I bowed out of respect and thanked them for seeing me before I began. As crazy as they drove me, I knew how to be polite.
“What brings you to us today, child?” the middle female asked.
To make things even weirder, they didn’t have names. We only called them the Fates. Each one was equal and they were connected as one by mind. It kind of freaked me out.
“Lorelle has informed us of the situation with the half-Guardians and what is at risk if we cannot protect them from whoever created them,” I said. “I wanted to speak with you myself to make sure we had all of the information before I put my people at risk.”
I attempted to twist my fingers together out of nervous habit and remembered I didn’t actually have my physical body to do that with. I maintained eye contact with the Fates. They glowed a soft golden hue. The females all wore deep blue, floor-length gowns and their hair was twisted up in a bun atop their heads. The males wore white cotton pants with deep blue colored button-up shirts and their long hair was tied back. Their facial features were each different along with eye and hair colors, but I still had a hard time telling them each apart.
“That is what makes you a great leader,” the female spoke again. “While we don’t like to be questioned, we appreciate your thoroughness. Lorelle has told you most of what you need to know. We are still trying to locate and confirm the source of dark magic. If we are on the right trail, then it is not good.”
Just what I thought. We would have been walking into something more significant than we realized. Not this time. I wasn’t going to leave us unprepared.
“The being we suspect that is attempting to make the half-Guardians is from the lowest level of dark magic users. He has no compassion, and not a sliver of light is left within him. He has been trapped in the bottom of the Otherworld and sends the Parias to do his bidding. They are plentiful and disposable and perfect for him to use.”
I had wondered what the Parias had to do with this. It seemed to be coming together now.
“So, if the Parias is able to inhabit one of the half-Guardians then what happens?” I asked.
“Then the Parias would travel back to the Otherworld in the host’s body. Once the half-Guardian is presented back to the maker, he will run tests on it to duplicate and create his army. With the army, he will attempt to break free from the Otherworld and take over Earth.”
Why are people always trying to take over Earth? I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh.
“Is there anything else you believe will be pertinent to us while we look for the others?” I asked.
“No, this is all we know at this time,” one of the other females said. “We will communicate with you again once we have confirmed our theory and get you a name and place. Even if you get to the half-Guardians before the Parias do, we will still need you to go to the Otherworld and stop this person. He won’t stop unless we make him, even if he fails to take one of the half-Guardians.”
I gave a nod of understanding. I may not like the idea of finally visiting the Otherworld, but I could see the necessity of it. One of the Fates waved their hand and I was pulled back to my body.
I drifted slowly back into my body and Lucas was sitting in front of me with dinner already on plates. I really loved that man.
“Couldn’t even wait until I got back?” Lucas raised his eyebrow at me.
“Sorry, babe, I couldn’t wait any longer. I learned some things though and it’s not good any way we look at it.”
Lucas pulled me over to his lap and I sat between his legs. He swept my hair back from my face and caressed my cheek.
“Is there anything we can do about it tonight?” he asked and I shook my head. “Then, let’s enjoy this dinner and worry about it tomorrow.”
I snuggled in deeper to his embrace, “I couldn’t agree more.”
***
First thing in the morning, all of the Elders and Lorelle met in the Elder room. I explained everything I had learned from my visit to the Fates. I could see Lorelle’s disappointment that I had done that and not completely trusted her, but I didn’t do it because I didn’t trust her. I had zero patience to wait for the Fates to tell us more. I needed to know I had done everything I was capable of doing to prepare us for what we were about to face. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to someone and I hadn’t done everything I could do to prevent it.
“Let’s get going to Rhode Island then,” Jordan said.
“What are we going to tell Miah and Dylan?” Lela asked.
“I thought about that already,” I said. “I think the best thing we can do is tell them the truth. I don’t have time to do it before we leave though. Tiana and Oliver, would you mind doing it for us? Oliver, you will have more knowledge about some of the things they might question and Tiana, hopefully you can soften the blow.”
Tiana laughed, “Gee, thanks for that. Don’t worry about it, they’ll be fine.”
I didn’t think they would be fine. I was pretty sure they were going to be pissed they got left behind, but I didn’t have time to worry about that. Miah and Dylan were safe. The others weren’t and they were our priority for now.
“Thank you again for staying here and holding everything together while we deal with this,” I said to Tiana, Oliver, Lela and Ryan. “Be ready, though. We will need you when we go to the Otherworld. We can ask Mathias to step in for us if needed, but we won’t be able to do this without all of us together.”
Lela came over to give me a hug and soon Tiana joined in. Jordan wasn’t one to be left out and also joined our impromptu group hug. I loved these girls immensely. They had been my rock for the last year and I wished we could have all gone together to find the remaining half-Guardians.
“Ladies, hug time is over,” Lucas interrupted us. “We need to get going. You can have all the hugs you want when everyone is safe.”
I pulled back from the girls and said my goodbyes. Once again, I was ready to get this over with. Though, I had to admit, I was a little excited to visit Block Island. I had heard about it before and this time of year was the perfect time to visit. I knew we couldn’t stay longer than necessary, but I’d enjoy it while I could.
