~~~
Allie sat in her armchair by the balcony later that night reading a book on the history of the Immortal Senate. As she read, her mind wandered. She felt the spiraling plunge of despair she was learning to associate with her worst nightmares and an overwhelming sadness filled her heart. The vision caught her by surprise as her foot fell against the soft, grass-covered path she traveled almost every night she slept now. She was back in the forest, near the orchard. She heard the rustle of light footsteps and turned to see Sasha along the path ahead of her. Sasha turned and beckoned her to follow.
“This is new,” she murmured into the early morning fog. Her waking visions were never this clear. This was more like her dreams. Yet she was still aware of the armchair beneath her and the heavy book in her lap. Lately she dreamed of this place a lot, but she was always alone. Or she followed the random shadows and ran from the fires, haunted by screams of terror as she choked on the billowing black smoke. It was her constant companion now. But every time, the dream got a little less scary and a little more boring as the fires grew farther away.
“We have to find him, Allie,” Sasha whispered, waving her forward.
“That’s definitely new.” Allie followed her friend, once again, not at all sure what her gift was trying to tell her.
“Hurry,” Sasha demanded. “Before we’re too late.”
Allie picked up her pace to catch up. She matched her two strides against Sasha’s one.
“Er … what are we doing, Sash?”
“We have to find him,” Sasha replied. Allie didn’t think her friend was even aware of her presence at all.
“Okay, where should we look?” Allie asked, not sure if she wanted this creepy ghost-Sasha to answer her.
“Along the hillside just before dawn. We have to hurry.”
“What hillside?”
“Near the gates. Come, we don’t have much time.”
“Gates? I don’t remember any gates and I’ve been all over this place.”
Sasha whirled on her, marching toward her with fire in her eyes. “Explore everything. Do you hear me? Everything!”
“Yes ma’am.” Allie took a step back in alarm.
“There is much more to this place. You have to study it, Allie. Now hurry.”
Allie crept along the winding path behind Sasha. They traveled farther than she ever had before until they stepped onto a paved driveway, sweeping across the rolling grassy hills. She could feel Sasha’s urgency. The two walked quickly through the damp grass to the base of a nearby hill where tall iron gates stood at the crest of the driveway.
Sasha stopped, crouching low among the dense laurel trees.
“See? Just there.” She pointed across the hill. “No, not there by the gate; ignore the gates. Just there on the opposite side of the lawn near the low-hanging tree limbs. You see him?”
“Quinn?” Allie shot up from her crouched position. “He’s here? What does it mean?” Allie watched the shadowed figure in the darkness. She couldn’t make out if it really was Quinn.
“It’s him. You see him?”
“Yeah, Sash, I see him. What does it mean?”
“He has to see me. He has to know he can come back.”
Allie felt the heartbreak then. The torment Sasha felt every single day that Quinn was gone. Every single day that she blamed herself for all that had happened to him. The enormity of her friend’s pain hit her like it was her own.
“I’m so sorry, Sasha. I don’t know what any of this means.…”
“She will never forgive us if we don’t get this right.” Sasha turned to watch Quinn in the eerie pre-dawn light.
“She? She who?” Allie frowned.
“Sasha,” Sasha said.
“Wait—what?” Allie took a step back and watched the ghost-Sasha. But it wasn’t really Sasha.
“Holy balls, I’m talking to my gift.”
The ghost-Sasha wasn’t Sasha at all; she was just wearing Sasha’s face. It was Allie. The part of Allie that understood her gift.
“You understand now, yes?” Ghost-Sasha turned to her with dead eyes.
“That even my subconscious thinks I’m rather dim when it comes to how my gift works? Yeah. Thanks, I got it.” Allie gave her a thumbs-up.
“He has to see her.”
Focus on the important details and discard the rest.…
“At some point are you going to tell me what all this is about?”
“As soon as I know, you’ll know,” Ghost-Sasha said. “We’re still trying to figure it out.”
