Prologue
1
In the East (noon)
“That was Safe Haven!”
Vihaan rose from the dying bushes that were next to the small cabin. The tracker had been watching it for days, drawn by the feel of magic, but that flood of protection from the south was unmistakable. Someone had used a massive shield. The power signature was rippling across the land.
Vihaan stayed straight as he crossed the backyard, not caring if the family found his tracks or saw him through one of the few windows. His footprints would alert them to predators in the area. If they were smart, they would see the tracks and leave. If they weren’t, Vihaan would have fun after his work in the south was finished. He wanted to know why the family put off a feel of magic. All descendants were supposed to be laboring for the same boss, sent to the international detention center, or killed. There were no exceptions.
The noon sun beat on Vihaan’s white-clad shoulders, bringing a fresh layer of sweat. The temperatures were rising in the south and dropping in the north. He had spent time in both areas over the last weeks, trailing prey, and the only constant here was the wind. It blew in from the west with anger. Vihaan liked that. It reminded him of the winds at home. It was the only thing here that did. Everything else about America was a foreign challenge. I have many tales to give my family when I return, he reflected, picturing his children and brothers. None of them had the gift. Vihaan had enjoyed that too, though he’d learned they were likely Invisibles who would eventually evolve. It wouldn’t matter. Upon his return, he would be named the head of his family. Then, he would take a wife from a neighboring leader, claim that land, and begin his future in the new order.
Click-click!
The radio in his pocket paused, then clicked three more times.
Vihaan didn’t answer the alert, though he was certain others in his group would. Everyone within fifty miles had felt the Safe Haven emission. Many of them, unlike himself, would now go south.
Vihaan went to the small motorbike he’d liberated the day he’d been dropped into infidel country. He fired it up and drove off without worrying over being heard or chased. This area was deserted except for the small cabin with two kids, one mother, and two men both performing roles of husband. Vihaan presumed it was two brothers sharing a family, like his people sometimes did, and approved. When he claimed them, the woman and children would know what was expected. They were the first American family he had witnessed living this way. Maybe I’ll spare the men so they can pass it to those we keep as slaves.
Vihaan deliberated, then shook his head. No Americans should be spared in the end. The new world was here and these stubborn fighters would never conform. Vihaan respected them even as he hated them.
2
Ciemus
“We need to go dark and quiet.” Brandon followed the Mayor away from the gate. “Angela shouldn’t have brought up the shield. Trackers have this location now.”
Donna pointed at one of her men and kept walking. “Call the water.”
Brandon stayed on her heels, confused but curious like all of Safe Haven had been about the water sheltering this town.
Donna jogged up the stairs and entered her office. She pushed a button on the desk.
Brandon didn’t hear anything, but he knew the people did. They were running toward the fishing area.
Donna pointed to her window. “This is the best view of it.”
Brandon went to the glass, aware of Donna eyeing him as if he were a threat. He could feel her concern about being alone with him, but only time would ease that. He’d learned that from watching Angela jump every time a guy tried to make friends. Now, he would die for her and she would die for him. They were Eagles.
“Are you regretting your decision?” Donna was very perceptive of male moods.
Brandon sighed, moving the curtain aside. “Not yet.”
Donna smiled at the cautious tone. “There’s time to catch up.”
“I have no future with them.” Brandon didn’t want to start his new life here on a lie. “I’m a Mitchel.”
“Ah.” Donna sat down. “I feel better now.”
Brandon observed her in the glass. “Why?”
“Because I knew something was wrong with you even though your leader tried to cover it. This isn’t as bad as I suspected.”
Brandon chuckled. “I’ve never gotten that response before. Maybe it will work out.”
Donna pushed the button again. “Providing you remember two things, sir.”
Brandon saw locals pulling ropes from the water by the wall. “What are those?”
“We need babies and you’re a Mitchel.”
Brandon snickered.
So did Donna, but it was clear from her expression that she meant it.
Brandon nodded, still laughing. “I’ll do my best to uphold that part of the family reputation.” He waited to hear her response, but the action at the river drew his attention and held it. The water was rising. It spilled over the banks and ran over the boots of the men and women still pulling on the ropes. The locals smiled and chatted as if it wasn’t happening. When the water kept coming, filling spaces and rushing over the ground, Brandon was concerned.
The water covered ankles and then the knees of the pullers. Brandon didn’t witness any shifting in the wall, but it was obviously having an effect as the liquid rushed over the waist-high crops, soaking them.
The people who had been fishing were smiling as the rolling liquid covered their faces.
“They’ll drown!” Brandon’s mouth dropped open as he realized the locals were covered in a water shield. They were playing in it. “How is that possible?”
“William made a deal when the war came.” Donna observed him. “We are sheltered, but it’s a small area. To enlarge it would draw attention no matter how high the water gets.”
“That’s why the walls are muddy even in winter!” Brandon watched as the water submerged the town. It was astounding how fast it happened. “What happens when it reaches the top?”
“It overflows, of course.” Donna lit a cigarette from her ration. “It covers the land for miles and prevents anyone from catching sight of the wall.”
“What if they were already in the area?”
“It flushes them out.”
“Or drowns them?”
“Yes. We’ve found bodies of people caught in tents or abandoned homes. Because of that, we ask the water to come during the daylight, so people will have a chance to escape.”
“Why do you let your enemies escape?”
“Why do you assume everyone is an enemy?”
Brandon’s amusement faded. “Because they always turn out to be. I’ve stopped giving people the benefit of the doubt.”
“William is the opposite.” Donna flipped her ash and stubbed out the cherry. “I’m in the middle. You’ll take Grant’s place and restore the balance that’s been taken.”
“Why don’t you just go with them?” Brandon turned from the fantastical sight. “The water won’t protect you forever. Someone will make a better deal to wipe you out. Why are you staying?”
“It’s not something we can explain. You’ll have to experience it.”
“You mean go out while the water’s up?” Brandon kept his face blank.
Donna pointed at her doorway, where water was trickling in.
Brandon hesitated. “I... Am I covered?”
Donna gave him a pointed look.
Brandon sighed. “We’ll find out together?”
Donna nodded, gun coming up from her drawer. “Go cleanse yourself or meet your maker.”
Brandon flipped the latch on the window. “I’m an Eagle. I was just waiting for orders.”
Donna sniggered as the man dove off the window ledge. The water rushed over him in giddy welcome. “Should have known. The Mitchels are all special.”
“Help!”
Donna shot up and ran into the flooding hall.
Kevin barreled into her, knocking them both to the ground.
Donna groaned. “Are you okay?”
“Hands!” Kevin shoved to his feet as the water advanced, not feeling the bleeding scrape on his arm. “And teeth! In the water!”
“Damn.” She sat up as the roaring liquid rushed by, chasing the panicking man. “I hate it when this happens.”
Donna brought her gun up and shot Kevin in the chest.
“Why...?” The former Eagle staggered, hand coming up.
The water slammed into his knees, knocking him backwards onto the hall floor.
Donna was sorry it had come to this. She went back into her office and replaced the missing bullet.
A few seconds later, the water carried Kevin’s body toward the stairs, already shredding it.
3
Safe Haven Refugee Convoy
William snapped awake. He’d fallen asleep while trying not to listen in on Dog’s fatherhood story. William glanced around and found a bored driver, snoozing passengers, and a convoy of people who already felt tired again.
They were on Interstate 65, in a barren area with few trees or homes. The views were molding weeds and a broken road that didn’t appear to have had traffic at all since the war. The wind blew through the reeds and was lost beneath the rumble of their engines. It was empty here.
William wasn’t positive what had woken him with panic in his throat and adrenaline pumping through his heart. He sat up to do a deeper scan of their surroundings.
“It was in Ciemus.” Angela didn’t open her eyes. “You have one less transfer than we counted.”
William caught the images and grit his teeth. Donna being in danger was terrifying.
Angela snorted. “She wasn’t.”
William relaxed, understanding one of Safe Haven’s citizens hadn’t passed the final test. “She’s strict about that.”
“So are we.” Angela shifted. “We just don’t have the water to make the choice.” Yet, she amended. It was taking all her powers of reasoning to find an answer to that one. “I can have Ivan take you back. He’s restless anyway.”
William shook his head, feeling better. “No. I’m here until you tell me to go.”
Listening, Marc frowned when she didn’t tell him it would be soon. He forced it out for a more pleasant image of sailing away without any of the males now competing for Angela’s attention. His behavior said his position might be open, but Marc was down to final options. Angie was his and always would be.
Angela reached back to clasp hands with him. She refused to read his mind, positive it would upset her. His bad moods came from one direction now and she didn’t have time for it. The next nine days would be hard and wonderful. They would have moments of glory and they would have deaths. All of it was inevitable. When they finally sailed, most of their troubles would be settled.
“You promise?” Marc’s fingers tightened on hers.
Angela nodded. “Yes. As long as you follow through, we’re free. If you weaken, for even an instant, we’re doomed.”
Comforted, Marc went back to sleep like none of it mattered.
Angela didn’t. She appeared to drowse while scanning every living thing the convoy passed. If she missed a threat right now, Marc wouldn’t get a chance to enact his plan. A dozen trackers would converge on their convoy and bring refugees along to do the work. I just need a week and then you can all come for us. I’ll be ready.
4
Near Ciemus
“Should we go south or stay on our own trail?” Hannah regarded her sisters over the tire tracks she’d been studying when the magic blast went over them like ice water.
Janet shrugged, still kneeling. The foliage here was thick and green, but there were no animals to hunt or smells to chase. They’d been forced to follow tires, the only sign of civilization in this area. They’d been tracking this same print for weeks now. “Up to you guys. Hate to have wasted all this time just to walk.”
