Chapter 125

Mira

Malachi was late.

Or, he was making us wait. Either way, my anxiety was heightened and I was wondering if I really was being set up.

We’d been guided towards a parking lot near a scenic overlook, hours and hours away from home. There was one other car there when we arrived in the early evening, but after a while a couple appeared from the trail and drove off together.

I almost laughed at the contrast between that happy couple out here enjoying nature and Lucian and myself. I was nearly jumping out of my skin at every sound of the snap of a twig or swish of movement in the trees.

Finally, just as the sun was dipping behind the trees and the shadows were deepening around us, a luxury SUV showed up. There was no question that this was what we had been waiting for.

“Don’t you think you should wait—“

I didn’t wait for Lucian to finish speaking before I opened the door and got out of the car. They had parked at an angle and slightly behind our car, and I realized when I was standing out there that they had maneuvered purposefully. They were blocking our car from getting out of the lot.

My heart started beating a little faster, but I managed to hold myself with the calm exterior I had perfected in my years at the hospital. Inside could be a tempest, but on the outside I was rational and even-keeled.

The window of the passenger side rolled down.

“Good evening, Doctor.”

Malachi’s voice was always so soft and yet so clearly heard. It felt like he wore a body mic somewhere hidden in his clothes, amplifying his words directly into my ears.

“You’re late,” I said to him, retaining some of my power.

He smiled, and I felt small again. “Our arrival time was different than yours, that is all,” he said, wiping away my concern like a crumb off a table. “Some might have left instead of waiting, you did not.”

“So this was a test?”

“Everything in life is a test.”

I knew he was speaking on a large scale, but I couldn’t feel that I was already in over my head. But I had chosen this path, and I would see it through to the end. Wherever that end may be.

“Should we follow you?”

I looked back briefly to the rental car. Lucian had gotten out and was standing on the other side of the car. He looked ready to jump over it if necessary.

“No.”

I turned back to Malachi, confusion on my face.

“There are certain safety and security measures we must take, you understand,” he explained. The back door of the car opened, and I recognized Jeremiah as he got out and straightened himself up to his full height. He held two eye-masks in his hands.

“You’re kidding me,” Lucian said behind me. I heard his footsteps as he walked around the car to stand next to me, but my eyes were still locked on Jeremiah. “Mira, we don’t have to do this.”

“It’s okay,” I said, looking into his eyes. They softened as I did, but he was still pouting. “We can’t leave the car here.”

“Of course not,” Malachi answered. “Jeremiah will drive it back with us, and will escort Lucian homewards when he leaves.”

“How do you know my name?” Lucian asked, visibly upset.

Malachi just smiled at him, then looked back at me.

“Are you ready?”

It’s hard to say how long the drive was since I had lost my sense of sight. It was at least smooth and uneventful, and Malachi did us the favor by playing calm music and not talking to us too much.

Of course I had a million questions for him, but I wouldn’t not have that conversation without looking him in the eye.

I was able to zone out for the most part, trying not to think of Dominic, and focus on the things I could control. I dropped into a meditative breathing cycle, only interrupted when I felt Lucian reach out and find my hand.

His pulse was racing, and though he didn’t speak I could tell he was having a hard time. I squeezed his hand in mine, and tried to send him some calming energy. He shifted in his seat as his breath settled into a steadier rhythm, and we stayed connected through the rest of the ride.

“I’ll give you a quick tour and show you to your room, then dinner we’ll be served in the dining room. There will be an announcement.”

The building looked like so many other buildings I’d seen, many while searching for this very place even though I didn’t know it. It was a larger compound than the others we’d found, made up of three large buildings and a few smaller structures that could have been homes or storage sheds.

Arriving in the dark, I couldn’t immediately grasp which way was North in order to gain some idea of where we might be. That would have to wait until tomorrow.

Malachi brought us to a room that was clearly once for patients but had been refurbished for more comfort. There was a wooden panel dividing the room in half, and plush curtains covering the plexiglass window. The window did not open.

“Well this isn’t creepy at all,” Lucian said as he sat on one of the beds. “At least they replaced the mattresses.”

“It’s better than a prison cell,” I said, trying to joke but my voice came out seriously.

“Mira, it might be if you stay here.”

I looked at him, but couldn’t speak. If I did I might betray how much I agreed with him.

The dining room was the building’s cafeteria, but it too had been renovated and redone to fit a more residential feel.

Tall standing lamps stood in each corner of the room offering an ambient glow. The overhead fluorescent lights had been removed, and a tasteful chandelier hung down over the dining table.

A slab of dark wood that could seat probably twenty people commanded attention in the center of the room. Malachi stood behind a chair at one end, with place settings on either side of him clearly meant for us. He remained standing until we had taken our seats.

“I hope you found everything you needed in the room,” our host said, “please don’t hesitate to ask for anything while you’re here.”

“Thank you,” I said.

Lucian just stared at him, unable to hide his mistrust. Malachi ignored him.

As if a bell had chimed somewhere, the sound of activity bled out through a side door. Soon a line of young men came walking out with trays and bottles, all wearing a black apron over their clothes.

It felt so absurd that I had to bite my cheek to keep from letting out a laugh. Their movements seemed rehearsed as they offered us dishes or placed things on the table. Then they stood off to the sides and just out of the periphery of vision unless called upon.

And the food was good.

After a few bites of tender meat and fresh greens, I allowed myself to accept the offer of a glass of wine. I was already here, so what was the worst they would do?

I picked up the empty glass in front of me, and made a gesture of request.

“Could someone pour me a glass, please?”

“Red of white, ma’am?”

I didn’t see the owner of the voice.

“Red, thank you,” I answered.

A body appeared next to me, leaning over to pour a rich crimson liquid into the crystal— yes, crystal — glass in front of me. He did it slowly, meticulously, and as he did his shoulder pressed against the side of my arm.

It was subtle at first, then felt almost urgent. Trying not to see alarmed, I looked at up the face of the man trying to get my attention.

It was Julian.