"Well, it looks like I made myself useful after all. You said the blood sample that Dr. Erickson provided to the peer group was from a female donor, correct?" Lorrie asked.
Scott nodded affirmatively.
"You have already said that you are certain she did not use her own blood. It seems I managed to find out in two minutes what you could not discover in two months. I know the identity of Dr. Erickson's anonymous donor."
With that declaration, Lorrie gained and held Scott's undivided attention. He scooted his chair over directly against hers and wrapped his arm tightly around her waist.
"Now Darlin', that is definitely an attractive bit of news. Who is it? Quickly, we have less than a minute before all hell breaks loose in here. If I have that name, I can stop this and avoid the unnecessary complications it will cause." Scott tightened his grip on Lorrie's waist, fingers digging deeply into her side until the pain caused her to squirm uncomfortably.
"Her niece; it's her niece," Lorrie wiggled out of Scott's hurtful grip.
"Does her niece have a name?" Scott fiddled with his wristwatch in order to disable the countdown and deactivate the trigger.
"Better! She is here on the island, though she did not come to the conference today. They did not say why. The other man at the table is the niece's husband. Apparently, they are all vacationing together this week."
"Of course! It was right there in front of me the whole time. The other lady with Dr. Erickson at the airport was her niece, her donor. It makes sense that she would bring the donor to this event. How could I have been so blind?" Scott slammed his fist onto the table, causing small sparks to fly about a foot in all directions. One of them struck his wristwatch, and the resultant boom echoing from under the stage could be heard throughout the room.
"Crap!"
The entire room seemed to shake and rapidly began to fill with smoke. Vin and Ben were already on their feet, moving toward Salma. She stood on the stage where most of the activity was centered, having just completed her presentation and started her question and answer session when the commotion began.
Apela went to find Maku and Pete. They agreed to meet at Apela's truck as quickly as they could.
Another explosion from further across the room shot flames almost as high as the ceiling. The smoke immediately thickened and the air rapidly became difficult to breath. Vin tried to help the situation by using his gift to blow the smoke into the corners of the room, but it was building too quickly with nowhere else to go. Unless he could get one of the sealed windows to shatter, the room would soon be filled with noxious fumes. Vin kept trying to clear the air as they reached the stage.
By the time they made their way through the panicked crowd to the front of the room, Salma was no longer there. Ben caught a glimpse of her being ushered toward the stairs by Dr. Jacobs. Ben rushed in that direction, hoping to catch them, but was hindered by the press of people milling about in confusion. Vin moved a bit faster, but could not reach them either, also blocked by the throng of attendees. A third explosion, this time sounding as if it came from the floor below, caused a section of the suite's floor to sag dangerously and become extremely hot. The flames continued to spread quickly around the suite, making the front and back exits completely impassable.
"Salma, where are you going? Wait for Ben," Vin called her.
"Vin, don't let Ben follow us, please. I will be all right. Neal won't hurt me. He wants information, and then he will let me go. But, if he sees Ben coming after him, he said he will do whatever is necessary to get away. He has a gun, Vin. Please, make Ben stop."
"Don't worry, Salma. Stall him. Slow him down any chance you get. We'll get you out of this."
Vin had worked his way over to Ben while he spoke to Salma and reached out to grab his arm. Ben stopped at Vin's indication and hearing Salma's reference to the gun; but he did not take his eyes off the stairwell where Salma disappeared a few moments earlier.
"What else did she say?" Ben asked.
"She said he wants information. Salma is afraid that he will shoot you if you follow them," Vin shared the additional details.
"I agree. I don't think he wants to hurt her," Ben said as he started moving toward the stairwell once again.
"What are you going to do, Ben?"
"I don't know yet. But, I sure as hell am not going to let him walk out of here with Salma, gun or not!" Ben started moving again.
"This confirms the answer to at least one of our questions. Now we know for certain who was behind the harassing, government letters. I intend to put a stop to that problem here and now," Ben concluded.
