Rebels and Realms: A Limited Edition Urban Fantasy Collection

by Heather Marie Adkins

  Rider nodded, seemingly to himself, but looked a little less uncomfortable.

  I'm not sure if Logan had meant to say something I couldn't hear, but it stung all the same. Despite the cold air on my face, I could feel my cheeks redden.

  Would I be proving Logan's point if I said something? Somehow, I didn't care. "At least when you trust your partners or your friends you can tell them." I was pretty proud of myself for keeping the emotion out of my voice.

  "You always trust someone you are friends with," Rider said.

  Logan said nothing. I let the subject drop, but internally, I wondered if Logan was implying that he didn't trust me.

  "We have the rocks coming up," Logan said. "Watch your footing."

  No, I thought. Logan trusted me. Maybe it was just something that Rider needed to hear and I didn't. Looking back at Rider, I saw that he had wandered away. Like yesterday, he was watching everything in the forest.

  Whatever Logan had said, it made Rider feel better. I guess that's the important thing.

  When we got to the first big drop off, I sighed. Logan and Rider hopped down without stopping. It was easily a five-foot drop, so like it or not, I sat on my butt, kicked my legs over, then turned and climbed down. When I reached the bottom, it looked like Rider had already wandered on.

  "We good?" Logan asked, his face serious.

  "Of course." I smiled at my partner. "I'll be better off with rock climbing lessons, though."

  He grinned. "Next spring?"

  "We'll see. Listen, Logan, have I ever said or done anything—"

  "I remember the first time I had my ears out. Until me, you’d never known elves existed. You didn't bat an eye."

  "I had a stone giant in the backyard and Gran across from me. Your ears were the least of my trouble."

  "And you haven't treated me any different since then. Rider, either."

  "I did shoot him," I said, not being able to keep the smile off my face.

  Logan shrugged. "I hope you do the same to anyone else if you're ever in that situation again. You even treated Vincent like you would anyone else."

  I looked into the desolate forest. Any optimism I had felt withered and died.

  Logan was quiet.

  "We should get going," I said, walking away, not particularly caring which direction.

  "I'm sorry things went down the way they did," Logan said as I passed him by.

  "Me too," I said, not looking back. It's not like I blamed Logan for what had happened, but I wished people would stop bringing him up. How could I push him out of my head if people were going to keep talking about it?

  I assumed Logan was behind me, even though I didn't hear him, but I kept an eye out for Rider. The rocky terrain still sloped downward, and I didn't see Rider until the next big drop off.

  Somehow, I managed to climb down the six feet of stone without needing help. Not long after, I slid more than walked down a steep part of the rocky terrain, but managed to stay on my feet.

  "We should check the glen first," Logan said when the ground leveled out and the rock turned back to mostly forest ground again. "If they haven't been back, we'll follow the same trail as yesterday and start where the scent went cold. We'll see if Cassie can pick anything up from there."

  "Do you want me to check around the glen again?" I asked.

  "No," Logan said. "Save your strength. I'd like to find the pixies before noon and save Henderson the trip."

  He set a quick pace to the former home of the pixies. Once there, he looked over the area while Rider walked around the space. There was nothing for me to do, but I found myself drawn to the area of the glen which held the last vestiges of power. I didn't open the Path, but moved around the area, trying to sense if the glen had decayed further.

  "No one has returned," Rider said.

  "Let's go," Logan said.

  There was a small pull to the area that might have meant the power was still hanging on.

  "The sooner we get the pixies back here, the sooner they'll be able to call the place home again," Logan said.

  "Hopefully we can find them today," I said, following the others. "Should we mark any of these areas?”

  "It wouldn't hurt," Logan said. "I'll run back and flag the glen. You two stop where whatever might have been chasing the pixies changed direction."

  Logan bounded off, disappearing into the forest, and Rider and I continued.

  "Have the smells faded much from yesterday?" I asked.

  "The pixies are not as distinct. We are, however," Rider said.

  "And the animal chasing the pixies?" I asked.

  "It has decayed by a day. We should have no trouble following it later," Rider said.

  When Logan returned, he had a bundle of red plastic flags in his hands. He tied one to a tree branch.

  "We should each keep a couple," he said as he distributed them amongst us.

  "Will the pixies move them?" I asked.

  "I almost hope they do," Logan said. "At least then we'd know they are okay."

  "Good point," I said. I unzipped my coat a little to store them in an inside pocket.

  "Anything you all see, smell, or sense that you think might be important, tie a flag around it," Logan said.

  We set off again. I tried to pay close attention to my surroundings, but one set of trees looked like every other to me. The only thing I sensed was the fact that it was cold.

  Rider slowed and looked around.

  "Was this where we stopped yesterday?" Logan asked.

  "No," Rider said, "but there is a fresh scent to track."

