The Price of Knowing: A Powers of Influence Novel (The Powers of Influence Book 2)

by C. B. Haight

  Rolling his eyes, Cade couldn’t help but smile at Nate’s taunts. Jarrett didn’t see the humor and pinned Nate with a cold stare. Holding his hands up in surrender, Nate tried explaining himself, “Just sayin’ it doesn’t really reflect your outgoing personality.”

  Deciding to ignore the sarcasm, Jarrett addressed everyone, “There are rooms upstairs. Take your pick. There are four if I remember right. I haven’t been here in about 35 years, so I can’t guarantee their condition. I’ve had caretakers keep it up for the most part, so it should be livable. There’s not much room inside, but plenty outside. No one is close enough to bother us, and that’s what we need.”

  “I’m sure it’s fine, Jarrett. Come on ladies, let’s get things together inside, and you boys can take care of the luggage,” Cynda instructed.

  “I’ll give you all one hour to get it together--then I expect everyone out here to get started,” Jarrett ordered.

  “Now just a minute. It’s been a long trip, and we’re all a bit tired,” Rederrick replied.

  “What’s your point?” Jarrett shot back darkly.

  “It’s cold and getting late. Let’s rest a bit today and start tomorrow,” Cade said, stepping between the two men.

  “Let’s get one thing straight,” Jarrett stared at Cade but addressed them all. “Those demons don’t give two damns if you’re tired. They don’t care if you’re beat down or injured, and they sure as hell aren’t the least bit concerned with the weather or time of day.”

  Cade’s expression turned grim as Jarrett lashed out at them, but he said nothing.

  “Well, neither do I! One hour. That’s better than you’ll get from them,” Jarrett finished, and walked away from the group toward the heavy tree line, disappearing within its folds.

  “I think he may be as mean as my drill sergeants back in basic,” Nate said when he was out of hearing distance.

  “He’s right,” Cade said reluctantly. Everyone looked to him when he spoke. He knew they often sought his guidance, and he knew they were looking for that now. Jarrett was right. The demons wouldn’t care, and they needed to get used to that. “Up until now, we’ve always been the one to engage The Faction. Things fell on our terms more often than they didn’t, but the game has changed. They’re coming after us blatantly and in stronger forces. Considering Jarrett’s condition last week when we found him,” Cade paused as the image of Jarrett fighting for his life despite multiple wounds and broken bones flashed in his mind. “He’s right. Things are different now.”

  “An hour then,” Delphene said with determination.

  “An hour,” Rederrick agreed.

  “Man,” Nate complained.

  “Careful, little boy, or you will be the first one he eats and spits out for fun,” Delphene teased.

  “Nah, don’t you know? I’m spoiled and hard to digest,” he said with a grin, and he went to the back of the rented Tahoe to retrieve the first set of luggage. Following his actions, and wondering what they would learn an hour from now, the rest of them went about their appointed tasks.

  Arrangements weren’t really that hard. The farm house was old and small, but roomy enough for their purposes. It was mostly furnished, though most of the furnishings had seen better days. A functional kitchen had probably been last updated in the 1960’s, but Cynda insisted it was extremely charming. The nice living room was clean and would serve as a meeting place. The caretakers of the home had done a fine job, and the dust in the home was at a minimum.

  The four bedrooms were divided smoothly. Cade and Collett would have the master because it had the queen bed, and Cade was so tall it made sense. Cynda and Rederrick took the room with a double bed, and Delphene and Ashley would share the room that had two twin beds. While it would be a little bit of a crunch for Delphene, she didn’t seem bothered in the least. That left Nate, Jeffery, and Jarrett with the smallest room with bunk beds. Nate eagerly claimed the top, but Jeffery reminded him they would be sharing a room with Jarrett. Nate then suggested Jarrett sleep outside. Luckily, Jarrett hadn’t returned and missed the entire exchange.

  The bigger problem would be the single bathroom the home offered, but determined to make the best of things, Cynda simply pointed out that showers would need to be quick. She insisted to Cade that tomorrow they would need to make a trip to town to gather up a few supplies, and he assured her he would make it happen.

