The vessel jumped forward and Captain Carl sounded the horn. Bee kicked to be let down, and ran to the captain. "Me, me!"
He laughed and scooped her up. "Wait for it…wait for it…"
I exchanged a confused glance with Alex. Arnold had a smile on his face. Carl continued, "wait for it…and…there! We are officially further than I've ever taken the boat!"
The two men cheered. Bee pulled the horn.
"Oh, man." Alex brought his hand to his face, shaking his head back and forth.
"Seriously?" I asked.
"Yep. Before 2002, we had to move it four feet from port every few months. A state requirement. But after that – no need to sail it unless there was an emergency."
"Like this?"
"Yep," he said, "like this."
"Too bad we couldn't take that boat." Alex pointed out the window. A large battleship-looking boat sat in the water close to shore, the front half almost completely submerged. The number 325 painted white on the bow stood prominent out of the water. The only redeeming quality of the steamship compared to the navy vessel was the fact that is was river-worthy.
The captain's shoulders sagged. "Yes, well. Lots of other people wanted to take that boat somewhere. After all the fighting, turns out what they should've been looking for was a driver." He smiled to himself. "We're lucky the LST was there, though – kept everyone away from good 'ole Spirit of Evansville, here." He patted the instrument panel.
I smiled at the irony as we passed the navy warship. I was charging into yet another battle with Shawn, this time on a gambling steamboat with the potential of exploding on its own.
The captain leaned over and said in a low voice, "Toddler life jackets are in that bin, there." He glanced over his shoulder, motioning with his chin.
"Oh, well in that case…" I walked over to the bin and pulled one out. I glanced at Alex. "Looks like we're staying."
Chapter 14
Thirsty?
"Did you get him?" Shawn asked the guard posted outside the building. Shawn, Clay, and a small contingency of Elementals rolled up to the state capitol building.
"Inside, sir." The guard took their bikes.
"Don't call me sir."
"Yes, S…Shawn."
Clay's short legs had to work twice as hard to match Shawn's pace up the steps and down the length of the building. They were directed underground by various guards posted, and into a small storage room.
"Shut the door," Shawn ordered once everyone squeezed inside. Shawn plus four Elementals, one of each power, hovered over a man tied to a chair in the center of the room. Clay sweated profusely, as did the man in the chair.
Shawn removed the duct tape from the man's mouth. The captive rubbed his cheeks against his shoulder, but didn't speak.
"Gentlemen – this is the CEO of the building company for Utah's first nuclear power plant." Shawn circled the man, then stopped in front of him, bending down to the captive's eye level. "What are you doing in Utah, rather than your posh headquarters in New York?"
The man cleared his throat, eyeing the rest of the group. "I was here when Daybreak hit." He looked around. "Who are you? What do you want with me?"
Shawn didn't answer his questions. "And so you decided to hang out; mooch off the Mormons."
"I…I…" the man stuttered, then trailed off.
"Understandable. Most of them were more than prepared for an event like Daybreak."
The man sighed. "I've been tied to this chair for days. I am sitting in a puddle of my own piss and I am thirsty as hell. What do you want?"
Shawn stood, moved behind the CEO, and massaged his shoulders. "I want to know where you have been storing all the supplies for your new facility."
"Why would you—?"
Shawn's fingers, digging into the CEO's wiry muscles, cut him off. "Let's just move past the bluffing stage, shall we? You said you're thirsty?"
Shawn stepped back and nodded to the Water Elemental. He opened a bottle hanging from his belt loops. Small droplets appeared in the air, joining together to form a fist-size globe of sloshing water.
Every last Water at The Seven had more control than that, Clay thought.
The CEO's eyes shifted from the globe of water to the Elemental. "What are you?"
Clay slapped his forehead. Wrong thing to say.
The Elemental's stare went cold. He reared his hand back, then forward, shoving the water straight down the CEO's throat.
