Phoenix in My Fortune (A Monster Haven Story Book 6)

by Naquin, R. L.

  Unbelieving, I took the plastic case from her and looked it over. “Seriously? It’s one of those cheapo CDs from a kiosk in a drug store. This helped you get in touch with the Simurgh?” I waved it at her, almost accusatory in the gesture.

  She gave me a slow nod. “I was stunned. But it put me in the right frame of mind, I guess. It opened the pathway to her.”

  It sounded easy. Which added to my anger and confusion. “But you didn’t tell me. How long has this been going on?”

  “About a week.” She scooted forward in her chair. “Look, I wanted to tell you, Zoey. But at first, the Simurgh wouldn’t even talk to me. I didn’t want to tell you until I was successful. Then...” She trailed off, her eyes focused somewhere other than what was in front of her.

  “Then what?” I put my hand over hers. “What happened?”

  She gave her head a shake to clear it and her gaze focused on me. “Then she answered me. We talked a lot, but mostly about everyday things—being a mother, the taste of apples, the weather. She’d been alone so long, once she got started, she didn’t want to stop talking. I had to tell her to stop after a while. We have a lot going on here, and I can’t sit around meditating all day.”

  I snorted. “If it gets us some answers, you can. Did you get us any answers?”

  She hesitated for less than a second. It was barely perceptible, but I caught it.

  “No. She won’t tell me anything she hasn’t told you.” She glanced toward the window. “Except that it’s supposed to rain tomorrow.” She gave me a weak smile.

  I tasted the lie. Since honing my empath skills, I’d become something of a human lie detector. Even with my shields up, the lie was bitter and smelled like burnt hair. I couldn’t imagine why she would feel she had to lie to me about anything. I pressed, trying to get her to come clean.

  “She must have told you something, Mom. Maybe something obscure to tell us where to look for Shadow Man? Something about how to defeat him?”

  I felt her reluctance and sadness surrounding the lie. Whatever it was, she was lying to protect me.

  She shook her head. “No. Nothing.”

  “Maybe how to get that damn book to share its secrets?”

  A cloud crossed her eyes and was gone. “I’m afraid not, honey.”

  I gave her a long look. She didn’t squirm or waver in her expression. She was holding something back, but she wouldn’t tell me what. I pulled myself out of the chair, disappointed. “Fine. If you’re not going to tell me, can I borrow some shoes to get home? Riley shouldn’t have to carry me just because I tore out of the house worried about you.” I refused to look at her and returned to the kitchen to wait.

  I heard her moving around in her bedroom, then she touched me on the shoulder. “Here.” She handed me socks and a pair of sneakers. “We’re only half a size off from each other, I think.”

  I sat in a kitchen chair and put them on, not sure what else to say. We’d had our difficulties when she’d first come home—despite both being Aegises, we didn’t do things the same way. It took us a little while, but we finally understood each other better. And having my mother back after so many years was incredible.

  But now I felt like I couldn’t trust her. That was far worse than butting heads over how to handle a squonk with a toothache.

  I rose to leave. “Thanks for the shoes.” I still didn’t look at her. My heart hurt too much with disappointment. “I’ll get them back to you.”

  “Zoey, wait.” She put a hand on my shoulder. “Please look at me.”

  I considered walking out the door, but I reminded myself that I was an adult, and I had an emergency to take care of at home. Acting like a petulant child because my mommy wasn’t telling me what I wanted to hear wasn’t just immature, it wasn’t how I normally handled myself.

  I kept my expression neutral and turned to face her.

  She dropped her hand from my shoulder. “If I had any information that could help you find those children, I swear I wouldn’t hold it back from you. I need you to know that. I love you more than anything on this earth. But I love those kids, too. If you can’t believe in me, at least believe in that.” The emotion in her eyes begged me to understand, and her voice was soft and pleading. She looked so small and delicate, as if a puff of wind could break her. Or a harsh word from me.

