by Amy Reece
“That sounds interesting,” I offered.
“No, it doesn’t. It’s incredibly boring. I hate essays.”
I remembered how much he had hated them when we were in high school, frequently begging me to help him figure out what to write. We were so opposite in our academic pursuits: he would rather do a set of math problems or design something while I would rather write a paper or read a book. He loved to read, but only when he chose the book. The second it was required, he lost all interest. “Well, why don’t you send it to me? I’ll help you polish it.”
“No, sweetheart. You have your hands full trying to find Mina. The last thing you need is to worry about my stupid history final.”
“Actually, it would be great to have something to focus on besides this futile search through Normandy. Please send it. I promise to ignore it if something happens with Mina.”
“Okay, but don’t worry if you don’t get around to it. Ally, when are you coming home? I need you here,” he admitted quietly.
“I don’t know, Jack. I’m so ready to be home and I will be so upset if I miss your graduation, but I can’t leave until we find Mina.”
“This sucks so bad. I want to help. I can’t stand this!”
“I know, I know. I’m going crazy too. God, Jack, you should see Rémy. He’s a mess. If we don’t find her, I don’t know—”
“We’re going to find her. Don’t give up, babe. Listen, if nothing happens by this weekend I’m going to come over there and help you look. I’ll finish with my finals Friday and can be on a plane by Saturday at the latest.”
“Jack, your graduation is the next weekend! You can’t miss that!”
“I couldn’t care less about walking for graduation. I’m just doing it for Trina and Manny’s sake. Finding Mina is way more important,” he stated firmly.
“Okay, okay. Hopefully you won’t have to do that. I pray we can find her in the next couple of days and I can go home.” We signed off and I went to bed, although I only managed to toss and turn for a few hours. I finally gave up and headed to the kitchen to make some tea, stopping to check on Rémy as I passed his bedroom. He was still fast asleep, thank goodness.
I found Kate and Phillipe in the kitchen.
“Couldn’t you sleep, Ally love?” Kate asked as Phillipe pulled out a chair for me.
“Not really. I spent more time tossing and turning than sleeping, so I thought I’d try some herbal tea. Rémy’s still asleep, though.”
“Yes. I checked on him a little while ago, as well. Sit down and I’ll make you some tea and toast. Phillipe and I were just about to have some.”
Within a few minutes I had tea and buttery, delicious toast in front of me. “Have you heard anything else, Kate?” I asked hopefully.
“I did talk to a friend of mine who said she has heard rumors of Luc in London recently.”
“What would he be doing in England?” I wondered aloud.
“I suspect he is trying to recruit Seers who do not have a close affiliation with any particular council,” Kate said.
“Oh, great. That’s all we need. How many Seers are there, anyway?”
“We don’t have any way of truly knowing, Ally,” Phillipe piped in. “There is no way of knowing or keeping track. That is one of the things Luc has always bemoaned. He feels we should be making some sort of effort to count and categorize Seers all over the world.”
“For what purpose? Aren’t we supposed to stay kind of on the down-low?” They both gave me blank looks, apparently not understanding my American idiom. “You know, stay unknown?”
“Ah, oui.” Phillipe nodded. “Both our Conseil and our Irish counterparts believe Seers should indeed be extremely discreet about our powers. Most Seers these days have such limited powers that it doesn’t present much of a problem, but you and Rémy are changing that.”
“What about Mina?”
They exchanged a look I didn’t like at all. “What? Why did you look at each other like that? She’s just as powerful as Rémy and me! Wait,” I said as they refused to meet my gaze. “Oh my God! You don’t think we’re going to find her!” I stood up so fast I knocked my chair over.
“No, Ally! That’s not it,” Kate rushed to assure me. “I absolutely believe we will find her. We must, for Rémy’s sake. He is very much in love with her, you know.”
“I know. She loves him too.”
“Does she? I’ve worried that it was all on Rémy’s part.”
“Believe me, she loves him. I don’t know why they can’t work it out, why they both keep holding back. So, what are you concerned about? Beyond finding her, I mean.”
