A Step Away (The Wanderer Book 2)

by Jocelyn Stover

  “Come on,” Z yells while waltzing ahead of me into the stone fortress. I quickly follow hot on his heels. While an enthusiastic Kade had given me the tour last time we were here I don’t really remember my way around and have no desire to get lost. Keeping pace with Zafir, whose strides are exceptionally long, means I have to speed walk, so naturally I’m out of breath by the time we reach our destination. We stop outside a large conference room across from the command center. Z hesitates, head bent and hand on the door handle, something clearly on his mind.

  “In the interests of full disclosure, just let me say Kade’s been a real dick these last few months, and Gwen you’re immortal now.”

  “Excuse me?” I want to say but Zafir yanks open the door and runs into the room so fast I don’t get the chance. Momentarily stupefied, I stand there watching the door swing, the words “Gwen you’re immortal” bouncing around in my head. Then I see red. What right did any of them have...how could they possibly...they never even asked me! The long list of injustices swirls through my mind and fuels my rage. Z had all day to tell me and Kade’s had months to come clean. Damn him, and damn Zafir too, they’re both cowards. Fine, I tell myself, they’re not the only ones who can play the game. Since everyone seems to anticipate me coming unglued over the news, I won’t. That ought to keep them guessing and on edge until I have the opportunity to maim them both.

  Schooling my features, I pull open the door and slip inside, briefly pausing to survey my surroundings. We are the last to arrive. This much I had expected since I was the last one to be informed about the meeting. Zafir had also phoned ahead to alert everyone of our impending arrival when we reached the salt flats. With the exception of Basal and Adil, all the Wanderers are spread out around a gigantic oblong table. Glaring first at Z, who refuses to look at me, and then at Kade, who can’t seem to take his eyes off of me, I stride forward with purpose and claim the empty seat next to Hal without hesitation.

  “A bold statement,” the overly observant Wanderer whispers with his brow arched expectantly.

  “You have no idea,” I reply with no desire to be forthcoming at the moment. I like Hal but until I figure out just what happened to me he’s on my shit list as well, and guilty until I say otherwise. Lucky for him he doesn’t rank nearly as high as his brothers at the moment.

  Settling in, I lean back in my chair and allow Hal’s bulk to block me from view. From Kade’s view to be precise, whose eyes have been pinned to me since my arrival. Glancing to my right I notice Zafir is continuing to avoid eye contact. It’s going to be a long day, I think as I turn my attention to Adil, who has just started speaking.

  “Thank you all for coming,” he says, singling me out with an appreciative nod. “Allow me the opportunity to elaborate on recent events for Gwen’s sake. Being new, many of our operations are still foreign to her I’m sure.”

  Well that clears things up I tell myself, realizing that no edict barring people from sharing information with me came from Adil. The confirmation of what I’d already determined - that Kade has been the one keeping secrets from me - somehow makes me feel worse instead of better.

  “As you’re all aware, there’s been little evidence of Himyar or his activities since he broke free from his binding spell. That is why last month Basal approached the group with an elaborate plan to draw him out. The gist of the hoax was to lure him to Essam and trap him there. Working together, Makeen and Rashid spelled the Vault of Souls to feel like it does when the Sylph spheres are present.”

  Scratching his head Adil pauses for a moment and I can’t help but smirk over his predicament: he has to explain magic to someone as ignorant as me. “You see, all Sylph share a connection called the iltheara, which means they feel the essence and location of one another through it. The connection lessens with distance but when a large collection of Sylph are together the strength of the iltheara magnifies and their location would be recognizable to another even oceans away.”

  “Is this connection something you guys possess as well?” I ask as I glance from face to face around the table.

  “No, we no longer have that connection I’m afraid, although we do maintain a sixth sense, if you will, that allows us to feel the binding of a Sylph to its sphere,” Adil clarifies.

  “Oh,” I respond to his explanation.

