by Melle Amade
“You,” Callum says, not even bothering to look at the jaguar crouching on the floor growling at him. His eyes are on Darko. Callum crosses the floor in two steps, stepping in between me and Darko as he draws a blade from his belt.
“Stop.” I say. “Put your blade away. These people are friends.”
“No Hunter is a friend.” Callum presses an arm against me, moving me back. Lady Heather prowls in front of Darko, who is the only one who seems completely at ease. I guess you get like that after you’ve been alive hundreds and hundreds of years.
“Callum! It’s Lady Heather. I got her collar off.” I point at the jaguar. Callum’s eyes go wide, as if it’s something even he hadn’t expected. But then his lips press together as he rubs his neck. “That’s going to be pretty difficult to explain to the Order.”
“We don’t have to. We need to leave. They have my father.”
Lady Heather shifts back into her human form, her dress falling in long green swatches around her. She looks Callum in the eye.
“I entrust Darko to you, Ridder. He will go and help you find this girl’s father and stop El Oso. I am returning to my people. But I will tell you one thing you must know, because you deserve this,” she says, her eyes on me as she speaks. “I could not tell you this while I wore the collar. But now it’s a completely different world.”
And in a way, I know exactly what she means, because I was strengthened and enlivened and twice as ready to go after El Oso once I freed myself of the collar.
“I do not know where the rest of the artifacts are,” she says. “I do not know what happened to the chalice after we found it. But El Oso has gone to New Orleans. You will find your father in prison there.”
“Lafayette?” Callum asks, and by the horror on his face, a deep dread fills me.
“Lafayette,” she nods. “El Oso has a place in New Orleans to replenish. To keep your father safe, he has put him in Lafayette. He will keep him there until he takes him to the ceremony.”
Darko pulls her into his arms pressing her tightly to him and pressing his lips into hers.
I swallow, looking awkwardly away. But, thankfully, they don’t take long to say goodbye. After a lifetime of goodbyes, I guess they’re used to it.
“I leave you my man as your guide,” Lady Heather says. “Soon Polaris will be looking for me. If I were you, I would not wait until later. Gather your friends, gather your strength, and go to New Orleans.”
16
Chapter 16
“We can’t stay in any known place in New Orleans,” Zan says, pulling the map out on the table. We’re hiding out in my house, trying to stay out of the way of Polaris, who is tearing apart the countryside looking for Lady Heather. Fortunately for us, he’s enlisted the help of all the Ravensgaard, which leaves us in good shape to try and get together a game plan for New Orleans.
“We can take the jet to Baton Rouge,” Aiden says. “There’s a place there we can hole up.”
“A safe house?” Zan asks.
“Safe enough.” Aiden raises his eyebrows and lowers his chin. “Old family friends.”
“I should tell my parents,” Roman frowns. “I think getting banished aged my mom about twenty years. She needs to know where I am.”
“You can’t, you’ll endanger them,” Zan says. “It’s impossible.”
Roman folds his arms over his chest, but doesn’t say anything.
“Will Polaris try to follow us?” I ask.
“Maybe,” Zan says. “But maybe we can send him off in a different direction?”
“How?” I ask.
“We could buy plane tickets to Australia.” Callum says. “Make him think we’re going down there.”
“Won’t he realize we’re not on the plane when we don’t get on it?” I frown.
“Look,” says Aiden. “Polaris has bigger problems right now. He just lost the prize prisoner of El Oso. He’s not going to be paying much attention to what the five of us are doing.”
“Six,” Iona says.
My head whips around to look at her. “Don’t you have to stay here and mind the Ravensgaard?” I ask.
“Shanahan can handle them just fine,” she says. “If you’re going to get the chalice, there’s no way I’m staying behind.”
“But-”
“It’s a good decision,” Callum interrupts me. “We’re trying to break into Lafayette prison and go up against the Berzerken. We need all the power we can get. Going in with just six people is still weak, even when one is a Thunder Being.”
