Chapter 14 #7
“Mary, can you get Michael something to eat?” she said, her tone clipped, almost cold. “Mandy, catch him up on everything.” She mind linked; not everything! Mandy nodded
Her eyes lingered on Michael for a second too long, searching for something she could not yet name.
“I’m exhausted. I need to sleep.”
Sleep was not escape. It was containment.
If she stayed, she was not sure what she might do.
Lucy lay down and closed her eyes. Sleep took her without negotiation.
As she drifted to sleep, she entered a field which was bright, wide and impossible. Lucy knew immediately this was a dream. A woman stood in the distance, waiting.
Lucy walked towards her.
“Hi,” the woman said when Lucy was near enough.
“Am I dreaming?” Lucy asked.
“Yes and no,” the woman said. “This is my ability. I can project. I’m the one they have locked up.” She lifted her chin, and her mouth softened. “I am Gloriana.”
The name landed in Lucy’s chest like a stone dropped into a well “I have so many questions, how did you find me?” Glorianna smiled “The more connections you built, the more connected to you I felt” “How are you so calm?” Lucy asked.
“Because this is where I stay,” Gloriana said simply.
“I visit places. But it’s safer for me here than where they keep my body.
” Glorianna showed her visions of her body and where she lay.
“If I was awake the pain and torment they have probably put me through all these years would have driven me insane, Staying where they cannot get me was the best choice, however I cannot hold out for much longer, I used most of my energy to get to you”
Lucy’s throat tightened. “I’m going to rescue you.”
“I know you will,” Gloriana replied. “In time. But for now, it’s time to wake up and train. You don’t have long before they arrive. Get everyone in order. And when you overcome this, then plan to get me.”
“Who is ‘they’?” Lucy asked.
“I don't know, the ones who took me, the ones who have been looking for connections to me” Gloriana said softly. “They are coming Lucy, and you need to be prepared.”
Lucy reached for her, but her fingers met air. “I promise,” she said.
Gloriana’s eyes warmed. “Good,” she said. “Go.”
The field folded. “Byron, wake up,” Lucy said sharply, standing at the foot of the bed.
He sat up instantly, eyes narrowing in the half-dark. “What’s wrong?”
“Gather everyone in the main room. Now.”
There was something in her tone that made him move without question. Within ten minutes the manor was awake, reluctantly. It was just after five a.m., that cold hour before dawn when the air still felt half asleep.
One by one they shuffled into the main room; Lucy paced in front of the fire. The others could tell from the tightness in her steps that this was serious.
Byron leaned against the wall. “Everyone is here”
She stopped pacing.
“I had a dream,” she began. “At least, I thought it was a dream. But it wasn’t. I met someone, Gloriana. She’s the fifth.”
That got their attention. Barnaby nearly dropped his mug.
Lucy continued, “Her gift is astral projection. She lives in the astral plane, she can move between worlds, but her body’s being kept in that fucking hell hold.
She confirmed she’s the one that they have locked up and she needs help.
” She looked around the room. “But that’s not all.
The people hunting us? They’re coming. She didn’t say when, only that it’s soon.
Could be a week, could be a few days. We just need to get our shit together before they arrive. ”
A heavy silence followed. The only sound was the faint tick of the clock.
Corey straightened, his leadership instinct kicking in. “Right, you heard her.” His voice was rough but steady. “Yes, it’s early, and yes, you all look like death, but I don’t expect you to be jumping to it yet. Get washed, eat something, then get ready. It’s going to be a shit couple of days.”
He started pacing, giving out orders like a sergeant who’d had too much coffee.
“Mandy, Davina, I need you to thicken the woodland around the manor. Secure it as much as possible Use whatever you can. We don’t want anyone strolling in here uninvited. Make it’s dense, make it nasty.”
Mandy nodded, already thinking ahead.
“Barnaby,” Corey turned to him, “surveillance. Cameras, sensors, anything that blinks. Also, help Damian plant some defensive charges around the perimeter.”
Barnaby grinned sleepily. “Explosives and tech? That’s my love language.”
“Try not to blow yourself up,” Corey shot back. “Damian, tell Ethan to ready the Doves. We might need recon fast.”
“On it,” Damian said, already moving toward the door.
Corey looked around the room again. “Everyone else, train or support. I don’t care what you do, just be useful.”
Nick, who’d been slouched in a chair half-asleep, smirked. “That’s where we come in, Mary.” His tone was that familiar mix of monotone sarcasm and quiet amusement.