“We? Who’s we?”
“Me. You. We.” She looked at Allie blankly.
Allie watched Quinn move in the shadows across the lawn. Darkness swarmed all around him like a barrier she wouldn’t be able to breach in this vision.
The book slipped off her lap and crashed to the floor, jarring her from the waking vision. All this time, she'd seen the forest and the orchard in her dreams and she'd just dismissed it as nothing of importance. But this was different. Allie's clairvoyance was trying to warn her. Her dreams weren't just junk anymore.
~~~
CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
On Friday, Allie rushed home to change after her training session with Emma. Graham had texted everyone an update that Amrita was happening tonight. The club seemed to take great pains to keep everyone on pins and needles about when and where this thing would happen. Allie felt sick after leaving her mentor for the day. Emma knew something was up, but Allie hoped she wouldn’t catch on to what they were up to.
“You’re not wearing that.” Sasha rolled her eyes. The trip to Amrita seemed to be doing wonders for her. The possibility of doing some small thing to help Quinn had brought her back to life.
“What’s wrong with my outfit?” Allie glanced down at her jeans and hoodie. “We’re going to fight.”
“We’re going to fight, but we’re going to look good doing it.” Sasha marched into Allie’s closet and started pulling clothes from hangers.
“Sasha, I can’t fight in heels!”
“Wear the boots with the chunky heel, then, but you are not wearing sneakers. Put these on.” She shoved a pair of slim-cut dark jeans in her hands. “And this—it’ll look good with your hair.”
Allie pulled on the jeans and the silvery boat-neck sweater that brought out the silver strands of her hair. She always thought the silver made her look like she was going prematurely gray, but in the Immortal world it seemed to be some kind of mark of status that linked her to the Indriell royal line—most would freak if they knew how short that line was. Sasha’s hair was threaded with gold, which some said linked her with one of the noble houses as well.
“And this.” Sasha threw a black leather jacket at her. “At least you’ll be presentable for the party. If we’re doing this, we’re doing it right. Amrita’s a big deal and people will be dressed to kill.”
“For a fight? That’s crazy.” Allie shrugged into the fitted jacket.
“I guess you’ll do,” Sasha finally relented. “Don’t forget to arm up. This isn’t exactly smart, what we’re doing. Amrita is known for erupting into chaos—I’ve heard that’s when it’s the best, actually.” She ducked into the bathroom to change.
Allie shoved her newest set of sai into her boots—her mother’s ancient weapons would be too conspicuous tonight, especially if the blades started to sing. She grabbed her new bracelet, which concealed a set of throwing blades, and slipped it over her wrist. With a heavy ring on each finger, her fist would pack quite a punch. And if it turned into a really bad night, she’d bring out the short, sharp blades with a twist of each ring. She looped a long necklace over her head; a sharp dagger rested inside the huge blue pendant. At the last moment she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and the world went green. The strange color was becoming a beacon she recognized now. Something needed her attention. She stared at her reflection, examining each detail. Something was off. Her gaze landed on the teardrop pendant she wore. It
belonged to Kassandre. “Right, best leave this at home.” She tucked the necklace into her jewelry box. The last thing she needed tonight was for someone to recognize it.
“Who are you talking to?” Sasha called from the bathroom.
“Myself,” Allie said. She supposed since she was talking to her gift, that was the same thing.
Allie shoved her weapons belt into her bag with her collapsible quarterstaff and her growing collection of daggers and throwing blades—her aim had improved considerably since the games last year thanks to Emma’s target practice over the summer.
“Ready?” Sasha frowned in her direction as she stepped out wearing dark leggings, red boots with a ridiculous heel, and a loose black sweater that fell off her shoulder. Her interest seemed to have evaporated in the short time it took her to dress. Sasha looked absent, as she did almost constantly these days.
“He would want you to live your life, Sasha,” Allie said quietly.
