"Aye aye captain," I said, falling in line with Sam, Kieran and Kim.

“So, how are we supposed to get in?” John asked, staring at the large imposing door in front of us.

“You know what, just try opening it—carefully though,” I said suspiciously.

John cautiously pulled the huge metal door, surprised to find it unlocked.

“I knew it,” I said. “He knows we’re here so he’s screwing with us. Everyone be ready for anything.”

I blinked my eyes in the sudden brightness that greeted us. After using flashlights as our only light source for the last few hours, stepping into so much light was unsettling. I peered over Shawn's shoulder at the long industrial hallway in front of us.

"Um, that's a little creepy," Sam said, eyeing the long empty expansion in front of us.

I had to agree with her. Everything was quiet—too quiet considering Victor knew we were here.

"What you were expecting, dungeons or something?" Shawn asked.

"That would have been more appealing than this," she said, running her hand over the pristine white walls.

"It takes time and manpower to build something like this, so I'm wondering where all that manpower is hiding," I questioned.

"I'm guessing that way," John said, indicating the space beyond the hallway.

"Yeah, I gathered that much,” I said sarcastically, “but I'm not overly crazy about us walking into an ambush."

"What choice do we have?" Shawn asked.

"I know, I'm just saying," I said, cutting my eyes back toward the door.

"Come on, let's go," I said, taking control over the situation.

My command prompted the group forward with the Protectors slowly leading us down the long hallway. I focused all my attention on trying to get a feel for the space in front of us. I could make out the presence of multiple Daemons in the vicinity, along with a dark evil essence that I hoped was only Victor. It was stronger than it had been in June, so either he was seriously more powerful, or I was sensing someone else with him, someone with the same dark emotions. My heart lurched slightly at the thought that it most likely belonged to Mark. Shrouded by the dark cloud of evil, I could also feel something else. Something like a beacon of light amidst a dense fog. It was faint, but it was definitely there.

It had to be the missing pair from our Band, I thought in satisfaction. Our rescue mission was not a waste. We would be saving what was stolen from us so many years ago.

I can handle this, I thought just before all the light above our heads went off.

Chapter 12

Sam screamed next to me as the massive door behind us slammed closed with a resounding bang. The darkness was so immediate, it left us all frantically trying to turn on our flashlights, but to no avail. For some reason, they wouldn’t work.

"What the Hell!" Shawn said loudly, making me jump.

His words acted like a catalyst in the hallway. Warm bursts of air moved rapidly around the space where we stood, bumping us from all sides. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as Sam screamed again.

"Everyone be quiet," I commanded, trying to get a gauge of what kind of evil surrounded us. "They're poltergeists," I told my friends, trying reassure them.

My words ceased the movement around us. "How do you know this angel girl," something breathed in my ear.

"What else would use these kinds of parlor tricks to try to scare us," I taunted.

My words triggered the response I was hoping for. The dark hallway filled with glowing light as the ghosts made themselves visible in front us.

"Parlor tricks indeed. How I would love to get inside that body of yours. Care to let me in?” he asked as if trying to be charming.

I cringed when I caught a whiff of his rank fiery breath.

"Try it and I’ll fry your already dead soul,” I said, trying to sound threatening. I wasn’t even sure my powers would work on a poltergeist.

"Ooh, still tempting,” he said, flying around the room, bouncing off every wall.

I focused heavily on the ghost as he sauntered around the room. What I was sensing was different than the emotional energy of living souls, but still something I felt I could manipulate.

"The Dark One would be angry for sure,” he sang as he pranced around in circles. “Oh, but this is too good to pass up,” he continued.

He was moving so quickly, it was difficult to maintain a read on his energy.

“No guts, no glory,” he said, flying up into the air in a summersault before making a beeline straight for me.

“Don’t!" I screamed, putting my hands up in front of me to try and protect myself.

The poltergeist came to a dead stop in mid-air, inches from my face. He was hanging there helplessly, unable to move. I moved my hands and stared directly into his translucent eyes.

“What is this?” he griped, trying to break free from the unseen force keeping him bonded. I continued my focus, using my power to keep him frozen. There were no human emotions to focus on, but I could sense a change in his force. The more I concentrated on that force, the brighter he illuminated.

