Page 49 of Wind Called

You mean there’s more than one of them?

One Collector,the voice said,many servants.

Well, that didn’t sound good at all.

So was it the Collector who’d tried to steal the amulet and break into the magical library at Zoe de la Paz’s house, or one of his minions?

How can we know who they are?Bellamy asked.

You will know,the voices said.You will know.

And then they faded away. She stood there for a moment longer, but somehow she could tell that they wouldn’t come back even if she called out to them.

As far as they were concerned, they’d delivered the message they needed to.

Annoyed, she opened her eyes. Marc and Clint Greaves were still standing on the bank of the creek, having some sort of low-voiced conversation, although she couldn’t hear what they were saying. She could tell they’d been trying to stay quiet so they wouldn’t disturb her while she was communing with the vortex energies.

Well, the voices had been clearer here, that was for sure. It seemed Clint had been right when he’d said some vortexes were stronger than others.

But even though the voices had provided some useful information, she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do about it. So the Collector had an army of minions he summoned to do his bidding? How in the world were they supposed to fight something like that? It felt as if the people in charge in the Arizona clans were hanging on by a thread as it was.

She supposed that was something they’d need to figure out. Right now, she was a conduit for this information, nothing more. It wasn’t as if she had much to offer when it came to finding the Collector’s servants.

You will know,the voices had said.

Right now, she felt as if she didn’t know much of anything.

But she made her way to the bank where her boots and socks waited, and picked them up so she could go over to the spot where Marc and Clint were standing. No point in putting her footwear back on until she’d given the sun a chance to dry her feet and legs.

“What did you think?” Clint asked as she approached.

“Yes, it’s very strong,” she said, then gave Marc a sideways glance, just enough to let him know she’d experienced something important but couldn’t discuss it in front of a civilian. “I’m not sure why I haven’t noticed before — I’ve been to this spot plenty of times.”

“It could be you weren’t ready until now,” Clint replied calmly. “I’ve seen that happen before. People spend years in Sedona, and then out of nowhere, they have an awakening, a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them. This was probably the right time.”

Bellamy supposed that was one way of looking at the situation. Right now, though, she needed to think of a good excuse to get back to the truck so she could talk to Marc in private.

“Thanks for guiding us here,” she said. “But we’re meeting a friend in a half hour, so we should probably head back to town.”

Maybe Marc’s eyebrow lifted ever so slightly. However, Clint only said, “Fair enough. It’s usually a good idea to step back a little after you’ve had your first real vortex experience. Wouldn’t want you to overdose.”

His tone was dry enough that Bellamy couldn’t be sure whether he was joking or not. However, he hadn’t tried to tell her she needed to stay out here a while longer, and that was the important thing.

“Right,” she said with a smile. “But this has been…enlightening.”

He tilted his head at her, a knowing glint in his clear blue eyes, as if he’d somehow guessed she’d experienced a lot more than she wanted to let on. After that, though, he led them back to the parking lot, and then paused next to his Jeep.

“That map I gave you,” he said, and Bellamy nodded.

“We appreciate having it.”

He made a sound that was almost but not quite a chuckle. “Sure. We always want to make them available to the true seekers.” A pause, and then he added, “But if I find it online, we’ll need to have a few words.”

Again, she wasn’t sure whether he was joking. However, since it seemed as if she needed to reassure him, just to be safe, so she quickly said, “Oh, no worries about that. We’ll keep it hidden.”

“See that you do.”

Then he hoisted himself into his Wrangler, which seemed to be the signal that it was time for them to get in Marc’s truck. Once again, Marc gave her one of those expectant glances, but he waited until they were away from the parking lot and driving on Lower Red Rock Loop as they headed back to town.

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