* * *
The day after I spoke to Bernice, her surprise arrived. A taxi drove up the driveway and stopped in front of the house. I’d been sorting socks in the living room and saw the car, so I went out on the porch to see what was up. We didn’t get a lot of visitors by taxi.
A man of average height and dark hair paid the driver and stepped out with his suitcase. I didn’t recognize him.
Riley had followed me out the door and stood next to me, arms folded. “Now what?”
I shrugged. “Beats me. Do you know him?”
“Nope.”
We waited for the man to come to us, and he climbed the steps to the porch, grinning from ear to ear.
“May I help you?” I peered up at him, examining the contours of his face. Something was off. Not like a skinwalker was off because the skin on his face was borrowed. More like the structure was off, somehow. Unreal.
The man chuckled. “Don’t you recognize me, Zoey?” He smiled wider, puffing out his chest. His turquoise eyes sparkled.
Turquoise eyes. I looked closer. “Gris? Is that you?”
Griswold Octavius Barnabus Ozymandeus Fauntleroy Cornilius Donovan was a little wooden man about ten inches tall. This man was over six feet and appeared to be flesh and bone. Gris’s eyes were tiny chips of turquoise, and this man’s eyes were the same unlikely color. That was the only link I could make between the two.
He made a low bow, then spun around with his arms wide. “What do you think?”
I’d kind of liked having a tiny golem that could fit in my purse. Once I’d grown used to him, anyway. But the longer I knew him, the more I understood how hard it was on Gris being so small.
“How?” I asked. “Bernice said she had a surprise, but this—” I waved my hand at him, “—doesn’t seem possible.”
Gris was a special, accidental creation. The rest of Bernice’s golems were full-sized, had no autonomous control and couldn’t be more than a quarter of a mile away from their creator. Gris had a soul, created over time from residual magic in Bernice’s workshop. He was his own person and wasn’t connected in any way to Bernice. She may have unintentionally given him the spark that brought him to life, but she had no influence over him.
Riley drew closer and touched Gris’s arm and shoulder. Prodded his face with a careful fingertip. “She couldn’t possibly remove your soul and put it in a new body. She’d need a soul stone to do that.”
I inspected Gris’s hairline and left ear. “Seriously, Gris. What’d she do, pour magic fertilizer on you to make you grow?”
Gris threw his head back and laughed. “Of course not. It was a lot simpler than that. Watch.”
Riley and I stepped back to give Gris room to do whatever the hell he was about to do. I wasn’t sure what to expect—a cloud of magic that made him shrink down to his original size? A Wonder Woman twirl that made him change clothes? A swarm of nano-bugs that reformed into a new shape?
I was prepared for anything. At least, I thought I was.
Gris’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down a few times, then let out a disconcerting pop. His entire head dropped forward on hinges, displaying a tiny cockpit in place of a brain. Gris—my tiny Gris—grinned and waved from behind the controls.
“See? Awesome, huh?”
Kam appeared out of nowhere and clomped up the steps behind him. “Holy shit, Gris! Sweet ride!”
We crowded around him, admiring what he described as his vehicle.
“It’s so lifelike, though,” I said, examining the fingernails.
He winked at me. “To most people, sure. But you were already giving it the stink-eye before you even knew it was me. You knew something was up.”
I shrugged. “I didn’t know what, though. This is really good.”
He smiled. “Mother wanted to make up for—well, you know. Stuff.”
Bernice hadn’t embraced the idea of motherhood that Gris’s existence had presented her with. The fact that she’d done this for him was huge, and I knew how much it meant to Gris. Some of my energy powered his soul, which gave us a unique connection. Because we were bonded, I couldn’t have kept from feeling the joy that pulsed from him, even if all my filters had been shut tight. The spark of humanity that had spawned a soul in an otherwise man-made creature shone bright and warm.
I returned his smile. “Welcome home, Gris. I’m happy you’re here, no matter what size you are.”
And so, our army continued to grow. Gris didn’t need to sleep any more than Phil did, so they both covered the path through the woods during the night. Even without the fairy ring, we were locked down tight, safe from harm.
In theory, anyway.
Weeks had passed since Shadow Man had kidnapped those two neighborhood kids. We kept a close eye on the news in case anything new happened, but all was peaceful. I went to the grocery store several times, toured three possible venues for Fiona’s wedding and visited Andrew at his store twice—all without catching sight of Shadow Man even once.
It seemed he was leaving us alone.
Riley and I were curled together on the couch watching a movie when everything turned to a big steaming pile of crap.
Molly knocked on the front window, and Riley opened the door for her. The worry on her small face instantly put me on high alert.
She craned her neck to view the whole living room. “Have you seen Aaron? Please say you have.”
Riley and I exchanged uneasy looks. “We haven’t left the house today,” I said. “How long has he been missing?”
Molly burst into tears. “He went to a friend’s house this morning. He never made it, and they thought he was not coming. I did not realize he was missing until he did not come home for dinner.” She took in a great, hitching breath. “He has been missing since this morning and no one knew to look for him.”
