“Moving a trailer!” I called back to him.
I let go of the hitch and tried to pull the vehicle forward with my mind. It budged. I pulled with all my focus, walking backward, towing the trailer with a gap of several feet between us. I felt the weight of the thing resisting, trying to remain stationary in spite of my draw. Against everything I knew of physics, the wheels rolled forward, picking up speed as I did. I reached the edge of the property where my friends waited.
“Faith . . .” I stopped to catch my breath. “Burn it to the ground. Turn it to ash.”
Faith smiled. “No problem!”
She rounded her arms towards the trailer and from her upright palms, two thick hot streams of intense fire blasted the siding. The blaze consumed the trailer quickly. The windows shattered and curtains on fire flared out in front of us. Another cry of SQUEEEE sounded briefly, silenced by the WHOOOOSH of flames racing upward. Tinkling and crackling continued as the trailer’s exterior blackened. Moments later, the roof fell in and a fresh plume of smoke billowed out.
“I think you got it there,” said Ilya as he placed his hand on Faith’s shoulder.
Melissa ran towards us with a netbook under her arm.
“We should burn the mobile too. If you want to be sure.” Melissa walked over to Faith and placed her necklace around Faith’s neck.
“Why didn’t I think of that?” I said with my hand on my face.
“You needed practice anyway.” Jonah burst an irrigation pipe several yards away and funneled the water onto the crispy husk of one-time trailer.
Faith ran to the mobile and kicked in the door. Without so much as a glance around, she unleashed an inferno on the interior. She backed out and went to work on the exterior.
I took my rune necklace off and placed it around Jonah’s neck so he could follow behind and douse her flames as he now automatically did. Every time I watched them work together, I knew I would always be reminded of their romantic connection, however far behind them it might be. As they burned and doused, we waited.
“So what’s the story with the portal thing?” said Josh. He looked intently at Melissa.
“I can open a connection between two known locations. It’s not time travel. It’s just bending space,” she said.
“Just bending space!” said Cole.
“It’s the coolest thing I’ve seen in a long time. And we’re in the business of seeing seriously weird shit!” said Ilya.
“More importantly, why are you with us now? Weren’t you working for Ivan literally moments ago?” Josh eyed her with palpable distrust.
“You all used to work for Innoviro!” Melissa accusingly stared around at all of us. “I supported a slow progression in our favor. It made sense to me. Now that I know about the pathogen those bees carry–he calls it Terra Nova-I’m done!”
Jonah and Faith rejoined us and I was relieved to see a healthful glow on my boyfriend’s face. Finally, after so much worrying and caution, he’d become stronger than ever.
“So where to now?” said Jonah.
“London,” I said.
“What if she’s leading us into a trap?” said Josh, to me, ignoring Melissa. The latter crossed her arms angrily.
“I believe her,” I said.
“Ilya, listen to her. Dig as deep as you can,” said Cole.
“If you don’t trust me, then screw off and let The Compendium roll ahead,” said Melissa.
“What’s a little hand-holding among friends? I can hear you whether you let me in or not, but it’s easier this way,” said Ilya.
He reached out to Melissa, looking at her with a playful grin. My brother was hard to resist when he felt like charming someone. Melissa relaxed, rolled her eyes, and held her hand out to Ilya. He closed his eyes and held her hand with a thoughtful expression. I wondered how Faith’s temper fared.
“It’s okay. She’s telling the truth. My father was absolutely livid when they detected us here in the Mojave. He scared the hell out of her,” said Ilya after a long moment.
“Can we get on with it now?” Melissa demanded impatiently.
“Where, exactly, in London are we going,” said Josh.
“I sent Ivan, Tatiana, Casey, Rose, Sage, and your sister Gemma, to an alley outside Piccadilly Circus. It’s a nice secluded spot that’s within walking distance to Evonatura’s London office,” said Melissa.
“So we follow them to Evonatura and throw down?” said Cole.
“No, we’ll hide in Soho. That’s where Evonatura’s office is, but Ivan hates the neighborhood. It’s too ‘weird’ for him. He won’t be there any longer than he needs to be. We’ll case the office and come up with a plan before we make a move,” said Melissa.
“Is there any chance Ivan could accelerate some of the more catastrophic elements of The Compendium if we spook him? Is he ready to turn loose this Terra Nova virus?” said Cole.
“I think that’s exactly what he’ll do. And I think he’s in a position to do it now. I’m sorry. I really didn’t know how far this had gotten. I’m kicking myself now and I will be for years to come,” said Melissa.
“You’re doing the right thing now. That’s what counts,” said Jonah.
“Do you need to go back to your cars? Are you all ready to go now?” said Melissa.
I looked around at my friends’ faces. I saw apprehension mixed with uncertainty.
“We’ve got everything we need to be in a city. The stuff we left in the Jeep and Cole’s car is camping gear,” said Josh.
“I’m game,” said Faith.
“Me too.” Ilya grabbed Faith’s hand.
“Yeah, sure, why not,” said Cole.
“Fire up your portal,” I said to Melissa.
She swooped her arm through the air, up, down, and around re-creating the liquid silver oval. Smiling, she stepped through her portal.
The rest of us stood gawking at each other for a moment. A hand, Melissa’s hand, appeared floating in midair through the portal, beckoning us to come.
I took her hand and let her pull me through the portal. I emerged next to a greasy dumpster in an alley reeking of rotting meat and diesel. I looked to my left and saw a brick wall. To my right, a party was going on. Pedestrians cleared and I saw a slim man dressed in a black speedo and a black policeman’s hat, dancing to club music in a shop window. Another man stepped into view in the window, dressed in a giant white feather boa, silver glitter makeup, and bright white short shorts. They danced together grinding groins and hips.
“Welcome to SOHO,” said Melissa.
“I can see why this is the perfect place to hide from Ivan and Tatiana,” I said.
“You’d better hope we can stay hidden, especially if he finds out this facility was destroyed. Now that I’ve betrayed him, he’ll be as dangerous as a coiled cobra if we meet him,” said Melissa. “Or should I say, when.”
I reached my arm back through the portal, as Melissa had done, and beckoned to friends I couldn’t see. I felt someone take my hand and I knew the wildest leg of our now international quest was about to start. We had a lot left to do, but somehow I felt a new hope that we could defeat Ivan.
Also from Soul Mate Publishing and Christine Hart:
IN IRINA’S CARDS
Irina Proffer leaves mundane small-town life behind when she experiences visions inspired by a strange deck of tarot cards. To get answers, she travels from her northern British Columbia home to the province’s coastal capital. She quickly discovers a world of fringe genetic science and supernatural mystery.
Working for Innoviro Industries, Irina is drawn in by a powerful first love and compelling, yet dangerous questions about the nature of the company’s business. Meeting other 'variants' brings Irina closer and closer to the dark truth about her origins. She finds herself at the h
eart of two overlapping love triangles as she scrambles to escape her employer's grip. Before she leaves the city, Irina realizes she has merely scratched the surface of a frightening conspiracy on a global scale.
Available now on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/hnma37h
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