FORBIDDEN

CHAPTER 10

Cass woke first. She looked at Jared. He was so peaceful. She slipped out of bed and silently walked through the house to the kitchen. As she entered she realised she wasn't the only one awake.
"Hi, angel," said Clarissa.
"Hey, Mom, hey Dad."
"Morning, baby," answered Jace.
"How did you sleep?" Asked Clarissa.
"Good. I feel alot better actually. And you," answered  Cass.
"That's good. We slept well," said Clarissa.
"Is anyone else up yet?" Asked Cass.
"Nick and Andrea are outside on the porch if you want to greet them," said Jace.
"Thanks, Dad. I'll go greet them now," said Cass as she turned.
"Coffee?" Asked Clarissa.
"Yes please," answered Cass as she headed toward the porch.

"Morning," said Cass as she stepped outside.
"Morning," said Nick.
"Hi, sweety," said Andrea as she stood to hug Cass.
Andrea held Cass in a tight embrace then handed her to Nick.
Cass laughed as he embraced her tenderly.
"How did you sleep, Hon?" Asked Nick.
"Good thanks. I hope the same applies to you?"
"We did,thank you."
"I'm glad. Um,I've been meaning to thank you for last night," said Cass as she turned to Andrea.
"It was done with lots of love. And I would do it again if necessary. It's not an easy thing to do, but for you I would do it a thousand times over. You are our jewel and that will never change," said Andrea.
Cass looked ready to cry.
"Thank you both so much for accepting me. It really does mean alot and you mean the world to me. That's why I wanted to give each of you one of these," said Cass as she handed a stone to both of them.
"Thank you, Hon," said Nick,"but what are they?"
"Charms," answered Cass," to keep you safe at all times."
"Oh, dear we appreciate this with all our heart. But these are extremely difficult to make. Wouldn't you rather give them to your parents?" Asked Andrea.
"I have charms for them too. As well as for Jared."
"Thank you," whispered Andrea as she tucked the stone into her pocket.
"You're welcome," said Cass as Jared stepped onto the porch and hugged her from behind.
"Good morning," he said as everyone greeted each other.
"Here," said Cass, handing him a stone.
"Thanks, angel but what is this?" Asked Jared.
"A safety charm," said Cass,"just accept it and promise to keep it with you at all times please?"
"Of course," said Jared,"I'd do anything for you. If it means keeping this charm then so be it."
"Thank you," said Cass gratefully as she embraced him.

