Kindred of the Fallen (39 page)

“It’s a surprise,” Serenity chimed as they climbed back into the Hummer. The receptionist in the salon had told her about a new music store that had just opened up in the mall in White Plains with an eclectic array of hard-to-find vinyl records.

The mall was a four-story shopaholic’s paradise with sky-lighting, marble floors, sculptures and every upscale store one could imagine. As they entered the music shop, Talus said nothing, and Serenity wondered if it’d been a good idea. Talus drifted into one of the aisles with a blank expression, but trolling the stacks of albums for a precious gem, she perked with interest. Steadily her eyes began to brighten, the heaviness of grief lifting, but her skin was still unnaturally pallid and her mood somber.

Serenity wished she could do more to cheer her up, even for a moment. “How about some Haagen-Dazs before we go shopping for a new motorcycle?” she suggested.

“I’m still breaking in my Ducati. I don’t need a new bike, but thank you.”

“What do you love about riding motorcycles?”

“I like the speed, freedom and power,” Talus said, shrugging. “It’s the closest I’ll ever get to flying,” she continued under her breath.

“Well, we’re still getting ice cream.”

“Abbadon says sugar is bad and should be avoided.” She lowered her voice. “Humans pollute their systems with such junk and we shouldn’t. It’s not permitted in the house.”

Serenity scrunched her face in disbelief. “What? You mean at House Herut?”

“There too, but Abbadon has forbidden Mrs. Carter to bring such things into the house, at home.”

Serenity laughed. “You grew up without cookies, candy, cake or ice cream?”

Talus nodded.

“Unbelievable,” Serenity said in horror at the thought of a sugarless childhood. “Well, after my mother left and I’d have a sad day, my father would take me for ice cream to cheer me up and it did the trick every time. Did you know it’s virtually impossible to be sad while eating ice cream? Proven fact. I’m sure Abbadon simply hasn’t taken the time to research it.”

Talus giggled, then her eyes glistened with tears. Apprehensively, she clutched Serenity’s hand. “Can you forgive me? For the way I behaved?”

“There’s nothing to forgive between sisters.”

Talus nodded and took her records to the register.

Evan stood inside of a shoe store watching Serenity at a cash register of a music shop across the way. Stone and Jagger hovered behind him. The GPS tracking devices Stone had inserted in her things had led them to her easily enough, but with so many guards surrounding her, he’d never get within ten feet.

“Waiting to catch her alone isn’t going to happen,” Jagger whispered. “When she sees you, she’ll make the guards let you through. You just need to figure out a way to get her to the East side of the mall, away from the others.”

Evan’s heart raced. His temples throbbed. He could do this. He didn’t know what Artemis had planned once they nabbed Serenity. All he knew was Artemis would make it undesirable for her to return to Cyrus and she wouldn’t be hurt. He didn’t want details.

Two Kindred guards scanned the area, flanking the doors of the store. Serenity walked out with Talus, radiating happiness. He had to save her from those freaks of nature, he reminded himself. The other two guards were right behind her.

“Do it now,” Stone instructed.

Evan put down a leather shoe he’d been twisting in his clammy hands. Wiping his palms off on his pants, he headed for the door. He grabbed the handle, clenching his fingers around the cold steel. His heart pattered harder as he pushed the door open and crossed the threshold.

Jagger snagged his arm and pulled him back inside. He pressed down on the bud in his ear. “Artemis said to stand down.”

“What? Why?” Evan asked.

Jagger shook his head. “I don’t know. She said something’s not right and to get the hell out of here and back to the van now.”

They waited until Serenity rounded the corner with her entourage, out of view, then hustled back to the van.

Evan hopped into the front seat, slamming the door. “Why did you stop us?”

Jagger and Stone got in the back.

“Others have beaten us to the punch.” Artemis started the van. “If she survives today, we’ll have to get her another time.”

“If she survives?” Evan turned to get out, but Artemis seized his forearm. “I can’t stand by and let her die.”

