Suddenly Calvin’s own words held new meaning.
“Let me rephrase that: In the heat of battle to save Evie’s life, would you kill someone whose sole desire was to carry out evil deeds? Deeds that involve murdering innocents, like Evie and your mother?”
The question caused his skin to come alive with prickling ice. For the first time, he pictured the man behind the wheel–the one who hit his mother–as evil. Inwardly driven by his own desire to kill. “How would I know he was evil? If Jocelyn can possess minds, who’s to say she wouldn’t possess someone innocent?”
“She can’t.” Fiona grabbed a discarded envelope from the garbage next to her, and then reached for the Sharpie on the counter. “Let me draw it out for you guys, show you what we’re dealing with.” She drew a line across the lower portion, wrote Jocelyn’s name beneath it in bright, red ink. Next, she wrote the word us above the dividing line.
Calvin and Parker hunched lower to the counter, watching intently.
“We’re in different realms right now. And from down here the only kind of person Jocelyn can persuade is an evildoer–one who has purposefully shed the blood of an innocent. Only then can one hear promptings from the underground without seeking them out. The more evil the mind, the more susceptible to outer voices they become. Jocelyn found just those types of people to assist her in killing your mom, your grandmother, and the others. Of course, her main goal is to persuade one of you into joining her, but she can’t do that until she enters our realm.” Fiona pressed the marker next to Jocelyn’s name, dragged it across the dividing line, and arrowed toward the us on the page. “She needs to accomplish just one thing to break free from her world and join ours. And that’s to get one of you to kill.”
Calvin pressed his eyes closed, disturbed by the wet, bloody appearance of the red ink. His stomach churned. “I can’t kill an innocent person.”
“It doesn’t have to be an innocent,” Fiona said. “She could never design that type of act.”
“But you just said–”
“This is different. If she can create the scenario, design the setting that results in you shedding blood, she crosses over. Killing her evil pawn will be enough. And let me assure you: she’ll design the event in such a way that if you don’t kill him, he will kill you. Or Evie. Or both.”
“I’ll kill him,” Parker said. “I’ll just pretend he’s the scum that took Mom. That should be easy enough.”
The anger and passion blazing in his brother’s eyes told Calvin they were on the same page. “I don’t know how easy it’ll be,” he said, “but I’m sure if it’s to defend Evie, Parker, or myself, I wouldn’t hesitate. Especially if I could be certain they were as evil as you say. But why are we helping Jocelyn enter our realm? You just said that it’d give her access to our minds–allow her to persuade us. Why would we want that?”
“Well, that’s what she stands to gain upon entering. The ability to mentally persuade any being within her reach. But there’s a benefit to you as well.” Fiona put the marker to the page again, drew a box around Jocelyn’s name, and proceeded to draw lines down the length of the box, like prison bars. “You guys will be able to bind her forever–if– you can beat her mentally. We’ll get into those details later. For now, just know that if all goes according to plan, Jocelyn will be locked in the underground, her powers bound, never to harm again.”
Calvin focused on the image before him. Jocelyn–imprisoned. He wanted to take the sketch he’d drawn of her, place those same bars across her face and revel in the knowledge that he and Evie were free. But they weren’t. Not yet. In fact, their nightmare had only begun.
Parker slunk back into the barstool and grabbed a fork. He stabbed chunks of the scrambled eggs. “Let me see if I’ve got this straight,” he said, chomping at the food. “This psycho chick, Jocelyn, killed herself because my great, great grandfather broke up with her. Right?”
Fiona nodded. “In a sense.”
“And then she convinced some…random murderer to kill his wife, who was actually our great, great grandmother.”
Fiona nodded some more.
“Then, she found more murdering pawns to kill his son’s wife, and then his son’s wife, which was my mom, and now she wants to kill Evie.”
Just hearing the words made Calvin sick with panic.
“Well, what you failed to brief there, Parker–and perhaps the most important fact–is that Jocelyn’s not just out to kill Evie. What she really wants is one of you. I’m not sure how that works exactly, but I do know it involves suicide.”
