The Ascended (The Saving Angels 3)

I turned away quickly, telling myself it was rude to intrude on their intimate moment, but to tell you the truth, I felt a little jealous. Not because I had a thing for John or anything like that. I lusted after the tender, intimate embrace they shared. My friends had been careful about their displays of affection when I was around over the summer, so seeing Kieran and John locked in each other's arms made my knees threaten to buckle. I closed my eyes and forced my emotions back under control.

When I opened my eyes again I saw that Sam was studying me, well aware of what I was feeling. I turned away and pretended to sort through the rest of our provisions.

"Hey, Haniel, how about you teleport our stuff up to the campsite for us," Shawn joked as he threw one of the oversized backpacks onto his back. The two small aluminum pans we had hooked to the side clanged together as he adjusted the straps so the pack would set flush against his back.

"Teleport?" Haniel asked, clearly confused.

"Yeah, you know that whole beam me up Scotty thing."

"Scotty?" Haniel asked, more baffled than ever.

"Shawn, isn't that way before your time? As a matter of fact, that's almost before my time too," Jacob added laughing.

"You wish old man," Shawn said, pretending like he was walking with a cane. He chuckled when Jacob let out a fierce growl and tried to snatch the invisible cane from Shawn's hands. "Kidding man, seriously though, I've been a "Trekkie" for ages. Of course, the last movie didn't do the classics their due justice."

"Hey, I liked the newest one," Sam said, raising her eyes suggestively. "Captain… whatever his name was is hot," she added mischievously.

"I'm sure," Shawn said, swooping her up into his arms.

Sam giggled as he dangled her upside down. "Stop," she gasped, trying to keep her shirt from sliding up.

"Shawn, we could use your help when you're done screwing around," Jacob called from the back of the van where everyone had finished loading up the gear.

I adjusted the straps of the sleeping bag on my back and pulled my iPod out of my pocket. I slipped on my headphones, letting the music drown out my friend's voices. I was overjoyed to be with all of them, but after almost four hours in a van, I craved some space and this was the only way I knew how to get it while being surrounded by so many people.

Chapter 5

It took us most of the day to hike to the temporary campsite Haniel had chosen beforehand. The hiking wasn't as bad as I had originally anticipated although the throbbing blisters on my heels would beg to differ.

The terrain of the mountain slowly changed the further we hiked. The trees now seemed larger and more forbidding. There was a tranquil beauty to the vast wilderness that surrounded us and yet, an eerie feeling that something unexpected could happen at any moment. Strangely though, the weight that had been sitting on my chest for the last two months began to ease and I wasn't sure what to make of it. Was I getting closer to Mark? Within the cloud of unease that had each of the Guides on edge as we trudged along, I could pick up the slightest flicker of pure goodness shining in the midst of it all. Maybe it was coming from our missing pair, but somewhere in my heart of hearts I wanted to believe it belonged to someone else.

Haniel stayed by my side the majority of the afternoon and after several hours I removed my headphones so I could chat with him.

"You are done with your instrument?" He asked, indicating my iPod Touch.

"iPod Touch," I corrected. "Yeah, I love music, but after a while it begins to give me a headache."

"I see," he said. "So, tell me what you have learned about this mountain," he continued, making it clear that my recent research hadn't gone unnoticed.

I smiled at him sheepishly before plunging in with the details I had come across. "The legends go back many years. The townspeople believe that hidden beneath the mountaintop is an entire sunken continent called Lemuria. They believe it is inhabited by mystical beings, even to this day. I'm sure Victor has used the legend to take control of the mountaintop. The townspeople believe the dark and evil undertones of the mountain come from the inhabitants of the lost continent as a warning to stay away. They respect the legends and treat this mountain as sacred ground."

"Very good, Victor has found the inner catacombs of the mountain and has been using it for his purposes for many years. The Light has informed me that The Dark one plans on using Victor and this mountain to try to take over what The Light has created. They will be stopped."

"What is Mark's role in all of this?" I asked quietly, hoping my friends couldn't hear.

"His plans are murky at the moment. It is unclear what path he will ultimately decide to take."

"So, there is hope?" I asked.

"Krista, there is always hope. At one time even Victor stood on the pinnacle of hope before he leapt into the darkness he shrouds himself in," Haniel said, making his point clear. There was always a chance of hope, but the question was, could that small chance of hope ward off the evilness that was eagerly waiting to suck it in?

"Then I choose to hope," I said stubbornly.

"That Krista is one of your greatest virtues. You put your heart and soul into what you believe."

"Yep, I'm a regular cup half-full kinda girl."

"What cup are you referring to?"