Nicole nodded. “We need to get the rest of the family out.” She took a breath. “Why couldn’t you visit them?”
“Winston wouldn’t let me. He said I couldn’t come back unless I brought you. Said you’re a calming influence there.” Albert glanced at Nicole. “I’m not surprised—my visits were never as productive as when you’ve been present, regardless of your cello playing.”
Nicole felt her insides churn as she thought over all that might have happened while she was gone. She knew the elixir wouldn’t be ready for at least a few more days—if Rebecca was right—but that didn’t mean that the human sacrifice hadn’t happened already. She found herself praying that the family was okay.
Only a couple of minutes later, they pulled up in front of the manor, and a young man came out to get the horse and buggy.
Albert sent Nicole a sheepish glance. “I got tired of setting up the horse and buggy several times a day. Hired a boy from Moses Lake to take care of things for me.”
Nicole nodded. “I’m glad. We should’ve done that a while ago.”
Just then, Winston appeared around the corner of the manor, stumbling along the dirt road that led to his house.
His walk was uneven, one foot slightly dragging. The minute he spotted Nicole and Albert, his face crumpled and he started crying, pulling off his hat. Nicole was shocked to see that most of his hair had fallen out.
“Oh, Nicole’s here, Nicole’s here,” Winston said. He hugged her. She stared at Albert, afraid to put her arms around Winston, afraid she’d break him, he was so frail. It felt like there wasn’t anything but bones under his skin.
“What’s the matter, Winston?” Nicole asked, patting his back, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.
“Killed all the animals,” he sobbed, stepping away. “I killed ’em all.”
Nicole and Albert met eyes.
“Why?” Nicole asked.
“They’d all rotted. All of them. They was so miserable. It weren’t right, leavin’ ’em like that.” He wrung his hat. “Them cows was all swollen. They stunk so bad. Parts of ’em were shriveled up and chalky. Other parts were bloated. Maggots everywhere, already eatin’ ’em. Them pigs lost their hair and teeth. Even their ears fell off. I feed ’em, and they eat and eat and eat and never are full. Then they vomit it all up and beg for more. All the while, parts of ’em are shrivelin’ and other parts are swellin’. They was in so much pain.”
He took a shaky breath, tears falling from his eyes. “And so, I killed ’em. Couldn’t stand seein’ ’em so miserable like.”
Albert stepped forward and touched Winston’s arm. “Would you like to stay here for a while?”
Winston wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “No. Iona’s not well. She’s been askin’ for Sterling a lot. I don’t want to leave her alone for long.”
“Well . . . would you like a ride back to your house?”
Winston shook his head. “I don’t want to disservice you. ’Sides, I need to think. Need to walk.”
Nicole’s eyes strayed to Winston’s feet. One of his ankles was swollen. It couldn’t be comfortable, walking like that. “It won’t be a problem. Albert’s friend here could take you back.” Nicole pointed to the boy—a teenager of probably fifteen. He wore overalls and a flannel, long-sleeved shirt.
Winston looked at him for several moments before nodding. “Sure. He can take me.”
Nicole wondered if the country-like clothing was what made Winston feel more comfortable.
The boy took the reins from Albert and got up into the buggy while Albert helped Winston seat himself.
Nicole and Albert watched them until they’d pulled around the side of the manor, then Nicole turned to Albert.
“We need to talk.”
Albert nodded and they entered the manor. Nicole put her things away in her room, then met him a few minutes later in his library. They sat in the overstuffed chairs next to the fireplace.
“What’s on your mind, Nicole?” Albert asked, leaning forward.
“Well, I told you about the portal, right?”
He nodded. “How much longer until it’s finished?”
She took a deep breath, then told him what Rebecca had said about a human sacrifice.
Albert’s eyes reddened as he listened, and she saw his hand shake a bit when he raised a bottle of water to his mouth. But he didn’t argue or get upset. She wondered if he’d been suspecting something like that.
