Shattered (14 page)

“What is that?” Connor asked curiously.

She pulled it up, more confused than ever. “Some kind of pendant,” she exclaimed, examining it closely. “Like a snake, chasing its tail.”

“That’s called an Ouroboros,” Caleb pronounced after taking a closer look. “And it’s not a snake. It’s a dragon.”

Trinity turned the pendant over in her hand, feeling a weird buzzing prickling at her skin. It was almost as if the pendant were alive somehow, pulsating in her hand. But that was crazy, right? She opened her mouth to speak, to let the boys know what she was feeling. But the buzzing got louder and louder, and a moment later she found herself succumbing to blackness.

Trinity opened her eyes. She was lying flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling, strange plastic monkeys weaving and bobbing above her head while a cheerful lullaby tinkled in her ears. She tried to move, but her arms appeared to be pinned to her chest and her legs felt floppy, as if all her muscles had atrophied. Panic rose as she tried to lift her head, to figure out where she was and what had happened. But she couldn’t. She was trapped. And her mouth opened in a scream.

“Are you okay, sweetie?”

A woman leaned over her. A young woman in her early twenties, with black eyes filled with affection. It took Trinity a moment to realize it was none other than her mother. Well, her mother as she’d appeared in photographs from sixteen years ago, anyway. Right after Trinity had been born.

And suddenly she realized what must be happening. Connor and Caleb had shown her how to use gems to channel memories from the Nether. The Ouroboros must have been infused with this particular memory—of her as a baby—triggering at her touch and taking her back with it.

Was this why her mother had been so insistent on her taking the music box while she was in the Nether? Had she meant to impart something important to her daughter that she hadn’t dared say aloud in case the Dracken were listening?

“Hush, my dear Trinity,” her mother murmured, stroking her forehead with gentle fingers. “Your father will be home any minute now.”

Trinity stared up at her mother, wanting desperately to have the ability to speak. Her father? But her father was dead. He’d died before she’d been born. At least that’s what her mother had always told her. But when she tried to ask the question now, it came out only as frustrated gurgling.

Her mother reached for a bottle. But before she could place it in Trinity’s mouth, there was a loud clattering at the door. Her mom rose with a smile. Then she turned back to Trin. “See?” she cooed. “I told you he would be back.”

From her vantage point in the cradle, Trinity could just make out the outline of the front door, which, a moment later, swung open. A handsome man with styled hair not unlike the tenth Doctor burst into the room, his eyes wide and his face pale. Trinity’s mother’s excited smile fell from her lips.

“Is something wrong, Cameron?” she asked, crossing the room with quick steps. She reached for him, but he backed away at the last minute, forcing her to hug the air.

“No time to explain,” he sputtered, his eyes darting around the room. “I’m endangering everything by even being here—he said I shouldn’t come. But I had to see you one last time.”

Her mother stared at him, her face awash with confusion. “What are you talking about?” she demanded. “Is this some kind of joke?”

“I wish it were,” the man—Trin’s father!—replied, shaking his head. “But I’m afraid it’s very real. And very dangerous too. I need you to grab your things—whatever you can pack into the car—and leave tonight. Take Trinity and go to your father’s place and don’t come back here again.”

“You want me to pack up and go to Texas?” her mother cried. “Tonight?”

“Yes,” he replied, as if the request wasn’t the least bit insane. “Go there and stay there and when they call you to tell you I’m dead, do not let them know—under any circumstances—that you saw me here tonight.”

“Cam, stop it! You’re scaring me!” she cried, her voice cracking at the edges. “Why would they tell me you’re dead?”

He drew in a long breath, biting his lower lip, just as Trinity always did when she was unsure of what to say. Then he stepped forward, taking her mother’s face in his hands and meeting her eyes. “I was meant to die tonight,” he said, his tone ultra serious. “There was a fire at my lab. Just a freak accident, but I was supposed to be trapped under some lab equipment and die. But he saved me. He said he needs my help and I’m the only one he can trust. But no one can know I’m still alive.”

“He? He who? Who the hell are you talking about?”

“His name is Virgil Hauer. He’s a scientist from the future and he’s come to save us all. But Em, I’m telling you now, they can’t find out about any of this. If they learn that he’s here and I’m alive, they’ll come after both of us. And we won’t be able to make the preparations for what’s to come.”

“The future?” her mother screeched. “Cam, you’re talking crazy. We need to get you to a doctor and—”

He glanced at the door, as if he half expected someone to burst through at any moment. Then he crossed the room to Trinity’s cradle. He looked down on his daughter, his eyes hollow and wild and sad. “You’re such a little thing,” he said in a hoarse whisper. “Can the fate of the world really lie in your tiny hands?”

