She returned with a gasp and pushed Scarlett’s hands away.
“What?” Alarm struck Scarlett’s face. “Do I die in the battle?”
“No.” Elizabeth tucked her shaking hands and realized how many people stood watching her. Her tongue felt heavy and she wanted a glass of water. How could she tell her what she saw? Scarlett would fight with them, but would doing so set events in motion that would lead to that? “It is personal,” she whispered into her lap.
Evidently the celebration that Scarlett assumed was her future didn’t play out the way she hoped. Elizabeth glimpsed people’s shocked faces and realized she went about this the wrong way. She should have told the good stuff, the stuff she would want people to hear.
Scarlett’s eyes narrowed as she grabbed Elizabeth’s arm. “We’ll go to my private rooms then.”
Caleb, part stupid, part heroic, grabbed Scarlett’s arm. “Let her go.”
She started at his hand on her arm. “How dare you touch me?”
Elizabeth felt the magic pulsing through their touch. Scarlett was trying to hurt him, but nothing happened. Elizabeth’s heart raced, trying to think of a way out of the confrontation. She didn’t have to though.
Andre stood next to her, protecting Caleb. “Scarlett, how about the four of us go to another room, where we won’t make a scene?”
Red flushed her cheeks all the way down to her bosom. Her jaw clenched as if she was holding in a flood of fury and rage. But glancing around to see all the others watching, her sense of decorum returned. “Yes, let’s deal with this privately. Gail, please accompany us.”
The witch with an exquisite green gown, nodded and led the party to another room. This looked like a private office of sorts but kept with the similar decor. The only difference was the desk in the middle of the room, the same desk Elizabeth saw in the vision.
Once the door was shut, Scarlett unleashed the tirade she probably had been holding in for a while. “Do you know what I do with men that touch me without permission, Mundanes especially?”
“You touched Elizabeth without permission.” He stood strong directly in front of Scarlett. There wasn’t an ounce of fear in Caleb’s eyes, only determination. That was okay because Elizabeth was scared enough for him, and by the look of it, Nikki too.
“You’re a Mundane,” Scarlett screamed.
“And you’re a witch.” Caleb didn’t even flinch.
Andre pulled Caleb back. “We apologize for the mishap. Caleb is our security, and as you can see, he would do anything to protect Elizabeth. Can you begrudge our protection of the girl?”
Scarlett threw her hands in the air, swore, and headed to the drink cart.
“You need to teach your help how to behave or make them,” Gail said, replacing Scarlett.
Elizabeth thought it would be better if Gail and Andre handled the argument. Scarlett was obviously overreacting, and it hurt to see someone Elizabeth wanted to look up to be so ignorant and biased over non-magical humans.
“Again, we apologize for mishap,” Andre said, though Caleb didn’t look apologetic at all. “How about we get to the matter that started all this?”
The group turned to Elizabeth, and she wanted to shrink away from the attention. Andre stepped forward and offered his hand. She took it, his large dark hand swallowing hers up. His power buoyed her, even though she doubted it was magic.
“Let’s sit.” He led her to the couch. “Tell us what you saw.”
Scarlett sat in a chair across from them, a drink still in her hands.
Elizabeth swallowed, struggling to find the words.
“No one will be mad at you,” his soft voice washed over her.
She nodded. “It started in here. Over that table.”
“What was I doing?” Scarlett straightened and glanced at the table.
“Just let her get it out first, then we can ask questions,” Andre suggested kindly.
Biting her lip, the witch nodded in agreement.
Gripping Andre’s hands, Elizabeth continued relaying the vision. She told the part about the battle in greater detail as she saw it for the second time. And then, staring at her lap, she told Scarlett about her pregnancy and miscarriage.
Scarlett remained quiet. Her face flushed as she struggled to control her emotions.
Elizabeth wished she could tell her more. “I’m not sure when they took place, but somehow the three visions were connected. You seemed to be preparing for battle, then somehow you survive but your baby won’t.”
Gail sat down next to Scarlett. “We don’t know that the baby won’t survive, only that there will be complications.”
“That’s not what you felt though, was it?” Scarlett stared at Elizabeth, reading her emotions.
“No, I felt that you lost the baby, but I’m still new at this.”
Scarlett stilled, staring off into the distance. Then, with a small jerk, she glanced at everyone. She stood, smoothing out her skirts. “I think that’s enough for tonight. You kept your end of the bargain, Andre. Your people can camp on my lands. Gail can direct you to them when they arrive. I think I’ll head to my room.” With a swish of her skirts, she left.
Guilt tried to bury into Elizabeth. “I’m sorry, Andre. Maybe I shouldn’t—”
“No. child. You did what was asked of you. And she deserved to know what fighting with us will cost her.”
Chapter Ninety-Six
Darion followed Becca back to their room, his thoughts churning. How were they going to hike for days through the jungle to reach this city of Tikal? How much could they trust Stewart? Only the fact that Stewart was resistant to give over the name made Darion trust it.
Once inside, he kept his voice low as to not wake Navina. “Want to rest for a few hours before we head out?”
