“You can do that? Stop the sun from coming out?” I hurried to keep up with the group who all seemed to have much longer legs than me.
“This is his domain,” Archer replied simply. “He can do whatever he wants.”
“When we reach the nexus, we will need to move quickly,” Ashton said. “I don’t want the guard to get wind of us.”
We didn’t run into any of the guards through the funhouse of doors. But then again, it didn’t take us as long to reach the gateway we needed either. The door in question was made of bark and was cut in a long oblong shape. The doorknob was made of twisted twigs and the keys were made of leaves.
“There’s a car waiting for you in the parking area,” Ashton said, his words rapid and hurried. “Drive east, do you understand? Don’t stop for anything. Don’t go to the border. When you reach Quebec, I have a friend waiting for you. His name is Galeen Proil. He will fly you anywhere in the world you want to go.”
He fished into his pocket and removed a handful of items. There was a set of keys, a piece of square plastic, a pen, a folded piece of paper and a black cell phone. He gave Isaiah the keys and the piece of paper.
“His address and number are on here,” he told Isaiah. “Keep it close.” He turned to me and held up the phone. “Hold down one and I will be there in minutes. I don’t care what the reason. Use it.” He pushed the device into my hand. Next he held up the piece of plastic, which I recognized now that I was looking at it directly. “You know what this is?”
Swallowing audibly, I nodded. “Yes.”
“Good.” He shoved the debit card into my hand. “Do not be like your mother do you understand me? This money is for you. Use as much of it as you want. There is no limit.”
I was still staring at the card when he held up the pen. I gaped. “A rawel?”
Ashton nodded. “This one is yours. Archer will show you how to use it. Should you ever find yourself wanting to come home…” he trailed off as he placed it on top of the others. “The door is always open.”
“You said only a Sire or heir can have one of these,” I said, staring down at the small pile in my cupped palm. “And that it needed to be voted on by the Guild.”
“I will deal with them,” he said evenly. “I’m making you my next in line.”
My head snapped up, my jaw slackened. “Whoa! Wait. What? Can you do that?”
“Just say you accept.”
Feeling rushed, afraid and a little excited, I said the first thing that jumped into my head. “Yeah. I accept.”
It blazed white hot. The burst of light lit up the entire corridor around us. I hissed as the full force of its heat slapped me across the face. My skin tingled and I thrust the thing away from me, holding it out at arm’s length.
Intricate coils of orange and yellow light twisted up my arm. It seeped beneath my skin to fill my veins. I felt the burn as though my blood was set on fire. I nearly cried out in pain as smoke rose off my skin. Then, abruptly, it stopped. Although I was still steaming.
“Did I break it?” I gave the device a slight shake.
I rapped it against my palm the way one would a faulty flashlight.
Great. I had the thing for two seconds and I broke it.
Ashton chuckled. “No, you didn’t break it. The process is complete. It’s part of you now.”
I opened my mouth to ask what that meant, only to be interrupted by Archer.
“We need to go. It’s only a matter of time before we’re sensed.”
Ashton took a step forward and I found myself engulfed in his arms. He held me so tight.
“I love you, Fallon,” he murmured into my shoulder. His hand closed in my hair, tearing strands from their roots. “Don’t ever forget how much.”
Mashing my face into his shoulder, I closed my eyes against the tears blinding me. “I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “No.” He drew back and framed my face between his hands. “I’m here when you need me.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead before releasing me and turning to Isaiah. “Take care of her.”
Isaiah inclined his head. “Yes, sir.”
With a last look at me, Ashton pulled open the door and motioned us through.
Archer went first, followed by me, then Isaiah. My sneakers pressed onto soft earth and grass as the smell of wild flowers swept around us. I squinted at the near darkness enclosing us, trying to get my bearings. I turned once to see Ashton, but the door was gone. In its place was a tree. I sucked in a sharp breath.
