Four Horsemen Heart of War Book 2

Lola's POV

It was almost winter break and 2 weeks since the fire at Eve and Peter's house. Still no word on whose body was in the fire and still no word from Matt. My cousin Ella seems a shell of herself since Matt's disappearance. Eve has tried everything in her power as an angel to find Matt, and still no luck, I have tried every search spell I can think of but I too have failed.

Could he have been kidnapped by the Goodie Group like my sister Aroura had been, not so long ago, but if that was the case, why, he didn't have any special powers and we haven't heard about a ransom. I don't know how a regular mortal could be hiding from 5 keepers 2 horseman and an angle. He must have help, I just keep hoping he isn't hurt or in any kind of danger.

Our house is very full now, and with most of us still attending school the mornings are crazy. Ella has moved into the room with me and Aroura. Eve has taken Ella's room and Eric and Ken have turned our do-jo into their bed room. Ken tried to go home after we rescued Aroura but with his adoptive parents being devoted members of the Goodie Group Church they were informed that he was a devil and not allowed back home.

It has been hard for Ken, his parents wouldn't even give him his clothes. Ken wore some of Ethan's cloths for a day and said no more, because while Ken is very muscular like Eric and Ethan he is quite a bit shorter and leaner. He's like Bruce Lee and they are like Hulk Hogan.

Ken and I snuck over to his parents' house I had found a mild sleeping spell to put on his parents. That's my talent in my family, spells and wards, I try my best not to use spells on everyday people, but this was different, his parents and all the Goodie Church members were not really ordinary people. We were able to pack up most of Kens belongings, it was strange for me because while we moved quite a bit I had so many more things I would have wanted. I asked about countless trinkets and books, mementos and photos, but he didn't want any of them. As we stood in his childhood bedroom he let out a remorseful syh.

"It will be ok." I told him because that is all I could think.

"I know, but I also know I can't come back here again." He stated and grabbed a scrap book from a book shelf. "I think that's all I really need." And that was that, a duffle bag a roller suitcase the size used as a carry on, and that scrap book. I didn't ask about the scrap book, I just figured he would tell me when he wanted to, and I was happy he took something from his childhood.

My sister Aroura always drove her car to school with Ethan, Ella, and myself. Peter always took his truck with Ken. Aroura never let us ride to school any differently she said it would cause unwanted attention. But really that's almost all we have at school anyway, unwanted attention.

The Goodie Group Church had not only told Ken's parents that he was a devil but also the whole congregation that Ken and Eric were Devils, and we of course were devil worshipers. While it is true that not every student and teacher are members of the Goodie Group Church, it's enough to make most days difficult, and being alone can be a bit dangerous. We try our best to stay together after what happened to Ella two days after we returned to school.

Flashback

Ella was in the restroom washing her hands when a group of girls came in. Ella said she didn't pay them any attention and tried to leave to go to class. When one of the girls grabbed Ella's hair and pulled her down to the floor.

"I heard you and your devil worshiping family sacrificed Matt." The first girl said

"Yeah I head you guys burnt him alive and danced while he screamed." Another girl said

"How sick and twisted you and your family are." The first girl said again

I couldn't tell you why but even though Ella is quite strong and could have fought her way out of that situation she didn't. She stayed on the floor where those girls had thrown her and cried. It just happened that Aroura noticed something going on in the girl's bathroom and she butted in. Ella wouldn't fight back but Aroura would have killed them all if those girls hadn't been so fast. And so no one is to be alone in the school, because it's just not safe.

Lucky for me Ken and I have quite a few classes together. That's how I met him our first day of school that now seems so long ago but looking back was only 2 months ago. Ken reached out his hand to me as we started walking to our first period class, I grabbed it happily and moved closer to him. This is my favorite part of school because Ken and I are younger than the others we don't have any overlapping classes and can be close at school. Uncle Ryan and Aroura are very strict about not having a "relationship" with the horseman; I just can't see Ken as just "a horseman". I knew that first day I met him and looked into his dark brown almond shaped eyes that I wanted to be near him. Aroura is a hypocrite anyway I see the way Eric is with her, she pretends to not have feelings for him, but she does, and she does a poor job of hidding it.

Uncle Ryan even made me put a spell on our rooms at home so we can't go into each others rooms after 10 P.M. I have dubbed it the curfew spell. Uncle Ryan might not realize it but I made sure him and Eve's rooms also got put under the spell, I'm just not sure about those two, they are always whispering with each other, and giving each other glances.

