Burnt Silver

by H A Titus

  "So," he repeated. "Roe tells me you've found some interesting things in regards to relics over the last few days."

  I nodded. "Did she explain to you what happened with Highlord Keelin?"

  "She and Eliaster both." He paused for a moment, then said, "I also spoke to Highlord Keelin after Eliaster called me the first time. That's why I was so readily available when Roe called me."

  My palms started sweating. If he'd already talked to Lord Keelin … I wiped my hands on my jeans. "So you already know about Galen Shaughnessy. Did Roe tell you that we connected him to a curator?"

  Simon's hands paused in his work. "No."

  Zeke scoffed. "Yeah, right."

  "We confirmed it from two different sources, independent from each other. In addition, one of those sources has indicated that Henry may also be connected to Drake Airgead."

  "No curator would be stupid enough to align themselves with people like Drake or Shaughnessy," Zeke said. "Esepcially Shaughnessy. He's too reckless."

  I reached into my backpack, pulled out the dea-thoil stone, and set it on the table. "Keelin has more."

  Simon shot me a skeptical look. "Keelin has relics?"

  A knot formed in my stomach. "He didn't tell you?"

  "No. Conveniently. I guess we'll have to have a follow-up chat with him and Highlord O'Breigh."

  "If you do, I'd rather my name not come into it."

  "Of course not."

  Zeke shuffled through some of the photos, lips pursed in a frown. "These could be manipulated photos."

  "They could be, but they're not," I said quietly.

  He looked up, met my eyes. "Everything we've heard about you says you're good with computers."

  "Good with computers and good with photomanipulation are two different things that don't necessarily combine."

  "Tell me about this connection." Simon lit his pipe, then tapped the stem against the folder in Zeke's hands. "Between Shaughnessy and this curator."

  I blew out a deep breath. All or nothing, I reminded myself: without putting all my cards on the table, we wouldn't get a shot at the pathstone. Taking Henry Blair out of commission wasn't a necessary step to that goal, but it would be nice. At this point, though, it was out of my hands. All I could do was give Simon the information I had and let him decide what to do with it.

  I kept Aileen's name out of it, but explained how we'd been tipped off, gone after Shaughnessy, and how Keelin had pulled us into his own investigation. I wrapped it up by adding, "And I don't know what you think of the rumors that there are pathstones still around, but I can tell you I saw one in Chicago. We have a chance to potentially track down another one."

  As I'd been talking, Simon and Zeke had both been quiet, listening intently. At the mention of pathstone, Simon straightened and took his pipe from his mouth.

  "I knew there was at least one pathstone, and assumed there were more …" His voice trailed off for a moment, then he sighed. "You make a compelling case, McAllister. As much as I hate to admit it, this doesn't look good for Henry."

  Zeke's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

  Simon held up a hand. "We still need to talk to a few others. Get their input. This is a serious accusation. And I wouldn't mind getting the name of your inside source."

  "At the moment, I'm afraid that would put them in greater danger than they already are." I thought of the frightened look on Aileen's face when she mentioned her father.

  "Very well. Perhaps someday. You don't mind if I keep this, do you?" He held up the folder.

  "Go ahead."

  Simon gathered up his things and nodded to me. "We'll be in touch."

  Zeke slid from the booth and followed his dad after giving me a long, hard look.

  When I heard the doorbell jingle, I leaned back in the booth with a sigh of relief. Simon, at least, had listened to me. Calmly and rationally. Without making crazy, off-the-wall accusations. It was a far cry from the dealings I'd been used to over the last few months—fae tended to make their minds up, sometimes seemingly without any facts at all. I smiled. I could get used to working with humans again.

  I got up and grabbed my backpack. The pub had cleared out a bit as we'd talked, and only about half the customers were left. Liam was still behind the bar, tidying up the discarded glasses left in puddles of condensation, but when he saw me, he stepped out from behind the wooden slab.

  "Go well?" he asked.

  "As well as could be hoped, I think," I said. "Thanks again for letting us host this here."

  "No problem. I'll walk out with you. I'd like to talk for a moment in private."

