Sacrifice (16 page)

“Oh.” Cassie cleared her throat, stalling for time. “Yeah, we’re not as close as we used to be. She didn’t even tell me she was going to that meeting.” Cassie bit her lip, uncomfortable with the lie.

“No?” Carrie’s eyebrows hiked up. “Haven’t you guys been besties for like, forever?”

“We had a falling out.”

“Over?” Carrie glanced at Cassie, curious.

“Uh—over a guy, actually.” I could sense a heat rising in Cassie’s cheeks.

“What guy? Does he go to Coronado Prep?”

“Parker?” Cassie’s voice jumped unnaturally high at the mention of Parker.

Carrie mistook Cassie’s expression. “That sucks, Cassie. Boys—yeah, they can do a number on friendship.”

“Yeah.” Cassie relaxed back into her chair, reeling from the cross-examination. I felt her grasping for a change of subject. “What exactly happened at the last meeting?”

Carrie sighed, but kept her eyes on the road. “There was this fire and I had to help put it out. When that was taken care of, I looked around but Braedyn had already vanished. I so wanted to talk to her, explain that it’s not always like that. But she never called me back.” Carrie sighed. “She seemed really interested, too.”

“Yikes. I guess it’s a good thing I wasn’t there.”

“Yes.” Carrie shot Cassie a quick smile. “Tonight’s going to be amazing. No more crazies, I promise.” After another minute of silence, Carrie turned down a side street. “Here we are.” She pulled over and parked. Cassie glanced around, finally spotting a street sign. It read,
Cresta Luna.
I could feel Cassie urging me to pay attention, and I tried to give her a mental nudge that I’d seen the sign.

The girls got out of their car and headed down a street.

Back in Royal’s car, I spoke, keeping my eyes closed. “They’re walking toward a building on Cresta Luna, just off of Main.” I focused my mind’s eye. Cassie spotted a street address for me. “The 400 block.”

“Got it,” Lucas said. I could hear him dialing his phone. After a moment, someone picked up. “They’re on the 400 block of Cresta Luna. Yeah, we’ll let you know.” Lucas leaned forward, lowering his voice as though he were afraid of waking me up. “They want the address of the building where the meeting’s being held.”

“Just a minute.” I let my consciousness drift more fully back into Cassie’s mind. Carrie caught her hand and pulled her off the sidewalk, up some stone steps leading to an old wooden door. Cassie scanned the building’s facade, but there was no visible address. Instead, there was a tattered, red awning opening up over the front door. Good enough.

“Look for a red awning,” I said. As Lucas relayed the message to the waiting guard, Royal turned his key in the ignition. I tuned them out, keeping my thoughts with Cassie.

The inside of the building was stark. It looked as though it had been abandoned for some time. Once again, wool rugs covered the floor and candles edged the space with their flickering gleam.

Idris walked among the assembled girls, touching a hand here, a shoulder there. Everywhere she walked, she left smiling young women in her wake. Idris turned and spotted Carrie.

“You’ve brought another friend?” Idris turned to Cassie. “Welcome, dear.”

“Um, hi,” Cassie said. I could feel her unease, but she played it off as bashfulness.

“You have a gentle spirit, I can tell.” Idris tilted her head to one side. “And something of a wild creative streak as well. Are you an artist?”

“She sews amazing clothes,” Carrie said. When Cassie turned to her, surprised, Carrie elbowed her gently in the ribs. “My sister gets the lead in a musical, you don’t think I’ll fly home for the weekend to see it? She told me all about your golden fingers.” Carrie turned to Idris. “She’s very talented.”

“Then I hope to see some of your work someday.” Idris gave Cassie a warm squeeze on her shoulder and moved on.

“You didn’t have to say that.” I could feel Cassie smiling sheepishly at Carrie.

“Please. You’ve got a gift. Idris would be the first to tell you to celebrate it.” Carrie spotted a friend across the room and waved. “Come on, we should grab a seat. It’s going to start soon.”

Carrie and Cassie joined the other girls settling themselves down on the rugs.

