Requiem

  Jared cleared his throat. "I'm going to apologize in advance, Claire. This is hard for me."

  "Deja vu?" she said in understanding.

  "Something like that," he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb.

  "You mean me," I said softly.

  Jared didn't meet my eyes; he simply nodded as he stared at the floor. I had tried to imagine many times what he went through while waiting to hear whether I would live or die after the shoot out in the restaurant.

  "I remember," Claire said with a far-off look in her eyes. "Mom was there. Bex was stuck in Dubai with Amir." She spoke low and slow, looking to Jared with weary eyes. "You sat on that horrible, fake leather chair until you couldn't stand it, and then you paced the length of the room until we couldn't stand it. It was harder to watch than when Daddy slipped away. Then Samuel came, and Eli...."

  "They were there?" I asked, surprised.

  Jared nodded. "They appeared after I called for Gabriel. I begged him to take me the second...I didn't want to know what it would feel like when you were gone."

  "Would it be painful?" I asked, touching his arm.

  Jared breathed a heavy sigh. "My father described it as weakness, growing so debilitating that eventually every system in our bodies stop." He looked into my eyes. "We literally need our Taleh's to breathe."

  Claire watched us for a moment before speaking. "I had to restrain Jared several times. He couldn't stand the thought of you lying on a table without him, letting strangers--humans--try to save you. He wanted to force his way into the O.R. I'd never seen him so unreasonable." Claire's icy eyes melted when she looked at her brother. "Seeing Jared feel so helpless and desperate--Mom waiting to hear if she would lose you and her son--the collective pain in that room will be burned into my memory forever. Just like yesterday will."

  I grabbed her hand. "And I'm okay. Just like Ryan will be."

  Claire wore what used to be a white tank top, now more of a grey-brown, and khaki utility pants with heavy, lace-up boots. A blood-stained hijab sat bunched up in the chair next to her. Her moist eyes and smeared mascara had mixed with the desert sand, but only around her eyes.

  "Did Ryan recognize you?" I asked.

  Claire shook her head. "I should have pulled us out earlier. He looked up at me, but he was pretty out of it. And with the hijab...he could only see my eyes."

  Jared placed his hand on ours. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that you're both alive."

  "Ryan's company was conducting a raid to extract two contractors that had been missing for a few days. I made a lot of mistakes today, Jared. They were ambushed. I should have seen it coming. I should have heard the snipers get into position, but my mind was full of complaints and resentment." She stared at the floor, deep in thought. "They always raid at night. Everything was off, and I missed it."

  Jared grabbed Claire's jaw in his hands. "You know better than to beat yourself up about this. What were you telling me in the waiting room in Providence? He's alive, Claire. No one else could have gotten him here with a chance."

  She pulled away from him, and looked out the window. In her mind, she was still on that street corner, watching the extermination of Ryan's company in real time. "It was like Shock and Awe out there--one explosion after another," she snapped her eyes shut. The memory replayed in her mind. "I could hear him, but I couldn't see," her eyebrows pulled in, "I couldn't see."

  Her eyes popped open, and she immediately wiped away her tears. "My first glimpse of Ryan didn't surprise me: He was sprinting from the debris cloud with Tommy on his back." She smiled. "Of course it would be Tommy. Ryan's only saved his hide three times already." Her smiled faded. "They were close. Closer than the others. Ryan felt responsible for him."

  Jared stood, and walked to the other side of the room. He rubbed the back of his neck; the worry and memories were clearly overwhelming him.

  "That was when I decided to move in,"" Claire explained, "but a sniper clicked on his sights." Claire laughed once. "The jerkface got one off after I severed his brain stem with one bullet, Jared. That shit only happens in the movies."

  "So Ryan was hit?" I prodded. My mind raced with where the story would end. I had no idea what injuries Ryan had sustained, and with the vivid detail of bombs and bullets, I needed her to get to the point.

  "Twice. A bullet ricocheted off a rock, and clipped his right lung; the other blew straight through his shoulder. It was fate. Both injuries are going to send him packing."

  Jared glanced at me, and then returned to his seat. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "That was when you evac'd?"

