Page 169 of Visions & Shadows

We all hold hands, and the next instant, Ares shimmers us back to Doug and Sarah’s living room.

When the place looks the same as when we left it, I let out a breath of relief.

Coming to stand beside me, Brenna asks, “How are you feeling, Alchera?”

I just nod because I don’t have words to express how I feel.

“She needs to get some rest. Maybe then she’ll have another vision,” Raighne says, and taking hold of my hand, he pulls me closer to the couch. “Sit.” He looks at Brenna again. “Can you bring her some water?”

“Sure.”

Raighne sits down beside me and wraps his arm tightly around my shoulders, nudging me to lean into his side. I feel his mouth against my hair and close my eyes.

Lydia. Where are you?

Chapter 30

Alchera

“Shut up! Face down!” Lydia is lyingon the floor, her eyes wildly flitting between the men who are dressed in camouflage gear, giving me the impression they’re rebels.

“Where’s the medicine?” One of the men demands in broken English, the whites of his eyes yellow and bulging with hatred.

“In that cabinet…over there,” a man answers, pointing somewhere behind them. “But it’s all we have. Please don’t…”

One of the rebels lifts his rifle and smashes the back of it against the man’s head. He repeatedly beats the poor man until he sinks down to his knees, begging for mercy.

“Stop,” Lydia cries. “We’re just doctors.”

“Shut up! I will string you up and gut you like pigs,” the rebel spits the words at them, pointing the rifle at the beaten man’s head.

Another rebel, who’s standing by the doorway, moves closer with a savage expression on his face.

I stand frozen in pure horror. I can’t believe what I’m seeing.

“We’ll listen. We don’t want any trouble,” the beaten-up doctor tries to appease him. Blood seeps from the deep gashes on his face and head. He tries to move backward as he looks at them with terror.

“You think you can look at me? You think you’re better than me?” The rebellifts his rifle, and the next moment, he fires several shots at the doctor.

My hands fly up to cover my mouth as horror fills my pounding heart. I wish Ares was here to shimmer Lydia away from this dangerous situation.

Lydia lets out a cry, her face pale and tense from shock.

“You are his woman?” the African man grabs Lydia by the arm and yanks her to her feet.

“Bring all the medicine!” another rebel orders from the entrance to the makeshift medical facility. “If you kill them all, we won’t get medicine next time.”

The one holding Lydia’s arm shoves her hard, and she falls to the floor.

I come to with a jolt, and just reacting, I pull away from Raighne and rush to Ares. Grabbing hold of his arm, I say, “Take me to her.”

“Wait,” I hear Raighne snap, but it’s too late as Ares immediately shimmers us away.

We appear right in the middle of the chaos left behind where Lydia’s checking the other doctor’s vitals. Her head snaps to us, and seeing the fear on her face makes me want to hug her so badly.

“It’s okay,” I say as I cautiously move closer to her. “I’m here to help you.”

Considering that we just appeared out of thin air, it doesn’t exactly make Lydia trust us. She darts toward a medical cart and grabs hold of a scalpel, even more scared of us than she was of the rebels who just attacked them.

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