Down in Whisper

by Bonnie Elizabeth

  Meg could hear the truth in that statement but she also got a glimmer of something else. It wasn’t that the story wasn’t true but there was another reason they were keeping her here. She just didn’t know what it was.

  “Yes, well clearly my father doesn’t believe that,” Meg snapped. If she got a sense that might not be true, she slammed it down before she could examine the feeling. She continued pacing, making a mental note to check the photos when John and her father brought them in.

  “Have you ever thought that your father might like hiking as much as you do?” Peter asked.

  “Well it’s not like he ever suggests we go together.” Meg let that sit out there, wondering then if it was her or hiking that her father didn’t like. They’d hiked when she was a child. It was only as she got older that he seemed to let her go off around the mountain on her own. She wasn’t sure exactly how it happened but she suddenly made choices for other hiking partners, forgetting those early days with her dad.

  It was originally her father who taught her about the differences in trees. She could recognize a variety of them, knowing her poplars from her birches and hemlock from Douglas firs pretty easily. She knew the ferns that grew around Whisper. She knew how to identify poison oak. She knew two types of safe mushrooms. While she wasn’t a big mushroom hunter, when she found chanterelles she knew what they were and could take them home with confidence.

  “You should eat,” Peter reminded her, intruding upon her thoughts. Maybe the cataloging of mushrooms made him hungry. Meg considered dinner, thinking of something heavy and savory, a thought picked up from Peter. Fried chicken would be good. She hoped the Diner had some. They usually did but it was a popular dish and sometimes they ran out. Meg looked at the clock. It was a bit after six. Not too late.

  “Diner?” Meg asked, although she didn’t really have to, already closing her lap top, but not turning it off. She planned to come back after the meal.

  Peter pushed away from the window, gliding towards her, pushing her away from the desk, lightly but not letting her pause to jot down one more note.

  Meg was barely out the door, when she spotted Rain walking back to her office, a mug of something hot in her hand. It wasn’t one of the mugs they got from the Cuppa, but one that came from her home upstairs. It must be nice, Meg thought, to live right above where you work.

  “Rain,” Peter said.

  “Hey, hi,” Rain’s smile included both of them, although it seemed a little less easy with Meg.

  “I’ll be back after dinner,” Meg said. “Call me, though, if you hear from Dillon, or if RaeLynn and Zari find anything.”

  “I saw RaeLynn slipping out the door a little bit ago. She’ll probably do some cross referencing on all the material from home but I think she’s about to drop.”

  “Still, if Dillon found something, maybe he can give us a new angle to look at. At least if we knew who was doing this, we might be in a better position to know what to do about the plane.”

  “We know what to do about the plane,” Peter said softly. “It will be destroyed. The question is whether there is more of the metallic substance that should not exist being used. It is something that the gods shall have to take care of. Gaia is getting quite restive about this plane, which means we need to find out what’s going on.”

  “I was wondering, seeing we hadn’t heard from Dillon,” Rain said, looking more at Peter than at Meg, “if it might be worth having Marcus take a look see about what’s going on. I know you can sense that he’s still alive and all, but I’m getting kind of worried. I’m not sure how long he was prepared to be out there.”

  “Dillon was well prepared,” Peter answered. “I think he could make it a week if he had to. But, if it will make you feel better, then contact Marcus. If Dillon has lost the trail, and believe me, the pilot made that a very real possibility, perhaps Marcus can catch something that Dillon has missed.”

  “But Marcus can’t talk to Dillon can he?” Meg asked. She knew that Marcus was getting better at controlling his own powers. He didn’t become incorporeal the way Peter did when he was an air spirit, but his senses and his spirit could leave his body and travel. Amy said that his body would go so still, it felt almost as if he were dead. She was able to make out a faint heartbeat and the faintest breathing but nothing else.

  “He can let us know what’s going on,” Rain said. “And if we need to, someone else can hike up there and get a message to him. Are David and John coming back or are they at the crash site?” Rain asked.

  “They’re well on their way down,” Peter said. Meg could feel the pull of her father on her as part of her own consciousness merged with Peter’s when he checked on the two men. There was something about the thought of her father, out there on the mountain that made his image like a beacon to her. She could have gone up the mountain blindfolded and found him, so certain was she where he was.

  Peter said that blood called to blood, which was why she could always find her family within in his mind, whether she wanted to or not. Meg took that opportunity to poke and prod around Peter’s mind, to find out why no one seemed to want her on the mountain but she kept getting distracted by little things, as if he didn’t want her looking there.

  “Why don’t you call Amy?” Peter suggested, pulling Meg out of her excursion into his soul. There was nothing on his face other than casual inquiry but there was a strange light in his eyes, almost as if he were laughing at her. Meg glared, not enjoying the joke. No doubt Rain was in on it.

  “Yeah,’ Meg said, pulling out her phone and walking back to her office. She didn’t need Rain listening in on her conversation with Amy. Irritatingly Peter stayed in the hall with Rain.

  “Hey Amy,” Meg greeted when the phone was picked up.

  “What’s up?”

  “Just that plane that crashed. I’m sure you’ve heard rumors.” Meg pushed her hair back, noticing as she did that it was getting longer than she liked.

