‘I thought you said you couldn’t lift your left arm?’ Mitch said into her ear, and Gemma could hear the distrust in his voice. He was smart, and Gemma wondered if he knew what she was playing at.
‘Oh, it feels much better now,’ she said, letting go of him as she finally settled on her feet.
Mitch stood back, taking a moment to straighten his shirt, then allowed his gaze to settle on Robin who had returned to the front of the house and was making his way over to them.
‘Okay,’ Mitch said, holding out an elbow to her, ‘let’s go inside then.’
Gemma wearily took his arm, leaning in to him slightly so he held some of her weight, and began to walk as slowly and painfully as she could in order to stall him.
‘Where are the other two girls?’ Robin asked, arriving at their side.
‘Inside,’ Mitch replied, his voice raspy.
Robin moved to walk ahead of them.
‘Oh!’ Gemma squealed, stumbling over her own feet.
Mitch reached over with his free hand to steady her and Robin had already jumped to Gemma’s side, grasping her other arm.
‘Here, maybe we should both give you a hand.’ Robin insisted.
Gemma winced for real. The fake trip had hurt more than she’d thought.
‘Yes, that would be good.’ She told him.
Mitch’s scoffed quietly enough that only she caught it, and she shot him a look. He met her gaze with harsh eyes, yet she could see the twinkle of amusement gleaming beneath them.
It appeared he defiantly knew her game. So what was his?
~
‘Quick, we have to search the lounge room before they get here.’ Laura said urgently, and the two set to work.
They were indeed pressed for time, but they managed to move the furniture around, check the floorboards for hidden compartments, pull the paintings down, feel the wall for abnormalities, unzip the couch cushions, and check through all the cupboards and draws. Their effort proved to be futile, however, for they found nothing of importance, though Laura did come across her old pack of cards she and her Father used during their Friday night card games. She pocketed them quickly, and together, she and Grace hurried to set the room back to how it was before. They’d just placed the last of the cushions on the couch when the front door opened and Gemma slowly hobbled in flanked by the two young men.
‘Have you found what you need?’ Mitch asked, though Laura was sure she caught a glint of scepticism in his face.
She sniffed and pretended to wipe her eyes. ‘I haven’t made it through the house yet.’
‘This is very hard for her. Her father passed away right outside that door.’ Grace added, putting an arm around Laura’s shoulders.
Robin’s face softened and Mitch gave a nod though his face was blank, and Laura struggled to decipher what he was thinking.
‘We shouldn’t stay much longer than an hour,’ Mitch said.
Grace gave a nod of acknowledgement. ‘Of course. Here Laura, we’ll go get your things.’
Grace eased Laura from the room just as Gemma began claiming fatigue.
‘Oh Mitch, could you please fetch me a glass of water? I’m simply parched from that walk.’
Grace giggled a little and even Laura couldn’t hide her smile, despite the genuine pain being home was causing her.
‘Right, we have to be fast, your parent’s room and the office are probably the two next best shots, and your room last.’
Laura agreed, ‘we should split up, you take the office, I’ll take Mum and Dad’s room.’
‘All right. I’ll join you in their room in ten minutes.’ Grace said, ducking into the office.
When Laura entered the bedroom she was hit by a sudden wave of memories from the night before everything fell apart, and she actually staggered backwards a step as images of the pillow fight flashed through her mind like a continuous slideshow.
Laura wandered to the messily made bed and reached for her Mother’s pillow, hugging it to her chest. She sucked in the scent of her Mothers favourite perfume and once again felt the pang of tears in the back of her throat. She swallowed them down, returned the pillow, and turned towards her Mothers nightstand.
A book sat on the bench, bookmark still halfway through its pages. She lifted it from its place and flicked through, remembering having read the book first before recommending it to her Mum.
