Lance sits up attentively, ready for anything. Among all the many mistakes I may have already made this morning, choosing Lance to keep watch over me isn’t one of them. I’m glad he’s here. Crossing my legs so I’m comfortable, I close my eyes and center myself. Anxious energy I can’t seem to dissipate quivers under my skin as I take a deep breath.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Chapter 3
1
Not Over Yet
The moment I step into the spirit world, chaos surrounds me. I stumble back in the face of such overwhelming activity. For a moment, I’m convinced something has gone wrong. Only when I realize they’re all grinning and laughing do I understand they’re simply too excited to contain it. I can’t imagine how they must feel. Some of the Ciphers in the spirit world have been here for more than fifty years. Regardless of how long each of them has been trapped, they all left people behind they can’t wait to see again. Friends and family are waiting on the other side of the barrier the Ciphers have never before been able to cross. I imagine the families waiting for them are just as keyed up, right now.
Their excitement catches hold of me quickly. I find myself smiling as I push my way through them. I still need help fast traveling in the spirit world, so Daniel takes my hand without my having to ask. The happiness on his weathered face almost makes me cry.
“Everyone is gathering in the Central Expanse,” Daniel says.
“Who else is here?” I know I can’t be the first.
“Milo and Dean arrived a few moments ago. Casey has been here for a while. She’s already monitoring the Spiritualists and doing her best to shield what’s going on. I haven’t seen Braden yet, but I’m sure he’ll be here in a few moments.”
Worry creases my face to hear Braden hasn’t arrived yet. He left me at my house a while ago. I expected him to beat Milo and Dean here. I consider jumping back out of the spirit world to call and check on him. I’m about to tell Daniel to wait for me when I feel Braden’s presence surge around me. My hand drops out of Daniel’s as I turn to greet him.
“What took you so long?” I ask.
“Am I the last one here?” he asks.
I nod.
“Sorry, I was waiting for Mr. Walters to show up. He said he had an issue with his substitute that he had to deal with, and then he ended up being late.”
I frown and hope it wasn’t anything too serious. We can’t have the school calling him to come handle some kind of catastrophe in the middle of this. “Is everything taken care of now?” I ask.
“He said it was. Are we ready here?” We both turn to look at Daniel.
“We’re ready,” he says. “Libby, do you mind if I jump ahead? I want to make sure the Ciphers in Milo’s and Dean’s circles are in position.”
My logic balks. Daniel’s anxiety and Braden’s presence overrides it. “Go ahead,” I say.
Daniel jumps away, knowing I don’t need him to fast travel with Braden here. Is that the only reason he wanted to get away and turn me over to Braden? I reach for his hand. Braden looks at me questioningly, knowing that if Milo sees us more than one of our secrets will be revealed. My hand is trembling as I reach for his. “You’re just helping me get to the Central Expanse,” I say firmly.
Braden wisely chooses not to comment. He offers me his hand. The sight of the filament of spirit stretching between our hands almost changes my mind. I could try on my own. With how crazy things are right now, I can’t imagine Milo will even get a chance to notice. I’m going to be in the center of two thousand Ciphers, anyway. Milo will be positioned on the edge of that gathering as he attempts to help me with the Inquests. Once we’re both in position, we won’t be in sight of each other at all. My hand slips into Braden’s and we rush forward to meet everyone else. As soon as we land, I drop Braden’s hand and scour the area for Milo. A dozen yards away talking to Dean, he hasn’t even noticed me yet.
Daniel is already in the Central Expanse, directing people to their positions. I’m pleased to see everything is laid out just as it should be. Every Cipher in the spirit world is standing in layered, concentric circles. Small groups of about twenty have broken off the main group, one for Milo and one for Dean. It isn’t much considering there are just over two thousand Ciphers in total, but any amount of the load taken off me will be helpful. Plus, if it turns out Milo and Dean can’t unlock the Ciphers’ talents as I’m hoping they can, the groups are small enough that they can rejoin the main circle right away.