She pulled her hair out of its messy bun and ran her hand through. Her shoulder had healed quickly with the aid of magic, but it still ached when used too much. “I know I should, but I don’t think I'll be able to.”
“I was thinking maybe I should go alone. I could sneak out, gather information and meet you somewhere. That way you can rest and watch over Navina.”
Becca’s eyes narrowed in anger. He’d seen that look frequently during the turbulent times of their relationship. He kept his face neutral, but little did she know how much he loved that expression.
Her mouth pulled into a sharp line that he desperately wanted to kiss. “Why don’t I go steal a car while you watch Navina? Then we could drive to Tikal tonight, and Navina can sleep in the car.”
He was no longer amused. “It’s too dangerous.” It popped out before he could stop himself.
“Have you ever hot-wired a car?” she asked, probably knowing the answer. They grew up in two different worlds.
“Not technically, but—“
“Then I can do it. If I don't find something around here, then we'll have to start on foot.”
On foot would take twice as long. Time they both knew they didn’t have. He hated that she was right. “Do you have enough energy? You don’t look like you’d be able to beat Navina right now.”
She hesitated for a brief second, a second that meant a lot. “I should be fine—”
“Nope. We can wake Navina. She can sleep on the ride if we find one.”
Becca started to protest again. “Really, I can make it.”
He pulled her into his arms.
She whelped in surprise.
“I can’t though. I can’t make it if anything happens to you.” He stared into her beautifully deep eyes. He could get lost in those eyes. “I know you are more than capable, and if we needed to take that risk I could. But if it is only because we can't wake up a kid in the middle of the night and teach them grand larceny, well… she’s a pretty resilient kid.”
“It’s not the worst thing to teach her,” Becca pointed out.
Out of the blue, she leaned forward and kissed him. Well, maybe not completely out of the blue. Her kiss warmed him from the inside out.
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He didn’t want to push her physically in their relationship, and they hadn't had much privacy either. But when she kissed him, all logical thought fled, and he wanted to sneak off with her for hours and hours.
Unfortunately, they had things to take care of. These rebels had turned into a family he'd never known, and he had to make things right. He wanted to live in a world where he and Becca could have a family. He wanted a future, with her. He placed a hand on the small of her back, kissing her deeper, not ready to let go.
“Are you guys done yet? I don’t want my eyes to bleed.” Navina spoke from under her blanket.
Becca pulled back in shock, and he couldn't help but laugh.
“I’d rather learn how to hot wire cars than listen to you guys make out.”
Red rushed into Becca’s cheeks, and she remained frozen, which made Darion laugh more.
“If everyone’s awake, we might as well pack up,” he said.
Becca went to her bag and began packing. “You can stop laughing now. We don’t want to wake Stewart and Isabella.”
“How did it all go?” Navina asked.
Becca flashed a guilty look at Darion. She was raised loathing magic and even though she didn’t say it, she always looked guilty when she had to manipulate others. It hurt him because he then wondered what she thought of him and his magic. When they first met, he hid his magic from her, and when she found out she left him. It took almost a year for them to be brought back together in very dark circumstances. It took longer for her to trust him again and to accept her magic as well as his. And he sometimes worried if that trust was enough to hold them through these hard times.
She turned to Navina. “It went alright. We got the info we needed.”
Navina packed the small bag with food. “So where are we going?”
“A temple in Tikal. About three days hike, or hopefully we can drive it in a day.”
“Driving sounds a lot better.”
“I agree. Even if the rains let up, hiking in mud won’t be fun.” Becca threw her bag on her back. “I’ll hit the bathroom and be ready to go.”
When Becca left, Navina turned to Darion. “I’m sorry about before. I didn’t know when I should tell you guys that I was awake.”
He shrugged, hoping to ease the girl’s discomfort. “It’s not a big deal. How are you doing with all this?”
“I’ll be better when we’re out of here. These people…” She shivered. “I’m just happy to leave.”
“Me too.”
Once they were all set, they went out the back door and headed into town. They kept quiet as they walked in the dark for a good mile or so. The moon, covered by a scattering of clouds, gave little light, so Darion produced a small flame to guide them.
Once in town, finding a car wasn’t as easy as Darion hoped. Most villagers had no reason for them. They continued for a couple of miles, moving closer to the dock before they found any vehicles, trucks mostly used for hauling produce or supplies on and off the boats.
“We better move soon, before daylight hits.” Becca stood behind Darion, her body a comforting presence.
“Yeah, I know.”
The trucks were in a compound with other equipment, secured by a tall barbed wire fence. It looked simple enough, especially for magicians, but that’s what worried him.
He turned back to the two girls. “I’ll break the lock on the gate. Navina, keep your shields up constantly. If anyone comes out, knock them out with your magic. Okay?”
She nodded and whispered the needed spell for defense. He felt the spell crackle with energy in the night air. Good.
“Let’s go.” Becca motioned for him to go first.
He headed off with Navina beside him, and Becca pulling up the rear. Focusing on the lock, the two girls watched for others. Under his magic, the lock burned bright red. Smoke drifted up off the metal before it broke apart and fell to the ground.
