Keys to the Demon Prison (Fablehaven #5)(123)

Suddenly able to rise, Civia hurried into the SUV. Warren claimed the driver's seat. Kendra took shotgun. Civia, Bracken, and the owl settled in the back. Warren started driving toward the street.


"A dragon?" Civia sputtered. "Really? Who are you people?"


Bracken took her hand. The act seemed to calm her.


"We're here to help," he said. "I can see that you've been running for a long time."


She jerked her hand away. "Get out of my head."


"Leave her alone!" the owl shrieked.


"Quiet the owl," Bracken said.


"Janan, be still," Civia said.


The owl turned back into a lapdog.


"I didn't mean to intrude," Bracken said. "It's just quicker if I examine your mind."


"I prefer words," Civia insisted. "You say the Society is after me. How do I know you aren't an enemy?"


"He really is a unicorn," Janan said. "They have distinctive auras."


"If we wanted you dead, we had you," Bracken reminded


her.


Civia closed her eyes and leaned her head back. "Involving others in my life leads to failure and heartache. Most of my near misses have resulted from relationships. I've gotten good people killed. I've done much better on my own."


"Until recently," Bracken prompted.


She opened her eyes. "I was in a small village in Ecuador just a couple of weeks ago. Way off the map. I ran a modest bakery. I had a few casual friends. Nobody knew my secret. I had been there three years. And I was ambushed. No warning. Until you mentioned the Oculus, I had no idea how they found me. I killed a couple of my assailants and escaped into the jungle. Had I not been well prepared, they would have had me. But I'm careful. I hide weapons in convenient locations. I hide motorcycles and watercraft. Even helicopters. I set traps. My job is to stay alive, and I take it very seriously."


"The rules have changed," Bracken advised. "Your enemies now have the Oculus. They possess vast resources, and they know what it takes to kill you."


"I have identities all over the world," Civia protested. "I'm fluent in over thirty languages, passable in thirty more. I have access to huge sums of money. I'm an expert at altering my look."


"Even if you stay in constant motion, they'll catch you," Bracken said. "You have to change tactics and get behind unassailable walls."


"No walls are unassailable," Civia muttered.


"But many afford better protection than a grocery store," Warren commented. "Do we have a destination?"


"Do you have an opinion?" Bracken asked Civia.


"I have a storage locker loaded with equipment. Hand me the GPS."


Kendra took the GPS off the dashboard and handed it to Civia. She began punching in a destination.


"Our dragon can fly you to Wyrmroost," Bracken said. "Agad will grant you safe haven once he knows the particulars."


"Who is wielding the Oculus?" Civia asked.


"A demon named Graulas has wrested control of the Society from the Sphinx," Bracken explained. "Another demon, Nagi Luna, has proven to be most adept at employing the Oculus. Two Eternals have died in the last week. An inside operative has confirmed that assassins are presently moving to eliminate you."


"The last one," Civia sighed. "Calling us Eternals was never very accurate. We are not immune to death. Anyone who can die, will eventually die. I always assumed I would be the last. I don't know how anyone else could have been more cautious than I. I've studied endless fighting techniques, I keep my body well conditioned, I avoid suspicious behavior, I eschew vices, I shun close relationships, I'm always on guard, always preparing for the worst. Still, I can hardly believe the others are truly gone. There was an added sense of security knowing they were out there. The Society has all of the artifacts?"


"All of them," Bracken said. "And they know how to get to Zzyzx. You're their final obstacle."


She turned and stared out the window. "It had to happen eventually. For so long, I've lived like I was the last impediment to the opening of Zzyzx. And now I am. It isn't much of a life, the way I live. I'm detached. An outsider. My only companionship comes from Janan, for which I will be forever grateful. But my life is unpleasant. Funny, for a long while now, I have quietly relished the thought of an end, looked forward to the day my enemies would finally outmaneuver me. That day has finally arrived."


"You're not dead yet," Warren assured her.


"We'll get you to Wyrmroost," Bracken pledged.


Civia shook her head sadly. "We'll try. Based on the scenario you described, I won't make it."


"The dragon--" Bracken began.


"The dragon felt small," Civia said. "Valiant, no doubt, but small. If this demon is as adept with the Oculus as you say, we will be intercepted and I will be destroyed. With the Oculus to guide them, if all of their attention is now focused on me, and they have the kind of resources you described, we have no realistic defense."