I will see him again, I told myself, closing my fingers tight around the items in my hand. But it still felt like I was losing yet another parent and I was helpless to stop it.
Isaiah touched my arm. I gave him a nod, answering his unasked concern without words. I shoved everything into my pockets before turning to Archer.
“Where are we?”
“Stanley Park,” he said. “Come on. We need to move.”
I stumbled as I tried to follow after his hurried strides. “What’s the hurry?”
He didn’t answer for several minutes, but he kept pausing, turning his head this way and that. Several times I saw him reach towards his pocket. The tension in him was making me uneasy.
“We’re not alone.” I had no idea if he was talking to me or himself.
My gaze shifted to Isaiah. “Garrison?”
Isaiah shook his head, but he was equally tense. “Stay close.”
No. It was definitely not Garrison. Truth be told, I didn’t know what they were. Not only could I not see them, but they were fast.
Distorted shapes darted between trees and dove behind bushes as we passed. A few times, I thought I spotted hulking figures, or willowy shadows, but they were always gone when I tried to get a better glimpse.
Something streaked past my feet. I yelped and tumbled into Isaiah. But the thing was gone before I could see what it was.
“Don’t stop!” Archer hissed from over his shoulder. He never lessened his pace.
“What was that?” I asked, hurrying to catch up.
“Just stay close.”
I really had no choice. The two caged me between them. Neither said a word, but I could taste the apprehension and disquiet rolling off them. At the bottom of the grassy hill was a thin, white strip of concrete weaving alongside a yawning body of water standing between the park and the glowing city of Vancouver.
Not too far from where we stood, a dark figure rose out of the water and then sunk beneath the surface without a sound.
“What was that?” I hissed, pointing uselessly to the spot where even the ripples had stopped like nothing had ever happened.
Isaiah turned to follow my finger. “What?”
“Probably a water nymph, or Nessie,” Archer supplied … casually.
“Like the Loch Ness Monster?” I asked, just in case there was another Nessie I hadn’t heard about.
Archer shrugged, looking annoyed now by all my questioning. “Probably. You were warned, Princess. You don’t have your protective shield on anymore. You can see all the stuff you normally wouldn’t be able to.”
“Like nymphs and sea monsters,” I said, my voice just a little hysterical.
“Like nymphs, sea monsters, trolls, banshees and whatever else most humans can’t see.”
“Why can’t I see them?” Isaiah asked. “I was down there, too.”
Archer took a deep breath, the way a parent would when bombarded by too many questions. “Because you are not from our world. You are human. Granted, there are a few humans with the gift of sight, but you, clearly, are not one of them. Also, if we keep standing here, odds are we’ll run into something even worse, like red caps, or a troll.”
“How is that worse?” I wondered. “You just told me the Loch Ness Monster lives in the Vancouver Harbor.”
“It doesn’t live in the Vancouver Harbor,” he muttered. “It travels. It goes where it wants to. And I didn’t say it was the Loch Ness Monster. I said it could be the Loch Ness Monster. I didn’t
see it so I don’t know.”
“Okay, I’m ready to go!” I said, not bothering to conceal the apprehension on my voice.
“The parking area’s that way,” Archer said, pointing behind me. “About a twenty minute walk. Do you have the keys?”
Isaiah patted his pocket. “Got them.”
Archer nodded. “Keep them on hand. I have a feeling we’ll need to make a run for it.”
Reaching over, I took my duffle from Isaiah and slung the strap lengthwise across my shoulder.
“You might need both your hands,” I said when he looked at me questioningly.
He opened his mouth, probably to argue, but he snapped it shut and gave a nod.
We headed in the direction of Archer’s pointing. I’d never been to Stanley Park, but I had a feeling I would like to visit it one day when my life wasn’t in danger and it was daylight so I could see all the creatures I couldn’t make out in the dark. As it was, I had no idea if we were breaking some kind of rule by trespassing. With our luck, we’d probably run into a pack of angry red caps, or worse, Garrison’s goons. I would actually take the red caps over the latter.