“Just let me know what you need, when you need it,” he said.
Nicole agreed to do so.
They chatted for a while longer, Nicole telling Albert about her trip and him telling her about Thanksgiving Days in bygone years. He was especially excited about Nicole being able to Channel with a regular cello.
“Though . . . I guess that means you’ll be leaving soon.”
She nodded. “As soon as the elixir has been delivered. They have assignments for me.” She rushed on, seeing his sadness. “But I’ll come visit. I promise.”
Nicole could tell that made Albert feel much better. They parted ways, each ready to hit the sack.
Right after Nicole finished getting ready for bed, Rebecca visited.
“The sacrifice is well on its way,” she said immediately. “One of the humans has volunteered. It won’t be long now.”
“Vol—volunteered? The Gardners know what’s going on?” Nicole sat on her bed, putting a hand to her throat. “How horrible.” She swallowed. “I can’t wait for all this to be over. I don’t know how much more Albert and I can handle.”
Rebecca sat next to Nicole and put an arm around her. “I know it hasn’t been easy. But I do hope that as things move forward in the next few days, you’ll see how worth it everything has been.”
Nicole took a deep breath and glanced at Rebecca. “So, should I call you Grandma?”
Rebecca laughed. “You’ve talked to your mother, I see.” She patted Nicole’s leg. “Rebecca is fine. I’m just so relieved you know who I am now, and that I can be totally honest with you.”
“You weren’t before?”
The ghost shook her head. “No, obviously not. I felt my relation to you was Tiffany’s secret to tell, since she’s the one who chose to have children. It’s been very hard not blurting it out, though.”
She tilted her head, peering at Nicole. “You have questions, right? What are they? I’d love to answer as many as I can.”
Nicole hesitated a moment, wondering where to begin. “What’s the money for?”
Rebecca nodded. “That’s a good one to start with. Your grandfather and I worked very hard, saving every single penny we had. We knew that whoever ended up helping us destroy the embryonic manipulator would need to have access to large amounts of funds. Not only is the location difficult to reach, but it’s dangerous. You’ll need camping equipment. You’ll need experienced fighters, especially if anyone tries to stop you. You’ll need to purchase the land where the manipulator is located, since everything will be ruined and useless once the machine has been destroyed. It wouldn’t be honest to do that to another person’s property.
“Also, the money is supposed to keep you healthy, housed, and fed so you don’t need to worry about finding work. What we’re possibly going to be asking you to do will be difficult enough without needing to sew dresses or milk cows on the side.”
Nicole smiled at her grandmother’s understanding of what a job would be. Then she thought over Rebecca’s answer. It made sense, so she asked her next question. “How much does my mom know about all of this?”
“Not very much. In fact, we’ve hardly told her any of our plans. She only knows that I’ve been visiting you, getting to know you. She doesn’t even know about the elixir.”
“Okay. And why did you have to wait until I was born to fix the embryonic manipulator? You saw into the future—couldn’t you have done that and then destroyed it yourself?”
“No, we couldn’t have. I didn’t always have the ability to see. That cam
e very late in life. We knew whatever we did would require money, so we started saving up early. But by the time I reached the age when we knew who you would be, I was already an elderly woman.” She motioned to herself. “This body would have needed to be much stronger.
“Not only that, but it took us until only a few years ago—when the journal came into your professor’s hands—to get the Great Ones on our side. Just because we could see into the future didn’t mean we’d be able to prove to them that we were deserving of their help.”
“So, what do the Tarians know about this?”
“Not very much. They know that a leader is being prepared for them. For now, they think it’s someone in Europe. We’ll allow them to continue thinking that.” Rebecca looked at Nicole. “And it might end up being him. What we’d ask you to do is a potentially deadly thing. It is absolutely necessary that you learn to lie and to lie well, because should we deem you ready, worthy, and able, we will put you in charge of their group. And that would be very dangerous. They can’t ever know what we plan to have you do.”
