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

by C. B. Haight

  “They encountered some demons,” Cynda explained knowingly.

  “Oh. Can we eat yet?” he replied, unconcerned. Cynda stared at him sternly. “What? They’re alive aren’t they?”

  Jeffery entered next, crowding the kitchen doorway even more. “Did someone say demons?”

  Jarrett rolled his eyes. “I’ll be outside.”

  “No, wait,” said Cynda. “Stay. We have dinner ready, and I thought—for tonight anyway— we should have a little peace.”

  Delphene grabbed him by the arm, ignored the scowl on his face, and pulled him toward the kitchen. “C’omn, Mon Ami, and have a taste of my Civet de Cerf. I promise you’ve never had the like of it before, and likely never will again.” Looking over her shoulder, she winked to Cynda as she passed by.

  Jeffery and Nate stepped from the doorway to allow room for the pair to pass.

  “So, we can eat now?” asked Nate again.

  “Yes, Nate,” replied Cynda in her motherly tone. “We can eat.”

  Dinner passed by easily for most of the group. The conversation was off and on, and even Jeffery added to it, something he rarely did.

  Jarrett said nothing the entire time. The whole thing felt extremely awkward to him. He’d never eaten with this many people before in this kind of a situation. It was much easier to concentrate on his food, which was everything Delphene promised. He learned that Civet de Cerf was braised venison. He was amazed at how tender and delicious it was, especially given the fact that she obviously had little time to marinade the meat. He still couldn’t figure out how she managed to get all the stuff for this dinner, but he guessed Cynda must have had this in mind all along when she purchased supplies on the first day. Either that or she used magic to get ingredients. Still, it was a good meal, so he didn’t bother to ask.

  They couldn’t all fit at the little, retro table in the kitchen, so they got their food and crowded into the living room instead. Jarrett opted to stand near the door. Ashley began gathering plates when Collett asked, “Have you heard from James?”

  Cynda nodded sadly. “There’s been no change. She seems peaceful enough, but Jenny still hasn’t woken. The doctors are a little baffled, but hopeful. She’s not brain dead and breathes on her own. That’s good, I suppose.”

  “I suppose,” answered Collett. “How are Tracy and James?”

  “Good,” replied Rederrick. “Tracy is chomping at the bit to get back to New York, but for now, she’s staying around. Anyways, Ashley here has decided to join them after Christmas.”

  “You have?” asked Nate, surprised.

  “I can’t stay here for too much longer. With Tracy being so edgy, she needs me there, and I need to see Jenny.”

  “What about the attacks?” Nate asked.

  She smiled at his concern. “There haven’t been any. In fact, they’ve been safer than we have if you count what happened in town today. Plus, I’ll be on the base. James has already arranged it,” she replied softly.

  “You can’t fly commercially,” Jarrett said, “They’ll be tracking that.” He shrugged when the room of people looked at him. “I would be.”

  “Actually, we considered that. The pilot Dad arranged is the same one that brought them to New Orleans,” responded Ashley. “He’s coming this way in two more days, so I’ll fly back with him. I’ll need a ride to the airport though. ”

  “We’ll take care of it, Ash,” assured Cade. “I suppose this is as good a time as any to tell you all that we can’t stay here anymore. What happened in town proves it. We’ll hold out here until Ash leaves if we can, but after that, we need a new place to go.”

  Cynda stood, “I don’t want to talk about this right now. We can discuss travel plans later. Right now, there is another matter I want to deal with. Give me a minute, I need to get something.”

  Everyone watched as she left and then looked to Rederrick curiously. Everyone except Jeffery, Jarrett noted.

  “Don’t look at me. I rarely know what she’s up to. I only follow along and hope I can keep up,” replied Rederrick under the intense scrutiny.

  Jarrett kept quiet about how he suspected Jeffery knew exactly what was going on.

  Cynda came back downstairs a few minutes later holding a paper bag. “I’m a little traditional, and I would have liked to give you each a pretty present wrapped in festive paper today. That being said, under the circumstances, this is the best I could manage,” she explained and held up the small bag.