“Watch out for the lock.” Since he didn’t sense any magic tied to the gate, he slipped inside and motioned for Becca and Navina to follow.
“Go for the blue one,” Becca murmured.
Then in the distance he sensed something. Not necessarily magic, but…
“Run!” Becca pushed Navina to Darion.
It wasn’t his style to run from trouble, but he trusted Becca. He took Navina’s hand and raced towards the truck. He heard the snarls of beasts behind them, dogs he assumed or hoped. Arriving at the truck, he found the handle was locked.
“Jump in.” He lifted Navina into the bed of the truck and turned back to Becca.
She already had one dog lying on the ground. The other snarled at her, spit dripping from its mouth, but it didn’t move forward. It was hard to tell in the night, but he could feel that the dogs were more than they appeared; both had minor demons in them.
“Want some help?” he offered.
“They felt stronger as they were headed our way, but they aren’t too bad.” She kept eye contact with the beasts. “I don’t really want these pups on fire either. They can run pretty fast.”
“I wasn’t really thinking of that.”
She stepped back. “I think they’ll stay. Let’s head to the truck.”
Navina must have figured out the lock since she was sitting in the cab.
Darion climbed in the passenger seat to let Becca work. “I’m impressed you could figure out the spell to unlock a car.” Since cars or trucks weren’t around much, it wasn’t something she would have learned in the caves.
“I crawled through the back.” She pointed to the open window.
“Nice.” Becca took off a plastic piece below the steering wheel.
A light flashed on in a trailer up ahead. “Someone’s awake, Becca.” Darion watched the small trailer.
“I’ve almost got it.” She stripped some wire.
Navina sat on her feet now, watching the light too. “The dogs are moving. I’ll put them under again.”
“Be careful.” Darion watched the young girl concentrate.
Without warning glass exploded near Darion’s head. Navina screamed, and he pulled her down with him. “Gun. Down!” He shouted to Becca who was already leaning under the dash. “We have to get out of here.”
Another two shots hit the body of the car. If they didn’t hurry, the truck wouldn’t be in any shape to run. It took a few seconds for Darion to sense the man and his gun. With a simple word, he sent high heat to the stranger’s shotgun.
Another explosion sounded along with screams. Shouts went up around the compound, followed by a siren blaring. Navina shook in his arms. How did everything go to hell so fast?
“Becca—”
His shout was cut off by the truck roaring to life. He placed a spell to protect Becca, and she sat up enough to see over the steering wheel and drive. With a hand over Navina, he kept her down while he watched the chaos around him. Becca swung the truck around, spinning out a bit in the mud, and then headed towards the gate they came in. Unfortunately, the gate was for people, not trucks.
He focused on warming the metal making in more pliable. But he had seconds, and he wasn’t sure if it was enough. They crashed through the gate, metal scratching against the truck. The dogs barked, chasing them down the street. Becca increased the speed through the small town.
“Go left,” he pointed to the side road that led to the main road out of town.
After a few minutes, the congested part of town disappeared, and he let Navina up.
“Is everyone okay?” He looked over the girl and Becca.
“I’m fine.” Navina wrapped her arms over her stomach.
“Good. Not the smoothest plan, but we survived.”” He ran a hand through his hair and glanced at Becca.
Becca repeated glanced at the dash through the steering wheel.
“Something wrong?” Darion asked.
“I should have picked another truck.”
He glanced around wondering if a bullet hit something. “What is it?”
“
I only have a quarter tank of gas.”
He sank back against the seat. “Really?” If he believed in fate, he’d be giving it the middle finger right now.
“Can’t we find gas?” Navina asked.
“Only place I saw was back there.” He pointed behind him. “And I don’t think we’ll be welcome.”
He noticed the girl’s expression fall, and her hands tremble slightly. He forgot she probably never had another person shoot at her before, not to mention being chased by demon dogs. He took off his jacket and put it around the girl, hoping to warm her up in case she was in shock.
“We’ll keep our eyes open for some gas. They have to have it somewhere, or how else do they get far?” He tried to sound positive.
With a worried look in her eyes, Becca glanced at Navina as well. “I’m sure we’ll find something. Just try to rest. We have a couple of hours before we need to worry.”
Chapter Ninety-Seven
After Becca had driven for an hour, the sun had peeked up over the horizon. Worry continued to grow as she watched the needle on the gas gauge inch its way to the large ‘E’. It was just her luck to pick a truck on the lot that needed gas. Or maybe they kept them low on purpose?
“How are you doing?” Darion asked her. He looked tired himself, as Navina slept propped up on his shoulder.
“We don’t have much gas left.”
“Every mile helps.”
“True.” She fought back a yawn. “Talk to me, keep me awake. Then maybe we can pull over somewhere and sleep for a bit.”
“Sounds good to me. What do you want to talk about?”
“Anything that will keep me up.”
Darion rubbed his face for a minute and looked down at Navina. “So, you think you’ll ever have kids?”
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