  Claire sniffed. "He wouldn't let Tommy go. I had to pry all ten of his fingers from the guy's flak jacket."

  "Figures," Jared grumbled.

  "Ryan's whole unit was wiped out in three seconds. He needed to save one of them. It didn't matter that Tommy was dead ten meters from the explosions...Ryan was going to carry him home."

  Tears welled up in my eyes and overflowed. "Can we see him?"

  Jared hugged me to his side. "He can't know you were ever here. We can't take that chance."

  Jared's reasoning made sense. Explaining Ryan's memories of me at his bedside in Landstuhl would be too difficult to explain away to our friends at Brown.

  Claire looked at her dirty hands. "I hauled him to an empty shack off the path, stayed the night until Morning Prayer, and then back-tracked East to my Jeep."

  Colonel Brand knocked on the door jamb. Jared and Claire immediately stood, and Jared pulled me with him.

  "Colonel," Jared and Claire said in unison, both nodding.

  "He's out of the woods for now. Doctor Vanhooser is closing, and he'll be in to speak with you shortly. He has been informed that Sergeant Scott is to be kept unaware of your presence."

  "Thanks, Jason," Claire said, letting out a big sigh of relief.

  "There is something you should know," Colonel Brand said. "Ryan is going to need substantial physical therapy, and after losing his entire unit, his debriefing will be substantial."

  "What does that mean for Ryan?" I asked.

  "Sergeant Scott's chances to return to active duty are slim," Colonel Brand said, matter-of-factly.

  I was ashamed of the relief the Colonel's words brought me. Ryan would be devastated, and I could only think of myself. Thoughts of Ryan returning to Brown on the military's dime, and his empty seat at the Ratty being filled peppered my mind, and I had to cover my smile with my hand.

  Jared glanced at me. He knew how Colonel Brand's prediction had made me feel, and his eyes tightened. I sunk back into my seat, crimson splashing across my cheeks.

  Claire took a walk down the colorless hallway, giving Jared the perfect chance to scold me. Before he could get the chance, my cell phone buzzed in my jacket pocket.

  "Hello?"

  "Grant is out sick, you're gone, and the Japan firm is on line two asking questions I don't know the answers to," Beth barked in her southern accent. "I don't understand half of what he says, Nina. Is there some way to patch you through?"

  I smiled. "Just tell him I'm out of town, and I will call him tomorrow."

  "He said he's been waiting on a return phone call from Grant for a week."

  "Then he can wait one more day," I said.

  "Where are you? I only have a billion documents for you to sign, and the billing on the Peterman account is messed up."

  "Ask an intern. They know the software better than the accountants."

  "Nigh," she sighed."Where are you?"

  "Checking on an old friend," I said. "I have to go, Beth. Oh, and...don't ask Sasha for help. It will give her the mistaken impression that she's needed."

  "The friend wouldn't be Kim, would it?"

  "No. Why?"

  "She's MIA, too. Again," Beth grumbled.

  "You can wing it until I get back. I have faith in you," I said, hanging up the phone.

  "What?" Jared asked.

  "Beth said Kim hasn't been arou
nd. She doesn't know where she is. Kim's been doing that a lot lately," I said with a frown.

  Jared squirmed in his seat, and then looked away.

  "Jared?" I asked in an accusatory tone. He didn't look at me. "Do you know anything about that?"

  Jared didn't meet my eyes for several moments, and then finally turned to face me. After a long puff of air, he took a deep breath, and then intertwined his fingers. His expression was exactly as it as the night he told me the truth.

  I looked at him from under my brows. "Is it bad?"

  Jared shook his head. "It's dangerous. I won't lie to you, so please let it go."

  "We're talking about Kim, right? Lanky, goofy Kim?"

  "Let it go, Nina."

  My knee bounced up and down as I made the decision, but it had already been made. I was only stalling. Jared looked away again with a sigh, knowing what would happen next.

  He closed his eyes, and with one last effort he begged. "Don't...."

  My knuckles turned white as I gripped the edge of my seat, preparing myself for what he would say. Jared had told me more unbelievable truths in the last two years than even I could believe, and I had seen most of it with my own eyes. Regardless, Kim had been keeping something from me--something Jared knew, and I didn't--I had to ask.

