"Why?"
Aeryn rested her palms of the table. "The mark, Satune's Seal, creates a very powerful psychic connection between the hounds and their master. However, this connection puts a great amount of strain on the master's state of mind, causing him to gradually lose his mental capacities."
Lorelai crossed her arms on her chest and leaned back in her chair. "And when that happens, the hounds go back to their default mode."
"What's their default mode?" Iris almost wished she hadn't asked that. She was afraid of the answer but somehow, the more the Elwoods revealed about themselves, the more curious she got. Good or bad, it didn't matter. At that point, wanting to know every detail about their world had become a compulsion.
"Kill everything in sight, since everything dies eventually," Lorelai replied, matter-of-factly. "But, seeing as how it didn't kill you, and I doubt you're his current master, it means you're different."
"Different how?"
"You know, like an anomaly."
"Lorelai," Aeryn admonished her. Connor just gave her the eye.
"You're special," Aeryn said. "You're definitely human. That much we do know. But other than that, you're a mystery. You are special though. You give off this energy. It's almost impossible not to notice—if you're one of us, of course."
"How are you so sure that I'm…" I can't believe I'm asking this. "Human?"
"You smell human. Plus, we checked your family tree, just to make sure," Lorelai said, as if she'd done nothing wrong. "You definitely don't have any Fae ancestors."
"What? When?"
"After you were in that accident that killed your parents eleven years ago," Aeryn clarified.
"Why would you do that?"
"Shortly before the accident we were asked to keep an eye on you."
"Let me guess. Agatha? Who is she, by the way?"
The phone rang before they could give her an answer. It was her grandmother again.
"Tell her you're on your way home," Connor whispered. He was seated next to her and had seen the caller id.
"But I'm not. You still need to give me some explanations."
"And we will. I promise. But right now our priority is not to raise any suspicions about your accident."
Iris reassured her grandmother that she was on her way home and hung up.
"So," Lorelai started. "Like we talked, right?"
"Mountain lion," Connor said, his fingers interlaced, his elbows propped against the table. "The damage to the car is a bit too much but I think it'll work."
Iris realized that they were putting together a plausible story to explain what had happened in the woods. "Why a mountain lion? Why not… I don't know, a deer?"
"Because a deer would never survive getting hit by a car with such force to create that kind of damage and we don't have time to produce a dead body to place at the scene," Lorelai said, on the same condescending tone as before, like she was stating the obvious and Iris was just too slow to get it. "Cats are resilient and know how to fall. Also, they generally hide when they're dying, which would be a more reasonable explanation for the missing body of your hit-and-run victim."
"I didn't hit it and I definitely didn't run." Iris wasn't sure why she felt the need to explain her lack of guilt in an imaginary accident.
"That's very brave of you." Lorelai didn't even try to hide the mockery in her tone. The two of them had never been best friends and Iris generally tolerated Lorelai's sarcasm, but sometimes it really got on her nerves. She was just getting ready to tell her that when Connor cut her off.
"So," he said, turning to her. "You were driving on Chestnut Road when suddenly a mountain lion jumped in front of the car. You couldn't avoid it. In the impact it landed on the hood, cracking the windshield. It fell on the pavement and then ran away into the woods. The car wouldn't start and there was no cell signal. You waited for two hours before Lorelai and I found you and drove you back to town."
Iris remembered the hellhound hitting the windshield with its huge paw and shuddered. She was an awful liar but there was no way she could ever tell anyone the truth about what had really happened.
"What is it?" Connor asked, noticing her silence.
"I—I'm not a very good liar," she admitted.
"The most important thing you have to remember when you're lying to someone," Lorelai intervened, "is to maintain eye contact. People who avoid looking you in the eye usually have something to hide. Well, sometimes they're just shy, but most of the times they're—what do you call them?—ah, yes, shady. So, remember. Eye contact."
Lorelai pointed her index and middle fingers from her eyes to Iris' and Iris nodded. "Good," the girl said, satisfied. "Now all we have to do is take care of the sleeping beauty in the living room."
"What?" Panic rose in Iris' chest.
Connor put his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay."
They all got up and stepped into the living room. Marion was indeed a sleeping beauty. The Elwoods took their positions around her, just like before, and resumed the work that Iris had interrupted. Aeryn lit up the incense stick and took out a bit of silvery powder from the jar with the bizarre writing on it. The room was filled with a strange smell that Iris couldn't really pinpoint, but she suddenly felt light as a feather and instinctively sad down on the couch in front of the one Marion was lying on.
"What are you doing?" she asked as Lorelai took out the sphere from her pocket.
"Iris," Aeryn said on a calm voice, although Iris felt her heart pounding in her chest and her stomach clenching. "Part of the reason we've been able to live in your world for so long is because we've been very careful not to expose ourselves to humans."
Suddenly Iris understood and swallowed against the bitter taste in her mouth. Marion was human and she couldn't know about them, about the existence of the supernatural world, about Fae. It seemed fairly reasonable, yet unreasonably unfair.
"No," she said, as Lorelai activated the sphere and took out a piece of crystal with a white bead inside. "Stop! Lorelai, please!"
