come over to Lincoln"s – just in case …?"
But this was something I had to do on my own. There was no point arriving with reinforcements – my best chance was to just go myself, try and be completely honest.
„No. you go. We need this stuff. I"l have to deliver it to Onyx by tomorrow or he"l start causing more problems. Why don"t you ask Salvatore if he wants to go with you?"
Steph planted a goodbye kiss on my cheek. „Already done. I"m meeting him at the mall.
Um … Vi?" she started, uncharacteristically unsure.
„Yeah?"
„Do you mind if I stay at yours again tonight? Dad"s stil away and well … Mum"s …
entertaining." She looked past me, suddenly distracted by something in the shop window. It was almost believable, if we weren"t standing outside a bank.
„Sure, Steph." Then, deciding that wasn"t enough, I added, „I was going to ask the same thing. I real y don"t feel like being alone at the moment so maybe you could just come and stay till Dad gets back? If that"s okay with you?" I didn"t know what was going on in Steph"s home life, but her uncomfortableness said enough.
Steph shifted weight from one foot to the other and shrugged a shoulder. „Yeah. I could do that." She final y looked up briefly, pushed the hair back from her forehead and checked her watch. „Time to fly." As she walked past, unable to look at me again, she grabbed hold of my hand and we both gave a quick squeeze before letting each other go.
-
When I walked down Lincoln"s street, I couldn"t see his four-wheel-drive parked anywhere on the road. The warehouse door was open, which was no surprise as everyone was using it as a drop-in centre lately. I wondered if that was bothering him – if he was feeling put out by everyone else.
Especially since last night.
Griffin was at the dining table, watching Spence and Zoe practised tactical manoeuvres.
The boring stuff, no combat, just exercise. I smiled when I caught the frustrated looks on both of their faces.
Rudyard was overseeing, calling out whenever they made a bad decision and instructing them to go back and start again.
I felt quite smug until I noticed Griffin watching me.
„You"re up next," he said.
I gave him a half-ass smile.
„Where"s Lincoln?"
Griffin"s expression tightened. I thought I could see a little frustration in his eyes, too.
„Not here. He and Magda had something to do that couldn"t wait," and there again, I heard a change in his voice. A hint of sarcasm.
„Do you know what"s going on?"
„No idea." Griffin gave himself a little pul -together when he took in my obvious unhappiness. „Look, we all have things to do at times that are … private. That doesn"t mean we want to hurt people around us or push them away. Sometimes we are just trying to protect them."
„Griffin?" I began, pul ing out a chair and plonking myself beside him. „Nyla and Rudyard told Linc and me how they"re soulmates. How being together made them stronger. Did you ever consider being with-„
„Magda?"
I nodded.
„You have seen her, haven"t you? Of course, I considered it. Who wouldn"t?" Then quickly, he added, „I … ah, well. What I meant to say that – she"s very beautiful, but that"s not everything. Magda and I were never in love. More like brother and sister or best friends at first and now … well … „ But he didn"t elaborate. I got the feeling that their partnership had not always been smooth-sailing.
„Would you have tried, if you loved her? Would you, you know, risked your powers?"
He leaned back in his chair. „That"s a big question you"re asking." He frowned. „The answer is – probably not. I believe in being Grigori, the role I play. It"s been hard for me at times – to be from a Seraph when so few are. The responsibility and expectation that comes from being a leader. I"m not always the one I wish I could be – that I should be – but nonetheless, it is my place. If I was to ever show a commitment to something other than my leadership, which could jeopardise the function I have, I would be risking too many lives. I couldn"t live with that."
I nodded. I understood what he was saying but at the same time I couldn"t help but think the only reason he admitted it so easily was because what existed between him and Magda never pushed him beyond reason, enticed him beyond the rational.
„Griffin, is Magda from the Seraphim too?" I asked, realising that I didn"t really know that much about her.
Other than that I hate her!