Nicole felt the blood drain from her face. “Why would I have to lead them?”
“Because it is your birthright, first, and second, we believe that if their leader—someone they love and trust—eventually tells them our will, they’ll be more likely to disband and change their ways.”
Nicole frowned. “And they’d just overlook the fact that I’m an Arete?”
“No, they wouldn’t. Not at first. You’d have to pretend to have changed sides. To be in agreement with them. To say that Aretes everywhere need to be destroyed.” She sent Nicole a sidelong glance. “It wouldn’t be hard for them to come to believe that one of my descendants switched loyalties. I mean, I did create a group that planned to destroy Aretes everywhere.”
“I . . . I don’t know if I can do this.”
Rebecca put her hand on Nicole’s arm. “I know, sweetie. This is why we haven’t officially asked you yet. And it’s also why you’d need to learn to lie.”
“My stomach churns just thinking about that.”
“It’s because you are a decent person. The main thing to remember is, never be dishonest with those you care about. And tell as much truth as you can.”
Rebecca tilted her head as if she were listening to something. “I need to go.” She got to her feet and looked at Nicole. “I’ll come visit you and strengthen you when the elixir is nearly here.”
Nicole also stood and gave Rebecca a hug. “Thank you for everything. For answering my questions so openly.”
The elderly woman held Nicole tightly. “Anything for my favorite granddaughter.” She stepped back. “Don’t tell your mother I said that.”
Nicole laughed, then waved goodbye as Rebecca faded, then disappeared.
***
The next day while Nicole and Albert were in the front entry, preparing to head out to the farmhouse, Winston staggered into the manor, stinking of alcohol. His eyes were wild, his mouth opening and closing.
“Sterling’s dead. He’s dead!”
Nicole’s jaw fell. “How do you know?” she asked.
Winston’s eyes passed over her, jumping around the room, not seeing anything, not resting. He looked like a rabid dog. Nicole was almost surprised he wasn’t drooling.
“I went to visit him in the hospital, that’s how.” His gaze landed on Albert and he stumbled over to the older man, grabbing him. “Take my other kids. Take them now!”
Nicole’s eyes teared up. She couldn’t believe Winston was finally asking this, and felt he needed to know the truth—that he deserved it. “We’ve already got Orson.”
Winston froze. He turned to face her, his eyes narrow slits. “What did you say?”
Nicole opened her mouth to repeat herself, but saw the warning look on Albert’s face, so she didn’t.
“I asked you what you said!” Winston roared, lunging for Nicole, grabbing and throwing her across the room. She thumped against a table, knocking off a vase. It shattered on the marble floor next to her, pelting her with shards.
“You dare take my children from me? You dare touch them?”
Winston jumped on top of Nicole, and his hands closed around her throat. He leaned over her, his face only a couple inches from hers and started screaming at her.
Nicole couldn’t hear him—her blood thundered in her ears. She tried to breathe, struggled to push him off. She was vaguely aware of Albert attacking Winston, but nothing stopped the man’s rage.
Suddenly, Winston went silent as he was lifted off Nicole and tossed aside. Nicole choked and gasped, hands at her neck, tears streaming down her face. Albert’s new employee offered his hand to her and helped her to a sitting position.
Winston whimpered, curling to his side, and Albert sat next to Nicole, putting a hand on her shoulder.
“Are you okay?” he whispered, the anger Nicole had seen in his face earlier gone, replaced with fear and concern.
She nodded. She tried to swallow, and cringed at how much it hurt. She glanced up at the young man. “Thank you,” she said hoarsely.
“No problem. And let me know if he tries anything again.” The guy glared at Winston.
“What’s your name?” Nicole whispered, hand still at her throat.
“Lucas.” He nodded to Nicole, then walked over to Winston. “What do you have to say to the lady?”
Winston grunted, glancing at Nicole over his shoulder from where he now sat. “Nothin’.”
