Discern (Mosaic Chronicles Book 1)

by Andrea Pearson

  Around one o’clock, Coolidge gave word over the walkie-talkies that it was time to head back. Sylvia put away the rest of the LED lights, and Nicole stopped taking new notes.

  They followed the lights, deciding to leave them stuck to the tunnel walls as markers for future explorations.

  At first, Nicole didn’t pay attention to where they were going. But when they walked through a cavern she didn’t recognize, she pulled out her notepad and examined what she’d written. She glanced over her shoulder, trying to see the cavern the way she would’ve while headed in the opposite direction, but it didn’t draw out any memories.

  The cavern ended and they entered a short tunnel—which again, Nicole didn’t recognize. She paused.

  “Um, guys?”

  The other two stopped walking and looked back.

  “This place doesn’t match my notes.”

  Sylvia raised an eyebrow. “The LED lights are here. We must’ve come this way.”

  Nicole didn’t respond, and Sylvia continued walking. Austin shrugged and also walked forward, and Nicole, not wanting to be left alone, rushed to follow.

  Sylvia might be right. Maybe Nicole hadn’t paid attention as closely as she’d thought.

  But not five minutes later, Sylvia stopped. “You’re right.” She motioned to one of the lights. “It’s not pointing in the right direction. I had them all facing up.”

  Austin pulled out the gun. “Nicole was also right about something watching us.” He motioned down the tunnel to a dark shape that was creeping along the tunnel floor toward them. Nicole’s first thought was of the shadow from the book, but no, this wasn’t a shadow. It was tangible. Light glinted off a pair of eyes and Nicole gasped, stepping back.

  Just then, Austin yelled out and dropped to the ground. Nicole only briefly saw something—an arm—in the shine of his headlamp before the light died.

  “Austin!” Sylvia shrieked.

  He didn’t respond.

  Sylvia shrieked again and her headlight fell, then also went out.

  Nicole froze, unsure what to do. Something brushed up against her and she screamed. A sharp pain at the back of her neck radiated outward, and everything went black.

  ***

  Nicole’s eyes fluttered open. A hunched figure was pulling her roughly down the tunnel by her arms, her legs dragging in the dirt. Ouch. Lucky for her, she was wearing jeans. She squirmed, finding that her wrists and ankles were bound, and was rewarded with a kick to the ribs. Someone was walking by her side.

  They didn’t go far before she was dumped in a brightly lit alcove alongside Sylvia and Austin, both of whom were unconscious. Nicole looked up at the sunlight, at least twenty feet above them. She struggled to a sitting position and gasped when she saw their captors.

  A woman and two men gawked at her. The woman had bumps on her face, and her eyes were bulging—one protruded farther than the other and was surrounded by a mass of bone. The eye was a stunning shade of blue, the other a dark brown. The woman grinned, showing twisted, dirty teeth. She crawled forward, grunting, and Nicole pulled away until she hit the wall behind her.

  “She wants to know why you’re here,” one of the men said.

  Nicole glanced at him, surprised to hear clear English. His eyes were brown, his hair blond. He stood tall, his broad chest pushed out. One hand rested on Coolidge’s gun, now shoved halfway into his belt.

  The woman poked at Nicole and grunted again.

  Nicole swatted the woman away. “We’re trying to find the reason for a number of disappearances in the area.”

  The man’s eyes narrowed. “Disappearances?” He laughed, mocking her. “The only disappearance I’m concerned about is my own. I’m Will Stevenson, and if anyone mentions me, you just let them know—”

  The other man slapped Will so hard across the face that he was knocked to his knees, the gun spilling out and sliding away down the tunnel. The man glowered at Nicole with mismatched eyes like the woman’s. His face was nearly as distorted as hers, but his teeth weren’t as crooked. Still, when he spoke, she couldn’t understand anything. He mumbled something, turned away, and bent to pick up the gun, seeming to be fascinated with it. The woman joined him.