  "How long ago was the new trail made?" Logan asked.

  Rider looked uncomfortable. "Maybe half of a day. The smell of the pixies is so close to the forest that I cannot be more accurate."

  Logan grinned. "Not a problem. This is good news. It's almost ten. I'll call this in and we'll go find the pixies."

  "Which direction are they going in?" I asked after Logan stepped away to call Hank.

  "To the north," Rider said.

  Thankfully, he also gestured in that direction.

  "Where are the goblins?" I asked. “Can you hear them?"

  "They are in the opposite direction, but a little farther away than yesterday."

  "Let's follow that new trail," Logan said when he returned.

  7

  It was a relief that we moved in the direction opposite the goblins. It was strange to me that we were close enough that my partners could hear them but not be concerned that we were that close. Logically, I knew they could probably hear for miles, but it felt strange all the same.

  The forest seemed endless. I was tempted to suggest a break, when Rider stopped again.

  "How old?" Logan asked.

  Rider looked uncertain and turned in a circle, studying the woods. We waited patiently.

  "It is not old," Rider said, not taking his eyes off the ground. "It is now."

  Logan started studying the trees.

  "It's definitely not a glen," I said.

  "If they are settling here, it will take them a long time to turn it into their home," Logan said. "Any idea how many?"

  "Two." Rider didn't sound certain about his reply.

  "I could—"

  "Not yet," Logan said over me. He was looking out of the corners of his eyes, never straight in front of him. I tried the same, but didn't see anything different.

  "Maybe they went away," I suggested.

  "It is possible," Rider said.

  Logan sighed. "Nope. They're still here."

  "Do you see them?" I asked.

  "No, but my phone is gone," he said.

  I patted my pockets and wrapped my hands reassuringly around my own. "I still have mine."

  Logan made a few noises that sounded like a mixture of bird song and squirrel chatter.

  "What's the name of the pixie we rescued last fall?" I asked.

  Logan made the same noises and I rolled my eyes.

  "Is there an English version?"
I asked.

  "Laurus Rain is the best translation," Logan said.

  He continued to call out to the pixies.

  "I guess things can't be too bad if they're playing," I said.

  "They've abandoned their glen," Logan said. "I'm not sure what it would take for them to stop playing games."

  "I am not sure I understand," Rider said. "They have stolen your phone, but you say they are playing a game?"

  "Yep. Pixies’ ideas of games are not the same as ours," I said.

  Logan chuckled, and the musical sound helped unwind some of the tension I had been feeling. "And both are a far cry from elves."

  "What do elves—"

  A twittering sound came from the trees and I broke off abruptly.

  We all turned our heads up to the branches. I saw nothing, but then, I didn't really expect to.

  Logan made a reply. The elf was watching something, which I assumed it was a pixie. His eyes focused on something invisible moving down the tree and over to us. It wasn't until Logan began talking that I could start to see the pixie take shape.

  Pixies have the most amazing camouflaging techniques. It makes all species in our dimension pale in comparison. I'm not sure what Logan's trick was in seeing them. Maybe it was an elf thing. I'm sure it was Logan's laughter that had brought the pixie out of hiding. It was hard not to be taken in by the laughter of elves.

  Rider crouched down and watched the pixie from a distance. The pixie and Logan were having a conversation, but the little figure's eyes kept straying back to Rider, and it edged away each time it saw the werewolf.

  It didn't disappear, though, which surprised me. It's not like it couldn't talk while invisible to us.

  I was concentrating on the pixie in front of Logan and I hadn't noticed another approach until it pulled on my pant leg. When I looked down, the pixie stared straight up at me.

  It took my brain a moment to recognize that it was the pixie I had met last fall.

  "Hi." My smile couldn’t have been any bigger. "Look at you. You're looking so good." I had no idea if she could understand what I said, but her protuberant eyes held an intelligence that suggested she at least understood my intent.

  "How's your wing?" I asked.

  It chittered and made a motion, waving me down. I crouched down, and then almost fell over when the pixie jumped on me. There was a split moment of panic, thinking I had fallen into a trap, but even then, I knew the pixie wouldn't actually try to hurt me, so I didn't react.

  The figure climbed up my knee, scampered over my back and onto my other knee, before grabbing my arm and climbing across my chest and up to my shoulder. From there, it nuzzled against my neck.

  An inexplicable warmth spread out. "Awww." It came out before I could stop myself. Unsure of what to do, I nuzzled it back. I was afraid patting her would be offensive. "I'm glad to see you too."

  It replied with a singsong voice before scampering down and disappearing.

  My eyes stung as I watched the spot where the pixie had disappeared. That was the nicest side of a pixie I had ever seen, and the affection had me choked up.

