"Um, maybe I should go to officer training," I said, not as confident about my abilities as he was.

He offered me the barest hint of a rare smile. "I haven't seen someone with such raw potential since the Revolutionary War," he said. "I think your time would be better spent honing other abilities." He motioned me toward the door. Apparently, the pep talk was over.

"Thanks," I said, and left, feeling a little weirded out by the whole thing. Thomas Borathen wasn't a man I'd heard praise people. Considering our rough history, such high compliments from him made me wonder if I'd somehow crossed into an alternate dimension, or if maybe my deodorant was doing a bang-up job.

Elyssa met me outside, her eyes worried. When I told her about the conversation, her face brightened. "I'm so happy," she said, her eyes misting. "I think he's finally accepted you."

"I thought he already had," I said.

"I think he was tolerating you more than anything," she said, peppering my face with kisses. "And the recognition they gave you at the ceremony was amazing."

I still didn't know what to say about that. "They surprised the heck out of me," I said. "It felt nice to be recognized, but what does it mean?"

Elyssa took my hand and led me down the hall toward the mess hall where the much-delayed lunch was being served. Her eyes narrowed in concentration. "I think my father is setting you up as a leader," she said. "The recognition was one thing, but his talk with you indicates he has bigger plans."

"So he's manipulating me," I said.

She shrugged. "He's positioning a future asset."

I sighed. "You military people make it all sound so impersonal."

Elyssa shoved me against a wall and pressed her lips to mine, kissing me until I had to come up for air. "Was that personal enough?" she breathed.

"Oh, yes," I panted, partly from lack of oxygen, but mostly from desire.

Her face turned serious. "Did your sister tell you anything else while she was here?"

I nodded. "Told me Mom is being held in the basement of the Conroy's house, but even she can't get to her." A groan emerged from my throat. "There has to be some way."

"We'll find it," Elyssa said, gripping my hand tight. "Don't lose faith."

"Yeah, I know," I said, trying to melt the frustration away with a healthy dose of optimism. "Should we tell your dad about the cupids?" I asked. It was something I'd mulled over, but I didn't want a Templar invasion of El Dorado if he saw them as either a threat or another "future asset."

Elyssa pursed her lips, eyes distant. "It's possible he might see them as dangerous variables. I don't know if he'd try to exfil them from the cave or leave them there in the hopes they're currently contained."

"Exfil?" I asked.

"Sorry, another military thing. It means to sneak them out."

"Opposite of infiltrate," I said, filing the jargon deep into the recesses of my mind. "So, I guess that's a 'no' to telling him."

She sighed. "I hate to say it, but I think there's a high certainty he'd go after them, if for no other reason than to remove uncertainty. Let's keep it quiet for now."

I nodded. "I just hope he isn't pissed later when and if we tell him."

"We should tell him about your mother, though."

My gut instinct was to say no to Elyssa's suggestion. Then again, it couldn't hurt. Thomas might even throw in a helping hand if the Templars added another angel to their arsenal. "Do you plan to tell him about breaking into Darkwater?"

Her lips parted a fraction. "On the other hand, maybe we shouldn't tell him just yet. Let's see how our plans pan out."

I spotted Katie coming down the hallway. Her eyes brightened when she saw me. "I'm so glad you're okay," she said. "The explosion—I don't know how you survived."

"Same way as usual," I said. "Blind luck and Axe Body Wash."

She laughed but sobered quickly. "It isn't luck. No matter how hopeless things look, you never give up. If anyone can beat the odds, it's you."

"Why didn't you or Nightliss tell me about her becoming the new Divinity, or whatever you call her?" I leaned back against the wall with Elyssa to my right. "She's still way below a hundred percent."

"She didn't want to tell you. She thought you'd discourage her." Katie's eyes looked worried. "You're not mad at us are you?"

"No." I sighed. "I just don't want her falling into a relapse. I don't know how much stress giving 'gifts' causes, but it's a risk, and we need her full strength for what's to come." I remembered how strong Katie's grip had been earlier. Something about her had changed, and it wasn't from working out. The answer hit me. "Did she give you a gift?"