The excited buzz of my arrival catches Milo’s attention. When he starts toward me, I move away from Braden—his puff of annoyance lets me know just how he feels about that—and I put my hands behind my back. Braden catches on and stuffs his own hands in his pockets, staying directly behind me. The link drifts behind me, our bodies partially hiding it from view.
“Everything looks like it’s ready,” Milo says.
“I know,” I say excitedly. “We’re really going to do this, aren’t we?”
He grins back. It’s a fierce and primal thing. “Yeah, we are.”
“You know what to do if you can’t do the Inquest right?”
“If it doesn’t work, I’ll have them back in your circle a second later.” I start to remind him of something else, but he stops me and says, “I won’t waste any time trying again. One try, that’s it. We’ve gone over this a thousand times. Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine.”
I really hope he’s right. “Okay then, go get in position.”
We start to separate, Braden moving to follow me toward the center of the circle. Milo frowns at his direction and pauses. My muscles tense. Did he see our connection? We can’t do this right now. No matter how much it will hurt him, I can’t take the time to explain things.
“Is Braden going with you?” he asks. Suspicion seeps through his blocks.
Oh, great. If I’m feeling it, his emotions must be pretty strong. Braden is always so careful around Milo that he hasn’t given him a single reason to suspect. I fear the last few days have changed that. Braden being with me while he was gone instead of Lance My disappearances and excuses the last few days to spend time at Braden’s so we can play up the charade of his all too real seduction. The fact that I can’t act normal in front of Milo when Braden is around. Added up, it may have tipped the scales. Not to mention this morning getting out of Braden’s car. I don’t think Milo saw me touching Braden, but he may have. My lingering could definitely have aroused suspicion. Not now, I beg.
My voice is small when I’m finally able to answer him. “Yeah, he is. I need someone close to me to give me messages if anything goes wrong.”
“Oh … okay,” Milo says slowly, not even close to shaking off his suspicion.
Milo turns and jogs back to his position. It was a close call, but one I know in my gut will be repeated. I won’t be able to hide for much longer. I sigh, knowing now isn’t the time to worry about it. I want to get this rescue over with as soon as possible. Lance wasn’t being dramatic when he said we’re going to have a lot to do after the Ciphers are freed. We make it to the middle of the circle of Ciphers and all of my other concerns fall away. Today is all about them.
We’ve practiced this moment so many times. They all know what to do. Two Ciphers, Daniel and a woman named Hannah, step into the middle of the circle with me. They will be my anchors, my links to the rest of the Ciphers. I take one of each of their hands, and they in turn reach back to the circle and take someone else’s hand. All through the circle the Ciphers link together. Almost every one of the two thousand Ciphers is connected to me in a matter of seconds, all but the Ciphers circling Milo and Dean.
Braden steps up behind me and says, “We’re ready.”
I smile, thankful for his help. Another simple task I have yet to master in the spirit world is communicating without speaking. Everything in this place is spirit. It’s all connected. Words are completely unnecessary once you learn how to speak through your spirit. It irritates me to death that
I can’t manage something so simple, but it did give me a good reason to give to Milo for having Braden by my side. The real reason he’s here brings him to place his hands lightly on my shoulders. Right away I feel my talents hum with the desire to be released.
My own Spiritualism is powerful despite my inability to use it mcuh of the time. Not only does Braden’s touch enhance my power, it lends me his experience. With his help, I can now feel every Cipher gathered around me. Everyone is ready.
Closing my eyes, I prepare myself to begin. All of my talents, with the exception of Perception, fall away. I fill myself to bursting with it. Linked with Braden I am able to draw in more than I ever have before. The effect of having so much talent brewing under my skin is dizzying. It begs to be released.
“Tell Milo and Dean to start,” I say to Braden. Neither of them have any problem with that kind of communication. A silent squeeze from Braden gives me the go ahead.
