32.

Adrian followed my directions through the city.

The stronger Lidia's presence became the more anxious I felt. I wanted to leave Lidia in peace, to not put her in anymore danger, but what Mariam had revealed to us about Lord Cyril was too disturbing to keep hidden, and more important, Ben was fading away from me right before my eyes.

"We are almost there, hold on Ben. Almost there, stay with me..." I kept repeating such things to him, hoping that somehow he could hear me, that he was hanging on.

"God, he looks pale," Zuri whispered. "Go faster Adrian."

"Where next, Kairos?" Adrian asked me earnestly.

"Just one more left, she's very close." As I spoke the sentence, another energy swarmed my senses, one I was almost as familiar with as Lidia's. My heart jumped at the recognition. "Thorne," I whispered, "Why is Thorne here?"

"Who?" Berit asked.

"Thorne, he is the Lord's son," I swallowed. "He's my friend too."

"Great! Maybe he can help us persuade Galen," Adrian spoke, turning left swiftly. "And maybe he can talk some sense into his father about the whole army situation."

"No, he is the Lord's son, he'll get himself in so much trouble if he were caught helping us!" I practically keeled over in panic. It was already awful of me to jeopardize Lidia, but now Thorne too? And I could just forget about accusing his father of such an atrocity as violating The Morals. He'd think me to be even worse than a Ghost. "I'll have to get Lidia alone; I cannot let Thorne see us."

At that moment a graveyard came into view. Four stone pillars, each designed with black ironed roses arching over them. The entire ground was fenced in by the same beautiful metal work. The name on the middle arch entwined with the flowers of the coiled iron spelled out Brownsville Cemetery.

"That's...ironic," Berit whispered.

"An act of fate, really," Adrian agreed.

"They're in there, a ways back." I said, glancing over the rows of tombstones. "They must believe that I would try to find refuge here with whatever spirits chose to return to their resting place."

Justice clicked his tongue. "This is gonna require some serious stealthiness, won't it?"

"Stealthiness is not a word, but I would think so being that these are otherworldly soldiers we're looking to bamboozle," Berit said, sounding as nervous as I felt.

"All I need is to get Lidia's attention. They've probably split up anyway." I looked to Adrian. "It can only be you and I who goes."

Adrian nodded. "We all still have our walky-talkies, we can communicate with those. Zuri, Grab your gun and take to the left." He pointed to a row of tall oaks lining one of the walk ways off in the distance. "There is where you'll keep watch. Stay low, stay hidden, and shoot anything that looks threatening and ghostly. Justice, you do the same on the right at the other end. Either of you see anyone heading our way, you use your walky-talkies to warn us to hide. Understand?"

"Got it, Chief," Justice said. Zuri nodded with him.

"Good." He looked beside him to Kanoa. "I need you to pull the car around the side where it'll be masked by trees. We look awful suspicious just sitting here. You need to hide our energy as well Kanoa, we don't want to risk being sensed. "

"But I don't know if I can with all of us being separated so far apart." Kanoa still looked shaken up from the theatre fiasco. I realized it must be a lot of pressure to have the whole group depend on her covering their presence from evil all the time, especially when she was still curving her skill. It must have caused her to lose a great amount of energy per day as well. The added stress of Demons Ben and I had bestowed on her might deem her skill ineffective.

"Kanoa, you are far stronger than you give yourself credit for, my dear. Look at us over the past few weeks, our abilities are growing. You have been doing this like an absolute pro for a while now. I have not a doubt that you will be able to pull this off skillfully," Adrian beamed at her.

Kanoa's unease seemed to leave her for a moment, and something glowing replaced it. Confidence, I recognized. "I'll do my very best," she said.

"I know you will," he said. It was astounding how Adrian could use his words as weapons, even without using his persuasion, breaking anyone's defences and doubts down. He really was a good leader. "We very well can't leave Benjamin unattended in his state, so Berit and you will stay with him." Adrian continued. "Berit, we all know you're most qualified to keep Ben safe and breathing, so I will entrust this task to you."

"I'll keep him well guarded!" Berit pledged, the same confidence Kanoa had shining in his eyes.

"Alright, then that leaves the tricky part to you and I, Kairos. It may be difficult to cross that amount of ground uncovered. They may spot us."

"We won't have to walk it."

"And how might we get over there otherwise may I ask?" Adrian tilted his head at me.

I couldn't help but grin as I spoke, "Teleportation, Love."

"But Kairos, I cannot travel with other people, only objects," he reminded me.

"Yes, but I have a theory that when you travel, you do it through the fabric of earth's air, just as a portal opens through the fabric of the air."

"He creates a wormhole!" Berit inserted.

"Exactly, and just as I would be able to follow Ben through a portal, I should be able to follow you through a wormhole. The two are no different really."

"One problem is that the particles Adrian is made up of are special. They communicate with other particles in different places. Places he can see in front of him and places he has spent much time in are the ones that are illegible for him to teleport to because the particles are aquainted with each other. Your particles, although probably abnormal, may not be able to travel through the wormhole with him."

Adrian's brow creased in thought. "Then you'll just have to become spirit, otherwise you may get torn apart. Do you think that you can do that?"

"Being spirit may buffer some of the damage. I bet I can become spirit with no problem." I nodded.

Adrian looked to Ben, still in my arms. "We'll just have to risk it. Enough diddly-dawdling, we have to get Benjamin help. Kairos, do what you have to do."

"That will certainly be no problem," I assured. My energy was sparse as it was, there was not much to let go of, I just needed to concentrate. I placed my hand on Ben's cheek. Anything I had, I would give to him.

I steeled myself, trying to harness the control I had before. The energy that clung within me was stubborn, refusing to let go as I pulled at it. Flow out now, go to Ben, I have no need for you, I concentrated on that phrase, repeating it over and over again in my mind until I could feel the coaxing work, a few sparks running down my arms.

Victory!

I smiled, realizing that I had complete control over it, I always had. This was my energy, an extension of my own will, and it would do what I wished just as long as I knew what it was I truly wanted. And at that moment I wanted nothing more than to give any energy I could to Ben. With that realization, the rest of my energy let go and flew from me eagerly into Ben's body.

His complexion warmed faintly, doing my heart good. I wouldn't lose him, or any of these people who I considered my friends. I would protect Lidia and Thorne as well. If I just got a grip I could do this without anyone getting hurt, and eventually I could claim my realm. I could be so much more than I was now.

My form rippled, my limbs feeling lighter, unbound by the weight of living flesh. "Someone take Ben," I said as I felt myself losing the ability to hold, my arms becoming more and more transparent.

Zuri reached over, taking Ben by the shoulders. Berit jumped out of the back, coming around to my side. I hopped out and let him take my place in the car.

Adrian got out as well. I saw him take a deep breath as he looked out over the tombs. When he turned his attention to me he had that practiced smile spread across his face. "Ready?" He asked.

I nodded, hoping he was too.