John cleared his throat when we stopped in front of him. "I've confirmed it wasn’t sent by them. However, since Kevan informed me it was military grade, and by the description he gave me, I recognized it as a xFold Dragon.”
He turned the monitor to show us the picture he pulled up from the web. Cyn and I exchanged a glance. It was the drone we saw flying over the City of Heaven. I nodded.
John whistled, impressed and a bit concerned. “That is a thirty-two thousand dollars piece of machinery. Definitely built for surveillance, it holds two cameras, and streams HD live-feed with the best satellite connection there is. It recently hit the general market, so it could be a private organization—other than the Romans—piloting it. Just in case, I reached out to one of my contacts at the CIA to see if she knows anything about a special op in Montana. I also contacted a close friend at the Pentagon. I'll let you know as soon as I receive any news from them."
“Thank you,” Cyn answered, worry lacing his words. If the Romans didn’t send the drone, then who was after us now?
Art went straight to the door. “Ralph, come with me. We are going to pay a visit to our special guests.” Ralph gave him a military salute too and nodded, hurrying after him.
“What about Leigh?” Kevan asked.
“We heard from the French base…”
“France?! What did we ever do to them?” I asked shocked. John repressed a chuckle.
"It is located in Paris, but Romans run it. They set offices all around the world in the search for us." Kevan was the one to answer, walking towards the monitors and typing on one of the keyboards. The view of a map on the screen above him zoomed in, moving over Paris until it focused on a large, two-story luxury office building. "The government doesn't even know The Brotherhood is there.”
“I see. Sorry, John. Please continue.”
“One man from my team is currently there. His message read ‘strange activity,’ but that was all. His communication was shorter than usual, which tells me something must be going on in the branch. I suggest we head there first.”
Art and Ralph walked back in. “Bro, did they get riled up when they saw us,” Art said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, some might need their mouths washed with soap, but those cells will hold them without issue. They are being taken care of as you requested, High Priest," Ralph added, and Cyn nodded his reluctant approval.
“Then let’s prepare.” John took out his cell and typed up a message hitting send. “I just alerted my guy in Paris, that we are moving in. To be prepared.”
I nodded, glad we would have support once we got there. He and Ralph each pulled out a large black bag from under the desk, and removed their jackets to reveal black, fitted, long-sleeved shirts. The gray and black camouflaged sleeves matched the cargo pants they wore. The men began to gear up. A few minutes later, the two ex-military looked like they were back on mission. They had black bulletproof vests, packed with massive arsenal, guns, and knives clipped along their tactical gear belts and pants. A slick helmet that seemed molded to their heads, earpieces, and a throat mike, like the ones I'd seen Navy SEAL teams wear in movies.
“Damn, boy, you missed a grenade or two,” Lia said, humorlessly.
"We are not looking for war," I added, when they nestled rifles under their arms with a firm hold on the pistol grip.
"Understood, High Priestess, but unlike you, we don't have magic to protect us, and we know how the Romans operate. They are armed and prepared for an attack." John answered, unwavering. "This is your mission, but we were trained for this. From this point forward, as Commander, I lead this team. Your safety, along with your success is my number one priority." They turned giving us their backs, and assumed a leading position. "We go in first."
"Don't worry. All our weapons are non-lethal. We assumed you didn’t want casualties on this hostage rescue mission." Ralph added, helping me breathe easier.
"Your assumption was correct." Cyn nodded once, and Ralph smiled pleased.
“Silver Squadron’s Peace Warriors moving in," John whispered testing his throat mike.
"Copy that. Also, that's a badass name for the squadron."
“Right? I thought it’d be cool.”
We all laughed at the men's chattering, and they cleared their throats. "Sorry. We are ready when you are, High Priests."
Taking a settling breath, I looked at the monitor that showed the Paris branch and visualized the room where twelve men sat at different workstations. The set up was similar to the grid's, but I could see two more guards by the door. They were guarding something.
