Guild of Truth 02 - Shield from the Heart

by Mary K. Norris

  Greg swung.

  Sydney cried out as she dropped to the floor. The wood of his bat crashed into another shelf. Wooden objects flew everywhere, raining down on her.

  She threw her hands up to protect her head.

  “Sydney!” Merrick roared through the whole house. Footsteps thundered down a nearby hallway.

  “Fuck diplomacy,” she heard Felix say as she scrambled for the door. Her hand closed around a large figurine and she threw it at Greg with all her might.

  He batted it away and brought his weapon up for another swing. “You can’t stop my powers if you’re knocked unconscious.”

  She screamed.

  The bat swung for her head.

  Merrick flew through the doorway. He tackled Greg to the floor. Greg’s swing went wide but it still sent Sydney into another shelf.

  Pain exploded behind her eyes and her vision went black —

  She blinked up from the floor.

  Luke was crouched next to her. “You’re all right.” He smiled. “How’s your head?”

  For the first time she noticed the blood on his hands. She tentatively touched the side of her head that throbbed with her heartbeat and felt the matted blood. Felix and Cali stood around them like a protective shield. Wooden objects were flying everywhere as if they were in the middle of a tornado. Felix was Erasing left and right while Cali used her sound waves to push away any object that came too close. She was covered in bruises, as was Felix.

  Sydney pushed to a sitting position. “What happened?”

  Luke helped her upright. “Merrick’s attempting to kick Greg’s ass — er, butt,” Luke hastily corrected at her flat stare. “The only problem is that Greg’s not going down without a fight.” He motioned to the spinning cyclone of wood they were presently encased in.

  Merrick.

  “Where’s Merrick? Is he hurt?” She tried to get to her feet and nearly fell over as she became lightheaded. She tried to use her powers and nearly cried out as pain tore through her skull.

  “Easy.” Luke kept her steady. “No sudden movements. Trust me, I’ve had my share of head wounds.”

  She didn’t want to think of just how he’d received those head wounds. Niella’s words about his father drifted through her mind unbidden but she pushed them away. “I have to fix this. I have to help Merrick, this is all my fault.” If she wouldn’t have been so darn stupid and waited for everyone before going after Greg they might have been able to avoid this. But no, she had to try to be the hero. For once in her life she wanted to be able to help the guild without anyone else’s assistance.

  All you did was make things worse.

  Well, now she was going to make things right. Bracing herself for the pain she threw her Shield up. Luke had to hold her up as pain erupted in her head.

  Wooden objects fell to the floor with a clatter.

  Greg cried out as Merrick advanced on him. “No!” Greg shouted, his gaze locking with Sydney’s. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”

  Merrick caught him in a head lock and put him to sleep. It was over within seconds. Sydney dropped her Shield, exhausted.

  “I got you.” Luke wrapped her arm around his shoulders and held her up.

  “Thanks, Luke, I’m so glad we found you.”

  He blushed and dropped his dreamy blue eyes.

  Merrick was at her side instantly. His hands hovered near her head. “Shit.” He brushed aside her hair. “I should have killed that bastard for hurting you.”

  “You did the right thing,” she told him. “He was only doing his job.”

  “Well, he did a pretty fucking good job of it,” said Cali. Her exposed forearms were covered in angry red marks, some already bruising. She had a cut along her forehead and dried blood in her side bangs.

  Felix wrapped his arm around Cali’s shoulders and drew her into his chest. He wasn’t nearly as battered as Cali, though he did have a nasty gash on his ear that was still bleeding. “We should start searching the place. There are a lot of rooms to cover.”

  “What about him?” Luke nodded to Greg.

  Merrick eyed him balefully. “We’ll tie him up.” He stepped over to Greg and grabbed his clothes in his hands before closing his eyes. A few seconds later he released Greg. “This might not take as long as you think, Felix,” he said.

  “You know where Greg hid it?” Sydney asked hopefully.

