by E. M. Moore
“So if we think of any more questions, you’d be happy to talk to us again?” I asked.
“Of course, young one. I am at your service.”
He bowed as I stood. Troian followed after me.
I said goodbye and then walked through the small hall to the front of the shop. “Well, that was a big waste of time,” Troian said, not even bothering to wait until we were out of ear shot.
“You don’t believe in the whole Gods and Goddesses thing?”
He sneered, his eyebrows furrowing in disbelief. “Hell no. I think he was a delusional old bat.”
“He reminded me of my grandfather. Damen says he used to say that you could learn a lot from stories, and that most stories had at least a little truth in them.”
“Well, the only truth in that story was when he started out saying that he was an old man.”
I snickered. “You’re terrible.”
As fae as fae could be, he shrugged and then laughed his tinkling bell laugh that sent shivers up my spine.
CHAPTER FOUR
Troian patted the hood of the SUV outside of Frankie’s shop. “When are you going to let me drive the car?”
“Are you in-freaking-sane? How about never? It’s my car.” Jeez. The nerve of some people. “Do you even have a license?”
“Yes. I have a license. It’s a prerequisite for an Elite.”
“Along with what, being a jerk?”
“Heyyy,” he said, holding his hand out as if he were about to say something important. “We’re not all jerks. I just happen to be one, and I’m sick of your driving. You drive like a crazy person all the time. Can’t you at least pretend that you’re not being followed by a bunch of crazed magical creatures when you drive?”
I turned the key in the ignition and laughed. “We’re not being followed…today.”
“Then why do you always drive like a madwoman?”
“It’s just how I drive. Don’t like it? You can probably poof yourself into my house and skip the whole driving thing, right?”
He held the ‘Oh shit’ grip as I took a turn too fast on purpose. “And miss out on this? Please.” I hadn’t noticed it before but Troian was pushing down on the imaginary brake as we approached an intersection. “You know, you might even like the way I drive.”
I looked him up and down in the passenger seat. “Yeah. No.” I shook my head. “Not going to happen.”
The good thing about the historical area in Salem? It didn’t take too long to get to any place within its limits. We were home in a few minutes so he didn’t have to be in the car with my driving for longer than necessary. Any longer and he would’ve pulled a calf muscle from pushing on his pretend brake too much.
I waved my ring in front of the door and it popped open.
“Can I get one of those rings?”
“Jesus. You want everything. A weyfinder, a ring… Next thing you’ll be asking to become a SPAWN member.”
Troian walked past me and immediately into the kitchen. All that fae did was eat. It was amazing that he could stay in good shape with the amount of food he put into his body. Then again, I’d never been taught the natural body composition of a fae. It was possible they couldn’t get fat even if they tried. Come to think of it, I’d never seen an obese fae. I’d never even seen a slightly overweight fae.
“Well, I’d consider becoming a member of SPAWN. You guys do come from a good pedigree. Tell me about your grandfather.”
“He was—”
“…the oldest Ley Line Guardian. Yeah, I know. Tell me how he really was.”
I watched Troian as he rummaged through the cupboards and found a box of crackers. He moved onto the fridge next and found a can of Cheez Whiz. He set everything up on the table and then looked up at me expectantly.
Withholding a sarcastic comment about making himself at home, I sat and indulged in the snack. “I was pretty young when Grandpa passed, but…I don’t know. Do you have someone in your family who can just tell the best stories? I never knew when to take him seriously. I mean, he could really come up with some outlandish things and yet…”
Troian smiled before popping a cracker in his mouth. “They were all probably true.”
“Probably. I haven’t read through all the documents that Damen has from the SPAWN library, but I’m sure they’re all there somewhere.”
“Does he come and visit you?”
I narrowed my eyes at Troian. Before I could respond, though, he blipped out of existence. Just after, the house began to tremble and an electric energy filled the room. It was the portal that came out between the first and second stories.
Walking toward the staircase, I wondered who it could be. Every time someone came through it, I still hoped it was Damen. Stupid I know, but I couldn’t help myself.
It wasn’t, of course. Jake and Sanders stepped onto the landing and then made their way down the stairs to greet me. I crossed my arms.
Sanders elbowed Jake. “I told you she’d be pissed.”
“What do you want?” I eyed them both, but lingered on Jake longer. He was supposed to be my friend. He told me he would help me.
Jake straightened his shoulders, his face full of concern and worry. “We’re looking for Troian.”
“Troian?” I burst out laughing. “You’re supposed to be finding my brother and yet, you’re looking for Troian? I don’t see how the pieces fit together.”
At least Jake had the decency to look embarrassed. “Do you know where he is?”
“Haven’t seen him,” I lied. The Elite were really pissing me off now. They were working against me more than working for me.
Jake gave me a doubtful look and searched the area around us. “He’s needed at a committee hearing regarding Stonehenge.”
“Can’t you guys just call for him?” I asked. “You know his real name.”
Sanders looked stunned. “Absolutely not. Part of the Code of Elite Ethics. None of the Elite’s powers, if they have any, can be used against them or for them without their wishes. They are Elite because they have trained and passed the tests. Their magical abilities aren’t taken into account.”
