04 Last

by Lynnie Purcell

  Alex had walked around Beatrice and Han, also to look at the drawing. She snatched the paper from Beatrice’s hand the second she saw it. She had a different reaction. For the first time since Eli had made his surprise appearance, I saw genuine emotion on her face. It was excitement.

  “This is the sword!” she said.

  “Yeah…” I said.

  “No, I mean, this is the sword!” she repeated. “The sword your grandfather was talking about in the book. It was given to your family from a great warrior the Michaels rescued. They sheltered her and gave her a place to hide after a fight left her wounded and on the brink of death. He mentioned the person having remarkable healing abilities. In return, she gave them this sword. Your grandfather went on and on about it,” Alex said. “The page with drawing was gone from the book, but this is definitely it. His descriptions were very accurate.”

  “Your family sheltered the historian?” Daniel asked a frown on his face.

  “I guess…” I said. “Why do you look so confused?”

  “The historian is a legend…in battle, in intellect. There is no equal. She doesn’t just simply fall in battle.”

  “Maybe she was having an off day,” I suggested.

  Daniel shook his head at my words but did not argue. Reaper had more things on his mind than a sword. He turned to Serenity and Eli, who was listening to us talk. Reaper’s expression was one he reserved for business transactions and people he wasn’t sure were enemies or friends.

  “Our deal was to bring you along, but that does not make either of you Saints. You are not my people. You do not have a say in what we do. You tag along. You fight, if you wish, but you are not trusted.”

  “Darling, is that anyway to talk to an old friend?” Serenity asked.

  “You are not an old friend,” Reaper said. “You are someone I have always been forced to tread lightly around. Not anymore. The Saints are not Odette’s playthings. We fight our own battles.”

  I was surprised at his tone. Reaper was used to playing both sides of the table – it was how the Saints stayed under the radar. It was how they kept doing what they were doing. His words made me wonder what Odette had said to him.

  Serenity’s mouth twitched at his words. It was as if she wanted to say something, perhaps tell him all the ways she could help, but she didn’t. She merely shrugged and, with a hand on Eli’s forearm, left the galley.

  Daniel was smiling.

  “That was refreshing,” he said to Reaper.

  “Way sexy,” Jackson added.

  “I’m tired of playing games,” Reaper admitted. “We have more serious things in play than her seductions.”

  Alex looked up from the drawing at his use of the word ‘seduction.’ Reaper looked at me, though I knew he was aware of Alex’s look. I wondered if his treatment of Serenity had anything to do with Alex. It was possible.

  “What now?” Reaper asked. “You mentioned a sword…”

  “We have to go back to King’s Cross,” I said.

  “And do some digging,” Daniel said.

  “I could send my people,” Reaper suggested. “We could have the sword dug out in no time.”

  “No!” I said. “I mean…I think only a few of us should go. We should keep things quiet…for now. I don’t know where this is going to take us.”

  “Fine,” Reaper agreed. He looked at Daniel. “Do you know where the historian is?” he asked. “The last time I heard of her she was terrorizing cities across the world. But I am certain those stories were exaggerations.”

  “The historian doesn’t terrorize. She never did,” Daniel said. “She’s in an abandoned mining town in Idaho now. She has cut off ties to all of our kind. She makes it clear that she doesn’t want visitors.”

  “A silver mine?” Reaper asked carefully.

  “Yes. You can see why our kind keep their distance,” Daniel said. “Getting trapped there would be death.”

  “So, the plan is to get the sword, see the historian and save the world?” I asked.

  “Something like that,” Daniel agreed.

  “First, you rest,” Beatrice said. “You’ve had a long night…you all look like you need a long shower and time to collect your thoughts.”

  “We’re fine,” Daniel said.

  Beatrice eyed Spider, who was fighting his sleepiness now that he was back on the boat and the relative safety that implied. Alex looked wired, but the bags under her eyes and her emotional turmoil were as clear as day. I knew that she had to be battling a headache as well.

