The Raintree Box Set: Raintree: Inferno\Raintree: Haunted\Raintree: Sanctuary Read online

  “I saw him, Daddy,” Eve said. “I drew a picture of him and of where he was when he tried to talk to me. Come see.”

  Judah walked across the room, stood directly behind Eve and looked down at her artwork. His muscles tightened when he saw the remarkable likeness of Cael that she had sketched in crayon. She had depicted his brother standing, his fist in the air, an expression of sheer madness on his handsome face. The background appeared to be gray cinder block walls, rough wooden flooring and outdated metal furniture. Interesting. He had never known Cael to rough it, not when it came to accommodations. His brother preferred luxury above all else.

  “Amazing,” Judah said, awed by his daughter’s talent. “You’re a remarkably gifted artist.”

  Eve looked up at him, smiled and laid down the yellow crayon she had used to shade Cael’s hair. “Am I, Daddy? Mother says the same thing. But she told me that she has no idea where I got such talent, because she and Uncle Dante and Uncle Gideon can’t draw pictures like I do.”

  “My mother was a renowned Ansara artist,” Judah said. “The pala—” He caught himself before the word “palace” escaped his lips. “My home is filled with her paintings.”

  “She wasn’t your brother’s mommy,” Eve said with certainty. “His mother was bad, just like he’s bad.”

  “Yes, Nusi was a very bad woman.”

  Eve stood and looked up at Judah. “Don’t worry. I won’t let him hurt my mother the way Nusi hurt my grandma Seana.”

  Judah stared at his child, amazed anew at her keen insight. Her abilities were not only unnaturally strong for one so young, but far more numerous than those of even the most powerful members of either clan. “How did you know about what happened to my mother?”

  Eve laid her left hand over her heart. “I know in here. That’s all. I just know.”

  “What do you know?” Mercy stood in the open doorway, her features etched with concern.

  Eve ran over to her mother. “Guess what? I know where I got my talent for drawing such good pictures.” She beamed her radiant smile at Judah. “I got it from my grandma Seana.”

  Mercy shot Judah a questioning glare.

  “My mother was a gifted artist,” Judah said. Seana Ansara had been the most talented Ansara artist in generations. Not only had Nusi’s bitter jealousy robbed Judah of his mother and Hadar of his beloved wife, but the world of an artistic genius.

  “Did you draw something for Daddy?” Mercy entered the room, Eve at her side.

  “I drew a picture of that bad man, Daddy’s brother.” Eve rushed over, picked up her drawing and held it in front of her to show Mercy.

  “When did you see this bad man?” Mercy asked, staring at the remarkably accurate portrait of Cael’s madness. Judah realized she was doing her best not to reveal just how upset she was.

  “He tried to talk to me again,” Eve said. “He keeps calling my name and saying if I’ll talk to him, he’ll listen.” Frowning, she threw the picture on the floor, then stomped on it. “But I didn’t talk to him, and my daddy told him he’d better not ever bother me again or he’d be sorry. Didn’t you, Daddy?”

  Judah cleared his throat. “There’s no way Cael can invade Eve’s thoughts unless she willingly allows him in. The shield you’ve put around her will protect her.”

  “Yes, I know.” Mercy motioned to Eve. “Come along, sweetie. Sidonia has lunch ready. Your favorite—macaroni and cheese. With fresh peaches and whipped cream for dessert.”

  Eve eyed her drawings, and the paper and crayons lying on the floor. “Don’t I need to pick up first?”

  “You can do that after lunch.” Mercy exchanged a we-need-to-talk look with Judah, then gave Eve a nudge toward the door. “You run along and tell Sidonia that Judah and I will be there in just a minute.”

  Eve hesitated, glanced from one parent to the other, and said, “You’re not going to fuss at each other again, are you?”

  “No, we’re not,” Mercy promised.

  “I hope not.” Eve slumped her shoulders, sighed and ambled slowly out into the foyer.

  Judah didn’t wait for Mercy to attack. “He’s going to come for me. Soon.”

  “I see.” She took several steps back and closed the pocket doors. “I suppose Eve overheard him say this to you.”

  “She didn’t tell me she heard him, but, yes, I assume she did.”

  “When he comes, you can’t fight him here on Raintree ground.”

  Judah nodded. “I understand your concerns. But if he finds a way to breach the shield around the sanctuary, I’ll have no choice.”

  “Only someone with power equal to mine or my brother Dante’s—”

  “Before you ask—no, Cael is not the Ansara Dranir,” Judah said. “But he is a powerful sorcerer, with an arsenal of black magic tricks.”

  “When he comes here to the sanctuary and calls you out, Eve will be aware of his presence, and she’ll want to do something to help you.”

  “We can’t allow her anywhere near Cael. Somehow we have to make her understand that the fight must be between my brother and me.”

  “She’ll listen to what we say, but whether or not she’ll obey us is another thing altogether.”

  “I’ll find a way to make her understand.”

  “You can certainly try.”

  “When the time comes, I’ll need you to stay with Eve,” Judah said. “If I’m distracted by trying to protect her…”

  “You need to talk to Eve and explain on a level she will understand how important it is for her not to interfere.”

  “Would you allow me time alone with her, without her guard dog?”

  “Yes. I’ll tell Sidonia that you’re allowed to take Eve for a walk this afternoon while I’m working.”

  Judah noted Mercy’s frown and the weariness she couldn’t hide.

  “You’ve been gone all morning, and Sidonia refused to tell me where you were, but Eve mentioned that you were making sick people well.”

  “It’s no secret that I’m a healer,” Mercy said. “This morning, I was with two Raintree seers who can no longer see clearly into the future.”

  “And were you able to restore their powers?”

  “No. Not yet. This happens sometimes, especially when a talent is overused or…I believe with rest and meditation, they’ll be fine.”

  “And what will you be doing this afternoon?”

  “We had a new arrival yesterday, someone who lost her husband and both children in a horrific car accident six months ago. She’s in agonizing emotional pain.”

  “And you’re going to take her pain into yourself. How can you stand it? Why put yourself through such torment when you don’t have to?”

  “Because it’s wrong not to use the talents with which we’re blessed. I’m an empathic healer. It’s not just what I do, it’s who I am.”

  “Yes, you’re right. It is who you are. I understand.” Judah wondered if Mercy would understand that their daughter had been born to save his people?

  Judah spoke with Claude every morning and every evening, using secure cell phones, despite their advanced telepathic abilities. Telephone communication was more difficult for Cael to intercept.

  “He hasn’t returned to Terrebonne,” Claude said.

  “Then where the hell is he?”

  “I have no idea. It’s as if he’s vanished off the face of the earth. Even Sidra can’t locate him. He’s undoubtedly shielding his whereabouts.”

  “Eve drew a picture of him today, after he tried to talk to her.”

  “Could she locate him for us?”

  “She might be able to,” Judah said. “But I can’t risk her getting that close to him. He could capture her thoughts and hypnotize her, or enter her dreams and make her deathly sick.”

  “Wherever he is and whatever he’s doing, he’s up to no good.”

  “What about the warriors who left Terrebonne with him? Have they returned?”

  “No, and several others are unaccounted for.”

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