by L.H. Cosway
“I think we should go,” I said breathlessly. “He’s not walking away from that, and the mist sounds pretty fucking angry right now.”
Finn’s expression was agonised. I could tell how hard it was for him to accept that this slayer was lost to the mist. A moment later he gave a small nod of resolve and called to the others, “Okay, everyone, let’s get out of here.”
Only one slayer seemed conflicted about leaving, but the others backed away slowly from the raging chaos.
“Come on, Owen, he’s gone,” Finn urged, grabbing the slayer and pulling him back.
“He was my best friend!” he cried out as Finn squeezed his shoulders and guided him away. Emotion caught in my throat at seeing the slayer’s grief over losing his friend.
When the mist saw that we were leaving the face faded away, and it became a huge black mass again. The magic inside of me sensed its triumph. It won that round, but we weren’t backing down, not by a long shot. Anger and injustice roiled within me. It came on quick, but suddenly I was furious. I made sure Finn had gotten far enough away before I turned on my heel and marched back toward the mist.
It parted for me, unable to infect me since I wasn’t completely human. Distorted screeching filled my ears, and I clamped my hands over them to block it out. It stayed at least two feet away from me, but it also circled me, trapping me in. The screeching was deafening—maddening. I started to wonder if perhaps this was a bad idea.
My ears rang, and the screeching began to sound like laughter. It was laughing at me. My eyes grew heavy, and when they drifted shut all I saw was fire and darkness. Then I saw a body lying on a rock, curled in on itself crying. My dad! The mist was showing him to me, showing me his pain and agony. It was almost like it was taunting me.
Just because I can’t infect your body doesn’t mean I can’t infect your mind.
“Shit! Get out! Get out of my head!”
A second later someone grabbed me and hauled me away from the dark. When I came to, I was sitting on the ground on the main street with Ira standing over me.
“You shouldn’t do that. You have power, but you are not indestructible, Tegan. None of us are,” he said.
This was the first time he’d addressed me by name.
I blinked, my heart swelling with hurt at the vision of my dad. “I just let my anger get the better of me,” I muttered, rubbing my chest. Thinking of Dad brought on physical pain.
“Anger breeds stupidity. The two often go hand in hand. Remember that.”
I squinted up at him. “I’m starting to think I liked you better when you didn’t speak.”
Ira actually laughed then, a deep, throaty chuckle. “Nobody likes a mirror held up to their flaws.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” I said with a sigh, my heart finally recovering its normal rhythm after what just happened. Ira took my hand and pulled me up, before guiding me across the street where Finn had assembled the slayers. It looked like he was debriefing them.
When we reached Finn, the slayers were already departing.
“What took you so long?” he asked. I shot Ira a look that said I didn’t plan on telling Finn about my stupidity facing the mist alone.
“I was waiting for Ira,” I lied, and Finn seemed to buy the excuse.
“The mist is getting stronger,” he said, perturbed. “It’s like we’re just pissing it off by trying to kill it.”
“I think you’re right,” I said, my worry building. If the mist kept getting stronger, then eventually we wouldn’t be a match for it.
Finn exhaled a tired breath. “I better drive you home. Ira and I will be gone tonight. Pamphrock’s asked that we guard Rebecca while he goes to visit her mother to get the blood for your spell.”
“But I haven’t even figured out what else I’ll need yet,” I said, panic rising.
“Then that’s what you can occupy yourself with while we’re gone,” he replied.
“I guess it couldn’t hurt to hit the books,” I admitted. “The sooner I know how to hide that little girl’s blood the better.”
As soon as Finn dropped me off, I grabbed the books I needed from Rita’s RV and brought them into the house with me. I also borrowed Finn’s laptop to check my email. I didn’t have high hopes for a response from E.J. Edwards, but when I logged into my account, there it was.
A brand-new email from Evan James Edwards. My heart pounded as I hovered the cursor over the message anxiously, praying that he’d written with info on how to bring Dad back. When I finally clicked on it, I read his response rapidly.
