“You will,” Danny replied. “But your second meeting is about to start.”
Alistair appeared in a puff of blue from the other side of the arch’s foundation and strolled over. Stephen had asked him to come to St. Louis so he could share his concerns. So much had been going through Stephen’s mind earlier that day while waiting to speak with Alistair. Pastor Buchanan, the Outcasts, the rumors of Mighty splitting into factions . . . On top of that, Colvin had helped him remember that he had a mission from the Almighty, “Find my lost sheep and turn them toward me.”
“You still haven’t told me how Max found you,” Alistair said.
Stephen thought for a moment and decided it would be a mistake to tell the Scotsman about Colvin’s involvement. “Max knows someone named Zander who sent her to find me.”
“That’s all you know? Do you think that’s enough to trust her?” Alistair asked.
“No. That’s why I searched her mind. She’s telling the truth and wants to help, which is good enough for me.”
“Maybe. When dealing with an Outcast, we should proceed with caution.”
“Funny you should say that. Do you know why Max was cast out?”
Alistair shook his head.
“She stopped a robbery. Fallen weren’t involved. Mighty wasn’t investigating. She just happened across a robbery and intervened.”
“There has to be more to it than that. I’m not saying she’s lying, but sometimes things seem different, depending on the point of view. I’m still looking into the Outcast situation. It’s not a simple arrangement. Everyone has an opinion. Admittedly, it’s not my first priority right now, either. But I am working on it.”
“Thanks. With the battle getting closer, we could use the help of any Mighty. Our last skirmish showed there are more of them than we realize. They’re still being bold, which tells me their numbers may be even larger than we know.”
“Perhaps.” Alistair stopped and looked up at the arch. “Or they could have another plan . . . Benjamin, perhaps. Which is why we can’t be distracted by his disappearance.”
“What do you mean distracted?”
“Stephen, I know this won’t sit well with you. To be honest, it doesn’t sit well with me either. I have to make the best of a bad situation. But I can’t devote all of Enclave’s resources to finding Buchanan—not with this battle looming.”
“Excuse me?” Stephen’s face flashed with heat. Still, he needed to hear Alistair out. He understood that he let his temper get the best of him at times. This didn’t need to be one of them.
“That could be exactly what Fallen wants, for us to pull everyone from the field to search for him. Vincent and Shannon are in Europe following up on a lead. Rex and Anthony are on their way to meet them. There are several teams all over the world. As soon as we have something, we’ll commit as many resources as we need. Until then, we have to be vigilant.”
“I’ll go help.”
“No, we need you safe. We can’t lose you too.”
Stephen didn’t like it, but he knew there was a logic to Alistair’s orders. Vincent would agree. “What about the Outcasts?”
“I told you I’d look into Max’s situation.”
“Not that,” Stephen said. “What about using them to help with the search?”
“We can’t trust them.”
“I know we can trust Max. I could meet with some more of them to see who can be trusted. There’s bound to be more like her. If not, what have I lost?”
“I don’t like it. It could be a trap.”
“I’ll take a couple others with me,” Stephen suggested.
Alistair hesitated. Stephen heard the thoughts bouncing around in Alistair’s mind, weighing his options.
“You do realize I’m going regardless of what you say, right? I’m only asking as a courtesy.”
Alistair sighed. “If this is what Buchanan dealt with from you, I’ll gladly relinquish the position when you find him. Who are you taking?”
“I’ll take Edge and Jax. Max can arrange the introductions.”
“Two warriors? That’s a good idea. It’ll discourage attacks. You’ll do best to meet Outcasts in small groups.”
Stephen couldn’t help grinning. “Great. I’ll get with Max so she can start arranging meetings. I’m taking Patty with me.”
“She’ll be safer at Enclave,” Alistair said. “Besides, Jess would be furious if I let her sister go on a mission.”
“Fine. How’s that going, anyway? Are you and Jess going to give it a go?”
Alistair smiled. “We’re talking about it. We’ll see.”
“Good luck.” Stephen laughed.
“Thanks. Some prayers would be good.”
