Fire Marked

by Val St. Crowe

  “Call the police, Felicity,” I said.

  “You think I haven’t done that?” she said. “The police take them away, but then they just come back the next day. The police say that since they’re technically not breaking any laws—”

  “Disturbing the peace?” I said.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “That’s just what they said.”

  “Did you go to Detective Dirk? Maybe she’s got some sway.”

  “Penny, we need you. Come home. Even if I could get rid of them, Connor’s beside himself. He’s in a terrible mood, and it’s really messing with his head. He misses his family, you know? And to have them here, saying that they want him back, it’s making him question everything.”

  “What do you mean? He’s not questioning being gay, is he?”

  “He needs you, Penny. Get back here.”

  I took the phone away from my ear for a second. I was suddenly trembling with rage. I tried to take several deep breaths and calm myself, but there was no calming this. I put the phone back to my ear. “What is your problem?” I whispered in a barely controlled voice.

  “What?” she sounded stunned at my change in tone.

  “You didn’t want to me to go on this trip in the first place. You made that abundantly clear. And now you call me about this? Do you have any idea what I am dealing with here?”

  “You’re doing a stupid, rash thing that doesn’t even make any sense?”

  “No, I am saving my unborn child,” I said.

  “Oh, please, Penny, that’s not at all what you’re doing. You tell yourself that, sure, but taking all these risks and associating with those kinds of people is the worst thing you could do for your kid. You guys are in so much danger right now—”

  “We were in danger before,” I said. “There were dragons attacking me.”

  “We could have figured that out without trusting some crazy vampire in a gang,” she said.

  “We had absolutely no way to fix it except this. This is the best plan we had. And maybe it’s a little risky—”

  “A little risky? You know what I think? I think you just wanted an escape. You wanted to run off someplace with Lachlan were neither of you had any responsibilities. But that’s not real life, Penny. We all have responsibilities.”

  “Oh, please,” I said. “If you had any idea the things we have had to do since we got here, you wouldn’t talk about this like it was some kind of vacation.”

  “You know what I worry about? I worry that you’ll use your magic to force things. To force it so that you don’t have any responsibilities. And what are you talking about the things you’ve had to do? What kind of things?”

  I thought of the drakes in the house, shooting down the men from the gang, of Jackal with a gun to his head, of Lachlan out of his mind on drugs. “Don’t worry about it,” I said in a quiet voice. “We’re handling this.”

  “You need to come home,” she said.

  “I’m not coming home until this is done,” I said. “Don’t call me again.” I hung up the phone. I was still shaking.

  “What’s up?” said Lachlan. “Connor okay?”

  “His family is there, trying to turn him straight, apparently,” I said.

  “Ooh,” said Lachlan. “How shitty is that?”

  “I know.” I climbed back into bed. “But it’s not something so dire that I’m going to cut things short here and go back home.”

  “Of course not,” said Lachlan. “Did she seriously think that was an emergency or something?”

  “Yes.” I shook my head. “She doesn’t get it at all.”

  “No,” he said. “She doesn’t.”

  I sighed. “I feel bad for Connor. Of course I do, but we have to see this through.”

  “We do,” he said.

  I burrowed back under the covers and closed my eyes.

  “You worried about fighting with Felicity? You guys don’t fight much, do you?”

  “I’m not worried about it,” I said. “She’s being ridiculous. Anyway, I can’t think about that now. Too much to worry about here.”

  He kissed the back of my head.

  I closed my eyes.

  I went back to sleep almost immediately.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  On the drive to the next campsite, Lachlan said that he’d been thinking and he was wondering about Selah.

  “Jackal’s girlfriend,” I said. “Yeah, she wasn’t there before he left. He was yelling for her.”

  “Why wasn’t she there?” said Lachlan. “Do you think she was maybe scheming with the drakes and couldn’t face him, not knowing she sold him out?”

  I shrugged. “It’s a theory. Do you know her?”