“Here goes nothing,” I breathed as Cyn’s stones connected with the Minastra GalIsacura Arthulis’ rays.
* * *
We appeared in the room, and all hell broke loose.
The two guards by the door fired at us instantly. Art's swords swung in the air, the blades stopping the bullets just as my light shot out, shielding Lia and I. Cyn's bow and arrow materialized, and in a split second, the arrow pierced the hand of the man who shot at me, pinning him to the wall. He screamed in pain. Art pointed his swords at the chest and neck of the second guard, while Kevan twirled in the air delivering a kick right into one of the man's jaws, throwing him back over a desk. Eisha's knee slammed another man against the window frame, her axes crisscrossing a millimeter away from his neck, as John and Ralph shot the other three down. They writhed in agony on the floor, as the non-lethal bullets worked as intended, immobilizing them instantly.
"Where is your guy?" I asked, while Ralph started cuffing the others and forcing them down to the floor.
John’s hand went to his throat. “Warrior three, we’ve taken the office. Do you copy?”
The next moment, a second door I hadn’t seen opened, and a man geared exactly like John and Ralph pushed four other men inside. They were gagged and cuffed. He threw the weapons he took from them on a desk.
“Loud and clear, Warrior one,” he said with a smile. “I secured the rest of the building, but the cells are hot.”
John nodded. “Slate, these are the High Priests of the last Order of the Druids, and their court. They are the ones the Romans are after." The man nodded once in acknowledgment, and John looked at us briefly. "This is Slate. Let's go," he threw over his shoulder, and Ralph joined them as they moved in unison ahead of us. I guessed he wasn't much for introductions either.
Slate opened a compartment in the wall taking out a set of keys, and turned leaving the office.
"Is Slate his real name?" Lia asked, behind me.
"I have no idea," I answered, Cyn and I followed, so did Kevan and Eisha.
Art and Lia were the last to join, once he moved Lia behind him—protecting her with his body—and raised his swords. For once, she didn’t protest.
We got to the basement of the building, and our gaze fell on the three guards who were unconscious and tied on the floor. We saw four more already “taken care of” on our way down here. Damn, that Slate guy was good.
Muffled sounds reached us as we neared a set of double doors, and Slate opened them wide to reveal a large corridor with barred rooms on both sides.
“I’m afraid Leigh isn’t here, but the cells are full of people.”
Kevan and I frowned looking at each other. “Who do they have here?” Kevan asked.
“See for yourself.” Slate extended his arm, letting him go in first.
As Kevan walked ahead of us, gasps and murmurs began to escape from between the bars.
“I told you he would come. He’s with the Druids now!” A man shouted.
“I knew he would get us out of here,” another one said.
“Are you here to help us?” A woman asked, her hand slipping through the bars as Kevan looked at them shocked.
"Get everyone out. Now!" Kevan roared, distressed by the sight and Slate began opening cells quickly.
The men and women who stepped out looked unkempt and almost sick, as though the others kept them in those cells for weeks. The stench confirmed it. They reached o
ut to Kevan almost vehemently. Some fell to their knees crying in front of him, while the rest just struggled to touch him.
"Who are they?” I whispered, taken aback by it all.
"Brotherhood members and soldiers. They stopped believing in their mission once they saw Felix fighting with you on the field. They saw him try to save his father that day, as his own Grandmother ordered to kill him, and they renounced the fight. They stood against the others after that day, but they weren't successful. When they tried to leave The Brotherhood, Aurelio and the others weren't too thrilled by the prospect. They beat the shit out of them following Caesar’s orders, and locked them here. No food, no water, nothing. I've been secretly bringing them provisions when I can slip by unnoticed, but I think I raised suspicions because they started watching me closely."
Cyn's hands fisted as he learned how the others were treated. We walked forwards, and the moment the men and women saw us, they moved towards us, kneeling before us and kissing our hands. My eyes watered as their distraught faces registered. A glimmer of hope ignited in their eyes. Kevan helped a woman stand, but she was so weak she fainted. Kevan caught her in time and his arms began to glow, his healing magic pouring into her.
