Awakening - The Last Science #1

Chapter 17 - A Gentleman and a Doctor - II

  The number of things Rachel had to do was increasing by the hour. There were messages waiting from the mayor, the sheriff, and Will as soon as she returned to cell phone coverage. She still needed to follow up on the odd phone call she'd gotten from Hailey Winscombe, and there was the matter of preparing to steal the Creation Scrap at the end of the day from Hector's. Finally, lowest on her priority list was a growing stack of messages from various members of the town to her new official town email account, asking for details and updates on the case, or expressing increasingly hysterical fears and paranoid delusions.

  Rachel had asked for the account to provide her an official outlet of communication, one she could easily manage in her spare time when resting during the night, but she hadn't expected it to get used so heavily only days after its establishment. She'd underestimated how quickly the news would spread, and how hungry the people of Rallsburg were for word on anything to do with the Awakened.

  Most importantly, Rachel needed to find the reverend straight away. The sooner she was able to open communication between him and Cinza's people, the better off the entire town would be. Luckily, her return route actually placed her fairly close to the Smith home and clinic. She suspected it might have been a deliberate side effect of whatever magic Cinza used to mask her home's location. Even with her perfect memory, Rachel doubted she could navigate her way back to the clearing without Cinza's assistance. They were doing something to the paths she didn't understand.

  Rachel hurried up to Smith's door and knocked. Within moments the door sprung open, startling her. She opened her mouth to speak, but the burly red-haired reverend raised a finger to his lips, quickly shutting the door behind him.

  "Miss DuValle, good afternoon. I've got a couple patients inside that are happily asleep. Oh!" He had just spotted Cinza a few paces behind Rachel, flanked by Ruby as usual. The younger girl had insisted on accompanying them, despite Rachel's reservations. Rachel wanted Cinza and the reverend to have an earnest and frank discussion, and she wasn't sure an infatuated dreamer like Ruby had much to add to the conversation. Cinza had not objected, so Rachel was forced to keep her concerns to herself or risk losing Cinza's cooperation.

  At least she's not giving me come-hither looks anymore. Rachel didn't need new complications in her life.

  "Doctor, this is—"

  "Not a doctor, sadly. I never quite finished that school. Something about malpractice liability." He let out a booming laugh, seemingly forgetting his own insistence on quiet. "I kid, I kid. I simply found another calling."

  "Right," Rachel said, a touch irritated. While his enthusiasm was pleasant enough most times, right now she could have done with a bit less exuberance. "I've come to introduce you to Cinza, the leader of the..." She paused. The lack of a name for Cinza's group did make introductions a little difficult.

  "Greycloaks will do, I suppose," Cinza said, stepping up next to Rachel. She'd returned to her floaty, ethereal voice once again. Smith did an admirable job of not gawking at the ludicrous height difference between the two. Cinza nodded at the man, though her hands remained engulfed in her robes. "We've never really been much for a name."

  "And what good is a name if it doesn't really describe you beyond something as simple as clothes!" the reverend answered heartily. "I'm honored to meet you, ma'am. I've been hearing quite a bit about you from my flock amongst the town."

  "Nothing good, I take it."

  "On the contrary! The people are intrigued by you, if nothing else. I know that might not be the reaction you'd like, but take it as at least a neutral, if not room for a positive. There's room for improvement."