Idris walked to the front of the gathering, carrying a small, bronze bowl and a wooden mallet. She struck the bowl with the mallet, and a sweet gong-like tone rang out through the room. The girls grew still, lifting their faces and closing their eyes.

Cassie cast her eyes around the room. Out of the corner of her eye, I saw something that sent me crashing back into my own body.

“Oh!” I lurched forward, momentarily fighting against the seatbelt holding me in my seat.

“Braedyn?!” Lucas still had the phone to his ear. “Hale, something’s wrong.”

“Elyia,” I gasped. The brown-haired Lilitu. She was sitting just three girls away from Cassie, eyes closed, face upturned. I almost hadn’t recognized her. Through Cassie’s eyes, I couldn’t see any of her Lilitu aspect.

“What happened? Did they figure Cassie out?” Lucas grabbed my arm, pleading for direction. “Should we send in the Guard?”

“I—I don’t know.” I forced myself to breathe.

“Is she in danger?!” Royal asked, pulling his eyes off the road to study my face.

“I don’t know!” I said again.

“Find out!” Royal gripped the steering wheel tightly.

I closed my eyes and sought out Cassie’s mind again. I was so rattled, it took me several minutes to make the connection. By the time I’d located her, Royal had parked just off of Cresta Luna. He and Lucas were half-ready to bolt out of the car.

“Wait,” I said. “She’s okay.”

Beyond being okay, Cassie was still excited. She evidently hadn’t sensed my panic upon spotting Elyia. I clamped down on my emotions, afraid of what might happen if Cassie realized she was sitting so close to a Lilitu. Right now, her best protection was ignorance.

Idris was addressing the assembled, using the same kind of flowery, girl-power rhetoric she’d used at the last meeting. Cassie was paying strict attention to everything the white-haired woman said, which meant she wasn’t exactly looking around the room. I couldn’t tell what Elyia was up to, but I didn’t want to urge Cassie to look for her, afraid of tipping my hand. So I listened to another impassioned speech about the power of the first mother and how modern women should embrace it. I sensed myself drumming my fingers against the door handle of the car, impatient—

Until Idris mentioned the Temple of Lilith. Something about the way she said those words sent a bolt of electric fear through me, and Cassie seemed to pick up on that. She sat up a little straighter, listening even more intently.

“This is my sacred duty,” Idris was saying. “Mankind has his rituals. It is time for womankind to rediscover her own rites. It’s time for us to embrace our feminine power. For this journey, I must withdraw from you for a time.” There was a rustle of concern in the crowd. Idris raised her hands, calming the unease. “Be at peace. When I return to you, I will share whatever wisdom I have gleaned. Together we will all grow stronger.”

Another wave of disappointment, bordering on grief, flooded through the crowd. Cassie turned to Carrie and saw tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

“Listen closely, my daughters. I cannot make this journey of discovery alone. I require three acolytes to aid me in my work. Search within yourselves. The acolytes I seek will have courage, conviction, and a lightness of spirit akin to that of a child. Who among you will join me in this quest?”

All around Cassie, hands slowly rose into the air. Gingerly, Cassie raised her hand, despite my voice in her mind, screaming for her to sit still.

Idris walked through the crowd. She took a young woman’s hand and helped her stand. “Emily. You’ve been with me since my first meeting in Puerto Escondido. It seems fitting that you should also be my first acolyte.”

Emily clutched her hands over her mouth, eyes bright with unshed tears. She hugged Idris fiercely. The beautiful old woman laughed, delighted.

“Thank you,” Emily whispered.

Idris made a fluid gesture, sending Emily to stand at the front of the room. When Idris glanced back at the crowd, several of the hands strained higher into the air. Idris studied the assembled. Her eyes snagged on Cassie. She walked toward her, reaching out a hand to clasp Cassie’s hand. The others turned as one, studying Cassie with a jealous curiosity. I felt a sharp pang of fear as Idris drew Cassie to her feet.

“And you, my newest daughter,” Idris said. “You remind me of a fawn. Timid, yet eager. Wide-eyed with innocence, yet thirsty for new experiences.”

“I do?” Cassie blushed, shrinking from the spotlight Idris had just shined on her.

Idris chuckled gently. “Tell me, child. You must have many questions, and yet you volunteer for this important work. Why?”

