Dealers of Light (24 page)

“Damn it,” Cara said under her breath and rose to go after them.

Chapter
Twenty

Desmond paced across his study, stroking the Andean opal in his hands. He wiped sweat from his forehead and glanced at a clock on the mantle. In only a few minutes they would form the Net, the integral piece in his ability to control the masses. All of his plans pivoted on the success of this linking.

He rested one hand atop
the icy blue stone radiating the heart of his power. It remained cold despite the fact he’d held it in his hands for the past half hour. He hoped his calculations of the stone’s power were accurate. He lifted it and stared into the milky surface swirling with turquoise, so full of mystery and energy.

Carlton entered the room
, followed by the others, all in their black hooded cloaks. They carried the golden statue on a wooden platform between them, eyes wide and glowing.

“Place it there
.” Desmond pointed to the small table in the center of the room. He lifted his hood. The time had come to reveal the power of the stone. A quiver of excitement ran up his spine. Soon he would realize his dream.

Carlton
helped position the two-foot high statue in the center of the heavy oak table and stepped back. The others gathered around the table in a circle. Desmond stepped forward, holding out the glowing stone then placed it into a hole in the forehead. Perfect fit.

Desmond murmured the ancient Incan
words to connect to the stone, and a humming vibration filled the room. His lips peeled away from his teeth as he moved backward to complete the circle. Glancing at the clock, he nodded to the others. He lifted his right hand toward the statue and placed his left hand on the shoulder of the man next to him. The others followed his example, completing the circle. In the target cities, the other
allyus
of Takers formed links as well. But this stone held the power source, and only Desmond could focus the energy of the joined links.

The stone began to glow an eerie
, fluorescent blue. Desmond called forth his Light to connect with the pulsing energy, and a clear, blue bubble formed about the stone. He drew on the Light of the others in the circle and the bubble expanded, slow, slow, then an explosion of power. It burst past the walls of the study into the night.

The throbbing force coursed through Desmond, a hot
intensity so powerful his body vibrated. His spirit rode on the wave of the bubble as it spread out past Norfolk, racing for the other cities under his control. The pace slowed after several seconds, reaching the limits of the link’s strength. He clenched his teeth and sweat drenched his face. Yes,
there!
Tendrils of power snaking out from the
allyus
. He took a breath and pulled them to him.

Slowly
, the slithering trails of Light slipped toward him, snaking out from their sources of joined Takers. Then
snap
, they flew free, connecting with him like iron to a magnet. He threw his head back. Glorious power like he’d never experienced pulsed through him. Sweat popped out of his pores and flowed down his back and chest. He spread his feet, steadying himself against the vibrating throb of energy that fought to consume him.

With a final, mighty push of his inner core, he subdued the force of joined Light, bringing it under his control. Sending his thoughts through the link
, he commanded the other Takers. They began the delicious drain of energy from anyone unlucky enough to be within the perimeter of the link.

The N
et was complete.

###

Rolf squeezed her hand. “You can do this.” He looked down at his watch.

“Now, everyone start making circles
around us. Get as close together as you can. We’ve got five minutes until nine o’clock.”

Marc
and Tor positioned Shana, Amber and Alistair closest to the chairs where Rolf and Cara sat facing each other, then they joined the other men in pressing close behind them. Dusty and Rambo crawled under the chairs, not to be left out.

Heat radiated from the bodies
circling them and Cara felt Amber trembling, pressed against her back. Sweat popped out on Marc’s face and his eyes had dark circles under them. Only Shana glared, angry instead of frightened.

Cara
held out her arms and Rolf looked at his watch again, then nodded and gripped her wrists. Cara forced her breathing to slow and the gray void rose to surround her. She had only a moment to enjoy its strengthening comfort before the surging sensation of Rolf creating his shield reached her. Relaxing, the glow of power from her core came forth, welling up like a sizzling wave of energy.

Good
, Rolf told her.
Here we go
.

They me
rged their shields and pushed outward as one. Their shield surged too quickly and Cara gasped as the strands of Light slipped, beginning to unravel. But Rolf steadied her and helped her regain command of the surge. The power within her fought to escape. She bit her bottom lip and pressed it back.

A little more
. Rolf sent her soothing thoughts of pride in her accomplishment.

Once again, she struggled to slow her breathing
. The effort to control her power made her hyperventilate. Her breaths became deeper, and her lightheadedness diminished. Bodies shifted against her, but she kept her focus on the Light. It was easier now to keep the energy contained. She joined Rolf and coaxed the edges of the bubble outward.

Good, now hold here. Are you okay?

Yes, the power is so strong, but I think I have it under control now.

Excellent.
Just keep your attention on maintaining the shield. We have thirty minutes to keep it up.

I will.

To stay focused, Cara imagined the bubble surrounding them as a physical presence—a shiny bright red balloon. The rumble of the ship engine diminished against the backdrop of amplified breathing from those gathered around her. She existed in a strange world, surrounded by the chorus of breaths and the prickly fission of her power.
God, please, let this work
. From the radius of cities Desmond targeted, they anticipated his power ranged about three hundred miles from Norfolk. There were right at that distance now. No way to know exactly where the line of safety lay.

Okay,
that’s it.
Rolf broke into her thoughts, startling her from her surreal reverie.
Thirty minutes up. Let’s bring it back
.