Hannah and Tisa snickered. Janet was tenacious when she had a scent.
“I say we stick with the bloodhound.” Tisa fluffed her matted brown hair. “She gets us there, you know?”
Hannah nodded, not clicking the radio in response to the alert, though she assumed all trackers would end up in the south by the time it was over. These tires had taken a detour to a naval station where there had been a recent, vicious battle, and then gone east a bit. Now, they were slanting south again. Janet swore they were on the trail of Safe Haven and Hannah believed her.
“I hear something.” Tisa peered to the east, where a thick grove of trees blocked their view. “Do you hear it?”
Janet stood up. “Water.” The sense of trouble slapped at her. “We need to go up.”
Tisa pointed at the roof of a nearby farmhouse. “That’s twenty feet.”
The women ran, listening to water coming over the land with no mercy for the people or structures. Someone shouted behind them, then screamed as they were overwhelmed.
“Where’s it coming from? The sun’s out!”
“That’s a damn breaking, not rain.” Hannah farted as she jumped a fallen tree.
The sisters laughed, loving the excitement of these apocalyptic living conditions.
The three trackers kicked together to open the locked door of the home, then pounded through the house to find the stairs.
“Here!” Hannah led them up to the attic, where she shoved a path to the window. They would have to climb out, and then up, if the water came this high. If not, they had a good perch to watch the damage.
“I see something.” Tisa gasped. “It’s a town! And trucks! I see trucks leaving! It’s them!”
Water surrounded the farmhouse, preventing the sisters from chasing the convoy as it rolled out of sight.
Tisa screamed in frustration, punching and kicking boxes and trunks in the attic.
Hannah waited, listening to the water, watching it. She could swear there were liquid hands coming up the front steps.
Loving the feel of American clothes, Janet began searching the attic for new threads.
Tisa joined her, fingering her own threadbare jumper. It was time for a change of duds. Their masters didn’t like to issue new gear. They’d been supplying their own needs since being dropped off.
Hannah snorted at her companions and continued to watch the water. She didn’t view the hands again, but she didn’t doubt herself on seeing them.
Hannah peered down at her own clothes, changing her mind. The leather outfit might be hard to swim in. She joined the others. “Any bathing suits in there?”
5
In the West (9am)
I feel like I’m in an apocalypse.
Heavy sheets of ash fell over the speeding jeep. In the distance, smoke rose to the sky, covering the moon. It made driving rough. Sheer drop-offs on either side would kill them if the jeep slid too far one way or the other. Nature wasn’t wasting any time in reclaiming her domain out here.
Jeff flipped the wipers on high.
Ash recoated the window as soon as the wiper cleared it. Jeff grimaced.
Hurry...
I am. Jeff shook his head to clear the fog and peered through the filthy window. The road was missing pieces, with wrecks and debris all along this route, but he was following it anyway. A voice was calling to him from near the place where he’d already tracked Becky and Seth to. He assumed they’d made a den because Becky’s signature on his mental grid had stopped moving. Bad idea, he scolded. She’s going to get killed before I can reach her.
“Are you okay?”
Jeff jumped. He peered in the mirror at Romeo. The boy was under Doug’s arm while the big man snored. He was wearing three layers of clothes and using a jacket on his shoulder as a pillow, like everyone else. Jeff noted the Eagle position of the tools on his belt and nodded approval. The boy was a fast learner. He’d only demonstrated that for the child once. “I’m good. You?”
“Scared.”
Jeff understood why the boy felt that way. “We have action coming and then I’ll take you all back to Safe Haven.”
Romeo made a face. “They don’t like us there. Isn’t somewhere else?”
“Isn’t there somewhere else.” Jeff followed Doug’s educational wishes. Doug was trying to show the boys how to blend in so they weren’t mistaken for foreigners. If they spoke English well, many people were dumb enough to believe that meant they’d been citizens here. Jeff approved the ploy. The two kids would need all the help they could get. In the time they’d been traveling together, Jeff had been won over by the quiet, respectful brothers. They didn’t fit into Safe Haven because they were too normal. Jeff liked them for it. He had no patience with children who couldn’t be trusted–like Becky.
Hurry! We’ll be gone soon!
Jeff jerked, hands slipping.
The jeep swerved, rattling passengers.
“Is everything all right?” Allan sat up to stretch.
Jeff recovered a smoother roll over the broken road. “Yeah. Slap-happy.”
“I can take a shift if you want.” Allan yawned. “I couldn’t be more bored.”
“I’ve got it.” Jeff was already back into his mind. Allan wouldn’t be able to follow this path.
“He’s hearing things.” Romeo flashed concern to Allan. “And he’s worrying.”
Allan nodded. “We’re all worried.” He looked at Jeff in the mirror. “What are you hearing?”
“Someone needs our help.” Jeff sighed, speeding up through the ash storm. “And it isn’t who we came here for.”
6
New Mexico
“We have to help them now.” Becky was tired of waiting. “They’re being shipped out soon!”
“Not until we make a plan. We just found them. If they ship the kids out, we’ll follow and hijack the truck, but until they leave, we don’t stand a chance. They have forty men down there.”
“We didn’t even get close enough for a real recon.” Becky tossed herself into a dusty chair in the front room of the small cabin. They didn’t worry about whatever might be on the floors or in the corners. In this new life, it was better to hang out in those places and make friends with those creatures. Neither of them flinched at spiders on their skin anymore or snakes on their bedrolls. They’d adapted.
“Would you feel better about waiting if we do that?” Seth took the rocking chair next to Becky. He’d gotten comfortable using it when he scolded her over the week they’d been here.
“Maybe.”
Seth understood her concerns, but two Eagles wouldn’t be enough for this challenge and he knew it. He also wasn’t sure if they might have already been noticed by one of the descendants protecting the camp that was only a quarter mile from them. It wasn’t safe here.
“We’ll go down tomorrow, okay? You’ll see I’m right about not blasting in there. Then we’ll work on a better plan and a new base of operations.” Juniper trees and rocky ground that refused to grow anything else surrounded their cabin on three sides. To their back was a steep cliff with a small graveyard at the top. The cabin had been empty when they’d arrived, and bore no prints to tell of a struggle, no damage or bloodstains. Seth assumed this cabin had been unused before the war too but wasn’t sure because there had been a Christmas wreath dying on the door.
Becky let him talk her out of attacking the camp now, she had decided as soon as Seth let her get close enough, she was going to take matters into her own hands. She wasn’t spending another night listening to the screams without stopping it or dying trying.
Seth began to love her, hoping she would sleep. They had a habit of hunting at night for prairie dogs and running a dark house, though that had been interrupted by tonight’s screams.
Seth unbuttoned her long sleeve shirt and slid his hands over her lacy bra, wishing he could give her a bubble bath. They were using creeks and rivers they crossed, which had provided some fun memories, but Seth wanted to give her the luxuries of a woman. Soaking in a tub for hours was one of those, according to the camp hens, and the sense of time growing short was bugging Seth. He wanted to give her special moments now, while he could. He wasn’t sure they were going to have a later.
7
UN Detention Camp
“They’re coming.” The girl’s voice was thick with her witch’s timbre. “Soon. Hours.”
The kids huddled around to listen and to hide the seer.
“Kill them all,” the dazed girl whispered. “Then we will go to Safe Haven, where the alpha will end our misery and accept our lives in honor.”
“The alpha.”
“Safe Haven.”
“Angela.”
“What’s going on in there?!” A sentry banged on the bars of the portable cages. “You go to the clean!”
The kids immediately stood, including the girl still receiving the vision, searching the future. She continued to whisper as hungover men led them to their weekly shower. It was the last time they would be blasted with the icy water that sometimes-stripped skin, the last day they would spend penned up like dogs. The long shelters were large and had cots, but they were still cages. Set into the side of a cliff, the children were grateful that awnings over the cages at least provided shade from the desert sun. The sky was covered in layers of smoke, but the sun was still getting through to beat on them with ruthless heat.
The kids held onto each other and their clothes as the hoses came on. Their shorts and skirts were ragged, the tops were falling apart. Cloth couldn’t stand up to the hoses either.
The shivering descendant in the middle, being sheltered, hid her elation. When help came, the alpha would break her mental chains. The other kids wanted the safety of Angela’s camp, but the descendant girl just wanted to know the alpha before she died. She wanted to know anyone who was like her. That person would share an unknowing bond that would go as deep as deep would go. Until the war, little Kimmie hadn’t known there were others like her. Now, that’s all I think about.
Chapter OneYou Scare Me
6 Hours out of Ciemus
November 19th, 2013
1
“We’re coming to a good spot for a bathroom break.” Angela shifted against the uncomfortable seat for the tenth time. “Jennifer has point. William will provide support after the ‘all clear’ comes. Ten minutes is the limit, so let’s try to keep it under half an hour.”
“You got it.” Morgan downshifted.
William perked up. “Me? Cool.”
Angela had decided to stop them before it got dark, though the sun was setting behind them right now. The shades of green beneath the layers of dust were just as wrong as they’d always been, but it was also darker. Yellowstone had replaced the fading sky-debris from the war. Each time it rained or snowed, grit coated the ground in glassy ashes, but it wasn’t making a dent. That would continue for weeks, months or years. There was no way to know for sure when it would end.
Morgan tapped the brakes to send a message to the vehicle behind him. Marc and Adrian had worked on the new code after the fight at the naval station. They’d been using it since leaving Ciemus.
