by Melissa Frey
At first, she didn’t know why. But then it hit her—reading Grady’s mind had felt so personal, so intimate, that she felt somehow uncomfortable talking about it. She didn’t really want to share this with anyone but Grady, not yet.
To his credit, Grady seemed to understand whatever look she was giving him and kept quiet. Smart man.
“Well, isn’t that pretty cool?” Mandy was sounding more and more like Justin, who was standing next to her, a sad but wide grin on his face.
“It was awesome.” Justin shrugged as he pulled Mandy to his side.
Grady was still looking at Kayla, his eyes penetrating. She wanted to run to him, then run away with him. The thought was getting more appealing by the minute. She just didn’t want to deal with this right now.
Mandy finally changed the subject. “Well, what do we do now?”
Grady stepped in immediately. “Kayla, what did Jack say?”
The question threw Kayla back into the memory of Jack’s final moments. The pain of his death was still fresh—she hadn’t had enough time to even process the concept of it. But she knew she had to keep going, if only for his sake—she couldn’t let Jack’s death be in vain. “Jack said someone at the dig is helping Na-um and the Mercenaries, feeding them inside information. Leaking them our whereabouts, keeping them apprised of what we’ve found . . . and he knew who poisoned everyone here.”
Mandy’s eyes grew wide. “Who?”
Just then, a twig snapped behind them. The four of them whipped around as Kayla heard Mandy let out a short squeal.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” Jackie called as she approached, phone still in hand.
Then her eyes found Kayla. “Kayla! I’m so glad you’re awake. Are you okay?”
Kayla forced a smile. “Yes, I’m fine, thank you.”
“What is it, Jackie?” Grady asked hurriedly.
She nodded toward the phone she held. “Another call for Justin.”
Justin stalked to her in a few long strides and snatched the phone from her hand. He walked away before answering.
Kayla opened her mouth to ask what the first call had been about, then realized she already knew. After being connected to Grady’s mind for even just a short time, she unquestioningly felt an abrupt sense of loss . . . but there was something else, a different kind of loss, something hidden away in the background. At the time, she’d ignored it, thinking it not important. But now she knew what it meant; she knew that Justin’s father had died, though she wasn’t sure how she knew—perhaps she had picked up on Grady’s subconscious thoughts without realizing it?
On instinct alone, Kayla pieced the scenario together. Nothing was a coincidence anymore; everything happened for a reason. Na-um’s men—Na-um himself—had wanted Roger Stanford dead, so they’d made it happen.
Anger surged through her, and it was all she could do not to explode. She clenched her fist until her nails dug into her palm; her other hand grasped Grady’s hand tightly. Grady pulled his hand from hers almost immediately, draping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her to his side.
Kayla knew he could sense what she feeling and was trying to calm her down. But he didn’t know the whole story. She knew who was helping Na-um and the Mercenaries, and they were to blame for Roger, for Jack, for everything. And they needed to be stopped.
Holun sped through the forest, heading north. The forest blurred past him as he ran through the dense foliage, fluidly dodging trees and effortlessly bounding through the underbrush. He hadn’t told anyone that he was leaving, but he knew they’d soon find out that he was gone.
He had to hurry.
Grady pulled Kayla closer, willing her anger to dissipate. She had every right to be angry. Angry that Na-um and his men had killed so many of their friends, and had tried to kill many more. Angry that she’d been given these visions, visions that had caused what he knew was excruciating pain. He’d never tell her, and he hoped she’d never find out, but he’d felt her pain. He knew how bad it was when she was unconscious. His heart was still aching for her.
But he knew what anger could do to a person, and he didn’t want Kayla to give in to it. She was better than that. Her shoulders stiffened beneath his arm, but he refused to let go. He couldn’t.
Justin came jogging back, handing the phone to Jackie without a word before rejoining the group. She backed away a few feet, but didn’t leave. Grady wondered why, until he saw the look on her face. Eyes wide, mouth slack, jaw quivering. Sheer, unmistakable fear.
