Revelations: The Black Chalice (Revelations Series Book 1)

by Lauretta Hignett

  “What is it?” I croaked out, rubbing my face. I hoped there was no drool anywhere.

  “Who was that man in your dream?”

  “What man?” I frowned. “I didn’t dream…. Oh wait, I think I did.” I mentally rifled through the images in my brain. It helped that sleep hadn’t completely left me. “It was a man trying to kill me, as per usual. The same guy I dreamed of a few nights back. But I don’t know him,” I shrugged. “He hasn’t managed it yet, I guess.”

  Alex did not return my smile. “You’ve never seen him before?”

  “No, I haven’t. I get the feeling that if he’s real, I don’t want to see him.”

  Alex looked frustrated. He looked away. “I know him from somewhere. I recognized him… I just can’t think of where.”

  “You what?” I was wide awake now. “You could see my dreams?”

  He glanced back at me, apologetic. “You were having a nightmare. Early on, as soon as you fell asleep. You were distressed, so I… made it go away.”

  I gaped at him.

  “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I didn’t mean to invade your dreams. I just thought you would prefer not to have a nightmare.”

  “I’m not annoyed,” I said. “I’m confused. How did you do that?”

  “With most people, I can… sort of... read their unconscious thoughts,” he murmured. “It’s easy when people are asleep. Most of the time, people are more guarded, and it’s harder. It’s hard to describe. And I don’t see them, as such. I can just, I don’t know, sense their energy.” His eyes narrowed. “So I could sense someone was trying to hurt you in your dream. And I recognized his essence, his energy. But I made it go away before I could really put my finger on where I’d felt this guy before.”

  “I’m sorry. You’ve felt this guy before?” I waggled my eyebrows at him.

  Alex cocked his head. “This is not a joke, Eve.”

  “Then why is it so funny?”

  He suppressed a smile. “You have a seriously faulty humor valve, woman. The apocalypse is imminent, there’s a man trying to kill you and a Cambion chased him away in your dreams before he could recognize him, and you’re making dirty jokes.”

  “You were the one that said it. Anyways, why did you kick him out before you recognized him?”

  “It wasn’t him that I recognized, as such… just his signature. That violence… it has a particular essence. And you were upset…” Alex trailed off.

  The realization hit me: He didn’t want to see me in pain. I was so touched that I scowled at him. “Well, we just lost a lead, thanks very much, Prince Charming.”

  He actually laughed out loud. “Come on, Princess. You’ve got a meeting.”

  “Urgh, do I have to?”

  “You were the one that wanted to go to the meeting.”

  “I changed my mind,” I said grumpily.

  He grabbed hold of the comforter and wiggled softly until I groaned. “Okay, fine. I’ll get up.” I unfolded myself from my cocoon and got up off the couch.

  He smiled at me. “I’ll walk you back to your room.”

  “Thanks.” If I could stay on his couch for the entire day and have him watch over me while I slept, then I doubt I was going to get into much trouble with him walking me back to staff quarters.

  I truly didn’t know why he bothered. But I understood that, at some point, both Alex and Nate had decided I was somehow mixed up in the apocalypse, and that trailing me might bring some more answers.

  I had to admit, it was nice to have someone watching over me.

  It was a hot afternoon, and the sun sapped any energy I might have had. The air was so warm and humid it felt like I was wading through syrup. Alex was silent beside me as we walked the winding path. He walked easily, his broad shoulders brushing the tall branches that strayed onto the path.

  “Hot enough for you?” I winked up at him.

  He rolled his eyes. “It’s okay. And contrary to what you might think, hell is not hot for me.”

  “So your Mom keeps the thermostat working overdrive when you go and visit?”

  He smiled down at me. “Do you ever take anything seriously?”

  “I’m planning on making jokes while I skid on a banana peel all the way to my grave,” I told him, quite seriously. “And it’s a coping mechanism. That in itself is quite serious, don’t you think?”

  “It is.”

  “You know, you don’t have to walk beside me. Not if you don’t want to.”

