The Wind-up Forest

by L. J. LaBarthe

  “Where the fuck is the Isle of Avalon?” Angelique demanded.

  “They said it was Glastonbury Tor,” Lily said, “but nothing has turned up in archaeological digs to suggest that it really was Avalon. It’s a myth, that’s all, Jelly.”

  “Right, so if it’s a myth, why are we here in a forest in Brittany, enjoying an incredible hotel at the expense of Gabriel—or Michael, who probably doesn’t know what Gabe booked for us—preparing to find out about the Holy Grail?” Angelique stood up and began to pace, running her hands through her hair. “Liam, do you have any idea where this grave is supposed to be?”

  “Oh yeah.” Liam grinned. “It’s a recognized shrine here in Brocéliande. There’s a map that leads us right to it. And, considering that the disappearance of the Grail won’t be a secret now, we should be damn careful when we head to it.”

  Angelique waved that off. “My team are not green amateurs, soldier. How about you two? How much military experience have you had?”

  Declan touched Liam’s shoulder. “I’ll field this one,” he said softly to his brother. Liam nodded.

  Uncoiling himself like a serpent, Declan stood up and faced Angelique. She was surprised—most people backed down and acceded to her alpha status. They didn’t face her as an equal or, as Declan was, a challenger.

  The air seemed to crackle with electricity as they faced each other, neither willing to back down.

  “I ask you again, soldier,” Angelique said, her hands on her hips, “what’s your military experience?”

  Declan gave her a smile that was all teeth. If they’d been alone, Angelique realized, she would have done one of two things: punched him or kissed him. Perhaps both. As they weren’t alone, she ground her jaw and stood her ground, waiting for him to answer.

  “Our dad was a Marine,” Declan said. His voice was emotionless. “Our mom was a spiritualist. During the war, Dad was killed in a fight in Minnesota. His battalion was ambushed and killed by a demon patrol. They ate him. Our mom, because of what she could do, felt and heard everything our dad went through. Everything. She went mad with it. How could anyone stay sane, seeing their loved one being eaten by a demon? Feeling an echo of those teeth chomping into someone else’s body and soul?

  “She couldn’t. But she was friends with the angel called Agrat, and she managed to stay lucid enough to call her for help. When Agrat arrived, Mom was dead. She’d killed herself. But she’d written Agrat a note, so Agrat followed our mom’s wishes and called Gabriel for help. Between the two of them and Agrat’s husband, Shateiel, they took Liam and me to Puerto Rico. We were kids. Liam was five, I was ten. We had no damn idea what had happened.

  “That night, Liam saw our mom and dad. They visited us and spoke to us through Liam. They told us they were proud of us, and they loved us.” Declan’s voice cracked, but he continued on. “They told us that they wanted us to be happy and to live a good life. Liam was too young to understand what happened. I wasn’t. I went to Agrat and demanded she tell me what happened. After three days of arguing with her, Shateiel, and Gabriel, they finally gave in and told us.

  “They told us that Mom wanted us to go to Puerto Rico and learn how to defend ourselves. They wanted me to learn how to utilize my shifting abilities to the maximum advantage and they wanted Liam to learn how to manage and work with his Necromancy. Mom and Dad had a friend in Puerto Rico, an old college buddy, and he took us in.

  “His wife was a witch. She worked primarily in the Santeria tradition, but she knew a lot of stuff. She taught us both. She taught us how to live off the land, how to fight demons, monsters, Fallen Ones. She told us how to banish an evil spirit and how to summon one. She taught us how to read dead languages and how to make medicines and perform rituals to heal each other’s injuries. She taught us how to embrace our talents and use them for good.

  “When I was eighteen, I left home and joined the military. I wanted to fight those fuckers who killed our parents. It was nearly the end of the war, though, so I didn’t see much action. Or maybe Gabe made sure my platoon was never close to any of the serious entanglements. I don’t know. While I was away, when he turned seventeen, Liam joined the local police force. Between us, sister, we’ve seen enough action and know enough about this gig to be better at it than even you Venatores.”

