Reluctant Hero (The Dunamis Covenant Book 1) (8 page)

"I will find him then, no matter what!" she replied. In short order, she had packed a backpack of her own, knowing her time with Asa and his people would be over if she failed to find Thomas. Asa hated her family, and while he might have treated her okay, she had no doubt he would try to put the blame for his failure on her as a slight towards her family. When she had everything she believed she would need, she was out the door without a word. Part of her wanted to be free from the others anyway. If she found herself in a bind she could always call her family. They were the only ones she knew she could trust anyway. The Fitzpatrick family always looked out for each other, and they especially looked out for her. She loved every one of her five brothers and twenty-three cousins. She was both the youngest, and the lone girl in the entire family. In their eyes, she was a princess. She knew she would need them before this was over. Thoughts of her family almost eased some of the worry she had about Thomas, but she needed to find him fast. Her first stop would be to stake out his uncle's house.

Thomas just kept running. He had no idea what he was going to do now. He was pretty sure his new acquaintances were going to be trying to kill him at some point, but he was happy to be away from them. He didn't like or trust any of them except Abby, which he felt was ironic. Maybe that was for the best. Being with her was just as frustrating as it was exhilarating. His newfound strength was beginning to frighten him. While he ran, he wondered,
Where did I get the strength to throw Malachi across the room?

He finally stopped running almost five miles from the safe house.
What am I going to do now? There's nowhere I can go.
He was just a few blocks from Uncle Pete's house.
I'm sure that either Devlin or Asa will have goons watching my uncle's house, but I need to get in there.
There were a couple of good things about his artificial cautious nature. Caution had caused him to pack the bag for a quick exit at his apartment and the safe house. He had also packed three thousand dollars into that bag. He had that cash, along with his passport in his pocket now.

Caution had also caused him to leave some other necessary items at his uncle's house. He had placed five thousand dollars, and the key to his safety deposit box at Wells Fargo in his uncle's safe. He approached the house from a neighbor's yard. He had been cutting through this particular yard for years and knew the blind spots, so he would be difficult to see from out front. He knew the window to the left of the back door of his childhood home was always open about a third of the way. Aunt Laura had always liked to have some fresh air mixed in with the air condition. Uncle Pete felt it was a waste of energy, which meant waste of money. Uncle Pete would always pretend to be mad, but Thomas had caught him more than once opening the window in the morning before his wife woke up. He remembered his wise cracks to his uncle about wasting energy, but his uncle would just wink. Thomas eventually figured out that it was just one of the ways his uncle would tease his aunt, but that he really didn't mind.

Thomas knew he needed to be careful; he had spotted a man in a grey Nisan Altima parked across the street from his uncle's house. He had also spotted a falcon sitting high in a tree across the street. That was an odd bird to be in this area so he figured it was a Dark Shifter. He ran the twenty-five feet from his neighbor's yard to Uncle Pete's back door. Being as quiet as he knew how, he popped out the screen window and climbed in. He moved through the house without making a sound, thankful that both his aunt and uncle worked at their store on Saturdays. As he walked through the living room, he noticed his aunt's favorite shelf, and for the first time, he realized that all of his aunt's favorite stuff had been gifts from him. He looked upon the ceramic ... whatever it was, he had made in fourth grade. He looked at the golf statue he had given Uncle Pete on his birthday, the world's greatest Aunt mug he had given Aunt Laura for mother's day when he was fourteen. There must have been twenty things on this shelf, and it was all from him.
I wonder if Aunt Laura and Uncle Pete really do cherish these trinkets, or if it's all just part of the lie.
He broke out of his depressing thoughts and moved to his uncle's room to get his stuff from the safe.

After getting his money and the key to his safety deposit box from the safe he entered the garage, and there it was on the top shelf, a tent that folded up really small to make it easy to carry, and a sleeping bag so thin that it only weighed a little over a pound. He also found a large water bottle sitting snug in its holder and a pair of hiking boots tied together, and draped through a carribeaner, hanging from a hook below the shelf.
This is everything I'll need to get lost in the forest for a while.
He attached the gear to his backpack and prepared to leave.

Thomas had been able to stash a lot of money away over the years because he never did anything elaborate. He had received a trust for fifty thousand dollars from his parent's insurance policy, and he hadn't used much of that money. He had been on one vacation since high school, didn't party much and his hobbies were not that expensive. Even his laptop was the cheapest model he could find. The only thing he spent money on was his bike, and that was pretty much a onetime expense, except for the occasional tire. Other than that, he had been able to save most of the money he had made since high school.