Parker grimaced. “Like either one of us would do that,” he said in an arrogant tone.
“No, in your right mind you certainly wouldn’t.” Fiona leaned forward. “Jocelyn Blanch is bound right now. Limited to only a small degree of her ability, and even so, she can get into evil minds of the living, convince them to do her will.”
The sincerity of her words burrowed deep into Calvin’s conscious mind. He’d store the details of his enemy there; use them against her when the time came. He leaned in as Fiona continued, thirsty for more.
“But once you unleash Jocelyn Blanch, you release the fullness of her power. And that’s when she’ll get into your mind. And when I say that, I mean you won’t know which thoughts are hers and which thoughts are your own. You’ll feel so completely in love with her that you’ll do anything she desires, be compelled beyond resistance to do whatever she wants you to do. Kill yourself, kill each other, kill Evie–”
“That’s not going to happen,” Calvin hissed.
Parker put down his fork and reached for a glass. “Great. Sounds real hopeful.”
“How do we fight it then? The mind power?” Calvin asked.
“I’ll teach you. First off, you’ve been having dreams that reveal things, right?”
Calvin nodded.
“What’s the setting? Where do they take place?”
“The canyon.”
“Okay, then that’s where we’ll start today. It’s no coincidence you went there to experiment last night. Your subconscious led you there. You were already practicing in the right elements.”
Parker looked over his shoulder. “You were there last night too?”
Fiona nodded.
“Geeze!” Parker said, but then his voice softened. “Did you like the show? Did you enjoy watching the heroic skills of the handsome Knight Brothers?” He cracked his fisted knuckles, one hand after the next. “I bet you did.”
“Oh please, I’m just doing my job.”
That got Calvin thinking. “So, when you say this is your job, explain that. Who do you work for exactly?”
“Not for the man downstairs,” is all she offered.
Calvin waited for her to elaborate.
She didn’t.
“Then for who?” Parker asked. “Where are you from?”
She turned to him and sighed. “A place called The Harbor. Look, you guys are being forced into a world most people will never even know exists. The more you know, the harder life will be for you afterward. Trust me, it complicates everything.” Her voice was firm. “Just let it suffice to say that I am a sentinel, nothing more.”
Silence filled the air, but Calvin could see by the look on Parker’s face that he wasn’t going to let the topic drop. “So…do you get paid for this?” he asked.
Fiona ignored him.
Parker spoke up again. “Is it a lot?”
“Shut up, Parker,” Calvin said.
“Okay, before we go, there’s one last ability you haven’t discovered yet.” Fiona looked at Calvin. “I want you to use it now. Give me that necklace.” She held out her hand.
“Why?”
“Just give it to me. You’ll get it back.”
Calvin released the clasp, pulled it off, and handed it to her.
“I wanted to use something important to you, make it easier for you since it’s your first time.”
“How do you know that’s important to me?”
&nb
sp; Rather than answering, Fiona stepped back by the sink. “Stay there,” she told him. “Get this from me.” The necklace dangled from her fingers.
Parker puffed out a loud breath. “What are you talking about?”
Calvin reached over the counter, but Fiona put a hand up to stop him. “Uh. Not that way. Think, Calvin. Focus, and you’ll feel it. There’s an easier way to get this back. Use it.”
Calvin looked at the pendant dangling from the leather strap. Gold light shone from the light above, reflecting off the face of the letters, almost assuring him he could do it. A warm current of energy gathered inside him. The same sort of feeling that told him he could burst into the sky at the canyon. He honed in on that energy, infused it with images of the necklace, his desire to have it. With his gaze fixed on the pendant, he pictured it slipping off Fiona’s fingers, shooting across the room and into his hand in one brief motion.
In a blink the thin strap of soft, worn leather brushed past the insides of his fingers. He clamped his hand shut instinctively, securing the piece in his fist. With the slow rotation of his wrist, eyes focused on the showing loop of leather, Calvin uncurled his fingers to see the pendant resting against his palm. He looked up at Fiona in disbelief.
