Free Hunted tgl-3 by Ednah Walters Page A

agree on what you said. They hoped the librarian might help decipher the words.”
    “Ms. Laylah is very knowledgeable and will do whatever she can to help,” Mrs. D said.
Laylah had better not give them anything on the Tribe
.
    Not sure I’d heard Mrs. D’s thoughts correctly, I studied her expressionless face. I didn’t usually hear others’ thoughts unless I eavesdropped, yet her thoughts had floated to me as clear as though she’d telepathed them to me intentionally.
    The Tribe. Why did that word sound familiar? I racked my brain for an answer and only made my headache worse. And why would Mrs. D pretend she didn’t know the identity of the demons, or ‘the Tribe’ as she called them?
    Civilians in the inner rooms also continued to look our way instead of at their computer screens or the clairvoyant images they were communicating with. Their wariness streamed my way, the distance not lessening the intensity. I raised my shield to shut them out, with little success. Instead, their thoughts trickled through.
    The junior Cardinals should be told the truth…
    We should go back to Xenith until this blows over…
    If the Cardinals don’t find the Summoners, we are in trouble…
    Summoners. The word echoed in my head like a distant memory too. Going on a hunch, I asked, “Have we found the Summoners yet, Mrs. D?”
    She blinked. “Excuse me?”
    “The Summoners. Have you found them?”
    She frowned. “Where did you hear that word?”
    “It just popped in my head. The other word is the Tribe. I know I’ve heard them before, but I can’t remember from where. What do they mean?”
    Her eyes narrowed, the pupil slitting like a cat’s. “I don’t know. When you remember where you’d heard them, let me know. Now run along and take that dagger to Master Haziel.”
    Liar, I wanted to yell. “So you and the senior Cardinals haven’t identified these demons even though one attacked us a week ago.”
    She frowned at my combatant tone and for one brief moment, I thought I’d given myself away. I smiled, but I must not have been very convincing, because she continued to stare at me suspiciously.
    “No, we haven’t. With Coronis’ minions on the loose, there’s no telling what new breeds are out there. And yes, the Cardinals have taken to naming new breeds of demons in order to differentiate them from each other. Maybe that’s where you heard those words.” She glanced over my shoulder and added quickly, “Ah, there you are, Cardinal Bran. What did Master Haziel say?”
    “He said we can go,” Bran said as he entered the room. He had changed into jeans and a black T-shirt. “But first, he wants to see Lil.”
    Mrs. D opened her mouth as though to speak, then humphed.
The Cardinals are not going to like this. I must inform them at once
. “Okay. We tracked down four Runners, including Mr. and Mrs. Watts.” Her gaze touched the three of us, lingering on me, before it settled on Bran. “Stop by the security room for the crystals.”
    I waited until Mrs. D left, then grabbed Bran and Remy’s arms. “Come with me.”
    “What’s going on?” Bran asked at the same time as Remy said, “Where are we going?”
    “I need a favor. I have a giant hole in the middle of my bedroom that I accidently created,” I explained as I led them out of the office and down the hallway toward the tunnels then stopped. “Do you think you can fix it for me, Remy?”
    Remy eyed me with his brow furrowed. “You don’t have accidents, Lil.”
    “Okay, my powers are messed up and I had a little mishap. Ask Bran. He saw the damage.”
    “Little? Half the floor is gone. You could watch TV from the basement,” Bran said and grinned.
    I elbowed him. “Very funny, but the hole is not why I brought you guys out here.” I glanced toward the office and did a quick scan. No one was eavesdropping on us. “I didn’t want the Civilians to hear us. They are in on something.”
    “In on what?” Bran asked, eyes narrowing.
    “Mrs. D