  Angelique snorted at that last. “We’ll see about that,” she said. “I’m sorry for your losses, Declan. I am. And it’s great that you both know your way around a gun or a spell. But Venatores, we’re trained by Michael. The Archangel. Not some human witch.”

  Declan smirked. “And we were trained by Agrat, Shateiel, Gabriel, the United States Marine Corps, Selana, Jake, and a bunch of shamen and shawomen. I think our training beats yours. How long have you been working with Venatores? A handful of years? We’ve been doing this since we were kids. So yeah, our training beats yours.”

  Angelique glared at him. “Like I said, we’ll see.”

  “We will,” Declan agreed, moving to sit back down. “And I will bet you any money you want that we will run rings around all of you.”

  “Venatores isn’t that impressive to us,” Liam said. “We’d heard of you guys, of course we had. But Mom wasn’t too keen on sending us to Michael to train, because she wanted us to have normal childhoods. Look how that worked out. Anyway, she and Dad, they weren’t big on the whole Archangel training shifters for war. Dad said that Archangels shouldn’t meddle like that with humans and Mom agreed with him. I don’t think Dad and Michael would have gotten on at all.”

  Declan laughed at that. “Dad would have punched him in the head,” he said.

  Liam smiled. “Probably.”

  Baxter cleared his throat. “We should try and avoid fistfights with the boss,” he said. He regarded Liam and Declan, sympathy on his face. “Your lives sound pretty crazy.”

  “They were.” Liam’s gaze locked with Baxter’s. “But they were still good. Growing up, in between what Selana and Jake and everyone taught us, we had fun. Selana and Jake were good to us. Mom’s and Dad’s spirits spoke to me from time to time. The dead are never really dead for me. They’re always around.”

  Baxter pursed his lips. “Even in here? Now?”

  Liam grinned. “Oh yeah. I’ve got six Frenchmen from the 1940s sitting by the window, nodding and listening to what we’re talking about. Relax,” he added as Riley and Baxter leaped to their feet, “they’re not going to hurt you. They’re just listening. Like I said, the dead like to be acknowledged. Just like the living. That’s not going to hurt anyone.”

  Angelique shuddered. “I’m sorry, but I find that really creepy. Are they going to watch us shower?”

  Liam shook his head. He showed no surprise at the question, so Angelique surmised he’d been asked it before.

  “No. The dead are way more polite than the living. No perving on the pretty military lady that my brother totally wants to screw.”

  “Hey!” Declan glared at Liam. “You said you wouldn’t say anything, you dick!”

  “Yeah, well, I think it’s mutual,” Liam said with a sly expression on his face. Angelique spluttered, shocked that he’d seen through her so quickly and easily. “I can crash out here tonight, if you want some privacy.”

  “Fuck, I hate how you do that.” Declan waved a finger at Liam. “Stop reading body language!”

  “No can do, bro.” Liam laughed. “Sorry.”

  “Goddammit!”

  Lily and Danny started to laugh. “Aw, it’s cute,” Lily said.

  “Shut up!” Angelique said.

  Lily laughed harder.

  “Anyway,” Angelique said, mentally flailing as she tried to reground herself, “Baxter wants to screw Liam.”

  “Angelique!” Baxter had turned crimson.

  “Oh yeah?” Liam was looking at Baxter with new interest. “Huh. How about that.”

  “Oh, you dick,” Declan said, reaching over to lightly slap his brother upside the back of his head. “I don’t have your talent for reading b
ody language, but even I know you like him. Stop being so coy and get to it.”

  “Well.” Danny coughed. “This is turning into a really weird love-in. And I think I’m going to go downstairs to the restaurant to get away from it. Coming, Lil?”

  His wife nodded. “Oh definitely. My nose is picking up a whole load of scents I don’t want or need to smell.”

  “I hate how you can smell pheromones.” Danny got to his feet and helped Lily up.

  “It’s not my favorite talent, either,” Lily protested. “Riley, want to join us?”

  “Oh yes, definitely, thank you.” Riley rushed toward the door. “We’ll be a while, won’t we?”

  Lily nodded. “Hell yes!”

  Danny laughed. “Okay, well, we’ll be back tonight. You kids have fun.” He winked. “And tomorrow, we work.”