Morgan slowed further, scanning. He wouldn’t have chosen these tree-dotted surroundings for a break, though he didn’t feel anything menacing about the small town they hadn’t been able to go around. It was devoid of life here and obviously had been since the war, but the structures were less stable than in other places they’d been. Morgan presumed it was because coastal weather was rougher. Even the weeds and bushes here looked like they’d been hit with massive winds. He might have assumed it was a storm path, but he’d been keeping track of it for hours. What he hadn’t spotted was signs of nature. There were no animals at all, not even flies or birds. It was crazy.
“This will be a lesson for me, right?”
Angela nodded at William’s query. “Yes. The boring stuff comes first.”
“First.” William frowned. “How does it look for the next few days?”
“Like drama and traveling.” She shifted again, ankle cramping. “Then we’ll get to the action you’re trying so hard not to hope for.”
“I’m sorry.” William gestured at the convoy. “I’m riding with the legendary Safe Haven. It’s difficult not to want to see you in action now that you’ve returned to full health.”
“We haven’t yet, actually.” She rubbed her leg, trying not to bump the driver. “Maybe a week in the fresh salt air will finish it.”
William concentrated to figure out what she meant. As far as health, only a few people were still having trouble. He couldn’t detect anything obvious.
“We spent months in tents, months in a mountain, and now we’re back in tents.” Angela was glad for the teaching moment as Morgan stopped the truck in a gravel lot next to a trailer park with burnt frames. She hated waiting for the Eagles to let them out. Everyone did. “It’s too cold to be outside, but we need the sun. You were occupied while we were in Ciemus, but you’ll pick it up when we reach the shore. You’ll see the differences between your people and mine.”
“I did notice you were all pale, but our kind tend to be that way from...”
“Lifetimes of hiding.” Angela agreed as he paused in understanding. “The sun gives us better health. It’s also an issue the government didn’t consider when they locked us in underground labs, or maybe they used it intentionally. We’re fragile in ways. We go mad–corrupt–faster than people who don’t have this bloodline. We need to feel the sun on our cheeks and in our hearts. It fights the darkness.”
“I’ll add that to the book.” William wondered what else she’d observed about their kind that he hadn’t.
Angela shrugged. “You’ll have enough for a new book by the time we part, but for now, you have a duty coming up and your boss isn’t in a patient mood. Get set for it.”
William hesitated. “Um. How?”
“Eagles settle into a work frame of mind.” Morgan sensed Angela’s restlessness and assumed she wanted the conversation over, so he handled it. “We check gear, plan out the shift if needed, listen to each other to pick up the mood, and we scan the environment. We concentrate on the job.”
William immediately began to do that.
Morgan doubted it would last long. William was like a hyper kid who’d just been given access to an exciting amusement park ride. He knew it wasn’t repaired regularly and there were glitches in the programing, but he still couldn’t wait to have that experience–even if it killed him.
William laughed. That’s exactly it. Everything was intoxicating to him right now. The smell of the Eagle jackets they were all wearing, the complaints about sore asses from traveling–he loved it all.
Angela shifted, glad Marc was able to rest. He was in the bunk behind them, no longer snoring but still breathing deeply. He would probably wake at the call to let people out, but she hoped he would at least stay in the truck. They’d been gone from Ciemus for six hours, but he’d only been out for two. He’d stayed awake talking with Dog, then swept their surroundings for problems until his lids began to droop.
He doesn’t want to go.
Angela stiffened. “Aloud, please.”
William frowned as he understood. “Really? Even though we’re not on a private line?”
“Yes.”
William sighed. “You have to get the drama under control. People are fed up with it.”
“Who do I kill? My love or my leader?”
William snorted. “You’re the leader.”
“I’m a substitute teacher keeping the seat warm.”
William spotted the obvious. “You’re depressed!”
Angela winced. She’d insisted on the conversation being spoken, but their driver was storing every word and the tension would soon wake Marc. He was sensitive to that now.
“Is everything okay?” Marc didn’t open his eyes. He’d woken the instant Morgan downshifted.
Angela switched her braid to her other shoulder so she could view him. “Peachy.”
Marc sat up in a fast lunge, reaching for his gun.
Laughter told Marc she’d been joking with the code word. It happened so rarely, he’d come up swinging.
Angela snickered. “Funny.”
Marc holstered, gave William a curt nod, then settled back down next to the wolf who hadn’t budged.
William shivered at the sensation. He’s powerful.
Angela nodded. “More so if I give him what he wants.”
“Why don’t you?” William switched back to aloud like she wanted.
“Why don’t I corrupt him the rest of the way?”
“I don’t think you can corrupt that one.” William shrugged. “But if so, does it matter at this point?”
Angela sighed. “No but tell me anyway why it’s okay to condemn his soul.”
“He’s already damned for the battle we’ll have. In fact, I believe his death would prevent him from taking part in it.”
“Letting him die will save his soul?”
William shrugged. “Perhaps that’s why fate has been hitting you so hard. The Creator doesn’t want Marc in the final fight.”
“I prefer to think he’s meant to stay with Safe Haven on the island while the rest of us come home to die.”
Angela’s words were so blunt that silence fell, but every brain went crazy with thoughts and concerns.
Marc didn’t go back to sleep. There was too much tension.
Dog didn’t react at all. Exhausted, he was back with his human friends and felt safe enough to sleep deep while his mind and body healed.
“All clear!”
Morgan gave William a look. “She’s waiting for you. Stay alert.”
William had respect for their enforcer. “I will.” He got out into the light drizzle without saying more.
Angela peered over her shoulder. “Room for one more?”
Marc scooted over, not minding it that she didn’t want him up yet. It would give him a few minutes alone with her to talk.
Angela crawled into the bunk.
Morgan got out and shut the door, then climbed onto the hood to watch over them.
Marc waited for her to get comfortable.
“Spit it out.” Angela was too sore to beat around the bush or tolerate people who wanted to do so.
“William explained some things while we walked his wall.”
Angela yawned. “And?”
“You scare me.”
“Good.”
Marc held her tighter. “I want to be like you.”
“No, you don’t.”
“…can you come back to where I am?”
“No.”
“Then I have to come to you.”
Angela shuddered. “You’ll ruin the chance we can build–”
“No more of that lie.”
“It isn’t a lie, Marc. I’m trying to figure it out. Ciemus may have helped me. I need time to sort through the cause and effect.”
“It can’t be done.”
‘Maybe not.”
“Even if it can, I won’t do it.”
“Now, I’m confused.” She rolled over so she could look at him, sliding closer to stay warm. “Why wouldn’t you want it if I can do it?”
“We’ll all die anyway.” Marc rested his head against her. “No final battle, Angie. We stay on the island and just live.”
Angela wrapped her arms around him, sharing his pain. “When the time comes, I will return and do my duty. It’s why I was born into this time and place–to save the future. Not just mine, but of the entire world. If I lose, it all ends. I can’t run from destiny.”
“Then make me like you so I can help!”
“Because you hope He will take pity and allow us to be together in the afterlife?”
“Because we only have a few years left together and I want to share all of it.” Marc broke against her. “Please.”
Angela’s tears ran over her cheeks as she nodded against his neck. Marc never begged. She couldn’t refuse. “Okay.”
Around them, thunder rattled the ground in protest of the choice.
He’s mine. I’ll make him so strong that even you can’t hurt him!
Hail pinged into the cars and trucks, and wind howled toward the stopped convoy.
You can’t have him!
A shield flashed into place around the vehicles, shutting out the fury. Even the vibrations from the ground were muffled.
Eagles and descendants stilled in shocked fear.
William clapped. “She’s amazing!”
“She’s reckless.”
William frowned at Jennifer’s comment. “Yes, child, she is. Aren’t you?”
Jennifer wanted to argue and couldn’t.
William examined the shield over the convoy, unable to spot a place where he could get through.
“Neither can I.” Jennifer was impressed. “She grew stronger again.”
“All of you did, because of the naval station.”
“Not like her.” Jennifer decided to trust William–mostly because Angela did. “She’s not even like you now. She just challenged the Creator for a life. She’s the target after this.”
“And anything she loves?”
Jennifer shrugged at his tone. “We’ve been that all along. I worry over her. We’ll keep a sharper eye on her now.”
William frowned. “This doesn’t change anything?”
Jennifer pointed to where the Eagles were doing their duty while exchanging looks that wondered if Angela really could set them free from the chains of the past. “We’ve been marked since we survived. She decided to amend the rules of the game.”
“But… It’s the Creator!”
Jennifer resumed scanning for trouble, leaving him to figure it out. Jennifer wasn’t Angela. She wasn’t going to say it aloud and be struck down for blasphemy.
William got it an instant later and groaned. “What is wrong with her?!”
“She’s tired of an unfair system that never explains itself.”
“But that’s not our purpose!”
Jennifer spun around, hand going to her hip.
Across the convoy, Kyle spotted her and paused in the rotation that would take him into her path. Hand on hip. No-longer resting bitch face. He went in the opposite direction, waving Ivan into his place.
“Do you know that for a fact?” Jennifer tried not to yell.
William couldn’t lie. “No. I assume.”
“And yet we’ve been gifted with powers beyond belief.” Jennifer’s tone grew pointed. “Makes you wonder why, right?”
William nodded, subdued now. He’d always wondered and never found an answer that made sense. Maybe the descendants weren’t just here to protect humanity from itself. Perhaps they were supposed to defend mankind against all threats, including a vengeful Creator who delighted in games, bets and plagues.
When lightning didn’t strike him through Angela’s shield, William allowed himself to consider that. They couldn’t create a perfect society, and no one could ever atone for sins of the past, so she was changing the rules. Instead of being humble and submissive, hoping to regain favor, Angela was going to free them the old-fashioned way.
