“What happens when you’re around a ton of people? Like the airplane. Would you have normally been flooded with their bullshit? Or can you focus in on what you really need to—or not, I guess?”
The tone in his voice tells me this line of questioning is still all hypothetical to him—but he’s playing along for the sake of it.
I sigh again, trying to decide if I should quit while I’m ahead, or keep going until I feel like bashing my head in.
“Depends,” I shrug. “Most of the time, it’s like turning down the volume—but it’s technically always there. Things stream in and out all the time. But when I’m not focused on it, it’s like being in a crowded room. You can hear all the chatter, but unless you stop to totally listen, only bits and pieces of it sticks.”
Blake considers for a moment, then nods.
“So, you’re saying most of the time, if you really wanted, you can’t shut it down.”
“Are you asking me to try not to pick stuff up about you? We’re alone and I can’t read you. What more do you want? What do you have to hide, Blake?” I ask, letting frustration get the better of me.
“Nothing—it’s not like that. But I don’t know—I don’t like the idea of all my stuff just out there. You know? Would you like it if someone could tap into all that you are or have ever been without your permission?”
I hold his gaze for a moment, trying simultaneously to choose an answer—and figure him out. Is it the military in him that makes him so secretive? Or is there something more? Maybe he’s just a knowledge hoarder. Who the hell knows? I know I sure don’t.
“I’ve had a long time to think about that,” I say, biting my lip before I say something I’ll regret.
Blake chuckles, “I can imagine the twenty-some odd years has been rough.”
“Oh, you have no idea,” I say, casting my gaze to his feet. “Honestly, at this point, I don’t think I’d mind if someone could tap into my shit. But that’s just me. It would be a helluva lot easier than trying to explain my life at this point.”
If I could pass on this curse of mine or share it with someone else so they can see all I’ve seen—I’d do it in a heartbeat.
I actually envy Demetri a little—even though I know I shouldn’t. He’d tell me I was a damned fool.
Kicking off my blanket, I stand up. I’ve had enough of this cat and mouse game. The only way for Blake to understand would be to walk in my shoes—and that’s never gonna happen. Even if I tried to explain or walk him through what my life has been like—he’d have me committed. If he sees it in action, that’ll be another thing. But who knows if that will ever come if he’s constantly blocking my signal.
Stomping over to him, I thrust out my right hand.
“Clothes, please.”
Blake’s eyebrows raise in surprise, but he hangs onto them for a beat longer than he should have. His eyes follow the length of my body before I snatch the clothes out of his grasp.
“I uh—” he says, clearing his throat.
“Yeah, yeah,” I say, tugging on my jeans and zipping them up.
He stands like a statue; not moving from where I left him. He also doesn’t turn around—or shield his eyes.
I pop an eyebrow.
“So, Greece, huh?” I say, lowering my eyebrows. “It’s been a long time since I was…”
I stop myself from saying too much. Instead, I scrunch up my shirt and throw it over my head.
“You’ve been to Greece?” Blake says, surprise lingering in his voice.
“Yeah,” I say, trying to sound casual.
Blake takes a step back, his expression bordering on awe.
“Huh, you don’t strike me as a worldly type.”
I snicker.
“Wow. That hurts, man,” I say clutching at my chest the way Ren would.
“C’mon. You know what I mean.”
“No, I actually don’t. What do you mean?” I say, placing a hand on my hip.
Blake takes another step back, running his hand along the back of his neck.
“Well, you know. You’re so young, for starters,” he says, flipping his hand out in front of him.
“Nice save,” I say, nodding as I stick out my tongue.
He shrugs sheepishly.
“Well, sorry to disappoint you, but despite my aversion to flying, I’ve actually traveled a helluva lot. Thank you very much.”
His lips tug down as surprise flits through his face.
“So, has Aiden sent over any more details? Do we know where in Greece we’re headed? I know the place pretty well. I might be able to get a clear read on things if I have some more specifics. It could narrow down our search. Well, assuming you don’t get in the way.”
“See, this is why I have a hard time fully believing in the whole psychic thing. There’s always the convenient out,” he shakes his head, “Anyway—yeah, the traffic cams and facial recognition caught them en route to Mount Parnassus—out by Delphi, I guess. Do you know where that is? We’re not sure if they’re using the ancient sites out there as a cover for a meet up and exchange, or if there’s something else out there drawing them. Aiden seems to think there are a number of caves out that way they could be using to smuggle the girls.”
I nod, “There are.”
I cast my gaze to the floor, shaking away the bizarre sense of déjà vu. The hairs on the back of my neck and arms tingle.
Being lost in one of those very caves is the first memory I have of my life as I now know it. You don’t know darkness until you’re lost inside a cavern with no source of light and no way of knowing how to get out. It’s utterly petrifying.
To be brought back there now—for this—I dunno, it means something. The universe is rarely so lazy.
A shiver runs up my spine and the memory of me stumbling out of the Korykion Cave, as it’s known now, penetrates my mind. It’s been centuries since I was last in Greece—centuries since I even considered my origin story.
