Interference: Book One

by A. F. Presson

  “Mercy?”

  I eased toward my father, somewhat hesitantly. Something about seeing the engraving made it too real—which seemed ridiculous considering I already knew she was gone. But when my eyes traveled over ‘Annabel Claire Monroe- Beloved wife and mother’— I felt her loss all over again.

  “She would have adored your spunk. Annabel was quiet and sweet-natured, not as out-going. I think it was hard for her growing up beside Aadya, who demanded everyone’s attention.”

  I clenched my teeth. “What makes a person so demented, that you can only be happy if others are suffering?”

  “Honestly, I’ve never known her to be any other way. Annabel spent most of her life trying to understand her. She never gave up hope that she would change.”

  “Aadya’s visited me in my sleep. Did you know that? Having someone else in my head—it feels dark and intrusive.”

  He nodded. “Because it is. Subconscious interference empowers a Regalian more than any other gift. Manipulation of the mind is not to be taken lightly, Mercy. I’ve never met a Regalian with the power that hasn’t abused it.”

  I swallowed, nervous about manifesting the gift myself.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” he whispered. “You can choose to be different. You can be an example to others.”

  “I refuse to violate someone’s mind that way.” I shook my head, angry. “It isn’t right.”

  He grinned at my words. “I want you to take in this moment, Mercy. How you see the world, the passion you have for others. Always keep this level of love and respect in your heart. That is what makes a leader. Not the level of power you were born with.”

  I studied the headstone, vowing to never forget those words. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  He took a sip of coffee and smiled. “Me too.”

  . . .

  My father, still under the disguise of his younger self, sat across from me in the library—the table in front of us piled high with books he wanted me to study. ‘Regalian history’, ‘Uncovering the Origin of Elemental Interference’, ‘The Role of a Custos’. The past couple of weeks had been grueling—he pushed me more and more each day.

  He pointed out pictures in the open book in front of me. “Here, in Ireland, is the entrance to Seregalo. There are rumors of other hidden lands, but if they are out there—we’ve never found proof.”

  “Other than Seregalo? That’s interesting. Do you think they hold the same power we do?”

  “If they exist, and that’s a big if, I would think so. Although there are tall tales of Regalians with gifts such as healing, invisibility, or shape-shifting.”

  My eyes widened in surprise. “How have I never ran across these books before?” I asked, shaking my head.

  “You won’t find these in your everyday library, Mercy. This is the only set I know outside of Seregalo. Practicing everyday will build your power, but knowledge is the root of control.”

  I slammed the book closed in front of me and my father sighed. “I want to hear about my family. Tell me about Mother,” I insisted.

  He grinned. “Your mother was just as bright and beautiful as you—and just as stubborn.” His eyes lit up. “I miss her so much.”

  I propped my chin on my clasped hands in front of me. “How did you meet?”

  “In Seregalo. Fitz told me he had met someone and he seemed more preoccupied with her, rather than causing mischief with me. I wanted to meet this girl. What could be so special about her?” He chuckled and shook his head. “As soon as we laid eyes on each other, we knew.”

  “And Fitz?”

  My father’s face fell. “Brokenhearted. He didn’t admit it, but I could tell. There wasn’t anything I could do, Mercy. We were a perfect match.”

  “So you just knew? Without seeing each other’s marks?”

  “We did. There’s an electric pull that isn’t quite normal, but not unnatural either. My power intensified around her.”

  I glanced down at the table, feigning interest in the texts. “I heard some never find their match.”

  “True. They still find happiness though. You can’t grieve for a connection you’ve never experienced.” He cleared his throat. “Is there something you want to talk about?”

  “I’m just trying to understand. I thought Dra—never-mind.” I shook my head, feeling awkward. “It’s nothing.”

  He grinned. “Some things can’t be found in a book, Mercy. Listen to your heart.”

  I sighed. “So you’re telling me I won’t find Mr. Darcy in these texts?”