“You’ve got it. Believe me when I say Patty and I have already been praying for you. You’ve got your hands full with Jess alone, not to mention everything else.”
“Speaking of, I better get back. The council will have an update on the search soon. I’ll need to tell Edge and Jax about their mission.”
“And I need to talk with Max and Patty. Let me know if there’s anything new. Otherwise, I’ll let you know when we plan to leave.”
Alistair vanished as a blue mist seemed to roll in off the river and disappear just as fast. Stephen walked back toward the parking area where his motorcycle awaited. Regardless of the drizzle, he still loved the thrill of the ride.
****
Stephen watched a few scattered clouds from his studio apartment window. The sun lit up the sky—a brilliant blue. Perhaps it was a good omen for the meeting Max had scheduled. Only Stephen didn’t believe in omens. Still, he felt positive. He was happy it had only taken Max a few days to schedule the meeting.
Edge and Jax were on their way to his apartment. Both Colvin and Sam were coming to escort Patty back to Enclave. Stephen suspected it had more to do with wanting to meet Max than to see Patty back. Either one of them would easily be able to see that Patty made it back unscathed.
Patty hadn’t argued with Stephen when he told her she was going back to Enclave. In fact, she seemed excited, which he had not expected. His new bride simply stated that she had a task that Pastor Buchanan had given her. That was all Stephen needed to hear. Besides, it was good that she stayed busy. And seeing as how Vincent’s brother, Johnathan, was doing a stand-up job running the company, there was no immediate need for her in St. Louis. Plus, Stephen felt better knowing his wife would be safe at Enclave. He didn’t need to worry about her too.
Patty joined Stephen at the window. After a moment, she whispered, “Are you sure about Max?” She glanced back over her shoulder to the game room where Max threw darts.
“Yes, it’s fine. I’ve looked in her mind more than once. She’s telling the truth,” Stephen said.
“What about this Zander? What do we really know about him?” she asked.
“Max isn’t our only link to Zander. Someone else knows him and vouched for him. It’ll be fine.”
“And the others?”
Patty stared at Stephen. He didn’t need to read her mind or emotions to see that she was concerned for him. And he understood why. With all that had happened, how could he truly know who to trust?
Stephen pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. He hated seeing her worry. “You know I can vanish at will to anywhere. I can take others with me. If a situation is too much, or even questionable, I’ll bail. I’ll take Edge, Jax, and Max somewhere safe. But I really don’t believe it’ll come to that. I’m more worried about them trusting me.”
Stephen heard the doubt swirling around in Patty’s head. He wanted to help her be okay with it. Was it possible she was more concerned now than before? Patty knew him better than perhaps anyone. What could possibly cause her to be this worried?
“Patty, are you okay?”
A rapping on the door interrupted them.
“That must be them.” Patty glanced toward the door.
Stephen continued looking at Patty, wondering what had happened. Patty wasn�
�t one to show much emotion. But she looked visibly shaken. “Patty . . .”
She caressed his face in her hands and kissed him on the lips. It was warm—soothing.
“I’m fine,” Patty said. “I just wasn’t ready for this so soon after our honeymoon, which technically doesn’t end until tonight.” The knocking at the door continued, but louder this time. “Now, go get the door before Jax knocks it in.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Stephen quipped before hurrying to the door.
“Joe?” he asked as he opened the door. On the other side stood Jax, Edge, Colvin, Sam, and Joe, Jax’s blind father.
Jax, who stood several inches taller than his dad, was beaming as usual. His pearly white teeth contrasted against his ebony skin. Although only eighteen and having just graduated the academy at Enclave, Jax had a strong, lean frame, typical of a young warrior.
Stephen reached forward and took Joe’s arm to help him to a seat. Joe got around fine in Enclave without assistance. However, he had never been to Stephen’s apartment to know where everything was. Stephen escorted Joe toward Patty, as Joe tapped around with his cane. When he got to Patty, he hugged her, kissed her cheek, then found a seat.
Jax was next and made a beeline for Patty to hug her, picking her up as he did so. “I haven’t seen you since the wedding. Welcome to the family, Mrs. Cross.”
