Tala Prophecy: The Complete Series

by Tia Silverthorne Bach

  “She loved you. You know that.” After she hooked the gift on Madeleine’s wrist, Reagan put an arm around her friend. “We should go.”

  Papa was waiting for them at the entrance. He led them outside and a few miles away to a clearing. Looking around, Reagan saw most of the pack in attendance.

  “We gather everyone today to remember the lives of Nana and Cheveyo,” he said, beginning the service. “They gave their lives so we could defeat Rafe. The world may never know their sacrifice, but we do.”

  He motioned to Reagan, who joined him. Then, he extended his arm to Winona, and she did the same. “I’ve asked Winona and Reagan to say something this morning. Reagan, would you like to start?”

  Reagan stepped forward. “I appreciate you all being here. Nana had a heart full of love and faith.” When she said the word, she rubbed her charms with her thumb. “She doesn’t want us to be sad, because she still fights alongside us. I wish I would’ve had more time with her, but I treasure every second I did have.”

  Taking in a couple of breaths to stanch the threating tears, she continued. “She used her last breaths to tell us how much she loved us. I know we still have a lot to face, but we will prevail. We’ll do it for all those we’ve lost. For Nana, Amélie—” she made a point to look at Madeleine “—and Cheveyo.”

  Reagan reached for her sister’s hand and gave it a squeeze, hoping she’d understand the passing of the torch. She did.

  “Father committed his life to making sure good would prevail in the end. He gave his life for the cause. We can’t let them down. We can’t let their lives and deaths be a waste.”

  “With faith, we fight.” Winona looked at Reagan after sending the message. “Is it time to share it?”

  Reagan nodded and lifted their joined hands in the air.

  “With faith, we fight!”

  One by one, members of their family lifted their fists and repeated the mantra, including Papa, who joined his hands with his granddaughters’. Across the way, Reagan caught Rowan’s wink and smile. She knew Nana, Cheveyo, and Amélie were looking down and smiling, too.

  ↄↄↄↄↄ

  Back in the cave, Reagan felt a renewed sense of purpose as she helped her mom and aunt with dinner preparations.

  Madeleine, Sasha, Jessica, and Winona joined them.

  Reagan had no clue what the men were off doing, but Mom had said they had important duties. Never before had turkey smelled so amazing. Mom stuffed oranges and onions inside the cavities and sprinkled seasoning on top before placing several birds in the industrial ovens. Then, they started on the side dishes.

  Knowing it might be the last time they had anything resembling normal, Reagan let herself get lost in it. Laughter and shared memories filled the room. More supplies arrived within the hour. Mom directed where everything should go, and Reagan could see how much her mother was like Papa as she took on her own commander role. It must’ve been in the DNA, because he hadn’t been around for most of his daughter’s life.

  After several hours of preparation, they were finally ready to present dinner.

  Rowan, who’d checked in about thirty minutes before, was sent to bring in the troops. When Reagan came out of the kitchen with the first plate of food, she smiled at the tables set up to create a buffet style environment. Tray after tray came out, along with plates, utensils, and other needs.

  When everyone had gone through the line and settled in to eat for the first shift, Mom led the group in a short prayer. All those years Reagan had wished for a Christmas surrounded by family, and she finally had it in a way she could’ve never imagined.

  A clanging of metal to glass drew the crowd’s attention to Mom, who stood at the front of the room. “When everyone is done, we’d love to have you join us in the conference room past the library.”

  Not sure where that room was, Reagan leaned over and asked Rowan, who sat next to her.

  “I’m done. You want to follow me?”

  She scooped up one last bite of mashed potatoes and gravy, and then gathered her dishes. Rowan helped her put them in the kitchen, where friends and family had already started to clean up. She knew her Mom had to be proud of how the day was going.

  “I wish the battle was over and this was the celebration. That this day could last forever,” Reagan said as they walked.

  Rowan took her hand. “I know. Nobody wants the final battle with Rafe over more than I do.”

  As frustrated as she felt to have so little time left before the final battle, she could only imagine how Rowan felt. He’d been building up to the event for longer than Reagan had been alive. She didn’t know how he stayed the course.