Jace and Clarissa joined them to view the sunrise which looked very promising. They would later find this to be misleading as that night would be anything but.
Everyone spent the day cleaning up, tidying and even cooking. A helping hand was always close if someone needed it. Cassy smiled. Everyone was a team. They were all one.
"Come on, sleeping beauty," said Jared,"or else there won't be any food left by the time we get to the kitchen!"
That put a spark in Cassy's stride. She beat Jared to the food.
"Hey," he said as she took an extra piece of meat,"what about me?"
Cass laughed.
"You should have gotten here first," she said.
Jared finally gathered enough to fill his plate then went to sit next to Cass. Everyone's attention was on the TV screen.
"What's up?" He asked as he sat down.
"There's a major storm moving inland from sea," said Cass.
Jace put the volume up.
The screen settled on a young woman.
'The storm should pass over major towns as well as most of the farmlands but please do be cautious. We do not know when or if the storm will change direction. It is heading East at the moment and will reach the major cities in about two hours. If you are on the outskirts of towns, the storm has less chance of hitting you but please be aware of your weather patterns as some areas thought to be unaffected may still be in danger. We will update you every hour. Thank you.'
"Wow," said Jared as they finished up.
"Do you think it will strike us?" Asked Clarissa.
"I doubt it," said Jace.
Cass spoke up.
"We won't be hit by the storm,"she said,"but we will be hit by something else. Something evil. Something dark."
"When?" Asked Jared.
Cass looked at them all.
"Just after sunset. As soon as evening arrives we will be under attack. Throine and his people will fight off most of them. We will have to deal with the rest. We have three hours. Get ready."
"How do you know?" Asked Andrea.
"I just Saw it," said Cass," and Throine just saw them. Sticking to the shadows. Waiting for dark."
"Throine saw them?"
"Yes, he will wait until they are exposed."
"Your Vision showed Throine?"
"No. Throine just told me," said Cass.
"But how? He's on the other side of the woods from what you described Seeing last night."
"I'm guessing he can access my mind like Jared and I can access each other's."
"Can you answer?" Asked Jared.
"I already have. Throine is sending a few guards our way to wait in the trees."
"This is NOT normal," said Nick.
"No, but she had been Chosen," said Andrea.
"Chosen?" Asked Jared.
"Throine has Chosen her to fight alongside his people and the Mother has Chosen her to be the one to defeat this evil once and for all," said Clarissa.
"This is getting weird," said Jared.
"It started getting weird when the prophecy fell into place, Son. We're past weird now," said Nick.
"Right. Let's get ready then," said Jace.
Everyone nodded and did what they could to prepare for what was coming.
They had all just joined up again when a strange sound came from the forest.
"It has begun," said Andrea,"that is the Horn of Throine. Battle has commenced."
Everyone went into the back yard as sounds of the oncoming fight got louder and closer. Arrows whistled through leaves as Throine's archers released their aims.
Cassy gave each person a handful of powder. They looked at her, confused.
"When I say 'now', throw it up into the air," said Cassy as she started counting down.
They waited for Cassy's signal to release their powder, not having a clue what it was or what its purpose was. No one dared asking and breaking her concentration.
Cassy's eyes were closed. She depended on her inner Sight as well as her hearing to know when to release. Not yet...
Her eyes shot open.
"Now!" She yelled and they all threw their hands up, spreading the powder into the air just as movement came out between the trees.
Screams filled the air as the powder touched what looked like humans yet they were as pale as marble. They burst into flames which lit a half circle around the yard as they turned to ash. Vampires, of course. They were faster than the other creatures. More deadly. A perfect front line for an attack.
Then, came the wolves. Cassy threw bolts of electricity toward them, slowing the beasts only slightly, then blasting them with air one hundred times stronger than any hurricane ever recorded. Clarissa looked at her daughter. Such power. Such destruction. All of it resting on her daughter's shoulders. When this was over, they would all be better off. Cassy could have a normal life.
Jared linked to Cassy as he saw her power draining. None of them had the Gifts that she did so she needed their help more than ever to keep her energy up. Wave after wave of beasts came through the trees. They ranged from animals to creatures with no names. From big to large, from two legged to four legged.
They fought for hours, Cassy almost losing control too many times to count. Almost slipping away. The creatures got closer to them with every wave. Just when it looked like they were winning, creatures so hideous that it hurt to look, came through the trees. Cassy almost let go altogether. Jared, Clarissa, Jace, Andrea and Nick all placed their hands on Cass as she fought the final wave.
The Fae were joined by Elves and Dwarves as the battle grew. Throine joined Cass and suddenly she was more alert than ever. She shot up into the air and blew with all she had. The icky creatures fought against the winds which were joined by fire as Cass made a huge whirlwind. One by one, they were sucked in. Spiralling downward into the deepest pits possible. When the last was in, Cass sealed off the hole and landed on the ground again. She was about to turn to her family when a warning came just as a giant emerged from the forest.
She screamed. She bolted toward it only to smack right into its fist. She flew backward, hitting her head against a rock. Her vision swerved in and out of focus. She stood unsteadily for a few seconds and bounced right back. She felt her energy draining. Fast. She had to do this. She tried with all her might to bring down the giant but nothing worked. She got frustrated with every fail.
"Why don't you just fall?!" She screamed as she dived downward, splitting the earth in two. The giant backed up and then it ran. It jumped. It missed the hole completely. Cass screamed harder than she ever thought possible and twisted her hands. She called on the Mother to give her enough Spirit to defeat this last beast.
"Your request is granted," whispered a voice in Cassy's mind.
"Thank you," she answered.
She twisted her hands again, this time aiming directly at the beast.
"Time. To. Go!" She screamed as a black hole opened up right in front of it. It gave a shout of surprise as it turned to run. It lifted its foot and lost its balance, tumbling right into the middle just as Cassy's energy failed her.
The black hole vanished along with the giant as Cassy stumbled toward the house. She lifted her arm trying to grab hold of Jared as she fell toward the ground.
"I've got you," she heard Jared say as she was lifted from the ground.
She felt her legs swaying as he walked toward the others. Throine joined up with Jared.
"You fought well, Cassy. You may rest now. We will talk later. For now, rest," said Throine.
"All the people---" she said.
"Shh, don't worry," said Jared," they'll be okay. Come on. Let's get you inside."
She opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out.
Jace opened the door and Jared entered the house. He put Cassy down on the couch.
"Rest now, my love. You have done alot. You need to rest," said Jared.
"No," she whispered as everything went dark and she could no longer hear, see or feel.
Darkness took her as she let go of what felt like everything. She floated in the dark abyss with no sense of time.

"Back again, Girl?" Asked a voice so familiar she could not misplace it. He was there.

The Darkness.
"This is going to be fun," He said as Cass spun round and round until even that left her mind. Everything was gone.

She was gone...