A woman appears behind the others, confidently emerging with a thin-lipped smile. She grabs Arek around his back, her hand landing on his pant pocket, and she looks him in the eye with a mischievous grin.
“My second husband.” When her eyes fall on mine, she takes no time in doing the same to me. Soon, her nose is within inches of mine while her hand holds just below my back. My eyes grow wide, “And my second wife.”
Diem shakes his head in a bit of laughter, “You wish, Gal.”
Arek places his hand between her chest and mine until she looks at him, “It’s nice to see you Gal, but she doesn’t know who you are.”
“That’s better,” Gal’s rich Irish accent matches her pale face. “Then she doesn’t know I’m already married to that guy.” Her thumb points over her shoulder to Diem.
Diem gets serious. “We have about sixty here. Couldn’t get more than that on such short notice and especially after the memo from the Powers.”
Arek looks at him, confused, “What memo?”
Diem swallows, “They told everyone, if we were to help you and Remy, then there would be repercussions.”
Arek clenches his jaw.
“But brother, I’m here . . . we’re here. Just like old times.” Diem squeezes Arek’s shoulder.
Diem turns to the men and women and whistles. Unexpectedly they kneel to me—their eyes falling to the leaf-covered ground. After a few moments they raise their fist to their chest and pound three times.
With my eyes, I beg Arek to save me, but he only grins. “You’re The One, my love.”
Two men in black coats, their faces masked from the cold, come into view once the crowd returns to their feet. It doesn’t take long to recognize Mak’s gait coming my way.
I smile and touch his covered face, “You’re here.”
Mak reaches up and pulls the cover from his mouth and nose. “I had nowhere else to be.”
“All right, let’s go!” Arek yells.
We hustle at a quick pace, turning my lungs into hot coals. I bite my lip and push through.
After an hour, Diem pulls out his phone to show Arek and Kilon a map. “Here’s the boundaries of the Bryer, and here’s the place he’s set up.” He shows a small dot on the screen. “We found it a few days ago. I think he’s been here for many years. They have everything they need—computers, internet—it seems they’re building. It’s hard to get in and it’s hard to get out. Let’s split up. Half this way and half that way.”
Arek nods.
Every one of my party remains by my side as we trek through the forest a bit longer. Finally, we reach a hill where Arek points ahead. “There it is.”
On the mountain just ahead stands a massive dilapidated stone structure, a castle—old, but impressive. I recognize it from the one we viewed in Leigh’s office.
“Just a bit farther,” Arek says with a sideways glance.
The heat in my cheeks declares how out of shape I am as my mouth clams up for water.
We move through the quiet forest as if we are alone. Arek is silent. The others are silent. The swish of plants and trees being pushed out of the way is the loudest sound. To my right, Geo helps Beckah over the stumps of the giant arolla pines. Sassi and Kilon are not far. Peter walks with his fellow Protectors. Mak stays just ahead of me, his gun and knives tethered to his back, stamped with his home’s emblem.
Arek’s eyes never stop roaming, searching for anything unusual. It is far more than his size that makes him seem intimidating and dangerous; it is his constant awareness. I have never seen someone so sentient of everything around him.
“What are you looking for?”
He glances at me, almost like I have woken him from a deep sleep.
“I’m listening.”
“What can you hear? Anything?”
“Not yet.”
“Is that water?” I hear a rumble in the distance.
He listens more intently, then smiles. “You’re coming back.”
“I don’t know about that. I just have good ears.”
“The best ears of any Epheme couldn’t have heard that.”
My mind wanders for a moment. “You were there for more than thirty years watching me and I didn’t know.”
“You saw me once.” He grins.
“I did?”
“Yeah. Your first year in college. I passed by you and you looked up at me like you knew me.”
“But I didn’t.”
“No. But I got to pretend for a moment.”