We walked out of the Elder room since we couldn’t port in or out of there. I glanced at Lorelle, she finally had some color to her cheeks. Being back in Arvata was good for her. She had been gone for way too long.
“We ready to do this again?” Jordan asked.
“No time like the present,” I said. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Lorelle led the port and we followed. We arrived behind a restaurant and my mouth was instantly watering. I inhaled deeply and salivated over the lobster smell. Lucas tugged me back and I realized I had started walking toward the delicious scents.
“Let’s find this kid before drooling over the local food.” Lucas smiled at me.
My face blushed. He was right. We needed to stay on task no matter how tempting our surroundings were.
“Maybe we can grab lunch before we leave, if we’re quick,” Lorelle smiled at me.
I almost let out a ridiculous squeal of excitement, but thankfully, I was able to refrain. Instead, I nodded my head and smiled like the adult I knew I was capable of being most of the time. Lorelle was quickly moving up my list of favorite people, though. First, we got to take time at Multnomah Falls and now possibly seafood. She knew the way to my heart.
“Where to first?” Kane asked.
“Nathan works on one of the ferry boats,” Lorelle stated. “The Fates already sent someone else to check things out for us. As long as he’s not out to sea, we should be able to find him at the docks.”
This was going to be so fun. I wanted to watch the ferryboat come in so badly. We walked out from behind the restaurant and the town was bustling with people. I checked my watch and it was only ten in the morning here, but the town was alive with tourists.
Tourists rode bikes up and down the road with beach gear in tow. We were surrounded by the ocean.
I could smell the salt water. I had the hardest time trying to walk instead of running toward the ferry.
Lucas laughed and I peeked up at him. Sometimes I forgot we could hear each other’s thoughts. I tried not to listen in on his and I knew he did the same, but at times like this, I was sure my thoughts were loud and clear.
“Yes, they are,” Lucas said mentally.
He reached his arm around me and pulled me into his side. I let out a sigh and tried to find patience. A few minutes wouldn’t make that big of a difference.
I slowed my pace and enjoyed what was in front of us. The first building we passed was a surf shop. They had kayak rentals out front that looked like tons of fun. Further down the road on both sides were old Victorian style hotels. They had been refurbished and were absolutely gorgeous. One of them had a porch with a swing and I was dying to play tourist and swing on it.
We rounded the corner and the beach came into view along with the docks for the ferries. One boat was just pulling out and I could see people on the docks waving to loved ones heading back on the mainland. Cars lined one end of the boat and people on the other.
“Should we split up into two groups to find Nathan?” I asked. “I wish Strix could have come. We could have just sent him to do a flyover for us.”
Since getting Miah and Dylan had been moderately easy, I didn’t want Strix to have to worry about tiring himself. Going invisible took a lot out of him. I hoped I didn’t jinx us by assuming getting to Nathan would be just as easy as the other two.
“No, we should stick together,” Lorelle replied. “If something happens, we need to all be together.”
“Did whoever scouted the area for us first notice if Nathan had any abilities?” Jordan asked Lorelle.
“Not that they saw, but they were instructed to just find out where he lived and worked. We didn’t want him to get spooked, so nobody got close to him.”
Once the ferry pulled away, I could see another further out to sea that was coming. Past the boat docks was a beach area with blue umbrellas lined up and down the shore. I ached to go put my toes in the sand. I turned my back to the beach and faced the group.
“Let’s go hang out on the dock,” I suggested. “There are two docks, but they’re fairly close together, so we can split up as long as we stay within the dock area. Hopefully, Nathan is on the docks or on the ferry coming in, instead of the one that just went out.”
Lorelle nodded, “Good plan. I’ll go with Jordan and Kane to the furthest dock and you two go to this one.”
She had pointed toward the wooden dock and we headed that way. Lucas intertwined our fingers and led the way. I leaned my head against his arm and attempted to blend in. We had no idea if Nathan would be able to tell who we were like Miah had. Maybe he didn’t have any magic at all and we didn’t have to worry about him for now.
“Crap,” I muttered. “We didn’t ask Lorelle what he looked like or anything to help us know who we are supposed to find.”
As soon as I said that, an image appeared in my head. I stopped walking and turned to face Lucas, “Did you catch that?”
“The Fates did us a favor.” He smiled. “That’s much easier than going off a description.”
“No, that was creepy.” I shuddered. “Do we have no privacy? I can’t believe they were able to pop a picture in my head just like that. I appreciate it, but I’m not sure how I feel about it. It’s weird.”
Lucas laughed, “After a few decades, you’ll get used to weird.”
Maybe one day I would, but I still often forgot the many benefits of being a Guardian. I often rushed to get stuff done and experience new things, but Lucas always had to remind me that we had all the time in the world. The one benefit I never forgot was porting. It was by far my favorite.