But Trinity couldn’t answer. She just stared up at the father she never knew, too powerless to even lift her head. She watched, helplessly, as he leaned down, his mouth to her ear.

And he whispered…an address?

“Cam, I’m going to call 911 okay? We’ll get you to the hospital. They’ll give you something that will help.”

“No!” he cried, whirling around to face her. “Don’t call anyone! Didn’t you hear anything I just said? You can’t tell anyone you saw me here tonight! I’m supposed to be dead. If anyone finds out I’m still alive, the entire time line could spiral out of control, sending mankind down a devastating track.” He raked a hand through his wild hair. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“No,” she whimpered, taking a hesitant step backward. “I don’t understand any of this. Are you really leaving? When will I see you again?”

His face softened. He stepped toward her, taking her trembling hands in his own. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Maybe never. But at least you’ll know I’m alive, right? That I’m out there, trying to save the world.” He reached out, brushing a lock of hair from her eyes. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I love you so much. All I wanted in life was to make you and our beautiful daughter happy. But that was never meant to be.” He leaned forward to kiss her.

She shoved him away, her face a mask of rage. “You bastard! What, did you meet someone else? That girl from your lab? Are you running away with her or something? God, at least have the decency to tell me the truth, not this sci-fi/fantasy bull. I mean, do you think I’m an idiot?” She gave him a deadly glare. “If you walk out that door now, you’d better never even think about coming back.”

“I won’t,” he said simply. “Not because I won’t want to—I’ll want to more than anything—but I won’t be able to.” He gave her a tortured look. “I don’t want to hurt you. Trust me, the only thing that makes any of this bearable is knowing that you and Trinity will be safe. Virgil promised me that. He said they know better than to screw with the time line before the Reckoning is scheduled to take place. They need Trinity for what they’re planning and they won’t risk hurting her beforehand.”

“Need her for what? Cam, she’s just a baby!”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object. From her vantage point, Trinity couldn’t see what it was exactly, but she had a pretty good idea all the same. “You need to give this to her,” he told her mom. “On Christmas Eve when she’s fourteen years old. That’ll give her two years to prepare for the Reckoning. And once she has the egg, the pendant will lead her to me. By then, Virgil promises we’ll be ready. Everything will be in place.”

“In place for what?” her mother whispered, her voice cracking.

He gave her a sad look. “I’m sorry, but it’s best if you don’t know. And anyway, I’ve got to go. Virgil’s waiting for me and we have a lot to do.” He grabbed her and kissed her hard on the mouth. At first she resisted, trying to fight him, but then gave up, surrendering into his arms, sobs shaking her entire body.

“I love you, Emberlyn,” he murmured. “And I will always love you.”

And with that, he tore away from the hug, stalking toward the door, not looking back as he stepped through, out of their lives forever.

Trinity opened her eyes to find Connor and Caleb staring at her intently. The pendant slipped from her fingers and onto the bed. For a moment she couldn’t speak, as if she were still that infant girl lying in her cradle. Helpless, powerless, scared.

“Oh, Mom…” she whispered.

All her life, she’d blamed her mother for being weak, for letting the voices take control and steal her away from the daughter who needed her. But now, realizing what she’d had to go through, she couldn’t blame her for wanting to retreat from reality. She’d lost her husband, lost her home, was forced to become a single mom, never knowing what had really happened to the man she loved. And yet somehow, she’d managed to cling to life until she was able to keep the promise she’d made to her daughter’s father—even if she could have had no idea whether he was telling her the truth.

Do
you
think
I
don’t know? I’ve always known. Your father knew. And I was going to tell you.

No wonder that Christmas Eve had been so important to her mother. It was supposed to be the day that Trinity learned her true destiny. Her mother had obviously planned to give her the pendant and tell her the story of her father that night, so she’d be prepared for when she first encountered the egg two years later. Instead, the Dracken had showed up—taking her mom away before she could tell the tale. Leaving Trinity to face her future clueless and alone.

It was still hard to wrap her head around: that her father had known about the Reckoning. That someone had come back from the future to tell him—to warn him about what his baby daughter would be forced to do. That alone was incredible. But what did it mean for her now? Was her dad still out there somewhere? Hanging out with the time traveler who had seen fit to save his life? He said they would be making preparations. Could it be possible they had a plan for Emmy?

“Trin,” Connor said gently. “Where were you just now?”