  I blinked back the tears forming in my eyes. I was being an idiot. If she wasn’t telling me something, she had a good reason. My mom wasn’t the bad guy. And she wouldn’t help the bad guy, either.

  “I do believe in you,” I said. I put my arms around her and hugged her. “I love you, too. I know you’re holding on to something, though. Don’t keep it in forever, okay?”

  She squeezed me tight. “I promise.”

  We parted, and Riley met me at the door. “Ready?” He glanced at my feet and relief registered on his face.

  I nodded and looked back at Mom. “We’ll find the kids and we’ll stop this guy.”

  She smiled and handed me a coat, her eyes filled with love and pride. “You’ll beat him, Zoey. You’re stronger than anything else out there. I believe in you, too.”

  I returned her smile, then turned away so she wouldn’t see the tears fall to my cheeks.

  Once we were out of the clearing and into the trees, Riley stopped me and took my hand. “What happened in there? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. We’ll talk about it at the house so the rest can hear it. Then you can all tell me I’m crazy.” I patted the pocket of the coat I’d been wearing. Mom had slipped me the meditation CD.

  “Oh, I don’t think I need to wait to get home for that.” He drew closer to me, his face a mask of mock seriousness. “You’re crazy.”

  I stuck my tongue out at him, though my heart wasn’t in it. “Thanks.”

  But back at the house, I didn’t get a chance to tell anyone what had happened with Mom.

  I went straight to my room to take off Mom’s shoes and put on some sweats. I glanced at my side of the bed, near the window, and shivered. Maurice had cleared out the crickets, but the sense of violation would take some time to erase.

  My phone lit up on the nightstand and vibrated. The call was from our area code, but I didn’t recognize the number. Still, when someone called at four in the morning, I answered. It was usually some sort of emergency.

  I picked it up and heard nothing on the other end but breathing.

  I sighed. “Look, this isn’t a great night. If this is an obscene phone call, let’s get it over with, okay?” I dropped the CD on my nightstand. I doubted I’d have time to try it. This whole thing was coming to a head, and the Simurgh had already told me she wouldn’t be able to talk to me again until it was over.

  The breathing continued, slow and steady. It wasn’t heavy breathing, like a pervert was on the other end. But it was disconcerting as hell.

  I started to disconnect the call, but something stopped me. Instinct maybe. I was sure this wasn’t a wrong number. “Who is this?”

  The person on the other end sniffed and took another breath.

  I dropped my walls and reached out, feeling for an answer through the connection.

  Fear

  Hope

  Worry

  Remorse

  The person on the other end sniffed again, then hung up.

  I stuffed my feet back into the discarded shoes and ran for the living room. We had a full house, and everyone had gathered in the living room in an agitated huddle. When I charged into the room, all those eyes turned to me.

  “Everybody get your coats,” I said. “I know where the kids are.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Sara sent me back to the bedroom to change, pointing out that I was still dressed in my nightgown, despite the addition of sweats. “I guarantee you’ll feel more confident with a
bra on and not wearing a cartoon character on your chest,” she said.

  She wasn’t wrong.

  She also wasn’t happy that I wanted her to stay home with Maurice to watch out for Rene and the brownies.

  “He could come back for the baby,” I said. “I can’t do this if I don’t know for sure that they’re safe here.”

  She hugged me, then gave Silas and Riley some major stink-eye. “Keep my girl safe.”

  Kam met us outside and slid into the backseat of the car. Riley took the wheel, and Silas sat with Kam, though she couldn’t see him. It was probably for the best. He was leering at her the minute he saw her. The fact that she didn’t know about it probably saved his life.

  Before I joined them, I took Gris aside. He’d stood in the grass, looking forlorn and racked with guilt.

  “It wasn’t your fault.” I raised my hand to pat his shoulder and realized he wouldn’t feel it in his robotlike body. “He fogs everybody’s mind. You couldn’t have stopped him.”

