Lesser Gods (46 page)

As for Terry deliberately losing tomorrow’s fight, I knew it was futile to argue. Terry always did whatever she believed in. This would be no different.

Terry had skipped her training that day and the four of us were playing cards in our room when, my restlessness finally getting the better of me, I said, “I want to see the Angel camp.”

“Why?” asked Laila.

“Just curious.”

“You’re not to cross our barrier, Adrian,” said Terry.

Even in the daylight, witnesses from both sides were “mingling” in the north-south service road that ran between the main factory building and the warehouses lining the east side of the compound. Gunshots were rare, but injuries were fairly common. Just before lunch, Alia had assisted another Guardian healer to treat a man who had suffered electrical burns on his chest and arms: the result of a duel with an Angel spark. The Angel reportedly lost a good deal of blood too, but that was someone else’s problem.

“I have a pair of binoculars in the camper,” Laila said helpfully. “If you like, we can get up on this building’s roof and look from there.”

We did just that. In addition to a pair of Guardian Knights, the roof of our three-story office building already had a fair number of spectators, some observing the Angel camp in the distance while others exchanged taunts with Angels who had ventured down the service road.

We took turns with the binoculars, and I saw that the Angels too had come with a fair number of motorhomes, which they had arranged in a full circle around their smaller cars and tents which were huddled together on the north side of the factory compound. Unfortunately, the line of warehouses on my right and the factory building on my left blocked much of the view, and at this height I couldn’t see the inside of the Angel encampment very well.

“It’s not against the rules to fly here, is it?” I asked.

Terry shrugged, which I took as a no.

Fortunately, Laila’s binoculars were a relatively cheap pair, made mostly of plastic rather than metal, so they didn’t hamper my levitation greatly. I slowly floated upward until I was high enough to see past the Angels’ motorhome barrier and watch the Angel witnesses walking about inside their camp.

I heard one of the Knights call up to me, “You’re going to get yourself shot, Hansel!”

I ignored the warning.

Lowering the binoculars for a moment, I noticed that there was an Angel telekinetic hovering directly over his camp at approximately the same altitude as myself. He was looking back at me with his own pair of binoculars, and as a combination joke and taunt, I waved to him. To my surprise, he actually waved back.

Putting the binoculars back up to my eyes, I once again scanned the Angel camp. I watched as several small groups of Angels set up outdoor cooking equipment in preparation for dinner while others talked, occasionally gesturing wildly. Perhaps they were talking about the fights that were taking place outside the walls.

I saw the side door open on one of the motorhomes that made up the far side of the Angels’ circular barrier.

And out stepped Cat.

I hadn’t seen my lost sister in nearly three years, and even through the binoculars I was too far away to see her very clearly, but I knew in an instant that it was her. I didn’t wonder what Cat was doing there. That question would come later, along with many others. At that moment, I just watched. Cat briskly walked alone between the cars and tents, heading toward the southernmost motorhome. In a moment she had disappeared behind it. I trained my binoculars on the windows, but the curtains were drawn on this side.

I hadn’t a clue how long I had been levitating, but I was rapidly reaching my limit. I didn’t want to come down. I had to see Cat again if only to make sure that I hadn’t imagined her.

I hit the roof of the office building so completely out of breath that it took nearly a minute before I could say anything at all, and when I did, it was, “Wait a minute. I’ll be back.”

I levitated again, and when I refocused the binoculars on the Angel camp, I saw Cat’s long hair lift slightly in the breeze as she walked back toward the farthermost motorhome.

There was no question about it. Whatever the reason, my first sister had come to the blood trial.

I made a quick mental note of the size and color of the motorhome Cat had returned to, as well as the ones to its left and right.

“What did you see?” asked Laila when I landed again.

“Nothing,” I panted. “I mean, just Angels.”

“Happy now?” said Terry. “There’s nothing to see. It’s not like Larissa Divine’s about to take a stroll outside.”

“I guess so,” I said. I was still in a mild state of shock, but the girls seemed to regard it as overexertion from my prolonged levitation.

“Let’s go on back downstairs,” said Laila.

