“My hero.” I teased when he dropped down beside me. “Look, let’s get across the creek. We won’t go as far today as we had planned. Especially since I’ve never put up a tent before. I’m going to need some time to figure out how to do that.”
“Are you sure you can carry your bag? I don’t want you to aggravate those ribs.”
“I’ll be fine. We’ll go slow.” I patted his knee. “And I’ll be careful. I promise.”
“Well, if you promise.” Joey shook his head. “But Eva, I want you to listen to me. I don’t trust Dominique. She’s the type who takes care of herself first. Her friends second. You got me?”
“I got you.” I took his hand and stood. “So hurry up and strap me in already.”
“Anytime you want.” He grinned at me. “You know, when we first started Grave, I never imagined it would be me and you. Alone in the most haunted forest known to man. I’m glad though. Good bonding experience.”
“I’d rather we bond over sushi. In a restaurant. With alcohol.” I smirked as I lifted up my backpack. It still hurt like hell, but I could breathe easier with the bandages on. I fumbled with the clasp until I got it back together. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I didn’t know you had so much experience outdoors, Joey.”
“I grew up on a cattle ranch.” Joey checked his camera before we started walking. “I practically lived in the woods during the summer. And if it wasn’t too cold, I stayed there in the winter too.”
“So why be a cameraman? Why not stay on the ranch?” I wrinkled my nose as I stepped in the creek. “I don’t get it.”
“Because I was bored.” Joey raised his voice over the sound of the water as we waded through it. “Life doesn’t change in Wyoming, Evie. Same horses. Same snow. Same woods day after day. I wanted to travel and I was damn good at shooting things. I just replaced my gun with a camera.”
“You got your wish then.” I shook out the water from my boots the best I could when we reached the other side. “So why Grave?”
“Because filming couples fighting with each other on reality television gave me the same feeling that Wyoming did.” Joey shrugged when he fell in step with me. “I was bored out of my mind. It was always the same. They argued over money. Sex. Stupid shit that didn’t mean anything.”
“Did you just cuss?” I grinned. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you cuss before.”
“There’s a first time for everything.” He matched my smile. “So yeah. When Connor approached me to do Elliot’s project, I jumped at the chance. Did I think it would take off? No. I thought you’d last for a few episodes then fade away when Joseph’s influence wore off.”
“So what changed your mind?”
“You.” He shrugged. “I’d never met anyone as fierce as you, Eva. As determined. When you say something is going to happen, it does. When we filmed the first episode in Kansas and I saw how you reacted to the ghost there, I knew I’d struck gold.”
“The show has turned out to be pretty spectacular.” I admitted. “I didn’t want to do it at first. But Elliot talked me into it.”
“The money?”
I nodded. “Yeah. It’s crazy, though. Despite everything we’ve been through and everything I’ve learned, I feel like I’m right where I need to be.”
“Because you like kicking butt so much.” Joey smirked at me. “Seriously? I think Connor should have given you the producer spot from the get-go. This is going to be the start of a whole new Grave Messages. We’ll make it better. Darker.”
“More dangerous?” I chuckled before I went back to being serious. “I don’t think I want another co-host for a while. After Elliot and Leyton, I think it would be best to do it on our own.”
“Hey, you’re the boss lady.” Joey shrugged. “Nobody can make you do anything you don’t want to do now.”
We fell into a comfortable silence after that. For my part, I was trying to see the beauty of the woods. I was trying to find one redeeming quality about this horrible place. It’s horrible history. But I couldn’t. It was too dark. Too wild. And I wasn’t kidding about it being dangerous. I can’t tell you how many times I almost twisted an ankle as I stepped over the roots that attempted to trip us up. In fact, I was in the process of avoiding one when Joey broke the silence around us with a single question.
“Um, Evie. We’ve got company.”
