Page 54 of Nazab

Everyone who was working the current security shift was crowded around the monitor, anxiously watching the group.

“Let me through, folks,” the preacher requested. They made room for him and he studied the screen intently. “They don’t look dangerous,” he said.

“They’re all armed, Pastor,” someone pointed out.

“Only idiots would walk around without a gun,” someone else muttered.

“I’m talking about their expressions and their general demeanor,” Larry said. “They aren’t scowling or arguing. They seem peaceful.”

“It could be a ruse,” the man who’d come to retrieve him suggested.

“They’ll be within range of the ward in one minute,” the young woman manning the computer said.

Watching in tense silence, their anxiety rose when none of the survivors suddenly veered away. “The ward must have failed,” one of the men said. “We need to send some people out to cut them off before they reach us.”

Pastor Hogan had a hunch that this wasn’t an attack or an accident. “I’m going to speak to them,” he decided.

“You can’t go out there alone, Pastor!” one of the crew exclaimed. “Find some guards, quickly!” she said to one of her colleagues. The young man hurried out of the room.

Larry wasn’t concerned, but he also wasn’t stupid. “Send an email to Xanthia and notify her about this,” he requested. The cambion had used her magic to create a system for them to ask for help if they needed it. Telephones still weren’t working and walky-talkies didn’t reach wherever their base was. Using magically enhanced computers was their only option.

The priest left the security room and strode away from the building. Night was about to fall and he didn’t even have a flashlight. Trusting his people, Larry was soon surrounded by armed guards. One of the females handed him a flashlight and he switched it on with a nod of thanks.

Leading the way, the preacher came to a stop when he saw the mob approaching and held up his hand to wave. The man and woman in the lead held up their hands in greeting and grinned. “Boy are we glad we finally made it!” the female called out.

“We’ve come a long way,” her companion added. “We followed the signs and they led us straight to you.”

They were now close enough to converse at a normal volume. “I’m Pastor Larry Hogan,” the priest said. The strangers introduced themselves one by one, showing no signs of hostility or alarm that guns were trained on them.

“Did we miss the greeting party?” a familiar voice said from behind Larry.

He turned and smiled when he saw Amaros and his lovely mate. Zoe was the one who’d spoken. “You’re just in time,” he said, disappointed that they hadn’t brought their son with them, yet understanding that they didn’t want to put Arakiel in danger.

Amaros scanned the newcomers first and gave his female a small nod. They’re not dangerous, he said into her mind.

I’m still going to scan them, Zoe replied, just as he’d figured. “I’m Zoe,” she said and held her hand out in greeting. “What led you here?” she asked as the lead female shook her hand.

“I had a dream,” the woman replied. “A mysterious woman wearing a black hooded cloak told me to follow the signs that would lead us to salvation.”

“And here we are,” her partner said proudly.

Zoe picked up that they’d all had hard lives, but none of them were evil. In fact, they’d helped others along their journey and their souls had become lighter for it. “That mysterious figure was Fate,” she said when she’d shaken the last hand. “Let’s get you settled into your new homes and you can tell us more about your journey,” she said.

Thanks to the efforts of her family, all of the apartments in the block had been cleared of corpses. They’d all been made ready for new arrivals. Amaros returned to their base and came back with some of his brothers and their females. He didn’t think anything was going to go wrong, but he preferred to have backup just in case.

Apartments were allocated to the newbies, then they all gathered in the function room. Hot coffee and snacks were brought in, then the survivors told them about their journey.

“What signs did you follow?” Zoe asked curiously when they were done.

“Animals kept guiding us,” someone said. “A deer was the first animal to show us the way.”

“Then it was a rabbit,” a male said.

“All sorts of creatures steered us in the right direction,” a middle-aged woman said with a grin. “We even had to follow a bear for a while.”

“That’s amazing,” Grace said in awe. They’d all warmed to the teen straight away, of course. It was impossible not to love the littlest cambion. “You’re the first group of survivors Fate’s led here,” she told them. “I bet more people will start showing up soon.”

“What did she mean when she said we’d find salvation?” someone asked.