  When they’d gone, leaving Angelique alone with Baxter, Declan, and Liam, she scowled and folded her arms over her chest. “This is weird,” she said.

  “No kidding,” Declan agreed. He shook his head. “What the hell, Liam? You had to tell everyone that?”

  Liam shrugged. “I couldn’t think of anything else to calm the tension.”

  Declan groaned. “Next time? Try. Try really hard.”

  Liam nodded. “Okay. But aren’t you happy at least that your, ah, interest, is returned?”

  Declan looked at Angelique, and she raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, okay,” Declan said. “But next time, private, okay?”

  “Okay, okay.” Liam turned to Baxter. “So, I think you and I should talk. I get the feeling there’s more to you than meets the eye.”

  “Nah, no way. I’m boring. Blond and boring.” Baxter smiled a winning smile.

  Angelique rolled her eyes. “Jesus Christ. Baxter, I’m ordering you to tell Liam here what happened this last month. All of it. I think he’ll be able to help.”

  Baxter frowned. “You’re not Raphael.”

  “No, but I’ll call him to come and give his own order if you really want.” Angelique pulled her cell phone from her pocket and held it up.

  “Fine.” Baxter scowled. “You’re a bully sometimes, Angelique.”

  “I know. But I’m not doing it to you to be mean.”

  Baxter chewed his lower lip for a moment, and then he nodded. “I know. And you’re not a real bully. You’re just… pushy.”

  “Pushy I can live with.” Angelique gave him a small smile. “Go on, take Liam into our room and talk it out.”

  Baxter looked as if he were thinking it over. Finally, he nodded and smiled at Liam. It was a shy, cautious smile, but it was an honest smile, and Angelique felt an enormous wave of relief wash over her when she saw it. Baxter was going to be okay, and Liam was going to be really good for him.

  “So, want to talk?” Baxter asked. Then he laughed ruefully. “That didn’t sound nearly so lame in my head.”

  Liam got to his feet and nodded. “I’d like that a lot,” he said.

  “Okay, so, this way, then,” Baxter gestured toward the room he shared with Riley and Angelique. Liam smiled at him, and the two of them moved to the open bedroom door. They went into the room and closed the door behind them with a soft click.

  “God, that was like pulling teeth,” Angelique said.

  “I know what you mean.” Declan was gazing toward the closed door. “Is Baxter a good guy?”

  “Yeah, he’s a good guy.” Angelique regarded Declan curiously. “Why?”

  “Liam’s last boyfriend ended up ditching him,” Declan explained. “Liam was heartbroken. I don’t want to see that happen again, you know?”

  “Oh. No, Baxter wouldn’t do that to him. I was a bit worried when he first told us that he thought Liam was hot, because he’s had some problems. He’s got PTSD from the war.” And Angelique rolled her eyes and shook her head. “As do most of the veterans. That fucking war. Anyway, his patrol was destroyed by demons, and one of them was his longtime lover, Zach. So he was fixating on Michael for a while, but it wasn’t a real attraction; it was a way for him to hide himself, hide how he felt about the loss of his team and his lover and everything he’d seen and done in the war.”

  Declan sighed. “I gotcha. War is hell. I sometimes think that all the wars that have happened in history are just a taste of what Hell itself is like.”

  Angelique canted her head to one side, regarding Declan with new interest. “Lily’s been to Hell,” she said, “and that was how she described it. Not the fighting, but the pain and the loss and the grief. And the torment.”

  “Yeah, Hell’s kind of like the expert on that.” Declan smiled. “So, you want a beer? I think I need a few.”

  “Dutch courage?” Angelique teased.

  “Sure, why not.”

  She laughed. “Okay, Dec, a beer would be good.”

  “Awesome.” Declan winked at her, and she laughed again and followed him into the kitchen, where she sat at the breakfast bar as he went to the fridge.

  Chapter Twelve

  “THIS IS a really nice hotel,” Liam said as he looked around the bedroom.

  “Yeah, it is,” Baxter agreed, sitting down on his bed.

  Liam smiled at him and sat down beside him. “So,” he said.

  “So.” Baxter smiled shyly back.

  “I’m not used to this sort of place,” Liam said.

