Mike leaned over me. "A cereal leaf beetle. They’re destroying our winter wheat crop. They cause the leaves to go white."
I placed the beetle back on one of the wheat stems and wished him luck. He was going to need it. I turned to the group behind me. A small, dark form fluttered just over the heads of the group.
I smiled, and raised my voice to ask, "Where are the nearest caves?"
"Just a few clicks north; near the river," a voice from the back shouted out.
A pang ran through my gut as I thought of Alex and his 'clicks'. I forced myself to nod at the group, then sat down, making myself as comfortable as I could on top of the cold, dry soil. Behind me, the bristled wheat began swaying, and the low buzz of hundreds of beetles taking flight from the disturbance filled the air. The energy pulse I sent out kept them confused, flying in circles, not straying far from the wheat field. I needed them for the demonstration.
Next, I lay one hand on the ground. I glanced up at Clay who took position by my side. "I'm aiming for the caves, but we can't let the vibrations get too strong in the city."
"I'm on it, but no guarantees."
I felt Clay send his energy out; an underground block running right in between the city and the fields.
I went soon after, tying off my weaves to maintain the signals with the wheat and the beetles, and pushed energy north. It went low, the surface of the ground cracking along the way. The entire field rumbled. I left it at one short burst and refrained from sending more. I pulled back my magic, nodded for Clay to do the same, and waited.
We didn't have to wait long. The buzzing of the beetles behind me grew more frantic. Predators approached. At first it was just a few. A fluttering shadow here and there, dipping down to the field and up again. The group of Earths turned their gaze from me to the north, then to the field, and back to me again.
I continued to wait. Finally, the hoard came. The moon and stars – always bright since the rapid decline of light pollution, were broken by gray strands of tiny creatures in flight. The bats took over the wheat field, picking off beetles left and right.
The Earths squealed. Several women ducked, covering their heads. I glanced down – even Clay had begun to roll up his beard.
"They aren't going to roost in it." I rolled my eyes.
"How do you know?"
"Because." I gestured to the field. "It's dinnertime."
He snorted, but let go of the beard.
I addressed the Earths before some of the squeamish decided to take off. "The beetle population will have been decimated within a matter of a couple of nights. No pesticides needed. Nature always has a way of taking care of itself – sometimes it just needs a little push." I stepped toward the group, lowering my voice and forcing them to lean in to hear me. "The magic you possess can do more than just…earthquakes."
"Can you teach us?"
I shook my head ‘no’. "I want to…and I've asked Shawn. But he said no. Said we were put to better use in the gardens and fields."
A few cries of outrage.
"It's those Fires – he gives them all the best training!"
"And lets them slide on their duties when we do hard labor all day long to put food on the table!"
Mike stepped toward me. "If we could figure out how to do it in secrecy – would you train us?"
I rubbed the back of my neck. "I don't know…"
"We could keep it small – a few people at a time. He would never know."
I looked the group of Earths over. They weren’t all that One Less had, but certainly enough to spread the word. As I studied them, I released the signal I had been sending out to the field and the beetles. What was left of the pests fell to the ground, quickly burying themselves under foliage. Bats began sauntering away, and the night went still.
"Okay – but I'll be sticking my neck out for you, and I'm going to need that favor returned."
"Have something in mind?" Mike asked.
A small smile lit my face. "As a matter of fact, I do."
Chapter 49
A Fragile Grasp
"Weather gir—" Shawn cut himself off at her glare.
Damn, what was her name again? She had told him dozens of times.
"Sir?" She smiled sweetly, but there was a gleam in her eye. That ‘sir’ was intentional.
He itched his ear and glanced at David standing behind him, buying time to think. "Mary?" He extended his arm, palm up and open, in an unsure gesture.
Her smile turned genuine. "Thank you. What is it you need, Shawn?"
He crossed the small room of the deli/headquarters to her workstation at the countertop. Her maps had spread out in every direction.
"Let's go over these storms you mentioned," Shawn said.
"Sure." She shifted on her feet. "I can only pinpoint the anomalies as the information comes to me."
"I thought you could read the atmosphere?" Shawn leaned forward over the other side of the counter, glancing at the map she pulled out.
Her shoulders stiffened. "My readings only go a dozen miles or so, as the crow flies."
He glanced up into her fiery eyes, only inches away.
Damn, I've offended her again.
Shawn straightened, then lowered his eyes. "By far the most distance I've seen accomplished by an Air."
Except Vayu. Shawn kept the thought to himself. He missed having that kind of competence on his side.
The right corner of her mouth twitched up. Apology accepted. She cleared her throat. "The weather patterns, which aren't actual patterns at all, follow a definite path. First was the forest fire in West Virginia. It had been a wet season; the conditions just weren't right for that large of a blaze." Her finger traced down a series of smaller rivers, and over the Ohio River to Huntington. "The earthquake here."
"No major fault lines," Shawn murmured.
Mary nodded her head. "There was another earthquake down the river, but they were too far apart, in both time and space, to be considered aftershocks. The anomalies end at the derecho, which ran us off from Fort Calhoun early. There hasn't been anything unusual since."
