Reapers

Chapter Fifteen: Stay Or Go?

Era closed the door to Darcie’s bedroom and hurried down the stairs where Thane stood with arms crossed looking like he was disappointed with her.  She rolled her eyes and walked passed him where Mo napped in the rocking chair, she took his shoulders and shook him violently.  His eyes fluttered open, he stretched and stood slowly making his way to Thane.  Era walked back and looked at them, they stood side by side, Thane just an inch taller than Mo.

“The plan?” Thane asked.

Era swallowed, “Protect her...and follow my orders, someone needs to lead this group”

“We’ve gone on less, Era, but we all know that you can’t replace them” he said harshly.

“I’m not trying to, Thane” she responded, “I’m just trying to keep us moving forward”

“If that’s the case then you know we can’t stay here, that if we do eventually Darcie’s foster mother will come and we can’t explain why we’re protecting Darcie.  Even if we could, Kali’s smart and will find us if we stay here too long”

Era sighed, “What do you suggest?  We can’t just move with Darcie and expect them not to recognize your car, or to sense us.  Our wounds are still healing after all”  

“I know” he said putting a hand on his burned side, “What other choice do we really have?  Protect Darcie from here?  Train her?  Hope her foster mother doesn’t flip?”

“I hate to say it, Era, but I agree with Thane.  We can’t stay here forever, better to move now then wait until they have us cornered” Mo commented.

Era pinched the bridge of her nose, “I know...but...”

“But you don’t want Darcie to have to leave her family like this” Thane said shortly, “Come on, since when have you cared?”

“Since it was no longer about us” she snapped, “Since it wasn’t about our miserable lives, Thane, but someone else who could have lived a normal life if we hadn’t gotten involved.  Darcie could have lived a normal life without us...instead she might...” Era stopped.

“I know” Thane said flatly, “But Era, you have to consider the fact that they want Darcie not because she’s a mortal but something else...the sooner we find out why then maybe we can actually help her”

“But how do we find out?  How do we find our parents, Thane!” Era snapped.

Mo cleared his throat, “One, there’s a mortal teenage girl sleeping upstairs, and two, we have yet to hear about her latest...vision”

Era nodded, “She had a nightmare about us trying to kill her, I don’t know if that means anything but it shook her up.  Anyway, she said that she was someone of significance and saw our parents and their markings”

Thane’s eyes narrowed, “Did she say what side she was on?” he asked.

“No”

Thane looked at Mo then to Era, “I’ve noticed that in these visions she see the VladeBellum but never tells us from what view...she never says that she’s standing beside our parents or facing them in battle...she never says if she’s seeing things as a Reaper or a Dark Angel”

“What do you mean?” Mo asked.

“I mean that she’s viewing the Vlade Bellum from one side or the other, but she hasn’t told us which one.  That could be what matters” he said.

“Thane, it think what matters is why...how, she’s seeing the Vlade Bellum in the first place”

Thane shrugged, “Does it really matter?”