Chapter 70

Prague

"Wait here," Reagan said to Warren as she climbed out of their parked car. In the distance she could see the internet cafe opening. She needed to check with the others.

"Reagan?"

She hesitated and glanced at him before closing the cardoor.

"Bring me a coffee, please?"

She smiled. "And a raspberry Danish?"

Warren nodded. "I'm a tad hungry, too."

Reagan nodded as she shut the door and strolled across the street… able to hear the clicks her bootheels made on the cobbled surface. Old World towns still had some cobbled streets. She could recall a time when they were everywhere. Her .38 was hidden in her holster in the small of her back under her suede jacket… there was knife in each boot. Once again… she'd left her sword in the car. It just didn't work with this outfit… and it was too warm for the overcoat.

Peeling off the euros, she purchased a coffee and strudel and settled at one of the monitors… Keying up her account… she entered her passcodes to check messages. Katya's indicated they were headed north… and warned again to be careful. Stephen was headed west. He'd interviewed his Watcher but had left him behind. "Hope he doesn't talk," his message said. Duncan's said, "Stay out of Paris right now." Evidently Paris was a central area for many of these Watchers.

Reagan fired one back to Duncan, "Call if you need me." She sipped her coffee and nibbled at her strudel while searching news reports… hesitating at one about a commando raid at some Greek Island. "Wonder what that was about?" she murmured and then moved on to study one discussing a strange lightning storm in Rome a few days ago and an all-points bulletin for a young man who'd been seen taking a man's head with a sword.

"Maybe we should move in that direction for the time being," Reagan thought, wondering who was in that area.

If he were young… he might not know to take precautions and while Reagan was fully aware that appearances could be deceiving… it was more the fact that there had been witnesses that bothered her, than anything else.

Hurriedly, her mind made up, Reagan emailed she was headed south… used a wipe program to secure the computer from her activities… tossed her coffee and trash and headed for the door. Snapping her fingers, she grinned sheepishly and got back in line to purchase Warren's request.

Once at the car… she pulled out.

"Where to?"

"South," she said, "South."

-----

Behind them, in the internet cafe, a woman sat down at Reagan's vacated terminal and ran a few commands into the machine. She smiled and punched a number into her cell phone. "It's Barbara… I may have something for you." She gave the address and sat back pretending to utilize the computer while waiting for the others to arrive. With luck… they'd break the erasure codes and have an eye into the immortals' electronic communications.

When the team arrived and as the deal was being struck to remove this particular computer, Barbara was debriefed.

"I think it was Reagan Cole… at least it looked like her. She used the machine… tossed her coffee and food away… and then went back for another. That's what really got my attention… seeing her toss one coffee and then buy a second. Then I recognized her from the bulletins."

"Did you see the car she was driving? Or the direction she went?"

Barbara shook her head. "Sorry. I was attempting to take control of her machine before someone else used it. Other than a log on and pulling up the local news… I didn't do too much."

"Who's your regular assignment?"

"Stosch Balinkov. He's in class this time of day so I usually make certain he's there and then come over here for a break. His class usually lets out about now."

"Very good, get back on him."

Barbara had a slight spring in her step as she headed back to campus.

-----

Italy

From behind his dark glasses and from beneath his wide-brimmed hat, Phillip eyed the ships in the harbor. As he casually strolled up and down the docks he tried to sense the children. As yet, he'd felt nothing, despite his assurances that the ship he sought would come here.

In Athens, he'd learned with his payments to certain officials that a helicopter matching the description of the ones who'd attacked Niebos had landed aboard a cargo ship bound whose manifest indicated its next port of call would be here… today.

Having left Ursa and Denara at an Athens safe-house he owned through a holding company… he'd quietly flown here and begun his search. He'd have preferred not to have left them behind… but Ursa's massive size was not an easy thing to disguise. His slow wit meant he had to have someone with him… and because of the Hunters now after all of them… holy ground was not an option. Therefore Denara was to be Ursa's companion for the present. He'd made certain their leaving the island had been witnessed… then he'd collected them on the mainland and hidden them in Athens. He hoped he'd done all he could.

Now he had to find the children. Casually he continued to stroll up and down the docks, eyes half-closed… his senses on full alert. The Watchers did not know his face… even if they now knew he existed. For the moment… it was all he could do.

-----

Within the dream

Katherine was awash on a wine-dark sea… beneath a blood-red sky forked with black lightning. Her hands dripped blood and her thin dress was wet with the sick feel of it. Nick was dead… she knew that… He had to be dead… and she had failed him.

She lifted her face to the heavens and screamed into the nightmare. The other shifted on the raft, causing it to tilt upward as a wave crashed over it.

Katherine struggled to her feet… teetering precariously as the raft moved across the face of the storm-tossed waters. She raised her sword and hissed at the other.

Slowly… Diego de Silva rose and gazed around. Then he focused on her.

"What madness is this you witch? What have you done?"

"Me… this is your doing!" Katherine spit at him.

She lunged forward… as he hopped back from her swing and replied with a stroke of his own. Back and forth they fought… and the raft tipped and banked as the waves crashed and their swords crashed… and in the sky… the lightning forked blackly through the red night.

-----

Watcher Compound

Rawlins smiled at the readouts. "They are dueling."

