Evie's Knight (22 page)

Calvin set the necklace on the counter. The electric sensation made the hair on his arms stand, caused a shudder to ripple through his body. He studied the tall, empty glass, mindfully willing it to come his way. Focusing, telling, commanding.

He barely caught sight of the light reflected along the rim as it sped toward him in a transparent blur. He opened his hand just in time and thrilled in the hollow, thudding sound it made when he caught it.

“What the hell?” Parker blurted. “Let me try.”

Calvin inspected the glass, recalling the way it had lifted off its base and rushed toward him, obeying his silent command. He heard Parker grunt and looked over to see him squinting, eyes focused on something across the room.

“You can’t do it,” Fiona said. “Calvin can move objects. You can move yourself, by teleporting. Your abilities are different in that way.”

“Wait. I didn’t know I could teleport,” Parker said.

Fiona walked out of the kitchen, answering over her shoulder. “Later.”

Parker continued to ramble as the new details swam in Calvin’s head. Abilities? Teleport? Fiona had used the words so easily, as if they were normal. He had just summoned an object from across the room, and it had come. There was nothing normal about it. “How did these come on so quickly?” he asked. “Our abilities, I mean.”

She pulled the front door open. “Your abilities took root the moment I approached you at the bar. Except your visions, but they’re different from your physical gifts,” she said. “We’ve got to get going. Calvin, you drive.”

Calvin reached for his keys. “Hey, whatever we’re doing, it’ll have to wait until I see Evie. She’s probably furious with me.”

Fiona shook her head. “Sorry, but you’ll have to settle for a phone call. We can’t waste any more time.” She motioned for them to step through the open door. “Let’s go.”

Chapter Twenty-five

Four o’clock in the morning? Evie slid her bare feet deeper into the sheets, reached for a cool spot as she read his text once more–the one that had come at four a.m. 

Short. Apologetic. Vague.

“What the crap was he doing that whole time?” She eyed the clock–just before six. Too early to call; it wasn’t even light out yet. Sleep deprivation was kicking in hard, but she was dying to talk to him. Hear the details from beginning to end.

Just as she closed her eyes, a low thud rumbled her window. She sat up straight, tilted her head toward the noise. The sound came again. A tapping on the glass. She blinked, staring at the dark shades of grey beyond the glass as a silhouette gradually slipped into view.

“Calvin.” She rushed to her window, pinched the cold, metal clasp, and shoved the stubborn pane until it budged open. “Hey, go around to the back door and I’ll let you in.”

“I can’t stay. I just wanted to come see you before I drop Parker home. I had to tell you how sorry I am about last night.”

“You have Parker out there? What happened?”

“I’ll tell you tonight. Are you still going to Idaho with your dad today?”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to. I’d rather stay here with you. Especially now.”

“No. Go with your dad. I’m just going to be sleeping all day anyway. I’ll call you tonight.” He came to a stand.

“Wait.” She wanted to bring him inside, wrap her arms around him and revel in the fact that he was alive and well. Worry had nearly consumed her over the last eight hours. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I’ve been sick thinking about you.”

“I’ve been thinking about you, too. Sorry I made you worry. It was just... there was too much going on. I’ll explain later.” He squatted down and pressed his palm against the mesh screen. “Bye, Evie.”

She pressed her palm to his, wanting to take his hand in hers, bring it to her lips. “See you tonight.” He stood, and then disappeared in the shadows.

***

Calvin steered the Jeep into a shady spot off the winding canyon road. The tremendous rush of the fast-flowing river greeted him as he stepped onto the dirt. Crisp scents of pine and sage tossed in the rushing wind.

“Follow me.” As if she had some map in her head, Fiona forged right through a small break in a cluster of frost-covered sage.

Parker looked at Calvin and whispered under his breath. “This chick is nuts.”

Calvin shrugged and followed along. Twigs snapped and crunched beneath his shoes as he trailed behind, no hints of a worn path in sight. Parker trudged after him, making no effort to speak. Calvin was glad; it felt too early for words.

Daylight’s timid glow had changed the view of the land, taken it from deep shades of black and grey, to lighter tones of blue. Yet the scents and sounds offered familiar comfort. The canyon shared his secret, and the grounds felt different now, sacred. 

