AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No, but I think that time is coming, another reason we need to take care of Daniel’s threat in our world. You asked earlier what he spent his money on. If it’s been the acquiring of handguns and assault rifles, we’ll have a war on our hands like nothing my world has seen before. Now come with me. Let’s see if Rumy provided the right clothes for a trip into the cold northern lands.”
She sensed that he’d shifted into what she could only think of as “warrior mode.” He vibrated with a new level of energy, and she could feel that his heart rate had increased.
She followed him across the room to the inset closet in which she’d stowed the clothes Rumy had brought her. He pulled out a fur-lined jacket. “You’ll need this. I know that you’re streaming my power, but you’ll feel the cold. If what you’ve described is accurate, we’re heading to what is called an ice cave. It will be like a freezer in there.”
“That would be my guess as well.”
He reached down and pulled out a pair of fur-lined boots. “Better put these on.” He looked her up and down, then handed her a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. “You should be okay with just these as opposed to long underwear, which I doubt Rumy provided anyway.”
“Any socks?”
He pushed a few things around and hunted through the shelves. “Well, just these.” He handed her a pair of thin black ankle socks.
She took them. “These will do.”
He stepped back and gestured to one of the middle shelves. “You’ll want to pick something out yourself.”
Ah, bras and thongs, mostly lace and sexy as anything. Marius turned away and stared up at the ceiling while she lost her towel. And in what she’d come to learn was Rumy’s style, when she put her way-too-snug bra on, then the shirt, the low cut in front revealed another long line of cleavage. Marius had shared a few details about Rumy as well, and one of them was the fact that he believed if a woman wasn’t dressed up in something sexy, she didn’t have a grain of sense. Clearly, owning a sex-club complex as Rumy did had given him a skewed view of the world.
Fortunately, the jacket would cover things up.
She pulled on the boots, which fit really well. Despite the bra choices, she’d have to thank Rumy later for his attention to detail. Shrugging into the jacket, Marius turned back to her, then held out his arm for her.
He now wore a tight-fitting vest as well, also loaded with weapons, and as she hopped onto his booted right foot and slid her arm around his neck, she could feel the daggers beneath.
He put his hand to her face. “Ready for this?”
“Absolutely. But how do you know where to go?”
“I’ll head northwest in the direction of Europe. As we get closer to Sweden, you can guide me in. Not sure how it’ll work, but I’m confident we can figure this out.”
“Sounds good. Now what do we do about the fast-flight issue I have?”
He smiled. “I’ve been thinking about that and I have a feeling it’s not going to be a problem. If our proximity issue is gone, you should be okay.”
She smiled. “Then let’s go.” But her heart hammered hard. When she’d seen the vision, the cave had been empty. However, that didn’t mean that something could change by the time they got there.
As he switched to altered flight and took off, she closed her eyes, not wanting to see the stone wall rush at her. He soon had them high in the sky, flying faster and faster, but she didn’t feel a thing, not a single twinge of pain. Marius, this is amazing.
No pain?
Not even a little. Incredible.
While he flew, she watched the moving landscape below, the breadth of ocean, then the shape of the Indian subcontinent. Soon the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Maybe twelve minutes had passed, but not much more, before they were descending. As she looked down she saw a good portion of Europe stretched out below. He’d taken her high into the air, high enough to get a bird’s-eye view of this part of the planet.
Soon enough he started to slow, then finally hovered in the air. We’re close now. Try forming a picture in your head of the pathway into the cavern system. I’ll admit, I’ve never been here before. I don’t think it’s inhabited.
Okay. I’ll see what I can do. She brought the vision forward, and as before, it arrived with the dark wavy lines. She felt a sudden disappointment that Marius’s increase in power hadn’t translated into her images improving. She began to think the problem lay with her.
She directed the destination point toward him as though speaking telepathically, then asked, Are you receiving this?
I am, though it’s difficult with all the waves.
I know, I’d hoped they would have disappeared by now, especially because you have more power. I’ve even wondered if Daniel has been interfering, but I’m beginning to suspect that the problem is mine. The question is, do you think you can make your way to the weapon with what I’m giving you?
He set them in motion again, though much slower this time, as though hunting. I’m not sure. See if you can bring up the vision again and really focus.
Shayna closed her eyes and worked on bringing the images forward. She’d seen it much more clearly earlier. Michelson’s critique of her came back, roaring through her mind: You lack focus, Shayna, you always have. Even your papers have this singular disappointing absence of purpose and commitment.
