“Wait…” I said, considering it in a new light. “If it’s already activated, does that mean that no time has passed between our worlds?”
Mallory nodded, a very dark grin marking his features. “Aye, Laddie.”
I jumped to my feet. “It’s time to be a hero!” I hooted, but banged my head on the low overhang. “Gah!” I grouched, rubbing my head and crouching.
“Yeah, that shouldn’t become a thing, Wylde. Please,” Talon chuckled.
I glared at him, motioning for them to follow me. “Let’s go talk to the others. This shit’s crazy, and I need to spread it around a little bit. And we probably shouldn’t overstay our welcome since everyone knows this thing is here right now…”
Chapter 35
We sat around the orange stone, eating dried… something. It was meat, but I didn’t ask for details beyond that. It was smoked and cured, so I tried my best not to guess. Which wasn’t hard, since it tasted like nothing I had ever eaten before. Like a dried, herbal fruit.
Everyone was doing their best not to stare at me, especially at my ears, as if they would see points growing from the tips at any moment. All that attention was enough to make me twitch.
Mallory growled. “He’s not a fucking fairy. He’s something…” he trailed off, finally waving a hand uselessly.
“Else,” Yahn offered.
“He’s our fucking friend,” Talon growled, eyeing the rest of the gang with slanted eyes. Gunnar frowned at him thoughtfully, almost a flicker of jealousy, as if wondering who was my best friend, now. Like a jilted girlfriend.
I threw a pebble at him and he flinched. Wulfra chuckled, squeezing Gunnar’s arm affectionately. “It’s not a pissing contest, boys…” she soothed.
Gunnar grunted. “Sorry. I guess it’s the only part of the story that I can relate to,” he said, then winced at how that sounded. “Sorry, Nate.”
“Wylde,” Talon spat. “Here, he is Wylde. Get used to that, because if shit goes down and you forget to treat him like the king he is, you’re going to be whispering that name while choking on your own blood. Names have meaning, here, Wulfric,” he emphasized the last word in a hiss.
Gunnar looked territorial and angry, but finally backed down, nodding. “No disrespect meant, Talon,” the werewolf muttered, shaking his head. “It’s like I’m two different people right now. Trying to pick which one is most important is… difficult.”
Yahn shrugged, seemingly more interested in his hand as he held it up to the light, admiring the translucent crystal flesh. Talon tensed, spotting a reflected rainbow, but I placed a restraining hand on his forearm. He flinched, then dipped his head in embarrassment. I grinned at him, shaking my head for him to let it go. Fucking cats and shiny things. No matter how bloodthirsty the feline, they see a shiny and lose their shit.
Luckily, Pegasus and Grimm were away from us, near the entrance to the cave. They had been taking turns scouting the night – which had fallen like the drop of a hat, startling the living hell out of everyone but Talon, Mallory, Ashley, and myself. Now that I thought about it, sitting here in this cave, experiencing the sudden change from day to night was actually nostalgic.
Which sent a strange feeling to my fingertips. I had been… raised here.
Alucard let out a breath. “That’s…” he struggled for the right words. “I don’t know if something can be beautifully terrifying or not. But, what I’m trying to say is that it’s incredibly sweet to hear about your parents, but understandably unsettling to wonder about what it all means.”
I nodded, glancing up at Mallory. His eyes were distant, and for some reason, he still looked uneasy. As if not all had been shared yet. I didn’t think it wise to press him on anything in front of the others, but you could bet your ass I would corner him in private. If he was uneasy to tell me something else after what he had already shared, how freaking bad was it?
Yahn cleared his throat, then sprawled out on the stone, eyeing me. His gaze was entirely troubling. Not because he looked so different, but because those eyes were just so… absolute. Much different than the incessantly nervous weredragon I had brought here. “What does that make you, Wylde?” he asked respectfully.
I opened my mouth to fire off a quick retort. That I was the same as I had always been.
But… what exactly was that? Was my birth the cause of all the strange stuff that happened to me? How I so easily adopted my Beast, accepted my wild side from Fae, killed a god, and been offered a Horseman Mask? It was something to ponder.