  "Jared?" He stiffened the second I uttered his name. Although knowing the truth had never been comforting before, I couldn't stop myself. "What do you know about Kim?"

  Chapter Six

  Witch

  "That's not actually his secret to tell," Kim said, strolling into the waiting room.

  It took me a moment to process that she was really there, and that I hadn't conjured her from my wild imagination.

  Kim paused for a moment to acknowledge Jared. When he nodded in her direction, she took a seat next to me. She was in a white t-shirt and jeans, sporting black and white checkered Vans, and smelled of cigarettes. Her big, brown eyes didn't falter. She didn't seem nervous or out of place at all.

  "What on earth are you doing here, Kim?" I asked.

  She shrugged. "I could ask you the same question."

  "So go ahead. You seem to know all the right questions to ask, anyway," I said, defiant.

  "Kim's just here to help," Jared said.

  "Help how? How did she know?" I looked at Kim, then. "How did you know to come?"

  "How did you know?" she asked. She was purposefully goading me, and I wanted to reach out, lace my fingers around her long neck and shake her with the tightest grip I could muster.

  "You're not funny," I snapped.

  Kim grinned, clearly enjoying the fact that she had me in such a tizzy. "No, but you are."

  I stood up, crossing my arms. If she wouldn't cooperate, I would corner Jared. I pointed at Kim. "How did she know Ryan was hurt, Jared? How did she get here?"

  "Plane," Kim answered flatly.

  "Shut up!" I growled.

  The corners of Jared's mouth turned up slightly, but when he felt my temper rising, he straightened his expression. "Kim is helping us. Finally," he said, shooting an annoyed glance in her direction.

  "Bite me," Kim said without emotion, chewing her thumb nail.

  His jaws flitted under his skin. "She has been keeping an eye on our situation...what?" he said, frowning.

  I stared at him. "I'm just waiting for you to make sense."

  Jared returned my expression, and Kim laughed once. "Welcome to my world. He's one big riddle book, isn't he? He just does it to make himself feel important. He wants you to drag it out of him."

  Claire walked in, and stopped in her tracks. "What is the witch doing here?" she said with venom in her voice.

  Kim smiled slightly, but her eyes were devoid of emotion. "Blessed Be. Heard about what happened. Good job, G.I. Barbie."

  "Move aside, Nina," Claire said in a frightening, low tone. I was too afraid to move, seeing that she was poised to pounce.

  Tension in the room had soared to a new level. The waiting room we occupied was in a wing separate from the main hall, so it would be very easy for Claire to let some of her pent up aggression go in Kim's general direction. Kim didn't seem phased in the slightest.

  Jared stood. "Enough."

  Claire glanced at her brother. "Does she have to be here?"

  The longer they spoke as if I knew what was going on, the angrier I became. "What in the hell is going on?" I yelled.

  "Sssh!" Claire hissed.

  "Are you human?" I asked Kim.

  Kim paused in thought. "Some days it doesn't feel like it, but yes."

  Jared sat, pulling me to the sofa with him. Claire sat in the seat next to us, fidgeting with her hijab. Kim looked at her watch, and then settled into her chair. Suddenly the air felt very easy, the opposite of just a few moments before, but it was forced, unnatural.

  "You know those that are aware of demons attract them." Kim said this matter-of-factly, making my reality feel twisted. Jared told me a few specifics about the Others during the talk we had on our first date--the moment we affectionately dubbed, 'The Conversation That Changed Everything'. Kim was the other side; someone I couldn't tell. I hadn't shared our secrets from that night with anyone, and Kim repeating part of it verbatim disconcerted me.

  "Stay calm, Nina," Jared said, quiet and smooth. He placed his hand on mine. "They feed on aggression and fear."

  Kim's body language was casual, but deliberately so. "What we're talking about is going to bring them here, Nigh. The more upset you are, the more access they will have to this situation, so just take it all in. Don't try to analyze it, just listen and accept."

  "Listen and accept," I said, taking a deep breath. I looked to Jared, who offered a small, comforting grin. I returned my attention to Kim. "Okay. Let's hear it."

