The Forbidden Trilogy (44 page)

The Seeker chuckled. "I blocked you so that you would
listen to me as a human being. I wanted you to look into my eyes as we talked,
and assess at a basic human level if you could trust me. We are still people,
you and I, and we deserve the courtesy of simple human interactions. You can
feel what is right and wrong without your powers. We tend to rely too much on
our extraordinary gifts, and not enough on our most remarkably ordinary
talents."

The candle by the bedside flickered out and left them in
darkness. Lucy reached over, lit a match, and the candle came to life once
again.

The Seeker continued. "I can see that this is hard for
you. If it makes you feel better, I will drop my protection and you can test
me."

Lucy perked up at this. She'd gotten better at trusting her
instincts, but with so many lives on the line, she'd much rather have her power
to help her.

"First, I shall lie. Hmm... what shall my lie be? I
have only three toes on one foot and one of the toes knows how to sing and
dance to Irish limericks."

Lucy smirked. "I didn't expect you to have a sense of
humor."

"Yes, people seldom do. I have unexpected depths, you
know. All right, I assume you felt the lie in that, as I do not, in fact, have
limerick-singing toes."

"Yes, I felt it."

The Seeker then repeated everything he had said about
wanting to help her and Luke, about his care for Sam and Drake and his sadness
about the recent tragedies.

"I have arranged a memorial for the boy who was killed.
I know you dislike Mr. Black, but his job is to keep all of you safe, and he is
good at what he does. As for you and your brother, there is no assignment. You
are free to go back to your dorm, but I would recommend checking in at the
hospital to get some medication. You'll likely need it. I've enjoyed your
company, Lucy. I hope you will consider all of this carefully."

Moments later a guard came and escorted Lucy out of the
building. The Seeker actually let her go, and gave her a lot to think about in
the process. Could it be that Darren was right when he refused to join the
Freedom Fighters? Were they safer here than anywhere else?

On her way back to the dorm, the warmth of Lucy's sphere
washed over her. Her thoughts spun, conflicted and confused. If there were
organizations bent on destroying her kind, would they even be safe if they
escaped, or would she be leading these kids from bad to worse? They'd have no
money, no identification, no resources, and no way to protect themselves. Then
what would they do? Where would they go?

The honey-and-wine voice of the Seeker filled her veins,
pulsing through her like a second heartbeat, enticing her and drawing her
closer—but another, darker power kept her from succumbing.

She pulled the sphere out and clutched it, letting the cool
metal ease the feverish state of her body.

The Seeker was good, but not as good as he thought.

Drake crouched in the dark Montana wilderness and rubbed his
hands to keep warm. Sam shivered beside him despite the many layers he'd
insisted she wear. This part of the country had skipped fall altogether and
gone straight to winter. An early snow dusted the land around them and
enveloped them in the kind of silence only the cold could usher in.

Sam held up the drawing she'd made from her dream. Her teeth
chattered as she spoke. "There are guards by the front gate, and guards in
and around each building. The Seeker is likely located in what was once the
main office. We need to get in and find him."

"I have a plan for that." Drake knew she wouldn't
like it, but he could see no other way. "We take control of the guards'
minds and pretend to be prisoners. They'll take us directly to the
Seeker."

Sam didn't reply, but Drake could practically hear her mind
as she tried to think of any solution other than mind control.

"It's better than fighting our way through," he
reminded her.

She flinched and pulled away from him.

His heart sank. It was bad enough that she would never
forgive him for beating that man, but he had to battle his own self-loathing as
well. He would do anything to protect his family—even if that condemned him in
the eyes of the one he loved most—but it did little to ease his conscience.

"Sam, we won't hurt them. We need a way in, and this is
the easiest and safest way for all."

"What if they're like the men who came after us, and we
can't use our powers on them?"

"I'm going on the assumption that the Seeker can't
control everyone all the time. It made sense he would protect the minds of
those he sent after us, but he probably doesn't waste energy on every guard here.
It's a risk we have to take."

