by Anise Eden
Kai resumed his sitting mediation pose, closing his eyes and tilting his head back. “He says not to be afraid, that our group has everything it needs to complete the task. We’re the guardians of the kheir, which means we’ve been given stewardship over the gifts of light—the gifts that illuminate the unseen, the unknown.”
It felt as though the Zen meditation garden was spinning around me. “Given stewardship by whom—to do what, again?”
Apparently Malcolm didn’t feel the need to answer my questions, because Kai just shook his head and continued. “He says it’s important that we keep our eyes open, trust our instincts, and believe in each other’s gifts. We also have to be willing to fight for what we value. If we do those things, he says that by the end of the week, we will be the victors—oh, great.” Kai broke his posture and smirked at me. “He says what we do here is very important, because if we don’t cut the head off the snake, its venom will poison the whole world.” He held a hand up to the sky and called out, “Thanks, Malcolm! No pressure!”
“What snake?” I pleaded, desperate to find out what Malcolm’s spirit was talking about. “What darkness? How do we fight it?”
Kai shrugged. “Sorry, he’s pulling his energy back. I think that’s all we’re going to get… Oh wait!” He tensed for a moment. “No, that’s it. He had more that he wanted to say, but only directly to Ben.” Flipping his hair back, he murmured, “I told you we should have brought him.”
“Well, if I had known his father was going to come through, I would have!” I chewed on my lip.
“Okay, calm down.” Kai led us both through a deep, slow inhale-exhale. “So like I told you, I don’t remember everything from my readings. Go over it with me—tell me everything I said.”
Since the reading hadn’t been that long, I was able to recite Malcolm’s words back to Kai. When we’d finished, Kai shook his head slowly. “That is some kind of messed up.”
I flopped into a slumped position like a deflated balloon. “Yeah.”
Kai reached out and took my hand. “So your daddy was murdered.”
I stared into the flickering candlelight. “I guess so.”
“You don’t seem surprised.”
“Ben and I had talked about the possibility.”
“Hmm.” There was a somber moment of silence. Then Kai continued, “And we’re here to stop this snake of rising darkness from poisoning the world.”
“Apparently.”
“A snake named Skeet, maybe?”
“Maybe. Or maybe there’s more than one. Maybe it’s not a person at all, but something else entirely. It would have been nice if Malcolm could have given us a few more details, for God’s sake!” I stood up abruptly, forgetting that the blanket we were sitting on covered a smooth stone surface. As it slipped out from under me, in spite of Kai’s efforts to grab my arm, I executed a perfect pratfall, landing on the soil. Fortunately, I fell into the space just between a rock and a plant, so neither the foliage nor I were injured.
“Good grief, honey! Are you all right?”
“Fine!” Too embarrassed to accept Kai’s offer to help me up, I stood awkwardly, brushing the dirt from my clothes.
“Look,” Kai said gently, “I told you, when you ask for a reading, you never know what the Other Side is going to send. You just have to have faith that whatever you get, that’s what the Divine needs you to know right now. I don’t know what intention you sent out, but clearly someone up there felt we needed some light shed on what we’re doing here and how to proceed.”
“I know.” The sun had risen high enough in the sky that it had burned off the fog, revealing a perfect, crisp autumn day. The touch of warmth on my face was soothing. “I’m sorry, I’m just—frustrated. It’s not your fault. And I’m sure that whatever Malcolm told us is important. I was just…I don’t know.”
“You were hoping for your mom.”
“Yeah.”
“I know. I get it.” Kai wrapped his long arms around me and squeezed. “I’m sorry it didn’t turn out the way you wanted, honey. But given the way it did turn out, I’d say we should get back to the lodge and fill the others in ASAP.”
“You’re right. We should.” I did my best to shelve everything I was feeling as I helped Kai pack his tote, and we headed back to the lodge.
