I grabbed one of the strange stones from the bag and examined it closely. If it was what I thought it might be, it was unusual. I’d heard rumors of them but had never seen them used by any other Rain. I turned the stone over in my hand, wondering if Toni truly had fae magic in her possession. What have I gotten myself into? “Is this a hag stone?”
“Huh?” Toni looked up from her hasty packing and saw the item in my palm. “Well, we call them witch-stones, or seeing-stones, but yeah.”
“You use them?”
She stood and rested her hands on her hip looking at me strangely. “You don’t?”
I shook my head.
“I don’t know why you wouldn’t. They’re brilliant. They help us to see the ethereal plane.”
“Wouldn’t the fae kill to keep that secret?”
“It was the fae who gave us those ones.”
I almost dropped everything in my hands at her statement. “Why would the fae do anything like that?”
“Something about helping them with the Unseelie fae” When I continued to give her a skeptical look, Toni shrugged and went back to her task. “Okay, I think we’re all set. It’s about an hour or so drive, but we can use that time to get a little better acquainted.”
TONI’S IDEA of getting acquainted ended up being a quiz about the sort of things I’d hunted while at the Rain as I tried to focus on anything but how uncomfortable I was squeezed into the small front seat of her little two-door Peugeot RCZ. I told her some of my more interesting stories and listened to hers in return.
When I found myself laughing at her impersonation of her Grandfather berating her for a choice that had almost been a fatal mistake, I had to admit I was having fun. It was almost like the hunts I used to have with Lou and Eth before I’d met Evie.
I sighed as the joy I’d found seeped away at the sobering thought of my family. Toni seemed to read the shift in my mood and let her laughter die away as well.
“Tell me more about the case?” I said in order to break the awkward silence that had fallen over the car.
“The black annis is a local legend in Leicester. The archives at Oxford show that the original source of the lore was destroyed generations ago, but every few years another one appears. We’re not sure if they are descendants, or reincarnations, or what, but once there is a sighting, kids start to disappear at an alarming rate. The first reported incident was two nights ago.”
“And you said three kids have disappeared?”
Her mouth was pressed into a grim line as she nodded.
I was more than on board to help, clear that this wasn’t one of the cases where my conscience might come into play. Anything that preyed on children was evil. There was no doubt in my mind about that. “What are we looking for?”
Toni gave me a brief rundown—slender, iron-clawed hands, long sharp teeth, and blue skin.
“Blue skin? Well, at least she shouldn’t be too hard to find then.”
“Not so fast, cowboy. The blue-skinned hag is how she appears at night.”
“And during the day?”
“According to legend, that’s when she sleeps. Some say the sun burns her skin.” Her tone seemed to indicate her doubt.
“You don’t believe that?”
She glanced sideways at me in surprise before turning her attention back to the road.
“I just think the kids get taken too quickly once a black annis appears . . . or reappears. She’s got to have worked out a way of watching them and finding out which houses have children. I don’t exactly think she goes out door knocking with a questionnaire between her steel claws.”
“You think she’s hiding herself and scouting for victims during the day somehow?”
“Maybe she’s even hiding in plain sight. Maybe she’s posing as a teacher or a nanny.”
“But wouldn’t the blue skin be a bit of a giveaway?” My mind filled with memories of Evie and of her hair—evidence of her true nature that she was able to cover and conceal in many ways, but could never completely remove. At least it was only a small trait, easily passed off as an adventurous spirit when it came to hair-dye. Odd colored skin would be much harder to hide.
“The black annis isn’t seen during the day, right?” Toni asked, even though she’d been the one to give me that information moments earlier. The gears in her mind were working overtime; the ticking was evident just behind her eyes. “There are other legends, other annises all over the UK, some of them talk of the winter and summer counterparts of the same creature.” Toni grinned, and I could see how much she loved the job.
“Okay,” I prompted her to keep going, which made her grin wider.
“The winter side is always a blue-skinned hag, and the summer side is a pretty maiden.”
“That’s a long change-over though. It wouldn’t exactly give her up-to-the-minute information about the kids.”
“What if it’s not summer/winter though? What if the legends got that part wrong? What if it’s just—”
“Day and night,” I finished for her as I saw where she was going. Considering what I had seen on the briefs and what she was saying, I could definitely understand the leap.
“Exactly!” She hit the steering wheel to emphasize her point and leaned forward in the seat before turning to look at me with eyes dancing with excitement. “What if there’s someone new to the neighborhood that is a pretty maiden by day?”
“And blue-faced black annis by night.” I thought about it and could see the logic. “It definitely makes sense.”
Turning back to face the road, she slumped back in the driver’s seat with a satisfied grin. “No one else ever wants to listen to my crazy theories.”
“I don’t think they’re that crazy,” I said. “Besides, with everything I’ve been through, I’m probably a little more open than most Rain operatives.”
“You mean with the phoenix?”
I scrubbed my hands across my face. “Does everybody know about her?”