“Now the cup.” She nodded toward the clear glass next to the sink.
Calvin set the necklace on the counter. The electric sensation made the hair on his arms stand, caused a shudder to ripple through his body. He studied the tall, empty glass, mindfully willing it to come his way. Focusing, telling, commanding.
He barely caught sight of the light reflected along the rim as it sped toward him in a transparent blur. He opened his hand just in time and thrilled in the hollow, thudding sound it made when he caught it.
“What the hell?” Parker blurted. “Let me try.”
Calvin inspected the glass, recalling the way it had lifted off its base and rushed toward him, obeying his silent command. He heard Parker grunt and looked over to see him squinting, eyes focused on something across the room.
“You can’t do it,” Fiona said. “Calvin can move objects. You can move yourself, by teleporting. Your abilities are different in that way.”
“Wait. I didn’t know I could teleport,” Parker said.
Fiona walked out of the kitchen, answering over her shoulder. “Later.”
Parker continued to ramble as the new details swam in Calvin’s head. Abilities? Teleport? Fiona had used the words so easily, as if they were normal. He had just summoned an object from across the room, and it had come. There was nothing normal about it. “How did these come on so quickly?” he asked. “Our abilities, I mean.”
She pulled the front door open. “Your abilities took root the moment I approached you at the bar. Except your visions, but they’re different from your physical gifts,” she said. “We’ve got to get going. Calvin, you drive.”
Calvin reached for his keys. “Hey, whatever we’re doing, it’ll have to wait until I see Evie. She’s probably furious with me.”
Fiona shook her head. “Sorry, but you’ll have to settle for a phone call. We can’t waste any more time.” She motioned for them to step through the open door. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Twenty-five
Four o’clock in the morning? Evie slid her bare feet deeper into the sheets, reached for a cool spot as she read his text once more–the one that had come at four a.m.
Short. Apologetic. Vague.
“What the crap was he doing that whole time?” She eyed the clock–just before six. Too early to call; it wasn’t even light out yet. Sleep deprivation was kicking in hard, but she was dying to talk to him. Hear the details from beginning to end.
Just as she closed her eyes, a low thud rumbled her window. She sat up straight, tilted her head toward the noise. The sound came again. A tapping on the glass. She blinked, staring at the dark shades of grey beyond the glass as a silhouette gradually slipped into view.
“Calvin.” She rushed to her window, pinched the cold, metal clasp, and shoved the stubborn pane until it budged open. “Hey, go around to the back door and I’ll let you in.”
“I can’t stay. I just wanted to come see you before I drop Parker home. I had to tell you how sorry I am about last night.”
“You have Parker out there? What happened?”
“I’ll tell you tonight. Are you still going to Idaho with your dad today?”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to. I’d rather stay here with you. Especially now.”
“No. Go with your dad. I’m just going to be sleeping all day anyway. I’ll call you tonight.” He came to a stand.
“Wait.” She wanted to bring him inside, wrap her arms around him and revel in the fact that he was alive and well. Worry had nearly consumed her over the last eight hours. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I’ve been sick thinking about you.”
“I’ve been thinking about you, too. Sorry I made you worry. It was just... there was too much going on. I’ll explain later.” He squatted down and pressed his palm against the mesh screen. “Bye, Evie.”
She pressed her palm to his, wanting to take his hand in hers, bring it to her lips. “See you tonight.” He stood, and then disappeared in the shadows.
***
Calvin steered the Jeep into a shady spot off the winding canyon road. The tremendous rush of the fast-flowing river greeted him as he stepped onto the dirt. Crisp scents of pine and sage tossed in the rushing wind.
“Follow me.” As if she had some map in her head, Fiona forged right through a small break in a cluster of frost-covered sage.
Parker looked at Calvin and whispered under his breath. “This chick is nuts.”