I’m not exactly sure why I didn’t tell them all on the spot that I had seen Cat in the Angel camp. Perhaps I was just in a secretive mood after what I had heard from Terry that morning, but I didn’t want Laila or even Alia to know about Cat just yet. I wanted to talk privately with Terry first.

That wasn’t easy considering the fact that Laila had nowhere else to be and Alia was still my semi-Siamese twin. If absolutely necessary, I would wait till nighttime when Laila returned to her camper, and with any luck I could disentangle myself from Alia after she fell asleep. But given the choice, I wanted to talk to Terry sooner.

An hour later, just before dinnertime, my wish was granted in the form of a messenger who came to our room to announce that Laila was to eat with her mother that evening, and the rest of us weren’t invited.

“That’s odd,” said Laila, not noticing the knowing glances Terry and I exchanged. “I can’t imagine why my mother wouldn’t invite you all.”

I shrugged. Laila would find out soon enough, and as far as I was concerned, it was for the better.

After seeing Laila off, Terry said quietly, “I wasn’t sure Laila’s mother would really tell her. I guess she deserves more credit than I thought.”

“Terry, we need to talk,” I said, aware that Alia was listening to our conversation.

“Is it something Alia shouldn’t hear?” asked Terry.

“Well, you seem to think so. Personally, I don’t mind if she hears.”

That wasn’t entirely true, but I didn’t want to upset Alia.

“Then we’ll just have to get rid of your nosy sister, won’t we?” Terry smiled and said to Alia, “Go shower now, and we’ll eat after you get back. Make sure you take your time.”

Alia shook her head vigorously. “No fair, Terry! Addy said I could listen!”

“Guess what?! I’m not Addy!” snapped Terry. “Now go or you’ll get the tickling of a lifetime!”

Alia stamped her feet in anger but obeyed. Grabbing her towel and nightclothes, she blew Terry a big raspberry and then disappeared from the room.

After locking the door, Terry turned to me and asked brusquely, “So what is it, Half-head?”

“I’ve got a real problem, Terry,” I began slowly.

Terry laughed. “Adrian, Laila’s got a real problem since her mother volunteered to be fish bait. I’ve got a real problem because tomorrow I’m going to be beaten senseless in front of a cheering group of Angels. What kind of real problem could you possibly have?”

“My sister is here,” I told her.

Terry threw her hands up in exasperation. “
You
invited her to tag along!”

“I’m not talking about Alia!”

I gave Terry a moment of silence to let it sink in.

“You mean your sister-sister?” Terry asked quietly. “You mean Catherine?”

I nodded. “I saw her today. In the Angel camp.”

“You’re sure?” asked Terry. “There were no children on the Angel side of the witnesses yesterday.”

That wasn’t so hard to believe. Cat was thirteen years old, and whoever had brought her to this gathering had no doubt left her in the camp during the first fight.

“Trust me,” I said. “I’d know my own sister, Terry.”

Terry whistled softly. “This could complicate things.”

“Yeah,” I said sarcastically, “like things aren’t already complicated enough.”

Terry smiled grimly. “You were right not to let Laila know. She’d tell her mother and then Mr. Baker would know.”

“Then you agree that Mr. Baker won’t help me?”

Terry nodded. “Not a chance. Not now, not here.”

In the past, Mr. Baker had promised more than once that he would help me retrieve Cat from the Angels, but there was no way he was going to risk upsetting his delicate covert operation for my sister.

Terry sighed. “Baker is liable to lock you up just to keep you from doing anything stupid.”

“Well, his concern wouldn’t be unfounded,” I said, grinning. “After all, I do have a bit of a reputation for rash actions.”

“So you’re planning to infiltrate the Angel camp all by yourself, then?” Terry asked skeptically.

“Of course not, Terry. You’re going to help me.”

“Like hell I am!” Terry said angrily. “Don’t you get it, Half-head? You already know all about our plans to kill Number Two. I should never have told you anything.”

“You’re right, Terry, you shouldn’t have,” I said evenly. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m going over there with or without your help.”

“You would risk the Angels finding out our plan if they caught you and delved you? You’d risk everything the Guardians are working for here?”

“Sure,” I replied unhesitatingly. “Wouldn’t you?”

Terry pursed her lips, but I knew she understood. There was little Terry wouldn’t have done for Gabriel.