I jerked my head up to see a young girl standing on the path in front of us. She was filthy. Dressed in white rags covered with a mixture of blood and dirt. I stopped when I got close enough to her to see that she was Asian. The lower half of her face? Covered in a surgical mask.
“Glad to see I’m not the only one who looks completely out of place here.” I quipped. “Who are you?”
The girl stared at us for a good minute before she tilted her head to the side. When she finally spoke, I was surprised. I could understand her, although she didn’t speak in English. It was Japanese.
“Do you think I’m pretty?”
“What?” I glanced over at Joey. “I don’t understand…”
“Do you think I’m pretty?” The girl’s eyes flashed as she took a step forward. A long thin blade appeared in her hand before she stopped. “Do you?”
“Um, at the risk of being run through, yes?”
Joey piped up. I whipped my head around to stare at him, but my mind was racing. I was attempting to use Prometheus’ knowledge to recognize the threat in front of us. At long last, I found the information I was looking for.
“Joey,” I hissed. “Whatever you do, do not answer her questions.”
“Why?” He looked down at me before he turned back to our new friend. “Oh, god!”
The girl had removed her surgical mask to reveal a ghastly wound where her mouth should have been. I swallowed down my nausea at the sight when she spoke again.
“Do you still think I am pretty?”
“What about me?” I unhooked my backpack and dropped it on the path. “Do you think I’m pretty?”
The girl looked confused for a minute. She bounced her knife against her leg then asked her stupid question again. This time, Joey started to speak, but I cut him off as I willed my sword in my hand.
“She’s called Kuchiake-onna. A spirit from Japanese folklore.” I explained. “You can’t answer her questions, Joey. If you say ‘yes’ twice, then she will give you the same deformity that she has. If you say ‘no’, then she’ll slice you in half. But she is powerless if you answer her questions with another question.”
My friend clamped his mouth shut. So I turned towards the spirit who blocked our path.
“What happened to you?”
“Do you still think I’m pretty?” She hissed. I watched as her eyes gleamed white. “Answer me.”
“Do you know who I am?” I smirked. “Do you not know that I don’t answer anything I don’t want to?”
The girl screamed in frustration at my questions. She launched herself forward to slam her shoulder against my chest. I grunted as the throbbing in my ribs returned, but I ignored the pain. I brought the hilt of my sword down onto the top of her matted hair and shoved her off of me.
I scrambled to my feet as she struggled to stand. Despite my injury, I didn’t give her the chance to attack me for a second time. I whirled the blade in a circle by my side before I brought it down across the back of her neck. The girl released one last scream before she disappeared into a mist of white.
After a moment, Joey returned to my side. He clasped me on the shoulder before he took a deep breath.
“Ok. So I’m sure there’s an explanation for that.”
“The forest of the forgotten.” I let my sword disappear before I took up my gear. “Remember what Zeus said? Monsters and spirits from all over the world were brought in to keep humans from wandering in these woods.”
“How did you know what she was?” Joey caught up with me as I resumed our hike. “No offense, Evie, but I didn’t take you to be an expert in Japanese mythology.”
�
��History. Japanese history.” I corrected him, then smiled when I realized I’d just said the most Cyrus-like phrase possible. “And I’m not. But Prometheus is an expert on Hoia-Baciu. He knows every monster, every being, every path here. So by extension, so do I.”
“So why do we need Arc’s ridiculous napkin map?”
“Because I don’t want to pull into Prometheus’ memories any more than I have to.” I shuddered. “They are too much, Joey. Even for me.”
I tilted my head to look up at him. “I have a question for you too. How did you know what she was saying? I didn’t realize you could speak Japanese.”
“There’s a lot about me that you don’t know. Yet.” He gave me a lecherous grin until I punched his arm. “Ow! I’m kidding. I’m kidding. Anime.”
“What?”
“I used to watch anime when I was a kid.” He chuckled. “I picked up a few words over the years.”
