“They have the book,” Jude finished for him.
“If they have the book, then why haven’t they been looking for me, too?” I asked.
“Nomads don’t do anything in a rush. They were probably waiting for the Triad to find you first and then they’ll swoop in,” Jude said, rubbing his hands together.
I winced at his excitement. I couldn’t see anything good coming out of this little triangle of death, so why was he so revved up?
“Oh, hey, Jade, no worries,” he said with a smile. “I have contacts inside the Nomads. If they have the book, we can get it back.” Jude smiled.
“You mean, you haven’t, in all this time, searched their archives? What the hell am I paying you for?” Edge bellowed.
“Dude, Edge, chill… seriously. Think about it. Why would I have checked on the Nomads? It’s not like they have a library or anything. They never keep anything besides the essentials,” Jude explained.
“We need to talk to your man on the inside,” Edge told him.
“On it,” Jude said as he darted out of the room.
I eyed Edge with suspicion. “If you had a way in to the Nomads, why did you let Dagger, Jessa, and Julie go off on their own?” I asked.
“I don’t have a way in, only Jude does. After all, he is one of them,” Edge said.
“He’s a Nomad?” I asked.
“Yes, only he works for me and keeps tabs through a contact we have on the inside. Make no mistake about where his allegiance lies. If he’s caught, it’s treason. A death sentence for him and any other he’s caught with.” Edge clasped my arm and led me out of the room and through the door Jude had left open.
“If you stay on this main path, you’ll have everything you need. If you venture off, you’re going to find the tunnels I warned you about,” he explained.
Right. Death.
I made a mental note not to wander off this path unless I was being chased by a big harry monster with jagged teeth…and maybe not even then. I shuddered at the thought.
“Each cut out in this tunnel is a room.” Edge gestured to the first opening. It was a small kitchen. The next room down was a small sitting room, and then there were several bedrooms beyond that. He stopped at the last door and stepped inside. It wasn’t much to look at. A small bed, nightstand and dresser were against the wall, and a single light dangled from the ceiling. Edge walked over to the nightstand and pulled out a remote. On the other side of the room, an electric fireplace came to life, blowing warm air out.
“This far back in the tunnels gets a little chilly. My room is right across the hall.” He pointed. “And Jude is further up the hallway.”
I just nodded my acknowledgment. What had I gotten myself into and how long before I went completely out of mind from being stuck underground? Surely there was something I could be doing with my time besides feeling like a prisoner in these confining quarters.
I spoke up. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Right now, we have to wait until Jude comes back. Once we have a better understanding of what the Nomads are doing, then we can formulate a plan of some sort.” Edge ran his hands through his hair in agitation. Apparently he hated to sit around and wait, just as much as I did.
“In the mean time, I’m going to go over all the information that Jude’s collected and see if there is anything he’s missed. You’re welcome to join me in the main chamber,” Edge said.
“It beats going stir crazy in here,” I replied.
“Don’t knock it, it could be worse. You could be topside running for your life right now,” he said, turning away.
I tried to lose myself in the well-worn paperback now sitting in my lap. I loved reading, but my mind just couldn’t stay focused. There were too many other things fighting to be forefront. I worried about Rainy and Matheson. Were they alright? What if they were being tortured? What if they were dead? Nausea overwhelmed me at the thought. And what about the others? Had they made it to the car that would take them to the Nomad compound? And what if they got caught, too?
I felt impotent sitting there with nothing to do. Everyone was out there risking their necks to keep me safe.
“Edge, I can’t just sit here,” I blurted out.
He was so focused on what he was reading that I startled him with my outburst. He recovered quickly, setting the tablet down to squint at me in contemplation.
“I was thinking… We might want to check our archives just in case we’re wrong about the book being with the Nomads.” He tapped his finger against his lips. “It would put us one step ahead if we found something of use,” he said.
“Point me in the right direction,” I told him.
“Hold that thought,” he said as he pushed himself out of an overstuffed chair and headed for the bar.
I sighed inwardly. The last thing either of us needed was another drink. Edge pushed his finger against a small square in the wall. The bar swung out, leading to another room with a row of monitors hung on the wall. Each monitor was running a live video feed of the empty tunnels, and various rooms in his house above. One screen showed a creepy looking man standing in Edge’s den. His face contorted as he shouted, pointing at the book case, while another pulled the contents of his shelves to the floor.
Edge shook his head and turned away from the screen. “It was only a matter of time.” I watched as the two men ransacked the den. Both men appeared to be agitated as the paced the floor, kicking books out of their way. They were still shouting at each other as they began setting small fires throughout the room.
“Edge,” I called him over to me.
Edge let a steady stream of curse words flow from his mouth as he witnessed the two intruders’ burning his home to the ground. “When this is over, if those two aren’t dead, I’ll kill them myself,” he growled as he handed me a tablet of my own.
“Come on, there’s no use watching this anymore.” He shut the monitor off and walked out of the room.
Edge strode over to the chair he’d been sitting in and tossed himself in it. I felt sick after watching the Triad’s men set fire to his home. There was nothing we could do about it now. The only way we could stop the Triad was by finding the spell book. I focused my attention on the tablet and began scrolling through Jude’s notes.
