Guild of Truth 01 - Silent as the Grave

by Mary K. Norris

  A few feet away Collette was breathing heavily.

  Her eyes locked with Cali’s.

  “You.” She threw an arm up and those twisted white strips of cloth came barreling at her.

  She’d like to say that she jumped back in time, or that she put up a fight, but in reality her body froze. Froze like a fucking deer in the headlights.

  The cloths brushed her face, the lightest of touches, before they shimmered and faded from view.

  Collette snarled something but Felix was advancing on her. “You’re too tired, Collette.” He dodged a blow that wouldn’t have landed anyway and waved his hand. “All this is pointless. Your Illusions are failing.”

  “Shut up.” She threw her arm out. Blood bloomed on the side of Felix’s arm. A dagger stuck out from the wall behind him, still vibrating. “You don’t know anything, Felix.” It was her turn to advance on him. “But I’m hoping soon you will.”

  Cali shuddered at the look Collette shot her way. But it was that look that undid whatever kept her frozen to the floor. She might have been caught unaware before, but she was damned if she was going to get carted off by this psycho bitch without putting up a fight.

  “Is she important to you? Is that why you are here?” Collette’s eyes didn’t leave Cali, though her words were aimed at Felix. “There’s something more to this scene. I can feel it.”

  The white binding cloth shot out again, and this time Cali was ready for it. She hurled herself over the back of the sofa. The impact of the cloth hitting reverberated down the back of the couch. Again Cali shuddered. How much force could Collette generate to have cloth hit with that much of an impact?

  She wasn’t going to wait around and find out. She eyed the archway that led into the kitchen. If she could make it in there without getting detected, she could slip out the back door.

  Mom and Dad …

  She couldn’t leave them, but she couldn’t very well help them in her position, either. Gritting her teeth, she got down on all fours and slowly crawled her way out from behind the couch.

  The tingle at the back of her neck started again. Her vision blackened around the edges but she shook it back and exhaled, all the while willing her body to absolute silence.

  Felix was keeping Collette occupied. Cali pulled her gaze away from them. Her headache was bad enough; she didn’t need to make it worse by trying to make sense of the scene going on around her.

  She made it into the kitchen without incident, but it wasn’t until she was on the tile floor that she noticed it.

  She wasn’t making a sound.

  Her mind had to be playing tricks on her. She placed her hand flat on the cold tile and pulled up. There was no sound of suction, no whisper of skin coming off a surface, only silence.

  The tingling at the back of her neck intensified, and she rolled her head to try to ease the tension but it did little good.

  O-kay …

  She pushed any thoughts about what was happening out of her head and got to her feet.

  Deal later. Right now you need to focus. Mom and Dad —

  Were gone.

  She cursed. And in her sudden haste to get to the area where they had last been, she couldn’t remember if she’d heard the word come out of her mouth or not.

  She took in the yellow kitchen, the white marble, and the flowery curtains, searching for any sign that her parents had regained consciousness and then left. But wouldn’t they have heard what was going on in the living room? Wouldn’t they have intervened if they’d seen her?

  Her mind was a jumbled mess.

  She raced to the back door, her hand on the handle when a pained grunt came from the front of the house.

  Felix.

  Her chest constricted. She couldn’t leave him.

  She flew to the kitchen sink, yanking open drawers.

  Even if she had no idea who he was or how the hell he’d become entangled in this gigantic mess that was her life, he’d done nothing to warrant being injured.

  Her dad had always wanted to keep a gun in the house for protection, but her mother was squeamish. She had insisted on a Taser instead, and Dad, ever dutiful, went out and got her one.

  Cali found it in the very back of the kitchen junk drawer. It was fully loaded and ready. She ran through the kitchen, bypassing the hallway that led to the front, and went through the third entrance of the kitchen that connected with the dining room. The dining room opened up to the hallway and front door, the bottom floor of the house connecting in one large circle with a central hallway, putting her directly behind Collette. Her head kept darting to the sofa, no doubt thinking Cali was still hiding behind the couch.

