The Dragonfly Prophecy

by Jacquelyn Castle

  The three of us ran in their direction as Paige and the gypsies ran toward us. I jumped at Paige with my arms out. Chace and Mark joined in, as did the rest of the gypsies. We stood in our pile of people and briefly relished our victory.

  I backed out of the group. “It’s all my fault. I’m so sorry,” I said softly.

  “We’re all good, Lex, don’t worry about it. Let’s get out of here before they send in the big guns. Or you want to send a message and assemble the troops and finish it?” Mark directed the question at Chace, to whom we all turned for the reply.

  “They won’t send anyone else. I’m sure they know by now it didn’t go off as planned and I’m still breathing. Anyone they send now would be dead before they got near us. They’ll stay in hiding while they recruit and train another slew of demons. We won’t see another coup like that again until they come up with another half-assed plan. Let’s get going. I have to report this to the Commission.”

  “Wait. We can’t go yet. Wait a minute.” I ran off before they could say anything. I hadn’t seen William since he’d paralyzed me and I purposely went looking for any sign of him. I didn’t know what I would do if I found him, but I just needed to know if he was alive. I ran throughout the building, searching each floor while jumping over hundreds of passed out, dead or severely wounded demons. I found Doctor Rush. His blue light was off and it looked like he had fallen victim to one of our gifts. I cautiously bent down and held my finger under his nose. He wasn’t breathing. Strangely enough, I worried that I had willed his demise. I would never know and, most likely, would never think about it again. William was gone. I ran back up to the people who really cared about me.

  “Chace, I know this is asking a lot, but I have to check on my parents. I have to be sure they’re okay before I leave.”

  “We can go quickly, but they’re fine, Lex.”

  “How do you know that? You weren’t here when everything went down at my house.”

  Chace reached for my hand and put it up to his forehead. “I know.”

  Through my hand, I could see the images in Chace’s head as clearly as if they were right in front of my eyes. My parents were at home, frantic with worry over me, but unhurt nonetheless. They were trying to get through to the Commission, but couldn’t figure out how since they weren’t part of the gifted world.

  “Let’s go and let them see you so they know you’re all right. Then we can all head back and figure out how we all got here—and in this predicament. I’ve got a few questions for you, Mark!” Chace said. He sounded kind of pissy about it.

  The bunch of us hailed a cab and took off to my parents’ place. If we were anywhere other than New York City, no one would have stopped since we looked like a lot of trouble. When we got there, I asked them all to come inside with me. There was no better time to introduce my parents to the people who loved and protected me in my world. I burst through the door and shocked my mother out of her unexpected catnap on the sofa.

  “James! James!” she shrieked. Dad flew down the stairs, barely skimming them with each leap. They both ran over to me and we hugged for a very long time before they let me go.

  “I’m so sorry this happened,” I cried. “I didn’t mean for—”

  “You couldn’t have known, Lex. Oh, thank God you’re okay!” She squeezed me hard. “What did they do to you? What did they want?” Mom asked anxiously.

  “It was a defector thing. I’ll tell you about it someday when we have more time. But, Mom, if you ever see William, get away from him and call the Commission.” I jotted down the phone number, the one thing I remembered seeing on the front of the manual, and handed it to her. “Ask for Hope and tell her who you are. She’ll know what to do. We don’t know if William’s dead or alive. He’s dangerous, though, so Mom, you have to be careful.” My mother looked a little puzzled. I wasn’t sure if it was the shock of William being a scumbag or that we all looked like we had been dragged through hell.

  “I just had to be sure you and Dad were all right and let you know I’m okay.”

  My parents and I joined in another group hug. I held them close to me. Even after all that happened, there was a part of me that wanted to stay in that world. There was no other reason than to stay with them. I missed them, but I couldn’t stay. I didn’t belong there. It wasn’t my destiny.

  “Oh, Lex. Thank God, we’re all okay. We’re together again, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Not many people get that chance.”