It would have been a beautiful night for a walk if I wasn’t freezing and there weren’t things scuttling around in the dark around us. Only one of those things I could actually control as I dug into my duffle and came out with a zip-up hoodie. It took some doing not to stop, but I swung it on over the strap running lengthwise across my chest. I zipped it up and stuffed my balled hands into the pockets. I made a silent promise to myself to dress more warmly the next time I visited.
“Someone’s coming.”
Archer’s low hiss brought me up short. My head turned from side to side as I squinted into the dark in search of the intruder. Sure enough, I heard the soft clip of approaching footsteps and felt Isaiah press closer. We stared in the direction of the sound and watched as a solitary figure rounded the bend. It was a man, judging from the size and frame of him. He wasn’t expecting us either, because he jostled to a stop before quickening his pace.
“What are you three doing out here?” he shouted at us.
It was a cop … sort of. The uniform was all wrong. He was wearing armor, black iron strapped over the black of his outfit. On his head was a black helmet. He looked more like a soldier.
He stopped in front of us, his hand going to the heavy-duty belt slung around his waist. There was a gun, but there was also a series of other weapons. Some I didn’t even recognize.
“Identify yourselves,” he ordered.
Archer, Isaiah and I exchanged glances.
“I’m Fallon,” I said when it became apparent the boys weren’t going to speak. “This is Archer and Isaiah. We were just on our way—”
“Do you realize it’s past curfew? By law I have the right to detain you until you tell me what you were doing out this late.”
I wasn’t the only one surprised by the announcement. Isaiah looked equally stunned.
“Curfew, sir?” I said.
“Yes, curfew.”
Were we still in Canada?
“I’m sorry, but we’re visiting from out of town. We didn’t realize there was a curfew.”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “Unless you’re from the moon, I find that hard to believe. The entire country is under the Emergencies Act. No one is permitted out of their homes after six pm. All planes and other transportations have been grounded until further notice. So I’m going to ask you again, what are you doing out after curfew.”
Emergencies Act. I had no idea what that was, but it didn’t sound good. Anything with Emergencies in the title probably wasn’t.
I ran my tongue over my dry lips. “When did this happen?”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
Isaiah put his hands up when the officer went for his gun. “Look, we’re not out causing trouble. We’re trying to get back to our car. We got lost in the park.”
The officer reached for his transmitter and brought it to his mouth, all the while keeping one hand pressed protectively over his gun. “Ground base, this is Officer Dale Trudeau. I have three unidentified persons in the southern quadrant. Requesting backup. Copy.”
I gasped. “Backup? We’re not a threat!”
“Quiet!” he shot back at me just as a female voice filled his radio.
“Backup on the way. Hold your position.”
Hooking his device back into place on his belt, he unholstered his gun and took aim. Right at me. Like, between the three of us, I was the biggest threat.
“Get that out of her face.” Isaiah moved, putting himself between the gun and me. I grabbed his arm to stop him, but he wasn’t having any of it.
“Get on the ground. All of you.”
“That isn’t going to happen.”
Charging past me in a blur of motion, Archer drew back one arm and clocked the officer straight in the jaw. The sickening crack muffled my squeak as I threw up my hands to cover my mouth. The officer’s head snapped back before his eyes rolled up into the back of his skull and his body slumped to the ground. The gun clattered from his slackened grasp and spun across the concrete.
“Oh my God!” I cried.
Moving without slowing down, he swooped down, unhooked the officer’s belt and pitched it into the ocean.
“Did you have to do that?” I cried, horrified. “You just assaulted an officer. We’re going away for life!”
“That will only happen if we stick around here talking about it. Now come on before we have company.”
Isaiah scooped up the gun and tucked it into the back of his jeans. He marched over to me and took my hand, dragging me along as we ran from a huge crime. We didn’t get far, not with my pathetic human legs. No way could I outrun the two of them.