The other men filed in, each greeting the newlywed couple with a hug. Even Sam deviated from his usual greeting of a simple handshake to offer Patty a somewhat awkward hug. Stephen, however, elected to simply shake Sam’s hand.
Edge was last through the door. Though not much older, he was a teacher inside Enclave, having grown up Mighty—unlike Stephen. Despite the smile underneath his shaggy dark hair, it was clear his friend was hurting. Stephen hugged and reassured him. “We’ll find your grandfather.”
Stephen then directed everyone to the game room, where Max continued to throw darts as though unaware or indifferent to the fact that other Mighty had arrived. “Gentlemen, this is Max.”
Max threw her last dart and turned toward the group.
“Max, this is—”
Max pointed to the tallest and moved down the line. “Sam, Colvin, and Edge.” She waved toward the sitting area. “Hello, Joe.” She approached the youngest of the group, but kept some distance between herself and everyone else. “And you must be little Jackson. Looks like you turned out to be a fine young man.”
Jax blushed a little. “Yeah. I mean thanks.”
Stephen looked at Jax, who shrugged, indicating he had no clue who the lady was.
Joe stood and walked over to Max. “Maxine,” he said. “Is that really you?”
“Maxine?” Stephen asked.
“Only Joe gets to call me that,” Max snapped.
Joe laughed. “It is you. I hear you haven’t lost your attitude.”
Max hugged Joe. “It’s good to see you again.” She stood next to Joe and, as if no one else was in the room, asked him, “Can I trust this guy or what?”
“Stephen?” Joe asked. “I’d trust him with my life. More than that, I am trusting him with my boy’s life. Stephen’s good people. He doesn’t always do as he’s told, but he always tries to do what he thinks is right. And that’s more than most!”
“That’s good enough for me,” Max replied. “Well, Stephen, who’s coming and who’s going?”
“Edge and Jax will join us. Colvin and Sam are escorting Patty back to Enclave. I guess Joe’s going back with them. Right, Joe?”
“Dat’s right. The David—that is, Pastor Buchanan—asked me to help Patty with somethin’ when she got back. So I’m at your disposal, Patty.”
Patty patted his back. “That will be appreciated. We can talk more about it later, but I welcome your help.”
Sam’s face contorted in an unpleasant kind of way. “Patty, if you require additional assistance, I can assign some others to aid you. Do you mind telling me what project Benjamin gave you?”
Patty smiled. “I do mind. It’s nothing you should worry yourself with. I guess you could say it is a personal matter.”
Sam nodded. “I understand.” Then he turned to Stephen. “Ordinarily, the most experienced member would lead the team. As contact was initiated with you, Alistair suggested you be given the opportunity to lead this mission instead. If you have questions concerning protocol, Edge is very capable of assisting.
“We, the council and Alistair, would like you to ask the Outcasts a few questions, Stephen, in addition to any you may deem appropriate,” Sam added.
Stephen hesitated before responding. He had a feeling he wouldn’t like the questions they were going to ask. Mentally, he threw his thoughts out to Colvin. Does Sam or anyone on the council know about your connection to this? Stephen asked.
No, Colvin replied. I doubt Max knows either. It’s best to keep it that way for now.
Stephen made eye contact with Sam. “I’ll see what I can do. What are they?”
Sam pulled a piece of paper from inside his jacket. Stephen noticed Sam had a couple blades tucked away in sheaths and asked, “You expecting trouble?”
“I’m always expecting it, and always hopeful for the contrary.” He handed the paper to Stephen. “More specifically, this is a list of things we’d like you to attempt to find answers to. You may have to ask questions. I imagine some of it will be observational.”
Stephen looked down the list, noting words like organized, number of persons present, and where they get their information. “You want me to be a spy?”
Colvin replied before Sam could respond. “Not at all, Stephen. The council and elders want to know what we’re dealing with. The fact that an Outcast sought you out suggests that they are somehow organized.
