I revised that naive optimism hours later as we stared down at the monastery from the hillside where we peeked out from behind a thick copse of trees. Peace-loving monks typically didn’t have armed guards patrolling their grounds like perfect, well-ordered soldiers. Watchtowers stood at each corner of the enclave, reminding me far more of a prison rather than monastery.
“Just what the hell kind of monks are these?” Dia asked hoarsely as she handed the binoculars back to Isaac.
My sentiments exactly!
Jake’s lips twisted grimly. “I’d say these monks aren’t just Buddhist monks.”
So not what I wanted to hear. I began shaking my head like Chris Tucker in the bomb detection scene in one of my all-time favorite campy sci-fi flicks, ironically titled The Fifth Element. “No, no, no, don’t even say it!”
He echoed my head shake and raised it a shrug. “Sorry sweetheart, but not saying it won’t make it any less true. I think it’s safe to say these monks likely belong to the Society of the Sacred Star.”
Also known as the Stalkers, everybody’s favorite group of fanatics that had unbent enough from their magical moratorium to allow Garrett free rein to use Elemental minions. Then again, he’d likely magically manipulated the hell out of them first. No other way they’d agree to use the very people they had sworn to destroy, dwindling numbers or not.
I turned a scowl on both Jake and Rhianne. “What in the hell was your brother thinking?”
They winced at my perfectly valid question. Property records showed that this monastery had owned the lake and surrounding land for decades, since long before Colin decided to commit suicide by watery grave until such time as his preferred bondmate came to her senses. Meaning he’d known damned good and well we’d have to maneuver around the Stalker-monks to retrieve his body. Even cloaked in Spirit, one false move could end everything, considering the sheer firepower we saw represented in that nearby valley. That didn’t even account for what we couldn’t see.
And these monks probably embody the spirit of Bruce Lee, martial artists who kick all kinds of ass rather than sitting on theirs and meditating.
Something about the thought of Spirit had me frowning as an unsettling thought percolated in the back of my mind. I allowed it to brew for a moment and then shoved it away. No sense in borrowing more trouble; we had plenty to worry about right in front of us.
Jake and Rhianne exchanged a few murmurs and then nodded at each other grimly. She turned an apologetic gaze my way. “Colin was a big-time follower of Buddhism in a way that Jake, Liam, and I never really were. He was also a—how do I put this?—major thrill-seeker. It actually kind of makes sense that he would choose this location.”
I read between the lines to pick up on the other point she didn’t speak out loud. “It’s a test to see whether any of you care enough about him to not just decipher all of his ridiculous clues, but sneak through an armed camp of Stalker-monks to revive him.”
The siblings exchanged another glance, and then Rhianne nodded. “Looks like it.”
“I’m sorry, but your brother sounds like an even bigger asshole than Liam. And needy as hell.”
Rhianne snickered. “He could be. But people with evil Mindbending fathers set on world domination probably shouldn’t throw stones at other people’s glass houses.”
“Touché,” I acknowledged with a smirk. “All right, we should get this show on the road while the sky’s still overcast.” The threatened thunderstorm had come and gone that afternoon, raining hard for over an hour before drying up. The sky still appeared gray and swollen, however, perfect for the infiltration we were about to attempt.
Jake gave my arm an encouraging squeeze and nodded. “You got this, sweetheart.”
I wasn’t nearly so sure, but I was definitely going to do my best. Opening myself to the Elemental world of magic came instinctively now. The world exploded into incandescent color; vibrant shades of red, green, blue, and white dancing around us. Shimmering bands of black shot through with multicolored sparks wove around and sometimes through the other elements. A dozen different sounds representing aural manifestations of the elements sang in my ears as a hundred tastes touched my tongue and even more sensations caressed my skin.
It was intoxicating and could be overwhelming if an Elemental let themselves get swept away. I allowed myself to savor the pleasure for a moment, but then I got down to business.