Let my people go, William quoted, in awe.
The entire convoy stilled as immense power surrounded them, pressing in on the barrier like a giant eye peering at a bug.
Angela didn’t lift her head. Her rage was sweltering, filling the cabin with waves of heat.
Marc was pouring sweat under her, but he refused to budge, to get away before she was destroyed. They would go together.
These are my souls now. I’ll kill them all in one blast of fire before we’ll swear blind loyalty to the Creator who abandoned us.
William scowled. “Is she bluffing?”
Jennifer shook her head, trembling at the feel of the power around them. She recognized Angela’s tactic as negotiating, but it was beyond frightening.
YOU WILL FIGHT FOR HE!
I will not!
The ground rumbled in warning. The shield began to weaken as power pressed in from all sides.
Angela didn’t strengthen it. That wasn’t required of her defenses now. She waved a mental hand. Go on. Kill us all. You still won’t have your army.
The rumbling increased.
That’s it, isn’t it? There’s a battle coming and we’re the only ones left to fight the evil.
DARKNESS WILL WIN!
Tell your master we refuse. The Creator must agree to–
YOU CANNOT DEMAND!
I just did. The shield around the convoy dropped. The weather immediately hit them. Go away now. We have to get back on the road.
The sense of fury rivaled anything they’d felt so far, but it was obvious the messenger couldn’t destroy them without permission from a higher authority.
The presence vanished.
A few of the younger citizens in Safe Haven cheered.
Everyone else feared the next meeting wouldn’t go as well.
“That was interesting.” William had barely kept from speaking. I have so many questions!
Jennifer snorted. “Don’t we all.” She waved toward Daryl. “He’s our protection. Don’t get out of his sight.”
William followed her as the windy, rainy bathroom stop resumed, eager for any lessons she wanted to give. Now that he’d heard the Messenger and knew without a doubt there was a level above them, William wanted the same thing Marc did, but for a different reason. William wanted whatever deal Angela cut to apply to Ciemus. Safe Haven would need a friendly port to sail into when they returned. William had no doubt they would all do battle for the Creator despite these negotiations, but now, he had hope that they would come out of it with more than forgiveness for atrocities they hadn’t committed. These people were right. Angela would make certain they were treated fairly for the first time since they’d been created.
Angela rolled off Marc’s chest, aware of his discomfort. She switched into the driver seat and lowered the window enough to let in a cool breeze.
Marc sat up and opened his jacket to let that draft reach his sweaty skin. The oddest part was that he was soaked, and she wasn’t. He didn’t understand how it was possible, but all he wanted right now was a smoke to calm his nerves and a few minutes to contemplate what had happened.
Angela handed him a lit cigarette.
Marc rubbed her hand as he took it but didn’t speak. He had no idea what to say. When he had worried over her being so different, he’d never considered that it would go this far. He didn’t know how to handle it.
Angela smothered her loneliness, remembering she did have someone here who might know what to say. She opened the door and went to William.
Marc stayed in the truck. He had no jealous thoughts over her choice, but he did wish he could listen so that next time he would know how to help her.
Marc stiffened as power entered his mind and opened a bolted door.
Get out.
Be quiet or she’ll know you’re listening.
Marc pouted as he smoked, but he didn’t try to shove William out.
I’m as loyal to her as you and the dog are. But it’s time you adapt, Marine, or we won’t be able to work together.
Marc would have snapped back, but William brought down a wall that only let Marc listen. ...how do I do that?
Shhh... William tensed as Angela joined him and Jennifer. The feel of her was heavy, uncomfortable.
Leadership stress. Jennifer nodded as Angela came to her elbow.
She’s like this all the time?
You have to be. I didn’t understand that until I had point over the mall. Jennifer scanned behind them, noting who was giving the guards a hard time and who wasn’t. We were attacked, and a tornado came through. Very stressful. Flipping out of that mode was impossible until I got to Ciemus.
William hadn’t experienced many of those moments in his town since the war, so he didn’t get it, but he was suddenly sure he would by the time they parted.
Jennifer frowned. Don’t drag it out. Give her what she needs.
William turned to Angela and was slapped by her pain and fear. It overwhelmed him, bringing tears to his eyes. “Damn.”
Angela slowly brought up her wall, blocking those emotions so only she and her witch would feel them.
Oh, great. Spare him and not me! the demon whined.
Angela’s disappointment was staggering as she left them. William wanted to offer her hope, but he didn’t have any. Safe Haven had to leave, and they would all have to fight. Some things couldn’t be changed.
Jennifer realized William wasn’t able to help. She shoved him out of her way and followed Angela toward the kids’ trailer.
William felt someone trying to get into his thoughts and opened the door. What?!
Adrian paused. Uh, just a checking in. Is she okay?
William squinted through the dark rain, aware of being soaked and blown. Not really. She didn’t want to do that, but she got scared Marc was being taken.
Yeah, that’ll do it. How’d it go?
William went to his truck, frowning. You didn’t hear?
Nothing after she brought up the barrier. I didn’t know we could do that.
We, can’t.
You can’t?
Never tried, but I doubt it. She’s stronger than me.
Enough to…?
I don’t know.
Adrian was encouraged by that answer. He broke the connection and began helping his team medicate their rescued men. The boss would be pleased. She would also be furious. All of the boat men were out of commission for a while. Being hung on a warehouse wall as bait had hurt them. It had also killed two men. Angela’s anger would rival nature’s fury.
William slid into the truck at Jennifer’s motion. He shut the door and wiped down with the towel Marc handed him. “Thanks.”
Marc grunted. He’d also thought William could help her.
“Sorry, but her dog has to do this one. If that had been me, I would have surrendered.”
“What if it had been Donna?”
William’s anger flew through the truck.
“Damn. All right!” Marc pushed the small window open too. “I’ve had enough sweating.”
William controlled his rage, locked it away. “I get your point, but I can’t help her. I’ve never considered crossing the Creator.”
“You haven’t gone through as much as we have.”
“No, and I hope not to. You’ve become hard and cynical, with little light left in your hearts. You call me sheltered, but I’m glad of it. I don’t want to be like you or her.”
“Now you’re just lying.”
William held up a hand. “Okay, so I wouldn’t mind being as skilled as some of you, but it’s not worth the effects.”
Are we really that bad? Marc made a note of that concern.
William finished drying off, wishing he could change his clothes. He already missed their little bit of civilization and Marc’s point had made him worry over Donna being alone.
It’ll be better for us on the boat. Marc’s mood lightened a bit. We’ll only have nature and each other to fight. That’s already less problems.
And no chance to run if the ship goes down, Marc’s demon grumbled. He didn’t like the idea of his host not having an escape route.
I can swim.
The demon snorted, flashing an image of a lone man in the ocean, then an old headline about someone being lost at sea and the search being called off.
I get it, but it’s still better odds than staying here.
The demon couldn’t argue.
Neither could William. He’d been reading the memories of Safe Haven as they traveled, and it was ugly. He was grateful Ciemus hadn’t been put through all that.
You will be now. Marc flipped his butt. Refugees followed us from the naval station. You’ll be lucky to get back without being spotted.
When William didn’t answer, Marc deliberated arguing further and managed not to. William was still considering going with Safe Haven. He’d said he wasn’t coming, but it was obvious what the man wanted. Marc almost wished he could trade places, but Angie would never be satisfied in Ciemus. She needs the adventure too or we’d already be in another cave somewhere, trying again.
Marc went to find his mate, determined to find a way to help her through this.
William stayed in the truck and tried to get dry.
Marc found Angela and Jennifer behind the convoy. People were almost finished with bathroom trips and not saying much as they forced weary bodies back into cramped conditions.
Marc knew the women were aware of him, but neither female was speaking. Marc took that as a bad sign.
Jennifer snorted. When we talk, you get tired of listening to it. When we’re quiet, you get nervous. Men are strange.
Smiling, Marc took Angela’s left, scanning the darkness. He could feel her power roaming the countryside, searching for danger. She’s expecting retaliation.
“Shouldn’t I?”
Marc nodded. “Yes. Every piece of literature we had implies that reaction.” Marc paused. He lowered his voice. “I can’t believe you did that.”
Angela sighed. “I didn’t see another option.” She spun and slid into his arms. “You’re mine.”
Marc hugged her close. “Forever, baby.”
The rain increased, forcing the trio toward their vehicles.
Jennifer was glad. Like Marc and Angela, she was certain a negative reaction was coming as soon as the Messenger delivered the news to the Creator. They might all die at that moment.
“No.” Angela stopped outside the truck, rain soaking her. “He needs us, or we’d be dead already.”
“Are you positive it’s a he?” Jennifer tried to lighten the mood. “Awful emotional for a guy.”
Angela snickered with the girl, but inside, she cringed in terror at the blasphemy she’d committed. These might really be their last hours because of her choice.
Marc regarded her, catching the thought.
Angela smoothed a wet strand of ebony hair from his sexy face and climbed into the truck. “Let’s roll. We have a boat waiting.”
Marc realized she couldn’t do anything else but follow through now.
So did Jennifer. They traded a worried glance and then got into their vehicles. It wasn’t up to them. The Creator would make the final choice and they would suffer the judgement.
William continued to replay the moment in his mind, stewing and brooding over rules and levels of power as Morgan got the truck rolling.
Next to him, Angela kept track of his thoughts and hoped she wouldn’t be forced to intervene. William was edging into dangerous territory with some of his ruminations, but if anyone was going to hide an ace up their sleeve, it was her.
