"Not to throw water on the ID process, but didn't you say you had a choice?" Rider looked at the assembled hybrids. "Yes," the nymph said slowly. "We all do."
"Then, permit my skepticism just this one time, team," Rider said, spitting on the sand. "The human heart is fickle. I've been living proof topside that decision-purgatory exists when it comes to that- long story. But what if while we're in the middle of a firefight behind enemy lines, and you suddenly decide that, since Cain is kicking our asses with his Hell troops, then maybe you made a wrong decision so you'd like to make amends... Do you see where I'm going and how this could become a very f**ked-up situation fast with you at our back or flanks?"
"I ain't trying to be funny," Mike said, nodding in agreement with Rider.
"My vote," Jose said, "is for y'all to leave a calling card, and when our generals get back, let them put an eye on you. If their senses say it's cool, then we'll work with you. But if not... I don't know."
"Then your lead mother-seer can come forward and I can give her my image for Carlos-"
"I ain't comfortable with that, Hubert," Shabazz said, stepping in front of Marlene. "Until one of our Neterus checks you out, you ain't sending a demon transmission up into my woman's head."
"He's right," Marlene said with a shrug. "I don't roll like that with an unknown entity."
Hubert stooped down and tore off a piece of the T-shirt Rider had tossed earlier for the nymph to lie on, slit his arm with a fang, swapped it with the fabric, and flung the bloodied rag to Shabazz. "I understand," he said flatly "Give that to Rivera as my calling card. This way he can track us, hone in, and send a signal. But our hope is that he has mercy."
"It is getting late and it will be a long and periloussss flight back to the ruinssss," the snakelike entity said.
"We must hide there, where we have family lines, old energy bands that can strengthen us," the nymph said. "We have distant relatives in Tulum that might take us in. Your young initiates can help with div�inations of where Cain's troops might attack. Be safe."
"Hold up," Dan said, looking at the nymph and then at Heather.
"You do not see the energy field about her?" The nymph tilted her head. "It is magnetic," she said, pointing to Heather, then to Jasmine, and finally to Krissy and Marjorie. She tilted her tiny head and a bright smile came out on her small, pixielike face. She wiggled her fingers at Inez and then Juanita. "They all have it. Six of them, plus the one who healed me, makes divine seven-how wonderful!" She lowered her arm and smiled brightly at Heather. "Your specialty is standing stones, isn't it? I have a lot of family that is carved in the stones. Why don't you use your gift more?"
"Whoa..." Marlene said, looking at Heather and Jasmine. "If ever there was a time to step up, ladies."
Hubert nodded. "Place the three elder seers in the center of a standing stones formation-they need the power of female three. That one," he said pointing at Marjorie, "is strong and is your druid stone centerpiece." He then looked at Marlene, Juanita, and Inez. "Make the inner circle around the one with one green eye and one blue eye, a true cat clan derivative. Her genetics bear out." He imme�diately brought his attention away from Marjorie and looked at Heather. "That one..." He shook his head and glanced at Dan. "Is she yours? A permanent bond?"
Dan bristled and so did the nymph as Heather smiled and shyly looked away.
"Where are you from?" Hubert rumbled, his voice dipping seduc�tively.
"Scot mother, Ghanaian father... both keepers of standing stones," Heather said with a half-smile.
"I am what I am, and DNA being what it is," Hubert chuckled, "but she'sone hell of a witch." He tucked away a smile as the nymph stomped on his instep. "My apologies. But, er, if you put the very pretty fragile one... that delicate lotus flower beside her, andwhew... that one," he said motioning to Krissy, releasing a whistle. "They did not dress them like this in my day."
"Hey, the closer it gets to late afternoon and feeding time for you fellas," J.L. said, unholstering a weapon in a lightning move, "the more inclined I am to be extremely prejudiced."
"Ya got that right," Berkfield said.
The serpentine-looking entity smiled. "It is just that it hasss been a while ssssince we have been out of Nod, and to fall upon a Neteru team with ssssuch an embarassssment of richessss is exssssceptional. He meanssss no harm."
"Truly I do not," Hubert said with a toothy grin, ignoring the bee-sting like swats the nymph pummeled against his massive torso. "Nonetheless. The three, on natural rock formations, around the cen�ter seer who also has Wicca in her line, with the outer magnetic ring of young Wicca initiates, should be able to accomplish a divination regarding which direction Cain's troops will advance from. The rocks are important, because all the stones on the planet were created at the same time, and old ruins are where Cain will form base camps to energy-strengthen his men."
"Like a human lighthouse, almost?" Rider said, wiping his palms down his face. "Now that's wild."
Hubert chuckled and looked out toward the sea. "She needs a con�sistent energy source though. Use the one with red hair, who is most gifted. Right now, what is within her is latent, until it is charged. This would be a polar opposite of her energy. Dark covens go deep within the caverns to pull this from any number of entities, but I am sure your team would abhor such methods."
"We don't go dark, forany reason," Marlene said firmly. "Not even for vital information or extra powers. No black masses, dark rituals, whatsoever." She scanned the group and then looked at Heather and Jasmine hard. "The only reason we allowed them into the Guardian fold was because they came clean, had no blood on their hands, and hadn't done any sacrifices. So, you boys had better come up with an�other option."
"There is another option," Hubert smiled. "One that has always been preferable for releasing unified energy, but I will defer to my friend's sensibilities," he said sheepishly when the nymph tried to push his bulky form and then punched his arm.
"So you're saying that if we could all stand around like on those beach breakers," Heather said, pointing out to a ridge of black rocks in the distance, "I could warn the team... but the problem is, right now I'm as good as a dead car battery?"
"I don't know this 'car battery,' " Hubert said, dropping his voice to an even lower, seductive tone, and receiving another nymph stomp that he ignored, "but you do need a male blast from something that can hold a charge, baby."
"Okay, that's f**king it!" Dan shouted, gripping his Glock side�ways and pushing past Shabazz and Rider. Blue-white energy rippled over his skin and static electricity made sections of his blond hair stand up on his head.
Hubert chuckled. "A tactical Guardian," he said with a bow. "My apologizes, Miss. I see you have a worthybattery already."