United (The Guardians Book 2) (11 page)

Nicky whistled. “I need a transfer.”

“I hear ya, buddy,” Hue agreed.

Even Cadby looked impressed, and he'd never been a fan of material possessions. “I like the energy here,” he told Gable. “It's happy. Peaceful. Such a change to the angst of New York.”

Instead of a regular front door, Hawaii Guardian Division, or HGD, had the same metal door and security system as the NYCGD. Before they'd even reached it, it slid up and a man stepped out to greet them. He had dark skin that contrasted nicely with his loose white shirt, and his dreadlocks were pulled back from his face by a sunny yellow bandanna. He smiled widely at them, showing off his sparkling white teeth.

“Welcome, friends!” he boomed. “It's so very good to have you here. An honor to house such a brave team before their perilous expedition. My name is Jamaall Allen, Head Keeper of the Hawaiian Guardian Division.” He moved forward to shake Zay's hand, enthusiastically pumping it up and down. “We've met before, yes? At the biennial Guardian conference?”

Zay nodded in recognition. “Good to see you again, Jamaall.”

He took them inside and introduced them to the rest of his crew. Despite the fact that there was significantly less Outcast activity than in NYC, he had almost double the team members. After that, he showed them around. Inside, the place was a lot like their own headquarters, only brighter with actual daylight and painted in yellows and oranges instead of blues and whites.

They were told to relax that evening, though none of them could. Especially not Gable. How the hell could she chill on the beach while Sacha was still locked away and she was so,
so
close to getting him back?

Sitting on deckchairs with their toes buried in the sand, they listened to Zay as he went over the mission details once more while the Hawaiian Keepers barbecued up some dinner.

“We have our own dock and boat,” Jamaall pointed out. “There's no worry of us being spotted by civilians.”

A corner of Zay's lips lifted in a half smile. “Yeah, that might be hard to explain. Us dropping off the boat and then never coming back up.”

“And us driving away and leaving you.”

He chuckled humorously. “Yeah, good times.”

+++

Later that night, Gable waded out into the ocean. The gentle waves came up to her knees but she couldn't even tell if it was warm or cold. She was so numb to everything around her: the water, the breeze, the faint voices back on the beach. Even the glowing reflection of the moon shining all around her.

She dusted her fingers along the surface, sending tiny ripples running free.

Just one more night. One more night before it all began. One more night until she found him.

+++

The next morning, the team arose before dawn had even broken. They were served a hearty breakfast as the sun rose over the ocean. Though it was beautiful, Gable couldn't appreciate a second of it. Her stomach was churning and the sick feeling of dread only intensified with every second. Like her, the rest of the team were all pushing their food around with their forks, unable to take a single bite.

Once their plates had been cleared away, Kacey handed them all a set of matching outfits to wear. Tight, black workout pants and vests with sturdy boots. “The material may appear flimsy,” she told them. “but it's actually incredibly tough. It was made by a Guardian scientist down in Iceland a couple years ago. It's mostly used by Trackers. Great stuff, right? There are jackets in your packs for when it gets cold at night but you won't be wanting to wear them in the water. Talking of water; your packs, of course, are waterproof. Make sure they're sealed tightly before you. . .you know, drown.”

Their packs were heavy, each filled with a tiny one man sleeping tent, weapons, food and water. For Gable, Hue, Nicky, Zay and Ward, the weight wasn't too bad, but Cadby and the scientist visibly struggled, though neither complained.

T
hen it was time to set sail. The boat was small but fast. Jamaall drove and Kacey accompanied them, chattering away about meaningless crap that not one of them listened to.

Gable sat to the side, the wind whipping through her long hair. Fear like she'd never known coursed through her; they could very well be sailing straight to their deaths. Why were the others doing this? As far as she knew, there was no one they loved on that island. She knew why she was going, and she could even understand Cadby's reasoning – he had loved Sacha like a brother. But the others, the Guardians and Ward. . . She could barely understand such selflessness. Such nobleness. As much as she'd mocked the Guardians, they were good, brave people. No wonder Pablo had hated them so much – they were true like he could never had been.

