She’d dated other boys, downright mouthwatering boys, but she never let anyone get too close to her heart. “Real is not my gig, but we can be friends, good friends,” was her motto.
Lately, she’d been really good friends with an immortal. He wasn’t a witch, but a fallen angel, aka Escort; Rydell King’s first in command, Dagen. Their connection was one they had no choice but to keep secret because it would rattle too many cages if others knew.
“Do you need anything?” Saige asked, bringing River back to the present. She was offering to brew a tea that would null her dreams.
“No, the dreams drive me forward.” She shifted her weight. “I feel something building. Raven has to be getting close to coming into power.” Which meant it was time for River to rise in her role as a guardian.
Emery sat forward at her desk. “We have a proposition for you.”
“You don’t need to bargain,” River said. Every other week someone offered or suggested a reason she should move back to the Quarter. “After this semester I’ll commute. Ash and Raven have become relentless with the calls and showing up here. I’ll schedule my classes differently for the spring. Drive as much as I can until then.”
Emery and Saige shared a glance before Emery spoke again. “It’s not about coming home. Someone needs your help. Your knowledge.”
River set her plate down as she arched her brow and glanced between them. “Exactly what would I know that you don’t?”
“River, you surpassed me ten languages ago,” Emery said with a proud smirk.
“Not true, your resume has far more than mine.”
“Far more existing languages.”
“Oh,” now she was intrigued. “Did we find more text somewhere?” She honestly thought they’d studied every book their family had inside and out.
“We didn’t,” Saige said as someone knocked on the office door, and Emery called to them to enter.
River knew the woman who was walking in. Well, knew of her. Professor Falcon. She didn’t teach anymore. If she did River would have been the first to sign up for her course. She was in Emery’s field, in several fields. Mrs. Falcon was a philanthropist these days. She oversaw organizations that brought money into the school.
Emery stood to greet her, as did Saige. Saige hugged her, which told River they knew each other well; she was not a hugger. River moved to greet her, silently cursing herself for not dressing up for this meeting.
Mrs. Falcon noticed River last. She did a double take when she did see her, then a slow smile came across her face. “River, it is a pleasure.”
River grinned and offered politely, “It’s an honor to meet you.”
Mrs. Falcon smiled once more then took her seat next to Saige in front of Emery’s desk. “Well, have we decided if this is a go?” She asked glancing at each of them.
“We haven’t had a chance to explain, much less ask,” Emery said glancing to River.
“I see,” Mrs. Falcon said as she uncrossed her legs and leaned forward to speak. “River, I believe my family needs your resources.”
“I’m always eager to help charity,” River said cautiously, she sensed a trap.
“It’s not charity,” Mrs. Falcon said. She lowered her eyes as she searched for words. “I’m not sure how much you know about my family legacy.”
“You’re giving people.”
Mrs. Falcon smiled warmly. “We try, the Falcon’s stretch across this globe, but our home base is in Connecticut. That is where the first family home was founded. Quite historic, actually.”
“I’m sure it’s beautiful.”
“Extremely eccentric,” Mrs. Falcon offered. Her eyes wandered back until she was looking at River. “Recently a pivotal member was lost.” Before River could offer condolences, she went on. “Rightfully so, the family home and assets have been given to the youngest member of our legacy.” Mrs. Falcon glanced at Emery. “You have to understand that all the Falcon children, even though nearly all of us were adopted, protect each other. We pull knowledge and resources together to help change this world and guard one another at the same time. For me to ask for help outside of our family is unprecedented.”
River offered a shallow nod of understanding.
“When I was home for the funeral I was shown text that the heiress, Genevieve, had discovered in our home.”
“I’m assuming they’re old text?” River asked.
“Very much so. I glanced over them; the text is out of my realm of knowledge. I wanted to bring them here to study, but I was told that Genevieve is insisting they stay at the home. I called Saige from there and read a few lines to her. She sent me to your mother, and well, your mother has sent me to you.”
“You didn’t understand the text?” River asked her mom and Saige. It was hard to hide the disbelief in her tone. Yes, River had a gift, a near psychic one when she read text—she saw and felt what was written more than read it—but her gift had not yet caught up to the vast knowledge of her immortal coven.
“From what was read to us, it seems the text is overlapping several languages,” Saige said carefully, hiding the grin River could see glinting in her eyes.
The impossible texts were River’s favorite, and everyone knew it. Saige loved to feed River challenges, almost as much as she loved to watch her overcome them. When difficult texts were found, River was always invited to decipher them with the others. Because of her gift, she could move through them quickly, at the very least she could tell the others where the text originated, so no one chased dead ends.
“I love a good mystery,” River said holding back any outward expression of excitement.
“I do not know the details of where this text was found,” Mrs. Falcon said. “Or why Genevieve is intrigued by it, or what decoding it will accomplish. I do know that right now, this text seems vital to Genevieve and company, and I wanted to find the best in the country to send her way, someone that I could trust.”
