Chapter 14
River
My suffering for the weekend was not over.
I stood in the sand, wearing a hoodie and sweats because when I was woken up at the crack of dawn and shoved onto a lightning train, no one mentioned we would be in the fucking Gulf before lunch.
Avery spent a good hour of our ride wowing passengers who noticed him. He got out of doing any fun tricks by telling people that the government was watching him.
I’d rolled my eyes so many times, I was surprised they didn’t fall out.
Anyway, now I was in the sand. The weather was balmy and humid and my sweatshirt clung to me while beads of sweat tickled down my back.
The crystal blue water was beautifully clear. I knew it was warmer than the ocean I was used to on the West Coast, but it had to be refreshing.
“We’re getting answers today,” Avery said, narrowing his eyes toward the small cottage just inside the tree line. “We’ll search the whole island if we must.”
“Technically, it’s an atoll,” the Seer said from the literal wagon cage she was locked inside. I had no idea how Avery had hidden that on the train.
Avery froze mid-thought, whirling around to face her. “What?”
“Atoll. This is an atoll. You said island.”
Avery’s eye twitched. “An atoll is an island.”
“Yes, but there are three atolls and nearly twenty-five islands in this island chain. It’s important to specify where we are, which is: the mid-size atoll.”
Avery was so still he could’ve been confused for a statue.
“Holy Crusader?” Someone caught Avery’s attention. He turned to face them, glaring daggers. The man hunched slightly, afraid. “The south end of the island is occupied currently. There’s a group of earth affinates surveying the area.”
“Surveying?” Avery snapped. “Surveying what?”
“This…this island is the site of a mass grave, sir. From the…massacre.”
Avery froze, then turned abruptly, hiding his face from us.
I glanced at the Seer. She shrugged, staring in the direction of the lagoon.
Good thing Gina’s not here, I thought.
Indeed, the Seer replied, surprising me, but not enough for me to react. She tried to wipe this place off this map just a few months ago.
Ah, yes. The visit to the Gulf they’d kept secret from me.
I ran a hand down my face, my shoulders relaxing as I breathed in the salty air. It was warm, but I liked it. The sun was high in the sky without a cloud in sight. No dirty snow on the ground, no fog, no ominous clouds in the distance.
I didn’t want to leave.
I looked toward the next-closest island – the smallest atoll. There was a cute seaside town visible from here, with a nice pier. I could just make out people milling around the different shops and restaurants.
Maybe I could sneak in a visit over there before I had to leave.
Or…maybe I could provoke Avery into leaving me behind. Then I could spend some time hanging out before teleporting back to the compound.
The Seer was muttering somewhat incoherently behind me, but then I decided to listen.
“Lies, all lies. Lies here, lies there. Lies about air, lies about an affair.”
I turned. “Who’s lying?”
“Hmm, yes. He fakes it, you see. Can move freely, but chooses to remain still. He thinks this will save him, but his fate is sealed.”
I blinked at her.
“The specter,” she whispered, pushing against the cage. “He lies. Do you hear me, River?”
Yes, I heard her. I just had no idea what she was talking about, as usual.
“Maelstrom?” Avery called. He jerked his head toward the cottage, and I sighed deeply.
“She’s not coming with us?” I questioned, nodding toward the medieval cage the Seer occupied.
“Trust me dear boy, Vince Shafer would be happy never to see me again,” the Seer said a bit flatly.
I blew out a breath.
“That way, River,” she stared toward the south end of the island before staring directly into the fucking sun. “She waits for you in a tomb of sand. An honest man will bring her forth, though…oh. You’re going to betray someone.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“Oh. You won’t betray them on purpose,” she sighed, then blinked at me. Or…in my direction. “You’re in for some trouble.”
Lovely.
“Maelstrom,” Avery barked at me. “Now.”
I took one final glance at the Seer, then followed Avery before he could order me to do something stupid.
I rubbed my eyes as we made it to the threshold of the cottage. I yawned while Avery kicked in the door. I ran my hands through my hair as Vince Shafer was thrown to the ground, cowering as Avery began to shout.
“I thought we had a deal, Vince,” Avery snarled, advancing as the old man tried to scramble away. “You were supposed to call me when the Phantom came through your testing center. But you didn’t call me, did you?”
“Crusader,” Shafer drawled, though his voice shook. “I was fixing to call you, obviously.”
Avery cocked his head to the side.
“She hid her affinities well, you know. Of course you know, you did the same.” Shafer stuttered even as he backed into his kitchen island, then began to crawl around the side.
