exactly where we were. But I wasn’t
about the argue with the idea of food, and I climbed into the vehicle with the
others.
Ten minutes later, we were settled at a table at an older
diner. After weeks of eating MRE’s, I almost couldn’t decide what to order for
lunch, and the menu wasn’t that long. Finally deciding on roast beef and
“chips”—the waitress had giggled when I asked for French fries—I excused myself
to hit the men’s room. It was around back, this tiny closet with a single stall
and a sink. When I was done, I headed down a narrow wood-paneled hallway to go
back to the main dining room.
A hand, pale in the dim lighting, shot out of the ladies’
room and grabbed my wrist.
I reached for my knife, but the door swung open and a pretty
girl, maybe nineteen or twenty, put a finger to her lips. Her eyes were huge
and dark, contrasting with her fair skin.
“William?” she whispered. “William Cruessan?”
I decided not to correct her until I knew for sure who she
was and what she wanted. “Carrie?”
She glanced down the hallway, then nodded. “In here, quick.”
I ducked into the ladies’ room, feeling kind of weird about
it, and shut the door behind me. Carrie blinked her big eyes and smoothed light
brown hair over her shoulders. She was gorgeous—and that surprised me. I don’t
know why, but I didn’t expect a witch to be beautiful. I was looking for a wart
on her chin and a hooked nose, not perfectly straight teeth and high
cheekbones.
“William, listen, I don’t have much time.” She paused,
frowning. “Wait, you’re not—”
“I’m Matt Archer,” I hurried to say, showing her my wrist.
“I’m another wielder.”
“Erik’s son, okay. I was hoping for the other one, but
you’re good enough. I can’t stay—I think Ann’s figured out I didn’t complete
the ritual with the others.”
“Wait, what do you mean?” I asked.
“You’ve obviously been to the compound if you’re here, and
you didn’t come quietly, so the spies will suspect who you’ve come for,” she
said in a rush. “There were supposed to be five of us in the circle, but I
didn’t follow through so I could run. Tell your father Ann’s on the move. I’m
trying to track her, but it’s hard to follow someone who’s following you, if
you get what I mean.”
I didn’t, but I needed her to keep talking, so I didn’t ask.
“Do you know where she is?”
“Not yet. But I’ll try to contact him when I do. Tell him…”
Tears filled her eyes. “Tell him I’m sorry about the boy. I couldn’t save him
and still hope to escape. Tracking Ann is the most important thing.”
“What’s one more child after all the others you’ve killed,
right?” I growled.
“It’s not me,” she snapped back. “And that’s why I came to
your father in the first place. Because I know what they are trying to do and
they need to be stopped.”
“What are they trying to do?”
“They’ve called legions, understand? Legions . At
least I broke part of this last chain, otherwise it could’ve been worse. It’s
going to be bad enough, though.”
Legions? “Wait, are you talking about the eclipse? Are there
going to be more demons? Or just lots of monsters? Should we break cover and
evacuate the area?”
Before she could answer, Johnson called, “Archer? Where are
you?”
“No more names,” she hissed. “Leave town and don’t let
anyone else know you were here, understand? Tell Erik not to contact me. I’ll find him. ”
She made to move past me, but I blocked the door and jammed
it closed with my heel so she couldn’t tug it open. “You can’t leave, not yet.
I need to know two things. One, why did you think I was Will?”
“Why did I think…” She looked at me like I was stupid. “The
Norseman, of course.”
That made zero sense. No, it made less than zero sense.
“What?”
“Ugh, I don’t have time to explain it, but you wielders need
to do some research. Your pasts are your
about the argue with the idea of food, and I climbed into the vehicle with the
others.
Ten minutes later, we were settled at a table at an older
diner. After weeks of eating MRE’s, I almost couldn’t decide what to order for
lunch, and the menu wasn’t that long. Finally deciding on roast beef and
“chips”—the waitress had giggled when I asked for French fries—I excused myself
to hit the men’s room. It was around back, this tiny closet with a single stall
and a sink. When I was done, I headed down a narrow wood-paneled hallway to go
back to the main dining room.
A hand, pale in the dim lighting, shot out of the ladies’
room and grabbed my wrist.
I reached for my knife, but the door swung open and a pretty
girl, maybe nineteen or twenty, put a finger to her lips. Her eyes were huge
and dark, contrasting with her fair skin.
“William?” she whispered. “William Cruessan?”
I decided not to correct her until I knew for sure who she
was and what she wanted. “Carrie?”
She glanced down the hallway, then nodded. “In here, quick.”
I ducked into the ladies’ room, feeling kind of weird about
it, and shut the door behind me. Carrie blinked her big eyes and smoothed light
brown hair over her shoulders. She was gorgeous—and that surprised me. I don’t
know why, but I didn’t expect a witch to be beautiful. I was looking for a wart
on her chin and a hooked nose, not perfectly straight teeth and high
cheekbones.
“William, listen, I don’t have much time.” She paused,
frowning. “Wait, you’re not—”
“I’m Matt Archer,” I hurried to say, showing her my wrist.
“I’m another wielder.”
“Erik’s son, okay. I was hoping for the other one, but
you’re good enough. I can’t stay—I think Ann’s figured out I didn’t complete
the ritual with the others.”
“Wait, what do you mean?” I asked.
“You’ve obviously been to the compound if you’re here, and
you didn’t come quietly, so the spies will suspect who you’ve come for,” she
said in a rush. “There were supposed to be five of us in the circle, but I
didn’t follow through so I could run. Tell your father Ann’s on the move. I’m
trying to track her, but it’s hard to follow someone who’s following you, if
you get what I mean.”
I didn’t, but I needed her to keep talking, so I didn’t ask.
“Do you know where she is?”
“Not yet. But I’ll try to contact him when I do. Tell him…”
Tears filled her eyes. “Tell him I’m sorry about the boy. I couldn’t save him
and still hope to escape. Tracking Ann is the most important thing.”
“What’s one more child after all the others you’ve killed,
right?” I growled.
“It’s not me,” she snapped back. “And that’s why I came to
your father in the first place. Because I know what they are trying to do and
they need to be stopped.”
“What are they trying to do?”
“They’ve called legions, understand? Legions . At
least I broke part of this last chain, otherwise it could’ve been worse. It’s
going to be bad enough, though.”
Legions? “Wait, are you talking about the eclipse? Are there
going to be more demons? Or just lots of monsters? Should we break cover and
evacuate the area?”
Before she could answer, Johnson called, “Archer? Where are
you?”
“No more names,” she hissed. “Leave town and don’t let
anyone else know you were here, understand? Tell Erik not to contact me. I’ll find him. ”
She made to move past me, but I blocked the door and jammed
it closed with my heel so she couldn’t tug it open. “You can’t leave, not yet.
I need to know two things. One, why did you think I was Will?”
“Why did I think…” She looked at me like I was stupid. “The
Norseman, of course.”
That made zero sense. No, it made less than zero sense.
“What?”
“Ugh, I don’t have time to explain it, but you wielders need
to do some research. Your pasts are your
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