“It’s just that we don’t really know very much about her gifts, do we? Although you have been exceptionally circumspect about it, I suspect she shares your mental communication abilities. But is that it? Has she shared anything else with you?”
I shook my head. “No. She has crazy mind reading skills, maybe even better than Rémy. They’re both way better than me, but I don’t think Mina knows what else she can do. Can powers show up at her age?”
“You make it sound like she’s in her dotage!” Kate exclaimed as she carried my plate to the sink. “She’s only 22 years old, for heaven’s sake! But to answer your question, I don’t know. Our gifts usually manifest by the time we are 18, but the rules certainly seem to be changing lately. I truly don’t know, Ally. Anything is possible at this point.”
***
Day 4
My phone dinged a message alert while I was blow-drying my hair after a much-needed shower. It was an unknown number, but the first words had me fumbling to punch in my PIN and read.
Its Mina. Im ok. Cant use our reg way communicate. Dont. Watched. Call soon. Tell Remy.
I raced to Rémy’s bedroom and entered without even knocking. He was still asleep, lying on his stomach with his hands under his pillow. It looked like he had taken a shower but hadn’t shaved; he was wearing a robe and hadn’t bothered to get under the covers. “Rémy.” I shook his shoulder lightly, hating to wake him but knowing he would never forgive me if I didn’t. “Rémy, I got a text from Mina. She’s okay. She’s going to call soon.” He sat up instantly, rubbing his hand over his face.
“Let me see.”
I handed him my phone. “It’s pretty disjointed, but I think she’s warning us to stop trying to send her mental messages for some reason. I don’t understand.”
“No, neither do I. What does she mean by ‘watched’?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you—” My phone ringing interrupted me. “Mina?” I nearly shouted.
“Ally!” she cried on the other end.
Rémy grabbed it from me. “Mina? Where are you? Are you all right?”
“Speaker! Put it on speaker, Rémy!” I hissed while trying to grab it from him. He complied and held it in front of us. “Mina, darling, where are you?”
“I…I don’t know. I woke up on the beach a little while ago. I don’t know where I am. I’m not, um, thinking very clearly right now.” She sniffed, obviously trying not to cry.
“Mina, whose phone are you using?” Rémy asked patiently. We had found hers smashed in our apartment.
“A really nice lady found me and let me use her phone,” she whimpered.
“Let me talk to her, please.” He continued to soothe her softly. He began a conversation in rapid French a few seconds later, but I was too distracted to concentrate enough to understand it. “Mina, we’re coming to get you,” he told her when she was back on the phone. “Ally and I are coming to get you. Madame Meunieur is going to take you to her home. You can rest there and wait for us. You’ll be safe there, Mina, I promise. We’ll be there soon.”
“Mina, honey, we’ll be there really soon, okay?” I added.
“Okay.” I could hear her sniffling. “Remember what I told you, Ally. He’s watching.” She hung up.
Rémy was wrenching dresser drawers open and throwing clothes on the bed. He ripped his robe off; I winced and closed my e
yes when I realized he was commando underneath. “Geez, Rémy!”
“Sorry, cherié.” He didn’t sound sorry. “Can you be ready to go in five minutes? I don’t want to waste any time.”
“Of course. Where are we going? Where is she?”
“In Brest. A town called Le Conquet. Can you bring her bag?”
Less than fifteen minutes later we were on the road. It had taken some time to tell Kate and Phillipe where we were going and promise to keep in touch. Kate filled a thermos with coffee and threw together a few sandwiches for our trip, knowing Rémy wouldn’t be willing to stop until we had reached Mina.
“How far away is Le Conquet?” I asked as I poured him a cup of coffee.
He finished programming the GPS and took the cup with a grateful smile. “About four hundred and thirty kilometers. It will take about five and a half hours to get there,” he stated grimly.
“What did the woman who found her say?” At his confused look I explained. “You were speaking so fast and I couldn’t concentrate.”
He nodded. “She was walking her dog early this morning and found Mina on the beach. She wasn’t sure if she was dead, drunk, or just sleeping. I’m sure she was drugged and left on the beach. Bastard!”