Calvin shrugged and followed along. Twigs snapped and crunched beneath his shoes as he trailed behind, no hints of a worn path in sight. Parker trudged after him, making no effort to speak. Calvin was glad; it felt too early for words.
Daylight’s timid glow had changed the view of the land, taken it from deep shades of black and grey, to lighter tones of blue. Yet the scents and sounds offered familiar comfort. The canyon shared his secret, and the grounds felt different now, sacred.
“What are we looking for?” Parker sounded out of breath already.
“A vortex,” Fiona hollered.
“A what?”
“A vortex. It’s a porthole that will lead us into … well, we call it The Loft, but it’s sort of a world between worlds, like an alternate realm. It serves several different purposes, but for you guys, it’ll be nothing more than a training camp.” She kept her back to them while she spoke, but allowed for a quick glance over her shoulder. “We need to get you guys ready, and this is the perfect place for that.”
The mention of an alternate world sparked Calvin’s interest, but his mind was too beat to conjure an image of what it might look like. Still, he wondered how it might better serve them than the world they were in now. And what would the porthole look like?
The massive mountains stood as an endless wall alongside, which led him to believe the porthole would be some sort of cave entrance. Most likely the alternate realm would be nestled within a cave, maybe deep into the mountain’s base.
Just as that thought settled comfortably into Calvin’s mind, Fiona veered away from the mountain and into taller clusters of grass and sage. She looked over her shoulder once more, tucking her red hair behind one ear. “We’re close.” She sped up ahead of them.
Calvin also sped up to keep her in sight, disturbed by her sudden burst of excitement. Tall, woody shrubs towered before him, stubborn to part as he pushed past the crackling limbs. “Are you sure you know where you’re going?”
Parker panted behind him. “She’s probably dragging us out here to shoot us and leave us to get eaten by … whatever the hell’s out here.”
When she didn’t deny it, a flash of paranoia flickered through Calvin’s mind. He sighed once she stopped and began circling in place, eyeing the small clearing around her.
“Right here.” She motio
ned for them to get closer. “Do you guys feel that?”
With Parker trailing behind, Calvin trudged through one final patch of high weeds and onto the flattened dirt next to Fiona. He shrugged. “Feel what?”
“The difference in the air.” Fiona looked at him expectantly. “This is the vortex. You guys will have to recognize them on your own, so I’ll need you to appreciate the unique feel of it.” She sucked in an exaggerated breath, looking more excited than anyone should look so early in the day. “Can’t you feel that vacuum effect? It’s like a tunnel of motion.”
Calvin shook his head.
Parker stepped up behind him. “Nope. Can’t feel the mystery difference, Fiona. Sorry.”
She raised a brow at him, pointed back to what now looked like a thin, overgrown path. “Then walk over there and come back. Slowly. Pay attention this time. You should feel it as you inhale, a force encouraging the breath, pulling it through your lungs. Try again. Both of you.”
Calvin did as she said, a reluctant Parker at his heels. This time, before Fiona was even in reach, he felt the slightest tug. Not like the wind that blew side to side. This air moved from bottom to top. He approached her slowly, pulling in another deep breath, and smiled when he felt it. Exactly like she said–a vacuum effect.
“I feel it.” As the words escaped his lips, they seemed to get lost in the movement. The exhaled air brushing past his forehead, pulled by hints of suction toward the sky.
Calvin looked up, nudging Parker with his elbow. “Do you feel that?”
Parker shrugged.
“These vortexes are everywhere, spread amply over the entire planet. The pull only tells us of its presence. It’s your gift to soar that will take you through its gate.” Fiona had gone into fast-mode again, the words rushing from her lips at a rapid pace.
“Our what?” Parker asked.
“Your ability to burst into the sky. We call it the gift to soar. I saw you guys toying around with it last night.” She’d slowed down, but seemed aggravated by the effort it took. “While you’ll most likely find it helpful during battle as well, the main purpose of the gift is to help you access The Loft.”
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