In hindsight, it seemed obvious. Dr. Jacobs was trying to steal Salma's research for the money it could generate. Despite what Salma might want to believe, Ben knew there was only one way the man could successfully get away with that. There could be no one to dispute his claim. While Neal may not want to hurt Salma yet, Ben was certain that would be the eventual outcome.
In the next instant, Salma and Dr. Jacobs returned from the stairwell in a rush. It was apparently blocked by flames. Everyone was trapped in the room. Ben reacted immediately from his position only a few steps away. He rushed forward and snatched the gun away from Dr. Jacobs before the doctor realized that Ben was there. Rescuing Salma from her captor's clutches at the same time, Ben pushed her behind his own body where Vin caught hold of her. This was the second time Ben had been forced to place himself between his wife and Dr. Jacobs. Ben did not intend for there to be a third. Vin moved up to stand beside Ben. The two men effectively prevented Neal from getting anywhere near Salma again.
As Neal was about to lunge forward in a final effort to circumvent Ben, a large piece of flooring gave way beneath Dr. Jacobs' feet. The doctor fell backward into the disappearing stairwell. Ben reached out, but could not catch him in time. Neal screamed in pain for a minute and then fell silent. Vin looked over at Ben with a knowing expression. His fate would be their own if they could not find a way out of the room soon. Now that Salma was safely at his side, Ben pulled her down to the floor where the air was slightly easier to breathe. He then turned his attention to the fire.
Vin was already considering the problem. This was one time when he wished Caeli was nearby. Vin took a moment to try calling out to her through their link, but he could not reach her. He could sense her, but there seemed to be a layer of dense fog between them. His call went unanswered. There was too much chaos around him to focus properly. The floor beneath their feet was beginning to get uncomfortably warm. Many people were already at the windows trying to break the glass while others had moved toward the outer edges of the room where the floor was cooler. It seemed to be the most secure place to be at the moment. The three began to move carefully along the edge of the room, staying as low to the floor as they could, heading toward the rear entrance.
As they neared the midpoint of the room, a section of the wall buckled next to Vin, sending a huge chunk of sheet rock falling on top of them. Vin's quick reflexes allowed him to raise an aerial barrier to prevent it from hitting him or anyone near him. Unfortunately, he was not quick enough to catch all of the objects that were hanging on the wall before they flew loose. A heavy painting tumbled from its bracket and fell seconds before the wall. The sharp corner of a thick, metal frame struck Vin on the right side of his head, drawing blood and causing an immediate knot to rise. Vin was instantly dizzy and his vision blurred. The room began to spin around him. He forced himself to stand still, holding onto a chair in order to regain his equilibrium. While Ben and Salma waited with Vin, Apela, Maku, and another man, presumably Pete, worked their way over to join them.
"I might know another way out. There is a short hallway through the coatroom at the back. If it is not blocked by the flames, it will get us out. I will show you where it is, and then come back for the rest of these folks if it is passable," Maku instructed. As they began to move in that direction, the floor directly below Salma's feet dropped away. A hole large enough for her to fall through opene
d as a ball of flame and smoke shot upward from below.
Vin reacted immediately to place another protective barrier, this time around Salma, so that the heat and flame would not seriously hurt her. Because of his head injury, Vin could not focus well enough to keep her from inhaling smoke or feeling the heat from the forest of flames beneath her. Worse, Vin could not stop Salma from falling. He could not use the air to lift Salma up. Thankfully, both Ben and Maku managed to do that. Each of them grabbed one of Salma's arms as she fell and were now pulling her up and away from the gaping hole. It took them no more than a minute. As they tugged her to the relative safety of the conference room, brightness filled the area surrounding Salma.
"Don't be afraid, Sister. I will ease your pain. Your skills will be needed soon, and you must be well enough to use them."
Salma heard the voice as if someone whispered in her ear. She assumed it to be one of Vin's angelic friends. From the comforting sensation his touch evoked, and the lessening of the burning sensation on her legs, Salma guessed that it must be Raphael. Salma was amazed that he chose to help her. What was she going to have to do that could be important enough to send an archangel calling on her? Salma had only a moment to consider it before being hauled up to the relative safety of the floor above.