“Seven,” Darko says from the corner. “And one is a vampire.” Aiden ignores him, still not at peace with the presence of a Hunter, even though we’ve pointed out he’s not a Hunter anymore. He’s in fact a shifter. Another Passief. I smile encouragingly at Darko, but he just raises an eyebrow and smirks at me.
“Regardless,” Zan continues, “we’re going to make it look like we got on a plane for Australia. Then we’re going to get off the plane before it leaves.”
“Makes sense,” Callum nods. “If they’re watching, by the time they figure out we’re not on the plane, it’ll be too late. We’ll easily be in New Orleans.”
I look dubious but what am I supposed to do?
“What about Lord Van Arend?” I ask.
“The Ravensgaard are still here,” Iona says. “They’ll protect him.”
I glance at Iona. She still makes me a bit nervous, but for now our paths are the same. I want to save my father from being sacrificed and she wants the chalice.
A shiver moves through me and suddenly, despite my abilities, I want to become small, so small nothing can get in and hurt me. I take a deep breath as Callum puts his arms around me holding me close, easily sensing my trepidation at our undertaking.
“It’s going to be okay,” he says. “We’re going to make it through this, like we make it through everything.”
“You say everything like I’ve survived something,” I murmur. “But, I haven’t.”
“Are you kidding me?” Roman says, “In the last three months, you’ve nearly died twice. At this rate, someone’s going to die soon. It’s nearly impossible for that to not happen.”
“Not helpful.” Zan rolls her eyes at him.
But no one denies it. They know it’s the truth and I can smell their fear, because each one of us is wondering the exact same thing. Of those of us in the room; Callum, Aiden, Zan, Iona, Roman, Darko and me… Which one of us is going to die?
If this were a Hollywood film, the answer would be obvious. It would be Iona or Darko. She’s not one of us, not really. Maybe Darko, but well, he’s a vampire. They don’t die easily. Regardless, this isn’t a Hollywood film.
This is real life
“Look, do you trust us?” Zan asks.
My shoulders crumble. “With my life,” I say. “And my dad’s life.”
Zan says her eyes tearing up a little. “Look we’re going to follow this through to the end. We’re not just trying to save your dad’s life. We’re trying to stop El Oso and free all of us from his rule. We all are in this for our own reasons. And I’m pretty sure there is nowhere else any of us would be.”
“It’s either this or bull riding for me.” Roman smiles.
“This battle has been a long time coming,” Aiden nods. “Whatever happens, it’s worth the risk. We aren’t the only ones who have stood up to El Oso, but with this group, I think we stand a pretty good chance. Even with him.” He raises his chin towards Darko.
Their words drill into my head and stop the shaking in my shoulders I breathe deeply I don’t really believe it all, but I have to hold on to something right now to quell the fear that threatens to engulf me as my heart squeezes and my stomach surges.
“Okay,” I say. “Okay, when do we leave?”
“First we have to get the bears off our butts,” Roman grins.
You walk a fine line when you’re trying to trick someone.
You’ve got to make it believable and not ostentatious. Every
April Fool’s, I use to play a prank on Roman. It gets harder and harder each year because you constantly have to make it so he doesn’t know it’s April first. It has to be fairly plausible and believable. But just worrisome enough so he doesn’t want to call me on the fact it actually could be a joke, because he has to show care and compassion.
There’s ways of doing it and ways of not doing it, and I’m a master of April Fool’s.
For example, the very first time I did it, I texted him in the middle of the night at midnight and simply told him I’m not going to get my school paper done in time, can you come over and help? I knew I was waking him up when he wasn’t ready to be clear on what day it was. We all knew we had a paper due the next day, so he got up and came over to my house as quickly as possible to help me prepare for the paper, and when he got there I just said, “April fools!”. It was hilarious. It had to be Roman, because he’s just gullible enough to believe me. Zan, Aiden, and Callum all would’ve told me to just write my paper myself.
