A Glimmer of Hope (The Avalon Chronicles #1)(30)

Gyda parked the car around the corner from the hospital and walked toward the entrance of their Accident and Emergency department. The automatic doors opened and Gyda allowed Layla to take back control of her body. Layla crumpled to the floor, the pain that crashed down on her almost too much for her to bear, as doctors and nurses rushed over to her.





11

Layla woke up early in the morning, the sun streaming through the window of the private room she’d been placed in. The heart monitor beside her bed beeped, and she sat up, her body aching. She wasn’t sure whether or not she’d dreamed the previous day: being kidnapped, talking to a spirit, and the murder of the people she worked with. People she liked. She found a remote on a small table beside her, and used it to switch on the TV that was attached to the wall facing her bed. She was horrified to learn that everything had been real. The news was covering the attack, and she turned it up to be able to hear the reporter standing in a car park across the road from the depot. The electric gates that had opened for Layla only a short time ago could be seen behind her.

“Thirty-nine people died here last night in what police are calling ‘an act of unparalleled brutality.’ Details are few and far between, but what we do know is that those working in the depot were attacked by an unknown number of assailants; at the moment we know of thirty-nine victims of this attack. It happened not long after midnight, and police are urging anyone who heard or saw anything to come forward.”

The remote fell from Layla’s hand onto the bed, as the sound of the reporter’s voice became a distant memory. Thirty-nine people were murdered because of her. Because Elias needed to get to her. Layla felt sick. She couldn’t understand why anyone would do such a thing, why anyone would think that was their best option. She remembered Elias and those he worked with, and realized that they simply didn’t care about anything but their insane goal. They would kill and maim and destroy with impunity until they were stopped.

She rubbed her eyes and switched off the TV, placing the remote on the table beside her. The door opened and Chloe stepped inside. She carried a blue carrier bag, which she dropped into a nearby chair once she’d seen that Layla was awake, then ran over and embraced her friend.

“Are you okay?” she asked, finally releasing Layla and taking her hand.

Layla tried to find the words to tell her what had happened, but instead rested her head against Chloe, while her friend wrapped her arms around her once again.

They stayed that way for several seconds, neither of them speaking. Layla was so glad to see her friend, a friend Elias had threatened to kill. Layla’s escape had put people she cared about in danger; maybe she should have just stayed and contacted her father, told him to do whatever they wanted. At least that way, Chloe, Harry, and those she loved would be safe. She thought about survivors at the train depot. Was Elias telling the truth? Had he really spared people just to use them against her? After what Elias’s people had done at the train depot, no one was safe. It wouldn’t have mattered whether Layla had helped or not, if they’d wanted to go after her friends, there would have been nothing she could have done to stop it.

Eventually, Layla let go and lay back on the bed.

“They had to take a bullet out of your arm,” Chloe told her. “Who did this to you?”

Layla was in the middle of telling Chloe everything—although she omitted the blood elves, and the fact that an ogre had killed everyone in the depot—when the door opened again and a man and woman walked in. The man was just under six foot in height, well built, and gave off an imposing presence. He had pale skin and wore a dark, well-tailored suit. Clearly he hadn’t shaved for several days, giving him a rugged look. He glanced over at Chloe and a small smile creased his mouth. Layla wondered if the two had met before, presumably while she was asleep.

The woman was taller than the man by a few inches, her skin more olive in color. She wore a pair of black trousers and a red hoodie. While the man appeared to be from some sort of law enforcement agency, the woman looked like she was security or a bodyguard. She rolled up her hoodie sleeves, showing muscular forearms, and Layla had the impression that she could probably bench-press her if she so wished.

“Hi,” the woman said, offering Layla her hand. “My name is Diana, and this is Thomas Carpenter.”

Thomas waved a little, and Layla noticed Chloe smile and look away.

“You’re police?”

They both shook their heads. “We’re from an independent security firm,” Diana told her. “Thomas here is the managing director of the company.”

“Thomas, what’s the company called?” Layla asked, wanting to remember to Google it later. She didn’t know these people, and wasn’t sure if she was meant to trust them.

“Enhanced Security, and you can call me Tommy.” He smiled again, and Layla thought he had a nice smile, warm and inviting. She noticed the wedding ring on his finger, a simple band of white gold or silver, she wasn’t sure which.

“I don’t understand,” Layla said. “I don’t understand why you’re here.”

“They’re here to help you,” Chloe told her. “They spoke to me last night and asked if they could discuss the people who took you.”

“Elias Wells is the person who kidnapped you, yes?” Tommy asked.

Layla nodded.