  “Do you know what’s in the conference room?” she asked.

  “Nope. You?”

  She shook her head. Several bodies blocked the entrance. Christmas music wafted into the hallway. She strained to get a sneak peek to no avail. Feeling the anticipation of a kid on Christmas morning, she bounced around trying to see.

  “I’ve never seen you so excited.” Rowan grinned.

  Finally, they found a way in. She gasped. In the middle of the room, people were dancing to holiday music. A Christmas tree stood in the far corner, and the room was decorated with green and red streamers, garland, and twinkling lights.

  “May I?” Rowan bowed and extended his hand.

  Bing Crosby’s White Christmas filled the space as she let Rowan guide her onto the dance floor. It was a classic Mom made Reagan sit down and watch every Christmas along with It’s A Wonderful Life. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Ricardo whisking Winona around the room and Dad spinning Mom.

  Scanning for other family and friends, she saw everyone but Papa. Worried he was all alone somewhere, she told Rowan she had something to do. “But I promise I’ll be right back.”

  “You sure you don’t want me to go with you?” he asked.

  “Yes. Why don’t you ask my aunt to dance? You’d make her night,” Reagan said, noticing her aunt standing in a corner.

  “If you’re sure,” he said.

  “Yes, now go.” Reagan watched him cross the room and then headed to find Papa.

  Her first stop was the command center. She found him sitting by himself at a computer screen and walked over. Before she could say anything, she saw a frame in his hand. In it was a photo of Nana with him the night they left to celebrate their anniversary. They looked stunning and very much in love.

  “It’s an amazing picture. Where’d you get it?” Reagan asked.

  When Papa turned to face her, she saw the leftover liquid residue of tears on his face. She put a finger to his cheek and wiped away the evidence. She’d never seen him cry, and her heart shattered.

  “Sasha gave it to me this morning. Nana had it made after our date, I guess.” He ran a finger along the glass. “I never thought I’d see her again after that night so many years ago. Having her back in my life was such a blessing. I thought I’d be able to keep her safe.”

  “So did I.” Her mind filled with images of Nana’s last moments. “Papa, I’m scared. Rafe must know we took Donovan, and there’s no advantage for him to wait until April to face us again.”

  Papa didn’t sugarcoat it. “He’ll be coming for us. I have no doubt. Our only advantage, other than the sword, is that he doesn’t know about Winona.”

  “True.”

  “I’ve been thinking about something; a safeguard to get us to April. I’m going to send you and Winona away to separate locations.”

  When Reagan opened her mouth to protest, he put a hand up.

  “Hear me out. I want to keep you on the move. I can hold down the fort here. Maybe I’ll even send Steve away with your mom and aunt. We can convene again in early March and hit the training hard. Until then, Rowan and Madeleine would keep you safe and prepare you while Sasha and Ricardo do the same for Winona.”

  Safe. It was a word she wanted to hear. However, separate didn’t appeal to her. Knowing she’d be constantly worried about everyone’s s
afety, she asked, “How would we communicate with each other? I’ll be sick not knowing if everything’s okay.”

  “I’ve thought about that. I can set up a secure network where we can check in. Plus, I’ll be traveling around to the different camps from time to time, checking on progress, and addressing any issues that come up. I don’t want anyone using telepathic communication. It’s too dangerous. We don’t know what Rafe’s capable of picking up.”

  Pacing and wringing her hands, Reagan didn’t notice Rowan come in. “There you are. Wait, what’s going on?”

  Papa relayed his plans.

  “I can see why Reagan is troubled, but I think it’s a good plan. It’s too risky to move big packs of us when there’s an issue.”

  Rowan didn’t say anything about what happened last time, but the loss of Nana hung in the air; at least, in Reagan’s mind.

  Racking her brain for alternatives and finding none, she acquiesced. “When?”

  “The sooner the better. Most of the time I work off facts and figures, but something tells me this is the right thing to do. There’s something coming and sooner than April.”