“How?” Her voice was hollow and distant. “How can I possibly move on when I have no idea where he is or if he’s even okay? How is it remotely acceptable for me to even think about fun? I know we’re doing this for him, but I shouldn’t be worried about clothes and looking forward to the fights and the party.”
“Take it one day at a time, Sash. And when it seems like that isn’t working, remind yourself that Quinn is a powerful guy. He will take care of himself. And he will come home.”
“But what if he doesn’t?”
“Then we never stop trying.”
~~~
As they drove across the Veterans Memorial Bridge into the city, Allie felt both nervous and excited for the evening ahead. The fights would last all evening and then the party would end at dawn. She couldn’t imagine where something like that could take place within the city that wouldn’t attract unwanted mortal attention.
Allie pulled into the parking garage at Darius’s apartment building and found him waiting for them near the entrance. He was dressed in black from head to toe, and Allie had a hard time not staring.
“Your brother’s looking hot tonight,” Allie muttered.
“Ew.” Sasha laughed.
“What? I’m single, I can look.” She was attracted to Darius in a weird way, but the thought of actually being with him was laughable. Her feelings for him were at such opposite sides of the spectrum, it just didn't make any sense.
“Thanks, Red.” Darius winked and she turned bright red.
“Damn his ears.”
“We gotta go to the West Bank,” he said as he hopped in the back seat. “We’re meeting the others over by Nautica Pavilion, then we’ll get an update on where to go from there.”
“We still don’t know where this place is yet?” Allie asked.
“Graham should know soon,” Sasha said as they headed back across the bridge to the West Bank of the Cuyahoga River.
The parking lots around Nautica were full and the sidewalks were packed with people heading off to dinner and a night out at the clubs. Dressed as they were, Allie and her friends blended with the crowd.
“Arm up,” Darius said before they exited the car.
Allie strapped on her weapons belt and tugged her sweater down over it. She tucked her sai into her boots and slipped her quarterstaff into the loop at her hip.
“This way, guys.” Graham waved them over to where he and the others waited. “We have to head down to the old bridge on Center Street,” Graham said. “It’s going to be a challenge to get into this place.” His grin sent a wave of dread through her. If Graham thought it was fun, she was sure to find it terrifying.
The walk down to Center Street was a short one, but they were in the industrial part of the city now. The crowds thinned as they approached the old rail bridge.
“Well? Where is it?” Aidan asked.
“We’re going up there.” Graham pointed to the Veterans Memorial Bridge towering high above them.
“What do you mean, up there? We were just there,” Allie said.
“Keep your hair on, Red. We’re climbing,” Graham announced to the group.
“Of course, the old subway tunnel,” Darius said. “The bridge has two levels and not many people know the lower level used to be a subway. It’s been closed since the early fifties. It’s perfect for Amrita. The noise of traffic will mask the sound of the fights, but it’s right here in the midst of everything.”
“How’re we getting up there?” Allie asked. She knew there would be risks involved in the fights, but she hadn’t expected getting into the club would be such a challenge.
“We’re supposed to head under the big bridge. It’s a ghost town down there so we won’t be seen.”
“And the party? It’s up there too?” Sasha asked.
“It’s in the lobby entrance to the tunnel. It’s supposed to be some huge Art Deco relic of the twenties,” Graham said.
“All right, I’ll climb a bridge to see that,” Allie said.
“Really?” Aidan gave her a wary look. “I expected lots of whining.”
“I do not whine. Besides, you had me at Art Deco. Oddly, I’m okay with the climbing part. I’m more worried about the getting-caught part if some mortal sees us hanging off the side of a bridge.”
“I’m sure it’s hidden,” Graham said. “Someone with a gift like Imogen’s or Quinn’s will probably mask us while we climb.”
Just the mention of Quinn’s name was enough to chase any worries from her mind. That was why they were here tonight. “Let’s do this, guys,” Allie said. They headed across the old rail bridge that was completely eclipsed by the massive Memorial Bridge that towered over the industrial part of the city. Allie glanced back to see if anyone followed. Surely other young Immortals were making their way to Amrita tonight.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to go up top and climb down?” Chloe asked.
