Halflings (17 page)

The smile dissipated into intensity, and she felt as if his eyes dipped into her soul. “I know,” he whispered, and she decided she preferred the playful banter of a few moments ago. He slipped his hands into hers. “I’ll never let you down again, Nikki. I promise.”

She swallowed. “You didn’t.”

“I did. That gunman should never have been able to get that close to harming you.” He glanced above, where arched beams anchored the walls and stabilized the building. “It’s my job to be your shelter.”

“Like you were on my bike?” Even in whispers, their voices reverberated off the soaring walls.

“Yes,” Mace said.

Nikki’s attention flittered around the room. “This sort of reminds me of the barn.”

His smile deepened. “You were scared of me.”

She set her chin. “
You
were scared of
me
.” But was she scared
then, or now? Feelings pinged through her that she hadn’t experienced and didn’t know what to do with. Krissy always badgered her about being so unaware of the opposite sex. Had she saved up all her attention, all that energy, for this one guy? It was as if all her awareness had rushed to her nerve endings in one blazing trail. Looking up into his eyes, she knew he felt it too.
Is he my dragon slayer?

His hands left hers and fisted at his sides.

“I’ve never met anyone like you,” he said, and she could see determination settle on him like a protective armor. Protecting him from what? Her?

No. No,
she thought.
Don’t slip away. I need you right now.
“I’ve never met anyone like you,” she echoed. “And I’m not scared anymore.”

He pulled her toward him and rested his chin on top of her head. “I still am, Nikki. For more reasons than you can imagine.”

Coming to rest in the front pew, Mace slipped an arm around her and gave a light squeeze. “You’ll be safe here while I change the tire.”

She didn’t want him to go. When he rose, she grabbed his arm but felt silly, so she loosened her grip. “Why do you want me to stay in here? As strong as you are, it will take you about four seconds to change the tire.”

“I thought you could use a” — his gaze fanned the ornate cavern — “sanctuary.”

After he left, she closed her eyes.

The space offered a peculiar serenity. Quiet had a rhythm all its own here, and, tipping her head back, she drank it in. In return she felt a peace that was clean and pure.

A sound to the right grabbed her attention. She jolted, muscles springing.

“I’m sorry, child,” the robed gentleman said as he stepped toward her from the shadows. A kind smile touched his face. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

She placed a hand to her heart and exhaled the air she’d sucked in. “Oh, it’s okay.” She pointed behind her. “I, um … we … the door wasn’t locked.”

He raised his hands in surrender. “No need to explain. We’re like the Seven-Eleven. Always open.”

She laughed, sound bouncing off the walls.

“May I?” He gestured beside her.

She nodded, and the man sat. “This is one of my favorite times of the day to come here.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” Tilting his head back, his eyes closed, mimicking what she’d done moments before. “So quiet. Don’t get me wrong. I love it when the cathedral is full of souls.”

“Excuse me? I don’t know how to ask you this, but do you mean souls like …” Finding no way to describe her question, Nikki fell silent.

Hefrowned. “People.”

She sighed with relief. “Oh, that’s good.”

Moments passed. The crucifixion was suspended above them, and her eyes sought those of Jesus.

“You seem a bit troubled, my dear. I’d be glad to help if I can. Folks say I’m easy to talk to.”

She tucked her hair back with an index finger. “Okay, well … Um, I don’t know what to call you.”

“You can call me Father if you like. Or Tom.”

“Father sounds more official.”

His eyes twinkled. “Are you here on official business?”

Her fingers toyed with the hem of her shirt. “Father, have you ever thought that the whole world is falling apart around you?” She bent her knee and pivoted on the pew to view him fully. “I mean, like everything you’ve been living for doesn’t really even matter anymore?”

His eyes fell to the leg of her jeans, where splotches of dark stained the cloth. “If you’re in any kind of trouble, my dear, I promise you’re safe here.” His eyes sought the spot again. “Did someone hurt you? Were you harmed?”

Her gaze followed his. “Oh, no.” She brushed at the cloth. “Actually, we saved someone. Sort of.”

He folded his hands in his lap in what she figured was a very Father-Tom way. “As humans, we all feel like that sometimes. Then the paradigm shifts.”

She held up a finger. “What’s a paradigm?”

He squinted. “A standard, a model for how we live our lives. Our prototype. You see, sometimes we get glorious glimpses into the realm our natural, finite minds have difficulty comprehending.”

“You mean, sometimes we glimpse the bigger picture?”

He nodded. “Exactly. It is in those moments our character is defined. What do we do with what we’ve seen? Who do we become when we realize our path encompasses so much more than we imagined?”

A movement from behind caused them to turn.

Father Tom stood slowly and took his time examining Mace. “Son,” he said, smiling and reaching out his hand.

“Father,” Mace said, slipping his hand into the man’s.