  She offered a timetable. “Then let’s enjoy tonight and tomorrow. Spend time as a family. We can break the news to them on the twenty-sixth.”

  Papa nodded.

  “Will you join us?” she asked, extending her hand.

  He took it, and they headed back to the library.

  Mom lit up when she saw her dad walk in the room.

  Reagan and Papa made their way over.

  “Care to have a dance with your daughter?”

  “Absolutely,” he said and followed Mom onto the dance floor.

  “What about you?” Dad asked. “Would you dance with your old man?”

  Reagan hadn’t danced with her dad since she was a little girl, and she didn’t know what the future held. Living for the moment, she spun around with him a few times. Then, she suggested he ask Winona to dance, which he did.

  Punch and desserts were on a table in the back. Jessica and Sam were grabbing a snack, and Reagan joined them. “The Yule log turned out great.” Half of it was gone, but it still looked good.

  Jessica beamed. “It’s perfect.”

  “Yes, it is. You did an amazing job.” Sam kissed her cheek.

  She turned crimson. “He’s been telling me that all night.”

  Rowan put his arms around Reagan. “Mind if I steal her?”

  Jessica and Sam shook their heads, and Rowan led Reagan away from the lights and music. Soon, they were outside staring up at another starry sky.

  He held her in his arms. “Tonight turned out pretty well. I bet your mom’s happy.”

  “She seems to be. Actually, everyone seems to be. We needed this.”

  “Will you stay with me tonight?” Rowan asked.

  Reagan pushed away and looked him in the eyes, wondering what he meant. Even though she loved him, she didn’t want to turn herself over to him heart and soul until everything was over. She wanted a promise of tomorrow, and they didn’t have that yet.

  He must have sensed her hesitation, because he kept talking. “I just want to wake up with you in my arms on Christmas morning.”

  Could she trust herself? Losing herself in him appealed to her—another way to avoid fear and doubt. She didn’t want her first time with him to be about diversion. “Okay, but no funny business.”

  “I wouldn’t dare,” he said, grinning.

  She settled back into his arms.

  “After we left Jed, I was thinking. Maybe Sam and Jessica would want to go with your mom, dad, and aunt.”

  Although he was right, Reagan worried it would leave Papa without any enhanced abilities. All of the six would be away from him. Then, another thought hit. “Before we leave, we should contact Cecilia, while we’re all still together. See if there’s anything she’d suggest.”

  “You should. I’ll update Jed in the morning, and you can tell the ladies when you feel it’s a good time tomorrow. You should do it the next morning, and then we’ll plan to leave from there.”

  “Wow, it’s almost midnight,” he said, checking his watch. “I think your mom said something about us all being together when the clock changed.”

  She chuckled. “It’s the good Catholic in her; her version of Midnight Mass. What do you want to bet she has candles for us all to hold?”

  They headed back in. Sure enough, Mom handed them candles. Reagan gave Rowan her best I-told-you-so look. When everyone had a candle, Mom had them join hands and sing Silent Night.

  When the song ended, Rowan backed Reagan into a corner and pointed above their heads. Mistletoe hung there. She grinned. “Mom thought of everything.”

  “That she did,” Rowan said, as he reached up to caress her cheek. Lowering his head, he softly brushed her lips.

  She reached up and pulled him closer, losing herself in the moment.

  After a few minutes, she pulled back and stared into his eyes; she couldn’t imagine a more perfect Christmas.

  She hoped it wouldn’t be her last.

  Waking up in bed with a hot guy made Christmas perfect. Reagan snuggled into Rowan, trying to be still and extend the moment. His exposed chest proved to be too much temptation. Tracing a finger lightly near his collarbone and then moving lower, she drew in a breath and slowly let it out.

  “Good morning,” Rowan said.

  Reagan withdrew her hand, embarrassed to be caught exploring, but Rowan caught it and pulled it back into him. “I wish we had more mornings like this.”

  “Me, too. But we do need to get up. Mom has every second of today planned.”

  “Not every second.”

  ↄↄↄↄↄ

  Christmas day sped by in a blur of food and fun. Toward the end, Reagan asked the ladies to join her in the library. She hated putting an end to the festivities, but she couldn’t put it off any longer.

