wrath of the Sea Queen (24 page)

"
No.  I don't see anything out of the ordinary.  Are you sure you're ok?
  Maybe you have been out in the sun too long.
"

"
I'm all right, but if this is what I think it is, and you cannot see it, then it might be best if you wait at the other end of the dock,
"
Vin suggested, as he began to recognize the shape the light was
forming
before him
,
vaguely manlike with a
hint of wings swept up behind.

Ben complied
with Vin's request
and walked quickly to the other end of the dock
.  H
e s
e
t all of his fishing equipment down and stood vigil to make sure Vin was not in
any
danger.  Vin continued to watch the light approach an
d assume the form of a being he
ha
d
met a few times before.  The winds at the end of the dock became steady though not strong.  The fact that this specific being
stood before him
confirmed Vin's
initial intuition
. 
It
had
, indeed,
been
C
a
eli that
Vin
heard.
  S
omething
wa
s wrong
!

"
Urim
, w
hat happened to her?  I heard
C
a
eli
call
,
"
Vin greeted the angel who
had
helped protect C
a
eli during their ordeal six months ago.

"
Brother
Eyvindr, she need
s
your strength. 
The
plane
ha
s
crash
ed
,
and her gift is
already
drawing attention.  Under the
unusual
circumstances, and in her current condition, her gift could be very dangerous for her. 
S
he has nobody to teach her as you did.  Her aunt is also in need.  The publicity of her
work
with
one of the
bloodline
s
has
gained
the attention of some
unsavory
people.  She is
one of
the reason
s
their plane
w
as targeted
.  She, too, is in danger.  Take your friend
; h
elp them,
"
Urim explained as he indicated Ben waiting off in the distance.  The light was already beginning to dissipate as he spoke the last words.  Vin
understood
how difficult it was for angels to cross the barrier, but he needed more information.

"
Urim wait
, please
.  Where
can we find the
plane?  What gift?  What condition?  How can we help?
"
  Vin asked urgently.

"
I refer to
C
a
eli's gift
.  It
is very strong
, but untamed
, as yours once was
.  H
er affinity,
as you might guess
, is for water. 
You will know how to help when it is time. 
You must leave now if you are to reach them in time. 
Beyond that, I cannot say.
"

Urim's image completely
dissipated
.  Vin
knew
that Urim
did
everything he could, though he wondered if Urim
actually
spoke
to
C
a
eli
to give her the same forewarning
.  Setting that question aside, Vin instinctively
wanted
to reach her as soon as possible.  He turned and ran up the dock, drawing Ben after him as they sprinted for the house without saying a word.

Once inside, Vin explain
ed
to Ben what Urim told him and ma
d
e arrangements for their immediate departure.  Since Vin's duffle bag was still packed from their arrival earlier that day, he
grabbed his laptop and
used the Internet to book their flight while Ben hurriedly packed a travel bag for himself.  Not more than fifteen minutes later, they were in Ben's jeep and on their way back to the
same
airport they visited earlier that morning.  It was
late
-
afternoon by the time they reached town, and traffic was starting to pick up with folks out for Sunday
evening
dinners and church services
.  Thankfully,
with
Ben
behind the wheel
and
taking advantage of
his
traffic knowledge from
years patrolling as a cop, he
made use of
a lot of the less traveled back roads and avoid
ed
most of the busier streets.

Ben sounded the police siren and flashed the lights, something he
ha
d
never
before
done
for personal reasons.  This allowed them to travel
much
faster than normal.  Even so, it still took them a record breaking hour and forty five minutes to drive from the mountain retreat into
the city
to reach the airport on the opposite end of town.  Vin tried to remind Ben that it would
be fruitless
to
arrive early
since
their flight would not leave until eight o'clock that evening
;
no earlier flights
being
available.  Ben insisted that he might be able to do something about that.  Vin, being as worried about C
a
eli as Ben was about Salma,
had
no inclin
ation
to
debate
the matter
with him
.

When they arrived, Ben once again took advantage of his law enforcement status
allowing him
to park in a secluded area
,
en
ter the
secluded
terminal
,
and check in through a private security checkpoint.  It was all accomplished
in a matter of minutes, and Ben
anxiously look
ed
around.

"
What are you looking for?
"
  Vin asked.

"
If there
is a storm brewing
, there might be a
National
Guard
or
Coast Guard
unit heading out
for relief efforts
.  If we haven't missed them, we can probably catch a ride.  Keep an eye out and see if you can locate them while I go make a few inquiries.  I'll be right back.
"
 

Ben dropped his bag at Vin's feet, hung his badge from his shirt pocket, and headed down a
restricted
hallway.  As Ben disappeared around a corner, Vin thought this must be one of the reasons why Urim told him to bring Ben along, not that he
ever
considered leaving him behind.  But
,
it was certainly handy travel
ing
with someone who could pull
a few
strings.

About ten minutes later, Ben reappeared and motioned for Vin to join him.  Vin grabbed the
ir
bags and
trotted
down the hall.  As he neared, Ben reached out to take his bag and explain the situation
as they headed down a second
corridor
.

"
I was able to get us a ride with the
National
Guard
unit leaving in fifteen minutes.  If you want to cancel those tickets you purchased earlier, you can do so from the
kiosk
t
here,
"
Ben said, gesturing toward a white pedestal in front of them.  They stopped
and
Vin quickly cancel
led their tickets.

"
Ok.  That's done.  Now what?
"

"
Right
outside the end of this hall is our ride.  It
i
s not exactly a luxury jet, but
being
a new model
and the
fast
est of its type,
it will take us
nonstop
to Hawaii
.  These guys were already s
cheduled to help with the storm evacuation
and
clean up. 
They are trying to get there before the storm hits the island and before air traffic is grounded.  Th
is
works out very nicely for us. 
We
wi
ll get there
several hours
faster
, but
it may not be quick
enough.  Even at this plane's top speed, it will still take at least
four
hours, and it is already
f
ive
o'clock
. 
I hope help
reaches
them sooner or that they can hold on until we
get th
e
re
.
"