Forgotten Ghosts

by Eric Asher

  “And the two of you have ruined my dragon. The beast won’t touch a piece of human, or broccoli, instead subsisting on chocolate and dried meats. But you’re avoiding the topic at hand, Vesik. You’re walking blind into a fight with Nudd, a Fae who is truly mad.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The simplest answer is most often the truth,” Drake said, a half-psychotic laugh on his lips.

  It was a ridiculous statement, practically quoting Occam’s razor, but his words gave me pause. I shook my head.

  “What are you hiding from us?” I asked. “Because whatever you’re hiding, you’re hiding from the Obsidian Inn. You’re hiding from the resistance.”

  “You’re an idiot,” Drake said. “The enemy is already in your head. You’re just too distracted to see it. Nudd isn’t your true enemy. He never was.”

  This time he attacked in earnest, a quick jab to my left kidney before his heel struck my shin. I wasn’t even sure how he’d gotten around me so fast. But before I knew it, I had an elbow in my sternum and was gasping for air.

  Drake’s eyes narrowed, and his lips pulled into a tight line. “Never question my friendship with that girl again.”

  He came forward, and I knew the fight was over. But he was so sure of it that he didn’t see my aura change, didn’t see my power reach through the shell of that circle and grasp the mass of dead beneath us. The circle had done its job. I couldn’t pull a million dead things up from the earth at once and wrap Drake up in them like an enchanted burrito, but it was enough to catch him off guard. He crashed through the flimsy wall, sending a shower of black ash across the circle. His arms raised in front of his face, perhaps to defend from an attack he couldn’t see coming, but I’d already stepped around him before his eyes cleared. My elbow caught the back of his neck, and my knee was already in his inner thigh. All I had to do was reach out with my foot and put his face on the floor. Drake went down with a grunt and a curse.

  “How the hell did you pull that through the shield?” he asked.

  “I don’t think that matters,” I said. “I seem to recall there aren’t any rules.”

  Drake conceded, bowed his head for a moment, and rolled over.

  I extended a hand. The Fae eyed it warily, and then let me pull him up to his feet.

  The shield went down, and the glassy dome that included the circle vanished. Drake grimaced when the Morrigan smiled at him. The shouts in the hall were deafening.

  Drake took a deep breath. “I suppose I owe you a conversation.”

  “Let’s get Vicky before we go.” I tried uselessly flailing my arms, but it was unlikely she’d see me amid the mass of movement in the cavern. Morrigan was planning on taking us somewhere quiet, where we wouldn’t be overheard, and I didn’t want to leave Vicky behind.

  Zola stuck two fingers into the edges of her mouth and whistled loud enough to shatter glass. A hush fell over the immediate vicinity while everyone turned to look at us. I kept waving my arms like an idiot, and Vicky finally saw me.

  “I’m sure she’d be fine here,” Drake said. “She has two reapers looking after her.”

  Jasper lowered his head and set Vicky on the ground before both of the dragons melted away until we couldn’t see the small furry forms I knew would be following Vicky through the crowd.

  “I’d feel better, knowing she was with us,” I said. “And whatever you have to say, she’ll probably find out anyway.”

  “Come.” Morrigan gestured for us and we followed her to the edge of the cavern. I occasionally glanced back to see Vicky weaving through the fairies until she got to an aisle, and then she sprinted after us, two oversized gray dust bunnies flowing along the floor behind her. While I wouldn’t admit it, Drake was probably right. She was likely safer with the dragons than with any of us.

  Morrigan placed her right hand on the stone wall, and a small mote of light started tracing a complex knot in the stone. Small at first, but as it reached each intersection of the line, it broke into more dots until, in the end, it looked like a dozen people were etching out a pattern with laser pointers.

  Vicky caught up to us as the pattern of the door fully revealed itself.

  “Not good for a quick escape,” Drake said.

  Morrigan looked over her shoulder at him. “That is not what it was designed for.” We followed Morrigan through the doorway, into a well-lit hall carved from the yellowish stone so commonly seen in Faerie.