“Plus,” Jake added, “Troian signed a document that he isn’t to be called under any circumstances.”
“That’s fae prerogative,” Sanders said.
I shrugged and motioned to the empty house all around us. “Well, as you can see, he’s not here. Unless you’re going to give me some news regarding Damen…”
Jake placed his hand on the hilt of his long sword. “We’re working on it.”
“Do you know anything?” I asked, looking between the two of them. “It’s been over a week. The longer we wait… Wait, has anyone even been sent to Stonehenge to try and find him? It seems like the most logical place to start.”
“Yeah, that,” Sanders said. “There are complications. Let’s just say we’re in touch with people on the ground in Stonehenge and are working on it.”
Jake lifted his gaze to mine. “If you see Troian, please tell him there’s a mandatory committee meeting tomorrow regarding his Elite status.”
“His status? Is it good or bad?”
“That’s what the hearing is for. The case will be reviewed, but if he wants his status back, it would look good if he were there to argue in his favor. We’ve tried getting a hold of him multiple times.”
Ugh. Stupid fae. I remembered the call he ignored earlier when we were on patrol. I didn’t know that his permanent status was in question, but he must have. “If I see him, I’ll let him know.”
Jake motioned toward the other room. Despite wanting to ignore him, I followed. Sanders hung back near the stairs, unfazed that we were having a conversation without him. When we got to the living room, Jake breathed in deep and let it out. “You’re probably going to get summoned to Troian’s hearing. Especially if he doesn’t answer the call. Because he went to you right after leaving his post, they’ll want to confirm that he was there and how long he stayed.”
“The
y want me to come to Command?”
I smiled. Command. If I couldn’t get answers there regarding Damen, where could I get them?
Jake was already shaking his head. “I know where your brain is headed. They won’t talk to you regarding Damen.”
“Bullshit,” I said. “They owe me at least that much. Did you know there’s a Necromancer from Stonehenge that keeps trying to go back to put the magic fix on the line, but they won’t let him in. That’s so stupid, Jake.”
His features hardened. “You don’t know everything.”
“I don’t know anything thanks to you guys.”
Jake swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He reached out and gripped my shoulders. “I am doing the best I can. You know that, right? I’d never leave you to deal with this on your own.”
I’d like to believe he was doing all he could, but being kept in the dark, there was nothing to grasp at, nothing to wonder about. I stared into his pleading eyes.
“You know me, Cas.”
I hung my head. He was right. If he was being silent, it was because he had to, not because he wasn’t doing anything.
My eyes burned and itched. “I need him back.”
“Me too.” He massaged the tops of my shoulders. “Me too.”
“Just tell me that everything is being done to get him back.”
His eyes closed for a brief moment. “Tactics, plans, strategies…they all take time. It’s not always a good idea to just storm the castle.”
I dropped my head back and sighed. “Ugh. You even sound like him.”
Jake chuckled. “Yes, but I also know that if your situations were reversed, he’d be chomping at the bit, too. In fact, he’d probably already be raising hell in Command.”
I smiled at the thought. My brother was a pretty low-key guy unless you ticked him off. Then he went all Guardian on your ass.
Footsteps creaked the floorboards close to the door. Sanders stuck his head in. “Just heard from Command. They want Cas there tomorrow. Nothing from Troian yet.” He looked at me and smiled. “You get to see Headquarters, love. Badass.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Command was pretty badass.
It reminded me of what I imagined the President’s fallout shelter looked like. Old school and tech wrapped into one. The walls were made of steel. Everything was gray and drab, except when you looked into certain rooms. They glowed from computer monitors and fancy buttons rimmed in red, white, or green. It looked like if I touched something, an H bomb might fly into North Korea. That was a hell of a lot of power in one button, in the hands of one person.
I was escorted by Sanders and Jake who picked me up via the portal earlier. It was only one of the handful of times that I’d even portaled anywhere. Never had a reason to before. I guessed that’s what being an acquaintance with a fae got you. A fae that I had yet to see since the two Elites had shown up at my house yesterday. I’d even had to pick up the cheese and crackers because he’d left so quickly. Jerk. We were really going to have to talk about personal space and boundaries when I saw him next.
Jake put a hand on my elbow and led me down a long corridor. “We’re going into the hearing room. It looks kind of like what you might see on Judge Judy, but don’t get freaked out.”
My eyes bulged out of my head. Judge Judy? She was a bitch. I wasn’t supposed to get freaked out by that?
“Head of Command will be there, General Etau. He’ll be overseeing the whole thing.”
I’d heard of him before, of course. He started out as a Ley Line Guardian. He’d Guardianed some of the most active ley lines in the world including Stonehenge and Charleston. He also was stationed at the Tor in England. He had a reputation, that was for sure.
“Don’t speak unless you’re spoken to. They’ll probably call you up to sit in the front when they want your side of things.”
“Do they know that you guys haven’t gotten a hold of Troian yet?”
Sanders rubbed the back of his neck. “From the earful we got this morning, yeah, he knows. And no, he’s not happy about it.”
“Well, it’s not as if it’s your guys’s fault.”
