Betrayed by Ednah Walters Read Free Book Online

the protective amulet I wore around my neck. The core of the six-pointed star within a circle had jadeite, a green element found in Xenith. Usual y, it emitted a green light toxic to demons. Now it was cool against my palm, harmless. Touching it gave me an extra sense of security, like the old blanket I used to sleep with before Grampa gave me the amulet.
    We hurried to the main office and pushed opened a glass paneled door, the first of many offices. Mrs. Merkerel, a Civilian and the local coordinator, lounged on a leather recliner in front of a large cherry table, her slender legs encased in tan slacks. A holographic image of another Civilian shot from a black clairvoyant crystal in a box and hovered above it. Opposite her desk was the visitor’s lounge with leather sofas and a coffee table. Visible through her glass wal s were the other Civilians and High Council
    employees
    conversing
    with
    their
    counterparts around the world or working on their computers, one of the few human gadgets they used.
    “Lil…Celeste…what brings you two here in the middle of the day?” Mrs. Merkerel asked without turning.
    “Bran is in trouble,” I said. “We need to talk to a CP.”
    The woman sat up and turned to face us.
    “How do you know he’s in trouble?”
    “Celeste saw it. Please, get Mrs. D.” Mrs. Merkerel had a brief telepathic conversation with the image above her desk before she linked with my English teacher. Lil and Celeste need to talk to you or one of the CPs about Cardinal Llyr, Mrs. Deveraux.
    Mrs. D appeared beside us in a burst of light, red rhinestone glasses on the tip of her narrow nose, charm bracelets weighing down her skinny wrists, colorful scarf holding back her brown hair.
    “What’s going on, Lil?” she asked.
    I quickly explained what I saw in Celeste’s memories.
    “Tartarus nightmares!” Mrs. D gasped at the mention of the Lazari. Mrs. Merkerel clasped her chest. Behind her, the other Civilians stopped whatever they were doing and moved closer to eavesdrop.
    “Contact the Cardinals and tel them Bran needs them,” I said.
    Mrs. D shook her head. “I can’t, honey.
    They’re closing in on a den of powerful demons and can’t be interrupted. Where are Remy and the others?”
    I couldn’t believe she wasn’t wil ing to make an exception. This was Bran we were talking about.
    The most powerful Cardinal Water Guardian in the world. Grampa could teleport in, nuke those fiends and be back hunting without missing a step.
    “They weren’t in the cafeteria during lunch.
    Why can’t you just contact my grandfather?” I insisted.
    “The Junior Cardinals went to Raphael’s place on Anna Maria Island,” Mrs. Merkerel explained, ignoring my question.
    “Contact Raphael and tel him to send them home,” Mrs. D ordered then gave me a stern look.
    “No, we can’t cal Cardinal Falcon. We should be able to handle this on our own, and you know that.
    Your friends might stil be trainees, but they have enough experience to undertake this mission.” My face burned at the talk down, which I didn’t deserve. My grandfather would want to rescue Bran.
    While Mrs. Merkerel faced her hologram table and communicated with a middle-aged man, Mrs. D
    beckoned Celeste forward. “Come here, young lady.
    We need to take another look at what you saw. I’m amazed Lil managed to blend with you. That was a very brave,” she shot me another censoring look from above her glasses, “and an extremely reckless thing she did. It takes decades to perfect image retrieval. The mind blend can affect your mental state if you stay even one second too long. You’l start feeling things, seeing things. In a snap, you can do irreparable damage to your mind that even the Kris Dagger can’t restore. So don’t you ever,” she wagged her finger, her glower unrelenting, “ ever attempt it again.”
    Hysteria bubbled inside of me. She was lecturing me about some stupid link when Gavyn was already possessed by a demon and Bran