Tala Prophecy: The Complete Series

by Tia Silverthorne Bach

  “You know me so well. Even got the barbeque chips,” Reagan said, her heart warming at the idea that he noticed such small details.

  “You always get them, and I’ve noticed if hamburgers are an option, you usually go for that as well.”

  He had a hot dog, a Dr. Pepper, and a candy bar.

  Reagan couldn’t help but laugh. “Guess we won’t win any healthy eating competitions.”

  “So, you and Madeleine seemed pretty deep in conversation earlier,” he said.

  “There’s a lot to think about these days,” she said in between bites.

  Just then the passenger door creaked open. It was Dad.

  “Hey, guys, mind if we join you?” he asked.

  Reagan turned to see her mom and Aunt Sarah waiting by the side door. Reagan opened it. “Of course you can.”

  “It’s freezing out there, and we don’t have the super warm blood to help us,” Aunt Sarah said.

  Papa jumped in the front seat, startling Reagan. “Sorry, I figured I should start the car. Warm things up for these guys.”

  “How much farther do we have to go?” Reagan asked, grateful for the distraction from having to lie to Rowan.

  “Probably about two more hours. I’d say we should be there no later than three or three thirty. Way before sunset.”

  Shoving the last bit of hamburger into her mouth and washing it down with the final swig of her soda, she crumbled the aluminum foil wrapper in her hand. “Let’s get a move on, then.”

  She and Rowan hopped out just in time to see everyone else coming out of the gas station. “I’m going to run to the restroom. Be right back.” Then she remembered the reason why she hadn’t gone into the establishment to begin with. “Anyone got a jacket or something?”

  “Wait a second,” Ricardo said, rummaging through his backpack. “I have a sweatshirt. Should be big enough on you to cover what you’re packing.”

  “Thanks,” she said, putting it on. It came almost to her knees.

  “I’ll go with you,” Winona said.

  A foul stench reached Reagan’s nose as soon as she opened the bathroom door. “Gross! I hope this wasn’t left behind by one of ours. Gross!” Inside the stall looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in forever. She’d never been so glad for stronger thigh muscles as she hovered over the seat.

  “Ricardo hopes you aren’t mad at him,” Winona said as they were washing their hands.

  “Of course not. I get it. I think we all try to find the good in people. I know I’m catching a lot of grief about Lucent right now.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  “Plus, as long as he’s good to you, he’s A-Okay in my book,” Reagan said.

  They joined the others outside and headed back into the woods. Trying to make the time go as quickly as possible, Reagan hopped from one group to another, keeping the conversation as light as possible. Out of pure boredom, she played I-Spy with her brother, but they soon ran out of anything to spy. All the trees looked the same, and snow covered the ground, making choosing objects difficult. Then, they started having short races to see who was fastest. It was a nice break from talking about Rafe and traitors.

  It didn’t seem long at all before Rowan broke off to check in with Papa and came back with the news that they were almost there. When they came upon the cave entrance, Reagan swore it was a dead ringer for their other two homes. For someone who trekked through the forest on an almost daily basis, she had no clue where the location would be on a map. After a while, one tree looked just like another; unless, of course, the end of the branches turned into faces and started sharing life-altering secrets.

  A few pack members greeted the couple, and Reagan noticed the van being driven off. Guess it didn’t cloak their new domicile very well to have a big white van out front. Stepping out of the sunshine and into the dark dampness of the cave, Reagan walked about two feet in before reaching what appeared to be a dead end.

  “Follow me,” Rowan said, coming from behind her and squeezing down a narrow hallway.

  Reagan had to turn sideways and suck in, but within a few feet, they entered a lit room with an elevator. Rowan punched numbers into a keypad, and the doors opened. Reagan stepped inside the metal box. There were no buttons on the inside, and a building sense of claustrophobia began to crawl up her throat, only easing when the doors opened.

  When she stepped out, the scene reminded her of the hustle and bustle of a big sale day at the mall. People moving around, bright lights, a low hum of conversation.

