Dealers of Light (23 page)

Chapter Nineteen

Cara splashed cold water on her face in the bathroom, hoping to jolt some composure into herself.
Time to meet Rolf
.  Grimacing at the remaining bruises on her neck, she patted her face with a towel.

Rolf and Amber
waited in the salon, engaged in discussion about crystals and how to make amulets for energy shields. The talk stopped when Cara entered the room. Amber glanced at her, brow wrinkled. Rolf’s face remained blank and unreadable.

“We should try again
,” she said to Rolf, hoping the turmoil in her heart did not show on her face. Whatever it took to make the shield work she would do.

A flicker of something passed through Rolf’s eyes,
maybe relief. Good. He knew they had to focus on stopping the enemy, too.

“Very well.
Amber and I have been working on using the crystals in personal shields. I think we have a good plan, but we’ll need more supplies. If we make it through tonight, I think we should head for Bermuda. We can pick up whatever we need there.” Rolf stood and nodded to Amber. “Please feel free to use the books in the case there for your research.” He gestured to a bookcase set into the wall behind the bar.

“Cara?” Amber started to say something else, but Cara put up a hand.

“I’m fine. Work on the crystals. Rolf and I need to make this link happen. We don’t have much more time.”

“Shall we?” Rolf gestured to the stairs.

Back to his stateroom. Cara swallowed, but she squared her shoulders and managed to give him a smile before preceding him down the steps.

When they were inside, he closed the door behind them and stood with one hand on the
knob. “Cara?”

“
We need to get to work.” She motioned for him to join her on the settee. The allure of being close to him brought heat to her skin, and she moved as far to the arm of the couch as possible.

He stared at her for a moment,
then released the door knob and walked over to sit beside her. “Very well. Let’s give it another try. This time, once the link is obtained, think of the strong, deep part of your center. Focus on it. The shield is powerful. Allow it to rise and expand.”

She nodded, determined.
I am going to do this
. Holding out her arms, she gave him a confident smile. He paused a second, studying her, then raised his arms and they gripped wrists.

This time the
link happened quickly. She found herself in the comforting gray void, floating and serene. Her focus last time had been frantic and disorganized, leading to a break. Now, she rested in the contentment of the connection and the strength it brought her. Instead of searching, she waited. Through the joining, she felt Rolf’s stillness.

Out of the void, a glow sparked. Warm, like a flame
, it blossomed and spread through her being. The surge of energy surprised her, but Rolf’s steady presence was reassuring. She allowed the shielding Light to encompass her and radiate outward.  Rolf answered with a gush of power, which met hers and expanded. Together, their energy swelled and burst forth to form a bubble around them. The shield worked. A bolt of joy suffused her being, not just with the success of the shield, but with the realization of her core of power.

They maintained the bubble for several minutes
, letting it settle. She instinctively knew that inside this invisible field she was safe. A fission of the energy reflected back to her, touching her skin like a gentle electrical current.

Rolf’s energy retracted and she followed his example. The shield deflated to a wisp of nothing, leaving only the shelter of Rolf’s presence.
The hairs on her arms stood on end from the passing of the energy.

You did it,
his voice echoed in her head.

We
did it
, she responded.

Time to dissolve the link
, his silken voice intoned.

The gray retreated from her mind and she opened her eyes. Rolf stared at
her with one brow raised.

“So
that’s what we need to do tonight?” She pulled her hands back and rubbed her tingling palms down her thighs.

“Ye
s, we’ll extend the bubble to encompass everyone.” He stood and crossed to his desk. “We’ll practice one more time this afternoon if it’s okay with you.”

“Sure.” She rose
, exhilarated, not dizzy like last time. “I’m going to help Amber.”

“Good, I
have to talk to the captain about our course change to Bermuda in the morning. I also need to come up with some passports for all of you.”

“How will you do
that?” Cara asked. It hadn’t occurred to her they might need passports on this journey, but he was right. Bermuda would not allow them to enter the island without proper identification.

Rolf gave her a crooked smile.
“Sean’s a resourceful guy.”

###

Cara returned to the salon to find the gang picking over trays of cold cuts, salad and bread in a buffet over the long dining room table. There were subdued murmurs as they circled the spread, making sandwiches or salads for lunch.

“
Cara
,” Shana exclaimed as Cara approached. “Where have you been, girl? I’ve been kicking the crap out of Marc and Tor. It’s a lot of fun.” She piled turkey and ham on a slice of bread.

Tor
rolled his eyes, and Marc shook his head.

“You should have been taking Tor’s classes all
along, Shana, you’re a natural.” Marc sat on the couch not eating, eyes red and face pale.

“Well, I guess I’m too busy healing people to learn h
ow to beat the crap out of them.” She tossed a slice of cheese on the bread and added some pickles.

“Any luck, Alistair?” Cara
asked, picking up a plate and eyeing the offerings. Forming links made a girl hungry. Rolf entered the salon from the pilot house and nodded to her.

The professor clenched a book under his arm as he placed a small salad and turkey slices on his plate.
“I’m not sure yet. I’ve found some interesting stories that might have relevance to current events. It’s hard to say until I know more.” He carried his plate to the couch and settled down, tossing the book beside him. Rambo ran over and jumped against his leg, eyeing the food on his master’s plate. Alistair slipped him a piece of turkey.

