Chapter 24
Inner Terror
The silence in the car grew unbearable. Her own worry stifled her. Devon leaned against the seat belt, passed out. Rae concentrated on staying on the road and seeing through the rain. She stared ahead, then at Devon and then in the rearview mirror. She swore when she missed the turn on the roundabout to bring them back to Guilder.
Circling again, she dropped the car into a lower gear. Headlights beamed in her eyes as a car pulled out, missing her by mere inches. The car shifted in behind her. Her breath froze in her throat when she caught a glimpse of the driver.
Randy. Glaring from behind the wheel.
Tires squealed as Rae slammed on the gas and shifted into high gear. The car shot down the next road. She didn’t need to check the rearview mirror; she sensed how close Randy was. His headlights bounced from the uneven road and flashed off her side mirrors.
Returning her focus to the road ahead, the steering wheel almost jumped out of her hand when Randy’s car hit her bumper. She couldn’t even see his headlights in the mirror. A loud honking broke the silence of the night. He kept a hand on his horn and continued to follow. The noise abruptly stopped when his car swerved and fought to stay on the road.
Rae swore she heard Randy’s vicious laughter. With her iron-grip on the wheel, she forced down the panic that threatened to engulf her. Her breathing quickened and her chest grew tight. Using a night-vision tatù, she spotted a dark road a half mile farther ahead. No signs or lights to give Randy any indication it was there. Biting her lip, she tried to think quickly. She winced as she ground the gearshift into a low gear without decelerating.
The sports car lurched, and the engine screamed in protest, but held its speed. Taking the sharp right, she checked the rearview mirror and watched Randy race by. His brake lights flashed on. Rae accelerated to the next turn and made a quick left down a narrow lane. She flipped her lights off. As she turned, she caught sight of Randy’s headlights turning onto the road she had just left.
She took another quick left and the motorway appeared again. Turning onto it, she nearly collided with a milk delivery truck parked on the street. She swerved and swung the wheel in time to avoid it. Devon moaned and she shot a quick look his way. His body was slumped back against the seat now.
Rae switched the headlights back on. At each intersection, she expected Randy to sideswipe her. Her heart sped up faster than the speedometer. Please don’t find us—please.
A groan interrupted the silence in the car when Rae veered the car to avoid a large pothole. The muddy shoulder flecked dirt against the side of the car. She steered the car back to the center of her lane. Biting her tongue, she fought back the tears threatening to blur her vision, the tightness in her throat unbearable. This is turning into the worst night of my life. Is it ever going to end?
She checked Devon from the corner of her eye. His head bounced around from her crappy driving. Trying to accelerate faster and still maintain control of the sports car, Rae clenched her jaw and her knuckles shone white against the black of the steering wheel. Alecia’s skeleton tatù! I should’ve thought of it earlier. Picking through her tatù hums, she found it and used her peripheral vision on Devon. She scanned his body. He was hurt but it didn’t look like he was knocking on death’s door. Apparently, blood and bruises look a lot worse than they are–I hope. A bum shoulder, broken ribs, loads of bruises and a bad bump with some swelling on his head. A concussion?
Blinking against the darkness, she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. She couldn’t be too far from Guilder, but she didn’t feel any confidence in her ability to get there in time. She hadn’t actively thought of herself as invincible, but at that moment, she didn’t feel strong or capable in any sense of the words. Tatù or no tatù, she felt scared and lost. Terrified. Finally, the next intersection put her on the winding country road that ran by the school.
How could everything have turned so utterly disastrous? Kraigan had planned everything, and he seemed to be only getting started. Why hadn’t he chased her? She shook her head. Everything was so obvious now. He had spent all year avoiding her touch, even in the most casual of circumstances. But when she had finally gotten her hands on him, and pulled the information she had needed out of his mind, he hadn’t blocked her, and he hadn’t come after her. Why?
A pain-filled moan distracted her train of thought. She needed to get Devon to a hospital or to the Privy Council. But how? Maybe if she could get into the Oratory and hide him in one of those secret rooms, he would be safe. Then she would use her telepathy tatù to contact Carter and tell him Devon’s location. If it works. Apparently, he didn’t get the Fiddler’s Roof head-text.
Then she needed to seek out Kraigan. That’s what he must want, a confrontation.
Rae snorted. Kraigan needed something from her. The stupid problem was she had no idea what. Kraigan and his stupid little hidden tatù can go straight to hell.
Headlights shone in her side mirrors. Randy again!
