Chapter 22
"Can you go get that briefcase out of my office?"
They walked down the stairs. John separated and entered the truck, as Casey went into the building and left it open.
He chewed the side of his mouth and smiled.
"Heirlooms?"
...…
"He's still too young for all of this, so little John will stay with me." John eyed the young men. "I want you three to deliver a message to Mayor Gavin for him."
"Suppose something goes wrong, Mr Knowles? We won't be able to fight back. The rumors say that he's involved in the disappearances."
Rico agreed with Cory. "We're kinda out of our depths, aren't we?"
"Are they strong, dad?" Casey smiled a little.
John shook his head. "Not too much more than you all. There should be some purples in Rock Sound. Maybe three, or four of them. But they shouldn't attack you."
"Is that because of you?" Casey asked.
"Of course." John shifted his feet and adjusted his lips. "I already called Gavin and told him to fix the issue. The letter and seal are the nail in the coffin."
John looked the young men over. "There are bigger issues." He sighed. "A few days ago, someone tried to take over the Earthen Faith. I got the call this morning. So of course it's about to get horrible out there. I want to remind you guys to use your weapons."
The young men all nodded.
"Who tried? Was it a cardinal, Mr. Knowles?" Cory asked.
"Apparently it was. The only female among them. Mary Thompson." John eyed Cory for a moment. "You're a believer, right?"
"Yes. I grew up in the temple"
Rico eyed him. "I couldn't tell. You eat more meat than me."
"We eat meat, doofus. We just… believe in protecting the earth, because that's where we came from."
"Yeah us and cabbages." Casey rolled his eyes. "So she killed some people?"
John smiled. "She actually killed five of the others. Would you believe she had a few carry limbs to the doctors?"
Casey gave a weaker smile back to his father. "And you're sure it's a good idea for us to leave, right now?"
"Her husband dealt with her already. She's dead." The boys stared at John for a while, who then kicked a stone off of his driveway. "You're all stronger than you think. Believe in yourself a little."
John nodded at their confident looks "Casey has all the money for both trips. He'll take care of you."
Cory coughed to recover and raised a hand. "I have some ideas for you to invest in, Mr. Knowles."
John rolled his eyes. "No one has anymore real questions to ask?"
"It'll be amazing."
"Okay, Casey, call me if something serious happens. I'm not supposed to move, but I can if need be."
"Yes sir."
"Be safe out there. I think you're all ready."
"Well…" Casey scratched his chin. "We'll see."
Rico coughed.
....
Brown grasslands waved as the foreground to Old Providence. Whose colors were vibrant with the sunsets glow.
Casey parked against the side of a dead road leading out their home town.
He and the other young men needed a moment to individually absorb the scene.
After the talk earlier that morning Casey saw those copper lines up above as a guide. The sunset made those shine a little green.
The flash of Cory's phone made him squint. They then argued a for while before going silent.
"Well, lets go."
…..
The Kings Highway was a huge circuit of a road that connected Bimini's major cities.
Northern Point, Old Providence, Rolle City. This vein of Bimini pulsed with white street lights as Casey drove.
"We're gonna have to turn off somewhere and stay the night."
Rico said. "I think you should've stopped earlier, actually."
Casey flicked the windshield wipers to life. "Yeah, this is just the time for your advice I guess…" He squinted as rain covered his view. "And Cory's snoring hard…"
"Yeah, I'm getting sleepy myself." Rico leaned back into the chair.
"Hey? You're gonna leave me awake by myself?" Casey saw his chest rising and falling in rhythm. "Suppose I fall asleep too?" The last part was said in a whisper.
He shook his head and continued on.
White billboards showed that an airbnb was only 10 miles away. Casey felt relief. He found it on the media control panel in his truck and followed the blue line.
The road narrowed along the journey. Wooden poles holding weylines were nearer now too. However, they were only there during flashes of lightning.
Casey sighed to himself.
Wet crunches of gravel could be heard shifting under the truck's tires.
And trees. Because of them dark and heavy shadows covered the road around them.
Frogs began to croak.
Casey's eyes grew serious as he felt a wet mana on the wind. Old, deep, and fearfully dark. Like a village well.
A wind shook the trees and the sound grew louder. And it stopped.
The cold, small, hustling rhythm of breaths came from his still lips.
But nothing happened as lights finally showed at the canopy's end.
********
The rain drops had thinned. They were now shattered into a mist that hovered beneath the street lights.
Casey woke up the others
"There was something back there." He pointed.
Cory asked. "What was it?"
"I don't know, but it's dangerous."
Rico spoke. "You look pale."
The pole lights rolled over their faces.
"I think it's a monster, but It felt different from the ones I've seen." He squinted. "Like it's aware?"
"How could you tell?"
"It's mana was… purposeful."
"Think we should kill it? I mean if we can? It's really close to an important road." Rico suggested.
"Yeah it might kill someone." Cory agreed.
Rico's face twisted a bit before he bit his lips
Cory shook his head. "Even now you can't control yourself?"
The blue line twisted and Casey saw lights off in the distance. On a hilltop.
"Earthen people can't kill animals, Cory."
"Ass."
Casey focused them. "We can rest here at Pigeon Mount, and double back in the daylight. It would be safer."
Their were mostly street lights still lit in Pigeon Mount, because most people had went to bed by now.
The water slid in streams along the sidewalks carrying trash down the hillside. In the dark, even this looked beautiful
They came to a white picket fence. Green ficus towered in the huge lawn behind it, in the shapes of horses.
"Wow, thank God for your father's money."
"Yeah."
Casey took a left and came to a security booth. The officer came out in the rain.