She laughed, but there was no malice in it. “Not everybody, but when you asked to be transferred to our humble corner of the world, Granddad spoke with Abraham Rogers because he was the director you’ve worked most closely with. He put Granddad onto your father who told us about your misadventures and warned us that you were likely to go AWOL without notice.”
I sighed at the less-than-glowing recommendation from my own father. “Well, everyone who goes AWOL goes AWOL without notice don’t they?” I grumbled. “Isn’t that kind of the point of AWOL?”
She giggled. “He also warned us you can be bit of a smart-arse.”
“If you think I’m a smart-ass, you should meet my brother.”
“It’s the reason why Granddad assigned you to my team. He wanted someone who would keep a close eye on you. Make sure there was no trouble, you know? That’s me, apparently.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t want me knowing all of this either?”
She shrugged. “I’m sure he doesn’t, but what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. I already told you that I work a little differently to him.”
“From what I can see you work a little differently to everyone. At least everyone I’ve ever met.” The beginning of a frown crossed her brows, so I backtracked a little but with absolute honesty. “But that’s not exactly a bad thing.”
“Thank you. It’s probably true, and trust me when I say that you ain’t seen nothing yet.” She winked.
Oddly enough, I believed her.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“THIS IS RIDICULOUS,” I exclaimed, dropping my fisted hand to my side to clear the obstacle that impeded my vision. Toni was besdie me as I leaned against the side of a building across from a playground that all three of the kids who’d disappeared frequented.
Somehow, after we’d tagged the side of the fence of each of the houses children were taken from with the Rain symbol, Toni had convinced me to give the hag-stones a try in an attempt to spot the black annis among the crowd at the park. All the stupid thing did though,
was restrict my vision down to the minimal view offered through a tiny hole in a small stone.
“It’s not ridiculous when it’s getting results, trust me. It cuts through so many of the masks that these others put on for our benefit and shows the truth beneath.”
“But I can’t see anything through this tiny hole!”
She laughed at my frustration. “Well, we can keep searching the old fashioned way if you like, but keep that witch-stone close because it just might come in handy.”
“I doubt it,” I grumbled but slipped the stone into my pocket anyway. “What should we be looking for anyway?”
Toni crossed her arms and looked up at me. “If I’m right, it’ll be someone attractive, but probably in a girl-next-door, virginal maiden kind of way.”
“And what exactly does that look like?” I tried to pretend that an image of Evie didn’t flash into my mind at Toni’s description. Evie’s looks didn’t quite fit the image. In fact, with her glowing olive skin, sculpted patrician nose, and almond-shaped eyes, her features were far more reminiscent of a Cleopatra-inspired Goddess than anything else. However, the words did call her wardrobe and no-fuss attitude were called to mind.
“I’ll show you when I see it.” Toni’s voice pulled me out of my introspection.
I wondered whether she understood just how often I was lost in thoughts of the one I missed most. I certainly did—even if I hated that it happened so often.
“Okay, so besides a beautiful virgin, what else should we look for?” I asked.
“Legend says a black annis will wear the skin of the children she kills.”
My face contorted in disgust. “Well, that shouldn’t be too hard to miss.”
“It depends on what she’s done to the skin. Can you say what properly treated, tanned, and dyed human skin looks like? Besides, she might not have had the chance to create her outfits yet. It takes a little while to dry out a hide.”
“Well, you’re just a bundle of fun to be around, aren’t you?”
She rolled her eyes. “Just watch the park, will you?”
Despite standing watch for the rest of the day, we came no closer to finding the black annis by the time the playground had emptied as everyone went home when darkness fell. We’d seen one possible suspect, a tall, slender woman with long black hair and piercing blue eyes. By the time I fumbled the hag-stone out of my pocket to see whether her skin appeared blue through it, she’d disappeared among the smattering of mothers and nannies attending to the kids.
When we retreated to the car to hide from the cold settling in, Toni let loose her frustration at our failure. She kicked the front tire before swearing like a sailor at the pain in her foot. As tempting as it was to laugh at the little show, I didn’t. She didn’t need my laughter on top of everything else. Despite knowing there was nothing more either of us could have done, I understood her frustration. It likely meant there would be another disappearance tonight unless we were able to luck into finding the creature.
“What’s the plan now?” I asked.
“Adopt, adapt, and improve,” she shot back without thought.
I frowned. “And what’s that supposed to mean exactly?”
She raised her eyebrow at me. “Motto of the round table.”
I had no idea what she was talking about, and I’m sure my expression indicated just that. There was only one round table I knew of. “Like the knights? With King Author and Camelot?”
An amused smirk lit her lips. “You haven’t watched much British TV, have you?”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
She chuckled before shaking her head. With a shrug, she reached into the glove compartment and flipped a few switches. I recognized the boxes as a police radio scanner and UHF. “Never mind. But now, we listen out for chatter.”
“And while we wait for chatter?”
She leaned heavily against the steering wheel as she turned the engine over. “I dunno. Wanna get some grub?”