  Once everyone was there, she began. “Papa plans to have us go to different locations tomorrow.”

  A collective gasp sounded, except for Madeleine. Her lack of response said she already knew.

  Reagan rushed to continue before questions started flying. “Stay with me on this. Rowan, Madeleine, and I will go one way. Winona, Ricardo, and Sasha will go another. Jessica, you and Sam will go with Mom, Dad, and Aunt Sarah.”

  “Does your father know?” Mom asked.

  “I think he’s being briefed on this now, along with Sam and the others involved,” Reagan said. “We’ll come back together in early March and prepare. Plus, we’ll be preparing separately. Papa will visit us at various times and check on our progress.”

  She took a breath and braced herself for the onslaught of concerns. Instead, silence followed. Guessing everyone was still processing, Reagan continued, “We should try and contact Cecilia while we’re all still together.”

  “That makes sense,” Aunt Sarah said. “I’ll go get the supplies and be right back.” She hurried out of the room.

  “I don’t like being separated,” Mom said.

  After the last two days of seeing her in her element, seeing her shrink back into uncertainty saddened Reagan. “I know, Mom. I don’t, either. But I don’t want us in the position we were in when we lost Nana. Our biggest advantage is that Rafe doesn’t know about Winona.”

  “That just means he’ll go after you. Or Sam,” Mom said.

  “Rowan knows how to hide us and keep us safe. Remember, he and Madeleine have been staying off Rafe’s radar for many years,” Reagan said.

  With little more to say, she was relieved to see Aunt Sarah return. They prepared for the ceremony.

  She drew the star and passed around the tea, and Reagan took the knife around to make an incision on their palms. She hesitated with her mom, knowing how much she hated blood, but drew the blade over her palm anyway.

  “Now, let’s hold hands and repeat the mantra Nana taught us.” Reagan ordered.

  Everyone chanted the Latin words. Like before, a small breeze buil
t to a stronger wind. Then, calmness settled. Reagan opened her eyes, expecting to see Cecilia. Instead, Nana stood there. Squelching the urge to run to her and never let her go, Reagan took the lead like Nana had so many times before.

  “We seek your guidance,” Reagan said.

  Cecilia appeared with Nana.

  Faded images of Cheveyo and Amélie glowed behind the two redheads.

  “As you can see, we’ve built our own army. We will be with you,” Cecilia said. “Use your remaining time wisely. Build your strengths.”

  “Should we really separate?” Mom asked.

  Reagan couldn’t blame her mom, but worried they couldn’t hold the connection too much longer.

  “Yes. You’re safest that way. For now. Rafe knows more than you wish. The angel sword should stay with Reagan, where it was meant to be. Do not ever let it out of your sight,” Cecilia said.

  “We love you,” Nana said as the four images faded.

  Don’t leave! Reagan screamed in her mind. Seeing Nana fade away felt like losing her all over again. Around the room, there were stunned faces and a few tears.

  Nobody said anything for a bit. Then, Mom said, “She looked beautiful, didn’t she?”

  “Amélie, too. She finally looked happy,” Madeleine said.

  Peace settled in Reagan’s soul, as did the fire to do everything in her power to make sure the next few months passed without incident.

  “I’m going to go update Papa on our session,” Reagan said.

  “I’ll come, too,” Madeleine said.

  They made their way to the command center. As Reagan suspected, Dad and Sam were there.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” she said when they entered. “We just spoke with Cecilia.” She started to tell Papa about Nana, but decided to wait and do that in private. “She agreed with the decision to separate.”

  “Good,” Papa said.

  “She also said Rafe knows more than we think,” Madeleine added.

  “Any specifics?” Rowan asked.

  Madeleine and Reagan shook their heads.

  “There’s something I want to give you,” Papa said. He crossed the room and grabbed something. When he turned, he had the angel sword in his hands. Although it was wrapped, she could sense what it was; the extra material protected Papa and allowed him to hold it. She opened her mouth to tell him what Cecilia said, but he spoke first. “You should have this.”