Suddenly, despite the proximity to Blake, visions of green lights flash in my mind and the memory of the cavern shifts from me then, to present day. I watch as four girls are herded into the innards of the cavern system, led by a single flashlight held by a man much older than they are.
Fear permeates the atmosphere—they know they’re on a death march, of sorts, with no way out.
“Shit,” I mutter, shaking away the remnants of the vision.
“Whoa—your eyes. Uh—they just went completely white. What the hell—were you just—?” Blake stutters.
I wave away his question—there’s no time.
“I know where they’re taking the girls. We need to leave. Now,” I say, slipping my feet into my shoes and grabbing my carry-on.
“Okay, look I need a minute to process—” Blake says raising his hands and shaking his head. “I mean, was that a thing you do? Do you roll your eyes for that effect or—?”
“Blake for the love of God, just trust me. This is why we’re here—it’s why you agreed. My abilities don’t need to make sense to you right now. You just need to take the leap. If we sit around here wasting time, the girls are gonna vanish—or worse. We have to move quickly. They’re already there and it’s gonna take us half a day to get there.”
“Where’s there?”
“Korykion Cave. It’s within walking distance from the ruins at Delphi, but it’s still a hike.”
Blake nods, finally turning around. He grabs his cup of coffee, downing the contents and grabbing his coat.
“I hope you’re right about this,” he mutters, shaking his head.
“Only one way to find out—”
The urgency from the vision tells me we’ll need to plan this down to the minute. The time it’s going to take us to get to Greece from Rome is far too long for my liking—but I wouldn’t have been given the information unless there was a chance we could do something about the situation. That’s one thing I’ve learned for sure.
As soon as Blake reaches for his carry-on, I head for the door a
nd walk out.
We’re gonna need to haul ass to catch another flight.
Catching the 10:40am flight from Rome to Athens just as it was boarding is more than simple coincidence—it was providence. However, the two hours in the air is still pure torture. Sitting mostly in silence, I continuing to stay with the stillness, so I can check in with the cave and the girls. A compulsion has taken hold of me—I need to maintain a read on them and their whereabouts. Luckily, the lack of booze has cleared my head and allowed me to use my abilities properly again.
Plus it helps that I’m acutely aware Blake and I are their final hope of ever getting away from these monsters.
So far, nothing has changed for them, but I’m not sure if it’s the truth of the matter—or if being in close proximity to Blake is disrupting my vision in a different way. A strange energy about the whole thing pulses around me—something I can’t put my finger on. There are blind spots—and I’m not sure what it means.
Only time will tell.
The second the plane lands, Blake stands up, reaching for his bag.
I take a deep breath and ground myself.
“We’re gonna need to catch a taxi or grab a rental,” I say, finally breaking the silence.
Each of us were deep in thought through the whole flight—but now it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty.
Blake nods. “I don’t know the area. What do you suggest?”
“If we—no, scratch that—when we get the girls, we’re probably gonna need to get the hell outta there and fast. Don’t you think? Best to get a rental, I suppose. I can drive,” I say, grabbing my bag and heading down the aisle once the seatbelt light turns off and the flight attendant flashes her signal.
“I don’t wanna just get the girls. I want the men apprehended,” Blake says, his tone heavy. “I don’t wanna come all this way only to have them do it all over again.”
“Okay, you do the apprehending, I’ll focus on the girls. Deal?”
“Deal,” he says. “Damn, I wish my case woulda made it with us.”
“See—pack light, man,” I say, shaking my head. “When you have less to rely on, there’s less that can go wrong.”
“You’re not kidding. I’ll make a call to Interpol once I know for sure what we’re dealing with,” he says, shifting to his other foot.
Reading between the lines—he means once he verifies my story.
I roll my eye and continue to the front of the plane.
Blake follows behind, giving me the space to take the lead. I can tell it’s not his strong suit, but he acquiesces, just the same. I only wish he’d give in that easily with my abilities. Or at least give it a try.
Minutes tick away as we hurry to pay for our rental car and get the hell out of Athens. The drive to Delphi could take us another couple of hours, but I know I can shave time off with a few tricks up my sleeves. It all depends on how much the terrain and roads have changed over the years.
As soon as we get in our rental Jeep, I step on the gas and instinctively head toward Delphi. Blake pulls up the sat nav, trying to help us find the best route. Everything is a strange juxtaposition of the same energy and vibe from years ago, all overlapping with new buildings, roads, and landscape changes. Large trees and old sites that once stood are nothing more than ghosts in my memory as we speed toward our destination.
“You know, for someone who doesn’t overly seem like they like to drive—you sure do know how to handle this vehicle,” Blake says, breaking the silence.
“When needs must,” I mutter, refusing to remove my eyes from the winding road. The mountainous landscape is far different from the relatively flat one back home. One glance away could be disastrous. Especially at my speed.
“I’m gonna check in with Aiden to see what he knows,” Blake says, doing something on his cellphone. “Dammit. No signal out here.”
“Can’t say I’m surprised,” I say, shaking my head.
“What about you? You picking up on anything?” he says, trying to sound like he means it.
