Kairos (17 page)

Several days fly by as I begin my training. It’s intense, but in order for me to be a part of the team this is a necessary evil, and strangely enough, I’m really looking forward to kicking some ass.

Kayla has left on some urgent mission with Josie and Miles. Although I’ll miss Josie and her much quieter other half, I’m not the least bit sad to see Kayla leave.

Thad is teaching me martial arts, and let me say it now: The man is a master when it comes to moving his body. He flows like liquid through the air, and he can twist and contort in ways that I didn’t even know were physically possible. He’s also turning out to be a rather cool guy. His cool facade has warmed a bit. He’s even speaking in full paragraphs to me now. Every now and then I catch him smiling at something I’ve said or done. I think he’s amused by me but tries very hard to hide it. Who wouldn’t be amused by me? Jackie Chan I am not! When I try to replicate his moves, I look like Big Bird on an acid trip. Even though I am really fit now and have been hitting the gym like it’s my new religion, my body aches in places I didn’t even know existed.

Thad is relentlessly proficient in his teachings. After almost a week, I’m beginning to catch on. My kicks are stronger and more precise. My punches aren’t flimsy and awkward. My evasive maneuvers have earned me a raised brow from him a time or two. Also, I believe I even saw a hint of pride yesterday when I performed a roundhouse kick with perfection. It wasn’t lightning quick like his, but I did get some major air.

“No, Sully, you have to twist at the hip. Like this.” He moves to the left to avoid my strike. “Let your body lead and your mind follow.”

I burst out laughing. “Yes, Yoda. Learn I must the ways of your teachings.” I put my hands together and bow to him. When I rise back up, I expect to see something resembling a smile, but Thad is scowling at me.

“This isn’t a bloody joke. If you’re going to dismiss everything I say, then just sod off already. I don’t have time for your games. It’s life or death out there.” His eyes are narrowed, mouth drawn tight with anger as he points to the window and the outside world. “The barrier weakens even as we speak. Thousands will die within the first hour of the breach. Do you think that’s funny too?”

I swallow the lump of thick air building in my throat and the tears that threaten to spill from my bulging eyes. I refuse to break. I clear my throat to regain my voice.

“No, I don’t think this is a game, and I’m sorry if you think I do. I didn’t mean any disrespect, Thad.” I look up at him pleadingly, hoping to break the tension between us. He gives a curt nod and then strides out of the room.

I’m left there in this huge training room feeling like a shell that’s been cracked, with my insides slowly leaking out. I haven’t seen any action since I’ve been here; maybe that’s why this just doesn’t seem as serious as they’re telling me it is. Maybe I just need to see it with my own eyes in order for it to sink in. With that thought in mind, I make my way to find Logan.

As I’m stomping up the stairs, I hear someone call out to me, “Tough day at the office, sweets?” Triston is carrying a plate loaded with food. He speaks with his mouth partially full of a sandwich that’s missing a huge bite.

“Not now, Triston. I have to find Logan. Do you know where he is?”

“Nah, haven’t seen him since I kicked his ass this morning. It was fucking epic. You should have seen the look on his face. I’m telling you…”

I cut him off. “Not now, Triston. I need to find him.”

He swallows the food in his mouth and nods. “Check the pool house. He usually swims off the soreness after we spar.” Then he turns and heads toward the dining hall.

The pool house…why didn’t I think of that after Thad kicked my ass all over the training room? I turn around and jog back down the steps and out the front door.

The pool house is a huge house that features the pool, sauna, ice tub, and hot tub for us to use during our leisure time. I run as fast as my legs will take me to the house with the glass roof. I can hear music blaring as I approach the door and turn the handle. When I step through the door, the humidity and smell of chlorine rob me of my first breath. It takes a little getting used to after breathing the crisp Scottish air I’ve become accustomed to.

The pool is Olympic size, and Logan is swimming through it like his life depends on it. He reaches the wall, flips over underwater, and pushes off in the opposite direction. He has a swim cap and goggles on, and he’s currently using the breaststroke to slice through the water like a propeller.

