by Kelly Hall
Dixon reached over to her cot. “Here, take this.”
Rebekah looked at the blanket and thought it might serve two purposes. “Dunk it in the water. It will feel better against her skin and keep the sun from drying her.”
He looked at her like she’d lost her mind, but he didn’t hesitate. He dunked the blanket into the water, and it soaked up most of it. Then he passed it to Aziel who wrapped it around Tia.
“I’m Tula’s friend,” Aziel said to Tia. “I’m going to take you home. She’s missed you very much.”
“Tula will be angry,” she said. “Talia won’t forgive me.” Her face scrunched up, but there were no tears. She was dehydrating.
Rebekah remembered what Talia had said about her sister and how she’d wandered off thinking she could live on land and make it on her own. She had been disappointed but worried sick over her sister. “They will. You’re family, Tia. Family always forgives.” She thought about Ignis. She knew one day, she’d have to forgive him too.
Jarreth came to the door and waved them out. “It’s all clear.”
Rebekah hustled along behind Aziel. Dixon followed them out to the SUV where Canter waited on guard with the door open. Aziel climbed in with the small naiad still in his arms.
Rebekah turned to Dixon. “I’m afraid I can’t let you go any farther. I cannot disclose where it is I’m taking her. It’s for your safety, as well as hers.”
Dixon couldn’t believe it. “You’re taking my SUV?”
“I’ll make sure you get it back, and I’ll send you a check for the cleaning.” The wet blanket was going to leave its mark.
Dixon reluctantly handed over his keys. “Are you sure you don’t need two?” he asked with a tone of sarcasm.
Rebekah tossed the keys to Jarreth and gave Dixon a sideward glance. “No, we’re all good. Thanks.”
She jumped in the passenger seat, and as soon as Canter got in and shut the door, Jarreth put the car in gear, and they sped away, leaving Dixon to stand watching.
Jarreth glanced in the side mirror as they drove away. “Poor bastard. He’s got it bad for you.”
Rebekah looked in her mirror, seeing his reflection quickly getting smaller until it was barely a little speck. “Yeah, I feel kind of bad about that.” They looked at each other and shrugged. Then Jarreth hit the main road and drove them out to the other side of the city toward the bayou.
When they arrived at the old rundown campsite, to the place where they had always entered the bayou, Rebekah jumped out of the car. “I should go ahead and tell Talia that we’re here. I don’t want her and her sisters alarmed. That could be bad.”
“I’ll go with you,” said Canter. “These two can follow with Tia and get her to the water.”
Rebekah waded out into the water. “Mind Grim and Gus, and don’t be alarmed. I’m sure they’ll come out to greet her.”
Jarreth didn’t like the sound of that. “Great.”
Rebekah hurried out, calling for the naiad, “Talia. Talia, it’s me Rebekah.” She needed to make herself known, and thankfully, two black masses appeared in the water in front of her. The water had always been too murky to get a clear look at the sisters in their natural underwater form, but from what she could see, they were hideous.
Talia and Tori rose up out of the water, their faces marred with an expression of shock.
“Rebekah?” said Talia. “I thought you were in Ireland?”
“I was called back about Tia. One of commanders and his trainees found her. She asked for me, and I came to bring her home.”
“She’s here?” asked Tori, with hope in her eyes.
Talia grabbed hold of Rebekah’s arm. “Is she still alive?” The desperation in her voice, the pure and utter fear, struck a cord with Rebekah. Talia loved her sister deeply.
“Yes, but she’s weak and injured.” The sound of splashing water turned their attention, and when Talia spotted Jarreth walking around the corner, the piercing shriek that came out of her was nearly enough to knock them all down.
She ran over to Aziel, who cradled Tia in his arms, and brushed her hair away from her face. “Tia, darling. Let’s get you to the water.”
Talia looked over at Tori and waved her over. “Come, sister.”
Tori hurried over to help as Tula rose from the water, her pink hair wet and away from her face, revealing the tight pink nipples that matched her eyes.