  “Yeah, I remember you said you usually stayed in tents or abandoned buildings,” Baxter said.

  “And for a few months in Gabe’s house in Deep Bay, on the Oregon coast.” Liam’s smile grew. “That was nice. It was good to have a bit of downtime before getting back into the job.”

  “Do you get that often? Downtime, I mean.”

  Liam shook his head. “No. The job’s our lives. I don’t know what life without it would be like. I was a cop for two years, and even then, a lot of the situations we had to deal with were related to demons and the war. That war was really global.”

  Baxter sighed heavily. “That’s the truth.”

  “So,” Liam said again, “I’m guessing your war stories are just as good as ours. And by that, I mean, not good at all.”

  Baxter smiled sadly. “That’s the size of it. It was hard, Liam. I don’t think I’m ready to talk about everything yet. It’s still too raw, you know? But I’m working with Raphael, he’s helping me a lot, giving me counseling and therapy, and it’s helped. I’m kind of wishing I’d asked for help earlier. I feel ten times better after a handful of sessions with Raph than I have in years.”

  “Raph’s got a way about him,” Liam said. “I remember him being very kind when Declan got bit by a demon who had poison in her fangs. That’s why we were at Deep Bay, waiting for Declan to heal up.”

  “How did he get bitten?” Baxter asked.

  “There were a lot of demons and two of us,” Liam said. “It is what it is.”

  “Amen.” Baxter chewed his lower lip for a moment. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “Are you… do you really… what I mean is, you’re not just, you know, humoring me, are you?”

  Liam blinked in surprise. “No, I’m not. My brother has a damn big mouth, but he’s right—I am attracted to you. You’re a very good-looking guy.”

  Baxter laughed. “I’m a blond boy from California, Liam. There’s nothing special about me. You, though, God. You’re gorgeous. Your eyes are just… mesmerizing.”

  Liam laughed and blushed. “Well, thank you. But I still think you’re a very good-looking guy, so you’ll just have to live with that.”

  Baxter smiled, blushing as well. “I think it’ll take me a while to totally realize you’re not humoring me. But that’s on me, not you. I’m blaming the war, because it fucked my head good. But, I really would like to try and have a relationship with you, if, you know, you want?”

  Liam shifted a little closer. He nodded, licked his lips, and spoke softly. “Yeah, I’d like that. I’d like to get to know you better. In every way.” He smiled sadly. “It’s been a while, f
or me,” he admitted, “but you’re the first guy I’ve met in a very long time that I’ve been interested in.”

  Baxter shifted closer to Liam. “I could say exactly the same.”

  Liam reached out and took Baxter’s hand in his own. They twined their fingers, and Liam smiled, lifted their hands, and pressed a chaste kiss to the back of Baxter’s hand.

  “I think we should take it slow, though,” Liam said. “Partly, because I think we’re both damaged and we need to. Partly, because I really like the romance of a new relationship. No one must ever know about that bit, though. I’ll lose all my man points if that gets out. If you want?”

  Baxter appeared relieved. “I’m so damn glad you said that. Slow is good. Better than good. Slow and steady, like the turtle. And your secret love of romance is safe with me.”

  Liam laughed. “Just like the turtle.” He rubbed Baxter’s hand with his thumb. “When we get back to the States, I’d like to take you to dinner. Just the two of us.”

  Baxter smiled, scooting a little closer. “I’d really like that, Liam. A lot.”

  Liam shifted closer as well. They were so close now that he could feel the heat radiating from Baxter’s body, hear the soft but rapid pounding of Baxter’s heart. Necromancy powers amplified his senses at the best of times, and Liam had found that his ability had made him more attuned to the needs of the living because he was so aware of the needs of the dead.

  “What’s it like?” Baxter asked. “Being able to see and talk to dead people?”

  Liam hummed. “I don’t have anything to compare it to. It’s always been there. When I was a kid, my imaginary friends were real—just that I was the only one who could see and hear them. Agrat told me that Joan of Arc was a Necromancer, but she didn’t know it. That’s why she was so convinced that God spoke to her: she was hearing the voices of the dead.”

  Baxter whistled. “Wow. That’s amazing. I never really thought of that.”