"She won't hurt her," Connor said. "This will just take away Marion's memory of everything that happened this morning and leave only the image of a mountain lion jumping in front of your car and then us finding you. Just like we talked before."
"No!" Iris cried and tried to get up but her feet wouldn't listen. "You can't do that. You'll break her."
"It's either this or death," Lorelai said and in that moment Iris hated her. She was fond of her best friend's sister; they'd known each other ever since they were little and throughout the years Iris had learned to accept Lorelai's fickle and detached nature, but in that moment she hated the girl. She hated them all.
"She won't tell anyone. I promise you. Neither of us will tell a soul about any of this. Please," she begged.
"This is not about you," Aeryn said. "You're different. We might not know what you are now, but sooner or later you were bound to enter our world. But Marion, she's a regular human. She has no part in this."
"But this is wrong," Iris protested.
It was all in vain. Lorelai went ahead and dropped the white bead on Marion's forehead. Just like before, the small drop transformed into a thin layer that spread all over Marion's face. Aeryn went to her and put her fingers on both of Marion's temples, then bent over her and whispered something in her ear. Iris could see Marion's eyes moving under her closed lids, as if she was having an intense dream. She frowned and started shaking her head like she was in pain and Iris felt a cold arrow pierce her heart. Then, Marion gradually calmed down, her face relaxed and she returned to the same peaceful sleep as before.
"It's time to go," Connor said. He leaned and picked Marion up in his arms, then headed towards the door. Aeryn helped Iris up.
"This is the only way," the woman said, but Iris barely heard her.
8
When Everyone Wants a Piece of You
Dorian had only seen Kane once before, a few days earlier. The experience, brief yet painful, confirmed to him tha
t all the terrible things he'd heard about the man were true and made him wish he would never have to go through it again. Sadly, he was desperate. The success of his mission depended on Kane, so here he was, back for a second run.
"Dorian…" The voice came from behind him but he didn't need to turn around to identify its owner. The way it resonated off the rocky walls of the underground hall, omnipotent, unforgettable, like that of a god…
Dorian closed his eyes and waited a second before he turned around.
Kane was wearing crimson leather clothes underneath a long, black cloak, in stark contrast with his pale skin and hair, with a wide collar and broad dark silver shoulder pads. He looked like he'd just stepped out of a fantasy movie set. Is it 'Wear a Cloak to Work' Day? Had it been anyone else, Dorian wouldn't have refrained from commenting on the man's outfit, but it was Kane and Dorian wanted to get out of there alive.
He looked the man straight in the eyes. "Kane."
"You look terrible."
"Yes, well, poison will do that to your complexion."
"Ah, Tara. Lovely girl, wouldn't you agree?"
"Not so lovely with her throat slashed open."
"You killed her?"
"She wasn't very good with the needle. Now, about that small piece of paper you promised me."
"What makes you think I'll give it to you?"
"I've heard a lot of vicious things about you, but you're a businessman. You wouldn't have built such a reputation if you went back on your word every time you made a deal with someone. Also, Raven's outside with the moonstone. Give me the plans and have one of your men accompany me. Once we're out, I'll send him back to you with the rock."
"How is His Highness?" Kane's voice was honeyed but Dorian knew better.
"Struggling with his popularity. Everyone wants a piece of him nowadays."
"Yes. I've heard. It's not uncommon when you're an escaped prisoner convicted for high treason."
"Depends on who's on the betrayed side."
"I suppose so. I would love to have him over sometime."
Dorian fought back a sneer. "I bet you would. You do know that he can block certain memories if he wants to, right?"
"If he's conscious."
Dorian chuckled to hide the stiffening of his shoulders. "I love to gossip about my friends just as much as the next guy, but I'm in a bit of a hurry so, how about those plans?"
"Ah, yes. The underground tunnel plans. You can have them. I may be a lot of things but, as you pointed out, I'm a man of my word." He smiled. "Although, I'm curious whether you'll get a chance to use them. I hear the hounds are getting close."
"They are."
"You know, there is a way to escape them."
"There is?"
"Yes. You can join me. The hounds can't get you in here and I could use a brave soldier like you by my side."
"That's very generous of you but I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees."
"Are you sure? This whole hound situation is about to get out of hand."
"Quite sure, yes. Besides, the Elwoods are on top of it."
"Really?"
Dorian realized he'd said too much. You idiot. Despite the fact that Kane never left his sanctuary, he was always aware of everything that happened with the world outside. That was how he stayed one step ahead of everyone, and how he learned to take advantage of a situation. Also, his ability to read into someone's mind just by touching them helped too. And that was what he was about to do to Dorian. Again.
Kane took a step towards Dorian and leaned forward. "How do you know? That the Guardians are on top of things, I mean. Have you met with them?"
"Not yet. But there's a pile of burnt human remains at the morgue. Or so I've heard. They're bound to investigate, are they not?"
"Don't take me for a fool, boy. I don't like it when people do that."
Dorian clenched his fists. He would have gladly taken a round of torture instead of being called a boy, like the man who'd kept him captive for a decade used to call him. Unfortunately, Kane knew that as well, and in that moment he was serving Dorian both. He was actually torturing Dorian by calling him the one thing he hated the most in the world.
