by Wendy Owens
“What are we doing?” I whisper.
“Waiting to see if the Seeker will see us,” she replies in a hushed voice.
The anteater man returns. “The Seeker would like to know what you bring him.”
“What?” I inquire.
“Something shiny is preferable,” the man adds as he appears to what looks like sharpen his talon-like fingers.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I snarl.
Piper looks at me over her shoulder. “Will you be quiet? If you make him mad, he won’t see us at all.”
“That would do.” The man points to the amulet around my neck. I quickly pick it up and drop it beneath my shirt.
“Think again, ant-boy,” I growl.
“Tynder!” Piper scolds me.
“My mom gave it to me,” I defend myself.
“What about this?” Nash asks, reaching out a hand and opening it. Three silver bean-shaped items shimmer in the palm of his hand.
The creature nods as he swipes the items in a swift move that surprises all of us and exits the room. I make a mental note to ask Nash what in the hell those were later.
A second later the ant-man returns and escorts the three of us into an even smaller room. The floors are rough and unfinished; the walls can’t even be seen from all the tapestries and sheer draperies that hang across them. The room is dimly lit by a couple of lamps on the ground, and in the center, there are a dozen or so oversized pillows piled in a circle. Perched directly in the middle is a person who is wearing a sack-like garment. I can’t tell if it’s a male or female because their back is to me, and there is nothing obvious about them one way or another.
“What do we do now?” I whisper, glancing in Piper’s direction.
She shrugs, waiting for the seated figure to shed some light on what happens next.
“Maybe you should say something,” Nash suggests.
Piper takes a deep breath and a slight step forward. Clearing her throat, she begins, “Excuse me, are you the Seeker?”
It doesn’t turn around, and its voice lends no clues in the gender department. “Come, sit.” The three of us descend onto the small circle and choose a pillow to sit on. We watch in silence as the Seeker begins to jerk in small, convulsive motions. I’m unsure if something’s wrong, or if this is all part of the big show. At last, it twists its arms in an awkward position, presses down onto the ground, and rotates itself to face us. The front of its garments is just as tattered and frayed as the back. Its head is lowered, and we are all leaning forward, hoping to catch a glimpse of the being’s face.
At last, long, slender, and obviously nonhuman fingers slip off the hood that’s cloaking its features from us. As its head tilts up in our direction, I feel my stomach flip. With skin that is bumpy and porous like a rotted orange, only a few wisps of long hair cling to an otherwise bald and disfigured head; the skin color is the same as an overripe peach. In the center of its forehead is one oversized eyeball, at least four inches wide and three inches high. The creature sits toward the top of the creature’s broad forehead. I realize my expression reflects my disgust, and I mentally remind myself not to be rude.
Thin, purple lips part as it continues, reaching out a hand in our direction. “A charm from the one you seek.”
Straight to business. I like that. Piper places the Pooh doll into its palm. We sit in silence. Time is passing, and the creature isn’t moving. The uneasiness is growing inside me, and all I can think about is getting out of this stale-aired room.
“What do we do now?” I whisper to Piper as quietly as I can.
She doesn’t answer me with her mouth, but rather a glare. I fall silent, feeling uncomfortable, and I begin to fidget.
At last the Seeker opens its massive eye. Instead of the onyx pupil that had once been there, there’s an image beaming at us from beneath the giant eyelid. It’s the slender man from the night club.
“What’s going on?” I question.
Piper ignores me, but Nash replies, “A Seeker can project what the person you seek is seeing right now.”
My eyes dart to Piper; her face is twisted as she watches the eyeball. Could I be right about Peter? Could he be involved with the—my thoughts are interrupted as I see the slender man reach up and strike at who can only be Peter. Repeatedly, he is struck, and the thin man is shouting something at him, but there is no sound.
Piper is standing. “We have to help him.” I see her eyes are full and wet.
“We don’t know where he is, sweetie,” I answer, not looking away from the eye, hoping for some clue, feeling guilty I doubted the poor kid.
“I do.” Nash sighs, and stands. “I know who the man is.”