  “It’s nice that you thought of anything,” Cade supplied.

  “This isn’t only from me. Jeffery had his hand in it too.”

  Everyone looked at the young sorcerer with surprise. “It’s nothing,” he mumbled uncomfortably.

  “He’s wrong. It’s more than nothing, but first, because it is Christmas Eve, we need to set the mood. Jarrett, could you get the lights for me?”

  With his customary look of annoyance, Jarrett flicked off the switch near the door, leaving the small fireplace stove as the only light in the room.

  “Jeffery,” Cynda coaxed, “could you?”

  There was a shuffling as he stood from the floor and deftly moved his hands. The group suddenly found themselves bathed in the soft glow created by glittering lights dancing around the tree.

  There were several sounds of approval, and Rederrick said, “Well done boy, well done!”

  Even Jarrett couldn’t deny the sight was…shaking his head, he tried to think of a word to describe the magnitude of what he was seeing, but there wasn’t one. The magical lights Jeffery conjured were like little stars plucked right from the sky. They moved and twinkled brightly in contrast with the evergreen branches. Jarrett was impressed. Never in his life had he seen magic used in such a way. In his experience, people cursed with magic abilities used them to hurt or destroy.

  “Beautiful, Jeffery. It’s better than I’d hoped,” Cynda exclaimed. “Now,” she said with a deep breath, “I have a gift for each of us. It’s nothing as impressive as that,” she said pointing to the tree. “All the same though, it’s needed.”

  Cynda reached into the bag and pulled out a thin, copper colored chain. On the end of it hung a strange, circular patterned charm. Within a large circle, there were several smaller circles; all of them were interconnected.

  “You got me jewelry. That’s just what I asked for,” Nate joked.

  “No, Nate. I didn’t get you jewelry,” she replied with a smile. “What I made, what we made, Jeffery and I, is a symbol.” She twisted the chain, and the charm on the end twirled in response. “Collett, in a way, you are the beginning, and each of us have become pieces around you. But now, we are whole together.”

  Jeffery cleared his throat.

  “Go ahead, Jeffery.”

  “We’re a team. We have to be. I…well, I’ve never been a part of something like this, but …”

  “This is a team,” Ashley finished.

  He nodded.

  “If we’re going to remain that way, we have to stand as one,” Cynda explained further. “I thought that, maybe, this would be a symbol for us all, a reminder that we are each a smaller portion of a whole. Without one of these smaller circles, the rest would be compromised. Each circle connects to the others like each person here connects to the group. It’s small, but so are the links in armor. Together, we strengthen those around us. Jeffery helped conjure a charm for me, and I believe the protection magic in it will help us. More importantly, the meaning behind it will bond us. Both of us already wear one. The question I have for all of you is— will you wear one? Can we be different parts of a whole?”

  Collett stood first. “I’ve been told that victory can create hope, but a little hope will ensure victory. I’m not sure where or when I heard that, or how I remember, but I believe it’s true. I’ll wear it, because to me, it is a symbol of the hope we need.”

  Cynda slipped it over Collet’s head then reached into the bag and moved to Cade, holding up another charm before him. “Cade?”

  �
��I’ll wear one,” he replied respectfully and held out his hand. Instead, Collett took the chain from Cynda and slipped it over Cade’s head. He kissed her hands as she finished.

  Cynda turned. “Nate, Rederrick?”

  “You know I’m in,” replied Rederrick.

  “I told you I asked for Jewelry,” quipped Nate, and with a smile and a wink, he snatched his before Rederrick could.

  Rederrick took an extra one, offering it to Ashley. “Will you?” he asked.

  Nodding, she took it from her father’s hand.

  “I will wear one, and I will wear it proudly, Mon Ch᷾erie,” Delphene proclaimed.

  Jarrett watched the whole exchange uneasily. He said nothing as Cynda walked over to him, holding up another chain. She met his doubtful expression with her sea green eyes, and he could see the power behind them.