Dear Miss Stolle,
You were wise to contact me. I’ve read your very detailed email, and I understand that your situation is one of great urgency. I have unrivalled knowledge and experience pertaining to the methods of retrieving individuals such as your father, and I feel in this circumstance it’s my duty to put them to use. In truth, I have not encountered a predicament such as yours in a long time, and I feel a sense of invigoration for the challenge that lies ahead. I am an old man, and one last expedition into the realms I once journeyed through is something I have longed for, for quite some time. I will be boarding a flight first thing in the morning and will arrive in Tribane at approximately nine-thirty tomorrow night. I would like to get straight to work, so if you could please arrange to meet me at the airport, I would be much obliged.
At your service,
E.J. Edwards.
Holy hell. I scrambled for a pen and paper to write down the flight details he’d attached. That was when I saw that the email was sent yesterday, which meant he was arriving tonight. I glanced at the clock to see it was already seven-thirty. He’d be here in two hours! Why did this have to happen when nobody else was around?
Rita, Gabriel, Alvie, and Noreen had gone to visit a top-secret magic market outside the city for supplies, and they still weren’t back yet. Finn and Ira were on babysitting duty. That left only one option. I was going to have to go across the street to Ethan’s and ask for help.
In a hurry, I threw on a coat, grabbed my phone, keys, and wallet, and headed out the front door. I walked over to Ethan’s, but none of the lights were on, and it didn’t look like there was anyone home. I knocked on the door and was surprised when I heard footsteps coming down the staircase. A moment later the door swung open, revealing Ethan topless, messy-haired, and looking like he just pulled on a pair of jeans. The button above the fly was still undone. The V at his hips distracted me as I swallowed and dragged my eyes up to his face.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, curious. I’d forgotten that he’d normally only be waking up around now.
I coughed nervously. “Um, is Delilah around?”
“No. She and Lucas went out just a little while ago.”
I worried my lip. If Delilah wasn’t available, then my only option was to ask Ethan to bring me to the airport, and sitting alone in a car with him was likely to be rife with tension.
“What did you need Delilah for?” he asked, his voice gentler now. He must’ve sensed my nervousness.
“Do you know what happened to my dad?” I asked, tucking my hands into my coat pockets to stave off the cold.
“Yes, my sister informed me.”
“Well, I’ve been searching for a way to bring him back, and I found this guy who might know how to do it. He’s a physics professor who wrote a book about other dimensions. The thing is, he’s arriving at the airport tonight and I don’t want to meet him alone in case he turns out to be a lunatic.”
He ran a hand through his hair, hesitating. Great. He clearly felt awkward at my request for help. “Aren’t any of your friends around to accompany you?”
I shook my head.
Ethan swore under his breath, his jaw working. “I’ll go with you then.”
“That’s okay. I wouldn’t want to put you out.” I didn’t mean for that last sentence to sound so touchy, but it did.
“You aren’t going alone,” Ethan argued. “Give me a few minutes to get dressed, and I
’ll take you.”
He motioned me inside, and I stepped into the hallway, trying to look anywhere but at his naked torso. He silently closed the door and left me standing in the entryway as he went upstairs to get dressed. When he came back down, he was wearing the same jeans as before, with the addition of a T-shirt, jacket, and boots.
“What time does his flight land?” he asked, pulling out his car keys and pressing the button to unlock the door as we stepped outside.
“Um,” I said, rummaging in my pocket for the details I’d written down. “Terminal 3 at nine-thirty.”
“We should just about make it then,” Ethan said as we strapped ourselves in and he pulled away from the drive.
Silence fell between us. I didn’t know whether to turn the radio on or just sit in the quiet. Finally, Ethan spoke, “You should tell me the story of how you found yourself back in Tribane and working for the DOH.” He gave a casual shrug. “You know, to pass the time.”
I sputtered a laugh. “Right, because what we need is a topic that will make this car ride even tenser.”
“I’d like to know what it was that spurred you to conspire against me,” Ethan said, his expression blank.