  “Don’t argue with me, Daniel,” Beatrice said. “You need rest. The sword can wait until tomorrow.”

  Beatrice’s tone was firm. There was no room for argument. Daniel didn’t try.

  “Okay,” Daniel agreed.

  Reaper sat down at the table and his laptop, to continue his work, but Beatrice was in full mom mode. Her edict had meant him as well.

  “That means you, too,” Beatrice told Reaper. “Come on, everyone out.”

  Reaper looked startled at her command. No one bossed him around like that, not even me. Beatrice forced Reaper to stand – he had found a smile around his surprise – and forced us all out of the galley. We separated in the hall and went to our rooms. I sat down on the bunk and waited for Daniel to join me. He sat down, just as wired, just as anxious to be moving.

  “We could go get the sword without telling anyone,” I suggested as his foot started to beat out an irregular rhythm.

  “What do you want to do, fly there?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “I moved through the in-between space again when I was trapped. I think if I tried hard enough I could figure it out.”

  “You usually can’t use your gifts, unless you’re in danger.”

  “Thanks for pointing that out,” I said.

  “I didn’t mean it like that,” Daniel said.

  “I know,” I said.

  Daniel sighed. “We should wait. The others are just as invested in our search.”

  “Yeah…” I agreed. “What do you think was on that thumb-drive Sara gave to Reaper?” I asked.

  “He had Sara go back to the building in Alaska. Reaper and I figured out that Serenity wouldn’t blow up the building for no reason.”

  “You figured that out, did you?” I asked.

  “Yep. So, Sara went back to see if there were any computers that survived the explosion. Turns out, there was. She downloaded the data.”

  “You talked about this with Reaper?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” Daniel agreed.

  “And what are we going to do with that information?” I asked.

  “I don’t know yet. Reaper is going to take a look at it and see.”

  “Wonderful,” I said.

  I looked around the bland room to collect my thoughts. There was very little to help focus my thoughts. The only belongings I had were stacked in the corner. My guitar was the tallest of those things. I focused my eyes there.

  “So…Odette, huh?” I asked.

  “Yep,” Daniel agreed.

  “Why do you think she’s really sending us to this historian? For real?”

  “To fight,” Daniel said.

  “Fight the historian?” I asked.

  “No. Fight more effectively. Odette wants us to be the sword that strikes down Marcus. The historian knows things…training Watchers have forgotten. Odette figures the historian will show you those things.”

  “She’s hoping the historian will take me under her wing?” I asked.

  “I think so.”

  “What if she doesn’t?” I asked.

  Daniel shrugged. “Then at least we will get the truth from her.”

  I nodded and went back to staring at the guitar. My thoughts were on a different demon.

  “My birthday is in three weeks,” I said.

  “I know,” Daniel agreed quietly.

  “I’m scared,” I admitted.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “What if I change and nothing happens? W
hat if I change and everything happens? I’m scared that if nothing happens I’ll be the same person – a liability to what we’re doing. The girl who runs the risk of getting caught and tortured for doing nothing beyond breathing. I’m scared that if everything changes, I’ll be a completely different person. I’ll be something foreign…”

  “Like me?” Daniel asked.

  “No…yes…maybe,” I said. “You’ve learned to focus on your humanity. A lot of the others haven’t. They’ve lost touch. I don’t want to lose touch.”

  “I won’t let that happen,” Daniel said.

  I sighed at his words. I knew I was being irrational, but I couldn’t help the feeling that he wouldn’t be around always to keep me grounded. I had to keep my own sense of balance.

  “I know,” I said.

  He knew my second worry. The part where the change was supposed to be painful. It permeated every conversation we had, even when we didn’t mention it.

  “I’m going to be there every second of the change,” Daniel said. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you…”

  “I’m going to hold you to that promise,” I said.

  “I think I know what you need,” Daniel said with a smile.