  He also saw something he hadn’t seen for hundreds of years. He saw emotions he’d only seen in Rowena, emotions he could not fully understand anymore. He understood hate. He understood anger, jealousy, and greed. He even understood pity. But love, kindness—these were foreign to him. Unsure what to say, his brows drew in, and he bit the inside of his cheek.

  Cynda smiled, and his memory flashed to Rowena’s face. “Where Collett is the beginning, in a way, you are at the end. I know that you have been mostly alone throughout your life and this whole thing must be difficult for you, but I’ve realized something else these past few days. Our circle wasn’t whole until you arrived.”

  He said nothing, but inside there was so much turmoil and confusion. And, he noted, there was fear. He was as afraid to be a part of this group and rely on these people as Collett was of her abilities. He glanced to her with sudden insight into how she must feel. She was afraid hurting them, letting them down, or making matters worse, and in his own way, so was he.

  He suddenly felt like a twelve year old boy again and saw the fire lit green eyes of his surrogate mother staring at him with compassion as his body betrayed him for the first time. He could see the same motherly compassion in Cynda as she offered him the gift of unity, and family. All of it, coupled with Collett’s pure trust a few hours before, broke something long ago frozen inside of him.

  Jarrett gently took the charm from her and admired the intricate design of the medallion for more than a minute. He knew that it was meant as a symbol of their team’s unity. But for him, her gift signified change. A change he feared, but deep down, it was a change he’d been looking for his whole life. Without a single word, he placed it over his head, feeling the charmed metal against his chest as it slipped beneath his shirt. He silently swore to himself that he wouldn’t let her down. He wouldn’t let any of them down. Jarrett would do everything in his power to see this to the end.

  “Merry Christmas, Jarrett,” she said softly, smiling.

  Humbled, Jarrett could only nod in reply.

  Chapter 24

  The door to his room opened. Niall knew it was Victor who entered before he opened his eyes. He didn’t look up. He already knew what Victor was here to report. Henifedran had fallen. Niall’s link to him had severed the instant it happened.

  “Sir?”

  “What?”

  “Henifedran hasn’t returned yet,” Victor explained.

  “Do you think I’m unaware of that?” he asked darkly.

  “Of course not, sir. Should I send more bounty hunters to that area?”

  Niall glared at him. “This is not like it has ever been before. He is The Hunter, and the sooner you realize that the better. He will have left already, but I’ll find him.”

  Neither man spoke while Niall closed his eyes once more. Sweat dotted his brow, and his temples throbbed from the level of concentration he continued to invoke.

  “Is there something else, Victor?” he said without opening his eyes.

  “We have nothing on the woman. She and the people she is with have disappeared. We’ve tracked one of the children down to a military base in Colorado, but his records indicate he’s overseas for another six months.”

  “If you wouldn’t have let them get away the other night, this wouldn’t be a problem, would it?” Niall replied, implying a clear threat behind the words.

  Victor kept silent, not daring to irritate his master any further.

  “I don’t care how you do it, find a way to draw out that family,” he ordered.

  “Yes sir,” said Victor, and he moved to the exit. As he reached the door, he turned back. “What about the other boy, the one called Cody?”

  “I promised he could live. I never said where or how. Let him stay where he is for now.”

  “I understand, sir.”

  Niall said nothing more and heard the door close quietly. He knew Victor wanted to slam it in outrage. It was one of the reason’s he kept the sniveling twit around. That and one other reason no one knew of.

  It helped that Victor was nothing if not obedient. He showed no emotion and never questioned his master. Victor would do exactly as he was told for the rest of his life, and Niall knew it.

  The fact was, Victor was nothing without Niall, and years of brainwashing and control had ensured Victor would be unable to envision his life any other way. It was ironic that for as smart and capable as he was, Victor was one of the most easily manipulated of his followers.

  Stupid, weak-willed mortals, he thought. He knew exactly how to control the worst of them and how to turn them to his side. Power and fear. Almost everyone craved power, and those that didn’t could be controlled with fear.

