Of Blood and Bone (Chronicles of The One #2)(123)

She discovered someone had brought her a mattress and some sheets, a pillow, a blanket. She’d have to find out who to thank.

No desk yet or worktable, so she prepared to sit on the floor, spread out her maps. But she heard someone moving around in the family room.

Stepping out, she found Colin pacing and poking.

“What are you doing?”

“Just looking around. It’s a pretty cool house. Maybe you can figure out how to get the home theater thing to work.”

“There’s no whatever it is to run it.”

“There’s you and Mom.”

“Maybe. Maybe,” she said again, calculating. “I can work something—for a trade.”

“What do you want?”

Since his last growth spurt he stood eye to eye with her. It occurred to her—with a little annoyance—he’d end up taller than her before much longer.

“I want you to help train the non-magickals, sixteen and under.”

“Kids?” He scoffed from his great age of fifteen.

“They’ll look up to you, and want to impress you. You’re good with a sword, you’re good with your fists. You’re an expert at bullying and cajoling two younger brothers.”

“I want to fight, not babysit.”

“It’s not babysitting. If a boy or girl of twelve isn’t trained, isn’t taught how to defend, how to fight, when to run, when to strike, they’ll die in what’s coming. Some will die anyway. Help me so more don’t die.”

“I guess.”

“You’d be in charge,” she said, knowing him. And smiled. “You’d be president.”

He gave a snort. “Maybe. Sure. But the home theater?”

“I’ll work on it.”

“Deal. I’m going to get something to eat. Mom sure is crazy about the kitchen up there. When we get back to the farm, I bet she talks Dad into fiddling with ours.”

She went to her room, shut the door. Sitting on the floor, she spread out her maps, began to plot the best routes arrowing out of New Hope.

She felt the ripple in the air, surged to her feet. Since her sword stood across the room, she raised her fists. And Duncan flashed across from her.

“You can’t come into my bedroom uninvited.”

“Didn’t know it was your bedroom.” He glanced around. “Big space, big bed, and not much else. Anyway.”

“I’m busy. Go away.”

“We need to talk. You, me, and Tonia need to talk, but we’ll start here. That vision you had back at my place. Damn fruit and flowers again.”

Because it worried her, she pushed her temper back a notch. “I don’t know what it means. If I did, I’d tell you because it’s important.”

“I get that.” Hands in pockets, he wandered her space, into the L that formed the sitting area, and back again. “I’ve chosen, haven’t I? I’ve chosen to fight. What else is there?”

“I don’t know that, either.”

“Visions are a pain in the ass. Half the time they only tell you half the story, so that’s only a damn quarter of things. You got a headache from yours.”

“It happens sometimes, when they’re really strong. It doesn’t last long.”

“I used to get dizzy from mine. I had some of you.”

He glanced back at her, then stopped pacing and turned with her maps between them. “It wasn’t just dreaming. My mother says when I was a baby—Tonia, too, sometimes—I’d get really happy and excited if your mother came around. Because you came around, you know, in there. I knew you, before you were born. And the bitch of it is, I half remember it. Not just her telling me.

“The three of us, you said. Tonia and me, the MacLeod blood.”

She didn’t have to notch her temper down now. It simply drained. “It wasn’t his fault, your grandfather.”

“I know that. MacLeod blood, back to the Tuatha de Danann. I accept that, okay? I’ll fight with you. We’ll figure out how to find nukes and things that go boom, get rid of them. We’ll figure out how to take D.C. I’ll help find more recruits, I’ll help train them. I’ll help scout, scavenge, plot, plan, and whatever the hell else.”

“But?”

“But we spread out on rescues. If people are underground, in cages, in labs, we get them the hell out. You didn’t say anything about that.”

“Because I thought it was understood. Rescue operations need specific training. I have notes on that.” Shoving her fingers through her hair, she looked around, trying to remember where she’d put them.

“Never mind the notes. They can wait. I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page.”

“If we’re not fighting for people, what are we fighting for?”

“Some people fight for power.”

“That’s not why I’m doing this.”

“Well, you’ve got more than most already.” He held up a hand when he saw the fire light in her eyes. “Just needling you. Didn’t I just say I knew you?”

“Then you should know I don’t like being needled.”

“Who says I don’t?” He looked down at the maps. “What are you working on?”