Thomas took off his sweat-drenched shirt, and left it on the shelf where his gear had been. He wiped his sweat with a towel from the dryer, and grabbed one of his uncle's Panama Jack casual shirts and buttoned it up. He also grabbed an old fishing hat and put on his sunglasses. He hoped that with the backpack he would look like a random drifter walking through town, but first he had to get out of the house unnoticed. He walked back through his uncle's house and picked up his uncle's phone. He called his boss and got the voice mail. He dabbed at the sweat still forming on the back of his neck while he left the message.

"Doug, it's Thomas. I've run into a bit of a family emergency and I'm going to be out of town for a couple weeks in Louisiana. Cell service is sketchy there. I'll call you when I have more info."

He hung up the phone and left the house. He climbed back out the window he had used to get in. He popped the screen back into place and sprinted into the relative safety of his neighbor's yard. After a quick jog, he was several blocks away. He hoped he hadn't been noticed as he ran. By this point, he was in south Arlington and, his next stop would be Dick's Sporting Goods at the Parks Mall.

Thomas almost felt like a depression was setting in over everything that had happened. Without warning, a thought struck him like a physical blow.
I may never be able to go home again. What did I ever do to deserve this?
He sat down on a bench outside the store and put his face in his hands. After nearly thirty minutes, he finally stood up and entered the store. He dragged himself into the store and lumbered past the clothing, past the fishing section, and past the team sports section, right to the bike section. He was able to get the attention of one of the employees to come over and help him.

"Welcome to Dick's. How may I help you today, Sir?" the gangly teenager asked in a voice that hadn't finished changing yet. He was wearing the tan khakis, and forest green, three button shirt standard for all Dick's employees.

"I'd like to purchase a mountain bike. I need it to be mid-level on the price, but sturdy enough for a long journey. What can you show me?" Usually the prospect of buying a new bike would be exciting, but today it held no pleasure,

"I have just the bike, Sir." He led Thomas over to a muted blue mountain bike with a North Face logo just beneath the handle bars. Thomas was unfamiliar with the particular brand of the bike, but thought that if it was partnered with North Face, it wouldn't be bad. It was the only bike in his price range so he decided to test it out.

"Can I get on it and see how it feels?" Thomas asked, and then took his backpack off and laid it on the floor.

"Sure," the employee replied. "Here you go." He let Thomas take hold of the handlebars.

"Thanks," Thomas said while swinging his leg over the bike and resting his foot on the pedal. He put his other foot on the remaining pedal, and began a slow ride around the nearly empty section. After a few moments, he dismounted the bike and uttered, "I'll take it." He could barely muster a smile.

"Follow me up to the register, Sir," the happy employee said. Thomas grabbed a small bicycle pump on the way to the register. Then he purchased the mountain bike and the pump.

He left Dick's as the mall was closing. He kept a keen eye on everyone around him.
Maybe a quick meal at the nearest Sonic will help me feel a little better. Then I'll ride under the cover of night to the campsite.
He knew he should be able to ride the ninety-five miles to Eisenhower state park and arrive before morning. Then he would set up his tent and take a few days to figure out what his next move would be. He made one more stop to pick up a burner phone before he set out to leave the Metroplex.

He arrived at the campsite early the next morning. He was right smack on the boarder of Texas and Oklahoma looking over beautiful Lake Texoma. Tall trees and paths surrounded the lake. A sheer rock face could be seen off in the distance. The sky was blue and the view was stunning. The ride had taken a little longer than anticipated due to the twenty pound backpack and the fact that he had purchased a mountain bike. The wider wheels caused more friction on the road, meaning he had to exert more energy to travel the same distance. He had chosen the mountain bike because he didn't know how long he was going to be staying at the campsite and it was a better choice for navigating the trails and hills of the park. He paid sixty-three dollars to reserve his camp site for a week. At that time he would decide if he needed more time to think or if he had a viable plan.