Bands of the four physical elements responded promptly as I shaped them into a flexible firewall around us, layering in threads of Spirit until I felt the static electricity that signaled success. The five of us inside the second-level firewall glanced at those standing outside. Their heads darted this way and that, a clear sign that we’d disappeared from their sight. Just to verify my firewall was masking sounds as well, I called out to them. Their only response was to continue searching. Jake gave me a thumbs-up, and we started the next phase of the plan: sneaking down the hill, around the monastery’s buildings, and to the lake opposite where we now stood.
As instructed, the others stayed as close together as possible without stepping on each other. My magical stamina definitely had been increasing, because I found moving the firewall while we walked much easier than the last time I’d tried it under pressure. It probably helped that we were walking much more slowly than that motorcycle ride after I killed Dorian. Not to say that it was easy, it just didn’t leave me shaking and feeling like I’d puke any second.
Baby steps! I encouraged myself. Jake’s right—you got this!
We navigated our way through the darkness by Elemental vision, which was a dozen times sharper than normal sight. The summer evening was quiet except for the chirping of crickets and an occasional owl hooting. We did pick up the low rumble of voices as we approached the monastery’s buildings. A group of monks—wearing street clothes rather than robes, backing up the belief these were not the average Buddhist monks—had gathered in a well-lit courtyard for an outdoor meal of some sort. Maybe they’re celebrating their latest Elemental kill, I thought grimly and then shuddered.
The benefit to us was that their attention was very much focused on the food they were eating and the noises they were making. Even a few of the perimeter guards seemed to be more focused on their little party than on actually keeping watch. Then again, they probably didn’t see much action way out here. Branson wasn’t exactly the crime capital of Missouri.
That suited me just fine, since it decreased our odds of detection should my firewall fade. We were nearly to the other side of the buildings and past sight of the courtyard—nearly home-free for at least a short time—when I saw it. Someone among that crowd of monks was channeling Spirit.
I froze like a deer in headlights, causing the others to shoot me concerned looks. Jake leaned close to whisper for my ears only, “What’s wrong?”
My pulse thudded painfully in my ears, and it took a moment to push the fear down. “Someone over there is using Spirit.”
He flinched, then smoothed his expression so the others would hopefully not pick up on his fear. “Your father?”
I hesitated, enhanced my physical sight with Fire, and motioned for the binoculars. He handed them over, giving the others some excuse about me recognizing someone among the group. I zeroed the binoculars in on the flood of sparkling black bands in the middle of the group and managed to catch a glimpse of the man around whom the flows converged. He wore a simple t-shirt and blue jeans, with black hair shaved close to his head, wideset brown eyes, and a pleasant face. He appeared Asian or Asian-American, but so did half of the monks. The good news was that he wasn’t my father and couldn’t be my brother Drew, either. His mother was evidently as white as me, according to Dia. The bad news was that meant we either had another full-blooded Mindbender running around or an Elemental child of one, like me, who could also channel Spirit.
Then again, we do have at least two of Garrett’s children currently unaccounted for, and one of them was a son of unspecified race.
; But then I reminded myself that my brother would have pale blue eyes like the rest of us. Almost as though Garrett had bred them into us like little brands marking us for him. Knowing him, that was actually a possibility…You aren’t the only person who has ever used colored contacts as a disguise, I further reminded myself. Nothing says this guy’s eyes aren’t blue.
I lowered the binoculars and glanced back to Jake. “I’m not sure who it is, but it’s not my father or Drew.”
His body relaxed slightly. “You think he knows we’re here?”
“I don’t think so. He would have raised an alarm by now. His attention is focused over there, with whatever has them partying like it’s 1999.”
He nodded. “Good. We’ll have to puzzle out how these Stalkers wound up with an unknown Mindbender later. After we get Colin to safety.”
Another disquieting thought occurred to me, but I shoved it back down. Or tried to, at least, but the paranoid idea wouldn’t be denied, so I leaned toward Jake to whisper. “How sure are we that Hikaru died when he killed his mother?”
Shock filled Jake’s eyes, but then his brows furrowed as he considered my question. “You think that guy is Hikaru?”