  “We chose Essam for this ruse because in addition to being a place of great significance it’s also littered with magic,” Adil continues. “You see Gwen, all magic leaves a trace, a trace which can be felt when we focus. Himyar would be expecting to feel magical residue there, he might even surmise it is a stronghold of ours. We were counting on the magical clutter surrounding Essam to mask the additional spells that were necessary for our hoax. Last night, after a long wait, Himyar took the bait. Bass, the video please.”

  A breathless silence permeates the room as Bass cues up the recorded footage. To my right I notice Zafir and Makeen forcefully gripping the arms of their chairs. Based on the way the guys around me are behaving I surmise very few, possibly only Bass and Adil, have already seen this footage. The tension in the room mounts and we watch a wild-eyed stocky man enter The Treasure Trove. Crap, I mean The Vault of Souls, I mentally correct myself. I’d recently learned the hard way that particular verbal slip ups were not okay. In the video, Himyar looks around seemingly astounded for a second and then glares directly at us, like he can see right through the camera. His malevolent eyes seem to bore into mine. Screaming something unintelligible, he bursts into colorful smoke (what the Wanderers call flameless fire) and flies from The Vault.

  “And that’s all she wrote,” Adil states as he steps up to address the group again. “Himyar managed to slip through the traps we’d laid out for him and has vanished once again.”

  Letting out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, I ponder this turn of events. I really assumed they’d caught Himyar.

  BOOM! A reverberating sound whips everyone’s heads around. My jaw drops at the sight of Z storming from the room after launching his chair and punching a gaping hole in the wall. The palatable fury of his wake leaves me jarred and confused. What just happened?

  “Z!” Kade calls out.

  “Leave him,” Adil commands.

  Hesitantly Kade reclaims his seat, his eyes glued to the door through which his partner has just exited. Glancing up at Hal, I desperately want to ask him what that was all about. Reading my expression he shakes his head infinitesimally before redirecting his focus to Adil. Distracted by Z’s outburst, I tune out when Basal brings a global map up on the screen and a heated discussion on tactics to enhance the search ensues. Sneaking a peek around Hal, I look at Kade, who has become grim and withdrawn. Besides an occasional grimace he contributes little to the conversation. Sometime later Adil addresses me. Bored to tears and with my mind wandering I don’t realize what’s happened. It takes Hal nudging me in the shoulder to clue in.

  “We can’t continue to leave you locked up at home, now can we?” repeats Adil. “Your situation poses quite a conundrum. We can’t risk your identity being discovered and we can’t easily relocate you.”

  I nod my head in agreement but make no reply. I’m not really sure what to do with myself either.

  “For the time being you will remain in San Diego under the care of Halim, who has volunteered to be in charge of both your cover and your protection,” Adil states with confidant finality before moving on to address the few remaining items on the agenda.

  I sit there speechless, processing the odd turn of events regarding my future. Kade has always been my guardian, even before I knew it. Why didn’t he volunteer? Or did he? While I like Hal, he’s not the one with whom I want to spend an unforeseeable amount of time.

  The meeting ends and I’m lost in the turmoil of my own thoughts when Kade practically jumps up from the table and flies out of the room, exiting through the same door as Z. The others meander around and trickle out slowly, leaving me alone at the table with Hal. Meeting his gaze for the first
time, I pause, not sure what to say. Hal intuitively breaks the silence for me.

  “So, looks like it’s just you and me girl.”

  “Did he even volunteer?” I ask, trying to hide all emotion from my voice.

  “I never gave him the chance. I prearranged this with Adil.”

  “Oh,” is all I say, feeling no better and no worse knowing the decision had been taken away from Kade. Hoping to shake off my mental funk I dive into the events at hand. “Hal, will you tell me the history between Zafir and Himyar?”

  “How did you know they have a history?” he asks with surprise.

  “Just something I picked up on in the car earlier. Not to mention that his recent outburst wasn’t exactly subtle,” I answer.

  Folding his hands on the table Hal considers my request, his analytical eyes never leaving mine.

  “Back when we were all Sylph, Zafir and Himyar...well, let’s just say they were friends.”