  “Rumors, but nothing concrete,” Amy said. “Heard Dad went up the mountain though.”

  “Yeah. He took a friend of his, John King, have you heard of him?”

  “The pilot? Yeah. Dad used to talk about him sometimes when we were little.”

  “Really?” Meg couldn’t remember any such conversations.

  “Yeah. He’d tease Mom about how he wanted to be an astronaut. It always got Mom sort of mad because of how dangerous it was. I think he did it when she was bugging him about doing something she thought was dangerous.”

  “I really, really don’t remember that,” Meg said. “I thought he always talked about properties and stuff.”

  “Don’t you remember he talked about the moon as the ultimate builder’s paradise?” Amy chuckled a little. That did ring a bell and Meg said so.

  “So why did you really call?” Amy asked.

  “I guess Dillon hasn’t checked in and Rain was wondering if Marcus could check on him, from the air,” Meg added.

  “Yeah, he can do that. I’ll let him know when he gets home. He’s not here yet, but it could be any time.”

  “Good. Apparently I’m not good enough to hike up the mountain,” Meg said.

  “Not true at all,” Amy said. “I bet Peter thinks this is a great time for Marcus to practice.”

  “But of course Rain would know that and not me,” Meg snorted.

  “Touchy today aren’t we?” Amy said.

  Meg had that same sense of being diverted as if there was something there but no one was going to tell her. Anyone close to her, like Amy would be smart enough not to lie, even by omission, but Meg’s truth sense kept telling her there was something going on. What was it? It seemed like every time she talked about knowing the mountain they clammed up. Was it that Peter was losing interest in her? That didn’t seem right, exactly but she knew it had to do with Peter. So what weren’t they telling her?

  “Well you don’t have to work with Rain do you?” Meg snapped. “And I’m pissed because this is what I do best and everyon
e is sticking me back in the office as if I can’t take care of myself.”

  “I’m sure it’s not a reflection of what anyone thinks of you,” Amy said. “I bet it’s because we all love you so much that we want to keep you here.”

  Amy may have believed that, but there was something else. That wasn’t the real reason no matter that it may have been a little bit true.

  Meg hung up the phone and walked out to the hallway where Peter and Rain were talking about Zari A’s computer.

  “Amy will call after he gets home. I told her to call you,” Meg said, a bit more sharply than she had intended. If Rain heard the tone she didn’t remark on it.

  “I’ll wait for it,” Rain said. “Enjoy your dinner.” She waved at them as she entered the big corner office while Peter’s hand was once again at Meg’s back, pushing her along, even as the light movement against her skin made her think of other things, thoughts he was more than willing to expand upon. Meg wondered sometimes, how she ever got anything done with him around.

  Rain

  “So what did you say to Meg?” Zari purred in my ear as I walked back to my office.

  “As if you didn’t hear,” I reminded her, well aware that she was listening.

  “But I heard nothing from you to irritate her, yet she was,” Zari protested. So the cat wasn’t just trying to annoy me, she actually was curious about what I had done.

  “My very existence irritates her.” There that should explain it.

  “But she is far more upset that her father is hiking and she is not, which is not your fault. And she is worried about him, with the older man. She’s also worried about secrets that Peter is keeping. She thinks he is going to leave her for you.”

  “He wishes,” I muttered, not even willing to voice that too loudly in case anyone else was still here.

  “Well, she did lose a lot when she and Peter got together. I mean her grandmother no longer talks to her and Peter says Meg was quite devoted to her. Perhaps she is worried about losing the relationship she gained?” Zari purred.

  While mostly she’s very annoying, I should never under estimate Zari’s powers of observation. She was a fast learner about all sorts of things. Maybe I should put her online as a feline behaviorist, or was that human behaviorist?

  “That’s a normal human reaction,” I said, going into clinician mode to explain interpersonal relationships with her.

  “I wish I understood why Emma did it,” Zari pressed. She had come back into my office when RaeLynn left. She wasn’t on her cat tree but was sprawled on my desk, making it harder for me to work. This was her way of giving me a hint.

  “Emma was probably every bit as an infatuated with Peter as Meg was. The problem was that Emma could only go so deeply into Peter’s mind. She is not a woman who loses well.” From everything I heard about Emma, that was probably an understatement.

  “How do you know this?” Zari asked.

  “I don’t.” I sat down in my chair and moved Zari’s back leg to get to the computer. “I’m guessing.” Zari kicked me a little.

  “But it seems logical based on how humans react, if a little extreme,” she mused. “I wonder how often she had intercourse with Peter before she had to stop or if he had to put a stop to it?”

  “TMI Zari!” I practically shouted. I hoped that Kyle wasn’t still in his office or he’d want to know what I was shouting about. But really I did not need to picture Meg’s grandmother with Peter.

  “What?” the cat asked, almost smirking at my reaction.

  “Just change the subject and make it interesting,” I muttered, not out loud this time and much more quietly.

  Zari sat up and started licking the hind foot she had kicked me with. “Cats have no such issues about sex and age,” she said.

  “Cats probably don’t have much imagination.”

