Eight of Hearts: The Vision - Book 2

Chapter 24

"She got Tobias!"

Flora's shout cut through the chatter; Shyla jumped in surprise and nearly spilled the coffee beans into the fire. Flora was pointing to an empty spot right beside her, which she vaguely remembered Tobias had filled.

"Tobias? Wasn't he going for a walk?" James asked, craning his head to look around as though he could spot him.

"He was lookin' mighty sour earlier," Adriana commented from where she lounged. "He probably just has the runs or somethin'."

"He's not the type to wander off without telling someone," Cecil said, sounding concerned as he got quickly to his feet. "What did you see, Flora?"

"That-that girl! With the red hair!" Flora stammered out. "She appeared out of nowhere suddenly and the next moment they both vanished!"

Shyla closed her eyes and tried to recall when she last noticed Tobias's presence. She had been so focused on her attempts to roast the coffee beans that she had allowed him to be snatched from right beside her. That was a clumsy mistake, and could have been a deadly one. Her military training had been seriously dulled by the other memories; she needed to be far more diligent if she wanted to survive.

Shyla found what she was looking for with surprising ease. The memory appeared before her closed eyes as though it were projected onto her eyelids. She was leaning over the campfire, all of her attention on the roasting beans. Where her peripheral vision should have blurred the image to nothing, she could see Tobias as clear as day, sitting with his chin propped up in his hands watching her work. Why didn't I notice your dejected look before? Shyla wondered as she watched his vacant eyes looking just as sour as Adriana had described.

She watched his face twitch as though he had caught an unpleasant smell, then he closed his eyes and vanished, flashing out of existence. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized the brief shimmer of light instantly as the energy signature of an HDSF warp drive. She didn't see the girl Flora had mentioned, but Tobias had only barely been visible himself. Still, it was enough to confirm what Flora claimed, and potentially confirmed that her father was finally making his move. She had expected him to contact her first, but if he was planning something she would just have to play along.

She opened her eyes again and the campfire snapped back into focus. The sound of shouting rushed in, and she looked up to see James and Cecil in a heated argument.

"--if he comes back and we're gone, he's going to think we abandoned him!" James was saying, his frustration showing clearly on his face.

"I'm telling you he did not just go for a stroll!" Cecil insisted, standing straight with indignance as he faced James down. "Miss Jones said she saw him taken by a girl, and I believe her! We must set out swiftly or we risk losing the trail!"

"Then why is Isaac acting like that then?" James asked, jerking his finger at the white haired boy who sat still on the ground near the fire.

Shyla stared at Isaac a moment, and a chill went through her heart. He was sitting with his arms around his legs, rocking back and forth with a blank expression and muttering the same words over and over. "...not yet...I don't want to go...please, just a little longer...I'm not ready..."

"Isaac's usually right about stuff like this," James insisted. "If he says we should wait, then I think we should trust him. Besides, I know Tobias; he'd never willingly go with some random girl. He's too enamored by my sister."

"He didn't go willingly," Shyla said, unable to take her eyes off Isaac.

Everyone turned and looked at Shyla, and she nearly flinched away from their gaze. But she stood firm as she continued. "I can still see the warp drive energy signature."