Mary’s eyes flicked toward him, unimpressed. “Try not to get in the way.”
Nick grinned wider. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Byron rubbed his jaw. “All right. You heard the man. Let’s move.”
Chairs scraped back, half-empty mugs were set down, and everyone began drifting out to prepare. The lazy air of early morning had vanished; the manor buzzed with quiet purpose.
“Davina, can we have a quick chat?” Corey called before she reached the door.
She turned, curious. “Sure.”
When the others had gone, Corey folded his arms. “I’d like to spend some time with you, training. You need to learn how to fight.”
Davina blinked, amused. “To fight?” She laughed softly. “I’m Fae, Corey. Who said I couldn’t fight?”
He raised an eyebrow. She tilted her head, eyes narrowing playfully, she raised her hand and beckoned him to come, when he didn't move, she asked, “Is the little baby scared?”
Corey chuckled. “You really want to go there?”
She rolled her shoulders and raised her fists in mock seriousness. “Come on then.”
He grinned and stepped forward, taking a half stance. The first few exchanges were light, testing and playful. She deflected each hit easily; her movements were fluid and precise
“Not bad,” Corey said between breaths. “But you’re leaving your left side open.”
She smirked.
He threw another punch; she ducked under it and tapped his chest. “Too slow.”
He picked up speed. The air in the room shifted, punches, dodges, laughter bouncing off the walls. Finally, one of his jabs connected, grazing her arm.
“Ouch!” she yelped, clutching it dramatically.
Corey’s expression changed immediately. “Shit, sorry!” He rushed forward. “Did I—”
“Fooled you!” Davina yelled, sweeping his legs, she laughed triumphant, right until he caught her wrist and yanked her down with him.
They landed in a heap, breathless and tangled. For a second, neither moved. Her curls brushed his face. His hands still held her waist where instinct had grabbed her mid-fall.
Their eyes met. The world shrank to the space between them.
“I think I’m in love with you,” Corey said, dazed but smiling.
Davina smirked. “Does that mean I can start sharing a bed with you? I don’t want to be on my own anymore.”
He coughed, blushing just enough to ruin his composure. “Yes, of course. I’d love nothing more than to have you in my bed.”
She laughed, standing slowly and brushing off her clothes. “I bet you would.”
As she reached the door, she paused, glancing back over her shoulder. “I love you too, Corey.”
Then she was gone, the sound of her laughter echoing down the hall.
Corey lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, trying to remember how breathing worked.
A shadow leaned over him. Barnaby’s grinning face appeared upside down. “Big bros in love…”
Corey groaned. “Barnaby”
But Barnaby was already sprinting away, yelling down the hall, “Guys! Corey’s gone soft!”
Corey shut his eyes and muttered to himself, “It’s going to be a long day.”
Chapter 12
Mandy and Erin were already dressed and waiting by the door when Davina came down the stairs. Erin was holding Mandy’s hand, her curls bouncing as she hopped on one foot.
Mandy smiled faintly. “It’s time for you two to put your abilities to use. Since Erin’s still young, you’ll need to take the lead, Davina.”
Davina hesitated. “It’s been a long time since I used my powers like that,” she admitted.
“You’ll be fine,” Mandy said gently. “The forest will listen to you. It always does.”
They stepped out into the crisp morning air. The sky was pale with early light, the kind that still carried a chill. Together, they walked toward the forest that bordered the manor grounds.
Mandy stopped at the treeline and turned to them. “Be patient,” she said. “I’m placing wards as far out as I can. Once they’re up, you can take over.”
She closed her eyes. When they opened again, her left eye glowed a deep, solid Violet. Erin gasped softly. Davina stood still, watching as the energy around Mandy began to ripple it was faint at first, then stronger, a visible current that pulsed outward into the trees.
Mandy’s mind stretched far beyond what her body could see. Her energy threaded through the soil, climbed tree trunks, wove around roots and stones. She was riding the current, mapping every inch of the forest with her mind.
Inside the manor, Lucy’s mind split mid-spar with Byron. A sharp hum ran through her chest. She could feel Mandy’s energy moving through the land. It pulled at her instincts like a magnetic thread.
Without thinking, Lucy extended her own power.
and a wave of her energy surged outward, twining with Mandy’s wards.
The strange thing was, she didn’t lose focus.
She could feel her body still moving through the motions of training, blocking Byron’s next hit, shifting her weight while part of her mind soared alongside Mandy’s in the forest.
Two places at once, she thought. How beautiful.