“We have to perform the challenge to get in. There are several entrances to the old subways, but we have to go the way we’re told,” Graham said, checking his phone again.
“How are you getting this information?” Allie asked.
“I’m not the only techie out there. We have websites with encryption mortals couldn’t even dream about.”
“Immortal net? Really—?”
“She’s about to make a Harry Potter analogy,” Aidan said.
“—It’s like wizard radio.”
“And there it is.”
“What are you babbling about?” Darius looked at Allie like she’d lost her mind.
“She’s been re-reading Harry Potter lately and she’s been making comparisons ever since.”
“Such a weird little mortal girl.” Darius shook his head. “Come on, killer. Let’s do this. And you owe me a dance before this is all over.”
“Lead the way.” She followed him into the shadows of the bridge.
Allie gazed up at the enormous structure towering above them and wondered how she would manage to get up there without freaking out. When she looked back down, she halted when she saw five strange men waiting for them ahead. It startled her when she realized they were Immortal.
“It’s just the guards,” Darius whispered.
They aren’t very powerful, Lex. That’s why you didn’t notice.
I should be more aware!
Well, we’re all used to being around some of the most powerful of our kind.
That could be dangerous, Aidan. Getting too complacent.
They couldn’t touch you. You’d have them on their asses before one of them managed to lay a finger on you—if they even dared to try.
Still, I don’t like getting startled like that. Not after last year. Look at them. They’re all shifty and nervous.
Because the six of us together are not exactly a comforting sight.
Oh, right.
Yeah, remember, our friends are pretty scary too.
What does that make us? To them, I mean.
Legendary.
“Ix-nay on the elepathy-tay.” Darius elbowed her hard
in the ribs.
“Ouch.”
“No names, no phones, kids,” the first guard called in a shaky voice. “Show us your weapons.”
“Stay here. I’ll go first.” Darius stepped forward, drawing his Italian sword from its sheath at his back and his dagger from his hip. A double-bladed Bo staff followed, and then brass knuckles and a dozen throwing blades.
“I’ll just need to touch each of you briefly on the shoulder to mark you,” the man said hesitantly.
“Explain,” Darius said flatly, crossing his arms over his broad chest.
“It’s like a wristband or a stamp you would receive at any nightclub. The Amrita staff will see my mark like a beacon that tells them which opponents have been selected for each match. We will watch over you carefully until you leave the vicinity of the club, and then my mark will fade and you’re on your own.”
“Will it fade?” Darius was not pulling any punches and he sounded exactly like a cop. He wouldn’t get very far tonight if he kept that up.
“Yes sir, you will see it fade. I am not strong enough to sustain the mark for more than a short radius. And I am no longer drawn to the mark after a few hours.”
Is that like a weaker version of Liam’s gift?
Exactly, Aidan said.
“Fair enough,” Darius finally relented.
“All right, weapons out, kids,” the man called, waving them all forward.
It was comical, really, how many weapons Sasha managed to pull off her person. Even the burly guard eyeing her cracked a smile. “Going to war, sweetheart?”
“You never know.” She shrugged.
“This one looks like she’s seen her fair share of battle.” The guy in charge nodded at Allie. Her hand drifted to her throat in a self-conscious gesture. The comment caught her by surprise. She was used to most people in her life not seeing it or acknowledging it.
“Battle scars are a matter of pride, girlie,” he said in a gruff tone. “I trust you made the Coalition bastard who gave it to you live to regret it?”
“Yes sir. My brother and I did,” she whispered, remembering clearly just how much her captor deserved what he got. First from her and then finally from Liam. If she had been quicker to retaliate, Quinn would be here with them now and they might be attending Amrita completely for the fun of it.
Emerge: The Judgment: (Book 2) Page 13