“Send? To Connecticut?” River asked glancing at her mother. She was not happy about where this conversation was going.
“Genevieve never allows artifacts to leave our home, she is fiercely protective of the original property.”
Great. River thought. She saw hell in her future. There was nothing worse than someone that would not loosen their clutches from a past they did not understand.
The three of them staring River down was enough to make her skin flush. “All right then, after the holidays I can make arrangements to go and see them,” River finally offered.
She assumed by then she could convince Raven and the others to come with her.
Mrs. Falcon shifted her eyes to Emery then to River. “River, I have a private jet ready to take you to my family home immediately.”
River’s eyes grew wide with a flash of panic she wasn’t prepared to hide. She’d never flown, never left her state. I don’t even own a coat for fates sake! “A-Alone?” she asked looking to Emery for help.
“It would mean a lot to my family. I do not mean to pull you from your studies, but from what I understand you’re well ahead in all of your courses,” Mrs. Falcon said.
River wasn’t well ahead. She was pretty much exempt.
“I understand. I really want to help your family, but you see, the holidays…they’re a tender time for my family. It doesn’t feel right to leave this time of year.”
“I see,” Mrs. Falcon said in a low, disappointed voice.
Saige stood. “Can we have a moment? River is apprehensive for good reason. She’s never traveled alone, much less unexpectedly. We just want to reassure her.”
“I see. I’ll get some coffee,” Mrs. Falcon said as she smiled at River then rose to leave.
River was mortified. Saige basically called her a coward. She wasn’t scared. She had a job to do! She had to help Raven. No one knew when this hell of their fate would emerge around all of them, not for sure at least.
“It’s the holidays,” River snapped. “Raven not only goes into total depression mo
de starting right about now, but this also marks five years. The text clearly said she would rise to power with a lover from the grave. Rydell King is coming back—with a vengeance.” River knew it to be true in her heart of hearts. She’d read, seen, and heard too much from various directions to not believe otherwise. Revealing her sources would only cause more angst right then, so she kept to the facts of what the text said—what they had all been silently waiting on, preparing for.
Saige took her seat. “The text that was read to us was about the Veil, exiting the Veil of death to be exact,” Emery said.
River’s gut plummeted. “You’re not serious.”
“This has to do with the prophecy of the Seven, there is no doubt,” Saige said reverently.
Raven was only one of Seven who were to rise and take down the current sovereigns of dark emotions—those who led the fallen dark angels known as Escorts. No one knew for sure who the others were, but they were all sure the others would rise in sync with Raven. An epic war would commence. The end would decide the fate of mankind. Whether it would dwindle in darkness or thrive in balance.
“They have text about Raven? Is that what you’re telling me.” It didn’t seem possible to River, the Dominarum coven, her coven, were the ones who wrote the prophecy of the coming Rapture. Considering there were still original immortal members present today, it didn’t seem logical that there could be some massive missing piece of the puzzle out there in the world.
“I don’t know what they have,” Saige said. “But…my daughter is there.”
River narrowed her gaze on Saige and lifted her chin a bit. Saige’s last statement was enough to change River’s outlook on this request.
As far as River knew, Saige never spoke about her daughter with anyone, not even the originals. River knew of Saige’s daughter, though, she had read her story in the family texts. It was a tragic one at best, what was jarring River at that moment was the fact the prophecy clearly stated that when the shadow lifted over Saige’s daughter, Skylynn, the Rapture would grow near.
River had always interrupted the text by stating it meant Skylynn was a trigger—her release from her shadow would spawn revelations in epic proportions. Good or bad revelations was anyone’s guess, the text didn’t say—it didn’t matter, though. What mattered was that if Skylynn had emerged on the battlefield then the war preceding the Rapture, the rise of the sovereigns, had begun.
It meant that the fate River had been researching was now her life and all hell was about to break loose. Her stomach flipped at the thought. Brave she was, fearless she was not.
“You’re sure?” River asked hoping the tremor of dread in her voice didn’t show.
“So my dreams say. I believe she’s guarding the current heiress. River, my daughter showed me your image. She asked for you, specifically. I’m sure she influenced Mrs. Falcon’s choice to contact us. She has never once been so adamant about a request before.”
“Dreams? We’re going off dreams?”
“Instinct. We have all felt this coming for a while now. I’m more than certain that when you arrive you’ll find that this heiress is one of the Seven as well.”
“Does Mrs. Falcon know this?”
A sway of Saige’s head was the only answer River received. Which pushed her to place heavy bets on the notion the heiress might be clueless as well.
“I can’t—what about Raven?” River would have been chomping at the bit to get to this text if it was here, in her hometown, where all her supporters were. It was the leaving that had her up in arms.
“I think you will be helping her by going,” Emery said quietly. “Knowledge is power. If I’ve taught you anything it should be that.
“You heard a few lines. That’s all,” River argued. “What if this is a dead end, and I’m halfway across the country when I should be here—protecting our own.”