  Arrogant bitch.

  Cali crept up on her, her body still disturbingly quiet. When she cleared the stairs she could see into the living room and saw that Felix was surrounded by even more guard-type men. Only this time they had no faces.

  She faltered at the sight.

  It was as if Felix were fighting a group of mannequins someone hadn’t bothered taking the time to detail.

  Collette hunched into herself, her shirt plastered to her back from sweat.

  Felix was spinning around in a circle, his hands waving frantically. Only as each body vanished another one was already waiting.

  Collette threw her hands wildly, and like the faceless men, the sharp shards that appeared had no detail or substance, almost resembling thin slices of mirror. The weapons went straight for Felix. He spun around just in time, his hand waving, the dagger-like pieces blipping out of existence inches away from him.

  “We can do this all day, Collette,” he said with an air that defied his heavy breathing.

  “You haven’t changed a bit, Felix. You’re still playing the good guy, wearing his persona. You try to hide that darkness within you, but I see it. You might not use your gift to make people vanish, but you’ve erased others from this plane just the same.”

  His jaw ticked, and the next shard nicked him along the back of his hand.

  Cali couldn’t follow the conversation completely but she did agree with Collette on one thing. Why the hell didn’t he make her vanish into thin air?

  Raising the Taser, she stepped deeper into the room until she caught Felix’s gaze. Disbelief was written all over his handsome face.

  Collette caught sight of his hesitation before he could look away. “What are you — ?”

  Cali shot the Taser at her.

  Collette’s body convulsed before dropping. The guards that surrounded Felix turned to mist.

  Cali dropped the Taser, a stab of unwanted guilt assailing her. She pushed it away.

  Felix rushed to her. His arms came around her. They felt good. Too good.

  The front door was thrown open. “Felix! Don’t worry, I’m here. You’re Shielded. You’re — whoa.” A blonde woman nearly collided right into the stairs. Her arms flailed until she caught the banister of the stairs. Readjusting herself, she found her footing and turned.

  Her golden locks fell just past her shoulders. Her green eyes lit up with genuine joy. “You’re all right!”

  Felix unwound his arms from around Cali. She missed the sensation instantly and wrapped her own arms around her body as a poor substitute.

  “Sydney? What are you doing here?” he asked.

  Sydney glanced Cali’s way and gave a welcoming wave before returning her attention to Felix. Her bright expression darkened slightly.

  “Niella told me what she Dreamed. Way to leave me in the dark. I went looking for you but you were gone. I came as soon as I could. What the hell do you think you were doing, anyway?” she scolded. “You could have gotten seriously injured, you dumbass. You have no idea who — ” Her gaze caught on Collette, noticing her for the first time. Recognition flashed briefly. Her voice dropped, and Cali could just barely detect the fear behind it. “What is she doing here?”

  Felix shook his head.

  Sydney turned to Cali. “Was she the one that attacked you?”

  Someth
ing tickled in the back of Cali’s mind. “She said she was following orders.”

  Felix and Sydney both shared a look.

  “She’s a full-forced Illusionist, Felix. This wasn’t the regular cookie cutter Dream from Niella.”

  Felix’s face was solemn. “I know.”

  “How’d you take her out?” Sydney walked a small perimeter around Collette as if looking for signs of life.

  Cali wanted to step forward. She wanted to boast that she’d taken a Taser to Collette and hadn’t needed Felix’s help. Only her vision started going black again. A sudden wave of exhaustion hit, and she reached out blindly.

  Warm fingers grasped hers before everything went dark.

  Chapter 3

  Felix wrapped his arms around Cali as her body went limp. It lasted only a second. A dizzy spell? Had she fainted? Either way she was back on her feet shortly. She averted her eyes from his as she pushed away from him. He wished she wouldn’t do that.

  Put space between them.

  He bit back a growl of frustration.

