Eternal Echoes, Emblem of Eternity Trilogy Book 2 (21 page)

My English class ended with a reading assignment I was more than happy to get. I’d take anything to keep my mind off my current situation. I gathered my notebook and pen, throwing them in my backpack, and pulled out a paper I’d folded in half: my schedule. Not my class schedule, oh no. This was the anally organized spreadsheet detailing days, hours, my location, and who was in charge of babysitting me. Alex typed it up. Obviously.

I blew out a slow breath as I checked it over. It looked like Emil would be waiting for me when I walked out of class. I understood Alex and Emil’s concern, I just thought they were both overreacting—which I expected from the former, but not the latter. I stuffed the schedule back into the front pocket of my bag and noticed a pair of black boots stop in front of me. I looked up as I closed the zipper. “Oh, hey, Hutch.”

“Hey!”

I hadn’t seen Hutch and Vicki much, outside of classes, lately—had to keep to Alex’s schedule and all. “How’d you do on your test last week?” I asked. “I was glad it was open-book, but I think that made the test harder.”

“Yeah. Like the professor expects more if we can look the answers up.”

I nodded in agreement.

“So,” Hutch said hesitantly. “There’s a party at my friend’s house this weekend. Vicki and I are going and wondered if you want to come too.”

I looked up, surprised. Hutch noticed. “It’s not far from campus and a lot of people will be there. I think it will be fun.”

I was thrilled at the invitation. I really wanted to go. I rarely got out of the house anymore without Alex or Emil trailing behind me. It couldn’t hurt to ask for more details. “That does sound fun! When is it?”

“This Saturday. It starts at seven, but people will be there all night. Stop by whenever you can.”

I stood and smiled widely. “I’ll see if I can make it! Thanks for inviting me, Hutch. It means a lot.”

“Yeah,” he paused and bit his lip like he was debating whether or not to continue. “You just seem stressed lately. I think it would be fun for you to let go for a night.”

I smiled. He had no idea. “Thanks,” I said, sincerely. Having Jasmine around to talk to again helped, but I still had a lot on my mind. I guess I wasn’t hiding my stress as well as I thought.

He told me where the party was going to be and added, “Hope to see you there,” as he walked away.

I picked my bag up and blew out a breath. Time to meet Emil.

The next few days went by without incident. I worked, went to karate, went to classes, and tried not to be annoyed that my time in the bathroom was the only alone time I was getting anymore. Since no one had attempted to take my soul and we hadn’t seen any shadows lately, I was beginning to think things had calmed down. The Saturday afternoon sun was bright through the big picture window in my living room. The blinds were open, revealing the snow covered front yard and trees hanging heavy with the frozen weight. I was sitting at the table, studying for my History class.

Emil lounged on the couch, one leg on the cushion, the other on the coffee table, giving him a perfect vantage point of me and all the windows and doors on the first floor. He was reading
Gone with the Wind
. I was baffled. I had been since I noticed the title. It was distracting. Dissecting the Revolutionary War was much less interesting than dissecting Emil’s reading preferences.

I chewed on the cap of my pen as I studied him from under my brow; I didn’t want him to notice my leering. I was pretty sure the same things that appealed to me about the book—the sweeping saga of the story, Scarlett’s ruthless independence and passion, and especially the love triangle—wouldn’t appeal to Emil. I’d read it more times than I could count, and always changed my mind about who Scarlett should end up with. There’s once scene in particular with Ashley and Scarlett that gave me goosebumps the first time I read it, and still does.

I finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. I had to find out why he was reading the book. “Out of all my books, that’s the one you chose?” I asked, leaning back in my hard chair. I usually do homework at the kitchen table. The chairs are uncomfortable and it keeps me motivated to get done so I can move somewhere more bum friendly.

Emil hooked a finger between the pages to mark his spot and closed the book, looking at the cover as if he’d forgotten what he’d been reading. “It’s one of my favorites. One of yours, too.”

