Free American Quest by Sienna Skyy Page A

tried to think back on what that woman had told her so many years ago. The woman from the Auxilium. They talked about what to do if Gloria’s lover was taken. But what was she supposed to do if the
Pravus abducted Gloria instead? She searched her mind to remember the instructions.
    Join the quest. You’re the Finder.
    “Join the quest.” That’s what the woman told her to do. What did that even mean? Why hadn’t the woman been more specific? Why didn’t Candace ask more questions when she had the chance?
    Bleeding and burned, Candace stumbled back to her apartment and locked herself inside. A look in the mirror showed her skin torn and blistered on her face, arms, and hands; the outline of the glasses marked two Triscuit-sized patches of unharmed skin beneath. She peeled off her clothes, sobbing and shaky.
    She had to call Jamie. Jamie would know more about the quest, she was sure of it. Jamie didn’t run away from frightening prospects. Jamie cared too much to let fear win.
    The battery on her cell phone was stone dead. She’d never bothered to hook up a home line—it seemed so pointless these days. She limped to the outlet and plugged the phone in, and then tried powering up. It flashed to life.
    She took a moment to steady her shredded nerves before dialing. As she took three deep breaths, the image of a diner in Maine popped into her mind. She’d never been to Maine. How did she know with such certainty that the diner was there? There could only be one reason.
    Candace punched in Jamie’s number, but only got Jamie’s voice mail. She steadied her voice and tried to speak slowly, telling her that it had begun and where they should start. But despite being plugged into the wall, the phone’s battery blinked out again.
    She had to go see Jamie in person. To talk about the quest. To do everything she could do to save Gloria.
    A pounding came at the front door.
    She nearly dropped the cell phone to the linoleum. Her heart went to her throat. But beyond the pounding, she could hear Gloria’s voice on the other side.
    “Candie! Oh God, Candie! Please help me! Candace! They’re right behind me!”
    Candace tore open the locks, swinging it wide.
    But Gloria was not there. Instead, two fat, red-haired men stood leering.

    One of them snaked out a hand and caught Candace by the wrist. He spoke in Gloria’s voice, that unmistakable sanded rosewood intonation that belonged only to Gloria. His horrible, crusted mouth and bulbous nose impossibly resonating with her lovely, soothing inflections, though not her words.
    “Why, hello Candace, dearie. Gave us quite a run, didn’t you?”

8
    NEW YORK
    ONCE AGAIN, BRUCE DIALED GLORIA’S cell phone. Once again, it clicked over to voice mail. Once again, he wanted to throw the phone against the wall.
    He hadn’t spoken to Gloria since he walked her to work that morning. They hadn’t had their usual lunchtime phone conversation. And now, at almost midnight, there was still no sign of her.
    He dragged his fingers through his hair.
    He wracked his brain, trying to think of a business function he might have forgotten about. But that wasn’t it—they would have discussed something like that on the way to work. Some social function with Candace or one of the people at the office? No, she would have made a big deal about his remembering to eat dinner if she knew she wasn’t going to be around. Whatever took Gloria away was not on the radar screen this morning. And that worried the hell out of him.
    Bruce felt that he always knew where Gloria was. He imagined he could reach out with his mind and see her whenever he wanted, catching a virtual glimpse of her at her desk or in a power meeting. In the time they’d been together, Bruce felt a growing keenness to his perceptions as they related to Gloria. He even knew when she had a bad day before he saw her.
    And now he felt nothing. It was as though someone had stolen his sense of taste or smell. Something was wrong. Decidedly