  An hour later, they all filed outside to get started as Jarrett had demanded. Already waiting, he crouched near the ground, and stared at the shining blade of a large sword with an intentional focus as he slowly turned it. The sword was intimidating. The dark man holding it so carefully made it even more so. The late afternoon sun glinted off the polished, sharpened metal. The hilt looked as if two separate pieces of silver and gold were expertly twisted and tied together. Each twist snaked over the cross piece and knotted at the end in a circular shape. Within the pommel was a strange, scrolling mark. It looked somewhat like a letter or symbol. There was finer etching in the silvery steel of the blade as well, but Cade could not make out the full image from this distance.

  Cade experienced an odd sense of familiarity at the sight of the curving marks. Something about them tugged at his memory, but he couldn’t quite place it. Collett similarly felt a stirring within upon seeing the weapon, but thinking it was her confused feelings toward the sword’s owner rather than the actual weapon, she pushed it back. Forcing herself to focus on the task before her, she steeled herself for the upcoming lessons.

  Jarrett rose and firmly gripped the hilt of the sword. “Training starts now,” he said and leaped at them with vicious intent. Unknown to the group, his attack held purpose. Jarrett wanted to gage their reactions.

  Each person handled Jarrett’s advance differently, but it was pretty much the way he expected they would. Pulling Collett away from possible harm, Cade yanked her behind him. Rederrick and Cynda both dived aside together. While Nate bravely tried to bull-rush him at a low angle. Delphene stood her ground, not moving an inch. That one surprised him. Calling his bluff, she simply planted her feet. Jeffery yelped and moved his hands to disappear—or least he tried to.

  Jarrett easily out maneuvered Nate, going right over him. Unable to stop his forward momentum, Nate couldn’t round on him in time. Then Jarrett easily shifted his direction, avoiding Delphene’s readied stance, and charged Cynda. Rederrick and Cade reacted predictably and went at him from behind. Jarrett heard them coming and ducked, then rolled backwards and gained his feet right in front of Collett. He grabbed her and twisted around. With the shining sword flat against her chest, Jarrett positioned his back was against the porch with her in front of him.

  “Now what?” he questioned. Nobody moved to attack him, but eyeing each other, they all held readied stances. “There’s more of you than there is of me, so what are you going to do?” he demanded.

  Collett attempted to free herself by stomping on his instep and twisting in his arms, but it did her little good.

  “We can’t move on you while you use her as a shield, or we risk killing her!” Nate shouted.

  “By all rights, she’s already dead, and you’ve hesitated too long. You think the enemy will act any differently than I have? They won’t. They’ll attack your weakest points, and use them to kill you.”

  Surprising them all, Ashley, who had stayed on the low porch well away from the exchange, jumped and kicked out at his injured side. Jarrett cringed, let go of Collett, and fell to his knee. His sword point stuck in the ground, but he stubbornly held it.

  Collett felt his pain and turned to help him with pinched features. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what else to do,” Ashley explained.

  “Stop it!” Jarrett ordered and stood abruptly. “I challenged you, and you responded as you should have! You took advantage of my weakest point.”

  “We don’t want to hurt you,” Cynda said.

  “Well Niall and his demons do want to hurt you. Pay attenti
on, because I’ve just shown you where your greatest weaknesses are. You,” he said to Cade, “can’t run to everybody’s rescue. If they can’t cut it, they shouldn’t be here. And you,” he pointed to Jeffery, “can’t think that disappearing will always save you. I can see you, and odds are, so can some of them. Use your magic, fine, but learn to fight, dammit!” He pierced Collett with an icy glare, and his tone became deeper and more threatening, “And you better figure out that you’re the primary target. Get tougher or die!”

  He brushed past her, and she shivered at the contact. Planting his sword in the ground, Jarrett addressed them, “The first thing you should know is demons don’t die as you might think. They are banished when you take their shell, their body. Most stay banished, except the select few recalled by extremely rare powers. There’s only one man I know that can resummon them, but it requires so much energy that he has only done it on a few occasions that I'm aware of."