I sit down and take off my tennis shoes, then put my feet in the water, and watch him move toward me. Deftones is blaring in the background, but I can’t hear a single word. I’m completely captivated watching his muscles flex as he parts the water with his hands and his shoulders flex with the force he exerts to push the wake out to the side and then back behind him. Swimming really is a beautiful sport if you pay close attention to the mechanics involved.

Logan reaches the wall and grips the ledge between my legs to hold himself up. He pulls his swim cap and goggles off and tosses them beside me.

“What’s up, love?” He looks at me questioningly. I look down at him and watch the water trail down his angular jaw and drip back down into the water. I reach a finger out to catch a drop before it falls off of his chin and bring it to my mouth. His eyes narrow and his mouth opens as I wrap my tongue around it and suck it from my finger. He sucks in a deep breath and moves his hands to my thighs to hold himself up. His wet fingers soak through my yoga shorts and onto my flesh, and I swear it sizzles from the heat between us.

I clear my throat and pull my finger from my mouth. We’re getting distracted, and I need to maintain my train of thought. Logan pouts a little as I lean back and put my hands behind me to brace myself.

“So I came out here to discuss something with you.”

The playful look he had fades away and is replaced with a look that’s all business. He moves over and pulls himself up and out of the pool and then walks over to the towel rack and dries off. I hop up and follow him as he takes a seat on one of the pool chairs. I sit next to him and begin with my line of questioning as he finishes toweling off and turns his full attention on me.

“Okay, so…Thad and I had an argument a little while ago. Okay, maybe it was more like a minor disagreement.” Logan nods and tells me to go on. “He thinks I’m not taking my training seriously, and I think he’s right.” His eyebrows draw together in thought and a little V forms between them. “Logan, I need to see what I’m up against. I need you to take me on a mission. It just doesn’t seem real without seeing it with my own eyes. I think it’ll sink in then. What do you think?”

“I think you’ve lost your damn mind. There’s no way I’m taking you on a patrol when you can’t even wield a sword properly. It’s ridiculous. Furthermore, I don’t think that’s what Thad had in mind either. He wants to prepare you for things you can’t possibly imagine, but I understand how that would be difficult when you’re having trouble coming to terms with what’s real and what’s not.” He pulls my hands into his and holds them over his legs. “Trust me, Sulwen. I’ll expose you to a little bit at a time. I don’t want to overwhelm you.” His thumbs swirl on the sides of my hands in gentle circles. His eyes are a vibrant mossy green today with tiny flecks of amber. They get that way when he’s excited or has been working out.

“I need to see it. I need to hear it. Quit protecting me, Logan. This is my battle as much as it is yours. I’m not asking you to turn me loose, but I don’t even know what it is I’m supposed to fight against. What are you doing when you go out on your missions? Who are you fighting?”

He pulls his hands from mine, sits back in his chair, and stares up at the glass ceiling and the darkening sky beyond.

“The barrier is weak right now, and occasionally things get through. Actually, lots of things have come through over the last sixty years or so. But the worst are what already existed here. Humans. There are groups of extremists that serve an overlord. We don’t know who he is, but we figured out how he communicates with them.” He looks over at me to see if I’m following. I nod and gesture for him to go on. He turns back and stares out at the sky again. “There are crystal balls called seeing stones. We think a warlock made them, and they somehow made their way across the barrier and into our realm. Anyway, this group of fanatics thinks their overlord is the one and only true deity. They worship him as if he were a religion. You wouldn’t believe the lengths they go to in order to serve him. They’ve slaughtered women and children in hopes to extinguish your lineage. There are other family lines that can be used to strengthen the barrier but none as powerful as yours. Our missions involve tracking down these seeing stones and destroying them. We also have to protect the few druids left in order to preserve the rituals at Samhain and Beltane.”

“So these seeing stones—how does their overlord communicate through them?”