I jump up, waiting for Nash to say something else, but he turns and exits through the curtains without another word. “What the hell?” I gasp.
Piper lunges forward, prying Pooh from the Seeker’s hands. “Thank you,” she mutters. And in a flash, we’re both chasing after Nash. He has wasted no time and is already out in the open of the Netherworld city.
I reach out and grab his shoulder, whipping him around. When he looks at us, I can see the worry in his eyes. “Care to enlighten us?”
“It’s not good,” he answers me.
Piper is squeezing the Pooh doll so tightly I’m surprised it doesn’t rip open, spewing its cotton stuffing all over the ground.
“Based on your reaction, I figured that out,” I say, then grab his wrist and pull him closer to me. Or rather, I pull myself closer to him because he wasn’t budging. “We have to help Peter. You have to tell us.”
Nash’s eyes shift nervously. “That was Ian Blake.”
“You know him?” Piper asks, her voice dripping with desperation.
He nods. “I’ve had to work with him on some past cases. He’s not a good guy, let’s just say that.”
“What do you mean you’ve had to work with him?” I demand.
“Some of his acquaintances have been found guilty of crimes that required my services.”
“You mean you killed them.” I remind him that he can’t whitewash what he does.
“He’s a Lieutenant,” Nash says, ignoring my comment.
“What? For who?” I press.
Swallowing hard, he continues, “Lord Ardack. That’s how I know they’re at the Grimlore House.”
“Damn it!” I exclaim, releasing Nash’s arm. “I knew that guy wasn’t right.”
“Tynder, wait, you can’t just go blazing in there,” Nash pleads.
“Watch me,” I say through gritted teeth.
“They’ll kill you,” he warns.
“Let ‘em try,” I challenge both him and anyone wanting a piece of me.
Eight
What’s a Little Treason Amongst Friends
Nash is through the portal first, then Piper, and I’m last. Big, strong arms catch me and set me on the ground with care and ease. With the comfortable landing, I can’t help but think how much nicer it is traveling with him, but I’d never admit that.
I look past my companions, the details of the Grimlore House coming into focus. The answers I need are inside there.
“You know we can’t just go charging in there,” Nash reminds me as if he can read my thoughts. “We don’t even know if Lord Ardack is aware of what his men are doing. He could be a victim in all of this too.”
“Please, the last thing that man might be is a victim,” I bark.
“I’m just saying we have to think this through or we’ll all end up dead,” Nash warns.
“I want answers,” I say plainly. “Is there any chance Ardack doesn’t know what his Lieutenant is up to?”
“I won’t say it’s not impossible, but I seriously doubt it. Ardack turned him; he’s his line, Blake’s devoted to him. I’ve never heard of a wolf disobeying the one who turns him, but I suppose anything is possible.”
“Blake’s going down and if I find out Ardack is in on it, I’ll do the same to him,” I reply.
“Do you he
ar yourself?” Piper chokes on the question. “It’s killing me to know Peter’s in there, but rushing in without a plan is suicide.”
“She’s right,” Nash confirms. “If he’s been planning something, he could have an army in there. What’s worse, if they can shift at any time, we don’t stand a chance against an army of wolves.”
“Every night, humans are either dying or being turned into shifters. If that’s not enough, through their carelessness, or hell, who knows, maybe it was their intention, they’ve unleashed a psychotic killer into the world. If we don’t stop them, who will?” I sound exasperated even to myself.
Nash places a hand on the small of my back, but I don’t move away. “They’re not going to get away with this, Tynder, but we need Lord Ardack to trust us. We need more evidence. The queen won’t risk backlash over this. To accuse a councilman of treason without proof could mean her head.”
“She doesn’t want us to accuse him; she wants us to bring him straight to her,” I clarify.
Nash shakes his head. “I understand what she wants, but we need to get her proof. Otherwise, the crown still won’t be safe.”
“Okay,” Piper says, stepping forward. “How do we get her proof?”
My lips curve into a smile as a plan begins to formulate in my mind.
“I don’t think I like that look,” Nash says.