  “This way,” Rowan said.

  Why she hesitated, she wasn’t completely sure. She had seen several modernized caves in the previous few months. But the energy before her felt more like a government agency on full alert, or at least how she imagined one.

  Lost in her thoughts, she barely registered Rowan’s hand slip into hers. A gentle tugging had her back on the move. She had to stick close to him to not get bumped traveling down the hallway.

  “There they are,” Papa announced as they stepped into the command center.

  That much looked the same as each of their previous homes. Fewer people filled the room, but electronics were everywhere. A wall of video cameras with flashing images from both inside and outside the cave, rows of computer screens, and beeping noises coming from all directions.

  Everything before that moment seemed like a drill. Practice. Not anymore. They were in the final stages of war. A tingling sensation crept up her arms, tiny hairs all on end, at the same time a sick feeling settled in her stomach.

  Within minutes, the team had assembled, with only Aunt Sarah missing.

  “As you all know, we’ve discovered that our original timeline was wrong. The time to face Rafe is upon us. Still, I don’t think it benefits us to rush into this. For the next two days, we’re going to break into teams.

  “Reagan, Madeleine, and Winona will work on training as well as touch base with Susie, Aunt Sarah, and Jessica on, well, spells and magic.”

  As intense as the room felt, Reagan couldn’t help but smile at Papa stumbling over categorizing his daughters’ contribution to the team.

  “Steve and Sam will work with me, Ricardo, and Rowan on strategy.”

  Nothing out of the ordinary with any of the teams.

  “And we will meet with Lucent. He is part of this team.”

  Every sound seemed to stop until Ricardo’s voice burst forth. “Are you kidding, we—”

  “It’s not up for discussion.”

  He pinched his mouth shut, but his eyes never left Papa’s.

  “Let’s break off into our groups and make plans. I don’t know how many days we have left before we face this battle, so let’s use every minute we have.”

  A few people nodded, but nobody spoke.

  “Guess that’s our cue to break off,” Jessica said out of the side of her mouth, her head tilted toward Reagan.

  “I’d say so.” She caught Madeleine’s gaze and motioned toward the hallway. She followed Reagan and Jessica out, along with Winona and Susie.

  “Do you know where Sarah is?” Reagan asked her mom. “We should probably all meet in the library… or at least I assume there’s a library.”

  Madeleine spoke up. “Yes, and it’s the best place to meet. Jessica, have you seen it?”

  After Jessica nodded, Madeleine gave some quick directions and instructions, dismissing everyone, but then touched Reagan’s arm lightly before she joined the others in walking away.

  “Could we chat for a minute? You can grab Winona if you’d like.”

  “No, she’s got a lot on her right now.” A touch of guilt flashed through her for excluding her sister, but Reagan didn’t want to burden Winona with anything else. She seemed overwhelmed with what had happened with her and Ricardo and their mother’s vision.

  “Then follow me,” Madeleine said, bringing Reagan back to the moment.

  Madeleine led Reagan back to the elevator and then outside. The sun was just beginning to set. Witho
ut so much as a question, Reagan followed her friend into the forest, stopping only when she did.

  “I’ve left word for one of Lucent’s men to meet us here. I think we need to put this plan we talked about into motion.”

  “I agree, but I don’t know that we had a really put together—”

  “What can I do to help?”

  Reagan jumped at Lucent’s voice; she hadn’t heard anyone join them.

  “I was expecting one of your men,” Madeleine said. “But glad to see you. Reagan and I want to flush out this traitor, and we think you’re the person to help us. But I have to ask something of you, make sure you are in this for the right reasons. My life was destroyed by vampires…”

  “I’d say more than vampires have impacted your life,” Lucent said when Madeleine hesitated.

  “Yes. I’ll give you that. I need to know I can trust you.”

  “Is trust something you can ever know, or only feel?” he responded.

  Reagan glanced back and forth between Madeleine and him, thinking it was best to be a bystander until they reached an agreement.