“Why am I not surprised?” I rolled my eyes at him. “Half-naked girls being saved from the big-bad ogres. It’s right up your alley.”
“Hey, that’s not fair.” He grabbed the straps of his backpack. “I watched it for the stories. Some of them were damn good, Evie. I can recommend some good ones if you want to see what I am talking about.”
“Yeah, we’ll see.” I looped my arm through his. “We might even make a night out of it if you promise to show me the ones where the girls kick ass.”
“Now who’s cussin’?” He grinned down at me. “Deal. But your buying me dinner. It’s the least you can do for my expertise.”
“I always buy you dinner.” I smirked before I looked around. “Is it just me, or is it darker than before?”
“It’s getting darker.” Joey glanced at his watch. “My watch says it’s just after four. Let’s find a good spot to put everything down for the night.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” I shrugged. “My side is still sore. And I’m surprised you haven’t eaten half the forest by now.”
“Can I do that?” Joey’s face brightened. “I thought the Romanians would frown on it, but…”
“Just go.” I gave him a little shove. “Find us a spot, Grizzly. I’m ready to call it a day.”
Chapter Twelve
By the time we’d eaten dinner, I was more than ready to call it a night. I hugged Joey, thanked him for the twentieth time for putting my tent together for me, and crawled inside with a happy sigh. It was true that we didn’t get as far as we had hoped on the first day. And that my newest keeper was MIA after pitching a hissy fit. But we were here. We were in the forest.
We were alive.
I considered that progress. I sat on my sleeping bag for a moment as I recounted the events of the day. Narcissus. The press. Hoia-Bacu. Dominique. The wolves and the spirit girl. But in the end, I shook my head. There was no point in trying to go back over the things that had happened. There were no lessons to be learned there. Nothing I would have done differently. I worked off my boots and unzipped my bag as my thoughts of the past shifted into my concerns for the next day. Apollo willing, we would reach the clearing. I’d use Prometheus’ knowledge to strengthen the barriers. Film another award-winning episode.
I laid down with a sigh as I tried to get some sleep. Joey had left the fire burning in an attempt to keep the local wildlife at bay. But I wasn’t afraid of the wildlife. I was more concerned with the monsters meant to keep people like us out of Hoia-Baciu. I willed my sword into existence and placed it on the ground next to me. After all, I’d already used it once on this little journey. Who knew if I was going to need it again by the time the night was over?
I don’t know how long I was asleep before I was jolted awake by the feeling of an arm snaking around my waist. I moved to grab my sword before I was surrounded by the sweet sense of security I’d always felt in Cyrus’ presence. I dropped my arm and pushed myself back when he pulled me against him. My beloved placed a kiss right behind my ear before I heard him whisper.
“I’ve lost my mind if I thought I could be away from you, Little One.”
“I can’t say that I blame you.” I shifted in his arms just enough to look up at his face in the darkness. “I wouldn’t want to be away from me either.”
Cyrus awarded my joke with a crooked grin before he kissed me. He trailed his knuckles over my throat until I groaned against him. A groan that turned into a hiss of pain as he put his hand over my right side.
“Eva?” He pulled back and started searching my face for answers. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just…sore. It’s been a long day.”
Yeah. That sounded convincing. Too bad Cyrus wasn’t buying it. He sat up to push my sleeping bag out of the way.
“Show me.”
“That has got to be the most romantic thing you have every said to me.” I responded in the most sarcastic tone I could conjure up. “I love you, too.”
“Little One, I am only concerned. I want to make sure you are alright.”
“You know, I’ve already been through this with Joey and Dominique.” I sat up and shrugged off my coat. “Joey bandaged me up. I’m healing. It’s fine.”
I pulled off my shirt when my beloved keeper pulled out a flashlight. He unraveled Joey’s handiwork and held the flashlight in one hand while running his fingers over my bruised skin with the other.
“Three ribs. All broken.” He released the breath he had been holding. “What happened?”