  I raised an eyebrow and glanced around the half-empty bar. When he'd promised to discuss the idea of sheltering Aileen and her brother, he'd mentioned talking to the entire pack about it, so I'd gotten the impression that there wasn't much Liam kept from the rest of the faoladh. Still, I shrugged. "Sure."

  CHAPTER 23

  JOSH

  Liam followed me out, letting the door swing shut behind him with barely a sound. He stepped up beside me on the porch, and for a split second, I was keenly aware of how much of a presence the pack leader had. He wasn't much bigger than me, but the moonlight glinting off his eyes turned them just slightly yellow, and the shadows didn't fall on his face in quite the right way—as if this wasn't his true face. It was a different effect than a glamour ghost—in fact, there was no glamour involved with it at all—and the hair on the back of my neck rose.

  He seemed to realize my discomfort and took a step away from me, moving so that the moonlight hit full on his face so that he looked fully human. "I talked to the pack about Aileen. It's a … sensitive subject, which is why I wanted to talk in private." He paused, folded his arms across his chest, looked away.

  "How'd it go?" I prompted.

  "They're wary. Fae and faoladh in the same pack … it doesn't quite mix. But I've done some asking around about the Airgead kids. There's three of them—Coriander's the oldest, followed by Gren, and then Aileen. Cori's the only full-fae. Gren and Aileen are three-quarters. All from different mothers, all women who have significant glamour capabilities, even the half-fae." Liam scowled in disgust. "Like he's breeding, trying to see which stock is strongest."

  "Coincidence?" I asked. "He moved in the same circles as their families or something, and they just happened to have a couple of flings?"

  "Doubtful. Aileen's mom is a nobody. I'm not even sure where she is right now." Liam's scowl deepened. "All his kids have college degrees from Harvard. Antiquities, history, that sort of thing. They're brilliant, and Aileen and Gren are rumored to be extremely gifted in the use of glamour."

  I'd seen firsthand how easily Aileen used glamour, and from Eliaster's description, it sounded like Gren was just as casual about it—if not more so. "Cori?"

  "No one's sure if he's just really good at sleight-of-hand tricks, or if he's hiding a significant talent. Nothing on the explosive level of his siblings though." Liam gave me a sideways glance. "This could potentially be a really dangerous situation."

  I sighed. "Typical. But if it means getting our hands on a pathstone before the Lucht Leanuna do, it'll be worth it."

  "Well—the majority of the pack agreed to uphold the old laws. I think there's a case for it. Drake Airgead isn't known to be a loving father, and if it's bad enough that Aileen and Cori are asking for sanctuary, then there's a clear precedent for it. There were a few who were nervous about it, but if everything works out, we'll shelter them."

  "Thank you," I said quietly. I understood just enough to know the risk Liam was taking. In accepting Aileen and Cori's request for sanctuary, he was putting a target on his pack. I admired his integrity.

  Liam nodded and headed back into the pub. I stayed on the front porch for a few minutes, breathing in the humid air. Someone had a bonfire somewhere nearby—I could smell the woodsmoke. There was a bit of a chill that spoke of the coming fall.

  I rubbed my arm and winced. It already felt bruised and stiff. A shiver cra
wled up my neck, and I looked around. Nothing rustled. Nothing moved on the edges of the parking lot. I had a feeling I was going to be jumping at shadows for a long time to come.

  I stepped off the porch and headed for my bike. I was certain Eliaster would prefer to hear the results of the meeting in person. But first, I needed to stop by my parents' house and check in with them.

  As I put on my helmet, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

  Meet me at the coffee shop.

  I sighed. Okay, change of plans. First I had to deal with this.

  # # #

  I parked in the lot behind the coffee shop and squinted into the brightly-lit interior, wondering if I could see Aileen inside. My phone buzzed again and I glanced at the screen.

  I'm parked by the alley.

  I turned and spotted her Jeep, parked alone in the darkest corner of the lot, back by the alley that ran past an old grain elevator. As I walked over, Aileen leaned into the passenger side and shoved the door open.

