Amber Smoke

by Kristin Cast

  “Seriously?” Eva asked, yanking off the thin layer shielding her from the cold hospital air.

  “Jeans it is.” She tossed them to Eva along with a balled up T-shirt. “And I’ve got shoes in here somewhere.” Bridget shuffled through the contents and pulled out a pair of tennis shoes.

  Eva scrambled to put the clothes on quickly before rushing to the door. “My mom and the doctor are still talking,” she said, peering out the tiny window. “Go along with whatever I say, and we might have a chance at getting out of here.”

  She casually opened the door and walked into the brightly lit hallway.

  “Eva, what are you doing out of bed?” Lori hurried over to them, studying Eva’s outfit. “And you changed clothes.”

  “Yeah, I had to get out of that gown. It made me feel all exposed. Luckily, Bridge brought me something to wear.”

  Bridget nodded enthusiastically. “Whoever designed hospital clothes should be arrested.”

  “And where do you think you’re going? I thought that nice nurse, Maya, was in there with you.”

  “She left a few minutes ago. She said she’d be right back, but Bridget has to leave, so I thought I’d walk her to the elevator,” Eva lied.

  “Are you sure you’re okay to walk? You don’t want to wait for the nurse to come back and bring you a wheelchair?” The concern in Lori’s voice filled Eva with guilt.

  “No, I’m okay. It’s just down the hall. You can see them from here, and I’ll only be gone for a second.”

  “Okay, well, be careful. The nurses’ station isn’t far from the elevator. If you start feeling bad, just let one of them know.”

  Eva wrapped her mom in a hug and buried her face in her hair. “I love you, Mom. Thanks for everything.”

  “I love you too,” she said, returning her daughter’s tight embrace. “The doctor and I are almost done out here. I’ll be waiting for you in your room when you come back.”

  She stifled her tears and forced herself to let go of her mom.

  “It was good to see you, Ms. Kostas. I’m so glad Eva is doing so well.” Bridget eyes widened, and she giggled nervously.

  Eva hooked Bridget’s arm with hers, and they rushed toward the elevators. “Don’t talk to anyone else. You sound like a crazy person,” she whispered.

  “I guess I’ll have to work on how I act when my best friend wakes up from being unconscious for days with super powers, and we both turn into criminals after locking some innocent and really pretty nurse in a bathroom.”

  “You have a point.” Eva stopped in front of the elevators and pushed the down button. “Tell me when my mom goes into the room, but try not to make it look obvious.”

  Bridget fluffed her hair and glanced over her shoulder. “She’s gone.”

  The elevator dinged, and they rushed in before the door fully opened. Eva ran the control panel and jammed the close button with her thumb. “Close, close, close,” she pleaded aloud.

  The doors closed sluggishly, and Eva pushed the button for the first floor before collapsing against the cold metal of the elevator. “Please tell me you have your car.”

  Bridget groped inside her large bag and retrieved a black key fob. “It’s getting reupholstered, so I’m driving a rental.”

  “Thank God.”

  The elevator opened, revealing lines of chairs and a set of sliding glass doors to the parking lot.

  “I’m parked just a few rows back.” Bridget led the way as they hurried through the crowded ER waiting room and into the warm evening. “Where are we going?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t exactly thought that far ahead.” Anxiety twitched in Eva’s legs, and she quickened her step. “Know of any good hideouts?”

  “My place? You have to sign in in order to see anyone who lives in the building. It’s definitely the safest place I know.” Bridget held up the key and a nearby car chirped. “This is it,” she said, jogging to a white SUV.

  “It’s huge. You can drive this thing?” Eva asked, hoisting herself up.

  Bridget let out a small cackle. “Not well. You better put on your seatbelt.”

  Bridget carefully maneuvered through the parking lot. Eva buckled up and yelled, “They’re going to be out here any minute looking for us. Hurry!”