Hours later and more confused than when I started, I set the tablet aside and got up to stretch. There was nothing in all of Jude’s research that led to the missing book. There wasn’t even anything on me or the death of my parents.
The only things I found were records of other Coven’s business, minimal amounts about the Triad, and next to nothing about the Nomads. If Jude was a Nomad member, then there should have been plenty of information to dig through.
I tossed another log on the fire and let my thoughts wander to Rainy. I was so worried about her. How far would the Nomads go to get information from her and Matheson? I could only hope that Dagger, Julie and Jessa could return them safely.
Red embers danced in the air as the log caught fire. Edge jumped up from his chair. “I think I found something.” He kept reading as he came to stand beside me. “It says here that there was an inquiry from the High Council regarding the missing spell book. It seems that they knew where it was before it disappeared. It goes on to say how they are saddened by the deaths of the two fellow Council members. They talk about a legacy left behind and that they will do whatever it takes to ensure that the legacy lives on.” He paused to look at me. “Jade, I think they’re talking about you.” Edge handed over the tablet so that I could read it myself.
“I don’t know, Edge, don’t you think if they knew about me, they would have stepped in after my parents were murdered? It seems a little far fetched to me.”
“But what if they, like us, didn’t know where you went? What if they let you hide?” he asked.
“I was twelve!” Did no one understand or even think to imagine the trauma I’d been through? The sleepless nights I lay awake so scared of all the horrors around me. A
lways moving from place to place to escape a bad situation, only to stumble upon the next one. Sleeping under piles of garbage so that no one could find me, or eating from dumpsters because that was the only food around.
“I know it hasn’t been easy for you. I can’t imagine being that young and on your own.” Edge stepped closer, sliding his fingers along my jaw. “But you’re not alone now.”
“You’re not going to believe this!” Jude exclaimed as he burst in the room.
I jumped, but Edge kept a firm hold on my arm.
Jude started to speak, and then stopped to shake his head.
“Spit it out man!” Edge yelled.
“Oh man, yeah, sorry…I just,” Jude sputtered.
“What happened after you got there?” Edge asked.
“Oh, right. Sorry, it’s just really crazy. Yeah, okay, so I get there right, and all hell is like breaking loose. Two of the Triad’s Enforcers were caught sneaking into the compound and the Nomads had their hands full getting them secured. They were like crazy strong and took out a couple of the guards in the process. With the whole compound up in a roar, I was able to check their makeshift library,” he said.
“Was the book there?” Edge asked.
“Psssssh, yeah right. The only thing there was a handful of papers and a couple of old paperbacks,” Jude said.
Edge let his head fall back with a sigh. “That puts us back at square one.”
Jude grinned. “Not necessarily.”
“What?” I urged him to continue.
“I went exploring and came across a few interesting things,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
My hopes soared. “You saw Rainy and Matheson?”
“I did. They are being kept in the inner part of the compound, and they’re heavily guarded.”
“Edge, do you think they can get them out?” I asked.
“Get them out? Who’s getting who out? I thought they were there to hide,” Jude said.
“Hide? I’m not sure I understand.”
Jude screwed his face up at my question. “Everyone knows that the Nomads will grant sanctuary in their Coven, if sanctuary is needed.” The only thing missing was the ‘duh’ at the end of his sentence.
“When was the last time someone was stupid enough to go to the Nomads for sanctuary?” Edge asked.
“True, but they still hold value in the old ways. Well, some of them anyway,” Jude replied.
“But Jessa said they were taken from the last safe house when it was raided. She said the Triad took Rainy and Matheson.”
“Maybe it wasn’t the Triad that attacked the safe house they were in,” Edge said, biting his lip as if in thought. “It would make sense, if they have the spell book. The next step would be to get you. Before the Triad could.”
“My friend inside the compound is saying that your friend, Rainy, refuses to give her name to them. For some odd reason, it’s leading them to believe that they actually have you,” Jude explained.
“Which would explain the heavy guard,” Edge said as he began to pace.
“There’s more. Someone in the Nomad Coven has the spell book, but they are refusing to allow it near her,” he continued.
“Why?” I asked.
Edge stopped pacing and turned to me. “That makes no sense. If they are guarded like Jude says, then Dagger, Jessa and Julie will have no chance at getting to them.”
“What do we do now?” I asked.
“If I may?” Jude interrupted.
Edge shot him a dirty look, but motioned for Jude to speak.
“My friend also told me that the book is spelled shut,” Jude said.
“Which means?” I asked.
“Only Jade can open it.” Edge groaned
“Yes, but it gets worse,” Jude replied.
“Worse?” Edge questioned.
“Yep.” Jude started to fidget. “It’s um…double spelled. Only Jade can touch it. Only Jade can open it,” Jude explained.
“We’re screwed,” Edge grumbled.
“Wait, that has to be wrong. How can it be only me that can touch it if the Nomads have it? Someone had to have carried the damn thing around.”
