The Elders (Mind Dimensions #4)(61)

I hope my efforts pay off. It’ll be a matter of timing, of the Tasers versus Edward pulling the pin from the grenade. Unsure of how else I can help my grandmother’s husband, I run deeper into the forest.

After a few minutes, I see a group of white-robed figures. In addition to the Enlightened, there are some regular people here too. Notably, I spot Julia and her mother. I feel a fleeting anger; they took Julia, but they abandoned Mira, leaving her in danger.

I walk back to the cops and get a handgun—just in case.

When I return, I locate my * of a grandfather, Paul. Gun ready, I touch him to pull him in.

Again, nothing.

He must already be Inert, which means someone killed him in the Quiet before I got here. Given Richard’s current proximity, he’s the likeliest candidate—which means he knows where Paul is located in the real world, and by extension, the rest of the Enlightened.

I touch a few more of the Enlightened and get the same results, which supports my theory that Richard knows they’re here, hiding.

When I make my way to Rose, my grandmother, and touch her, I finally get lucky.

A second Rose joins me in the Quiet.

Her usually smiling face is filled with sorrow. When she registers me, though, her expression changes to one of confusion, quickly followed by such unfiltered hatred that she looks almost unrecognizable.

“You bastard.” She slaps my face with all her strength. “You brought death to your own flesh and blood.”





Chapter 19





Rose’s words sting worse than her slap.

Rubbing my cheek, I say, “This—whatever this is—is not something I caused. It’s the opposite. I’m here because I’m trying to help you.”

“Help us, right,” she sneers. “Help put us all into early graves.”

“Why would I say I want to help if it wasn’t true?”

“I can think of a million treacherous reasons,” she says bitterly. “Why should I believe anything you say?”

“Because I don’t need to lie to you.” My voice takes on a sharper edge. I’m quickly losing what little goodwill I had when I pulled her in. My jaw tightening, I show her my gun, trying my best not to make the gesture seem menacing. “If I wanted to harm you, I would’ve shot you already.”

“I think you want to gloat.” Her sharp tone matches mine. “You want to enjoy my suffering before you kill me.”

“Why the f*ck would I want that?” I glare at her. “Where is this shit coming from? If anyone should be angry, it’s me, not you.”

“Fine, what do you want?” The mask of hatred slips off her face, revealing a scared old woman.

“I want you to help me help you, your husband, and the Enlightened.”

As soon as I mention her husband, Rose’s face twists with pain.

“He’s going to die,” she says hoarsely, her eyes brimming with tears. “He insisted on being a hero, and there was nothing I could do to stop him.”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” I say, exasperated. “I Guided the cops not to shoot Edward and to use a stun gun to stop him from blowing himself up. They also won’t attack you or Edward. They’re going to incapacitate their leader instead.”

She stares at me. “Is this a cruel trick to give me hope before you snatch it away?”

I sigh. “If you don’t believe me, just go Read them.”

She gives a curt nod and does as I suggested. On her way to the cops, she looks much smaller and frailer than I remembered her. Today’s ordeal seems to have aged her by at least a decade.

Approaching the first deputy, she grabs the flesh of his face in an angry, claw-like grip. I half expect her to poke the frozen man’s eyes out or kick him in the nuts, but she finds enough composure to just Read him. Then she does the same thing to another cop.

Looking a bit calmer, she walks up to Edward and touches him. Nothing happens for her either, but she still hugs the old man, stroking his body from head to toe as though expecting to find a magic spot that might bring him in.

I let her do this for a few minutes before walking up to her and gently saying, “I think he’s Inert.”

She nods and her face crumples, whatever calm she gained dissipating.

“The cops might not make it,” she says, her voice thick with tears. “He still might blow himself up, and now it would be for nothing.”

“I can make the cops speak to him if you think it’ll help,” I offer.

She shakes her head. “I don’t think it would. He’s not in the right state of mind.”

“Maybe you can try screaming at him?”

“I’m too far away for him to hear me,” she says, and buries her face in her hands.

“Okay, well, maybe when he sees the cops pull out the Tasers . . .” I’m grasping at straws here.

She lowers her hands and nods, her mouth quivering as if she might start crying. I feel awful.

“I’m sorry I pulled you in, Rose,” I say. “I was just looking for someone who wasn’t Inert. I didn’t think it through, how painful it would be, especially for you.”

“So you’re really not behind all this?” She still seems to be having difficulties believing that. “I was so sure. We all were.”