Search (SEEK Book 1)

by Candie Leigh Campbell

  A second later my cell phone crashes to the cement. Jonathan stomps on it to make sure it’s dead.

  “They’ll be chasing their tails for a while, but it won’t stop them. Let’s get out of here.”

  I climb in the car drumming my nails on the steering wheel and staring out the rearview mirror. Jonathan tosses our bags in back and hops in the passenger seat, twitching and scratching his neck.

  “Everything okay?” I ask.

  “Yeah, it’s just that normally I’d have Mayet with me when faced with mortal danger, but I fear she’s better off away from this mess.”

  I shrug, throw the car in reverse and go skidding out onto the highway.

  Jonathan clamps both hands on the dashboard, chattering nervously. “I grew up in New York. I used to be a hacker. You know, just for fun. Just to see if I could break through firewalls. Nothing too malicious just looked around mostly. Except one time I hacked into the mall security system and changed the music station. Some people just don’t appreciate good metal when they hear it.”

  “I remember that. They never figured out who did it or how. Some old lady sued the mall for causing her husband’s stroke. I think she got like ten grand in the settlement, but a short time later an anonymous donor gave her ten million and covered all of her husband’s medical bills.” I whip my head to Jonathan. He’s already chattering on about some video game and paying no attention to me.

  I tune out. Focus on the highway, searching for any unmarked GOV cars. Jonathan said he bought us some time, but that could mean anything—five minutes or five hours. So far nothing looks out of place except me. I shouldn’t be here. None of this should be happening.

  I look at Jonathan again.

  “That’s when I first came in contact with the Episteme Brotherhood. They can be pretty persuasive. They make you feel like you’re joining for a noble cause. You know ‘do it for America’ and all that. I was just in it for the thrill of it. But the more I saw, the more I figured something was up. It was more like a cult than anything. Oh, and once you’re in, they have you…”

  That’s when I really start paying attention. I have to find out more before I can figure out a way to fix this situation. “So, did you join for a cause?”

  “No. I wish I was that noble. I bought their garbage hook, line, and secrets. I believed their proof that Kistall was trying to take over the country,” he says, suddenly falling silent.

  I give him a minute, feeling that he has more to say. But he doesn’t offer anymore.

  “I know the feeling. It was the same thing Kistall told me. ‘Only we have access to real medical cures.’ I was so desperate I would’ve believed them if they told me I had to fly to the moon for a cure.”

  “You know what? Here’s the secret.” He throws me sly glance. “They’re connected, Kistall and Episteme. They’re trying to create one global government, sole owners of the world’s resources and their militaries.” He demonstrates by holding an imaginary ball.

  “Wait. What? You think Kistall is working with Episteme? No way.” I stare at him with wide eyes. The SUV veers over the centerline.

  Jonathan catches hold of the wheel.

  “I got it.” I soften my white-knuckled grip back to normal.

  Jonathan shrugs, falling back into his seat. “Only the elite know. Grunts like us are intentionally left out of the loop. But I have special resources.”

  “How would either benefit from pretending to be enemies? That theory is preposterous.” I rub my neck.

  “Nothing weakens a government like a war. An ally posing as an opponent is brilliant,” he insists.

  I glance at the clock – three o’clock. SEEK agents are switching shifts from day runners to mids and Cord is one of them – and I’m here, with the enemy, trying to wrap my head around a conspiracy theory. It does make a little sense. “That’s why SEEK wants you dead. Your secrets are their secrets. But where does that leave you? Any ideas where you’ll go?” I crinkle my nose. Just in case this plan takes another detour. I’ll use this information as leverage with SEEK.

  “You mean after I save you?” Jonathan tilts his head, lips artfully puckered in concentration. “I’m thinking England.”

  “England? Sure. Good luck getting out of the country.” I exhale.

  Jonathan’s always-smiling-mouth twists in the corners. “I own a jet.”

  “You have a plane?” I gulp, turning to stare at him. The car swerves, but I jerk the wheel back into my lane in time.

  “Can you keep your eyes on the road?” Jonathan overreacts, tugging on his seatbelt. “And yeah, I have a plane.”