She had heard her sisters scream and came to see what happened. “Aziel?” Her smile spread wide until she saw her sister. Then she hurried out of the water, and the three naiads took Tia to the water and disappeared.
“Where will they take her?” asked Canter.
“We had better back up,” said Rebekah, knowing that Gus was not the only alligator in the bayou, just the biggest.
As if night had fallen, the sound of the frogs’ chorus filled the air, and then there was movement all around as every nearby reptile and amphibian made its way back to the water, which had started to bubble as if it were rapidly boiling.
“I don’t think I’ll forget this anytime soon,” said Canter.
“We should sit,” said Rebekah, who had walked over to sit on the grassy bank. “This might take a while.”
And she was right. After an hour of watching the bubbles, seeing large black tailfins rise out of the water for brief moments here and there, the water stilled. The creatures swam away, some crawling to shore, as others surfaced on the water, not quite ready to leave.
Tula rose up, bringing Tia with her, and Talia and Tori followed, both looking grim with worry.
Rebekah got to her feet and waded out into the shallow water. She hated to interrogate the injured naiad, but there were a few things she wanted clarified once she was okay.
“How is she?” Rebekah asked Talia, who walked over to meet her. The girl still seemed weak, but she was strong enough to cling to Tula for support.
“She’s worse than we thought, but she’s conscious now at least. It will probably take days to get better, and she’s not out of the woods. If infection sets in from the inside, she’s not going to make it. I’m afraid that she’ll have to stay below for the duration of her healing, but she wanted to say thank you.”
“She mentioned Ignis.”
Talia’s eyes narrowed. “I was going to ask where he was, but what did she mean?”
“I hope she can tell us. She asked me if they killed him. I was sure she was out of her mind. Ignis is alive and in a bad mood back at the castle. He’s worried and sends his love, but I asked him not to come. I’m sure he’ll check in as soon as I’m gone.”
As if she heard his name, Tia lifted her head. “Ignis! Is he alive?”
“Yes,” said Talia. She gestured for her sisters to bring Tia closer.
When they moved forward, Tia began to grow restless with worry. “He was there one minute, and then he just disappeared. With the wolf there, I just assumed that they had taken him. I knew he wouldn’t do me any harm.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Talia. “Slow down and try to remember.”
Tia shook all over, her pointed teeth chattering. “I was in the city, walking the streets to find my friend. That’s when Ignis stepped out of the alley and called me to him. I was so excited to see him. But then when I went around the corner, he was gone. There was no one there but a wolf. It attacked me. I fought back, but it was too strong.” She closed her eyes, pinching them so tightly her nose crinkled. “I didn’t see his mist. I assumed they took him. The next thing I knew, I was in a building all alone, and then the hunters came and found me. I bared my teeth and hissed to frighten them, and then fearing for my life, I asked for you.” She turned her eyes to the Huntress.
Talia shook her head. “Ignis would not lure her to danger.”
“Could you have been mistaken?” Rebekah thought it was the only possibility.
“No. I know what I saw. I know our Iggy when I see him.” With that, she grew weaker and slumped against Tula.
&nbs
p; “She needs to get back to the water now,” said the pinkish naiad.
Talia agreed. “You and Tori take her to the boat. She’ll need to stay below with Grim.”
Rebekah looked down and realized that the snake had wrapped itself around Tia’s legs, its head barely below the surface at her feet.
“I’ll help,” said Aziel, hurrying back into the water as if nothing below the surface bothered him one bit.
The three of them hurried along with her, with Gus helping Aziel. As the sisters took to the water, Talia threw herself forward, hugging Rebekah tightly. “Thank you for bringing my sister home.”
“I’m honored to. I know how much you love her and how worried you’ve been.”
“I know there has to be something to that story about Ignis, and I also know if he’s not with you, it means there is a problem.”
“He’s keeping secrets, Talia. I have to face Kayne blindly when there is information that could help me, and I don’t think it’s fair.”