Ben pulled Salma aside, checking her for injuries. She had inhaled a lot of smoke and was coughing, but seemed otherwise unharmed. He could not believe it. She should at least have some indication of the heat or flames' effect on her, but there was nothing. All Salma needed was a good dose of clean air, and she would be fine. Ben thanked Maku, and turned likewise to Vin. He nodded, still feeling woozy from the second crack on his head in as many days. They all continued to the exit in the coatroom, only to find their last hope of escape blocked.
"Did you see that?" Lorrie shouted at Scott to be heard over the commotion. They had been watching the group move along the wall ever since Scott's uncle fell. Scott swore that someone would pay for the untimely death as soon as he found out what went wrong and what caused the additional explosions.
"Yes. Unfortunately, I did. You said that man was the niece's husband? Damn the luck! I should have figured it wouldn't be as easy as snatching up some helpless lady." Scott fumed now that he recognized the man the Deacon had failed to kill.
"Why? What are you talking about?" Lorrie was truly puzzled. Obviously, Scott was not surprised by what Vin did when the wall fell. Lorrie had been under the impression that Scott had never met Vin before today. A ruse she wanted him to believe about herself as well. In truth, Lorrie had known him for many years, though Vin did not recognize her now.
"That is Eyvindr Harding, descendent of the first bloodline, gifted with the wind elements, as you saw him so aptly demonstrate. To say that he is protective of his wife is the understatement of the year. He crossed the barrier twice for her; and she is no docile housecat herself. She gave old Nemi the slip a few times when she was being held in Idaho. Trust me. That was no easy feat. If Caeli is Dr. Erickson's niece by blood, then both are descendants of the second bloodline. This is going to be much more difficult than I thought. I never intended to face Eyvindr's bloodline again, much less Eyvindr himself. The prudent thing to do would be to forget about his wife and use Dr. Erickson's blood to access the book. Going after Caeli's blood may bring me more trouble than I can handle. Then again, it could also be much more rewarding. The samples I tested showed that her blood is much more active than Dr. Erickson's. That's why both Neal and I wanted to discover the donor's identity."
Scott muttered to himself, trying to decide his next course of action. Lorrie no longer listened or cared. Scott once told her that such people existed, and that learning elemental skills was possible for the rare few who put forth the necessary effort. Most people never made such connections. Scott was one of those few who did. He had cruelly demonstrated his acquired talent with a jolt of lightning to prove his point. When Lorrie asked Rika about it afterward, her long-time friend confirmed Scott's information. Anyone could learn to use the elemental skills, but it was an inherent ability for anyone from either of the two bloodlines. Lorrie never imagined that Vin inherited the bloodline that could use the Book of Elements or that he would master an elemental gift, much less both. Supposedly, members of the two bloodlines could attain much greater ability with their higher aptitude for controlling the elements than someone like Scott who had learned it from scratch.
Lorrie was also surprised that, in all the times Scott repeated the story about the incident in Idaho, she never realized that the victimized couple had been Vin and Caeli. That was mainly due to the fact that Scott had not known that Eyvindr and Vin were the same person. Lorrie was embarrassed that she was unable to make the obvious connection. Of course, none of this would change Lorrie's plan in the least.
Dr. Erickson was only beginning to suffer. Salma was most certainly watching as Caeli was being slowly eaten away by the poison. Yet before Caeli reached the point of death, Lorrie would deliver her to Rika as her promised payment. Lorrie did not know what Rika wanted from Caeli, and she did not care. From the change in Scott's mumblings as he considered the best way to make Salma comply, he would make sure that Dr. Erickson suffered even further. If Dr. Erickson died in the process, Lorrie was all right with that, too. Lorrie's main goals were to see Dr. Erickson suffer and deliver Caeli to Rika. Then she would finally be done.