Cara made herself a sandwich and joined the others in the sitting area
, choosing a chair away from Rolf. He’d made it clear he didn’t want to be close to her. Dusty flopped down at her feet. “Tell us the stories. Maybe one of us will think of something new to help you theorize.”

Alistair shrugged.
“Very well.”

He chewed a mouthful of food and swallowed. “I
’m genning up on the history of the Incan gods. The Takers are going to need some way to join their energy from such great distances. There has to be a catalyst. Their normal energy alone would not be enough to accomplish the web they hope to achieve. Since Rolf tells us this Desmond person was involved in Incan deity worship, there may be a chance he’ll use some mystical element from that time. Of course, I’ll be a jammy bastard if I figure out what it is.”

“You mean some sort of magic?” Shana frowned. “
Hocus pocus?”

“
Don’t look at me like I’m barmy. I’m talking about the use of mystical elements of which the knowledge has been lost over the centuries.” Alistair paused to hand another bite of turkey to Rambo.

“There is power in nature we don’t understand,” Amber said. “
Like the globe Rolf constructed. It’s made of natural elements, but, when combined in the right way with the runes, they create something powerful.” She raised her hands and her eyes gleamed brightly.

Shana
shook her head, but made no further comment.

“But what sort of elem
ents, Alistair?” Marc asked.

“In ancient history, most often you are
looking at either what something is made of, such as gold or gemstones, or shapes of items. Take the pyramid shape, for instance. It had great meaning back then, but we’ve lost much of the truth of its power over the centuries.”

“But there must be thousands of possibilities, how will you ever narrow it down?” Tor crossed his arms over his chest
. He sat on the floor, his plate in his lap.

“I’m
seeking for references to anything that could expand a person’s power or talents and any mention of such energy being related to objects. Statues, jewels, stones…
anything
.”

“Wait a minute.” Rolf stood beside the table, frozen with a slice of bread in one hand and a plate in the other. “I may have the answer.”

“You know what the element is?” Alistair’s eyes lit.

“I was able to sneak into Desmond’s house when I first arrived.” Rolf dropped the bread on the plate and placed it on the table. “I remember seeing a golden statue carved in the image of an Incan God. It was about two feet tall and
a milky blue stone the size of my fist was embedded in the top of it.”

“Brilliant
!” Alistair exclaimed. “That fits with an old legend I uncovered.”

“Tell us,” Amber said.

“Well, there are a bevy of differing histories of the Incan people, which many put down to myths. But, basically, there was the sun god, Inti, in the beginning, and he sent his children out to start the Incan nation. Some stories say he had many children, but most indicate the predominant figures were two sons. Their names were Manco Capac and Ayar Cachi. To make a long story short, Manco was the good brother and Ayar the evil one. Some histories say Manco was prompted by the people to get rid of his bother because of his evil deeds against the populace. So, Manco tricked his brother into returning to the cave of Puma Orco where they first came into the world and sealed him inside. Manco went on to become the founder of the Incans and was frequently worshiped as a god of fire and sun.”

“
What happened to Ayar?” Shana asked.

“
Ayar escaped his rocky tomb using a powerful stone, by all accounts an Andean Opal. Some stories link Ayar to the
Huaca
who later emerged as a demi-god. Possibly the one who required sacrifices, needing to take Light from others.”

“Wait a minute. Desmond is the
Huaca
?” Amber’s mouth fell open. “So, Desmond is Ayar?” No one spoke.

A
shock of fear knifed through Cara.
If Desmond is this demi-god, he must be powerful
. Could it be? The whole idea seemed too fantastical, but, at the same time, all the pieces fit.

Cara gasped
as a picture formed in her mind. “Alistair, do you still have the book you showed me? Remember the drawing of the sacrifice?”

“Yes, yes, it’s in my
cabin.”

“Can you get
it? I just remembered something.”

Alistair
hurried below, and when he returned he had the leather bound book in his hands.

She pointed to the book.
“Where’s the picture?”

Alistair flipped through a few of the stiff yellow pages until he came to the drawing of the sacrifice.
He placed the open book in Cara’s lap.

She hadn’t imagined it. “
Here.” She pointed to the feathered headdress of the person committing the sacrifice. The headdress contained a large stone set in the carved center area from which feathers sprouted. The squiggly lines from the stone showed its interaction with the Light.

Alistair
leaned over her shoulder. “Oh dear, I missed that like a bleeding amateur.”

“This is extremely valuable information.” Rolf
crossed the room and lifted the book from her lap.

“Do we stand a chance against
a dude like that if he has such a powerful weapon?” Tor asked.

“Not without a plan,” Rolf replied.

Alistair raised his eyebrows but did not comment.

“
You can’t be serious.” Shana threw her hands in the air. “Now it’s not only some ancient dude, it’s an ancient
god
come back to suck the life out of people?” She shook her head. “This just gets worse and worse.”

“But we’re not talking about things
that make sense anymore,” Cara said. “The normal order flew out the window when we realized the truth about those murders.”

“Ancient or not, we have to stop them,”
Tor added. Shana glared at him but said nothing. She grabbed her sweatshirt and stalked out onto the deck. Marc gave them an apologetic shrug and followed her.

“We can’t have a weak link in this team,” Rolf said, staring at Cara.

“She’s not a weak link.” Cara glared at him. Shana would fight harder than any of them.

“Then you’d better talk to her.” He returned to the table and picked up his plate.