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Life After

BY

Shawn

 

Dalton-Smith

 

EXCERPT

 Jude came awake with a jerk. That couldn't have been thunder. He stared at the pounding rain against his windowpane. He threw back the covers at jumped from the bed. 

Lightening flashed outside and lit the room for a split second before the deafening boom of thunder made the windows rattle. What was happening? Why weren't the oracles controlling this?

He used his powers to reach out to the people of Haven. Most of them were filled with confusion. Until he came to Kalyste. Rage ripped through her. Her emotions were so intense they made his legs shake.

He ran to the door and wrenched it open. He had to get to her. Something was wrong. Deathly wrong. He could feel the bloodlust that pounded through her veins.  

Ella sprinted toward him. "You've got to stop her, Jude. I read her thoughts. She's going to kill her. Blake is already on his way."

Jude panted, trying to clear his blurred vision. "What's happening? Where's Kalyste?"

Ella grabbed Jude's hand and tugged him down the hall with her. "She's in her room. Nicolette is in there with her and Kalyste is draining her. We don't know what set her off. If she kills Nicolette, you'll have to kill Kalyste. We have to hurry."

Jude ran ahead of Ella at breakneck speed. Pure adrenaline made him move faster than he thought possible. He threw open the door to Kalyste's bedroom and his heart almost stopped. All hell had broken loose. Kalyste was in the middle of the room with Blake's sword in her hand. Her eyes were blank, void of all emotion. She hovered at least three feet in the air, her body flashing in and out of sight. Nicolette was on the floor in the corner screaming, also flashing. Every time Blake tried to get near her, he was thrown back by some invisible force. Kalyste floated toward Nicolette, the sword raised.

"Kalyste, stop!" Jude's voice echoed off the walls of the room.

Kalyste's eyes lost their glazed look. She cast her glance at Jude, the very fires of hell reflected in their depths. "You." She raised a hand and pointed a finger at him. "How dare you. You would save this piece of trash?"  She looked from Jude to Nicolette. "The way you saved your daughter?"

Jude could only stand there, staring. "Kalyste, listen to me. It wasn't like that. I was going to tell you what happened. Don't do this. Don't throw everything away."

"What will I be throwing away, Jude?" Her voice was harsh and without sympathy. "An eternity of lies and deceit? Marriage to a man I can't bear to look at?"

Blake moved cautiously to Nicolette and helped her from the floor. Ella ran into the room to stand behind Jude.

"Liars! All of you. You knew what he was doing to me and none of you said a word." Tears coursed down her cheeks. "None of you!"

A bright ball of light appeared in the room. When it faded away, the oracles stood before them, hand in hand. Clodio closed his eyes and the rain stopped.

Kalyste raised her hand to throw them back, but her blast bounced away from them and hit her instead, sending her flying across the room.

The oracles turned to Jude and closed their eyes. Instantly, Jude was covered in the black and red Lespri soldier's uniform, his sword in his hand. "We have declared her rogue, Jude. Do your duty."

Kalyste hauled herself from the floor and stalked over to Jude. "You're a Lespri solider? More lies. Anymore secrets you want to tell me before my last moments?" She raised a hand to silence him before he could answer. "Fuck it. I don't want to know." She pulled her hair to on side and hung her head, giving him clear access to her neck. "Go ahead, Jude. Do your duty. You've killed me before. This time should be so much easier."

Jude's mouth went dry. How could he do this? How could Clodio ask him to do this? "Clodio, she's your flesh and blood."

"It doesn't matter, Jude. She is subject to the laws of Haven just like everyone else. She could have really hurt Nicolette." He cast his glance in Nicolette's direction. "I know how she feels. I've wanted to throttle her a few times myself. But that's no excuse. We have laws. And she broke them."

Jude threw his sword to the floor. "But she can't be sentenced to death. The rogue law states she can harm no human and kill no one at Haven. It doesn't apply here. She was stopped."

Clodio looked to the other oracles before they all nodded in agreement. "Fine. But she still needs to be punished. She will return to the human world and be guardian to your daughter and her husband. If one hair is harmed on Chantal's or Ryan's head because of her, she dies. And you will be required to carry out the sentence. I you don't, you will die with her."

Jude's mouth dropped open. "Surely you can't expect..."

"It is done." The oracles flashed from the room, leaving everyone to stare at each other in stunned silence.

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