Reclaim, Mosaic Chronicles Book Five

by Andrea Pearson

  The thought warmed Nicole’s heart while still making her a little uneasy. Oh, she hoped things would work out between her and Austin! She really liked his parents and didn’t want them to be disappointed.

  While she waited to board, Coolidge gave Nicole a call, updating her on a new development.

  “I wanted you to hear it from me, since Lizzie is at work and Austin can’t talk to you for the time being.”

  “What’s up?” Nicole asked.

  “The Tarians have started airing TV reports. Hundreds of them. It appears that Tiffany is leading their group now. The reports have been, well, very threatening. They’re making it clear that anyone who doesn’t join them will be destroyed.”

  Nicole snorted. “Like they could kill everyone on their own.”

  “They showed footage of creatures from Jack’s dimension, including the one we killed. In fact, they told about all of that—how it had taken six of the most skilled Aretes to bring the beast down and that we’d nearly failed.”

  “Well, I hate to say it, but they’re right,” Nicole said.

  “It’s not exactly something we need to have publicized right now. Not when we’re trying to gain followers ourselves.”

  Coolidge sighed. “I wish that were all . . . but the reports went into great detail over what would happen to Tarians who desert their leaders. They showed the bodies of Austin’s siblings.”

  Nicole gasped, her gaze automatically going to Dave and Elyse.

  She lowered her voice. “Have you talked to Austin about any of this?”

  “Not yet. He’s not answering his phone—I’d guess he’s in the gym. Are you with his parents?”

  “Yes.”

  “I think they’d rather hear it from you in person than anyone else over the phone, aside from Austin, who might be unavailable for a while.”

  “How did you know who the bodies . . .?”

  “Belonged to? They named them. Mentioned Austin as well.”

  “Oh, this is going to make him furious.”

  “I think that’s the point. They’re trying to upset us. Because when Aretes are angry, as you know, we’re more powerful, but we struggle with controlling our powers.”

  Nicole nodded. “What should I do?”

  “Tell his parents what’s going on, then call me when you land. Have you overheard any important conversations from your parents lately?”

  “None at all,” Nicole said, knowing he was referring to the bugs he’d given her a month earlier. “I think they must have figured out I’d bugged their offices. Or they’re meeting somewhere else.”

  “I’d assume it’s the latter—Tarians don’t have access to the type of equipment that would recognize my special bugs. Only an Arete would—and a powerful one at that.”

  “Did they say anything about me in the reports? About me stepping back from leading?”

  “No, actually, they didn’t. But Tiffany definitely looks comfortable in the position.”

  “Of course she does,” Nicole said, realizing she was glaring at her carryon, which she only brought in case her flight got delayed or canceled. “How many stations are airing the report?”

  “Pretty much all of them—CNN, NBC, Fox. Even international stations like the BBC.”

  Nicole shook her head, noticing that her mood had finally caught Dave and Elyse’s attention. They looked on with worry. Nicole sent them a half smile, holding up a finger so they’d know she’d explain soon. “I just can’t believe this. What are we going to do?”

  Coolidge sighed. “There isn’t much we can do. Keep recruiting and get to Idaho, as soon as possible. How did the purchase go?”

  “Fine. I’ve got the paperwork now.”

  “Good. Well, like I said, give me a call when you’ve landed. Tell me what Austin’s parents say.”

  “I will. Thanks for calling.”

  Nicole hung up the phone, then closed her eyes, not knowing where to start.

  Elyse came and sat next to Nicole. “That call obviously upset you.”

  Nicole nodded. “Yes, it did. A lot.”

  “We won’t pry. Just let us know if there’s anything we can do.”

  Nicole opened her eyes, looking at Elyse, then Dave, who sat across from her. “That’s the thing—it involves you. Quite a bit.” She bit her lip, then told them the gist of her conversation with Coolidge.

  Elyse gasped. “You’re serious? My babies! Oh, how horrible.”

