The Hidden

by Jessica Verday

  He moved in close and put his face inches away from mine. “I hold the fate of mortals in my hands. Each and every time I come to Earth, I am responsible for their lives and their deaths.” He smiled at me. A crazy, beautiful smile. “I like that feeling. And I don’t want it to end. Simple as that.”

  “But why would it end? Aren’t you guys the new teams, or whatever? Taking the place of the angels and demons?”

  “We aren’t the original Revenants, you idiot. There haven’t been many of us, but there have been others. You get a certain amount of time to do your job, and then you get replaced by the next round of Shades. And those Shades just so happen to be here. Known as Nikolas Degenhart and Katrina Van Tassel, of the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.”

  I rubbed my eyelids. Trying to stuff all of this new information into my brain was making my head spin. “So … what? You did all of this because you’re going to lose your job?”

  “It’s not that simple,” he exploded. “It’s never that simple. While you’re a Shade, you live forever, tied to one place. Shades are gatekeepers of sacred spaces. You know, cemeteries, burial grounds, ancient worship mounds?” I nodded, because that seemed to be what he wanted me to do. “When you become a Revenant, you live forever all over the world. When you stop being a Revenant, you move on.”

  “Where do you go?”

  “I don’t know. But wherever it is, you don’t come back. And that’s not going to be me.”

  “How do you know which Revenants are going to move on?”

  “No one knows. That’s the problem.”

  “Then how did you know?” I asked.

  His voice turned deceptively calm. “Because I’m the oldest. I’ve been around the longest. And because I had a little help.”

  Sitting up, he took off the T-shirt he was wearing and exposed his chest. It was covered in a mass of black tattoos. They were small squiggly symbols, repeated over and over again, on top of one another. I couldn’t tell where one ended and the next began.

  I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “You had help from a tattoo artist?”

  He waited until my laughter died, then tossed his shirt aside. “Done yet?” There was something in his tone that told me to stop.

  “Yes,” I said meekly.

  “These are protection spells.” He pointed to one section. “They keep me hidden from the others. The shaman who did these knows what we are, and he told me what would happen in the Hollow. That it was time for two new Revenants, and I’d be the one moving on. I can’t let that happen.”

  “Which is why you don’t want me to complete Caspian.”

  Vincent nodded. “If you two aren’t completed, then the other two have to stay. There’s a balance to everything. If I can’t stop it, then I will delay it.”

  “So how does Kristen play into all of this? How could you think she was Caspian’s other half?”

  He looked annoyed with himself. “I don’t know how I got that one wrong. I did all the research on Caspian Vander—raised in West Virginia, moved to White Plains, his mother ran out on him when he was a little baby, he has the connection to Sleepy Hollow … blah, blah, blah. Maybe it was my preference for redheads clouding my judgment.”

  “‘Connection to Sleepy Hollow’?” I gave him a confused look. “What do you mean by that?”

  “His connection. It’s in his blood. Literally. He’s a descendant of Ichabod Crane.”

  “A descendent of …? What?”

  “The green eyes?” He gestured to his face. “You’ve read ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,’ right? Ichabod Crane is described as having green eyes. The legend was true. He was a real person, and he had a bunch of kids. Caspian is one of his great-great-great-great-grandkids. Don’t quote me on that number of ‘great’s, though.”

  Was it true? Could it be true? Caspian did have unusual green eyes, and he’d told me more than once about the pull he’d felt toward Sleepy Hollow. Was this another way we were connected? Me, with my love of the town and Washington Irving, and him through an actual bloodline tie?

  What are the odds?

  Vincent opened his mouth to say something, but the sound of a car pulling into the driveway interrupted him.

  “Damn it.” He pointed at me. “You. Stay here. I mean it. I’m going to see who that is.”

  I glanced over at the fireplace as Vincent got up and moved to the front door. There I spotted my opportunity—a half-burned log sticking out of the fire. When he turned his back, I saw my chance.

  And I took it.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  MAKE IT RIGHT

  The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback …

  —“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”

  I didn’t stop to think. I just ran for the log, grabbed it, and headed straight for him. Vincent turned around a second too late, and I drove the hot end right into the top part of his chest—aiming for the section of tattoos that he’d said were his protection spells.

  He screamed in outrage as his skin sizzled and split, the raw edges of the wound turning black with soot. A large red burn mark blossomed, and he looked down at it, shock written all over his face.

  I held on tightly to the wood, barely even noticing that it was warm to the touch, and pointed it at him, brandishing it as the only weapon I had.

  He took a step toward me, but the front door suddenly shuddered open, and the man in the white suit, the man who had been at the insane asylum and who had been watching me in the cemetery, stepped into the cabin.

  “Grifyth!” he yelled.

  Everything happened at once then, in a blur of motion that left me stunned, as the man tackled Vincent and they went flying past me. The man in the white suit shoved Vincent into the bathroom and slammed the door shut between them. Reaching for a kitchen chair, he wedged it up under the knob. It didn’t take long for the pounding on the other side to begin.

  I glanced over at him. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

  “Well, I was coming to rescue you,” he said in an amused voice. “But it looks like you were taking care of that yourself.”