“Noooooo!" He blared as he lit up like a bolt of lightning, disappearing into nothingness, leaving us in darkness once again.

"I wonder where the rest went," I asked, expecting my friends to answer. “Guys, are you okay?” I asked, getting no response. I was so wrapped up with the poltergeist, I hadn’t noticed where my friends went, but they were definitely missing. A cold dread suddenly gripped me. Some Ascended I was, I thought. I had allowed my friends to be snatched right out from under me. I sank down to my knees as the full impact of it hit me. I was utterly alone in the dark hallway. I started to hyperventilate when I realized the connection between my current predicament and the dreams that had been haunting me for months. The air around me thickened and I could feel the darkness pressing down on me.

After several minutes, I was finally able to get a grip on myself. This was different. I knew the dimensions of the hallway and also knew that I wouldn't fall into some unseen abyss. Sure, I didn't know what awaited me at the end of the hallway, nor did I know what had happened to my friends, but I was also a different person now.

I pulled myself up off the ground and slowly started walking forward. I kept my hands out in front of me to help alert me to any obstacle I might encounter. My pace was slow and cautious as I continued to proceed down the long narrow space. I used my gifts to see if I could sense the location of my missing friends, but felt nothing. This was not the way the plan was supposed to go. We had allowed ourselves to walk into an ambush. The question is why had Victor left me in the hallway alone? And why did he feel the need to mess with me?

"Because I can," his voice whispered in my ear, making me shriek in fright. Whipping around, I stuck my arms straight out to ward off a possible attack.

"Where are you, coward?" I yelled, angry that I was once again at his mercy. I turned back around and raced down the hallway, away from the voice, back where I knew there was a way out. I allowed panic to get hold of me and in my mad dash to get away I crashed headfirst into an unseen obstacle.

My head reeled from the blow as I slumped down into unconsciousness.

***

A bright light shining in my face finally pulled me out of the black oblivion I had sunk into.

"Why is it I'm always the one knocked unconscious?" I griped to myself, attempting to sit up. My head spun and my stomach threatened mutiny. I closed my eyes briefly to gather my bearings.

"What the heck," I muttered, finally able to focus my attention on my surroundings. My eyes widened in disbelief as I took in the room I was in. I had seen this space months ago on a monitor in Victor's lab. This was where Victor kept our missing Links. I swept my eyes around the space, taking in everything in the room. My eyes skittered over the delicate furnishings that sat on the elegant oversized Oriental rug that highlighted the antique look of the room to a tee. The fact that it was hidden within a mountain was another story. The room was actually beautiful if not for the overwhelming sense of evil emitted throughout. I continued to scan the room, taking in each elegant detail. My heart jumped to my throat when I spotted two individuals on the far side of the room, studying me. I instantly recognized them as the Links I had seen on the monitor in Victor's lab. What a relief to find them not only safe, but also in obvious good health. I had harbored gruesome thoughts at the torture Victor was possibly inflicting on them. My relief was short lived when a third individual partially stepped out of the shadows on the far side of the room. A face as familiar to me as my own peered at me from the shadows.

I had dreamed of this moment for months as my eyes greedily took in his appearance. His hair was longer than before and he looked too lean, but other than that, his appearance was just as I had remembered it. I longed to search his eyes, but the shadows where he stood prevented me from seeing them. I couldn't help sending my emotions toward him, searching for the link we had once shared, but my emotions were deflected back almost instantly. I swallowed back tears. I knew our link was gone, but I had so hoped that I would somehow be able to reach him. It was obvious now by the way he deflected my emotional probe that he was forever lost to me.

I now knew why I felt the presence of pure evil in the room.

Mark was a Descended.

Standing up, I ripped my eyes from his and moved them to the pair of links we had come to save. I met the kindhearted eyes of the brother Lynn had never met. I smiled, hoping to reassure him. Finally, I turned my attention to Mark's sister. For months, my focus had been on saving her once we lost Grace and Faith. It had become crucial that we save at least one of the softhearted Guides that The Light had blessed each Band with. My eyes met hers, expecting the same warmth her Link held, but was shocked when I saw the calculating look in her eyes.

"For a supposed, Ascended you're awful slow," she said in a hard voice that didn't match her appearance.

Realization crashed into me as I used my new gifts to study her.

Someone was indeed evil in the room and it wasn't Mark.

