Immortals of Indriell- The Collection

by Melissa A. Craven

  “Where are they?” she asked, combing her hands through her tangled hair. Everyone else was there, but Naeemah and Gregg were suspiciously absent.

  “They left for Imogen’s house early this evening,” Ming said gently.

  Allie nearly fainted. They were out of time already. This was happening now. Her mind whirled with green shadows, smoke and fire, making her dizzy. Her eyes glazed and she saw the sun blazing overhead followed by a blood red moon rising high over the lake.

  “The moon.” That was her clue all along and she missed it. “When is the next lunar eclipse?” She glanced around the room as everyone looked to Naomi for reasons Allie couldn’t fathom.

  “It will be a full harvest moon tomorrow night. The first true blood moon we’ve had in years,” Naomi whispered. “I will be at my strongest on such a night. You draw your strength from the sun, I draw mine from the moon.”

  “Call them back. Get them out of there!” Allie nearly lost it again, dropping to her knees. She pressed her forehead to the cool stone floor and took deep breaths. She couldn’t let her fear and her grief cloud her judgment. She had to put her big-girl pants on and do this. Keep looking for the important information, Allie. We still have time.

  Her breath grew even and steady as she knelt on the floor. Ming Lao crouched beside her, a comforting hand resting on her back. Allie cleared her mind and focused, using the breathing techniques Ming had taught her.

  Gregg’s words from her dream came back to her now. What she wants more than anything is Allie … We must draw her out … Give her what she wants—or make her think she can take what she wants by force.

  Livia was behind all of this. For some reason she chose Imogen’s home for this attack—and if Allie’s hunch was right, they could thank Quinn for that. At least she wasn’t coming here. Allie got to her feet and gazed at the ashen faces all around her. She knew what she had to do.

  “No.” She shook her head. “They need to stay where they are. We have to face this one way or another. Better there than here. Get them on the phone. I need to talk to Gregg. We have thirty-six hours to prepare for this.” Allie’s voice sounded cold to her own ears. But if she was going to do this, she had to be calculated in her decisions. If she let herself feel, she wouldn’t make it through this.

  “Allie, you’ve done well.” Gregg’s voice drifted from the speakerphone. “But we can handle this. We have time to prepare. You’ve given us more than a full day to gather our forces to fight this threat.”

  “It will not be enough.” She could see it now. As they made decisions, the tenuous future changed and morphed. She didn’t need to dream to know simply preparing wouldn’t be enough. Look for the important details and discard the rest. Her mantra echoed in her mind. “I need to talk to you privately.” Allie took the phone and headed for Aidan’s soundproofed music room.

  “I know why you’re there, Gregg,” she said carefully as she closed the door behind her.

  “Tell me everything you’ve seen, and don’t leave anything out.”

  “I know you want to draw Livia out and I know you want to use me as bait. So let’s do it. She’s coming for me, so let’s make her think she can do it. There is a lot I can’t see. I won’t lie to you about that. I’ve not actually seen her there, but she’s wrapped up in this, I just know it.” Allie paced the length of the room. “You can’t die, Gregg. We all need you, but … I can’t lose you. I love you … Aidan loves you … and you’re the only connection I have to my mother.”

  “She always said she had to focus on the details that mattered and ignore the rest. You need to look at your visions objectively and don’t be influenced by the terrible things you see. You know this can be altered? The future is never easy to read, Allie. It’s always changing and things set in motion years ago can affect what will happen.”

  “We cannot escape this attack.”

  “But why does she think she can get to you here?” Gregg asked. “That’s the part that doesn’t make sense. How does she even know to come for you here?”

  “I, I don’t know. That’s one thing I can’t see yet. I just know it will happen there or it will happen somewhere else. And it will be soon.”

  “Best to let it happen here.”

  “But everything else—your death, Gen and Lucien’s. Aide and Hélène’s capture … it doesn’t have to happen, but I don’t know if we can escape without some loss. We can always try to rescue anyone captured. They can always escape. But we can’t undo death, so let’s try to avoid that.”

  “We must focus on the big picture, sweetheart. I hate to see you make such difficult decisions, but I need you to tell me everything you’re thinking. We need to be on the same page, Allie. I don’t want you thinking you can sacrifice yourself to save us—”

  “If it comes to that, I will. I won’t let you die to protect me, but I won’t be making any heroic gestures unless I have no other choice.”

  “Allie, I’m an old man. I’ve lived long enough to not fear death—”

  “Well, I haven’t, so I’ll be fearing your death for you. We don’t have time for arguing, old man. I need to know you’ll trust me when I say something must happen. I know I’m young but I understand my gift now. I know what we need to do. It’s just going to take a lot of manipulating the situation to reach a less sucky end.”

  “You are her daughter. You have my complete confidence and my trust. But hear me now, Alexis Carmichael. You are not infallible. You can only do the best you can do. No matter what happens, we all know that.”

  “I need you to stay where you are. Call in whatever help you can get, but I don’t think increasing our numbers will be enough. You’ll be fighting Immortals and mortals who know exactly what you can do, so your gifts aren’t going to help you much. Get yourselves armed now. They will fight dirty—they know what you can do—”

  “How?”