  Will got to his knees, wiping blood off his face, and looked at Nicole. “You will leave this place. Immediately. Outsiders aren’t safe here, if you can’t tell. Any stragglers are eaten, or forced to join the coven if they’re strong enough.” He flicked his eyes to the man and woman, who were still examining the gun. “Listen to me. I’ve been here for over a year and have found no way to escape.” He looked at Nicole again. “They’re only letting you leave so you can make the others stop. You must go!”

  Sylvia staggered to her feet—Nicole wasn’t even aware she’d awakened. “Tell them to leave! In fact . . .” Sylvia glanced around, grasping at the air as if looking for a weapon, but found nothing. Why was Nicole bound and not Sylvia?

  The woman jumped forward and yanked Sylvia’s hair, pulling her to the ground. She hovered over Sylvia, showing her teeth.

  The man shoved Will forward, mumbling something.

  “I hadn’t forgotten,” Will said, sneering. He glared at Nicole. “Tell the others to return the bodies immediately. They’ll regret it if they don’t.”

  “The bodies?” Nicole asked, positive she knew what he was talking about, but wanting more information.

  He nodded. “The Agarchs. The Ancient Ones. They sleep now, but destruction always follows when they wake. The coven protects them. Return their bodies.”

  “We’ll try,” Nicole said, “but the people who stole them haven’t listened to anyone. We’re not part of that group.”

  “We know,” Will said. “That’s why you’re still alive.” He surprised Nicole by flushing and glancing away. “The coven appreciates your music.”

  Nicole gasped. “You can hear it?”

  “Sound travels far at night. That’s what saved your life in the cabin yesterday.”

  “You know about that?”

  “It was meant as a warning. This is your second. There won’t be another.” He stared into her eyes, most of the malice gone. “Please, listen. Please, leave.”

  She frowned. “We will as soon as possible. How do we get back to the campsite?”

  Will pointed up. “Climb the rope ladder. Go west.”

  He undid Nicole’s bindings and backed away.

  It took a moment to wake Austin and another to calm him down and explain what had happened. Once he understood, he led the way up the ladder.

  After they got to the top of the well, they took a break for a couple of minutes, staring at the ruins of an old cabin. Then they ran west for as long as they could before slumping to the ground to catch their breath and figure out where they’d ended up. Nicole and Austin rummaged through their bags, discovering that pretty much everything had been confiscated—the gun, the LED lights, the walkie-talkies, Nicole’s notes. She was surprised that her satellite phone was still there, but realized it probably had seemed worthless since it wouldn’t have worked underground. Their food had also been returned, which was a good thing since they appeared to be miles away from camp.

  “Better get going,” Austin said. He pointed to Nicole’s phone. “Do you have Coolidge’s number? Give him a call—let him know we’re on our way.”

  Nicole turned the phone on. It didn’t take long to relate what had happened, and Coolidge promised to send Jeeps in their direction.

  “Why was I tied up and you two weren’t?” Nicole asked as they started west again.

  Sylvia scowled. “I wasn’t unconscious for as long as it seemed. I pretended to be out and overheard their plans. They were going to eat Austin and me—thinking we’d lend them strength with our power—and let you go to warn the others.”

  “Eat you? That’s horrible!” Then Nicole tilted her head. “You could understand them? How?”

  Sylvia shrugged. “I’ve traveled all over. They were speaking English, but a very low version of
it.”

  “I’ve done a lot of traveling too,” Nicole said, “and it sounded like grunts and mumbling to me.”

  Austin nodded. “Same.”

  No one said anything for a few moments, then Nicole asked, “Why didn’t they follow through with their plan to, uh, make you guys dinner?”

  “Don’t sound so disappointed,” Austin said.

  Nicole gasped. “I’m not!”

  Austin’s face was straight, but Nicole thought she could see a bit of a twinkle in his eye. “You’re teasing!” She punched his shoulder. “No fair.”

  He held up his hands and grinned. “You left yourself open for that one.”

  Nicole agreed, laughing. She couldn’t believe he was actually flirting with her. Yes, he’d kissed her, but this was the first time he’d flirted.