  “That was a great fight,” Vicky said, weaving past Zola to stand beside me.

  “You saw that, huh?”

  “Everyone saw that,” Vicky said. “They seemed pretty surprised Drake lost twice.”

  The fairy stiffened slightly. “The first time was on purpose.”

  “So you didn’t lose to me on purpose?” I asked.

  Drake gave me a sly look. “I suppose we’ll never know.”

  “That’s a no,” Vicky said. “Now we all know.”

  I grinned at the kid, and Drake rolled his eyes.

  “Here,” Morrigan said. She pushed on a section of the wall, and it swung open as smoothly as if it was a hinged door. But I didn’t see a handle, or a way in, and as I stepped inside, I didn’t see a way out either.

  A round table sat in the center of the room. What looked to be wheeled leather office chairs in varying states of decay circled the table. It looked so out of place after passing through so much stone and using a warded doorway to enter that for a moment I just stared at it. The table was ornately carved from stone. An intricate mosaic of colorful tiles decorated the top, but the old, beat-up chairs kept drawing my eye.

  “That’s an … odd choice of decoration,” I said.

  Morrigan dismissed my comment with a wave. “Take a seat. The only ears here are our own.” Aideen glided off Zola’s shoulder and walked to a trio of small chairs in the middle of the table. Drake frowned at the office chairs before snapping into his smaller form and following Aideen to the miniature chairs. He dragged his a little farther away from her before sitting down on the opulently carved wood.

  I pulled out one of the crappy office chairs and flopped down into it. The stone floor was slightly uneven, and it made the wheels incredibly annoying. They spun back and forth before finally settling into divots.

  Vicky hopped into the chair beside me, while Zola took a seat beside Morrigan across from us. The reapers nestled underneath Vicky’s feet like a pair of very bitey ottomans.

  “You gave your word,” Morrigan said. “Tell us what you know.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Drake sank back in the chair, his black and white wings arcing back over the finials. “You already know Nudd has spies in your ranks.” He leaned forward. “But his spies are everywhere. They are among the water witches, and the commoners. I would not be surprised if at some point we learn there are more spies in the remnants of the Watchers.”

  “We already figured most of that,” I said.

  “Damian is correct,” Morrigan said. “You offer us nothing.”

  Drake crossed his arms and sank back in his chair again.

  I glanced at Vicky. If Drake was already going to try to clam up, maybe a switch in conversation topics could trip him up. Or at least change his mind.

  “What are you doing with Vicky?” I asked.

  Drake’s easy smile hardened, and a crease formed along his brow. “I already told you I did not seek her out.”

  “He didn’t,” Vicky said.

  “Then how in the hell did you two meet?” I asked.

  Vicky looked down at her hands, and something between a purr and a growl echoed out from under the table.

  “It is not my place to tell you,” Drake said. “If Vicky wishes to tell you where she found me, how we met, that is her prerogative. I will not break my word to her, no matter what you threaten me with.”

  I frowned at Drake’s words. He was either being sincere, or he was once again proving himself a liar of exquisite skill.

  Zola steepled her fing
ers together and eyed Drake. “She knows something of you. This child …”

  “I’m not a child,” Vicky muttered.

  Zola nodded to Vicky, but she didn’t change the term. “This child knows something of you. Something you don’t wish us to know. Why? Why put a scar in your armor for her?”

  Drake’s normally calm, irritating façade turned to stone. A liar he might have been, but his poker face seemed off today.

  “Our reapers were drawn together. I will speak no more of it.”

  “Leave him alone,” Vicky said. “He’s not your enemy.”

  An almost pained look crossed Drake’s face at her words, and Zola, gifted with the knowledge of more years than any mortal had a right to live, didn’t miss her chance.

  “But he clearly is, child,” Zola said. “He withholds the knowledge of the Fae strong enough to possess another. He withholds the knowledge of who Nudd’s spies are, and every secret he holds onto puts you in more danger. Puts us in more danger. And your friends, child … your friends will die for it.” Zola pounded the flat of her hand on the table and Drake, the ancient stoic knight of the Court of Faerie, flinched.