“Besides,” I added, “as for the Angels reading my mind, they’d have to catch me first.”

“Which they will,” Terry said matter-of-factly.

“Which they
might
,” I contradicted. “I still have Cindy’s hiding protection, remember? And even if they did catch me, if they believed I was really only after Cat, they wouldn’t be in such a hurry to delve me. After all, I’m still not old enough to safely delve. I could probably pass for fourteen or even thirteen years old.”

“You could pass for five, Addy,” Terry said nastily. “But that won’t stop them from delving you if they thought for a second that you were a part of the Council’s plans.”

“I’ll make sure they don’t,” I said. “Please, Terry. You’ve got to help me.”

Terry shook her head. “Your sister has been converted, Adrian. She’s an Angel whether you like it or not.”

I knew that children were particularly susceptible to psionic conversion, and Cat would have been ten years old when she was converted by the Angel master. I bit my lip as Terry logically pointed out, “Even if you did manage to get to her, she wouldn’t want to come back here with you. Not while Larissa Divine is alive.”

“I’ll let Cat be the judge of that, Terry,” I said. “Please. I have to at least try.”

“If the Council is successful, then in a couple of years–”

“Damn it, Terry!” I shouted furiously. “I’m not going to wait a couple of years! In a couple of years she could be dead! My sister is here right now! I might never get another chance like this.”

Terry said warningly, “If you force her, her mind could be destroyed.”

I knew that too. “I won’t force her,” I promised. “I’ll just talk to her and give her the choice.”

Terry remained silent.

“Come on, Terry,” I pleaded. “The Council still needs a reason to send Knights into the Angel camp, right? What difference would it make if I took Mrs. Brown’s place?”

Terry let out a loud huff. “Adrian, you are completely insane.”

“Then I’m in good company,” I replied evenly. “And don’t tell me that I’m not ready for something this big because I know I’m not and I’m going anyway.”

I dared not imagine what Cindy might have said to that, especially after I promised her I’d stay out of trouble this time. So much for being a good boy.

“What do you want me to do?” Terry asked resignedly.

“I just need a way in,” I told her. “I need to know how Mr. Baker was planning to send Mrs. Brown into the Angel camp.”

“That’s easy,” Terry said with a frown. “Laila’s mother was going to have one of our phantoms turn her invisible.”

“That’s a thought,” I said, “if I could get a phantom to help me.”

“Wrong, Half-head,” said Terry. “Floating eyeballs, remember? The Angels would be looking for that kind of thing. You’re forgetting that the whole point of Laila’s mother going over to the Angel camp is to deliberately get caught.”

“Oh, right,” I said, feeling stupid. “Well, I can’t get caught. At least not until I find Cat and have a chance to speak with her. There has to be some other way to get inside.”

Terry stared up at the ceiling for a moment before saying slowly, “Well, there are several service tunnels that run under the compound, but they don’t surface inside the Angel camp. One of them will get you to the far end of the warehouses, pretty near their barrier, but you’ll still have to find a way past the sentries.”

That wasn’t helpful in the least.

I said rather embarrassedly, “My first idea was to wait for night, fly really high up and then drop into the camp from above. But I suppose that would be, uh...”

“Suicidal,” confirmed Terry.

“Then I guess invisibility is still my best option.”

Terry shook her head. “That’s a non-option, Adrian.”

“It’s the perfect option,” I argued.

“Eyeballs, Adrian!” Terry cried in frustration. “Eyeballs!”

“No eyeballs,” I replied.

“What?”

“No eyeballs!” I insisted. “The phantom could make me completely invisible, eyeballs included.”

“But you’d be blind as a bat, Adrian.”

I shrugged. “So what? Do you really think I couldn’t find my way out there blind?”

Terry narrowed her eyes. “Even without your ridiculous headset?”

I had left my ridiculous headset back in New Haven, along with my cane and talking compass. Perhaps there was a lesson about preparedness to be learned here, but I ignored it.

“I’ll manage,” I answered with as much conviction as I could muster. “Terry, if I were completely invisible as well as psionically hidden, as long as I didn’t pass right next to a finder or a destroyer, I’d be safe, right?”

Terry looked thoughtfully at me for a moment, but then she frowned again and said, “Still won’t work.”