Only a hint of smile had met Saige’s lips before she spoke. “If this heiress is who I think she is…then she’s the Queen of the Veil, do you know what that means?”
River didn’t have a clue, but she could give an educated guess. “You want me to fly across the country, read this text, compose a spell, open the gate of the Veil, bring out your daughter, and Raven’s boy—alone.”
“We want you to help,” Emery corrected, clearly not denying River’s summary.
Saige stood and walked toward River. “There are souls in the Veil, in the grip of its darkest corners, that do not belong there,” she stopped just before River, reaching for and touching her shoulder. “We both know time is limited; combining our resources, our knowledge, will only protect us further.”
“Why would text about our side of this war be there?”
A glint of pride flashed in Saige’s stare, the same knowing glint she always seemed to give River as she schooled her over the years.
“This is a war of light and dark,” Saige said. “Powerful family lines are rising. The Falcon’s are the definition of a prevailing family, rich with old money and knowledge. They very well could hold every missing piece we’ve been searching for.”
“What if I get there, and this text is just about the Queen of the Veil?”
River had been searching text for years trying to find a way to get Rydell King out of the grave. She wasn’t alone in her search. She’d made allies with those who knew how to barter with the powerful Lords of Death. Because Rydell was a powerful soul, the leader of the Helco Faction—dark angels who had broken away from the king of Exaltation, he was surely held captive by a revolting Lord of Death. Making his escape from something as simple as death all the harder.
“Then I would say she would be a good person to have as an ally,” Emery said, backing up Saige’s viewpoint.
“You do understand that the seven will stand together at some point?” Saige asked.
Yep. After bloodshed, River thought.
“You want me to leave right now? This instant. Ash will kill me. Why can’t we all go?” Ash was the one who looked before she leaped, the one with all the questions. She was also River’s filter when it came to most matters.
“Raven is safest in the Quarter under the spells of protection close to the coven,” Emery said.
River paced restlessly for a few long moments. “What do they know about me? What do I say or not say?”
“Feel it out,” Emery offered.
River smirked. Her mother was acting as if conversations about being a witch, or the Veil of Death came up over drinks.
“Feel it out,” River repeated in a sardonic tone. “I’m too blunt. I’ll tell them like it is, and you know it. I’m no diplomat.”
“River,” Emery said quietly. “I think this trip will be good for you.”
River swayed her head. She knew where her mother’s thinking was heading. Mason Wade had moved to Connecticut. River had no doubt her mother was hoping she’d call him up while she was there. Not happening. Ever. Burn me once...
If River was doing this, she was going there, getting the info needed, then bailing. The quicker, the better.
“I’ll help,” River finally said. “What’s the plan?”
Panic set in seconds after the words left her lips.
Chapter Two
Indie was sitting behind her father’s desk, in his massive office, the throne he ruled so well when he was alive. The past few days had been long and confusing. Right then all Indie wanted to do was assure the police before her that her and her boys knew nothing about the accident they were victims of.
“That will be all Miss Falcon, thank you all for answering my questions.” The detective said as he stood from his chair.
“Was your recorder working?” Mason asked.
The detective was befuddled by the question.
“I’m just curious because this is the third time you’ve shown up and asked the same questions. Gavin and I told you the same thing separately and together, and now that Indie has been questioned, she said the same thing.”
“Mason,” Gavin
said hush Mason’s temper that the entire room could feel building.
“Mr. Wade, we are simply checking our facts,” the detective said.
Indie stood to bring the attention to her and away from Mason, who had spent the last hour throwing every sarcastic remark he could at the detective. That edge in his personality was not new, but it certainly was amplified as of late.
“I’m sorry, you have to understand that we are all still recovering from our accident and recounting that night over and over pulls us backward and doesn’t allow us to move on.”
“I understand, Miss Falcon. We just want those who are responsible for the losses that occurred to be held accountable. We’re still searching for the truck that ran you off the road.”
“We know nothing more than what we’ve told you,” Indie assured.
Ben emerged in the threshold, nodding for the detective to follow him out.
As soon as they were out of sight Indie collapsed in the overstuffed leather chair and appraised her boys. This change they had all gone through was so new that Indie wasn’t sure what was normal during transition and what she should be alarmed about.
When it came to Gavin and Mason, she could still see who they were in life when it came to their playful moments. But now, in death, there was a noticeable edge to their essence. Indie wasn’t sure if that was the Phoenix in them or the fact that they all knew that more than likely under the manor, in all those clocks, were trapped souls.
Even if they could sleep, Indie doubted any of them would. They managed to get more done during the night than they did during the day. Mainly because if it wasn’t for the detectives coming and going, Indie’s family was calling or coming by to see her.
Indie almost missed being dead, at least that way she was focused on one thing. Right now, she wasn’t sure what to focus on. She wanted those souls loose but was smart enough to know that it wasn’t as easy as opening the clocks up and saying ‘you’re free, now run along.’
Last night the boys and Indie explored the floors below. They wanted to show Indie what they’d found when she’d been healing at Phoenix’s side.