“We’ve managed to get information from a few captives. Don’t ask the means used to do this. Trust me; you don’t want to know. Anyhow, we’re told that he uses the stones to send messages to his followers.”

“He? How do you know it’s a man?”

“One of the hostages rambled on and on for hours about how his lord and master would ravish our women and slaughter our sons for this was his holy land and we mortals were his subjects. He means to subjugate mankind to his will. That’s something the Templar Knights cannot allow. We are sworn to protect the innocent, and we’ll all die trying if it comes to that.” He releases a weary sigh.

“What do you see on your missions?”

“Everything and anything and sometimes nothing at all. I’ve fought against vampires, warlocks, mages, and humans. Some of the others have seen more. For instance, Duncan—he’s seen it all. Our most common foe is greed. These beings are driven mad with it. The thirst for power and greed for possession of another. I think that’s the most difficult of all our adversaries. Mankind is weak compared to these creatures. We’re like fish in a bowl waiting to be plucked up, and they are only too eager to do the plucking.”

Logan gets up and then picks me up. He lays the chair back into recline and pulls me into his side as we lie down. His warm body is like my personal electric blanket as I curl into him. His long fingers run up and down the length of my exposed arm with a tender caress. I release a heavy breath and relax into the moment.

We sit in silence for what seems like hours until Logan finally gets up and extends his hand to me. I take it and rise from my seat and follow him back to the house under the blanket of stars glistening in the midnight sky.

Another important part of my training, and so far the most intense, has been with Duncan. He’s teaching me about the history that mankind has been protected from. I’m learning of evil that knows no bounds and no mercy. Duncan says that it will take me two months of training before I’m ready to begin my first mission. This news both excites and scares me.

As I learn about this deadly war, which has waged for thousands of years, a widespread fear, sometimes paralyzing, courses through my body. This isn’t child’s play. My role is significant and at times completely overwhelming, but I’m learning to cope. Along with his teachings, Duncan has begun to tutor me in the benefits of meditation and the principle of internal healing. It gives a whole new meaning to mind over matter.

“How is your training coming along?” he asks as he motions for me to follow him into his meditation room.

“I’m sore all over, and I feel like I’m never going to get the hang of this.” My tone is a bit whiny and drawn out, but I’m beat, physically and mentally. Thad kicked my ass all over the training room today. When I would strike, he would block, when I would block, he would catch my feet and body slam me into the mat.

I follow Duncan to a mat and take a seat. There’s a rock in the corner with a constant water flow that lends a relaxing vibe. Duncan lights some candles and incense. At first I think it’s a little cliché, but then he takes a seat next to me, cross-legged, and closes his eyes. He begins to whisper a chant. The candles flicker, and I feel a presence enter the room with us. It isn’t like another human has stepped into the room—more like something sentient.

I close my eyes and begin to chant along with him once I realize the chant is repetitive. The more I chant, the more a total sense of calm and ease enters my body. I feel a rush of warmth enter my being. Tiny fissures of heat dance inside my skin and tingle from the inside out. My aches slowly dissipate, and the burning pain in my muscles soothingly flows from my pores. It’s like having a warm tide wash in and gently sweep out with all my worries and discomfort as it recedes. With a sigh of contented relief, I open my eyes to find Duncan staring back at me.

There is something familiar in his eyes as he studies me. I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s slightly unnerving. A sense of déjà vu. Like I’ve been here with him before, even though I know I haven’t. He cocks his head to the left a bit and drinks in the sight of me. I quickly look down at my knotted fingers, nervously twisting them in my lap to avoid his gaze. Duncan and I have moments like this frequently. He will go into a sort of trance-like state and just stare at me like he’s trying to piece together an important puzzle but is missing too many pieces. It’s hard to explain, but it reminds me of when my father and I would be working a jigsaw puzzle and he would hold a piece of it in his hand and stare at the picture on the box, trying to figure out where it went. Well, that’s how Duncan looks now. Like he’s trying to place me but can’t quite figure out where.