  “But there’s more to getting out of the country—especially with every government agency hunting you—there’s logistics involved. You’ll never get clearance.”

  “You’re right, but I have another way to get clearance.” He turns just then, studying me and blurts out, “You should come with me. To England.”

  “What’s with you? Are you always this trusting? You do understand that I work for SEEK.” I blink wide-eyed in his direction.

  Jonathan props a leg against the glove box, the knees of his jeans worn and soft looking, begging to be touched. In a different world, I imagine laying my hand on his leg, feeling the supple cotton plied with fabric softener under my fingertips.

  He clears his throat. “It makes sense. I can’t trust anyone else, can you?”

  My eyes dart back to the road. “I-I—” I stutter, Jonathan’s question catching me off guard.

  “Given that we share mutual enemies, we should help each other.”

  “I tried to kill you,” I remind him with a sideways glance. “And for all you know, I’m turning you straight over to Kistall the moment we reach the boundaries.”

  The Boone

  I knew I’d fail this mission the moment Harnel gave it to me. I never had a shot at making Jonathan fall for me. He’s way out of my league. That’s why Harnel sent me out for a makeover. He thought that if I believed I was pretty I would at least try. And when Jonathan rejected me, I might actually kill him. If not, the makeover wasted one more day of what was left of my life.

  That’s what stings the most. Kistall, Ops, and my SEEK command not only expected me to fail, but they counted on it. They sent me off to die.

  “I never had any intention of killing you,” I admit, swallowing the bitter taste of my new reality.

  “I know. Mayet said I can trust you.”

  “Mayet said…? Oh right, your mind-reading fairy. Can you hear her now? Is she talking to you?”

  “It doesn’t work like that. For one thing she’s out of range. And it’s hard to describe how a Khayal thinks. Listening to Mayet’s mind is similar to listening to a toddler trying to explain gravity. One moment there’s real intelligence there and then the next she’s completely off topic—dreaming of butterflies and bullfrogs. It’s like she has a severe case of ADHD. Do you understand?” he asks, frowning to himself.

  “I think I follow, since I—you know—used to kill the Khayal. I never thought they were all that bright to begin with.”

  Jonathan cringes, dark curls bouncing over his surprised face as I turn off Kentucky Highway 715.

  “The Khayal might surprise you. I didn’t say they weren’t smart, just that communicating with them telepathically is challenging,” he says, an air of superiority catching in his voice.

  “We’re here.” I point as we turn onto a narrow back road.

  “Here?” Jonathan asks doubtfully, eyeing the dilapidated bridge ahead.

  “Yep.” I set my jaw and roll the wide rig slowly onto the wooden planks, watching the side-mirrors for clearance. It’s tight and the bridge groans under the Hummer’s tonnage, but we make it. I expel a long breath, throwing a triumphant smile at Jonathan.

  He lets out a breath, too, kiddingly wiping his brow.

  “This is the backside of the Boone. The road goes through there.” I point out the steep crags in the rock and indigenous orange sand peeking between t
he beds of early spring leaves littering the hillside. “I was bitten on the other side of Cloud Splitter, but the Hummer will be recognized if we get any closer. It stays here.” I gesture toward the middle of the forest where a vast boulder towers high above everything else like a monument to the gods.

  “That?” Jonathan gapes out the windshield. “It’ll take us all night to get around that.”

  “That’s why we’re going over it.” I wedge the rig between two massive trees for camouflage. I lean over the steering wheel, pausing for a moment of courage, and then nod. “Let’s do this.” I shut off the engine and jump from the car, clicking the button to open the back hatch.

  A distinctive grunt fills the air as Jonathan drags himself sluggishly from the car. He plucks a willowy reed of grass, peeling it into long strips as he leans against the dusty hatch. “You actually want to make friends with the Khayal.”

  “I know that, but I don’t go anywhere without protection.” I nod, pulling on the strap of my quiver.

  Jonathan eyes my bow disapprovingly as he traces a finger over the phoenix etched in my worn leather case.