  Austin sobered, holding her gaze for several seconds. Nicole could tell he was formulating something to say and she waited, trying not to look too eager to hear it.

  His face softened and he looked away, then back at her, putting his hands in his pockets. “I’m glad we all made it out okay.”

  At first, Nicole was disappointed he didn’t say anything else. But the intensity in his eyes told her so much more than his words.

  Nicole bit her lip. “Me too.”

  She would’ve been deserted, and Austin would’ve been dead.

  That thought made Nicole’s chest painfully restrict, and she was surprised when a sudden urge to cry nearly overwhelmed her. She’d only known him for a couple of weeks. Why the strong emotions?

  Realizing he was still staring at her, Nicole concentrated harder than necessary on the ground in front of her. Was she reading too much into his expression? She hoped not, especially after their kiss. He seemed sincere—open with her.

  He’d flirted with her. He’d smiled at her. And, if she’d been reading him correctly—if his kiss said anything—he actually liked her.

  Nicole grinned, the earlier pain in her chest evolving into a light, floating sensation that left her breathless. In a daze, she hiked with the others across the Utah desert, barely noticing the passage of time before they were found by one of the Jeep drivers.

  ***

  As soon as they reached the campsite, Coolidge had them talk to Howard and explain what they’d learned.

  At first, Howard appeared sympathetic, especially for Will’s situation. He seemed to recall a man with that name going missing a year earlier. But when Nicole told him the coven’s demands, he immediately got angry and started shouting about going down there and teaching those people something about respect for the academics.

  He was adamant about not returning any of the bodies.

  No one tried to calm him down, and after several minutes of ranting, he stormed away.

  Coolidge rubbed the back of his neck. “Any chance we could get Will out of there?”

  “Possibly,” Nicole said. “And I think he may even accept some help. I hope so. But he did mention that people don’t escape once they become part of the coven.”

  Coolidge sighed, sitting on a trunk. “I don’t know what to do. On one hand, we’ve been given grants to fund the expedition and we’ve already used a lot of that money. We’d have to return every dime if we don’t fulfill our promises. But on the other hand, we’re putting ourselves into further danger the longer we stay here.”

  Sylvia rolled her eyes. “It’s not like you didn’t warn us. And Will’s situation is why we’re here.” She looked at Coolidge. “We need to call in a search and rescue team. We now know that people have been kidnapped. How many others are down there? How many are being held captive? We can’t desert them.”

  “We may not have a choice,” Coolidge said. “Though I definitely agree with you.” He stood and paced for a moment, hands behind his back. “From your description of the others, I’d guess that the disappearances in the area are happening as the ‘coven’ realizes they need to increase their breeding pool. The more a group of people interbreed, the more likely it is that their offspring will exhibit bad recessive genes.”

  He turned back to them. “That gives me enough to tell the government about the disappearances. But what of the magical pulses? We’ve only felt one that was strong enough to catch the attention of casual visitors, and we still haven’t found what created it.” He paused, obviously thinking. “None of the other groups saw anything magical today—not even items. You three were lucky.”

  Austin snorted. “Lucky? Hardly. Will and the others probably lured us farther away from the campsite with the items.”

  Coolidge nodded. “They probably did.” He rubbed his face. “Go get dinner. I’ll call in a team to start searching first thing in the morning—it’s too late to begin now. And am I correct in saying that Will isn’t in any immediate danger?”

  Austin nodded. “He seemed fairly comfortable, though a little surly.”

  “Good. We’ll plan on leaving after we’ve got as many people out as possible. We may have to forget about that magical pulse.”

  He strode away, and Nicole walked to her tent to change.

  Judith Ann was there, apparently waiting for her. “Austin and I are going shopping. Because I won’t be here, you have to make sure my father’s things get put away and that the shed is locked up.”

  Nicole said she would, hoping the pain she felt didn’t affect the expression on her face. How had Judith Ann convinced Austin to go? Why had he agreed to it, especially after what he and Nicole had experienced together? Were her earlier concerns being proven right? Was he regretting their kiss?