  “I have a theory about that, but I’m not a hundred percent sure.”

  “Tell me, Allie. I need to know.”

  “It will only distract you. It’s not important now. They already know and you need to prepare for that. They will expect you to use your electromagnetic weapon; they will expect Naeemah to take to the trees. They’ll have Hélène before she can blink—don’t even try to run for tunnel entrance. You won’t have enough time. We have to be careful not to make any big moves at the beginning. Give them a false sense of confidence that it will all go as they have planned. Once it begins, then we make our move.”

  “The future is such a tricky thing,” Gregg said. “All you can do is be confident in your decisions and trust your intuition.”

  “It’s already changing. It’s changing so fast I’m having trouble keeping up with it and answering questions.”

  “Work with Ming; she will help you relax so you can see.”

  “How will I get there?”

  “Liam will bring you early tomorrow afternoon. We don’t want everyone flooding in at the same time.”

  “We will need more numbers. But we have to split up the Complements. Send them back—”

  “We don’t have time, Allie. The Complements will have to fight. I’ll fight with Emma, Nae will fight with Jin, Ming with Greyson, and George with Daniel to keep us all separate and the enemy confused. We have no other choice.”

  “I don’t like this. We need more.”

  “Aye, we’re going to need all hands on deck. We don’t know their numbers, do we?”

  “It seems like a few dozen, mostly mortal, but I can’t see everything. It’s like I can feel there are many more present, but I just can’t see it.”

  “We’ll call everyone who can get here in time.”

  “You’re right, we do need all hands on deck, Gregg.” Allie paused, hoping he wouldn’t flip out at the mere suggestion that Allie and her friends should be there to help.

  “No.”

  “It will make a difference if we’re all there.” Allie knew she would have to fight him on this. He wouldn’t let
the kids help, but she knew more than ever now that they would each play a key role in this. Quinn warned her through the cryptic message he sent to her at Amrita. And there was a reason her gift had worn so many faces throughout her recent dreams. It was vital to their success that each of her friends be present in this fight.

  “Absolutely not. I don’t even want you there, but if Livia is behind this, she needs to think she can get to you.”

  “She’ll see right through it if I’m the only one there. We all need to be there.”

  “No.”

  “You said you would trust me.”

  “You’re asking me to jeopardize my children. I’d rather die than see anything happen to them. I can’t worry about six children during a fight for my life. Worrying about one child I love is nearly killing me. Allie, I have to refuse you on this. We will have enough numbers without them. We need to be able to focus on the fight.”

  She’d expected it would go this way. She hadn’t really thought he would concede. Aidan would have to get them there some other way.

  “Keep me updated—and thank you, Allie. She would be proud.”

  “Just don’t die, Gregg. I can’t bear the thought. I love you both so much—”

  “Aye. And we love you too, sweetheart. I’ll not let anything happen to you.”

  “I’m not worried about me, Gregg. Just … please be safe.”

  ~~~

  “Relax Allie. This won’t work if you are too keyed up to focus,” Ming Lao said softly.

  “This is a waste of time.”

  “No one expects perfection, sweetheart. You need to relax and take a minute to breathe and focus. We all trust you to do your best. Drink this tea. It will help.” Ming was trying to help her relax to see if she could sleep again. Allie lay on the sofa in the dim light of Ming’s office. If she could dream again, it could give them more of an advantage than they already had, but Allie was so restless, she doubted she would be able to sleep until this was over.

  Allie’s hand brushed Ming’s and she stilled at the contact as hundreds of horrifying images flashed through her mind.

  “No.” Her hands trembled as she took the cup from Ming.

  “Careful, this tea is very powerful.” She took the cup and set it aside.

  Allie’s tears ran silently down her cheeks. She was lost in her visions, not heeding Ming’s words.

  “What have you seen?”

  “I don’t understand.” Allie shook her head in confusion. Her eyes glazed as she sought her teacher’s hand. She couldn’t tell her. It would be too cruel. Something terrible would happen to Ming and Jin. Something that would change their lives forever, but she didn’t understand what she’d seen. It would happen no matter what they did now. As the hours ticked down, the future began to solidify. But if they could survive, they could recover from anything.

  “It’s nothing.” She gave Ming's hand a squeeze and reached for her tea.

  “If you’ve seen something regarding our fate … know that we have lived a long and full life. We do not fear death. My biggest fear is for my child. If something should happen to Jin and I, be there for Chloe? She loves you so much. She looks up to you like a sister.”

  “Just be careful, Ming.” Allie didn’t know what they faced. Whatever it was, it was an abomination and Chloe had to be there to help them. If she wasn’t … her parents wouldn’t make it.

  “Lie back and breathe, Allie. Clear all thought from your mind.”

  She was right; Allie needed to relax and then gather her thoughts. She needed to go through everything she’d seen in her dreams these last weeks. She would study every detail. Only then could she carve out the path that would lead to the least amount of loss.

