by T. G. Ayer
Dad nodded and then gave a sigh. “It’s a choice we need to make, honey. Either we get on with life as we know it, or we tread water in the hopes things go right back to normal.”
“How about we tread for a little bit and then go back to normal?” I asked quickly, my tone more reasonable now. “I feel like we ought to wait a bit in case the fae court loses their shit what with Grams now AWOL and unreachable. They may come back and try to use one of our family members as leverage to get Grams to return with them.”
Mom nodded and so did Logan, though Dad appeared to be resisting the idea, blue eyes flashing. Then, after a long tense moment, he said, “There’s way more going on here than meets the eye.”
The words sent a trill of worry down my spine. Evie had said the same thing not so long ago. And I was now beginning to believe her. Exactly what she knew, I wasn’t all that certain, but Dad must have some idea.
“What do you mean?” I asked him slowly, eyes focusing on his face. “What else is happening?”
Dad met my gaze and then shook his head. “I’m pretty sure it’s something to do with our psychic link to the Fae we’re descended from.” As he spoke, he glanced at Cassie’s bent head, eyes widening as he hesitated.
As though she’d read his mind, or had eyes at the top of her head, she looked up at him and replied, “Ivy confided in me a long time ago as to the nature of her true heritage, her familial ties to the Fae Court, and the danger her family faces from certain factions of the fae ruling families.”
Dad’s eyes widened before looking first at Mom and then me. “Alright, then. I guess we have no secrets here.” His voice was strained, almost cool.
I was pretty sure only I saw Cassie flinch. Ever so slightly, but enough for me to have caught the movement.
I cleared my throat. “So? What do you believe is going on? What do they want?”
He sighed. “I think they want her back home, possibly to take over the role Trieste left empty.”
I still found it hard to believe she’d disappeared so efficiently. “So nobody has been able to find Trieste? Not in all these years?”
He shook his head. “No. Some say she went into hiding in order to keep us safe. Others say she escaped into one of the lesser known realms in the DarkWorld. To be honest, Trieste could have hidden in any number of places, unless of course she slipped up and was tracked down.”
I nodded. “Or been brought home without a say in the matter the way Tara was,” I said, still feeling the loss of my fae friend.
“Exactly,” Dad replied with a nod. Then his brow creased. “Any chance of contacting Tara and getting her input on the whole thing? Maybe she can give us some idea of what to expect from the different factions and courts. I can barely keep track of the courts I know we’re directly linked to.”
“Would be nice if someone could fill me in on those details, you know,” I muttered, though everyone ignored me, other than Logan who of course had to turn his soft chuckle into a choked cough. I ignored him and cleared my throat to add, “Tara’s off the grid. I’ll see if I can get a hold of her but I can’t promise. For now, I think we need to keep our circle as small as possible. Just us in this room will know more or less what happened. The kids and Baz and Lily don’t really need to know anything more than this was an attack and we’re trying to figure out who is responsible. The mission to Mithras is also too important and I think we should keep Grams’ current whereabouts under wraps indefinitely.”
Dad nodded. “Perhaps you ought to find a different location for meetings and training?”
I smiled and shared a glance with Logan who was nodding absently. “Yeah. We’ll take mission control over to Tara’s workshop, so that’s sorted. There shouldn’t be any raised eyebrows about that. And if Mom goes to stay with Grams, we can just say she’s away on an Elite mission.”
Everyone was murmuring agreement, though nobody looked at all happy with the decision to lie our closest friends. I knew for sure I felt worse than all of them put together. Because I’d have to lie to Darcy, Nerina and Mel too.
I was so not looking forward to the web of lies we were slowly building.
10
Mom and Dad left a half hour later and only Logan remained with me, leaning against the wall beside the bed in a taut silence until Cassie gave me a nod that said it was time to get moving. “Probably best to get her away before the Fae King realizes that Barry isn’t who he’s looking for.”
“He’d have to catch Barry first,” I said dryly.
