Read Online Incubus by Jennifer Quintenz - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jennifer Quintenz
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immediately.” Lucas gave Dad a humorless grin. “It’s not
like they’re easy to confuse with something else.” The room grew silent, dinner laying forgotten for
the moment.
“Go on, Braedyn,” Hale said quietly.
“We know Ais came to Puerto Escondido looking for the seal, hoping to open it for the Lilitu to
come through, right?” I asked. Hale nodded, waiting for me to get to the point. I took another breath.
“What if the monks found the seal centuries ago, and built their mission to hide it? What if that stone
is the seal?”
For a long moment, no one spoke. Hale sat back slowly, lost in thought. Thane and my dad traded a
glance.
“Hm. Interesting.” Dad picked up his fork, spooling a strand of spaghetti around it absently.
“It does make a kind of sense,” Hale said.
I’d expected a bigger reaction. Something closer to shock and amazement, not this calm
consideration of the idea. Lucas glanced at me, sharing my surprise at the group’s measured response.
“How does that make sense?” he asked Hale.
But it was Thane who answered us. “Puerto Escondido has been a stronghold of the Guard for
centuries. This is one of the few places on earth where the Guard has maintained an almost continual
presence.” Lucas and I turned to stare at Thane. “We’ve long known that this place has some kind of
significance to the Lilitu, but what exactly?” Thane shrugged unhappily. “Too much of the history of
Puerto Escondido has been lost.”
Gretchen gave a little laugh of disbelief. “Lost? If those monks knew they were sitting on top of
the seal, how exactly do you lose track of information that significant?”
“Off the top of my head? I suspect the Lilitu had something to do with it,” Thane snapped.
“Regardless,” Hale said. “We’ve got our new priorities. Thane, I need you to dig into this. Find out
whatever you can. Make some calls.”
Thane nodded.
“Gretchen, you and Matthew swing by the mission tomorrow. Recon only.”
“On it,” Gretchen said.
“That means no hunting, you two,” Hale said, gesturing at Matthew and Gretchen with his fork.
“You find any trace of Lilitu presence, you report back immediately.”
“I think it’s time for us to do a full inventory of the armory,” Dad said.
“Right.” Hale and Dad exchanged a grim look. “We’ll start tomorrow.”
With that, everyone turned back to their food, lost in unhappy thoughts. Everyone except for Lucas
and me.
“That’s it?” I asked. “You’re sending Gretchen and Matthew to swing by the mission?”
“We don’t have the resources to put a guard on the place full time,” Hale said around a bite of
spaghetti. “But we’ll add it to our rounds.” He took another bite, ending the conversation.
“What about us?” Lucas asked. “What should we be focusing on?”
Hale looked up, but Dad answered before he had a chance to swallow his food. “School.”
“But, we can help.” Lucas looked at Gretchen, hoping for some support. She avoided his gaze. He
looked around the table, frustration edging into anger. “You wouldn’t even know about the seal if it
weren’t for Braedyn and me.”
“So, as a reward for stupidly risking your safety, you want us to let you throw your future away?”
Dad spoke quietly, but there was a dangerous edge to his voice. Lucas glanced at me helplessly.
“The boy has a point,” Thane murmured. “What good will school do either of them if the Lilitu
win?”
Dad’s fork hit the edge of his plate with a sharp clatter. “School matters. Braedyn’s education
matters. It matters to me, because it means we live in hope. I am fighting to give Braedyn a future. In
this future, she graduates high school. She goes to college. She builds a life of meaning for herself.
I’m not giving that up. It’s what she deserves.”
I felt my chest tighten. Hot tears sprang into my eyes. Dad believed in me absolutely, and listening
to him talk, I could almost
like they’re easy to confuse with something else.” The room grew silent, dinner laying forgotten for
the moment.
“Go on, Braedyn,” Hale said quietly.
“We know Ais came to Puerto Escondido looking for the seal, hoping to open it for the Lilitu to
come through, right?” I asked. Hale nodded, waiting for me to get to the point. I took another breath.
“What if the monks found the seal centuries ago, and built their mission to hide it? What if that stone
is the seal?”
For a long moment, no one spoke. Hale sat back slowly, lost in thought. Thane and my dad traded a
glance.
“Hm. Interesting.” Dad picked up his fork, spooling a strand of spaghetti around it absently.
“It does make a kind of sense,” Hale said.
I’d expected a bigger reaction. Something closer to shock and amazement, not this calm
consideration of the idea. Lucas glanced at me, sharing my surprise at the group’s measured response.
“How does that make sense?” he asked Hale.
But it was Thane who answered us. “Puerto Escondido has been a stronghold of the Guard for
centuries. This is one of the few places on earth where the Guard has maintained an almost continual
presence.” Lucas and I turned to stare at Thane. “We’ve long known that this place has some kind of
significance to the Lilitu, but what exactly?” Thane shrugged unhappily. “Too much of the history of
Puerto Escondido has been lost.”
Gretchen gave a little laugh of disbelief. “Lost? If those monks knew they were sitting on top of
the seal, how exactly do you lose track of information that significant?”
“Off the top of my head? I suspect the Lilitu had something to do with it,” Thane snapped.
“Regardless,” Hale said. “We’ve got our new priorities. Thane, I need you to dig into this. Find out
whatever you can. Make some calls.”
Thane nodded.
“Gretchen, you and Matthew swing by the mission tomorrow. Recon only.”
“On it,” Gretchen said.
“That means no hunting, you two,” Hale said, gesturing at Matthew and Gretchen with his fork.
“You find any trace of Lilitu presence, you report back immediately.”
“I think it’s time for us to do a full inventory of the armory,” Dad said.
“Right.” Hale and Dad exchanged a grim look. “We’ll start tomorrow.”
With that, everyone turned back to their food, lost in unhappy thoughts. Everyone except for Lucas
and me.
“That’s it?” I asked. “You’re sending Gretchen and Matthew to swing by the mission?”
“We don’t have the resources to put a guard on the place full time,” Hale said around a bite of
spaghetti. “But we’ll add it to our rounds.” He took another bite, ending the conversation.
“What about us?” Lucas asked. “What should we be focusing on?”
Hale looked up, but Dad answered before he had a chance to swallow his food. “School.”
“But, we can help.” Lucas looked at Gretchen, hoping for some support. She avoided his gaze. He
looked around the table, frustration edging into anger. “You wouldn’t even know about the seal if it
weren’t for Braedyn and me.”
“So, as a reward for stupidly risking your safety, you want us to let you throw your future away?”
Dad spoke quietly, but there was a dangerous edge to his voice. Lucas glanced at me helplessly.
“The boy has a point,” Thane murmured. “What good will school do either of them if the Lilitu
win?”
Dad’s fork hit the edge of his plate with a sharp clatter. “School matters. Braedyn’s education
matters. It matters to me, because it means we live in hope. I am fighting to give Braedyn a future. In
this future, she graduates high school. She goes to college. She builds a life of meaning for herself.
I’m not giving that up. It’s what she deserves.”
I felt my chest tighten. Hot tears sprang into my eyes. Dad believed in me absolutely, and listening
to him talk, I could almost
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