Placing it back down, she slowly moved to her parent’s dresser and began searching the draws. She tried not to think too hard about the fact that it felt wrong to be looking through her Mother and Father’s private things, focusing only on her desperate desire to find something, anything, that would lead her to Kane. She moved onto the wardrobes next, then began searching the walls for hidden panels. However, a few minutes later, as she crawled out from under the bed, she found herself loosing hope. An empty handed Grace joined her then, and together they gave the room as thorough a sweep as they could before resigning and moving onto Laura’s room.
Despite Laura’s dismay at having no luck in her own room either, she was glad to be able to pack up some of her belongings, and even some of her parent’s special items, to take back to the Manor with her.
‘Nearly ready to go?’ Robin asked, popping his head into her room.
Laura was about to nod when she froze, catching the glint of the sun on her Fathers Ute - which remained parked beside the shed - through her bedroom window.
‘Almost, there’s just one last thing I need to get from Dad’s shed.’ Laura said, passing her bags to Robin, hoping it would occupy him enough while she hurried out to the sheds.
Where should she start? She didn’t have long. If I were my Father, where would I hide important information?
Her hope renewed, Laura crossed the yard at a run, charging into her Fathers shed. The moment she entered through the enormous roller door, she found herself drowning in the remaining essences of her Dad. The familiar greasy smell of the shed and his tools, stray bits of machinery, the workbenches covered with bits and pieces, not a glimpse of free space, the toolbox leaning against the back wall, open. She pushed past the memories, because she had a job to do, and she couldn’t spare even a single moment.
She hurried to the first bench, her eyes quickly finding the pencil her Father always kept tucked behind his ear when he worked. She grabbed it, shoving it into her back pocket, and cast her eyes over the items splayed out atop the bench. As she did so, her eyes locked on her Fathers notebook, laying open amongst the tools. She sucked in a breath and reached for the notebook. The moment it was in her grasp she began flicking through the pages, hoping to find something. Alas, there was nothing, besides her Father’s regular notes and designs. She flicked to the front, to the back, then shook out the pages. Nothing came loose, no paper fluttered out. Laura’s heart sank. She closed the leather notebook and ran her fingers over the front cover with a sigh, her last source of hope crumbling away.
And then she felt something.
She glanced down at the leather cover, her eyes catching sight of a slight bulge in the surface. She grasp a knife from her Fathers bench and sliced open the cover. A tiny plastic container rolled out from under the cover and into the palm of her hand. She grinned.
‘Miss Harmer?’ Robin called.
Laura shoved the container into her pocket and grabbed her Fathers cowboy hat off the hat rack just as Robin stuck his head through the doorway.
‘Got it,’ she said, waving the hat in the air before stepping past him and out into the sunshine.
Grace was already standing by the car waiting, and her eyes widened at Laura’s expression of excitement at finding the plastic container. The two slumped down into their seats, but before Laura could elaborate, Gemma came wandering along, slowly but easily plopping down into her seat beside them.
‘Feeling better now Miss Spark?’ Mitch inquired, appearing at her car door, his eyes watching the three of them thoughtfully.
‘Yes, thankyou Mr Levathan.’ Gemma gave him a gr
in, then she reached across for the seatbelt with her left hand and pulled it over her shoulder, clipping it into place at her hip.
Mitch’s eyes narrowed into slits before he shut her car door and climbed into the driver’s seat. As they pulled out of the driveway, Laura glanced back over her shoulder at her home. Was it really her home anymore? Her family’s belongings were still strewn about the house, and the place certainly held many memories, both good and bad, but as she stared back at its brick walls, it began to feel as unfamiliar to her as the Manor once had. It wasn’t her home without her Mother baking in the kitchen or her Father hammering away in the shed. Moreover, it represented a time in her life when the world she’d come to know in the past weeks didn’t exist, when she was innocent and free, and it hurt to remember the existence she was once destined to live.
As she watched the homestead grow smaller behind them, she wondered if she would ever see it again. If she would ever see her Mother again. God she missed her. More than anything. She needed her. She couldn’t lose her too.