And so she told them, not leaving anything out, her heart swelling with pain as she spoke of the anguish she’d seen on her mother’s face. The desperation in her father’s eyes. They’d loved one another so strongly. And yet destiny had ripped them apart.

“Virgil Hauer?” Caleb exclaimed when she had finished. “Are you sure he said Virgil Hauer?”

“Yeah,” she replied, puzzled. “Why? Who’s Virgil Hauer?”

“Only the Dracken’s chief scientist,” Caleb informed her excitedly. “Or he was, anyway, back in our time. Virgil was a quantum physicist, specializing in time travel. In fact, he was the one who originally perfected the system that sent all of us back. He used to work for the Council until he got angry at how they were dealing with the dragon problem. He broke away from them to come work for the Dracken.” He shook his head in amazement. “I didn’t know him too well. He was pretty high up on the food chain and well, as you know, I wasn’t much more than a glorified errand boy. But everyone looked up to him.”

“I don’t understand,” Trinity interrupted, narrowing her eyes. “If he went back in time with the Dracken, how could he have met up with my dad? This was years before you guys made the trip. I was only a baby.”

“That’s just it,” Caleb replied. “He didn’t go. He disappeared three days before the trip was supposed to take place. He even trashed his own lab beforehand, destroying all the equipment he’d built for the journey. In fact, for about a day and a half, the Dracken weren’t sure if they’d have to abort the entire mission because of the damage he’d done.” His face twisted, remembering. “Everyone was so mad. I was mad,” he added. “At the time I thought, here was this duffhead scientist, screwing up our chances to save the world.” He paused. “But now…”

“Now you’re thinking he might have gotten wind of the Dracken’s true mission?” Trinity concluded, a feeling of excitement welling up inside of her. “Like maybe he realized the Dracken were planning to use dragons to burn down the world and he wanted to stop them?”

And
he
needed
my
dad’s help to do it
, she thought to herself. Her dad had mentioned his lab being burned to the ground. If he had a lab, he must be some kind of scientist himself. A genius scientist who could help them out of the mess they were in.

If
only
she’d gotten the message in time. Before Grandpa…

“It would make sense,” Caleb agreed. “He knew the quantum physics of time travel better than anyone. He could have easily reprogrammed the machine to go back years earlier—before the Dracken were scheduled to arrive. He could have looked up your dear old dad and warned him about what was going to happen.”

“He not only warned him. He saved his life,” Trinity reminded him. “But then what? Where have they been all these years? Are they still out there hiding somewhere? Why haven’t they tried to make contact?”

“Maybe they have,” Caleb said. “You were supposed to get the pendant two years ago, remember? Maybe they expected you to bring the egg to them as soon as it arrived at the museum. They might not have realized anything was wrong until you failed to show up the day after the Reckoning.” He shrugged. “And let’s face it, since then, you’ve been pretty tough to track down.”

“Good point,” Trinity replied, reaching for the pendant and turning it over in her hands. The metal felt warm, pulsating against her fingers. “My father,” she breathed. “Still alive. Waiting for me.” She looked up. Surprised. “And I know where he is!” she cried, astonished. With shaking fingers, she reached over to the nightstand, jerking the drawer open. Grabbing the pen and paper inside, she scribbled down what she now remembered her father whispering in her ear. As a baby, it wouldn’t have made any sense. But going back to the memory now…

“Cerrillos Road?” Caleb read. “Fauna, New Mexico? How did you…?”

“I don’t know.” Trinity shrugged. “It just…came to me. Weird, right?”

“Not really. Your father—or maybe Virgil—must have embedded a memory into the Ouroboros,” Caleb said. “It would be the safest way to store it, without writing it down for anyone to find.”

“So then we can find him!” Trinity exclaimed, the unfamiliar feeling of hope now rising in her chest. “We could totally go and find him!” Her heart started pounding wildly. They could find him. He could help them. Everything could be okay and—

“No,” Connor suddenly injected. He’d been so quiet Trinity had almost forgotten he was in the room. “No way.”

She shot him a surprised look. “What do you mean, no way? Why not?”

“Simple. We have no way of knowing if this is some kind of trap,” he replied, squaring his shoulders, channeling his inner soldier once again. “This guy was Dracken, remember?”

“He left the Dracken,” Caleb argued. “He sabotaged their mission.”