  ~~~

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  We need to talk, privately, Allie said. She was supposed to be resting since it was the middle of the night and nothing could be done yet. But it was impossible and a total waste of time. Liam had been watching her every move and he was driving her nuts, fussing over her like a mama hen. He finally left her alone so she could rest, but Allie needed a moment with Aidan to figure out a plan. She had an idea, but it was crazy and she wasn’t sure he trusted her quite that much.

  Meet me in my office.

  She could feel his anxiety through their connection and it killed her. She would do anything in her power to keep them all safe. She couldn’t afford to make any mistakes and ignoring her instincts, and Quinn’s warning that they all needed to be there, would be the biggest mistake she could possibly make right now. Aidan and the others had to be there. She didn’t have the time or patience to convince Gregg, but she knew Aidan would trust her and this was a conversation that needed to take place in person.

  “Have you lost your damn mind?” Aidan stood waiting at the doorway of his office when she approached.

  “Just hear me out.” She closed the door behind her. Apparently, Aidan had picked up on what she was considering.

  “I’m listening, but I’m going to say no.” He folded his arms across his chest, giving her that arrogant stubborn look he’d mastered so well.

  “I need you to get yourself and the others to the orchard near Imogen and Lucien’s house by sunset tomorrow.”

  “I don’t have a problem with that. Even though Dad will literally lock me in the crypt until I’m eighty if we show up.”

  “You have to be there, Aidan. All of you.”

  “Chloe too? She’s so young, Lex—”

  “If she isn’t there, her parents will die tomorrow.”

  Aidan paled. “We’ll be there, I’ll make sure of it. I just have to figure out how to give the babysitters the slip. And then get us all there in time. And your idea sucks.” He pointed at her and paced across the room in frustration.

  “I know, but just trust me, Aidan. You need to get there within the next twenty-four hours, and walking out the front door isn’t an option. I know you don’t like it, but we have to call Vince,” Allie said.

  “And you know we don’t have time for arguing.”

  “I wouldn’t even mention it if I wasn’t one thousand percent sure it’s safe. If you can get out of here, Vince will help you guys get to a car.”

  “Like hell he will.”

  “Trust me. We can rely on him for this. He won’t ask questions. All I have to do is call him and tell him where to meet you.”

  “What if that’s in the middle of the lake and we all come popping up through the ice? You think he’ll overlook that?”

  “Yes. He will not question it.”

  “You realize you’re telling me he knows more than he should.”

  “I never told him anything.” Allie took a step forward, closing the distance between them.

  “Lex, I don’t trust that guy—”

  “Then trust me.” She grabbed his hands. “Trust in my gift. I know he will not betray us. And we don’t have time for this, Aidan, so how are you going to get out of here?” His grandparents, Nadira and Sayid were staying behind to keep an eye on the kids, so they would have to find a way to leave without their knowledge.

  “The only way out that my grandparents probably won’t think about is through the yard. Seamas and Fitzie will be guarding the main hall so they won’t notice we’re gone till it’s too late. There’s a tunnel that leads to the water and we can swim out that way, but it’s going to be cold as a—”

  “Can you warm the water as you go?”

  “I can do something, but I don’t want to zap all my energy before we get there.”

  “No. Definitely don’t do that,” Allie said. “Take care of yourself, Aidan. This is not the games and it’s not Amrita. This is real.”

  “Just have Vince pick us up three miles northeast of the island late tomorrow morning. And tell him he’s to ask no questions and he’s to leave the second we get to the mainland.”

  “I’ll handle that. You just get yourselves there and be safe.”

  “I don’t like this, Allie. Ar
e you sure we can trust him?”

  “I know we can. Now go keep Liam off my tail long enough to make this call and then I need to go home at some point to gear up. I want my mother’s sai with me tonight.”

  “I’ll go with you whenever you’re ready.”

  Allie watched as he slipped out of the office. She knew he hated this idea.

  She blocked him as she scrolled through her phone book.

  Vince answered on the third ring.

  “Allie? What’s up?” He sounded groggy.

  “Sorry, I just realized it’s the middle of the night.”

  “You sound worried. What’s wrong?”

  “You don’t want to know the details, but I have an enormous favor.”

  “You know you can count on me not to ask questions. What do you need?”

  “I need you to get to the island and steal Aidan’s boat.”

  “I could do that. I have no problem screwing with him, but this sounds serious. Is it dangerous?”

  “Not this part. I just need you to meet Aidan and the others about three miles northeast of the island in the morning. Pick them up and get them to the mainland where they can get a car. Aidan will give you directions. As soon as you drop them off, leave. Immediately.”

  “Does this have anything to do with some people I know?”

  “Yes and no. Let’s just say they’re the super-sized version of the ones you know, and they are playing a much harder game.”

  “Shit, Allie, those Soma people are dangerous.”

  “You know about Soma?”

  “I know they’re batshit crazy. Text me the coordinates and the time and I’ll be there.”

  “Will do.”

  “Be careful, Allie. I don’t like this, but I’m not asking questions. I do not want to know what you guys have gotten yourselves into, but I’ve got your back whenever you need me.”

  “Thank you, Vin. I knew I could count on you.”

  Allie turned around and ran right into a hard chest.