  “That might not be the case any longer, Mrs. Blane.”

  “Chace? Boy, you’ve changed a lot,” she commented as she reached for him.

  He picked up my mother and held her in a big hug that left her feet dangling in the air. “It’s so good to see you again!” he said. “Word on the block is that the Commission may be loosening the laws a little and letting us travel. You know, for family-related reasons.”

  I knew what he meant and I was thrilled. Chace was going to pull whatever strings he had to get the laws changed.

  “Really? Oh, my God, I’m so... Oh, thank you, Chace, thank you!” she squealed.

  Mom and Dad talked for a few minutes with Paige and the rest of my new friends and then it was time to say good-bye. That was difficult, but I knew it wasn’t forever this time. I cried a little when my dad took his arms from around me and handed me to Chace.

  The group of us went downstairs and outside into an alleyway. Vera took some herbs and oils from her pouch and spread them in a circle outlined with a dusty, metallic substance. She, her sisters, and Paige stepped inside it, holding candles and crystals. We gifted ones held hands, closed our eyes, focused, relaxed and breathed.

  Chapter 26

  There’s No Place Like Home

  I opened my eyes and we were all in my room, where the window was left open and the stream crashed against the rocks.

  I wrapped myself around Chace so tightly I thought I would never let go. The gypsies were twirling and chanting to thank whatever forces helped them. Mark took a seat on the floor, waiting to be interrogated by Chace. Paige cried for about the third time in her life.

  “What? Why are you crying now, Paige? It’s over!” I said.

  “They’re happy tears, you moron!” she quipped. “I can’t believe we all got out of that alive. My mind hasn’t had enough time to digest this damned thing. I’m just a little misty. I’ll be fine.”

  “Listen, everyone, before we forget the details, I need some answers to report back to the Commission. I have an awful lot of explaining to do. Let’s start with you, Lexi,” Chace said. He turned his glance away from stream outside my window and looked in my direction.

  “What the hell were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed! You knew you weren’t supposed to travel without authorization. You knew there was something off about William. You knew that the other world was dangerous for you! But you went! You went anyway! Why?” he asked loudly while throwing his hands in the air.

  I couldn’t be mad at his reaction. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected it would be. I kept my eyes fixed on the floor to hide my shame. “I thought I was only going for a visit,” I muttered. “William said it would have been a great birthday present for me and my parents. I did ask permission, and it was granted. The Commission said I could stay two days and only in the New York area. I didn’t know it until I got there, but William said he put something in my bathroom that altered my cat suit so he got the message instead of the Commission.”

  Mark ran into my bathroom and emerged with a tiny transmitter that was smaller than the head of a pin. He picked up the box that contained my diamond ring and asked, “May I?”

  “Sure,” I said. He took the ring out of the box and dropped the tiny device inside. He slipped the box into his pocket.

  “I’ll have this checked tonight and report the findings in the morning,” he said to Chace.

  I looked Chace directly in the eyes. I knew I made a lot of stupid mistakes, but I couldn’t have been responsible
for all of it. Even so, for the first time in my life, my heart was plagued with guilt. “When I got there, William and Doctor Rush incapacitated me and my parents. They kidnapped me and took me to the building where you found me. They said I was the bait in the trap they had set for you. It had been in the works for years. Mark came and said he was the defector in charge. He scared me at first, but then I realized it was a cover and he was there to help me, and you when you got there. Honestly, Chace. I didn’t know I was doing anything wrong. I thought I was going for a visit that the Commission allowed. I didn’t realize how dangerous and manipulative the other world and the entities in it could be. You can say you told me so now if you want.”

  “No, Lex. You were duped by a very intricate plan developed by an elite group of defectors. They put a coup in motion that even the most experienced gifted ones wouldn’t have seen coming. The only mistake you made was not telling me you were going. If you had, I could have read your energy and possibly thwarted the whole effort. But as I know all too well, when your heart is involved, you don’t always think things through well enough to make the most reasonable decision.”