“Let’s go back to the mansion,” He said voice strained, while the gasps of the others’ amazement at his ability surrounded us.
I nodded, letting my light cover everyone like a blanket. There were easily thirty people in here, caged like animals. Once they were all under the magic, Cyn threw his stones in the air, and we disappeared.
* * *
"Elizabeth!" Kevan shouted after we landed on the first floor.
An older woman rushed into the living room, with three other women and two men. They were uniformed and I knew they were the staff.
"These people are my guests. Please prepare enough food for all of them." His gaze roamed over the men and women closer to him, then returned to the head of the staff. "Make sure you have enough for each of them to have two servings. Send Paul for groceries if you have to, you can give him the house card. They'll be here for a while, so you'll need enough to feed them for at least a month. Half of them will stay here, and I'll take the other half to the villa. Contact the staff there, and give them the same instructions.” Elizabeth’s eyes traveled over the others faces, and I couldn’t imagine how weird this looked to her, but she didn’t ask one question. More than obedience, you could see she respected and cherished Kevan.
He turned placing down the woman who looked much better. She was able to stand on her own. "There are ten bedrooms in this mansion; if some can share a room, it will allow half of you to fit comfortably here. The third floor has the gym and communal showers, but most of the rooms have bathrooms in them so you can decide where you want to clean yourselves. You'll find uniforms in the gym that you can change into, but we’ll we get you some clothes."
A woman hugged him while the others thanked him. Kevan’s jaw tensed, and his eyes began to shine with emotion.
"I'm truly sorry The Brotherhood did this to you. I'm even sorrier that I didn't realize who they truly were sooner, but if you want to stand with us now, I promise you we'll protect you and your families. We’ll make this right. The Brotherhood will end. I give you my word."
The rush of emotion traveled through Cyn and I as our hands touched. The and women were relieved, they felt liberated, and some were clinging to Kevan's promise as though it was the last thing they had in life. It became clear to us, that not everyone in The Brotherhood were faithful followers, some were forced into this life, only because of their families. Obligated to enforce a law and legacy they didn't want. Lia's shining eyes as she nodded, after looking at their Auras confirmed my assessment.
Kevan walked to a desk table, while the staff rushed to follow his orders, although Elizabeth remained behind. She walked to him while he grabbed a picture in which he and his father stood side by side with a smile.
"I cleaned the Museum space after your emotional breakdown," Elizabeth's voice was low and she reached for his arm tenderly. "I had the guys throw everything away. I figured you would prefer it that way. Who cares about old broken relics anyway?”
I could see the warmth in her eyes, while she looked at Kevan. I imagined she watched him grow in this house, maybe even help raise him. Kevan nodded but remained quiet, his eyes focused on the picture.
"I always knew you were a special young man. I was never informed of what happened upstairs. I knew it was none of my business, but I was certain it wasn't anything good. I'm glad you are out of that life."
Kevan turned to her then, a tear slid down his face, and he kissed her cheek. "Thank you, Elizabeth."
“Don’t you worry about anything, we’ll take care of your friends. They look like they’ve been through hell.”
“They have,” I answered. “Thank you for helping us.”
She smiled at us, taking in our outfits discreetly then and walked into the kitchen. Kevan turned towards me and showed me the picture in his hands. "This living room is three houses down. Can you take us there?" I nodded, taking the picture from him as he faced the men and women on his left. "Your group will stay here. Feel free to go up and shower, chose rooms, and rest while they prepare food for you. I'll be back in a few days to check up on all of you."
"Thank you," said one of the men. He turned to the others. "Guys, let's use the communal showers in the gym and allow the ladies to use the rooms. I can also share a room with anyone who won't mind." They paired up and headed towards the stairs. The man suddenly turned. "Felix, can we call our families to let them know we are okay? We haven't spoken to them in almost three weeks—since the battle—they don't know we are alive."