“Only bits and pieces,” I say, shaking my head.
“I hope you’re right about all of this Diana. I really do.”
“Me, too,” I say. Now would not be the time to be wrong, that’s for sure. “How are you planning on apprehending the guys once we’re there? Have you managed to work out a plan yet?”
“I’ve got a few things in the works, but it will depend on the situation once we’re in it. Those guys likely know the area a helluva lot better than we do—and that’s definitely to our disadvantage. Without my gear—I’m gonna need to be extra cautious,” he says, then adds, “you will too.”
I risk a quick flick of my eyes over to him. His gaze is dark and serious.
“You don’t need to worry about me. I can handle myself.”
“Yeah, well, as true as that may be—you’re still a part of my team and I have to worry about you, too. Like it or not, you’ll need to be a little more cautious than you were back at the creepy old man’s place by the river.”
I tip my head in acknowledgement. Once a military man, always a military man.
“I think our best bet will be to get to Delphi, then hike to the caverns to see what we can find. I’ll get us as close to Parnassus as I can though. If we’re lucky, there might be a place to get wifi or at least better signal before we pack up—you could check in with Aiden then. I’ll do my thing while you do yours,” I say.
Blake nods, “Sounds good to me. I just hope we’re not too late.”
“So do I. I can’t imagine how those girls must be feeling right now.”
Blake groans, “How anyone could be this way—do this to innocent little—they’ve gotta have something evil inside them.”
A shudder rolls down my spine.
He has no idea just how right he is…
Chapter 15
BLAKE STOPS FOR A MOMENT, casting a hand over his eyes to shield them from the blaring sun. Red and gold glint from within the strands of his dark hair.
“I thought you said it was close,” he says, eyeing how much further we have to go to the cave’s entrance.
“Pretty sure I said it was within walking distance,” I correct.
Sweat pools at the small of my back and I know Blake’s feeling the same as I am.
We need to move faster.
I glance down at my watch. It’s been nearly five hours since we left Italy. Five freaking long hours.
Blake does the same, shaking his head in what I can only imagine is disgust.
“Anything coming through on if the girls are close—or still alive?” he asks, his voice cracking slightly.
I shake my head.
“No. Ever since we arrived, everything has gone dark. Almost as silent as when I try to read you.”
“That can’t be good.”
I cast my gaze to him. Silence is definitely a mixed bag.
“I’m hoping once we get to the cavern, things will click into place. Sometimes I need to come into contact with items, or the location before things makes sense. There’s probably a lot of interference, energy wise—”
“Alright, let’s keep moving, then,” he says, reaching out and taking my hand.
I grab hold of his and take another big step forward.
The terrain is rocky, and the elevation is much higher than back home—making it harder to breathe as we forge on.
Avoiding the tourist groups and their occasional stopping points, it still takes us another twenty minutes before we finally reach the mouth of the cave.
“Wow—there’s a lot of people here,” Blake mutters, placing his hands on his hips as he takes in the scene.
I walk up, eyeing the massive mouth of the cave. He’s right. It’s a hub of tourists interested in learning more about Delphi, Greece, and the ancient ways people honored Apollo and Pan. Clusters of people huddle around tour guides who are all giving their own variations of the stories. Some speak in Greek—others in English or Italian.
I shak
e my head—this isn’t what I saw in my vision. There was no bustle of people and the cavern mouth wasn’t as wide and open as it looks in person. Yet, I know it was this cavern. I can feel it.
“They must have taken the girls deeper,” I say, leaning in to Blake.
“Could they do that without being noticed?”
“Sure, if they did it in the middle of the night or something. Hell, anything is possible. In my vision, there wasn’t anyone around when they all came through. They may have taken a different entrance or something. It wasn’t this wide.”
“Are you absolutely certain it was this cave?” Blake says, his eyes narrowing.
“I’m sure,” I say, staring him in the eyes.
But now that I’m standing here defending myself, I’m totally not sure.
What if the weird sense of connection—the fact this place was where I began my journey—has been clouding my judgment? Could I have let it all get in the way and taken us off course? It wouldn’t be the first time.
I shake away the memory of the ritual with Demetri and the way the Violet Flame transmuted more than it should have—all because of me.
“Then, c’mon—we need to look around the cave a bit,” he says, walking beyond a small group of tourists and heading deeper into the cavern.
When no one comes running after us, Blake takes his flashlight out of his pocket, switching it on as we go beyond the mouth of the cave and into the rear cavern opening. I stand back, trying to pull a read off of the energy in the space—the rocky walls, the unique way the stones and stalactites have turned green, before following him though the narrowed opening.
Small flashes of from the vision seem to mesh with where we are, but I’m not sure—things are in flux and shifting around. I shake away the confusion, pushing myself to go forward.
“Does anything look familiar?” Blake says, cautiously shining his light around the space.
“Everything—and nothing,” I mutter.
Blake turns around, the flashlight blinding me as he shines it my direction.
The Chronicles of the 8th Dimension - Limited Edition Box Set (4 Books): A Supernatural Thriller Box Set Page 20