Without having to look over, he knew Kayla was causing it. Jackie was staring directly at her, and he could only think that something Jackie saw in Kayla’s face had sent that wave of terror through her.
In that moment, his suspicions were confirmed. He knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, who the traitor was. He knew it by the expression on Jackie’s face, by Kayla’s fury at her presence. It was suddenly so obvious, he knew he should have figured it out much sooner.
Jackie.
CHAPTER 39
Holun
They knew.
She was certain of it; she could see it in the way they were glaring at her—especially Kayla, and now Grady, as if he’d just now figured it out. Jackie felt her breath catch as she stared into Kayla’s furious eyes. They knew what she was doing. They had discovered her.
Her mind flashed through her options. It didn’t take long; there was really only one. She had to get away. She still had a chance.
After all, they didn’t know everything.
“What’s going on?” Justin could clearly see that something was very wrong. He looked at Mandy for answers.
Mandy was staring at Jackie, her expression a slightly milder version of Kayla’s. Whatever Kayla was thinking—and Grady now, too, it appeared—Mandy had to be thinking it as well. If only he could still hear her inside his head . . . Justin turned questioning eyes to Kayla.
“Jackie,” Kayla growled, and suddenly all the pieces fell into place. Jackie was the traitor here. She was the one helping the Mercenaries.
Before Justin could react, time seemed to speed up. Suddenly, in the time it took for him to take a breath, Jackie was gone. Justin could’ve sworn that she’d been standing ten feet away from him only a second ago. Eyes wide, he glanced over at the rest of the group, but they all seemed to be as confused as he was.
“Where is she?” Grady was craning his neck in every direction, his eyes frantically scanning the horizon for any sign of Jackie.
By the looks of it, Kayla had already given up. “She’s gone, Grady,” she muttered as her shoulders slumped.
“What?”
Kayla shrugged slowly. “She’s just gone.”
Justin needed to know. “What happened?”
Kayla shook her head as the group moved closer together. “Somehow she affected our minds, or time, or something . . . I’m not sure what happened exactly, just that she got away.”
Grady nodded, paused for a brief moment, then sighed. “I’ll put the dig on alert to watch for her, but there’s nothing we can do about it now. Something tells me she won’t be coming back.”
Kayla nodded in response, then yawned.
Grady continued. “We should all get some rest. Besides, Kayla’s been through a lot today.”
Justin heard Kayla trying to protest as Grady led her away. She’ll be asleep before she even gets to her tent. Justin smirked at the thought.
But as Grady and Kayla walked out of sight and he and Mandy started walking back to their tent, Justin’s thoughts began to wander. He reviewed the last several minutes and began to analyze everything that had just happened.
Why would she do it? We’ve known her for years.
Jackie had been with the anthropological department at UCF longer than Justin had. She may have even pre-dated Kayla, who’d been a respected and tenured professor there for more than a few years, if he was remembering correctly. Justin frowned. He tried to understand, but couldn’t. How could someone so close to them betray
them like this?
A wave of despair washed over him. Someone who knew nearly all their secrets was helping their enemies.
They didn’t have a chance.
“Kayla, honey, wake up.”
Her eyes slowly fluttered open. They still hurt, still felt like they were being weighed down. Where was she? How long had she been asleep?
“Kayla, someone’s here.”
Despite being half asleep, she heard the insistence in Grady’s voice. She fought to open her eyes and keep them open. She blinked once to clear her vision, then gazed sleepily up at Grady. “Hmmm,” she mumbled.
“Someone’s here to see us.” Grady brushed a strand of hair out of her face.
Kayla nodded, then, after a brief moment, sat up. She started looking around the tent. “Okay, sure . . . uh . . .” She combed a hand through her hair. “I need some clothes . . .”
Grady smiled as he offered a hand to help her to her feet. “You’re still dressed.”
She looked down at her jeans and t-shirt for a second, then smiled sleepily back up at him. “Let’s go.”
Mandy and Justin were waiting just outside in the still-sweltering night. Kayla blinked. It was still dark? “How long did I sleep?” She looked down at her wrist, then realized she hadn’t worn her watch today.