So lost in her own thoughts, she wasn't sure how much time had passed before Jamaall finally stopped the boat. “These are the coordinates the faerie gave us,” he called out.

“You sure?” Hue asked, standing up and cracking his knuckles nervously. He wasn't wearing a life-vest, but then there really wasn't any point. “Not that I don't trust your faerie friend or anything, but if I'm gonna throw myself into that water to drown, I want it to at least be in the right spot.”

Ward nodded emphatically. “I agree. How do we know for sure?”

Zay shaded his eyes from the sun and peered over the edge of the boat. “She said there'd be a faint shimmer over the water over where the portal will be. Something you wouldn't notice unless you were looking for it. You guys see a shimmer anywhere?”

Each of them went to different points of the boat to look over, searching for something yet not really knowing what. After a minute, Nicky yelled out excitedly. “There! That's shimmery, right?”

The boat rocked gently as they all rushed to check it out. He was right. Over a small patch of water, maybe stretching twenty to thirty feet, something was definitely different in the air just above the tiny waves. Almost like rising heat but kind of. . .sparkly. Definitely supernatural.

Kacey clapped to get everyone's attention. “Right!” She was still way too cheery, especially considering the situation. “Now we know
where
you're going, let's get with the actual going. I've got some weights here to put in your packs, just to make sure you really sink. Don't want you bobbing back up again, do we?”
 

Both she and Jamaall helped put the weights in their packs. By the time they'd finished it was nearly impossible to stand, even for the muscular guys like Nicky and Ward.

Unlike Kacey, Jamaall looked somber and to sick to his stomach. He squeezed each of their hands as he passed by them.

Hoisting his pack higher, Zay moved to the front of the boat to talk. In that moment he looked much older than his twenty one years. Already the sun had started to bleach his blonde curls white, and standing before them dressed all in black and looking fierce, he looked like a fearsome, avenging angel. “It isn't too late to back out,” he promised. “No one would judge you, not even a little.” He spoke to them all, but it was obvious his words were for the scientist. She pursed her lips defiantly. Though the girl was pale as a ghost and trembling with pure, unadulterated fear, she stood tall and determined. It was possible that Gable was starting to like her.

Zay nodded once when none spoke up, pride evident on his face. “Right then, I guess this is it. This next test will be harder than anything we've ever faced before, and if we don't make it, I just want all of you to know. . .you're heroes. Every one of you. True heroes.”

Jamaall pressed a fist to his heart. “The bravest souls I've ever had the fortune to meet.”

Serious for the very first time, Kacey spared a glance for each of them and said, “If you don't return, none of you will be forgotten. Not ever.” And then, “So, do you want to jump or would you like a lil' push?”

Zay glared at her. “We'll jump.”

“Okykoky. Don't forget, you need to find the key to get home. Find. That. Key. Otherwise it won't matter if you rescue the Outcasts because you won't be able to bring them home; you'll be stuck there for good.

“And most importantly, even though you're drowning, even when your lungs are burning and your mind is fading away, you
must
remember the name of that one particular island. Keep that island in your brain and don't let it slip away, otherwise you could end up on a completely different island and you don't want that. You remember the name, right?”
 

“Lonh,” Gable murmured, more to herself than anyone else. Next to her, she heard the others repeat it, again and again and again as if to imprint it in their minds.

Kacey gave them all a sad, final smile. “I suppose there's nothing more to say than good luck, though it doesn't seem nearly enough. This is it, you guys. May God be with you in all you do. I truly hope we meet again, brothers and sisters.”

With a heaving chest, like her lungs knew what was coming and were trying to gather as much oxygen as they could, Gable followed the others to the edge of the boat.

“So,” Ward said with a shaky voice as they looked over the edge once more. As an earth elemental, water definitely wasn't his strong point. “do we do this together or jump one at a time?”

“Together,” Zay answered decisively. “We do this together. We're a team. From this point forth we do everything together.”