  Bridget pulled up to a light and waited for it to turn green before slamming on the gas. The tires squealed against the pavement, and the car lurched forward onto the main road. “You don’t have to tell me twice. Just because I majorly suck at driving this boat doesn’t mean I don’t know how to drive it fast.”

  Twenty-Five

  Suffocating silence filled the Hall of Echoes as Alek waited for the water to calm. He rose to his feet and paced around the pool. “I have done all that I can,” he reminded himself. The ripples stilled and a new image took shape.

  “She’s awake.” His voice dropped to a whisper, and he cleared the small lump from his throat. “Of course she is awake.” He squatted by the water and studied the silent stream of pictures. “Mothers! You must see this!”

  “Did it work, my son?” Maiden hurried to him and crouched by his side.

  “What has happened?” Mother asked.

  “Alek was able to reach Eva in the dream world. She is now awake.” Maiden pointed to the water.

  “Then you must be on your way. The Oracle’s safety is as important now as it was before,” Crone said.

  “The pools have been restored, but we do not know for how long. The curse continues. You must make contact with her. Make her understand what is at stake,” Mother said.

  “For her realm and ours,” Maiden added.

  “I am ready.” Alek stood and the women covered his talisman with their hands.

  “It is up to you, my son. As it always has been.” Mother’s words followed him as their energy propelled him into the Mortal Realm.

  Coughing and pained moans met his ears as the ground hardened below his feet and chairs sprang up around him. Alek appeared to be stuck between a wall and a giant metal box.

  “Are you an alien?”

  Alek looked around for the small voice. “I do not believe so.”

  A child poked his head around. Either he or Alek were upside down. “A magician? I had one at my birthday party today, but he hit my dad in the face and called him a cheap asshole.” His tongue licked at the blue icing staining his mouth. “Then my mom stopped the party. And then we had to get in the car and drive all the way here. I had to eat my cake in the backseat. It got everywhere.” He smiled like he’d succeeded in climbing Mount Everest.

  “I am sorry to hear about your father and your party. Can you tell me where here is exactly?”

  “The hospital. It’s where you go when you’re sick or hurt, like my dad.”

  “And where in the hospital are we?”

  “I’m in front of the snack machine. You’re behind it. Are you sure you’re not a magician?”

  “Mason, get over here. They’re taking your father back now.” His mom shuffled over and grabbed his hand. “I’m sorry. It’s just been one of those days, you know?” She cast a wary glance at Alek.

  “But he’s magic. He came out of nowhere.” Mason leaned away from his mother as she dragged him past the check-in counter and around the corner. The last Alek heard was the boy’s mother reminding him to never talk to strangers, especially weird ones.

  Alek pried himself out from behind the machine and set himself on the floor right side up. “The hospital,” Alek repeated, looking around for any clue to Eva’s whereabouts. “This is much different than what I saw in the pool.” He headed to the glass doors and paused when they opened automatically. He held out his hand and felt around the empty space. Convinced it was no trap, he walked out to the parking lot and stared up at the tall building. “How am I to find her?” His fingers fumbled around for his talisman. “Pythia, are you still with me?” Only the whirr of the sliding door answered him. “I should’ve guessed she would not stay after the Oracle was found.”

&
nbsp; He took a deep breath and scanned the parking lot. A blond head bobbed between cars. “Bridget?” he said, walking toward the woman.

  A car horn blared and came to a screeching halt inches from his leg.

  “Get the fuck out of the way!” The driver bolted out of the car and to the passenger door. “We need a doctor! My wife is having a baby!” he yelled.

  Alek stepped back as a man in blue scrubs rushed a wheelchair to the car. Both men helped the pregnant woman to the chair and quickly wheeled her through the open doors.

  Alek turned back to the parking lot in time to see Bridget hop into the SUV. “Shit!” He kicked the car’s fender and it crumpled on impact, leaving a shoe-size impression in the metal. The SUV slowly weaved through the parking lot, and Alek looked back at the damaged car. “I have defeated the driving arcade games,” he said, rushing to the open driver’s side door. “This will not be much more difficult.” He pressed his foot on the brake and turned the key. It came to life with a quiet grumble. He tapped the gas and the car rolled forward. “Indeed, it is exactly like the racing games.”