Sam stood and stretched. Each day her stomach grew, the baby
inside getting stronger and bigger. Drake caressed and kissed her belly before
he rose to lead them into danger.

Dressed all in black, they blended into the night, but they
couldn't silence the crunch of snow underfoot, no matter how stealthy they
were.

Before they exposed themselves, Drake and Sam linked minds
and took control of the two men on patrol.

Drake commanded them mentally.
'When we walk up to you,
take us through the gates safely and show us to your leader, the one called
Seeker. Alert no one else to our presence. Deflect any inquiry about us. Act as
though we're captured, but defend us with your lives if it comes to that.'

The compulsion waned with the last statement as Drake felt
Sam pull away, repulsed by the thought that these men might die for them.

They maintained their mental control and approached the
guards. Drake stepped in front of Sam, to protect her if things went wrong.

The guards' glazed eyes stared at him, offering no
resistance. Without waiting for further commands, they led Drake and Sam
through the electrified gates and onto the school grounds. This early in the
morning, few staff or students were up and about. They walked to the main office
without conflict or question.

Uneasiness stirred in Drake. He'd hoped for easy, but this
was
too
easy.

The guards guided them to a white door and turned to leave.
Drake mentally stopped the guard closest to him and compelled him to give up
his gun.

"Drake, what are you doing? We don't need guns. We
aren't killing anyone."

'I'm not taking any chances, Sam. If we can't use powers
on this guy, then bullets will have to do.'

With gun in hand, Drake turned the knob on the door. While
still connected mentally to Sam, he sensed her scan the room. They found no
trace of another mind.

The darkness temporarily blinded them. Drake felt Sam reach
for his hand.
"Something doesn't feel right."

A flick of a match startled them both. The soft illumination
of a candle revealed the Seeker, dressed in a flowing white robe, with long,
pale hair, sitting in a chair. His translucent skin and fragile body reminded
Drake of a vampire.

The Seeker smiled at them and lit a few more candles.
"You will have to forgive the low lighting. My eyes have become very
sensitive as of late, and anything more than candlelight is simply
intolerable."

Sam stepped forward from behind Drake. Her voice didn't
quaver at all as she addressed their enemy. "You're the Seeker,
then?"

"Of course. And you are Sam, and Drake. I cannot tell
you how long I have been waiting to meet you both. You have no idea what this
means to me, to have us all three here together. You have proven very clever at
evading my men, and quite deadly, though they deserved it. They were never
meant to harm you, only bring you in. No matter, the easiest solution was
simply to lure you here of your own volition. And you have arrived just in
time. This is so lovely."

He rose and glided with unnatural grace to light more
candles around the room. A loveseat sat across from the Seeker's chair.
"Please, sit. Let us discuss matters of great importance."

Sam sat on the edge of the couch, so Drake sat next to her,
poised to attack at the smallest hint of provocation.

Sam cleared her throat. "We aren't here to talk. We're
here to rescue our friends and all the other kids you're holding prisoner. And
you're going to help us."

"Honestly, Sam, I am offended by the use of that word,
'rescue.' It implies such vulgarities. This is a place of safety and learning,
a place where children with extraordinary powers can learn to use their gifts
without fear. I cannot let them into the world where they would pose a threat
to others, as well as themselves—not yet, anyway. It would be the epitome of
irresponsibility to do so."

Drake aimed his gun at the Seeker. "We're not giving
you a choice in this, freak. You will help us, or you will die."

The Seeker laughed and dismissed Drake as if he were a
misbehaving child.

"Come forward, my pet. Let us show your friends who has
the power here."

Drake turned in confusion as a woman walked out of the
shadows.

Sam gasped. "Mary? What are you doing here?"

Mary didn't answer. Her lifeless eyes and stiff body seemed
poised for another command, but held no free will.

Sam had told Drake about Mary, and he'd harbored little
sympathy for the bully who had made her life miserable.