I nodded, unsurprised he knew that. I frequently got my copy out so I could reread my favorite parts. “I didn’t know you enjoyed epic sagas. I’d pegged you as more of a sci-fi guy.”

He smiled. “I’ll read anything. I don’t really have a preference. I just like good characters and a good story. I do enjoy books set during points of history I’ve lived through, though.”

I thought about that a moment. I hadn’t realized he’d been in the States during the Civil War. I hadn’t thought too much about what he’d done between when I left him as Cassandra and when I met him as Evie. I’d assumed he’d stayed in Europe all that time because, well, who wouldn’t? Living abroad seemed very exotic to me. I wondered where I’d lived the last two hundred and fifty years. Anywhere I was, Alex was surely close by, but had he really spent all his time watching me, or did he have a life outside of being my Protector? He hadn’t mentioned any other lives he’d had to step in and save me, so things must have been calm from Cassandra to Evie. That would have given Alex the chance to explore things he was interested in too.

There were still so many questions about both of them. I knew the flashbacks would give me answers in time, but it was difficult to piece the information together. And who knew how many more flashbacks I’d have?

Asking Alex about my past—or anything really—rarely got me the whole story. He kept the things he didn’t think I could handle to himself. Which annoyed me, and he knew it. Emil was more forthcoming, and would answer any question I asked, but he’d been maintaining his position with the Daevos since I left him as Cassandra. I knew he’d checked in on me from time to time in my past incarnations, but he wasn’t a constant presence in my life like Alex had been. Still, he surely had more information than I did. I was about to ask for details when Alex stormed through the door.

His shoulders were pulled up, tension visible even through his bulky coat, his large hands balled into fists. If that wasn’t enough to clue me into his state of mind, the stomping was a pretty clear indication. He looked from me to Emil, both of our faces stunned with surprise. Alex was an emotional reactor and sometimes a jerk, but he rarely stomped, and even more rarely burst into rooms of houses he didn’t own without knocking. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Alex was having a bit of a tizzy fit.

“Heeey,” I said slowly, grabbing the vase of sterling roses on the table in front of me to steady them. I didn’t need flower water all over my books and notes. I noticed Emil had moved slightly, his feet on the ground, ready to stand up and deal with whatever news Alex had brought. “What’s going on?” I asked.

Alex slammed a paper down on the table. “This.”

I picked it up. It looked like an email, but it was from an address I didn’t recognize in a language—or code, maybe—I didn’t understand. I glanced at Alex. “What is it?”

“It’s the Rebel Protectors’ notice they’re going to war.”

Emil drew in a breath. “That’s a mistake.”

Alex whirled on him. “You think I don’t know that? I’ve been trying to stop it for months.”

“What happened to cause this now?” Emil asked.

Alex scrubbed a hand over his chin. I could hear the stubble from his beard shift as he did it, a sign that he’d been preoccupied. Alex never goes a day without shaving. “Another Tracker was taken last night.”

Emil pressed his lips together. “Do they have proof of who took her or any of the others yet?”

Alex shook his head. “Of course not. But who else would be taking Trackers? It’s a Daevos Clan, we all know it. It’s a matter of figuring out which one, and why.”

Emil ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. “My contacts say the Daevos don’t know who’s doing it, Alex. The Daevos leaders want to find out as much as the Amaranthine and the Rebels. It’s not only the Amaranthine’s Trackers who are being taken. The Daevos Clans are losing them too, and no one’s happy about it.” My eyes widened at that information. I didn’t know Daevos Trackers were being abducted.

Emil continued, “Starting to attack random Daevos Clans isn’t going to help the situation. It will elevate everyone’s emotions on both sides and a lot of innocent souls will be taken. Not to mention that I’m sure the Goddesses haven’t approved this. They’ll be furious. The Daevos won’t be the only ones to lose in this fight. And the Amaranthine can’t afford to lose Protectors—there aren’t enough of you.”

