“Yes. And if you see a purple one that means it’s a Nykara that’s been taken over by Grynn magic.”
“Like I was,” he said quietly.
“Yes,” Alix said.
“What are we doing down here?” Shay asked.
“I thought we could try and see where the place is that we think James might be. That way we’d know for sure if he’s there.” Alix zoomed the map back out, so she could see the whole thing.
“Oh, good idea,” Shay said. “So where is it?”
“I think it’s somewhere close to here,” Alix said pointing at the map.
“But I don’t see anything,” Shay said.
“Neither do I,” Ben said moving closer.
Alix zoomed in a little closer looking for any colored dot in the middle of the ocean. She didn’t see anything, so she went closer and then closer still. She moved the map back and forth but didn’t see an island or any red or blue dots.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “This is the place that Gordon indicated on the map he had. There should be something there.”
They searched for a few more minutes and finally gave up. There was no indication that there was anything in the ocean anywhere near that area.
Back in the classroom, everyone was working on their lessons, everyone except Alix. She was trying to solve the mystery of the Map room instead of doing her work. She could do her school stuff when they found James. She was currently using Google Earth to see if she could find an island in the never-ending blue water.
Alix was looking for any speck on the map that might indicate land. She was just about to give up when she came across something. Zooming in as close as she could it looked like a very small island with nothing on it. Before she got too excited, she marked the spot and zoomed out. When she got the map to where she could see Miami and Haiti she was sure it was the right place.
“Hey guys,” she said, “come here and look at this.”
The other three stopped what they were doing and crowded around Alix’s computer.
“See Miami here and Haiti here.” Alix pointed out the places on her screen. Everyone nodded. “And now look here.” Alix pointed to the spot she’d marked. “I think I found it. Watch.” She zoomed in on the place she thought was the island they were looking for.
“It looks deserted,” Ben said. “And according to that scale, it’s only like a mile across. Are you sure it’s the place?”
“It has to be,” Alix said. It’s the only land around for what seems like hundreds of miles.”
“So, if you found that island on the computer, why wasn’t it on the map in the Map room?” Shay asked.
“That’s a really good question,” Alix said. “I think I’m going to call Gordon.” Alix dialed her phone.
“Miss Alix, I was just about to call you,” Gordon said when he answered. “We’re ready to go.”
“That’s great but that’s not why I was calling,” Alix told him what she’d discovered.
“That is what we found as well. We believe there is some kind of force field or cloaking barrier over the island.”
“Oh, okay then. So, what’s the plan?”
“We will need you and Master Ben to meet us at the Miami safe house. Use the blue door to come straight here. We’ll fill you in on the rest when you arrive.”
“Are you all ready there?”
“Yes, we needed to ensure the safety of the area before we brought you here.”
“Oh. Do we need to bring anything with us?”
“No. Just remember it’s in the ’70s here right now, but it’ll cool off on the water and at night.”
“Good thinking Gordon. Thank you. See you in a few minutes.”
Alix relayed the information from Gordon. Logan wished them luck. Shay went upstairs with Alix and Ben and followed Alix to her room.
“Can you help me find some shorts?” Alix asked Shay.
“I can’t believe it’s snowing here, and you have to look for shorts to wear. Totally unfair.” Shay said.
“Maybe I can find a way to make the blue door work when it isn’t an emergency,” Alix said. “Then we could go anywhere in the world anytime we wanted.”
“That would be super awesome. I think you should figure that out, like fast.”
Shay had found her shorts so she dressed quickly. She slipped the bag with the Power Stone, pearl, metal bird and small rock into her pocket.
“Thank you,” Alix said hugging her. “I guess it’s time to go.” Alix grabbed a hoodie on the way out of her room in case it got cold on the water.
They met Ben in the hallway. Shay gave them each a hug when they got to the closet that held the secret door.
“I’ll talk to your parents and let them know what’s going on. You both be careful and come home safe. Ben I’m expecting you to make sure she doesn’t do anything she shouldn’t.”
“I’ll try my best Shay,” he told her.
“Okay, now get going and I want an update as soon as you can.”
They nodded and hugged her again. Alix opened the closet door and put her tattoo to the wall to create the door that led to the room of rooms. When they got to the blue door Ben took her hand and squeezed. They opened the door, went down the short hallway and walked through the last door, ready for anything.
Chapter 40
Alix and Ben were greeted by Shelley. She showed them to the room where everyone else was waiting. She saw four people who looked like Warriors standing along the walls. Gordon and Ruth were at the table along with a few other people Alix didn’t know.
“Miss Alix, Master Ben, please have a seat. Let me introduce you to the rest of the team.”
Olly and Sal were ex-SAS soldiers. Rose was a current US Coast Guard officer. Nate was the boat Captain and his first mate was his daughter Polly. The four Warriors lining the walls were simply introduced by name, Benton, Wills, Rand, and Baxter. Alix nodded to each of them in turn. Gordon laid out a map. It showed southern Florida, Cuba, The Bahamas, Jamaica and the island that was Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
“We are currently sitting here,” he said pointing to a place to the east of Miami. “Our boat is waiting at a dock here.” He pointed to a spot on the coast just south of Miami. Our first task is to get safely from here to the dock. We have reason to believe that the Grynn will be watching for us. There is a team already at the dock to ensure that our boat stays safe and there’s no interference.