Cassie lifted her palm up as though something sat in her hand. “The king of the Fae, an ancient powerful creature capable of controlling the five elements of nature.” Then she looked at her other hand. “Demon overlord, high-level, fairly powerful, total melanin deficiency, cool dreads.” She twisted her lips and moved her head left to right. Then she squinted as though thinking really hard. “Nah. I’d put my money on the Fae King eating Barry for lunch.”
I snorted. “Whatever.” I wasn’t surprised she’d come down on the opposing side of Baa’ruk. The two of them had history, which was piquing my curiosity to the nth degree.
I got to my feet and met Logan’s eye for a moment. He pushed off the wall, unfolding his arms as he stepped forward to follow me to the door. Once outside in the hall, he shut the door gently then gathered me in a bear-hug.
“Things never get boring around you, do they?” he said, warm breath caressing my ear.
“I try to keep things exciting. I heard it’s good for relationships. Best to keep your guy on his toes,” I said, moving out of the comfort of his arms to meet his eyes. I couldn’t stay enveloped within his embrace for too long simply because I knew it would bring my emotions to the surface.
I was way too close to exploding, what with everything that had happened over the last few weeks. I’d escaped a murder frame-up and then been electrocuted enough to fry more than a few brain cells. I was lying to my father about my strokes, and still trying to handle Grams’ revelation of being a descendent of the Fae.
We had Lily’s recovery from pariah to normal walker, and Mom’s slow road to regaining her health after being experimented on, not to mention helping Mel with extracting Saleem from Mithras, plus a few of us having to face demons we hadn’t expected when we finally did set out on that mission.
And then there was Logan and his debacle back in Drakys where he needed help with the rebellion. Every drama in our lives seemed to be spinning on max around us, giving none of us a moment to breathe. I had to wonder when we’d begin to fall apart at the seams.
We had the Ni’amh to think about too, all five of us, which included our spacefaring shapechanger. Guess we had a meeting in our near future where that particular piece of info would be discussed.
Logan must have seen the turmoil in my eyes because he gave me a sad smile followed by another quick hug. “Hang in there, Kai. Let’s just take this one step at a time.”
I nodded and plastered an agreeable smile on my face. “I think that’s probably best. I don’t think I can prepare further than a few hours for anything right now.”
“Just focus on getting Grams safe and settled. I’m assuming you’re going to opt to send your mom over to stay with Ivy?”
“Seems like the best option. And if these guys are as good with their medical technology as they are with first aid, I think they’re likely to give her a helping hand in the healing department.”
Logan nodded. “If they’re that good, they could probably do something to help your mom, right?”
I sighed. “If we can convince her to go. Right now, we need Grams safe and then Saleem and his people set free. Then, we can take a short breather and figure out any other outstanding drama. And after that--“
Logan pressed a finger to my lips. “Nothing after that. Just get this done and get back fast. That’s an order.”
I snickered. “Oh? So now you’re pulling rank?”
“Totally my prerogative. It’s a guy thing.”
I punched him chest lightly. “You mean it’s a bossy general-king thing. Just don’t let it get to your head, buddy.” I smiled and stepped away before reaching for the door.
He’d better not think of kissing me if he knows what’s good for him.
Logan stood on the threshold then gave Cassie a firm nod. “Take care of my lady, Cass,” he said, his tone conversational though holding a distinctly serious note, as though a decibel or two was all it would take to ensure I remained safe while away.
The man always made me smile.
Logan looked over at me as I sat beside Grams. “I’ll keep things running while you’re gone. Just don’t take too long,” he said softly as he cast a glance over at Grams, expression forlorn. He was close enough to her to also feel bereft in her absence.
Cassie cleared her throat. “We can’t take too long anyway. I need to be back for a meeting in the morning with Director Gilfillan and Mel.”
I looked at Cassie, curious now, and so did Logan. “What’s the meeting about, if I may ask?” he said.