She shook her head. “No, dear one. He wouldn’t keep anything from you that would help you.”
“You mean, this information won’t help?”
She raised her hands. “I’m not saying a word. You know I can’t get in the middle of this. But Ignis loves you like his own daughter, and he’d never do anything that would hurt you.”
Rebekah knew that much was true, but she still didn’t see why he couldn’t tell her. Unless… “You think the information will hurt me more than help me.” She looked at the naiad who had one hell of a poker face. “Thanks, Talia. I’ll try to remember that.”
“Don’t be angry with him, Rebekah. And send him my love. Let him know I’ll send word if Tia doesn’t make it.” With that, she turned around and hurried back into the water to go after her sisters.
Rebekah walked back over to the bank and stood near Canter to wait for Aziel, while Jarreth went to sit with the SUV.
“Do you think she’s right?” Canter asked. “What Ignis knows might not help, but hurt?”
“It doesn’t matter. I still need to know.”
Aziel managed to beat the sunset back to the car, and while the others couldn’t begrudge him a little time to say goodbye, he had made them wait another hour.
“We might have daylight left to get out of the bayou,” said Jarreth, his voice steeped with sarcasm.
“Sorry, Tula is one for long goodbyes.”
“Dixon’s going to want his car back,” Rebekah said.
“Are we heading back to the academy now?” asked Jarreth, whose muddy boots were wrecking the floorboards as badly as everyone else’s. “Dixon’s going to be pissed when he sees the inside of this ride.”
“I think we should go and find something to eat,” said Rebekah. “Besides, the pilot is getting some sleep. He usually takes a long rest between flights.” She looked down at her clothes. “There’s bound to be a bar around here that serves up some steaks and won’t kick us out for smelling like the swamp.”
Jarreth glanced back at Canter in the rearview. “People will be too drunk to notice, and I plan on getting too drunk to care.”
“I don’t care, and I’m sober,” said Canter. “I’m starving. We should have brought Lulu. We’d be eating gator nuggets and rattlesnake bites by now.”
“And the naiads would be eating Lulu,” said Aziel.
Jarreth started the car. Before he could pull away, a trail of blue mist appeared in the road in front of them. Jarreth leaned forward toward the windshield. “Ignis?”
Rebekah shook her head. “Son of a bitch.”
Chapter 13
Brock still couldn’t get the Huntress off his mind, and with the death of Port, who was one of his best guards, his mood was terrible.
If only he wouldn’t have let that little shit Grady Gimble live, then he wouldn’t have to go back to camp and plan a funeral once his mission was done. Knowing the dead could wait, he couldn’t miss his chance to try and find the wolf which had been spotted again by a couple of hikers the day before. There was the possibility that the lone wolf had been sent to scope out his camp, and he was going to find him and kill him before he could report back to his pack.
He had trapped and killed two wolves earlier in the year over a territorial dispute, and he was going to make sure that he didn’t face any repercussions from it.
The only problem was, the wolf had seemed to fall off the face of the earth, and he had already gone a mile out of his projected path to find the damned thing.
“Over here!” called one of his men. He looked up to see Trillion, one of his oldest hunting companions moving fast through the trees.
Brock took off in his direction, and they stopped to see a wolf laid over on its side, its body ripped open like it had been tortured.
“What the hell do you think happened to it?” asked Trillion.
Brock knelt down in the puddle of blood and studied the wolf’s paws, which looked like they were ripped apart. Its head looked like the top of it had been stuck in a meat grinder, and his guts were hanging out the brutal gash on its belly. “It’s fresh.” Other than a few flies, it was untouched. Brock was sure the thing was dead, but this wasn’t an average attack. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Ricky ran up to the scene, out of breath. “Boss, we have something else.”
“Another wolf?” Brock got to his feet.
“No, not another wolf. It’s one of the young hunters; the traitor’s friend. I’m not sure what they did to him, but he’s fucked up pretty badly.”