Please be okay. Please let us find you, and this time, not fail in bringing you home. She begged inwardly, feeling a sense of hope flower in her chest in return.
She swivelled around in her seat, turning her back on the place she once called home, and allowed herself to believe, just for a moment, that they would find her Mother.
~
Her cell was cold, dark and small, casting the illusion of refuge within the thick stone walls, however the only entry and exit was barred, and she certainly didn’t have the key. She did, to her relief, have one advantage. Voices carried in the tunnels, and slowly, she was gathering intel.
She doubted she had the ability to escape at the present time, for she was yet to obtain the tools required to break free. In addition, she was both tired and weak, though the dampness of the cell provided enough water to keep her sustained. Regardless, she knew the more information she stored away, the better chance she’d have at leaving the hell hole.
Erebus still hadn’t taken over her body. Namely because she refused to provide even the slightest indication as to how one performed the swap. No matter the extent to which they tortured her, she would not break, for she knew Erebus required her body in tact to take over, therefore he could do no worse than he already had. So, she was determined to fight through the pain and suffering they inflicted upon her already fragile body. She would not give in. She was Cara Harmer and she would do it for her daughter. Laura was her only source of strength in the dark, damp cell, and she had to make it back to her, alive.
‘Any luck?’ The voice startled her out of her trance and she skittered quietly to the bars, straining her ears to listen.
‘Not yet. But we’ll find someone.’ That voice belonged to Erebus, she’d know it anywhere.
‘Why are you searching so hard? Why not wait for the girl to come to us?’
‘Because no matter who we perform the swap with, Cara won’t divulge the information we need. We have to find someone who will.’
Cara froze. It seemed they were searching for someone who could do what she wouldn’t. And if they found someone, her chance of escape would skyrocket from somewhat likely to, well, impossible.
‘How are the changes coming?’ Erebus asked, snapping her back to attention.
‘No success yet. Once we’ve perfected it, however, we’ll begin applying it to mass groups of Enchanted.’
Cara’s heart stopped all together. God, what was Erebus planning? Mass killings? No, that can’t be right. Her mind whirled as pieces slowly clicked into place, whispers she’d heard through the tunnels aligning before her. No, it wasn’t mass killings that Erebus was preparing for, it was mass conversions.
She had to warn the Enchanted, which meant she had to escape.
And soon.
~
‘Even if it’s not Kane’s address, or a hint to where he lives, it has to be important. Dad wouldn’t go to such lengths to hide it if it weren’t!’ Laura insisted as she unscrewed the lid from the container and pulled a small, well folded piece of paper from inside.
Everyone stared intently as she unfolded it and read the small frayed page. Slowly, her heart began to fall.
‘What does it say?’ Logan finally burst.
Laura passed it to Leo, unable to speak, and he read it aloud to the group. ‘Seek me where no one knows to look, the sun is hot, the walls always shook. But know not where my home is found, for you can look and look above the ground.’
Leo raised his eyes and they all stared quietly at one another.
‘Not another riddle,’ Drew groaned.
‘Well he is obviously underground,’ Grace said immediately.
‘“The sun is hot”, that would be the desert.’ Stella added reasonably.
‘But how do we know this will lead us to Kane? Like Laura said, this could be the location of someone…or something else.’ Logan rationalised.
‘We don’t know what we’ll find, but it’s the best lead we’ve got right now. With the Markers Maps gone and all the Enchanted against us, we have no other way of finding Kane, or Erebus for that matter, but through our own means.’ Leo replied.
‘Right, so we follow up this lead?’ Gemma asked.
‘No, there’s no way Stella and Leo can leave. The rest of us might be able to convince the Force to let us out as a part of our training but…’ Drew trailed off.
‘Even if we leave we will have to be accompanied by members of the Force,’ Gemma finished for him.
‘And they wouldn’t let us go for more than a couple of days,’ Logan continued.
