Exodus - The Khiara Banning Series Book Two

Thirteen

Cara

Sam has gone missing.

Nobody knows where he is, and Liam is thinking about involving the police.

"We can't involve the police!" Vicky says from her place in my grandmother's kitchen.

I'm sitting next to her and Cael is sitting across from her. Liam is across from my grandma.

"What are you going to say Leliel? You gonna say 'my magical son has disappeared into night and we have no way of knowing where he is' huh?"

She has a good point, but the rest of us didn't have the heart to say it.

"But he's just a child," Liam says. "he's never been on his own a day in his life."

"But he isn't just a child," Grandma Coal says. "He is a Rephaim."

Liam bangs his hand down onto the table. "And he is my little boy! I don't care what race he is, he has to be scared right now without any of us there to protect him."

"He may have left to find the other Rephaim," Cael says tiredly. "That's what I think anyway."

We're all silent a moment.

"Why hadn't I thought of that?" Liam says. "It makes sense. But where could he have gone? He was alone and on foot."

"Perhaps he wasn't alone," Cael says. "The other Rephaim could have come to him They were supposed to come here anyway."

Again, why hadn't we thought of that.

"Shit. They abducted my kid!" Liam bites out.

Grandma Coal puts her hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry Leliel that your son has disappeared, but we have to hope he is in good hands. The hands of his own kind."

Liam shakes his head. "No. I won't accept this. We have to search for him."

"Where were they last?" Grandma Coal asks. "You kept tabs on them, right?"

"Montreal, Quebec," Liam says. "That's where they were last."

"That's not so far. It's what, six hours away?" I say.

Everyone nods.

Cael takes a sip of his coffee and sighs. "I guess it doesn't matter really. They're like Gods, they can probably teleport for all we know."

"Sam couldn't teleport," Liam says defensively.

"Sam is five. We don't know the depth of his powers, and we won't until he's grown," says Cael.

Three for three Cael because again, why didn't we think of that?

"Okay," Liam says. "Let's say you're right. Where would the Rephaim go?"

Vicky appears in the doorway of the kitchen. She's just finished her round watching Khiara and she looks like she could use ten cups of coffee.

Tristan and Lisa are in school and Samael is out searching for her clues in the woods.

"I think I know where they're headed," Vicky says. "And it's far, far from here. It's where the outcome of Battle is supposed to be decided upon."

"Where is that?" I ask.

Liam's face has turned white, and so has Cael's.

"Well?" Grandma Coal says.

"Armageddon," both Cael and Liam say at the same time.

"What?" I ask?

"Israel dear," Grandma Coal says. "I believe that's in Israel."

"Yes," Vicky says. "I believe that is where they are headed."

Cael stands to take give Vicky a seat and to take his shift.

"We can't go to Israel," I say. "We have to stay here for Khiara."

Liam shakes his head. "Maybe Cael has to stay here with Khiara, but I don't."

Cael says, "You know, he's my nephew. I'm upset too."

"But he isn't your son," Liam says. "You couldn't possibly understand the love between him and I."

Hurt, Cael looks as if he's nearly about to bursts into tears.

That guy is so broken, it's tragic.

Liam realizes his mistake and he quickly apologizes. "I'm sorry Cam."

Cael shrugs it off. "It's okay, Leliel."

The angels have abandoned all pretenses of being human around me. I suppose I should feel privileged.

Instead, it feels weird.

Cael leaves to go sit with Khiara and my grandmother puts on another pot of coffee.

Just then, Samael walks through the doorway, asking, "What did I miss?"