Chapter 14 #12
They both burst out laughing at that, eventually, they climbed out of bed, dressed, and headed down the hall to the main room.
Everyone was already gathered, Corey and Davina whispering to each other, Barnaby fiddling with a data pad, Mandy and Mary setting out breakfast while Erin sat on the floor.
It was one of those rare, gentle mornings. The smell of food lingered in the air, laughter echoing through the walls.
Then the Bell Blooms chimed.
At first it was faint, a soft series of notes like wind chimes in a storm. Then it grew louder and faster. Everyone froze.
Barnaby grabbed his tablet and swiped to the camera feed. “Driveway,” he said quickly. “Three figures, two armed, one unarmed.”
Corey and Byron exchanged a look, already moving. “We’ll check it out,” Corey said.
“I think not,” Lucy interrupted, her tone leaving no room for argument. “I’m coming too.”
Neither of them could say no. They all knew it wasn’t safe, but Lucy was not someone you left behind.
The trio made their way down the gravel path toward the gates. The forest was unnervingly still, not even the birds daring to make a sound.
A man stood waiting beyond the iron fence, flanked by two soldiers in tactical gear. His posture was relaxed, but there was something predatory in the way he watched them approach.
Lucy stopped a few paces from the gate. “Hello. How can we help you?”
The man smiled politely. “My name is Benedict. I believe a few of your friends were near one of our properties a few nights ago. I just wanted to have a friendly chat and maybe see what exactly it was you were looking for.”
Lucy smiled back, all charm. “You must be mistaken. We haven’t spoken before.” She glanced at Corey and Byron, feigning confusion.
Benedict’s grin widened, the kind that didn’t reach his eyes. “Oh, I don’t think I’m mistaken.”
“How many of you are there in that house?” he asked casually.
Lucy tilted her head. “Just us three. Why?”
Benedict’s smile sharpened. “Interesting. Because I was told there were you three… and about twenty-seven others.”
Lucy’s stomach dropped. She kept her expression neutral but mind-linked immediately.
Byron. Corey. How the hell does he know that?
Byron’s voice came back tight, focused. He’s not here to talk. Get ready to move.
Benedict’s tone changed, too soft, too knowing. “Tell me, Lucy, do you have powers? It is Lucy, isn’t it?”
Byron’s voice came through again. Get back to the house. Now. He’s playing with us. There’s at least two hundred of them surrounding the outer perimeter. They know everything, where the wards are, where the bombs are...
Before he could finish, a thunderous explosion ripped through the air. The ground shook beneath their feet. Smoke rose from the east side of the property, it was the first of Damian’s traps detonated.
Benedict didn’t even flinch. He laughed. “Don’t worry about my men. We knew where your toys were. We simply set them off ourselves.”
He took a step closer to the gate, hands clasped behind his back like a man on a stroll. “Now then, are you going to let me in… or do we have to play this silly game of cat and mouse?”
Lucy straightened, her expression cold. “I’ll never be the mouse.”
Byron grabbed her arm just as Corey barked, “Move!”
They turned and ran, gravel scattering beneath their boots as they sprinted back toward the manor. Behind them, Benedict’s laughter carried through the morning air, it was cruel, and certain.
The front doors slammed open so hard they rattled the frame.
Lucy, Byron, and Corey stumbled inside, breathless. The air in the manor felt heavier than before it was thick with fear and energy.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Lucy screamed, pacing across the floor. “There’s too many! Everyone’s in danger!”
The others had already gathered. They had never seen Lucy like this.
Mary crossed the room, took hold of Lucy’s shoulders, and pulled her still. “You have always been the calm one,” she said firmly. “Today is not the day to get lost in your head. Stop. Think.”
Another explosion rocked the ground beneath them, the sound tearing through the air. Dust drifted from the ceiling.
Mary’s voice rose over the ringing in their ears. “Focus, Lucy! Focus!”
Lucy gathered herself together, even though right now, at this point in time, she also wanted to hide and retreat like she did all those years ago, but too many people relied on her so she couldn't let them down. “Davina!” she barked.
Davina answered instantly. “Yes?”
“Build up the growth at the front gates, and the entire estate. Make it impossible for them to move in easily.”
“You got it.” Davina closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. When she opened them again, they were black as ink. The air hummed. She didn’t move her body, she didn’t need to. The ground itself obeyed her call.
Outside, the earth trembled. Thick vines burst from the soil, wrapping around each other in a chaotic weave. Thorns the size of daggers tore upward, dripping venom. The vegetation slithered like living serpents, twisting and coiling in defiance of gravity.
