The Serpent in the Stone (The Gifted Series) (51 page)

With an oath, Dustin drew to a stop several strides from where she and Faith stood.
The shotgun remained on his shoulder.

Lamb reached them in another four running steps.
Sara braced and raised her fists.
She began sliding into unconsciousness even as a feeble rumble of defiance bubbled from her throat.
Her knees buckled.

The older man caught her and swept her off her feet into his arms.
The dizzying movement shook the last of her strength out of her.
“
Sara.
Bloody hell!
Dustin, radio the helicopter and get it down here.
Now!
Sara, darling, hold on...
”

The waters of oblivion closed over her head once more.

Chapter Nineteen

“How did this happen, Faith?
How did it happen?
”

Faith had never seen Lamb so upset. She turned in an uncertain circle in the otherwise empty hospital waiting room. How much to tell? “I...”

Lamb came forward, looking angry. “Three people have died on this project. With Cameron, that makes four. This is a disaster. And now your sister is injured, and—” He broke off and spun away to pace the polished floor.

She reached into her coat pocket for the two journals wedged there: the one Flintrop had stolen, and the new one that had replaced it. “I think— Lamb, can I trust you?”

He stiffened. She knew the question had stung him. She’d never had to ask before. “With your life. You know that.”

She hated the doubt creeping through her skin. She called on her psychic power, and tears blurred his figure. A shiver skipped down her spine.

He stared. Stared some more. Nothing in his aura suggested deception. She didn’t bother blinking to let her eyes change back to their normal blue, wanting him to get a good look at the silver. She handed her journals over. “There are some things you need to know about Sara and me.”

With an unreadable face, he took the journals and sat in a corner of the room. For the next hour, he neither spoke nor looked at her, absorbed in her written words.

Faith gazed out the waiting room window at a park across the street. A blond man in a red sweater was pushing a curly-haired child on the swings.

For no particular reason, she thought of Hakon. He’d protected her...as much as a ghost
could
protect her against a group of madmen bent on destruction. She’d never felt that safe before, even when the fault caved in on top of her and stopped just short of crushing her.

Now that their secret had been revealed, would she and Sara ever be safe again?

The door opened. Her mother rushed in. “Oh, Faith. Sweetheart, I came as fast as I could get here. Are you all right?” She pressed her hands to either side of Faith’s face.

Faith hugged her mother. “I’m fine, Mom. Sara’s still unconscious, but the doctors say all her vitals are good.”

Lambertson closed the books, and stood. “Angela. It’s good to see you. I only wish it were under better circumstances.”

“Hello, James.” Her mother kissed him on the cheek.

Faith tried not to look surprised at the affectionate gesture. Lamb’s gaze flickered over her, still unreadable, and she looked away. In the park across the street, the red-sweatered man and the child had moved on to a slide.

“Angela, why don’t you go and sit with Sara? I’d like to speak with Faith for a few minutes.”

Faith tensed. She murmured a quick goodbye to her mother. The door closed with a thump, and the waiting room went silent and sterile.

When Lamb spoke, she heard him force calm into his voice.
“
Robert told me once that if anything ever happened to him, I was to watch over you and Sara.
He sounded so grave at the time that it worried me.
Now I know what he was protecting.
Not just his children, but their gifts.
Your
gifts.
”

She couldn
’
t find anything to say at first.
She cleared her throat, but no words came.
She crossed the room to sit down.
“
Dad...
He knew?
”

Lamb sat beside her.
“
I think he must have.
I never saw him so serious.
He wrote a letter, sealed it, and made me swear to give it to your mother when you were older.
I guess it
’
s time.
”
He studied her journals, still in his hands, then gave them back to her.
“
I spent a lot of years working with your father.
Nothing ever made me question his judgment until now.
I don
’
t know if I
’
m the right person for this.
”

“
I
’
m scared,
”
she whispered.

A warm, rough hand slid into her own.
“
You don
’
t have to be.
I made a promise, and I intend to honor it.
”

Lamb reached up without hesitation, and pushed an errant lock of her long, blond hair behind her ear.
“
I
’
ve known you girls since you were children.
You
’
re as much mine as you ever were your father
’
s.
You are bright, talented, beautiful young women who make me proud.
Whatever else you are, you
’
re still that, Faith, darling.
”

They sat there for a long time, just holding hands.

Lamb cleared his throat, and sat back in the chair.
Faith sat back, too, their hands still linked.
“
Do you know,
”
he said,
“
I always thought it strange, but your father had an uncanny knack of knowing things before they happened.
”
His mouth twisted into a rueful smile.
“
He was appallingly good at betting on sports.
”

Faith laughed, but it came out as a sob.
She covered her mouth, and hot tears trickled down her cheeks.