  He turned, and looked at me quizzically. “Why would I not want to?”

  “Well, if I was being practical, I’d say that we’d get more answers if you hid in the shadows and waited until someone tried to kill me. Then you could swoop in and crush some information out of them.”

  Alex frowned. “That didn’t work so well last time.”

  “No, but now you’d be ready for it. And you’d know what to expect.”

  “I’d be happier staying close.”

  “But the bad guy might not want to go near you. You’d be preventing him from trying anything. Then we’d get no answers.”

  He shrugged. But he didn't say anything else.

  We walked in companionable silence until we got to the little gate at staff quarters. “You’ll have to leave me here,” I told him.

  “I’ll do a quick sweep of the place just to make sure no one is around, then I’ll be back to walk you to reception.”

  “You can’t!”

  “Why not?”

  “Dale and Clover will be with me. They’ll… they’ll have too many questions,” I stammered. My face started to feel hot. “About you, and where I was last night. It will be... awkward.”

  He chuckled. “So you’re worried about your friends asking who you spent the night with, but not about the end of the world?”

  “I only worry about things I can control,” I said, blushing furiously. “Now go.”

  He looked down and caught my eye. “Okay,” he said in a low tone. “I’ll leave you alone. But I won’t be far away. I’ll check in with Nate, and we’ll make sure we’ve got the place covered.”

  And in an instant he was gone, and I was alone.

  I pushed the gate open and wandered into the quarters, stepping carefully around a few bellboys lolling around the courtyard in various states of undress. The night staff members were starting to surface from their day sleeps. It was harder to wake up in the afternoon than it was the mornings, and we were all like lizards, coming out to sun ourselves on rocks before we had enough energy to get on with our night shift.

  I went upstairs, feeling an odd creep of shame as I poked my head around the door, hoping no one had noticed my absence. Luckily, the room was empty, so I grabbed my towel and ran off to the shower.

  I felt so hot and dusty, having slept in my work uniform, and the cool water of the shower felt so good that I stood under the stream for several minutes.

  I jumped out of my skin at a loud thump at the door and a very high-pitched wailing.

  “Eve! Eveeeee!”

  I wrenched the faucet off and tumbled out of the shower, senses tingling. “Clover? What is it?”

  “I need to use the bathroom now! I’m going to be late!”

  “For God’s sake,” I muttered, drying myself off quickly. I opened the door.

  Clover was very red in the face, and, like me, she was still wearing her uniform from last night.

  “You scared me to death!” I told her as she bustled past me.

  “Sorry. Angus did the knots too tight. He’s been trying to get me undone for the past hour,” she said breezily, and slammed the bathroom door behind her.

  Not for the first time, I felt a stab of envy. Clover had impulses, and she gave in to them joyously. For a long time, I thought that because of my past, I didn’t have those impulses. So I wasn't missing out.

  Something was changing in me.

  Begrudgingly, I got changed and quickly dried my hair. Clover burst out of the bathroom, shoved herself into her
clothes, and frantically slapped on some blusher.

  There was a bang on the door, and I cringed automatically. “Come on, girls, we gotta get going!” Dale’s voice sounded frantic.

  I had no time for my usual makeup. I quickly smoothed my hair back into a ponytail, grabbed Clover’s hand, and we ran out of staff quarters.

  The staff meeting was a monthly event, and nothing to freak out over, but this time, Bentleigh Savage would be in attendance. The man terrified me, and there was no way I wanted to be late. The dining room had been cleared out for the meeting, and most of the staff were already there. We snuck in the back of the room just as Martin stepped up and clapped his hands.

  “Thanks, everyone. We’ve got a special guest today, so rather than go through the usual notices, I’ve emailed them to you.” He didn’t have to mention the fact that we needed to wind up this meeting quickly, or else a guest might complain if there was no one to jump to attention. That’s why we had the meetings at 3:00 p.m.—the day drinkers were already very mellow and the night-owls were just getting up. “So without further ado, the man that needs no introduction, our supreme leader, Bentleigh Savage!”