„No. No, she"s of an Angel."
„What do you mean? Aren"t we all?"
„Yes, but one of the orders is referred to as simply Angel. Technically, it is the tenth order.
You didn"t pay much attention to that hierarchy chart I drew up for you, did you?"
„Sorry," I said, suddenly guilty.
He let it slide. „Her strength is that she can speak telepathically."
„Wow. So you"re from the highest order and she"s from the lowest? That must have been hard for her?"
„Well, the order isn"t always a reflection of importance, Violet, but yes, at times it has been a challenge for her."
„I guess speaking telepathically is cool, though. Can she speak to anyone?"
Griffin looked around the room. I could tell this conversation was not one he was enjoying. He pushed his chair up to stand. „No. she can only speak to others who have the same gift."
„Oh," I said, as he gestured to Zoe and Spence and moved closer to observe their game of cat and mouse.
I stayed sitting at the table and watched. My mind was racing with everything Griffin had told me. The only others I knew of who could speak telepathically were exiles. Questions kept forming in my mind and I realised that I was just creating more problems and not solving any.
Rudyard stood up. „That"s enough for you two today," he called out, stopping the grateful-looking Spence and Zoe, Rudyard walked towards the door and started putting on a long trench coat, which looked awkward on him. Like Griffin, he was the type of person who was always destined to grow old. Though he pulled it off better than Griffin and managed an up-to-date wardrobe, he was one of those people you know will look their best in mid-life. I wondered how many more hundreds of years it would take for him to hit middle age.
Rudyard opened the front door and stood aside, just as Nyla walked in. He knew she was coming. That was pretty creepy. I was jealous as hell.
„What"s up?" Griffin asked, joining them as I got up, too.
„Magda just called me," Nyla said, smoothing down her windblown hair. „She said her source told her where a couple of exiles are holing up. She thinks they"re connected to the Scripture. Apparently her source heard them bragging about how they would son have the key to destroy all Grigori."
„Sounds like the Scripture," Griffin agreed.
„Are we hunting?" Rudyard asked.
Griffin grabbed his coat. „You bet. This is the first good lead we"ve had. Why didn"t Magda call Magda call me?"
„She said she tried to, but couldn"t get through," Nyla said.
„Makes sense. I"ve been on and off the phone all day," Griffin said, but he didn"t sound convinced. I wondered if he knew something I didn"t about Magda. And Lincoln, for that matter.
„I"m coming," I aid.
„No, you shouldn"t be going out without Lincoln. It"s not safe," Griffin said.
„You"re going out without Magda, and Lincoln and Magda are both out without us. I think I"m entitled. Plus, this Scripture is … well, I want in."
„Okay," said Griffin. I smiled, loving that he was that sort of guy. The kind that respected guts and people who fought for what they believed in. „But you"d better get changed. Hurry up!"
I looked down at my school uniform and then ran to the bathroom to put on the spar clothes I had in my bag.
When I emerged in shorts and a T-shirt I heard raised voices from down the corridor.
Spence was yelling.
„It"s not fair. Y
ou just told Violet she can go and her partner"s not here!" he complained.
„Yes, but her partner is not far away. If she is hurt we can get her to him. Spence, it"s Griffin"s call what happens with Violet, but you are under our care and we have to abide by Academy regulation," Rudyard said.
„You"re kidding! I have all the other abilities of strength and speed that everyone else does. I"m not going to get hurt! You can"t do this – hole me back forever!"
Before I made it out to the living room I heard the front door slam. Spence had taken off.
Nyla had a hand on Zoe"s shoulder. „Go get him Zoe. He needs a friend. You"re the closest thing he has to a partner at the moment. Help him."
„Oh, perfect! Just what I need. Another imbecile to babysit. So I suppose that means I don"t get to go on the hunt either?"
„Please, Zoe," Nyla pleaded, looking worriedly towards the door.
„Whatever."
