As Scarlett beamed at Nevada, Caleb struggled to not roll his eyes. He wasn’t ignorant. He knew there was a time when people had the money to worry about clothes, social status, and manners. But living on the run, setting up camps in the woods, wasn’t the time for these formalities. Yet on the other hand, if Scarlett was more agreeable to Andre’s community living here, all the better.
“What are you doing here for the camp?” Scarlett asked Nevada.
“I’m the designer, you could say.”
“Designer?” Gail questioned.
“An illusionist, many would call me, but I prefer designer. I’ll make sure you won’t see your landscape marred by our presence.”
“We will also set up security and other measures to protect both you and us,” Andre added.
“As much as you can.” Scarlett sounded doubtful of his effectiveness.
No one was about to disagree with her though. She continued walking through the camp. Caleb wanted to slip away but thought it might be considered rude. Andre introduced her to Leon, Doc, and a few more key figures in the camp.
As they reached the edge, she turned back to the carriage. “I’ve seen enough.”
“Of course,” Andre nodded and followed her back with Caleb.
At the carriage Scarlett turned back to address them both. “Would you both like to keep your rooms at the house, or would you prefer to stay here with your people?”
Waiting for Andre’s decision, Caleb thought he would prefer to stay at camp, but he worried about Elizabeth. Caleb had made a promise.
“I’ll stay here at the camp. Caleb?” Andre turned to him.
“I’ll check in with Leon to see if I’m needed, but I’d prefer to stay near Elizabeth.”
“I understand.” Scarlett nodded. “Andre, please come to the house tomorrow morning after breakfast. We’ll need to talk.”
“Of course. Safe travels back.”
Gail helped her into the carriage, and they were off. Caleb waited for Andre, anxious to get moving.
Andre waited until the ladies were out of sight. “It is incredibly kind for her to offer up her lands.”
“I know. I just want to stay close to Elizabeth with all due respect.”
Andre turned to face him. “Of course. I’d expect no less. Nikki will remain there as well to watch over her. In all honesty, Scarlett prefers to deal with Nikki over me. The only thing we have going for us is that Scarlett hates Lazaro more than us.”
“Why is that?” There were a hundred reasons to hate that man but given her lifestyle it seemed more personal.
“That is her story to tell not mine.”
“Anything else, sir?”
“No. I just wanted to make sure Elizabeth had an additional guard. Go find Leon. Then when we return Scarlett’s vehicles, we can take you back to the house.”
“Thank you.” Caleb headed off in search of Leon, his thoughts turning back to Scarlett’s anger.
Chapter One Hundred
Darion filled his cupped hands with water, splashing it over his face and down his back. The cool water rinsed away the sweat. It had taken some time for Becca to recover the previous day. They had to spend one more night in the jungle before finding the spring for breakfast. It was slower than all of them wanted, but it wasn’t smart to go to a new town if one of them was too weak to protect themselves.
Navina enjoyed the cool water as well. “Becca, can you tell one of those fish to stay put so I can catch it?” She already had her socks and shoes off and stepped one foot inside the stream.
“Really? I think a fisherman would say that’s cheating. You can do it.” Becca stayed in front of a small fire, boiling water.
“I’ve tried, but it didn’t work. And we haven’t had a good meal for days. I miss fish.” The girl had lived in the caves with Andre for a while, meaning she dined on seafood regularly.
“Okay.” Becca gave in, closing her eyes while she performed the spell.
Once the fish stopped swimming, Navina dove towards it. Trying to grab the slippery fish with bare hands proved to be quite a job though. Although the fish didn’t try to swim away, it wiggled and fought.
Dripping water, Navina came over with the fish on a stick, proud as a puppy who dug up its first bone.
“Fish for lunch it is.” Darion built up the cooking fire.
After lunch, they continued upstream. With Becca now easily picking up on other people’s minds, she led their group, often making small adjustments. After another hour they found the outskirts of town. Remaining hidden, they watched people hustle back and forth in the afternoon sun.
“Do you get a sense of who we’re dealing with?” he asked Becca.
She nodded, focusing on a young man carrying a basket on his head. “They seem to be good hardworking people. Nothing suspicious. I don’t want to pry too hard and alert them to our presence. The boy is a Mundane.”
“Let’s try to talk to them. Navina, can you maybe approach the boy and ask where we are? Maybe where Tikal is?”
“Yeah.” As personable as Navina was, she didn’t hesitate.
Darion and Becca stayed on the edge of the forest, but in view. He didn’t want anyone to think she wasn’t protected. Navina chatted with the boy, who spoke in broken English, for a couple minutes before returning.
“Tikal is another hour down the road. He said if we follow the river, we should find the camp.”
“The camp?” Becca asked.
“The camp the hopefuls stay in. Those seeking an audience with the most holy.” She shrugged her shoulders.
He put on his pack “Only one way to find out.” Thinking back to the fortune teller’s cards back in the village, Darion had a feeling this wouldn’t be at all what they expected.
“I’d like to go for a walk in the gardens today, alone.” Elizabeth shouldn’t have to ask for a walk like a child, but there she stood telling Nikki and Caleb.