  We all clapped, and some staff even cheered, as the familiar, tall, distinguished-looking man stepped to the front of the room.

  Suddenly, I felt very cold.

  I was confused; it felt as though I’d stepped into a freezer. I couldn’t get a deep-enough breath, so I tried again. It came in shallow, just a pant, and I had to take another one as my brain went into overload. There were too many people around me. Too many souls.

  I was suffocating.

  I bent double, face to the floor. The walls—no, the whole world—was closing in on me.

  “Are you okay?” Clover whispered beside me. I turned to her, and her face switched from concern to horror in a heartbeat.

  Speaking of heartbeats, mine was so fast it sounded like a hum in my ears. My whole face tingled; it felt bone-white, bloodless. I wanted to run. I was going to die.

  I could hear murmurs around me, concerned whispers. I knew what was going to happen, vividly, like I could see straight into the future. Pretty soon I’d draw enough attention to myself, and more heads would turn. Until the entire hall was looking at me, completely silent, and Mr. Savage’s speech would be ruined. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.

  There was a flurry of movement in front of me, and a gentle, but firm arm squeezed around my shoulders.

  “I need cover for reception. Let’s go, sweetheart,” Martin whispered, and his familiar and soothing fresh-laundry scent unfroze my limbs. I let him lead me out of the room, my pulse still pounding. I kept my head down; I was lucky we had almost been late to the meeting, the door was only a few feet away. I still felt eyes on me, vague interest, but no pervasive, pitying scrutiny.

  The pressure on my chest eased as soon as we were out of the ballroom door, and the second we were alone in the lobby, I took a huge, gasping breath. “Oh, Martin!” I wailed, the tears starting to run down my cheeks. “I’m s-s-so sorry!”

  He pulled me into a hug. “Shush, honey, it’s okay,” he soothed, rubbing my back. “Can you feel the ground beneath your feet? It’s got you, and it’s not moving. Can you hear my voice? I’m right here, and I’ll look after you.”

  It took a few minutes and a bit of encouragement, but I finally got my breathing under control.

  “There you go,” Martin smiled at me. “Good as new.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said again, sniffing.

  “Don’t be silly. I’d be surprised if you didn’t have a panic attack, considering what you’ve been through, and what has happened lately. We were all squished in pretty tight there; it was bound to happen.”

  “I had a panic attack? I thought I was going to suffocate,” I hiccupped.

  He gave me a wry grin. “That’s what it feels like. My mother used to have them, and every single time, she would never remember how awful it was. She always said that she was going to die.” He smoothed some loose strands of hair that had escaped my ponytail. “She did die, of course, because we all do in the end. But it was cancer that killed her slowly, rather than a panic attack killing her fast.”

  “So I’ve got that to look forward to now? Panic attacks?”

  “I’m surprised you haven’t had them before.”

  “No, when I’m scared, I just bite and run,” I muttered resentfully.

  Martin chuckled. “You’re a feisty one, arentcha. Look, I really do need coverage on the desk. Are you up for it? Or do you want to take the night off?”

  My cheeks reddened. “I’m fine. Just a bit embarrassed.”

  He gave me a stern look. “Don’t be. You’ll learn coping techniques, and we’ll support you. You’ll be just fine.” He patted my shoulder and moved away. “Now, I wasn't kidding, I need you. Moira and Arnold have been fighting again, someone called security, and Mickey has somehow been roped in to adjudicate. I have to go and rescue him.”

  The thought made me grin. Moira and Arnold were two obscenely rich, elderly, old-world snobs, and had been at each other’s throats since they’d got here. Mickey didn’t stand a chance. He’d probably be drawing his gun right about now. “I’ll be fine,” I said out loud. “I feel normal now.” In fact, I just felt a little embarrassed. It’s true, I’d never had a panic attack. The closest thing I’d ever felt before is how I felt when I tried to go down into the Develians. I’d never forget that crushing pressure, that inability to breathe.

  But I smiled at Martin, so he’d think that I was fine. He patted my shoulder and moved away.

