All the blood rushed out of Troy Davis' face when he heard the figure, and she quickly continued. "He is a private collector, and he is most enamored with this Chakram. We are prepared to negotiate."
Troy Davis sat down heavily on the armchair and dropped his head in his hands. Azar thought the man was about to cry.
"I don't have it. The guy came and picked it up yesterday."
Her heart sank and she felt like putting her head in her hands and crying right along with him. W.A.D already had Ibsali. Things just got a little more difficult. Mira interrupted the man’s internal self-flagellation.
"Could you tell us who the guy was? Perhaps we can persuade him to part with the Chakram. We'll throw in a finder’s fee for you if we can track him down, of course." Davis’ eyes lit up.
"I didn't catch his name. Big guy, brown hair. Quietly spoken. Good manners. It was a quick transaction, I gave him the ring and he gave me five hundred bucks. Only strange thing is, he must have walked here, because there wasn't any car."
Definitely W.A.D. The Weres would have run across the border, probably so there was no trace of their entry or departure from Canadian soil. Plausible deniability was important for a hate group.
Mira stood and thanked Troy for his time. Azar smiled reassuringly at the man and followed behind Mira. She was about to step off the porch, when she changed her mind. She pulled out her money clip and handed the man five hundred dollars. He tried to wave it away but Azar pressed it into his hand.
"No, I insist you take it. I feel bad you got shafted out of the proper price of the Chakram." She winked conspiratorially. "We'll just write it off as a business expense anyway." Troy Davis beamed at her and waved as they left. Azar smiled back, but her face fell as soon as they were back in the privacy of the SUV.
"So much for being out of here by tonight," Azar sighed as Mira started the car. "If the pack is a day ahead of us, we are going to have to either beat them to the border or wait for them back at the dens, and there’s no way the Pack Alphas will allow that." Mira was nodding, and dodging potholes in the winding driveway.
They stopped when they got back to the spot where they dropped Lida and Danian. Mira leaned out the window and whistled like a black bird, the predetermined sign to return to the meeting spot. They waited for two minutes, but neither Lida nor Danian returned. Mira whistled again, but another two minutes passed without either of the Adel returning.
"We'll go look for them. The W.A.D members should already be gone, but it can't hurt to be cautious. Take your gun." Mira nodded to the glove compartment where she'd stowed their guns before going in to talk to Troy Davis. "Signal if you find them. Twice if there’s a problem." Mira faded into the woods on the left side of the SUV, and Azar went to the right side.
She moved slowly through the woods, attempting to use the stealth moves that Bast had taught her during training. However, every footstep yielded almost deafening noise in the silence of the forest. She scanned the trees for any sign of Danian or Lida.
The birds fluttered noisily overhead, and every so often she would see a rabbit bounce through the undergrowth, but there wasn't any sign of trouble. She was turning back when she heard Mira whistle. And then whistle again.
Azar took off through the trees as fast as she could in the direction of the sound. She sprinted over the driveway and into the forest on the other side. She hurdled a fallen log, and dodged around a large birch tree, before running smack bang into Danian. Azar bounced off his chest and hit the ground with a thud, her head snapping back against the hard earth. She rolled to the side and cursed, lights flashing in her vision as she scrunched her eyes closed against the shooting pain in her head. When she opened them again, she was inches from Danian's face. Except he was upside down. She rolled onto her back and realized he was hanging from a tree by his feet. So were Lida and Mira; both women were squirming around and cursing a blue streak. Azar jumped to her feet, as her brain snapped back into working order.
If Danian was hanging from a tree, then who did she run into?
She whirled around and came face to chest with a man. His own face was silhouetted by the sun and she took two or three quick steps back. Far enough away, she got a good look at the guy. He was tall, and ordinary looking really, except for the pale, pale skin, tinged with green, like frost on the grass during winter. Azar backed away until she really bumped into Danian.
"The Green Man," she whispered, mostly to herself
"Call me Jack. I guess these belong to you?" He indicated her fellow Adel members hanging from the tree by vines. They reminded Azar of angry Christmas ornaments.