Clay stepped forward, hands extended to help. Shawn pushed Clay back. Clay swallowed hard as Shawn's eyes bore into him. They almost glowed blue in the dark storage room.
The CEO gagged and choked. Every time he managed to expel bits of water, it was redirected right back into his mouth. With one hand still on Clay's chest, Shawn checked his watch. "Stop."
The Elemental extracted droplets from the CEO, but it wasn't fast enough. His face was going white.
"I said stop!" Shawn shouted at the Elemental.
The Elemental narrowed his eyes in concentration, and extended both hands using physical motions to pull the water out. Sweat beaded on his forehead. The CEO went limp.
Shawn pushed the Elemental out of the way, and pressed his hand to the CEO's pulse. "Alive," he nodded. He slapped the CEO hard across the cheek. The man jolted awake, and took a deep breath.
Clay let out a sigh of relief. The CEO's eyes darted around the room, as if he had just woken up from a nightmare.
"Welcome back," Shawn said. "Where are you keeping the storage supplies for your nuclear facility?"
"We…we don't. There was a chance the permits wouldn't be approved. It wasn't worth the risk."
"Bullshit!" Shawn turned on him and the CEO leaned back in his seat. "You suits had enough money to push anything through. Although…there are always shortcuts to be had." He tapped his chin. "What were your planned shortcuts?"
The CEO furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't know what you mean."
"Hmm," Shawn mumbled. "You've met our Water."
The CEO automatically leaned away from the Water.
"Wanna see what our Fire can do?"
Flames lit up the room.
The screeching sound of metal against metal made Clay cringe as the CEO backed his chair away.
"Fort Calhoun," he said in a panic. "Nebraska. Right on the Platte River. It was being decommissioned, and we arranged to have a majority of the parts and materials refitted for ours."
"Now we're talking," Shawn said, rubbing his hands together. "How far did it get?"
"The first—" he cut off, leaning away further as the Fire came closer. "Can you get that out of my face?"
The Fire backed off.
"The first shipment was ready to go, but then…"
"Then what?" Shawn looked like he wanted to strangle him.
"Then Daybreak. The shipment is probably still sitting there on the river."
The Fire released his element, and the tension in the room dissipated.
Shawn turned, putting his arm around Clay and escorting him out. The Air and the Water followed. Heat licked at their backs. Shawn paused. "You, too!" he yelled over his shoulder.
Clay tried glancing back, but Shawn kept a tight grip on Clay's arm.
The heat had gone away when the Fire followed the group, but the man was left behind – still tied to the chair. Clay hesitated, indecision racking his brain.
"You with me?" Shawn asked.
Now is not the time, Clay thought. "Yeah," Clay followed Shawn and the rest of the group outside.
They retrieved their bikes, and headed back for their island. Shawn kept a slow pace.
"A nuclear facility – here?" Clay asked, angling his bike next to Shawn's.
"Country has gotta run on something," Shawn said.
Clay glanced at the Wasatch Mountain Range. They were not hand-carved; they were thrust together over time. Whatever fault line did that was still there, which meant the potential for earthquakes. And their fearless leader wanted to build a nuclear power p
lant right on top of it.
Shawn watched Clay eyeing the mountains. "Lake Utah is the largest, natural freshwater lake West of the Mississippi. Nuclear stations need tons of water to cool down the core, and I plan on building a really big one."
"Why not saltwater? You can build this thing in the middle of the ocean, away from the population."
"Saltwater corrodes the lines and valves. Besides – look at this place!" He gestured to the Wasatch and the much smaller range to the west. "It is completely protected."
Clay ran a hand down his beard.
Shawn continued, "No one cares about Utah except the Mormons, and they’re used to being pushed around. I'm not too worried about earthquakes; that's what I have you for." Shawn patted Clay's shoulder, hard.
Clay steered back and forth, thrown off balance. By the time he had his bike under control, he had to pedal hard to catch back up.
Shawn was still talking, "Though, I can't say the same for some of the other facilities I have planned."
"There will be more?" Clay huffed.