  He put out a hand and reached for me. “Come on. We’re leaving.”

  Apparently I didn’t have a choice in the matter, because he was already hauling me behind him, and my legs followed.

  “What’s going to happen with Vincent?” I said.

  “He’s not going to be happy when he gets out, but we need to get you back to the other Revenants.” He directed me to a gray car sitting outside. We both got in.

  “What’s your name?” I asked.

  “You can call me Monty.”

  “Do you know where Caspian is?”

  He nodded. “With the Revenants. But he doesn’t have much more time.”

  He looked sad as he started up the car, but he floored it and we drove away. He was going over the speed limit by a good thirty miles as we headed back to Sleepy Hollow, but something told me we weren’t going to be stopped by any cops.

  “You were at the asylum, right?” I said. “Gray’s Folly?”

  “Yes.”

  “How did Uri know you would be there?”

  “I spent a lot of time there when I was human. The place was named for me, actually.”

  The puzzle pieces were starting to slide into place. But the biggest one, the most obvious one, didn’t fit yet, and I wanted to tread delicately. I don’t know why, but he struck me as someone with a wounded soul.

  “Monty … can I ask you something?” I said.

  He nodded.

  “Are you Vincent’s partner? His other half?”

  Sorrow crossed his face, along with something else. And I knew the answer was yes.

  “How can that be?” I said. “I thought Shades were supposed to be male and female? A love match?”

  “Most are. But when Grifyth was a child—I’m sorry, I mean Vincent. When he was a chi
ld, he was a student at my school. He died there, but I still kept seeing him everywhere. I thought that I was being punished for not saving him.”

  “Not saving him? How did he die?”

  Monty’s expression darkened. “He drowned.”

  Vincent had drowned? Now it made sense. Shades and their other halves were a love match. But for Monty it had been a self-sacrificing love.

  “So when you found out you were like me, you completed him out of guilt, right?”

  He sighed. “I did. That was many lifetimes ago now.”

  We passed the enormous covered bridge as we drove through Sleepy Hollow, and I glanced back at it for a moment. It reminded me of what I was rushing toward. If I was going to save Caspian, if I was going to complete him, there was only one thing I was sure of: I had to die first.

  Reaching over to touch his hand as we pulled up to the cemetery, I said, “Thank you, Monty. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come.” Then I got out of the car, unsure if he would follow, but I knowing where I had to go.

  To the river. To the spot where Kristen had died.

  They were all there, waiting for me, forming a small circle, with Uri and Cacey off to one side and Kame and Sophie on the other. Caspian was standing in the middle, gesturing and speaking loudly.

  I went running. Flying. Toward the bridge. Toward him.

  He met me halfway, and I stumbled, hands reaching out for him. They went through, of course, but I was so happy to see him that I didn’t care.

  “Where were you?” he asked. “Oh, God, Astrid. I was so worried! We didn’t know where to look, but I didn’t want to leave in case you came here. What happened? Why didn’t you—”

  “Vincent was here,” I said. “He took me, to my family’s cabin. He kidnapped me.”

  Monty came strolling up behind me, and the others welcomed him. He didn’t seem very comfortable around them, but Uri slapped him on the back, and I heard him say, “I knew you’d help.”

  Caspian came closer to me. “He took you? Oh, love. Did he hurt you?”

  My eyes slid away from his. “He was … his usual charming self.”

  Caspian looked me over, his eyes narrowing. “What did he do?”

  “He sort of used his fist to subdue me,” I admitted. “In the face.”

  “Jeez,” Cacey said. “He really has gone off the deep end.”

  Caspian glared at her.

  “Later,” I said. “We don’t have much time.”

  “Why?” Caspian asked suspiciously. “That’s what they keep saying. Does someone want to clue me in?”

  “At midnight it’s November third,” I replied. I looked over at Cacey. “Vincent told me everything. About the original Revenants. About the fact that you were once all human. Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you lie?”

  Kame held up one hand. “There were certain things we couldn’t tell you, Abbey.”

  I turned to Uri. “You told me practically everything. Why didn’t you tell me about what would happen to Caspian? Was it really that hard? I had to find out from Vincent.”

  “This was all new to us, Abbey,” Uri replied. “Vincent and Monty were the only ones authorized to tell you anything. We were just here to find Vincent and bring him back, to restore the balance.”

  “Oh, come on. You had to have had some idea. All the signs were there. You might not have known the exact date, but you knew it was getting close.”

  “Well, now you know, and that’s that,” Cacey said.

  “There is a bigger issue to be dealt with here, Acacia,” Kame said. “You know that.”

  I traded looks with Caspian. “What’s the bigger issue?”

  “Vincent is your Revenant,” Kame replied. “That means he must help you cross over.”

  “But he doesn’t want to do the job. So that means I’ll have to do it,” Monty said. “And I’m going to need the help of everyone.”

  “Nothing needs to be done,” Caspian said. “We’ll just keep things the way they are.” He softened his tone. “November first will come around again next year, Astrid.”