My mind raced for a solution. A plan. An idea. Anything. I came up blank. Instead, I sat on the floor next to my small friend and stroked her hair with my fingertips and made soothing sounds until she ran out of tears. My heart shattered into tiny fragments, even as my gut hardened in anger and prepared for war.
Riley jerked his chin toward the door, and I nodded. He’d get a search party together. We had more than enough people for it.
After a half hour or so, Molly was cried out—at least for the moment. I handed her a piece of tissue so she could dry her eyes and blow her nose. “Riley’s already out there looking,” I said. “And he’s got a lot of help. Where are the rest of the kids?”
She sniffled. “Walter is with them. Fred wanted to go, too, but he is only sixteen.” Her voice quivered. “He thinks he is so grown up, but he is not. Not yet.”
Aaron was twelve. Even less grown up. I hoped with all my heart that Aaron had only wandered off, distracted by a game of hide-and-seek or dandelion ball. I doubted it, though. Instinct told me this was it. Shadow Man had shifted his game to my family.
Cold fury ran through me, drowning out the fear and sorrow. Stealing children was terrible. Stealing my kids? No. Just no. Shadow Man would regret this.
Molly climbed to my shoulder, and I took her home to her husband and kids. The mushroom was a two-story house that came up to my knee. I sank to the grass so Molly could hop down.
“Stay inside,” I said. “Keep all the kids with you.”
Walter threw the door open and thrust his head outside. “Did you find him?” His face was pinched and frantic.
I shook my head. “Not yet. Riley’s got everyone out looking, though.”
Molly ran to him, and his face softened as he put his arms around her. “I’d like to look too, Aegis, if you don’t mind.”
Molly stiffened, but she didn’t object.
“All right,” I said. “I’ll take you to find Riley.”
“We will take him to find
Riley.”
I turned to find Sara standing behind me with her hands on her hips.
Her golden eyes flashed with disapproval. “I can’t believe the first second you’re alone, you take off on your own without an escort.”
I snorted. “I wasn’t alone. Molly was with me.”
Sara gave me a sour look, then squatted to talk to the brownies. “Molly, we’ll do everything we can to find your Aaron. Walter, may I offer you a ride?”
Molly’s smile was half-hearted. “Thank you.”
Walter kissed her cheek, then climbed to Sara’s shoulder. “Eat dinner without me,” he said. He stood straight and tall, as if he were a great warrior going off to battle.
I sat there for a moment, waiting for them to leave until I realized Sara wasn’t going anywhere without me.
“Sorry, babe,” she said. “You’re stuck with me until Riley gets back.” She tugged me to my feet.
“Fine. Let’s go find Riley.”
For someone who was supposed to be my escort, she sure ran fast.
She led me into the woods and down the path toward the cottage. Sara had always been in better shape than me, since, unlike me, she hadn’t avoided the gym like it might be built entirely from asbestos and radioactive robot parts. Now that she was a demon, she was in even better shape. I could barely keep up. A few yards into the woods, I cried uncle. I stopped and leaned against a tree, panting. A sharp cramp stabbed my side and caused me to bend over to ease the pain.
Sara halted, put her hands on her hips and rolled her golden eyes at me. “Oh, come on. We ran the length of your front and backyard. You’re pathetic.”
I gulped in air and pressed my hand to the stitch in my side. “It’s a big yard. And I might have been okay if...” I stopped and took a few breaths. “If you hadn’t turned it from a marathon to a foot race. Some of us are still puny humans, you know.”
She chuckled and folded her arms. “Please. I was never this puny.”
That was true. In fact, she’d also been taking martial arts classes for the last couple of years. Sara had taken good care of herself.
I liked pie.
My breathing slowed almost to normal, and my heart and lungs felt less likely to burst from my chest. I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans and prepared for another sprint.
My pocket vibrated, and I pulled out my phone, assuming it was Riley checking to see where I was.
“Zoey, baby!”
I groaned. “Brad, I can’t talk right now.”
“If not now, when? I’ll make it quick, I promise. I need to talk a little business with you.”
“No.” I so didn’t have time to deal with Brad asking me for money. Or a favor. Or a date. Whatever the hell he wanted.
“Five minutes. Seriously. I promise.”
In my experience, Brad’s promises were worth less than a game token from a defunct arcade in an abandoned mall.
That wasn’t fair. He hadn’t asked me for anything—or even called—in nearly a year. Whatever he wanted, I should make time to listen later, even if it was to tell him no. It didn’t cost me anything to be nice.
“Brad, I’m really sorry, but I’m in the middle of a huge emergency. I swear, whatever it is, we’ll talk about it when all this is over. I just really can’t talk right now.”
He sighed. “I gotcha. I hope whatever it is works out. Gimme a call soon. It’s important.”
“I promise.” I hung up and shoved the phone in my pocket.
Sara scowled at me. “Brad? Really?” Sara wasn’t a huge fan of Brad, despite the help he’d given us a few times in the past. She never stayed friends with her exes and didn’t understand why I couldn’t shake mine loose.
I made a face in return. “Don’t start. I’ll handle it. Let’s go.”
We tore off into the woods, dodging trees and rocks, finally slowing to a halt at Tashi’s nest where the others had gathered.
