The MORE Trilogy (84 page)

Caleb had his phone out before she’d finished talking. He dialed Gideon and frowned when he got voice mail. “They must still be in the air. I’ll try Tyra.” He waited, watching Ava worriedly as it rang.

She heard Tyra’s curt voice mail message as well. “What are we going to do?” Ava stood up and wiped at the remaining blood on her lip. “Something’s happened. I know it.”

Caleb stood as well, pocketed his phone, and pulled her close. “We can’t do anything from here,” he said. “We need to get to New Elysia.”

“But—”

“We’ll call every time we stop. Think about it, Ava. We have no idea where they are. We can’t go chasing after them until we have more information. And Andreas Petrov has a sensor. He’ll have a better chance of tracking Sophie down than we will, right?”

Ava thought back to the man who had helped Tiernan track Caleb. Tiernan had told her he was gifted. He’d actually never heard of a sensor with such strong abilities.

Ava didn’t like it, but she nodded. “Okay, let’s go.” And as she clung to Caleb, she clenched her eyes shut as they shifted through the miles, thinking only of her promise to Sophie that she’d be safe, that Isaiah would be safe, and she prayed that it hadn’t been a lie.

Chapter 8

The helicopter touched down at the base of the mountain, and Gideon searched the steep incline with a frown. “Sure would have been easier if they would have let us land in the city.”

Tiernan grunted and started up the mountain. “Pretty sure the Council wants to keep your visit under wraps. The head of the Guardians walking into New Elysia? Might draw some attention.”

Gideon couldn’t hold back a grin. “Yeah. I can imagine.”

They took their time, and Gideon wondered if the Protector was apprehensive about everything. Or perhaps, like Gideon, he was simply enjoying these last moments of quiet—of peace—a respite from the insanity, if only for a brief time.

He wondered how Madeleine was handling it all.

I haven’t seen her since . . .

He couldn’t remember, actually.

Too long.

He felt her, the twinge of her power growing stronger with every step he took up the mountain, settling into his bones and relieving the tension in his shoulders. He tried to ignore it. Tried to focus instead on the dirt and rocks beneath his feet, the sunshine overhead, the cool breeze ruffling his hair.

“You okay?” Tiernan asked, shooting a quick look over his shoulder.

The Protector was more perceptive than many suspected, but Gideon didn’t want to talk about his feelings. About Madeleine.

“Fine.”

“Any word from Foster?”

Gideon frowned, irritated that he’d allowed himself to be so distracted, and reached for his phone. “I should check in with him. And the safe houses. Make sure ev—” He stopped mid stride when he saw the number of missed messages from Caleb and cursed under his breath. He didn’t bother listening to the voice mails and was about to dial Caleb directly when the phone vibrated with a call from Tyra. “Everything okay?”

“Not even close.”

Gideon’s skin chilled. “What happened?”

“Attacked by Rogues.” Tyra’s hurried words belied her nerves, even in the face of her military bearing. “They came out of nowhere. A pyro took me out. Davis is . . . he’s dead. We tried to fight, but they had a blank or a stunner . . . I’m not sure. The cryo and her brother—”

“Sophie?”

Tyra heaved a heavy sigh. “She’s alive. At least she was the last time I saw her. They knocked me out—knocked us all out—and when I came to, she and the boy were gone.”

Gideon looked up and could tell from Tiernan’s concentrated frown that he had heard the entire exchange.

They started up the mountain with a greater sense of urgency.

“Any idea where they went? Direction? Anything?”

They picked up the pace, half jogging, half running, and their booted steps echoed on the rocks.

“I don’t know. I don’t—” Tyra let out a groan. “Maybe if we had a tracker, but none of us can pick up a trail of any kind. They might have masked it. I just don’t know.”

“What about the others?”

“Everyone else is all right, except Davis.” Her voice caught. “I stayed with him while Adam and the others continued on to the rendezvous point. They should reach the safe house tonight, but there’s something else you should know.”

Gideon stepped around a large rock. “What is it?”

“The boy—Isaiah? From what I could gather listening in on their conversation, it looks like he’s a telepath, perhaps a bit of an empath as well.”

“Which way?”

“Looks like he can just read, at least for now, but if he’s like Ava, like Emma? Who knows when the block’s completely lifted?”

Gideon groaned quietly.

“Exactly,” Tyra replied.

If Isaiah could plant thoughts and emotions and influence people like Emma? They definitely needed him on their side.

“Well, we’ll just have to get them back,” he said, voice firm despite his own doubts. “Are you . . . can you handle things there?” It was a lot to ask, he knew, but the local authorities would have to be dealt with, as well as Davis’ remains.

“I got this,” she said in a low, resigned voice. “But Gideon?”

“Yeah?”

“When you figure out where they are? I want in.” Her voice was icy, deadly, and Gideon was reminded why Tyra Resick was his second-in-command. She was tough. She was ruthless. She was capable. And she wouldn’t rest until these Rogues were dealt with.

“Got it,” Gideon said and hung up.

The higher they got, the colder the temperature and the bigger the patches of stubborn snow clustered alongside the path interspersed with spring buds and green. They finally rounded a familiar corner and came to a stop at the cloaked gate to New Elysia.

Gideon started forward, but Tiernan stopped him with a hand. “We need to wait.”

He started to argue but swallowed the words. He knew Tiernan was right. They were at the Council’s mercy now and couldn’t risk causing trouble. There was too much at stake. Still, it didn’t keep him from worrying, from pacing back and forth before the invisible barrier, willing someone to emerge.