My pent up Perception flows out of me in a rush. It sweeps through the first thousand Ciphers effortlessly. After that, I have to go to work, directing my talent and pushing it along. Another five hundred down. There are two rows of Ciphers left when I begin to struggle. Two hundred more. I have to get them. There won’t be any second chances. The Spiritualists are going to recognize what’s happening as soon as the Ciphers start disappearing. Each addition to my collection is a fight. My hands start to shake after only another forty. The trembling begins in my legs at seventy-five. My whole body is shaking by the time I make it through the first hundred.
I feel a moment of hope knowing there’s only one more row to go. I start to push again when Braden’s voice breaks through my focus. “Dean and Milo can’t do it. Their Ciphers are rejoining the main group.”
A shudder of dread runs through me. Another forty. I’m not sure I can get them all. Braden’s arms tighten around my body, his love fueling me just as much as his power. My shaking lessens considerably. I let myself sink against him as I try to suck up every ounce of help I can. Slowly I start pushing again. They come more easily than before, but it’s still a challenge to gather those remaining. It’s agony to push my Perception into the last few Ciphers. I nearly collapse when I finally infiltrate the very last one. Braden is the only thing keeping me upright.
I feel as if I have exhausted every last speck of my strength, but there’s more work to do. Connected to so many at once, it’s incredibly difficult to find anything in them at first. Searching for their talents feels like swimming in molasses. I can’t see anything. My head pounds painfully as I try to sort through the maddening collage. It feels like forever before I finally start to make sense of anything. Mentally stacking everyone on top of each other finally lets me examine them without feeling as if I’m on one of those spinning carnival rides. Once I figure that out, I begin recognizing the signs of talents.
Every talent but Vision. And not just in some of them. Every single Cipher is exactly like Milo and Dean. The instant I mentally admit their presence, the air around me shifts from joyous to one of discomfort. Their spirit forms are blocked from their bodies by the Spiritualists, but they can obviously still feel the same pain. All over the world, diktats are rising to the surface of every Cipher’s left wrist and slowly turning jet black. The mark of the Destroyer. I sincerely hope no one is seeing it. As their diktats form, I hurry to finish up the rest of the Inquests by searching out over two thousand names and classes.
Names imprint on my mind and theirs like wildfire. Sarah, Grady, Sharon, Eliza, Maxwell, Latika, Ming, Selma, Javier, names from all over the world fill my mind. Followed closely behind are the classes. I’m genuinely surprised when every Class is represented. They aren’t all Guardians. That would have been nice, given how much I need warriors, but a rounded group will help me so much more. I’ll have everything I need to win this fight now with healers, tacticians, inventors, and so much more. Weak and deliriously happy at the same time, I conclude the Inquest and drop away.
I catch Braden off guard with my sudden exit and nearly slip through his arms before he can grab me. It takes some serious concentration to pull my feet back under me. I really only accomplish it with Braden’s help. The promise of spending a few minutes in his arms is so alluring right now. Even more so when he discretely presses his lips against my cheek, and whispers, “You did it, Libby. You did it.”
I manage to resist returning the kiss and turn to glance around me, though Braden doesn’t actually let me go. The Ciphers are huddling in haphazard groups, staring in amazement at the diktats now reflected on their spirits.
“What are they still doing here?” I demand. “Braden, tell them to get going. The Spiritualists are going to figure out what’s happening any minute!”
“They’re getting ready, Libby. Don’t worry. Casey’s keeping a careful watch on the Spiritualists. They couldn’t feel anything you did just now. All they’re aware of is that something has changed, but they can’t figure out what yet. There’s time. Give them a moment to get over the shock. You’ve just given them what they’ve been waiting a lifetime for.”
I know. I know they’re stunned, but they have to start moving. Daniel is standing only a few feet away from me. I step away from Braden, intent on asking him to get the Ciphers going, but I stumble over the first step and Braden has to catch me again. The strength I have left is going to go into smacking him. The first words of a demand to make him let go of me are the only thing that leave my mouth before I hear both Daniel and Hannah taking charge of the situation. I watch anxiously as the Ciphers bunch into groups depending on where their bodies are being held. Each group has a squad leader who will be in charge of getting them out of the compound to the safety of the handlers waiting for them. Not until the last group disappears do I finally let myself relax a little.
