"How about Dorian?"
Vincent tilted his head to the side. "Last I checked, you were fighting side by side to kill me. Forgive me if I'm inclined to doubt your words."
"We were fighting to save the town. Dorian means nothing to us."
"Say I believe you. What do you want in return?"
"I want you to relinquish control of the hounds."
"No."
"You want Dorian. That's the reason you resurrected the hounds in the first place. Once you have him, you won't need them anymore. And as a bonus, you also get to keep what's left of your sanity."
Vincent stared at him for a few moments before he spoke. "Alright. When and where?"
"Tonight. There's a clearing about three miles west of the Black Oak Trail off Elmwood Street. Be there with the hounds before sundown."
Iris' heart was still racing when she walked through the door of the only place she'd always felt safe—her house. The conversation with Aeryn and Connor after Cyrus left the mansion kept replaying in her mind all the way home. She'd never seen them so mad and the way they'd both yelled at her had frightened her. And on top of that, she never got the chance to ask about Kane.
She threw herself on the couch, exhausted. She'd taken a task that everyone doubted she'd be able to complete. She suddenly remembered something her grandmother used to tell her—when the whole world tells you you're wrong about something, it's probably because you are. So, if everyone told her that she couldn't help save her town from being burned to the ground, did that mean she should give up? How was she supposed to do that?
She'd never felt more alone. Normally, she would call the only person who was capable of making her feel better, Marion, but now her friend was going through something much worse than Iris.
The doorbell started ringing incessantly.
Lorelai barged inside like a hurricane. "How could you do something so stupid?"
"I can do this, Lorelai. You saw it yourself. I can control them."
"Yes. For a short while. But can you do it for a whole night? Because that's what it takes to kill them. They have to burn from dusk till dawn and you have to make sure they stay in one place. Even when they're nothing but a pile of ashes, they can still rise. Can you hold that kind of focus?"
"So teach me. Help me learn how to concentrate."
"In a few hours? You must have been touched by the madness that comes with controlling the hounds."
"Well, we wouldn't be in this situation if you'd listened to me from the beginning. Instead, you insisted on keeping me out of it. And now, I might be the only one who can actually help you get out of this mess and instead of a hand, I keep getting the cold shoulder. I really don't understand what it is about me that you hate so much."
"You really want to know?"
"Actually I do."
Lorelai stared at Iris for a few moments before she spoke. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be us? To be handed a weapon at the age of five and then to have to spend your entire life doing nothing but train and kill to protect a piece of rock? Because that's what the Amulet is in the end. A piece of rock. Do you know what it's like to see your friends go out and have fun, fall in love with whoever they want, get their hearts broken, follow their dreams, no matter how stupid they seem, while you just keep wielding your weapons and train to make sure you become invincible in battle?"
"Lorelai—"
"I would give anything to be able to do all those things, to follow my own destiny, not knowing where it might take me, to look for a job, change my mind and find a better one, to fall in love with the wrong boy and break up and fall in love again with someone else. Do you know that Guardians are only allowed to marry other Guardians? It's supposed to make us stronger. And if that rule sounds ridiculous, try living by it. So, yeah, I would give anything to be human, to be you. While you are so determined to throw it all away."
Iris had no idea Lorelai felt that way. She seemed so devoted to their cause… If Iris had to choose which of the Elwood siblings seemed more attached to the human world, she would have bet on Connor every single time, never Lorelai.
She tried to explain that, to tell Lorelai that she wasn't giving up on being a human, she was just trying to find out who she really was, but the girl didn't give her the chance. "Sleep."
"What?"
"You need rest."
"I'm not tired."
"I know. The sphere will do that to you. You don't feel tired, or hungry…" Iris took her hand to her shoulder and shivered as she remembered the fight at the warehouse the day before. Had it not been for the Elwoods, she would have been in the hospital with a cast on. "But that energy boost will fade," Lorelai went on. "You need sleep. Your brain needs to shut down and recharge if you're ever going to stand a chance at doing this."
"Okay. I will."
"Would you mind making some tea?"
"Sure." Iris went into the kitchen and put the kettle on the stove.
Lorelai sat at the table in the dining room. "Who are you looking for?"
"What?"
"The phonebook. Who are you looking for?"
Iris remembered that she'd left the book on the dining room table before she headed out earlier. "Oh. Someone named J.L. Kane."
"Where did you hear that name?" Lorelai's voice sounded edgy.
"I think my father might have known him. Why? Do you know who he is?" She darted into the dining room. "Lorelai, if you do, you must tell me. He might be able to help me find out why I can do what I do."
The girl hesitated for a second. "No, I've never heard of him."
"You're lying. Lorelai, please."
"No. If I tell you about him you're gonna want to see him and you won't stop until you do. Connor will kill me."
"Please. I have to know."
"Oh, I'm gonna regret this." Lorelai sighed. "He's a very powerful Fae, leader of the Underground Society."
"What's the Underground Society?"
"It's a place in the mountains, sort of a safe haven for the Fae community. But don't be fooled by the word safe. All kinds of creatures gather there."
"Will you take me there?"