I lift my hands, shaking them defensively. “Wait, hear me out. Piper, you can do a transfiguration spell, right?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Can you make me look like a Lycan?” I ask.
“I suppose, but what good will that do?” she questions.
“Wait, that won’t work. You’re a Royal Magistrate, people will recognize that, and they’ll see right through your disguise,” Nash protests.
“Only if they’re looking that close. I just have to get far enough in to find proof they’re behind the shifters,” I explain.
“And free Peter,” Piper adds.
“No, you can’t. It’s too dangerous.” Nash is clearly agitated with the idea. “I should be the one.”
“Look, if I can get Peter out without causing alarms to go off, I will, but I promise, I won’t jeopardize the mission while trying to rescue him. Deal?” I offer.
“I don’t know…” Nash hesitates. “I still say it should be me.”
“I need you with Piper,” I insist. “You’re the only one I can trust to get her out of here safely if everything goes sideways.”
“And what about you?” He’s practically on top of me. I can feel the heat coming off of his body. I swallow quickly, realizing I’m about to salivate all over him. I wish it were easier to hate him.
I wink. “Remember? I’m a Phoenix. I can handle myself.”
“A Phoenix who doesn’t know how to use her abilities yet,” Piper interjects.
“Thanks for the pep talk, Pipes,” I quip.
She shrugs. “What? It’s true.”
“Look, it‘ll work, I know it will. You two need to distract Lord Ardack with more questions, though. Buy me some time,” I add.
“We can do that,” Piper agrees enthusiastically.
Nash grabs my arm, pulling me closer so his face is a breath away from mine. “One question: if it does go sideways in there, how do you kill a wolf?”
Is this a rhetorical question? I wonder. His serious stare tells me otherwise. “I don’t know, silver or something?” I answer.
Nash shakes his head disapprovingly. “That’s what I thought. Silver only slows them down.”
“All right, genius,” I huff, annoyed he’s proven his point. “How do I kill a Lycan?”
“Cut off its head.”
“Cut off the head of a five-foot wolf, yeah, that should be a piece of cake,” I joke uneasily.
“I told you, I’m the one that should go.” Nash’s chivalry is sweet but is starting to bring me down.
“If Ardack figures out what it is we’re trying to do, and we’re in there alone with him, what are the chances of Piper and I coming out alive?” I ask.
He thinks about my statement. “Good point. But I’ve still got a bad feeling about this.”
“Everyone ready?” I ask, looking at each of them.
“What?” Piper exclaims. “Look, I don’t want Peter in that place any longer than he has to be, but if we go strolling in there at this late hour, they’re going to be looking a lot closer at who is coming and going. We need the cover of—”
“Night?” I exclaim. “What time is it?”
“Time for you to get a watch apparently,” Nash grins. I am not impressed by his attempt at a joke.
“Wow, like I haven’t heard that one before. Ha ha.” I cough out, rolling my eyes.
“It’s a quarter till nine o’clock,” Piper answers.
“Oh hell,” I say exasperated because of the time, and dart to the couch where I ditched the black box.
“What’s wrong?” Nash asks which I ignore, pushing past him with my mysterious package, all the way into my bedroom.
Fifteen minutes, I moan to myself. Trunkwater would be sending the car for me in fifteen minutes. I’m not sure what to expect inside the box. Why I ever agreed to let Trunkwater pick out my outfit, I will never know. I’m already quite confident it will most likely be some kinky leather bondage get up, which I have to admit, might be kind of fun. Mostly it would be fun to see Nash’s face when he sees me walk out.
Pulling on the red ribbon, I tear the black lid off of the box and push away the layers of red tissue paper inside. My breath catches in my throat when I see something I never expected. Rarely in my life have I ever had the occasion to wear a dress. If I did, it was usually a simple black cotton number that Joe bought for me oversized when I was a teen, and it lasted me into my adult life. Grabbing the shoulders of the sparkly gown, I lift it from the box. I’m not sure if I have ever seen something so beautiful.