  “I know what room, but he was very careful in keeping his thoughts to himself. I’ve never seen anything like it before. It was as if he knew what to expect.”

  Sydney frowned as she remembered Greg’s warning.

  Chapter 24

  Felix dragged Greg around by the duct tape and rope they had tied around his ankles.

  Merrick kept glancing back every few seconds to make sure the bastard stayed unconscious. He would have been happy to make it permanent but Sydney would never have accepted that. She was too good of a person. She’d tried to help them by talking to Greg one on one but that man had been holed up in his house for years. Whatever Kevin had told him, he’d taken it straight to heart.

  Merrick had never seen such paranoia in a person before. This was why they needed to destroy the journal. If they kept it around Sydney, Felix, and anyone else in their guild, they would be charged with guarding it and their fate would ultimately turn into Greg’s. They’d never be able to leave for fear of someone getting their hands on the notebook.

  He’d been right all along. It needed to stay hidden or be destroyed. He looked over his shoulder at Greg.

  Felix caught him staring. “Don’t worry, if he wakes up I’ll put him back to sleep.” The feral smile he shot Merrick told him how much he’d enjoy putting him to sleep.

  Merrick’s gaze slid over to Cali who was rubbing stubbornly at her bruises, as if that would make them heal faster.

  He’d asked Felix a few days ago how someone identified their Mirror Mate, how they bonded. It’d taken Felix a couple seconds to answer.

  Your souls … they connect, but it’s more than that. Cali once told me that when your soul cries out for the other and that call is returned — that’s when you’re bonded. I can’t put it into better words. All I know is that Cali and I were in a situation and we were trying to reach each other. Suddenly I heard her voice in my head, my heart, everywhere. I called out to her and then the world turned blazing white. After that it’s like you have a little mini sun burning deep inside your chest, a constant heat to know that you’re not alone. Ever.

  Merrick’s eyes latched onto Sydney’s swinging blonde ponytail. His gut tightened. To know that he’d never have to be alone …

  He couldn’t even imagine.

  To have someone that would never shun him, someone he’d never have to fear betraying him or fearing him. The thought was amazing.

  Sydney paused and turned around to face him, as if she could feel his eyes on her. “Am I still going in the right direction?” she asked him.

  “The door is right up ahead.”

  She smiled that beautiful smile at him and his breath caught. She grasped the handles on the double doors and pulled. The smile on her face dropped.

  “Holy fuckballs.” Cali went through the threshold and paused at the end of the balcony where Sydney had walked.

  Merrick’s spirit plummeted as he entered the vast two story library.

  “Did anyone else get a sudden image of the beast’s library from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast just now?” asked Felix as he dragged in Greg.

  Luke raised his hand. “I did.”

  “And the journal is somewhere in this room?” Sydney stared down at the wooden tables on the bottom floor. Some were covered with stacks of books, others papers and magazines. Every nook and cranny was stuffed with books — and not just leather bound old tome looking things either. Merrick saw books of every shape and size and to his horror there were spiral notebooks stuffed into shelves throughout the entire room.

  “Please tell me you got more off of Greg then just what
room the journal was in,” said Felix.

  Merrick didn’t bother answering him. It would just depress them all. “We should split up,” he said instead.

  A collective groan went through the group.

  “I’ll take downstairs,” Felix said cheerfully and pulled Greg toward the staircase at the north end of the room.

  “Felix, don’t you dare,” said Sydney. “You’ll drag him around upstairs, we don’t need you throwing him down stairs and giving him a permanent concussion. Besides, we might need him later.”

  Felix sighed. “Fine, I won’t drag him down the stairs. Why don’t you, Merrick, and Luke take downstairs? Cali and I will cover up here. What are we looking for again?”

  Merrick turned around and plucked a spiral notebook out of the shelf. “The journal is like this, only a worn out blue. If you find more than one just start making a pile and I’ll go through them.”

  Cali gave a mock salute and kicked Greg as she made her way past Felix to start searching.

  Merrick grinned. Cali was really starting to grow on him. In fact, the entire guild was.