Katie offered a sheepish grin. "I let her try it out on me to see how the strain would be. She can't protect us against the Brightling curses or make us as strong and fast as Daelissa made other Templars, but there's a huge difference." She flexed her hand. "Now I know how Ash and Nyte feel."

"You're not indestructible," I said. "Don't go playing superhero."

"Pot, meet kettle." She grinned. "I won't. I will be training with the initiates, though. Maybe I can learn some karate." She made a chopping motion with her hand.

Elyssa laughed. "I think it's amazing what Nightliss is doing. I hope you go far."

"Thanks," Katie said, her eyes softening. "I want to make a difference. It's boring being a nom."

"Will you keep going to school?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said wistfully. "I'll train when I'm not working. My parents made me get a job. They told me I need to learn responsibility."

"I don't think that'll be a problem with training," Elyssa said. She motioned toward the kitchen. "Let's eat. I'm starving."

My stomach rumbled in agreement.

The three of us sat at the table with Thomas and Leia, Elyssa's mother. The woman's attitude toward me was positively rosy compared to the last time I'd seen her. Even so, the conversation consisted mainly about Templar stuff, so I mostly listened and tried to keep the wise cracks to a minimum.

By the end of the day, I was more than ready to be out of there. Templars kept coming up to me to shake my hand. Embarrassingly enough, some even asked for autographs. When we got back to the mansion, I felt dead on my feet.

Lornicus, of course, chose that time to call. "It appears the brotherhood has homed in on Queens Gate," he said. "I'm not entirely clear on the details, but it has something to do with you and Harry Shelton."

I groaned. "Let me sleep. I'll tell you about it tomorrow."

"I'm sure it will only take a moment for you to tell me," he said. "It's important I know if I'm to keep you protected."

I grumbled some dirty words and told him about the car chase. And since I figured he would find out soon enough, I also told him about the assassination attempts.

"Goodness," he said. "Daelissa wishes to clear the table of opposition, it would seem."

"Obviously," I said, stifling a yawn. "Can I go to bed now?"

"I have more information for you," the golem said. "Information you may be very interested in—if you can remain conscious."

I almost nodded off, and jerked awake just in time to keep the phone from slipping from my fingers. "Wha—huh?"

He chuckled. "I believe this will wake you up."

I shook my head to clear it of sleep. "Just spit it out."

"It's about your mother."

Adrenalin shocked me wide awake. "Really? Tell me."

"As a matter of security, the Conroys rarely stay in one place for very long. They own a network of houses, all fully furnished, and move from place to place to prevent anyone from discovering where they live."

My heart sank. We just found out where they live! "Did they just move?" I asked.

"No, but according to my spies, they will be moving in two days."

Two days? Oh, crap. "How did you find out?" I asked.

"It appears they have a bit of a logistics problem," he said, voice sounding amused. "One which they did not have the last time."

"Stop beating around the bush," I groaned. "This is important."

"In two days they will relocate to another home. In addition, they will move your mother. If you wish to rescue her, it will probably be your last chance."

Chapter 20

Adrenalin made sleep a distant memory. They're moving Mom in two days? I considered it for a moment. "You're sure about this?"

"I am," he said. "The semi-trucks used to move very dangerous supernatural criminals are a rare resource. Every time one of these vehicles is employed, I'm notified."

"Daelissa can't teleport her to the new location?" I asked.

"Seraphim have limits," Lornicus said. "Their ability to blink is based on line of sight. If they cannot see through an object like the back of a semi-trailer, they cannot escape from it. And Daelissa would be hard-pressed to keep your mother contained during such a move by herself, even if she is much stronger."

"I take it they can't put her in an astral prison while moving her?"

"To my understanding, it would be impossible."

When he didn't elaborate, I asked, "Is it possible to break someone from an astral prison?"

"Every cell has a key, yes?" he said laconically.

"Of course."

"The creator of the micro-dimension, which houses the prisoner, creates the key when they create the prison. But the key is not something physical. Rather, it is more like a word or thought which must be sent by the creator." He sighed. "Otherwise, an astral prison is somewhat impenetrable."