No, maybe Aiden would’ve done a Skype chat or a Google Hangout to talk me through it. Not Roman. He’s the one who shows up at your door.
The next year, I knew that wouldn’t work, but I still had to get him before school started. Once school started, he would know it was April Fool’s. So I called him at seven in the morning and told him my bike had a flat tire, and could he come by and give me a ride to school? I just stuck a note on the front gate that said “April Fool’s” and rode my bike, laughing all the way to school.
And so, it continued. Every year I got him. “I’m at the hospital with a broken leg… The school assignment’s not due tomorrow, don’t bother finishing it tonight. Let’s just go home.” That was probably the worst because he actually got a B- in the whole class, but I was getting desperate. I pulled pranks so long, it was hard to fool him anymore.
But by now, I’m a master so, when we start planning to go to LAX for a trumped-up flight to Australia, it takes careful consideration. We can’t just take Lord Van Arend’s cavalcade to the airport to be dropped off with fanfare and trumpets.
So, in the end we opt for a midnight flight and a Lyft. But although Polaris has started going haywire looking for Lady Heather, Zan and Callum are stuck with a couple of Berzerken grizzly bears who seem to be stalking them everywhere.
They’re huge and hulking and scare the crap out of me every time I get a glimpse of them, which has only been in photos because I’m assigned to stay in my house until we leave. But Zan took some photos. She thought it’d be funny, but there was something about their teeth that showed even though they weren’t smiling that just gave me the heebie jeebies. They looked to be in their late twenties and like they spent their whole lives in an MMA gym, pummeling each other within an inch of their lives just to prove their supremacy.
Polaris gave them the job to watch the roads in and out of Topanga.
The Ravensgaard still are there, but Van Arend plays his part well. He still bows to the Order and makes it look like the Ravensgaard will follow the direction from the Berzerken.
But the Berzerken keep a close eye on everyone and everything, and if we’re going to get out of here, we need to have a solution for not letting those guys follow us.
“What’s one thing bears like?” I ask.
“Honey,” Roman says.
“Right. Raw honey,” I nod. “These guys are athletes on some crazy hardcore protein diet made just for them. They eat raw meat, in their bear form, and they never eat anything processed or even cooked. They keep their bodies lean and hard with raw diets.”
“How does getting them raw honey help us?” Zan asks.
I go to the cabinet in my kitchen, in the pantry and I take out a small vial, sliding it onto the table. “This is a sleeping mixture Zaragoza gave my mom for when she was having tougher times than normal.”
“Seriously?” Roman picks up the vial curiously. “You got the good stuff?”
“Take a tablespoon of honey for each of bear and mix this into it. They’ll be asleep in five minutes and stay asleep for five hours. That should give us just the right amount of time.”
“Okay, and how is it we’re going to get them to take it?” Zan asks. “Just walk up and say, ‘Hey Mr. Grizzly Adams, wanna lick my spoon?’”
“I’d pay money to see that,” Roman grins.
“The honey will mask the flavor.” Callum shrugs. “We just stick it into something they like to drink. Like a beer.”
Aiden nods. “We can get Shanahan to bring it to them. They trust him.”
“Don’t have him bring it then,” Callum says. “We don’t want him to lose their trust.”
“I’ll do it,” Zan says. “They don’t really like me anyhow.”
“Okay,” I nod. “Just make sure you give them just enough to make them sleep but not so much that it kills them.”
Zan stares at me blandly. “I’m not a killer. At least, I haven’t killed a bear. Yet.”
“Good. Here.” I place the vial in her hand.
Zan grins as her fingers close over it. “This’ll be like feeding candy to a baby.”
***
We spent more time trying to get the bears asleep than getting out of the airport. It’s a lot less effort to sneak out of LAX than I thought. We walk down the gangway as if we’re boarding a flight to Australia, but at the last moment, we duck down a staircase and to a waiting private car. It brings us to the Santa Monica airport. A private gate opens when the driver says, “Van Arend.”
