00 Mayan Thief (The FBI Paranormal Casefiles) Page 16

  Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. This was goodbye. “You’ve made your choice, Cleo, and I’ll make mine. Don’t come back here. And Jones will hear about it.”

  I shoved the phone in my pocket. My hands trembled, and there was a prickly ball of anxiety lodged in my stomach. It hurt, unbelievably so. Was this the last time I was seeing them all? Perhaps I wouldn’t be able to escape unscathed from Scott’s clutches?

  After all, he nearly got me last time. He would be more prepared this time around.

  And yet, I’d to see it through.

  “You do what you’ve to do, and I’ll do what I must.”

  With those words, without a backward glance, I strode out. Outside, I took a deep breath. The faint sweet scent from the flowers in the garden teased my senses. Would I ever be able to stand here again and enjoy their glorious beauty?

  Perhaps not.

  Tears pricked against my eyelids but I didn’t let them drop.

  I’d to be strong.

  What was I supposed to do alone against such insurmountable odds?

  I needed to come up with a battle plan. Shelley stood next to me, the baby in her arms. From the panicked look in her eyes, it was clear she’d heard it all.

  “Cleo, I…”

  “It’s alright.” I patted her arm. My gaze met that of the child’s. Something stirred in their azure depths. “Shelley, you might want to do a blood test on the baby, discreetly.”

  “Why?”

  “Just do it. She might be more than what she looks.”

  I walked towards the garage. The future of the child was in their hands, and they had to be prepared to handle whatever she had to offer. Suddenly, I froze. I didn’t have my own car, and I couldn’t take commune transport and get them involved in this mess that I was about to create.

  “My car is right over there,” said Agent Bryan.

  Even though my mind was in turmoil, his words penetrated the haze of confusion like a sharp knife. “You don’t have to do this. You’ll get into too much trouble. Jones will not forgive you, and trust me, if you go with me, Augusta will tell him about you.”

  “I know. She said as much. There are no underhanded moves that the woman makes. She told me on my face that she would report me to Jones.”

  “So what are you doing here?”

  “I’m with you.”

  “You’ll lose your job.”

  He took a deep breath. “I know, but I need to make sure that it happened because I helped save the bloody world, so let’s go and get that bastard.”

  My lips trembled. The man was insane. Or perhaps I was the crazy one. He was a straight-laced guy, and I turned him around and made him into this rule-flouting monster. But boy, was I glad to have him on my side. As I heard the sound of laughter, I turned my head and glanced at the kids who were running out of the school. They shot out as if they were given a reprieve from a torturous ordeal. For them, it was the beginning of life. It was the start of a journey that would take them on a lot of adventures. For them, I vowed to do my best to save the world. I couldn’t relax, I couldn’t pass on my duty to someone else. Right now, at this moment, I was the best person for the job because I was determined and focused. No one else could take over because they didn’t know all that I did.

  Scott Fallon would end this world to achieve his dreams, and we had to stop it. An army of two was better than a lone ranger. I grabbed Bryan’s hand. “I should tell you to turn back and not make this sacrifice, but honestly I need you. I don’t think it would be possible for me to do anything without you. But if you lose your job because of me, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

  “That’s not your worry. It’s mine. We’re in this together, partner.”

  The man was as unhinged as I was. We were risking everything to do something that seemed irrational, illogical, and perhaps even crazy – but then what option did we have. We were already submerged in the ocean. It was either sink or swim, baby – and I, for one, was all for giving it my best shot.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Life was a bitch – and sometimes she kicked you in the nuts to add to your misery.

  The brisk wind swept through my hair, providing no relief from the anxiety that engulfed me. The last two days were a complete waste of time. Frustration gnawed in the pit of my stomach, and I couldn’t keep still. Restless, I paced the top of the hill where we were camped. It was near to sunset, and I had that itchy feeling on my shoulder blades.

  “Something is going to happen tonight,” I muttered in a voice that even I could identify was a little crazed. “I just know it.”

  Bryan was sprawled on a piece of tarp. “We haven’t seen anything unusual in the past two days,” he said in a weary voice. “I mean…all they have done are those silly yoga type exercises.”

  “All those exercises are designed to give Scott an access to their collective will.”

  “We haven’t seen that bloody orb,” he muttered.

  With an effort, I snapped shut my mouth. It wouldn’t be productive to fight with the only guy who was actually on this thankless quest with me. We defied everyone, and as yet had nothing to gain for it. I’d heard nothing from Augusta. Her total silence was even more ominous than Jones’s threatening emails. But I didn’t bother to reply to Jones. Following proper procedures, Augusta must have informed him about my desertion. I didn’t feel any pain at her action; she was doing what she thought was best for the commune.

  The commune; the one place I called home. I wouldn’t be able to go back there. I might never see my friends, weed in that goddamned garden, laugh with Shelley, or teach the students. My life was over; I would have to rebuild it again.

  And I didn’t have the faintest idea how.

  Of course, that was, if I survived tonight.

  If the world survived tonight…

  Shit.

  It was better to pretend that all these problems didn’t exist.

  I was on a mission, and one way or the other it would be over soon.