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1
In the East (noon)
“That was Safe Haven!”
Vihaan rose from the dying bushes that were next to the small cabin. The tracker had been watching it for days, drawn by the feel of magic, but that flood of protection from the south was unmistakable. Someone had used a massive shield. The power signature was rippling across the land.
Vihaan stayed straight as he crossed the backyard, not caring if the family found his tracks or saw him through one of the few windows. His footprints would alert them to predators in the area. If they were smart, they would see the tracks and leave. If they weren’t, Vihaan would have fun after his work in the south was finished. He wanted to know why the family put off a feel of magic. All descendants were supposed to be laboring for the same boss, sent to the international detention center, or killed. There were no exceptions.
The noon sun beat on Vihaan’s white-clad shoulders, bringing a fresh layer of sweat. The temperatures were rising in the south and dropping in the north. He had spent time in both areas over the last weeks, trailing prey, and the only constant here was the wind. It blew in from the west with anger. Vihaan liked that. It reminded him of the winds at home. It was the only thing here that did. Everything else about America was a foreign challenge. I have many tales to give my family when I return, he reflected, picturing his children and brothers. None of them had the gift. Vihaan had enjoyed that too, though he’d learned they were likely Invisibles who would eventually evolve. It wouldn’t matter. Upon his return, he would be named the head of his family. Then, he would take a wife from a neighboring leader, claim that land, and begin his future in the new order.
Click-click!
The radio in his pocket paused, then clicked three more times.
Vihaan didn’t answer the alert, though he was certain others in his group would. Everyone within fifty miles had felt the Safe Haven emission. Many of them, unlike himself, would now go south.
Vihaan went to the small motorbike he’d liberated the day he’d been dropped into infidel country. He fired it up and drove off without worrying over being heard or chased. This area was deserted except for the small cabin with two kids, one mother, and two men both performing roles of husband. Vihaan presumed it was two brothers sharing a family, like his people sometimes did, and approved. When he claimed them, the woman and children would know what was expected. They were the first American family he had witnessed living this way. Maybe I’ll spare the men so they can pass it to those we keep as slaves.
Vihaan deliberated, then shook his head. No Americans should be spared in the end. The new world was here and these stubborn fighters would never conform. Vihaan respected them even as he hated them.
2
Ciemus
“We need to go dark and quiet.” Brandon followed the Mayor away from the gate. “Angela shouldn’t have brought up the shield. Trackers have this location now.”
Donna pointed at one of her men and kept walking. “Call the water.”
Brandon stayed on her heels, confused but curious like all of Safe Haven had been about the water sheltering this town.
Donna jogged up the stairs and entered her office. She pushed a button on the desk.
Brandon didn’t hear anything, but he knew the people did. They were running toward the fishing area.
Donna pointed to her window. “This is the best view of it.”
Brandon went to the glass, aware of Donna eyeing him as if he were a threat. He could feel her concern about being alone with him, but only time would ease that. He’d learned that from watching Angela jump every time a guy tried to make friends. Now, he would die for her and she would die for him. They were Eagles.
“Are you regretting your decision?” Donna was very perceptive of male moods.
Brandon sighed, moving the curtain aside. “Not yet.”
Donna smiled at the cautious tone. “There’s time to catch up.”
“I have no future with them.” Brandon didn’t want to start his new life here on a lie. “I’m a Mitchel.”
“Ah.” Donna sat down. “I feel better now.”
Brandon observed her in the glass. “Why?”
“Because I knew something was wrong with you even though your leader tried to cover it. This isn’t as bad as I suspected.”
Brandon chuckled. “I’ve never gotten that response before. Maybe it will work out.”
Donna pushed the button again. “Providing you remember two things, sir.”
Brandon saw locals pulling ropes from the water by the wall. “What are those?”
“We need babies and you’re a Mitchel.”
Brandon snickered.
So did Donna, but it was clear from her expression that she meant it.
Brandon nodded, still laughing. “I’ll do my best to uphold that part of the family reputation.” He waited to hear her response, but the action at the river drew his attention and held it. The water was rising. It spilled over the banks and ran over the boots of the men and women still pulling on the ropes. The locals smiled and chatted as if it wasn’t happening. When the water kept coming, filling spaces and rushing over the ground, Brandon was concerned.
The water covered ankles and then the knees of the pullers. Brandon didn’t witness any shifting in the wall, but it was obviously having an effect as the liquid rushed over the waist-high crops, soaking them.
The people who had been fishing were smiling as the rolling liquid covered their faces.
“They’ll drown!” Brandon’s mouth dropped open as he realized the locals were covered in a water shield. They were playing in it. “How is that possible?”
“William made a deal when the war came.” Donna observed him. “We are sheltered, but it’s a small area. To enlarge it would draw attention no matter how high the water gets.”
“That’s why the walls are muddy even in winter!” Brandon watched as the water submerged the town. It was astounding how fast it happened. “What happens when it reaches the top?”
“It overflows, of course.” Donna lit a cigarette from her ration. “It covers the land for miles and prevents anyone from catching sight of the wall.”
“What if they were already in the area?”
“It flushes them out.”
“Or drowns them?”
“Yes. We’ve found bodies of people caught in tents or abandoned homes. Because of that, we ask the water to come during the daylight, so people will have a chance to escape.”
“Why do you let your enemies escape?”
“Why do you assume everyone is an enemy?”
Brandon’s amusement faded. “Because they always turn out to be. I’ve stopped giving people the benefit of the doubt.”
“William is the opposite.” Donna flipped her ash and stubbed out the cherry. “I’m in the middle. You’ll take Grant’s place and restore the balance that’s been taken.”
“Why don’t you just go with them?” Brandon turned from the fantastical sight. “The water won’t protect you forever. Someone will make a better deal to wipe you out. Why are you staying?”
“It’s not something we can explain. You’ll have to experience it.”
“You mean go out while the water’s up?” Brandon kept his face blank.
Donna pointed at her doorway, where water was trickling in.
Brandon hesitated. “I... Am I covered?”
Donna gave him a pointed look.
Brandon sighed. “We’ll find out together?”
Donna nodded, gun coming up from her drawer. “Go cleanse yourself or meet your maker.”
Brandon flipped the latch on the window. “I’m an Eagle. I was just waiting for orders.”
Donna sniggered as the man dove off the window ledge. The water rushed over him in giddy welcome. “Should have known. The Mitchels are all special.”
“Help!”
Donna shot up and ran into the flooding hall.
Kevin barreled into her, knocking them both to the ground.
Donna groaned. “Are you okay?”
“Hands!” Kevin shoved to his feet as the water advanced, not feeling the bleeding scrape on his arm. “And teeth! In the water!”
“Damn.” She sat up as the roaring liquid rushed by, chasing the panicking man. “I hate it when this happens.”
Donna brought her gun up and shot Kevin in the chest.
“Why...?” The former Eagle staggered, hand coming up.
The water slammed into his knees, knocking him backwards onto the hall floor.
Donna was sorry it had come to this. She went back into her office and replaced the missing bullet.
A few seconds later, the water carried Kevin’s body toward the stairs, already shredding it.
3
Safe Haven Refugee Convoy
William snapped awake. He’d fallen asleep while trying not to listen in on Dog’s fatherhood story. William glanced around and found a bored driver, snoozing passengers, and a convoy of people who already felt tired again.
They were on Interstate 65, in a barren area with few trees or homes. The views were molding weeds and a broken road that didn’t appear to have had traffic at all since the war. The wind blew through the reeds and was lost beneath the rumble of their engines. It was empty here.
William wasn’t positive what had woken him with panic in his throat and adrenaline pumping through his heart. He sat up to do a deeper scan of their surroundings.
“It was in Ciemus.” Angela didn’t open her eyes. “You have one less transfer than we counted.”
William caught the images and grit his teeth. Donna being in danger was terrifying.
Angela snorted. “She wasn’t.”
William relaxed, understanding one of Safe Haven’s citizens hadn’t passed the final test. “She’s strict about that.”
“So are we.” Angela shifted. “We just don’t have the water to make the choice.” Yet, she amended. It was taking all her powers of reasoning to find an answer to that one. “I can have Ivan take you back. He’s restless anyway.”
William shook his head, feeling better. “No. I’m here until you tell me to go.”
Listening, Marc frowned when she didn’t tell him it would be soon. He forced it out for a more pleasant image of sailing away without any of the males now competing for Angela’s attention. His behavior said his position might be open, but Marc was down to final options. Angie was his and always would be.
Angela reached back to clasp hands with him. She refused to read his mind, positive it would upset her. His bad moods came from one direction now and she didn’t have time for it. The next nine days would be hard and wonderful. They would have moments of glory and they would have deaths. All of it was inevitable. When they finally sailed, most of their troubles would be settled.
“You promise?” Marc’s fingers tightened on hers.
Angela nodded. “Yes. As long as you follow through, we’re free. If you weaken, for even an instant, we’re doomed.”
Comforted, Marc went back to sleep like none of it mattered.
Angela didn’t. She appeared to drowse while scanning every living thing the convoy passed. If she missed a threat right now, Marc wouldn’t get a chance to enact his plan. A dozen trackers would converge on their convoy and bring refugees along to do the work. I just need a week and then you can all come for us. I’ll be ready.
4
Near Ciemus
“Should we go south or stay on our own trail?” Hannah regarded her sisters over the tire tracks she’d been studying when the magic blast went over them like ice water.
Janet shrugged, still kneeling. The foliage here was thick and green, but there were no animals to hunt or smells to chase. They’d been forced to follow tires, the only sign of civilization in this area. They’d been tracking this same print for weeks now. “Up to you guys. Hate to have wasted all this time just to walk.”