Sam's rage erupted. "What the hell have you done to
her, you bastard? Release her right now. You're hurting her. Her mind—I can
feel your powers eating it away."

Curious, Drake allowed his power to seek out her mind, but
the pain became too much and he pulled back.

The Seeker frowned slightly. "I thought you would be
pleased. After all, is this not the girl who tormented you throughout high
school? Now she will never harm you again."

Drake and Sam linked together and reached for the Seeker's
mind, but they hit an impenetrable wall.

"Your powers will not work on me. And now, your powers
will not work at all."

Drake's heart pounded against his chest. He reached for
Sam's mind, but found nothing. He couldn't compel or seek the mind of anyone.
One look at Sam proved she had lost her powers as well.

Drake stood and cocked his gun. The Seeker nodded, and Mary
cat-walked over to Drake. Heat exploded in his body, every muscle and nerve
ending crackling with awareness. The room zeroed in on Mary, her smell and heat
and the expectation of her touch.

"No! I won't be seduced by you." Drake turned the
gun toward Mary, but Sam kicked it out of his hand.

Tears clogged up her throat. "You can't kill her. She's
only acting on his command."

Drake gaped at Sam, shocked that she'd just disarmed him of
the one weapon they had against the Seeker. Rage exploded in him. He pushed
Mary out of the way and charged at the Seeker, bent on beating him until he
could never hurt another soul again.

Before he could move two feet, the Seeker tore through his
mind until all Drake could experience was pain.

Never-ending pain.

The nurse handed Lucy a bottle of pills. "Take one
every four to five hours as needed for pain. Come back in if you notice any
puss or infection forming around the wound, or if the pain spikes suddenly or
the stitches tear. Do you have any questions?"

Lucy shook her head. "No. Thanks."

She stuck the pills in her backpack and brushed her finger
against the metallic sphere. The gentle thrum of energy filled her and eased
the pain in her shoulder better than any medication could.

At least a dozen students filled the waiting room as Lucy
made her way to the front door. Most of them had sought treatment for some kind
of injury after a run-in with the guards from the night before. Lucy reflected
on her conversation with the Seeker and wanted to talk to Luke about it. While
the Seeker's rhetoric made sense, the reality was less convincing.

Before Lucy reached the door, Mr. Black entered alongside a
young girl on a stretcher. He held her disfigured hand with such gentleness
that Lucy had to follow him to learn more.

After all, know thine enemy is a basic tenant of the art
of war, is it not?

Mr. Black spoke to a doctor. "I need her closer to me
in these final stages. The other hospital said she might not last more than a
few weeks. You have to buy her some time."

"We can make no guarantees. I've never seen anyone
recover from such severe degeneration."

"Just keep her alive for as long as you can, okay?
She's all I have, and I won't give up my little girl without a fight."

The knowledge that Mr. Black had a daughter startled Lucy.
Of course he had parents—did they know what evil they'd spawned—but a wife and
child? That required empathy, compassion, and some capacity to love, none of
which Mr. Black seemed to possess. Yet this young girl, with her beautiful and
disfigured form, argued otherwise.

As if she didn't have enough conflicting thoughts, now she
had to factor in a human Mr. Black, one who hadn't been spewed out of hell—a
demon in human form.

The doors to the private clinic swung closed, and Mr. Black
and his daughter disappeared.

Lucy left the hospital and immediately ran into Luke and
Gary.

Luke embraced her in a gentle bear hug that avoided her
shoulder and arm, which hung in a sling for protection. At least it was her
left arm. "I'm so glad you're okay. How did you escape the Seeker?"

"He let me go. He wasn't that bad, actually."

Both guys looked at her like goldfish with their mouths
agape.

"Don't look at me like that. You weren't there. I'm
just saying there's a lot we don't know about what's going on."

Gary swatted the air as if to make her words go away.
"I don't care about any of that. We have to get out of here. Now's the
time to try again. We can get out, no problem, as long as the Seeker isn't
around to block our powers. If we move fast, we're free."