  If Scott did something, it had to be tonight. It was already 8th February. And if the night passed uneventfully, I would know that my defiance was all for nothing.

  Oh well.

  That would be a good and well-deserved kick in my ass.

  But I had strong feelings that tonight was the night. My instincts, sharpened to a razor sharp edge, screamed at me with an urgency I couldn’t ignore. So I paced and fretted and Bryan played it cool as we waited on top of the hill and kept an eye on the coven.

  It was likely that the FBI was looking for us, but we found a good place under a grove of trees. No one could see us here even if they surveyed the land using a helicopter, but we could see straight into the main courtyard and even a little bit into the door if the light was right.

  “I just wish we could walk inside.”

  “Maybe an invisibility spell,” he suggested.

  I smirked. Special Agent Bryan managed to pick up a lot in the too few days he spent with me. “It wouldn’t work, not now. He has magical sensors all over the place. The moment we stepped though, even under an invisibility spell, he would know.”

  Picking up the water bottle, Bryan downed it. We didn’t have much supplies left. Although we stocked up before we came here, we were running low now on food and water. If something didn’t happen tonight, we would have to go back into town to bring supplies. Or well…if nothing happened tonight, we could just go back to Augusta and Jones with our tails tucked into our behind. If Scott didn’t take any action tonight, he would have to wait another year.

  That is, if the date was correct.

  If the year was right.

  If the spell was what I thought it was.

  Dear Lord! There were too many variables in this equation and I took a bet on something that was hard to explain even to myself. I was crazy to do this. Stupid. Silly. Idiotic. Now I didn’t have a home and a job, and worst, I led Bryan into this mess. Maybe I would be able to figure out another path for myself, but he
would be completely lost. This wasn’t fair on him. I should have been less selfish, more thoughtful.

  Stop it!

  No sense in dragging myself over that web of thorns.

  But then I didn’t have much choice. I messed up, well and good, and both Bryan and I would pay the price for my overconfidence. Shit. I didn’t know what to do. As I ran my hand through my hair, I couldn’t help but grab the binoculars. Something had to give; I just felt it. The feeling in my bones told me that I wasn’t wrong – or perhaps it was just my stubbornness.

  What was I supposed to do?

  “They are gathering for yet another exercise,” I said.

  “They do it at sundown every day.”

  “Yeah, they do.” But sundown was the time that was written in the spell. Maybe I wasn’t wrong. Or perhaps I was stupid to keep my hopes up. I checked the scene. There he was, Scott. He walked up to the door and for a moment I thought he was about to close them, but then he stepped through. “That’s odd.”

  They never came out for their exercise. Never ever before. The change in routine gave me an inkling that perhaps I didn’t imagine that sense of dread. Something was different today. He walked into the center of the courtyard and began to draw the Grace. Everyone else came out and stood in a circle, waiting for him to finish.

  “Something big is going to happen,” I whispered.

  “It’s probably nothing,” he said.

  But I saw him shift and tense. We were both alert now. The participants took their position. There was no sense of excitement, or wonder, among them as they lined up in concentric circles. Scott moved forward to take his place in the middle. Oh well, nothing different about it. They pretty much did the same thing every day. Now they would link hands – and yep, they did. The sun was a dark ball of orange and fiery red lights. Soon it would slip down and dusk would take the land. While there was ostensibly nothing different about what they did and how they did it, the only slight change was their presence out in the open.

  Maybe it was just a change of routine, or a practice run for something big. But my heart fluttered in my chest. Sweat beaded on my forehead. My hands trembled as I held the binoculars in a hard grip. Scott looked relaxed, calm, but I sensed his eagerness almost as if it was a physical force that hit me.

  “It’s happening,” I muttered. “They are doing it now.”

  The way Scott stood, the purpose in his stance, the hard gleam in his eyes told me that he meant business this time. I didn’t have any evidence to prove my point, but I knew that we were on the cusp of a disaster. I couldn’t let them continue, but short of shooting Scott, there wasn’t much I could do to stop this feat from happening.

  What was I supposed to do?

  I couldn’t kill him.

  I gnawed at my bottom lip as I considered the options. Bryan had a gun, as did I. I bought one two days ago. We could injure him or perhaps maim him on the leg. Perhaps it would work. But I would lose more than my job and home if I did that, I would lose my freedom. As would Bryan. Jones wouldn’t hesitate for a second before he threw us behind bars. It was one thing to keep an investigation going while we didn’t have the authority to do so, but it was quite another to shoot at a person who wasn’t an official suspect. They wouldn’t forgive us for that. The second option was magic, but it was obvious they had enough protective spells around that place to stop anything from penetrating through. Scott was well prepared.

  I watched them as everyone stood as still as a rock. I fidgeted.

  “They don’t have the orb,” said Bryan. “This could just be a trial, a test.”

  Could it be?

  His words proved to be prophetic. A woman walked out of the doors. She carried something in her hand. It was covered in a white cloth. Magic tingled on the tips of my fingers. The need that slowly built inside me begged to let loose my magic. But doing so would only alert them that we were on to them. It might delay the ceremony, but I doubted it. The fabric of protective magic around the temple was strong, and it made its presence known by the occasional gleam as the rays of the sun hit the layers of it. The invisible curtain glittered in places. No one else would have noticed it but to a mage, it was clear as day. While I was strong enough to eventually break through it, it would take precious time, and I might be too late. My gaze was now fixed on the woman who made her way through the people towards Scott.