  She took a deep breath. Had to get in control. Be happy. Pretend to be happy.

  Nicole returned to the kitchen area, filled her plate, and sat in her camp chair to eat. She ignored Judith Ann’s excited chattering, but watched them leave. Her dampened spirits sagged even more, and she ignored the tears pricking at the back of her eyes.

  Instead of helping the others gather and compare notes, she retreated to the shed to practice. And practice she did, releasing all her pent-up emotions and frustrations and fears. The first songs she played were strenuous and difficult. Her fingers practically flew over the fingerboard, several bow hairs broke, and she made many mistakes.

  After an hour of frustrated playing, she calmed down and transitioned to slower, softer, more melodic compositions, pouring her quieter emotions into the music, focusing on perfection.

  It was nearly dark when she finally left. She stepped aside as a couple of students carried a heavy box into the shed. She decided to lock up later.

  No eyes followed her—at least, none that were visible. She shivered when she remembered what Will said about them listening to her. She glanced toward the hole. Nothing moved.

  She was on her way to her tent when she caught a whiff of the horrible Agarch smell. It seemed more potent, and Nicole felt her stomach clench when she realized what that probably meant. She took a detour, and a quick glance and count told her what she feared—Howard had brought up all the Agarchs. They lay on individual tables, open to the night sky.

  Howard was strapping on a utility belt, a huge grin of satisfaction on his face. He’d set up several high-powered lamps, and a bunch of his students bustled around him, preparing for the dissection of the newest set of specimens. Nicole saw Armitage University’s dissection team there as well—one of them still missing. They didn’t look nearly as excited as Howard and his students.

  Nicole groaned when she saw that Camille had joined them, a big smile on her face. Had the girl lost her mind?

  Coolidge stormed past Nicole. He entered Howard’s area and flung a hand toward the bodies. “Do you have no respect?”

  Howard laughed at him, wrapping an arm around Coolidge’s shoulder. “I have respect for the money this will make us.”

  “You’ve gone insane.” Coolidge rubbed his neck. “What am I to do with you, Stan? You’ll lose your position and all respect over this.”

  Howard laughed again. Nicole strode away, not wantin
g to hear more. She needed to put as much distance between herself and that group as possible.

  Wind ruffled her hair, blowing the stench away and bringing a familiar and welcome smell. Rain! She turned her face to the sky, breathing deeply. Please, let it rain.

  She enjoyed the wind for several moments, watching the clouds darken as the sun finished setting and the moisture in the air increased. Then she went to get her phone, wanting to call Lizzie. As she was exiting the tent, a big raindrop hit her face. She couldn’t help but grin.

  The rain started slowly, the clouds growing heavier, and after a moment, it became apparent that this wouldn’t be just a quick shower. While waiting for the phone to power on, Nicole returned to the tent and grabbed her jacket from her duffle. She zipped it up around her, pulling the hood up, and after making sure the phone was protected from the gently falling rain, she called Lizzie.

  It took five minutes of precious battery time to explain to Lizzie what had happened that day and another five minutes to calm her down.

  “I’ll be fine, I promise,” Nicole said.

  “How can you promise that?” Lizzie asked, sounding like she was practically hyperventilating.

  Nicole shrugged. “I don’t know—Will, the guy, said they liked my music.”

  Lizzie snorted. “Like that’s going to protect you.”

  “It has so far.”

  “Stop it, Nicole.”

  Nicole sighed. “I am taking it seriously, I promise—I was completely freaked out earlier. But Coolidge is doing everything he can to protect us.”

  Lizzie grunted. “Good.”

  Neither said anything for a moment. Nicole tightened her jacket, making sure the phone was still covered. She briefly wondered how Austin was doing with Judith Ann. She shut her eyes, unwilling to picture the two of them together.

  They ended the call, and Nicole jumped when someone grabbed her wrist. It was Sylvia.