The Serpent in the Stone (The Gifted Series) (5 page)

“
Come on.
You
’
re going to die an old maid at this rate.
I only wanted to meet him and see what my sister
’
s all flustered about.
”

“
Flustered!
He was climbing down the cliff, and his rope broke!
I had to use telekinesis on him!
”

At that, Faith stopped dead, blood draining from her face.
“
What?
”

“
As the wolf, he only saw the wolf.
”
Sara
’
s breath escaped her.
Now that she was free to panic, the weight on her chest doubled.

“
Oh, God,
”
Faith murmured.
“
He knows, then?
”

“
Well, I didn
’
t take out an advertisement, but I
’
m sure he
’
s bright enough to figure out that something
’
s not quite right.
Would you just happen to volunteer to work on the same island as me, if you were him?
”

“
All right, all right.
Don
’
t bite my head off.
I
’
m as freaked out as you are.
”

“
I somehow doubt that.
For all he knows, you
’
re normal,
”
Sara said.

“
I
’
m worried about
you
, half-wit.
What did he say?
”

“
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Which, if you
’
re wondering, is a hundred times worse than questions might have been.
”

By the time they reached their camp, the digging had begun.
Dustin and Thomas had laid out the parameters of their site with Eurocon
’
s usual efficiency.
Not for the first time, Sara wondered if it wouldn
’
t have been smarter to join Lamb at his firm in London than to strike out on their own, but she was damn proud of the way they
’
d clawed their way up from the bottom.
No matter what else she and Faith were, no one could take that away from them.

She entered her tent to the chirping of her satellite phone.
Stacks of books covered her camp table.
She pushed them aside to reach the handset.
“
Hello?
”

Static fizzed in her ear.
“
Sara?
Is that you?
”

Sara recognized their secretary from the office at home.
Agitation laced the woman
’
s voice.
“
Holly, what
’
s wrong?
”

“
Th-There
’
s been a burglary.
”

Her heart skipped.
“
Are you all right?
Is everyone all right?
”

“
Yes.
Everyone
’
s fine.
It wasn
’
t at the office.
”
She paused, and Sara sensed her reluctance to continue.
“
It was your house.
”

Sara
’
s throat constricted.
She dropped shaking into a chair.
“
Did someone see what happened?
”

“
Mrs. Shoemaker next door said she saw a man walking around the building yesterday.
He told her he was from the power company.
Did you have them scheduled to read the meter?
”

“
No.
Did the police come?
”

“
He left before they got there.
She gave them a description and a report,
”
Holly explained, sounding calmer now that the bad news was out.

Sara fidgeted with her books.
Mrs. Shoemaker was a nice, elderly woman with a penchant for being into her neighbors
’
business.
For once, Sara was glad of it.
“
What did they take?
”
she asked.

“
Some jewelry...
”

Sara
’
s fingers flew at once to the amulet hidden under her sweater.
She eyed the cooler in the corner, longing for a large bottle of cold water to ease the sudden, desert dryness of her mouth.
“
What else?
”

“
Your stereos and televisions.
A lot of your things got opened, dressers and boxes and stuff.
I don
’
t think anything else was stolen.
What do you want me to do?
”

“
We can
’
t leave the dig.
Give me the number to the police station, and I
’
ll call them.
I don
’
t think we
’
ll be able to do anything until we
’
re home.
Is the office all right?
”

“
Yes.
Should I call your mother?
She
’
s in the Keys this week, isn
’
t she?
”

“
Yes, please,
”
she replied, thankful for Holly
’
s composure.
Right now, she couldn
’
t claim the same attribute.

When she hung up, she hurried to the dig site, feeling cold to the marrow of her bones.
“
Faith.
”

Her sister stood ankle-deep in loose earth, sweating with the effort of digging in spite of the cool morning.
She jammed the end of her shovel in the peat, then climbed out of the trench.
“
What I wouldn
’
t give just to be able to pull this all out with a backhoe,
”
she muttered once she reached Sara
’
s side.
She gave a groan, stretching the muscles of her back, then lifted her golden-blond mane to air the nape of her neck.