“Only about twenty minutes. Sorry. I didn’t want to wake you, but this is really important. Besides, you’re the only one who can translate.” Kayla’s brow furrowed as Grady took her hand and, with Mandy and Justin in tow, led her to the edge of the surrounding forest.
Kayla saw the dark figure waiting for them only a few seconds before she reached the edge of the trees. As soon as they stepped into the cover of the forest, the figure stepped forward and into the moonlight. Kayla stifled a gasp. The dark figure—a young boy—couldn’t have been older than sixteen.
Grady spoke to the young man. “This is Kayla.” He turned to Kayla. “He can understand English well, but it’s difficult for him to speak. It’s easier for him to speak K’iche.” He turned back to Holun. “She can translate for us, so you can speak your language.”
The boy nodded, then glanced at Kayla, who began translating to the group as soon as the boy started speaking. “This is Holun. He is with”—her eyes narrowed as soon as she heard him speak the name—“Na-um’s army.”
She glared pointedly at the boy named Holun before he continued.
Kayla kept translating. “He says he can see things that are going to happen.” Her eyes widened. She glanced sideways at Holun. “It’s why Na-um needs him. He would tell Na-um what was going to happen, then Na-um would try to stop it, but it hasn’t worked well so far.” To her amusement, Kayla thought Holun’s smile looked a little smug.
Holun continued. Kayla paused to listen a moment before translating aloud. “He says the ‘Clan’ is his family, and he trusted them. He said he thought Na-um was right in what he was doing.” Holun was frowning, and Kayla took a breath before continuing. “But Na-um has changed. Na-um’s become almost . . . evil . . . and Holun doesn’t want to help him anymore.”
Holun swallowed, tucking a strand of long black hair behind his ear and offering a tentative smile before ending in English. “Now I here.”
Kayla blew out a gust of air. She hadn’t even realized she’d been holding her breath. She looked over at Grady and found herself completely speechless, her brain still too foggy to come up with a reasonable response.
Grady stretched his hand out toward the dig. “Come with us, Holun. If what you are saying is true, you are welcome here.” He smiled reassuringly at the boy as Kayla looked on, eyes wide. Kayla opened her mouth to translate for Holun, but the boy simply nodded and followed Grady out of the woods and back toward the middle of the dig.
Kayla walked a few paces behind the rest of the group, still trying to process this new information. Was it possible that someone from the Mercenaries—or the Clan, as Holun called them—was offering to help them? She didn’t want to let herself hope, but he seemed sincere enough. If it was true, if he was now on their side, he was quite possibly the key to fighting this battle against the Mercenaries—the battle that, until now, she hadn’t even realized they’d been fighting.
She was beginning to believe that they may actually have a chance. Maybe.
Despite her elation over Holun’s arrival, Kayla was still drained. Twenty minutes was certainly not enough sleep. She retreated to her tent to try to sleep for a few more hours before meeting with the others to formulate a plan. She wouldn’t really have much constructive input on only twenty minutes of sleep anyway.
The brightness of the sun shining through her tent woke her. Still half asleep, she reached blindly for the watch lying on the table at the head of her cot. She smiled tiredly, relieved to find that it was only about eight thirty—she hadn’t slept too late. She rose up on her elbow and rolled to one side.
There was someone in her tent.
She jerked upright, eyes frozen on the dark figure asleep on the ground next to her. She stepped to the ground gingerly, careful to avoid waking the intruder, and leaned over slowly to catch a glimpse of the intruder’s face. But just before she could, the figure stirred, turning to face her.
Kayla exhaled. Grady.
Wow, she thought. I must still be a little edgy, even after Holun’s arrival. She smiled to herself. Or maybe because of it.
Grady’s eyes blinked open. “Morning,” he mumbled, offering a smile in her direction.
She smiled back as she searched the tent for a change of clothes. “Hey.” She put her search on hold to lean down and steal a kiss. “Good morning.” She reached in her suitcase for a pair of khaki Bermuda shorts and a dark purple t-shirt. “What are you doing here? Not that I mind.” Kayla grinned.
