The Gathering (67 page)

"Ok, Creegan.
 
I can promise to do that…you just make good on your promise, you got that?"

She smiled and stepped back.

"Yes, Sir."

She turned and walked towards her horse and Arthur Jones.
 
Sean rubbed his eyes and walked into the crowd, barking orders to his soldiers.
 
Finally, he walked up to Myron, already seated on his horse as his wife Carolyn moved back towards Janeen, who had just finished saying good-bye to Connie.
 
Sean looked up at him and extended his hand.

Myron looked down and took it firmly.
 
His face was grave as he looked at his friend, and then Sean broke into a smile.

"Watch your ass, Old Friend."

"Better than watching yours."

They laughed and held fast for a moment, then Sean let go and walked to Alia.
 
She was about to mount her horse, but stopped and looked at him.
 
She put her hand on his face and then leaned in and kissed him.
 
He smiled, but she could see the fear in his eyes.

"Remember, you promised."

She nodded and smiled.

"I remember."

Sean turned as Janeen walked over.

"I heard you promised to get back here alive and in one piece."

Alia smiled and nodded.
 
Janeen's eyes were wet with tears and she wiped her face.

"Ok, just make sure you do, Al.
 
Come hell or high water, right?"

Alia smiled and held her friend.

"Right.
 
Mean old ladies… you and me, right?"

Janeen pulled back and smiled.

"I'm already a mean old lady.
 
I love you, Al."

"I love you, Neen."

She embraced her friend once more and then watched as Janeen walked back into the crowd, lightly running her hand over Connie's leg as she walked past her.
 
Then Alia lifted herself onto the steed.
 

Grant and Ian Turner were packing their horses as they said goodbye to Ellen and Kaley.
 
Ian hugged his mother and then took Kaley's face in his hands.

"I'll be back soon."

Kaley started to cry as she nodded and smiled.
 
Ian held her, knowing that he was going to break down any instant.

"C'mon, Babe, I need you to be strong."

Kaley pulled back and smiled.

"I know.
 
Just don't take too long, okay?"

Ian smiled.

"Ok."

"C'mon, Son."

Ian looked at his father, then back at Kaley and kissed her.
 
As they parted, he again hugged his mother and kissed her cheek.
 
Then he mounted his horse.

Alia looked around her.
 
She made a mental note of those who were coming with her.
 
Grant and Ian Turner, Myron, Larry and Sam Hearst, Scott Forrester, Elian Merganser, Connie, Todd and Quinn, Molly and Arthur, soldiers from the other camps as well as their own, and in the back, away from the troops, was Vance.
 
She pried her gaze from him and looked at the other soldiers who were going, their young faces determined to follow her anywhere.

She raised herself high in her saddle as she heard the gates of the Fail open.

"All right, let's go!"

Myron stood in his stirrups.

"You heard Her Majesty!!
 
We ride for San Bernardino!!"

Alia Stark turned her horse and charged out the gate, followed by the thundering of hooves.
 
She couldn't help but think, only a few days ago she was doing this very same thing.
 
Only then she was hunting for deer and boar, this time she was hunting something else.

97

Coeli awoke on the horse.
 
She was disoriented for a moment, but soon remembered what had happened.
 
She looked over at Rona who was riding in front of her and scowled.
 
Then she remembered the girls.
 
She looked behind her and saw that they were asleep.
 
She hoped that they weren't dreaming.
 
The horses moved slowly though the darkness, but Coeli recognized some of the surrounding landscape.
 
She remembered her dreams and shuddered.
 

“Can you hear me?”

“Schepta!”

“Yes, Friend.”

“Oh, Schepta, your father…”

“Not now, My Friend, know this, your mother is coming for you.”

“She can't come, Schepta… it's a trap.
 
Please stop her.”

“She is already on her way, Coeli.”
 

“No!”

“Be strong and have faith, I am always with you.”

Coeli felt her eyes well up with tears as the connection faded and she was alone again.
 
When she raised her head, she noticed that Blaylock was riding next to her.

"Awake, I see."

She stared forward.
 
He smiled at her and looked her up and down.
 
She was very pretty.
 
He hoped that the Master would be generous.

"You're a tough one, aren't you?"

Coeli continued to stare.

"Yes, I see that.
 
Well, you should get your rest, Princess."

Coeli turned and looked at him.

"Ah, yes, Princess…Rona told me."

"What do you want with us?"

"Oh, she speaks."

He laughed.

"Well, the Master needs your mommy and we need you to get your mommy to come willingly to the castle… something to do with the old magic.
 
You're just bait."

Coeli furrowed her brow.

"Why does he want my mother?"

Blaylock sighed.

"Not sure, really…something to do with magic and a goddess and an amulet… I'm not really into that stuff."

"Then why help him?"

"Why not?
 
Besides, his magic gets me what I want."

"What's that?"

Blaylock turned and stared at her in a way that made her blood run cold.
 
She felt herself cower from his gaze.

"Little girls like you."

He continued to leer at her and then broke into laughter as he rode ahead.

"Get some sleep, Princess.
 
We've still got a long way to go."

Coeli shuddered and again the tears fell.
 
She closed her eyes and thought of home.

98

Kaley sat quietly watching Chris breath as she held his hand.
 
It was cold.
 
His skin was so pale it had a bluish tint about it.
 
His face was sallow and the area around his eyes was dark.
 
She leaned back in her chair as she gently let go of his hand and began to absently twist the ring on her left hand as she thought about Alisha.
 
She heard the door unlatch as Beverly entered the room.
 
Kaley looked at her and smiled.

"I came to see how our boy was doing," Beverly said.

"No change."

Beverly could see the pain in Kaley's face.

"I've failed all of you, Child… I'm sorry."

Kaley frowned as she looked at Beverly.
 
She seemed older to Kaley, and frail.
 
Kaley reached across Chris and held out her hand.
 
Beverly took it and moved into the light.
 
The lines on her face were deeper and she looked tired.

"You haven't failed us, Bev.
 
How could you think that?"

Beverly smiled and held fast to Kaley's hand.

"I knew in my gut it was Rona.
 
I knew she would do whatever she had to to get out of that jail.
 
I should have been watching her more closely.
 
I should have been there for Alisha."

Tears fell down Beverly's cheek as she tried to regain some composure.
 
Kaley squeezed Bev's hand.

"As far as Rona is concerned, Sean and Janeen had been trying for a long time to get Mom to see who she really was… how were you going to do what they hadn't been able to?
 
And as far as Alisha is concerned, there was nothing you could have done, Bev.
 
She made the decision.
 
She saw more than any of us and…"

Kaley choked on her words.
 
She was tired of crying and tired of being afraid.

"Look, Bev, no one blames you for not being able to save Alisha.
 
It just wasn't meant to be.
 
Eventually our family will be together again.
 
She just went to meet them sooner than the rest of us and sooner than we would have liked."

Beverly smiled and looked at Kaley's hands as she gently ran her thumb over the girl’s delicate fingers.

"You so remind me of your father.
 
He was a kind and practical man."

Kaley smiled and looked over at Chris.
 
His breathing had seemed to ease and the color was returning to his fingers.

"Bev, look."

Beverly turned to see the color fill his hands and move up his arms.
 
The bluish tint around his lips began to turn red and the dark circles around his eyes disappeared.
 
Beverly let go of Kaley's hand and opened the door.

"Evelyn, go get Elena!!
 
Get Sean!
 
Hurry!!"

Bev returned to the side of Chris's bed and touched his forehead.
 
Then she laid her hand on his chest and brought her hand to her mouth as she began to laugh.

"He's warm, Kaley!
 
His heart is beating strongly!"