“I’ll keep an eye on them, sir,” the stranger said. “Alex Ciele, P.T.F. squad alpha.”
Conrad suddenly realised who this person was. He was Ashley’s brother. As he watched him, he noticed Alex tap a decoration on his left arm that showed he was in command of his own unit. Reuben eyed him warily before nodding.
“Come on, I’ll take you back to my sister’s place. We’ll come back for your car in the morning, grab any personal items you’ve left there.” Escorting them into his large vehicle, Alex saluted respectfully towards Reuben before departing.
“You can’t seriously be keeping us under house arrest? Not now,” Conrad heard himself growl. “Ashley’s out there somewhere. We can’t just leave her. If you’re not going to help us, let us out here, we’ll find her somehow. I have to. She can’t, we can’t—” His fist connected with the soft leather of the seat as words failed him.
“Conrad, I assume. Ashley is my little sister. I know better than anyone that there is a time when you have to let the professionals do their thing. But this isn’t one of them. Your father has my respect, but he’s not up to point on this one. His hands are tied by bureaucracy, treaties and red tape. He may as well be fighting with both hands tied behind his back, deaf, and blindfolded.” Alex glanced in his rear view mirror at Conrad. “Thanks for what you did back there. Not a lot of people would have the courage to go it alone.”
“I wasn’t alone.” He glanced towards his friends appreciatively but, as his gaze fixed on Will, he found it hard to muster any gratitude for the person responsible.
“Now we’re far enough away, here’s the plan. I’m going to turn off in a moment, and Jack, you’re going to get that sketch pad of yours out and get drawing.”
“It doesn’t work like that. I wish it did.”
“Tonight it does. We’ll make it. But it won’t be pleasant.”
The car wheels crunched beneath the forest debris as Alex turned off onto an old dirt track. Conrad sat in silence, watching, his vision constantly flicking towards the mirrors. He couldn’t quite tell if Alex was looking at him, or trying to make sure no one was following. When the vehicle rolled to a halt, Alex unclipped his belt, the noise loud against the hopeless silence that had descended. ”Come on, we’re here.”
Jack looked through the car window at the blanket of darkness above that was occasionally punctuated by a star, making itself seen beyond the swaying branches of the surrounding trees.
“Come on, Jack,” Tess called, alerting him to the fact everyone was out of the car now except for him.
Shaking his head, he unclipped his belt, hurrying toward them. The bare trees whispered eerily, their noise as the wind raced past drowning out their footsteps in the thick mud. Keeping his mind clear, Jack tried to recreate the feeling of tension behind his third eye, to call a vision to him. But it was to no avail. Before, he had complained about not being able to do anything, but now there was a task that fell to him he feared his ability would fall short. After several minutes of hiking and more failed attempts than he could count, they encountered a barrier of luscious green pine trees. Their shed needles created a thick, cushioned blanket on the floor in such a way that it almost seemed artificial.
“What are we doing here?” Jack questioned, as Alex continued to lead them. Suddenly, they emerged into a clearing and found themselves staring at a henge. The first thing Jack noticed was the enormous purple gemstones buried within the earth, tracking their path. He saw them spiral inward, their colours mirroring that of a rainbow, until they finished at a large quartz circle in its very centre, overlooked by a huge altar stone. This large, flat crystal was surrounded by a horse-shoe shape of raised stones. But by far the most amazing feature was the three circles of standing stones. The whole area surrounding the stone monoliths had clearly been maintained, possessing a distinctive manicured appearance. Wild flowers grew sporadically, yet there seemed to be a pattern to their locations, a meaning Jack couldn’t quite decipher.
“This henge was used by the Perennials when erecting the barrier. It is a place of power that joins with others of the same nature across our land. Sitting at its centre allows a person to fully tap into their abilities. It is a place utilised by the P.T.F. to ensure its members are fully aware of their capabilities. Its boost is only short-lived, but it allows the assessors to catalogue the full range of a person’s capabilities, so they know how hard to push them.”
“So, what are we doing here?” Jack asked again.
“You’re going to utilise it to help us find Ashley. But you’re going to need help. This location provides a boost to dual-nature preternaturals, those of us with two aspects to our self. Human preternaturals, those with magic, are often too inexperienced and delicate to survive the surge of energy. That’s where your friend Will comes in. As a healer, he will be able to divert his energy to you so you don’t burn out, while making sure you suffer no lasting damage,” Alex explained.
“You up to that, William?” Conrad spat bitterly.
Jack knew what he was thinking; he was thinking the same thing. His life was in the hands of the person responsible for this situation in the first place.
“He will be.” Alex turned a cold glare towards William. “My little sister saw to that, didn’t she?”