  Kim's mouth turned up infinitesimally. "When I was sixteen I was possessed by a demon."

  It was hard to concentrate. Months of perfecting the art of keeping my emotions under control was the only advantage I had, and I was determined to keep my cool. "You're kidding."

  Kim continued, "I'm going to make this short if you don't mind."

  I nodded and Kim rolled her eyes. "The story bores me, so to get to the point, the Pollocks, my family, descend from Crusade Knights. Those Crusade Knights used the Holy Sepulchre as an end point of their pilgrimages...you okay?" Kim asked, pausing.

  "Yeah," I said casually. "Because I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" I yelled.

  Jared held my hands in my lap, and lowered his chin, looking directly into my eyes. "You need to stay calm. It's important."

  I looked back to Kim. "Sorry."

  Kim dismissed my apology. "Whatever. You remember learning about the Crusades, Nigh. English knights...Robin Hood...King Richard?" I nodded. "It has nothing to do with that."

  I sighed, and Jared jerked his head to the side in frustration. "You're not helping."

  Kim laughed once and looked down. "I'm sorry. I just can't describe to you how much I hate telling this story."

  "Try," Jared seethed.

  Kim looked to me. "Templar Knights took their crusades to a very holy place in Jerusalem. It's called the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was once the temple of Aphrodite. Christians refer to it as Golgotha...the place where Christ was crucified.

  "The First Crusade was envisioned as an armed pilgrimage, and no crusader could consider his journey complete unless he had prayed as a pilgrim at the Holy Sepulchre. This is where it gets a little hairy. During my great-great times infinity grandfather's pilgrimage, he came upon something under the basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. It was a book. A Bible."

  "So you're Bible savers?" I looked at Jared in disbelief. "Cool? I guess?"

  "We're not talking about the Holy Bible, here, Nigh," Kim said. "You've seen it."

  "Shax's bible?" I asked.

  Kim nodded. "It was kept safely hidden away in the cistern under the basilica, which is where it was rumored that the mother of Hadrian found the true cross and the tomb of Christ."
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  "Isn't that pretty much sacrilegious? The Bible of Hell being kept under what was thought to be the tomb of Jesus Christ?" I said.

  Kim rubbed her temples. I had clearly asked a question she'd answered a thousand times. "The Holy presence there kept Shax and his legions from finding it. My grandfather didn't know that. He removed the book, and after learning of its importance, he vowed to keep it safe. That vow, and the book, has cursed our family for generations."

  "Curses seem to be the popular thing around here," I grumbled.

  Kim glanced at Jared.

  "I'm sorry," I said, laughing without humor, "this is all a little far-fetched. Even for me, and I've seen Shax."

  The room grew cold, and Jared and Claire immediately extended their necks, looking to the ceiling. Jared pulled me closer to him, and Claire sat on the other side of me, lightly touching my knee.

  The lights flickered, and even with Jared's and Claire's warm bodies on each side of me, I shook from the cold. The dim fluorescent lights created an eerie glow to the air we exhaled, now warmer than the air in the room.

  "What's happening?" I whispered.

  "For the fiftieth time, Nina, stay calm," Claire said, her voice even. "Nothing will happen to you while we're here. This is just what happens when there's a higher concentration of them than normal."

  "Higher concentration?" I asked.

  Kim looked above her. "Oh there's probably an army or two around...or one really strong one."

  I shivered. "Which is worse?"

  "One," Claire whispered, her eyes unfocused. She was relying on her senses, creating a thoughtful, confused expression on her face.

  Kim returned her attention to me. Her demeanor was baffling. She had always been relaxed, and at times aloof, but it was hard to believe she could remain that way with so many Others around. Every part of me wanted to run screaming down the hall.

  "Anyone who's made the trip to return the book to the Sulpulchre never came back. We thought Jack and Gabe stealing the book from my uncle was the best thing that could have happened to our family, until Shax held us personally responsible. That's when I got sick...or that's what we thought it was."

  Even with the drop in temperature and the knowledge that a million demons might have been hovering over us, I sat hunched over, with my chin resting on my fist, suddenly unimpressed. "You were possessed. Like priests and green pea soup possessed? C'mon, Kim."