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“How do I do that?” His denial of the answer I wanted, and my continued pain, put me in a grumpy mood. I needed to return to my room and check on my brothers. Bard needed to be strong enough to pull us together again. I’d given Brynn the only information I could. I needed to know if the girls had found Chris.
The Demon shrugged. His sly smile made me want to punch him. Would I ever find out the truth of what was really going on around this place?
“Enjoy your evening.” I rolled my eyes at Yavich’s farewell as I stepped off the elevator. He still found me amusing and laughed as the doors closed behind me.
Quiet engulfed me in the hallway and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. My brothers’ and my apartment was surrounded by apartments belonging to other Light teams. While our section of the academy never gave off the same amount of noise as the cadets’ section, people were always leaving or coming back from a job. Everyone would greet them or give them a sendoff of farewells.
My footsteps echoed around the brick walls and floors. The doors I passed had pictures of the team who lived there taped onto them. Cramps in my stomach gave away my distress over the loss of our people. Unless they’d been on a mission when the Mindolin attacked, the men and women who used to live in this hall were dead. They would have fought their attackers until the end.
I held my composure until I reached my apartment. Within the stone walls of my home, I allowed myself a few tears before pulling myself together. Dad couldn’t see the evidence of my pain, but I’d needed to release a little of my emotions before they overwhelmed me.
Sleep came fast for me after I’d blockaded my door again. Nate had been a good test run for my defenses.
Bard, Drew, Dalton, and Cal were all present when I entered Bard’s dream forest. To my relief, Carmon looked better than he had the last time I’d left him in the dungeon.
“How are you?” I’d meant to ask Carmon that, but he’d beaten me to the question.
I sat on the ground. “I don’t even know. My head is spinning. I met Yavich, the Demon I’m supposed to stop before he destroys Cambria, but there’s something about him that worries me. It’s like he knows Dad somehow.”
Drew scoffed at the term I’d used to call our father. “He’s the Mindolin, not our dad. Or did you forget what a monster he is?”
“Drew.” Carmon glared at the Earth Elemental. “Adam needs to refer to Aaron however he needs to so he can keep his head. Don’t make him jump back and forth or he’ll mix himself up later.”
“Fine. Sorry.” Drew did seem apologetic, but I could also see the tension on his face.
“What’s going on? What have I missed?” My gut twisted. Chris wasn’t here, and Jeff was missing as well. They weren’t… “Are Chris and Jeff okay?”
Carmon nodded, but then shrugged. “Chris is with the girls. They found him. He’s pretty beat up, so Nate took care of me and went to help Chris. Seems he’s done what he can to move the Witches to Cambria. They’re more centrally located like the Demons, so Damian and Nate had easier jobs than the others. Jeff hasn’t fallen asleep yet while I’ve been here.”
As if our talking about him could drag him under sleep’s spell, Jeff appeared, and I wanted to throw up. He lay in the fetal position, shivering. Blood seeped out of wounds created by claws and teeth. I wanted to go to him, give him some comfort, but nothing I could do in this dream world would help any of my brothers.
“I’m okay,” Jeff gasped out when he realized we were with him. “I destroyed them all. They just happened to do a number on me first. I was tired and wasn’t watching my back like I should have been.” Even Bard appeared concerned as Jeff coughed up some blood. “Well, that’s not very good.”
“Carmon, send the girls to Jeff in the mountains surrounding the Warlock’s palace.” Bard looked more grim. “We are running out of time.”
“I don’t understand,” Dalton spoke up from where he again sat against a tree with Drew. “How are we running out of time? What is going on? The Mindolin is still in his castle, and his beasts are running amok. What are we missing?”
“What were you saying before, Bard, about Life?” Drew sat up from his place against the tree. “What does she have to do with any of this? And do you know who this Demon is?”
Bard stared into the dream trees around us, lost in his thoughts.
“I’m going to wake up,” Cal said when Bard didn’t speak. “Jeff needs help. Fill me in later.”
Carmon ran his hand over Jeff’s dark hair as the healer continued to shake. Then, Cal was gone.
“I told Dad about Cambria. He knows now that is where our people are gathering. I amuse Yavich. I think he’d take me along with him. There’s just this nagging feeling in my gut that I can’t explain.” I began to pace as my frustrations rose up again. “Yavich calls Dad by his real name, Aaron. He also knows things others don’t. He knows about Mom.”
“The name does not sound familiar.” Bard frowned at me. “Life would not willingly betray us. Something is not right with the Elementals. Adam, you must earn Yavich’s trust.”
My eyes opened in my own room. Earn Yavich’s trust on top of my father’s? Who did Bard think I was? A miracle worker? If Lady Onyx’s vision was correct, we didn’t have more than a day left before the Mindolin would move his forces and destroy Cambria.
So why are you lying in bed, Adam?
To my shock and awe, after an hour or two of sleep, my body felt refreshed. I cleaned up for the day as fast as I could manage and made my way down to the first-floor level. Noise out front led me in that direction.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of warriors from various races were packed tight into the courtyard of the academy. This, this was Dad’s army that was about to descend on Cambria. I’d almost missed them.
“Thought I’d have to wake you up before you missed the fun.” Yavich came up behind me and stood at my side. “Aaron wants us to hit Cambria before the people can fully assemble to come against him.”