“Evan, we can’t get caught in the middle of whatever is happening. We can’t succeed today. We’d only get killed.”

“What difference does it make if she doesn’t live?” He pulled away and opened the door.

Stone locked an arm under Evan’s chin and squeezed. “Say nightie night.”

Evan’s head pressed against the seat. His hands tugged at Stone’s arm. Pressure tightened on his throat. Light faded to darkness.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Standing in front of the Haagen Dazs counter in the mall, Serenity savored dulce de leche ice cream as Talus twirled a spoon in a scoop of vanilla swiss almond. Micah and Beset decided to try ice cream for the first time. They stared at the flavors, confounded by what to order.

“You can taste anything you want,” said the young girl behind the counter.

For the next fifteen minutes, Micah and Beset pointed to every flavor and the young girl gave them each a tiny spoon with a smidgen of ice cream.

Spero lowered his head, staring at the floor, lost in thought or trying to hear something imperceptible to the average ear. His brow creased and he looked around. He whispered something to Ptolemy and then Spero was gone.

Ptolemy’s body stiffened. Serenity waited for him to alert the others to whatever concerned Spero but he said nothing. He didn’t even gaze about to check the area as usual. He stood calmly, gazing at the floor.

Micah settled on three scoops of Belgian chocolate and Beset had a scoop of strawberry cheesecake. “This is delicious,” Micah said with surprise.

“It’s not as sweet as I expected,” Beset added. “I like the combination of textures.”

How strange their world must be, so contained and isolated from everything she found familiar. Serenity glanced at Ptolemy. “Is Spero going to meet us at the car?”

“No, we’re going to wait for him here,” he said in a flat tone.

They ate their ice cream silently, off to the side of the food court, as people gawked. They had their backs to the wall, which made it painfully obvious how many eyes were on them. Spero was still nowhere in sight.

She dug into her second scoop, when the soldiers suddenly tensed and their heads flicked up, disturbed by something. Micah, who leaned against a column, stood erect and looked directly at a slight man, wearing dark clothing, holding a camera.

The man walked in front of a food stand. He did his best to look inconspicuous. She couldn’t sense his presence, but against the backdrop of so many humans his aura stood out. A flame burned inside of him, giving him a subtle glow.

He was a golden banner, billowing in a sea of gray. He was Kindred.

Ptolemy took two steps forward in the opposite direction, and Serenity shifted her gaze to another man, lanky and tall, hovering in front of a clothing store. He wore sunglasses and pretended to stare at the mannequins in the window. Every now and again he glanced at them over his shoulder. Micah threw his ice cream in a trash bin, but remained fixated on the one with the camera.

The two strangers didn’t act as if they wanted to attack. Although Serenity was in a heightened state of awareness, she wasn’t afraid. In terms of stature, she never would have noticed them and perhaps that was the point. Their mannerisms were a different story. How clumsy they seemed in their pathetic attempts to blend in.

Ptolemy walked toward the one by the clothing store. The man turned to face him, then took off running. Ptolemy didn’t hesitate to pursue him. At almost the same time, the one with the camera dashed off with Micah close behind.

The commotion incited a wave of chatter. Everyone in the food court looked about, but eventually fixed their gaze on them. Serenity stood with Beset and Talus at her side. A moment later, Spero hurried toward them from the direction Ptolemy had chased one of the strangers. Within seconds, he was in front of them.

“Scouts. Ptolemy got one,” Spero said.

“Sekhem?” asked Beset.

He nodded. “There’s a third one.”

Spero led the way to the car. This time Serenity was oblivious to the stares. She looked past all of them and searched the area. They were finally out of the mall and hustled through the lot. Just as they reached the Hummer, he appeared.

He stood five rows away, staring straight at her. He didn’t try to hide and once they made eye contact, he strolled over with a blank expression on his face. Spero stepped several paces forward and stopped. Beset and Talus stood in front of Serenity to block her.

