Albert nodded. “Good idea. Let’s go get Iona.”
He led the way back through the house and to the stairs, taking them two at a time. Nicole wondered again where he got all his energy. For an old man, he was surprisingly active.
All the doors were open except Iona’s. Albert put his hand on the doorknob, then hesitated.
“Something feels different.” He looked back at Nicole.
She closed her eyes, reaching out with her magical senses. He was right. There was something in Iona’s room. A magical presence. A slight pulsing that hadn’t been there before.
She took a breath, glancing at Albert. “There’s a magical source in there with her.”
Albert paled, stepping back from the door. “Let’s make sure we’re ready for whatever it is.”
He turned and entered the room across from Iona’s, searching. Nicole followed, not sure what he was looking for, but wanting to help.
Albert picked up a walking stick, hefting it in his hands, then nodded. “Stay behind me.”
He walked back to Iona’s door. “Keep your magical senses ready.”
Nicole reached out again, making sure to have a firm mental hold on whatever it was that inhabited the room with Iona.
“Ready,” she whispered.
Albert pushed the door open far enough for both of them to see inside.
The room was empty except for a mass of fabric and something squelchy looking in the corner.
Nicole and Albert met eyes, and Albert shrugged. He stepped into the room and Nicole followed. The magical pulses originated from the pile. They were faint.
Nicole and Albert stopped a couple of feet from the mass and stared at it. Nicole gasped, hand flying to her mouth. She recognized Iona’s mangled dress, a wad of her hair. “It’s . . . it’s Iona.”
Albert’s mouth set in a firm line, and they bent over what remained of the woman, inspecting the mound.
It looked like her body had gelatinized, then firmed again in a completely different shape, with only a few recognizable things here and there.
Suddenly, a finger moved. The wad of hair shifted. A moan drifted from somewhere in the center of the pile.
Iona was still alive.
Nicole felt bile rising in the back of her throat. The woman was alive. Was suffering. Was aware of their presence, Nicole was sure of it. How could she possibly have lived through whatever transformation her body had undergone?
And where was the magical pulse coming from?
Albert motioned for Nicole to turn away, tears dropping down his face. She did so, then heard a thump. A moan. Several more thumps.
Then all was still behind her.
Albert’s quiet sobbing reached her ears. “She’s suffered so much, so greatly,” he whispered. “I had to help her. It was the most charitable thing I could do—relieve her. Send her home.”
Nicole turned to comfort him, but he gasped and backed up into her, then grabbed her.
Suddenly, the magical pulse in the room intensified so strongly that Nicole felt her heart skip, struggling to continue beating in her chest. The pressure coming from behind her made her dizzy.
Nicole again tried to turn, but Albert stopped her.
“Don’t look, Nicole,” he whispered. “I don’t think you’re meant to see it.”
He helped her to the hall at the top of the stairs, then, holding her arm, started down with her.
They’d only taken three steps when something entered the hallway behind them. Nicole froze. So did Albert.
Something pushed up against her. Iona? Nicole turned, but nothing was there. Goose bumps trailed down her arms.
The pressure released.
Nicole heard a sigh as something slipped past. One of the steps below them creaked. Another.
The front door jostled. Then everything was silent again.
Suddenly the horse began neighing, freaking out.
Nicole heard a splash of water. She and Albert glanced at each other.
“The well,” Albert whispered.
Neither of them moved. Nicole tried to convince herself it was out of respect to Iona’s spirit, not fear. She wasn’t successful.
The horse finally stopped neighing.
Just then, Prudence shuffled into view, standing at the foot of the steps, staring up at Nicole and Albert. Her eyes were nearly translucent in the dark. Her mouth worked, moved, as if she were trying to say something. A stream of drool splattered down the front of her dress.
“Take . . . me . . .”
Prudence raised her hand for Nicole.
Nicole swallowed, expecting the girl to attack. But she didn’t.
“Ni . . . cole . . .” she whispered. “Please take . . . me . . .”