"Fine," he conceded, well aware that he wouldn't be able to hide anything from Kane. "There was an accident on Chestnut Road this morning. I saw the Elwoods there."
"Really?" Kane was intrigued. Dorian cursed himself for not being able to keep his mouth shut for once in his bloody life. "Let me see," Kane demanded. "I've read about the hounds but I've never had the chance to see one in action."
He took Dorian's hand and, while they were standing there like two officials doing the five-minute shake for the cameras, Kane watched the events of that morning play like a movie in Dorian's mind. Dorian felt his brain pushing against his skull and had to use all his strength to stay on his feet. His nose started bleeding and the room began to spin. He wiped his upper lip with the back of his hand and closed his eyes to regain his balance. After the pressure decreased, a sign that Kane was done with the drilling, Dorian's ears kept ringing. When he opened his eyes, Kane's face was a mixture of intrigue and satisfaction.
"The girl," Kane said, almost fascinated.
"What girl?" Dorian knew the answer.
"Don't play dumb. The girl that was in the car."
"There were two of them."
"The one who drove the hound away. I heard the Elwoods are a bit too zealous for their own good when it comes to saving humans, but I bet she's the reason they intervened this morning. So who is she?"
"No idea. I'm new in town."
"I want her."
"Good for you."
"You don't understand. I want you to bring her to me."
"Why?"
"I don't have to explain myself to you."
"And if I don't?"
"You already know the answer to that question."
Dorian sighed. "What about the plans?"
"I'll give them to you when you bring me the girl."
"I thought you were a man of your word."
"I am, but there are times—important, crucial times—when I am forced to make an exception. This is one of those times."
The drive home took longer than usual. Maybe because she was angry at the Elwoods and didn't want to see them, maybe because she was anxious to get home, lock herself in her room and try to make sense of that day, but it seemed like time just stood still. She kept silent, as a sign of protest for what they had done to Marion, but at one point she couldn't stand the silence anymore.
"How come no one's ever noticed your… abilities before?"
Connor looked at her, surprised to hear her voice. He hadn't said a word since they'd left the mansion. "We don't use them in public. Plus, there's a spell that makes everyone forget us after a while. Usually every decade or so. That's how we live among humans without them noticing we don't really get old."
"You don't get old?"
"We do, but it's a much slower process that in humans."
She should have anticipated that.
"But I've known you for longer than ten years."
"Everyone has. Except you're the only one who remembers us. You seem to be immune to some of our magic, we just don't know why."
Suddenly, the conversation she and Marion had earlier that day in the car about the first time they'd met Connor and Lorelai started to make more sense. She turned around and looked at her friend, peacefully sleeping on the backseat.
"I'm sorry," Connor said, noticing her watching Marion. "I hope one day you'll understand that we had no choice."
Iris hated that phrase. There was always a choice. Her grandmother had taught her that. Iris, our lives are made of the consequences of our own choices, she used to say. It wasn't true that the Elwoods had no choice. They did. They just chose something that Iris didn't agree with. And at this point there was nothing she could do to change that. She had no power over them. She was just a human. Except different. An anomaly. Suddenly, she felt an ove
rwhelming desire to know why that was. "The woman who asked you to protect me…"
"Agatha Frost. What about her?"
"Is it possible that she knows what I am?"
Connor pondered for a few seconds before answering. "She might, but she wouldn't tell us. Trust me, my grandmother asked many times."
"You think she'd tell me?"
"Maybe. I don't know. She's kind of strange."
"Well, then, tell me where to find her."
Connor laughed.
"Did I say something funny?"
"No one finds her. She finds you."
"Well, that's unfortunate. What do you do when you have an emergency and need to talk to her? Does she have like a home office or something?"
"If she does, I've never seen it."
"Stop the car."
"What?"
"Stop the damn car!"
Connor pulled over and Iris darted out. She was so angry that she felt like she was suffocating.
Connor followed her. "What is it?"
"Unbelievable! Are you kidding me? You drop an atomic bomb on me like 'we're Fae and you're special' and when I try to find answers you stonewall me from all sides?"
Connor looked at her for a few seconds and then gave in. "The only one who can take you to her is Grandma but she'll never agree to do it."
"You want me to forgive you for what you did to Marion? You want me to understand? Then find a way to persuade her."
Dorian let out a long, deep breath. Finally he was out of Kane's lair and back into the woods. But the feeling was short-lived as he remembered that it had all been for nothing. Not only did he not get what he'd come for, but now he had another task to complete. Raven was waiting for him in the same spot they'd split before he went to see Kane. Dorian took the moonstone and gave it to Kane's man. "Tell your master we'll see each other again soon." Also, tell him he's a douche, he wanted to add, but then he thought that it was probably best not to poke the bear until after he was done with his mission.
The man didn't say a word. Dorian watched him disappear in the direction he'd come from a minute earlier. After the man was completely out of their sight, Raven spoke. "So?"
The Fountain of Truth (Tales of the Dark Fae Book 1) Page 8