“We’re going to split up into four groups. Each group will take a different vehicle and a different route to get to the dock. Everyone needs to be aware at all times. We aren’t expecting any real trouble but it’s best to be careful.
“Once you get to the dock you need to go directly to the boat. It will be sitting at the end of the dock. It’ll be the military looking boat, you can’t miss it. Once on board, we’ll discuss the rest of the plan. Any questions?”
Everyone shook their heads. Gordon divided them up. Alix and Ben were with Olly and one of the Warriors. They were shown to a car with dark tinted windows. The Warrior drove while Alix and Ben took the back seat.
Alix looked at the streets of Miami as they drove. It was different from anywhere she’d been. She wanted to come back and visit one day. She thought about her birth parents. She remembered her mom telling her that they lived close to the Everglades and wondered if they had ever driven down the same streets that they were driving on right now. Forty-five minutes after leaving the safe house they arrived at the dock.
Gordon was right about the boat. It looked like something the Coast Guard would use. They boarded the boat and started looking around. Gordon, Nate, and Polly were already there.
“Welcome aboard The Wizard,” Nate said when he saw them.
“Is this your ship?” Alix asked.
“Yes, this is my baby.”
“Hey,” Polly said with a smile.
“Okay, my other baby. Let me show you around while we wait for the others to get here.”
Below deck were
several bunk beds, a small bathroom, a kitchen, otherwise known as a galley and a bathroom. They were taken to the bridge and shown the deck. It was a big boat.
“What do you usually use this for?” Ben asked.
“I mostly rent it out to researchers.”
“How fast does it go?”
“Top speed is 55 knots. That’s just over 60 miles per hour.”
“That doesn’t sound very fast,” Alix said.
“As boats this size go it’s pretty fast,” Nate told her.
Nate and Polly left them to go prepare the ship for departure. Ben and Alix walked to the front of the ship and looked off into the ocean. Ben stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her.
“You ready for this?” he asked her.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“You looked lost in thought on the drive over here. What were you thinking about?”
“My birth parents. I remember mom telling me they lived close to here and I was wondering if we were driving down any of the streets they used to. I feel like I should miss them, but you can’t miss something you’ve never known.”
Ben hugged her tighter. They stayed that way until Gordon came looking for them.
“Everyone is here, we’ll be leaving now,” he told them.
Alix heard the engines start and the boat began to move. They stayed standing at the front of the boat as it pulled out of the dock. The biggest boat Alix had been on before was a rowboat. She enjoyed the feeling of the wind on her face and Ben’s solid presence at her back. Neither one of them moved until all they could see around them was water.
They went to find the others. Everyone was gathered below deck.
“Alix, Ben, we were just about to come find you,” Ruth said. “We’re ready to go over the plan. Gordon, please go ahead.”
“It will take us between eight and nine hours to reach the location indicated by the coordinates,” he said. “We don’t know what to expect when we arrive. Here are the satellite pictures.” Gordon handed out black and white photos of a small island. “It looks deserted but looks can be deceiving.” He then handed everyone another picture. This one was full of colors.
“What are we looking at?” Alix asked.
“This is a picture of the same island using a thermal imaging camera. We believe the darker squares are buildings, so we know something is there. We aren’t sure how they can conceal them from satellites, but the thermal imaging doesn’t lie. As you can see there are two smaller buildings and one larger one.
“The plan is for Benton, Rand, Wills, and Baxter to clear the two smaller ones first. Then we’ll move to the larger one. Team one will consist of Alix, Ben, Olly, Sal and myself. Alix, you are not to leave our sight. No one is more important on this boat than you. Team two will be Benton, Wills, and Ruth. Team three is Rand, Baxter, and Shelley. Rose, Nate, and Polly will remain on the ship to defend it in case the Grynn attack it.
“Once inside the building the teams will spread out and search for James. No Grynn is to be left alive. We’re assuming this whole situation is a trap to capture or kill the Kaelneth so we need to be extremely aware of everything. I’m sure there will be magical booby traps everywhere, so we’ll have to proceed cautiously.
“Baxter, Wills, Rand, Benton, Olly, Sal and I will all be wearing a coms system, so we can keep in touch with each other. This has the potential to be very dangerous simply because we don’t know what to expect and the advantage will be on the Grynn’s side.
“It will be night when we arrive at the island. Each team will be equipped with night vision goggles. Arriving in the dark will give us the advantage of getting there mostly unnoticed but again the Grynn will have the upper hand on the island as they’ll be familiar with the land.
“I suggest that everyone get some rest while they can. We’ll all need to be at our best when we arrive. Any questions?”
No one said a word.
“Alright then,” Gordon said. “We’ll meet back here an hour before we’re scheduled to reach the island.”