"See?" Lorelai rolled her eyes in despair.
"What? You knew I was going to ask."
"No. I won't. None of us will, so don't even bother mentioning it to my brother. Now go fix that tea. The water's started to evaporate."
Iris went into the kitchen. The teapot was whistling on the stove. She grabbed it and withdrew her hand instantly, cursing. She turned on the cold water and put her hand under it to alleviate the pain. Lorelai said something from the dining room but Iris couldn't hear her over the running water. "I can't hear you!"
"When did you meet Cyrus?"
"What?" Iris was surprised by the question.
"Grandma said Cyrus left her the impression he'd seen you before. When was that?"
Iris remembered Cyrus' warning the day they'd met at Dorian's. "Uhm… I've never seen him before today." She took out two cups from the cupboard above the sink and nearly dropped them when she turned around and saw Lorelai standing behind her. She cursed their supernatural abilities in her mind.
"Don't lie to me."
"I—I'm not lying."
"You're stuttering, avoiding eye contact and your heart's racing."
Iris sighed and cursed their supernatural abilities in her mind again. "Yesterday morning. At Dorian's house. He came to heal his gunshot wound."
"Come again?"
Iris put the cups on the table and poured the tea. "What?"
Lorelai pulled out a chair and sat down. "Cyrus is the eyes and ears of the Council in the human world. Why would he heal a weasel like Dorian?"
"Maybe Dorian's working for him."
"Dorian? Working for the Council? You'd have better chance seeing hell freeze over."
Iris put sugar and milk on the table and sat in front of Lorelai. "I have a theory. It came to me after Cyrus came to your house. I would have told you about it then if your grandmother and brother ha
dn't ambushed me with critiques."
"Fine. Tell me now."
"Think about it. Dorian shows up about two weeks before the Harvest Supermoon. Maybe he's not here to cause trouble but to help you protect the Amulet."
"Then why didn't he say so from the start?"
"Maybe he didn't know that he was indirectly working for the Council. Not that you ever gave him a chance to speak for more than a minute before you shot flaming arrows at him."
Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Then why didn't Cyrus say anything? Why keep us in the dark?"
"Your family thinks that the disappearance of Satune's Seal from the Treasury was an inside job. Which makes sense, if the Treasury is really the fortress that you say it is. Maybe Cyrus didn't know who to trust. Or maybe he was ordered not to tell you."
"Really? Us? The ones who are supposed to protect the Amulet and the Fountain?"
"An inside job means someone who's working against Council policy, which is to keep the Fountain hidden. What if the hounds are a means to an end, the end being revealing the Fountain?"
"Then all the more reason to get rid of them and return to our mission. Now drink your tea so you can sleep."
Iris took a sip, thinking how familiar that line sounded. She looked at the steaming cup in her hand. "Oh, come on. Again?" She wondered when Lorelai had the opportunity to slip something in her drink without her noticing it. Then her eyelids got heavier and heavier and she felt Lorelai's arms wrapping around her just as she slipped out of the chair. And then she felt nothing anymore.
When Dorian walked in, Raven was standing in front of a mirror, gathering his intentionally ruffled black hair at the back of his head. Dorian lay on the couch in the living room and crossed his ankles on the armrest. "You know that with that do you'll also have to adjust your makeup, right?"
"You're the one to talk. You die your hair gray every month. Anyway, you should worry less about me and more about you."
"Whatever do you mean?"
"You have got to stop lurking around that girl's house like a creeper and deliver her to Kane like he asked. He's running out of patience." Raven pointed at a hole in the window, then at the wall opposite from it. Lodged into the wall was an arrow with a piece of paper hanging from it. Dorian got up and read the message written on it, in blood, judging from the smell. The next one goes in your heart and you won't see it coming.
Dorian looked at Raven. "Really? He couldn't call? Now we'll have to replace the window and repair the wall." He went back to lying on the couch.
"Go ahead and joke about it, but I'm telling you, the only way to get out of this is by bringing him the girl. I don't get why you keep postponing it." He stopped for a moment, staring at Dorian. "Do you… like her?"
Dorian remembered the spark of electricity when their hands touched, just as he was handing her the statue, the way she looked at him, the feeling of familiarity that came over him every time he saw her, the inexplicable desire to protect her. He shook his head. Focus! "What's there to like? Don't worry. Fortune just crossed to our side," he said, thinking about the business card that Iris had found hidden inside her father's statue. He knew that the Elwoods would never take her to see Kane and it was just a matter of time before she came to ask him to do it. The question was, did he really want to take her? She was the only person he'd even met who didn't see him as a monster. She didn't even seem to be afraid of him. Even Ariana had been afraid of him at times. He shook his head again. Focus!
The doorbell rang. Dorian pushed his head back and looked at Raven upside down. "I can go get it if you still have to apply the finishing touches."
Raven left the room but returned a minute later. "We have a guest."
Dorian sat up just enough to look over the couch back pillows. "Elwood. This must be a cold day in hell."
"We're burning the hounds tonight and you're the bait."
"Can't it be Raven? He's already dressed for the occasion."
"That's just it. I came here to make sure you're in and you won't send your decoy friend again."
