Dealers of Light (37 page)

She nodded, still winded. “Just
a bit bruised. Let’s get out of this rat hole. It gives me the creeps.”

“
Yeah, let’s go.” Marc motioned to them, wiping a bleeding cut on his forehead with the back of his hand.

They piled into the car and Rolf radioed ahead to have the boat prepared.
Their mission accomplished, now they needed to get out of town. Fast. Tor drove, Amber pressed against him. Cara heard a siren in the distance and shivered.

“We’re almost there.
” Rolf looked over his shoulder. “Tor, drop us at the boat, then ditch the car. And hurry.”

Tor came to sharp stop at the dock. “Go
.” He pushed Amber when she hesitated to leave him.

They ran up the dock
.
Avalon’
s engines rumbled. Lights glowed from the ports, and the crew waited on deck to cast off.

“Inside,
hurry
.” Rolf waved them aboard.

“
Tor
,” Amber cried, eyes frantic.

“He’s coming.
” Cara pointed.

Tor sprinted across the parking lot and up the dock. Amber grabbed him and
jerked him inside.

“Let’s go,” Rolf ordered his men.

Cara fell into a chair in the salon, and Dusty ran up to lick the scrape on her right arm. Nausea swirled in her stomach, the aftermath of the blow she’d taken there and too much adrenalin. Marc rubbed one shoulder, grimacing, and Shana grabbed a first aid kit from one of the crew to bandage her raw knuckles. Alistair and Amber were unhurt.
Thank God
. Tor fell onto the sofa, face grim.  They were all silent. They’d just killed four people.

Avalon
slipped away from the dock into the darkness beyond the lights of the city. Cara pushed herself out of her chair and followed Rolf outside. She needed to feel the cool night air on her face and thank him. They walked together to the stern. The buildings of downtown Charleston faded from view in the haze of evening shadows. Sirens blared in the distance.

“Thank God, we got away.”
Cara sucked in a shaky breath. She glanced at Rolf, but he continued to stare out over the water. The cool breeze of evening and the movement of the boat blew her dark hair across her face.

“You were almost killed,” he whispered, a muscle twitching in his cheek.

“It’s okay. I’m fine. You saved me. Again.”

“But
—”

“
Shhh
. The training paid off and we did what we had to. I even kept my guard up.”

He chuckled, and the lines on his face smoothed. “Yes, you did.”

She leaned over the rail, watching the ship’s wake gurgle up as their speed increased.

Fighting the Takers jolted her into reality
, the horror of what these twisted Dealers were capable of. The joy of having a relationship was nothing compared to the responsibility of stopping these murdering monsters. They had to complete their mission of destroying the whole Desmond gang.

“It’s over and we need to focus on defeating Desmond. I understand. Let’s just work together and get through this. When it’s done we can get on with our lives.”

His gaze swept over her then he turned back to the water. “Okay. Good. I’m glad you want to finish taking care of this menace.”

“Of course.
We’ll do it.” She nudged his side with her elbow.

“But, know this
: if something happens to you, I will be broken,” he whispered.

Cara looked away.
Me too
.

Chapter
Thirty-Four

They reached Norfolk in two days, wrapped in the concealing cloak of late night darkness. The group had spent their travel time practicing the shield and planning the next attack. At this point, Rolf found linking to Cara was almost second nature. They settled into an easy friendship, avoiding any mention of their emotions. He was able to regain his usual intent focus on his enemies, but with a double purpose—ending the threat and being able to sweep Cara into his arms again. 

Cara
leaned against the front rail beside Rolf. “Do you think our plan will work?”

T
he lights of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel flickered ahead, approaching the entrance to Little Creek. He glanced down at her. Shadows played across her face as she gazed over the dark swirling water.

“We have a few things in our favor
,” he murmured. “Desmond doesn’t know about the rest of our group, and he doesn’t know we have the ability to shield ourselves. He also doesn’t know we have all his files. We know who he’s bribing and, therefore, who will report our presence to him. That’s why we’re coming to Little Creek instead of going back to Waterside Marina in downtown. There are hundreds of boats here. We’ll use what he doesn’t know to our advantage…”

“But?”

“But the number of people he has is still overwhelming. I’d feel a lot better about this plan if we had some way of drawing some of them off so we could get to the stone.”

“
What if we had some regular people to help us?” She turned to him, excitement shining in her eyes. “Create a diversion.”

“What do you mean? Who would possibly help us?
No one would believe our story.”

“Wrong. I know some people who might.”

“Help would make me a lot more confident of success, I can’t deny it.” He rubbed his temples with his fingertips.

She
looked across the water and pointed to a tall tower with a red light. “Is that the entrance?”

He straightened and squinted in the darkness. “Yes, not much longer now.
Want to explain your idea?”

“Not yet. I have to contact some people once we’re in
Norfolk.”

“You know they’ll be
Dimmers, right?”

“Not if I give them some Light.” She smiled.

“Be careful, Cara.” Who was she thinking of?

“I will. Don’t worry.” She reached out and squeezed his hand. “We have to make this work.”

He studied the approaching shore. “I’d better talk to the captain.”

Dark
water swelled before them and the silver flash of a half-moon reflected on the choppy waves. When the moon waned, Desmond would form his web again, and they would be right in the middle of it. They had to stop him before that happened.

###

Cara walked back into the salon and Dusty ran to greet her. “Hey, Duster-man.” She kissed his nose and he licked her chin.