Breathing a sigh of relief, Nicole rushed down the stairs to her friend, with Albert right behind her. They pulled Prudence’s arms over their shoulders, then helped her outside to the buggy, being careful to avoid the well.
Winston held the horse’s reins. He turned slowly and looked at Albert.
“Iona?”
Albert shook his head. “She’s gone, Winston.”
Winston gave a short nod. Nicole watched him closely, expecting him to cry, but he didn’t. He’d obviously experienced too much already. His eyes were hollow, his face emotionless.
“Take Prudy to the hospital,” he whispered. “Come get me in the morning.” His eyes wandered to the house. “I’ll take care of her.” His voice cracked then, but he still didn’t cry.
Winston and Albert helped Prudence up into the buggy. Albert took the reins and Nicole hopped onto the seat on the back. With a jerk, the buggy started forward.
Nicole watched Winston as they pulled away, and he watched her. His clothes hung off his now-tiny frame. His expression was vacant, his jaw slack, his eyes dark, almost black. She would never forget how he looked right then. Here was a man who’d been completely destroyed in the last month and a half.
Chapter Eleven
The ride to the manor went quickly, but the ride to the hospital in Nicole’s car seemed to take forever. Perhaps it was the endless fields on either side of them that made it feel that way, but Nicole suspected it was also because of Prudence in the backseat with Albert. The farther they got from her home, the more exhausted and drained she got, and the more it looked like she was dying.
Nicole’s stomach clenched when Prudence’s eyes rolled back into her head. She stepped on the gas, going seventy-five miles an hour.
With a whip and a jerk, she pulled into the hospital parking lot, then hopped out of the car and ran around to help Prudence into a wheelchair. A feeling of déjà vu crossed her. It hadn’t been so long since they’d done this with Sterling, then again with Orson.
Sterling . . .
Nicole pushed her emotions aside. There’d be time to deal with them later. She parked the car and joined Albert in the waiting room, wondering why they hadn’t let him go back with Prudence.
Unlike Sterling, Prudence didn’t have any injuries from an attack. Also unlike Sterling, Prudence was already so much closer to death. Would she make it? Nicole found herself praying, hoping, wishing she would. While she was meditating, she became aware of a faint magical pulse that originated somewhere near the magazine rack.
Not wanting to disturb Albert, Nicole got up and walked to the magazines, hoping to look like she was browsing. The pulses were stronger there, but didn’t originate from the stand.
Nicole followed the pulses out of the hospital doors, and they increased exponentially. She stepped into the parking lot, where she hoped she’d be able to sense the direction the pulses came from.
Closing her eyes so she could concentrate, Nicole turned until she felt which way was strongest. Then she opened her eyes.
The pulses were coming from Albert’s property.
Nicole sighed. She should have known. She glanced around at the few people coming and going, wondering if any of them sensed anything. But no one seemed to notice. ‘Course, none of
them were Aretes, so they wouldn’t have anyway.
Nicole walked back into the hospital and shrugged when Albert sent her a questioning look.
After Prudence had been admitted and hooked up to monitors and an IV, a nurse invited Nicole and Albert to come back into the ICU.
Tears sprang to Nicole’s eyes when she saw that they’d assigned the girl to Orson’s room. Oh, she hoped the siblings would appreciate that.
They both appeared to be sleeping. The doctor was there, holding a chart. He looked up when Nicole and Albert entered the room.
“Albert, Nicole . . . I’m sorry to tell you . . .”
He hesitated, and Albert nodded. “We already heard about Sterling. His father, Winston, stopped by for a visit earlier.”
The doctor grimaced. “I wanted to admit him too, but he wouldn’t let me. Said he needed to take care of his wife and two other children. If he weren’t an adult, I would’ve done it anyway. But he was obviously lucid enough to make his own choice.”
Albert grunted. “His wife died today.”
“Oh, that’s awful. I’m really sorry to hear that.” The doctor looked back to Orson and Prudence. “How many more are there?”