He already missed Abby so bad it hurt.
How is that possible? I've only known her for five days.
Thoughts of her were racing through his mind as he set up his campsite and then set off into town to pick up some supplies. He knew he should be safe here, unless he was followed. He didn't believe that he had been followed, though, because they would have had ample opportunity to grab him under the cover of night, and they hadn't. He had always made it a point to check out different campsites in his never-ending quest for the best one, so he figured there was no one who could guess where he was. He reached the store and left his bike outside. He wished he had a way to lock it up, but hoped it wouldn't matter in the small town. He opened the screen door and entered the store.

"Morning," a friendly voice called after Thomas entered the small store."

"Good morning," Thomas replied. "Just picking up some camping supplies." He bent over by the door and picked up a wicker basket. The store was old, but well stocked. He imagined it was a family operation while he looked at a picture of a big family on the wall. There must have been fifty people in the picture.

"Well," an older man with a heavy drawl said. "I'm Darnell and this is my store. I have to go in the back for a moment. I'd imagine we've got just about anything you'd need to camp, Son. Just holler if you need anything." His worn jeans and flannel shirt told Thomas that this was a man used to working.

"Will do, Darnell, thanks." Thomas walked down the first aisle and began putting some canned goods in his basket. When he was finished shopping, he called into the back and Darnell came out.

"Ready to go?" he inquired.

"Yes, Sir, Thomas replied.

Darnell began pointing to each item and then adding the total up in his head. When he was finished tallying the items, he looked at Thomas and said, "That'll be forty-seven fifty."

"Sounds about right," Thomas replied while taking out two twenties and a ten and handing them to Darnell.

"Two dollars and fifty cents is your change," he said as he handed the money and the groceries to Thomas. "Y'all have a nice day now."

"Thanks, you, too," Thomas replied. He exited the town store with his groceries, a small camping shovel, an ax to cut wood for a campfire and a folding chair he could carry on his back. These were not necessities, they were luxuries which he figured he should have if he was planning on staying for a while. His thoughts drifted back to Abby and this whole Ethereal world he was supposed to be a part of.
They've definitely got the wrong guy. I may have a bit more in the tank than I thought I did, but that doesn't make me some destined child of prophecy.

He returned to his campsite in desperate need of sleep... and Abby. He suspected it would be a long time before he could rid himself of her memory. He found he was almost in a state of depression at the thought of not seeing her again, and wondered if it was all part of the Mage's spell. He couldn't be with her because returning could mean death. He also couldn't be with anyone else because if he did ever see her again, it would destroy her. As he drifted off to sleep, he wondered what she was doing.

Abby could never recall being as frustrated as she was at this moment.
What had Malachi been thinking, putting his sword to TJ's throat? Is that what our clan is coming to, threats of violence against any who think freely, or do not display immediate compliance? We're supposed to be the good guys. Malachi deserves every moment of pain his shoulder gives him
. She was impressed with how strong TJ was. He was powerful; and he was also missing. She had been sure he would try to contact his aunt and uncle. She had waited in the tree across the street for hours. Maybe Devlin's goon in the Nissan had scared him away. Lucas had been no help either.
He spent more time hitting on me than saying anything useful
. She was out of options and out of leads. She was going to have to speak to Pete and Laura, and hope they could lead her to their missing nephew. She wanted him by her side so bad she wanted to scream. She could still taste his lips on hers as their moment of comfort was followed by needless threats and violence. She couldn't blame him for leaving. How was he supposed to know they were the good guys? She had manipulated him, Asa had misled him and kept information from him, and Malachi had threatened him.
I would have run, too
, she thought while she drove through Arlington. Eventually she wound up at the Archers, and she took a deep breath before ringing their doorbell.

Pete Archer opened the door and looked at the young lady that stood before him. "May I help you?" he asked when she didn't say anything.

"Mr. Archer, I'm TJ, um, I mean Thomas' friend, Abby. I was wondering if you might know where he is. It's very important that I find him." She had her hands in her pockets and looked at the floor,
how can I tell these people what's going on?

Pete's wife joined him at the door when she heard Thomas' name mentioned. "This is Abby. Says she has something important to discuss with Tommy." he said to bring his wife up to speed.

"We haven't seen Thomas since Sunday dinner two weeks ago, dear. We are expecting him later on tonight, probably after a long bike ride. Is everything all right?"

No, everything is not all right. Mystical beings are trying to kill your nephew and he fled after one of the good guys threatened to kill him with a sword!
was the first thing that popped into her mind, but what she said was, "Not really, we had a big fight. If you know where he is I really need to talk to him."
That wasn't too far from the truth.