  The realization was startling. He’d never had a large group of friends, not since his days at the academy. Ever since his powers came into play he’d been on his own. He’d forgotten how much fun it could be to be a part of a unit.

  He met Sydney at the large staircase and held his arm out to her. “Shall we, my lady?”

  She tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. “Why, thank you, good sir.”

  Greg only woke up once in the four hours it took to sweep the entire library.

  There was a commotion upstairs that came swiftly to an end before Merrick or Sydney could make it up the stairs.

  “What happened?” Sydney asked.

  Felix had still had his arm around Greg’s throat. He gave an innocent shrug. “Greg was being uncooperative so I gave him a time out.”

  Sydney hadn’t looked amused but she’d gone back downstairs to continue their search.

  By the end of the four hours they had over three hundred and fifty blue notebooks.

  They all converged on the bottom floor and spread out their finds over four tables. There was nothing the others could do after that. Felix and Cali took a seat and waited at another table and Luke went off to a table that held a large atlas while Sydney sat down by Merrick’s side. Merrick exchanged looks with Sydney. He exhaled and picked up the first notebook. He closed his eyes to cut out any distractions and let his mind drift into the notebook, searching for any impressions of Kevin.

  He put the notebook on the floor by his feet. “Nothing.”

  And so began the process.

  By the three hundredth notebook, he could see the hope draining from Sydney’s face. The library was eerily silent, the only sound coming from Luke turning the worn pages of the atlas.

  “This can’t be right,” Merrick said when he discarded another journal about mathematics from high school algebra. “There had to be more that we just overlooked.”

  Sydney placed her hand on his forearm in a comforting gesture that only spiked Merrick’s anger. He shook her off. “No, you don’t understand, it has to be in here.” He continued to grab the journals and started throwing them over his shoulder when they didn’t bare the impressions he was looking for. He grew more frantic.

  Sydney watched him with sad eyes. “Merrick, it’s not here. Greg must’ve been messing with us. What better way to slow us down than by leading us to the library to search through millions of books? It was a wild goose chase.”

  He refused to believe it. He tore through the remaining notebooks before turning on Greg. Felix had draped him over the hard leather sofa by one of the large windows.

  Everyone shot to their feet as he stormed across the floor.

  “Take it easy,” said Felix. “Shaking him isn’t going to wake him up. We’ll wait and then ask him where he put the journal. You don’t want to do anything rash.”

  Merrick was about to blow through Felix when Luke’s quiet voice stopped him short. “Guys, come look at this.”

  Merrick whirled.

  Luke stood in front of the atlas, which apparently wasn’t an atlas at all. At least, not a full one.

  “Luke,” Sydney breathed. “You found it.”

  Cut into the back pages of the large book was a square hole big enough to hold a blue spiral notebook.

  Felix wrapped his arm around Luke’s shoulders. Cali beamed.

  Sydney threw her arms around Merrick’s neck and kissed him. Her lips on his broke through any shock he may have been experiencing and he kissed her back. It was hot and demanding. His groin tightened and he plunged his tongue deep into her mouth where she met him stroke for stroke.

  Someone cleared their throat and Merrick remembered that they had an audience. Sydney jumped back, her face red. The others stared at them as if not quite sure what to do. Luke’s face was as red as Sydney’s. Felix looked a little shocked and mortified as if he’d just caught his baby sister making out for the first time, and Cali was trying to suppress a smile and failing at it.

  Merrick cleared his own throat and picked up the notebook. He instantly felt Kevin’s thoughts and emotions. He pulled himself away from them. “Shall we go?” he said to the group at large as if nothing were amiss.

  Sydney’s pants pocket started vibrating. She hastily pulled her phone out and checked the ID. “It’s Niella.” She put the phone up to her ear. “Hello?”

  Merrick watched the expressions that played over Sydney’s face.

  She hung up. “Niella knows where Joel is.”

  • • •

  “So what’s our plan of action again?” Cali asked as they all stared out the side windows of Felix’s Hummer.