Iris, our brave skunk-ape friend, had created this home with Tashi before he’d died. They’d collected brush and pine needles to form a huge bed large enough for a skunk-ape and a yeti to be comfortable, then draped it in fabrics and ribbons for privacy and style. I had no idea where they’d found the decorative pieces, but the Hidden could be astonishingly resourceful when they wanted to be. I stopped questioning it when I found out Maurice sometimes milked a neighbor’s cow when we were out of coffee creamer.
I hadn’t even known any of my neighbors had cows.
Tashi sat in her nest, arms curled in a protective hold around her babies, while Phil stood guard a few feet away. Riley and super-sized Gris huddled nearby, speaking in low voices. Sara and I joined them.
“Any news?” I asked.
Riley took my hand and laced our fingers together. “Not the good kind.”
Adrenaline coursed through my body. “What’s wrong? What did you find?” I was sure he was going to tell me they’d found Aaron’s body, though I had no basis for that other than a sick fear for the people I loved.
He squeezed my hand for reassurance. “Tashi set the babies down so she could give them a bath. She turned her head for one second, and Dasho was gone.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Tashi rocking and humming with baby Edie in her arms. Anger welled up in my belly and spread through my limbs.
“How the hell did he steal a baby out from under a yeti’s nose?” I glared at everyone, as if they’d been responsible. I didn’t actually expect an answer, and no one gave me one. “We know for sure it was him?”
Gris held out a hand filled with dead crickets. “He left these behind.”
I curled my lip. “Ew. Were they dead when you found them?”
He gave me a sheepish look. “No. I may have squeezed a little hard after I picked them up. I haven’t mastered the controls on this thing yet.”
“Again—ew.” I gazed at poor Tashi again. She’d already lost so much. My heart squeezed in my chest and I swallowed my own tears. I missed Iris, too. The thought that any harm might come to one of his children was unbearable. Any chance that Tashi would have to endure another loss made me want to throw my arms around her and form a barricade to keep her and her little one safe. Not that my puny body could barricade a yeti.
I pulled myself together. Now was the time for anger and control, not sadness and fear. “Everybody keep looking. Get everyone you can find to search. Keep in mind that, so far, he hasn’t killed any of the kids he’s taken. In fact, he seems to lose interest once he’s deposited them wherever he decides to hide them.” I lowered my voice so Tashi was less likely to hear me. “The greatest danger is time. We have to find them before they starve, freeze, run out of air—whatever he planned for them.”
Gris dropped the dead crickets and brushed his hands against his pant legs. “I’ll alert everyone in the area so they can join the hunt.”
I let go of Riley and held up my hand. “Except people with kids. They need to know not to take their eyes off their children.” I turned on my heel and started toward the house.
Riley jogged after me. “Where do you think you’re going all by yourself?”
“I’m going to try again to get that damn book to give up its secrets.”
Chapter Thirteen
Riley was reluctant to leave me at home while he joined the search party, but I wasn’t alone. Maurice stayed behind to throw together food for all the folks likely to be coming in and out of the house during the long search. Darius and Mom were on their way so she and I could stick together while Darius joined the hunt. Kam sat watch on the roof to make sure the house—and those of us inside—were safe.
Words could not express how bone-tired I was of being the protected target of some bad guy. I didn’t know if I’d ever have qualified as a delicate flower in the past, but I sure as hell didn’t now. But I understood the need f
or caution. I could honor it without actually liking it.
I crawled into the center of my bed and opened the leather-bound book across my folded legs. Aggie had spontaneously combusted and risen from the ashes as a phoenix in order to give us this book. This stupid, worthless, piece-of-shit book.
In the month that had followed Aggie’s death, I’d spent every day staring at the blank pages. I’d inspected the cover for secrets, even pried up an edge of the leather to see what was underneath. I’d gone through page by page in case a single word might be hiding in a seemingly random corner.
I’d ironed the pages, hoping heat would activate invisible ink. I tried lemon juice, black light and the incantation Harry Potter used to make his Marauder’s Map visible. I tried everything I could think of, no matter how stupid or unlikely.
The title on the cover was the only word anywhere on or in the book. And it was in another language. I closed the spine and ran my fingers over the embossed symbols. Molly took one look at it and shook her head when I’d first shown it to her. She could translate dragon, fox, gargoyle and any number of other animal and Hidden languages. This was not in her repertoire.
In movies, when someone needed a translation from some ancient text, they high-tailed it to a local university or community college and found a professor who just happened to specialize in the super-rare ancient language they needed translating.
I tried that. Aside from the difficulty of getting a busy professor to take me seriously enough to look at the title of a blank book, nobody had any idea what the language was.
One lady up at UC Berkley thought it could be ancient Sumerian, but the symbols weren’t quite right. Almost as if they were scrambled.
One asshole at UC Davis—an assistant, not an actual professor—suggested it was the language of reptoid aliens. He reeked of pot and wore mismatched socks. I decided not to take him seriously, though I admit, I considered it for a few seconds. I wasn’t about to dismiss anything.
Phoenix in My Fortune (A Monster Haven Story Book 6) Page 13