Chapter 13

I swept my eyes back toward Mark and could clearly see what I had missed. Mark was not standing in the shadows avoiding me, nor was he blocking his emotions from me. I could just barely make out the metal cuff that surrounded his ankle. It had to be attached to some kind of power source that kept him from leaving the area.

"You blocked my emotions from him?" I asked incredulously, still reeling in shock.

"Of course I did stupid. I didn't want to miss out on watching you figure it out. I do have to admit, I’m a little disappointed at how long it took you to put the pieces together. The way father has been singing your praises, I expected something more," she said, eying me disdainfully.

"Now now dear, I've told you before, cattiness is not a human trait I admire," Victor said, stepping into the room. "Well Krista, look at you all grown up in your new leadership role. If I was partial to those still in the Heavenly Realm, I would say it looks quiet lovely on you," Victor said, eyeing me in a way that instantly made my stomach curdle.

Victor had always been a power freak and his shallow admiration towards me wasn’t so shocking.

I heard a growl of outrage behind me as Victor continued to drink in my presence.

Though it was irrational and the worse possible moment, but I could not contain the surge of joy that shot through me as the growl of disgust filled the room. Turning around I saw that Mark had moved out into the open as much as his electronic jail cell would allow.

My heart crashed violently inside me as I finally searched into his eyes which were nothing like the last time I had looked into them. Gone were the dead, lifeless eyes that haunted my waking moments. Instead the liquid chocolate brown shined brightly back at me.

"Well isn't this heartwarming," Mark's sister said.

"Tsk-tsk, Harmony, cattiness," Victor admonished her gently. His affection for her went against every conceived notion I had of him.

"I am capable of affection Krista, after all, she reminds me so much of myself at that age," Victor said, picking my thoughts from my head.

I cringed and securely closed the door surrounding my thoughts to stop any further intrusion.

"You did this to her?" I asked, sickened by his words.

"This was my wish for all of you," he said, eyeing Mark with obvious disgust. "Imagine the power I would have held.”

"You would give your own flesh and blood to The Dark One?" I asked, not bothering to hide my disgust.

"It’s an honor," Harmony said, sneering at me.

I shook my head, looking at her with pity. She was just another pawn that The Dark One and Victor were using.

"Don’t give me your pity Krista, I’ve spent years perfecting my gifts. Haven’t you even wondered why you haven't been able to connect with your precious Link all these months? That was my doing. I’ve blocked every attempt either of you have made, cutting both of you off. I broke your Link just like father requested," she said gleefully, gloating in her deeds that had destroyed my link with Mark.

I expected anger to well up in me at what she had done, but my pity for her only increased as I clearly saw the disillusions Victor had been feeding her for years.

"Oh my God, I said I don't need your pity, Angel whore," she said, spitting the words at me.

"Harmony dear, you mustn't let her get to you like that. Come along my dear. We shall leave her alone with something that no longer belongs to her," he said, indicating Mark in the far corner.

I felt disgust flowing through me at his referral of Mark, like he was nothing more than an innate object or something.

"Mason, here," Harmony commanded. I watched with shocked curiosity as her link rushed to her side like a puppy, shooting me an almost apologetic smile.

The door slammed closed behind them, leaving me alone with Mark for the first time in months.

I slowly turned around, cautiously eyeing him. Unanswered questions burned through me. If Harmony had been blocking our emotions for all these months, did that mean Mark regretted his decision to leave me? And if he did, how did he feel about our Link being broken?

Without meeting his eyes, I slowly walked toward him. I knew that I should be using my time to reach Haniel and figure out where my friends were, but for the moment I shut all of that out. I was just an ordinary girl seeing her ex-boyfriend for the first time since a terrible break-up. I wiped my sweaty hands on my jeans as I stood a foot from him. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally worked up the nerve to lift my gaze to meet his. My heart constricted as his chocolate brown eyes drank in my appearance. I was dying to know what he was thinking and knew that I could have picked his thoughts from his head effortlessly, but I did not feel right invading his privacy that way. Our Link was completely gone and yet, I found myself drawn to him like never before. I smiled at how wrong Victor had it. He had always assumed that as a Guide and Protector, you lost all your freewill, but here I stood, no longer a Guide, and I was still taken with the boy that stood before me.