"We're sorry, ma'am, he hasn't spoken to us at all about any fights or trouble. He'll go to see his friend Lucas when he's got problems, which isn't often."

"I've already been to see Lucas; he didn't know where Thomas was. Please, is there anywhere else he might go I have to find him."

"This is beginning to sound an awful lot like the police looking for a suspect, what's going on? What's Thomas into?" Laura asked with a look of deep concern in her eyes.

"TJ, I mean Thomas, hasn't done anything wrong and I'm not a cop, Missus Archer. We were sort of seeing each other, and I blew it. He took it hard and took off last night. I can't find him anywhere and I'm starting to get worried."

"You're one of Asa's people, aren't you?" Laura inquired in an accusatory tone.

"Laura," Pete said as if to cut her off from saying something she shouldn't.

"No, Pete, she's one of them!"

"How....?"

"How did I know?" Laura began. "You referred to him as TJ, twice. The only people that ever called him that were the people that knew him before Devlin killed his parents, and there's no reason to come looking for him now, unless Devlin has finally caught up to him."

"How do you know any of that? Asa said he placed TJ with people that didn't know who he was."

Laura half growled as she replied, "Asa has a casual relationship with the truth. He only tells it when it suits his needs. We know everything!"

"Now, young lady, how's about you start tellin us the truth. What happened to Tommy?" Pete demanded as he put his hands on his hips in an
I'm waiting
gesture.

Before Abby could answer, Laura's breath caught when she recognized who she was talking to. "You're Abby Fitzpatrick! I'd recognize those green eyes anywhere. You're the Shifter Thomas' parents bound him to. No wonder you're so desperate to find him." Pete looked awed at his wife's revelation, but as soon as she said it he saw it.

Abby knew she could not deny it, and she knew Asa had lied to Thomas yet again. His aunt and uncle did know what happened to his parents. They knew a lot more than that, too. "Yes, I am Abby Fitzpatrick. Thomas is in trouble, Devlin did catch up to him, and two attempts were made on his life Friday. We were trying to protect him, but he didn't know who to trust, so he ran." That was as close to the whole truth as she was going to tell them at this point.

"Asa's people lost him?" She started. "No," she paused for a moment and then stuck her finger out as she continued. "Asa's goons did something stupid, didn't they? We told the council seventeen years ago when they picked us to raise Thomas that Asa wasn't the right man for the protection job."

"Laura," Pete chastised again. "Keep talking and those "goons" might come have a chat with us."

Abby was confused. "You were chosen? You are not Thomas' real aunt and uncle? Why were you picked? Is it because you had the same last name?"

"Sweetie, Archer is our last name, not his. We are not related at all, although we did love and raise him like he was our own."

"No, that's not possible." She was really confused now. "I have always known him as TJ Archer, I wouldn't forget that." Asa had lied about everything, to both of them.

"Sweetie, the Mage that took Tommy's memories must have planted the fake name in yours as well. It was probably a precaution; in case you ever found him, you wouldn't lead the dark forces to him by using his real name."

"They messed with my mind? I was just a kid." She replied in a voice filled with outrage. Then, she understood why Thomas had been so angry about the image she had forced into his mind.

"Sweetie, that's what they do. Now, how did Asa lose our nephew?"

"What's his real last name? Can you at least tell me now?" Her voice sounded small as she asked; she was in shock about a lot of things. She couldn't believe she didn't even know the true name of her betrothed.

"Hunter, Dear, his last name was Hunter. His parents names were Paul and Lynette. They were good people and good friends, another reason we were chosen to raise Thomas. Now please, what happened?"

"TJ was angry because Asa was not forthcoming with the information he needed."

"Big surprise there," Pete added.

Abby continued at Laura's prodding. "He felt like Asa kept dropping all of these bombshells on him whenever it was convenient for him. One of the young Paladins accidentally mentioned that Thomas might be the child of destiny and Asa had not yet told him about it. That was the final straw, TJ confronted Asa and told him to tell him everything and he said if he left anything out he would go find Devlin and ask him."

"Oh no," Laura whispered in a deep inhale as if she knew what were coming next.

"Malachi was on him without hesitation, he pinned TJ to the wall and had a sword at his throat. He told TJ that if he ever went to Devlin, he would be killed."