“Wolves.” I shrugged. “I ran. Played Jack-and-Jill down a ravine. Nothing major.”
“Where was your keeper?”
“With Joey.” I lifted my chin in defiance. “He was hurt, too. Burned. I made her stay with him until I got back.”
“She knows better than to leave you unattended.” He grumbled under his breath as he went back to winding the bandages around me. “I’ll speak with her before I go back tonight.”
“Um, you can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because she’s not here.” I dropped my arms when he finished up. “We got into a fight. She left. Haven’t seen her sense.”
I have never known anyone who could make his emotions known simply through silence quite like Cyrus. He froze as the air around us grew heavy. Thick. When my beloved finally spoke, I could hear the rage underlining his calm tone.
“Your keeper has abandoned her post.”
“Look, it doesn’t matter.” I grabbed his hands. “I had no idea I would have the chance to see you tonight. I’ve missed you. Now that I have you here, I don’t want to spend our time talking about Dominique.”
“Eva, you don’t understand…”
“I understand,” I stressed my words. “That you won’t be here for long. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have snuck in like you did. And I understand that I don’t know when I will see you again.”
“Sooner rather than later.” He relaxed as I ran my thumbs over the back of his hand. “That is what I have come to tell you. I will be allowed to take a reprieve once the threat of Tartarus has been eliminated.”
“Which means you’ll be coming back to me?” I grinned. “Permanently?”
“Sort of.” He reached up to cup my jaw with his free hand. “I will have to report to Olympus whenever the Council calls me. But I have gained permission from Zeus himself to stay by your side until that happens.”
I was so excited; I didn’t think about the repercussions of my actions. I threw myself into Cyrus’ arms with a laugh that quickly shifted into another whimper.
“Easy, Little One.” He wrapped his arms around me to keep me still. “There is still much to do before I can return to you.”
“Like the barriers.”
“Yes.” He brushed his nose across the hair right above my ear. “And training the recruits from Hades to do my job in my place.”
“Would I sound too clingy if I asked you to stay with me now?” I breathed in his scent of old liquor as I laid my head on his shoulder. “Just…be here. You don’t have to do anything. You don’t have to
save me.”
“I would if I thought for a second I could, dear girl. You know that.”
“I do.” I sighed. “I miss you, though. More than I thought I would.”
“Oh?” Cyrus nudged my chin up until I was looking at him. “So you didn’t think you’d miss having a shadow following you everywhere you went?”
“You, sir, are twisting my words around.”
I started to say more, but Cyrus cut me off when he kissed me again. This time, with a passion that left me breathless. When we parted, he lowered me back down on the sleeping bag and curled up behind me. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear before he spoke again.
“Tell me what I’ve missed?”
I was quiet for a moment, but it didn’t last. I told him about our adventure so far. I told him about Narcissus. The hiking. The fight with Dominique. I told him about the Japanese girl and how Joey had been taking such good care of me since this whole thing started. Cyrus didn’t interrupt once. He let me talk it out. My fears. My absolute disdain for the outdoors. All of it. So when I finally went silent, my keeper pressed a kiss against my cheek.
“It seems I owe Joseph my thanks, Little One. I will find a way to repay him for caring for you as he has.”
“Yeah? Well, he said he was only doing it because you would use his head as a bowling ball if he didn’t.” I chuckled. “Seriously, Cy? I’m frightened for him. I feel like I’m over my head here. And I don’t want Joey to be another casualty on my ever growing list.”
“I believe you will find that Joey is much stronger than he lets on.” He held me tighter against him. “He may tend to stay in the background, but your friend has survived the insanity that is your life, Little One. Without the benefit of immortality.”
I went silent at that. What Cyrus said was true. Joey had survived my crazy life. From the monsters to the fame. I was proud of him for that. Anyone else would have run for the hills without a second thought. But not my cameraman.
The Daughter (The Oracle Series Book 6) Page 10