"Uh, yeah." She looked at Mira. "Killian is going to be pissed."
Mira just groaned.
Chapter 8
The Green Man, er Jack, cleared his throat and she turned back to him.
"Are you going to hang me up there too?" She was sidling closer to Danian, trying to subtly stand on the tips of her toes so that her knife would be at the right height for Danian's tied hands.
"Oh no. I was just waiting for everyone to arrive."
With that, he waved a hand and the vines unraveled, dropping the captives on the ground with a thud. Danian grabbed Azar’s knife out of her belt pouch on the way down.
Jack’s eyes swiveled to Danian. "There’s no need for that, Brother. I mean no harm to those who don't intend to hurt the forest. I quite abhor violence. It is part of my blessing but is also a curse. I can't raise a hand in violence unless someone intends to hurt the balance of nature. But that itself is balanced by the fact that even if you were to stab me until you could no longer lift your arm, I would not die.” He smiled serenely. “If you were to cut down this tree, or kill a creature you didn't intend to eat, we may have a problem though."
Danian put the knife back in her holster, though she knew he probably had enough knives on his person to start a culinary school.
Azar took the time to study the man in front of her. His skin wasn't just pale, it was translucent. His eyes were a moss green, but they were different to any eyes she had ever seen. Their irises were so huge that no whites showed, like a wolf's eyes. His hair was shaggy brown tufts, and stuck up from his head haphazardly.
She bit her lip thoughtfully. "I thought you'd be leafier, or greener."
Jack raised an eyebrow and Mira groaned. Azar figured that they were in about as much trouble as they could actually get, so there was no harm in honesty now.
Jack just shook his head and chuckled. "I thought you'd be hotter, Ifrit. I guess it was a day for being underwhelmed."
Danian laughed. He whispered something that sounded like ‘burn', but seeing how he wasn’t a frat boy, she decided she was probably mistaken.
"I can get far hotter, but I don't think you'd like the consequences." She turned over her palm and a little flame perched in her hand.
Jack stepped toward her, and everyone went into defensive stances. He waved them away and took her hand in his own. Azar had expected his skin to be cold, like marble, but he was surprisingly warm. He cupped her hand in his left, and put his right over her palm, extinguishing the flame. Azar was too shocked to even try and rip away her hand.
He'd just put out her flame. She didn’t think that was even possible unless you were another Ifrit.
"I'm not scared of a little fire, Ifrit. In fact, some things must turn to ash in order for new life to blossom."
He removed his hand from her palm and Azar just stared at the little flower that was nestled where her flame had been. He smiled at her, and she now had an intimate understanding of how Troy Davis must have felt in the presence of Mira. He didn’t just seem luminous, he was luminous, as the sun glinted off the crystalline quality of his skin. She couldn’t breathe. She looked at the flower, and at the Fae, her gaze bouncing back and forth between them. His wide eyes stared down at her intently.
Danian grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back to stand beside him, and it broke the spell. Azar swallowed the lump in her throat.
Azar knew that some of the Fae, especially the Seelie and Unseelie courts, could entrance a human, and lead them into Faery to entertain the Courts until they grew old and died. He must have been trying to entrance her; it made a creepy kind of sense.
Jack just grinned smugly. "Unfortunately mesmerism isn’t one of my abilities." He winked at Azar and she scowled back. "Let’s go back to my place, I believe I have something you'd like to see."
She felt a guilty blush creep up into her cheeks. She mentally berated herself as she followed the group back to the SUV. Mira looked hesitant; torn between not causing a Fae political incident, and getting the hell out of dodge so they could track down W.A.D.
When they got to the car, Azar got stuck between Danian and Lida again. As they bumped down the dirt road, Lida leaned over and whispered in her ear.
"I don't like you. The Ghul don't like you. You won't always have your family, your stupid boyfriend, or even the weak Marid around to protect you, and then we'll be coming for you." A chill ran down Azar's spine, but she didn't let it show. She just turned to Lida, both eyebrows raised incredulously.
