Page 31 of Night Fall
ELEVEN
Mya was anxious the entire morning. She clung to Erik the moment she woke up, and he held her just as tightly. He promised her that he would come back to her, just as he always had. He told her she had no reason to worry, and when she explained the terrible sense of dread churning in her gut, he assured her he would be safe and everything would be fine. After all, how many battles had they fought together? How many times could the universe have tried to break them apart, and yet they were still standing together?
Mya couldn’t argue with that. Logically, he was correct. Time after time, they had always made it through and only grown stronger. Yet the feeling stayed.
After she kissed him goodbye, she busied herself. He told her the meeting that would confirm the formation of The Council would be at 3:00 p.m. The location was only twenty minutes away. By 4:00 p.m. he would walk through the tavern doors, and all of this would be over. She just had to wait until then.
Time moved slowly. Mya checked the tavern clock constantly, thinking an hour had passed when it had only been five minutes. Frustrated, she stopped looking at it altogether and set about doing everything she could to fill her time. She cleaned things that had already been cleaned, then helped to cook items that her staff normally assisted her with.
Finally, it reached 3:00 p.m.
Then 3:15 p.m.
3:30 p.m.
3:35 p.m.
3:45 p.m.
3:55 p.m.
The doors to the tavern swung open, and Mya rushed toward them in delight, only to find her brother. Greg ran to her, picked her up and twirled her around.
“Put me down! Put me down!” she laughed, smacking his shoulders.
“Mya, we got it! We did it! We officially have a council!” Greg said, jumping and twirling around with her, narrowly missing knocking over a table and chairs.
“I am so happy for you!”
“Be happy for all of us! Some things had to change, but this is a start, a huge leap to bringing all immortals to peace.”
She hugged him tightly when he set her down, then pinched his cheeks. “You worked so hard on this! I’m so proud of you.”
The smile on his face was one of pure glee. “I couldn’t have done it on my own.”
Mya looked around the tavern for Erik, but she didn’t see him. “Where is Erik?”
“He said he had to get something and would be back a little bit later.”
Panic raced throughout her body as the sense of dread returned. It was stronger now, and she doubled over, clenching her stomach.
Greg grabbed her. “Mya? Mya? What’s wrong?”
“Where’s Erik?”
“I don’t know—”
“We have to find him! We have to find him! Now!” She pulled away from her brother, but he pulled her back.
“Mya, what’s happening? Do you know something?”
“Something’s wrong! Just please. I need to find him!” she screamed.
“I’ll get Luke and go east. You go west. We’ll search for an hour, then meet back here. Yes?”
She nodded and they dashed out the door. She only hoped she could find Erik in time.
Mya had only been searching for thirty minutes before she felt it. She didn’t know what it was and couldn’t describe it as anything other than a feeling. It was as if the dread has suddenly grown stronger, and out of some sick, morbid curiosity, she had to follow where it led.