  I thought I understood the smile. I thought I had seen it enough times to know. I was wrong.

  “Let’s go somewhere,” he said. “Not to get the sword…but off the ship.”

  “What about Beatrice’s command to rest?” I said.

  “We’ll sneak,” Daniel said with a coy smile.

  “Sneaking sounds like a lot of work,” I said.

  “Neither of us can sit still,” Daniel pointed out.

  “That’s true,” I said. “But I don’t want to cross Beatrice.”

  “You can live through a scolding,” he said. “You’ve lived through worse.”

  “Maybe not the best way of encouraging me,” I said.

  “We can go somewhere no one will find us,” Daniel suggested. “Just for the night.”

  “Where?” I asked.

  Daniel smiled. “I know a place. Do you think you could take us there?”

  “I don’t know…” I admitted.

  “We can try and find out,” Daniel said. “The only way to get rid of your fear is to practice.”

  “Do you want me to practice burning people alive as well? Cause that’s the only other talent I’ve managed more than once.”

  “Only if you aim in the right direction,” Daniel said.

  “Fine. But you’re taking the fall if Beatrice finds out,” I said.

  “Done,” Daniel agreed.

  He stood and pulled me to my feet. His eyes urged me to lower my mental shield and let him in to my thoughts. I did and felt the crushing pull of his thoughts surrounded mine for a brief second. The pull lifted and his thoughts turned gentle. An image rose in my mind without me consciously thinking about. The image was peaceful and serene; it was something I had never seen the likes of, except for in the movies.

  I closed my eyes and focused on the image. I focused on the colors and the details Daniel had imprinted in my mind. I tried to find the same emotions that had carried me through the last walk through the in-between. It was true that I didn’t have the chaotic emotional state of being trapped by a wall of rock, but the image drew me in. It urged me to be a part of the picture.

  I was more than a little surprised when the lights of the ship stopped abruptly and the darkness of the in-between formed around me. The surprise made me falter. The image wavered. I realized what would happen if I let go of the image. Daniel and I would be trapped. Even as I had a moment of panic, I felt the weight of him on my hand. He was counting on me to get him safely to the place he had left in my brain. I couldn’t let him down. I urged the image back in to my mind and focused hard on the destination. The world around me started moving in a rush of darkness. I was actually doing it…I had managed to find the strength outside of a life-or-death situation. Pride surrounded my being as I walked in the dark. The pride distracted me from the fear of failure.

  Finally, the darkness cleared. I opened my eyes to bright sunshine. The sun was warm. There was only a subtle hint of autumnal winds brushing the landscape in front of me. Nothing like the ship we had just left. Large trees as tall as some buildings in New York were below us. We were standing on top of an ancient structure rich in detail. It was beautiful, in a dark way, though I expected Lara Croft to come busting out of the sealed doors below us at any second.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  “Burma, well…Myanmar, really,” Daniel said.

  “Oh.”

  “Not very many people come here,” he said. “It’s been left to the elements.”

  I looked down at the overgrown trees and the vines that were crawling up one side of the building. Other buildings were spaced throughout the wildlife, but none of them was as tall as the one we were standing on. The trees had all but obscured the very tops of the buildings.

  “I can see that,” I said.

  Daniel sat down on the building and let his feet dangle over the edge.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  “It’s beautiful. Kind of sad, but beautiful,” I said.

  “So…like you,” Daniel teased me.

  “Some days,” I agreed.

  I joined him on his ledge and looked out over the trees. Daniel claimed my hand the second I sat down. We sat in silence for a long moment. I stared out over the trees, feeling better than I had on the boat, but still bothered. Odette’s words circled my head. She had seemed so certain about everything she had said. There was no doubt in her mind that a great shift was coming. But did that mean a shift for the better? Was it possible that all her manipulation meant we actually stopped Marcus? Even if we stopped Marcus, what did that mean for me? What did that mean for the world? Was stopping him the key to stopping the world from ending? I couldn’t be sure. No one had said.