At the end of the day we all meet up in the parking lot just as we have every day since our mission with the horsemen came into being. I do wonder about the other 2 horseman we still have to find Death and Plague. I look over at Ella and she just seems so dead, since Matt has been missing she only comes to school because we make her. Most days she wears what she slept in, no make-up, we have had to make her shower ,for our own  sakes, she is sharing our room after all.  

Everyone's minds have been on Matt missing and trying to keep appearances at school. Every day when the 6 of us who still have to go to school get home we train. We run the obstacle course and spar and have target practice, I train with my spells as well and Uncle Ryan, Ethan and Eve train Peter and Ken in there new horseman powers, but there has to be more we can do. I continue to search all the spells I can to see if there is some way to find more horsemen, or any way to find Matt, but I keep coming up empty handed.

I finally caught up with Eve one evening and asked her the question I had burning at me, "How did you know Peter was a horseman?" It has been burning at me for days now and I think my question came out rather blunt because Eve looked surprised at first

"Well," she began, "I was sent down to raise a horseman and I was given a child that was believed to be one." She paused for a moment, "but it wasn't, the first child was Matt. After about 6 months together I was sent to adopt a different child, that was Peter." Again she stopped and started to walk away.

"Wait," I called to her and reached out to turn her to face me. Eve already had tears in her eyes just waiting to spill over. "I'm sorry I know it's hard but please we have to find more horsemen, and maybe this will help us find Matt too." I put both of my hand on her shoulders Eve is a good head taller than I am but I get closer to her and hug her I can feel her soul crying in pain, I never realized Angles could care so much.

"OK," she pulled away from me and stood up straighter, "Peter and Matt were both at the same orphanage and there were power pulses coming from there, now that I think of it you probably can't find more horseman because there is too much power pulsing from here to get through." She stopped and nodded as though she just realized how right she was. "Anyways, the angels had thought it was Matt that was pulsing power, so I adopted him and took him home. As I said before it was 6 months later, but what I left out was that there was a fire, at the orphanage, and many children lost their lives." Eve begins to cry again but catches the hitch in her breath. "The angles made it to where no one would remember it, the fire that is. But after the fire a baby survived and started pulsating with power. That was Peter." By this part in the story most everyone in the house had gathered near us and Peter had moved closer to his mom to hold her hand. "I was supposed to give Matt back, but I couldn't and I convinced the bosses that it was better for appearances to have them both and Becca, they agreed and here we are." Eve wrapped up her story and hung her head Peter embraced his mom as she started to cry.

Then it hit me "Wait, Peter almost died then started to show large amounts of power, right?" I asked but not really to get an answer. "And Ken's powers started to show when he got shot at the party, right?" Again thinking aloud, "So it stands to reason that until a horseman has a near death experience their power doesn't manifest completely" I am so excited with my hypothesis of the situation and I start to gather spells together along with a few personal items of Matt's and I start loading them into a bag.

"What do you think you are doing?" My Uncle Ryan asks as I grab the car keys.

"Oh, I have to be isolated away from Eric and Ken so I can try to find…" I pause who am I looking for, Matt another horseman, I'm not sure. "Someone?" I finish it as a question because I'm not completely sure myself.

"You can't go alone." Ken stepped in "I'll go with you." The worry and determination on his face makes my heart flood with emotion.

"No, you heard what Eve said you and Peter are causing interference." I sate determined to not back down.

"You aren't letting her go alone?" Ken yelled at my Uncle

Uncle Ryan shook his head, "Ken is right you should take Aroura with you, just in case. You are lucky school ended today"

I had really wanted to go alone and focus, but at least Aroura doesn't cause me too much of a distraction. "Fine" I finally come out and say.

As Aroura starts to drive us away I look back and see Ken and Peter nervously watching us leave. I look at Aroura she seem to not even notice.

"Did you see them?" I asked Aroura

"Yes, they look like lost puppies." Aroura said sharply then sighed, "Some time away will do us all some good." While she said it to me I can't help but think she is saying it to herself as well.

Aroura and I drive for a couple of hours and end up in a small mountain town, there are cabins right off the main road so we pull over and Aroura rents us a cabin for the week.

"You know I don't plan on this taking a week." I tell her while we are going into our cabin

"I know, but it seemed like we might need it anyway." Aroura's answer doesn't make as much sense to me as it seems to make to her, but I just shrug it off.

We get all of our stuff into our room and start unpacking things to get started.

Aroura stands next to me and watches. She has always shown an interest in spells and wards and to think of it that is probably why Uncle Ryan suggested her to come with me, not just so I wasn't alone.

I look at her "Will you help me?" I ask. And like she had been waiting for those words Aroura just sat and started to help me set up everything we were going to need for the spell to find the remaining 2 horseman.