  Wow, it’s worse than I thought, I say to myself.

  “Have you ever been to, or are you at all familiar with, Jerusalem and its surrounding areas?” Hal asks as I shake my head to indicate that I had not.

  “There is a valley not far from the city, a valley with a rather gruesome history. I’m afraid Zafir and Himyar are responsible for a great deal of that history. What you must understand Gwen, is that the Z you know now is nothing like the Sylph he was before.”

  I nod along in agreement and let Hal continue.

  “None of us has completely come to terms with the atrocities we committed in our pasts.” Hal looks down at his hands resting on the table and pauses. “The return of Himyar will unearth the guilt Z has worked hard to keep buried all these years. Himyar and Zafir set themselves up as deities and over time they gathered many followers from the surrounding communities. Their sick and twisted religion demanded suffering and blood offerings as a show of fealty from its followers, and at one point even the sacrifice of small children was popular and widely practiced.”

  I cover my mouth with one hand and lean forward hugging myself with the other arm. I don’t want to believe it. Z, how could he? It wasn’t him, I remind myself, holding on to Hal’s earlier words like a lifeline. If I’m struggling this badly with the news I can’t even imagine how Z must be feeling. The soft touch and warmth of a hand running down my back distracts me for a moment. The electricity of the encounter leaves little doubt as to who is standing behind me.

  “Is Z okay?” I ask him, not bothering to turn.

  “I’m afraid not.”

  “You’ve got some nerve,” I snap, allowing the acid building up inside of me to spill forth. Without waiting for a response I take my leave of the room. Anger fuels my steps and I make a beeline for the only place I remember how to get to: the cavern containing the Nephilim family tree. I don’t stop until I reach the far wall, letting my head come to rest against the cool stone.

  “Care to explain what that was all about?” Kade fumes behind me as he struggles to control his tone.

  “No!” I yell, more forcefully than anticipated. My echoing defiance is quickly smothered by the heavy footfalls of Kade approaching closer.

  “You’re upset about something, have been since the moment you arrived, but don’t take it out on me,” he lashes out.

  I don’t turn around. Instead I begin tracing the golden branches of the tree on the wall.

  “Care to explain what me being immortal is all about?” I counter furiously. Casting a glance over my shoulder I see Kade run a hand through his hair and stare at the ground, speechless. “I thought as much.” Turning, I address him face to face. “You didn’t even ask, you had no right...” I start but trail off when Kade’s head snaps up.

  “It was the only solution. The bloodlines are too diluted and in another five hundred years there won’t be anyone capable of helping us. We cannot let the sealing fail,” he says.

  “Oh, so this is all about duty, the Sylph. This has nothing to do with me whatsoever.” Glaring, I wait for him to say something, anything, and from the exposed pain in his eyes I know I’ve struck a nerve.

  Kade’s answer never comes. Utilizing superhuman speed, he crosses the gap separating us and enfolds me in his arms, which is exactly what I want - some sign that this decision wasn’t about saving the world but that it was about me, about us.

  “No,” I say pushing away from his chest. There is no us, I remind myself. The conviction in my voice surprises us both, and I run from the room, heartbroken, knowing this complication will hurt more than it will help. I’m not supposed to be immortal.

  Racing back towards the conference room the familiar voices of Basal and Halim float out of the command center. Sputtering to a stop in the doorway, I startle both men.

  “When do we head out?” I ask them.

  “We can leave whenever you’re ready,” Hal responds, eyes narrowing with concern. Fighting back angry tears, I nod.

  “I’m ready.”

  “Are you sure, do you want to say goodbye to anyone, to Z?” Hal wisely chooses to leave Kade’s name out of his inquiry, probably having surmised from my distraught appearance that our last conversation didn’t go so well. Still upset over Z’s cowardice in divulging the secret of my immortality, I shake my head.

  “No, let’s go.”