We are taken to a nondescript hangar where the Van Arend jet waits. “I still can’t believe you have a jet,” I mutter to Aiden.
“Well, technically I don’t,” Aiden says. “The estate has one.”
“I wish I had a jet,” says Roman. “Would make a great pick up line. ‘Hey baby, want to go for a ride in my jet?’” He slides his glasses down his nose and wiggles his eyebrows at Zan.
She can’t help but laugh. I just shake my head.
“Come on, get in,” says Callum glancing around cautiously. But I’m pretty sure no one followed us. Polaris has other problems.
The jet’s not too big. There’s twelve seats in three rows, but they’re leather and comfortable. As soon as we all sit down, Zan pulls out her computer.
“Don’t you have to keep that stowed away until after take-off?” I ask.
“Only when flying with the peasants,” Roman grins.
“What’s the wifi code?” Zan asks Aiden.
“Eagle1,” he says. “Capital E.”
Roman and Zan both shake their heads.
I stroke the leather of the seats. Callum, who’s sitting next to me smiles. “Think about it,” he says. “They brought their manor over to California brick by brick. Can you imagine with the cost of that was? This jet is nothing compared to what they must have.”
I glance at Aiden, who’s sitting in the front row alone.
I want to ask him if he’s sure. Anything we do from here on out is giving up everything he’s had. Does he really want to do that?
But I can’t bring myself to ask him. What if he says no? What if he says yes?
Roman leans across the aisle as if he can tell what I’m thinking.
“It’s okay,” he says. “They have money stashed away.”
“It’s not just about that,” I say. “It’s the whole life. The position. The everything.”
“Don’t worry about the Van Arends,” Roman says. “Despite what his father says, they’ve proven resilient over the years. One little tussle with the Order isn’t going to take them off their throne. They might take on a different look, but the Van Arends will always rise. They’re eagles, aren’t they?”
I nod, as is if I agree and everything’s okay, but I can’t shake the fear, the tightening in my stomach wringing at my guts.
What if my father’s already dead? What if he’s already too far gone? What if all of this is for nothing?
I must’ve dozed off worrying. When I wake up, the cabin is dim.
It looks like Callum, Aiden, and Roman are all getting their sleep, too. Darko and Iona are speaking in soft tones. The only light is coming from the back of the cabin, shining from Zan’s computer. Her face is blue and swamped in shadows as she stares at the screen.
I slip out of my chair and go back to see her.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
I look at the screen and it’s black with just lines of code across it. She’s typing furiously.
“I’m writing an app.”
“To do what?” I ask.
“Find each other. We might have all the maps, but what if we get separated? This new app is the only way to be completely safe, so they can’t track you or your communications, but we can track each other.”
“Why don’t you just use whatsapp?”
She looks at me like I just don’t get it.
“Whatsapp is fine if you want to send text messages and pictures. But I want a private connection with live streaming, and I want to be able to use this system to hook into their cameras. If I can write all this code, then we’ll be able to open our phones and access Lafayette’s video cameras and their security system.”
“Are we going to be able to shut them off?” I stare at the screen wondering how my best friend is such a genius.
“No,” she says. “But we will be able to see it, which will help us a lot. I just have to get it done.” The way she says it, I understand she’s telling me to leave her alone. Now is not the time to sit here and ask her stupid questions, wasting her time. I get the hint.
“Hey,” I ask. “Where is the toilet on this thing?” I look to the back but don’t see the telltale laboratory sign.
“Do you see the big chair back there?” She points to something that looks almost like a lounge chair. It sits behind a dividing wall. As I look more closely I see there’s an accordion door connected to the dividing wall that must bridge the central aisle of the plane.
“There’s no real door?” I glance back at my sleeping friends.
She shakes her head.
“Oh,” I mutter. That’s not going to happen. I head back to the front of the cabin, to my chair behind Aiden.