“That’s not important.” Antonio jumped to his feet, moving toward his bags. “What is vital is that you two are fine.” He tossed clothes in their direction. “Listen to my directives while you two change your clothes.”
Feeling confident in my blank expression, I turned my attention in their direction. They appeared confused to the extreme, but no desperation lurked in their expressions and no hurt was visible. In fact, the only perceptible evidence of anything abnormal, other than their bewilderment, was a diagonal streak of pink lipstick across each of their foreheads. Half of an ‘X’. And bizarrely, neither one of my besties seemed to notice the other’s half ‘X’ when they glanced at each other before turning their backs to one another so they could strip down in semi-privacy, doing as the Elder bid them.
Hastily averting my gaze, I slipped from behind Ezra so he could see me. A quick glance at him, and his eyes met mine. I nodded slightly, letting him know the spell had worked. His chest heaved once in relief, but his regard swiftly altered as he fired at and killed a Com trying to climb inside. From the corner of my eye I noted that Pearl jerked at the report, but Antonio snagged all of our attentions a moment later.
Zipping his bags closed, Antonio questioned swiftly, “Jack, do you remember how to use the pond for shelter by funneling your combined wills?”
Hearing him put his jeans on, I only listened as Jack directly affirmed, “Yes.”
“Good.” Antonio stood, slinging his bags over his shoulders. “You’re going to do it again. Mysticals will be traveling with you under your combined protection, so don’t falter. Don’t stop for anything. Or anyone. A single break in any of your concentrations will result in your deaths.” He explained this all matter-of-factly. “The roads are blocked. Right now, there’s only one way to Connecticut and to King Cave.” Absently, he tossed me a circular item.
Catching it, I saw it was a compass.
“Connecticut?” Jack’s blue eyebrows furrowed, and sounding incredulous over the erupting gunfire outside, he shouted, “You mean through the Sound?” He shook his head roughly, his blue hair rustling with the sharp movement. “I thought King Cave was a myth!”
Antonio pointed to me, ignoring Jack’s outburst. “Go north. Once you hit land, there will be vehicles waiting for you, keys in the ignitions.” Rubbing his hand agitatedly over his face, he grumbled, “That’s what took me so long to get here.” A weighty sigh, and then a shake of his head. “Go east along the beachfront. Don’t stop. You’ll see a golden protection barrier. Head for it. When you pass through, there will be an Elder waiting for you. He’ll lead you the rest of the way.”
We all stilled at the uproar of jets flying far overhead. The noise was unmistakable.
Antonio rolled his shoulders. “That’s my cue.” A slow, feral sneer crept across his handsome face, and without a doubt, I knew why he had been named one of the most malicious Mysticals in history. “Bombs can be incredibly pleasurable to misguide.” Racing toward the window, he chucked the tube of lipstick to me and barked, “The Kings, Elders, and I will be there soon. Don’t forget to keep your focus steady.”
My jaw was gaping. Gawking. That wouldn’t do, so I quickly snapped it shut, pocketing the lipstick and compass and watching as Antonio dove out the window, his body beginning to shimmer golden. I couldn’t help my tone, my voice a bit flat as I said, “We’re going to Connecticut.” A deep inhale. “Via a pond dome.” I blinked bit by bit. “Through the Sound.” I rolled my shoulders. “I think I should have paid better attention when Mom took me to Sunday school classes.”
Pearl snorted, swiftly walking to stand beside me while I tried hard not to stare at the slash of lipstick on her forehead; Antonio’s spell was the only thing keeping her together right now. “Bloody hell, Lily, at least you went to church and know how to pray properly.”
“He’s crazy,” Jack muttered, grabbing from the floor two of the guns Antonio had left behind. “Do you know how many hours of intense concentration that will take?”
“Probably more than what he trained us for.” Ezra handed my gun back to me, pulling another gun out of the back of his waistband, which he had taken from Antonio’s arsenal bag earlier. “But it’s doable.” He jerked his head at his mom. “Time to go.”