We continued walking down the dock. There were kids running around and parents trying to tame them. Fishermen were bringing in their morning catches. A few ferry workers, based off their red shirts with logos on the chest, made sure the waters stayed clear for the ferries to come in and out. None of them resembled the kid in the picture, though.
“If he’s not on this boat coming in, we’re going to go play tourist,” I said.
“We’ll check in with the others and see what they think.” Lucas smiled and pulled me closer.
“Always the wise and responsible one, my ancient husband.”
“Oh, yeah?” He quirked his brow.
Before I knew it, I was hanging over the dock with my feet dangerously close to the water. As much as I loved the water, I had no desire to be soaking wet when I was fully dressed and couldn’t use my Arelia abilities without freaking out the humans.
“Lucas Edward!” I squealed while digging my nails into his arms as I held on as tight as possible. “Put me back on the dock right now!”
“Am I ancient?” he asked dropping me a little further down.
“No, you’re young and handsome, but if you get me soaked right now, you might not live to tell about it.”
He let out a belly laugh and pulled me back onto the dock. He hands twisted into my hair as he bent his head lower to mine. “Oh wife, don’t threaten me with a good time.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
He tilted his head to the side and looked down the dock, “Nothing that would be appropriate in public.”
My insides warmed as he stole a kiss before pulling away. He knew exactly which buttons to push to get me worked up, and I fell for it every time.
“The boat is coming in,” he said. “Let’s wait at the end of the dock.”
I let out a huff and turned to go back down the dock. The horns from the ferry sounded as I watched the massive boat turn around so it could back into the opening. Passengers looked over the edge of the boat animatedly as they also watched the vessel come to shore.
I kept scanning the decks of the ferry to look for any employees in hopes of recognizing the dark auburn-haired teenager from the snapshot the Fates showed me. He also had light blue eyes and slight freckles across his cheeks. He kept his hair short on the sides and a little longer on top.
“Is that him?” Lucas nodded subtly toward the front of the boat on the second level.
“Looks like it. Should we board the boat like we’ve been on it the whole time or hope he gets off with the passengers?”
“Let’s get on board just in case,” Lucas said. “I’d hate to be this close to him just to lose track of him.”
The ferry finished docking and the workers made quick work of setting the ramps so that the cars could be offloaded. People began departing as well and we had to push against the crowd for several minutes before we could get on board.
We finally made it past the commotion and to the front of the boat. Nathan was still standing there, peering out into the ocean. I walked up behind him and placed my hand on his arm to say excuse me, but I had to yank it back quickly. Something shocked me and pain was running from my fingertips all the way through my chest.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I said hurriedly. “I didn’t mean to shock you.”
“Don’t touch me,” Nathan snapped and moved further away from us.
“Is everything okay?” Lucas asked him calmly.
“I’m fine. I just don’t like to be touched. Did you need help getting off the boat? I can call someone over for you.”
I looked him up and down trying to figure out what caused the electric shock I felt when I touch his arm. He must have some sort of ability and I couldn’t help but wonder the extent of the electricity he might be able to put out.
“We were actually looking for you,” I said.
I was totally screwing this up. We hadn’t thought a plan through and I could hear Lucas chuckling at me through our mental link. He wasn’t even going to help me out with this one. I needed to channel my inner Jordan and just rip the band-aide off like she did with Dylan. That hadn’t worked out so bad.
“Don’t do it,” Lucas warned mentally. “Jordan got lucky. This kid is en
tirely too skittish.”
The logical part of me should have probably listened to my husband, but I was stubborn and that wasn’t going to work for me.
“Well, what do you want?” he asked when I hadn’t continued.
“How long have you been able to shock people when they touched you?”
Nathan’s face contorted in anger and fear. His fair skin turned several shades of red as he processed what I asked.
“That’s none of your damn business. Whatever you think you know about me is wrong.”
“Actually, we don’t know anything about you and that’s the problem,” I said. “We’re like you and we’d like to know more about you and help you understand why you’re different.”
Nathan eyed us skeptically. “You need to leave. I’ve survived on my own for seventeen years. I don’t need you or anyone else coming and messing with that I have now.”
“We just want –“ Lucas started to say, but he was quickly cut off.
“I don’t want or need your help!” Nathan screamed and rushed passed us toward the ramp to get off the boat.
He shocked both of us that time, but it didn’t hurt as much as the first time. I watched as he carefully placed himself away from the people as not to accidentally touch one of them. How long had he been on his own? What had happened to him to make him so angry?
“It’s okay, love. Let’s give him some time and we will find him later, after he’s had some time to cool down.”
“We should have had a better plan,” I groaned. “Why didn’t we have a plan?”
“Because it’s more fun to see what you come up with when you have no other choice but to improvise. Plus, I don’t think a plan would have worked. There is no right or wrong way to approach these half-Guardians. They’re going to freak out regardless.” Lucas smiled and grabbed my hand to lead us off the boat. We needed to find the others, let them know what happened, and figure out plan B.
CHAPTER SEVEN
From The Falls (The Falls Trilogy Book 2) Page 6
