Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
The walk back to the Henderson farm felt like the longest hike of my life, even though Ben and I had covered the same ground just a few hours earlier.
Every shadow between the trees seemed to hide a federal agent, every rustle of leaves sounded like pursuit, and the weight of what we’d discovered pressed down on me like a physical force.
My grandmother’s journals had definitely changed the equation. The way a series of electromagnetic disturbances had coincided with the births in my family made me realize this all went much deeper than I’d ever imagined.
I supposed the real question was…would I be able to handle it?
“You’re quiet,” Ben said as we picked our way along the old logging road.
Dusk had fallen, and out here there weren’t any streetlights to guide our way.
Luckily, it wasn’t full dark yet, or we would have been forced to use the flashlight function on our cell phones to avoid tripping and possibly falling.
“Just thinking.” I stepped over a fallen branch, grateful for his steadying hand on my elbow. “I can’t get that last journal entry out of my head.”
“About the electromagnetic instability awakening your abilities?”
I nodded. “What if it’s more than that? What if the portal becoming unstable isn’t just triggering my powers — what if it’s because of my powers?”
At once, Ben frowned, although he was quiet for a moment, obviously considering my words. “You think you’re the one causing the portal instability, and not those carvings in the woods?”
We still didn’t know the true reasons for those carvings, but I thought he had a point.
On the other hand, I was starting to get the feeling that the anonymous vandalism in the forest was just the tip of a very big and scary iceberg.
“I think I might be connected to it in ways we don’t understand yet.
” Part of me didn’t want to go on, wanted to continue to believe this was all someone else’ fault, but the situation was too dire for me to be so casually obtuse.
“I mean, think about it. The electromagnetic disturbances started getting worse around the time my abilities really began to manifest. What if the women in my family aren’t just observers and guardians?
What if we’re necessary to the way the portal functions somehow? ”
It was a terrifying thought, but it explained so much.
Why the unicorn had appeared to my great-great-great-great-grandmother in the first place…
why my family had remained in Silver Hollow generation after generation, even when it would have been easier to leave and move somewhere with a lot more opportunities.
Why my grandmother had been so careful to document everything, and how both she and my mother had been careful to teach me control, even when I didn’t really understand what I was controlling.
“If that’s true,” Ben said, the words coming out slowly, as if he wanted to think each one over before it left his lips, “then leaving Silver Hollow really isn’t an option for you.”
“No, I don’t think it is.” The realization should have felt crushing, but instead, knowing the reality of the situation brought an odd sense of relief. “I think I’m supposed to be here. I think my family has been guarding this place for over a century, and now it’s my turn.”
We reached the narrow trail that would take us back to the Henderson property, and I paused to get my bearings. In the distance, I could see the warm glow of lights from the main farmhouse, a welcome beacon in the deepening darkness, and I pulled in a breath.
Not too far now.
But just as we started down the trail, a strange tingle at the back of my mind made me freeze in place.
“Ben,” I said in an urgent whisper, “someone’s out there.”
He immediately moved closer to me, his hand finding mine in the darkness. “Rosenthal’s goons?”
I closed my eyes and tried to focus on that weird little tickle, the way I’d been attempting to do when my telepathic abilities kicked in. It was getting a little easier to control, to direct my attention instead of just being overwhelmed by random mental noise.
There — just ahead and to the right. A mind focused and alert, with the disciplined mental patterns I’d begun to recognize as military or law enforcement training. But I sensed something else, something that felt like…doubt?
And then I realized who it was.
Before I could say anything, a slim figure stepped out from behind a large oak tree about twenty feet ahead of us. Even in the dim light of that foggy dusk, I could make out the outline of a woman in dark clothing, her hands visible and empty.
“Ms. Lowell? Mr. Sanders?” The voice was calm, professional, but not threatening. “It’s Agent Morse. I need to speak with you.”
While her presence here wasn’t entirely surprising — after all, I knew that Rosenthal must have had her team looking for Ben and me — the way she’d spoken had.
She definitely didn’t sound like someone planning to make an arrest.