And just as Spence had stormed out, Zoe yanked the door back open and stubbornly followed. Before the door slammed for a second time, a rush of dried leaves blew through into the living room.
Nyla, Rudyard and Griffin were brushing themselves down as I joined them.
„Zoe?" I asked, assessing the leaf attack.
„Hmm," Rudyard said, completely unimpressed. „Using nature as a weapon against us in not a good use of her strengths."
No. But I could see why she had and was just glad I"d been out of range when she let rip.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
„ The wise man in the storm prays to God, not for safety from danger, but deliverance from fear."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
From the car, Griffin tried to call Magda but had no luck. He threw his phone in the glove box, shutting it with a snap. I understood his disappointment. It mirrored my own. Not only had I failed to clear the air with Lincoln, I hadn"t even seen him. I sent him a text. No reply.
We drove for a while and were well out of the city before I asked Nyla where we were heading.
„To an abandoned farmhouse. Magda said it would take about ten minutes after we pass the airport."
When she mentioned the airport, I felt a prickle down my spine. The kind you get when someone walks over your grave.
We drove on and when I saw the sign for the turn-off to the airport I carefully lowered a lid on my senses. I didn"t want everyone to know what I was doing but felt compel ed to investigate, so I tried to ensure I didn"t release my power"s mist.
„Violet?" Rudyard began, conversationally.
„Yes," I said, trying to appear relaxed while also holding my concentration.
„Have I explained my power to you?"
„No, not real y." I couldn"t feel anything yet.
„Well, now seems an appropriate time. I"m what you might call a spotter. I can tell the size of someone"s strengths, can gauge their power levels and their potential. I can also see power in exiles, can tell what they can do to an extent."
„Cool."
„Yes. I am very cool. You know what else I can do?" he pressed.
I was starting to feel something very faint and pushed my senses out a little further.
„No. What?" I asked, distracted.
„I can tell when someone is using their power."
I stopped breathing.
My senses closed down like a book being snapped shut. I"d been caught red-handed –
now I needed a strategy.
I coughed. Delay tactics 101.
„Real y?" I replied, my pitch tell-tale high. I coughed again. „That"s handy. Could you by any chance tell that I was just using my senses?"
„As a matter of fact, yes," he said, smugly. He knew we were now playing a game. I had an awful feeling he was well practiced.
„Oh, well that"s good. I … um … was practising. You know, I don"t get out of the city often and whenever I try and use my senses there I always pick up a lot of different stuff. I thought being out in the country was a good opportunity to see if …"
This was not going well
I didn"t real y know why I couldn"t just tell them that I thought I sensed something at the airport the other day.
Because I should have checked at the time – but I forgot about it and they"l think I"m a loser if I tell them now. It"s probably nothing, anyway.
„And?" Rudyard prompted.
„And," I swallowed. „Nothing. I can"t sense anything."
„Right. Wel , perhaps you can practise when we get a little closer to where we are going,"
he said.
Griffin turned from his driver"s position, looked at me and raised a purposeful brow. The we"ll-be-talking-about-this-later look. Excellent.
Never lie around the truth detector. I was at least grateful that he didn"t out me in front of everyone.
We drove past the farmhouse Magda had described. It was small and decrepit. Massive piles of scrap metal, broken glass and general junk littered the front paddocks. Around the property there were no other signs of civilisation. It was a perfect hideout, no one would come here freely and no one lived nearby to notice anything. We could all sense the presence of exiles.
Trying to remain inconspicuous and to buy reconnaissance time, Griffin parked down a dirt track not much further down the road. Before we got out of the car Rudyard suggested I try out my senses. I knew t was a bit of a taunt, but I actually thought it was a good idea.
Much to Nyla and Rudyard"s amazement, I was able to narrow it down to three possibly four, exiles inside the rotted house with one other exile walking the perimeter. We carefully trekked through the bushes and dense shrubbery that surrounded the building. When we reached a mountain of scrap metal, we crouched.