“Bring it on, Rot Breath." She didn't whisper.
Danian turned to her, a frown on his face as he looked between the two women in the backseat with him. His hand touched hers ever so gently, and Azar knew that Danian had her back. He may not really care what happened to her, but he was Bast's friend. Plus, he had an inborn hatred of the Ghul, the exact opposite of the Jann.
Further conversation was halted as Mira stopped the car out the front of a tiny log cabin, half the size of Troy Davis'. Jack got out of the car and waved for them to follow. Mira looked at him, and then at the cabin, before ordering them all out of the SUV.
"Lida, stay out front and keep watch for any unwanted surprises." Lida nodded and took post next to the door. The rest of them followed Jack into the house.
The cabin was surprisingly roomy on the inside. It was an open plan, just one large area except the bathroom off the back. A fire burned to the left, but it was starting to smolder. Azar waved a hand at it, and it roared back to life. Jack grinned. It was a nice place, if a little rustic.
The cabin was split into two, an invisible line between them. On one side, a bed and a clothes chest sat in one corner, two big bookcases filled with old books in another, and the fireplace nestled between them. A big old couch perched in front of the fire and an oil painting of a woman, writing at a desk hung above the mantelpiece. A galley kitchen ran along the other wall, with a small scarred wooden table sitting in the middle of the room.
Jack indicated the couch. "Please, have a seat. I'll make coffee."
Mira narrowed her eyes. "We're fine, thank you."
Actually, Azar could use some artificial pep right now, but she kept her mouth shut. Mira knew what she was doing.
"I promise it is not spelled. All sustenance in my home is freely given and without expectation. On my honor." He bowed at the waist. She could have kicked herself. How could she forget that little nugget of fat folklore?
The Fae were tricky creatures, and liked to think they were smarter than everyone else. They conducted their lives as a series of favors and agreements. If they could get you to eat their food, through temptation, trickery or just stupidity, they would. And once you'd consumed a single mouthful, you owed them a favor. Doom on you if they decided the favor they requested was a lifetime of entertainment in the Unseelie Court. It was why it was drummed into paranormal children never to accept gifts, food or anything from strangers. That lesson had even trickled down into human folklore, but most just thought it was an old wives tale. Except in the Emerald Isle, where the Fae were most prevalent. There, those lessons stood as superstitions. Because so many of the Fae interactions involved bargaining and agreements, honor was paramount amongst their people. Therefore, they didn't lie.
They could omit the truth as much as the liked, but they never lied. Talking to a Fae was like walking on a knife's edge. It was better to listen to what they didn't say.
Mira gave Jack a hard look, judging his honor. Finally she shrugged, "I shall leave it up to my people. If they wish refreshment, it'll be on their heads." Danian shook his head and politely declined.
Azar would have preferred a direct order. In the end, she shrugged. "Sure, I'd love a coffee. But I'm under servitude for fifty years, so if you are being creative with the truth, you'll have to put off spiriting me away to Faery until after then," she joked. Jack laughed, and the sound came easily to him.
"I can assure you, Ifrit, I haven't spirited any beautiful women anywhere in the last millennium." He pulled two mugs from beneath the sink. "I grow my own beans around back. I hope you like your coffee strong and intense, Ifrit."
Coffee wasn't the only thing she liked strong and intense. She watched him turn towards the kitchenette, and squashed the thought down. Stop it, she growled to herself.
“My name is Azar,” she found herself saying despite her internal chastisement. He threw her a sultry look over his shoulder and inclined his head.
She bit her own lip hard to snap herself out of it, and went to look at the bookshelves in the far corner of the room. She glanced up at the rows of books. There seemed to be a variety: some very old hardbacks, some paperbacks from the General Store in Hearnes Creek, a magazine or two. She touched a first edition set of The Lord of The Rings reverently. They were in beautiful condition, and would easily be worth fifty thousand dollars.
