Fateful Signs (Ballad of the Seer, Book Three)

Chapter 23 - Rescue Mission

Using telekinesis, Lily sent their car hurtling toward the gate of the Order's compound. As the car approached the halfway mark between them and the gate, Lily snapped her fingers, while saying, "Ignite."

The Prius burst into flames. A giant ball of fiery death, headed straight for the marine-like warlocks that guarded the gate. And, because of her powers, they had no idea that it was coming, right up until the last second, when Lily revealed it. They had no time to use their powers to stop it. The only thing they could do was jump out of the way. Or portal out of the path, as one of the men did.

The car crashed into the gate and bounced backwards. It must have been made of reinforced steel because it had held up well against the assault. But not well enough. There was a gap between the two sides of the gate, large enough to get through.

With Lily keeping Duncan and herself concealed, they hurried down the hill and walked right past the shell-shocked warlocks. The warlocks were none the wiser as Lily slipped through the gate. Duncan, however, was another story. The gap wasn't quite big enough for him.

Focusing harder, Lily made sure the warlocks were otherwise occupied. She made the flames appear to be shooting out from the burning wreckage, while simultaneously raising her hand to pry the gate apart just another inch. Her hand shook with the effort, but she was able to hold it long enough for him to get free.

Lily dropped her hand just as Duncan moved to take hold of her face. He wiped his thumb across the spot above her upper lip. When he pulled his hand away there was blood on his thumb. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

Lily wiped the back of her sleeve across her face. "I'm fine." She turned away before he could protest that she needed to be careful. Because this was neither the time nor the place for taking it easy.

Leaving the gate and the flaming car behind, they ran down the stretch of road that led past the training fields and what appeared to be housing. The whole place had a military base vibe going on. As a car full of guards drove toward them, they moved onto the grassy embankment on the side of the road. The car passed right by them, no one paying them any attention.

The street had lots of branches that led off in other directions, but they kept going forward. Knowing Maxwell, she figured that he would want to keep his prisoners as close to him as possible. She imagined that he would gloat over them during lunch breaks.

Still invisible to everyone around them, Lily and Duncan reached the building that once housed Maxwell's office. Wanting to stay hidden, they had to wait outside until someone opened the door. They stood there for almost ten minutes. As soon as the door was open, they ran inside.

The lobby had a retro futuristic look with black marble and chrome everywhere. A round marble desk sat in the center of the room. Three young women sat in the circle answering questions and transferring phone calls. Lily saw one girl's eyes and knew that she was a warlock. Maybe they all were.

Four chrome elevators were located on the back wall. Lily moved forward, compelled toward an unmarked door. Duncan was right beside her as she reached out and grabbed the handle, twisting it down to open the door. The mind warp kept anyone from seeing the door, until they were safely on the other side.

In front of her, stairs stretched up to the next floor, but there was also a door, which was locked. She still felt that compulsion to continue. The feeling grew stronger when she laid her hand against the door. "He's through here." She looked back at Duncan.

"How do we get past that?" Duncan pointed to the blinking keypad next to the door.

Lily laid her hand over the keypad, letting her mind relax and go blank. She was feeling for impressions, but there were none to be found. "Okay, let's try something else." she mumbled to herself.