Cataclysm Read Online Free PDF Page B

behind him, I was in complete awe. It reminded me of everything that’s so lovely in the world that we were here to help save.
    The meadow in front of us was filled with a quilt of brightly colored wild flowers in every hue possible. The red-yellow columbine peeked out of the rockeries, while the magenta fireweed blew gently with the breeze. Every color imaginable displayed itself for us to enjoy, but one of us not being here made it difficult. I thought back to when I visited Butchart Gardens, without Athen. The beauty of what I witnessed seemed half as grand without Athen next to me to enjoy. Walking up to Cyril, I put my arm around him and hugged him, while we quietly stared at nature’s masterpiece. It was exactly the reminder we needed to begin our fight for what was right.
    “Thank you, Ana.” Cyril took a deep breath. “I guess I needed that more than I knew.” He smiled and kissed me on the cheek.
    “You alright, man?” Athen asked, knowing there was no such thing under the circumstances.
    “You know? I am… And the reason is because I’m going to get Arie back in time so that she can share this beauty with me.” The twinkle began to emerge in Cyril’s eyes as he promised himself and Arie this one little moment before the summer was over.
    “I agree, Cy. I think we can make that happen,” I said in all confidence, and for once, felt like I wasn’t lying.
    The dirt trail was more gradual the rest of the way down the mountain, with the swaying blue lupines bowing down in the wind, leading us to where we needed to go. The thought of Lilith training her faction, for some reason, made me chuckle. What a pathetic goal to have when surrounded by such serenity and beauty. They didn’t have a chance. Hopefully, I could convince every one of that as well.
    “What’s so funny?” Athen asked, eyes sparkling in the sunshine. We all grasped onto anything that would provide a sliver of happiness.
    “I was just thinking about how lovely it is here in the world. Whether it’s the beautiful flowers in the spring and summer or the magnificent autumn colors in the fall, there’s so much to remind us all of beauty and goodness. These are the things that are worth fighting for. Watching the mortals care for one another in times of sickness or disaster is very humbling. It’s hard to imagine that some people spend their time filling their days with hate and cruelty. I can’t imagine wanting to focus on hurting people, rather than helping. To build an army based on hatred is something I hope I never understand,” I said.
    Having Lilith in the same proximity as us really seemed to be stirring up the emotions I had been trying to ignore.
    “It’s always like you to see the beauty in things, my angel. Unfortunately, the mortal world isn’t always a beautiful place. I think the dark demons are focusing on evil and weak mortals to build their army.” Athen’s voice had an edge.
    I knew his disgust matched mine. Yet, all we could do was focus on the building and training of our own army. The plan to get Arie back would, hopefully, be nothing more than a hiccup for us. I could only let myself believe that getting her back would work as planned, and that she had the same uncanny ability with the memsors as Athen. Athen’s eyes caught mine. I knew he was chewing on the same thought as me. The sooner we get her back, the better.
    “There’s always hope, though. Even if people are choosing poorly now, I’m sure we can help them choose the right way, eventually,” I sighed.
    Hearing the crunching gravel from a group of people walking their way up the trail, brought me back to my senses. We couldn’t see them yet, but we could hear them. It sounded like a rather large group coming towards us.
    “Sounds like lots of hikers are out enjoying the beautiful weather. Wonder if they heard about the earthquake?” Cyril yelled back to Athen and I.
    As we moved along, we finally saw them. They weren’t day hikers. All of them