  “Not well,” he said. “By sight, though. Never really had a conversation with her.”

  “I met her once,” I said. “She was nice to me.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything,” said Lachlan.

  “No, I know,” I said. “We should talk to her. Maybe she and Jackal had problems. Maybe she sold him out because she was personally trying to get back at him or something.”

  “You don’t sound convinced.”

  “I just… I’m leaving more towards Dune still.”

  * * *

  Selah slowly opened the door to Jackal’s RV, the one we’d driven back from the failed raid on the drakes. Her hair was in a sloppy bun on top of her head, strands of it falling in her face. She blew them out of her eyes. “Well, you guys made it here. I thought you’d be splitsville after what happened to Jackal.”

  “We’re going to find Jackal, actually,” said Lachlan.

  “You are?” She opened the door wider and stepped out. “But Ossian said that we should write him off. I can’t believe he did that. Ossian’s a dick sometimes, you know, but that was a crazy dick move. I just… I wanted to slap him.”

  “Those are some pretty strong words against Ossian,” said Lachlan. “You don’t here people really let loose like that around here, not even after he makes a decision that affects them.”

  “Yeah, well…” She crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged. “I didn’t expect it of him is all.”

  “So, you and Jackal, how were you doing before all this?” I said.

  She turned to me. “What do you mean by that?”

  “You didn’t show up to see him off,” said Lachlan. “He was upset about that. Where were you? You and Jackal having a fight or something?”

  “No,” she said. “Nothing like that. I was just trying to help out a friend who had a crisis, that’s all.”

  “A crisis?” I said. “What kind of crisis?”

  “Well, that’s her business,” said Selah.

  “Which friend?” said Lachlan.

  “Esme,” she said. “I was with Esme.” She licked her lips, looking nervous.

  Wow. Even I could see that she was lying.

  “We talk to Esme, she going to tell us the same thing?” said Lachlan.

  “She won’t want to talk about it,” said Selah. “So, you should just… leave her alone, okay?”

  * * *

  “So, Esme,” said Lachlan, leaning against the side of her camper, “you had a crisis the night that we went on the raid?”

  Esme was sitting on a lounge chair on the lawn of the campsite. She was wearing a big, floppy straw hat and sunglasses and had her thumb in the middle of a thick romance novel. “A what?”

  “A crisis,” I said. “Care to tell us what it was about?”

  “Who told you I had a crisis?” said Esme, taking off her sunglasses. She looked perplexed.

  “Selah did,” said Lachlan.

  Esme wrinkled up her nose. “She did? What did she say exactly?”

  “How about you tell us whether or not you actually had a crisis?” said Lachlan.

  “Well, um…” Esme licked her lips. “Yeah, I guess I did, if that’s what Selah said.”

  “And what was the nature of the crisis?” I said.

  “Oh, just stuff with the, u
m, car, I guess,” said Esme. “Is that what Selah said?”

  “She said it wasn’t our business,” I said. “I guess you’re very private about your car breaking down.”

  Esme sat up straight in her chair, marking her place and setting her book in her lap. “Look, I don’t have to tell you anything. Why don’t you two go off somewhere else and leave me alone?”

  “You didn’t have a crisis,” said Lachlan. “Why are you lying for Selah?”

  “I’m not lying,” said Esme.

  “Please,” I said. “You definitely are.”

  Esme sighed. “Oh, God, Selah is going to kill me. But, you know, she shouldn’t spring this on me out of the blue. If she wanted me to back up her damned story, then she should have told me what it was.”

  “So, you didn’t have a crisis?” said Lachlan.

  “No, damn it. My car’s fine,” said Esme.

  “And was Selah with you the night of the raid?” I said.

  “No.” Esme looked confused. “She wasn’t with Jackal? I would have thought she’d at least have seen him off. Given him a kiss goodbye, all that.”

  “She wasn’t there,” said Lachlan. “Jackal looked all over. Couldn’t find her. He was upset about it.”