“Gather his remains,” Brock ordered. “Let’s get them both back to camp.”
Trillion looked down at the wolf. “Do you think this is the wolf that’s been reported?”
“Yeah, it looks like Gimble managed to do us a favor on the way out.” He figured when the wolf attacked their friend, the others managed to slaughter it.
He whistled for his other men and prepared to go back when his phone vibrated in his pocket. “What the fuck is it now?” He knew that aside from Jarreth, Delilah, and the Huntress, no one else outside of his camp had the number. “Yeah?”
There was breathing in the phone as ragged and agonizing as a dying man’s. “Boss, it’s Greene. There’s an attack here at camp. It’s fucked up!” The voice was hushed as if the man were hiding. But the Greene he knew was a strong and brave hunter who would have been in the middle of all the action instead of cowering from it.
“Who is the enemy? Shifters?” He wondered if they had found their dead before Brock’s team and gone to have their revenge, but they would have certainly crossed their paths.
“No, it’s the traitor. He’s some kind of demon.” Screams of agony sounded in the distance, and Brock could hear the sound of gunshots firing miles away. “I’ll be right there.”
“No!” said Greene. “Don’t come here now. You won’t be any help, and you’ll all end up dead. It’s like nothing we’ve seen before.”
Brock wasn’t a coward. He also wasn’t prepared to go down like one, cowering miles away while his men were killed. If this was a new dark threat, he’d just have to face it and hope for the best.
He handed Trillion the phone and whistled again to get his men’s attention. “Stay on the line,” he said to Trillion before addressing his party, “We’re going back to camp, but we’re taking the back way in. I want to go in slow and ready to kill. I want shots fired at Gimble from all directions. The little bastard came back, and it seems he brought hell with him.”
Brock reached for his gun, making sure it was ready to fire, and hurried through the woods. The others followed, dragging the corpses behind them, their weapons drawn and ready for war. The closer they got to camp, they heard gunfire and a low rumble of sounds that could only be from battle.
It took a good half hour of running, and when Brock reached the marker a half-mile away from the edge of camp, the noise of battle had stopped.
He slowed down and then stopped before turning to Trillion
, who had been having a hell of a time keeping up with him. “What’s the status on Greene and the camp?”
The young man’s expression was grim. “Greene is dead. He listened to your command. Hemp is on the phone now, and he told me that Grady is gone, but they captured his friend. He’s wounded but alive.”
Brock’s blood boiled. “Dammit. Did anyone get a bullet into that bastard traitor?” He hoped he was lying somewhere bleeding and suffering.
“They tried, but no one could get near him. Hemp is a mess, sir. He said you’ll see it for yourself.”
Brock took off and ran the last half mile to the camp, and when he got there, he stopped in his tracks and looked out over the clearing. There was blood splattered everywhere. It was the first thing he noticed, the bright red drippings like someone had poured buckets of paint from the sky. The smell of leather and pine was replaced with the coppery signature of blood, and it filled his nose until he couldn’t smell anything else.
One man could not do all of this. Not on his best day with the best weapons. He looked over and saw Hemp walking across the yard with a phone to his ear. Brock ran up and stopped him. The man reared back with his weapon drawn, his eyes wild like he had just seen the devil himself. “What did this?”
Hemp closed his eyes and looked relieved once he saw that it was only Brock. “It was that Gimble bastard. He looked like some kind of shadow demon. His arms were black and long, like snakes. Then it seemed everywhere he turned, he struck someone with magic. They just bled out.” He pointed to a body a few feet away. The man hadn’t been with the camp but for a year, and he’d died trying to protect them.
There were many others, some still twitching, clinging to the last moments of their lives while the other men tended to them. “Where are the others?”
“The cabins. Some took shelter when they saw the fighting did them no good. We had to protect our numbers so we could live to fight another day.”
“I understand,” Brock said. He would need his numbers, and hopefully next time, they would have a goddamned plan and not be the ones taken off-guard.