Read Online Guardians (Seers Trilogy) by Heather Frost - Free Book Online
Authors: Heather Frost
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they didn’t meet with anyone or anything. Just came in for some drinks, talking quietly amongst themselves. Before they left, the beautiful one—Avalos—she came up to the counter and asked Philippe if he would mind passing a word along to any Demons in the area.” He paused, but only briefly. “Looks like the Demon Lord’s put a bounty on your pretty head, honey. Selena was spreading the word.”
I blinked. A bounty? The word hardly made sense. A reward attached to me? It seemed so weird—so terrifying. And so unlike the Demon Lord. He was a calculative man, a manipulative enemy. He did things cleanly or not at all. Putting up figurative wanted posters for me seemed a little ridiculous. He was too powerful for this. Why not come after me himself?
Was this somehow a decoy? Was he going to try and distract my Guardians and then bring in the real threat? What could be worse than setting loose a hundred Demons driven by a reward, all wanting to get their hands on me?
Clyde watched my face for several long seconds, then he instinctively reached out and patted my arm. “The Demon Lord has a most wanted list—his prioritized enemies. It just usually involves Demons who’ve offended him. So far as I know, a Seer’s never quite made the cut. Demons squabble over ’em, hoping for the reward, and the Demon Lord sends Far Darrig after some—but that’s the end of the story. I think you’re the first Seer, Kate.”
I blinked up at him. “That’s supposed to make me feel better?”
“Philippe had to pass the word along,” Clyde continued quickly, sounding apologetic. “If he didn’t, he would be risking his life. But Selena gave him pictures of you and everything. I have one, if you’d like it.”
Feeling a little disconnected, I nodded.
He pulled his hand out of his pocket and handed me a folded sheet of paper. I took it from him, slowly uncurling the edges until I held a full-size page, half of it taken up with a picture of me. It was my senior picture from school. I didn’t even want to think about how they’d gotten it. The smile on the picture was small, and the words beneath seemed surreal.
Kate Bennett, Seer. Wanted alive. Believed to be under heavy Guardian protection. Two positively identified Guardians are Patrick O’Donnell and Antonio Alverez. Both are extremely dangerous. A reward of —I choked— one million US dollars will go to those who manage to secure her. Seer may or may not be in hiding.
My home address was included on the bottom as a starting point for anyone interested in getting the reward, along with Selena’s number, in case there were any questions.
Clyde’s voice seemed really distant. “You haven’t seen any of these bounty hunters yet because they’re being cautious. They want that money. Badly, I would imagine. The Demon Lord doesn’t usually offer quite so much. Philippe doesn’t know you’re Henry’s granddaughter, but he knows I like to stay informed. Sharing this with me was his way of keeping me from running into these zealous killers.”
“This isn’t the Demon Lord’s style,” I argued weakly, still staring at the monetary amount I was apparently worth. I guess I could have felt honored or something. In reality, I only felt sick.
“If you want my honest opinion, Kate, I think you should leave here—the sooner the better. Maybe even leave the country.”
“What? I can’t leave. They have my address!”
“
That’s
exactly why you need to leave—try to cover up your tracks.” Clyde shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know what to tell you. But you can’t stay here, Kate. For that amount of money . . . Every Demon in the state is going to be trying his best to get at you. The Guardians can’t protect you from that kind of attack. Your enemies are too many.”
“But what can I do? My friends, my family . . . They’re all in danger. Even if I leave, I can’t bring everyone I love with me.”
Clyde’s face was calmly serious.
I blinked. A bounty? The word hardly made sense. A reward attached to me? It seemed so weird—so terrifying. And so unlike the Demon Lord. He was a calculative man, a manipulative enemy. He did things cleanly or not at all. Putting up figurative wanted posters for me seemed a little ridiculous. He was too powerful for this. Why not come after me himself?
Was this somehow a decoy? Was he going to try and distract my Guardians and then bring in the real threat? What could be worse than setting loose a hundred Demons driven by a reward, all wanting to get their hands on me?
Clyde watched my face for several long seconds, then he instinctively reached out and patted my arm. “The Demon Lord has a most wanted list—his prioritized enemies. It just usually involves Demons who’ve offended him. So far as I know, a Seer’s never quite made the cut. Demons squabble over ’em, hoping for the reward, and the Demon Lord sends Far Darrig after some—but that’s the end of the story. I think you’re the first Seer, Kate.”
I blinked up at him. “That’s supposed to make me feel better?”
“Philippe had to pass the word along,” Clyde continued quickly, sounding apologetic. “If he didn’t, he would be risking his life. But Selena gave him pictures of you and everything. I have one, if you’d like it.”
Feeling a little disconnected, I nodded.
He pulled his hand out of his pocket and handed me a folded sheet of paper. I took it from him, slowly uncurling the edges until I held a full-size page, half of it taken up with a picture of me. It was my senior picture from school. I didn’t even want to think about how they’d gotten it. The smile on the picture was small, and the words beneath seemed surreal.
Kate Bennett, Seer. Wanted alive. Believed to be under heavy Guardian protection. Two positively identified Guardians are Patrick O’Donnell and Antonio Alverez. Both are extremely dangerous. A reward of —I choked— one million US dollars will go to those who manage to secure her. Seer may or may not be in hiding.
My home address was included on the bottom as a starting point for anyone interested in getting the reward, along with Selena’s number, in case there were any questions.
Clyde’s voice seemed really distant. “You haven’t seen any of these bounty hunters yet because they’re being cautious. They want that money. Badly, I would imagine. The Demon Lord doesn’t usually offer quite so much. Philippe doesn’t know you’re Henry’s granddaughter, but he knows I like to stay informed. Sharing this with me was his way of keeping me from running into these zealous killers.”
“This isn’t the Demon Lord’s style,” I argued weakly, still staring at the monetary amount I was apparently worth. I guess I could have felt honored or something. In reality, I only felt sick.
“If you want my honest opinion, Kate, I think you should leave here—the sooner the better. Maybe even leave the country.”
“What? I can’t leave. They have my address!”
“
That’s
exactly why you need to leave—try to cover up your tracks.” Clyde shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know what to tell you. But you can’t stay here, Kate. For that amount of money . . . Every Demon in the state is going to be trying his best to get at you. The Guardians can’t protect you from that kind of attack. Your enemies are too many.”
“But what can I do? My friends, my family . . . They’re all in danger. Even if I leave, I can’t bring everyone I love with me.”
Clyde’s face was calmly serious.
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