“When Alistair came to us to inquire about the Outcasts, you two unknowingly brought something to all of our attention. Apparently, there is disagreement. Not everyone knew that when someone decides to work apart from Enclave that he or she becomes an Outcast and is considered the same as Fallen. For example, it was my understanding that Outcasts were those who simply refused to abide by Mighty protocol, after having sworn to uphold all the regulations and rules. The way I read the law was that an Outcast could still be Mighty, but not part of the activities that take place within Enclave.”
Sam spoke up. “Some, however, believe all Outcasts to be Fallen. Max, as it seems, has presented quite a quandary. You’ve looked inside and found nothing that says she is Fallen. But she was exiled from Enclave for her refusal to uphold the oath she swore to.”
Stephen seized the opportunity to argue with Sam. “Let me get this straight. When you don’t adhere to Enclave’s rules, that makes you Fallen?”
Sam’s face showed no emotion as he thought for moment before replying. “I suppose repeated violations or defiance would support that.”
Stephen couldn’t help but smile. “In a matter of seconds, I can share with every person in this room every rule you’ve broken and act of defiance you’ve committed. Tell me, Sam, would you pass as Mighty or be Fallen?”
Sam looked around the room and then back to Stephen. He spoke matter-of-factly, with no change of expression. “I’m not certain if you overestimate yourself or underestimate me. But climbing around inside my head wouldn’t be as easy as you think. And if you did get in, I’m sure it would take you far longer than you think to share all that I’ve done wrong in my time as Mighty.” Sam’s voice turned solemn as he continued. “I’ve made my share of mistakes, some by disobeying those wiser than me. The ones I’m most ashamed of are the mistakes I made in blind obedience.”
Stephen sensed the shame and regret that Sam tried to hide. In a weak moment, he saw a glimpse of a memory that lingered on the surface of Sam’s thoughts. He saw a middle-aged Sam—hair still black as night—talking with Charles, a junior member of the council. Charles urged Sam not to go along with Waltz’s plan to break the triune, an effort to save Elizabeth from her lust of power. Sam agreed.
Stephen, too,
felt ashamed. Never before had he realized that Sam doubted his decision. He had seen that Sam missed Waltz’s friendship. Many did. Sam, however, had always hidden his misgivings about what had transpired. For a moment, he wondered if he should say something or offer an apology. But the moment passed in silence.
Sam turned to Patty. “Are you ready, Mrs. Cross?”
“I am,” she replied.
Sam opened the door and exited, then stood in the hallway.
Colvin placed a hand on Stephen’s shoulder. “Stephen, he’s not a bad guy. He is, however, cautious. I think you’ll agree that we could use a little extra caution right now.”
Stephen nodded. “Yeah. You’re right. Thank you.”
“Do what you must. And be careful.” Colvin walked over to help Patty with her bags.
Joe hugged Jax. “You be careful and listen to what Stephen and Edge tell ya.”
“I will, Pop. You don’t have to worry ’bout me.”
The blind old man waved for Stephen to step closer. “Stephen, I’ve had a vision of Benjamin. I was in the David’s quarters, hoping to see something, and I did.”
“What did you see, Joe?”
“He’s in pain. They got dat man chained up. It’s horrible, Stephen.”
Stephen grabbed Joe’s shoulder to reassure him. “At least he’s alive. We’ll find him.”
Joe nodded and grabbed hold of Colvin’s arm. “I know ya will. We’ll wait for ya outside, Patty.” They left through the door and began down the stairs.
Patty kissed Stephen. “You be careful.” She turned and looked at the others—Edge, Jax, and Max. “All of you, be careful. You all have to come to our housewarming party after we remodel.”
“Remodel?” Stephen asked.
Patty just smiled, kissed him once more, and closed the door behind her.
“Well . . .” Stephen turned to look at the group. “Everyone ready?”
Edge and Jax nodded.
Max asked, “Where’s the closest vanishing point?”
“What for?” Stephen asked.
“So I can create a mist to get everyone to where we’re going.”
“We all have medallions. We don’t need a vanishing point,” Edge commented.
Chronicles of Stephen BoxSet Page 59
