I'm glad," I said sincerely.

"What was all that about?" Shawn asked watching Jamie walk away.

I gave him the lowdown on what Jamie had told me, but glossed over the depression she had been feeling before I helped her out.

"Wow that totally sucks. Since none of us have kids yet, I never really thought about what happens to the future Links if one of us died or some…." He broke off looking at me apologetically. "I'm sorry Sis, I wasn't thinking."

"Me either, but it's fine," I said, getting the gist of his thoughts. If Mark and I were done forever, what would happen to the children they were meant to link with. Would they then link with others instead? It was mind boggling to try and make sense of the logistics of our species. Would The Light really condemn innocent Guides and Protectors to a lifetime of heartache or would he spare them that pain. It was something my band might have to face in the future. One thing was certain, I will be talking to Haniel about it, with his infinite wisdom I'm sure he would know.

"Don't worry about it Sis," Shawn said, slinging an arm across my shoulders. "It's all going to work out."

"I hope so," I whispered, resting my head against his shoulder.

Lynn and Robert looked concerned as they listened to our quiet conversation. I closed my eyes briefly, hoping to escape the questions I knew they yearned to ask.

Sensing my inner turmoil, Sam changed the subject and started talking about the briskness in the air. Soon the others got into the discussion of whether we would see snow while we were staking out the mountain. I listened to them with my eyes closed, trying to sort through everything I had learned that night. What would happen if Mark was forever lost? Would generations of Guides and Protectors feel the impact of his abandonment, and if so, would it ultimately affect my relationship with my new family? Finally frustrated at not knowing the answers, I decided to shelf my countless questions until I could corner Haniel and make him answer them. Once I decided to put it to rest for now, my mind slowly began to drift as my friend's voices droned on in the background. The effects of a lack of sleep were beginning to hit me hard. I tried my best to fight it, but this was a battle I was going to lose. My eyelids suddenly became steel traps and refused to open.

The same dark chamber greeted me as always, but that didn't make it any less frightening. Panic immediately set in as I felt nothing in front of me with my outstretched hands. I followed my pattern from the previous nights by dropping to my knees so I could crawl toward a possible way out. Cold smooth cement lay beneath me as I slowly began to inch forward. I heard a sound to my left that sounded like soft chuckling and I pivoted my head around, trying to peer through the blackness. The sound grew louder and I realized it wasn't chuckling, but the sound of something or several something's scurrying across the floor. I froze in mid-crawl as the sound grew even louder deafening out my own rapid heartbeat. The scurrying was coming from all sides surrounding me completely. I felt something crawl across my right ankle, followed by several more. I kicked my foot out, trying to knock whatever it was off of me. I began to shriek as hundreds more began to crawl all over me.

I awakened, startled by my own shrieking. I sat up a little confused and saw that the campfire was almost completely out. I squinted my eyes, trying to see through the dim light and after several seconds, I could make out the sleeping silhouettes of my friends. There was a strange buzzing sound that sounded like a radio on a station that had a low frequency.

"Sheesh, we make the worst lookouts," I muttered, sitting up straighter to work out the kink in my back. Shawn sat up next to me looking puzzled.

"Sorry, I fell asleep too," he mumbled, looking down at Sam who had fallen asleep with her head resting on his knees.

"I guess we all did," I said, standing up to throw another stick onto the fire and watched as the flames reignited and lit up the area. I gasped when I noticed that the net was gone and blackness surrounded our campsite. It was as if someone had snuffed out the moon and the stars.

"Hey where's the net?" I asked my friends, taking a groggy step forward. I reached out my hand, confused that the entire net had disappeared on us. I went to take another tentative step forward when I was jerked backward by a hand grasping my arm.