“Are we going to need them?” I ask.
“Hopefully not, but better safe than sorry.”
I strap the belt around my waist and adjust the weapons until they feel right. When I look up, Kateri is leaning against the door, grinning at me.
“What?” I ask, turning my head to look in the mirror.
“Nothing. You look hot,” she says, tilting her head to the side.
“Thanks. You don’t look half bad yourself,” I reply.
She chuckles and then reaches out and takes my hand.
“Come on. We gotta be somewhere.”
We head out, turning left and then onto the waiting elevator. As soon as the doors slide closed, Kateri leans over and kisses me on the side of the neck. The feeling of her lips on my skin sends a ripple of goosebumps cascading down my arms. The car stops suddenly, and the doors slide open. Wren is standing there, and she doesn’t look happy.
“Why can’t I go with you?” she asks before the doors even close.
“Go where?”
“The Abyss,” she answers, punching the emergency stop button.
“How do you know about that?” I ask.
“Father told me this morning. He said you’re taking that Syrra, but not me.”
“Listen, Wren—”
“I stayed behind the last time,” she says, locking eyes with me. “I’m ready.”
I sigh and shake my head.
“I know you are.”
“I’m not a child, you know.”
“I know you’re not.”
“Then why are you taking Syrra and not me?”
“This person…this dickhead killed hundreds of Syrra’s friends,” Kateri says.
Wren looks at her and I can see and feel the impact of the statement on her face and in her thoughts.
“I didn’t think about that,” she mutters quietly.
“Wren. I know you’re not a child, and I know you’re ready, but I can’t take everyone. You have a job to do, same as me, and yours is here, for now. I think the fact that Father is sending you to Minneapolis with Reeva is proof enough that he thinks you’re ready.”
She nods slowly before suddenly hugging me. I pat her back gently and after a second or two she steps back. I see her wipe her cheek, but I keep that fact to myself. She turns around and hits the button again, and the elevator moves downward.
“Where are you going, all dressed up?” she asks, looking at our outfits.
“Kateri has something planned for me,” I reply.
“Ohhh. A romantic afternoon?” she asks, winking and smiling at us both.
I look at Kateri, but she says nothing.
“I don’t know. She won’t tell me.”
I stick my bottom lip out, feigning a pout. Kateri rolls her eyes and steps over to Wren.
“I won’t tell her, but I’ll tell you.”
She leans down and whispers in her ear for a few seconds.
“Oh my God, that’s awesome,” she says, giggling and smiling at her.
“Seriously?” I say, frowning at them both.
“Get out of here Wren before she reads your mind,” Kateri says.
Wren laughs and as soon as the doors open, darts out.
“Have fun,” she yells from down the hall.
I look over at Kateri and shake my head.
“I can’t believe you.”
“Hey. Just get over it and follow me,” she replies with a grin.
I expect to head directly for the exit, but she bypasses the door and walks directly into the cafeteria, turning left and striding purposely down the narrow aisle between the tables and up to the kitchen window.
“Ka’ve,” Kateri calls out through the opening in the wall.
“Hold on.”
“Is it ready?”
“Of course, it’s ready. Didn’t I tell you it would be?” comes the gruff reply as a huge man with a thick black beard appears in the window.
He hands Kateri a bright yellow backpack through the opening. She takes it, and from the way she grunts, I can tell that it’s loaded.
“Is everything there?” Kateri asks.
He just scowls at her and she takes a step back.
“Okay, okay,” she says, stepping further back.
He grunts and then disappears back into the kitchen. Kateri turns and looks at me as she slips her arms through the straps of the pack.
“Time to go,” she says.
“Where?” I ask, trying one more time to discover what we’re doing.
“Did you think I was going to fall for that?”
She shakes her head and takes my hand, leading us back down the aisle toward the exit. I follow along, relishing in the feeling of her fingers wrapped around mine as the anticipation of our destination continues to build. She pushes the door open and sunlight pours in as we step out into the warm summer day. I blink a few times as my eyes adjust to the glare.
“One more thing,” Kateri says just as the door closes behind us.
“What?”
“I need to put this on you,” she says, holding a red and black blindfold in her right hand, the ends fluttering softly in the breeze.
“Are you serious?”
“I’m serious.”
I sigh and shake my head. I know there’s no point in arguing with her, so I turn around.
“Just do it.”
She ties the cloth around my head, being careful not to snag my hair in the process. As she snugs it up, she leans in closer, whispering in my ear.
“It’s not too tight, is it?” she asks.
Her breath on my ear gives me a thrill of delicious chills and I take in a slow breath.
“It’s good,” I reply.
“Good,” she says before placing a soft kiss on the side of my neck.
K ~ We might have to use this thing some other time.
E ~ Exactly what I was thinking.
K ~ I know.
She takes my hand and squeezes gently.
“Okay. Keep hold and I’ll let you know when we’re going to touch down.”
“Okay,” I reply, squeezing back.