Beside her, Gable felt Nicky inch closer until they were pressed together from shoulder to hip. He was looking down at her, longingly and achingly. His smell, manly and spicy yet salty from the sea, washed over her and for just a second she was comforted. She memorized every inch of his handsome face – his dark golden skin, his deep brown eyes, the scar across his eyebrow from the first time he'd fought Zebb. If his was the last face she ever saw, then at least she would die with warmth in her heart.

For a moment she thought he might say something, but he decided against it and closed his mouth regretfully.

“We're gonna live,” she promised him.

He nodded, though he didn't seem at all certain he really believed her.

It hit her then that it was her fault he was even there. He was there for her. He was there because she was there. And if he died. . .it would be all her fault. He would die helping her rescue another man.

His large, warm hand encompassed hers and she held on tight.

Together they jumped.

Gable was sinking. She was sinking. . .sinking. . .sinking. . .

Water rushed over her, surrounding her, engulfing her. It was powerful, much more powerful than she. Nicky's hand tightened in hers, the one spot of warmth in her entire existence, and she tried to cling on but too soon she lost her grip. She lost him. He slipped away from her and she was alone in her watery prison.

She was all alone.

The others sunk around her and she tried to keep them in her sights but within seconds they became faceless, blurry shapes as her eyes began to burn. She refused to close them though; she couldn't go through this with her eyes closed.

Already her lungs were on fire as she stubbornly held her breath, so desperate for oxygen. Despite knowing that she was doing this for a purpose, she began to panic, kicking her arms and legs to no avail; there was no way she was getting back to the surface – her pack was too heavy and she couldn't get it off.

She was dying, she knew it. This was death. She could feel her life slipping away from her and
nothing
was happening. There were no Dark Islands, no faeries, no Sacha. Terelle had been wrong. This wasn't the way to cross through the portal, or she'd mistakenly given them the wrong coordinates. This was
wrong
. She was going to die! They were all going to die!
 

Images of Sacha flooded her mind. She'd failed him epically and now she would never see him again and he'd be trapped forever. Never again would she feel the safety of being held in his arms, the curve of his jaw beneath her palm, never again would she hear the sound of his voice whispering in her ear late into the night.

Gable remembered his smile; his pale pink lips, the dimple she'd always loved. God, most of all she missed his smile.

But. . .there was something else she was supposed to remember, something important. Something, someone, some place. If she could just remember. If she could just clear the head pounding fog from her brain and
remember
. . .
 

LONH! Lonh.
Lonh
. . .
 

It was too late.

She began to lose consciousness and then she was fading, fading away. Distantly, she felt her backpack thud against the sandy ocean floor as she hit the bottom. Her mouth opened and she couldn't stop the water. She choked on it, swallowed it, couldn't get away from it. . .

Water suddenly gushed over her, like someone had upturned a swimming pool right over her head. And then. . .

Air!

The water fell away and she was lying on her side on a beach. She coughed and took in air like she couldn't get enough of it, gasping and heaving until she was spluttering and choking but she didn't care because she was
breathing
. She was breathing and she wasn't dying and that felt So. Damned. Good.

Zay appeared over her, completely drenched and dripping. He let out a grunt of relief when he saw she was alive and yanked her up by the shoulders, helping her out of the heavy pack so she could move.

“Thank God you're alive,” he wheezed, still recovering himself.

The sand underneath them was wet and it clung to their skin and their hair and their clothes but neither cared. Their joy at surviving surpassed all else.

But then reality set in. “Where are the others?” Gable demanded, glancing around. They were the only two on the beach.

Zay shook his head, still panting. “They're not here. They're not here, Gable.” He ran shaking hands through his curls, but his hair was so clogged up with sand and sea water that his fingers immediately caught in the tangles.

“No!” He couldn't be right! She pulled herself up onto her hands and knees, panicking. “Something must have gone wrong. They didn't make it. What if they ended up on the wrong island? What if they didn't sink? Oh God, what if they di-”