Violet Eden Chapters 04 - Endless

at all. You came with the dark.’
    I stood tall, despite the fear in the pit of my stomach. ‘Yes. We came with Phoenix. He’s helping us.’
    ‘Indeed. Darkness can achieve much. But are you ready to travel the road that it must take you on?’
    ‘What do you mean?’
    He stood. ‘The playing field is soon to be evened. I do hope you survive Lilith. Perhaps you can be the power that they believe you already are.’
    ‘Who? What power? What are you talking about?’
    He gave me a smug look and I knew he would say no more, so I pushed on.
    ‘Can someone else bring Lilith across the realms? If I’m… If I don’t make it?’
    He sighed, bored now. ‘They can return her to the pits. It may be enough. But no, only you can bring her across the realms.’
    ‘Why?’
    He raised one eyebrow high. ‘Because you are the Keshet.’
    Something hard pinged against my head. Then again. My eyes opened and I curled into a ball, just as another hit came to my arm. ‘Ow!’
    ‘Wake up!’ a small voice said.
    Something else hit my back. I looked down and saw small rocks – no, chunks of concrete.
    ‘Okay, okay! I’m okay,’ I said, before another one hit me.
    ‘What happened to you?’ Simon asked, panting.
    I put a hand to my head. I could sense Lincoln. He was worried for me, as if he hadn’t been able to sense me during my dream.
    I’m okay.
    I kept thinking it, over and over, until I felt him calm. Then I turned to Simon. ‘I guess I fainted. I’m fine now.’
    His concern remained but he nodded.
    Seeing the nervous expressions on the faces of so many children left a lump in my throat. Then one little boy caught my eye. Still in his blueand-white pyjamas and huddled next to an older girl, it was the little boy Olivier had taken. He was alive.
    I smiledat him and dug my fingernails into my palms to stop from crying. I didn’t know how much longer I would have until they came for me, but I decided to try and focus all my attention on the children.
    For the next two hours I listened to them tell me, one by one, how they had been taken from their homes, how their families had been tortured, burned, murdered. Each of them, having already known the loss of one parent, understood all too well what losing the other would mean. They had nothing left and nowhere to go, even if they were to survive.
    I wanted to scream for them. I wanted to rip Lilith apart for doing this. Phoenix too. Even myself. We had all played a part. But I held back the emotion and devoted my attention to the children.
    ‘There is a place where you can all go,’ I told them. ‘There are people who will look after you and keep you safe. You will become a part of their family. It won’t be the same as your real families, but it will be amazing. And when you grow up you will have choices. If you want to you can become very strong and very powerful.’
    ‘Like you?’ One of the smallest boys named Tom asked. His face was covered in freckles and he had pale blue eyes and fire-engine red hair. I’d never seen hair that colour before. He couldn’t have been more than six.
    I nodded. ‘Like me.’
    ‘Would we be a part of your family?’ Another little girl named Katie asked. You could tell she’d had a tough life already. She held herself in a way that suggested she expected nothing more than suffering.
    I smiledat her. ‘You’ll have family all over the world.’
    She smiled back and my heart broke.
    I have to save these kids.
    ‘Have you seen the man with the purple hair. The one who brought me in?’
    The children nodded.
    ‘We call him Midnight Stars. He sneaks us in some food every now and then and tells us to hide it,’ Simon explained.
    I smiled. Midnight Stars was a perfect name for Phoenix.
    ‘Well, if anything happens to me, or if I can’t get back to you, do what he says, okay? You can trust him. He’ll keep you safe.’
    The children nodded.
    Simon leaned into the bars and they gave a little under the pressure, making me wonder if I could pull them down with my strength. He reached his hand through, stretching it towards me.
    ‘We pray every night for God to protect us. Will you pray with us?’
    ‘Oh,’ I said, taken aback. ‘I… The truth is, I’m not sure I believe in God.’
    Simon’s reaction was shock at first, followed by confusion, and then… He smiled.
    ‘You’re testing us. I can see that.’ He nodded, more to himself than me. ‘Our faith will not waver. You will not see us lose our way.’
    I