Grady smiled back, but his eyes were still droopy. “I gave Holun my tent. Besides, I didn’t think you would want to be alone.”
Kayla nodded and set her newly-acquired change of clothes on her cot. Then she sat on the ground next to him. “I did like waking up next to you.” She reached out to straighten his matted hair.
Grady nodded. “I rather enjoyed it as well.” He smiled again, then sat up and rubbed a hand over his face, checking his watch in the process. “What are you doing up so soon? It’s still a little early, given the late night we had.”
Kayla shrugged. “I’m not really that tired.” She glanced around her small tent, finding her toothbrush, then stood. “I’m gonna go get cleaned up a little. You can go back to sleep if you want. Take my cot.”
Grady shook his head and rose to his feet. Kayla noticed he was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday. “I think I’ll get a quick shower. Meet at the mess tent in twenty?”
Kayla’s stomach rumbled in response and she smiled. “Sure. Twenty minutes.”
The brilliance of Grady’s answering smile lingered in Kayla’s mind long after he left.
Holun stirred in the sleeping bag the girl Mandy had given him and stared at an orange canvas ceiling. What was he doing here? He glanced around the tent they’d let him sleep in. What if Na-um found out?
The thought chilled him to his core. There was no telling what Na-um would do, but Holun was sure it wouldn’t be good. Certainly unpleasant.
But somewhere deep inside him, an inexplicable peace was fighting its way to the surface. Despite his uncertainty, he knew—in a place deep inside—that he had made the right decision. This was what he was supposed to be doing, where he was supposed to be.
And Holun realized that he already knew the truth: this was right. This was Destiny.
“So do you know what Na-um’s planning?” Kayla, Grady, and the others were gathered in the mess tent with Holun, who sat staring at the four Americans while casually nibbling on a dried fruit and nut bar they’d given him. The tent was otherwise empty.
“Yes.” Holun nodded at Grady, then switched back to K’iche with a quick glance at Kayla, who hurriedly stepped in.
“Holun says there are a f
ew things we need to know first.” Kayla saw him smile as the four of them leaned in.
“The Clan’s ancestry goes back to the ancient Mayans. No one is allowed to marry outside the Clan, so they are still pure Maya.” Kayla paused to listen before continuing. “His family has a lot of stories, but the oldest story of his family is that they guard the secret of the Codex.”
Mandy jumped in as soon as Kayla had gotten the final word out. “Codex?”
Holun nodded, answering in English. “Yes. Codex give power.” He paused, and Kayla blinked. What?
Holun switched back. “One day four men were out in a field and found a book. From the book, they received . . . Holun?” Kayla interrupted herself, then asked in K’iche: “Is that right?”
When Holun nodded, she continued. “From the book, the men received power. Maybe powers.” She shook her head once. “Each one had power over one of the four basic elements, just like we thought. They became very strong and ruled the Mayan people.” Kayla thought this was sounding oddly familiar. Was Holun telling them the same story from the cavern?
“Men became evil. Hurt many people. People try stop but no.” Holun explained in English, frowning.
Kayla translated for him as he switched back to his native tongue. “So his Clan was . . . made, or formed? Some of the Clan received powers, too, and were able to fight who they called the ‘Old Ones,’ the four men who originally found the book.” Kayla heard Holun sigh beside her. “But the power of the Codex was too strong. The Clan lost the fight and retreated to the mountains.”
Holun glanced over at Kayla, his eyes sad. “But the power of the Codex was too strong for the Old Ones, too. They eventually went crazy.”
Mandy gasped as Holun continued through Kayla. “So they tried to get rid of the power. First, they prayed and sacrificed to the gods for many months so the gods would take away their powers. When that didn’t work, they tried to destroy the Codex. But fire wouldn’t burn it, and it couldn’t be torn apart. So the Old Ones made a plan.” Kayla’s eyes widened as she translated what Holun said next. “They tried to kill themselves, but the power of the Codex was in them, and it was too strong. They didn’t—couldn’t—die.”