  He grinned, shaking his head. “You are so much like Annabel. That sounds like something she would have said.”

  “My mother had good taste.”

  Dad closed the book in front of him and sighed. “She married me, didn’t she?”

  I threw my head back and laughed at his witty response.

  The humor in his eyes turned to worry as he sat up straight. “Mercy, there are things we need to talk about. I didn’t want to overwhelm you, but you have the right to know.”

  The abrupt change in his demeanor worried me. “You’re scaring me.”

  He slid his chair closer and lowered his voice. “I don’t mean to. You’ve had a lot to process and this isn’t something that is easy to talk about. But you need to know. It’s imperative you understand the true meaning behind your mother’s ring and also . . . you have a right to know about Marl—“

  “I’ve been looking for you,” a deep voice rumbled.

  My father’s voice halted as he sat up straight.

  I looked over my shoulder to see Drake leaning against the doorframe. “What are you doing over there?” I asked.

  “Keeping an eye on Sebastian,” Drake mumbled, smiling. “Would you like to see a movie tonight?”

  “I’ve never been to a theatre. Can we do that?” I sat up straight, grinning.

  “I’m not sure it’s safe enough for that, especially after our trouble at the ballgame. We can watch one in the activities lounge though.”

  I deflated.

  “I promise as soon as I’m allowed, I’ll take you. You have my word,” he promised.

  My father spoke up. “I remember my first movie. Nothing like the excitement of a new flick and the smell of buttery popcorn in the air.”

  “Flick?” Drake asked.

  “Yeah, you know. A movie,” Sebastian explained.

  “What was it? What was your first movie?” I asked.

  “Back to the Future. I was so excited. My father and I snuck out of the house the weekend it released.” He grinned at the memory.

  “Back to the Future?” Drake asked. “Didn’t that come out like over thirty years ago? Before we were born?”

  Sebastian pursed his lips. “Well, guys. I have a meeting with Fitz. Talk soon.” He abruptly stood, making his way toward the door.

  “Wait—I thought we needed to talk.” My brow raised at his quick exit.

  He looked at Drake, then back at me. His eyes softened and love filled the air around me. “Find me later. I’ll give you guys some time.” He winked before leaving me alone with Drake.

  “That guy is strange,” Drake said. “He appears to be smitten with you.” He raised one brow and smirked.

  I smiled. “You would know all about that.”

  He smirked. “You’ve been in here all morning. Don’t you want a break?”

  “No, I really want to get through these passages. Wanna keep me company? I can read to you in my sultry voice.”

  He kissed my cheek and smiled. “Never thought I’d look forward to Regalian history.”

  14

  ⥈

  “You do realize you have to eat and sleep, right?”

  I looked up from the grueling passage on Elder history to find Fitz at the doorway of the library. “Just think how well I’ll sleep after reading this horribly boring chapter my father insisted upon.”

  “Noah loved Seregalo history. I despised it—cheated off his paper in class.” He chuckled. �
�Don’t tell him I said that.”

  My brows raised in shock. “Your secret is . . .”

  Fitz held up one hand, halting me. “Did you hear that?” His eyes scanned every corner of the room—every window.

  I didn’t hear anything, but I felt it. Malevolence hovered around the Fremont building, ill intent hanging in the air like a morning fog. It reminded me of the eeriness I felt on the roof with Drake. All at once, alarms sounded from every corner of the building—the security system.

  “Stay here, Mercy. Don’t come out of this room,” Fitz ordered.

  Fitz closed the library door, telling me to lock it behind him. We’d gone over what I needed to do if there was ever a security breach—hide and shield my subconscious. Alarms echoed throughout the building, leaving me in a pent-up state of fear and desperation.Tucking myself under Fitz’s desk in the corner, I found a comfortable spot to concentrate and created a bubble around my mind.

  A few times, my shield would waver as my thoughts drifted to the others. Where were they? Were they okay? The alarms were silenced and the building was too quiet. Too—vacant. A shadow passed over the window, causing me to jump. I slowed my breathing and waited. Fitz would be back soon, right? Fremont had several rooms, so I knew it would take a while to secure the building.

