The Cloud of Darkness (The Ingenairii Series Book 11) (32 page)

And when he returned in the carriage with Kecil's family to their home, very late in the evening, he thought that his duty to the lacerta girl he had rescued was complete, and he was ready to return to the Dominion. He would rejoin Olivia in the governance of the land and reinsert himself into the activities of the ingenairii on the Hill, and he would finally be able to adapt to life going on without Andi in his mind and soul.

The next morning though, all that changed.

He awoke to find a note tacked to his door, and when he opened it he gasped as he read the contents.

Alec,

I'm writing to you for the final time, as plainly as I can.  You've ignored my other notes, cryptic as they were.  I'm begging you to come to my rescue before I am killed. Come back through time to save me from the Michian invasion of Ingenairii Hill. Please my friend, know that your life and mine both depend on this task – if you save me, we will battle the black cloud together. With faith and love, Kinsey

He sat on his bed reading the note over and over, trying to fathom any meaning except the plainly written one. 

Kinsey.  He had thought of the Spiritual ingenaire girl recently, more than once.  She had been a part of his youth, and the two of them had grown close during the Goldenfields-lacertii war, ironically, he thought now.  They'd been part of a squad that had operated far behind enemy lines.   And Kinsey had shared the experience of traveling through time when they'd sought to rescue Imelda and many others during a heated battle.

Kinsey held some inexplicably close bond with Alec.  Without having shared blood or body or spirit, Kinsey had been able to sense Alec's presence with uncanny accuracy.  And he had felt a comfortable trust in her character to be of the highest caliber.

But it was beyond belief that she would in some fashion be able to transmit a note - or apparent series of notes - forward through time. Such a delivery would only be possible if he himself was part of the delivery.

He shook his head unconsciously as he tried to untangle the mysteries woven around the note in his hand.   He unfolded it and looked at it again, then made a decision.

He would go back. To Oyster Bay, at least.

He would go back to his capital and do research.   If he was going to truly go back to the time of the Michian invasion, he wanted to try to understand what had happened during that devastating time, and when and where.

He had been absent from the world in those days, trapped for decades in the energy realm.  He'd only learned of the fall of his capitol when he'd finally reentered the physical world.

There were likely to be some archives or records that would provide clues to the details of how Michian had invaded and attacked Oyster Bay, and they might give him some clue to Kinsey's whereabouts at a time when he could travel back and...

Rescue her.

Would that be all he would do?  Would he find himself placed in a situation where he could fight the Michian invasion, defeat the clans and sorcerers and demons?  Could he go back to the days when Bethany had been young and powerful and on the throne?

He was sweating, he realized.  His heart was racing and he felt flushed.  It was a powerful vision, a dream.

He'd never tried it before.  In prior years, John Mark had made clear that he could not alter the course of history, unless prophecy specifically dictated that it happen.

And yet, here was the note he held.

He left his room and went to the parlor where he found Kecil's parents reliving the glories of their extraordinary daughter's wedding.  He thanked them for their extended hospitality, then announced his intention to depart.

And moments later, he was gone, on his way to study the past and ponder his next move.