Hell. You know that makes sense. He didn’t seem surprised in the least.
What does? Confusion was setting in.
We keep getting a warning from someone. ‘Do not trust the false Prophets.’
I already had suspicion that the text messages were coming from Marshall. The only thing I couldn’t figure out is how he was doing it.
I was getting those for a while too. So, for now, don’t trust the Prophet, I pleaded with him in my head.
I won’t. Once we have a plan, what do you want me to do? He had a valid question. I couldn’t have him breaking into my train of thought while I was with Miranda.
Knock three times for ‘we are coming’ and twice for ‘get out of there.’ I was hoping he knew what I was talking about.
Knock? All right, sis, I will knock. If you can get away, reach out to me, he instructed.
As you wish.
The connection was broken, and I started to read the magazine for real.
****
“What do you think?” Marshall was standing in front of me. Kyle had cut his hair short and styled it in a spiky faux-hawk.
“Well, I think it is different.” I looked at the stylist as he cleaned up the hair from the floor.
“Different is good, right?”
“Of course. It is nice to be able to see your eyes.” I smiled at him and reached out to touch his face.
“I feel great,” he laughed. For someone who was against me getting him anything, he was sure grateful.
“That’s good.” I looked up as Kyle approached us.
“What do you think, sis?” he asked, handing me a slip of paper. I reached in my purse and pulled out a twenty, placing it in his hand.
“He looks great, Kyle.” I smiled at him and batted my eyelashes.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” His eyes were gleaming. I glanced at Marshall, who was shaking his head.
“No, thank you,” I said to him as I pulled Marshall back toward the front of the salon.
“I hope to see you again soon. Prudence was it?” He called after us.
“Yes. And only if you play your cards right.” I gave him a quick smile, pushed the gushing boy out of the door, and stepped into the brightly lit walkway.
“What was that all about?” he laughed as I dragged him behind me.
“Nothing,” I said dryly as we came to a stop in front of a large fountain. “You look very nice by the way.”
“Thank you, Miss Prudence,” he said, rolling his eyes. “We should probably get back before they think we jumped the border.”
“Probably.” I looked at my watch; it was nearing six.
“I had fun today,” he said, touching my arm.
“I did too, Marshall. We will have to do it again, sometime,” I said as we started walking back toward the entrance.
“You think we will be able to get away again?” he asked softly.
“You are the one that wants to get away. I’m the one that is going to make it happen.” I looked at him and put on my sunglasses.
“You are one hell of a woman.” He shook his head at me.
“I’ve been called worse,” I mentioned as we walked arm-in-arm toward the Bentley.
“What is next on the list?” he asked, getting into the car.
“Now we need to figure out how to make it happen,” I answered him quickly and slid in behind the wheel.
“What do you think is going to happen to Lilly when she goes to see her mother?” Marshall asked suddenly, taking me off guard. He placed his head against the cold window.
“Hopefully, nothing.” I smiled at him. “I couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to her.”
I knew I was lying to a point. I wanted to be the one that looked down into her lifeless eyes.
“Here’s hoping.” He leaned his seat back. “In about twenty miles, we need to switch. You know the drill.”
“If she trusts me to run the camp while she’s gone, why doesn’t she trust me to know the location?” I grumbled as the Bentley roared to life.
“It has something to do with magic and fear. She’s scared that at any point someone can be followed.” He closed his eyes. “I can turn into a dog and run away. John can kill them with a thought. Actually, I don’t know about that. He’s a pretty freaky man, but I don’t know the extents of his talents.”
“Nor do I.” I raised an eyebrow, knowing full well I was lying.
“He does seem quite enamored with you. Been nice. Haven’t had to hear about those two Wardens he tried to kill.” Marshall’s face relaxed. “Twenty miles, Miss Prudence.” He reminded me one more time before his breathing slowed, and he was asleep.
What could he possibly mean by John always talking about the two Wardens he tried to kill? Had I been the focus of conversation around the campfire? Then again, why would he talk about it in the first place? Both of us were alive, and his power over us had slowly decreased to nothing more than an occasional nightmare. Still, it had me thinking.
I had lost track of the mileage, and at about thirty miles, I pulled the car over. I felt like I was going to explode. If I just managed to drive a little further, maybe I could make out the exact location of the camp. However, I didn’t need Marshall getting in trouble for it, so I reached over and shook him.
“Marshall,” I said softly as his eyes fluttered open.
“Has it been twenty miles already?” He groaned and stretched his arms above his head.
“It’s actually been thirty – I was caught up in my own thoughts.” I looked at him sadly, thinking he was going to be upset at me.
“It’s ok. Let’s get this taken care of.” He brought the seat back upright and crawled out the door, walking dazed around the front of the car. He reached his hand out and helped me out of the driver’s side.
“You ok?” I asked as he rubbed at his eyes.
“Yeah. Just haven’t been sleeping much, I guess.” He gave me a tired smile as I walked around the car and crawled into the passenger seat. He grabbed the blindfold and put it over my eyes.
“I understand,” I said, securing the fabric over my face so he could tie the back.
He pulled the car off the side of the road and drove the zigzag route back to the parking area. He put the car in ‘park’ and got out. I heard the trunk open and the sound of crinkling bags. He laughed to himself and then opened the passenger door.
“Take my hand, Miss Prudence,” he instructed, pulling me up and out of my seat.
I felt the fresh air on my face and took a deep breath, the scent of forest hitting my nostrils.
Wait a minute.