  He kicked a rock. “I had one job, and I failed you.”

  I frowned. “Gris. Open up. Look me in the eye.”

  He raised his head. “I’m looking.”

  “No. Let me look you in the eye, then.”

  His Adam’s apple jiggled and clicked, and the top of his head swung forward. My little friend sat behind the controls so morose my heart nearly broke for him. “Listen to me. There was no way for you to stop him from coming in. But I’m going for the kids now. I know right where they are. I even think they’re safe. So, enough of this. No one is solely responsible for protecting us. Therefore no one is solely responsible when something goes wrong. Okay?”

  He nodded, still miserable. “Except you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re the one responsible for everyone in the end. I’m sorry for that.”

  I smiled. “I used to think that. But we’re a team. Do you want to come with us? You’ll have to do it in your real body, though. Can’t fit the big one in the car.”

  “Nah. I’m going to stay out here and keep an eye on things. Or try, anyway.”

  His head flipped backward, and his human-sized body re-activated. “Be safe, Aegis.” He marched off toward the woods, his head a little higher than it had been but still lower than I liked.

  Riley came with me, of course, since he was my minder or bodyguard or whatever he wanted to call himself. I preferred fiancé, but for the time being, he was other things as well. And Kam, despite being down a third of her magic, was a powerhouse of physical strength combined with magical firepower.

  Both were among my heavy hitters, in case it came down to a show of force.

  Not so obvious was why I brought Silas. Having an invisible spy with me might come in handy. If it didn’t, that was okay. I wasn’t a huge fan of the pastor’s, and I was betting he didn’t have any lucky gargoyle snot lying around for protection.

  Shenanigans could happen around every corner.

  We pulled up to the church, and Riley shut off the ignition. “Are you sure we can’t go in with you?”

  “I need you and Kam watching the exits. I’m hoping to do this peacefully, and they might try to slip out before I can get to them. I have Silas. If anything goes wrong, he can come and get you.”

  Kam patted him on the back. “She’ll be fine, worry wart. She’s taken down worse. And she’ll have the pookie guy with her.”

  “Abso-freakin-lutely,” Silas said. “We’ve got this, Reaper. Sit tight and listen to some opera—or whatever it is reapers listen to. We’ll be back in two shakes of a shark fin.”

  Riley glared at the pooka. “Get out.”

  Kam looked from Riley to the empty air in front of him. “What did he say?”

  “Silas, stop it,” I said. “Don’t bait the reaper.”

  Silas hopped out of the car, cocky and sure of himself. “Sorry, dollface. I don’t know what got into me.” His face didn’t look sorry. He turned and waved at Riley, then swaggered toward the front door, humming the ominous notes from the Jaws theme.

  Silas was a sore spot for Riley. The pooka had shown up—bringing his bad luck with him—to our second attempt at a first date. The dinner cruise on the bay was perfect for all of ten minutes. Then the kitchen caught fire, the boat nearly sank and I fell into the water. I was nearly eaten by sharks. No. Seriously. I couldn’t make this up. The first attempt at a first date had featured a dead body, and it was still better than the second attempt.

  For Silas to make any sort of shark-related comment, he was poking at Riley.

  I reached into my pocket and ran a finger over the smooth surface of the gargoyle snot hidden there, thankful we each had one this time. “Aren’t you even a little concerned Riley will lose his temper and go all reaper on your ass?” When we reached the door, I fixed him with a glare.

  “I like to take risks. It keeps the old ticker in shape.” He winked and went into the church ahead of me.

  I took two steps inside the dark interior and stopped. “Silas?”

  He halted and turned around. “What a dump. Doesn’t look like anyone’s set foot in here since Eisenhower was president.”

  He was right, which made no sense. “I was just here a few weeks ago. It wasn’t like this.”

  Dust coated the overturned pews. The carpet was ragged and frayed underfoot. And the reason it was so dark was the broken windows had been boarded up. The light from the rising sun barely poked through the cracks. In other words, the inside matched the disguised outside.