  “I’ve put trust in many places. It hasn’t always worked out for me, and clearly it still isn’t since one of our own is working against us. I need to know, or at least be as close to knowing as possible, that you’re with us on this.”

  He stepped closer to her, took her hand, and then turned and outstretched another to Reagan. She took it. “I didn’t choose to be a vampire, and I’ve struggled with the consequences. Not just taking life in order to continue mine, but the idea that my soul was forever lost. Not from my own actions, but because it was ripped from me the moment I was turned. I’ve tried my best to deny my own instincts and be the man I wanted to be. Your angel gave me hope. Something I haven’t had in years. This is my chance for something I gave up on. My eternity.”

  As if a light had gone off, Reagan understood why she had faith in him, why the encounter with the angel of mercy had so affected her. Mercy. Maybe Lucent could regain his soul by helping them. Could that be?

  “I’m chasing my eternity. But really, aren’t we all? We know our lives are about more than walking this Earth. So many people don’t get to know that, but we do. You ladies get to talk to angels. What a gift.”

  With her free hand, Reagan reached up and wiped away a tear as she sniffled. She felt silly, but she wanted to pull him into a hug.

  “So will you help us?” Madeleine asked. “Because only you will know our plan. You would need to pull in Jed as soon as something goes wrong, but we’ll be placing our trust in you.”

  Knowing it was as close to an admission of trust as she’d ever give, Reagan felt proud of her friend.

  “Yes. My men will be at your disposal, and I’ll have Jed on alert that something is going on. I think he’ll trust me with that. What were you thinking?”

  “I’m going to take Winona and Reagan off to do some training. I want to lure the traitor to the location, but I want to do it in a way that there will be no doubt. We won’t be questioning this person. We’ll be killing him.”

  Reagan gasped, although she tried to rein in the sound of it. Could they really kill on the spot, without question or verification? What if they were wrong? What kind of plan would be foolproof?

  “Reagan?” Lucent said.

  “Sorry. I only have a million questions racing through my head. But let’s start with the basic one. How will we know that whoever shows up, if this even works and they fall for it, is definitely the traitor?”

  “Here’s my idea,” Lucent began. “Give a location for your training to each person on your team. A different one. Communicate all of those to me, and I’ll have a man at each spot, which means we’ll have to wait until sunset.”

  A red flag came up in Reagan’s mind. “Hold on. Why would we take the extra risk of training at night?”

  “We’ll tell everyone that we’re training with a few of Lucent’s men, knowing we’ll be facing some vampire opposition and haven’t done much in that area,” Madeleine said.

  “Good thinking,” Lucent responded.

  “Where will Madeleine, Winona, and I be?” Reagan asked.

  “You’ll be centrally located to all of these locations, and in one of the spots you’ll give someone. I’d choose someone for that you have the most faith in, not including Jed, since he’ll be on call with me. Don’t try to test everyone at once. Start with a small group. Let’s clear them and move on. We could cover this in two nights. Maybe make the first night the ones you least suspect, so we can practice.”

  “Sounds good. Reagan and I will work out the details and coordinates. We’ll communicate those to you. What’s the best way?” Madeleine and Lucent went over a few more details, while Reagan focused on only one thing: Who was the person she trusted the most?

  They hurried back to the cave. Reagan hoped nobody noticed their absence. All in all, they’d only been gone about twenty minutes. It probably would’ve taken the other ladies that long just to gather in the library.

  Before re-entering the cave, Madeleine nodded at the couple of guards just outside, the ones she’d convinced just a few minutes before that she and Reagan needed some air. Once inside, they quickly found their way to the library.

  “Where were you two?” Jessica asked. “We were just about to send someone to find you.”

  “Sorry. We needed to check on something.” Reagan wished she’d put more thought into her excuse, but she was too busy running through the list of people she cared about and trying to narrow it done to one to trust. Holding Jessica’s gaze, Reagan hoped the no-nonsense simple answer would be enough.