I heaved an anxious breath. “It wasn’t like that. I had nothing against you. You just happened to be close to Whitfield, so it made sense to use you to get to Rebecca.”
“Use me?” Ethan questioned, jaw tensing.
“Wrong choice of words. You were the only person who could bring me closer to Rebecca. Saving her was my main goal.”
“And so, you just decided to destroy my reputation to achieve it.”
“I didn’t realise what would happen. I didn’t think Whitfield would blame you. I just thought …”
“What did you think?”
“I was stupid, okay? I shouldn’t have involved you as I did, and I apologise for that, but you have to admit kidnapping a child is fucked up. Didn’t you care at all that Whitfield planned to feed from Rebecca?”
Now his brows furrowed. “He didn’t plan to feed from her. He was merely holding her as leverage.”
I stared at him, suddenly realising that Ethan didn’t know about Rebecca’s blood. I fell silent, and he frowned. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing,” I said, and he frowned harder. He must’ve put two and two together because a moment later he swore profusely in Romanian.
“The girl … she is like you?” he whispered.
I didn’t confirm or deny his theory. Ethan swore some more. “That bastard.”
Another stretch of silence fell. I peeked at him out the corner of my eye and saw he’d calmed down a little. “You forgave Delilah for joining up with us,” I whispered. “Can’t you ever forgive me, too?”
“Delilah recognised that she was in danger with Whitfield rising to power. Something I was too blind to see at the time. I understand why she left, and I’ve forgiven her for it. You, on the other hand, weren’t in a life or death situation. You decided to betray me all of your own accord. Nobody was holding a gun to your head. I took you into my home, a place very few humans have ever stepped foot, while you were living under the roof of a slayer and plotting against me.”
I flinched at the venom in his words, tears threatening to spill out. I thought we’d made some headway, but he still wasn’t over it, not by a long shot. I bit back my tears, my resolve firming.
“You know what, Ethan? I might’ve spied on you, but don’t you think, even in some small way, that it was warranted? Sure, you didn’t agree with Whitfield’s decision to kidnap Rebecca, but you didn’t do a whole lot to prevent it from happening either.”
His jaw ticked. “My hands were tied—”
“That’s a bit of an easy excuse, isn’t it?”
“You have no idea about the intricacies of power in the vampire world. Even if I had outright rebelled against Whitfield’s decision to kidnap the girl, he could’ve compelled me to stop. He is older and I was under his direct command.”
At this, I deflated a little, staring into my lap. “Can we just agree that both of us were in unfavourable positions then? Knowing what I know now, perhaps I would’ve told you the truth, asked for your help. But sadly, I can’t turn back the clock. None of us can.”
A deep frown marred Ethan’s features as he gazed straight ahead. He didn’t reply, but I sensed he was dealing with some deep inner turmoil. Maybe I just needed to give him more time to come around.
When we arrived at the airport, the arrivals gate was bursting with people waiting for friends and loved ones to arrive. I was distracted when Ethan touched the small of my back to guide me through the crowds. I stepped away from him, putting some distance between us. If he wasn’t prepared to forgive me, then I wasn’t going to let him touch me anymore. There would be no more stolen moments, no more secret trysts where he claimed to hate me yet couldn’t keep his hands off me.
Ethan didn’t comment on me moving away from him as we stood watching people walk through the gate. “I’ve spotted your professor,” he said after a few minutes. “Don’t approach him just yet. I sense something in him. He’s not entirely human.”
Ethan motioned me over to a quiet corner where we could observe Edwards from afar. I scanned the crowd until I finally spotted him. He stood on the other side of the wide hall, looking around at the people who passed him, a brown leather suitcase at his side. He looked the same as he did in his picture, but now I could see that he was less than five feet tall. People towered over him.
“If he’s not completely human, then what is he?” I asked Ethan. “He just looks like a normal little old man.”
“I can smell demon blood in him.”
My eyes widened. “So, there are demons now, too? Fabulous.” I was just getting my head around vampires, dhampirs, witches, warlocks, and shapeshifters. Now I had to add demons to that list as well.