A recollection seemed to pass between the two that puzzled Nikki. Maybe they’d met before. Father Tom turned to her, a
fresh expectancy driving his words. “You have an exciting journey ahead of you, my dear. Keep the faith. Go with God.”

Mace certainly had a strange effect on people. As they left the building, she questioned him. “Did you know him?”

“After the spirit,” he said.

She stopped cold at the car door. “What does that mean?”

“He recognized me.”

“So, you
knew
him,” Nikki said.

“No, he recognized the essence of who I am.”

She crossed her arms. “Like when you get introduced to someone and you know they’re bad?”

“Yes.” He nodded toward the church. “He’s a xian.”

“Z-i-a-n?” Nikki asked.

“No, it’s spelled x-i-a-n, but pronounced zy-an.”

“It could be spelled a-b-c-d and it wouldn’t help me. I have no idea what that is.”

“They’re people who embrace the fact that there is a spirit realm around us. They help us. Frequently.” Mace reached for the door handle.

“All right. I guess I can live with that answer.” She gestured to his car. “I’ve been dying to ask. Why a brand-new Camaro? Seems like you’d want to be more inconspicuous, blend in with all the other lean, golden-skinned, practically perfect teenage boys.”

“Perfect, huh?” he said, and leaned on the car top.

“
Practically.
”

“We fight both unearthly and earthly foes. If a chase ensues and we can’t … use other means of transportation … we need the best, fastest vehicles available. But they also must be dependable, easy to work on, easy to get parts for.” He nodded to the sports car. “Vine talked me into taking this one. We have a lot of cars at our disposal.”

“But you don’t really own it?”

“We don’t own anything, Nikki. Not much point.”

“Oh.” How sad. She shifted her attention to what he’d said before about
when they can’t use other means of transportation.
But she decided not to ask. Her mind kept imagining angel wings. “I figured it was because you’re all guys and most guys are gearheads who like fast cars.”

He burst into a mega smile. “That too.”

She tapped her fingers on the window. “How about if you let me drive?”

“No way.”

“Why? Would Will kill you?” Nikki asked.

“No, but you might. Remember, I rode with you once before.”

“I thought you didn’t have a cell phone,” she said as Mace sped them toward the house.

“Yeah, we got these today. At Viennesse, there’s no reception.”

“Where?”

“Viennesse. That’s our home in Europe. Not just us though — other Halflings and their caregivers stay there between journeys as well. That is, when we aren’t in the midplane.”

“What do you do when you aren’t on a journey?” Nikki lifted then dropped her shoulders, which had become stiff from the night’s adventure.

“We train, study, practice our skills.” He rolled his eyes. “Sometimes there are twenty Halflings there, so mostly we get into trouble. There’s this creepy old guy — a xian who lives
there and takes care of the place. We constantly give him grief. You can imagine.”

Not in the way you think.
Twenty perfect teenage boys would be any artist’s dream. Any girl’s dream, for that matter. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

“Listen, do you think you’re up for one more stop?” Mace asked.

“Is it going to involve burning buildings, gunmen, or any weird stuff from the …”

“The supernatural realm?” he finished for her.

“Yes.”

“No, nothing bizarre.” He thought a moment. “Well, nothing dangerous and bizarre.”

“Great,” she muttered, pulling the lever to recline in her seat. “Can’t wait.”

Mace dialed home while Nikki snoozed in the seat beside him. “Will, sorry I didn’t call sooner.”

“This is your journey, Mace. I’m merely an observer.”

Mace chuckled. “For being an observer, you sure boss us around a lot.”

Will’s laughter bubbled through the phone line. “I guess that was an unfair euphemism.” He lowered his voice. “I know about the fire at the lab.”

“Heaven?” Mace asked.

“No, television.”

“Ah, I told you the TV was a good idea,” Mace said.

“There was no argument. How else could I watch my sitcoms?” Will asked.

“What did they say about the scientists?”

“They suspect that six perished in the flames.”

“What about the one that was murdered?” Mace looked over at Nikki. Still asleep. “More important, why didn’t any of them escape? There was no one outside when we arrived. Whoever was in the building when the fire erupted perished in the building, except for the scientist we dragged out.”

“Where is he, Mace?”

“He’s dead. Shot while Nikki held him.”

Will sighed.

“Yeah, I know. Look, I retrieved a computer. Thought I could drop it off with Zero. Would that be allowed?” Mace said.

“Nikki’s still with you?”

“Yes.”

“How is she?” Worry hung in Will’s words.

Another glance. “She’s good.” Her hair lay in long waves around her face. Dark lashes hooded her eyes, like black-velvet half moons. He couldn’t help but smile. “Can keep up with the best of them. Resilient, you know … for a human.”

“Go. It’s almost nine now. Seek Zero. He can help.”

“I won’t compromise him?” Mace asked.

Long moments passed before Will spoke. “No. Cover Nikki’s eyes so she doesn’t know the way.”

“That won’t be necessary. She’s sound asleep.”