  Chace turned his attention to Mark. “Now, what about you? What in the hell was that about? Am I risking our lives by having you stand freely in the same room with us?”

  “I know it looked bad, bud, but just hear me out,” Mark said as he pulled himself up to his feet and began to pace the floor. “I broke the rules once—okay twice—and married another gifted one. She was from the alternate universe. We had a baby, who stays with her mother in the other world. That would be the twice part. I visit them a few times a week. Sometimes I drop in when I’m on a mission and sometimes I sneak past the Commission to steal a few hours with them.”

  “They were the two girls in your energy.” Chace shook his head like he should have known. “Damn it, Mark, you should have told me. I would have helped you out.” He was sympathetic. Hearts were getting in the way of things a lot lately and driving decisions that wouldn’t have otherwise been made. Even his own.

  “I thought about it. I couldn’t risk it, though. There was too much at stake.”

  “What else?” Chace pressed.

  “I visited one time and came across some guys in the lounge of an uppercrust golf club. I heard them talking about overthrowing ‘the undefeatable one.’ Any first year phyter would know who they were talking about. Since I had broken the laws by being there, I knew I couldn’t ask the Commission for help. I may not have been able to see my wife and daughter again. They would have stripped me of my abilities and who knows what else. I never would have been able to help you, even though I was a pretty strong second to your gifts. It was selfish, but I was confident I could handle it. It was in all of our best interests to get rid of these guys once and for all, anyway. I thought this would have been the perfect opportunity. I’d seen you in action dozens of times and I knew you wouldn’t succumb to them.”

  “How’d you get in with them?”

  “I went back to the alternate universe every week until they accepted me into their club. I told them I wanted to defect and that I didn’t believe in our world or the universal laws. After a few years, they were convinced my intentions were good and put me on the mission. Mostly because I knew you better than anyone, which meant I knew your weaknesses better than anyone, too. I played a very big role in the development of that building. I was under the scrutiny of inspectors every day to be sure no gifts would work, so it had to be flawless. When they were getting Lexi, I had only minutes, but I installed the fault in the room they took her to. I knew everyone’s whereabouts and there was no way I could get caught. The demons thought it was just a phone connection and they were completely oblivious to its real purpose. They’re all drones that only do what they’re told and never ask questions for fear of being destroyed. I didn’t expect the boatloads of demons, though. Apparently, my defector comrades didn’t trust me as much as I thought. I knew we could take them, though. I guess you could say I was a double agent working on my own.

  “And you, Lex. I’m so sorry for what I did to you. I should have pulled you out of the car sooner. I hesitated because you had to be in that coma. It was part of their plan and if I hadn’t followed through, they would have known I wasn’t a true defector. I could have gotten you out and I should have. It’s a decision I made that will haunt me for the rest of my life. I still don’t know if it was the right one. Maybe if I had gotten you out, the plan would have been ruined and none of this would have happened.”

  “Maybe if you had pulled me out, we wouldn’t be here right now,” I answered firmly. “They could have gotten rid of you and come up with another trap that no one would have known about. Don’t beat yourself up, Mark. It all turned out okay and we’re all fine. A different decision could have turned out a lot worse. We’ll never know.”

  “I had a feeling it was something like that,” Chace intervened. “Your energy is signaling nothing but good intentions. Your blocking ability has gotten pretty damned tight, you know. In all the times I was around you, I could never get around it to get a decent energy read, no matter what I tried. If I did, it probably would have foiled the whole plan.” He shook his head. I could only guess he was thinking if we would have trusted him, the whole damned thing could have been avoided.

  “I don’t think the Commission will be too hard on you and the girls. You could have very well saved us all. Even though we didn’t get any defectors, they probably won’t be trying that again. At least anytime soon. And now we’ve got a much better idea of what entities they have over there, too. I think we put up a pretty good fight, don’t you?” He laughed and extended his hand to Mark for a shake.