I gave a shrug. “No clue, but he could be. His age seems indeterminate, and he could be of Japanese heritage. I’m no expert. But how many Mindbenders are there running around that your Clan wouldn’t have at least heard of?”
His turn to shrug. “We didn’t know about your father until I was drawn to you. And there could be any number of mixed-heritage Mindbenders like you, I suppose. We wouldn’t hear of them unless they started trying to take over large territories.”
“Like my father. And Hikaru’s mother.”
Jake nodded. “As for Hikaru himself, my parents would know if he were still alive. All his living bonds—both to his Quatrain and liegesworn—were severed at the moment of his permanent death.”
He seemed so sure of himself, and yet some vague disquiet still bothered me. Who knew what might not be possible to achieve with Spirit? Could someone work out a way to sever Elemental bonds without death? It was at least theoretically possible.
I shook my head. We’d wasted too much time as it was. We resumed our walk toward Dragon’s Rest Lake, where it glinted in the Elemental light even if not clearly visible to mundane vision because of the overcast sky. To my surprise and pride, the second-level firewall held up. I didn’t have extra energy to enhance my vision, so I stumbled a few times as we hiked through dark and dense forestland broken by occasional clearings. Crickets chirped and owls occasionally hooted, but otherwise the evening air seemed quiet. Twenty minutes after leaving the others behind, we chose another copse of trees a few dozen feet away from the rocky beach to pause. I anchored the firewall around the circle of trees, feeling a tremendous pressure relax when I no longer had to actively maintain the spell. Sweat slicked my forehead and neck, and I wiped it away with my hands.
Jake eyed me critically. “You seem tired but not nearly as bad off as last time. Feeling okay?”
I nodded, managing to hold back a yawn. I was tired, but more like the pleasant exhaustion that comes after a great workout rather than bone-deep weariness. “Feeling pretty good. I need to catch my breath, but we’ll have time for that while Isaac and Rhianne are searching.”
The two in question flashed quick smiles as they stripped down to the bathing suits they’d worn for the next stage of our search and rescue. Humans might have chosen wetsuits, but a Selkie’s command of Water made those a fashion accessory rather than necessity. Dia, Jake, and I glanced out toward the lake while the Selkies made ready. Our roles for now were simply to wait, keep watch, and—if necessary—give warning. That last was all on me and my Mindbending powers, which meant I really did need to catch my breath. Jake noticed me sway slightly, so he grabbed a blanket brought for this purpose and spread it atop the grass beneath the trees. I sank down onto its cushy softness with a relieved sigh. He then foisted that previously refused protein bar on me with a raised eyebrow, as if daring me to argue.
Considering the hunger pangs that racked my body at the mere sight of the chocolate chip cookie dough bar, he needn’t have worried. I had the bar opened and scarfed down by the time Isaac and Rhianne moved to stand in front of me. Jake, Isaac, and Rhianne synchronized the watches they wore. We had approximately seven hours until sunrise, so the plan was to give them five hours to search, and then we’d need to leave whether or not they found anything. We were all hoping Bianca had interpreted the clues well enough that returning another night wouldn’t be necessary.
“All right,” Isaac said with a determined nod. “Rhianne and I will stay in visual distance of each other while we search the middle of the lake where Bianca believes we’ll find your brother. If we do, we’ll bring him out immediately and then carry him back to the others.”
That was assuming, of course, I felt well-rested enough to conceal our passage back and that they actually did find Colin. After years of full submersion away from his element, it would take at least a few days of basking inside earth’s embrace for Colin to have a chance of revival. Which meant we’d be dragging a corpse through the woods, past the monastery—where most of the monks would hopefully be in bed by that time—back uphill, and through more woods to where we’d parked our SUVs.
Jake nodded and then focused a stern expression on his sister. “And if you don’t find him by the time the first alarm goes off, you’ll come back here right away. We can’t risk discovery.”