  “Well, shit,” said Esme.

  “Where was she?”

  “I have no idea,” said Esme.

  Lachlan raised his eyebrows. “You expect us to believe that?”

  “It’s the truth,” said Esme. “Look, Selah asked me to vouch for her if anyone asked where she was. I promised her I’d say she was with me.”

  “And you didn’t want to know where she really was?” I said.

  “Hell, yeah, I did. I asked and asked,” said Esme. “But it was like talking to a brick wall with her. I swear, she wouldn’t let anything slip. Said it wasn’t a big deal, just that she needed someone to cover her ass. I said I’d do it, but truth be told, this is the first time anyone’s asked me about her. Guess I’m not very good at lying for her.” She shrugged. “Guess she should have picked someone else to be her cover story.”

  * * *

  “Well, I never much liked Selah,” said Lucille Bryant. “She’s only been around here about five years, so she’s basically brand new, no offense to the two of you.” Lucille was apparently one of the original members of the clan. She was walking a little white poodle down the road in between the RVs and campers. “She just never really fit in, if you ask me.”

  “But is she capable of doing this?” said Lachlan. “I know that you know everyone in the clan. You’ve got your opinions, and I know you and I didn’t always get along when I was here before—”

  “You’re damned right we didn’t.” She glared at him. “And just ‘cause I’m talking to you now don’t mean I got warm fuzzies for you.”

  Lachlan smiled a little. “I get that. You’re not keen on anyone too new to the clan.”

  “I just withhold my feelings of trust until I’m sure of someone is all,” said Lucille.

  “Right,” said Lachlan. “Which is a good thing. It’s why I’m talking to you now. Because I feel like you tend to cut through the bullshit and see things as they are. So, could she have done it?”

  “Sure,” said Lucillle. “Honestly, I think she might be more likely to have done it than that Dune boy, even though he’s barely been here long enough to scratch his ass.”

  “But when would she even have a chance to make contact with these drakes?” said Lachlan.

  “Maybe she’s playing a long game,” said Lucille. “Maybe she was friends with them before she even joined up with the Bryant clan. Maybe she infiltrated us.”

  “Well, maybe anything,” said Lachlan. “But you’ve never seen her with drakes? You’ve never heard her talk about drakes? Nothing like that?”

  “No,” said Lucille. “But you know what I have seen her doing?”

  “What?” I said.

  “I have seen her sneaking around Ossian’s camper, like she might be trying to get in. Times when everyone else will be off at a bonfire or a big gathering or something, I’ll see her out there. Almost like she’s trying to get inside. Maybe she’s hunting for information to share with the drakes.”

  “You’ve seen her near Ossian’s camper more than once?” said Lachlan.

  “Oh, at least four or five times,” said Lucille. “I don’t do the big group gatherings anymore, myself. I prefer peace and quiet. So, I’m always back here while everyone else is out hollering and carrying on. And I saw her out at Ossian’s camper.”

  “All right,” said Lachlan. “Well, thanks for that information. I appreciate your time, Lucille.”

  “Sure thing,” she said.

  * * *

  “Look, Hawk, I know you’re upset about Jackal, but you aren’t going to change my mind,” said Ossian when we caught up to him later that evening. He and some of the other older members of the group had all been eating a meal together and drinking wine. We’d waited until it seemed to be breaking up for the night and then we’d come to talk to Ossian.

  “That’s not what this is about,” said Lachlan. “Well, at least, not directly. We aren’t angling to change your mind, but we are trying to figure out where Jackal is so that we can get him out ourselves.”

  “How are you planning to do that?” said Ossian.

  “I’m not entirely sure,” said Lachlan. “But it involves finding out who double-crossed us during that raid. Someone in this camp tipped off the drakes. I’ll find that out, and then I’ll find out what they know, and they’ll lead me to Jackal’s location.”

  Ossian looked alarmed. “You think there’s a traitor among us?”

  “I most certainly do,” said Lachlan. “Have you ever noticed things going missing from your camper of a sensitive nature?”