The sound was deafening with the low hiss of roots moving like beasts beneath the surface.
When the tremors stilled, Corey exhaled slowly, still watching the windows. “Holy hell,” he whispered. “Remind me never to get on her bad side.”
“How long will it take them to get through that?” Lucy asked.
Davina’s voice was calm, though her breathing was uneven. “A few hours, maybe days. Depends on what they brought with them. But unless they came with chainsaws and a death wish, they’re not getting in fast.”
Mary knelt beside Erin, who was clutching her colouring book tight. “Come on, little one,” she murmured. “We’ll wait in the other room. This is no place for you right now.”
Erin nodded silently, her body trembling. Mary took her hand and led her out just as another distant blast echoed through the walls.
Corey slammed his hand down on the table. “How the fuck did they know everything? The bombs, the wards, the numbers—someone told them.”
The silence that followed was heavy. Lucy’s gaze snapped across the room and locked onto Michael.
“It was you,” she said. Her voice was ice.
Michael froze. “Lucy—”
“It was you!” She was across the table before anyone could stop her, moving faster than the human eye could track. The air rippled around her as she grabbed his shirt and hauled him from the chair. Her eyes glowed brighter than they ever had they were burning with fury.
“How do they know?” Her voice came out distorted, layered with power. “TELL ME EVERYTHING!”
Michael tried to fight it, his body trembling as he resisted the pull of her command.
“SPEAK NOW!” she screamed.
The force hit him like a shockwave. His breath hitched, and the words began to pour out of him uncontrollably.
He spoke of the blood-red snow. Of his family and friends dying in front of him. Of being taken by the Lucent, taught that he and others like him were dirty, impure, and born to be erased. He spoke through tears, his voice cracking as years of suppressed memory tumbled free.
“When I connected to you, Lucy,” he sobbed, “I felt that same pull I used to feel as a child. Something inside me remembered. I didn’t know what to do. I was supposed to spy, to send word… but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to. I just—”
Mandy started crying quietly. She too remembered the blood-red snow before. She remembered the same stories, the same fear. She felt it again now through him it was the connection of those who had survived the same beginning.
Michael’s voice broke. “I’m so stuck. Between what I was taught and what I know now. I’m scared of them, Lucy. I’m terrified.”
Lucy’s anger faded, replaced by something deeper. Pity and understanding.
Without thinking instincts kicked in, she placed her hands on either side of his face. A rush of energy filled the room. Her eyes brightened again, not with rage this time, but with pure intentions.
She dove into his memories.
Images flooded her mind, a storm of noise and colour. She saw his childhood, his laughter, the small moments of joy buried under years of cruelty. She saw the day he was taken, the cold white rooms, the conditioning. And she began to weave.
Every good memory she found, she strengthened. Every bad one, she blanketed with light, her energy was reshaping and reframing them. She whispered into the darkest corners of his mind:
They are the enemy. Remember who you are.
She said it aloud as she worked, her voice echoing through the manor. “Remember who you are!”
Michael’s body shook. His eyes rolled back, breath ragged. The lights flickered overhead. Byron took a half-step forward but didn’t intervene. No one did. No one dared.
When the surge finally stopped, Lucy fell backward, the energy leaving her all at once.
“Lucy!” Byron caught her before she hit the ground. “Shit. Not now. This is the worst possible time to lose your abilities.”
Her voice came weak but clear. “We were under attack inside these walls too.” She drew a shaky breath. “It was important… to help him. To get him back.”
She reached a trembling hand toward him. “Help me up.”
Byron lifted her gently, but her strength was gone. He guided her to the couch while the others hovered in stunned silence.
Michael sat on the floor where she’d left him, his face buried in his hands. Mandy knelt beside him, tears still falling.
He looked up at her, eyes swollen from crying. “What have I done?” he whispered.
Mandy shook her head. “It’s not your fault, Michael. You were a child. You were conditioned. You survived what most couldn’t.” Her voice softened. “If anything, I’m sorry you went through that. But you’re not alone now. You’re part of a family, our family.”
Lucy lifted her head from the couch, her voice faint. “Michael, while I rest, tell Corey everything you know.”
Michael nodded, still shaking.
“Byron,” Lucy murmured, “help me to the sofa. I really need to sleep.”
Byron carried her there without a word. Davina appeared at his side, "I know a tea that might help,” she said gently.
Byron nodded. “Please.”
Davina hurried off to the kitchen as Byron knelt beside Lucy, brushing a strand of hair from her face. She was already half asleep, exhaustion pulling her under.
Outside, the forest hissed. The sound of vines tightening echoed faintly through the walls. The siege had only just begun.