  “Oh but we do,” Zari assured me. I considered asking her what she imagined but was saved from that potential minefield when my cell rang. I picked it up, noticing the caller was Marcus.

  “Hi Marcus,” I said, cheerfully.

  Zari lowered her leg to look at me and listen in.

  “Hey. Amy says you wanted me to check on Dillon. She said he’s just east of the mountain?” In this conversation, it was clear to both of us that the mountain referred to Whisper.

  “Yeah. He hasn’t checked in and it’s been almost 24 hours. I know there’s no cell service but I was hoping he’d have gotten back. Can you make sure he’s still alive and moving?”

  “That I can do. I can try and get his attention for any messages but it would have to be simple.”

  “Just make sure he doesn’t appear to need help or isn’t lost, okay?” I told him.

  “Well that’s easy enough,” Marcus agreed. I wasn’t at all sure how Marcus’ abilities worked, but then again I’m not sure Marcus understood them exactly. He hadn’t known he was part air spirit for very long. In fact, the only reason the other elemental spirits allowed him to continue to exist was because Peter was training him to control his abilities.

  That was a good thing, considering Amy was quite devoted to him. If they got serious, I had to wonder if they’d have children and what powers those children would have. I certainly hoped we didn’t have to worry about baby dragons flying around. Yeah, air spirits can change into dragons. However, they weren’t ever supposed to when people were around. Fortunately, Marcus could just look around as a spirit without changing form to check on Dillon.

  “I won’t be starting right away. I need to eat something to ground myself,” he said. “And we’ll come back to Amy’s office so I’m on Whisper. That way Peter can help me with grounding.”

  “Great.”

  “Don’t worry if I don’t get back to you until late. Is midnight too late to call you?”

  “I’ll probably be up. Even if I’m not, wake me because I’ll worry in the morning if you don’t,” I told him. I pushed back my hair and rubbed at the side of my head. I had the slightest headache which meant I ought to make an appointment to see Amy for acupuncture. I was getting too stressed again. The clinic was closed for the evening so I’d have to do that in the morning.

  Hanging up, I looked over at Zari. “So, are we ready to head upstairs and eat?”

  “I have been ready for quite some time,” Zari said. “Do you have any tuna? I think I should like tuna tonight.”

  Fortunately I kept a large selection of canned fish and also sushi grade tuna in the freezer for just such requests. Zari made them often.

  “It’s from a can tonight because you didn’t ask soon enough for me to thaw anything,” I warned.

  “That will be fine. You should have a tuna sandwich or salad. You are not eating enough,” the cat said. As if I couldn’t stand to lose a few pounds.

  “It is not as easy as that and there are several compounds that you are becoming deficient in. Your body will always hold some extra weight around your hips and breasts so stop trying to look like Meg. Besides, Peter worries that she is too thin, which she is, but she compares herself to you. She’ll never be as lush as you but that’s her body type.”

  “Why thank you for the lecture,” I said as I closed up the computer and put it in the carry bag I had.

  “You’re welcome. I have been reading about the human body and size acceptance.” Zari leaped easily to the floor. Her long lithe line was marred by the slightest flaring of her belly.

  “Is that anything personal?” I asked, wondering if I should put her on a diet.

  “I think human women worry too much about their looks. In my world we worry about how we communicate as that is very individual.”

  “Really?” I asked.

  Zari harrumphed at me and ran ahead towards the main office. She wasn’t going to tell me more even if I pushed, but I found the whole idea fascinating. What a different way to see the world.

  I glanced in at Kyle’s office and he was working at the computer.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

&nbs
p; “Yeah fine.” I wondered why he was asking.

  “I was a little worried at your outburst but figured Zari would call me if there was a problem.”

  “Zari was just being shocking,” I laughed. “Glad to know I’m protected though.”

  Kyle gave me a smile, which turned back into a frown as he looked down at the computer.

  “What is going on?” I asked.

  “Not sure. I’m just not finding anything at all that makes sense on this case. I should put it away and go for a run.”

  “Might look better from a fresh perspective tomorrow,” I said, moving away from the door. I saw Kyle nod before I moved out of view but he’d made no move to stand nor did he seem inclined to want to discuss what he was finding, or not finding.

  Meg

  “Morning,” Peter whispered in Meg’s ear as she woke up. It was the same voice she’d been hearing for the last months, even as he wrapped an arm across her side, pressing his body closer against hers. But Meg was in a bad mood. She was sick of the secret or secrets he was keeping.

  She’d tried talking to him at dinner, but he’d avoided her questions, changing the subject or deliberately misunderstanding her. Instead of rolling over towards him, which she normally would have, Meg pushed him away.

  A frown passed across his face, gone as quickly as a breeze. Meg turned her back, so she could walk to the bathroom. She heard Peter roll over on her bed. He hadn’t slept there, of course. He couldn’t exactly sleep, disappearing in that instant when he was neither conscious nor unconscious in human form, losing the thread of control that gave him his body in that split second.

  Now and then when Meg was worried about something and she didn’t fall asleep quickly, she’d watch Peter dose. She’d see him flicker, like a light. He was fast enough that that was all it took, re-incorporated before she was completely aware that he was gone.