“Archer!” Isaiah pulled to a stop. A few feet away, Archer did the same and turned to us.
“Why are we stopping?”
Without answering me, Isaiah tore down the zipper of my hoodie and tugged it off me, then he swept my duffle strap up over my head. He tossed the bag at Archer, who caught it seamlessly before stuffing me back into the hoodie.
“Get on,” he said, turning his back.
Embarrassed, but in no mood to get arrested, I looped my arms around his neck, gave a little jump and latched my knees on either side of his ribs. I squeezed my eyes closed tight, tucked my face into the crook of my arm and braced myself as he took off at speeds that could probably outmatch a bullet. The lashing wind tore at my hair and forced cold fingers up my shirt where I hadn’t had time to zip up my sweater. I gritted my teeth and pressed tighter to Isaiah.
I had no idea we had reached the parking lot until he came to a jogging stop. I slid down his back in the most ungraceful tumble, but didn’t care. I was half frozen.
“That was some serious running for a human,” Archer said as we picked our way through the cars, searching for the one belonging to the keys in Isaiah’s hand.
“Thanks.” Isaiah muttered, preoccupied. “There, I think.” He pointed to a Cadillac Eldorado in what may have been black or dark blue. It sat away from all the other cars, away from the halos of light crashing through the blackness.
Hoping it wasn’t the wrong car and armed, I watched with chattering teeth as he inserted the key and turned. The locks gave with an audible click. We yanked open the doors and scrambled inside. Isaiah took the wheel. I took the passenger’s side and Archer slid into the back.
“We should stay here,” Isaiah said. “They’ll be looking for anyone leaving the park and if there is a curfew, we’ll stick out like a sore thumb. We’ll wait until people start arriving, then we’ll blend with traffic.”
“Can we turn the heat on?” I hissed through my teeth.
“No. They’ll notice a running car.”
“Here.” Archer passed me his coat. The leather was stiff from the cold, but it was better than nothing. The most disturbing thing about it was how it smelled, like a humid rainforest, a tangled scent of rotting soil, exotic flowe
rs and damp earth.
“Won’t you get cold?” I asked, dragging the crackling fabric around me.
“No.”
No one spoke after that. I reclined my chair, drew my legs under the coat and closed my eyes.
The car was moving when I opened my eyes again. Disorientation had me squinting at the figure in the seat next to mine. I took a second to remember I was no longer in a comfy bed.
“Good morning, Princess,” Archer said from the backseat. “Sleep well?”
I ignored him as I pushed my chair upright and blinked at the startling burst of light crashing through the windshield. “Where are we?”
“Crossing Langley,” Isaiah answered, eyes on the road. But it was the tone he used, the tension in it that had me turning to the window.
We weren’t exactly the only car on the road. There were others, moving at a snail’s pace around heaps of warped and twisted metal. Some were still smoldering, coils of smoke rising from the lumps of useless steel. Some were upended, wheels pointing to the clear, blue sky. And yet, somehow, that wasn’t the most unusual thing.
People scampered along the sidewalks, heads bent, shoulders hunched as though shielding themselves from an invisible force beating against their backs. Their faces were downcast, but the apprehension and wariness seemed to come off them in waves. They went about their business, ducking in and out of shops and making their way to places. But the thing they all had in common was how they avoided the small groups of officers that moved in sets of four on every street. Like the officer from the night before, they were dressed in head to toe black with gleaming black armor across their chest, forearms and calves. But unlike the officer from the previous night, these ones were heavily armed. Rifles were strapped across their backs. MP5s were looped around their necks and dangled across their chests. Other guns hung from their belts and were strapped to their thighs. Outside of movies, I had never seen so much weaponry, or so much fear.
“What is going on?” I wondered.
“We have yet to determine that, Princess,” Archer murmured from the back, gaze fixed on the street.
Touching Fire (Touch Saga) Page 24