  Something flickered at the edge of the alley, in the corner of my vision. I swung around, heart hammering into my throat. Nothing moved.

  "Josh?" Aileen hissed. "Hey, it's okay. No one's here."

  The hair on the back of my neck prickled, but I shook the feeling off. That alley had been where I'd first discovered that humans weren't the only ones who inhabited this world. To be totally honest, I was lucky I wasn't in the middle of a flashback right now.

  "What happened to your arm?" Aileen leaned against the driver's door, eyes alert and on me.

  I climbed in and pulled the door shut behind me. "Just an accident."

  She raised one eyebrow. "Riiiight." She shifted forward a little. "Any word from the faoladh?"

  I nodded. "They've agreed to offer sanctuary to you and Cori."

  Her eyes closed, and she smiled just a little bit. When she opened her eyes again, it almost looked like she might start crying. "Thank you. You have no idea what that means to Cori and me."

  "I, uh … I think I do a little bit." I smiled.

  Aileen breathed deeply, as if tucking away her emotions. "I wanted to let you know that I'll be leaving soon. My dad wants me back in New York—I think I've successfully convinced him you guys are chasing a different lead. Do you have any questions for me before I leave?"

  "Yeah, umm …" I rubbed my hand over my face. The painkillers I'd taken earlier were already starting to wear off. A deep, dull ache spread over my arm, and my back and neck were stiffening up from the beating I'd taken. "I've been curious—how'd we get on your dad's radar?"

  "Since you found the pathstone." She straightened a little. "And no, not because Cori told him they'd seen you and Eliaster in the Chicago Market. I'm the only person he's ever told about that. Drake figured that if there were two groups of people fighting over a pathstone, he should keep an eye on them. Hence my presence in Springfield."

  I nodded. "So what's the next plan?"

  She reached into her jacket pocket and retrieved a flat, polished stone that looked like jasper. Bits of glamour, like specks of glitter, drifted off its surface as she moved it. "This is a stone that's glamoured to allow you entry into Drake's estate in New York. In a week, he'll be holding a gala, and during that gala, he'll be auctioning off the pathstone he owns. That will be your best bet to get hold of it."

  Well, that made it easier. I hesitantly reached out and accepted the stone. As our fingers brushed, I felt that weird tingling again. Some of the glamour clung to my fingers as I studied the stone. "Okay. I'll have to discuss this with Cormac. See if we can raise some funds—" I stopped as Aileen began to shake her head. "What?"

  "Drake's got hundreds of years of wealth behind him. At this point, he doesn't trade in money. And trust me, you don't want to give what he'll be asking."

  "So you think we should steal the stone?"

  She nodded.

  I blew out a deep breath. "That … that goes a bit beyond our usual type of job."

  She shrugged, looked out the front window. "We should probably wrap this up. It's not a good idea to sit still too long."

  I pushed the door shut and headed back to my bike. Behind me, Aileen started up the Jeep and drove out of the parking lot.

  I tucked the jasper stone into an inner pocket of my jacket and smiled. Even if we didn't get this pathstone, seeing Aileen's face tonight had made me realize how much all this meant to her.

  # # #

  I pulled up to my parents' house in Republic and killed the engine. All the windows were dark, so I pulled my phone from my pocket and checked the time. Almost ten. My entire family couldn't already be asleep, could they?

  I texted my mom, and a second later her answer popped up on the screen. Ollie had a basketball game tonight. Working late, aren't you?

  A bit, but I'm done now.

  I sighed and tilted my head back, willing my heart to stop pounding so hard. I needed to find my own place, partially so my family wouldn't worry about me, and partially so that I didn't jump every time they were gone.

  The bushes near the front doors rustled, and with that faint noise, my blood froze. I placed my hand on my knife and watched the branches sway back and forth.

  The neighbor's cat squirmed out from underneath them, shook itself, and walked off.

  I sighed. In that brief second, the image of the redcap going after my family had flashed into my mind. I staggered off my bike, feeling sick, and walked to the front door. My hand shook just enough to make my keys jingle as I started to unlock the front door.