I turned to Mallory, letting him know I had the same question.
He sensed everyone’s attention, and snapped out of it. “Nobody knows what – exactly – you are, Wylde. No one. Not your parents. Not me. Not the Horsemen. Not the Gods.” He met my eyes, looking very savage and… concerned. “No one…”
I frowned, not upset with him, but upset that I didn’t have an immediate answer. “Is this why I pick up so many… afflictions?” I asked, ticking off fingers as I spoke of the various powers I had wielded in recent years.
Mallory sighed wearily. “It must be. No one has been able to do what you have. Ever. You make other beings concerned. And I’m talking beings that are never concerned.”
“Gods?” Alucard sniffed. “No offense, Mallory. The other ones.”
Mallory snorted. “There are gods, and then there are Gods…” he said, enunciating the difference.
I sat up, blinking. “Excuse me?” I asked.
He sighed. “We are about to have a visitor, and I don’t think any of you are going to like it, but it must be so,” he said, brushing off his hands.
Talon jumped to his feet, hissing and spitting as his tail trebled in size, hair sticking straight up. A millisecond later, Grimm skidded into the cavern, his horn tearing through part of the low-hanging ceiling, not causing him any discomfort, just annoyance. What the hell was that thing made of if it could simply break solid stone and not cause him to blink? “One man approaches. He’s holding up a leaf.”
The rest of the gang jumped to their feet, now. Wulfra and Wulfric slid up to either side of the cave entrance, ducking back into the shadows, despite their size. Alucard and Yahn stepped up before me, squaring their shoulders, one gold, one crystal. I couldn’t see their faces, but I could imagine.
Talon stood beside me, a step ahead, actually, suddenly gripping his spear. He could make it appear and disappear at will. I wondered where he had gotten it, and if I had been there.
Because as much as some memories had returned, I hadn’t exactly caught up on decades worth of my childhood in the span of an hour. It came back in bits and pieces that didn’t seem to make sense, and in no particular order. Eating with my parents and Talon, watching storms together over steaming mugs of tea. Playing games in the tall grass. Even hunting in the woods. Learning magic from my parents.
I gasped.
Not… magic. They had tried to teach me wizard’s magic.
But… I had responded with the Fae form of magic, like I had seen Wylde use. At the time, I had been too young to realize the difference, simply assuming I had succeeded in their request. But now, seeing it as a memory, I was able to remember the looks on their faces, and of Pan studying me nearby, leaning forward intently, face pale.
I shook off the feeling as I heard Mallory call out in a booming voice. “He comes in peace, or he leaves in pieces…”
My friends grumbled approval, and I heard a very familiar voice respond.
“Oh, I come as a friend. To one who has done me a great service, how could I come as anything else?” Oberon asked. I glanced, well, through Yahn to see the Goblin King standing a dozen paces before the entrance, one hand held high with a large single leaf. His other palm was low, open, and facing us.
Pegasus called out. “He comes alone. Which is very brave…”
He sounded disappointed that he wasn’t going to be able to kill something yet.
The air was tense and silent as they waited for something, I wasn’t sure what. Then it hit me.
“He may enter,” I said neutrally. “If he offers his word of safekeeping for all those present.”
Oberon chuckled. “I mean no one any harm, here. Least of all, you. You’ve done me a service, as you said you would. You could call me surprised, and a little frustrated that I must come to you as a beggar to repay you… But I do have questions.” His eyes locked onto Mallory. “And we need to talk about your entrance into my realm. This is not a threat, but there must be payment. We had an agreement…”
Mallory nodded. I squinted at him, this being the first I had heard of any payment owed. Mallory owed… rent for coming here to save Ashley? Why hadn’t he said anything to me about that? And why didn’t he look very concerned?
“Enter,” I commanded, and my bodyguards relaxed.
This should be fun.
