From a shadowed alleyway across the street, David watched Bella Thompson as she left her apartment with Lucien Curmodene.
That was not a good development. She didn’t know what Curmodene was, and he hadn’t been able to warn her yet about the abilities that she herself was developing. He hadn’t had time to build a rapport with her yet, and without that, without some sort of connection, he knew that she would not believe what he had to tell her.
He hoped that it wasn’t too late. If one of them had already found her, he feared that it might be. He was disappointed in himself. He’d had several weeks to find her, but he’d only been able to finally locate her the day before. Portland was a big city, and looking for her tiny filament of developing spiritual energy was like looking for a candle flame inside a roaring fire.
The delay hadn’t left him much time to let her get to know him. He’d only been in the surveillance phase of the process, and hadn’t even managed to engineer their first meeting yet.
“I have failed us,” he said quietly to his fellow Invisible, the woman who shared the shadowed alleyway with him.
The short, middle‑aged woman stood behind him, hidden inside the shadows so well that he could barely see her, though he knew she was there.
“We don’t know that yet. She may yet choose the Lord,” she said, her voice soft and reassuring.
“But, she’s with Lucien Curmodene. And we both know that Lucien has already made his choice,” he said, keeping his voice pitched low.
He knew that the people who passed by their alley could not see them, and would not notice them, but if the pedestrians heard voices, that could change. Their camouflage only lasted as long as the people passing by remained oblivious to their surroundings. If the meandering pedestrians looked too closely inside the concealing shadows, if they really focused their mind on what might be lurking in the deep alley, they’d be able to see him and the other Invisible who lingered there.
“Has he?” she said. “It does seem that he is associating with them, and perhaps has already been indoctrinated, but his thoughts about them seem unsure. He is learning to shield his thoughts, though, so I cannot be completely certain. Still, the Lord has performed far greater miracles before. We should not dismiss Lucien quite yet.”
“I’ve seen him talking with three of them, just since I arrived yesterday. How can he not be one of them? You know their methods! They do not permit those with budding abilities any chance of escape.”
“Have you seen any of the others around Miss Thompson, yet?” she asked, a hint of alarm in her voice.
“No, they’ve only been watching her, as we are,” he said. “Look, across the street. There is one of them now.”
His companion hissed in displeasure when she sighted the burly black‑clad man loitering in the adjacent doorway. “Such evil. I can almost feel it from here.”
“We have little time left, if any,” he reiterated. “As I said, I fear that I may have failed this time.”
“The choice is hers,” his companion said. “Always remember that the choice is hers to make. We cannot force her.”
“No, we can’t,” David said, feeling deep fear for Bella pierce his heart, “But they will try to force her.”