  “What’s in her hands?” asked Bryan. My breath was struck in my throat. I couldn’t exhale. My phone rang, but I ignored it. Whoever it was could wait. The world hung on the balance as I considered my choices. Magic or no magic, shooting Scott or not; something had to be done. “I need to take a picture of this,” said Bryan.

  I sensed his movements as he took out his phone and began to take pictures. He would send them to Jones. Maybe. Probably. But it wouldn’t really serve a purpose. By the time someone believed us and came through, it would be too late. If there was a decision to be made, it must be done now. We were the only ones here who could analyze the situation and react accordingly.

  I broke rules many times before, but the price of it was never as high as it was now. Trouble hovered over me like a big, black cloud. After losing my job and home, I lacked the courage to make a choice that would land me in prison. I couldn’t bear the thought of being stuck inside a cage. And yet if I chose not to act, I was just as responsible for the certain mayhem that would follow.

  My gaze was fixed on the mages as I held the binoculars and used them to keep an eye on the situation that unraveled in the courtyard. The woman reached Scott. After taking off the cloth with her long, slender fingers, she offered him the orb. It was as black as midnight. The dark creation seemed to suck in the light and reduce it to nothing within its inky depths. It was smooth and perfectly round. The bright sheen of its surface reflected nothing. I didn’t know exactly what it was, but there were a number of possibilities. Many times over the past centuries, mages created objects that served nefarious purposes. Most of these artifacts were confiscated over time and destroyed or put behind safe bars by the Council of White Mages, but some survived. Their owners hid some, and some were sold in the underground market.

  This was one such object.

  I didn’t know exactly what it could do, but it was capable of something monstrous, something huge. My lips trembled as I tried to figure out my next move. I would have to use my gun and shoot the damned man to stop him in his tracks. As a mage, I never relied on my magic. All of us at the commune knew how to shoot with a gun. It was basic training and now it might come handy. However this ended, it wasn’t going to be good for me. If I took a decision, I would have to suffer the consequences of it. Jones wouldn’t forgive me for attacking a civilian. Augusta would likely help him catch me and put me behind bars. She loved me, but she wouldn’t tolerate such a blatant show of illegal action.

  There wasn’t much else I could so.

  “I’ve sent that picture to Jones. Let me call him.”

  I heard Bryan as he made that call. No one could move quickly enough to stop this from happening. Scott carried the orb in his hands. The women withdrew far away and took a position in the outermost circle. They were all ready to do what they practiced for so many weeks, maybe months. I read the resolve in Scott’s eyes. He was prepared to go to any lengths to achieve his dreams.

  None of the participants looked worried; perhaps they didn’t know what he was up to. Most likely he fed them some lies or perhaps they just trusted him blindly. He held the orb, tight and strong.

  This was my call.

  Now or never.

  Shoot him and end this drama, or else let it continue and see where it took us. I didn’t have any single piece of evidence that told me that the world might end when he did this ritual. I suspected it, perhaps expected it because of all that I read. But it was just as possible that the ritual would fail. It might not work. But then Scott must have spent months, if not years, preparing for this moment. He organized people who stole for him. He risked his
freedom; if the FBI caught him they would have put him behind bars for stealing. He made quite daring choices and now he was here, near to success.

  What was the chance that he would fail now?

  Not much.

  I didn’t think he would have left anything in fate’s tender hands. He would have made sure that he got everything right so that when he made that final call, it would all fall into place as it was meant to. If he wanted to travel into an alternate universe, he must have figured out exactly how and when things would work.

  Choose.

  Choose.

  Choose.

  The decision was mine, and mine alone.

  Scott raised the orb high. It gleamed, dark and black, dangerous, and yet sensuous. The orb was probably capable of doing powerful things. It wasn’t evil or good; it was merely a device that could be used for any purpose. The user had the power, and I just knew what Scott would use it for. He wasn’t the sort to shy away from achieving his end results, no matter what the price.

  He loved himself too much.

  While I didn’t know him, I knew people like him. He would do whatever he wanted regardless of the price others would pay for his ambitions.

  I wasn’t sure if I was prepared to make this decision. It was the right choice, and yet I hesitated. The repercussions of what I wanted to do were great, and they might just haunt me for the rest of my life. Was I prepared to lose so much just so I could win from this guy?

  My home, my family and friends, my freedom and that of Bryan’s was all at stake.

  Was this my ego that compelled me to do this?

  Or perhaps this was something greater, more important?

  And how could I be sure either way?

  My hand moved, and even before I could understand what I was up to, I drew the gun. The gun felt alien in my hands, and yet I was sure, decisive. Scott began to chant; his people joined him. Immediately there was a distant rumble in the sky. It was almost as if some god heard him and responded to his plea. The magic he invoked made me tingle all over; it was ancient and strong. The vibrations of it unnerved me.