He squeezed her hand.
“
As for what happened on Hvitmar, I had some of my contacts comb the site before the police arrived.
They
’
ll find nothing to endanger you or Sara.
I
’
ve spoken to the inspector, and so far, it appears he
’
s attributing your actions to self-defense.
”

She nodded and wiped away her tears.

“
You should get some sleep,
”
he said after a long silence.
“
I
’
ve rented a room at the bed-and-breakfast down the road.
Take my keys, and go rest a while.
”

“
No.
Not until Sara wakes up.
”

“
Your mother and I can stay with her.
”

“
I want to be here, Lamb.
”

They fell into silence again.
Faith heard the faint ticking of the clock on the waiting room wall, and counted the passing seconds.

Dustin entered the room.
Lamb and Faith stood up.
“
Thomas is in a bad way,
”
Dustin said.
“
The doctors don
’
t think he
’
ll ever see again.
He
’
s already confessed to Cameron
’
s...
”
He trailed off and wiped his sweat-beaded forehead.
“
He
’
s willing to testify.
”

“
Thank you, Dustin,
”
said Lamb.
“
Someone will need to call the Flintrop offices, and tell them what has happened to Michael, Luis, and Alan.
If you
’
ll excuse me.
”

When he had gone, Faith went back to staring out the window.
By now, the red-sweatered man and the child had left.
A pang seized her as she wondered if Hakon would ever contact her again.
She hadn
’
t heard so much as a whisper from him since the closing of the ley line.
I miss you,
she thought, only now understanding how much his ethereal presence had comforted her.
During all that turmoil, all that uncertainty on the island, she had always felt he was watching out for her.

Warmth spread through her body.
She
’
d find him again.
Someone, somewhere cared about her, and for now that was enough.

Dustin came up behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder.
“
Are you all right?
”

“
Yes.
Thank you,
”
she murmured.

“
And Sara?
”

“
Still not conscious,
”
she said.

“
Would you like me to stay?
”

“
No, thanks.
My mother is here now.
”

His hand lifted from her shoulder. She heard him move toward the door, and turned around. “Dustin?”

He paused with his hand on the door handle.

“
How did you know to go get Lamb before the—before it happened?
”
she asked.

“
Lambertson asked me to keep an eye out for you.
”
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“
I never trusted Flintrop, anyway.
”
Before she could say anything further, he left.

Faith sighed, too.
Her sister hadn
’
t woken up since they
’
d brought her in.

Faith sat down and prepared for a long, restless wait.

****

Sound returned first.

The incessant drone of a television chattered away in Sara’s ear. “...Authorities are still investigating last week’s tragic events on Hvitmar, where geologists say an earthquake split the island almost entirely in two. Madeline Burgess has the story.”

“
Lawrence, I
’
m reporting from Unst.
With me on satellite is Inspector Ritchie of the Unst police.
Hvitmar is the northernmost point in Shetland, unpopulated, and until now fairly quiet.
It has now been closed to the public due to last week
’
s violent quake.
Archaeologists had been excavating what was thought to be a Viking ruin on Hvitmar, and authorities say there were a number of deaths.
Inspector Ritchie, what can you tell us?
”

“
We
’
re continuing to investigate at this point, Madeline.
We know of three fatalities, but we have no further information at this point due to the island
’
s instability.
We intend to keep working until we
’
ve fully completed the investigation.
”

“
Thank you, Inspector.
Back to you, Lawrence.
”

Lawrence buzzed on like a nagging mosquito.
Sara woke fully, blinking in the glare of fluorescent lights.
The hospital room came into focus, but the blind spot hadn
’
t gone away.
Her headache had dulled to a persistent heaviness behind her eyes.

She was alone in the room with her grief.

It choked her.

She angled her head, and saw the television mounted on the wall.
A polished, suit-clad news anchor glanced down at his stack of papers.
The view cut to a smiling photograph of Ian.
She couldn
’
t bear to look at the image, but neither could she wrest her eyes away.
“
...In related news, American biologist Ian Waverly is thought to have discovered a nesting pair of endangered Eurasian peregrine falcons on Hvitmar—
”

“
Thought, nothing.
”

Ian
’
s voice.
She stopped breathing for a long, suspended minute.

Ian balanced in the doorway, panting, on a pair of crutches, then adjusted a brace on his knee.
She closed her eyes, unable to stand the hollow ache.
A dream,
she told herself, heartsick.

But when she looked again, he was still there.
She gave a strangled cry and pushed into a sitting position.