"They follow the rivers," Shawn said. "Coming directly for us; until they reached us."
Shawn stood and started pacing the room. He pointed to another admin clerk. "Were the numbers any different when we left Fort Calhoun? Or when we arrived in Denver?"
"No, sir. Same number. Except…"
"Except what?"
"One of the camps reported a missing person. But it never added up since the head counts remained the same. When we reached Denver we struck the missing person reports from the records as an error."
"Who went missing? Why was I never told?" Shawn slammed fist down on the desk of the man.
"I don't…we didn't…you never—"
Shawn was already walking away, his back to Mary. Sarcasm dripped from his voice. "What about the derecho, weather girl? Do you think that was human-induced or not?"
She spoke, tight-lipped, "It was far too late in the season for such a massive summer storm, sir."
Shawn closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It always amazed him how quickly his fragile grasp on a situation could shatter.
David stepped forward, notebook in hand. "But, if someone was aiming for One Less – why did they stop at Fort Calhoun?"
"Because they found what they were looking for." Shawn flexed his hands, refraining from shaking some sense into him.
"Sir?"
Shawn shouted over his shoulder as he slammed the door open out of the deli, "They found me!"
Chapter 50
It's a Date
After we parted from the Earths, Micah and I turned for the amusement park and our observation tower.
"That was very impressive." He nudged me with his shoulder, inching closer.
"Thanks. I'm glad I didn't freak. I hate bats." I laughed. "At least I didn't get pooped on."
He returned the laugh, throwing his arm around me. "All that guano – good fertilizer for the wheat field."
I eyed his hand on my shoulder. He made small circles, rubbing with the pad of his thumb.
I know this tune.
I tried distracting him. "I need you to call in my favor with the Earths."
"Finally going to build an army?" His hand went down to the small of my back.
"No. In fact, just the opposite. I want them to run away when I give my signal."
He furrowed his eyebrows. "Run away? Why?" Despite the frown, his hand slipped around my waist, pulling me into him.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think we should try it again – at least not this soon." I removed his hand, intertwining my fingers with his.
He stopped walking, pulling me back into him. I tried to avoid looking in his eyes, but he lifted my chin up.
"I think we should. You have more control over your powers because of it, don't you?"
My eyes floated away. "Yes, but—"
"And you will not take an army to the fight with you…" his sharp tone caused my eyes to snap back to him. "Although you claim to know you need all the help you can get."
I ripped my chin away from his hand. "What about you? You insist at being by my side, but if we do this – you won't even be able to make your way back to camp."
His hand fell. "Why is it so difficult for you to let people do things for you?"
I laughed. "Let them? I let your sister take Bee away from me. How much more 'let' do you need?"
He shook his head. "That's not what I meant."
"Well that's how it was taken." I clipped my words short. I crossed my arms over my chest, but in my own way, heaved a huge sigh of relief. We were finally arguing, and it felt good.
"What if I…" Micah trailed off.
I stayed silent.
"I mean, I might know a way for me to pass along the energy, then gain some for myself."
"How?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"We can ask for the help of some of the Elementals. And I think I've identified another Medwin; other than Shawn."
"Who?"
"Natasha." He took me by the arm, walking again. "Tomorrow is a free day at the One Less camp. I thought we could take it off and stay here. We'll do an energy exchange tonight then I'll try to recover some of it with Natasha tomorrow."
"Why don't we try the recovery first, to make sure it works?"
"I don't think we would truly know if it works – unless I was in a condition to really need it." He lifted an eyebrow at me, waiting for my answer.
I floundered, almost out of excuses. "But what if I need you? What if something happens and you can't even stand?"
I risked a glance at him. One corner of his mouth tipped up, but his shoulders drooped. For a moment, he looked like a heartbroken man. "The thing is…you don't need me. You seem to be the strongest when I am not around. We can't separate again – I won't do it. But, if I'm at least incapacitated, I figure you'll keep stepping up."
I shook my head and mumbled, "That's stupid." But was it really? I thought back to each of the times we were separated. Galapagos – I hadn't done much there. Though I had managed to send messages to Susan and Micah. And I had pseudo-escaped; who knows what would've happened if Micah hadn't found me lying unconscious on the rocks.
Then my time at the Chakra with Alex, when Micah traveled the world like a madman hunting down Shawn. What did I accomplish then? I tapped into the Athame…that was a power increase like no other. Then I left, right in the middle of childbirth. Hell, if I could do that on my own, what else could stop me?
"Fine." I leaned in to Micah. "We'll try it again. But we'll take it slow this time. I could use the energy to visit the Shades in the Chalice."
"The Chalice?" Micah asked.
"Like the Athame, but it keeps the Shades of men. Their blood filled the cup during the initiation ritual."
Micah nodded. "Banned before my time."
"But not before Cato's time…"
"He's there?" Micah's head snapped back to me.
"Yes…he's, well, I think he's on our side."
I let Micah run through the possibilities in his own head.
"Is there something you want me to tell him? Or ask him?"