  Dave’s face was red, his eyes dangerous. “They have no idea who they’re messing with.”

  Elyse returned to her seat, putting her hand on Dave’s arm. “That’s the problem. They do know. They haven’t forgotten what we did to them four years ago. And how could they? We destroyed over a hundred of them.”

  Nicole felt the color drain from her face. Elyse, Austin, and Dave had killed over a hundred Tarians? She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Yes, Tarians were evil. They terrorized innocent people. They had brutally tortured and murdered Austin’s siblings. But shouldn’t their justice have been meted by the court system, not by the Young family?

  Realizing she wasn’t in a position to judge, Nicole put her thoughts from her mind and focused on the couple sitting across from her. “Don’t let it make you angry—they’re trying to manipulate you, trying to force your hand.”

  Dave seemed reluctant to agree.

  “Yes, you’re right, Nicole,” Elyse said, nodding. She rubbed Dave’s arm where her hand still lay. “Between Dave and me, Coolidge and Austin, these Tarians won’t know what hit them.”

  “And me,” Nicole said with a smile.

  “Oh, especially you,” Elyse said. “Definitely you. But you’ll have other things to worry about. We plan to act as your guards—make sure you get to the top of that mountain safely.”

  “I really appreciate that,” Nicole said, tears filling her eyes. She looked away, blinking rapidly. Austin wouldn’t be there with her—he couldn’t be. Instead, he’d be taking charge near the link where the Great Ones would come while Coolidge accompanied Nicole. Knowing Austin’s parents would be there, however, made Nicole feel more complete. More ready to face the task ahead of her.

  Elyse and Dave both gave Nicole hugs when the time had come for her to go through security.

  “We’ll keep in touch,” Dave said, his eyes red. Nicole could tell the news had really hit him hard. And for good reason—they’d never been able to give Josh and Sarah proper burials. Nicole hoped the opportunity came after the Tarian war ended.

  Elyse grinned at Dave. “Of course we’ll keep in touch—it’s only going to be another week or so before we see her again.”

  Dave rolled his eyes. “A lot can happen in a week.” He looked at Nicole. “Besides, in case I’m wrong, this young lady hasn’t been able to talk to her boyfriend in a while. I think she’d probably appreciate hearing from someone who does talk to him frequently . . . and who isn’t a stuffy old professor.”

  Nicole laughed out loud. “Coolidge is far from stuffy, but I definitely appreciate the offer. Feel free to call or text any time.”

  She gave them hugs again, then got in line, already feeling better about the situation.

  The moment her plane landed, she gave Coolidge a call and told him how the Youngs had taken the news.

  “Good—we’re lucky to have them on our side.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Nicole said, walking off the plane. “They’re powerful allies. And not just because they’re great at purchasing lands. Their magical pulses are incredible. Have you ever been around them?”

  “No, but I don’t think I’d need to be—overall, Austin isn’t as strong as me, but in some ways, he exceeds my abilities. I’d expect that they’re much more powerful than he is.”

  Nicole nodded. “Yet you’re the one everyone around the world knows.”

  “That’s only because I’ve chosen to put my Arete powers first and foremost in my life. Not saying they haven’t, but they haven’t been as publicly available as I
have.”

  “That makes sense.”

  They ended the call, and Nicole found her car. The day was still youngish—it was only three in the afternoon—so Nicole decided to visit Lizzie at work.

  She drove to the small doctors’ office where Lizzie was a receptionist and walked in. Lizzie was helping a patient, but the moment she was free, she turned to Nicole with a big grin on her face.

  “So . . . how’d it go?”

  “Both parents were there. But it’s okay, because they’re fantastic. Austin didn’t get his personality from either of them, though. Both gave me big hugs the minute I stepped off the plane.”

  “Oh! I love a good mystery. Did you ask them where he got his shyness from?”

  Nicole laughed. “Of course not. It wasn’t relevant to the situation.”

  Lizzie checked out a patient, then turned to Nicole. “How did the signing go?”