“Or so it seemed to you at the time,” Connor corrected. “But you yourself knew nothing of the Dracken’s true purpose back then. How do you know this wasn’t all part of the plan? Make it look like he defected and then have him go back in time early to set things up. Save Trinity’s dad’s life so they could use him to convince Trinity to believe his story. What would Trinity have been asked to do, had she gotten the Ouroboros when she was supposed to, two years before the Reckoning? Bring the egg directly to this guy, Virgil? So he could turn it over to his buddies at Dracken HQ?” He shrugged. “Maybe that’s why they ended up having to send you to go collect her instead. Because they realized they screwed up, picked off the mom too early, before she could tell Trinity what she was supposed to do.”

“That’s one hell of a lot of conjecture,” Caleb remarked, raising an eyebrow.

“But it’s possible, right? It would make sense. More sense, in my opinion, than saving Trinity’s dad because he needs him for some science project he’s working on. I mean, this guy Virgil’s a genius from the future, right? Why would he need help from some twenty-first century duff?” He glanced over at Trinity. “No offense.”

“Plenty of reasons,” Caleb broke in before she could reply, his voice rising in annoyance. “He’s a stranger in a strange land. Maybe he needed this twenty-first-century duff to show him the ropes. Gather materials, find them a place to hide out, drive a car. Or maybe Trin’s dad is a genius scientist in his own right. Maybe he was working on some technology similar to Virgil’s. And Virgil knew he could trust him because he’d want to protect his daughter. And with the Dracken assuming he died as he was supposed to, he could work under the radar and put a plan in motion.”

“Maybe,” Connor said, not sounding like he thought any of this was likely. “But we don’t know for sure. There are too many unknowns, too many contingencies, and right now we can’t afford unnecessary risk. Especially after what just happened.” He frowned. “You saw the TV. The whole world is out looking for Emmy. If she’s spotted…”

“So what’s your plan then, oh mighty dragon hunter?” Caleb retorted, scrambling to his feet, his hands on his hips. “Just hang out here and wait for them to track us down? What are we going to feed Emmy in the meantime? How are we going to exercise her?” He shot a glance at the adjoining room, where Emmy was still busy eating. “You’ve seen how depressed she’s been since we got here. What’s she going to be like in a week? A month? A year? What about when she starts going wild with hunger? She’s not going to be cool with being cooped up here, watching BBC shows on the television, I can tell you that right now.”

“Caleb,” his brother said in a warning tone.

“But hey, maybe that’s what you’re secretly hoping for,” Caleb plowed on, glaring back at his brother. “In fact I bet it’d be pretty convenient for you to just sit around and wait for someone to come and take out Emmy or Trinity for you. Mission accomplished without getting your hands dirty. That’d be pretty sweet, huh?”

Connor rose, stalking over to his brother and grabbing him by the collar. With exaggerated force, he shoved him against the wall, causing a framed print of a desert cactus to crash onto the floor. Emmy poked her head into the room, whining nervously as she glanced from brother to brother.

“You listen to me,” Connor growled, his face only inches away from Caleb’s. “If I wanted Emmy dead, she would be flecking dead, rotting out in the Texas sun with vultures picking at her bones.” His eyes glowed in fury as he stared his brother down. “But no. I’ve done everything in my power to keep her safe. It was
your
recklessness that got us in this mess to begin with. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you continue to put our lives in danger with your impulsive schemes.” He shoved Caleb against the wall again before releasing him, stalking to the other side of the room.

Caleb glared at him, hatred burning in storm-tossed eyes. “You’re going to keep them safe, huh?” he spit out. “Funny, I remember you making a similar promise to Trinity’s grandpa. But that didn’t work out so well for him, now did it?”

Connor lunged at him, his fist connecting with Caleb’s face so fast that Trinity couldn’t track the movement. But she heard the cracking sound as the blood fountained from Caleb’s nose.

“Connor!” Trinity cried, horrified. She looked from brother to brother, now locked in a standoff, each glaring at the other with so much fury that if looks could kill, Trin was sure they’d both be messy puddles on the floor.

Caleb brushed the blood from his nose with his sleeve and took a threatening step toward his brother. Without thinking, Trinity threw herself between them.

“Stop it!” she screamed, her voice cracking. “Both of you! Just stop it! You’re brothers! You’re supposed to be on the same team. On my team,” she added, choking on the words. “Please. I need both of you.”

“And what if you can’t have that?” Caleb asked in a tight voice, staring down at her with angry eyes. “What if you had to make a choice between us? Who would you choose?”

Trinity looked from one brother to the other, words failing as the lump in her throat threatened to throttle her. “That’s not fair,” she choked out at last. “That’s so not fair.”

“Yeah, well, welcome to my world,” Caleb spit out, glaring down at her, trapping her in a furious gaze. Then he turned his head, swinging around and heading for the door. It slammed shut behind him, leaving Connor and Trinity all alone.