“This way.”
I followed him through another maze of rooms and ended up in a large underground parking area. Ten white passenger vans stood in a single file in front of the exit, their windows blacked out and armed guards standing at the ready as each one was loaded with men and women of various ages. There were three other vans to the right of this line, the back two with a driver and a guard standing at the ready but no passengers waiting. Ricker led me across to the van standing at the front of this smaller lot.
“You’ll have to follow the convoy out initially, but once you’re over the Thames—”
“The Thames?” I cut in. “Where are you taking the staff?”
“To a secure location outside of London.” He smiled lopsidedly. “It’s safer if you don’t know.”
“Safer for them, you mean.”
“Yes. As I was saying, once you’re over the river, you can leave the convoy. Jan and Mike will follow you for several miles to ensure there’re no taggers and then will peel off. Hopefully, you’ll be able to get to where you want to go without Darkside’s operatives being any wiser.”
I touched his arm lightly. “That’s brilliant—thank you.”
He nodded, opened the van’s door, and then motioned me in. Thankfully, it was an automatic, rather than a manual drive, which meant gear changes were at least one less thing I had to worry about when maneuvering the van’s bulk through some of London’s smaller streets.
“There’s a two-way on the passenger seat,” he continued. “Mike will let you know when they’re sure it’s clear. Until then, don’t head to your destination.”
I nodded and pulled the seat belt on. “Good luck tonight.”
“With the London gates closed and reinforcements on the way, we should be fine.”
“There’re still plenty of half-breeds out there.”
“Yes, but will they dare risk attacking us when they can’t be sure if Elysian’s wielder remains inside?”
“Given my brother wants the queen and her family dead, there’s a very good chance they will. Keep alert.”
He nodded, his expression suggesting that was a given. “Your actions have at least given our witches time to regain strength. We can hold. Just don’t take forever to bring your brother to account.”
I couldn’t help the bitter laugh that escaped. “Something that might be a bit easier to do if you lot held to your ancient vow to protect the witch king rather than the queen who currently sits on the throne. And hey, let’s not forget that doing the former might actually achieve the latter.”
He frowned. “Gwen—”
“Forget it, Ricker. I’ll do what I can, but I can’t promise anything more.” With that, I grabbed the door and slammed it shut.
His expression was troubled and he clearly wanted to say more, but, in the end, he simply stepped back and motioned to the guards standing near the exit. The doors immediately opened, and the convoy came to life. I drove up behind the last van in the line and followed it through a long, somewhat winding tunnel, then up a ramp into the street. I had no immediate idea where we were, but I suspected it wasn’t close to the palace.
Once we’d crossed the Thames and driven under a rail overpass, I set the GPS for my destination and followed its directions through the streets until I’d crossed back over the Thames and finally reached the M4 motorway out of London. Several miles along, the two-way squawked and a deep voice said, “You’re clear of taggers, Ms. De Montfort. We’ll leave you to it.”
I picked up the device, hit the button, and said, “Thanks for letting me know. Good luck.”
“You too.”
They peeled off at separate exits, leaving me alone on the motorway. I concentrated on following directions and keeping to the speed limit, while trying not to let fear take hold every time a car or truck remained behind me for too long.
Roadworks and an accident meant the two-hour journey drifted out to nearly three, so by the time I took the Pucklechurch exit, my anxiety levels were through the roof. I drove along a myriad of smaller roads and lanes until I neared our rendezvous point—a small farmstead surrounded by fallow fields. I didn’t stop, instead studying the old stone building as I crawled past. I couldn’t see anything untoward or out of place, but that didn’t really mean anything. If Max and his people were there, it wasn’t like they’d be waving flags or otherwise drawing attention to themselves.
I took a deep breath that did nothing for the tension riding me and continued on until I found the abandoned barns Luc had mentioned. Once I’d driven into the largest of them, I stopped and climbed out. Half of the old barn’s roof was missing, and the bit that remained had obviously been a roost for multiple generations of birds. The grimy, straw-covered dirt floor was decorated with cowpats, some of which were fairly recent, suggesting it was still used as a shelter for livestock in the more inclement weather.
I looked around for a manure-free area and then dug my toes into the straw until I hit the earth. Her pulse rose to meet me, but held no immediate sense of threat. There was the faintest whisper of movement in the distance, but I had no idea whether it was human or animal.
I switched my attention to the breeze that whistled gently through multiple gaps in the building’s fabric. Her whispers held little information about the distant movement, suggesting it was inside rather than out. There was, however, a car approaching.
My heart skipped several beats and then raced on. It wasn’t beyond the bounds of possibility that Max had seen the van go past and sent someone to investigate.
I grabbed my knives, then walked over to the barn’s doorway and squatted in the shadows of roof rubble that lay to the right. It gave me a good view of the road and the driveway, while still remaining hidden.
The inner tension was now so bad my muscles were quivering. Or maybe that was fear. The wind kept me apprised of the vehicle’s location, but she couldn’t tell me who was driving the thing. If I survived this—if Mo survived this—the first thing I was going to get her to teach me was how to get more information from the whispers of the earth and air.
An old Ford Estate appeared. It stopped briefly and then swung into the driveway. My grip tightened on Nex’s hilt, but there was no response from her. As the Estate drew closer, it became evident why—it was Luc.
My heart leapt, and tears stung my eyes.
He’d come here. Despite his orders and the oath he’d made, he’d come here rather than to London.
He’d chosen me. Chosen love over duty.
And suddenly, winning this battle and saving Mo in the process actually seemed possible.
He pulled into the barn and stopped next to the van. I tucked my knives into my belt and then walked around the rear of the vehicle and threw myself into his waiting arms. I pressed my cheek against his broad chest, closed my eyes, and reveled in not only the warm wash of his strength across my senses, but the steady beat of his heart and the tender way in which he held me. I felt safe and loved and utterly secure, and I wished I could simply stay like this forever.
But I had a grandmother to find and a brother to stop, before there was any possibility of that happening.
I sighed regretfully and pulled back a little without leaving the circle of his arms. “What happened to London?”