Chapter 3
?
T he world shimmered around Steele. It was late morning, but a darkness had settled in, as if the thick woods blocked all the sunlight from shining in.
Yet the energetic crackle that he had never heard before filled the atmosphere all around him.
The things going on in these woods made the hair rise on the back of his neck, and yet he was still fascinated.
How many more things could he learn from energy, about energy? He thought he’d seen everything, and yet, according to this, he’d barely seen anything. Had Terk created this as a warning system, or was this a locked door that somebody suddenly realized they knew the combination for?
It wasn’t just the two of them here because he felt as if he were inside a crystal ball, with many sets of eyes staring at him, studying him and his actions.
The place hummed with energy, radiating power like he had never seen before.
He felt the whole world had eyes on Terk’s little corner, as if to ask, Hey, what’s going on there? We haven’t seen this before.
Or maybe it was just paranoia.
He moved closer, gaining at least twenty feet, then stopped and slipped into the shadows again. Something was odd about the energy ahead of him,… and then he smiled.
Feminine energy.
That was something he didn’t see much of.
It was not unusual for women to have energy-working abilities, but it was rare that they would be out in the dark woods, searching for trouble.
Yet here she was. The fact that she was doing something with this energy, creating a doorway, both intrigued and alarmed him.
Did anybody know she was here? Did Terk care that she was outside his place, literally gate-crashing, so to speak? Or was this a test?
He frowned. If there was anything he hated, it was somebody in his world doubting his abilities, pushing him to prove that he could do what he proclaimed he could do, which was why he never spoke of his gift .
If they wanted to keep pushing, they would find out the hard way, and it wouldn’t be anything they wanted to see.
He shifted to see the energy shimmer from a different angle. He watched in amazement as it seemed like the woods lit up with a warm glow from the inside. Of course it would be a warm glow, since feminine energy had a nurturing element to it.
There was something so procreative, healthy, and stable about it. It was also fascinating because the energy itself had a warm tinge, a luminescence, like caring . It was as if she knew where she was, who was behind that wall, and looking forward to seeing them.
His eyebrows shot up as he understood the truth to that.
She was welcome here.
And, with that understanding, he watched as she opened a gate in front of her.
Suddenly a shift came, and then a ripple shifted across the forest itself. He felt it like a scrape, his skin rippling in reaction to the movement. Very strange, yet not hard to deal with, not upsetting. Something inside him was happy to feel this, to acknowledge this.
He could see her energy—indescribably soft, delicate, yet also strong—and, given what she had just done, comfortable in this world.
A voice, ever-so-soft, whispered, “Hey, if you’re coming, get moving. I’m closing this gate soon.” With that, she suddenly disappeared in front of him.
Swearing under his breath, he moved up to where she was, only to have the energy wall close in front of him.
He reached out a hand, searching, seeking, and felt the electrical energy almost instantly rebuff him. He stepped back. He could open it, he knew, but why would it be closed to him? He needed to figure that out first.
He glanced at it sideways, nothing obvious to see, and yet he felt it, he sensed it. Something was different here.
He stopped, shifting back deeper into the shadows.
Across the hills, Steele noted the sun rising higher on the horizon, his mind buzzing with what he’d seen. It didn’t mean that she was in the castle. It just meant that she was closer, one step closer, as she had gotten through one of the defenses.
Curious. Interesting. Frustrating. Why would he care to be part of that?
And why was this Beacon calling to him? That beat,…
a drumbeat deep in his blood and in his soul, a sound that drew him like he’d never heard in his lifetime.
Something was primal about it, an awareness that he couldn’t begin to describe, and yet it was there, pounding, burning deep against his heart.
Looking for answers—and yet knowing there was still a big shortage of such things—he shifted deeper into the forest.
He closed his eyes and opened all his senses, yet all he got was a weird vibrational hum from the invisible wall in front of him. It grew louder and louder, as if knocking out his own sensibilities. Part of Terk’s warning system, no doubt.
As the humming got louder and louder, Steele clapped his hands over his ears. He tried to dim it, and yet there was no dimming this screaming monster.
It just kept driving through his brain.
Finally he shut off his senses, still only managing to muffle it. He curled up in a ball at the base of this tree, his hands still over his ears, trying hard to suppress the pounding. It took him some time to finally calm down and to close off somewhat, enough that he could function.
Just as he thought that maybe it would be okay, a voice filtered through his mind.
Who are you, and why are you here?
Before he could respond, a blow took him down and out.
*
Terk jolted to his feet, his boot hitting the leg of the massive dining room table with the suddenness of his movement.
Damon froze, his fork on its way to his mouth. “Terk?”
Terk shifted his gaze from one face to another along the long table.
Not everyone was here. Several of the women were in their apartments with the babies, but Celia was here with his twin sons.
Her gaze was intent but questioning. She hadn’t felt it, and, from the looks on the faces of the others, they hadn’t either.
Terk turned his gaze inward. Beacon? Was that you?
No.
Terk sat down slowly . If not you, then who?
Someone in the woods. Something is off.
Go slowly but assess the situation. Let me know what is going on.
Energy flaring. Energy attacking. Fear.
Someone is afraid?
Yes and no.
He winced at the ambiguity, but that was the problem with programming an entity like the Beacon. You got answers, but that didn’t mean they were understandable.
The air suddenly lightened.
Beacon, complete a diagnostic. I want to know who is involved and what went on.
There was attack, but it’s hard to get details.
Try.
Okay .
That hum in Terk’s head rose, meaning the Beacon was focused on its job and no longer focused on him.
Such an odd sense to realize he’d been shut out by his own creation. Terk could force his way back in, but that wasn’t the point. At this moment in time, the Beacon had left the conversation, akin to someone hanging up on Terk during a phone call.
“Terk?” Calum asked.
He looked over at his team and smiled. “Something happened. The Beacon is investigating.”
Calum rolled his eyes. “That should be interesting.”
Terk nodded and left it at that.