“We’re listening,” I replied, although we remained where we stood, Ben clearly understanding that it was better to hang back and see what the FBI agent had to say.
Agent Morse took a careful step forward. Still in that low, calm voice, she said, “Dr. Rosenthal has received authorization for enhanced interrogation protocols. She’s planning to take you both into custody within the next few hours.”
Enhanced interrogation. The euphemism made a chill that had nothing to do with the damp, cold air flow over me. Still, I tried to sound calm as I said, “And you’re telling us this because…?”
“Because I became a federal agent to protect people, not to help the government weaponize things it doesn’t understand.
” Now she sounded worried…and regretful.
Not exactly a combination I would have expected from the coolly efficient woman who’d come into my shop a few days earlier.
“What I saw on the surveillance footage last night…what Dr. Rosenthal is planning to do with that information…it’s not right. ”
I studied her through the darkness, using both my normal senses and the telepathic impressions I was picking up. As far as I could tell, her emotions felt genuine — troubled, conflicted, but sincere. She really was having second thoughts about DAPI’s operation.
“What did you see on the surveillance footage?” Ben asked.
Rebecca Morse was quiet for a moment. “Energy fields around Ms. Lowell that our equipment can barely detect, let alone explain. Dr. Rosenthal thinks you’re some kind of human electromagnetic generator.
She wants to study how you do it, then figure out how to replicate the phenomenon for military applications. ”
Ben’s voice turned dry. “And I assume you have a problem with that?”
“I have a problem with treating a human being like a lab rat.” Morse moved closer, and I could see her face more clearly now. She looked tired, eyes shadowed, mouth tight with all the things she knew she’d never be able to say to her superiors. “Ms. Lowell, can I ask you something?”
I set my hands on my hips. “I suppose that depends on the question.”
“Are you generating those electromagnetic fields intentionally?”
The question hung in the air between us, loaded with implications. The way I answered could determine whether Agent Morse remained an ally…or became another threat.
“Not intentionally,” I said at last. “Not at first. But I’m starting to figure out what’s happening, even though I have no idea how to control it.”
Agent Morse nodded slowly. “I thought so.” She paused before adding, “Dr. Rosenthal doesn’t care whether you’re doing all this on purpose or not. She sees a weapon to be developed, not a person to be protected.”
“So, what are you proposing?” Ben asked. His expression appeared open enough, but it seemed clear to me that he wanted to know exactly what Rebecca Morse had in mind before we promised anything.
Without hesitating, she responded, “I need you to help me sabotage the surveillance data before it can be transmitted to DAPI headquarters. Without that evidence, Dr. Rosenthal’s case for enhanced interrogation falls apart.”
A surge of hope went through me, quickly followed by a flare of suspicion. “What’s the catch?”
Some people might have been offended by the implications of such a question. Agent Morse, on the other hand, only replied calmly, “The catch is that we have to move fast. Dr. Rosenthal has discovered that you’ve left the Henderson farm. She’s mobilizing a full search team to locate you.”
My heart sank. We’d been so careful about sneaking out of the casita and then approaching my house…but clearly not careful enough. “How did she find out?”
“Thermal imaging drone. It detected your exit from the guest house and tracked your movement toward town, although it lost you in the forest.” Agent Morse’s jaw tightened.
“But she still knows you went to your house, and she’s assuming you’ll return to the farm at some point.
She’s positioning teams to intercept you. ”
Ben and I exchanged glances. We were trapped between the forest and the farm, with federal agents closing in from both directions.
“If we help you sabotage the surveillance data,” I said, “what happens after that?”
“I’ll buy you some time,” Agent Morse told me. “Create false reports about equipment failures, media leaks, legal complications…whatever might work. But even all that won’t hold Dr. Rosenthal off indefinitely. She’s determined to get her hands on you.”
“Then we need a more permanent solution,” Ben said. He, too, seemed almost preternaturally calm, but I could sense the tension in his lean body. His hands had half curled into fists where they hung at his sides, as if he was just holding back his fight response.
I could only hope he would continue to maintain control. This was no place for heroics, not with an armed and trained federal agent standing only a few paces away from us.