  Niall was worshipped, feared, respected, and revered all at the same time. He’d bent many to his will, and he gathered strength and power from it each time. He’d learned over the centuries he’d existed that life was not about hope, love, and courage. Those ideals made a man weak and vulnerable. They were a trap. It wasn’t how the world worked anymore. It hadn’t been for a long time—maybe longer than even he realized.

  No, life—his life—was about power, fear, and vengeance. To get power, you needed respect. To get respect you commanded or demanded it. To demand respect, he instilled fear, and fear could cripple a man, bending him whichever way Niall desired. He’d been shown how to feed on fear, anger, and chaos, and he needed to do so to retain and strengthen his abilities. This kind of power had made him far stronger than ever before.

  Collett threatened all that he built, and that he could not allow.

  Taking a deep breath, he began to concentrate again. When he exacted his revenge on the betrayer, Jarrett, she would see the truth. She would understand how powerless she was. There was no way to save those who wouldn’t follow the rules. Once she learned that, she would beg for his mercy. Niall suspected she was protecting him. Somehow, despite no memory of who she was, Collett had blocked his connection to the traitor, but he resolved it wouldn’t take long to feel The Hunter’s rage again. “I am Strength, and you cannot save them all,” he said to the dark.

  Christmas came and went. Time for celebrating had ended, and Jarrett had them all back outside training despite the foot of snow that covered the ground. The day after Christmas, they spent a good part of the morning making arrangements to move on to a place in Park City, Utah at Rederrick’s insistence.

  They called the rental agency about the totaled SUV, explaining the damage away as a result of winter weather. Luckily, Rederrick had opted for the extra insurance on it. Of course, all of this was done using false names. The soonest they could arrange to transport them all out would be two days from now, so they continued to cross their fingers that their location would be safe enough for now.

  Having said their goodbyes, Ashley was on her way with Nate, Rederrick, and Cade to the airport to hitch a ride with the Black Hawk pilot. Jarrett felt it would be a good time to get a little one-on-one training done with Collett, so she stayed behind. In fact, it was one of the reason’s Cade went along; Jarrett had insisted.

  Delphene stayed with them and watched, as per Cade’s instructions, while Cynda and Jeffer
y meddled with more magic.

  Instead of using sticks, Jarrett padded his sword and supplied Collett with a smaller sword that was likewise protected. After running through the basic routines for twenty minutes to loosen her up, Jarrett began to pick up his pace. More than an hour later, he felt his old frustration coming back. She kept falling back into bad habits of defensiveness and hesitation, and she wouldn’t take an offensive position.

  “Are you playing with me or trying to kill me?” he ground out.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, did I hurt you?” she answered automatically.

  He roared in frustration, and striking hard, disarmed her. Getting in her face, he snapped, “You’re supposed to hurt me. You’re supposed to kill me. I’m a demon, remember?”

  “I’m sorry,” she said again.

  “And stop saying that!” He picked up her sword. Seeking calm, he tried a different tactic. Handing her the sword, he asked, “What did you do to me in the alley?”

  “I…don’t really know. I was scared you’d kill me.”

  “Alright, how did you do it?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Yes you do. Think about it,” he ordered.

  “I can’t, because I didn’t think—I— I just did it.”

  “Exactly!” he exclaimed.

  Collett looked at him with confusion in her eyes.

  “You didn’t think. You followed your instincts. Quit thinking and act. Quit trying to time your every move, instead, feel them. Wait for them. There’s a rhythm to it.”

  She nodded.

  “Again,” he ordered.

  Collett lifted her sword and readied herself for his attack. It didn’t come. He didn’t even lift his sword. He waited for her to move against him.

  Cautiously, she advanced, lifted her weapon to strike, and found herself stopped by his own blade. Looking into his eyes, she saw the challenge in them. She hesitated. A rhythm, she thought. Just feel it. She struck out again and again. He expertly blocked her, but she kept coming, pressing in and engaging him fully.