She shrugged and said, “Just to get Mel up to speed on mission details. Gilfillan’s only got me on board because Ivy gave him a list of agents already on your team. Courtesy face, nothing more. He’s not been all that open with me, although he wants to talk before the meeting with Mel, so I’m guessing he’ll be briefing me on the details before she comes in.”
I took a breath. “Is Sentinel even going to be of any help to us?” I asked. “I feel like we’re wasting our time with them. We should just get on with the mission.”
Logan chuckled. “You and Mel both, huh?”
I rolled my eyes and met Cassie’s grin with one of my own. “Let’s get moving then, so we can get back ASAP. I’m just not sure if I have the headspace to be dealing with a mission to djinn-land and also be worried about the Fae Court wanting to abduct my family.”
“One thing at a time, girl. One thing at a time,” said Cassie, her tone even, though still comforting. Logan gave us both a nod, then threw me a cheeky wink before slipping out the door in silence.
As the door closed softly, I turned to look at Grams. “So how do we do this?” I asked Cassie, a little worried now how this was going to work.
“Horner’s ready when we are. We have a jumper to take us to the portal for transport to Av’rith.” Cassie was now all business, which was exactly what I needed.
“Is that your space station?”
“Nope, it’s the name of our universe. Some portions of Av’rith overlap with those of the EarthWorld’s known star systems, which a few of our researchers suspect may help us explain in more detail how the DarkWorld Universe works in terms of portals and realms and even the Veil. It’s all very interesting, but for now, let’s get ourselves moving to the portal. And just a heads-up…this isn’t your average portal.” Cassie had spoken with such a serious tone that I hadn’t wanted to disturb her monologue.
“No jumping into dark water?” I asked, smiling to ease the sober mood.
“No jumping into dark water.”
Quirking an eyebrow, I asked, “No portal keys?”
“No portal keys,” she replied, smirking.
“Now you have me curious.” She really did. This was getting interesting.
“Excellent.” Cassie clapped her hands together, satisfied she’d piqued my curiosity. “Now let’s get Ivy moving before she begins to regain consciousness too early.”
“Is the sedative going to wear off soon?”
“It’s not supposed to, but Ivy is fae and walker, so I can’t be entirely certain of the dosages.” Cassie shrugged, as though nonchalant, although I knew for a fact that drug dosages were no joking matter when it came to supernaturals. Alcohol and medications were the two main things we had trouble with, mostly requiring doses that would kill a normal person.
I followed Cassie’s instructions as we carefully transferred Grams into a wheelchair. We’d just about gotten her strapped in when a stoney-faced man thrust the door open with not even the courtesy of a knock before he entered.
High Councilman Horner walked in just behind the heavyset man and gave me a comforting smile, ignoring the other agents complete lack of respect or manners.
“It’s going to be fine, Kai,” Horner said, reaching to take a hold of my hands, his grandfatherly comfort. “Cassie will take Ivy to safety for now. And you have my word. We will do everything to keep Ivy safe. And your family as well.”
After his initial show of empathy, Horner was all business as he supervised the final moments of jumping Grams, Cassie and myself, to the portal location. Our jumper turned out to be the rude and rotund man whose eyes flicked briefly over Cassie and me with a cool arrogance. I paid him little attention, no time for attitude from anyone as I briefly considered my soot-covered clothing and tangled hair littered with debris. I was in no condition to make a good first impression. Which was pretty much my luck in such circumstances.
The last thing I saw before we disappeared was Horner’s expression--filled with concern. We certainly weren’t alone in being worried.
11
We arrived in a dark and pungent alley, the streetlamp casting mostly light on the wet cobblestones. Music throbbed from within the building but I didn’t ask Cassie any questions, just followed her lead in silence. Thankfully, the alley itself was deserted, no doubt scouted out beforehand by our unfriendly, and as yet unnamed, method of transport.