  “It’s a De Lilah. You know—as in song of night? Never mind.” I shove the case aside, rummaging for the rest of my arsenal buried somewhere in the bottom of the duffle. “What do you carry?”

  Jonathan’s naturally sculpted brows disappear under his mussed bangs. “As in a weapon? I’m a pacifist.” He laughs humorlessly.

  “This is no place for a conscience.” I hand him the butt of my Glock 19 after I untangle it from a silver blouse.

  “You’re kidding right?” He shoves my hand and the gun away.

  “Don’t be stubborn. I can’t watch my neck and yours. Take it or stay here.”

  Jonathan’s eyes narrow.

  “Look, if I have to, I’ll duct tape the blasted thing to your hand. We don’t have time to stand here arguing about this.”

  “But I don’t need it. Mayet will be there.”

  “Too bad. I need a partner if I’m going in there and you’re it.” I push the gun at him again.

  “I told you, you don’t have to fear the Khayal.” He shakes his head.

  “I don’t fear them! I’m supposed to be on assignment—or dead. What the hell do you think will happen when my colleagues see me running through the Boone with a member of the Brotherhood?” I shove the black butt into his hand, scowling at him.

  “I don’t know how to use a gun,” he mutters into his chest.

  “How are you still alive?” I roll my eyes and stuff a switchblade into my boot. “It’s right or left-handed, holds eight rounds, and it requires only one hand for any action. Just point-and-shoot like a camera. This is the safety. A half cock points the laser.” I wedge myself in behind him—ignoring the dizzying closeness of our bodies—grasp his hand around the stock and wrap my hand over his. I zero in on a clump of dirt and squeeze the trigger. I’m braced for the blast as it kicks his back into my chest. The dirt clod explodes in a cloud of orange.

  “Whoa!” Jonathan jerks back.

  “A full cock sends the bullet where the red dot was.” I switch the safety back to on and stagger away from him.

  Jonathan stands there, gun dangling from his fingertips. “It only leaves a tiny hole, right?” he squeaks.

  “It’s them or us. Who do you want to get shot today?” I shrug, reaching behind me and wrenching on the sleeve of his unbuttoned shirt.

  “Us, I choose us.”

  “No you don’t, or you wouldn’t be here. You want to live as much as I do. Maybe you even need to live. Maybe you have someone counting on you, too.”

  He shoots me a sideways look.

  “That’s right, I can read you too,” I say softly. And for the first time, I flash him a genuine smile.

  The entrance into the forest winds along a popular hiking trail through Sandcastle Mountain. I stay far enough north of the main path that we won’t be spotted. Plus no one takes this trail, it’s all straight up. We pass Jump Rock on Red River about a mile from where I fell. I remember waking up downriver by Shetowee Trace and not knowing where I was. I must’ve hit my head. I’m not sure how I survived the fall, but I do know it was days before I figured out where I was.

  “Strange,” I mutter, reaching for Jonathan’s hand.

  We have ten more feet of vertical rock to scale before we reach the summit of Cloud Splitter.

  “I’m sorry?” he asks, throwing a leg up over the ledge.

  “I was just thinking how weird it is that after I fell off the cliff I didn’t know where I was.”

  “You fell off a cliff?” he asks, eyes wide as he staggers away from the edge.

  “Yeah, that’s why I was alone. Cord must’ve thought I was dead. It doesn’t make sense though. I don’t think I was hurt at all, but I can’t remember the actual fall. I remember going over Frog’s Knob, and then nothing after that until I woke up on the shore of Red River, right over there.”

  Standing shoulder to shoulder with Jonathan on the top of Cloud Splitter, I point to the river cutting through the forest below.

  “Wow! This place is huge,” he huffs, scratching his ear like a lost dog.

  “And I know every inch of it, normally. But ever since I went over that ledge it hasn’t been the same.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “Well, like now, it’s too quiet. Something’s not right. It was too quiet then too. There are hundreds of SEEK agents, and hikers occasionally on the south end, but here we should see something, or hear something but it’s like there’s no one—not even a Khayal anywhere.”

