Redemption: Alchemy Series Book #4 (24 page)

Sometimes it was so hard to remain professional, but I needed everyone to take this training seriously, even if I was struggling. Who knew, it might save their lives, or someone else's, really soon.

"Now, try and strike me," he said loud enough for the whole room to hear.

I took a swing, knowing what was coming next but forced into a position where I'd have to just ride it out. I swung, knowing that I was doomed to miss.

He caught my arm in a grip that was impossible to move and I was on my back the next second.

"But she's not even half your size," someone called from the group.

"Thank you!" I chimed from the floor underneath Cormac. The group let out a chuckle and Cormac got to his feet, pulling me up with him.

"When the senator arrives, and we go to war, no one is going to match you up according to size. There is a good chance you will be outmatched and outweighed. There is no fair in war." He wiped his hands on his thighs. "I want everyone to spread out and find a partner. Take the same position we just did and try to unseat them."

I latched on to Colleen quickly
, before he decided I should be partnered with him again.

"Yeah, I love you too," Colleen said as I clamped down on her arm.

I pulled her over to a clear spot on the mats. "Top or bottom?"

"Top? I guess?"

We were both fish out of water if we couldn't draw on a little magical juice, which we'd been forbidden to do for this exercise.

"What's going on with you two?" she asked as she got on top of me.

"We're in a bit of a funk."

"It didn't look like a funky place. When you guys were on the floor wrestling, it was pretty freaking hot. You guys must have mad sex."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You aren't having sex?" her jaw was gaping and she was so shocked I used the opportunity to easily flip her over.

A shadow fell over both of us as Cormac came to stand over.

"I need you a minute." He leaned down close to me so as not to be overheard. "The owls are on the roof."

I saw Buzz standing in the doorway, probably the one that had alerted him. I also knew the owls probably wouldn’t speak to Buzz. Not only did they not know him, he wasn't
changed
.

"I'll be up as soon as I'm done," he said as I hopped quickly to my feet.

I walked out of the hall, not wanting to alarm anyone, and then ran as soon as no one was looking.

I was panting as I pushed the door to the rooftop
open. The owls were perched on the branches of a recently planted tree.

"Where is the other one?" they asked. "The one with the good branches?"

"He couldn't come."

They looked at each other, obviously disgruntled at getting me
, and I realized where the saying ruffled feathers came from.

"I like the other one better," one owl said to the other.

"I don't like this thing." The other owl twisted its head all sorts of ways before trying to grab the collar with its beak.

"Fine. Get these things off us."

They both lifted their necks where the collars with the cameras were.

"What did you see?" I asked as my hands fumbled with the buckles.

"Creatures."

I didn't bother to keep asking. The
moment I released the collar off the second owl, they took off without another word, obviously not caring if they spoke to me again or not.

It didn't matter. All I cared about right now was what I'd find on the
cameras.

Cormac was coming up the stairs as I was heading down.

"You left everyone?"

"Buzz took the lead and as soon as everyone got comfortable, I slipped out." He looked at the collars grasped in my hand. "You ready?"

"I'm hoping for a surprise." I turned and headed back toward the penthouse. So much had changed since I had first walked this hallway, now covered in stone. And if these cameras held what I feared, possibly so much more would be changing still.

Without a word, I started to pull out the memory cards as he went and powered up the laptop. Gone were the days when we would just leave them running. Power was the second most valuable commodity, just beneath food. As it was, there was only one computer we kept charged at all
, for rare instances of need like this. It wasn't like you could look anything up on the web anymore. There was no web.

We stood shoulder to shoulder as we waited for the computer to boot up. I handed him the memory cards solemnly
, as if I were handing a judge the jury verdict that I feared would read guilty on all counts.

Then the images appeared.

"What is that?" I said, running my hand over a group of buildings that all looked eerily similar.

"That
’s an encampment."

"It's big."

"Really big."

Flipping through the pictures you could see how close to the tornado wall it was located, also conveniently centered around a major highway that I knew lead right to us.

"We knew he had an army. This doesn't necessarily mean he's going to move on us."

"Look at that," he said, pointing to another picture with a line of trucks. "They're all inbound. There must be at least fifty of them driving in
. Jo, there isn't a single one heading out."

"Maybe he just wants to be prepared for us moving on him?"

"When did you become an optimist?"

"I was trying something different out. Apparently I can't pull it off."

I don't know if he took my hand or I took his, but we stood there, hands grasped, as we stared at the pictures flashing on the screen.

"Cormac, you've been alive for centuries."

"Yes."

"Things like this happen from time to time. Right? Wars happen. The human race goes on."

"I wish I could tell you that this will be the same." His roughened palm tightened around my hand.

I'm not sure how long we stood there
, watching the pictures of an army that dwarfed the amount of people we had.

"If they want to fight, they're going to have to come to us," I said. 

"Agreed."

"We stock pile as much food and supplies as we can. And then we pick them off one by one as we stay safely tucked in here."