The jumper—a rather large, round man with sausage-like fingers and black eyes that had sunk deep into his face—simply deposited us in the alley and disappeared, leaving Cassie glaring at thin air.
“Rude,” she muttered as she guided the wheelchair around a discarded bag of pungent fish-heads and headed down the alley to the main street, wiggling her nose as though the movement was enough to oust the stink. I held my nose the entire way, my feline sense of smell on overdrive.
The source of the throbbing sounds turned out to be a downtown bar, much like O’Hagan’s, where the night was filled with music and life even when the evening was closer to sunrise than sunset.
“Is he always like that?” I asked, still annoyed with the jumper.
“No idea. Never seen him before. He didn’t even introduce himself.” Cassie sounded pissed even though she pretended to be blasé.
“Must be new?” I suggested.
“I doubt it. Most newbies know they need to work hard to develop relationships that mean something more than a jump here and a jump there. They’re human cabs, for all intents and purposes, and you won’t go calling a cab round again when the driver’s been a dick, will you?”
“Not a chance,” I replied, happy to make small talk as we entered the bar and scanned the dark, overly warm interior.
Music blared and bodies crowded the dance-floor and I had to wonder if I was already way too old for having a good time. Just watching the undulating dancers made me bone-tired.
“So, our jumper’s a jaded cabbie, knows his services are indispensable and knows he doesn’t need to be nice or polite to keep a job,” I said.
“Exactly.”
“Can I assume the Elite Agency will no longer be requiring the services of said jumper?” I asked, raising my voice now as we drew closer to the ear-shattering music.
“You can assume so,” she hollered with an almost evil smirk. “Although, I wouldn’t put it past the guy to make a complaint on the grounds of size discrimination or some shit like that. We once had a disgruntled jumper who complained that we were side-lining him because he was too short.”
“You’re kidding,” I said, laughing as I imagined a pint-sized jumper attempting to go nose-to-nose in an argument with Cassie. Well, given her height, it would be more like nose-to-boob or something. I stifled my laughter as the owner of said boobs directed me to a little back room which sat off a narrow hallway marked with large arrows directing patrons to the restrooms.
Once inside the small room, Cassie shut and locked the door, then turned around to face Grams a
nd me. Poor Grams was still out for the count, and I knew she’d be horrified to find out how she’d been transported around so unceremoniously. Good thing I didn’t plan to inform her about this particular portion of the journey. Everyone knew certain omissions to a story only made the overall retelling all the more interesting.
Clapping her hands lightly, Cassie said, “Take a seat, Kai.” She waved at the two typist chairs parked beside a steel work desk. And hold onto something. The ride itself isn’t rocky, but the motion may make you feel a little seasick.”
I nodded slowly, not entirely sure what she meant and wondering if it could be at all similar to Logan’s airsickness from his own dragon shifter portal crossings. Still, how different could this particular portal jump be anyway? I remained silent though, and just sat on the nearest chair, holding onto the edge of the table.
Cassie followed suit though only after engaging the brakes on Grams’ wheelchair with a toe. As soon as she settled herself in, the room began to vibrate and shift, the air around us taking on a strange haziness, as though slowly turning into liquid.
Then, ever so slowly, the movement of the room began to feel familiar, mimicking an elevator car ascending a little too fast. The air shifted along my face and I sat hard against the back-rest, body pasted against the cushioning.
Thankfully, Grams remained blissfully unaware as the room surged through the air—either literally, magically or ethereally—taking much longer to complete the trip than I’d expected.
To be fair, I wasn’t sure what I thought was going to happen. Perhaps I was far too used to the idea of a portal key and jumping off the edge of land and into black water.
A small room racing into the air wasn’t exactly my idea of a jump through the Veil.
At last, I sensed a change in the speed of our headlong dash into who-knew-where, and the room began to slow down.
“Is the entire room moving or is that just a projection of some sort?” I asked, hoping to make small talk again and distract myself. Cass had been right about the stomach-churning nature of the ride.