"I'm fine with it." I said.
"Good." Micheal said, sounding relieved. "We can grab some lunch while we are there."
I frowned. Why did this feel more like a friendly outing than the rush to get the fuck out of town it was supposed to be.
"Don't frown." Karen said looking at me. "Rushing straight there isn't going to do us much good. We need to stop for supplies on the way. Your place didn't have much, and I doubt this 'bachelor pad' will have much there either."
I winced but had to admit she was right. While the idea of finding a place to hunker down and wait and see what happens wasn't a bad one, we weren't really prepared for it.
Then again as I thought about it, was it really a good idea? With mana flooding into our world everything was going to change. Was hunkering down and trying to wait it out even a good idea? Honestly I didn't know.
"It is a good idea master." Delilah spoke up having read my mind.
"Is it?" Enya asked looking at the other fairy.
"Long term? No." Delilah replied. "But short term, yes. It will give all of them a chance to come to terms with the changes, but most importantly they will get the chance to learn how to use their abilities. Master's fight with the twisted was difficult. If he had a chance to learn how to use his abilities, then four or even five twisted wouldn't be his match."
I stared at Delilah in disbelief.
"What are you talking about?" Karen asked, seeming confused.
"Master was wondering whether finding a place to hole up was a good idea or not." Delilah replied. "Which it is, you girls need to be awakened one way or another, and everyone needs to learn how to use whatever abilities you get to prepare for what is to come."
"Will he really be able to handle four or five twisted?" Enya asked doubtfully.
"Are you really doubting Master's shadowfire?" Delilah asked.
Enya shook her head. Then gave me an impish grin. "Never his shadowfire!" she said with a laugh. "Just Master."
That got a laugh from everyone in both cars.
"Ha ha, funny." I told the fire fairy, giving her a mock glare. "Everyone should call their friends and family and warn them to get out of the cities." I reminded them.
"Courtney, you will have to call for Micheal and I." Megan said.
"I can do it." Heather volunteered over the speaker. "Courtney has a lot of people to call."
"That's fine." Megan said.
As everyone else pulled out their phones I just stared at mine for a moment before I tapped on an entry then waited for the call to connect.
The phone rang a couple times before it finally connected. "Hey honey." my mother said after answering. "Calling to warn me about the end of the world?" she asked.
"Kind of." I told her seriously.
My mother laughed. "Well at least you remembered your mother. Have you had any trouble?" she asked.
"A bit, but we were able to handle it." I replied honestly.
"That's good then. I am fine, so you don't have to worry about me." she told me.
I sighed in relief.
"But you should be careful, things are only going to get worse, much worse." she told me.
"Mom?" I asked confused.
"I have things to do so I can't talk long, but there are a few things you need to know. Tell your little friend that this world isn't a hub, it is a convergence. She can explain enough to understand the danger, but she doesn't know everything, her knowledge should only be based on the refugees who are able to flee early on. When your father comes for you, don't argue or fight with him. It won't do you any good and just piss him off even more. You won't have to do much except be there. The red head is a good one so be nice to her." she told me. "I am happy you and Karen are getting together. Let her take the lead with the others, it will keep you from making too many mistakes. Megan is a sweetie but she is still a bit too confused to know what it is she wants. She should figure it out in time. Oh, and do your best to rope in Grace, that girl has the strongest gift with healing I have ever seen. It will make it easier when my grandchildren are being born. Love you honey!" she said. I thought she had hung up when I heard her make another comment. "Oh, and sweety, your naming sense is terrible." she added then the line went dead.
I stared at the phone in my hand for a few moments trying to comprehend what my mother had just said, and how did she know about the girls?
"You alright?" Karen asked with her phone to her ear. She must have noticed my confused expression.
"I don't know." I replied honestly. "My mom just dropped a couple of bombs on me." I replied.
Karen pulled her phone away from her face, frowned at it for a moment then tapped on it a couple times before placing it against her ear again. "Like what?" she asked, turning her attention back to me.
"She talked like she could see the future, and it sounded like she was encouraging me to make a harem." I replied leaning back in my seat, my mind racing around in circles unable to understand almost anything that my mother had said. How could she know about the girls? Since she did, did that mean the rest was valid?
"Master, what did your mother say?" Delilah asked seriously as she looked at me.
"Not to be mean Daryl, I love your mom, but she did seem a bit off sometimes." Micheal commented over the speaker.
"Master?" Delilah asked insistently.
Thinking about what she said I looked at the shadow fairy, she was probably the one she meant by little friend, right? "Delilah, what would you say if I told you this world isn't a hub, but a convergence?" I asked her.
Delilah shivered, "Are you sure that was what she said?" she asked me. I thought she had been serious before, but now her eyes seemed to burn with an intensity I hadn't seen before. "Tell me exactly what she said." Delilah told me.
"You're buying that?" Micheal asked over the speaker.
"There is a lot you do not know about Micheal." Delilah replied without shifting her attention from me. "Master?"
I sighed, "She said to tell your little friend that this world isn't a hub, it is a convergence. That you could explain enough to understand the danger, but you didn't know everything, your knowledge should only be based on the refugees who are able to flee early on." I told her.
Delilah was silent for several long moments. Then Megan made a hasty turn causing Delilah to lose her balance then flip over onto her back her wings spread out below her while her butt hit the side of Grace's chair and her legs folded back over her making it look like she was trying out a difficult yoga pose.
"Sorry, nearly missed our turn." Megan apologized.
Delilah untangled herself then stood back up, gave Megan a glare then looked back to me as I tried to hide my smile.
Seeing my smirk she gave me a glare before she started to speak. "Any chance you might be willing to cancel our contract?" Delilah asked.
"I said I was sorry." Megan protested.
"Then be more careful." Delilah said irritably. "But to be serious a convergence is bad news for you humans, but it is incredible news for Enya and I. I wouldn't cancel our contract now unless my very existence was threatened." she told us.
I breathed out a loud sigh of relief. She had been a wealth of knowledge so far, but I wouldn't have forced her to stay if she really didn't want to.
Delilah sighed. "The fact that your mother can peer into the future says a lot about you too master, but that is a discussion that can wait for later." she told us.
"Is it really that bad?" I asked.
Delilah nodded her head. "We should probably wait until we reach this 'bachelor pad' we are heading too. That way I only have to say it once and not repeat answers repeatedly." she told me.
"We can hear you just fine." Micheal said over the speaker. "If it really is that bad, we should probably know sooner than later."
Delilah was silent for a moment. "Fine, convergences are incredibly rare…." Delilah started but was interrupted.
"Mom?!" Karen yelled worriedly.
I turned to look at Karen then my heart froze seeing the terrified expression on her face. "Mom?" she called again sounding scared.
Karen suddenly pulled the phone from her ear and looked at the screen as tears started to stream down her face. "Mommy?" she called again sounding desperate and afraid.
I quickly unbuckled my seat belt and shifted over to be beside her, my arms wrapping around her.
Karen let me pull her into my arms but her gaze never left her phone screen.
"Um guys?" Megan called pulling my attention away from Karen to look toward the front. Ahead of the car I could see a lot of cars stopped in front of us.
We were almost to the bridge that passed over the Salt River that ran alongside the 202. Beyond it we could make out the overpass that went over the 202 itself. The reason for the congestion was easy to see. Standing on the 202 overpass walking towards us was an enormous elephant. A giant elephant, that had to be at least thirty feet tall.