Sleight of Hand: The Final Card

Chapter 25

"We got a response!" Sierra called from the front porch. She came racing into the room, waving a small slip of paper in her hand. "A bird came and gave this to me! It's from Kurtis and the others!"

Her shouts drew everyone into the living room.

Everyone except Hanna.

Mac couldn't help but glance toward the stairs, hoping that Hanna would come down alongside Ammee. Ever since Bacon had died, she'd been holed up in her room, and Ammee had spent the past twenty-four hours trying to console her.

But it was only Ammee who came down, and she shuffled into the room gloomily, her skirts swishing around her legs. She plunked down next to Mac on the sofa, and when he gave her an inquir­ing look, she just shook her head.

"Still that bad?" Mac asked quietly. She nodded.

"Didn't eat anything this morning," she responded just as quietly.

"Poor thing," Mac said, observing as everyone fil­tered into the small room and found a place to sit. They didn't say anything else on the matter. Mac figured nei­ther of them wanted to feel any more down than they did now. At least they got a response from their friends.

"What does it say?" Lassos asked eagerly from his spot on the ground. Sierra unfolded the note and her brown eyes darted over the words before she read them aloud.

"Still traveling. Almost to Colorado. We are all okay."

"Well... that's good, right?" Elyk voiced. "They're getting close to the power source. Soon everything will be over."

Mac appreciated Elyk's optimism, because he didn't feel much of it himself. He was tired—weary—and he was sure many of the other Elite were also. He just hoped the power source was real and that they could finally be rid of the Mage and Hali so that they could rest. Have normal lives. Date.

Mac resisted the urge to glance at Ammee when that last thought surfaced.

"So... what do we do now?" Arries asked from her perch on the arm of the chair across the room, Alyakim occupying the seat beside her.

"Stay vigilant," Ammee said beside Mac, louder than he would have expected. It made him jump. She raised her head, meeting the eyes of the others in the room.

"We need to stay vigilant. And prepared. Who knows what will happen when they finally find the source? We need to be ready for anything that might happen... includ­ing an attack."

The room fell silent. Mac was sure he knew why. No one wanted another attack. That could mean another casualty.

"I'm... going to go check on Hanna," Ammee finally said quietly to everyone, and she left the room. Mac watched her go, feeling the hollowness in his chest that was for Bacon. Mac had met Bacon at the start of the war twenty-five years ago, when the two of them were introduced by the Superhuman authorities and told they would be working together a lot to use their gifts to help with the war. Making weapons, getting intel, things like that. When the Elite had been formed, Bacon was the first person Mac had really warmed up to because he'd already met him. Ammee made a close second, but Mac would still never forget the first friend he'd made because of the war caused by the Mage.

By Hali.

Althea finally broke the painful silence by saying, "Well, I think it's time for lunch. I'm going to make something special to give you all a little extra strength. Leah, would you mind helping me?"

The auburn-haired human woman nodded, squeez­ing her kids tightly before disappearing after Althea into the kitchen.

Everyone dispersed after that. Mac didn't feel like moving from his spot on the sofa. He was waiting for Ammee to come down from checking on Hanna, but after sitting there for what felt like an eternity, she still hadn't shown up. Mac stood and stretched, intending to go find her himself, when he heard heavy plunking down the carpeted stairs. He picked his gaze up and found Ammee and Hanna descending the stairs together.