  “There are few who have the power,” Drake said. “The immortal, Geb, is one. I don’t know if Nudd has somehow brought her to his side, but she would have the strength. There are old ghosts in the Society of Flame who might have the skill.”

  I exchanged a glance with Zola. The Society of Flame was supposedly a well-kept secret. The fact Drake knew about it likely meant Nudd knew, too. Maybe Koda hadn’t been too paranoid after all.

  “I don’t know who Nudd has recruited,” Drake said. “But he is much like you, Vesik.”

  I slowly raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean he’s assembled a network, an army of his own, of spies and allies that stretches across this country, that’s concentrated here in Falias. But the larger you grow a network like that, the more vulnerabilities become exposed. There’s always a weak link, a pliable mind.”

  Drake leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, letting his hands dangle down between his legs. He glanced at Vicky and held her gaze before closing his eyes for a moment.

  “So be it. Nudd has erred. He’s given trust to the forest gods and the green men. He believes they are all spies working for him, but the forest gods hold loyalty to no one.”

  “Except Gaia,” I said.

  “Yes,” Drake said. “But who holds Gaia’s hand? Who keeps their queen, their goddess, from being resurrected to this plane? It’s not Nudd. Not any longer.”

  I sat back in my chair. “Shit.”

  Drake nodded. “He earnestly believes they are loyal, but you have created chaos among the green men. Stump speaks on your behalf, he takes a mortal name, and while some of the forest gods frown upon this, and even plot the destruction of Rivercene itself, others whisper things to your allies. And more of them could.”

  “You believe the forest gods could tell us who is controlling the Fae inside the military?” Morrigan asked.

  “Yes,” Drake said. “Understand that if this succeeds, it will not be hard for Nudd to realize where the leak came from.”

  “You can stay with me,” Vicky said.

  Drake laughed, a sad smile etched across his face, and he shook his head. “I do this only for you, little one.”

  “You do this for more than me. You do this for everyone who suffered. Your siblings, and the lost children who may never know different.”

  I frowned at Vicky, and wondered just how much she knew about Drake.

  “You honor the mantle of the Demon Sword,” Aideen said. “If what you say is true, we may yet free Foster.”

  “You can free Foster at any moment,” Drake said.

  “Yes,” Aideen said, “but I would prefer not to kill our allies in the process.”

  “And that is why you will lose this war,” Drake said.

  “Some believe it better to lose a fight than to lose everything they are,” Morrigan said.

  Drake turned his head to look at Morrigan, now the old crone once more. “Not this fight. Not this war. If you lose, humanity will become little more than servants, enslaved to the King of Faerie, and victim to his every whim.”

  Zola unlaced her fingers and spread her palms out on the mosaic tiles of the stone table. “That Ah cannot abide.”

  “You’ve seen the worst of humanity,” Drake said. “But Nudd has had far longer to perfect his insanity. He’s ruthless, and a manipulator with skills beyond any I’ve seen before.”

  “We know,” Aideen said with a sigh. “He fooled Cara for years. His own wife, and in the end, he let her die.”

  “To a degree,” Drake said. “The Sanatio missed many clues over the years, or chose to ignore them outright.”

  “I owe her my life,” I said. “As do my family and countless others.”

  “And yet …” Drake said, hesitating as he eyed Aideen. “And yet, if she had seen the signs, acknowledged them, acted on them, how many would have been spared? Would we even be sitting in the ruins of Falias right now? Upon the corpses of the commoners’ cities?”

  “Not even the greatest seer could tell you that,” Morrigan said.

  Drake nodded. “But it’s that uncertainty you have to live with, and for some of us, we have had to live with it for a very long time. Wondering if we could have done something different, if we could have been something different.” His gaze trailed to Vicky, and then dropped. “Go, find Appalachia’s child in your woods. He may be less dangerous if he is dying. Learn the truth for yourself.”

  The old Demon Sword stood, inclined his head to Aideen, and walked toward the edge of the table. “If you need me, you know where you can find me.” He glanced at Vicky and back to me. “Keep my friend safe.”