“This is the last of them,” Nicole said. “There were only three kids.”
“Ah. No Aretes, then.”
She shook her head. “Do you think it might have made a difference?”
The doctor shrugged. “Perhaps.”
Albert sighed. “It wouldn’t have. Unless the person was a very powerful Arete. So far, all of them have fallen very ill from the effects of whatever is going on there.” Albert pointed to Nicole. “She and her boyfriend are the only ones so far who have been able to go to the Gardners’ house. I assume it’s because they’re powerful. Their professor will probably be able to do it as well. We’ll find out shortly—he’ll be coming tonight.”
Nicole gasped. “Professor Coolidge is on his way?”
Albert nodded. “The signs have been met. I know you’re strong and probably ready, but Coolidge is experienced. I don’t want you facing any of this without help.”
Nicole felt tears form in her eyes, and she forgot all about the nurses and aides in the room who were bustling around Prudence. “Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.”
The doctor cleared his throat. “I know it’s none of my business, but . . . what’s going on?”
“If we have time, we’ll explain later,” Albert said. “In the meantime, this young lady’s boyfriend and her professor will be arriving shortly. We need to get them up to speed on the situation.” He handed the doctor a card. “The phone doesn’t work much at the house, but we’ve been able to get a dial-up occasionally to send and receive emails. Please message me if anything changes with either Prudence or Orson. You can also send your questions there, and I’ll answer them as I’m able.”
The doctor nodded, tucked the card away, then turned back to his patients. “I’m hoping that by having them in the same room, they’ll recover faster. I wish I’d thought of that before.”
“I think it’s a fantastic idea,” Nicole said. “I’m sure it’ll help them. They’ll be so much more comfortable.”
“That’s the idea.”
Nicole sent one last glance to Orson, who was still asleep. She’d been hoping he’d wake up while they were there, but he hadn’t. Then she and Albert thanked the doctor for his diligence, said goodbye, and headed out of the hospital.
The minute they left the building, Nicole handed her keys to Albert and asked him to drive. She pulled her phone out of her purse and dialed Austin’s number. He answered on the first ring.
“Nicole? Are you okay?”
Nicole took a breath. Just hearing Austin’s voice made her emotional. “Yes, I’m fine. You’re coming?”
“We’re on our way. Just passing . . . heck. More farmland. Shouldn’t be very far from Moses Lake now.”
“Lizzie?” Nicole was barely aware of Albert carefully guiding the car through the city.
“She’s with us.”
Nicole heard Lizzie yell hi and she smiled.
“Good.” She sniffed. “I sort of really need my best friends around me right now.”
Albert glanced over at her. “Let’s get Lizzie checked into a hotel, then wait for them there.”
Nicole nodded. “Good idea.”
Austin relayed the information to Coolidge, then told Nicole they’d be there in about thirty minutes. They ended the call as Albert pulled into the parking lot. After arranging for Lizzie’s reservation, Nicole and Albert decided to wait in a quiet corner of the lobby.
Nicole glanced at Albert. “How did you know that someone was going to die so soon?”
He rubbed his chin. “It just felt like it was time.”
“Thank you again for asking Coolidge to come. I really appreciate it.”
“Like I said, I really don’t want you to face whatever’s coming on your own.”
“Do you think it’s going to happen tonight?”
“I don’t know. Sterling and Iona have both passed away. I would assume, from what we experienced in the farmhouse, that Iona was the required sacrifice. I think if it doesn’t happen tonight, it’ll be tomorrow.” He leaned forward. “I know you felt something while at the hospital. What was it?”
“Magical pulses. Coming from your property. They were strong enough for me to sense them, even though we’re at least twenty miles away. I can’t imagine how it’s going to feel once we’re back in the manor.”
Albert rubbed his chin. “The portal is growing. Things are happening fast now.” He looked at Nicole. “I hope Coolidge will know what to do, in case this is a trap. In case that woman, Rebecca, is leading you astray.”