In the middle of a catlike arch, Faith stopped, listening.
“
All right, that
’
s it.
Something
’
s here, and—
”
She scanned the dig site, but neither Thomas nor Dustin were around.
“
I
’
m not even using my power,
”
she added in a harsh whisper,
“
and something keeps trying to get my attention.
”

“
Our house was robbed,
”
Sara blurted.

Her sister blanched.

Sara hadn
’
t meant to let it out so quickly.
“
No one
’
s hurt,
”
she added.
She explained what Holly had told her.
Her hand went toward her throat, then dropped again.
“
I don
’
t think this was a random event.
”

Faith pursed her lips.
Her gaze went to Sara
’
s sweater.
When she spoke, her voice was low.
“
I think we
’
d better find out what that necklace is, and quick.
”

“
We
’
re out of stakes,
”
Dustin announced behind them.
“
Do either of you have more in your tents?
”

Sara flinched at his appearance, but Dustin didn
’
t notice.
“
I
’
ll go get them.
”
She shot a meaningful look at her sister.

Faith nodded understanding.
They would hit the books tonight, and find out more about the amulet.

Before someone else found them in possession of it.

****

The day
’
s digging progressed faster than Sara had hoped.
The sun rode its arc overhead, and by the time it dipped into the western horizon, they had managed to remove the first layer of earth from around the wall.
She was bone-tired at the end of the day, and only too happy to flop down beside the cooking fire.
Comforted by its glow, she rubbed her sore neck muscles.
“
This is a well-earned meal.
”

“
That
’
s for sure,
”
Thomas agreed, tossing hamburgers on the grill.

While they waited for the food to cook, she recounted the facts of the day
’
s work and went over their goals for tomorrow.
Dustin sat nearby, sketching in a notebook, his face glowing in the firelight.
Across the fire, Faith watched him work with a drowsy abstraction and began to nod off.

A moment later, her sister
’
s head snapped up.
“
Hi, Ian,
”
Faith called into the darkness.

Sara
’
s belly flopped.
She looked past Faith.
As he neared the campfire, Ian
’
s form grew more distinct.
If knowing he was present sent her stomach into a frenzy,
seeing
him sent her into such a state of disorder that she could barely think.

Ian lowered himself to the ground beside Faith.
“
How
’
d you know?
”

“
You
’
re the only other human being on the island,
”
said Faith.
“
That, and I
’
m smart.
”

“
I came down to see how everything went today.
”
He cast a glance around the fire, visibly assessing the company at hand.
His gaze landed on Sara.

She shifted where she sat, glad for the flickering light that hid the blush warming her cheeks.
She didn
’
t want to admit it, but she
’
d been thinking of him all day, no matter how much his knowledge of her gifts worried her.
Every time her thoughts went to the way he
’
d looked at her before Faith showed up, she caught her breath.
“
How
’
s your arm?
”
she managed.

“
It feels like a truck ran it over, but I
’
ll live.
”

The way he held her gaze, as if there was no one else on the island, unnerved her.
Needing to get his attention off her, she cleared her throat.
“
I don
’
t think you
’
ve met our crew.
This is Thomas Callander, and that
’
s Dustin Sennett.
Guys, this is Ian Waverly.
”

Dustin waved and went back to sketching.
That was Dustin: all work and no conversation.

Thomas shook Ian
’
s hand.
“
Pleasure.
What brings you to Hvitmar?
”

“
Just lucky, I guess,
”
Ian answered.
His glance drifted toward her before going back to Thomas.
“
I study wildlife.
”

Thomas began dishing out the hamburgers.
“
You hungry?
”

“
Thought you
’
d never ask.
”
Ian accepted a plate with a grin that transformed his features and set off an entire Fourth of July of sparks throughout Sara
’
s body.
She ripped her gaze away to the fire.