Hannah and Tisa snickered. Janet was tenacious when she had a scent.
“I say we stick with the bloodhound.” Tisa fluffed her matted brown hair. “She gets us there, you know?”
Hannah nodded, not clicking the radio in response to the alert, though she assumed all trackers would end up in the south by the time it was over. These tires had taken a detour to a naval station where there had been a recent, vicious battle, and then gone east a bit. Now, they were slanting south again. Janet swore they were on the trail of Safe Haven and Hannah believed her.
“I hear something.” Tisa peered to the east, where a thick grove of trees blocked their view. “Do you hear it?”
Janet stood up. “Water.” The sense of trouble slapped at her. “We need to go up.”
Tisa pointed at the roof of a nearby farmhouse. “That’s twenty feet.”
The women ran, listening to water coming over the land with no mercy for the people or structures. Someone shouted behind them, then screamed as they were overwhelmed.
“Where’s it coming from? The sun’s out!”
“That’s a damn breaking, not rain.” Hannah farted as she jumped a fallen tree.
The sisters laughed, loving the excitement of these apocalyptic living conditions.
The three trackers kicked together to open the locked door of the home, then pounded through the house to find the stairs.
“Here!” Hannah led them up to the attic, where she shoved a path to the window. They would have to climb out, and then up, if the water came this high. If not, they had a good perch to watch the damage.
“I see something.” Tisa gasped. “It’s a town! And trucks! I see trucks leaving! It’s them!”
Water surrounded the farmhouse, preventing the sisters from chasing the convoy as it rolled out of sight.
Tisa screamed in frustration, punching and kicking boxes and trunks in the attic.
Hannah waited, listening to the water, watching it. She could swear there were liquid hands coming up the front steps.
Loving the feel of American clothes, Janet began searching the attic for new threads.
Tisa joined her, fingering her own threadbare jumper. It was time for a change of duds. Their masters didn’t like to issue new gear. They’d been supplying their own needs since being dropped off.
Hannah snorted at her companions and continued to watch the water. She didn’t view the hands again, but she didn’t doubt herself on seeing them.
Hannah peered down at her own clothes, changing her mind. The leather outfit might be hard to swim in. She joined the others. “Any bathing suits in there?”
5
In the West (9am)
I feel like I’m in an apocalypse.
Heavy sheets of ash fell over the speeding jeep. In the distance, smoke rose to the sky, covering the moon. It made driving rough. Sheer drop-offs on either side would kill them if the jeep slid too far one way or the other. Nature wasn’t wasting any time in reclaiming her domain out here.
Jeff flipped the wipers on high.
Ash recoated the window as soon as the wiper cleared it. Jeff grimaced.
Hurry...
I am. Jeff shook his head to clear the fog and peered through the filthy window. The road was missing pieces, with wrecks and debris all along this route, but he was following it anyway. A voice was calling to him from near the place where he’d already tracked Becky and Seth to. He assumed they’d made a den because Becky’s signature on his mental grid had stopped moving. Bad idea, he scolded. She’s going to get killed before I can reach her.
“Are you okay?”
Jeff jumped. He peered in the mirror at Romeo. The boy was under Doug’s arm while the big man snored. He was wearing three layers of clothes and using a jacket on his shoulder as a pillow, like everyone else. Jeff noted the Eagle position of the tools on his belt and nodded approval. The boy was a fast learner. He’d only demonstrated that for the child once. “I’m good. You?”
“Scared.”
Jeff understood why the boy felt that way. “We have action coming and then I’ll take you all back to Safe Haven.”
Romeo made a face. “They don’t like us there. Isn’t somewhere else?”
“Isn’t there somewhere else.” Jeff followed Doug’s educational wishes. Doug was trying to show the boys how to blend in so they weren’t mistaken for foreigners. If they spoke English well, many people were dumb enough to believe that meant they’d been citizens here. Jeff approved the ploy. The two kids would need all the help they could get. In the time they’d been traveling together, Jeff had been won over by the quiet, respectful brothers. They didn’t fit into Safe Haven because they were too normal. Jeff liked them for it. He had no patience with children who couldn’t be trusted–like Becky.
Hurry! We’ll be gone soon!
Jeff jerked, hands slipping.
The jeep swerved, rattling passengers.
“Is everything all right?” Allan sat up to stretch.
Jeff recovered a smoother roll over the broken road. “Yeah. Slap-happy.”
“I can take a shift if you want.” Allan yawned. “I couldn’t be more bored.”
“I’ve got it.” Jeff was already back into his mind. Allan wouldn’t be able to follow this path.
“He’s hearing things.” Romeo flashed concern to Allan. “And he’s worrying.”
Allan nodded. “We’re all worried.” He looked at Jeff in the mirror. “What are you hearing?”
“Someone needs our help.” Jeff sighed, speeding up through the ash storm. “And it isn’t who we came here for.”
6
New Mexico
“We have to help them now.” Becky was tired of waiting. “They’re being shipped out soon!”
“Not until we make a plan. We just found them. If they ship the kids out, we’ll follow and hijack the truck, but until they leave, we don’t stand a chance. They have forty men down there.”
“We didn’t even get close enough for a real recon.” Becky tossed herself into a dusty chair in the front room of the small cabin. They didn’t worry about whatever might be on the floors or in the corners. In this new life, it was better to hang out in those places and make friends with those creatures. Neither of them flinched at spiders on their skin anymore or snakes on their bedrolls. They’d adapted.
“Would you feel better about waiting if we do that?” Seth took the rocking chair next to Becky. He’d gotten comfortable using it when he scolded her over the week they’d been here.
“Maybe.”
Seth understood her concerns, but two Eagles wouldn’t be enough for this challenge and he knew it. He also wasn’t sure if they might have already been noticed by one of the descendants protecting the camp that was only a quarter mile from them. It wasn’t safe here.
“We’ll go down tomorrow, okay? You’ll see I’m right about not blasting in there. Then we’ll work on a better plan and a new base of operations.” Juniper trees and rocky ground that refused to grow anything else surrounded their cabin on three sides. To their back was a steep cliff with a small graveyard at the top. The cabin had been empty when they’d arrived, and bore no prints to tell of a struggle, no damage or bloodstains. Seth assumed this cabin had been unused before the war too but wasn’t sure because there had been a Christmas wreath dying on the door.
Becky let him talk her out of attacking the camp now, she had decided as soon as Seth let her get close enough, she was going to take matters into her own hands. She wasn’t spending another night listening to the screams without stopping it or dying trying.
Seth began to love her, hoping she would sleep. They had a habit of hunting at night for prairie dogs and running a dark house, though that had been interrupted by tonight’s screams.
Seth unbuttoned her long sleeve shirt and slid his hands over her lacy bra, wishing he could give her a bubble bath. They were using creeks and rivers they crossed, which had provided some fun memories, but Seth wanted to give her the luxuries of a woman. Soaking in a tub for hours was one of those, according to the camp hens, and the sense of time growing short was bugging Seth. He wanted to give her special moments now, while he could. He wasn’t sure they were going to have a later.
7
UN Detention Camp
“They’re coming.” The girl’s voice was thick with her witch’s timbre. “Soon. Hours.”
The kids huddled around to listen and to hide the seer.
“Kill them all,” the dazed girl whispered. “Then we will go to Safe Haven, where the alpha will end our misery and accept our lives in honor.”
“The alpha.”
“Safe Haven.”
“Angela.”
“What’s going on in there?!” A sentry banged on the bars of the portable cages. “You go to the clean!”
The kids immediately stood, including the girl still receiving the vision, searching the future. She continued to whisper as hungover men led them to their weekly shower. It was the last time they would be blasted with the icy water that sometimes-stripped skin, the last day they would spend penned up like dogs. The long shelters were large and had cots, but they were still cages. Set into the side of a cliff, the children were grateful that awnings over the cages at least provided shade from the desert sun. The sky was covered in layers of smoke, but the sun was still getting through to beat on them with ruthless heat.
The kids held onto each other and their clothes as the hoses came on. Their shorts and skirts were ragged, the tops were falling apart. Cloth couldn’t stand up to the hoses either.
The shivering descendant in the middle, being sheltered, hid her elation. When help came, the alpha would break her mental chains. The other kids wanted the safety of Angela’s camp, but the descendant girl just wanted to know the alpha before she died. She wanted to know anyone who was like her. That person would share an unknowing bond that would go as deep as deep would go. Until the war, little Kimmie hadn’t known there were others like her. Now, that’s all I think about.
Chapter OneYou Scare Me
6 Hours out of Ciemus
November 19th, 2013
1
“We’re coming to a good spot for a bathroom break.” Angela shifted against the uncomfortable seat for the tenth time. “Jennifer has point. William will provide support after the ‘all clear’ comes. Ten minutes is the limit, so let’s try to keep it under half an hour.”
“You got it.” Morgan downshifted.
William perked up. “Me? Cool.”
Angela had decided to stop them before it got dark, though the sun was setting behind them right now. The shades of green beneath the layers of dust were just as wrong as they’d always been, but it was also darker. Yellowstone had replaced the fading sky-debris from the war. Each time it rained or snowed, grit coated the ground in glassy ashes, but it wasn’t making a dent. That would continue for weeks, months or years. There was no way to know for sure when it would end.
Morgan tapped the brakes to send a message to the vehicle behind him. Marc and Adrian had worked on the new code after the fight at the naval station. They’d been using it since leaving Ciemus.