Wilderman glanced over. "So it appears. They are in a precarious scenario where they must cooperate… but still they fight… the imperative of the game is on them." He shrugged. "Either that or their hatred of one another."

"Keep them both alive… They may give us more information than all the others put together so far. Now… we can see what they truly are and why this is so important." He leaned on the gurney and stared at the straining de Silva. "He's a strong one."

Wilderman nodded. Since the breakthrough of the past few days… the addition of the new drugs, which allowed them to tailor the scenarios a little better… they were getting some interesting readings. Rawlins might be more interested in learning what made these immortals tick… but Wilderman was still attempting to grasp the best application of his research… to help mankind… to help the mentally ill… to understand dreams… and the pathways of the mind. These immortals simply allowed him to try things… he could never attempt on mortals… They could survive the missteps… and his research moved forward. He was at peace with his decisions once more as he focused on the end results.

-----

Paris

Alisaunne awoke and stared blankly about her, uncertain of where she was. At the sound of laughter from another room… she recalled the immortal Ellie and the boy. Sitting up in the narrow bed she gazed around at the empty and plain room… feeling oddly at home, as if she had finally found what she had long been searching for.

Throwing her coat to one side she rose and crossed to the window… staring down at the busy street. She could see the church grounds from here. Was that how Ellie had found her? Alisaunne shifted at the window and stared at the woman reading on a bench.

"Watcher," the girl hissed as something old and dark slithered through her thoughts. This place was not safe! She needed to get out of here. She needed to get back to Ian.

Alisaunne closed her eyes and attempted to clarify her scrambled thoughts. On the one hand was a great peace as if she were home. On another… disgust that she was on holy ground… and she wanted to be rid of it. With her heart she longed for Ian… and with her hands… her swords… to gut that Watcher… the first of many.

Shivering she turned away from the window and pulled on her boots. Alisaunne grabbed her coat and opened the door. Ellie was curled in a chair talking to the boy. She smiled at Alisaunne, who felt oddly grounded once more… as if this tiny being was her one tie to sanity.

"I have to go. I have to get back. They'll be missing me." She pulled her coat on, as Ellie's smile faded.

"Oh… " Her face dropped. "Well… I'll let you out." Ellie rose and led her down the stairs to an iron gate. Carefully the elder immortal unlocked and opened it. Just before Alisaunne left, Ellie ran her hand along one side of her daughter's face, smiled and tapped the end of her nose. "Be careful out there. And tell no one of this place… no matter what."

Alisaunne nodded absently as she left. Passing beneath the covered entryway… she found herself once more on the street. The sunshine shown warmly and she closed her eyes for a moment, glad to be off of holy ground. She needed to get back to the hotel. Turning to her left, she slowly made her way up the street until she became lost once more in the twisting warren of side streets of the Olde Citie. Somehow she found her way back to the hotel.

Entering through the lobby she took an elevator to the seventh floor and headed down the hall. Outside the door she paused to knock… immediately aware no immortal was within. Alisaunne lowered her hand and backed away.

Glancing up and down the hallway… she saw no one… but she was filled with disquiet. Were they out looking for her? Or had something happened? Pivoting she returned to the elevator and left the hotel. At a pay phone she called Ian's cell phone. When the voice said "hello," she immediately hung up and stared at the phone. Then she glanced up and down the street. Best to be gone from here! And go… where? Alisaunne turned with confusion… realizing that she had no idea where she'd come from… as if her memory of the last eighteen hours had vanished. She'd been someplace safe… but someplace she could not go back to… not now.

They had Ian. Those horrible Watchers had Ian! It was the only thing that made sense. She needed to rescue Ian! Ian was her rock! Without him… she was lost in a quagmire of dreams that made no sense. Alisaunne ran down the street… pushing past other pedestrians… her mind awhirl with images and fears.

-----

The Watcher in the hotel lobby had made a mental note of the tall young woman in the long black coat. But her face was not one he recognized from the ones he'd studied. He went back to his paper.

-----

Watcher Headquarters, Paris

Maurice Gerard waited apprehensively in the small cubicle. He tapped his fingers on the desk… and then raised his hand to lightly touch the bandage over his face. He'd spent the night in the hospital emergency ward. The doctor there had wanted to admit him… but had settled for simply keeping him there for several hours after he'd stitched up the Watcher's face. Maurice had been unable to call in while he was there recuperating… and then the drugs they gave him for the pain… had put him out for a while.

But he was here now, to make his report.

Glancing up at the attractive woman who entered… he nodded appreciatively at her trim figure. "I had a run-in with an immortal at St. Julien," he began, noticing that the woman glanced quickly around as if to be certain they weren't being overheard.

"Who was it?"

"I don't know. She did this to me." Maurice motioned toward his face. "I had to have thirty-seven stitches… I may need plastic surgery. She sliced into muscle as well."

"How did you survive?"

"It was holy ground. The angel of St. Julien pulled her away."

"The angel?"

Maurice shrugged. "It is an old legend. She is said to be an angel who appears and vanishes when needed."

"Tell me everything… Describe them."

Maurice nodded and began his detailed report.

Amy Meyers took the information and filed it away. She'd have to report some of this… but surely she could manage to delay the report… or lose the descriptions. Amy wanted to run these descriptions past Joe… She had a feeling he knew who was involved… and how.

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I will be on vacation over the holiday and may not be able to post for several days. I will return next week. --elle