  Chapter 3

  Back in the car, yuck, but I keep my grumblings to myself. The cab of Hal’s truck is suffocating and I’m sick of driving. After the trip home from Utah I’m surprised Hal still wants this guardianship assignment. I had not wanted to talk so I’d popped my headphones in and proceeded to ignore everything and everyone. Given my rude behavior I half expected him not to show up today, but no such luck. I had found him on my porch, coffee in hand, ready to work this afternoon when I got up.

  Mindlessly I stare out of the passenger’s side window, tracing circles on the glass with my finger.

  “You need to let it go,” Hal says, breaking the silence. “When put to a vote the decision to make you immortal was unanimous, and if Kade hadn’t have done it Adil would have been forced to do so. It was the only way to ensure the sealing would survive.”

  “That doesn’t make it right,” I fire back. Crossing my arms indignantly I face Halim. “Regardless of the necessity it shouldn’t have been done to me without my knowledge.”

  “Agreed. Whatever he claims, logic wasn’t the only thing fueling Kade’s actions that day.” Sharing a knowing look with me Hal continues, “We were as shocked as you were when we discovered what he’d done. You should know we debated the issue for a month, weighing every possible alternative. In the end there just wasn’t any other way.”

  I nod, appreciative of the explanation.

  “Only after the vote was cast and the decision finalized did Kade mention he’d already taken care of the matter. As you can imagine that did not go over well,” he finishes with a short whistle and a smile.

  “Was he punished?” I ask, furious at myself for being alarmed. After everything Kade’s done, the concern in my voice is so genuine it’s nauseating.

  “In a roundabout way.”

  When an explanation is not forthcoming I mull over Hal’s cryptic reply, half wondering if the fact that Kade has to watch me live out my life with Ben is what Hal means. I quickly change the subject - that’s a matter best left buried in the back of the freezer with the rest of my emotions.

  “I don’t understand something. The angels put restrictions on your powers, right?” I ask.

  “Yes.”

  “Then how could you make me immortal? Isn’t that the same as killing someone or bringing them back from the dead?”

  Eyes sparkling, Hal chuckles at my naivety. “Not exactly. Killing a person or bringing them back from the dead goes against the natural order of things. But you Gwen, you are immortal in the loosest sense of the word.”

  “I don’t follow,” I say and frown.

  “Gwen, we do not posses the power to change you or make you indestructible like a Wand
erer, only an angel could do that. But we did find a loophole, a way to indefinitely extend your life span.”

  My brows knit together while I wade through this new, confusing bit of information. “How is that any different?” I question.

  “It’s completely different. We didn’t change anything about you; we merely preserved you exactly as you are now.”

  Flipping down my sun shade, I stare into the vanity mirror while Hal grins enthusiastically beside me. I choose to believe he’s not making fun of me and attribute his excitement to something else. Will I really stay like this forever?

  “So I’m frozen in time,” I simplify.

  “More or less, but physically you are no different,” Hal agrees.

  Gazing at the passing cars I ponder my new state of being when something occurs to me.

  “Hal, if we were to crash right now would I die?”

  “Your chances of surviving would be the same as any other human, so to answer your real question - yes, your body is still frail and you can be killed, hence, the reason I’m here.”

  “So barring any physical tragedy to my person, I will live forever.”

  “Exactly,” he says in confirmation.

  “Can you feel magic? I mean, shouldn’t I have known he’d done something to me?” I question.

  “Not necessarily. The more power a spell requires, the more likely the subject is to notice traces of it... while it’s happening, that is. After the fact you wouldn’t feel a thing.”

  “Wouldn’t this kind of spell require a lot of power?”

  “Most certainly. A simple spell like messing with people’s memories takes very little effort and I’ve never come across an instance when anyone has noticed. But my wife claims to have felt it the time I healed her broken leg.”

  “You were married?” I exclaim in shock.

  “That’s a story for another time,” Hal replies, casting a pointed look my direction as if to say “drop it”. “After your abduction we healed your concussion, but I don’t suppose you were conscious enough to remember if you felt anything.”