I feel us fade and launch. I can tell you that streaming blind is initially terrifying. If you’ve ever been on a roller coaster and closed your eyes while tearing along the rails, then you have a tenth of an idea of how scary it is. I immediately want to rip that blindfold off, and I honestly don’t know how I manage not to, but after a few moments, I relax and put my trust in Kateri. I know she would never do anything to put me in danger, so I just concentrate on her directions and put my faith in her.
K ~ Landing
E ~ Okay
I feel us touch down, taking a few steps forward. Kateri steadies me and then we’re off again almost instantly. We touch down twice more, and I’m just starting to enjoy the rhythm and feeling of this blackout streaming when Kateri squeezes my fingers again.
K ~ Last touchdown. Be careful, the ground might be slippery.
E ~ Gotcha.
K ~ Here we go. On three. One…two…three.
I feel us land, and as I try to gain my footing, my boot snags on something and I nearly go tumbling head over heels, but Kateri grabs my arm and saves the day. When we come to a stop, she turns me so she can stand behind me.
“Let me get this,” she says as she’s untying the blindfold.
As the cloth drops away, I blink from the sudden flood of bright sunshine. As soon as my eyes adjust, I look around and I know right where we are.
The water. The trails leading up into the sloping hills. The people walking, jogging or fishing and the little gazebo.
Indian Lake.
It’s the perfect day; it’s sunny, but not too hot and there’s a cool breeze blowing in from the north.
I look at Kateri and she’s beaming at me. I smile back as she takes my hand and we head down the hill to the small wooden structure surrounded by white and blue pansies. We walk up the two steps and into the shade of the hexagonal roof. Kateri turns and gazes at m
e, the swirling colors in her aqua blue eyes casting a spell over me.
“Is this to celebrate where we first met?” I finally ask.
She chuckles quietly.
“Well, the first time we met was actually in your room, so…no. I brought you here for another reason.”
“What?”
“To see me,” comes a voice from behind me.
I spin around and for a moment I can’t breathe, can’t move, and everything slows to a crawl.
“Amanda?” I utter quietly.
She smiles at me and in an instant, I’m crying before launching myself at her, wrapping my arms around her and sobbing into her neck. I feel her gently rubbing my back, which makes me squeeze her even tighter. I can hear her crying along with me, and that realization makes me feel a little better. After a few minutes, I finally step back, tears still running down my cheeks in rivulets, and then I suddenly realize something.
“Wait a second. How did you hear what she said?” I ask her.
“Because she’s right there.”
“What? You can see her?” I ask, my mind reeling, as I look back and forth between the two of them.
“Yes, I can.”
I shake my head slowly, trying to formulate something to say.
“But, how?” is all I come up with.
“What’s today?” Kateri asks.
“Wednesday,” I reply, frowning at her.
“The date?”
“June 27th,” I reply, and then it hits me. “The Summer Solstice.”
“Bingo,” Kateri says, smiling broadly at me.
“I still don’t understand. How did she get you here?”
“With this,” she replies, pulling a small piece of parchment out of her pocket.
“That works with a non-Shayd?”
“It did for your mom, but it’s frowned upon, I mean really, really frowned upon, so don’t tell Father about it, okay?” Kateri says.
“No problem,” I reply, trying to keep from crying again.
“I can tell you all about the rest of it later,” Kateri says, walking over and taking Amanda’s hand and leading her up onto the gazebo, “but right now, you need to spend time with your friend. You only have the day.”
“Where are you going?” I ask.
“Home,” she answers as she slips her backpack off and turns to leave.
Before I can react, Amanda grabs her hand.
“You’re not going anywhere,” she says gently.
Kateri frowns.
“I just figured that you two would want some time alone,” she says.
“I did come here to see my friend, but I also told you that she’s like family to me, and now that you’re in her life, you’re like family too,” Amanda says, and my bottom lip quivers as I try to hold back more tears.
I can see Kateri is stunned, and she’s struggling with her emotions as well, but eventually a smile breaks through.
“Okay,” she mutters quietly.
“Good,” Amanda says. “It’s cute how you thought you had a choice in the matter.”
“She’s tough,” Kateri says to me.
“You have no idea,” I reply, smiling broadly.
“By the way. My mom’s alive.”
“What! Are you kidding me?” Amanda nearly screams.
I look around to make sure that no one’s watching us.
We move from the gazebo to a more secluded spot at the far end of the park. I know it sounds strange to say, but I feel more comfortable now in the Umbra than I do in the Solas. We’re sitting on a blanket that Kateri packed in her bag, spread out under two small oak trees. The food is mostly gone, the empty containers stacked neatly in one corner. Kateri is nibbling on the last of the chips.
“Yeah. Kateri and I found her in the Abyss.”
“The Abyss; where the demons live, right?” Amanda asks.
“Yeah,” I reply, looking over at Kateri. She obviously gave her a quick tutorial in our world. “They kidnapped her to get me to help them.”
“You mean they crashed that plane just to capture her?” she asks, a horrified expression on her face.