  The whisper of sound behind me made me flinch and turn. Before I knew it, I was pressed back against the door, the flat of a knife under my chin. I turned my head up to look the Unseelie in the face.

  The fae grinned, clicking his tongue ring against his teeth. In the faint glow of the streetlight, I could see the dark stains of the raven tattoos on his neck and collarbone.

  My heartbeat rushed in my ears.

  Ghurdan.

  The first time I'd met this Unseelie, it had been my first day in the Underworld. He and Llew had decided to try to torment me, because they knew I was under Eliaster's protection. Eliaster's "new pet", as they'd called me. Eliaster had put a stop to it by putting a sword in Ghurdan's shoulder.

  This was the first time I'd seen him since.

  I gritted my teeth. "What do you want?"

  "Been enjoying yourself lately, now that Eliaster's let you off your leash? He must trust you a lot, letting you meet fae girls in alleys and sending you into a werewolf den."

  He'd seen me with Aileen. My pulse sped up. I clenched my hands at my sides. "Aww, I'm touched you were so worried. Now what do you want?"

  He chuckled and stepped back, easing the knife away from my throat. "Just wanted to check in, deliver well wishes from Blodheyr and Llew and Larae."

  Now that he wasn't right in my face, I could see that the right side of his body hunched slightly forward, making his gait off.

  I stalked after him, and his eyes flashed in surprise.

  If he thought he could threaten my family, he was in for a surprise.

  "I don't ever want to see another Unseelie around here again," I said, my voice quiet and slow. Making sure I enunciated each word. "If you do, so help me, Eliaster's vendetta against the Lucht Leanuna will seem like a child's game of tag compared to mine."

  Ghurdan sneered. "You think if we cared, your family would still be living? Blodheyr could've sent a sluagh here at any time in the last couple of months to suck out their souls."

  That wasn't the way the Lucht operated, I knew that. They wouldn't mass-murder a human family—it left too much to chance, too many questions unanswered.

  Still the thought of a sluagh gliding in through my front door made my blood run cold.

  Ghurdan's eyes glittered in his pale, thin face. He dipped his head in a nod, then turned and walked away. I watched, making sure he vanished down the street, before sinking down on the front steps, caving forward over my knees like someone had cut my spinal
cord. If Ghurdan's only purpose had been to intimidate me, it had worked.

  It had been really, really stupid of me to stay here. I got up and unlocked the door, then charged up the stairs to my room. Working quickly, I threw several changes of clothes into my backpack, stuffing it to bursting with everything I thought I'd need. I opened the closet and dug past some boxes my mom had stuck there when I'd moved for college. At the very back of the closet, I'd hidden the sword I'd gotten back in May. I hadn't touched it since I'd gotten home from Chicago.

  I grabbed it and slung it over my shoulder, tightening down the belt until it hung at an awkward angle over my back. And I left.

  I didn't think too much on the way to the rath. I actively tried not to think.

  As I opened the mansion door, Roe and Eliaster were just exiting from the library.

  Eliaster looked up at me, and concern crossed his face. "What's wrong?"

  I shook my head. "I'm gonna need to stay here for a while. Maybe until I can get an apartment … maybe permanently. Not sure yet."

  "Sure, anytime, but what—"

  "Ghurdan," I snapped. "Ghurdan showed up at my family's house, Eliaster! That's what happened. I should've known better than to stay there."

  Roe crossed the hall and put her hand on my arm. "Coming here was a good decision. With you gone, they won't attack your family."

  "Maybe." I sighed and held my face in my hands for a moment. "Hopefully."

  Eliaster picked at the edge of his fingernail for a minute, staring off into space. Then he said quietly, "I can ask people to look in on them once in a while. Discreetly."

  "Thanks."

  "It's probably for the best, anyway."

  I gave him a closer look. There was a shadowed look in Eliaster's eyes, a hint of gray swirling around the edges of his irises. "You went after the redcap by yourself, didn't you? What happened?"

  "Don't bother with the lecture." He fiddled with his necklace.

  "No, that's kinda pointless right now. What happened?"