The gown almost looks translucent in spots. I have never seen anything like it. I rip my clothes off, down to just my underwear, and slide the dress up and over my curves. It’s a perfect fit as if it was made for me. I can’t figure out what color the gown is. As I move in the dim light, my mind says it’s black, then gray, and in some light, I even see deep shades of purple. The back dips down in draping fabric revealing the muscles of my back and shoulders. Running my hands over my hips, I catch myself smiling. I wish Joe could have seen me in this dress. He would have loved it.
I twist my hair up into a clip, allowing part of my white streak to fall in my eyes. I hated that thing when it first happened. I tried coloring the hair to match my own, but it wouldn’t stick. I tried cutting it off, and the next day I would wake up, and it was always back. Over the last month, it’s kind of grown on me, though. I’m not sure how I would feel if it were gone.
Shoes! I think to myself. Besides a pair of leather combat boots, I’ve got nothing. I dart back to the box. Nothing. I grin. Combat boots it is.
There’s a knock at my door, “Tynder, there’s a car here for you,” Piper whispers on the other side of the door.
A slap on a layer of bombshell red lipstick and throw open the door.
She looks at me with a shocked expression.
“I look pretty good, right?” I snicker.
“I’d say.”
“Who knew this classy broad was hiding under all that leather, right?”
She tilts her head and laughs. “I’m not sure I’d go that far.”
“Thanks a lot,” I sneer.
“Hey, I didn’t tell Nash you were going to meet Trunkwater, but he is out there giving the driver the third degree so you may want to hurry.”
“Oh, hell,” I mutter moving past her.
“Are those combat boots?” she asks as she watches me walk toward the office.
“They certainly are,” I chime, not able to hide the pride in my voice.
“Would you like to borrow a pair of shoes?” she offers.
“I’m good,” I shrug, stepping throug
h the doorway and back into the front space of the office.
“What do you mean you can’t say? You can’t or you won’t?” Nash’s booming voice is the first thing that comes into focus. Rounding the corner into the office, I see him inches away from a tall, slender man’s face. The man is dressed in all black with a small black cap.
“Will you leave him alone?” I hiss, rushing over to move in between Nash and the slight man. “He’s just doing his job.”
Nash stumbles backward, his mouth falling open. I’m pleased by his reaction. I may have decided Gideon Nash is off limits, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want him to notice me.
“Where are you going?” he asks, and I notice his jaw tighten as he clamps it shut.
“Out,” I answer flatly.
“Out where?” Nash asks.
Piper is standing behind me now. She sees my face turning red and quickly moves in, taking Nash’s arm and pulling him toward the kitchen. “Why don’t we head into the kitchen and whip something up to eat?”
Nash’s eyes are fixed on me as Piper hauls his large frame across the room. The tall, slender man opens the front door, motioning for me to exit first.
“Mr. Trunkwater is waiting for you,” he says in a soft voice.
My shoulders slump immediately as I am sure Nash heard him. I move out of the door as quickly as I can to the awaiting vehicle.
“Trunkwater?” I hear Nash exclaim from inside the office. I’m relieved when the driver moves swiftly, opening the car door. I am in no mood to explain to Nash that the time has come for me to settle my debt.
My relief fades when I see the vehicle. Damn hover vehicles. Why must everyone insist on these death traps? There’s nothing wrong with good old fashioned four wheels and a road, but I seem to be one of the last few who feels this way.
Sliding into the car, I find I am alone. The driver walks to the front seat and gets in, and the car makes the most horrible noise as it moves up from the earth. “We’ll be there soon Miss Crown.”
I nod in his direction and offer a half smile. I’m not thinking about the car or Trunkwater for that matter. After I push thoughts of Nash from my mind, all I can seem to think about is Ardack. I can’t seem to shake the feeling he knows what’s happening, but that he’s not working alone. There’s something bigger behind what’s going on with the Blazing Moon shifter transformations. Something that I can’t help thinking may be related to Joe’s death. If I do prove Ardack is behind this and hand him over to the queen, I may never get the answers I need. Perhaps that’s exactly what she wants.