I felt a surge of panic roiling through Cassie. She was going to give herself away. In desperation, I flooded her with all the confidence and strength I could summon. Cassie straightened, and looked Idris straight in the eye. “What you said about embracing our feminine power—” Cassie glanced down at Carrie. “I’ve always hidden my talents from others. I don’t know why.” She met Idris’s eyes once more. “I’m tired of hiding. I’m ready to grow stronger.”

Idris examined Cassie for several long moments. “I think you are,” she murmured at last. “Remind me of your name, daughter?”

“Cassie. Ang.” Cassie swallowed, her nerves breaking through the confidence I’d just showered her with.

Idris turned to the gathering. “Cassie. Newly come to our fold, but with the spirit of innocence I am seeking. She will be my second acolyte.”

The group eyed Cassie, expressions ranging from wistful speculation to naked anger. Clearly, some of these women didn’t feel Cassie had earned this honor. Through Cassie’s ears, I heard Carrie give a soft sigh of longing.

Idris smiled another beatific smile. “Do not despair, my dear.” Idris held a hand out to Carrie, helping her to her feet. “Carrie. You have been one of my most devoted followers. It gives me great pleasure to select you as my last acolyte.”

Idris walked with Carrie and Cassie in tow, back to the front of the gathering. She directed the girls to join Emily, then turned back to face the miserable crowd. “I will call you together again, daughters. Until I do, be strong for one another. Remember, you walk in the footsteps of the first mother, Lilith, the mother of storms, fierce protector of our natural world. Her strength is yours to embrace.”

It must have been the traditional end to the service, for the assembled slowly got to their feet and mingled. More than one shot veiled glances at the chosen three. Idris turned to her acolytes, spreading her hands.

“You have become part of a great work,” she said. “Together, we will restore the Temple of Lilith.”

“What do you need from us?” Carrie asked, anticipation shining through her face.

Idris met her eyes, and shook her head slowly. She took a moment to meet each of the girls’ eyes. “Patience, daughters. All will be revealed to the faithful in time.”

By the time Cassie made her way back to the Guard’s house, the rest of the team was waiting, eager to debrief her personally. Thane and Ian were talking to one another animatedly—clearly they saw this as a victory. Hale and Dad had cornered Lucas, trying to wring out every bit of information they could about the meeting. I was sitting, frozen on the couch—until Cassie walked in.

“What the hell were you thinking?” I sprang to my feet and charged at Cassie.

Lucas lunged at me, catching me by the arms and keeping me from reaching Cassie. “Whoa, easy!”

“Braedyn?” Dad was at my side in two quick steps. He tried to catch my eye, but I was focused on Cassie.

“You promised me you’d keep your head down!” I heard my voice, strangled with emotion. “Didn’t you feel me in your head?”

Cassie’s triumphant grin faded. “I did what I had to do. You heard her. She was closing up shop. If I hadn’t volunteered we’d have totally lost contact with her.”

“It was a judgment call,” Hale said. He gave me a stern look. “And I can’t say it was a bad one.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that she’s just jumped from some random high school girl to one of three hand-picked acolytes for Mother Crazybrain,” I hissed. Dad put a hand on my shoulder but I shrugged it off. “No. This is way too dangerous.”

“To state the obvious,” Thane said, standing slowly. “Your young friend is now uniquely suited to the task of covert surveillance. As you say, she was handpicked by this woman. We do not know her designs on the girls, but she clearly plans to keep them close. Cassie has done us a great favor. We are indebted to her.”

“So… you’re fine with just sacrificing her for the cause?” I stared around the room. Hale and Dad traded a grim look.

“Thane isn’t wrong, Braedyn—” Hale started.

“You’re taking his side?” I turned to Dad, desperate for an ally. “Dad, this is
Cassie
we’re talking about.”

Before Dad could speak, Cassie caught my arm. “Let me do this.” I spun on her, but she didn’t flinch. “Braedyn, you have no idea how horrible it was to feel so powerless, so
clueless
at the mission. I have the power to do something now. Let me help. You’ll be with me for every meeting. You can keep an eye on me.”