Rhianne stuck her tongue out, but when Isaac poked her in the arm, she nodded grudgingly. “Yes, big brother. I swear to head back in immediately, even if we haven’t located Colin.”
“All right then. Cass needs to rest as much as possible, so she’ll check in with you just once an hour—or if any emergencies come up on our end. Both of you—be careful.”
We’d already ensured there were no prying eyes nearby, so they had a clear run the few feet to the water.
Isaac gave another grin. “Careful’s my middle name, J.”
Dia coughed loudly at that, earning herself a poke in the arm and then a quick kiss. Rhianne made gagging sounds, hugged Jake and me, and then slipped down to the water. Isaac gave a jaunty wave and followed the younger Selkie, leaving Dia behind to rub her lips with a bemused expression—and us to begin a five-hour-long wait.
Jake and Dia browbeat me into eating a second protein bar, drinking a 20-ounce Dr. Pepper, and laying down on the blanket to rest while they kept watch. Given that I could easily perform my psychic check-ins with the two Selkies while lying down, and that I would need all my strength to cover our retreat, I agreed without argument. Summer breezes blew in off the lake, courtesy of both the water and overcast sky. Goosebumps broke out along my flesh, but it felt pleasant rather than uncomfortable. My body relaxed enough that I dozed off lightly, secure in the knowledge Jake would wake me to check in with Isaac and Rhianne.
The first three hours passed uneventfully, with Jake waking me to touch base with our underwater searchers every hour and reassuring me that all was well. I dozed back to sleep each time, enjoying sleeping out in the evening air more than expected. Part of me had been nervous to drift off at first, worried that Garrett might ambush my dreams again. He must have been busy with his other big, bad villain work that night. My slumber passed peacefully.
At the three-hour mark, Rhianne advised that they’d scouted beneath the lake’s central-most point. Thus far, they’d come across nothing other than algae, fish, and a few items of trash that trespassers had likely tossed into the lake. They decided to increase their search radius, in case Colin’s body had drifted or Bianca’s belief that he would be in the lake’s very heart was incorrect. I reminded Rhianne that they’d need to return in two hours if they turned up nothing, and she agreed without argument. Whether that meant she was confident they’d find Colin before then or equally confident in her ability to negotiate for more time, I wasn’t sure.
I opened my eyes afte
r slipping out of Rhianne’s mind only to find Jake crouched next to me, a third protein bar and second Dr. Pepper dangling from his fingers. Condensation dripped down the side of the ice-cold soda, thanks to Dia cooling the beverage with Air in a gesture that had my face softening. My sister could be outwardly prickly—just like every other woman in my life including me—but she had a very good heart. I was so glad that she’d never have to be lonely again. Her adoptive mother might be gone, but she had a Clan now. Hell, as long as I was alive, she had more family now.
I pushed to a sitting position, accepting the soda and protein bar and practically inhaling both. Dia stood on the firewall’s edge, gaze focused in the direction of the monastery while Jake ensured I replenished my reserves again.
He smiled when I finished eating and stroked his cheek. “They find anything this time?
I shook my head regretfully. “They ruled out the precise center of the lake, but it’s a very large dragon. They’re going to expand their radius since they have two hours left.”
He took a swig of a Dr. Pepper he must have stowed away for himself. “You don’t think Isaac will have to drag her back, do you?”
I shook my head again. “Doubtful. I reminded her earlier that we stuck our necks out with your parents to get her assigned to this expedition. She’s not going to risk jeopardizing our trust. Besides, she knows we’ll just come back tomorrow if we don’t find him tonight.”
He nodded, leaning forward to kiss me softly. “Damn right we will. Good to know she’s not gonna go rogue on us.”
“Baby sisters, am I right?” I asked with a saucy wink, loudly enough for Dia to hear.
She tossed me a sardonic look. “You’ve had one for a couple weeks and suddenly you’re an expert?”
Jake laughed softly. “She’s got a point.”
I threw my empty soda bottle at Dia, but she channeled Air to deflect it. “Big sisters, am I right?” She mocked with a smirk.
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