“What are we looking for?” Parker sounded out of breath already.

“A vortex,” Fiona hollered.

“A what?”

“A vortex. It’s a porthole that will lead us into … well, we call it The Loft, but it’s sort of a world between worlds, like an alternate realm. It serves several different purposes, but for you guys, it’ll be nothing more than a training camp.” She kept her back to them while she spoke, but allowed for a quick glance over her shoulder. “We need to get you guys ready, and this is the perfect place for that.”

The mention of an alternate world sparked Calvin’s interest, but his mind was too beat to conjure an image of what it might look like. Still, he wondered how it might better serve them than the world they were in now. And what would the porthole look like?

The massive mountains stood as an endless wall alongside, which led him to believe the porthole would be some sort of cave entrance. Most likely the alternate realm would be nestled within a cave, maybe deep into the mountain’s base.

Just as that thought settled comfortably into Calvin’s mind, Fiona veered away from the mountain and into taller clusters of grass and sage. She looked over her shoulder once more, tucking her red hair behind one ear. “We’re close.” She sped up ahead of them.

Calvin also sped up to keep her in sight, disturbed by her sudden burst of excitement. Tall, woody shrubs towered before him, stubborn to part as he pushed past the crackling limbs. “Are you sure you know where you’re going?”

Parker panted behind him. “She’s probably dragging us out here to shoot us and leave us to get eaten by … whatever the hell’s out here.”

When she didn’t deny it, a flash of paranoia flickered through Calvin’s mind. He sighed once she stopped and began circling in place, eyeing the small clearing around her.

“Right here.” She motioned for them to get closer. “Do you guys feel that?”

With Parker trailing behind, Calvin trudged through one final patch of high weeds and onto the flattened dirt next to Fiona. He shrugged. “Feel what?”

“The difference in the air.” Fiona looked at him expectantly. “This is the vortex. You guys will have to recognize them on your own, so I’ll need you to appreciate the unique feel of it.” She sucked in an exaggerated breath, looking more excited than anyone should look so early in the day. “Can’t you feel that vacuum effect? It’s like a tunnel of motion.”

Calvin shook his head.

Parker stepped up behind him. “Nope. Can’t feel the mystery difference, Fiona. Sorry.”

She raised a brow at him, pointed back to what now looked like a thin, overgrown path. “Then walk over there and come back. Slowly. Pay attention this time. You should feel it as you inhale, a force encouraging the breath, pulling it through your lungs. Try again. Both of you.”

Calvin did as she said, a reluctant Parker at his heels. This time, before Fiona was even in reach, he felt the slightest tug. Not like the wind that blew side to side. This air moved from bottom to top. He approached her slowly, pulling in another deep breath, and smiled when he felt it. Exactly like she said–a vacuum effect.

“I feel it.” As the words escaped his lips, they seemed to get lost in the movement. The exhaled air brushing past his forehead, pulled by hints of suction toward the sky. 

Calvin looked up, nudging Parker with his elbow. “Do you feel that?”

Parker shrugged.

“These vortexes are everywhere, spread amply over the entire planet. The pull only tells us of its presence. It’s your gift to soar that will take you through its gate.” Fiona had gone into fast-mode again, the words rushing from her lips at a rapid pace.

“Our what?” Parker asked.

“Your ability to burst into the sky. We call it the gift to soar. I saw you guys toying around with it last night.” She’d slowed down, but seemed aggravated by the effort it took. “While you’ll most likely find it helpful during battle as well, the main purpose of the gift is to help you access The Loft.”

“Can’t you just call them powers?” Parker asked. “Like super heroes–they have special powers.
Gift
sounds weak.”

“Okay. Powers, Parker. Is that better?”

Parker smiled. “Yep.”

“Wait.” Calvin was still trying to wrap his mind around what Fiona said. “Are you saying this place is … what, in the sky?”

Fiona flashed him a grin. “Exactly. Now come here. Come stand at either side of me.”

“Are you serious? That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.” Parker let out a hyped-up laugh as he strode to stand at her right. Calvin took position at her left.

Fiona looked at each of them in turn. “Okay then. We’re going to soar on the count of three. You ready?”