“My foot, you don’t!” Lucas grabbed Winston by the shirt and yanked him over to Nicole. “You apologize to her right now!”
Winston stared at the ground. “Sorry, Nicole.” Then he looked up. “You said something earlier. What did you say? Was it somethin’ about my kids?”
Nicole glanced at Albert, hesitating. “I . . . I said we already took Orson.”
“He’s okay?”
Nicole nodded. “He’s in the hospital. He’s going to be fine.”
Winston put his face in his hands and began sobbing. “Oh, thank you, Lord.”
Nicole slumped to the floor, feeling the adrenaline leave her system. Holy cow—she almost got killed just now. Her hands began shaking and she felt tears gathering again. This time, they were tears of relief. She relaxed there for several moments, trying to gain control over her emotions.
After a bit, she got to her feet and helped Winston up. “Come on. Let’s go.”
He wiped his face. “Where?”
“We’re going to get Prudence and Iona. Take them away from the house until all danger has passed.”
Winston swallowed several times, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Okay.” His voice was only a whisper.
Nicole put her hands on his shoulders. “Winston, there is no way you could have known all this would happen.”
He nodded, not meeting her gaze. “I should—I shoulda’ listened to you and Albert.”
Nicole didn’t respond to his comment. She wasn’t about to lie to him and tell him things would be all right, not when his son had just died. He should have listened. “There’s still time to save Prudence and Iona. Let’s go get them.”
Lucas had already pulled the buggy up outside and walked Winston out, helping him sit on the backseat. Nicole climbed up next to Albert, who took the reins.
“See you when you get back,” Lucas said, heading toward the barns.
Most of the ride was silent, with only the occasional comment from Albert on just how far the grayness in the land had gone. Nicole couldn’t stop thinking about Sterling. She couldn’t believe he was dead, even though the doctor had repeatedly said he wasn’t getting better.
Was Sterling the sacrifice? He had to be, right? The only problem Nicole saw with that was the fact that he hadn’t been at the farmhouse for the past two weeks. Was it possible he’d sacrificed himself from that far away?
Winston jumped down from the buggy as soon as they pulled up in front of the house. He indicated for Nicole and Albert to follow.
The
y walked through the forest behind the farmhouse to a small cemetery with five or six headstones in it. A freshly dug grave was there, along with several empty beer bottles and a spot on top of the fresh pile of dirt that looked like a grown man had sat in it for a while. Obviously, Winston had dug the grave and then drunk himself silly.
Winston started crying again when he saw the grave. “It’s for Sterling. For my boy.”
Nicole and Albert’s gaze met and she knew he was probably thinking the same thing. The other graves here were old—at least a hundred years, if not more. Sterling had died in the hospital. There was no way the city would let Winston bury his son here. Nicole was sure there was a permit for that sort of thing, and Winston most likely didn’t have one.
Winston sat on the pile of dirt and stared into the hole, oblivious to his company. Albert motioned for Nicole to follow him, and they walked back to the house.
“I’ll go through the front door. You go through the back. If Prudence is in her bedroom, stay with her until I get there.”
Nicole nodded.
Prudence was staring at the back door when Nicole cautiously opened it, as if she knew Nicole was coming.
Nicole smiled at the girl and gave a small wave, but Prudence didn’t respond. She just stared at Nicole with her milky white eyes.
“Prudence?” Nicole took a step closer and touched the girl’s shoulder. “It’s me, Nicole.”
Prudence didn’t respond.
Nicole sat on the girl’s bed and waited. Soon enough, Albert came to the room. “Oh, good. She’s here. Let’s take her out to the buggy.”
Nicole knitted her eyebrows. “Should we take Iona first? Prudence isn’t responding to anything I say or do. I don’t want to have yet another Gardner attack me today if it can be helped, and maybe while we’re moving Iona, Prudence will wake up from wherever she is now.”
Perceive, Mosaic Chronicles Book Three Page 15