Morgan slowed further, scanning. He wouldn’t have chosen these tree-dotted surroundings for a break, though he didn’t feel anything menacing about the small town they hadn’t been able to go around. It was devoid of life here and obviously had been since the war, but the structures were less stable than in other places they’d been. Morgan presumed it was because coastal weather was rougher. Even the weeds and bushes here looked like they’d been hit with massive winds. He might have assumed it was a storm path, but he’d been keeping track of it for hours. What he hadn’t spotted was signs of nature. There were no animals at all, not even flies or birds. It was crazy.
“This will be a lesson for me, right?”
Angela nodded at William’s query. “Yes. The boring stuff comes first.”
“First.” William frowned. “How does it look for the next few days?”
“Like drama and traveling.” She shifted again, ankle cramping. “Then we’ll get to the action you’re trying so hard not to hope for.”
“I’m sorry.” William gestured at the convoy. “I’m riding with the legendary Safe Haven. It’s difficult not to want to see you in action now that you’ve returned to full health.”
“We haven’t yet, actually.” She rubbed her leg, trying not to bump the driver. “Maybe a week in the fresh salt air will finish it.”
William concentrated to figure out what she meant. As far as health, only a few people were still having trouble. He couldn’t detect anything obvious.
“We spent months in tents, months in a mountain, and now we’re back in tents.” Angela was glad for the teaching moment as Morgan stopped the truck in a gravel lot next to a trailer park with burnt frames. She hated waiting for the Eagles to let them out. Everyone did. “It’s too cold to be outside, but we need the sun. You were occupied while we were in Ciemus, but you’ll pick it up when we reach the shore. You’ll see the differences between your people and mine.”
“I did notice you were all pale, but our kind tend to be that way from...”
“Lifetimes of hiding.” Angela agreed as he paused in understanding. “The sun gives us better health. It’s also an issue the government didn’t consider when they locked us in underground labs, or maybe they used it intentionally. We’re fragile in ways. We go mad–corrupt–faster than people who don’t have this bloodline. We need to feel the sun on our cheeks and in our hearts. It fights the darkness.”
“I’ll add that to the book.” William wondered what else she’d observed about their kind that he hadn’t.
Angela shrugged. “You’ll have enough for a new book by the time we part, but for now, you have a duty coming up and your boss isn’t in a patient mood. Get set for it.”
William hesitated. “Um. How?”
“Eagles settle into a work frame of mind.” Morgan sensed Angela’s restlessness and assumed she wanted the conversation over, so he handled it. “We check gear, plan out the shift if needed, listen to each other to pick up the mood, and we scan the environment. We concentrate on the job.”
William immediately began to do that.
Morgan doubted it would last long. William was like a hyper kid who’d just been given access to an exciting amusement park ride. He knew it wasn’t repaired regularly and there were glitches in the programing, but he still couldn’t wait to have that experience–even if it killed him.
William laughed. That’s exactly it. Everything was intoxicating to him right now. The smell of the Eagle jackets they were all wearing, the complaints about sore asses from traveling–he loved it all.
Angela shifted, glad Marc was able to rest. He was in the bunk behind them, no longer snoring but still breathing deeply. He would probably wake at the call to let people out, but she hoped he would at least stay in the truck. They’d been gone from Ciemus for six hours, but he’d only been out for two. He’d stayed awake talking with Dog, then swept their surroundings for problems until his lids began to droop.
He doesn’t want to go.
Angela stiffened. “Aloud, please.”
William frowned as he understood. “Really? Even though we’re not on a private line?”
“Yes.”
William sighed. “You have to get the drama under control. People are fed up with it.”
“Who do I kill? My love or my leader?”
William snorted. “You’re the leader.”
“I’m a substitute teacher keeping the seat warm.”
William spotted the obvious. “You’re depressed!”
Angela winced. She’d insisted on the conversation being spoken, but their driver was storing every word and the tension would soon wake Marc. He was sensitive to that now.
“Is everything okay?” Marc didn’t open his eyes. He’d woken the instant Morgan downshifted.
Angela switched her braid to her other shoulder so she could view him. “Peachy.”
Marc sat up in a fast lunge, reaching for his gun.
Laughter told Marc she’d been joking with the code word. It happened so rarely, he’d come up swinging.
Angela snickered. “Funny.”
Marc holstered, gave William a curt nod, then settled back down next to the wolf who hadn’t budged.
William shivered at the sensation. He’s powerful.
Angela nodded. “More so if I give him what he wants.”
“Why don’t you?” William switched back to aloud like she wanted.
“Why don’t I corrupt him the rest of the way?”
“I don’t think you can corrupt that one.” William shrugged. “But if so, does it matter at this point?”
Angela sighed. “No but tell me anyway why it’s okay to condemn his soul.”
“He’s already damned for the battle we’ll have. In fact, I believe his death would prevent him from taking part in it.”
“Letting him die will save his soul?”
William shrugged. “Perhaps that’s why fate has been hitting you so hard. The Creator doesn’t want Marc in the final fight.”
“I prefer to think he’s meant to stay with Safe Haven on the island while the rest of us come home to die.”
Angela’s words were so blunt that silence fell, but every brain went crazy with thoughts and concerns.
Marc didn’t go back to sleep. There was too much tension.
Dog didn’t react at all. Exhausted, he was back with his human friends and felt safe enough to sleep deep while his mind and body healed.
“All clear!”
Morgan gave William a look. “She’s waiting for you. Stay alert.”
William had respect for their enforcer. “I will.” He got out into the light drizzle without saying more.
Angela peered over her shoulder. “Room for one more?”
Marc scooted over, not minding it that she didn’t want him up yet. It would give him a few minutes alone with her to talk.
Angela crawled into the bunk.
Morgan got out and shut the door, then climbed onto the hood to watch over them.
Marc waited for her to get comfortable.
“Spit it out.” Angela was too sore to beat around the bush or tolerate people who wanted to do so.
“William explained some things while we walked his wall.”
Angela yawned. “And?”
“You scare me.”
“Good.”
Marc held her tighter. “I want to be like you.”
“No, you don’t.”
“…can you come back to where I am?”
“No.”
“Then I have to come to you.”
Angela shuddered. “You’ll ruin the chance we can build–”
“No more of that lie.”
“It isn’t a lie, Marc. I’m trying to figure it out. Ciemus may have helped me. I need time to sort through the cause and effect.”
“It can’t be done.”
‘Maybe not.”
“Even if it can, I won’t do it.”
“Now, I’m confused.” She rolled over so she could look at him, sliding closer to stay warm. “Why wouldn’t you want it if I can do it?”
“We’ll all die anyway.” Marc rested his head against her. “No final battle, Angie. We stay on the island and just live.”
Angela wrapped her arms around him, sharing his pain. “When the time comes, I will return and do my duty. It’s why I was born into this time and place–to save the future. Not just mine, but of the entire world. If I lose, it all ends. I can’t run from destiny.”
“Then make me like you so I can help!”
“Because you hope He will take pity and allow us to be together in the afterlife?”
“Because we only have a few years left together and I want to share all of it.” Marc broke against her. “Please.”
Angela’s tears ran over her cheeks as she nodded against his neck. Marc never begged. She couldn’t refuse. “Okay.”
Around them, thunder rattled the ground in protest of the choice.
He’s mine. I’ll make him so strong that even you can’t hurt him!
Hail pinged into the cars and trucks, and wind howled toward the stopped convoy.
You can’t have him!
A shield flashed into place around the vehicles, shutting out the fury. Even the vibrations from the ground were muffled.
Eagles and descendants stilled in shocked fear.
William clapped. “She’s amazing!”
“She’s reckless.”
William frowned at Jennifer’s comment. “Yes, child, she is. Aren’t you?”
Jennifer wanted to argue and couldn’t.
William examined the shield over the convoy, unable to spot a place where he could get through.
“Neither can I.” Jennifer was impressed. “She grew stronger again.”
“All of you did, because of the naval station.”
“Not like her.” Jennifer decided to trust William–mostly because Angela did. “She’s not even like you now. She just challenged the Creator for a life. She’s the target after this.”
“And anything she loves?”
Jennifer shrugged at his tone. “We’ve been that all along. I worry over her. We’ll keep a sharper eye on her now.”
William frowned. “This doesn’t change anything?”
Jennifer pointed to where the Eagles were doing their duty while exchanging looks that wondered if Angela really could set them free from the chains of the past. “We’ve been marked since we survived. She decided to amend the rules of the game.”
“But… It’s the Creator!”
Jennifer resumed scanning for trouble, leaving him to figure it out. Jennifer wasn’t Angela. She wasn’t going to say it aloud and be struck down for blasphemy.
William got it an instant later and groaned. “What is wrong with her?!”
“She’s tired of an unfair system that never explains itself.”
“But that’s not our purpose!”
Jennifer spun around, hand going to her hip.
Across the convoy, Kyle spotted her and paused in the rotation that would take him into her path. Hand on hip. No-longer resting bitch face. He went in the opposite direction, waving Ivan into his place.
“Do you know that for a fact?” Jennifer tried not to yell.
William couldn’t lie. “No. I assume.”
“And yet we’ve been gifted with powers beyond belief.” Jennifer’s tone grew pointed. “Makes you wonder why, right?”
William nodded, subdued now. He’d always wondered and never found an answer that made sense. Maybe the descendants weren’t just here to protect humanity from itself. Perhaps they were supposed to defend mankind against all threats, including a vengeful Creator who delighted in games, bets and plagues.
When lightning didn’t strike him through Angela’s shield, William allowed himself to consider that. They couldn’t create a perfect society, and no one could ever atone for sins of the past, so she was changing the rules. Instead of being humble and submissive, hoping to regain favor, Angela was going to free them the old-fashioned way.