“There is everything,” Ethan said. “Most of the myths adults told you as bedtime stories held some truth.” His attention returned to Edwards. “One of his parents was of demonic origins, that would be my guess.”
“Well, it makes sense that he isn’t human. No human would know how to retrieve a person from another dimension. Come on, let’s go and introduce ourselves. You’re a vampire. Surely you can handle a little old half-demon.”
“Wait,” Ethan said, but I was already gone.
Edwards spotted me immediately as I approached him, a big smile lighting up his face.
“I take it you’re Tegan,” he greeted enthusiastically. He reminded me of Bilbo Baggins, setting off on an adventure. I shook his offered hand before his attention went over my shoulder, and I knew Ethan was standing behind me. “And who is this fine strapping young fellow?” Edwards asked, taking in my vampire companion.
“Ethan Cristescu, it is a pleasure to meet you, Professor Edwards,” Ethan introduced himself, all charm and chivalry. Too bad he couldn’t use some of that with me.
“My word, of the Romanian Cristescus?” Edwards questioned.
“The very same,” Ethan said, seeming pleased that this man knew of his family.
“Well, it truly is an honour. I confess I didn’t expect to be meeting with vampire royalty tonight. Life is just full of surprises.”
Ethan was vampire royalty? How did that work? I remembered something about his father being powerful, but I didn’t know he was considered royalty.
“We better get going,” I said, eager to get out of there.
“Of course, lead the way,” Edwards said, allowing Ethan to carry his suitcase.
When we reached the car, Edwards insisted that we make a start on things right away. He didn’t want to spare a single moment. “You’ll need to find me a small animal, preferably a cat or a dog. Then we must visit the location where the dimensional door was opened,” he said, getting straight to business.
“Okay,” I replied while he began rummaging in his bag, pulling out all sorts of random items. I caught sight of a magnifying gla
ss and a high-end digital alarm clock.
“What do you need a cat or a dog for?” I asked, eyeing him in my overhead mirror.
He waved me off, now flicking through a deck of cards and securing the stack with a rubber band. “It’s just a necessary component for my journey. Nothing to concern yourself about.”
“We can stop by an animal shelter on the way,” Ethan said.
“You’re not planning on hurting it, are you?” I asked with suspicion and worry.
Edwards, who had so far only been polite and jovial, now looked at me in annoyance, letting out a frustrated sigh. “If you insist on knowing, then I shall tell you. I need the animal because what I fundamentally endeavour to do by retrieving your father is to fool the dimension into believing that he is still there. In order to do that, I will require a life force to take his place. Now, isn’t it easier that I use an animal for this, rather than stranding another human in hell?”
“I can’t send a dog or a cat to hell,” I said, the very idea weighing on my conscience.
“Do you want your father back or not?”
“Well, yes, but—”
“Would a chicken work?” Ethan interjected. “I know a small farm along the way.”
“A chicken should be fine,” Edwards replied.
I was about to argue further, but Edwards was right. I wanted my dad back. I didn’t want to send a poor chicken to hell, but it was a necessary evil. I settled in, hoping that whatever this night had in store, I’d get my father back by the end of it.
9.
The chicken clucked inside its cage as we drove to Sycamore Strand. I chewed my lip, guilt threatening to drown me over one chicken. Ethan compelled the owner of the farm to give it to him. In the grand scheme of things, it was a small crime. Chickens faced worse fates in factory farms, right?
Ethan parked as close to the cave as he could, and then we got out, assisting Edwards with the various bits and pieces he insisted were required for his journey, including the caged chicken. I said a silent apology to the little bird as I used the flashlight on my phone to light our way, though it seemed I was the only one who needed it. Both Ethan and Edwards appeared to have perfect night vision. I, on the other hand, was tripping over stones and getting my feet tangled in clumps of seaweed at every turn. The salty sea air filled my nose. The waves were high, and the sounds of them reminded me of the night of the ritual that brought Theodore back.