"Please call me Kevan from now on, and John will help you with that. He and Ralph will stay here with you."
"I can get them burner phones to call, so no one finds out they are here," Ralph said pulling his cell out.
"Thank you," Kevan answered, turning to the group on his right side. "Let's go."
* * *
We left the other men and women in the second mansion—the villa—where Mary and the staff there would take care of them. Slate joined them, keeping an eye on things, while we returned to the grid to talk to John. Art and Ralph returned to Paris to get The Brotherhood guards we left there, and brought them to the mansion to share the spiritual retreat with the others downstairs.
"I just got word from three of my men in the Madrid office. Apparently, the Paris branch was able to trigger a silent alarm when we got there. The other locations now know we are coming. The good news is, they still don't know about the men we have scattered among them, so that gives us an advantage. The bad news is, they'll be better prepared and Leigh might be moved again."
“Fuck!” both Kevan and Art said at the same time. They glared at each other then turned towards John.
I sighed demoralized and my eyes focused on Cyn.
“If they have offices all over the world and now they know we are looking for him, what were the chances we’ll ever find Leigh?” I felt like we were playing right into their game.
“We will find him. I promise you that.” I nodded as he placed his lips on mine, kissing me softly.
I walked towards Eisha and held her hand. “Can you try to use your gift to find Leigh? I don’t know, maybe even an image of his surroundings might help Kevan recognize where they have him.” I looked at Kevan as he stood behind her. “You’ve been to the other locations, right?” He nodded.
"Yes, I can use the Astral Plane to try to see where he is. I was able to do that a couple of times with Marcus, while he recuperated from the battle at the lake."
I nodded hopeful, as Kevan wrapped his arms around her waist holding her tightly. A silvery-white light encircled her irises, and she became quiet while John and Ralph stared at her in awe.
We waited as her eyes darted from one place to the other as though she was trying to see in a dark room. "I cannot see anything. I can sense a part of him, but he's sur
rounded by darkness, as though he is being blocked from my vision somehow. I cannot do it, I am sorry. I cannot reach him."
“They are blocking him with crystals,” Kevan informed. “Like the ones they used on you at the cave, to keep Cyn from finding you.”
“Of course they are.” I sighed. “I guess we’ll just have to visit all their places throughout the world. Goddess, please help us.”
“She will,” Cyn said, certain and tightened his hold on my hand.
“May I ask a question? Do all of you have powers?” Ralph asked stepping closer.
Art chuckled. “Everyone you see in front of you.” He motioned to Eisha, Kevan, and Lia. “As the Druid Court, we use our different abilities to support our High Priests, aka my brother and his wife."
“May we ask what your abilities are?” John said suddenly pulled into his friend’s curiosity and reverence.
My lips curved into a small smile. It seemed weird now that I accepted my place as a Druid to see someone taken aback by us. I remembered when that was me, witnessing Cyn’s magic for the first time.
“I am a Seer of Prophecies, Traveler of Time and Space,” Eisha answered first.
“You can see the future?” John asked shocked.
“Yes, as an Ovate I’m a witness of life, I can willingly search or monitor a person’s future, but only to help protect my people. I can also move through the planes of time and space in our universe.”
“Like time travel?” Ralph’s eyes widened once she nodded.
“And you already know I’m a Master Healer,” Kevan reminded them holding Eisha close to his side. “Eisha is my fiancé.” He kissed her cheek and the men smiled.
“Congratulations.”
"I am a Seer of Destinies," Lia announced calling the attention to her "Which means I can see Auras and a person's true nature, as well as their destiny. You two were always meant to be soldiers so don't worry. You are following your life's mission." The guys squared their shoulders, pride filling their eyes. "We were all born with these abilities, except Art. The Goddess herself chose him, and gave him the gift personally." Now it was her turn to sound proud.
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