  “Niall?” Collett questioned, “He can resummon them?”

  Jarrett glanced at her, a grim expression covered his features. “Yes, he can but seldom does. It’s easier to call up new ones.”

  Collett looked away from the intensity in his eyes.

  “To banish leech, greater, and arch demons, as Cade and I am sure Delphene know to some degree, you must decapitate it or stab it through its black heart. Hence the sword,” Jarrett instructed. “A knife between the eyes works as well on lesser demons such as fiends and imps. Bullets, injuries, and amputation slow all of them down, but not for long. Because of their quick regeneration, time is your enemy. They feel pain and can’t grow limbs back, but they heal faster than even lycanthropes can. They’ll even adapt without an arm given enough time. Half breeds die the same as humans.

  "They’re never without a weapon. They use their claws and teeth expertly, and they all have enough strength to crush a man’s head. Some even have poison and innate magic. From arch-demons down to half-fiends like Finnawick, they are a race created for one purpose—chaos.

  “I intend to help you stay alive. You’ll pair off, learn the sword skills, and work on your deficiencies and strengths every day. I made sticks of varying size for those of you that are novices.” He kicked at a pile of sticks no one noticed before. “Cade, teach Collett the basics, and Delphene can pair off with Ashley. Rederrick and Nate together, while Cynda and Jeffery practice. I never bothered to understand such things as magic, so Cynda will be in charge there, but you’ll train in swordplay. Make time for both. Everyone grab a stick.”

  Collett, hurt to her core by Jarrett’s sharp words earlier, turned to the pile of fake swords, bent, and snatched up the first one she reached. She moved into position in the middle of the large property, hoping to prove to him she could toughen up.

  Cade moved next and the others followed, to each choose a training weapon. Passing Jarrett on his way to Collett’s position, Cade said in a low tone, “You don’t need to be so cruel.”

  “They’ll be far crueler, and you know it.”

  “But you’re not them, and you don’t need to act like them,” Cade replied and made his way over train his wife.

  I am like them, Jarrett thought to himself. “It’s the only way I know to keep you alive,” he lamented so quietly that no one, not even Cade, heard. Pushing his self-incriminating thought aside, he swung his sword up to his shoulder and moved from pair to pair to offer instruction as needed.

  He found himself impressed for the most part. Nate especially caught Jarrett’s attention with his quick, snake-like strikes and his rhythmic, athletic grace. Jarrett watched and understood that Nate must have spent an extensive amount of time studying and practicing fighting techniques. Rederrick, while skilled in his own right, was obviously outmatched by the younger warrior.

  Delphene patiently explained sword basics to Ashley, who listened carefully and learned quickly. However, she struggled with being aggressive because of her naturally timid behavior. He hated that it was even necessary for her to learn.

  Jarrett noticed that neither Cynda nor Jeffery had any solid skill using a weapon that didn’t include magic. They defaulted to it naturally, so he took some extra time to instruct them together. He remained tough and cold, but was careful to not push any of them past their limits. Each person earned a few bruises and more than a few aching muscles to show for it.

  Lastly, he glanced toward Cade and Collett’s direction. Cade was teaching her technique, and she took in each lesson. She kept a stern expression on her face and easily mimicked his every instruction. Jarrett scrutinized her every move and how she angled her body with every strike. She held the “weapon” confidently. Her posture was disciplined, her arms were strong, and her was stance balanced. She exhibited definite skill, but Cade seemed to be missing it.

  Curious, Jarrett watched them for a while longer. Collett looked pale, and her features pinched as Cade slowly acted out the swordplay. Despite Collett’s discomfort, she continued to follow his instructions without complaint. He directed her actions telling her, “Up, down, good, now block.” Collett did as instructed, but Cade didn’t see how she began the movements naturally a second before his commands came. Jarrett noticed though, and he knew something was off.