“Totally,” Parker said.

Calvin nodded, eyes set on the patch of dirt at his feet.

Fiona started the countdown. “One…”

Familiar warmth surged down Calvin’s legs as he squatted into place, pressure brewing at the soles of his feet, prepping him for take off as the countdown continued.

“Two…” Fiona squatted lower to the earth. Calvin did the same, eyeing the clear, blue sky above them. Parker finally joined them by hunching down as well.

“Three!” 

The mounting steam beneath Calvin’s feet launched him into the sky. Wind rushed, strong and certain against his face, had him fighting for the next breath. Like the night before, the air was crisp and cool. Only now, as he shot higher into the sky, the sun shone bright upon him. The healing warmth from the sun’s rays seemed to feed his damaged soul. He welcomed the bright heat, used it to calm the jostled state of his mind.

Just as they passed the snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains – the scene alive with rich depth and texture – a sudden stillness replaced the speeding motion of air. He recognized the weightless moment, the pause that took hold as he reached the height of his skyward journey. This time, the moment seemed to extend, defy even the supernatural law he’d come to know. Still, gravity would take hold soon, and he wanted to check out the view before it did.

The sun graced the far end of the canyon, lighting a view of rich evergreens, frosted sage, and muted tones of brown. 

“We made it,” Fiona whispered.

Calvin blinked, scrutinizing the view below as a strange, hidden matter began to reveal itself. A massive canvas of solid white appeared in a fast-moving ripple beneath them, thick and thorough, hiding all hints of their world below. It seemed as if the material had been there all along and was simply showing itself in a seamless wave of visibility. Soon the clear blue sky was gone as well, replaced by a canopy of stretching white. 

Calvin’s silent moment of awe was cut short when gravity gripped hold, plunged them toward the canvas below. His heart surged into action. 

“We’re going to break through it,” Parker cried, voicing Calvin’s fear as well. The wind hummed in his ears as they dropped, faster and faster toward the mystery material beneath them.

“Impossible,” Fiona hollered over the noise.

Though he couldn’t actually tell where the end was, Calvin braced himself for the landing. Waiting. Flinching. Muscles tightening. “What’s happening?” he shouted.

“We’re about to land,” Fiona said.

Just then, it came. A slight resistance against his feet. The pull of a long, seamless bounce sent the three of them back up into the stillness.

Parker’s arms flailed wildly. “It’s like a trampoline.”

Calvin agreed. He hunched down as he met with the stretchy softness a second time, expecting it to bounce him back into the strange atmosphere around him, but it didn’t. The foreign material only gave way just enough to absorb their weight. Calvin pressed the soles of his shoes into the ever-changing matter as it firmed and hardened under his feet. He smiled. “That was incredible.” He looked down once more, glanced over his body and sucked in a quick breath. When he looked at Fiona and Parker, he gasped again. They were sketched–sketches of silvery lead lines. He took a step to see the drawing of his own leg move forward.

“No way.” He held up his hand, studied the rough lines that made the squared tips of his fingers. They were shaded just enough to give him dimension. He grabbed hold of his shirt next. What was once a rusty shade of brown, was now shades of white and grey–the color of pencil’s lead. And though it looked to be nothing more than a simple sketch, the article of clothing was completely tangible, there within his grasp.

“This is awesome,” Parker said, pulling Calvin from his reverie. He looked over to see Parker admiring his sketched-out denim, complete with the rugged tear over his knee.

“What is this?” Calvin’s voice was nearly lost in the hollow atmosphere.

“Well, Calvin, you’re the creator. It was your subconscious mind that sketched us out this way. Are you an artist?” she ventured.

He nodded.

“Interesting. You know, I really thought I’d seen it all. But this…” She checked out the rendition of her tights, boots, and clothes. “This is a first. You’ve got a fairly accurate memory. This is almost exactly what I was wearing. I have to tell you, most men embellish their physical form in one way or another. They make themselves stronger, more handsome. Many even convert themselves into icons. I’ve seen Superman, Greek Gods, you name it. People inadvertently create who they’d like to be instead of who they are. The first time is always quite revealing.” She paused for air while looking him up and down. “You must be pretty confident, Calvin. Happy with the way you are.”