  Bridget’s SUV idled at a red light, and Alek cut through the parking lot and pulled in line behind her. The light turned green and Bridget’s tires squealed against the pavement, leaving him in a cloud of foul fumes. Alek slammed on the gas and turned down the road to follow. The back of the car fishtailed into the neighboring lane, barely missing a passing motorist. Alek yanked at the wheel and regained control of the car. Bridget’s SUV slowed, and then abruptly pulled into a parking lot. Brake lights of the car in front of him flashed red, and Alek slammed on his to keep from wrecking. Without pulling over, he put the car in park and ran to the SUV.

  • • •

  Eva gripped the leather seat as the SUV sped down the road. “Don’t do anything that’ll get us sent back to the hospital. They’ve had to find the nurse by now; I’m sure they’re looking for us.”

  “It’ll be fine.” She tapped the brake and swerved around a turning car. “We’ll disappear to my place long enough to come up with a plan for what happens next. And, if we’re lucky, no one at the hospital will mention our little lock-up-the-nurse disaster to the cops.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it.” Eva yanked on her seatbelt until it was tight across her lap. “When the police talk to you about what happened, I want you to tell them that I made you help me. That I went crazy and forced you to do it against your will.”

  “No way. I mean, you are crazy, but I’m not going to throw you under the bus like that.”

  “You have to. You can’t tell them the truth.”

  “I wasn’t planning on it. I’m going to use my incredible acting skills and make up something about that nurse going psycho and us having no choice but to trap her in the bathroom. I watch a lot of Netflix crime dramas, and cops are always falling for the I-had-to-do-it-for-my-safety act.”

  “This is not a show, and I saw you grinning like a fool in front of my mom from one lie. You have absolutely zero acting ability. Even if you did, you’ll never be able to explain how my hand healed so fast. No amount of psycho nurse stories will cover what both of you saw.”

  “Fine. I’ll tell them that you forced me to do it. But where does that leave you?”

  “I need to find out why all this is happening.” She rubbed her hand over her forearm. The stickiness left by the medical tape caught her attention, and she looked down. The harsh black tree coated her arm. Her heartbeat pulsed inside her ears, and she leaned against the door to keep from falling over.

  “Eva, you okay?” Bridget’s voice echoed far away and tinny. “Hang on, Eva. I’m pulling over.”

  Laughter swirled around her as a haunting voice charged to the front of her mind. Have you found him yet?

  The tall, curly haired man pierced her vision, and she pawed around blindly for anything to connect her back to reality. His chiseled features and honey-colored eyes made her stomach flutter as a wave of anxiety passed over her.

  Your fates are intertwined. You must not deny your warrior’s heart.

  Eva bolted upright. “I need to find him.”

  Bridget leaned over the center console. Concern and fear twisted her delicate features. “Find who? Oh my God, Eva. What the hell? You’ve been totally out of it for, like, two minutes. I almost said fuck it and just drove you back to the hospital.”

  “I’m fine now.” She pulled her hair into a ponytail and rubbed the back of her neck.

  “I don’t think you are. You’re really scaring me. Maybe we should just go back to the hospital and deal with whatever happens.”

  “No, please, Bridget. They’ll treat me like some kind of freak experiment if we go back.”

  Bridget sighed and slumped into her seat. “Today was not supposed to end up like this,” she said, staring out the window at the passing traffic. “I love you and I’ll stick by you, but if you have another…episode I’m taking you back.”

  “I have to tell you something. I’m going to sound insane, and I won’t blame you if you actually think that I am, but I think I know who can help me figure this out.”

  Bridget moved the gearshift to park and pressed the navigation button on the car’s touchscreen. “Let’s go there now. Give me his address and I’ll put it in. I’m so ready for you to get some answers.”