  I ran a finger through the dust on the upturned foot of the pew next to me. It was lighter and less gritty than it should be.

  I sniffed the dust on my fingertip and raised an eyebrow. “It’s baby powder.”

  Silas tested it himself, rubbing his fingers together. “Interesting. I believe you were correct, Aegis. Somebody’s trying to hide something.” He glanced over his shoulder at me. “From here on out, try not to speak directly to me.”

  I nodded once, then shifted my gaze away from him. No use bringing an invisible spy with me if I was going to continue talking to him out in the open.

  I shone a light on the carpet and touched a frayed spot. The fibers looked like they’d been worn away quickly, perhaps with a razorblade or pair of scissors. The edges were cut, rather than tattered. It was all artificially done.

  I followed the route I’d taken before and went straight to Pastor Wendell’s office, though I didn’t expect he’d be there. I was wrong. He sat behind his desk, staring off into space, lip twitching and nostrils flaring double time. His eyes were bloodshot, and his hand was curled around an empty glass. A large bottle of tequila stood on his desk, its level alarmingly low.

  He dragged his gaze from the dusty corner of his office to my face. “Oh,” he said. “It’s you.” He slammed the glass on the desk and refilled it with a wobbly hand. His slurred speech would’ve been comical if not for the circumstances. “Should’ve known you’d figure out it was me on the phone, what with all your...” he waved his hand up and down at me, “...Aegissy stuff.” He drained his glass.

  “Good grief,” I said. “You’re going to kill yourself drinking that so fast.” I took the bottle and screwed the top back on. “Let’s get this done quickly. Where are my kids?”

  “I don’t have to tell you anything.” He eyed the bottle in my hand. “If you’d just died when he stole my people and sent them after you, all this would be over with by now.”

  I contemplated hitting him over the head with his precious bottle, but it was hard to get answers out of someone when they were unconscious. “What’s your stake in all this, Wendell? I thought you didn’t believe in the Last Hidden.”

  He barked out a laugh. “My entire faith is based on the coming of the Last Hidden.” He climbed onto his desk and stood his full
three-foot height, arms in the air. “For it is written in the Lost Covenant, ‘He shall emerge from the ether in the final days, and he shall lead his people into the new world.’”

  My skin went cold. All that research I’d tried—and mostly failed—to do, and this guy was spouting pieces of the Covenant. Maybe he had the answers.

  “So, why aren’t you thrilled that he’s here if you’ve based your whole life’s work on the idea? Why are you sitting here drunk off your ass, looking like you’re ready to jump off a bridge? And why the crank call in the middle of the night?” Deep down, he must have known I’d figure out it was him on the phone. He had to have known I’d show up.

  He stared at me for a moment, and the look was both sad and chilling. He sank to his desk and sat with his arms around his legs. His voice was almost a whisper. “Because he can’t be here yet. It’s not time. And he’s not right.”

  “Not right? How?”

  “They’re just children. Why would he take the little ones?” He shook his head. “I can’t say any more. He might be listening, and I can’t be left behind.” His gaze drifted away, and he rocked forward and back as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “You should probably go home and wait for him. You and your mother are the only loose ends he has to tie up before we all go home.” He gave me a kind smile. “Go on, now. He’ll be waiting.”

  “Oh, I think he’s checked out for good.” Silas appeared next to me.

  I jerked in surprise but didn’t otherwise react, in order to keep my invisible friend a secret. I doubted it mattered, though. Silas was right—Wendell was off frolicking with pink elephants and lavender giraffes. I didn’t think the alcohol was solely to blame for it, either. Wendell had snapped.

  “While you were chatting with your drinking buddy, I nosed around a bit. There’s a courtyard on the other side of the building, but the door is locked. I can’t see out the windows, either. I think we may have found where we need to go, but we’ll need a key.”