“I know all that,” Alex said through his teeth. He was fighting hard to hold back his anger. “It’s why I’m trying to stop the war, or at least hold off the fighting until we can figure out which Daevos Clan is taking them and target that specific group.”

I couldn’t believe this was really happening. I was sure the Rebels had someone with rational thought in their group somewhere. In fact, I thought I’d met him. “Simon seemed like a passionate guy when he showed up at your house, but he didn’t seem like an idiot. I can’t imagine he’d do something this irrational without proof.”

“War is the definition of irrational,” Alex said.

“When did you meet Simon,” Emil asked. “And what were you doing at Alex’s house?”

Apparently Alex hadn’t mentioned our little after-shadow adventure. Probably best considering what Alex and I had been doing in the car. Emil also seemed annoyed I’d gone to Alex’s house. Maybe Alex and Emil had an agreement they wouldn’t take me to their homes. That seemed weird. It must be some strange man-turf thing. It would answer why we always spent time at my house, though.

“It was five days ago—the night she saw the shadow,” Alex offered in explanation. So he’d at least told Emil that. “Simon came to talk to me but I had to leave in the middle of the conversation to make sure Evie was okay. I had her drive me home.” Alex paused, exchanging a quick glance with me. One that said we were both thinking about the car, but not inclined to make the information public. “Simon and I finished our conversation when I got home. He told me they wouldn’t wait much longer. It seems ‘longer’ is less than a week.”

Emil nodded his head. “What do we do?”

Alex shifted his attention to Emil. His expression made it clear he was about to do something he didn’t want to. “I need your help.” Emil looked back at Alex, his face neutral, waiting for the rest of the request. “The Rebels have agreed to one more meeting with the Amaranthine leaders in a last-ditch effort to get Amaranthine support. I want you to come with me to the meeting. I know you’ve been talking with your Daevos contacts. If you come as a Daevos representative, and tell them what you know—the same things you’ve already told me—it might buy us some time.”

Emil bit his bottom lip, considering the request. “I’m part of the Daevos. They wouldn’t trust me if things were status quo, I highly doubt they’ll trust me now. Do you really think they’ll listen?”

Alex nodded in encouragement. “At this point, the Amaranthine leaders are looking for any information they can get to help keep the Rebels at bay and stop a war. Like you said, both sides will lose if this happens. Souls will be taken; it will be pointless. The chances the Rebels will actually kill the Clan responsible are slim. Unless the Rebels kill every Daevos Clan, the Trackers will still be taken after the war. Having a Daevos member there to represent your side will make a difference. The Rebels have become so single-minded, I think they’ve convinced themselves they’re the only ones being affected. They need to be reminded the Daevos have lost Trackers as well. They need to know you’re also working to find out who could be taking them, and why. I think it might convince the Rebels to hold off on their attack.”

Emil sat back on the couch, his arms resting on his knees as he thought. After a few minutes, he looked at Alex. “I’ll do it.”

“Tonight. In about two hours.”

“All right,” Emil said. “I’ll meet you at your house.” He stood, pulling his keys from his pocket and turned to me. “Be careful tonight, Evie.” I nodded, watching as he walked out the door.

“Yes,” Alex said. “Obviously, I won’t be here either.”

I nodded.

“That means you’ll be alone.” He paused to look at me, like the statement conveyed some sort of secret message I was supposed to get and didn’t. When it became clear the transmission wasn’t received, he continued, “And you won’t leave the house. You’ll keep the doors and windows locked, the blinds closed, the alarm on, and wait for us to come back.”

My mind started churning with an idea. I smiled sweetly. “I’ll just be here studying.” I tapped the book in front of me to emphasize the point.

Alex scrutinized my expression to see if I was being crafty. I made sure wide-eyed innocence played across my face instead. When he was satisfied, he moved to the couch. He noticed the copy of
Gone with the Wind
and snorted. Alex had never been a fan of the book. “I’ll be here for the next two hours.”