Micah nodded slowly. "Yes – ask him if the mission of The Seven, according to the doctrine, supersedes family ties."
"Okay…" I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to know the answer to that.
We made our way through the gates; I noticed Micah had doubled the guards. We stopped for dinner, then began the trek up the stairs. "You know, there is probably an easier way to do this. Like, with air, in the elevator shaft."
He laughed. "Maybe next time – look, we're almost to the top."
I sighed, pulling myself up the rest of the way with the railing.
Micah helped by pushing on my backside.
I laughed. "Get your hands off my butt."
"It's such a fine butt." He spun me around, pulling me close and keeping me there with a firm grip on my gluts.
He leaned in, nibbling at my ear as he walked me backward to his pillows. I giggled.
Someone cleared their throat from the other side of the room. We both jumped apart like teenagers caught in the act.
"Does this mean my shift is over?" One of the guards looked from me to Micah.
"Yes." Micah smoothed out his shirt, trying to recover some dignity. "Is the watch up top in place?"
The guard nodded. "Been there for an hour. Shift change goes at midnight." The guard glanced at me. "There isn't really any insulation between you and upstairs, so—"
"So keep the noise down," Micah finished for him. "Got it."
My hand went to my cheeks, they were hot.
What am I so embarrassed about? I am an adult for Christ's sake.
"Very well, then. Have a good night you two." The guard took his exit.
As soon as his silhouette disappeared down the corridor of stairs, I erupted in laughter.
Micah put his finger to his lips, then pointed up with his other finger, as if to remind me.
"Oh, please – like you wouldn't want to give them something to listen to." I put my hand on my hip, taunting him.
"Is that a challenge?" He stepped closer again, bending down so his lips were inches from mine. He lowered his voice, whispering, "Or a promise?"
I closed the rest of the distance, sealing the deal with a kiss. It was slow and reassuring and grounding.
This is what Micah does for me; he grounds me. He is my rock, my Micah.
"I love you," I whispered, even as our lips still touched.
"I love you too, Kaitlyn." He pulled away, looking into my eyes. "Let's get married."
That one took me by surprise.
"I'm sorry," he continued. "That just came out. Do you still want to?"
"Get married?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Yes. I mean, that's what we were supposed to do in the States. Will it be legal?" My hands squeezed his arms.
He shrugged. "There really isn't a defined 'legal' anymore, I don't think. I'm not concerned about the paperwork. Let's do it for us."
I smiled. "The winter solstice is coming up…"
"When the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half," he said. "It’s perfect."
"Next week then."
"It's a date." He took my hands, kissing them both at the knuckles.
I turned, leading him to the pillows. I made myself comfortable, folding one pillow in half and propping it under my arm.
Micah still stood. He took off his boots and socks, throwing them aside. Then he lifted the hem of his shirt, baring first his abdomen – then his chest.
"Turn around," I said. He obliged.
Last time, I hadn't gotten a chance to really look at him. He was much thinner than I remembered, but then again, everyone was these days. He had a few new scars. An angry, red welt ran from his shoulder to his hip. "What’s that from?"
He turned the rest of the way to look at me, scratching his shoulder. "Ran into a small mo
b; somewhere in Missouri. Their weapon of choice was whips."
"Oh my God." I had never imagined what it must have been like for him, alone.
"I managed to get away, mostly intact. The couple I ran into down the road didn't, though." He shrugged and shook his head, as if trying to rid himself of the memory.
I do the same thing. "And that one?" I gestured to his shoulder where a patch of rough, pink scar tissue resided.
"Tried to convince a Fire to join us. He didn't agree." Micah unzipped his pants, turning to face me. "Let's not talk about my scars."
"Well." I toyed with the edge of a pillow. "I have to know what kind of man I am about to marry."
He removed his pants the rest of the way.
"Oh," I breathed. "That kind of man."
He was already hard, the evidence in the intimidating bulge of his boxers.
"Your turn," he said.
I shook my head, my smile teasing. "You're not finished yet."
One of his eyebrows went up. "Fine." He took off his boxers, throwing them at me.
I caught them right in front of my face. "So sexy." I laughed.
He dove onto the pillows, bouncing half of them up into the air. "Now it's your turn."
"Oh, I don't know." I rolled on top of him. "I think we can have some fun – even with my clothes on."
"Prude," he said, smiling.
I leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Slut."
He shivered.
My tongue darted in and out as I nibbled at his neck and down the length of his chest. Not breaking contact, I slipped out of my own clothes.
With his hands on my hips, he turned us both over. His body weight pinned me. "Let me take the lead, at least for tonight…"
He put both my arms above my head, pinning them down with only one of his. "Let me in, Kaitlyn."
I spread my legs. He didn't hesitate. I bit my lip, holding in my moan, until he was all the way in. He bent his head to my ear and began whispering. It was a foreign language; I couldn't comprehend anything he was saying. But it had a rhythm to it. Sounds rolled off his tongue effortlessly, and the low hum of his voice was mesmerizing. Something in my memory flashed. Men in grass skirts, doing groin thrusts back and forth in time to drums.
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