I couldn’t disagree with him so I said nothing. I sent Jack a text letting him know what was going on and that I would call as soon as I could. We drove in silence most of the way and I actually fell asleep for nearly an hour, waking as the car slowed. “Are we there?” I asked sleepily.
“Just about.” He drove through the small fishing village, pulling up in front of a charming stone cottage with the beach visible in the background. I followed him to the front door and stood to the side while he knocked firmly. A middle-aged woman opened it and Rémy introduced us. Madame Meunieur invited us in, motioning for us to be quiet, as the young lady had finally fallen asleep. She led us to the back room where Mina was asleep on the sofa, covered with a knitted afghan. Rémy knelt in front of her and gently pushed her black hair out of her eyes. “Mina? Wake up, please.”
She blinked, trying to focus. “Rémy? Oh!” She sat up and threw herself into his arms. He managed to pull himself onto the couch without ever letting her go and they held each other tightly for endless seconds before he pulled back and kissed her.
“Are you all right?” he asked as he pulled her against him again.
“I am now,” she said.
“God, Mina,” he groaned and kissed her again. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t protect you. I let him take you,” he whispered against her lips. “I’m so sorry.”
“Shh.” She framed his face, running her hands across his scruffy, unshaven cheeks. “I’m all right. It wasn’t your fault.”
“I love you, Mina. I’ve loved you for so long. I can’t pretend any longer. I don’t care about the prophecy. Maybe you don’t love—”
She kissed him before he could finish his ridiculous statement. “Of course I love you. How could you not know that?” They kissed for another long moment before Mina noticed me. “Ally!” She extricated herself from Rémy’s arms and crossed the room to hug me.
“I was so worried about you!” We pulled back and smiled at the tears in each other’s eyes. “Are you really okay?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “I’ve been drugged a lot over the past few days and my head is killing me, but I’m okay.”
We spent a few minutes thanking Elysse Meunieur for her help and hospitality. Rémy tried to pay her something for her trouble, but she politely, yet firmly refused. She recommended a good hotel in town where we could get a decent meal and some much-needed rest before driving back to Rouen the next morning. I gladly surrendered the front seat to Mina and called Kate while Rémy drove to the center of town. I texted Jack, told him that Mina was safe, and promised to call him later. Rémy pulled the car in front of the Pointe Ste Barbe hotel and guided us to the front desk, where he reserved two rooms: one for himself and one for Mina and me. A few minutes later we stood in front of our rooms and he presented Mina and me with our room keys. He seemed adorably flummoxed when Mina simply shook her head and stated that she would be staying with him in his room. I smiled wryly and let myself into my now private room. Rémy was still speechless, gaping like a fish, so Mina and I arranged for the three of us to meet in the restaurant downstairs for dinner in an hour—as soon as she had time to shower and change clothes. I offered to acquire some aspirin for her throbbing headache and headed out to find a pharmacy as soon as I dropped my bag in my room. After I returned from my errand of mercy, I called Jack and talked to him until it was time to meet in the restaurant. He was relieved we had found her and wanted to know how soon I would be home. I told him I planned to be home within a few days at the most, come hell or high water.
Mina looked refreshed but still pale as we sat down for dinner. She gratefully swallowed the aspirin and nibbled some bread while we waited for our meals to be delivered. I noticed that she and Rémy were loath to let go of each other’s hand, even to eat. I was happy for them; it was about damn time they figured out they were crazy about each other.
“Mina, what happened? I know what happened at the apartment, but tell us what else happened. Where did Luc take you? Why?” I buttered a piece of bread as I asked, suddenly ravenous.
“I don’t know where he took me. He kept me drugged most of the time. Shh.” She leaned in to kiss Rémy as he growled. “I might have an idea why he took me, however.” She paused as the waiter stopped by to refill our water glasses, then leaned in to whisper, “He has someone like Bridget who can read minds with a touch. He never let go of me until last night when they dropped me at the beach. That’s why I couldn’t contact you. I had to block you both out as hard as I could. I’m sorry. I knew you’d be worried, but I couldn’t let them know about our connection. Luc suspects, but he can’t be sure.”