• • •
Unfortunately, there was no way to drag our crew out of the game room without raising suspicions, so we’d have to wait to share Malcolm’s message. I joined Eve and Asa, who were embroiled in a tournament at an old fashioned Asteroids arcade game. Kai sidled over to the pool table where Ben and Pete were locked into a battle with Skeet and Michael. Kai stood there twirling a pool stick and trying to look interested until Skeet sank the eight ball, and there were simultaneous cries of delight and defeat. Once congratulations had been good-naturedly doled out, Kai pulled Ben aside for a moment. Then they both spoke to Skeet, and after some kind of agreement had been reached, everyone went back to playing their games.
Kai wandered around the room, looking nonchalant, then finally made his way over to our Asteroids game. “Working lunch, kiddos,” he said, loudly enough to be overheard. “The back-up team at the church needs our input on some cases. Ben says we’ll meet in Pete’s and my room and conference them in from there. Skeet’s having food sent up.”
Eve and Asa nodded and muttered their slightly irritated assent as they concentrated on destroying the asteroids with their tiny ships.
As lunchtime neared, the game room emptied out and we all returned to our rooms to freshen up—which meant Ben and I were alone in my room for a few moments. I tried to avoid making eye contact with him as I grabbed some non-dirt-stained jeans and a fresh cotton tunic and headed for the bathroom to change. But before I could reach the door, Ben said, “Sounds like you and Kai had an eventful morning.”
I had no idea how much Kai had told him, but since they’d only spoken for a few seconds, I guessed it couldn’t have been much. I plastered an untroubled expression onto my face and turned around. “In a sense,” I said, keeping it vague, then pointed to the dirt stain on the seat of my jeans as though to indicate that falling down had been the height of our adventures.
“Hmm.” Ben covered the space between us in a few steps. He put his hand on my shoulder, turned me to the side, and flagrantly stared at my rear end. “I didn’t realize you’d fallen.” The gold flecks in his eyes flashed as he pointed at the stain. “Do you need me to examine that for you?”
“Very funny.” I twisted away from him. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m fine. I just need to put on some clean clothes.” Then I marched into the bathroom and closed the door.
“Good,” he called through the door. “That means we can get right to the point—how you and Kai snuck off and had a secret conference with my father this morning.”
Good God, I thought, Kai managed to squeeze a lot of incriminating information into a few seconds of conversation. Ben still harbored a lot of anger towards his father; I knew he’d be less than thrilled that we’d connected. “That’s not how it happened…”
“How did it happen, then?” he asked, his voice taut.
Guilt washed over me, but I knew there was no point trying to either explain myself or apologize through a bathroom door. “Is this what we’re going to talk about at lunch?”
“Yes. As you can imagine, I’m anxious to hear all about it.”
“And I really want to tell you, as soon as possible. So.” Pulling together the threads of my courage, I opened the bathroom door and headed straight for the door to the hallway. “Let’s get going, shall we?”
But Ben came up behind me and placed his hand atop mine as I grasped the doorknob. “Cate,” he murmured, his tone unexpectedly gentle. “Everyone has things that are private, sacred. But you and I, we can’t keep secrets from each other—not here, not now, and especially not about something like this.” I bit my lip as he palmed my hip with his free hand. “We have to work as a team, unified.”
He pressed his lips against the top of my head for a long moment. When he spoke, his words were heavy with sympathy. “I know. You were probably hoping to talk to your parents, right?”
Barely, I nodded.
“And my father barged in, instead. Typical. I’m sorry about that.”
“Good grief, it’s not your fault!” I covered his hand on my hip with mine and squeezed. “I’ll talk to my parents sooner or later. Today just wasn’t the day.”
“Still, I’m sorry they didn’t come through. You must have been disappointed.”
Not trusting my voice, I only shrugged.
Ben seemed to take the hint. He didn’t dig any further—just pressed me to firm up my promise. “So, no more secrets—and no more secret missions?”
“Didn’t I just say yes?”
“You did.” He leaned over, brushing a kiss along my hairline. “All right, then. Let’s go talk about your first meeting with my father. Allow me.”
