The Enlightened by Dima Zales Read Free Book Online Page A

Quiet.”
    “What? What do you mean? How does that work?”
    “This is exactly why I didn’t want to get on this topic. In a nutshell, I will be in a different dimension. My Depth is unlimited, meaning that in a fraction of a millisecond, before the Joining ends, I can live forever.”
    “What do I call you?” I ask, my mind reeling from what he’s just told me. The idea of a god-like being like him, originating from some old farts and me and living forever isn’t easy to digest.
    “We have no time, Darren. Call me Mimir, if you must. This whole conversation is so that I can tell you something, and you must forgive my rudeness, but I have to come out and say it.” He seems to take a deep breath. “You need to go back to New York. Lucy is in danger. Big danger.”
    “What?” My insides twist with fear. “My mom’s in danger? How do you know that?”
    “The question is: how do you know that?” Mimir says. “And the answer is, as I said, clues. You know more than you realize, but you haven’t properly processed the information. You lack focus. You lack the experience in deductive reasoning.”
    “What will happen to her? What can I do?” For some reason, I believe him. I have complete and utter conviction that Lucy is in trouble.
    “Go to her. Tell her not to investigate anything until you get there. When you see her, tell her everythingabout what you can do and what happened. Don’t leave anything out,” he says urgently.
    “But who is she in danger from?”
    “It’s your—”
    And before he finishes the sentence, I’m in my body, staring dumbly at my finger that’s touching the Abbot’s bald head. The Enlightened in the circle look more animated.
    The Joining is over.

Chapter 6

    D azed, I overhear bits and pieces of conversation as the old people murmur to one another.
    “So it’s true,” someone says.
    “Unbelievable,” someone else whispers.
    Their discussions would’ve riveted me had I not been overcome by dread.
    Mom is in trouble. I can’t think of anything but that. Lucy’s tough, but she does have a dangerous job. Could the threat be coming from some scumbag she put away during her long career as a detective? From someone who just got out of jail and is hell-bent on revenge? Mimir mentioned clues. Could one of them be some case she told me about at some point?
    The idea that it’s a case she investigated sticks in my mind. Even if I’ve consciously forgotten about it, Mimir was able to access the information and use it to warn me. But for the life of me, I can’t recall Lucy ever saying anything about a dangerous case or a criminal getting released. Sure, she worked in Organized Crime for years, but she never told Sara or me anything about it. No ‘such and such crime boss went to jail thanks to me,’ and no ‘I shot such and such mobster.’ She’s too professional to gossip. Besides, for the past few years, she’s been in White-Collar Crime, a department that doesn’t deal with violent criminals.
    I take a deep breath. As urgent as the situation is, I can let myself relax a little. I’m currently in the Quiet, so whatever the threat is, it’s not getting any closer. Along with the rest of the outside world, it’s on hold. So long as I stay in the Quiet my grandpa created, I have time to contemplate my next move.
    I need an exit strategy. After that, I need to organize an urgent trip to New York.
    “See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Rose says, breaking my concentration.
    “Not so bad?” I give her an incredulous look. “Did you not hear what Mimir had to say?”
    The room goes quiet.
    “Who?” Paul asks, his eyes widening. “What did you just say?”
    “Mimir? The good-looking guy in the vision?” As I say this, I realize I’ve made a blunder. “Weren’t you there when that being spoke to me? I figured you heard it too since we were of one mind and all that.”
    “Incredible,” Edward says, putting his hand on Rose’s wrist. “Your grandson attained