  What is that noise?

  Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.

  Something that sounded like boots drew near. My breaths became quick and shallow, and my hands clenched in fists. The squeak of the doorknob made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Fitz knew it was locked, he wouldn’t be trying to open it. I reached out to see if I could sense anything, and I felt them . . . the remorse for what they were about to do, but satisfaction in doing it. There’s only one person I knew that could feel so twisted—Asher Moreno.

  If Drake got a hold of him, he’d wish he was dead. I stayed frozen and shielded my mind as much as possible. The sinister soul outside the door drifted further away, and in its place, a timid and sweet presence stood. Nora. I’d know her anywhere.

  I tip-toed to the door and whispered softly, “Nora? Is that you?”

  “Mercy! Thank goodness. Please let me in.”

  I cracked the door open, and Nora looked up at me with swollen eyes—she’d been crying. She hurried into the room and I locked the door behind her.

  “You weren’t there. I woke, and you weren’t there. I didn’t know what to do, so I hid in my closet until I sensed you,” she explained.

  “I’m so sorry, Nora. I was studying when Fitz went to investigate a noise.”

  Nora wrinkled her nose. “Studying what?”

  “Long story. I’m not sure what to do now.” My emotions were all over the place, as lightning struck in the distance, creating an electric path across the sky.

  “See if there’s something in Fitz’s desk. If nothing else, an envelope opener or pocket knife. We can’t go out there empty-handed,” I told her.

  “Go out there? Are you insane? No, we should wait here. He’ll be back soon, Mercy.”

  “I refuse to abandon everyone, Nora. Aadya’s guards are here for me. Me. I have to fight back, but I won’t ask you to go with me. Stay here and lock the door.”

  Her shoulders relaxed, and she released a heavy sigh. “I’ll go with you.”

  I gripped her hand. “You don’t have to, you know that, right?”

  Her face softened, trying to comfort me. She didn’t have to speak, I knew she’d never let me go out there alone.

  I pulled at the top drawer of his desk. As stressed as Fitz had been about security, he’d surely keep something. “Locked. I bet he has the key.”

  “Key? Mercy, what do you need a key for? You’re psychokinetic.” Nora smirked as if it should have been obvious.

  I’ll admit, that was embarrassing. I sat in front of his desk on my knees and willed the lock to release. Nothing happened.

  “Don’t think about unlocking it. Picture the lock in your mind and force it through the motions.”

  I thought about the inside of the release and moved it around as if I had inserted a key. It wobbled, but never fully turned. I continued to focus and finally, the drawer popped free.

  I dug around the papers in the drawer, and located a small handgun in the back.

  Thank you, Fitz, I thought.

  I checked to see if Fitz had loaded it, then motioned for Nora to follow. Her petite frame shook from unease, but she loved me enough to go with me.

  A loud crack of thunder echoed over the building as we opened the door. The hall was pitch black, and the creak of the old wooden floor the only thing we could hear. Where had Drake and the others gone? Where was my dad? We eased down the hall and crept up the flight of stairs. Nora reached out to stop me in my tracks.

  “I feel someone, up ahead.” I reached forward, straining my senses, and wishing my emotional gift was as sensitive as Nora’s. I caught the slightest presence of fear up ahead, possibly in the lounge.

  The black of the room kept us from being able to see more than a few feet ahead. I could have tried using my sensory gift to increase my night vision, but the fear of needing my power for something else weighed on me. Tip-toeing forward, I held the gun at the ready. A sniffling drew us over by the bookcase where a figure huddled under a blank in the corner.

  Nora pulled the blanket off an inconsolable Cassie. Mascara ran down her face, and she shook all over. “What the hell is going on?” she said through tears.

  We both knew we couldn’t tell her the truth. Even though Regalian, she wouldn’t be able to handle it.