“Pretty much.”
“That’s some sick fuckers.”
Kateri laughs and I nod.
“You’ve no idea.”
“Is she okay?”
“Yeah. She’s better than okay. Turns out she’s a badass in her own right. She’s a demon-killing machine.”
“You know, somehow that doesn’t surprise me,” Amanda says, laughing.
I look at her and sigh.
“It’s so good to see you. I missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, Eve,” she replies before pulling me into a hug.
When we release each other, she looks over at Kateri.
“You’ve got a good one there,” she says, nodding at her.
“I know,” I reply, taking Kateri’s hand.
There’s a long, awkward pause, the first one of the afternoon, and then Amanda speaks up. Considering the odd situation, I’m surprised how normal this all feels.
“I don’t know if I should ask this, but you know me. Are you ever coming back?” she asks.
I look over at Kateri for a moment and then back at Amanda.
“Not for good,” I answer. “It’s too complicated now, and besides, I feel at home there.”
“Are you happy?”
“Then I’ve ever been.”
Amanda smiles, and I know she understands. She looks at Kateri and holds out her hand. It takes a moment, but eventually Kateri reaches out and gently holds her fingers.
“Thank you.”
“For what?” Kateri asks.
“For making her happy.”
Kateri looks at me and smiles softly.
“I promise I always will.”
“You better,” Amanda responds with a sly wink. “I suppose the same thing goes for your mom.”
“Yeah, even more so. How would she explain how she somehow survived the crash?”
“I can see how that would be difficult,” she says with a little chuckle.
Suddenly, my phone goes off and less than a second later, Kateri’s follows suit. She pulls hers and taps the screen.
“Shit.”
“What is it?” I ask.
“We gotta go,” Kateri says, frowning.
“What is it?”
“Incursion. You could stay,” Kateri says. “I’ll take care of it.”
“No,” Amanda says, shaking her head. “Duty calls.”
“We didn’t even get the whole day,” I complain.
She takes my hand and squeezes my fingers.
“That’s what happens when your best friend is a superhero,” she says, smiling warmly at me.
I pull her into a hug, both of us holding each other tight for a few seconds. She releases me and looks at Kateri before stepping over to her. Kateri extends her hand and Amanda shakes her head.
“You’re kidding, right?” she asks, before pulling her close and embracing her as hard as she did me.
Kateri responds in kind, and they stay like that for a few moments before releasing each other simultaneously.
“Make sure you tell your mom I said hi.”
“I will,” I answer as I try to hold back the tears that are trying to force their way out.
I can see that Amanda is struggling too.
“What about all this?” I ask, looking at the blanket, containers and trash.
“I got it,” Amanda says. “Now go and save the world.”
“Love you,” I say as I back my way into the shadow cast by one of the trees.
“You too,” Amanda replies, waving slowly. “Wait a second!”
“What?” I ask.
“I just wanted to tell you that Prom is next week.”
“Are you asking me to the dance?” I ask, grinning at her.
“No. I think you would already have a date,” she says, looking over at Kateri. “I just thought you might want to know…in case you wan
ted to attend.”
“It might be difficult…considering.”
“I know, I just wanted to tell you.”
“Okay. Thanks Amanda. I love you.”
“Love you too. Bye.”
I feel Kateri take my hand and we fade into the shadows. She takes the lead, streaming and linking our way across the city. We touch down on top of a small coffee shop a few blocks from the Factory.
“Thanks for that,” I say, looking over at her while she scans the area for the demon.
“No problem. I think you needed it,” she replies.
“Yeah. I did. Now, where is he?”
I finally spot the telltale faint blue glow a few streets over.
“There it is! Let’s go kill a demon!” she says, a broad smile on her face.
Chapter Nineteen
It’s been almost a week since the last attack, and everything’s been quiet. Incursions are up a bit, but nothing out of the ordinary. Clay, Reeva, Wren and the others are still out of town, and the whole Factory seems quieter and emptier than usual. It’s early, too early for Kateri and I’m riding the elevator down to the training level, my sword in hand, crossbow dangling at my side. The car stops and when the doors open, Hannah is standing there, her back to me, staring at the wall of weapons.
“Hey,” I say as I step off the lift.
She turns and looks at me.
“Hi.”
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“Just trying to decide on a weapon.”
“I actually meant why are you here so early?”
“Couldn’t sleep. Why are you here?”
“Same. So, why are you trying to decide on a weapon?”
“That’s what we do here, right? We fight?”
“Some of us do,” I reply. “Come on, let’s talk.”
I lead her around the other side of the wall and into the training room. The sensors react to our presence and the overhead lights flicker to life, one at a time in a long line stretching far into the distance. We walk over to one of the melee rings. I pull the ropes up, and she ducks under, walking slowly into the center of the padded square.
I remove my crossbow, setting it on the ground and sit down. She joins me, both of us sitting cross-legged, facing each other.
All Things in the Shadows II Page 17
