Free Veiled by Caris Roane Page A

didn’t hear anything.
    Just in case Duncan’s current state meant the wreckers had a bead on them, she slipped from bed and folded a wrecking gun into her hand. As a quick after thought, she added a box of ammo from Duncan’s weapons locker. She quickly loaded the gun, then moved to stand in front of Duncan. She faced into the room, with her back to Duncan and listened hard for the enemy. But no sounds returned to her.
    “Duncan?”
    Still no response.
    Whatever had caught him up, she’d just have to wait it out.
    After a couple of minutes, she stepped several feet away from him and turned to face him. They were both completely naked, yet somehow the absence of clothes seemed fitting after great sex, a good night’s sleep, and now some kind of ascended phenomenon that held Duncan in a trance.
    She thought of Yolanthe and a dart of fear raced through her. Had the woman found Duncan again and set up another mind-link?
    Rachel doubted it since the last two times she’d seen Duncan entranced, he’d been knocked to a prone position.
    Right now, he stood upright, shoulders back, his sword held high. He had a magnificent physique, his pecs thick and muscled, his arms bulked, hips narrow, thighs heavy and ripped, his stomach a true six-pack. Something from Greek mythology, maybe.
    And he glowed.
    A warm light emanated from his entire body. He also had a stream of grayle smoke, with a bluish hue streaming from his body.
    As she took in the signs, she knew he had to be in the middle of a vision.
    Her heart set up a noisy racket, thumping loudly in her ears. Duncan hadn’t had a vision in a month, now here he was, caught up in one and bearing his sword.
    She took a moment to settle into herself and to calm her heart. He would need protection in his current state. As powerful as he was, the enemy could still strike him down.
    Her shielding instincts kicked in. She could have drawn close to release what Merl had told her was her Fourth Earth ability. Given she heard no warning rumbles, she decided to take the opportunity to practice and instead moved twelve feet away from him.
    She let her power flow and a warm vibration of energy moved through her, extending quickly toward Duncan. She knew the split-second he was completely covered by her shield. She felt very secure with her power and with her shotgun in hand, she stood guard.
    ~
    Duncan knew he was caught in a vision and that he stood fully exposed to attack. But he had a profound sense of peace, which probably meant Rachel had shielded him.
    Within the vision, he levitated and travelled slowly through the Third darkening grid. The vision had a dreamlike quality yet every detail was sharp and clear.
    Within the vision, the grid had a familiar feel, as though he knew it well, especially when he reached an arched portal that glowed. He glanced down at what he could see was a wrist scanner and watched as his fingers punched in a series of numbers. These, he memorized, knowing they were a secret code.
    The portal opened and he passed through, still levitating. He moved into a dark space made of gray stone blocks, and he knew exactly where he was; Sharav had tortured him in this place.
    To the right was a curved stone staircase leading to a ground floor and to the left a long row of prison cells. The first one was empty. Here, he’d been jailed and tortured, his powers brought forward from the effort of battling Sharav’s mind-control.
    He knew now that Sharav had purposely hurt him, intending to jump-start his Third Earth powers.
    The vision took him momentarily into the past and he was back in the cell, his body on fire. This time, he was able to open his eyes and he could see Yolanthe. She’d been present through part of his torture, her pale blue eyes lit with a fanatical light. She looked different back then because her hair hadn’t been in braids.
    Yolanthe drew close to Sharav, caressing his arm. “His powers are expanding, aren’t they?”
    “Yes, like Samuel’s.