Alix and Ben made their way above deck and just wandered around for a bit.
“Is everything okay?” Alix asked him when they stopped at a bench. “You’re very quiet.”
“Do you realize what day it is?”
Alix thought about it for a minute and shook her head.
Ben grinned. “It’s Friday the thirteenth.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Nope. Talk about a bad day to rescue someone.”
“Good thing I’m not superstitious. It’s just another day Ben.”
“I know, I just wanted to give you a hard time.”
Alix shoved him with her shoulder. “So, what were you really thinking about?”
“Just about what will happen when we reach the island. This is like a full-on military operation. I wish Kris were here. I trust him to keep you safe.”
“All of these people were hand-picked by Gordon. If they couldn’t do their jobs they wouldn’t be here.”
“But aren’t you scared?”
“Yes. I don’t know if François or Victor will be there. I don’t know if there will be two Grynn or two hundred waiting for us. I don’t know if James will even be alive. I don’t know if everyone on this boat will come back alive. I’m very scared, but that’s not going to help me right now. All of my focus is going to have to be on getting in, getting James and getting out.”
“I’ve never met anyone quite like you Alix. You’re so brave all the time.”
Alix snorted. “No, I’m not. I’ve just been put in some seriously strange situations where people’s lives depend on me. I do what needs doing and freak out about it later,” Alix said smiling.
“You can say whatever you want but I’m still going to call you brave.”
It was a beautiful warm afternoon, so they spent most of it on the deck. Only going below to grab a bite to eat. When the sun started setting Ben suggested they try to get an hour or two of sleep.
Two of the beds were free when they got there. Alix climbed on the bottom one expecting Ben to take the one above her. But to her surprise, he laid down beside her.
“Move over, I need some more room,” he said nudging her.
“Um, Ben, what are you doing?”
“Trying to get some sleep,” he said like this was normal.
“You know, there’s a bed right there,” she said pointing above them.
“There are more people than beds. I thought we could share and leave a bed for someone else that needs it.”
“Oh … um … okay, I guess.”
Alix turned to face the wall and Ben pulled the blanket over them. He moved so that his chest was touching her back and his arm was around her.
“Is this okay?” he whispered. “It’s a little tight.”
“You just want to touch me,” Alix said with a little laugh.
“Yes, that’s true, but I also meant what I said about leaving an extra bed.”
“It’s fine Ben. Now get some sleep.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Alix could hear the smile in his voice and that made her giggle. She finally stopped and really thought about what Ben was doing. She figured out it was a way to touch her, but also a way to help her. He knew by now that his touch could help calm her down and even though outwardly, she seemed okay, inside she was freaking out. She had to admit that having him that close to her was helping.
“Quit thinking so hard and relax,” he whispered in her ear.
Alix took a deep breath and tried to do what he said. She’d never slept so close to someone before and wondered if she would actually be able to fall asleep. Ben started using his thumb to rub small circles on her hand. That actually helped and in a few minutes, she was sleeping.
Chapter 41
Alix was woken up by Ben shaking her shoulder.
“Time to wake up beautiful.”
“Huh?” It took Alix a minute to remember they were on the boat on the way to res
cue James. “Oh, hey.” She couldn’t help but smile at the look he was giving her. His smile was all for her.
“You need to eat something then it’s almost time for everyone to prepare for the rescue.”
Alix got up, used the bathroom, she refused to call it the head, and joined Ben at the small table. Someone had set out sandwiches, fruit, and cookies for everyone. Even though she wasn’t really hungry she ate anyway. She needed all the energy she could get before they got to the island.
When they were done, they went back up to the deck. It was full dark now and the sky was as clear as could be. Alix had never seen so many stars before. The entire sky was full of the small twinkling spots, it was breathtaking.
Ben’s voice brought her back to the boat. “Are you ready for the meeting?”
“Oh, yeah, sorry. The stars are just so pretty.”
Ben smiled at her. “Gordon is ready to start.”
“Alright everyone,” Gordon said. “We’re still on course to arrive at the coordinates in approximately an hour. We’ll be taking two small boats to the shore. When we get there Baxter, Wills, Benton, and Rand will scout ahead and clear the two smaller buildings. The rest of us will wait at the boats. We won’t know what we’re up against so everyone must remain vigilant.
“Your shields must be at maximum strength and you must gather as much energy as you can and attempt to maintain it. If you can’t maintain your shield you have to get back to the boat. We do not want to be captured by the Grynn and used as hostages.
“The team leaders are as follows, Benton, Rand and myself. If you have any questions, please go to your team leader. Okay everyone, gear up.”
Alix wondered what he meant but she soon learned what he was talking about. The Warriors, Olly, Sal, and Gordon started strapping on guns, vests and other equipment that she couldn’t identify. She wasn’t sure how she felt about all the guns and stuff. It had never occurred to her that they’d use something other than magic to deal with the Grynn.
“I see the look on your face Alix,” Ben said. “Are you good with this?”
“I guess I just didn’t think about it. But seeing as how they’re ex-military it makes sense.”
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