  “Shall we get started?” Mom asked.

  For the rest of the evening, they talked about possible spells to use in the war. They knew they’d need a major distraction to get Rafe by himself so Winona and Reagan could kill him with the sword.

  “The war really isn’t about killing all the demons. Once Rafe is defeated, the demons will be called back to Hell. Those that aren’t will probably scatter without a leader.”

  Reagan mentioned how she’d formed a crevice before in the earth. “Could we create an earthquake and get to Rafe that way?”

  Several more options were tossed about before Aunt Sarah made a declaration. “I think it’s best that we all get some sleep.”

  Before they left the room, Madeleine whispered into Reagan’s ear, “Let’s meet at sunrise and go for a run. We can iron out the details then for tomorrow.”

  Everything was happening so fast, and Reagan wished she had more time to digest it all. Or, better, could discuss it with Papa, Rowan, or her dad and get some thoughts about her plans.

  “What are you and Madeleine up to?”

  Reagan turned to face her sister, but not before making sure everyone else had already left the room. “We have a plan to bust the traitor. Can you trust me that I’ve got this covered?” Waiting proved difficult. Reagan knew if her sister pushed for more information, it would be difficult to hold back.

  “Yes.”

  One simple word sent a flood of relief coursing through Reagan.

  That night, she slept well. She shouldn’t have. After all, the war loomed and a traitor still walked amongst them. But she felt in control, not just sitting around waiting for some magical birthday to come so she could put an end to Rafe and his reign of tyranny.

  When her alarm went off, she went in search of Madeleine, finding her in the kitchen grabbing some breakfast. Reagan did the same, and then they told Papa they were heading out for a quick run.

  A bright blue sky met them when they exited the cave, and once they created a safe distance from home, they talked about the specifics of the day.

  “Each of us will give out a location,” Madeleine started. She then listed the names they would each take and the information about location, which Reagan determined by touching Madeleine on the arm and seeing the coordinates she had memorized.

  “Did you decide who you trusted with the actual loca
tion?” she asked.

  “Sam.” When the name came out, Reagan felt a bit taken aback. She wanted to say Rowan, wanted to believe that with every fiber of her being, but she needed to go the really safe route. Plus, she feared Rowan might show up just to check on them, and there wouldn’t be time for questions, as Madeleine had already pointed out.

  “Interesting choice,” she said.

  “He’s my brother. Call it a gut instinct.” Which was exactly what it should be called, since she’d decided on him for sure the moment his name escaped her lips.

  “So be it.”

  Reagan wished they could discuss it more, that Madeleine had challenged the choice. What if she thought Reagan didn’t love Rowan enough to trust him? Why hadn’t Reagan chosen him?

  “Who would you have chosen?” She had to ask.

  “Rowan.”

  She shouldn’t have asked after all, because hearing his name broke her heart. He should’ve been her choice as well. “I was afraid he’d come check on us. I was afraid I’d see his face, and we wouldn’t have time to ask questions.” Or was she just afraid to see his face?

  “You don’t have to explain yourself. I agree on Sam.”

  So many times since she’d discovered her fate and left the normal world behind, she lamented how many difficult choices she faced. And until the day she drove the sword through Rafe and ended their nightmare, she wouldn’t know if she’d made the right ones. It sucked.

  Worse, the traitor knew they were on to him. Everyone in the cave talked about it, and several pack members had come to Papa with theories. Only minor pack members had been named so far, and no name had been mentioned twice.

  “I wish we had more of an element of surprise. Everyone knows there’s a traitor, and they must be suspecting we’re trying to figure out who it is. What if people start comparing the locations we hand out?”

  “Simple, we tell each person that we’re only giving the directions to them,” Madeleine said.

  “The whole thing just feels gross,” Reagan said as they continued their run. Pounding the ground with more effort than necessary still didn’t make her feel better. “Guess we should start pulling people aside when we get back. We’ll want to head out mid-afternoon.”