  “Someone broke in, Cassie. We need to get out of the building, alright?” I told her.

  “Are you crazy? I’m not moving!”

  My eyes widened. “Shh! Be quiet before you get us killed.”

  Her face went pale at my words.

  I shook my head, annoyed. “If you want to stay here, fine, but don’t come out until we come back for you.”

  “Where are you going?” she asked.

  “To look for the others,” I told her.

  “Well, I’m not staying by myself.” She ungracefully staggered to her feet. “Plus, at least you have a gun.”

  We crept back into the hall, making our way to the stairwell. We were about twenty feet away when Fitz stepped in our path with his hand up, silently telling us not to move. He listened, as if sensing someone close. The relief of having him with us released a tightness in my chest I didn’t realize existed.

  His eyes were hazy from the extreme focus it took to sense everything around him. His expression turned to confusion, as if he didn’t understand an emotion he had picked up on. All at once, a baseball bat swung out, smashing Fitz in the side of the head, his body falling limp on the floor.

  “No!” I shouted.

  I raised my head and looked eye to eye with the most sinister and devious person I’d ever met. Bile crept up my throat at the thought of confiding in him. We trusted Dr. Lee with our lives. An evil smile spread across his face as he threw the bat to the floor.

  “Hello, Mercy. I’ve been looking for you.”

  “You . . . you said you would protect us. You were his friend,” I cried.

  “Friend?” He threw his head back and laughed. “I’ve put up with his ramblings and nonsense for years! Do you have any idea how many times I’ve wanted to kill him? Do you?” His shouts echoed down the hall.

  “You’re working for Aadya?” I asked.

  “We’re working together. We are in love, Mercy.”

  “In love? It’s funny you think either of you are capable of love. You honestly don’t know what will happen to you when she’s finished using you, do you?” I shouted.

  Dr. Lee’s fists clenched and unclenched as I spoke. He knew I was right. His nostrils flared, and the veins in his neck developed a cord-like appearance.

  “I’ve known it was you all along. I told her so, but she wanted to wait to see if Noah showed himself,” he spat. “And of course, he did. Now you can die together.�
�

  A loud cackle erupted from his throat before he threw his hand out toward my head. His power collided with my shield, and he pushed harder to search for a crack in my armor. I’d barely put forth any effort to thwart his advances. He thought he’d taught me enough so he didn’t blow his cover, but that was all I needed to perfect the wall I’d built. I had worked on this with Drake for hours, and I was ready for him.

  Desperation fueled his source, and frustration controlled him as the defeat in his expression transformed into a treacherous sneer I couldn’t interpret.

  His voice became angry. “She knows you’ll come for her—for Marley. Will you let her die too? How many, Mercy? How many people have to perish for you? Is that what you want? Could that be what fuels the source of the great future queen? To live off the suffering of innocent lives around you?”

  “No!” I shouted.

  “Isn’t that what you’re doing right now? Guarding yourself while the magic rebounds into poor, pathetic Cassie. Such a horrible trait, to care so little for those weaker than you.”

  My head jerked to the left, and Cassie wobbled back and forth. She slowly turned to look at me, blood dripping from her nose and ears. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen. She’d taken everything that he intended for me—he made sure of it. A small pale hand reached out for me as she fell forward.

  I caught her with my free arm to break her fall and eased her to the ground, keeping the gun pointed at him with the other. The light in her blue eyes faded as she cried out for me to help her, and I watched as she took one final gasp, squeezing my arm, then releasing it.

  No matter what she’d done, she didn’t deserve this. Anger flowed through me for what he’d done. I made eye contact with Dr. Lee, and he smiled as he cocked his head to the side. My father’s words about abusing subconscious interference echoed in my head.

  A horrible high-pitched yell came from my right as Nora threw her palms over her ears.

  “Sweet, angelic Nora. Poor thing. Too pretty for her own good, you know. Couldn’t even get the older men to leave you alone, could you sweetheart?” He chuckled.