  “I’m okay,” she said before he or Sydney could ask.

  Sydney, ever the doctor, came up and got right in Cali’s face. Cali gave a start but she didn’t back down.

  Felix’s lip curled.

  “Too much, too soon,” Sydney diagnosed.

  “Huh?” Cali said articulately.

  Sydney leaned back, arms crossed. “You used too much of your powers too soon. I take it you’ve never used them this much, if at all?”

  “Power?”

  “You’re a Silencer. You know … ” She wiggled her hands in a way that had Felix biting back a laugh. “You manipulate sound. I’m a Shielder.” She thrust her hand out. “Sydney Spencer. I block everyone’s powers around me.”

  Cali hesitated before shaking her hand. “Cali Crazar,” she said carefully. “Nice to meet you.” She turned on Felix. “And you’re what? The Vanisher?”

  He grinned at her sarcasm. “Eraser.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Of course.”

  “I don’t know about you guys but I have a feeling we need to get out of here.” Sydney kicked the unconscious Collette without remorse. “I’m sure there’s going to be reinforcements when she doesn’t report in.”

  Felix couldn’t agree more.

  Collette. Here.

  Shit.

  Shitshitshit!

  The scar along his shoulder burned insistently. Every scenario he played out in his head ended poorly. Collette showing up here couldn’t be coincidence. She had to know. The way she eyed Cali … it was as if she knew Cali was his missing half. His Mirror Mate.

  Was this some kind of revenge gig then? An eye for an eye? The poetic and barbaric justice suited Collette to a T. He’d destroyed her Mirror Mate so she would get his?

  Well, it wouldn’t fucking work that way.

  He reached for Cali’s hand, wanting the contact, craving it like he’d never craved anything before in his life. His whole body was tuned into her, and it took all his control to stay his more intense impulses. “We should go out the back in case anyone was left in that van two houses down.”

  Cali swung her hand out from under his right before they touched. Their eyes locked. Felix grew hot and cold all at once.

  Fuck, he wanted her.

  Those insanely dark eyes left his quickly. Had she seen the carnal need raging within him? “I can’t leave. All this” — she encompassed the whole house — “aren’t we supposed to, I don’t know, report it to the cops? We were attacked. What if my parents come back? They probably made a run for it.”

  “They didn’t leave.” He tried to say it gently. She needed to understand that her parents hadn’t been real. “They were an Illusion. Like whatever it is you saw in the hallway. I’m guessing they were Collette’s doing. They were planning this, Cali.”

  Her fisted hands came to rest on her hips. “Oh, yeah? And how the hell did they know I was going to be here? I don’t live here anymore.”

  “A Dreamer,” Sydney spoke up softly.

  Cali spun on her. “A what?”

  “Dreamer,” Felix answered for her. “They have visions. Past, present, future. They usually don’t have control over it unless they’re a full-forced Dreamer.” Was that how Collette had known to find Cali? But the only full-forced Dreamer he knew was Kevin, and he was in no position to help Collette.

  “Look,” Sydney said. “We’ll explain everything to you, but we really need to get a move on. For whatever reason someone is after you.” She stared pointedly at Collette. “That’s bad news in my book.”

  “I can’t just get up and leave,” Cali persisted, stubbornly.

  Sydney gave him an exasperated and somewhat expectant look.

  He gave her his own look. “What?”

  “Can’t you do something here?”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “She’s your Mirror Mate,” she said. “Can’t you, I don’t know, control her or something?”

  Felix gave her a wry smile. “I don’t think it works that way, Syd.”

  “Well, it should,” she huffed. “It’d definitely make this easier.”

  He grinned. “As entertaining as that thought might be, now is not the time to dwell on it.” They needed to get out of here. Apart of him wanted to stay so he could question Collette when she awoke, but she was too unstable. Who knew how strong she’d be when she woke up? A full-forced Illusionist was nothing to mess around with. Especially one you’ve scorned. Ignoring his inner voice, he turned to his predicted Mirror Mate. She seemed to be handling everything relatively well, considering she hadn’t flipped out and called him a freak yet.

