Read Online Final Quest by B. C. Harris - Free Book Online

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    Last night when I spoke to Jamie about my visit today to Tamor, he insisted on joining me. At first, I said no, but he eventually wore me down with his logical reasons for traveling with me.
    The main thing Jamie said that made a lot of sense to me was that when I returned home after taking Capurni to Drapesia, he would be able to help me sort out what to do next. By coming to Drapesia with me, Jamie would have firsthand knowledge of what is happening on that planet. This would make it easier for me to share my thoughts with him and decide what I was going to do next.
    I hear the bell ring. I know it’s Jamie.
    Bounding up the stairs, I shut off the alarm system and open the door.
    He greets me with a huge smile.
    He looks like he would love to hug me.
    I wish he would.
    “Come on in.”
    I notice he’s wearing a backpack.
    “A few things from Michael,” he says as he notices me looking at the backpack.
    I wonder how much Michael knows about what is going to happen today. I also wonder how much his parents know, or how much the CIA or Homeland Security knows. Am I being naïve to think that no one, other than my friends, is aware of my emerald?
    Glancing at the backpack, I wonder if there is some device inside that will track our journey to Tamor and then on to Drapesia. Will someone be attempting to listen to everything that we say, or watch everything that we do?
    “Everything okay?” Jamie asks, sensing my discomfort.
    “Yes,” I say. “I guess I didn’t realize that Michael knew what we were going to be doing.”
    “Actually, he doesn’t. I told him that you needed to talk to Capurni about something, but I didn’t add any other details.”
    “Didn’t he want to come with us?”
    “Absolutely,” Jamie replies, “but I convinced him that you planned on going alone and I had to twist your arm to even let me come along.”
    I smile at Jamie’s response. I don’t think he would lie to me. But I still can’t help but wonder if there’s something in the backpack that’s going to be spying on us.
    “Nervous about going?” Jamie asks.
    “Yes, I think I would like to get back to living a normal life again, but as long as I have the emerald I don’t think this is ever going to happen.”
    Jamie looks at me as though he understands what I am going through.
    “After what you’ve been through over the past year, I can’t imagine that there could be anything more dangerous than our expedition to the Land of Shade or what we experienced in Rome.”
    “That’s what worries me. What if this is something even more dangerous? I have a feeling in my gut that this is going to be a huge mistake.”
    “If it’s any help, you should know that all the members of our S O S are going to want to help you.”
    “Thanks. I must admit I’m not sure about Drew being involved.”
    Jamie looks at me as though he’s trying to decipher the real meaning of what I said.
    “Perhaps,” he begins, “you are beginning to see Drew the way he really is, the way most other people see him.”
    I don’t immediately respond. There’s something in his words and in the tone of his voice that suggests I have been blind to the true nature of Drew. Is Jamie suggesting that I failed to see a streak of evil in Drew because I was attracted to him?
    “Let’s get going,” I say, eager to change the topic and get to Tamor. Perhaps, by the end of the day I will be laughing at my irrational fears about going to Drapesia.
    “I’m ready whenever,” Jamie says.
    “Take my hand.”
    Jamie’s hand feels strong and warm, very different than the first time he touched me a year ago on our journey to Shade.
    Taking the emerald in my other hand, I say, “Sandarium, Capurni.”
    I feel the massaging action of the celleria on a couch where I’m sitting.
    “Welcome.”
    It’s Capurni.
    Jamie stands to give Capurni a hug.
    Turning to me, Capurni says, “I must admit that I was a little worried that you might shy away from another