Time of Fate (Wealth of Time Series #6) by Andre Gonzalez (e book reader online txt) 📗

Manitoba province, but she could guarantee that the Keeper of Time was indeed making preparations for Martin’s arrival. The chaos around the country certainly tipped off the fact that Chris was worried. If he had any confidence in his ability to come out of this situation alive, there wouldn’t have been any need for such deliberate distractions.

This fact had been obvious to both her and Alina, and they assumed to Commander Briar, but they had no way of knowing for sure. The commander had a tendency to close off his emotions and thoughts, sometimes becoming distant in the middle of meetings and conversations. Alina assured her he was a calculated person, not afraid to take his time and examine a situation from all perspectives before blurting out an idea. Knowing this, she had drilled it into his head during the drive that he must act exactly that way once entering the woods.

“Don’t think this is a matter of just walking up to his door and knocking,” she said once the festive mood of blaring music died down and they came within the final thirty minutes of their destination.

“Nothing has ever been simple with Chris,” Commander Briar replied. “Even when he and I were on the same side.”

“Even if he’s been weakened, expect him to use powers we haven’t seen. This is the final stand, and the entire time travel world knows what’s at stake. I’m not sure if the lieutenant has mentioned it, but your name is splattered across the news—well, it was before the blackout. Road Runners aren’t dumb. They know what’s going on and the anticipation is causing madness—pretty sure that’s what led to all the protests.”

Commander Briar raised his hand. “Please, Arielle. I’m well aware of the stakes and the stress our entire organization is under. I intend to put an end to it, but you know what’s been a calming realization that I haven’t had until this car ride? The fact that if I fail, I don’t have to be around to deal with the consequences. Maybe it’s morbid to think that way, even negative, but it has brought a sense of calm that I’ve been struggling to find all along.”

It’s called acceptance, Arielle thought, knowing that the removal of fear was one more pillar to fall that had been holding up the commander’s self-doubt. She understood the fine line between fearless and reckless, and the former always led to stunning results on her mission work.

“I don’t think it’s morbid at all,” she said, taking a sip of water and putting the bottle back into the cupholder separating them. “And it’s not negative—it’s positive. You’re setting yourself up for success, but what do I know? I’m no psychiatrist.”

She grinned, knowing that even though she had no degree in psychiatry, she had taken the same courses and had an equal understanding as someone practicing in the field, just another weapon in her never-ending arsenal. This moment wasn’t anywhere in the plans—especially the long drive—but she had been told by Alina to prepare for it nonetheless. Commander Briar would need to be convinced that he could defeat Chris, but he’d just need a little mental nudge to get him to believe it himself. The car ride provided ample time to get the job done, and she sensed a shift in both his tone and body language compared to when they had first left Winnipeg.

“Can I ask you for a favor?” Commander Briar in a hushed voice. “Not as your commander, but as a concerned citizen.”

“Okay,” Arielle said, bracing herself for an odd request.

“If I die, I need someone to fight these plans to abolish the Road Runners. It’s wasteful, and while I understand the basic logic behind it, I think it’s highly irresponsible of our organization to stop when it’s all so close. If it were up to me, my death should be followed with a quick attack. Don’t worry about my body—if you get a chance to drop bombs on this cabin to end the war, then do it.”

“First off, you’re not going to die, so stop thinking like that. Secondly, I don’t have enough power to do anything like that.”

“Then start a new group. Take the Road Runners who are interested in continuing the fight and finish it. Don’t let me die for no reason.”

Arielle shook her head, becoming distracted by her simple task at hand, not wanting to lose the momentum of confidence that had been brewing within Commander Briar. “The lieutenant made this decision and already stomped out this possibility. She said if anyone gets caught trying to continue, they will be detained by the Road Runners. Trips are already booked for tonight in case the worst happens; they want to move quickly with our departure, so Chris or any of his Revolters don’t have a chance to track us down before they realize what’s happening.”

“Trips? What about everyone on the jet? This team who has given everything for this mission… they’re just going to fly away in the night?”

Arielle nodded. “We’ve each booked a flight to our preferred location—safe zones scouted out by the organization, with a lot of help from Councilman Templeton.” She debated dropping that name in front of the commander, unsure how he’d react seeing as Templeton ran against him for the commandership. He remained smug, arms crossed with a look of disappointment stuck on his face.

“Where are you flying to?” he asked, monotone.

“Europe. Small island off the coast of Greece. Traveling outside of North America was strongly encouraged, so that’s what most of us decided.”

Martin snorted. “Funny. All I’ve wanted was a vacation, but it’s been one thing after another, even before becoming commander. The one vacation I took—which was to clear my head after Chris slaughtered my mother—was soon interrupted and I had to run. Do you know how many times I’ve thought about running away to an island, or Europe, just to get away from this life? Running against Templeton—who, quite frankly, I loved his idea of