  They were parked outside a crappy motel with chipping paint and rusted railing. The pool area was closed off because the water was green and Merrick was pretty sure their continental breakfast would make you sick for a week.

  He pulled back from the window to go over their rough mission plan. “We scope out how many people are inside, especially if Vander is one of them. We offer to trade Joel for the journal. We don’t give him the journal until Joel is safely in our hands and we are near enough to the car to make an escape. Felix will Erase it as we drive away. Luke, you’re staying in the car because for whatever reason Vander still wants you. Plus, we need a getaway driver. You do know how to drive, right?”

  “I’m twenty, not fifteen,” said Luke.

  “Right. Everyone got it?”

  They all nodded.

  Felix turned to Cali. “You have an estimate of how many people we’re dealing with here?”

  Cali’s head was cocked as if listening for something. She kept closing and opening her eyes. “There are a good number of heartbeats coming from the furthest room. I’m guessing that’s where they’re holding Joel. I hear at least two females and maybe three or four males? I’m not sure.”

  “How can you tell there are females in there?” asked Luke.

  “One spoke and another one is sobbing.” Her head perked up like a dog.

  “What is it?” asked Sydney.

  The hate on Cali’s face said it all. “Vander.”

  Felix popped his knuckles.

  “We all want a piece of Vander,” said Sydney, “but remember we’re here for Joel. Our first priority is getting him out. Okay?”

  Felix gave a tight nod before starting the car back up and driving around toward the far end where Joel was being kept. They parked around back and left Luke to guard the Hummer.

  Felix handed Luke the keys. “If anything happens, get the hell out of here.”

  “And if you happen to see an old man running from the room, it’ll most likely be Vander. Feel free to run him over,” Cali piped up helpfully.

  Luke looked sick at the idea of running over a person.

  Felix playfully shoved Cali away. “Don’t run over anyone. I don’t want to have to wash blood off my car.”

  Luke’s fa
ce paled even more.

  “Would you two stop it? This is serious,” Sydney hissed at them.

  Felix held his hands up in innocence.

  Cali’s smile instantly dropped. Her head jerked to the side.

  “What is it?” Felix asked.

  Cali shoved Felix out of the way and sprinted across the parking lot toward the motel rooms. “We don’t have time for a sneak attack. We need to go now, I just heard the words ‘want them dead.’”

  Merrick swore and set off at a dead run. Half of him wanted to keep pace with Sydney but the other half told him to go ahead — Felix would need him.

  Cali got to the room first and blew the door open with a sonic blast that had Merrick’s ears ringing.

  Shouts erupted from within. A woman screamed.

  Merrick’s grip tightened on the journal. He could feel Kevin’s impressions tingling against the skin of his hand, as if eager for him to read them, as if they wanted him to learn the secrets he was holding.

  He hesitated at the threshold and let himself get sucked into Kevin’s world.

  Chapter 25

  Having short legs sucked.

  Sydney pumped her arms as she trailed behind Cali, Felix, and Merrick. Cali and Felix rushed into the motel room while Merrick hung back near the door.

  Was he waiting for her?

  The thought warmed her and she didn’t feel so bad about her height. She reached his side and briefly threaded her fingers through his. “Come on,” she urged him. She was anxious to get to Joel. She hadn’t seen him in days. Niella had said she’d seen him in pain. Her stomach cramped at the thought of Joel hurting. She hoped he was all right.

  Merrick remained where he was.

  She squeezed his hand but there was no answering squeeze back. “Merrick?” She tugged on his hand but he continued to stare, unseeing. She looked down and found the journal clutched in his other hand.

  Shouts erupted from inside the motel room. A loud crash and a thump of a body hitting the floor had Sydney jumping. She dropped Merrick’s hand and grasped his arms to shake him.

  This wasn’t part of the plan. They needed Merrick to hold onto the journal so they could barter Joel’s life with it. In this state anyone could walk up to Merrick and take it.