“I don’t think we have any choice but to destroy it,” Tor
said to Alistair. The two men stood by the bar, a map of Norfolk spread on its surface. Cara sank into a chair across from Amber and Shana on the couch.

“I don’t know.” Alistair
rubbed his chin. “It has great power. It might be useful in the future.”

“We can’t take the chance of it falling into the hands of Takers again if we succeed in stealing it
,” Tor insisted, eyes narrow.

“If we are able to get rid of Desmond’s group, we still h
ave the Takers in the other cities,” Shana said. “We can’t just let them go. Maybe the stone would help us defeat them.”

Marc
frowned. “It sounds like you want to make a career of chasing Takers.”

“
What’s wrong with ridding the world of murderers?” Shana stood and put her hands on her hips. “At least it will save lives. Isn’t that important to you?”

“Hey
, guys,” Cara interrupted. Sadly, Shana and Marc’s relationship had deteriorated again. Their arguing had increased over the days they’d been at sea since leaving Charleston. Cara was concerned their bickering would disrupt their ability to defeat Desmond. They needed everyone in the group pulling together.

“Cara, are we close?” Amber shifted her eyes to Shana in a meaningful gesture.

“I saw the entrance marker. Rolf’s talking to the captain.”

“
What do you think we should do with the stone if we steal it?” Tor asked, going back to the discussion he and Alistair had been having.

“I really don’t know. Alistair?”
Cara leaned over and rubbed Dusty’s head as he snuggled against her legs.

“It’s powerful, no doubt at all
.” Alistair picked up Rambo and cradled the little ball of fur close to his chest. “But Tor’s right. It’s always been associated with evil deeds. I’m just not sure if it’s only because of who held it at the time.”

“I think it should be destroyed.
” Tor cracked his knuckles. “Why take the chance of it falling into evil hands again in the future?”

“He’s got a point
.” Marc rubbed his temples.

“W
hen we have it, we’ll know,” Amber said.

“What do you mean?” Cara asked.

Amber glanced at her friends. “I have this connection when I hold stones. They have auras, just like people. Some are calming, some are energizing. If the stone itself is evil, there will be some sense of darkness radiating from it.”

“Magic alert
.” Shana raised her arms in a goalie gesture.

“Shan!”
Marc set his palms over his eyes.

“All right, all right.
Amber, you do your thing. If it’s evil we destroy it. If it isn’t we keep it. Okay?” Shana crossed her arms over her chest. Everyone nodded. “Great. It’s settled.”

Cara picked up the hunk of amethyst from the side table and wondered if something so simple might be able to help them. She ran her fingers over the smooth angles of the crystal.

Marc stood to pace across the floor, sweat popping out in his forehead. “I hate this waiting,” he exclaimed and walked to the bar. He leaned on the top with his elbows, staring at the bookcase behind it.

Shana stood and
crossed to Marc, wrapping an arm around his waist and kissed his pale cheek.

T
he engine vibration changed to a slower pitch, as the boat slowed.

“We must be there.” Cara hopped up to peer out the window
.

They
pulled up to the T-head of a dock and the crew handled the lines, tying up the ship without incident. This time of night, no one was on duty at the marina. Lights twinkled in a few of the large houses across the street from the marina, but no people moved about.

“
Safely docked.” Rolf walked in from the side door. “I suggest we get some sleep. The next few days will be challenging.”

Cara glanced at her watch.
Damn, two in the morning
. She stretched her arms to the sides, yawning. “I agree, I’m pooped.” She strode past Marc and rested a hand on his shoulder. He gave her a half-hearted smile.

Hopefully, tomorrow
everyone would put their differences aside and come together with a single focus: eliminate Desmond and his Takers.  

###

Rolf stood on a road with the sun setting in the distance, and dusty heat seared his nostrils. Glowing red, purple and orange painted the sky in streaks. Against this backdrop, a tall, shadowy structure rose to the sky, piercing the horizon like a dark purple finger. He walked down the road, and a sense of familiarity soaked into his soul. The edifice before him became recognizable. One of the obelisks of Iunu, or Heliopolis, as he called it in later years—the oldest one there.

His feet traveled at a fantastic pace, carrying him to the base of the tower in a second. He
gazed up at its red granite surface, soaring sixty-eight feet in the air. This couldn’t be real. Wheeling around, he searched the landscape and his pulse quickened. Had Sakhet come back, after all?

A hot wind rose
, stirring the sand and rustling the fronds of the palm trees which circled the area where he stood. He covered his eyes with one hand to block the blowing sand. When the wind abated, he lowered his arm and found himself facing an imposing figure who towered over him. The man’s torso was bare, but powerfully built muscles stood out, glistening with oil. A wide collar encircled his throat and a crown of red and white sat upon his head.  His knee-length linen skirt was belted with a sash of gold and fine jewels.

“
Atum,” Rolf whispered and fell to his knees.

“Rise, Bes,”
Atum commanded, his voice booming, deep and powerful, reverberating over the area.

Rolf
pushed to his feet and raised his eyes to meet the dark, piercing stare of the god. He opened his mouth, but no words came forth.

“You know me.” The giant’s voice rumbled
.

“Yes,” Rolf managed
. “You are Atum, the Egyptian god of creation.”

“I am the first, t
he one who created all the other gods, the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt. I am completeness.”