„I"l go take care of the perimeter guard," Nyla said, sounding a lot more formidable than usual. I half expected Rudyard to argue but he just nodded. „I"l try and disable him so we still have an element of surprise for the others but if I have to return him, they"ll be able to sense me, so be ready." She took off.
I watched Rudyard for a moment, to see if he was worried. He didn"t look it. Instead, he turned to me, taking in my confused state.
„She is a woman, yes, but mostly she"s a fierce warrior, Violet. Much greater than I have ever been or will ever be. She has taken down more than double the number of exiles I have in our many years together. And anyway," he paused, just briefly enough for me to notice, „it will do her no favours if I throw myself in the line of fire just to be noble. Our relationship has gone beyond that." His eyes bore into me as if he were giving me some kind of warning.
All I could think was – They"re perfect.
We waited for a few minutes, all increasingly anxious. There was a flickering light visible through one of the blackened windows. Possibly a fire or a lamp. Then we saw what could only be described as a showering of colour – like glitter illuminating the trees.
„She returned him," Griffin said, now on red alert.
„She mustn"t have had a choice," Rudyard said, defending Nyla – something I was positive he would do to the end – even though Griffin wasn"t questioning her.
Nyla was back in seconds. She crouched down beside me as the front door to the shack opened or kind of fell open. Out came three exiles, but despite the weak light coming from the house, we couldn"t see them properly.
„No point hiding, they know we"re here," Nyla said, standing up, completely unafraid.
Griffin stood with her as Rudyard and I followed suit a little more hesitantly.
Here we go.
We walked out to the small clearing in front of the rickety porch, avoiding the worst of the broken glass that was scattered in front of the house, a vicious do-not-pass security system.
As we got closer the faces of the exiles became clearer. I gasped before I could stop myself.
„Are you okay?" Rudyard asked.
„I"ve seen one of them before, at Hades last night," I said, locking my sights on the ginger-haired exiled who had been so casually lounging on the sofa th
ere.
„You were in hell last night?" Rudyard asked quietly beside me.
„Yeah, it"s a bar. He was there."
Rudyard nodded, but then tapped Nyla and Griffin on their shoulders.
„Two of them are fear-users – the two on the right. Be careful. The other is no problem."
Then he turned to me. „You need to put up your defences. They"l and put your worst fear before your eyes; you have to defend yourself from this. Now! "
I nodded and concentrated on putting up my walls, on trying to protect myself and my power. As I did, I could feel the probing start. It was like when Rudyard had looked into my power at the airport, but different. Violet. I had felt this kind of invasion before, from Joel and Onyx. I knew it would take a lot to keep them out. Right now I couldn"t face a movie montage of my worst fears. I was already freaked out by the thought of discovering which one would make it to the top of my list.
Griffin took a final step forward. „We want information. We can get it from you willingly or we can take it from you!"
The exiles didn"t respond. I was realising it wasn"t that they did not care about their existence, but rather the opposite. They were extreme narcissists. They truly believed in their supremacy and that they could not be beaten. Up until the second after a dagger went through them and it was all too late.
The one to the left – the one I recognised – moved out, towards Nyla. It was tactical, trying to disable her first, thinking she was the smallest, and therefore – the weakest.
Big mistake.
Nyla seemed back, as if she were cautious and brought him in as close as she could to where she stood, then, with freakish speed, she spun and jumped. On the way down, her dagger went straight into the exile"s upper thigh. It didn"t kil him. But instinct told me that if she"d wanted to she could have. Easily.
The exile dropped to the ground, grabbing his thigh as Nyla simply reached down and ripped the dagger from his leg while he screamed.
„Move again and it goes in your heart."
The other two exiles, who must have been shocked to see her annihilate their buddy so quickly, barely blinked. Instead I felt them pushing again at my power. It was like they were turning all the doorknobs and rattling all the windows, looking for a way in.
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