▶ Touching The Wind (Roaming Alchemists/ Book Two)

The world welcomes heros, but shuns them.

The world begs for mercy, but shoots others.

The world craves magic, but imprisons it. 

Pride. 

Greed.

Fear. 

 Cae Skye (2011)

Chapter One. 

THE BEAUTIFUL GIRL AT THE BAR TURNED TO SMILE AT LUCAS. 

His whole body became warm and he found himself smiling back. The girl was at least nineteen, maybe twenty, she wore a dress made from sequins, and her hair was a beautiful chestnut colour, that reached down to her waist and was curled. 

Lucas was entranced by her incredible eyes, they were smiling and light. He found himself standing up, and walking towards her, and before he knew what was happening, he leaned against the bar and stared at her, the girl he could see himself marrying. 

He opened his mouth; but failed to speak. 

He just breathed in sharply and adjusted his leather jacket. 

“I’m Lucas,” he breathed, she smiled so sweetly he thought his heart had stopped beating. 

“Sera,” She said, leaning towards him, “So, Lucas,” Her voice was like bells, like beautiful bells that shimmered in the air and made it glitter, “What will you have to drink?” 

His head snapped towards the bar, and he called out to the bairmaid, who ran over to serve him, “What can I get you?” 

“I’ll have two of your best champagne, please.” 

She nodded, walked to the back of the bar and smiled as she slipped their drinks in front of them. “Payment?” She asked. 

Lucas smiled, “You can put it on my tab; Lucas Pinn.” 

She nodded and walked off. 

“So, champagne, are we celebrating?” Sera asked, fiddling with some of the glittering sequins on her dress. 

Two floors up, Hunter, Jason and Casey were doing their work, Sera could imagine them now; fiddling with the lock of the safe and disarming the alarm. She shook the image from her head, and the sickening knot in her stomach as she focused on her target. 67. 

“We are,” Lucas said, moving closer to Sera. She begged this was the right 67. She’d been looking for a month for this guy, Casey was looking at 73, Hunter and Ethan were on 98, and Sera’s boyfriend, Jason was working on 23.  After the encounter and almost world destroying reunion with Sera’s real mother, and Sera discovering and changing into an Alchemist, every member in Sera’s gang had been looking for the numbers that Ethan had told them. Every 67 Sera had encountered did not have a single inkling of influence in the wider community. In fact, most had the opposite, and the previous 67s did not have many connections with the number 67, or any noticeable quirks, or powers.  

This one was different, that’s why the gang were being so careful. 

Sera took a sip of her champagne and was pleasantly surprised at the calming feeling it had. 

This 67, or Lucas Pinn. Lived on 67 Pandora street, which was the 67th named street in the town. He had 67 million dollars in his bank account, exactly. Amazingly that hadn’t changed for a long 6 years, and 7 months. He had just divorced from his 6th marriage which had lasted 6 years and 7 months. And on his 6th floor apartment, room number 7. He had a safe, which had something valuable was inside, and they wanted to use as much against him as they could to get him to safe harbor.