The man wore a NY Yankees baseball cap and a Mets jacket. The bizarre combination alone made him stick out.
 

Serenity stayed behind Beset and Talus with her back to the Hummer, but stepped to the side so she could see through the small gap in between their shoulders. He was three cars away and raised his hands.

Spero lunged and reached for him, but the stranger knelt on the ground between two vehicles before he could be forced. He removed his cap and an odd smile spread across his thin, tan face.

He put his hands behind his head, and Spero shoved him onto the concrete. The stranger turned his head to the side so he could still look at her. Spero jammed his knee into his back.

“I will gladly give my life to have my curiosity satisfied and know one thing,” the stranger said softly.

No one responded.

“How have you avoided detection for so long? Why didn’t we know about you until now?” he asked grimly.

“I was lost among the humans.”

“Don’t talk to him!” Spero warned. He pressed the stranger’s face into the pavement.

“Please, may I speak to her for a moment before you take my life?”

Spero looked at Serenity. She nodded.

“You’ve only heard Herut’s voice, their sanctimonious ideals polluting the truth. With my last breath, I beg of you. For the sake of your own kind, don’t relegate us to a future of human mediocrity. We can save humanity from its selfish devices and rescue this planet from their destructive hands. Herut would have us fall from glory and strength to wipe a little pain from our souls. They cannot see it’s within the roots of our suffering that our greatness flourishes, hand in hand, our blessing and our curse. You have the power to ensure Kindred thrive for generations. Or you can destroy all that we are and ever hope to be. The redeemer cannot be born!”

Unable to speak, Serenity stared at him, her mind reeling from his words.

“How did you find her?” Spero growled.

“Did you think you could hide her forever?” He laughed. “I know my fate, but the others will escape and report back. And when they do a firestorm the likes of which you have never seen shall rain down upon—”

Spero moved his knee to the stranger’s neck and pressed down hard, turning his head until a crunch resounded. A chill raked her skin. She gaped at the dead stranger and her soul felt the rumble of the avalanche coming.

Micah ran across the parking lot. He held the digital camera the stranger had earlier.

“Did you take care of it?” Spero asked.

Micah nodded. “Ptolemy left one alive for interrogation.”

Spero stood and scanned the parking lot. “The van at the far end of the lot. The one away from the security cameras.”

Micah tossed the camera to Beset and ran off toward a red and white van parked several hundred feet away. A moment later, he pulled the van around.

Spero tossed the dead body inside. “Take Lady Serenity back to the house while we clean up,” he said, throwing Beset the keys to the Hummer. “Don’t stop for any reason.”

Jumping into the SUV, they roared out of the lot seconds later. Beset drove with Talus up front. An anxious shiver ran up Serenity’s spine.

They’d gotten all three of them. She took a deep breath and contemplated the stranger’s last words. She didn’t want to rule the world or to carry the heavy hopes of anyone on her shoulders. She wanted to be free to love, without the prospect of death looming overhead. “Those scouts back there weren’t very good.”

Beset glanced at Serenity in the rearview mirror. “They were lower level, not battle-guard.”

“And definitely not Paladins,” Talus added in a relieved tone.

“Why would they send them? I mean, why wouldn’t they send real soldiers?” Serenity wondered.

“It’s normal to send lower level warriors for simple reconnaissance or surveillance. At Herut, we always send one battle-guard as a team leader for something like this. I’m sure they had orders not to engage and Sekhem probably didn’t expect they’d encounter battle-guard of Herut. It’s a good sign they sent those oafs on their own. It means Sekhem is uncertain.”

Her nerves were raw, but they were minutes from the house. She stared at her left hand and rubbed her bare ring finger. Life was capricious. No longer did she have to worry about a dull existence, smothered by a secure routine, dying a slowly. Now she had to find a way to hang on to the greatest love she’d ever known and hoped she lived long enough to enjoy it.