  “Good—I’m now the temporary possessor of hundreds of acres of mountain. Sad that I have to hand it back in a few years, but hey—it’ll be fun while it lasts.” Nicole got serious. “Coolidge was trying to call you. He gave up and called me instead.”

  Lizzie frowned. “Did you tell him I turn my phone off while I’m at work?”

  Nicole shook her head. “Didn’t get the chance. His call was pretty upsetting. I wanted to come tell you about it as soon as I got out of the airport.” She quickly filled her friend in on the reports.

  “Holy cow. That’s horrible!”

  “I know. And I got to be the one to tell Dave and Elyse.”

  Lizzie knitted her eyebrows. “Those poor people. Why didn’t Austin tell them?”

  “He was at the gym and not answering his phone. Coolidge wanted someone to tell the Youngs in person, and he wasn’t sure how long it would be until Austin was available.”

  “Good thinking.” Lizzie chuckled. “You know, I never took Austin for the gym-going type.”

  Nicole laughed. “Where do you think he got his muscles? Those things don’t just appear. You have to work hard on them. Besides, I’m glad he works out. I’ve never been attracted to guys who don’t care for themselves in every way—mentally, physically, all of it.”

  “Does Austin know yet what happened?”

  “Yes, Coolidge finally did get through to him.” Nicole rubbed her face. “What a mess this is.”

  “Seriously.”

  A bell on the door jingled and Lizzie looked up as a patient entered. “I’d better get back to work. Thanks for coming by.”

  “What time do you think you’ll be done?”

  “Depends—Dr. Taylor’s files are a mess still. I’ve been working my buns off, trying to get things uploaded to the computer and organized.”

  Nicole smiled. “Call when you’re done. Or text—whatever.” She reached over the counter and gave her best friend a hug. “We need to watch a movie or something. I could use some more relaxing.”

  “Good idea. Oh, and I got tomorrow off, so we should be okay to go to Romania. Did you buy the tickets?”

  “Not yet. I’ll go do that now.”

  Nicole left the doctor’s office and headed home, immediately opening her laptop. While waiting for it to boot up, she looked up the address for the Tarian headquarters. It was in a small city called Snagov just outside of Bucharest. After some research, she found a Marriott in Bucharest that she figured would be familiar enough to stay in. It was only forty-five minutes away from Headquarters and twenty-five minutes away from the airport, where they’d rent a car.

  Now knowing which airport they’d need to fly into, Nicole bought tickets. They weren’t cheap, this soon before leaving, and she and Lizzie would be flying out the following morning at six. Ouch. Lizzie wouldn’t be terribly happy about that. But seeing as how the flight and layovers would take more than a day, they couldn’t be picky.

  At least they had the money to pay for it!

  Once the tickets had been purchased, Nicole made reservations for the hotel. She was disappointed when she remembered she was too young to rent a car. That would complicate matters a great deal. So, she researched taxis and public transportation in Bucharest. Once she had everything figured out, she stretched back in the chair at her desk, grateful the plans were finally settled.

  Now, if only their trip would be uneventful.

  Just before shutting down her laptop, Nicole checked her email. Her eyes popped open when she saw that she had an email from Andrew, the Seattle Tarian chapter president. She quickly read it.

  Nicole,

  We haven’t heard from you in so long. We’d hoped that after the world convention, you would come back to our chapter . . . but it’s apparent you’ve decided not to. Tiffany is giving all of the reports you should have been doing. Did she oust you? It wouldn’t surprise us if she did.

  Please keep us informed. We want to help you as best we can.

  With love,

  Andrew and Shana

  Nicole took several hours to respond, packing her suitcase and eating dinner with Lizzie and thinking about what to say. She didn’t want to lie outright, but realized that telling them the truth would be detrimental, based on just how much they knew about her. She hated playing this game, but she couldn’t risk the sort of problems Andrew and Shana would create. The less they knew about her intentions, the better it would be for everyone.