I slid my hand off the doorknob, and Ben opened the door. I walked through, tucking my head to the side to disguise the blush making its way rapidly across my face.
• • •
At our lunch meeting, the mood was heavy—especially when Kai shared Malcolm’s confirmation that my father’s death had not been an accident. I was glad that Ben and I had taken one of the love seats. He seemed to sense that while I didn’t want to attract attention or sympathy, I could still use some comforting. He slid his arm around my shoulders and began to run his fingers along my braid, soothing me.
Ben and Pete both sat at attention, though, when Kai told us we had been named the guardians of the kheir. I knew the two of them took duty and responsibility very seriously. But the bit about having to cut off the head of the snake at Mercier to stop the rising darkness—that rendered everyone speechless. We decided the best way to find out what Malcolm meant by that was to keep playing the role of innocently curious colleagues, staying upbeat and even exchanging some harmless information with Skeet and Team Forward to establish trust.
Ben remained remarkably unemotional during our discussion, in spite of the strong feelings I knew he had about his father. He still harbored a great deal of anger towards Malcolm, which I suspected stemmed somehow from his father’s struggles with addiction. But Ben had never discussed it with me directly. He had only shared how devastating it had been for him to find his father’s body after he accidentally overdosed. I knew that incident had kicked Ben’s excessive over-protectiveness into high gear. Once again, I felt a surge of relief that he had agreed to let me work with him on that issue when we got home. I couldn’t bear the thought of Ben carrying around so much unresolved pain. And whatever wounds I couldn’t heal with my empath skills, I hoped Ben would consider talking through with a therapist. But as resistant as he’d been so far to accepting any help, I knew we’d have to take it slow.
When our meeting came to an end, we all tried to set aside the weight of everything we’d just discussed as we put on our game faces and made our way to the movie viewing room. Skeet dropped in to make sure we were all situated. A man in a crisp, blue suit, who was introduced as “one of Mercier’s lawyers,” came in and passed out the nondisclosure agreements. Skeet must have told him that we’d all been given top-secret military clearance the previous week, because he used that as an analogy for the level of confidentiality that applied to everything we were about to witness. Once the lawyer took us through the agreements in detail, he collected our signed copies and disappeared.
Skeet reminded us that the Russians were clients of Mercier’s and would be joining him and Team Forward as part of the demonstration.
Tentatively, Asa raised his hand. When Skeet nodded at him, Asa asked, “Just wondering—do the Russians know we’re going to be watching?”
“They are aware that all of their activities here at Mercier may be monitored internally by our team members. And by signing those non-disclosure agreements, you all became team members—at least for today. No worries.” Skeet smiled broadly. “If there isn’t anything else?”
There were no more questions, so Skeet left us to go to the domed conference room.
A technician was in the viewing room with us, which meant that we couldn’t speak as freely as we would have liked. Once we had all taken a place in the stadium-style theater seats, the tech turned off the lights and turned on the viewing screen. It was divided into four parts, all with different angles on the conference room, where Skeet, Liv, and Michael were setting up. Even watching from a distance, we could tell the atmosphere was alive with anticipation. Michael and Liv turned to one of the cameras in the room and gave us smiles and waves.
Eventually, the Russians arrived—or we assumed that was who they were. A number of men and women, all in dark suits, sat at the conference table while their security team stood against the walls of the room, still dressed in their signature athletic gear.
Skeet was at the head of the table with Liv and Michael sitting on either side of him. “Welcome,” Skeet said, bringing the meeting to order. “I can’t tell you how honored we are that you chose to take a detour from your D.C. trip to join us here at Mercier.”
“The honor is ours,” one of the Russians said with a mild accent. He stretched his arms out in front of him and clasped his hands on the table, revealing cufflinks that looked like large rubies. “We have heard a great deal about Team Forward, and we have been eagerly anticipating this demonstration for some time. We have also been enjoying your facilities. Excellent hunting.”