“A Tele came through your testing center, and you didn’t call me?!” Avery ground out. “You saw two Tele-based affinities and you didn’t. Call. Me?”
“Whoa, whoa,” Shafer held up his hands. “Two Tele-based affinities? What are you on about?”
“Her affinities,” Avery snapped. “Telekinesis. Telepathy. How could you not have realized who she was?!”
I could practically see the old gears grinding in Shafer’s skull, and I almost scoffed. Of course the old man knew she could teleport. I said a silent prayer to no one that he wouldn’t reveal that fact. I didn’t want to kill him. And I couldn’t kill Avery.
I was pretty sure.
Maybe like…eighty percent sure.
“So she’s strong?” Shafer asked. “Strong enough for a transfer?”
Avery growled like an animal.
I looked around, admiring the old knick knacks displayed in glass cases along the walls. The wallpaper was old and peeling. The flooring looked new, but the furniture was old. It even smelled old in here.
A pot sizzled from the stove, and I wrinkled my nose. That was the source of the smell.
“You tell me,” Avery snapped. “Is she strong enough for a transfer? Will the telekinesis work the same?”
My eyes darted to Shafer, who’d been watching me.
“She seemed strong enough when I met her,” Shafer said, settling to sit back against the kitchen island. “Seemed a little stronger when I saw her at the gala, but I can’t be sure.”
“Stronger? How?” Avery glanced at me. “You told me she may be unconnected.”
Oh, my God.
“She was just some chick I saw at school, how the hell was I supposed to know she was having sex with someone?”
Avery grimaced, looking genuinely stricken while Shafer barely stifled a laugh with a cough.
“I sensed she was connected to at least one of her Links,” Shafer said.
“You could only see one Chain connection?” Avery asked. “You’re positive?”
“I’m not positive of anything,” Shafer replied defensively. “This part of my affinity is largely unstudied. All I can tell you is that affinities can change. They evolve as needed. There’s no telling what any of this could mean.”
There were several seconds of tense silence while Avery considered the old man. I went back to checking out some fancy cookware Shafer had on display above his kitchen cabinets.
“Could a transfer be successful if River were connected?” Avery asked quietly.
My soul almost left my body.
Shafer immediately picked up on my discomfort. “No.”
“No?” Avery repeated, tilting his head again.
I suddenly had the urge to violently rub my eyes. Avery tilted his head back and forth just like Skye.
Skye. The Phantom.
Fuck.
“The transfer doesn’t have so much to do with the strength of his affinity,” Shafer said. “More than likely there needs to be a level of compatibility involved.”
“Compatibility,” Avery said flatly. “You’re suggesting…what? An affinity has to like where it’s going before it moves? That an affinity could be sentient?”
“No,” Shafer shook his head. “Not sentient, but...”
“Why do you keep holding back? You think I’m stupid? I won’t understand?” Avery snapped.
Shafer’s usual disdain showed through his fear for a moment. “No. I don’t think you’ll like what I have to say. I don’t want my neck broken when you throw a fit.”
“I do not throw fits,” Avery hissed.
Shafer rolled his eyes. “Yes, you do. It’s well known.”
My heart leapt as Avery looked to me. I shrugged weakly, barely holding in a nervous laugh. Avery stared at me like he’d never seen me before, then his expression melted, and–
He chuckled.
Avery actually chuckled, which turned into a laugh as he ran his hand down his face.
“Fine, you got me there,” he said with a sigh. “I have no interest in hurting you, Vince. Just tell me what I want to know.”
Shafer gulped, then took a deep breath. “There has to be compatibility,” he said shakily. “I don’t know how else to explain it. If there’s no compatibility, then it’s never going to work. I would venture to say that yes, the affinity has to want to be transferred.”
Avery pinched the bridge of his nose. “How the fuck am I supposed to ensure compatibility?”
“Hell if I know,” Shafer replied. “That’s all I can tell you.”
Avery growled again, then began to pace. A cold sweat drifted down my back.
I hated pacing.
Pacing meant anger. Pacing meant tantrums. Sometimes, pacing meant hail the size of baseballs that could fracture my spine.
I shot a nervous glance through the kitchen windows, relaxing only slightly when I saw nothing but clear blue sky.
“I need more time to think,” Avery muttered. “Vince, you’re coming with us. It’s the least you can do after failing to report the Phantom to me.”
Shafer didn’t speak, clenching his jaw as Avery continued, oblivious.
“Besides,” Avery drawled. “I’ll need your help again. There’s a male affinate out there who can teleport. I need to find him.”