  I closed my eyes briefly, but that didn’t stop the tears from coming. “You don’t understand,” I told him. “All the recent changes lately, you losing your touch, falling into a deep sleep … it means something more. If I don’t complete you now, you’ll move on. Without me.”

  Caspian looked around for one of the Revenants to tell him I was wrong.

  The answer came from Cacey. “Your time is up, sweetie.”

  He looked down at the ground, stunned disbelief written all over his face, and my tears came harder. I tried to push them away, scrubbed my hands across my face, but the tears just came faster. “Please,” I said. “Please. Just let me be with him.”

  “It’s not up to us,” Cacey said. “That’s just the way it goes.”

  “But you guys have powers. You have to be able to do something.”

  Uri came over and put his arms around me, wrapping me in a protective embrace. Turning me away from the group, he whispered, “Abbey, you don’t understand. You don’t have to die. You get to live. Doesn’t that mean something to you? Anything?”

  I gazed at Caspian. “Not without him.”

  Uri let out a frustrated sigh. “I didn’t tell you this before, but my death hurt. It was painful, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

  I shook my head stubbornly. “I don’t care. I don’t care if it hurts. Besides, Nikolas told me that his death was easy.”

  “It’s different for everyone, that’s true, but don’t you see? Why would you want to give up all of this? I don’t get it.”

  I wrapped my hand in his. “Think about Cacey. Acacia. Then tell me you still don’t get it.” A half smile stretched across his lips, then disappeared. “See?” I said. “You get it.”

  Straightening my shoulders, I stepped away from him and moved to Caspian. “Love,” I whispered. “It’s okay. I’ve decided.”

  His eyes were filled with anguish, and he put one hand up next to my cheek. “You can’t, Abbey. You can’t do this. You have to let me go. Just let me go.” Very purposefully he stepped away from me and turned his back, moving next to Sophie on the other side of the circle.

  “Do it,” he said tersely. “Take me with you and let her stay.”

  “Caspian.” I raised my voice. “This is my choice. Don’t take that away from me.”

  “You can’t think that I’m—”

  Cacey held up her hand and interrupted us. “Wait, wait, wait. There’s no need for any of this. It still doesn’t change the fact that we can’t do it. It’s Vincent and Monty’s job, remember?” she said.

  “But Monty wants to try. Doesn’t that mean anything?” I asked.

  Kame leaned over and said something to Sophie. She shook her head, then replied, “I don’t know. The chain has been interrupted. We can’t be sure—”

  The sound of hoofbeats came thundering up from behind us, and we all turned to look. Nikolas was sitting on top of a dark gray horse, with Katy behind him.

  “We have searched the other side,” he said, “and still no sign of—” As soon as they saw me, they came to a stop.

  “Abbey!” Katy said, sliding down from the horse. “We were so worried! We have been looking everywhere for you.”

  She came toward me, and I gave her a big hug. “I was with Vincent, but I’m okay.”

  “What did he do to you?” She turned my face and looked at my jaw. “You poor thing.”

  “I’m okay,” I whispered. “Everything’s going to be fine now.”

  “Abbey?” Someone else called my name. From behind me. The voice was high pitched, but it sounded like …

  “Cyn?”

  She stepped forward hesitantly, and I could see that Vincent was holding her with one hand across her throat. Something glinted, and I knew it was a knife.

  Immediately Caspian moved next to me and Nikolas edged his horse closer.

  “Did you start without me?”
Vincent called. “You know I couldn’t stay away. But I have my insurance policy here.” He pushed Cyn forward roughly, and she stumbled.

  “What are you doing?” Cacey asked. “Are you crazy?”

  Vincent glared at her.

  “Okay, okay, don’t answer that,” she muttered.

  “Let the girl come to us,” Kame instructed Vincent, his tone soothing. “We can discuss this.”

  “There’s nothing to discuss.” He jerked her head back. The wicked edge of a blade shone against her pale throat. “I’m not being replaced.”

  “Hey, schizo,” Cyn said to Vincent, “want to loosen up on the grip? I won’t struggle.”

  Vincent ignored her.

  “Why don’t you let Cyn go?” I said. “She doesn’t have anything to do with me and Caspian being completed.”

  “Can’t,” he replied. “See, what I need is for you to make the decision not to complete him. And the only way I see that happening now is for me to hold on to her so you don’t do anything stupid.”

  “Why didn’t you just stay away?” I said suddenly. “If you didn’t want to do the job, why not just head off to some tropical paradise and stay as far away from me and Sleepy Hollow as possible?”

  He sighed heavily. “Radar thing. It’s like a time clock on steroids. A real bitch.”

  “What’s the radar thing?”

  “A program that’s hardwired inside our brains to guarantee we show up and do our job.” He shifted the knife away from Cyn and gestured to his head. “See, when a Shade’s time is up, we get this little blip that starts beeping in the back of our heads. The more we ignore it? The louder it becomes, until it’s this crazy full-on blaring signal that drives you mad and all you can think about is finding your Shade. You have to get within ten feet of your charge to shut it down.”

  He grimaced, and I could tell that he’d obviously experienced that a time or two.

  “Anything else you want to know?” he said. He glanced at his watch. “We have some time to kill.”