Chapter 36
Oberon strolled past the invisible line marking the cave entrance, and the wolves casually stepped out. Oberon didn’t even flinch, merely speaking under his breath as if he had known they were here all along. “I lured some… well, they’re more lethal than the deer you’re used to back home. But they might provide you some entertainment while I speak with your leader.” Wulfric sniffed the air instinctively, but his eye never left Oberon. The Goblin King smiled, placating. “Or you are more than welcome to stay here and listen in. Consider it a peace-offering. I haven’t heard of many skirmishes, even after the alarm, and you need to keep your beast fed during your first visit to Fae. Suppressing it is not good.”
Then he walked on. Gunnar shot me a look, and I waved him off. “We’ll be fine. But you’re more than welcome to stay…” I said, sensing the feeling of hurt from him. I sighed. “I value your insight, and would love for you to stay here…” I said, letting my offer stand for a moment as Oberon situated himself between Alucard and Yahn, directly across from Mallory and I. “But I would appreciate you giving some time to Wulfra even more. Cherish your time together. Remember why you came…” I said.
Which was a double warning.
Not only should he do exactly that for the obvious reasons – that she was his fiancée.
But that he needed to feed that human side of his heart. Hunting would feed both. Sating his beast, but doing so with the woman that he loved. She had survived this place already. Spending private time around her would let him drop his guard a little around the woman he trusted most in this world. Being around me right now would only keep him on edge and defensive.
A dangerous combination when struggling to merge with his wild side for the first time.
And keeping him away from Talon was also smart, because that feeling of jealousy between them was still alive and well. I hoped it shifted to a mutual camaraderie soon, because I didn’t have time to deal with pettiness. We were all friends.
This wasn’t the bestie Olympics.
Wulfra nipped at Wulfric playfully, and then darted from the cavern. Wulfric snarled back in amusement, shot me one last look, and then slipped away, too. I reached out to Grimm.
Look alive.
I heard a very tired sigh in my mind. You know that your snippets of conversation mean literally nothing to me more often than not. I always look alive. Because I am alive.
I growled back. Stay alert for threats. Ambush. Trickery.
That snapped his humor off immediately, and a sense of wariness entered our bond. Then he faded from my mind, taking to the air to make sure we were safe and that Oberon hadn’t led an army here in disguise.
I finally turned to Oberon. He was studying Talon thoughtfully, even scratching his clean-shaven face. He looked at once annoyed, curious, and concerned.
I snapped my fingers. “I’ll cut to the chase, since letting you two lead the conversation is just going to give us all a headache.” Mallory snorted, and Talon purred approvingly. Oberon simply shrugged, turning his attention to me. “You mentioned that… Pan came here uninvited and owes you something for that. Elaborate. Because you could have approached him at any time to make good on that. But you arrive just after we do.”
Oberon studied me, as if debating how to answer. Then his eyes swept over the cave, and he scratched at his arms, frowning. “What is this place? I can honestly admit I’ve never been here before. Nor been aware of it. And now that I am here, I sense faint residues of magic. Something that had been blocking this area from sight…” he trailed off, studying each of us in turn, even Yahn and Alucard. “And of all the places I find you, Nate, it is in such a place…”
Mallory cleared his throat. “I needed privacy. A mutual friend was dying and I needed time to heal her. This was my last and only option for success.”
I noticed he had very carefully avoided Oberon’s questions. And that this conversation had many fatal pitfalls. Oberon had once set his brother Pan to find my parents, and I wasn’t entirely sure how we had gotten away with that, or what Pan had told Oberon. He obviously hadn’t mentioned this cave… But why? If it was all over and done, why keep this place safe? Why not just destroy it? Wash off the cave drawings so that none would ever tie it to me?
“You and Talon once came to me after a very long journey. A journey where I hadn’t been able to track you…” his eyes snapped to the cavern around us. “And I can track anyone in Fae…”
“Do you two need some privacy? I thought we were here to talk about you owing me?” I asked in a low growl, leaning my elbows on my knees.