Shawn shrugged. "As many as there needs to be to power the world."
"How are you going to mine for the Uranium?"
"What – you can’t find it for me with all your 'Earth' magic?" Shawn smirked.
"Sorry – I'm not powerful enough for that." Clay grimaced. He'd only seen one person with that kind of power, and she wasn't with One Less. "So…" Clay peddled harder to keep up with Shawn. They approached a hill. "How are we gonna get to Fort Calhoun?"
Shawn looked down at his bike. "The rivers will be the fastest."
Chapter 15
Patterns
Ohio, Mississippi, Missouri, Platte. I ran through the list of rivers again. It worked better than counting sheep when I was trying to fall asleep. Sheep reminded me of fluffy pillows; something I had too long gone without. Bee stirred next to me. If I wasn't careful, I'd wake her too. Then there'd be no sleeping for anyone on the deck. I slid out of my sleeping bag and made my way to the back of the steamboat, out of view of the night watch and away from the sleeping mass that was my new army. I leaned over the railing and watched the churning water left in our wake. I was partly relieved to be on a boat powered by something other than my own arms. Perhaps we could outrun whatever was chasing us. I glanced behind me at Bee.
Or maybe not.
At the same time, we were approaching our destination much faster, and we weren't nearly ready to face Shawn and One Less again. I squeezed the railing, thinking of our last battle with them. I’d almost won. I was seconds away from destroying his EMP with Akasha, but something caused me to release too early. Something horrible had happened…
Ohio, Mississippi, Missouri, Platte. I interrupted my own train of thought with the familiar chant.
"You okay?"
I jumped at the sound of Susan's voice. I turned, rubbing the rail imprint out of my palms while I willed my pulse to slow. "Yeah…couldn't sleep," I mumbled.
"Me neither," she commented, joining me at the railing. "I keep thinking…"
"About how you've gone from Pocahontas to Mark Twain?"
Her tight smile revealed a few new wrinkles around her eyes.
"What?" I prompted.
She looked at me. "I’m scared."
I nodded, taking it in. "Me too. It's probably because of the two-ton boilers sitting beneath us. They keep propelling us closer to Shawn, but I don't think we're ready for him."
She agreed, "It feels like it has mostly been a draw. He doesn't come out on top, but neither do we." She took a deep breath. "It can't be a draw this time; we have to finish it."
"How do we win?"
"That's the question of the year, isn't it?" She smiled at me. "When we were back at the Chakra, we were talking about all of his advantages. He has his knowledge, his locations of power, and his Athame."
I recalled our conversation. "We have our own knowledge – and our own locations of power; the Chakra, the forest in Indonesia Micah and I planted, and Easter Island."
Susan nodded her head.
"But what counters his Athame?"
She stopped nodding, her hand touching something at her hip. "Do you know what the Great Rite is?"
"No," I said. "Is this another Wiccan thing?"
"It’s a ceremony, used to raise magical energy. It’s a spiritual practice that involves sex, either literally or symbolically."
I eyed her. "What are you getting at?"
She continued fiddling with something at her hip. "In the symbolic sense, during the ceremony a knife, or Athame, represents the male half. A cup, or Chalice, represents the female half."
I finally understood. "So we are the Chalice to Shawn's Athame."
She shook her head. "No. This Chalice…is the Chalice to Shawn's Athame." She held it up and we both leaned away as if it were the devil itself.
"Is that the one from Bee's Wiccaning?" I asked.
"Yep." She turned it in her hand and light from the moon glinted off. It had come in handy at Mammoth Cave, but only because Susan used it as a physical weapon. It had left a mean lump on someone else's head.
I swallowed. "Does it hold Shades like Shawn's Athame?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. I wouldn't have the ability to find out, anyway."
But I do. We both sat in silence. I could most certainly try, but these things never seemed to work the way I intended. I wasn't sure if the risk was worth it. I sighed, and took a step back. Sitting on the deck, I really took in the view for the first time in a while. With our passing from the Ohio to the Mississippi earlier that day, thick groves of tall trees along the banks of the river had given way to shorter shrubs and opened our view to the horizon.