“Yes.” Rémy nodded. “Ally figured that out, as well. She saw that he planted listening devices in your apartment. And you said he’s watching us?”
Mina nodded. “I overheard them discussing it. They overestimated how long I would be unconscious and underestimated my comprehension of French.” She had worked diligently over the past year to learn French, insisting we speak it exclusively at the apartment. It had annoyed me greatly at the time, but I was extremely grateful for it now.
“So, Luc suspects we have the ability to speak to each other with only our minds and he’s watching us. Did you hear anything else?” Rémy asked as he put his arm around her.
“He’s hoping this whole episode will cause some kind of reaction, something to do with the prophecy. I don’t know what.” She shook her head and reached for more water. “I’m so thirsty.”
“It’s the drugs they gave you,” Rémy said as he kissed her hair. “I really need to kill that bastard.”
“No, Rémy! Stay away from him! He’s dangerous!”
“Okay, love. Shh. We don’t have to talk about it right now.” He wiped the tears beginning to streak down her cheeks and kissed her. “Let’s just focus on the fact that we’re here together.” They kissed again, rather passionately, finally drawing apart when the waiter delivered our meals.
I was so happy for them that I didn’t feel terribly de trop, but it did make me miss Jack and I must admit to feeling just a wee bit sorry for myself as I watched them. Sigh. Oh well, I would be seeing him soon. Mina was back safe and sound, so I could focus on going home.
***
They were late for breakfast. I was actually surprised they showed up at all, to be honest. I had slept with my headphones on so as to block out any possible extraneous noises from the adjoining room. But they finally appeared, Mina appearing radiant and Rémy looking smug, as I was drinking a celebratory cup of coffee rather than my usual herbal tea.
“Good morning, lovebirds. I figured I wouldn’t see you two until at least lunchtime.”
Mina blushed, but Rémy just laughed. “Yes, well, we need to get back to Rouen as soon as possible.”
<
br /> “What’s the rush?” I asked.
“First, I need to take my fiancée shopping for an engagement ring.”
“What? Oh my gosh! Congratulations!” I pushed my chair back and hugged Mina. “I’m so happy for you! Wow that was fast.”
“Not really,” Rémy said as he hugged me. “I have loved this woman for three years. I was simply too much of an idiot to do anything about it. I’m not wasting anymore time.” He put his arm around Mina’s waist. “I’m going to marry her as soon as we are able to set up the ceremony.”
I fumbled on the table for a napkin to wipe away the tears that were streaking down my cheeks.
“Here, cherié.” He handed me his handkerchief. “There’s no need to cry.”
“Shut up. I’m happy, that’s all. Finally, something good is happening for us.”
“It is,” he agreed. “I think it’s long past time we started calling the shots. I’ve had it with waiting for the prophecy to reveal what it truly means and I’m sick to death of chasing Luc all over Western Europe. He wants something to happen. He took Mina to try and make it happen, so I say we oblige the bastard.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“He is bound and determined to force the new Oracle to appear, right?” Both Mina and I nodded. “Well, let’s give him what he wants. Mina says he’s watching us, so let’s give him something worth watching. Let’s give him an ascension.”
Chapter Three
“Still the same rough winds, the wild passion raging through the girl.”
—Sophocles, Antigone
Back at the estate, we had to spend a few hours letting the Conseil members as well as Fionnuala and Caoimhe hug and make a huge fuss over Mina. Rémy and I watched good-naturedly, answering questions about how we found her and dodging questions about our plans for the near future. Rémy finally brought the questions to a halt by standing and announcing that his fiancée needed a good meal and then a nap. This had the desired effect of immediately turning everyone’s thoughts away from what would happen next as the women all rushed to hug Mina and the men pounded Rémy on the back and teased him about having to give up his free-wheeling bachelor ways. André, the majordomo, interrupted to announce lunch, but dropped his formal manners for a moment to congratulate Rémy, whom he had known since he was in diapers.