"You know, Elwood, you won't break if you loosen up a bit."
"Will you be there or not?"
"Fine. Where exactly is there?"
"A clearing about three miles west of the Black Oak Trail off Elmwood Street. Be there before sundown."
"So how is this going to unfold?"
"We'll handle everything. You just make sure to be there. In time."
Connor turned around and left. Dorian went to the window and watched him drive away.
"So, what do you think?" Raven asked.
"I think he really needs a night out surrounded by tequila and depravation. I also think that he wants to get rid of the hounds at all costs."
"Do you trust him?"
"Of course not. But we're going anyway."
"Where have you been?" Lorelai asked, as soon as Connor closed the front door behind him.
Connor ignored the question. "How's Iris?"
"Sleeping like a horse."
"You mean like a baby."
"No, I mean like a horse because that's how much sleeping water I put in her tea—enough to put down a horse."
"Lorelai!"
"She's relentless in putting a spoke in our wheel every time we're about to do something important. Plus, we all know the magic of the spheres works differently on her. Better be safe than sorry. Now, back to my question. Where were you?"
"I went to meet with Vincent."
"Come again?"
"I met with Vincent."
"Why?"
"I made a deal with him."
"You made a d—" She blinked a few times and shook her head. "What kind of a deal?"
"Dorian in exchange for power over the hounds."
"I can't believe you!"
Aeryn entered the kitchen from the garden. "What's going on? Why are you shouting?"
"Connor made a deal with Vincent."
"I had no choice, Lorelai. What would you have me do?"
"Oh, don't get me wrong, Brother. I think this is the best decision you've made ever since this whole fiasco started. I'm angry because you had to put us through two near-death experiences and endless days of frustrating debates to get to the same solution I proposed from the very beginning. Remember what I said when Dorian first came to the house?"
"I remember. But back then we didn't have Iris."
Lorelai looked at him. "Have you had an aneurism? Or is this just a regular mental breakdown? Or maybe you're possessed. 'Cause, frankly, I don't recognize you anymore. Weren't you the one who kept preaching left and right how we should protect Iris? Weren't you the one who kept trying to convince her to drop it whenever she came babbling about her power to control the hounds?"
"I was. I still think she's not strong enough to do it. Not alone. Which is why we need to give her a hand."
"How?"
"By getting Vincent to relinquish control of the hounds."
"Do you think we can trust he will keep his word?" asked Aeryn.
"He resurrected the hounds to get to Dorian. If we give him what he wants, I don't see why he wouldn't."
"Still, we should be careful with him. Now, let's go prepare the grounds."
24
A Million Things That Could Go Wrong
The clearing was a beautiful patch of barren ground covered by a thick carpet of gold and red leaves. Gusts of wind shook the trees at the fringe of the forest, ruffling their dying foliage and sending it to the ground.
Connor looked up. The sky was still grey and menacing but at least the rain had stopped. Still, they couldn't take any chances. If they were going to be successful, they had to keep every drop of water under control. Above and underground. He walked to the middle of the clearing and closed his eyes, picturing the entire process. He saw every layer of clouds like he was actually flying through them, then he felt the air currents dashing by him from all sides. He focused and tried to get them on the same course. Slowly, they began to blow in the same direction
and, one by one, the cloud layers dissipated, revealing the clear, late September afternoon sky. Connor prayed that the weather wouldn't change in the following fourteen hours and everything would go as planned.
Lorelai was at the edge of the clearing, crouched on the ground. She was dropping beads every couple of feet along the tree line. She only needed two to trap Connor and Vincent the night before. Now they'd need two hundred.
"Connor," she called, waiving her sphere. It was glowing an intermittent red light in the section containing trapping beads. "I'm out."
He reached into his pocket, took out his sphere, and threw it at her. She caught it like a pro baseball player and resumed her work. A few feet behind Lorelai, Aeryn was pouring a continuous line of grey powder connecting the beads that the girl was planting in the ground.
Connor looked at his watch. They still had a good two hours before sunset. He went to the west side of the clearing where they'd left their weapons. It didn't hurt to check them again and make sure they were all in perfect condition. With such unnatural alliances, there were a million things that could go wrong. He wasn't going to add to that number.
"Connor." He turned around to look at his grandmother. "Go get Iris. Lorelai and I will finish up here."
Iris was lying on the couch, flipping Kane's business card between her fingers, wondering how he was connected to her father. Had they been friends? Associates? Or was Kane the reason Agatha had asked the Elwoods to protect her? If so, going to meet him would be like walking into the lion's den. Still, if he wanted to hurt her, he could have done it countless times in the twelve years since the accident.
She jerked at the sound of her phone ringing and sat up to answer it.
"Hello, love."
For some reason, every time he called her that it seemed like he was mocking her. "Dorian. What do you want?"
"I was wondering how the begging went? Did you cry, fall to your knees and grab Elwood's legs before he said there was no way in hell he would take you to see Kane?"
Iris remembered the conversation she'd had with Lorelai. "Did you call me to gloat?"
The Fountain of Truth (Tales of the Dark Fae Book 1) Page 22