“We can’t leave you alone.” Caleb’s jaw stiffened, creating a stubborn look.
“I’m not a child, Caleb. I can—”
Nikki interrupted. “You know why we can’t let you go alone. How about we just keep our distance?”
Taking a deep breath, she realized Nikki was right. Elizabeth didn’t have to like it though. “Alright, let’s go.”
Walking out under the clear skies and green trees, the pain in her chest lightened. The secrets she held onto felt lighter out here, or maybe she could look at things with a better perspective. Granted, some of the secrets weren’t hers to tell, like Scarlett’s. Elizabeth didn’t feel right sharing the news about Scarlett’s pregnancy with the others. It was too personal.
Yet, Nikki and Caleb should understand her desire for privacy as they both came to her room the night before. She’d dreamed of the war again. Snippets and clips of what’s to come had appeared in her dreams for several nights, but the last one had been particularly horrific. Her screams woke everyone around her, and they all rushed to her room.
She couldn’t talk about it and wanted to put all the pieces together before telling others. There were people she didn’t know fighting, and dying, at the hands of each other. Elizabeth searched for a glimpse of her sister or any other familiar faces, to know if they’d be safe, but no. Now knowing the needed spells, she knew what she needed to do. She needed to search the future and soon.
After her walk, the three of them joined the others in the breakfast room for the meeting Scarlett called. The breakfast room was transformed into a meeting room of sorts with a large map on the table. Scarlett stood at the head of the table, Gail on her right, plus several of the sisters, including Brianna, who sat on the right side of the table. Leon accompanied Andre and Nevada on the opposite side.
“Good morning, Elizabeth. Did you enjoy the gardens today?” Scarlett spoke directly to Elizabeth even though they all took the walk.
“I did. Thank you,” Elizabeth answered and glanced at the witch’s stomach, thinking about the child she carried. Carrying a
nother magician’s baby, a magician she didn’t know or love, must be very hard. A cost for her coven that she had to pay every day.
“Please sit.” Scarlett motioned for a servant to help Elizabeth to her seat. “Everyone is here, so let’s begin. We have discussed this and made a decision as a coven that we will assist you in your fight against Lazaro.”
“We are happy to have you as allies,” Andre said.
“Don’t act too surprised, Andre. You had your seer here tell you we would join, probably before you came. It’s quite frustrating to have your decisions made for you before you have the chance.”
“Yes, but that same power will help us.”
“True. I brought us together to discuss strategy, for this battle will happen soon.”
“Why is that?” Leon’s surprise matched that of many people at the table.
“Elizabeth?” Scarlett’s answer had everyone turning to her.
Her cheeks burned at the attention. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
“My pregnancy.”
Surprised faces glanced around the room but remained silent.
“We didn’t know you were pregnant,” Andre said. “Are congratulations in order?”
“No, they are not.” Scarlett’s beauty turned dark and sharp. “Elizabeth had a vision of me fighting on a horse. She also had a vision of my miscarriage. I’m currently four and a half months pregnant. I will only be able to fight for a few more weeks before I’m too big to ride and fight on a horse.”
“Some say you may be too far along now,” Gail said.
Scarlett turned a viscous glare on her.
“I’m only concerned about your health,” her friend returned Scarlett’s look with concern and love.
“Excuse me,” Nikki was brave to interrupt. “How do we know that her vision is this pregnancy or that the visions play out in order? Not that it isn’t a possibility, but we need to make sure if we’re going to war.”
Nikki could be right. Elizabeth worried that maybe she interpreted it wrong. Thinking back to the vision, Elizabeth took a deep breath and knew in her gut she was right.
Scarlett stared down at Nikki. “Do you think Lazaro would let a whole year go by without doing something about us? Because if you don’t think Lazaro knows about Andre and your gang of rebels scouring the country side for allies, then you are stupider than I thought. And either way, Lazaro will come here in three months when this baby is due. So, we go to him now, while I can fight, or he will come to us. I cannot keep the truth from him.”
“Why would he be coming here?”
Elizabeth sucked in a breath, wishing she could have stopped Nikki.
“Because this is his baby,” Scarlett stared each of them down as she placed a hand on her stomach.
A stunned silence went through the room.
Finally, Leon spoke. “If we need to mount an offensive in a couple weeks, it sounds like we have our work cut out for us. We’ll need to contact the others right away.”
“Allies are going to be hard to find.” Scarlett referred to the map on the table. “People will not change their alliances. It will be easier to take over the coven completely and force the others to fight with us.”
“That sounds a lot more drastic and violent,” Andre said.
“But not impossible,” Nevada spoke up. “Sometimes a direct fight isn’t the easiest way to take over a coven either.”
Elizabeth wondered just what the illusionist had in store.
“That’s what I was hoping.” Scarlett smiled at him. “We’ll need to be smart, coordinated and move fast.”
“Fast may be the hard part.” Leon pointed to a city across the table. “This is a valuable stronghold yet driving there will be impractical.”
“I have a plane we can use, though with the shortage of fuel, a return flight may be difficult.”