“Marshall, do you smell that?” I asked, my heart starting to pound.
I heard him sniffing the air. The silence that fell over us made my blood turn cold. Something was wrong.
“Stay here.” I heard the bags hit the ground and felt a small animal push past my leg.
I felt panic run through me. What had happened? I could hear people screaming, the clanging of weapons. Had the group of purebloods made it to the camp before they were supposed to? The minutes seemed to pass slowly as I waited for Marshall to return. I kept the blindfold on just in case something small had happened, and it wasn’t an all-out attack.
“Miss Prudence?” Marshall’s voice rang in my ears, and I jumped, forcing my hands to stay at my side.
“What is it?” I shot my head around. I couldn’t tell where he was. Something didn’t feel right in the air, and I feared for the worst.
“You can take that off.” I reached up and pulled the blindfold from my eyes and screamed.
A man dressed in a black robe had his arms around Marshall’s shoulders and held a knife to his throat. Next to him was another man holding a limp body over his shoulder. I couldn’t make out who it was at first. The smell of wildfire reached my nose. The trees were in flames. Suddenly a knock rang through my head, followed by two more. This was the Cavalry. The original plan must have been substituted for a new one once
Shawn told my parents about the leak. Maybe Mona felt compelled to pull me away before my cover was blown.
Too soon. Too soon! It wasn’t the right time. She was still in the camp. She was going to know. I was shaking. Panic was taking over as my eyes darted around.
“Priestess?” The man said with a snarl. All I could make out was his face. Why did it seem so familiar?
“Don’t hurt him!” I yelled, throwing my hands in the air, the lightening pulling to my fingers from the sky. I was just about to let loose the fury that was in me when I felt a hard smack to the back of my head. The world went dark.
Epilogue
Sis? I could hear Shawn in my head. His voice was frantic, and I feared that I would lack the strength to respond.
Shawn?
I opened my eyes. I was laying in the back of the Bentley, my hands tied behind my back. My vision was hazy from the blow to the head. I had no idea where I was or how long I was out.
Don’t fight. It’s the Incubi. He instructed with a sigh of relief.
I looked in the front seat at the two hooded creatures.
Where’s Marshall? Where’s Wesley? I was panicking again.
They are in route to the same location. Don’t worry, they are both ok.
This wasn’t calming me down in the least.
Who is in my car? I tried to loosen my bands, but my wrists were held fast.
That I don’t know, they were told to take you to a safe location. Aaron is waiting there for you.
If Aaron was going to be there, I would be fine. All I had to do was survive the car ride.
Do they know that it’s me? I asked.
Yes and no. They know you are to be brought there for questioning.
How had he managed this so quickly? Seriously it had only been a few hours if that.
How did you get this done so fast? I asked him.
Mona made the call. I told Dad what was happening, and she intercepted, said it was time to pull you out. Miranda wasn’t there, neither was John. We got all the prisoners and nearly wiped out her forces.
He shouldn’t sound so proud of himself. There were innocent people in that place — people who had nothing to do with what was going on. I was going to save them all! Now I was riddled with even more broken promises.
What about Marshall’s sister? I demanded.
We got her before the camp was burnt to the ground. I heard a hint of disdain in his voice.
When will our parents be there? I was scared. What were they going to do to me?
It’s going to be hard for a few days. Aaron knows he will be the one watching over you. Just remember – do not break character. Not until we know what we have on our hands.
I had grown used to being Prudence, but I still longed for the moment when I could be Dawn again. Could this be the liberation that I needed to be myself?
“Maybe we should just pull over and end her miserable life now,” I heard one of the guys in front of me say.
“You heard the High Elder. He said to bring her in alive,” the other retorted, and I sighed in relief.
We better get there soon. Otherwise, these two are going to kill me, I thought to Shawn as I closed my eyes again.
They won’t do anything; they are bound to do as instructed. It would mean death to them if anything were to happen to you, Shawn replied. It comforted me some, but not enough to give me peace.
“Just a few more hours. Then we will be home,” the driver said to the other man.
“A few hours is one minute longer than I want to be in a car with this crazy bitch. What if all the things we have heard about her are true?” the passenger remarked, making conversation.
“Then we had better make sure we get her before she can get us,” the driver answered with some excitement in his voice.
“Do you think she’s as powerful as they said?” Another question from the passenger.
“She crumbled easy enough,” the driver laughed.
“Yes, but we had her lackey. She would give anything to save his hide for some reason,” the other grumbled.
“She has passion, nothing wrong with that,” the driver said as soft waves of classical music hit my ears, drowning out the remainder of their conversation.
Are you coming with Dad? My heart was pounding in my ears; the music was not drowning out the sound as it did the conversation.
I will be there. Don’t worry about us. Nick knows nothing. We have him secluded; he knows zilch. His voice was a welcoming sound even though it had been mere moments.
Good. Just make sure I get to our destination. These two are plotting my death, I fear. I took a deep breath.
Silently I prayed that I got from point A to point B without finding my death. I was needed. The war had begun, the first drops of blood left on the battlefield. When Miranda returned to find her camp in ruins, she would take to the night, searching for the ones that had caused harm to her men. When she came, it would be as a demon in the darkness and, unless they were ready for it, she would kill them all. All of them, just to get Wesley and me back into her grasp. I was the Priestess; I was meant to lead an army to victory. I could not be lost in the wildfire that tore through the mountains. I was a part of the mighty plan. She had no clue how much of a role I was going to play.
Wild Fire (Wardens Series Book 3) Page 29