With barely a shimmer to herald their arrival, Caleb and Ava appeared a few feet away, Ava stumbling a bit as she gained her footing. Caleb sat heavily on a fallen log and reached for the R-cubes in his pocket.

Before Gideon could ask if he was all right, Ava ran unsteadily toward him. “Something’s happened to Sophie!”

Gideon grabbed her by the upper arms, steadying her as she swayed slightly. “I know. I talked to Tyra.”

“You did?” Her eyes were panicked, wide, and searching. “What did she say? What happened?”

“Wait a minute.” Tiernan pushed off the tree he was leaning against and stalked toward them. “You didn’t talk to Tyra?”

“We couldn’t get through,” Caleb said through a mouthful of cubes. “Not to you or her. But Ava . . . Ava felt something happen.”

She waved off their talk with a frustrated exhale. “None of that matters now. What did Tyra say?”

Gideon relayed their conversation in quiet tones, distracted by the idea that Ava might sense something happening to her sister. It was definitely something they’d have to explore when the girl wasn’t frenzied by concern and fear.

“The Rogues,” Ava said, rubbing her hands over her face. “I should have known.”

“How could you?” Tiernan asked.

“We need to find them.”

“I can send a team with a tracker back to the scene,” Gideon said. “Tyra couldn’t find a trail, but maybe—”

“I’ll go,” Tiernan said.

“You should talk to Andreas first.” Ava reached out to touch his arm. “Remember the sensor?”

“The one who helped track Caleb?” Gideon recalled them talking about a powerful sensor who had been able to track Caleb from a hundred miles away. He’d never heard of anything like it.

“We figure he’s our best shot at finding Sophie and Isaiah,” Caleb said, getting to his feet. “As long as he—” Caleb’s gaze tracked over Gideon’s shoulder, and he turned to see the shimmer of someone emerging from the gate—tall, dark-haired, and intimidating.

Rafael Vinci. It had been a while.

“Took you long enough,” Tiernan growled.

“Mind your place, Protector,” Rafe said, but there was no real heat behind his words. The Council member greeted Gideon with a slight bow and a handshake, Caleb with a cheeky grin, and Ava with a look that was equal parts trepidation and begrudging respect. “Never thought I’d see you here again,” he said.

“That makes two of us,” Ava replied.

They followed Rafe through the shimmering warmth of the cloak, walking abreast through the gap in the high, stone wall. The gate clanged shut behind them, and they continued down the red gravel path through the forest.

It hasn’t changed
.

Gideon expected the same could be said of New Elysia in general—of the Council, of the Race as a whole, actually.

Well, things are certainly about to.

He hoped they were all ready for it.

The ping of water dripping through the trees echoed along with their crunching footsteps, and Gideon realized Caleb was telling Rafe about the Rogue attack.

“I believe Madeleine was hoping the girl and her brother would have accompanied you here,” Rafe said pointedly.

Gideon cleared his throat. “This is all new to them,” he said. “I thought it best that they be kept safe until we’d come to some sort of agreement.”

“Well, apparently
safe
is a relative term,” Rafe said, a little acid in his tone.

Gideon stiffened. “That’s out of line.”

“You know what’s out of line?
You
. Coming here for our help, but making it very clear that it has to be on your terms.” Rafe ran his hands through his hair, tugging on the ends. “Look, I’m on your side here, but you’re going to have to come halfway. Show some trust—”

“You don’t think me coming
here
—” Gideon waved his hand to encompass it all—New Elysia, the Council, for all intents and purposes, enemy territory. “Walking into a place where I’ve been known as a
criminal
for decades—you don’t think that’s coming halfway?” His lip curled as the anger twisted in his chest. “You don’t think putting myself in the Council’s hands, hands that have made it very clear they’d like to wrap themselves around my throat, shows enough trust?”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Ava muttered, shoving the two men apart with her mind. “We do not have
time
for this!” She glared at Gideon. “You need to get off your high horse. We need them. You know it. I know it. And they know it.” She pointed at each of them in turn to punctuate her words then turned her fiery eyes on Rafe. “And you need to cut him some slack. You all have been hunting down his people like animals for more than a century. Don’t you think trust is a big step for him? Not to mention Caleb. My God, they were ready to lock him up and throw away the key!”

“They understand now he—”

“That’s great, but he’s hardly in good standing with the Council. None of us are, when you get down to it, so putting ourselves in your hands is about the biggest show of trust we can make. Wouldn’t you agree?” When Rafe’s eyes fell to the ground, Ava threw up her hands. “Let’s move
on
, shall we?” she asked, stalking away without waiting for them to follow.

The men shared a sheepish glance, but it was Tiernan who spoke, clapping Caleb on the shoulder.

“How do you ever get a word in edgewise?” he asked, smirking.

“I heard that!” Ava shouted without looking back. “Let’s go!”

Caleb shoved off Tiernan and shifted to Ava’s side, and the other men hurried to catch up.

All Ava’s irritation melted away when she crested the hill looking down over New Elysia. Glass, metal, and white stone sparkled in the sunlight as the circular city spread out before them, untouched by the mountain’s shadows at this hour. Ava swallowed a choking flood of nerves and . . .

Well, not
fear
. Not really.

She wasn’t
afraid
of the Council, at least not for herself. She was worried, though. Worried about Caleb and Tiernan, Gideon and the Guardians. The refugees.