“If that’s food related then I’m in. I’m starved.”
She chuckled, no doubt because my thin frame supported my claim. Despite how well Zarita had fed me since learning of my somewhat homeless status, the little time I’d shared with her before leaving for Oxford hadn’t been sufficient to build my muscle bulk back to what it once had been.
“What do you feel like? I’m not really sure what’s good around here, but I don’t particularly want to head back to the Dove. If we do, we might miss our chance if she tries something tonight.”
“Anything close will do,” I said in agreement. I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to capture the black annis anymore than Toni did.
We found a small hamburger joint a short drive away and placed an order to go before returning to the park. After eating, I grew antsy sitting in the stationery car while we waited for the moment when a random squawking on the scanner might report a missing child. By then, it would be far too late for us to do anything about it.
“I need to get outside for a bit.” I couldn’t stay cooped up in the almost but not quite complete silence of the car. Despite it being a little after seven, it was almost as black as I would expect it to be at midnight.
Toni tossed me a small earwig radio receiver and then a shoulder holster with a handgun tucked inside it. “Keep the radio in and your eyes peeled. She might still be around here somewhere.”
Turning the earpiece over in my hand, I examined it with suspicion. I wasn’t used to wearing things like that. My family and I tended to use either hand gestures or hunting calls when we teamed up. That way any creatures with sensitivity to radio frequencies wouldn’t be alerted to our presence. It took a lot of trust and confidence in each other to be able to hunt that way though, and many teams would never be able to achieve it.
Looking at the radio closely, I didn’t think it would be too difficult to pick up. I clipped it over my ear and fastened the holster over my arm. Then I flicked Toni a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am.”
“You know, I could get used to a cute, young thing like you jumping when I say so.”
“I’m not that much younger than you,” I said.
“But you’ll accept the cute part I guess?”
“Well, if you’ve got it, why deny it?” I chuckled after she pulled the door closed halfway through my sentence.
When I closed in on the nearest streetlight, I pulled the gun from the holster to get familiar with it just in case I needed it in a hurry before stepping away from the halo of luminescence around the pole and into the foreboding darkness of the abandoned playground.
I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go, but I needed to be moving. My feet carried me swiftly across the space and into a suburban street beyond. In the dim lighting provided by the sporadic streetlights, every house on the street looked almost identical. Each one was a combination of red brick and white rendering, rising two levels in almost uniform patterns. Every house was only different from the one beside it by the tiniest detail—an extra window or a little less molding. In the dark, it was a surreal experience, like something out of The Twilight Zone, especially to someone who was an outsider to the area.
It was only when I passed under another street light and heard shuffling footsteps a half dozen yards away that I wondered whether I should have pre-warned Toni about my propensity to stumble into trouble. My family and Ben’s team were long aware that Lou and I had a habit of it, so were used to watching our backs. Now I was a stranger in a strange place, and that put me at a slightly higher than usual risk.
Maybe it was nothing, I reassured myself. It’s probably nothing.
I glanced around but couldn’t see anyone walking nearby.
When I heard the noise again, I reached for the small of my back, where I normally carried my weapon. For half a second I panicked that my gun was missing before registering the weight at my shoulder and relieving that holster of its burden. Holding the piece tightly, I ran my finger softly across the grip to ensure I had the muscle memo
ry to find the trigger if I needed it in a hurry.
Glancing around again, I lowered the pistol to my hip and waited, straining so that I could hear any possible sound.
“Everything okay?” Toni’s voice leaped from the speaker in my ear, making me jump half a mile in the air.
It had been too long since my last hunt, and it came too soon after my nerves had been shattered. I was far too skittish to be on the prowl with a drawn weapon.
“You’ve been gone a while,” Toni continued, her voice louder than I had expected it would be. “Over.”
I pressed the button to talk. “Yeah, I’m just going to check something out though. Over.”
“Just try to be careful. I don’t need a dead Yank on my hands. Over and out.”
Although it was unlikely, I hoped that the radio conversation hadn’t alerted whatever was making the noise to my presence. I listened again and heard the same snuffling, scraping sound from the other side of the brick wall I was near. Curious as to the cause, I followed it along the wall until I was certain I’d found its location.
Ensuring once more that I could find the trigger on the gun in a hurry, I leaped over the fence and into the front yard. I leveled the piece in my hand and squinted into the darkness.
Instead of the bent-over hag I half-expected to see, a black and white cat looked up at me and meowed as if in apology for wasting my time. I chuckled at my own stupidity and belief that I could actually stumble onto a solution so easily—even though it had happened before.
“You’re just lucky you didn’t end up with a bullet hole in you,” I murmured as I bent over to scratch behind the cat’s ears.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Toni’s voice right behind me rather than in my ear startled me. I twisted quickly with the gun raised and my finger on the trigger before her voice registered in my mind.
“Easy, tiger!” she called as she raised her hands in surrender. “I was just coming to check on you.”
Among the Debris (Son of Rain #2) Page 15