  “Well,” Eva hesitated. “That’s the problem. I don’t exactly know who or where he is.”

  “You’re right. You’re totally psychotic.” Bridget’s phone rang, halting their conversation. “Shit. Your mom is calling.” She dropped the phone on the center console like it might explode. They both gawked at it as Lori’s smiling picture bounced on the screen.

  “Don’t answer it,” Eva whispered.

  “Why are you whispering? She can’t hear you.”

  “Then you stop whispering too.”

  They stared back down at the phone. The buzzing stopped, and the screen darkened.

  “Okay, letting it go to voicemail was fine one time, but I can’t not answer it forever.”

  “I know. I know. We’ll figure out something to tell her after we come up with a plan.”

  The phone chimed, and they both jumped.

  “Shit, she left a message. Should I check it?”

  Eva opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by loud thuds racing from the back window to Bridget’s door. Bridget yelped and ducked down while Eva fumbled with her seatbelt latch.

  “Bridget. It’s Alek.” His voice was quiet, muffled by the window.

  “Alek?” Bridget slowly unclenched and rolled down the window. “You scared me to death. What are you doing here?”

  “Alek?” Eva’s eyes met his. “It’s you.”

  “Wait, you remember him?”

  Alek stuck his torso through the open window and leaned across Bridget. “Eva, are you well?” His hazel eyes shined warm and inviting.

  “I didn’t even know if you were real. How did you find me?”

  Bridget put her hands on his chest and pushed him out of the window. “Yeah, how did you find us? Shouldn’t you be in jail or something? I think the police are after you.”

  “What is it they suspect me of doing?”

  “Besides her, you were the only other person there when the cops raced into the house sirens blazing. So, I’m pretty sure they suspect you of, I don’t know, kidnapping.”

  Eva rolled her eyes. “Bridge, he didn’t kidnap me.”

  “I figured that by the oh so calm greeting you gave him.” She pressed a button and the door locks released. “Hop in, blondie. There’s a lot going down, and we’re like sitting ducks out here.”

  He opened the back door and climbed in behind Bridget. “I have missed something. What role do ducks play in the current situation?”

  “I hate to say it, but I think your new boyfriend is kinda slow.” She drove the car out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

  Alek chuckled. “Your realm has no one with power comparable to mine. My speed can be matched
by no man.”

  Bridget raised an eyebrow and glanced in the rearview mirror. “Have you had anything to drink today? You’re sounding pretty crazy, and I know that you can’t handle your liquor.”

  “You two know each other?” Eva asked, surprised.

  “We ran into each other at the Ambassador. He was looking for you before I even knew you were missing.”

  “And I would have reached you sooner had she not attacked me,” Alek interjected.

  “Attacked you? What happened to mister no one has as much power as I do?” Bridget said in her best dumb-jock voice.

  “You forced poison down my throat and dragged me into your room.”

  “Forced, dragged. These words are a little harsh, don’t you think?”

  “Guys! I don’t care what happened between the two of you. I want to figure out what’s happening to me right now and how you went from being in my head to sitting in the backseat of this car. We can figure everything else out after we’re sure no one is chasing us.”

  “Fine,” Bridget mumbled.

  “That is why you left the hospital so quickly. Are you in danger?”

  Eva turned around in her seat. “How did you know I was at the hospital?”

  “On my journey here, I thought only of you. Naturally, that’s where I arrived.”

  “Well, naturally,” Bridget mocked. She pulled up to the entrance of the condo complex and passed her key card in front of a large box. The security gate lifted, and she followed the arrows leading up to the parking garage. “So, just to clarify, you’ve been following her? That’s why you were at the Ambassador, that’s why you were there when Eva was rescued, and that’s why you’re here now.”

  “Precisely,” he answered with a smile.

  “You can’t say precisely like that. Like it’s okay that you’ve been stalking me.”

  Bridget made a wide turn and swung the SUV into a numbered space. “Yeah, maybe I let you in the car a little too soon.”