See How She Falls (The Chronicles of Izzy #3)(14)
“Fuckskittles, there you are!” A voice rang out from the fog. “Do you know how long we have been trying to find you, but do you make it easy? Of course not.”
I turned to find a cloaked figure standing in front of me. She was around my height, but the strength she radiated made her presence imposing to say the least. There was something about her that unnerved me, not just her demeanor. The chaotic power pulsing from her set me on edge.
“Ummm, sorry?” I wasn’t sure why she’d been looking for me. For all I knew, she was with the bastards that were summoning the darkness.
“Not cool, I’m so not with those asshats. Bureaucratic bullshit, if you ask me. Nope, I’m part of what your people call the Abominations. Which really, when you think about it, is just plain mean.”
“Abominations?” Okay, that handbook I’d been meaning to write since all of this happened, it was going to have to be extra-long. I was constantly learning new things. This Abomination business didn’t sound too promising. In fact, I wasn’t sure talking to someone that was considered an abomination of any sort was a good idea.
“Yeah, the group of Seers and Guardians that choose to use their abilities for what they were meant for, instead of seeking the approval of the Council before moving forward with their actions. You know, Seers that operate outside of the regulations? I guess you could call us rogues for the side of good.”
“I didn’t even know there was another group of Seers. I thought that this was pretty much it.”
“Where have you been? Seriously? We don’t have time for this. You need to come to us, we have information for you. We’ve been trying to find you for weeks, but something has been blocking us. So talk to your Guardian, or whoever you trust, and come find us.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m Sena, the Grand-Seer’s messenger. Find us, Izzy. You’re gonna need our help. Until then, protect yourself, because not everyone is who they seem to be.”
“Yeah, I pretty much figured that one out already. Where can I find you?”
“Your Guardian will know, and if not, ask your Old One. He can certainly bring you to us. Oh, and tell old Abe I said hey.”
“Ummmm," I said as I stared at the empty spot where Sena had just stood. Had she seriously just called Aberto “Abe”? I couldn’t see him liking that at all. And what in the heck did f*ckskittles even mean? Whoever Sena was, she sure had a foul mouth, but I liked her.
I walked around the fog for a while, aimlessly. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, perhaps it was Aberto. Perhaps, I just wanted to find the bastards that kept marking me up with runes. I let my mind wander and memories wash over me. Things would never be easy for me again, of that I was sure. Aberto had been right, it was time for me to stop wallowing and accept that some things just were. Waiting for him to explain anything was rather fruitless at any rate. He wasn’t exactly the most open person. I thought about Sena as I walked. I wondered if she was just another trap, or if her people really had information for me. Ultimately, there was only one way to find out, and I wouldn’t find it in the dreaming. At least this was something proactive for me to do.
I came back to the present feeling empowered by the thought of having something to do. I had been spending countless hours with Eleanor going over musty old documents with not so much as an idea of how to put a stop to the darkness to show for it. I was tired of not being able to fix whatever was coming, and more importantly of not knowing what exactly was coming. I knew one person that could help me, but drudging up her ghost seemed cruel. Cait had suffered enough, and if I could find a way to put an end to all of this without her help, I would. I looked around the room and found Kennan standing next to the door staring at me.
“How long was I out?” My voice was raspy from sleep.
“Just an hour. Aberto popped out in the hall before he left. What did you do to make him so angry?” Kennan moved towards me slowly, questions lingering in his eyes.
“Nothing, it was totally not my fault. He has his stupid secretive self to blame for that.” I sat up straight then bent over stretching out the stiffness that had settled in my muscles.
“You were talking in your sleep. Were you in the dreaming, or was it just a normal sleep?”
“The dreaming. I honestly don’t remember what a normal sleep is like. But, I may have some good news. Probably.” I paused looking up at him. Only hours ago things seemed to be getting better between us, but I could tell that the rift was still there. It was smaller, but it was not gone. My heart dropped for a moment before I pulled my attention back to the bigger picture. I didn’t have the luxury of worrying about myself anymore. It was time to get proactive. “Do you know someone called the Grand-Seer? Or maybe where I can find the Abominations?”
“Why would you want to see them? They have forsaken our cause to fulfill their own desires.” Kennan spat. Apparently, he held the same view of these people that everyone else in the Council did. As far as I was concerned, they were just Seers doing what they were called to do. But what did I know?
“They have some information for me. They told me to come and find them, and I intend to.”
“You can’t trust anything they say, you know that right?” Kennan moved to kneel in front of me. “Anything they tell you will probably be misleading and just take us on a wild goose chase. They can’t be trusted.”