“I’ve thought about that—her lying to me—but what purpose would it serve? It seems like an awfully elaborate ploy just to trap someone.”
They fell into silence, each in his or her own thoughts, until Professor Coolidge, Lizzie, and Austin pulled up.
Lizzie dashed into the hotel and threw her arms around Nicole before Nicole even had the chance to take more than a few steps toward the door.
Nicole laughed. “It’s good to see you too.”
“I’ve been so worried and so freaked out for you.”
Nicole nodded. “I’m worried too.” She pulled back and shook Coolidge’s hand and gave Austin a hug and a quick peck. Then she linked arms with Lizzie and started walking with her upstairs to her room while the guys pulled in Lizzie’s luggage. “Sterling passed away today. And so did Iona, the mom.”
“That’s horrible! I can’t imagine how Winston’s handling all this.”
“He doesn’t look good. He’s barely holding things together. I think the only reason he’s made it this far is because he’s felt obligated—like only he could save his family.”
“Wouldn’t Iona feel that way too, being the mom?”
“I’m sure she did. But she was constantly near the well and the site of the meteor. She drank that water the most. She was the first to have her mind go.”
“But Sterling passed away before she did.”
“Yes. He also got attacked by the horses. He was in horrible shape, as you saw.”
They unlocked Lizzie’s door, and Nicole gave her the keys to her car.
“Check up on Prudence and Orson frequently. Stay with them all day, if you need to.” Nicole hugged her best friend as tightly as she could. “Oh, I wish so much you could come with us.”
Lizzie sniffed. “Me too. I can’t even begin to say how badly I regret not working on my Arete powers more. I’m such a weakling!”
“You are not. We still don’t know why it doesn’t affect me and Austin the way it does you. Speaking of which . . .” Nicole glanced over as Coolidge and Austin entered with Lizzie’s suitcases. “Professor Coolidge, how did the thing with the crowns go?”
Coolidge glanced up. “Fine. They’ve all been handled. The man didn’t want to be sued, so he offered money to the people he s
old the crowns to.”
Austin frowned, surveying Lizzie’s pile of bags. “Just how long do you plan to stay here?”
Lizzie crossed her arms. “Austin, it could end up being months.”
“Better not—we have finals next week.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know. I’m not looking forward to them.”
“I heard that,” Coolidge said as he walked out into the hallway.
Lizzie grinned. “Except yours, Professor. It’ll be the best!”
“Sure, sure.” He sent her a smile, then headed off, probably going downstairs to find Albert.
Lizzie grabbed the ice bucket and exited into the hall, sending Nicole an impish smile. “I’m going to fill this. I’ve never been on this floor before, and I might get lost. So . . . don’t expect me back for at least, uh, five minutes.” She winked, then shut the door behind her.
Austin turned to Nicole and opened his arms.
She strode into his embrace, planting her lips on his, flinging her arms around him and pulling him as tight as she could.
“Oof!” Austin said, laughing around her kiss.
Nicole refused to find humor in the situation. She hadn’t seen him in what felt like forever. She might not see him ever again after this weekend. The thought made her heart ache.
“Mmmfffm . . .” Austin pulled back. “As much as I love suffocating in a kiss . . . it’s just not my time to go.” He smiled at her, then put his hand on the side of her face, staring into her eyes. “Why the intensity?”
“Oh . . .” Nicole fell silent. “I was about to give you a long list of everything ridiculous that’s going on right now, but you know what? I don’t want to think about it. None of it. I just want to enjoy being alone with you. I want to forget everything that’s coming.”
He nodded, brushing a thumb along her eyebrow. “I understand,” he whispered. “Nicole, with everything coming up . . . there’s something I need to tell you. Before anything happens.”
Nicole’s heart clenched. “What’s that?”
“Well, I really . . . It’s just that . . . ummm . . .” He took a breath, his eyes wandering the room as he struggled to say whatever was on his mind.
Perceive, Mosaic Chronicles Book Three Page 16