“Come on,” Maxim said, tightening the laces on his boots. “We’re going down there.”
Gabby smirked but followed willingly enough down the slope toward the road.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Gabby asked. “I know they are Black Sun, but you need to think about the big picture.”
“It isn’t about Simeon and Daniel,” Maxim admitted. “You were right about that. It’s probably better for me, and for my family, if they get themselves killed. I’m not particularly fond of either of them, anyway.”
“Then why?”
“You said it yourself,” Maxim said. “Chandi Tuesday. How many precognitives of her class are floating around outside of the pools? Not enough to leave her to die in a fire.” Maxim smiled, though he made sure Gabby could not see it. “I guess you were right about that, too.”
***
Daniel finished splinting Chandi’s ankle, the smoke around them so thick that the hills on either side were no longer visible. Simeon watched the road through his scope, only able to make out the outlines of the two black SUVs through the ashen haze, barely able to contain his impatience as he felt the heat of the fire steadily increasing.
Simeon ditched the rifle and his pack while Daniel got Chandi back up on her good foot, her face as ashen as the air that they breathed. Simeon took her other arm, slinging it across his shoulders.
He tested the weight, made a couple adjustments, and then nodded to Daniel.
They moved as quickly as possible along the creek bed, the stones underfoot shifting and sinking with every step. Chandi appeared to be in shock, her head lolling to one side or the other in conjunction with their movements, whimpering when the going got particularly rough. The only consolation to Simeon was that Chandi was quite light, and he and Daniel were able to carry her far enough above the ground that only the toe of one shoe dragged through the dirt.
The fire moved faster than they did, if Simeon was to judge it by the heat he felt on his back. The air was hot and acrid, soot staining their faces and wounding their eyes. His lungs felt as if a heavy layer of grit had formed inside, threatening to steal his breath and choke him from within.
Daniel nearly lost his footing, sinking into the soft sand of the creek bed to his ankle, all three of them teetering on the edge of falling over in a pile. Simeon pulled them upright by brute force, his lower back complaining as he strained. Daniel extracted his foot, and they recovered.
There was no time to return Daniel’s appreciative nod. They lifted Chandi and continued on, following the dry creek blindly, the landscape so obscured by smoke that they could see nothing of their surroundings, or even be sure they were still heading toward the road. Simeon risked a glance behind and was horrified to see the orange glow nipping at their heels, the thin branches of the willows already alight overhead.
Through the slim trunks of the doomed trees, Simeon saw the headlights of one of the SUVs. He came to a stop, helping Daniel set Chandi carefully on her good leg.
“You two go ahead,” Simeon said, coughing up black phlegm. “Chandi, just limp forward with your hands up. There’s no way they’ll shoot you. That’s probably why they haven’t opened fire already. Daniel, stay nearby and do whatever you think is best. If you can make something happen, then go ahead. If not…”
“Move on,” Daniel nodded. “Got it. It was fun while it lasted, kids.”
“What are you going to do?” Chandi asked him.
“Don’t worry,” Simeon said. “I have a plan.”
Nine
Day Two
They spent the day on a narrow spit of beach an hour or so distant from the main campus of the Far Shores, a spot that Eerie wanted to visit. They had been there for a few hours, lying side by side in the weak sun or walking along the sand, before Alex realized that she could have never been there before, having only briefly visited the Far Shores in the past.
Thinking about the way her memory worked, he wondered if she was remembering something that had not yet happened, but he said nothing about it.
She held his hand on the way back for dinner. He did his best to clean his room while she showered and changed into clothes that Emily had found for her. She emerged from the bathroom in borrowed jeans and one of his hoodies that went down almost to her knees, her hair so vividly blue and wet that it looked freshly painted.
They held hands on the way to Emily’s and stopped to kiss beneath the eaves of her townhouse, his hands sliding beneath the hoodie to rest lightly on her hips.
Alex knocked perfunctorily and then let himself in as Emily had instructed. He held the door for Eerie, briefly conscious of the fact that he had never bothered to do that before for a girl.
The row of townhouses had originally been assigned to Dr. Graaf and the other senior personnel of the Far Shores, but they were now unoccupied, aside from the one that Vivik lived in next door, and this unit, apparently shared by Emily and Leigh Feld.
An odd pairing, Alex thought, frowning. He would have to ask Emily about how that had happened. Hadn’t the vampire girl been among the Anathema during the crisis over the World Tree?
Alex thought about Gaul Thule betraying Central and attacking Anastasia’s family, Alistair’s defection to the Anathema, and Emily’s peculiar involvement in just about everything lately, and wondered if the sides of the conflict had been rearranged without him being informed. He worried that he would kill all the wrong people.
He planned on killing a great many of them, so Alex felt it important to get it right.
Murder was not something to be taken back.
Eerie must have sensed the dark direction of his thoughts as they walked through the entry, hanging their coats in a closet and leaving shoes by the door, because she took his hand again.
He was briefly comforted.
Then he considered the idea of walking into Emily’s kitchen holding Eerie’s hand and started to sweat. Eerie looked at him in concern, squeezing his hand tighter and pulling him gently down the hall.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “It’s only dinner.”