Milo comes rushing through the spirit mist and pulls me away from Braden without commenting on his holding onto me. Maybe it’s because he has to take over keeping me on my feet when he grabs me. “You did it!” he exclaims. “They’re all going to be free, Libby! I can’t believe you really did it. I was so sure something was going to go wrong.”
So much for his constant “Everything’s going to be fine,” huh? His excitement still draws a tired smile from me.
“It’s not over yet, Milo,” Braden reminds him. “We need to get back. The Spiritualists are already sensing the Ciphers’ absence. They’re starting to panic. The Guardians are going to be coming down on them any second. We need to go. Everybody regroup at Libby’s.”
Back to business. I step away from Milo, feeling a little more stable now, and search for Dean and Casey. I want to know everyone is all right before I leave. I see Casey running toward me with Dean and raise my hand to wave them over. I get halfway through the motion when someone grabs my arm. My stomach falls as I look down to see Milo’s fingers gripping my arm tight enough to make me wince. I’m shaking again by the time I force myself to look at him.
He isn’t looking at me, though. His eyes are glued to the thread of spiritual energy drifting away from my palm. Tears of … I don’t even know, dread, relief, fear, burn my eyes as his gaze follows the thread all the way back to Braden. “What the …”
“Libby!” Braden suddenly screams.
My eyes snap away from Milo instantly to see Braden’s spirit wavering. Milo tries to stop me from running to him, but I’m still stronger than he’ll ever be. I rip my arm from his grip, and call out, “Braden, your Oath! Give it to me, now!”
He crumbles to the floor as his fingers try to touch his emblem. I drop down next to him and tap my weary Spiritualism in a desperate attempt to keep him here. His fingers reach the emblem and move to touch his forehead. His fingers barely reach his skin when his whole body arches in horrible pain.
And then he disappears completely.
Chapter 3
2
Hardened Steel
Someone is screaming at me. I don’t care. My spirit races out of the spirit world and slams into my body. Lance
jumps up from the couch. I don’t even stop to tell him to put his blade up. Panic gives me enough adrenaline to scramble to my feet and propel me toward the garage door. My bare feet slap against the concrete, their frantic rhythm matching my heartbeat. I don’t even remember grabbing my keys. That thought skitters out of my mind as I fumble to open the door. Lance pulling it open for me finally lets me jump into the Bronco and jam the keys into the ignition. Lance hits the garage door opener and forces me to stop a split second before I hit the accelerator.
Waiting for the garage door to roll itself up nearly makes me scream.
“Libby, what happened?” Lance finally manages to ask me.
A sob chokes me. “Braden.”
It’s all I can say.
Lance curses under his breath. The door finally opens far enough, and I speed out of the driveway. A car trying to drive down the street barely stops in time to avoid getting crushed. The blaring horn carries on as I race away. It isn’t the only one. Angry drivers swerve to avoid me all the way to Braden’s house. I barely even hear them. I can’t think of anything but Braden screaming in agony. Lance’s knuckles are white as I cut across three lanes of traffic to turn into Braden’s neighborhood. I fling both me and Lance forward as I come to an abrupt stop in front of his house.
The sight of his front door standing open draws a strangled cry from me. Both Lance and I bolt from the Bronco and run for the house. Some rational part of my brain counts every step it takes to reach the front door. Twelve. Twelve steps to find myself staring at an empty room and a puddle of blood.
“No,” I sob. My exhausted body finally gives out and I crumble to the ground. “No, no, they took him. They took him.”
I can’t get up, but I have to find him. My trembling hands paw at the table next to me, trying to pull me up. I only get to my knees before I collapse again. “Braden!” I call out. He has to be here somewhere! I can’t let myself believe he’s gone. “Braden!”
Secret of Betrayal: Book Two of The Destroyer Trilogy Page 32