  He tried for logic. “Let’s say your parents were real. If they left, then I’m sure they’re getting the police as we speak.”

  That did it. Some of the edge left her shoulders and she rubbed at her temples. “That man … ” She gestured down the hall to where it dead-ended into the kitchen. “He’s gone, too. There isn’t even a sign of his blood. How is that even possible?”

  His eyes caught Sydney’s.

  They were both thinking the same thing. Someone was going to painstaking ends to set Cali up.

  What the hell was Collette up to?

  His confusion grew, as did his anger.

  Cali started toward the kitchen, pausing to pick up a large, duffel-type purse and sling it over her shoulder. Her attention crept to where the first Illusion had been. She was trying to piece it together, to explain it to herself, and Felix kept quiet. She was strong, but even the strongest of people broke when their world was flipped too fast.

  Hell, he’d locked himself in his room for two months when he’d first used his powers.

  He understood all too well about the fear, the loneliness, that feeling of being lost.

  “Are you guys some type of special military branch?” she finally spoke up.

  Sydney held back a laugh.

  “Not exactly,” he hedged. What to tell her? They didn’t even have a name for their little super squad. All he had was, “Hey, we go out and try to prevent disasters when Niella Dreams of them. And don’t forget we even save cats from really high trees!”

  The truth was that they were a small group. Very small. They had no idea if there was a military branch out there and personally he really didn’t want to be some mad scientist’s wet dream.

  It was those types of thoughts that made secrecy so important to people like them.

  “I know it’s not a lot to go on,” he began and then stopped. He cocked his head.

  Cali’s whole body tensed. “What?”

  It came again. The slamming of car doors.

  Sydney dashed to the front door and locked it. Cali jumped over Collette to pull back the curtains in the living room.

  Her face froze. “Jared.”

  Felix couldn’t help the white-hot jealousy that crashed through his body.

  “Garnet.” Cali spoke a second later.

  Sydney hustle
d to pull Cali away from the window before she was spotted. “Who?”

  “My brother and sister,” said Cali.

  The tension riding Felix’s body eased.

  “Right,” said Sydney. “Time to move.” She handed Cali off like a football, and Felix ushered her back toward the kitchen.

  He heard Cali mumbling under her breath. “What are they doing here?”

  A key jingled in the door.

  Sydney drew up beside him. “Tell me again how this is going to work?”

  He was supposed to have a plan? Didn’t running in and saving the damn day count? “Uh, we run out the back and circle around to our cars?”

  They’d reached the kitchen. The floor was clear of any bodies, though Cali kept searching the floor as if it held the missing answers.

  As soon as they made it into the backyard they heard a male voice call out from the front door. “Cali?”

  Felix cursed under his breath.

  “Well, you can’t blame them for searching for her,” said Sydney. “They did, after all, park behind her car in the driveway.” Something flashed across her face as soon as the words left her mouth, but Felix had no time to try and figure it out.

  He wanted to run his hand through his hair but was too busy steering Cali. “Not now, Syd.”

  She strayed to one of the windows on the side of the house and peeked in. “They’ve found Collette.” That didn’t give them very much time before the police would be called. “Where’d you park?” Sydney asked him.

  Hadn’t she seen where he’d parked? “One house up,” he told her. Then, with a sinking sensation, and a sudden understanding of her earlier expression, he asked, “Where’d you park?”

  Sydney winced. “Don’t go getting mad at me. You’re the one that took off without telling anyone. I was just trying to help.”

  “Where did you park?” he repeated.

  “In the driveway?”

  “Dammit, Syd.” This was not what he needed. Sure enough, as soon as they cleared the gate that led into the front yard, they saw Sydney’s white Toyota Yaris trapped between a beat-up Nissan parked in front of it and a new Ford Ranger behind it.