Her whisper was far too loud, just like the thudding of his heart in his chest.
Fuming at his reaction, he followed Eerie down the hall, making it within a few steps of the kitchen door.
Cursing himself for his cowardice, he freed his hand on the pretense of stifling a sneeze. Eerie watched him without comment, but Alex felt sure that she knew what had transpired, and he was sick with self-loathing. He pushed open the swinging door to the kitchen, well-lit and warm from the stove, and held the door for Eerie for a second time.
Emily was standing at the stove in a spotless white apron and a sparkling sea-green dress, a wooden spoon in her left hand. She was biting her lip and her eyes were moist from the effort of suppressing her laughter.
Alex gave her a resentful look.
“Eerie! Thank you for coming!” Emily said warmly, composing herself in an instant. “I’m happy we could do this.”
I’m an empath, you dummy, Emily said in his head. Why do you think you can keep secrets from me?
“Thanks for inviting us,” Alex said, his voice strained and unnatural. Eerie gave him a questioning look. “I still remember your cooking from…”
I know just why you wouldn’t hold Eerie’s hand in front of me. She knows, too.
“From Anastasia’s island, over summer break?” Emily laughed at him with her eyes. “Those were fun times. I think about them often.”
I know what you did today with Eerie. I know how you feel about it, and how she feels, too. It’s a bit impolite, how insistent the two of you are in making your feelings public.
“Thanks for inviting me,” Eerie said, taking Alex’s arm. “Is this a club thing, do you think?”
I feel bad for poor Eerie. She went to so much effort to create her ideal boyfriend, and you can barely pay attention to her.
“I don’t think it can be,” Emily said. “Alex is here. I don’t think he can be a part of a cl
ub designed to rescue him.”
It’s sad, really. Why are you so mean to that poor girl?
“Oh.” Eerie looked disappointed. “That’s too bad.”
She might be more than a little twisted, but she really does love you.
“We can do a club dinner, though,” Emily said, turning her attention back to the stovetop. “As soon as Katya is back and everything is settled. That would be fun!”
Not that it seems to matter all that much to you.
“Yeah,” Eerie said. “A club dinner! How cool. Can I – do you think I can invite Alex?”
That’s the worst part. It wouldn’t even be hard for me, would it?
Emily laughed.
She’s in love, and you would betray that in a second. All I need to do is show you the least bit of willingness, and you’ll come scurrying back. It’s more than a little sad.
“It just seems like a bit of a contradiction…”
Don’t you care about her at all?
“Yeah, I suppose,” Eerie said. “I should have thought of that when I picked the club activity.”
Okay, seriously, Alex thought. Shut the fuck up.
“We don’t need to do everything together,” Alex said, sitting at the kitchen table. “It’s healthy to have outside interests.
Your outside interests aren’t healthy, Emily thought. And you don’t need to be rude. You are the one with the honesty problem, not me.
“Is it really?” Eerie wondered, taking the seat beside him. “That sounds boring.”
In that general spirit, I suppose I should warn you that I’ve been doing some thinking while I prepared dinner.
“The world does not begin and end with Alex, I assure you,” Emily said good-humoredly. “You cannot let romance limit your horizons.”
You know how I said it would be easy to break the two of you up, and help you ruin everything for yourself again?
“It’s not that I need him around all the time,” Eerie objected. “It’s more about keeping track of him. He gets in trouble when I’m not watching him.” Alex could not meet Eerie’s eyes. “All the time,” she said solemnly. “All sorts of trouble.”
Well, like I said, I’ve been doing some thinking…
“That’s a good point,” Emily said. “I can’t say that you are wrong, but is it truly practical to put that all on yourself? You can’t watch him all the time. Maybe you should expect more from Alex? He should learn to stay out of trouble, so you don’t have to worry over him so.”
…and you should be careful. Emily looked at him seriously. I might have moved on, but the cartel girls are still going to target you, girlfriend or no. You are going to break Eerie’s heart, going around feeling the way you do.
“I don’t expect Alex to change,” Eerie said wearily, taking his hand beneath the table. “I don’t think he can help it. Alex is Alex. That’s just how it is.”
No one said anything, or even looked at one another, for what felt to Alex like a very long time.
Emily stirred something and then tasted it, not bothering to blow on the steaming liquid first. She nodded slowly, and then covered the pot.
“Not bad.” Emily smiled brightly. “There are plates and silverware on the dining room table already, the places just need to be set. Alex, would you mind…?”
“I would not mind,” Alex said, hurrying from the room. “Not at all.”
***
Vivik? Are you there? Is this working yet?
He took his headphones off out of habit, not because he needed to hear anything to use the encrypted telepathic channel.
I hear you, Vivik affirmed. That’s unexpected. The channels have all been jammed for days. Maybe this means the Ether is, I don’t know, calming down?
Could be, Leigh thought. Can you locate me?
The agitation in the Ether caused a bit of resistance, like the quick pain of a well-given injection, over before it could be remarked on, and then he was through. The window opened before him and saw Leigh crouch beside the burnt-out shell of a Hyundai light truck, the interior upholstery still smoldering. Leigh wore a track suit and impossibly clean snow-white sneakers and was looking around warily.