  “Sensitive nature?”

  “Things that would give away intel to the drakes. Plans, records on product sold, that kind of thing?”

  “I don’t make plans, and I don’t keep no records,” said Ossian. “Why are you asking me this?”

  “So, nothing’s ever gone missing?”

  “Why you asking me this?” said Ossian. “Look, you don’t think it’s me, do you? Because I would never betray this group.”

  Lachlan took a step back. “I hadn’t actually thought to suspect you. Why would you think that I would?”

  “I just heard you been around asking people questions. And the only time I’ve even been away from camp recently was to work out a deal with some slayers in Athens. So, I couldn’t have been meeting with those drakes.”

  Lachlan was quiet for several seconds, taking his measure.

  “I just don’t think there’s any reason to go nosing around, trying to find out where every single member of the group was every time they leave camp is all,” said Ossian. “Where I go when I leave camp is my own business.”

  Lachlan cleared his throat. “Are you very familiar with Selah Holmes?”

  “Familiar? What the hell do you mean by that?”

  “Well, she seems to be gone a lot of the time, and no one knows where she goes. Someone has reported seeing her near your trailer when no one else was around, as if she might have possibly been trying to break in, and—”

  “Selah’s not the traitor, either,” said Ossian.

  “So, you know her, then?” I said. “I mean, you know her well enough to be fairly certain about that.”

  “It’s not her,” said Ossian. “Why you asking me these stupid questions? Leave me alone.”

  Lachlan rubbed his thumb over his lower lip. “I, um, just thought I’d check with you is all.”

  “You leave Selah out of this,” said Ossian. “Really. I mean it.”

  “Why?” said Lachlan.

  Ossian glanced over his shoulder. There, a few paces back, were his wife Arden and some other member of the clan named Misty, who were both chatting and laughing together. Ossian turned back to us. “Trust me when I say that Selah is not a threat.”

  “Well,
I wish I could do that,” said Lachlan, “but the fact of the matter is, we don’t even know where she was the night of the raid. She didn’t come by to say goodbye to Jackal, and I think that’s kind of suspicious.”

  “Look, I guarantee you that she was not out meeting with those drakes, ratting you guys out.”

  “How can you guarantee that?” said Lachlan.

  “Don’t ask me questions, boy. I know, that’s all you need to worry about.” Ossian glanced back at his girl again. He turned back to us.

  Lachlan shook his head. “Mother of hell.”

  “What?” said Ossian.

  “You’re having an affair with Selah,” he said.

  Ossian’s face turned red. “Not so loud. I don’t want Arden to hear that. It would kill her.”

  “But it’s true, isn’t it?” said Lachlan.

  “How’d you figure that out?”

  “It was a little bit obvious,” said Lachlan. “Way you kept looking at Arden.”

  “Damn it,” said Ossian. “Look, you gotta promise not to say anything.”

  Lachlan sighed. “And you can’t be convinced to go after Jackal, hmm? Well, that’s very King David and Bathsheba of you, Ossian.”

  “What are you talking about?” said Ossian.

  “You know the story of Bathsheba, right?” said Lachlan. “In the bible? How King David decided he wanted her, but she was married to another guy, so he had that guy killed in battle—”

  “I didn’t have Jackal killed,” said Ossian.

  “You won’t go find him,” said Lachlan.

  “You say one more word, boy, and you’re going to find that you aren’t welcome in this clan anymore, you understand?”

  “All I want to know is who double-crossed us,” said Lachlan.

  “Well, it wasn’t me,” said Ossian.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “He doth protest too much, methinks,” Lachlan grumbled.

  “Yeah,” I said. “He was really defensive.” We were sitting at the table in our kitchen, having dinner together.

  “Still, I can’t for the life of me think that Ossian would betray the group,” said Lachlan. “He’s been part of the clan since he was turned into a vampire two hundred years ago. He’s got no reason to betray these people.”