"They are signed as well." Jack’s voice was right behind her and she jumped a little. "Your coffee."
She mumbled her thanks, finally sitting down. "If you come and live with me in my cabin, you can have them," he teased. She knew he was joking, but she was half tempted. She really liked Tolkien.
He leaned on the mantle, his coffee leaving a ring on the beautiful polished wood. His skin glittered like crushed diamonds, their sheen hiding the green tint to his skin. He waved a hand in front of the painting above the mantle, and it shimmered, dissolving. A glamor. What was left in its wake drew a gasp from Mira.
It was Ibsali.
"I think you may have been looking for this," he said as he took it down from the wall. Its bronze sheen glowed in the firelight. "I felt its energy as soon as it arose in my territory. I left it in the hands of Mr. Davis for as long as possible, but when I heard he'd put it onto the World Wide Web, I thought it might be best to intervene."
Mira reached out to take it from him, but he moved it out of her reach. "Unfortunately, this does come with a price."
Mira's eyes narrowed and Azar slumped back in her chair. She didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified that Ibsali wasn't in the hands of the Weres. At least they could have just taken it by force from them, like stealing candy from a baby. But to take it from Jack, the Green Man, a Fae unto himself? That was quite a different story.
"What do you want?" Mira's tone was terse; the politically correct niceties were slipping away. Jack just shook his head.
"It is not a deal I wish to make with you, but with your Councilors. I shall travel back to New York City with you, to address them personally." He screwed up his nose with distaste. As a creature of nature, he would probably be appalled by the smog, the traffic and unnecessary violence of her concrete jungle home. "Trust me when I say I have no nefarious designs. In fact, the topic I wish to discuss with the Council is of an extreme importance to both our people."
Mira stared at him in a way that would have made a normal man uncomfortable, her eyes measuring his worth. Finally, she threw one last longing look at Ibsali, and nodded.
Everyone sat in awkward silence until it became unbearable and Azar had to speak. She cleared her throat. "So, Jack, what brings you to Canada?"
Azar Nazemi, master of small talk, savior of awkward silences.
The bemused expression returned to Jack’s face. "Ah, North Ame
rica is the last refuge of true wilderness. There are very few of the great forests remaining in the old country, and I despair that within the next two hundred years, there will be none left anywhere." The sadness on his face broke her heart. She wanted to reach out and stroke his arm, to tell him that it would be alright. Instead, she made a soothing noise, but he didn't seem to hear her. He was gazing off into the distance, a wistful smile on his face. "If only you could imagine the magical things I have seen in my long life, the things that have been lost to the destruction of progress or become forgotten with the steady march of time. It’s almost unbearable. But progress must go on, and soon nature in all its forms will be damaged beyond repair, and so will I."
Azar didn't know for certain, but she had a suspicion that the fate of the world rested squarely on the shoulders of the Green Man. She'd heard Mira and Danian talking on the flight about the powers of the Green Man. It was rumored that if he died, so too would the world. It was why he was virtually indestructible. He could not be killed by mortal weapons, or by mortal hands, a rumor he’d confirmed himself. Mortals would certainly be the cause of the Green Man's demise, if the science behind the rate of global warming was correct.
Jack shook himself out of his reverie and smiled. "It is getting late. You are welcome to remain here, of course. I would not suggest driving the road back to Dease Creek. The road is treacherous in the daylight hours. At night, it would be certain death. Or there is the B'n'B in Hearnes Creek. Quaint little place, the owners make a fabulous continental breakfast."
Mira politely refused his invitation to stay at the cabin, but assured him they would check into the B'n'B for the night. Azar was secretly glad. She didn't want to spend the night deep in the wilderness with Mr.. Tall, Green and Handsome.
A wolf howled in the distance. Not such a strange sound in the wilderness, but Jack cocked his head to the side.
"There are Weres on my territory," he murmured thoughtfully.
The Azar Omnibus: The Complete Azar Trilogy (The Azar Trilogy Book 0) Page 30