I see you, Vivik confirmed, taking a sip from the soda on his desk. Are you okay? It looks like things are intense out there.
That’s one way to describe it, Leigh said, her eyes panning across the viewpoint of his window and causing him to flinch, though there was nothing for her to see. I’m lost. Can you help?
Yes, sure, Vivik said, unfolding a map on his desk, and then opening several dozen windows with a sweeping gesture. You finished the second stage, right? The thing with Collette Higgins, and…
Yes, yes. Don’t think about it with so much detail, Vivik. We’ve no idea whether this channel has been compromised or not. You know Emily is distracted.
Right. Sorry about that. He swore quietly as he took a pencil to the map. Give me a minute to work this out.
It took him more than that, but only because of bad sight lines and limited perspectives. He found the burnt car in the field of view of a Thule soldier on patrol, the car just a tiny blackened dot at the edge of his vision, and then a second perspective from a nearby grandmother, peering out from the corner of an upper-story window, watching the road through a gauzy interior curtain.
That was enough. He found the place where the main road curved just so, and determined Leigh Feld’s position, doing the required math in his head.
I’ve got you, he thought. How should I explain it to you, though? If the channel is compromised, then anything I say will give away your position.
A little Q&A should be safe enough. I know that I’m on the right road. Question is…right or left?
The vampire extended her arms to indicate the two potential directions along which she might travel.
Left, Vivik thought. For…quite a while.
Leigh was already moving, low and quick, alongside the main road.
Timing, next. Should I walk or run?
Vivik called up a few windows and took in the current scene at the old Muir estate.
I think you should run, he thought, wildfire reflecting on his cheeks. As fast as possible.
Will I have company, when I get there?
Yes, Vivik thought, tallying perspectives in bewilderment. There seems to be a bit of a party happening. The guests that you expected, plus several surprises.
A party, huh? Leigh adjusted her sneakers briefly. I hope they haven’t eaten all of the cake that Emily mentioned. Have they started without me?
Vivik surveyed the scene urgently, alternating between Black Sun and Thule perspectives.
The cake looks intact, Vivik thought. The party might be going south, though. Maybe plan for a…a bunch of candles, I guess?
I think I get you, Leigh thought, accelerating over rough ground at a pace that would have made a collegiate sprinter envious. Good thing Emily assigned me to this one, huh?
Yeah, I think so, Vivik thought, watching the foothills burn. A very good thing.
***
“You were bullying Alex.”
Emily paused, her hands still in oven mitts.
“Maybe a little,” Emily admitted, shutting the oven door. “He deserves to be criticized.”
“You were being mean, and not just to him,” Eerie said. “Don’t you think it’s rude to have a private conversation in front of me?”
“I was hoping you would be more upset with Alex than with me. Nonetheless, I apologize. It was very rude, and it won’t happen again. Do forgive me, Eerie.”
“Of course,” Eerie said. “Will you be vice president of the Rescue Alex from the Outer Dark Club?”
“I would love to,” Emily said, transferring the food to serving dishes. “Don’t you think you should ask Katya first, though? Or Vivik? They’ve been with you from the start, after all.”
“Katya would just say no.”
“True.”
“Vivik lied to the club.”
; “To be fair, I told him to keep it a secret.”
“Yes, but he didn’t have to do that. He chose to. Vivik is lucky not to be on probation.”
“I think you’re being a little harsh,” Emily said, drizzling oil on a dish of red potatoes. “Vivik didn’t mean any harm.”
“He’s not a candidate,” Eerie said firmly. “Members have to trust their club leadership. Otherwise, what is the point?”
Emily took her apron off, folded it, and set it aside.
“Eerie, I wonder,” Emily said, washing her hands. “The club. You’ve been a member of the Young Ladies Sewing Circle for a long time, haven’t you?”
“Yes,” Eerie said. “Since I learned to stitch.”
“I see,” Emily said, drying her hands on a kitchen towel. “The Rescue Alex…we really need a new name for our club, don’t we? Does our club have anything to do with the Sewing Circle?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not entirely sure. It just occurred to me that it might have served as a sort of inspiration, perhaps.”
“Oh. Yeah.” Eerie nodded. “It’s very inspiring. I’ve gotten all sorts of good ideas from the Sewing Circle.”
“I see that, now,” Emily said, handing Eerie a covered basket of rolls. “I try very hard not to, but I’m afraid I’ve underestimated you, Eerie dear.”
“You do it more than you think,” Eerie said, eyeing a silver tureen that Emily was filling with caramel. “Everyone does.”
“I suspect you are right.”
“You should be careful, Emily.”
Emily paused, caramel dripping from her spoon into the tureen, and smiled at Eerie.
“Should I?”
“You are a very important member of our club, and an important friend, for me and Alex both,” Eerie said. “I would hate to see anything bad happen to you, so you need to be careful. Especially around Alex.”
“Oh, Eerie, dear…that isn’t meant to be a threat, is it?”
“What? No! That’s not right at all!” Eerie wailed. “We are friends! I would never hurt you, Emily, no matter how bad you were.”
The Church of Sleep (Central Series Book 5) Page 26