They shrunk the shield to a glowing ball between them
then dissolved the link. Cara blinked and glanced up at Shana standing behind Rolf.

“Is it over?” Shana asked.

“I think so.” Rolf pushed back his chair and scanned the group. “Everyone okay?”

“I don’t feel any different,” Tor said. “I guess
that’s good.”

“I’m fine,” Alistair said.

Marc put his arms around Shana and they gazed into each other’s eyes. Tor kissed the top of Amber’s head and pulled her against him.

Rolf’s men all asserted they felt no different, and Rolf put a hand on each of them
to determine for certain that their Light remained undiminished. “It worked.” He grinned and grabbed Cara, enveloping her in an exuberant hug that knocked the breath out of her, while the others whooped it up behind them. She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest.
We did it!

He patted her back,
then leaned away, grabbing her shoulders. His eyes locked on hers, sharing a private moment of celebration. Then, his gaze slid to her lips and his grin faded, but it took several seconds before he broke contact to turn away. She stumbled and caught herself with a hand on the back of the chair she’d been sitting in, confused anew with this brief glimpse of affection. He strode across the room, up the steps to the pilothouse, leaving her alone and aching for his touch.

Chapter
Twenty-One

“Use your hip for leverage,” Tor instructed Cara as she worked to flip Shana over her back.

It was raining, so they’d pushed all the salon’s furniture to the walls so they could practice their fighting skills. CNN blared on the TV, but no news indicated evidence of the Net.

“Ha!” Cara shouted
when Shana went over and landed with a thud on the thick carpet. Fists pumping in the air, Cara danced around in triumph. “Woo-hoo. I did it.”

“
Very good,” Tor said. “But you can’t stop there. The enemy would be stunned, but not incapacitated.” He repositioned Cara and Shana as they had been at the end of the flip. “Now you still have her arm in your hand. Use the other hand and give her a forceful punch in the throat.”

“Like this?” Cara performed the move,
pulling the punch at the end.

“Yes, but make the punch snap.”

She did it again with more vigor and he nodded. “You just killed your opponent.”

“My turn
.” Shana hopped to her feet. She grinned, bouncing on her toes toward Cara. “Come on, attack me.”

“You’re enjoying this a little too much.” Cara put her hands on her hips.

“I love it.” Shana shifted back and forth on her feet. “Come on. Bring it, girlfriend.”

“Okay, try not to really kill me.” Car
a crouched down and circled her friend. She lunged. Shana grabbed her arm, and, in one swift motion, twisted her around to flip her over her shoulder, ending with a punch to the throat.

Shana laughed and
extended a hand to pull Cara to her feet. “That was great.”

“Yeah, just great.”
Cara rubbed her lower back.

“Good job,” Tor said
. Amber and Alistair clapped. Rolf raised one eyebrow and crossed his arms.

Marc
stared at Shana with a blank expression. She started hopping around with her fists in the air humming the Rocky theme, and he retreated to the bar.

“Who’s next?” Shana
planted her hands on her hips.

“We’ve been at it since nine. I’m ready for lunch.” Cara
grabbed a towel and patted her face, then hung it around her neck.

Shana pouted
. “Aww, come on, I want to flip somebody else.”

Tor’s eyes went from Cara to
Marc and back. “Yeah, well, I think Cara’s right. Let’s take a break. We can work more this afternoon if you want.”

Shana
shrugged, but after a little shadow boxing, she flopped into a chair, a huge grin splitting her face. Cara threw a towel at her.

“I need to return to my research
,” Alistair stood. “I may be on to something promising and I want to dig a little deeper. See you all later.” Alistair scooped up Rambo and headed to his cabin.

Cara
crossed to Rolf, who leaned against the outside door with Dusty at his feet. Rain pelted against the glass behind him. “Your friend is a natural fighter,” Rolf said in a low voice

Cara glanced back at Shana. “I think you’re right. She’s really taken to it.”

“But it disturbs you?”

“Not me
.” She motioned with her head toward Marc who had his back to the room, elbows on the bar. He sipped a club soda with lemon.

“Why
would it bother him? Doesn’t he want her to be able to defend herself?” Rolf’s eyes narrowed. 

Cara sighed. “It’s not
about defending herself.” She paused, studying Marc’s stiff back. “I think it’s because he’s used to Shana as the caring nurse who lives to help ease her patients’ pain. Now, here she is thriving on fighting. It’s a bit unnerving to me as well, I have to say.”

Rolf
stared at Shana. “I hope he can learn to deal with it, because she is realizing who she really is and it’s important to her. The situation seems to be very disturbing to him. He’s become increasingly pale and nervous since we left Norfolk.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s letting her change affect his health. You shouldn’t stop someone from realizing their true potential.”

“Shana
is
a good fighter.”

“You’re good, too, if you’ll stop dropping your guard.”

She crossed her arms and glared at him. “I don’t drop my guard.”

“Yes
, you do. I’ll show you.” He removed his jacket and motioned her over to the cleared area. “Come on. Put up your hands.”

She had a feeling this wouldn’t end well for her even if she did keep her guard up. He was much too strong. But she followed and they circled each other.  Watching him closely, she focused on her arms, keeping them positioned in front,
fists near her face.

Rolf feinted right, and she stepped left, but he twirled back left and landed a pulled blow at the side of her head.