  The desk welcomed me like an old friend, and I settled into my high stool and got on with work. I had a ton of admin to get through, lots of itemizing and invoicing to check. There were loads of emails from assistants, providing info on our guests, and everything had to be noted down in their files.

  It was only twenty minutes later that the ballroom doors opened, and about fifty or so staff members quietly and efficiently filed out, with Clover leading the way. She kept her mouth shut until she reached me.

  “Are you okay?” Her voice was strained. “I felt so bad for you! Poor thing.” She quickly scanned reception to make sure there were no guests, then she squished me into her boobs. “A panic attack, huh? Oh, they’re the worst.”

  “I wouldn’t know, I’ve never had one before.” My voice was muffled, but her concern was nice.

  “My dad had severe anxiety; he’s had a few,” she announced. “You’re supposed to find something to hold, something to feel, something to taste…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “Something like that, anyway. I was never around when he had one, but he told me what they’re like.” She pulled my head back from her breasts. “Did you think you were going to die?”

  I nodded.

  “Oh, Eve!” She hugged me again.

  “And I’m sorry to say it, but you missed a great speech,” Dale finally made it past the other staff, and ducked behind the desk. “Mr. Savage is a truly inspiring man.”

  I nodded. “So I hear.”

  Clover’s eyes went round and she finally released me. “Oh, he is. He came from nothing, you know. He was the scruffy poor kid from the worst family in the most dangerous part of town. He changed his name from Wayne Cockburn, which I’m sure helped him a lot with his image. As Bentleigh Savage, he schmoozed and charmed and begged and borrowed for his first property, worked like a demon on it, then picked up the next one. Wham, bam, before you know it, he’s got a portfolio of a hundred properties in dozens of countries.”

  I was weirdly reluctant to be part of his cheer squad. “Hmmmm. I wonder if his rise would have been so meteoric if he had been born a different color.”

  Dale nodded vigorously. “Of course, it would have been lots harder, no one is disputing that. But he’s still pretty inspirational. I hear he had a brother that died in a gun battle in the outback twenty years ago—a meth addict. Mr. Savage obviously made some great choices.”

  “Or he just had some
mean ambitions and let his morals slip by the wayside from time to time.” I’d heard that Bentleigh Savage was a fabulous orator. If I’d listened to his speech, I would probably be on his cheer squad too. But despite his overwhelming charisma, his booming confidence, and his indisputable authority, the man had always seemed just downright dodgy to me. “The development in the Daintree was suspicious,” I went on idly. “There was no way he should have gotten consent for that; it’s a national park. And…” I lowered my voice, suddenly aware that I was slagging off the big boss. “Don’t forget, Dale, he pulled a fast one on your own people. He promised that almost all of the caves would be off-limits. He said he was just building a resort nearby. But the caves were his main concern, and he got access to them in the end.”

  Dale’s expression wavered for a second; his brow furrowed. “That’s right,” he said, as if he’d only just thought of it. “Nobody talks about that very much. I guess because none of us tend to go near that place.”

  “I guess my point is, nobody is going to get to the top from nowhere without stepping on a few toes. And I bet that Mr. Savage has stepped on a fair few of them in his past.”

  Dale and Clover just stared.

  “Are you guys serious?” I asked, putting a hand on my hip. “You still think he’s Mr. Inspiration? I really must have missed a great speech, huh? Come on, you think that a daughter like Hannah Savage appeared in a vacuum?”

  Clover’s eye twitched. “Oh God,” she mumbled. She put her head down and started moving papers around the desk in a panic.

  “Speak of the devil, and the devil will appear,” Dale whispered. In a swift movement, he picked up the phone and started talking into the empty line. “Yes, Mr. Owens, we have your delivery here, we’re holding it for you in our safe…” he turned away and kept talking.

  “Hey, slutbag!” Hannah called cheerfully to Clover. “Good to see you finally doing some work. I hear you’ve been working your way through every CEO in the British Empire. How’s your fanny holding up?”