I strained my eyes against the dark, peering past the shadows and toward the engraving marking the north path. I discerned the very detailed likeness of a woman with a stern expression on her face. I couldn't determine if there were any sacrifices illustrated on the stone, but something seemed oddly familiar about the woman's features. The harder I focused on the engraving, the more my eyes adjusted, zooming in like binoculars until I had a much clearer view.

What I saw nearly stopped my heart.

Chapter 9

Elyssa

Elyssa struggled against the two Templars holding her, one by either arm. "You can't do this to me, Father! Are you insane?" Another twenty or more Templars stood in the woods near the riverbank where she and Kassallandra had emerged only minutes before. The river offered her only chance at escape if she couldn't talk her father out of his plans to wipe her memories.

Thomas Borathen regarded his daughter, his face etched deep with the scowling lines of disappointment. "You, daughter, are the insane one. Forming a romantic relationship with one spawn and conspiring with yet another are not only signs of mental unbalance, but are actions of treason as well." He turned his dark look on Kassallandra, who stood between her two remaining hellhounds, one of them the pony-sized monster she called Malkesh. Though formidably strong, they'd have no chance against this many Templars. She returned his gaze with a cold stare, broken only when the wind tossed her flame-red hair into her face.

Elyssa tried once more to reason with him. "Treason against whom? You or the Templars? Because there's nothing in our rules—"

"I'll hear no more of this," Thomas said, waving a dismissive hand at her. "You will take the White. Thankfully, you've known this Justin Slade for no more than a month or two and it won't wipe away much training or other essential experiences."

Elyssa swept a foot from beneath the Templar holding her right arm. Whipped a knee into the gut of the one on the left. A back flip twisted her arms completely from their grips and landed her behind the guards. She was one step closer to the river and freedom which lay a hundred feet or so behind.

Thomas caught her arm. She spun on her heels, using his grip like a hinge and drove her elbow at his temple. He ducked. Planted a fist in her ribs. She grunted but used the force of his blow to pivot the opposite way, aiming her elbow once again at his head. He leaned his head back rather than ducking, playing right into her feint. Her leg swept his from beneath him.

Before his back hit the ground, he turned the momentum into a back handspring and vaulted to his feet. Elyssa ran. Thomas blurred from behind and performed a sliding kick, upending her. She barely caught the ground with her hands before her face plowed into the hard rocky soil near the riverbank. Thomas's foot lashed out at her stomach. Still standing on her hands, she twisted sideways and felt the wind of his kick's passage. Before he could pull his foot back, she swung her legs forward and clamped his between her thighs. Spun away from him and came down on her side. With his leg in her grip, Thomas's body had no choice but to follow. He hit the ground with what Elyssa thought was a very satisfying smack before she drove an elbow into his spine.

By then, however, she was surrounded by the rest of the Templars and the river was no closer than it had been a moment ago. The only thing she'd gained from this escape attempt was a really pissed-off father.

Kassallandra rested a perfectly manicured hand on Malkesh's huge head and smiled. "Impressive, Templaras Borathen. You are a credit to your house."

Elyssa clenched her fists and stared at the other Templars, anonymous thanks to the night-camo masks they wore. One of them stepped forward and pressed a finger to his neck. The mask detached from the collar and flowed from his face in a wave of black.

"Elyssa, how could you?" Despite his size, the man's voice had no trace of cruelty or roughness to it. Elyssa would have known him simply by his voice.

"Jack?"

He nodded. "Commander Borathen is doing what must be done to preserve our just cause, little sister."

"Why don't you call him Father, Jack? Or are you as brainwashed as Michael?"

Thomas stood and brushed himself off. A trickle of blood from his nose quickly stanched as the supernatural healing granted by the Divinity kicked in. Instead of anger, however, pride shined bright. "You're an amazingly talented fighter, Elyssa. The best I've seen in ages." The smiling lines on his face drooped back into a mask of disappointment. "Taking the White will give you a chance to redeem your reputation and reclaim yourself. You may hate me now but believe me, Daughter, when I tell you erasing the harm caused by these hell-born creatures will cleanse your soul and bring you back to the light."

Jack approached and put an arm around Elyssa's shoulder. "You know I would never do anything to harm you, Elyssa. Please, listen to Commander—to Father, and do what he says."

All the fury in her body melted into helpless frustration. She couldn't escape. And even if she did, they still had Kassallandra, a very important Daemas from House Assad. If Thomas did anything to harm her, it would mean war between the Templars and the spawn. Both sides would suffer immensely, leaving a power vacuum and possibly toppling the entire Overworld into chaos.

