They stood in shock for a moment. He’d dropped the silence spell. He waved them on. Still no one moved to step through the doorway.
“Who is that?” an older woman asked bluntly.
“Come on, no time to waste. If you don’t want to come, please turn and leave now. We cannot have you in the hall in front of that door for any amount of time.” He stood tall and authoritative, but his eyes were locked on hers, pleading.
Nell wished she had more time to decide and that she didn’t trust Armaan so much, but she had no time and she did trust him, so she took a step forward. The Healers began to flow in behind her as she crossed the room and stood next to Armaan.
“Thanks,” he said to her quietly. “Now everyone move to the center of the room.” He gestured at his fellow Guard member. “The Ancients have a gateway set up here at all times. We’ll be taking it out of here.”
She saw a bright speck of light shining like a little star suspended above a table next to the Guard. Armaan glanced at his watch again, and she couldn’t help but wonder if it was some kind of tic.
“And we need to hurry,” the man at the center of the room said.
Now that the spell had been dropped, she could hear the institute and the roaring laughter of Guard members. It sounded so close. She doubled her pace. As the last Healer stepped into the center of the room, Armaan grabbed hold of her hand, and they were whipped through space. Nell was surprised at how much being pulled through the gateway felt like falling into a Scar. She was actually a little worried that a Scar had taken her right before the gateway did, but when she came out of the other side, she was still surrounded by the group of Healers. Nell blinked back the light that stung her eyes.
How was the sun still up? It must have been two a.m. As her eyes relaxed, she took in her surroundings. They were on the roof of a skyscraper that overlooked a large city. Geometric high risers were scattered about the city, and each of them had a unique design. One had distinctly triangular shapes throughout its architecture while another was rounded like a cylinder. Red roofs were in the far distance like a field of roses.
There was a busy river directly below them. Big colorful boats floated past carrying flashing billboards advertising businesses. Where were they? She was about to ask Armaan when he stretched his arms across the scene. His fair hair was glowing in the afternoon sun, and the look on his face made her wonder if he was actually going to embrace the view before him.
“Welcome to Shanghai!” he said with a smile.
The older Guard member stepped next to him and whispered in his ear. Armaan nodded once, but not before Nell saw a string of emotions flash across his face.
They didn’t stay on his face long enough for her to understand what he was feeling, and his face was all she had to go by. She couldn’t read his emotions at all, which was a strange thing for her.
“Well, everyone, please thank my good friend and superior Joseph. Without his help, every single one of those halls would have been running with Guard members,” Armaan said. “And thanks to his strategic master mind, the Guard was always moving around us.” He gestured at his friend, and the Healers all began thanking him.
Joseph’s face was stoic, and it didn’t seem that he cared much for their gratitude. “Yes, you’re welcome and all that. I must be going. Good luck in your new home,” Joseph said and then he spoke to Armaan. “And I’m sorry to be losing you.” At that, he turned and walked away.
“Come on, everyone, let’s get you home,” Armaan said as he turned away from the river.
“And where is that?” Nell asked without meaning to.
He turned to face her, his eyes bright with excitement.
“Some Healers call it home. Some call it a safe haven.” He paused and searched the faces around him. “But most just call it New Hovel,” Armaan said to a sea of stunned faces.
“New Hovel? You mean there are enough Healers for a whole new city?” someone asked in awe.
“New Hovel is a hundred times larger and just about as populated.” He let the statement sink in before he told them something even more shocking. “And don’t freak out when you see a sassy old woman wandering the grounds talking to herself. It’s her power that keeps New Hovel safely hidden.”
“One woman, how is that possible?” Nell whispered.
“Well, it’s not all that difficult for her. She’s an Ancient.”
15
Amanda landed gently on the soft forest floor. She knew she was back in the campsite and felt little need to open her eyes. She couldn’t even bring herself to peek, just to make sure she was where she should be. The bright sparks of light Bill had vanished into were still imprinted on the backs of her eyelids. She watched them get more intense as she closed her eyes tighter. Happiness and peace shot through her every time she pictured him leaving. She didn’t open her eyes until she heard Cole clear his throat next to her.
When she opened them, she was surprise to find him so close to her. He hovered over Amanda, inches from her face. His warm breath smelled sweetly of citrus. His dark eyes were shining with the rush of energy that comes with Healing a Scar. She’d never seen him so unguarded. So many emotions flooded off him it was hard to read just one; happiness, peace, longing, desire. The first two made sense, but what was he longing for?
Amanda couldn’t bring herself to think about the desire he was feeling. She shook her head, attempting to clear it. Forbidden thoughts invaded her mind, and it was hard to think straight.
She glanced back up at Cole and regretted the action. Seeing the way he was looking at her made the fog return. She raised a hand to his cheek, and he shivered at her touch. He leaned down toward her, closing the space between them. She wondered what he was doing but stayed perfectly still.
Cole was so near she could taste his breath on her lips. He put his hand on the nape of her neck and lifted her head, gently kissing her cheek. The soft touch of his lips on her skin snapped her control, and she pulled him closer. A wave of surprised bliss rolled off him before he laughed.
“I could lie in your arms all day. Unfortunately, we have an audience,” he whispered into her hair before pulling away.
Amanda looked over and saw Madgie staring down at her. She jumped up so fast she knocked heads with Cole. It took her a few seconds to right herself, but she couldn’t seem to look at Madgie. She knew the rules about getting that close to a man, and although she didn’t care about any rule laid down by the Ancients, she was terrified at what Madgie might think.
“You know, I could go search for more fire wood if you two have more teenage hormones to get out,” Madgie said bluntly
“No, ma’am. I have myself in check, though I don’t know that she does,” he said while suppressing his laughter. Amanda punched him in the arm.
“Ouch!” he said, rubbing his arm.
She felt much better and less embarrassed after hitting him. Amanda was actually more energized too, though she couldn’t understand why hitting him would do that. She turned her head and realized that the calming of her nerves was more likely due to the giant furry creature leaping out of the woods and landing next to her, though hitting Cole might have contributed a little.
Hey, buddy, I missed you. She thought ,scratching between his ears.
“Okay, enough fun. I need to talk to you about what just happened,” Madgie said flatly. “Amanda, what you did in there was amazing but extremely confusing. I’ve never met a Healer who entered a Scar with more than one spirit. Let alone more than one Healer. You just seemed to suck us in with you.”
“Wait, how do you know you or Cole didn’t suck me in with you?” she interjected, looking at them defiantly. Not wanting to be the odd one out, yet again.
“Well, there are a few reasons why I’m guessing it was you. Let’s see. You were the one who knew what was going to happen, you connected with those spirits, and you were the one who stepped forward and healed the Scar. Not to mention the fact that you are apparently powerful enough to completely heal from a demon poisoning after four days!” Madgie said in frustration.
Amanda looked down at herself, lifting up her arms and seeing that they looked normal, if not a little too
