Chapter 26
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C yan turned to face Terk. “Can you scan his energy?”
He turned those magnetic eyes her way, a smile playing on his lips. “I already have, and absolutely another energy is there, which is why I’m still in this abstract form. Normally it’s not an issue, but anyone coming in through the Beacon with an unknown variable is not allowed. So…”
She nodded. “I can sense it now. This parasitic energy. It’s now awake… and angry. Maybe even afraid.” Turning to Terk, she asked, “Can you sense the emotions coming from this entity?”
“I can, and that’s part of the problem. It doesn’t want eyes turned its way.
It’s been happy in the background, but now it’s been pulled from where it’s been hiding.
So, instead of acting in the background, sorting out what’s happening, Brent’s trying to take control of the situation and of course can’t. Not fully. At least not yet.”
She turned shocked eyes his way. “He couldn’t do that, could he?” she muttered. She rubbed her forehead and asked, “Can you help Steele?”
“We need to trigger that piggyback energy in such a way that Steele can recognize it as something different from his own energy,” Terk suggested. “You are far too attached if you are asking me things you already know too well.”
Cyan nodded. “Yeah, maybe I am, but I’m asking because you can be more objective about it. Do you know an easy way to trigger?”
He shook his head. “No, not particularly.”
She winced. “Of course not. That would be way too simple.”
He chuckled. “I have faith that Steele can do this. He just knows that it needs to be done before he can come inside.”
“Right. And has everybody else had to do this?”
“No. This appears to be… a brand-new stipulation.”
“ Great ,” she muttered. “A brand-new stipulation by an untested entity.”
“I wouldn’t call the Beacon an entity,” he cautioned her.
“What would you call it? It’s taking over an energy field, expanding it, creating realities, and making rules on its own.”
“No, it’s not making the rules. I made the rules. It’s following through on them to ensure that the rules are followed the way they were supposed to be.”
She stared at him for a long moment, shook her head, and muttered, “That’s a hell of a delineation of right and wrong.”
“I know,” Terk said, “and I get it. You don’t like it. But I’m really not interested in opening up to energies that don’t have our best interests at heart.”
She heard something in his tone and noted, “I gather you have a really good reason for this.”
He gave her a broad smile and then nodded.
“Of course you do. I’m sorry,” she muttered, not able to hide her frustration. “And that means things are a whole lot rougher than we expected.”
“They were, but they won’t be again,” he responded. “In theory, as soon as we clear Steele’s energy, all of this will go away and will be fine.”
“I would like to think so,” she grumbled, turning her worried gaze to the door where Steele had disappeared.
“Go after him if you want,” Terk suggested. “Just be careful because, depending on who’s in control—”
“I know,” she interrupted, “but so far Steele has treated me very well.”
“And he will continue to do so”—Terk’s smile was sad but with no sign of give in his expression—“until that parasitic energy forces him to change his ways. But Steele can do whatever he wants, until Brent’s energy refuses to allow him that choice.
The problem is, Brent’s energy, like the Beacon’s, can grow, can eventually take down Steele—and you.
On the other hand, Steele removing Brent’s hook can also take down Steele—and you.
Either way, Steele must face his past,” Terk stated. “And he’ll have to take back control.”
“In that case,” she replied, “let me go see if I can trigger this damn thing.” Stopping at the doorway, she looked back at Terk and asked, “Is anybody here to help us,… should we need it?”
“Of course,” he declared immediately, “always, with the caveat that none of us can come into the space you’re in.” He smiled and added, “I’m working on the Beacon, sorting out a few more things, because we absolutely need to come help you two.”
“And are you happy with the Beacon having this life of its own?”
He smiled and then nodded. “Considering what I can see in Steele’s energy right now, yes.”
“Understood,” she stated.
Then she opened the door and stepped outside but saw absolutely no sign of Steele.
He was gone.