Why do I worry about these things?

Less than two months ago, before Justin had come into her life, she'd thought of little else but passing the Cho'kai and advancing from Templar recruit to a full-fledged member. She'd been assigned to Edenfield High due to reports of vampires mingling with the student population, some of them decades older than the students. Vampires with such tastes might be fine and dandy in the land of make-believe, but in the real world, it didn't matter how young a super looked, they were still a creepy pedophile if they wanted to date a teenager.

Then she'd met Justin. Trouble followed him like a lost puppy with a rocket launcher. And ever since discovering Foreseeance 4311 from Vallaena Slade, Justin's aunt, her mind seemed to tune into things on a much larger scale. For instance, worrying about whether the Overworld Conclave was falling apart as opposed to busting a single pedophile vampire. Elyssa had never felt particularly brilliant. But something in her had changed. Made her see the big picture. Taking the White would probably kill off that part of her along with every last memory of the one she loved.

An ache gripped her heart with all the force of a roundhouse kick to the chest. She fought against tears as she realized the love she felt for Justin was more magical than anything she'd ever known in her life.

"Death cannot stop true love," Justin would probably say, quoting the Princess Bride.

But a mind wipe probably could.

Jack and two other Templars escorted her into the back of a panel van. She didn't know what Thomas planned for Kassallandra and her hellhounds or, for that matter, why the Daemas hadn't simply escaped while she'd had the chance. Elyssa had given the woman plenty of time by giving herself up to her father.

"Others have taken the White," Jack said as the van lurched into motion and bumped down a rutted dirt road. "In all cases, it's helped purge the ignoble parts of those who are troubled and bring them back into pure clarity of thought."

"Jack, you know I love you. But how can tearing memories from someone's mind help?" And what had happened to her brother? He was five years older than her, putting him at twenty-three. The last time she'd seen him, he'd been so excited to have finally passed the Cho'kai and gone on full duty. But his exuberance had apparently morphed into a pedantic self-righteousness, making her want to slap him so hard he saw stars.

"I agree, it doesn't sound pleasant, but this is for the greater good. Spawn exist only to corrupt. You know this, or you should if you paid attention in class."

"I paid attention in class, thank you very much. It sounds to me like you ran off and joined a seminary though. Where did they assign you? Communist kindergarten?"

A grin broke on his face. He still looked just as young and dashing as ever, his square jaw and blue eyes enough to make most females swoon. He definitely favored his father. Jack was the only fully human of the three siblings, whereas Elyssa and Michael were dhampyrs. As far as temperament, however, he wasn't nearly as bold or headstrong as Thomas Borathen. Instead, Jack had always been a bit soft at heart, though always willing to do his duty.

"You always have a smart remark for everything, don't you, sis?"

"I'm surprised you remember. I haven't heard from you since you left on your last assignment. At least Michael shoots me an email or calls on occasion."

His smile faltered. "The world is harsh. Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do in order to keep the masses safe."

"What happened to the idealistic brother I used to know?"

"He's still here. But my idealism has been tempered by reality, Elyssa. Father is right in what he plans to do. Once you've taken the White, you'll agree."

Elyssa grimaced and looked at the floor. Four Templars, including her brother, sat closest to the back doors on the quick-deployment bench seats along the sides of the van's cargo bay. She could probably kick the doors open, but she'd have to get past her Templar escorts first. Escape was out of the question for now, so she bided her time, waiting for an opening.

An opening never came.

The van pulled up the long drive to the Templar compound at Big Creek Ranch, a horse ranch near the edges of Decatur, an urban extension of Atlanta. As they unloaded from the back, Elyssa's shoulders slumped as hope drained from her heart. There would be no escape. Not like last time when she'd knocked out her mother. Jack and the others took her into the barn, down a set of wooden stairs, and through a pair of thick titanium vault doors guarding the brig, a high-security holding cell where prisoners usually awaited transport before delivery to the Overworld Tribunal Court. Except, she wasn't going anywhere. At least not until they'd wiped her memories.

Cruel barbs of hopelessness gripped her heart so tight she stumbled.

The other Templars, apparently taking this for a feint preceding another escape attempt, tensed and watched her until the vault doors slammed shut. The shiny metallic floor reflected Elyssa's grief-stricken face. She stiffened her features, ashamed at her weakness. They might wipe her mind, but she would find a way to fight back. As Jack led her to the cell, one side of his mouth curved up in a sad smile.