“I’m pleased to hear it!” Skeet smiled proudly. “As you know, Team Forward is a large group with a variety of abilities, but we have brought two individuals here today who we thought would interest you. Liv is an aura reader.”
Liv smiled and raised her hand.
Skeet then gestured toward Michael. “And Michael is a telepath—who is fluent in Russian, by the way.”
That news was greeted with anxious murmurs around the conference table. In the viewing room, Ben asked if anyone had known that Michael spoke Russian, but no one did. Clearly, Skeet had decided to save that piece of information for a potent “reveal,” perhaps to create some drama while impressing both us and their Russian guests.
“As I said, a variety of abilities,” Skeet continued. “We’ve been recruiting the best sensitives from around the world for years. Most of them jump at the chance to come to Washington and work with NIMH. And when they learn about the exciting work Team Forward is doing, well—let’s just say we don’t have a problem keeping ourselves fully staffed.”
He paused long enough for the Russians to speak among themselves for a moment. When the conversation quieted down, Skeet went on, “You have already been briefed on what Mercier and Team Forward have to offer. But there is quite a difference between hearing about something, and experiencing it directly. The purpose of today’s demonstration is to give you a taste of what you would gain by partnering with us. Ilya,” he said, turning to the man with the ruby cufflinks, “would you care to choose someone in the room for Liv to read?”
Ilya, who was apparently the boss, looked around, finally pointing to a member of his security team. “Maxim.”
Liv stood and gave the fidgeting Maxim a reassuring smile. Then, just as Vani did when she was reading auras, Liv closed her eyes. “Maxim,” Liv began. “Your aura is strong with loyalty. You are a man who can be counted upon.”
Maxim nodded modestly, while Ilya looked pleased.
“However,” Liv continued, “the one thing you cannot be counted upon to do is to refrain from smoking. I see you are trying very hard—the effort you are making shines brightly—but this vice keeps getting the better of you. I don’t see any permanent health effects yet; your fitness level is high. But there is some fraying around the edges. You should find a way to quit soon, be
fore it causes you irreversible harm.”
“Is she right?” Ilya demanded. “Is it true?”
“Da,” Maxim said, hanging his head.
We all jumped as Ilya pounded his fist on the table. “Maxim, I told you!” Then he turned to another member of the security team who was standing behind him. “Get him the nicotine patch. I don’t want to hear any more excuses.” With a pained look, Ilya said to Maxim, “If not for me, then for your wife and daughter.”
Maxim nodded. “I will use it, I swear. I will stop.”
“Good,” Ilya said, settling down.
I shuddered as Maxim shot Liv a malevolent look, but she just smiled graciously.
“And whose thoughts would you like Michael to read?” Skeet asked Ilya.
At that point, everyone in the conference room looked like they wanted to bolt. After scanning his employees, Ilya said, “Me. Have him read me.”
Ilya fixed Michael with a challenging, intense gaze, but Michael appeared unfazed. “There may be a slight time delay while I translate,” Michael said.
Ilya nodded.
Michael crossed one leg over the other and slung his arm over the back of his chair. “Sir, you are thinking about your business, Opretec, and wondering whether it would be worthwhile for you to hire the services of Team Forward.”
The people around the table exchanged unimpressed looks.
“You are also thinking about the fact that Opretec may soon be merging with a Ukrainian company,” Michael said, “but you don’t trust the leaders of this other company to deal honestly with you. You also suspect that someone in this room is on their payroll, and is feeding insider information to the Ukrainians.”
Suddenly, everyone in the room was sitting or standing at attention. “Very good, young man,” Ilya said. “Now, if you can tell me which of the individuals in this room—if any—is acting as a double agent, so to speak, I will be very grateful.”
“I’ll do my best,” Michael said, then looked one by one at each of the people seated around the table. “There are many loud thoughts, so I am not sure which person this is, but he is in his room, and he is betraying you. Right now he is worrying about his wife, Natalya, and his twin boys, and what will happen to them if he is found out.”