Emerge: The Captive: (Book 3)(63)

“My deepest apologies,” Jayesh said, absently staring out of the window.

“If we can all remember to stay on point, we will maintain the upper hand,” Livia said. “With Jayesh, we’ll be working a few steps ahead of the Scholar. We will get between him and the queen, attempt to take them both if we can, or settle for the Scholar if we can’t.”

“They’re ancients, Liv,” Quinn said. “Don’t forget there are things about them you won’t know.”

“I know how to use people against each other, Quinn. Your only job here is to stand on the sidelines, keep your mouth shut and hand over your gift when I have need of it.”

“Well, good luck with that,” Quinn muttered. She was walking right into the Scholar’s trap and she was either too arrogant to realize it or too desperate to care.

“We’ve been discreet,” Livia said, flipping through the surveillance reports on her lap. “And we have certain abilities at our disposal that will protect us, so stop bothering me with your needless concerns.”

Quinn snorted in disgust. They had no idea who they were dealing with.

“You have something to say?” Livia demanded. “Something an untested child would think of that we haven’t?”

“You are hunting the Scholar and you haven’t got a clue what that man is capable of. He sees you coming. They both do. If anyone is in control of how this is going to go down, it’s them. Not you.”

“How so?” Ryan asked. “We’ve covered everything.”

“Doesn’t anyone study history around here?” Quinn shook his head in disgust. I should just let them hang themselves.

“Out with it or we’ll be back to carving up Santi’s face and other parts of her I’m sure you quite enjoy.”

“Stop making idle threats and just do it already,” Santi said. “Maybe I’ll fetch a big price at market if you make me look scary enough. Or better yet, I’ll end up in the clearance bin and all your efforts to break me will be for nothing. I like that idea. Let’s do it.”

“Santi. Stop baiting her. Please.” Quinn sighed, turning to face Livia beside him. “You are tracking the man who has shaped every aspect of our history, Livia. He’s practically omniscient.”

“No one’s omniscient.”

“He’s older than dirt. Nothing dates back as far as the Scholar. History calls him a ghost. He sees everything of importance and he records it. When Caesar was stabbed twenty-three times on the Ides of March, Alexander was there. When Carthage was sacked, Alexander was there. When the Twin Towers fell, he was there. He doesn’t need to be physically present to see the most important moments in history. Just as his psychic wife sees the future in her prophecies. You can’t surprise a man like that. Not an ancient with power you can’t even fathom. He has the upper hand, and he will keep it.”

“You’ve been listening to too many myths. Alexander is not the all-powerful presence he would like you to believe he is. At the end of the day, he is just a man. Jayesh will stay five steps ahead him and warn us when trouble is coming. He will conceal our headquarters so we can continue our surveillance undetected. And your gift, my little darling, will get me close enough to collar him, so I can touch him with Santi’s gift to discover what I need to know to find the queen.”

“Alexander will not be so easily affected by my gift,” Santi said.

“Maybe if you were wielding your gift, but I will be using it for you and I have a much better sense of what your gift can do.”

“Why not go after the queen directly?” Selena asked. “She’s the one Marcus wants. At least we can remember who she is,” she muttered.

“The queen is a prophet and a warrior. The Scholar is a couch potato. Alísun would see us coming through her gift and we’d never be able to touch her. But as Quinn said, the Scholar’s gift only shows him the most pivotal moments in history. Important events and people that shape the world to come. He will not see a couple of insignificant slaves until it is too late. We will not be a blip on his radar. Not until it is too late for him.”

“I didn’t say ‘only.’” Quinn sighed, but Livia wasn’t listening.

Shadows threw them into darkness as the limo entered a long, crumbling tunnel.

“What is this place? Driver, where have you taken us?” Livia demanded.

“I think it’s the old subway tunnel under the Detroit-Superior Bridge,” Quinn said, looking around. “It’s been closed for decades.”

“You should listen to the boy. He’s the smartest one back there,” the driver said as he lowered the privacy window.

“Alexander?” Livia’s face flushed at the sight of the man she was supposed to be hunting.

The Scholar sat in the front seat wearing a chauffeur’s hat with dark sunglasses, torn jeans and a Darth Vader t-shirt with the slogan, “Use the Force, Harry.”

“You wanted to speak with me?” He eyed her over his sunglasses. “You could have just called, my dear.”

“Jayesh, what have you done?” Livia snarled.

“Oh, no, the boy’s done his job,” Alexander said. “But I’ve been working double time to make him forget his own name.”

“How did you find us?” Livia asked.