  “And you, ladies. I know none of you is gifted and we have no demons in this world, so what gives? How’d you get there? How’d you know? Paige—you want to go first?”

  Paige took a seat next to me on the bench at the foot of my bed. “I can speak for all of us.” It made perfect sense since Vera never said too much and her sisters practically never spoke at all. She drew a deep breath and began to speak the words that put the whole ordeal into perspective.

  “I know what everyone says behind my back. They all think I’m a little off, even Tracy and Maggie. I knew I was different all the while I was growing up, but didn’t know why until a few years ago. That’s when I figured out I was clairvoyant, just like our friends over here.” She giggled and tilted her head in the direction of the gypsies. “Anyway, I fought the visions, the voices, the presence I felt. I would have been locked up in the loony bin if I mentioned it to anyone. Lex, you were the only one who accepted me, warts and all, but I was even afraid to tell you.” She fidgeted with the oil-stained satchel that was wrapped around her waist.

  “I did go back to the festival the next day for my reading, just as Vera said I could. She told me that William showed up after we left her. He knew she gave you a reading and was afraid her investigation would interfere with his plan. He warned her to never communicate with you again or she and her sisters would suffer the wrath of the demons.”

  I looked at Vera, who nodded her head in agreement with Paige’s version of the story. Her sisters bobbed their heads in unison with her. Paige continued.

  “Vera told me what she saw in your reading. You know, the part she didn’t tell you. The gypsies had known about the gifted ones for centuries. They kept it to themselves, almost like a secret code. When you walked in, she knew you were gifted but her sisters could also sense there was something terribly wrong and you were headed for imminent danger. They had every intention of helping you before William threatened them. Vera knew you were keeping a secret journal and sent me to get it. I made a copy of the notebook you kept hidden under your mattress and gave it to her. Sorry for the intrusion,” she said with a slight chuckle.

  “The gypsies read about your encounters with William and could sense he was going to be the trouble she read in your palm and aura. Vera had to use me as a bridge to you since she
didn’t know what harm the demons could bring. We couldn’t tell anyone, for obvious reasons. I only bitched about it so it would be believable, but I purposely stayed away from you and Chace as much as I could. I wasn’t sure if you guys could read my mind or something.”

  I laughed with Paige. “Not one of my gifts. He’s another story, though,” I whispered with a snicker. She smiled and finished her story.

  “We’re nothing like you. Your abilities go far beyond any spells we can cast. If there were ever a face-off between us, you would win without even trying. Good news is that we can fight demons like nobody’s business! White magic works on white demons, who are the most common type in the other world. The black ones still have us beat, though. I think they’ll always have one up on me because I would never practice black magic. It would make me as bad as the black demons themselves.”

  The gypsies all looked pale and scared at the sound of Paige speaking of black demons and black magic. She flashed them a smile and pushed her hands down as if she were telling them to calm down. That was just like Paige, bursting in and taking over. I had to laugh under my breath.

  “While you were out goofing off with Chace, I was learning to use my psychic abilities. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere. They welcomed me into their family and taught me how to use the white magic that had been handed down from their ancestors. I was hoping to be good enough by the time I needed to be. None of us was sure what was going to happen—or when—so I had to learn fast. It looks like I did. Tonight I heard your horses’ cries, in my head. They were sensing danger and I could hear them screaming in my head, which was something I didn’t know I could do. I rallied the gypsies and headed to your place. We found your room empty, but the presence we felt there revealed this was the time we had prepared for. You know the rest of the story.”

  “Wow, Paige. So you’re a psycho, I mean, a psychic?” I joked to break the intensity. She laughed loudly as she pulled me and Chace into a strong embrace. “My friends,” she said. “You were my only true friends throughout my life and now I know why. We were connected on levels we didn’t even know existed. This whole journey has been so unbelievable. I’m going to miss you tremendously,” she whined.