“Crap!” She veered into the vacant left lane and slammed on the brake. The car skidded as she stalled it, forgetting to shove her left foot on the clutch. Randy flew past as she started the car again. Shifting the car into reverse, she threw her arm over the back of Devon’s seat and backed up a few feet. She had skidded past Guilder’s entrance. She floored it in reverse, using the velocity of her backwards turn into the drive to spin the car around the right direction, hoping and praying that she didn’t hit anything, or heaven forbid, anyone. She flipped the lights off again and drove using night vision.
She drove as fast as her courage permitted, past the parking lot and onto the sidewalk leading to the Oratory. She cringed when she heard metal scrape from underneath the car. Julian was going to hate her when he got his car back. Devon shifted in his seat and low grunts escaped his lips as he was bounced about. Hopefully he would be awake enough to get into the Oratory.
Stopping the car half on the cement, half on the grass, Rae jumped out and rushed around to the passenger’s side.
The rain had turned into a torrential downpour as she swung Devon’s door open and unbuckled his seat belt. She was soaked in seconds, but it didn’t matter. Concentrating, she gripped her wet arms around Devon and locked her hands behind his back. She pulled and grunted.
“Come on, Dev,” she whined. “Get moving.” She grimaced when her wet hands slipped apart. She tried to catch her fingers but missed. She ended up grabbing the shirt under his dislocated shoulder.
“Whore’s hounds!” Devon cried. He pushed her away and, wobbling like a grandfather clock’s pendulum, barely managed to stand on his own.
“Walk,” she urged. “Inside the Oratory.”
One swollen eye squinted open and it took a moment for him to focus on her. “You know,” his voice cracked. “You know ‘bout…the passageway?”
“Yeah, I found it by mistake a while back. Just never told anyone.” She rested a hand on his lower back, nudging him forward. “Move.”
Devon tottered, unable to walk a straight line, but at a fairly quick pace.
Rae shot a look behind them and let out the breath she had held. No sign of Randy or Kraigan—yet. There might be time to get Devon into a safe place. Rae grabbed the door and cursed when she couldn’t open it. “Damn! It’s locked and no keys or a tatù to open the door.”
Devon leaned his good shoulder against the wall, breathing like he had just run a marathon. “C-Code’s one-one-one-three.”
Rae searched for something where she would punch the numbers into. The ancient wooden doors and walls showed nothing. “Where’s the—”
“Pillar behind you. Lift the mailbox—under the l-l-lid,” he whispered, not opening his eyes or moving.
Rae lifted the lid. Near the top left of the lid a flashing, neon blue digital light sat above a numeric pad. She punched in eleven thirteen. The Oratory’s antique brass dead bolt unlocked and slid open. A weird thought struck her. “Weird. Those are my actual birthday digits” She glanced at Devon before opening the door.
Devon tried grinning and ended up groaning. “Yeah.”
Rae wrapped her arms around his waist and helped him inside. “Let’s get to the secret door.”
“You know where it is?” he mumbled.
He must’ve forgotten our conversation a few moments ago. That bump on his head might be more serious than she had originally thought. “Yeah, since before Christmas.” She kept close to the Grand Room’s wall and felt the wood with her hands. Just when she was about to panic, she found what she needed, the little odd piece of coppice sticking out slightly.
She pushed it in and the secret door swung open. Noticing him struggle to speak, she put a finger on his lips. “Don’t talk.” She gently pushed him onto the bed and flicked the room’s antique light on using Molly’s tatù. “Rest and I’ll send help as soon as I can.” She kissed his forehead. “You’ll be safe here.”
She started for the secret door and stumbled when the weirdest sensation swept over her. She cried out and nearly stumbled. It felt like someone had just stolen her soul. Her breath caught and she straightened quickly. Molly’s tatù was gone. No hum of it ran through her body, not even a hint.
“Everything alright?” Devon croaked. “Where are we?” He struggled to rise up on his elbows. His dislocated shoulder dropped him back on the bed and left him panting.
She ran back to him and grabbed his hands. “I’m fine.” She wiped the sweat from his forehead. “I love you.” She didn’t look back when she left the room and closed the door. Be safe. Please be okay.
Using Devon’s tatù, it took less than a split second for her eyes to adjust to the very dim lighting in the Grand Room. She ran towards the hall that led to Carter’s study. She went over a message to send telepathically to Carter to let him know where she had hidden Devon.
Halfway across the marble floor, a voice shattered the silence.
“You’re so screwed, Kerrigan.” The voice laughed. “I’ve got your tatù and you’ve got…well, you’ve got nothing.”
Rae skidded to a halt and froze. Her eyes opened wide, searching the darkness for an enemy.