As they sat there talking about flying in planes and overthrowing covens, Elizabeth began to tremble. As they continued to strategize about their plans, she knew her nightmares were closer to coming true. She tried to block out the noise and almost palpable excitement as her dream returned. People dying in front of her. Children crying in the distance. Explosions so bright and loud she had never seen or heard before.
She witnessed a battle once, one she still relived time after time. As plans became more concrete, so to would her visions. Clasping her hands, she tried to keep them still. But the trembling came from deep within. Her breath came out in gasps as she knew what they would require of her, what she had to do to keep those she loved safe. Nothing in all of her life had ever prepared her for what she witnessed.
“You’ll need me.” Her words came out in a whisper, everyone continuing to talk over her. She knew from here on out all her energy would be used for telling them everything she could find out about the war.
What’s wrong? Becca’s voice echoed in her head.
Elizabeth smiled, wiping at a tear that escaped. We’re going to war.
That was inevitable. Are you okay?
I don’t know. Last time I had to relive that battle, I was forced to watch Andre and you almost die so many times. I still have nightmares about that. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her waist holding everything in. She heard Nikki speaking in the distance but couldn’t focus on her words. I don’t know if I can do this again, Becca.
You can only do what you can do. Andre is a powerful magician and you can rely on his own powers too. But remember, Elizabeth, this time you’re not alone. You have me. Becca’s voice was full of emotion, something she didn’t show very often.
Elizabeth could feel her sister’s love and courage, and it helped steady her trembling hands. Blinking back tears, she realized the room had gone quiet and everyone was looking at her, again.
You can do this, Becca reminded her. We can do this.
Borrowing her sister’s resolve, Elizabeth found her voice, loud and clear this time. “You’re going to need me.”
Chapter One Hundred One
As they approached the camp, Becca could feel the population swell. The small town of Tikal was nothing compared to the people camping out near the temples. They were clustered in an open field filled with tents and makeshift one-room homes. The clearing had been carved out of the thick jungle surrounding it.
People roamed about the tents, conversing or bartering. Were all these people here for the temple sacrifice? Disgust rolled in her stomach as she saw a family gather around a small stove.
In the noise and chaos, the smell of that many humans living in such a tight space overwhelmed her. There had to be several hundred people here.
They approached several people. Darion tried to communicate but most didn’t speak English, so it took some patience. Patience Becca wasn’t necessarily feeling as she watched their faces light up talking about their demon gods. When Navina needed to go to the bathroom, Becca was grateful for the break.
After using the community outhouses, they started back to find Darion.
It took a minute, but as Becca reached out with her magic, she could sense him. He was talking, or maybe arguing, with an old man. She couldn’t understand what the man was saying but thought she should delve a little deeper.
Becca used magic to tap into the man’s consciousness. The older man didn’t trust Darion and was pretending not to speak English. As a believer, he worried he’d lose his chance if he helped Darion. The man was hungry though, not having a decent meal in days—that she could work with.
She walked up beside Darion. “Would you take one meal and one copper coin a day to be our translator?”
Darion turned to her. “He doesn’t speak good English. I was trying in the little Spanish I know.”
“Yes.” The man spoke to Becca. “Meal first, before I answer questions.”
“Jose?” Darion turned back to the man, his expression turning dark.
“Don’t blame Jose.” Becca placed a hand on Darion.
He turned back to her, a dark smile
on his face. “You don’t know how long I’ve been trying to speak Spanish to all these people.”
“I can help you with your Spanish,” Jose said in perfect English.
“I bet you will. Come on.” Darion headed off through the crowd.
They bought food from a woman and found a private spot to eat. Warm and delicious, everyone devoured the tortillas wrapped around some kind of meat—Becca didn’t ask what kind and didn’t want to know. Not surprisingly, Navina was the first to strike up a conversation with Jose.
“Do you live here?” she asked.
“I do now.”
“Where are you from? Do you have family?”
He’d just taken a mouthful and couldn’t quite answer. His frail frame told them it must have been a while since he had a good meal.
“Why don’t you let him finish eating?” Becca said.
When he finished his bite, he answered. “I’m from down south. A small town. My family is dead.” He dug into another bite, oblivious to the young girl’s surprise and sorrow.
“Sorry,” she mumbled and went back to finishing her own dinner.
Once he finished, he licked his fingers clean. Then he took a long drink from the bottle Darion bought him.
Finally done, Jose turned to Darion. “What do you want? Your name on the list? A meeting with the clergy?”
“Clergy, huh?” Becca glanced at Darion who did a better job of hiding his emotions.
Darion remained focused on Jose. “Yes. We want a meeting with the clergy. But first, I want you to humor me, and tell me how things work here.”
Jose pulled back a moment and then shrugged. “Sure thing. Everyone comes to the holy land to travel to the other world. Put your name on the list and meet the clergy. Then wait. We pray, we sing, and we praise the chosen ones while we wait. Every moon, one lucky person gets to go meet the dark angels and be saved.”
Lucky, huh? Becca kept her thoughts to herself. “Can you take us to the clergy now?”
Looking to the sky, he shook his head. “No. They closed for the day.”
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