  “Oh, of course, you didn’t feel the Khayal then because you’d already been chosen. Your Khayal must’ve bitten you as you were falling—or maybe after, before you woke,” Jonathan amends.

  “That’s impossible. I distinctly remember the Khayal jumping on my back in the compound after the cougar bite. And anyway, I did feel the Khayal afterward. I shot one right before I found the trail back to the compound.”

  Jonathan’s face drains of color.

  “What?” I ask, looking over my shoulder at nothing but acres of treetops.

  “You felt the Khayal before you shot it, or you saw it and panicked?”

  A sudden wave of nausea rolls through my stomach. I close my eyes trying to picture it. “I was leaning against the tree, bleeding all over the place, and Khayal surrounded me…”

  “Before that then. Go back to the first thing you remember after you fell.” Jonathan says.

  I sit down, crossing my legs and bury my face in my hands, willing the memories back. Slowly, chinks in the broken memories fit themselves back together. “I remember waking up in a patch of White Haired Golden Rod,” I mumble into my fingers.

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s a rare flower that grows under rock ledges, out of the sun.”

  “Then what happened?” he presses.

  “Ah!” I clap a hand to my forehead. “Rainbow bubbles. I remember mumbling rainbow bubbles. I must’ve seen the Khayal. That means you’re right. I had to have been bitten to see them, isn’t that what you said?”

  “Definitely, but then what?” he urges, squatting down face to face with me.

  “Then the cougar came, probably heard me talking to myself, and I tried to fight her off. She cornered me, grabbed my leg, I couldn’t reach my arrows so I pulled out my hunting knife and started swinging…” I gasp, cold sweat beading on my back.

  “What? Do you remember?”

  I nod, tears balling in my throat. “She was there. A fairy girl, sort of like yours but she was gray, like a shadow. I thought I was delirious.” I sob.

  “What happened, Keira? Look at me. What happened?” he demands, lifting my chin gently upward to meet his gaze.

  I jerk away with a sniff, shaking my head. “I didn’t know, okay? It’s not my fault, it’s not like she talked to me and I’d been told…it was…my job.”

  Jonathan rocks back, propping himself against a boulder. “Oh.”
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  “I was being eaten from the leg up! I swung my blade at anything moving until it stuck in the cat’s shoulder and she ran off.” I press my face into my sleeve, hiding my shame. “Now that I’ve seen Mayet. I don’t know exactly what the Khayal are, but I know what they’re not. They’re not the monsters SEEK told me they were.”

  “Hey, hey! You didn’t know. That’s on SEEK, not you,” he says diplomatically, wiping a runaway tear from my chin.

  I shake my head and sniff. “My tears don’t change the fact that I’m a monster. Let’s do this. Call your fairy,” I growl.

  “She’s not a fairy, she’s a…”

  I glare at the boy who looks like a man with his two-day stubble, in no mood to let him diminish my atrocities. I had enough self-loathing before he came along with his sunny smile and go-with-the-flow attitude. What does he know about remorse? He’s probably never suffered any real regret and here I am, unexplainably attracted to him. I’m such a fool. I’m sure he’s going to split the second he gets the chance. I squeeze De Lilah’s strap against my shoulder.

  Jonathan’s benevolent eyes grow wide. “You’re scary in agent mode, you know that?”

  Even under threat of physical violence his sweaty face is still too pretty, blinking innocently back at me.

  “Ugh.” I puff. His affection for the pixie says he likes her, but I wonder is she a friend or a tool he uses like I use De Lilah?

  Jonathan busies his fingers on the back of his neck and calls to the trees, “Mayet, I need you.”

  A shiver scuttles over my skin, despite the warmth of midday. The anticipation of seeing the creature again—now that I’m better prepared to handle it—is setting my nerves on edge. I fidget with my ponytail, tapping a toe on the rock.

  A voice rises with the wind. “Relax, Keira, you’re right where you belong.”

  Mood Ring

  There’s no time to react to the disembodied voice. It’s only a fraction of a second before a freaky green ball rises up over the grove of towering magnolias. Nearer and nearer it comes as though it has been there the whole time waiting for Jonathan’s command.