‘And they’ll be watching us like hawks,’ Grace added.
‘Exactly.’ Drew said.
‘What if we… escape? Pass the guards like we did the other night?’ Laura countered.
‘Stel and Leo still won’t be able to come, the Force would notice if their trackers weren’t moving for a week straight.’ Logan disputed.
‘Stella and I can stay here and keep in contact with you, passing on any information we can and keeping our ears open for any word of Erebus, Caspian or Cara.’ Leo said after a moments quiet. ‘If we stay behind, we’ll have a better chance of covering up your escape.’
Laura felt her heart begin to race at the prospect of Leo and Stella not coming with them. They were her mentors, she admired them, looked up to them, and had begun turning to them for guidance. Not having them there on the journey was difficult for her to comprehend.
‘Some of us should go after Erebus, or at least head back to Alast and see if we can track them from there,’ Logan said suddenly.
‘What? Split up?’ Grace squeaked uncertainly.
Laura felt a sense of fear bubble up inside her own stomach at the idea of splitting up a second time.
However Leo was already nodding in agreement. ‘Yes, splitting up might be the best option right now. There’s too much ground to cover, if you split up, one group can seek out Kane, or wherever the riddle takes them, and the other can begin searching for Erebus.’
‘Well I should follow the riddle,’ Laura said immediately.
‘I’ll go with you, we can track down this lead and decide what to do after we find it.’ Drew said quickly, and Laura was a little taken aback at his insistence.
A part of her wanted to protest, for her heart began to race at the prospect of being alone with Drew for what could end up being weeks, and she couldn’t afford that kind of distraction. However, despite the part of her mind that kept telling her to speak up, she couldn’t bring herself to open her mouth.
‘Grace and I can return to the Lost City and start searching for clues that might lead us to Erebus,’ Logan said.
‘Yes, and if we do find his location, then we can contact Stella and Leo back here and you two can convince the Force to come.’ Grace added.
‘Hey! What about me?’ Gemma demanded, her scar pulling tight across her cheek as she frowned.
‘Are you sure you can handle coming?’ Grace asked
kindly.
Gemma gave a single nod, and that was that.
‘So that’s settled then.’ Drew said with surety.
‘When should we leave?’ Logan inquired, eyes flickering to Stella and Leo.
The two turned to Laura and she flushed at the realisation and knowledge of what they were suggesting.
‘After my fathers funeral.’ She confirmed in a whisper.
‘All right. It’s a plan.’ Stella said firmly.
Chapter Six
On My Own
Laura was up early the next morning, hoping to snag a quick breakfast before diving into training, when there was a quick rap of knuckles on her door.
‘Morning Laura,’ Stella said as she pressed the door open.
Laura shrugged on a jacket, zipping it up over her training gear.
‘Morning Stel.’ Laura hesitated, catching the question in Stella’s eyes. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing. We just need your confirmation… for the funeral. We’ve decided to hold it Monday, so we have the weekend to finalise everything.’
Laura had expected it, though she still felt unprepared. Three days. Just three days until she had to say goodbye to her Father for good.
‘Oh. I’m sure whatever you’ve prepared is fine.’ She said, dropping her gaze.
Stella took a step closer. ‘Laura,’ she said, lifting Laura’s chin so she could see her eyes. ‘He knows, wherever he is, he knows how hard you worked to find your Mother, and that you haven’t given up. And I know that he would be feeling so proud of you, of your strength, of everything you’ve done. But it’s time to say goodbye to him, and I think he would really like it if you made the day special in his honour.’
Laura’s throat tightened, and she, once again, found herself swallowing down tears. She was unable to speak for a long moment as she allowed her feelings to settle. Finally, she met Stella’s stare.
‘Okay, lead the way.’
Stella led her down the hall to the office, where Leo sat, quietly reading through a stack of papers, his glasses slowly sliding down the bridge of his nose.
The Sacrifice (Wicked Book 2) Page 6