Oberon snapped his attention back to me, nodding in agreement. “Yes, quite right. You took the Hatter away from this place, after hundreds of years of captivity. I don’t believe you considered how incredibly dangerous that was to your people…” he smiled sadly at me, but I kept my face blank, not wanting to agree. “But that isn’t my problem any longer, thanks to your actions. He is gone. You have done all of Fae a service. Granted, he was far enough away that only a handful ever crossed paths with him, but killing a few is a short price to keep a secret. I still wish I could learn who started the first rumors about him…” he said harshly, punching a fist into his other palm.
I nodded, pretending not to notice his talk of murdering the few who had found Matthias Temple and his white island. But I wasn’t about to get into that. “What’s my prize?”
He grunted. “Prize signifies a contest. You performed a service, not a challenge.”
I studied him. “Is there really a difference? I know you pride yourself on word games, but I don’t see how semantics is going to change anything.”
He thought about that, and then smiled. “Habits,” he admitted. I shrugged, motioning for him to continue. He, again, studied the cavern, frowning as he rubbed his arms. “Thought we covered that part…” I warned. “We do have things to do, and lucky for your world, they don’t involve us sticking around, so you needn’t be concerned.”
He nodded absently, then studied each of us. “Just a strange feeling…” he said after a time, and finally shrugged. “Brings back memories…” his eyes flicked to Talon and Mallory one last time, but he soon shifted his attention back to me.
I kept my face studiously blank, because I had a sudden concern. Was he sensing the hourglass? That would be bad. Very, very bad. And what if he happened to recognize the company logos drawn on the walls in random places?
He cleared his throat. “I have turned off the call to arms. The alarm that alerted every Fae in the land to hunt, torture, and destroy the intruder who set it off not too long ago.”
I blinked. “We, uh… did all that? Just because we came here?” I asked, sheepishly. I had hoped that it wasn’t that kind of an alarm. Maybe like a Fae doorbell instead. Just letting everyone know they had guests. Not a dinner bell.
Oberon looked very uncomfortable, and then he sighed, shaking his head. “This really is the perfect chain of events…” he muttered, sounding troubled. “Your entrance here,” he said, jerking his thumb at Mallory, “made many of us very concerned, but we couldn’t find you.” Then he turned to me. “Then you arrived and set off the call to wa
r. Which meant you brought something over here that you shouldn’t have had ownership of…” he said, staring at me patiently.
I tried not to squirm in my seat, like I didn’t have a flashing guilty sign above my head.
“But… since you took out the Hatter… I find myself in a very unique position. I cannot retaliate against you. I can only demand payment of my… brother.” He leaned forward. Not angry, but very, very serious. “Just know that if I hadn’t been the first to answer the war call, all of Fae would be after you to reclaim what you brought with you…”
I swallowed audibly, and then nodded, extending my hand. “I accept your payment of keeping our secret safe from your subjects, and also for your discretion – even though it was not intentional, and likely does not sit well with you. This only makes it all the more valuable, and I will hold you to it.”
He sighed after a long silence, and then shook my hand. “Clever…” he muttered. I nodded, trying not to smirk. Because I had just solidified that he couldn’t tattle on us the moment he left. “Now that I have made my intentions clear, it would only be proper to tell me the truth.”
I folded my arms, turning to Mallory, who looked very, very uneasy. “We will tell you the truth if you promise not to retaliate on any of us… now, or in the future.”
He grimaced. “That is… a hard bargain,” he said.
I smiled this time. “I wasn’t even finished. This will clear Pan’s debt to you as well.”
He frowned unhappily. “And what if that does not sit well with me?”
I shrugged. “Then you can remain in ignorance. Truth is expensive,” I added. This made him frown. I held up a finger. “I’ll give you this for free. Those guilty have paid the ultimate price…”
He studied me, eyes calculating. “You know I could have an army here in a blink…”
“But you are a man of your word, and I could have us out of here in a heartbeat. You would also be seen as attacking someone you just paid a favor to…” He grunted unhappily. “And not to put too fine a point on it, but you really don’t want to risk what I would do to any army I found too close to me right now,” I all but whispered, allowing Wylde to stare through me at Oberon. The cavern grew significantly darker for a moment, and Oberon stilled.
War Hammer: A Nate Temple Supernatural Thriller Book 8 (The Temple Chronicles) Page 19