Vin caught sight of Scott out of the corner of his eye. The redhead watched them as they crossed the room, and Vin could tell that Scott recognized him. There was nothing Vin could do about it. He would have to deal with that matter later. Vin wasn't exactly certain what Scott's role was in all of this, though he presumed it involved the Book of Elements and the bloodlines that could access its power. Since Scott was attending Salma's conference and was making the effort to stay close to her, Vin presumed that Scott was helping his uncle with the plot to abduct Salma. But was his involvement anything more than that? Vin would work with Ben to figure that out once they got Salma safely out of the building.
Ben caught Vin's arm and drew his attention to the group around him.
"Vin, is there anything you can do about the air in here? It is getting very difficult to breathe." Ben held Salma against his chest, where she was barely managing to keep her eyes open. Her breathing seemed to be affected more than the others, and Ben's concern was evident.
"I will try, but I have not had much luck so far." Vin tried to shake off the fuzziness in his head.
"Whatever you can do, Vin."
Vin closed his eyes and immediately regretted it. The room began to spin again. When he opened them to stop the spinning sensation, he noticed that Scott and Apela's sister were no longer within his direct line of sight. Vin felt a pang of regret for Apela because he was certain that Lorrie was a willing participant in whatever devious game Scott was playing.
Vin tried to focus his thoughts on the air in the room. He condensed the smoke, allowing the little bit of remaining good air to expand further throughout the room. This did not provide the desired relief. Instead, it gave the flames a more direct route to the oxygen, and they greedily devoured it. Vin was not helping their cause. In fact, his efforts were making the situation worse. He had to stop, not only for that, but also because of the effects of his new injury. Perhaps it was because of the head injury or maybe because the air was now so thin in the room, but Vin found himself barely able to stand. He needed to rest for a minute.
He sat down in a chair and leaned his head on a table, hoping not to pass out as he waited for the unsettled feeling to pass. Vin wished that Caeli could hear him as he tried one last time to call out to her. Neither Vin nor the others in the room heard the sirens on the streets below. They had no idea how close help might be, if it was on its way at all. None of them could see the storm clouds break away from the main cloudbank and move, almost deliberately, toward the burning hotel.
CHAPTER 35
Caeli woke with a start. She heard a loud, distant r
umbling that caused the stone beneath her to vibrate. She was on the wet floor of an interior room in what she assumed to be the cave Max had shown her. She must be further inside than she went with Max because the surroundings were unfamiliar. The floor of the large room looked like a huge swimming pool about ten feet deep and thirty feet long. She was lying at the bottom of that pool in a few inches of water.
She could not remember how she got there, though she knew she fought her way back from something terrible. If the tattered clothes and the bruises on her body were a testament to the struggle she went through, it definitely had not been easy. She tried to stand, but her legs and feet would not respond. After several tortuous attempts, Caeli was finally able to move herself into a sitting position with her back against a wall. She closed her eyes and rested after the exertion.
Something nagged at the back of her mind, but Caeli could not recall what it was. It felt like forgetting to turn off the stove before leaving the house. As she sat there, Caeli noticed that the water level in the cave was rising. It was only a small change, but enough that she could detect it. It would take several hours to reach a level that would cause her any concern, but she would get up long before then.
"Caeli!"
She heard her name as if shouted from a distance. The voice calling her seemed familiar, but everything came to Caeli through a haze, and she could not clear her head. She tried to focus on the voice, but it did not call again. Caeli reached up and fiddled with the knotted pendant hanging on the chain at her neck. The habit brought her comfort and, with that comfort, came the sudden clarity she sought.
Vin gave her that necklace. It was his voice calling her! She sat up straighter with a sudden determination to reach him, feeling clearly, for the first time, how much abuse her body had taken. It was worse than she could have imagined, but Caeli ignored the pain and forced her mind to focus. It took several minutes to locate Vin. He and the others were trapped in a conference room several stories up. Flames were engulfing the room, burning off the limited oxygen that they desperately needed. And Vin was hurt. That was why it was so difficult to hear and reach through to him. He was using his gift to hold back the poisonous smoke and give the people a few extra minutes of breathable air. His efforts, however, were rapidly draining the room of its good air.
Wrath of the Sea Queen Page 44