The night was cloudless, and fluorescent green swirls streaked across the sky. The aurora borealis had been visible in the lower latitudes ever since Daybreak, like a constant reminder of my failure.
Susan sat down beside me. "Remember when Bee got that pack of crayons and paper?"
I nodded. We had had a lot of luck with wild berries that season and plenty to trade for frivolous extras.
Susan smiled. "She held up the green crayon, and said, 'sky'. Then she ran around for an hour, holding up her crayon trying to trace the green lines, trampling the paper into the ground."
I laughed with Susan. I guess the magnetic fields weren't all bad.
Snoring from the front deck reminded us to keep our voices down. We lowered our gaze from sky to inky black river, and all at once I was reminded of the experiment in Spain when Susan and I had stood alone at the end of a long pier in the Mediterranean.
"The green reminds me of phytoplankton," I said.
She smiled. "Yeah – it kinda does. Funny how nature has a way of repeating itself."
"Just like history." The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I cringed, half expecting another tidal wave to take us out.
Susan's hand on my shoulder brought me back to reality. "We've come a long way since that night. And we have plenty to go on to ensure history doesn't repeat itself this time." She held out the Chalice for me to take. "Have you ever held this before?" she asked.
I shook my head. "No." I extended my hand cautiously, letting it hover over the cup. It was definitely powerful. This close to it, I could feel the energy coming off in waves. "Was it ever used for the same purpose as the Athame?"
Susan nodded her head. "Yes – though not in my time. During a saining, the inductee would bleed into the cup until it was full."
"Lovely." I stood and walked around the cup, studying it. "Do you think I need to consecrate it first, like I did the Athame?"
Susan shrugged. "Probably not; this was never cursed to begin with, and never corrupted, so far as I know."
I moved my hand closer, and a static shock jumped from the cup to my finger. "Whoa." I pulled my hand back. "That doesn't bode well."
Susan looked like she might drop it. "Maybe we should consecrate it." Susan stood just as the boat lurched to the right. K
nocked off balance, Susan stumbled then tripped. The Chalice went straight up into the air. I caught it.
Just as I had done with the Athame, part of me went forward, falling to the deck unconscious. Another part fell back, and I watched green streaks rush down to meet me. One bright flash, and I was falling, or rather flying. Instead of plunging into a deep cave, I was thrust into the air. It was just as uncontrollable. My arms and legs flailed, trying to slow my momentum.
Give in to it, I told myself.
I heard Susan call my name in a distant echo. My face stung. She was trying to slap me awake.
Just give me a minute, I thought.
I extended my hands in front of me, and angled my body one way then another. Just like S-curves on a ski slope, it allowed for some control. Blackness opened up to a small sliver of light. My eyes adjusted to the brightness as I came closer and closer.
Blurry, dark forms dotted the edges of the circle of light. As their outlines came into focus, I realized I was looking at lean muscle. And very few clothes.
Arms rose, pointing to the center of the circle simultaneously. A small pinpoint of light emanated from each of their fingertips. Before my lips could form the word 'wait', their light joined and shot toward me. I was blasted back. My eyes flung open. I sat up, catching Susan's arm mid-slap, and gasped for air.
"Kaitlyn! Are you okay?" she sounded frantic.
I nodded my head swallowing.
"What did you see?"
"Men. Lots of men."
Chapter 16
Ladies' Night
"It makes sense," Alex said. We sat at the bar at one end of the large, open ballroom below deck. Bee was at our feet, playing with clay poker chips.
"What makes sense?" I asked, taking a swig of my pint of Tang.
"The men would be less excitable. Possibly more organized," said Alex.
"How would you know?" Susan and I squeaked at the same time.
"Haven't you ever been to a strip club?"
"No," Susan looked offended, her eyes shooting darts. "Have you?"
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