"By Malachi, right?" Laura looked bitter and said his name as if it were a curse.

"Yes, ma'am. Then Thomas got angry, and threw Malachi across the room and into the wall, dislocating his shoulder. He ran out in the confusion and that is the last we have seen of him. I cannot go back until I have found him."

"You should run while you can. Malachi and people of his ilk are almost as bad as Devlin himself."

"I agree, but in spite of his lies, I believe Asa does have TJ's best interest in mind. He will keep him safe if we can ever get TJ to trust us again."

"I'm afraid I disagree with you on that one." Laura said while shaking her head. Abby could tell she had no love for the man, and trusted him even less.

"And how are you doing, kiddo? Twenty-four and still not with your betrothed has got to be painful." Pete looked like he felt sorry for her.

"I am trying to hold it together, Mister Archer. To have found him after all this time, only to have him ripped away four days later, is very painful."

"That's the spell, dear, it will numb in time. Too much more time and the bond will be broken and the feelings will die. Did he have feelings for you when you met?" It seemed to Abby that Laura's mothering side had kicked in.

"Yes, from the first words we spoke, and the moment I touched his arm, the most pleasant current passed between us. It might have been the greatest moment of my life."

"Oh, you poor girl, that gift should never be taken from you, we have to get you two back together." A light went on in Laura's mind. "He might have stopped by while we were at work yesterday, Pete. Go check the garage." She looked at the confusion on Abby's face and added. "He kept some camping gear in there, and some money in Pete's safe. If he couldn't go home, this is where he would come."

"Yep, he was here, his gear's gone and he left this." He produced a tee shirt and Abby recognized it as the shirt he was wearing when he ran. "He took one of my Panama Jack shirts, too."

"No big loss there!" Laura teased to a frown from Pete.

"What does this mean?" Abby asked, the excitement clear in her voice.

"Unfortunately, not much; he had the camping gear here, but he didn't have a favorite place. He's been to forty or fifty different sites, and that doesn't mean he even went to any of them. He's pretty cautious; he could have gone somewhere he's never been." Laura said.

"He might not even be camping at all," Pete added.

"Well, it's a start. Do me a favor, and destroy the shirt. Don't just throw it out. If Asa's men come by and see the shirt, they will know he has been here, and will not believe you missed him."

Laura and Pete nodded their understanding with somber expressions. Then Laura added, "Please find our Thomas and keep him safe."

"I will do my best." She turned and left, hoping to figure out what campsite TJ had gone to. After her disturbing conversation with the Archers, she wasn't sure she would be bringing TJ back to Asa if she did find him.

*****

Darcy walked into Devlin's candlelit office. It was expansive and almost empty. There was a desk shrouded in darkness with a chair behind it. A bookcase broke up the monotony of the long wall opposite the door, and a single chair in the exact center of the room facing the shrouded desk rounded out the room's furnishings. There was one painting on the back wall; it was a depiction of Ethereals fighting a massive battle against normal humans. "You know, some guy invented this thing called electricity like a hundred years ago, Devlin."

"Ben Franklin was a powerful Mage and he discovered electricity a long time before that, Darcy. What news do you bring?

Darcy tried to get a peek at the figure shrouded by shadow with gravel in his voice. The lone person to have ever seen Devlin's face was his top Shadow Mage, Antonio. Antonio was considered one of the most powerful Shadow Mages in the world, and the only one Devlin trusted with his secrets. "Our spy has told us that Asa and his people have lost Thomas. He said that Thomas ran from them after the one called Malachi threatened him. He also reported an incredible display of power from Thomas before he made his escape. I have seen it as well, when he tore through the men sent to capture him."

"This is both good and troubling news, Darcy. He is more powerful than even I had thought, which is troubling, but he is also alone and does not trust his protectors, which is good news. It will be easier to turn him without his people around him. It was a mistake to put a powerful but untrained Paladin in a room with the likes of Malachi, and it shall be a mistake that costs them their prize. I want every available member of our clan out searching for him. Do not report back to me until you find him. Do you understand?"

"It will be as you say, Devlin." Darcy's gait was slow as she left the office. Meetings with Devlin always gave her the creeps, but it was also exhilarating being so close to one so powerful. She wanted that power and planned to give Devlin every opportunity to notice her so she could have it. She walked out of the building and began the search. She would find Thomas Archer.