Let my people go, William quoted, in awe.
The entire convoy stilled as immense power surrounded them, pressing in on the barrier like a giant eye peering at a bug.
Angela didn’t lift her head. Her rage was sweltering, filling the cabin with waves of heat.
Marc was pouring sweat under her, but he refused to budge, to get away before she was destroyed. They would go together.
These are my souls now. I’ll kill them all in one blast of fire before we’ll swear blind loyalty to the Creator who abandoned us.
William scowled. “Is she bluffing?”
Jennifer shook her head, trembling at the feel of the power around them. She recognized Angela’s tactic as negotiating, but it was beyond frightening.
YOU WILL FIGHT FOR HE!
I will not!
The ground rumbled in warning. The shield began to weaken as power pressed in from all sides.
Angela didn’t strengthen it. That wasn’t required of her defenses now. She waved a mental hand. Go on. Kill us all. You still won’t have your army.
The rumbling increased.
That’s it, isn’t it? There’s a battle coming and we’re the only ones left to fight the evil.
DARKNESS WILL WIN!
Tell your master we refuse. The Creator must agree to–
YOU CANNOT DEMAND!
I just did. The shield around the convoy dropped. The weather immediately hit them. Go away now. We have to get back on the road.
The sense of fury rivaled anything they’d felt so far, but it was obvious the messenger couldn’t destroy them without permission from a higher authority.
The presence vanished.
A few of the younger citizens in Safe Haven cheered.
Everyone else feared the next meeting wouldn’t go as well.
“That was interesting.” William had barely kept from speaking. I have so many questions!
Jennifer snorted. “Don’t we all.” She waved toward Daryl. “He’s our protection. Don’t get out of his sight.”
William followed her as the windy, rainy bathroom stop resumed, eager for any lessons she wanted to give. Now that he’d heard the Messenger and knew without a doubt there was a level above them, William wanted the same thing Marc did, but for a different reason. William wanted whatever deal Angela cut to apply to Ciemus. Safe Haven would need a friendly port to sail into when they returned. William had no doubt they would all do battle for the Creator despite these negotiations, but now, he had hope that they would come out of it with more than forgiveness for atrocities they hadn’t committed. These people were right. Angela would make certain they were treated fairly for the first time since they’d been created.
Angela rolled off Marc’s chest, aware of his discomfort. She switched into the driver seat and lowered the window enough to let in a cool breeze.
Marc sat up and opened his jacket to let that draft reach his sweaty skin. The oddest part was that he was soaked, and she wasn’t. He didn’t understand how it was possible, but all he wanted right now was a smoke to calm his nerves and a few minutes to contemplate what had happened.
Angela handed him a lit cigarette.
Marc rubbed her hand as he took it but didn’t speak. He had no idea what to say. When he had worried over her being so different, he’d never considered that it would go this far. He didn’t know how to handle it.
Angela smothered her loneliness, remembering she did have someone here who might know what to say. She opened the door and went to William.
Marc stayed in the truck. He had no jealous thoughts over her choice, but he did wish he could listen so that next time he would know how to help her.
Marc stiffened as power entered his mind and opened a bolted door.
Get out.
Be quiet or she’ll know you’re listening.
Marc pouted as he smoked, but he didn’t try to shove William out.
I’m as loyal to her as you and the dog are. But it’s time you adapt, Marine, or we won’t be able to work together.
Marc would have snapped back, but William brought down a wall that only let Marc listen. ...how do I do that?
Shhh... William tensed as Angela joined him and Jennifer. The feel of her was heavy, uncomfortable.
Leadership stress. Jennifer nodded as Angela came to her elbow.
She’s like this all the time?
You have to be. I didn’t understand that until I had point over the mall. Jennifer scanned behind them, noting who was giving the guards a hard time and who wasn’t. We were attacked, and a tornado came through. Very stressful. Flipping out of that mode was impossible until I got to Ciemus.
William hadn’t experienced many of those moments in his town since the war, so he didn’t get it, but he was suddenly sure he would by the time they parted.
Jennifer frowned. Don’t drag it out. Give her what she needs.
William turned to Angela and was slapped by her pain and fear. It overwhelmed him, bringing tears to his eyes. “Damn.”
Angela slowly brought up her wall, blocking those emotions so only she and her witch would feel them.
Oh, great. Spare him and not me! the demon whined.
Angela’s disappointment was staggering as she left them. William wanted to offer her hope, but he didn’t have any. Safe Haven had to leave, and they would all have to fight. Some things couldn’t be changed.
Jennifer realized William wasn’t able to help. She shoved him out of her way and followed Angela toward the kids’ trailer.
William felt someone trying to get into his thoughts and opened the door. What?!
Adrian paused. Uh, just a checking in. Is she okay?
William squinted through the dark rain, aware of being soaked and blown. Not really. She didn’t want to do that, but she got scared Marc was being taken.
Yeah, that’ll do it. How’d it go?
William went to his truck, frowning. You didn’t hear?
Nothing after she brought up the barrier. I didn’t know we could do that.
We, can’t.
You can’t?
Never tried, but I doubt it. She’s stronger than me.
Enough to…?
I don’t know.
Adrian was encouraged by that answer. He broke the connection and began helping his team medicate their rescued men. The boss would be pleased. She would also be furious. All of the boat men were out of commission for a while. Being hung on a warehouse wall as bait had hurt them. It had also killed two men. Angela’s anger would rival nature’s fury.
William slid into the truck at Jennifer’s motion. He shut the door and wiped down with the towel Marc handed him. “Thanks.”
Marc grunted. He’d also thought William could help her.
“Sorry, but her dog has to do this one. If that had been me, I would have surrendered.”
“What if it had been Donna?”
William’s anger flew through the truck.
“Damn. All right!” Marc pushed the small window open too. “I’ve had enough sweating.”
William controlled his rage, locked it away. “I get your point, but I can’t help her. I’ve never considered crossing the Creator.”
“You haven’t gone through as much as we have.”
“No, and I hope not to. You’ve become hard and cynical, with little light left in your hearts. You call me sheltered, but I’m glad of it. I don’t want to be like you or her.”
“Now you’re just lying.”
William held up a hand. “Okay, so I wouldn’t mind being as skilled as some of you, but it’s not worth the effects.”
Are we really that bad? Marc made a note of that concern.
William finished drying off, wishing he could change his clothes. He already missed their little bit of civilization and Marc’s point had made him worry over Donna being alone.
It’ll be better for us on the boat. Marc’s mood lightened a bit. We’ll only have nature and each other to fight. That’s already less problems.
And no chance to run if the ship goes down, Marc’s demon grumbled. He didn’t like the idea of his host not having an escape route.
I can swim.
The demon snorted, flashing an image of a lone man in the ocean, then an old headline about someone being lost at sea and the search being called off.
I get it, but it’s still better odds than staying here.
The demon couldn’t argue.
Neither could William. He’d been reading the memories of Safe Haven as they traveled, and it was ugly. He was grateful Ciemus hadn’t been put through all that.
You will be now. Marc flipped his butt. Refugees followed us from the naval station. You’ll be lucky to get back without being spotted.
When William didn’t answer, Marc deliberated arguing further and managed not to. William was still considering going with Safe Haven. He’d said he wasn’t coming, but it was obvious what the man wanted. Marc almost wished he could trade places, but Angie would never be satisfied in Ciemus. She needs the adventure too or we’d already be in another cave somewhere, trying again.
Marc went to find his mate, determined to find a way to help her through this.
William stayed in the truck and tried to get dry.
Marc found Angela and Jennifer behind the convoy. People were almost finished with bathroom trips and not saying much as they forced weary bodies back into cramped conditions.
Marc knew the women were aware of him, but neither female was speaking. Marc took that as a bad sign.
Jennifer snorted. When we talk, you get tired of listening to it. When we’re quiet, you get nervous. Men are strange.
Smiling, Marc took Angela’s left, scanning the darkness. He could feel her power roaming the countryside, searching for danger. She’s expecting retaliation.
“Shouldn’t I?”
Marc nodded. “Yes. Every piece of literature we had implies that reaction.” Marc paused. He lowered his voice. “I can’t believe you did that.”
Angela sighed. “I didn’t see another option.” She spun and slid into his arms. “You’re mine.”
Marc hugged her close. “Forever, baby.”
The rain increased, forcing the trio toward their vehicles.
Jennifer was glad. Like Marc and Angela, she was certain a negative reaction was coming as soon as the Messenger delivered the news to the Creator. They might all die at that moment.
“No.” Angela stopped outside the truck, rain soaking her. “He needs us, or we’d be dead already.”
“Are you positive it’s a he?” Jennifer tried to lighten the mood. “Awful emotional for a guy.”
Angela snickered with the girl, but inside, she cringed in terror at the blasphemy she’d committed. These might really be their last hours because of her choice.
Marc regarded her, catching the thought.
Angela smoothed a wet strand of ebony hair from his sexy face and climbed into the truck. “Let’s roll. We have a boat waiting.”
Marc realized she couldn’t do anything else but follow through now.
So did Jennifer. They traded a worried glance and then got into their vehicles. It wasn’t up to them. The Creator would make the final choice and they would suffer the judgement.
William continued to replay the moment in his mind, stewing and brooding over rules and levels of power as Morgan got the truck rolling.
Next to him, Angela kept track of his thoughts and hoped she wouldn’t be forced to intervene. William was edging into dangerous territory with some of his ruminations, but if anyone was going to hide an ace up their sleeve, it was her.
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