“Yeah, tell that to him.”
Jake shook his head. “Just get through the hearing and then I’ll take you back home, Cas.”
We stopped outside a big steel door and Jake motioned me in after he held the door for me. Sanders filed in after me and tugged on my shirt halfway down the aisle so we could take a seat in that row. The room wasn’t as large as I was expecting, but General Etau was. His gaze lingered on me as I sat. It was cold and unfeeling. I guessed that was how you got to be the head of something like Command.
Sanders moved past me and sat on my right while Jake sat on my left. I looked around the room for Troian. I didn’t spot his head of blond hair anywhere. Where the hell could he be? He had to have known that something important was going down. Sanders told me they’d left countless messages on his phone. Did he want to get kicked out? It just didn’t make any sense.
A few minutes after we sat, Alec entered the room. I elbowed Jake. “What’s your Elite leader doing here?”
“He’s been asked to be a part of the committee. They’ll hear the arguments, they’ll talk privately, and then they’ll make their decision.”
“Majority rules?”
He nodded. “Majority rules.”
Oddly nervous, I fidgeted in my seat. “What do you think will happen?”
Jake shrugged. “Things like this happen all the time. It can go either way. Sometimes you think there’s no way they can kick a guy out for his grievance and they do. Other times, it’s the opposite.”
I ran my hands through my hair and sighed. It was at that moment that Troian decided to walk through the back entrance. He strode in as if he was on a catwalk. He was dressed in a black suit, no tie, buttons undone on his white shirt near the top. He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked toward the front. The only thing missing was a pair of shades and he would’ve looked as cool as a cucumber. He even had the gall to look at me as he walked by and wink.
I gripped the seat in front of me. I felt the smile form on my face even before I felt the surge of happiness at seeing him not screw up the rest of his life.
“I knew he wasn’t that stupid,” Sanders said.
“I didn’t,” Jake said.
I had half a mind to agree with Jake though they probably knew the fae better than me.
Troian bowed slightly as he approached the front of the room where a long table sat lengthwise. “General Etau.”
The General eyed him. “Have a seat, Mr. McAvoy. I’m glad you could join us.”
As he sat, the General glared at Jake and Sanders. I squirmed between them. I would not want to be on the other side of his evil eye. Being in the middle of it was bad enough.
General Etau stood. “Thank you all for coming to the hearing of Troian McAvoy. Our objective is to find whether or not Mr. McAvoy has upheld his duties as Elite soldier to the best of his abilities. We shall start with Mr. McAvoy’s recount of the decision in question. Mr. McAvoy.”
General Etau motioned toward the lone chair in front of the table. Troian casually strode toward it and sat as if he were a Sunday tourist in Salem. If it were me, I’d be peeing my pants. When you were an Elite, it was your life. How could he be so casual about it?
“Any time you’re ready,” General Etau said.
Troian had his back to us, but he still looked calm as he started his story. He talked about being deployed to Stonehenge by a woman named Sasha who must have been his squad leader. “The first night, Sasha had us doing basic Guardian duty, policing the area. As I’m sure you and the rest of the committee are aware, the information you’ve been getting on the ley line is correct. It seems to make some magical creatures behave erratically. While we were on patrol, I met a Ley Line Guardian there, Damen Marston.”
I couldn’t help it. I gasped. Not that I was surprised that Troian would mention Damen’s name, but I guessed I w
asn’t sure how I’d react to having him talk about my brother. He must have been one of the last people to see him.
I knew all this. I didn’t know why I sat forward in my chair hoping he’d tell me something different than what he’d already told me. It wasn’t as if they’d put him under some sort of oath where he had to swear under God that what he said was true.
Troian straightened in his chair. “After meeting Damen, he turned in a favor that I owed him. His favor was to send a message to his sister, Cassandra.”
Ugh, Cassandra. I hated the sound of my full name when some people said it and Troian was one of them. I even preferred it when Damen called me Cas.
“And the nature of that message?” Etau asked.
“Sir, I am a dutiful Elite soldier, but I must also stay faithful to my fae heritage. I cannot tell you what the message to Cas said.”
General Etau found me in the audience and stared me down. I had a feeling that when it was my turn to talk, I wouldn’t be given a choice of whether or not to tell him what Damen’s message to me was.
“So, even though you were ordered to Stonehenge to help with the ley line problem, you shirked your duties and delivered a message. The message couldn’t wait?”
“No, Sir. I don’t believe Damen felt the nature of the message could wait.”
General Etau sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Is there anything you would like to add to your statement?”
“Only, Sir, that I felt compelled by nature to follow through on the promise I owed the Ley Line Guardian. I take my duties as an Elite seriously, but as you know, sometimes nature trumps duty.”
The general’s eyes narrowed in on him as Jake and Sanders squirmed next to me. I had no idea what that was about.
“Noted. Now, Mr. McAvoy, you may sit back down. Sasha, if you would come forward, please.”
A woman on the other side of the room stood. She was stunningly beautiful—human, I believed. She had long legs and long blonde hair that was in a braid over her shoulder. She was the picture perfect Elite soldier—trim, muscular, and she sure as hell looked badass.