  All I knew was that Marcus was hell-bent on being the most powerful Watcher on the planet. That was enough clue to know taking him out wouldn’t hurt our plans. But we still had no idea what he was planning. The dream I had, of the world erupting in to flames, came back with alarming detail. I could actually feel the flames. It felt so real; it felt likely that he was doing his best to create chaos. What worried me the most was the fact that, despite the brothers being out of the picture, Marcus had not moved; he was silent. There had been no hint he was bothered by their deaths at all. What was he waiting for?

  “Penny for your thoughts?” Daniel asked.

  I let the worry drop away and gave a small smile. “I’m brooding. Can’t you tell?”

  “Not really. You just sort of looked like you were thinking about a difficult math problem.”

  “I don’t think about those,” I said. “Not unless I have to.”

  “Want to tell me about it?” he asked.

  “I was just wondering what Marcus was waiting for. I expected him to jump on the chance to take over the world now that Darian and Lorian are gone. There’s just been radio silence.”

  “It’s possible that he’s waiting for something specific to happen before he moves,” Daniel said.

  “That doesn’t make me feel better.”

  “Me either,” Daniel admitted. “But that’s why, first thing in the morning, we’re going to find that sword and go see the historian. To head off whatever Marcus has planned.”

  “Like that’s possible,” I said.

  “Of course it is,” Daniel said.

  “He’s been a step ahead of us this whole time,” I said. “He’s got planning on top of planning.”

  Daniel shook his head. “If he was that on top of things, he would have captured you the first time he tried. He would have foreseen you kicking serious butt and made plans for that. He would have made plans to stop us from rescuing Han, Beatrice and the other scientists.”

  “I guess so…”

  “We’re just going to have to be patient,” Daniel said. “Pr
oactive…but patient.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Patient…”

  It came out like a curse word.

  “Try not to let the concept overwhelm you,” he said.

  “I’ll try.”

  “Clare…” Daniel said in a would-be innocent voice.

  “Yes, Daniel?” I asked.

  “What’s the key for?” he asked. “The one King gave you…What’s it for?”

  “It’s a surprise,” I said, without looking at him.

  I knew his eyes were begging for the truth. If I looked in them, I would give in. I saw Daniel frown out of the corner of my eye. He wasn’t used to secrets; he wasn’t good at not knowing.

  “Come on. Seriously. What is it?” he asked.

  “What was it that you were saying about patience?” I asked.

  “I’ve since changed my mind,” Daniel said.

  “That was thirty seconds ago,” I pointed out.

  “I know,” he said.

  “I’m not telling you,” I said.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Because it’s a big deal and I want my timing to be right. The middle of a war doesn’t seem like good timing.”

  Daniel waved his hand in a gesture that was meant to take in the beautiful landscape.

  “What place is better?”

  “Is that why you brought me here?” I asked.

  “No…”

  His tone gave away his lie. He hadn’t brought me there entirely to get the secret out of me, but it had certainly been on his mind.

  “Liar,” I said.

  “Yes,” Daniel agreed.

  I looked out over the horizon again. This time a different problem – one that was easier to talk about because it was less of a secret – reared up in my head. It wasn’t one I was afraid to mention. I knew it was better to air it in the light of day, so we could face it properly.

  “What are we going to do about Eli?” I asked Daniel.

  “Kill him in his sleep,” Daniel suggested easily.

  I laughed.

  “He doesn’t sleep,” I pointed out.

  “Then, we live with him until all of this is over, and we can go our separate ways,” he said.

  “I liked the first one better,” I replied.

  Daniel sighed. “I know how you feel about him. I don’t know him like you do, but I feel a lot of the same things you do. He abandoned Alex and the kids and that’s not something I take lightly. His treatment of Alex is also just plain mean…but his presence is a necessity.”