“Sweetheart, the Nomads probably put that spell on it once they set up housekeeping at the old Council site,” Edge said to me.
“Don’t call me sweetheart and let’s focus on the fact that Dagger, Jessa and Julie are probably now walking into a trap. What’s our plan?”
“Plan? There is no plan. Not unless you want to go into the Nomad compound, steal the book, and rescue your friends before they get themselves killed,” Edge snapped at me.
“Why not? I say we do just that. The book and my friends could be back here by tomorrow, safe and sound!” I shouted back at him.
Edge laughed at me. “You’re crazy. You know that right?”
“We can’t sit around here all day doing nothing. Besides, if it were me in that compound, they would do the same thing,” I fired back.
“If it were you in there, the spell book would be open and who knows what would happen next,” Edge argued.
He was being such a hard headed Neanderthal! I curled my hands into tight fist to keep from smacking him.
I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. If I had to, I’d corner Jude alone and coerce him to take me to the Nomads. Maybe they were just keeping my friends and the book safe. Why else would they spell it so heavily, especially if they thought that Rainy was me? Or could it be that they were waiting to use the book and Rainy? No matter what I had to get my hands on that book and my friends away from the Nomads.
Jude walked over and put his hand on Edge’s shoulder. “I can get you in, if you want me to,” he said.
“Jude, I can’t ask you to put your life, or hers, on the line for this.”
He sighed deeply and I caught a true glimpse of the real Edge. Not the fake exterior he fronted to the world. No, this was so much deeper.
“Whatever game Matheson is playing with the Nomads has to be one that will work to our benefit,” Jude told him. “Think about it. If they think they already have Jade, then they aren’t going to be expecting the real one to show up. I can talk to my friend and see if I can get some help with the guards to get Matheson and Rainy out. You focus on getting Jade to the book. We meet back up here when we’re done.”
“It’s too risky.” Edge flung his hand out and pointed to me. “Even if they think they have her, the minute someone sees us, she’s as good as dead.”
“So we go in when they hold the council meeting tomorrow afternoon. You know how long those can last. The hardest part will be getting to Matheson and Rainy. If I have to, I’ll create a diversion to get them out.” Jude was almost pleading with Edge to go along with his plan.
Edge paced the room. Maybe he would see that this was the only way to get to the book and Matheson. At least I could only hope he would.
“Tomorrow afternoon, huh?” Edge said, shoving his hand through his hair.
“They won’t be expecting it and we can probably get in and out without too much attention. And if someone does notice you, you can show off your badass skills,” Jude said with a cocky grin as he stuffed his hands into his back pockets.
“Agreeing to this plan makes me just as crazy as the both of you.” Edge shook his head as he spoke.
I couldn’t help the spark of excitement knowing that we were a step closer in getting Rainy and Matheson out of the Nomads clutches. There was only one thing that was bothering me. Dagger, Julie and Jessa were still planning on breaking them out. How would they know that we were doing the same?
“What about the others?” I asked.
“I’ll activate the pieces I gave them and it will bring them here, once we get back,” Edge explained.
“But-”
“That’s the way it’s going to be. I don’t need any extra bodies in my way when we do this. It’s bad enough involving Jude. Once we’re back here safe and sound, I will bring them to us.” Edge started to walk away.
“Dagger is going to be pissed. You know that right?”
“Oh well,” Edge tossed over his shoulder.
Jude waited for Edge to leave before he hooked his arm around my neck and began his excited chatter. “We’re gonna be like Batman and Robin…and you can be Cat Woman!” he exclaimed.
I pushed his arm away. “No thanks.”
He chuckled. “No? Not into the leather, huh?”
“Are you demented or something?” I mean seriously, his life was on the line here and he’d got us all fitted up to be a bunch of cape-wearing superheroes.
“No, well maybe, but imagine how you would feel not being wanted by your Coven. Parents kicked you out cause you had like, little-to-no magic in you. Then offered you up to the highest bidder so that they could invest in an abundance of whiskey to drown their sorrows in.”
“My parents are dead. I was left on my own at the age of twelve. I’ve been kidnapped and tortured to the point of death, only to be brought back. I’ve spent my entire life running and hiding. So yeah, I get it.”
Jude bumped his shoulder to mine. “Sucks to be us.”
“How did you meet Edge?” I asked, changing the subject from our crappy childhood.
“He saved me, brought me here and hooked me up with all the coolest electronics. The man who ‘owned’ me came to a sudden point of non-existence and the Nomad Coven let me pop in whenever I want. I guess they feel bad for what my parents did to me.”
“And your parents?”
“Liver failure,” he stated. “So, now that I know you have an aversion to leather and you don’t want to be Cat Woman, I think I’ll go find Edge and we can get this search and rescue party started.”
“Thanks, Jude. For everything, I mean.”
“No problem, sweetheart,” he said, backing out of the room with a wink.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Trees blurred past the window as I watched the slide show of green. It was early morning and we’d been driving for hours. Edge said we couldn’t use magic to get to the Nomad compound, so we were left driving partway across the country to get there.
Casted (Casted series) Page 10