  Drake glided toward the wall opposite where we’d come in. His reaper rolled after him, trailing the shadow of the fairy. When the furball caught up, Drake touched a tiny stone. The hole in the wall opened no more than six inches by twelve. He slipped inside. The rather large ball of fur broke down into what looked like a trail of dust bunnies before filtering up into the darkness after Drake. The wall glowed, and then it appeared to be only stone once more.

  Aideen turned to the Morrigan. “Was he telling the truth?”

  Morrigan frowned. “If he wasn’t, I do not yet see the ploy. What would he or Nudd gain from our speaking to the forest gods?”

  “He’s not lying,” Vicky said. “He doesn’t like what Nudd’s doing. Can’t you see that? He doesn’t want this. He doesn’t want to gamble all of existence on a shitty alliance, to lose everything to dark magic.”

  “Why wouldn’t he say that here?” Aideen asked.

  “Maybe he doesn’t trust all of you. Did you ever think about that?”

  I frowned at her question. “What have you been doing with him and his reaper?”

  Vicky’s mouth turned into a flat line. “It’s none of your business.”

  “Vicky, please,” Aideen said. “It might give us some insight into Drake. We need to know.”

  “No,” she said.

  “Let her be,” Zola said. “Vicky can tell us when she’s ready.” Zola stood up and walked around the table until she was behind Vicky. She laid a reassuring hand on the girl’s shoulder. I remembered what that was like, having those old bones with that strong grip reassure me when I was in some of the darkest places of my youth.

  And I realized that here, prying at Vicky, we were only making things worse for her. The kid had been through hell in the last few years. I just didn’t want to see her hurt again.

  “I don’t see the harm in revisiting this at a later time,” Morrigan said. “That does not mean there will not be harm, but for now I do not see it. Go, consult with the forest gods, and perhaps they can tell us more of Nudd’s spies.”

  “And if they are truly so knowing,” Zola said, “there are a few other things I’d like to ask them about.”

  * * *

&n
bsp; Morrigan opened the door, but it wasn’t an empty hall leading back to the cavern. A hooded form waited, a spear in one hand and a fist in the other.

  “Do not blindly trust the word of that fairy.” Utukku pulled her hood back and looked me in the eye. “His loyalties are not yours.”

  “Most people’s aren’t,” I said.

  Utukku inclined her head. “But, for most, a difference in priorities will not kill you.”

  “Who are you to judge?” Vicky snapped. “You don’t know him.”

  I looked back into the meeting room. Anger lived on Vicky’s face, carving ridges I’d not seen before into her brow.

  “It’s okay,” I said. “Utukku just doesn’t want us to shoot our own feet off. It’s a warning. Take it for what it is.”

  Vicky didn’t respond, but a flush of color lingered on her face.

  I turned back to Utukku. “Thank you. I’ll remember your warning, and we’ll protect ourselves the best we can. But for now, Drake’s lead is the best we have.”

  “Pray it does not get you killed.” Utukku pulled her hood up over her head and exited the hall in silence.

  “Utukku is upset,” Morrigan said. “More upset than I’ve seen her in ages.” The old crone became a young maiden between one blink and the next. “I only hope her words are unfounded.”

  A flash of light sparked from Vicky’s hand as Jasper released a whine. “You’re wrong about him. You don’t have any idea.”

  “I’ll meet you in Greenville,” I said. “Gaia can get me there without feeling like I’ve been riding the tilt-a-whirl for two days straight.”

  “Damian,” Aideen said. “We left Greenville in ruins. They still haven’t finished rebuilding that park, to say nothing of the forest that was trampled by the harbinger. I don’t know that the forest god will be willing to talk to you.”

  “If you speak the right words,” Morrigan said, “anyone will talk to you.”

  Aideen laughed. “You have met Damian, haven’t you?”

  Vicky’s face relaxed a fraction, and something closer to a smile etched its way into the stony anger on her face.

  “So, you’ll meet me there?” I asked.