  Finally, once she was ready for bed and everything was packed for the next day, Nicole sat at her desk and composed a response.

  Andrew and Shana,

  Thank you for contacting me. It’s true, Tiffany has done a little strong-arming, but I’m okay with it. Rebecca also seems fine with the arrangement, and I’ve been busy doing other things in the meantime. For now, it’s best if Tiffany be the face of the Tarians until I’ve finished my current projects. As you know, she can be a little difficult when she doesn’t get her way. :-)

  Thank you again for your message.

  Oh, and if anyone asks you why I need platinum, it’s because of a project Rebecca has me working on. I’m flying to Headquarters soon and will fill you in when I get back, if Rebecca gives me permission.

  Love,

  Nicole

  Nicole would probably have to come clean after all this was over, but a part of her recognized that one of the reasons she hadn’t been honest with them was because there was still the chance that they’d never need to know the truth. That they—or she—wouldn’t survive the next few days, what with the Great Ones coming. She hoped for as few casualties as possible, while realizing that all Tarians would kill any Arete, if given the opportunity.

  Chapter Six

  Nicole and Lizzie were incredibly groggy when they boarded the plane the next morning. They both fell asleep fairly quickly after takeoff and slept the entire way to Atlanta, where they made their connecting flight.

  They had a short layover in Rome before flying to Bucharest, where Nicole had arranged to have a taxi waiting. The same driver waited outside their hotel while they checked in, then drove them to Tarian headquarters, which was nestled deep in a forest just outside of Snagov.

  The driver muttered several things in another language—Nicole wasn’t sure if it was Romanian or not—when he realized where they were going. She purposely hadn’t told him the name of their destination, only the address. He peeled away quickly after dropping Nicole and Lizzie off at least a mile from Headquarters.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Lizzie asked.

  “Doesn’t like Tarians, I guess.”

  “And he wasn’t even an Arete.”

  Nicole shook her head. She’d only sensed a few Aretes out here and wondered why that was. The airport and city had both been very congested, and with only a few Aretes, it made her a little uncomfortable. Maybe people in Romania didn’t actually try to have Fourths. Weird.

  The girls walked down the road through the dark forest. Nicole checked her phone, glad to have service, and made sure they were headed in the right direction.

  It was around thr
ee in the afternoon on Saturday. She hoped someone would be there. What if they only worked five days a week? That wouldn’t help her very much. She should’ve thought about this before buying plane tickets.

  Of course, they didn’t have much of a choice. Not with the Great Ones coming soon, and so many other things to take care of in the meantime.

  Lizzie started falling behind, so after a quick break, Nicole took the lead, sending her friend a smile. They were both exhausted from jet lag and the long night they’d just had, but they needed to continue forward. Get this over with.

  They passed through a gate that was simply marked, “Headquarters,” and Nicole nearly fell flat on her face when a loud cheer greeted them. What was going on? She paused, waiting for Lizzie to catch up, and shrugged when Lizzie asked that very same question.

  “I have no idea,” Nicole whispered.

  A huge group of people stood outside of the large building that had come into view. They were grinning, clapping, and cheering.

  “Are they here for you?” Lizzie asked.

  “I don’t know. I mean, no one knew I was coming except . . . oh. Andrew,” Nicole grumbled. She shouldn’t have said anything to him. If he’d alerted Headquarters to her coming, who else had he told?

  Nicole and Lizzie reached the crowd, and a man in a black suit stepped forward and exuberantly shook Nicole’s hand.

  “Nicole Williams, it is such an honor and a pleasure to have you here,” he said with a huge grin. His accent was thick, but his English was understandable. “We haven’t had a visit from such an important person in years! My name is Alexandru, but you may call me Sasha. I am director of Headquarters and on behalf of all Tarians here, I welcome you to our facility!”

  He stepped back, and with a sweeping wave, showed Nicole the people and the building. It was beautiful—like a fortress mixed with a monastery. And it was old, very old.