  Before he could be certain, Cynda called his name, asked a question and redirected his attention.

  Chapter 20

  Jarrett ran them through their paces that night. He only let up when he was certain of how to further help each individual in the days ahead. Several hours after the sun set, everyone went to bed completely exhausted, and they slept hard, all except Jarrett anyway. Uncomfortable with the idea of sharing a room with anyone, let alone Nate and his smart mouth, he decided to take the living room couch.

  Since the small, 30 year old couch was a less than an ideal bed for his tall frame, he slept little and was the first one awake the next morning. It was barely after five when he finally gave up on sleep and went to the kitchen for some water.

  Carefully tip-toeing down the stairs, Collett came in shortly after. When she saw him, her expression changed. He could see the discomfort in her eyes, and he couldn’t really blame her for it because he felt no better around her. The connection between them was difficult to cope with, especially with Collett’s lack of memory. It made it hard to really know how to act, and yet they both looked to the other for answers. He knew she feared him, and he’d given her good reason to.

  “Um sorry, I thought you’d still be asleep.”

  “No,” he replied.

  “Well, I’ll… um. I’ll come back,” she said nervously.

  “Sooner or later we’re going to be in the same room at the same time. You might as well get used to it now.”

  “Well I just, I needed…” She couldn’t think of what she came for.

  “Needed?”

  “Water,” she finished, finally remembering.

  “We have that,” Jarrett said and gestured to the sink.

  “Sure, yeah, okay,” she stammered as she came into the room. With nervous fingers, she picked up a glass from the counter dish rack and moved to the faucet.

  Jarrett didn’t understand his motives, but he found himself unwilling to give her space. Instead, he stood stoically and leaned against the counter right next to her while she filled her glass.

  When she attempted to make her escape, his hand shot out and, gripping her shoulder, halted her retreat. “I could have killed you,” he said and felt her muscles tighten underneath his hand. When she offered no reply he confessed, “I wanted to.”

  “I know,” she whispered, closing her eyes to stem the tears she felt for the little boy he once was.

  He released his grip on her shoulder. “I hated you,” he said firmly enough that it still sounded true.

  “I know,” she repeated, and despite her best efforts, a tear slip past her defenses.

  “I see you in my head all the time, and I remember things that weren’t there before.”

  “Do you still want to?” she asked sinc
erely.

  “I can’t figure any of it out. I can’t figure you out!” he said, ignoring her question. “You come to me in my dreams and talk to me. I see you as clearly as if you are real and alive right next to me like now, but you’re not. Your blue eyes—they look at me, through me, as if you know something I don’t. You’re there in my mind, from the past, the present, and I can’t—”

  “Do you still want to?” Collett repeated.

  “What?”

  “Kill me,” she said carefully over her shoulder. She was still afraid to turn and face him.

  As if he sensed that fear, Jarrett lifted his hands again and gently turned her around. He saw the tears and uncharacteristically felt the urge to wipe them away. Annoyed, he ignored the strange need and dropped his hands. “You’re the empath. You tell me, because to be honest, I’m not sure of anything anymore.”

  “I’m not sure of much these days either.”

  “That’s not true,” he said, “You’re sure of the fear you have for me.”

  “I’m not afraid of you.”

  “No?” he said with disbelief evident in his tone.

  “I’m frightened of what you represent.”

  “I see.” He assumed she referred to the same thing every other person he encountered hated, including himself. She was frightened of the demon inside him.

  “You’re mistaken. I don’t fear that,” she corrected reading his thoughts.

  “I’m scared of my past and what it could be. I worry about who I am, the things I may have done,” she paused, looking down ashamed. “Or not done,” she said so quietly he barely heard her. “You represent my past because you’re the only connection I have to it.” Jarrett was so startled by her confession he could do no more than stare into her eyes and see the truth. “But mostly, I’m afraid of my connection to you and what it means.”

  “Why…” he scowled, confused, “why send him to get me then?”

  “You were dying, and I couldn’t bear it.”