"With a little help from Jo, I could do some sick enchantments around this place," Burrom said. I'd been so transfixed on the images I hadn't even realized he was there. We both had been. I turned to where he was standing in the doorway.

Dark burst in carrying H
arvey before I could get more details from Burrom.

"You need to take him," he said as he shoved a swaddled
Harvey at me.

"Why are you covered in ash?" I asked having a horrible feeling it was linked.

"Dodd no longer has a couch because Harvey had the hiccups."

I looked down at his little face and he made a small sound, like he knew Dark was mad at him.

"Ah, Dark, he didn't mean it. He looks so sad." I pulled him closer to me, rubbing his back.

"Let me know how you feel after you lose your couch."

"We've got bigger problems, Dark." Cormac pointed at the screen where the images were flashing.

Dark moved to the computer where Burrom joined him and they went back over the footage.

By time the night was done, we'd estimated the senator's forces at 10,000 against the measly 1,500 we had left.

Burrom left with the promise of meeting me in the morning to start doing some serious mojo to the castle. Colleen came and picked up
Harvey for her turn, which left me and Cormac.

"This has been a bad day," I said, running a hand through my hair.

"I know you’re upset about me not telling you about the marriage, but can we call a truce for now?" he asked, shifting closer. "I don't want to fight with you anymore."

I didn't fight when he pulled me to him and wrapped his arms around me. He held me in a hug, his hand rubbing my back.

"I should've told you. I know that."

I didn't relax but remained tense.

"Jo, for once in your life, just lean on me."

"How can I? The last time I did, you left." My words contradicted my actions as my hands started to move around him.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"I wish I could believe you." My arms dropped and then so did his.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Collateral Damage

It was fifteen minutes past nine. I raised my face to the sun and let it take the chill from my skin as I waited for Burrom.

The main throng of people looking to escape war had left
, but people were still exiting in dribs and drabs. The fewer people we had, the more we had to scramble for any other possible advantages.

The wind kicked up a notch and I hoped there wasn't a storm heading in. I needed every truck we owned out gathering supplies
, in case we'd have to hunker down as we picked the senator’s forces off slowly from behind our walls.

"You're late. Do you think I have nothing better to do?" I asked when Burrom finally pushed through the front door.

He just smiled as he strolled over. "I get that you're new to this immortal stuff, but you need to stop sweating the minutes."

"If
the senator wasn't gathering an army to march on us, maybe every minute wouldn't count." I looked around, "Where do we start? We need to get going. What's the plan?"

"I'm thinking that if we can seal the castle the same way we would for a resting ground, it would repel any who mean t
o do harm. That should cover anyone with the senator."

"
Is there anything else?"

"That's the best I've got. The sealing is the strongest. Problem is, I've never sealed anything this big and even if I manage, I'm not sure how long it will last on this scale."

"Let's start. We've got nothing to lose."

"Actually, we're better off waiting until late tonight." He nodded toward the people walking here and there. "Unless you want to risk some crispy critters. We can't have anyone walking around when we do it."

"Then why are we meeting now?"

"Take a walk with me."

I followed his steps as he headed out of the courtyard. He didn't elaborate until we were halfway down the block but I didn't care, the silence was nice. Lately, all I did was talk to people. I'd gone from speaking so little to nonstop chattering. I didn't have enough of those kinds of words to go around.

"I wanted you to meet someone and I needed your morning to be clear."

"Who?"

"Someone that could help us
, if they became so inclined. They've expressed a curiosity about you."

He tucked his hands in his pockets and I pulled my jacket closer as the winds whipped up.

"If we're going, let's step on it. I think a storm’s coming and it's my turn to watch Harvey tonight."

"It'll be warmer where we're going," Burrom said, perhaps noticing how tightly I was curling my arms around my body.

"Nothing personal, but is it island warm or more along the lines of the fires of hell? You are walking a thin line these days. Who knows what new friends you've made of the underworld variety?"

The stories of drug induced orgies and other goings on danced in my head, literally danced, stripper pole and all.

"You know, maybe you should swing down, one day. It would do you a bit of good. You're getting very uptight, these days. You really need to get a little."

I pulled the hood up over my head to give me partial cover as I walked next to him. "Can people please stop concerning themselves with my sex life?"

He laughed before he spoke. "I'm not surprised I'm not the only one that's noticed."

"Where are we going?" I guessed we were about a mile from the casino by now and I felt like I was turning into a human popsicle. In another couple of minutes, I'd be welcoming the flames of hell.

He stopped and circled around. "Yeah, this should do it."

"Huh?"

"Come here." He stood, arms out.

"Why?"

"Because we have to go underneath and too far down to do a big tunnel."

"What's down there?"

"The person that wants to meet you. He's a Ground Fae."

"Why can't he come up?"

"He's old school and doesn’t feel comfortable topside. I swear, I don't know how Cormac deals with you. Can you ever just do something?"

"I want to be home by dinner." I stepped close to him and he wrapped an arm around me. I watched as the snow below us cleared completely until there was dirt, then the dirt under our feet sank lower and lower compared to the dirt at our sides.