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“Now do you see?” He asked softly, “You belong with us. Let us protect you, letmeprotect you,earth singer.”
Nayome couldn’t do anything but nod, her eyes welling with tears, feeling overwhelmed. She was out of her depth here, and there was no denying that she had somehow traveled, the firefly’s protecting her once again.
One minute in her condo, the next in Central Park.
Glancing around, she felt a moment of relief that they were basically alone. The passersby along the path were far enough away that they wouldn’t have noticed anything unusual. A pair of cyclists approached, chatting casually to each other as they pedaled at a leisurely pace, it was clear their sudden appearance hadn’t made any waves.
“What just happened?” Nayome asked, glancing up at Bal as he inspected the amber. He was close enough that she could feel his breath and she made no move to rise. Despite everything, his closeness felt comforting while her head was spinning.
“I suspected when you told me about how you got to that clearing in Scotland, that you may be able totravel. We haven’t had a traveler in recent memory, so I know little about how it works. That’s two gifts now, Nayome, you are shaping up to be a powerfuldruid.”
Nayome stared at the amber, as the light slowly faded.
“Where did you get that necklace?” Bal asked, watching its light dim. “I have never seen a piece like it.”
“My birth mother,” Nayome murmured. “She left me a letter, and this necklace. She said it had been a gift…that she wanted me to have something that had been precious to her…”
“I wonder…” Bal trailed off thoughtfully, then shook himself. Snapping back to attention, he stood and held out a hand to help Nayome up. “We should find a way to check back in with Gabe.”
Nayome shivered at the thought, but was beginning to realize after her magical episode, he was probably the lesser of the two evils coming after her today. If she had the ability to disappear into thin air, toteleport, she would definitely be a prime government lab rat. Who knows what kind of treatment she would get at the hands of the U.S. government if they found out what she could do? A future locked up as the subject of a science experiment sounded like hell on earth. Gabe was at least the devil she knew, and her disappearing act would hopefully be enough to convince him not to scramble her brains just yet. Following Bal, she began heading up to the main trail.
“Those Agents, they will be inside my apartment by now. How will he…”
“Gabe can handle himself,” Bal said, glancing back with a quick reassuring smile. “He will plant a compulsion or memory that will pacify them for now. They won’t remember they met him.”
“He won’t hurt them though, right?”
“No,” Bal said, and Nayome was relieved that he didn’t hesitate or sound disingenuous. “Gabe will always take the peaceful route where it is available.”
“Ok. That’s good,” Nayome breathed. “They are only doing their jobs, after all.”
Bal stopped walking and reached out to slow Nayome’s pace, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. “Wait.”
As though she was still in some kind of trance, Nayome stopped and tilted her head to look up at him. The trees gently swaying in the summer breeze behind him created such a calm picture, she thought idly, not at all like the chaos she felt as her life crumbled in pieces around her. Looking at him curiously, Nayome waited for him to continue.
“I won’t let him touch your mind.”
Nayome nodded. “Neither will I, if I can help it.”
Bal smiled “I believe you have a few tricks up your sleeve, too.”
“Apparently so.” Nayome attempted a laugh, but she wasn’t ready to laugh at this situation yet, and it sounded forced.
Bal looked around as they continued down the path, taking in the buildings creeping over the tree line in the distance. “Where are we, anyway?”
“Central Park.”
“Ah, I’ve always wanted to see Central Park.”
“If you’re hungry, I know where to get the best hot dogs in town.”
* * *
As they waited for Gabe, Nayome considered Bal. She couldn’t trust him, not after Gabe showed up unannounced with all his mind altering capabilities, but she needed his help to figure out what was happening to her, why the government was suddenly busting down her door.Oh God, my condo—will I even be able to go back? Am I on the run, like some kind of fugitive?
Nayome didn’t have the luxury of time to let those panicked thoughts build up. At that moment a yellow cab screeched to a halt directly in front of her and Bal.
Nayome watched as the large figure in the back seat leaned forward, catching the eye of the cab driver and exchanging a few words.Words, not money. A moment later, Gabe was squeezing himself out of the car, stretching to his full height and glancing around at the chaos that was the busy streets of New York.