  It wasn't until I stood up that I noticed Logan's conversation had ended. He was smiling, but his eyes looked glum.

  "You made yourself a friend," he said.

  I had to clear my throat twice before I could trust my voice. "I think I did," I agreed. "Do you know what she said?"

  "The words don't translate well," Logan said. "But she was happy to see you and felt thankful for you."

  I sniffed and nodded. "I hadn't expected that."

  "Neither did I," Logan said. "Mind you, the hair sticking out from under your cap is in knots."

  Such a small thing couldn't dampen my spirits, but I pulled off a glove and patted my hair, noticing that it didn't seem too bad. "That, I would expect. What did you think, Rider?"

  He stood slowly to his feet. "I think that they are worried."

  "I reckon you're right," Logan said.

  "What did they say?" I asked. My hand had already turned cold, so I shoved it back into the glove.

  "Pixies don't talk the way humans do," Logan said. "It's more emotion and intention than actual words. That's why Laurus’sreaction surprised me so much. I've never seen them do that before. You're practically welcomed as a pixie."

  My grin grew.

  "I'm not sure that's a good thing," he said.

  It seemed like a good thing to me, so I shrugged off the comment. "What did you get from them?"

  "I don't think they've bothered the goblins," Logan said. "No more than usual, anyway. They're afraid of something in the woods. Afraid to go back home, too."

  "But they can't tell us what it is?" I asked.

  "No. It gets worse, though," Logan said.

  "How so?" I asked.

  "There are people missing."

  "Some of the pixies are missing?" That thought sobered me up.

  "Yes," Logan said. "I think two are missing, but I can’t be sure of the exact number."

  "It couldn't have been the other way around, could it?" I asked. "I mean, could the goblins have done something to the pixies?"

  "I don't get the idea that's what it is," Logan said. "They'd be hard pressed to scare a pixie. They certainly wouldn't be able to chase them from their glen."

  "What's our next step?" I asked.

  "Give me your phone," Logan said. "I'll call it in."

  I fumbled in my pocket and came up empty. "It's gone." I could feel my face growing red. "Crap. I'm sorry. I guess I let Laurus distract me."

  "Rider?"

  "I have nothing in my pockets."

  I groaned and started looking around on the ground.

  Logan patted his pockets again. "They've taken the truck keys as well."

  "What?" I asked.

  "No worries there," Logan said. "I have an extra set at the truck. You never know what's going to disappear."

  "Right," I said. "I am so sorry about the phone."

  Logan shrugged. "If they wanted it, there wasn't much chance of keeping it."

  "Do you think we can ask to have one of the phones back?" Rider asked.

  "No," Logan and I said together.

  "What do we do next?" Rider asked.

  "We have to look for the pixies," I said.

  "Okay," Logan said. "Let's move away from the pixies. Backtrack some. Maybe head back to where the other smell split away from them."

  "Sounds good," I said.

  Rider turned, then fell. It's a little scary to see someone that tall fall. It takes them so much longer to reach the ground and there's so much more of them to hit.

  He sat up and looked down at his feet.

  "My shoes are tied together," he said.

  I pushed my lips together hard in an effort not to grin. "I see that." Then I double-checked my own shoes, just in case.

  Rider began to fumble with the laces. "They are very tight knots."

  "Hand me the bag," I said, not liking the idea that our supplies were on the ground. That would be too tempting to the pixies.

  Rider passed it over and fumbled with his shoes.

  "Are we going to follow the other trail?" I asked.

  "We're going to need to split up," Logan said, shifting from foot to foot, looking anxious to move. "Henderson's team won't be here for another few hours. We'll mark off a spot by the glen for Henderson to set up shop. From there, you two will follow the scent while I go check on the goblins."

  "Are you sure you want to meet with them alone?" I asked, not liking the idea of my partner out there on his own.

  "For now, yes," Logan said. "I'm only going to see what they're doing. They won’t know I'm there."

  Rider managed to get to his feet again, his shoes sorted out.

  "Whatever it is you're following," Logan said, setting a quick pace, "I don't want you to get close. You hear it or find fresh traces, you're to fall back."

  The warmth the pixie had created was wearing off, but jogging through the woods, tryi
ng to keep pace with my partners, kept me from getting too cold.

  "When are we meeting back up?" I asked.

  "We can join Henderson and his team when they arrive," Logan said. "Rider and I will keep an ear out. From there, we can give him an update and he can pass it on to Hank. We'll decide our next move after that."

  "What should we do if we find evidence of the missing people?" I asked.

  Logan slowed. "Rider and I can keep in touch, I think."

  There was nothing reassuring about that. "You think?"

  "If we can hear the goblins, we should be able to hear each other," Rider said.

  "We hear goblins patrolling," Logan said. "I'll be checking on their home."

  "Right," I said, feeling uneasy. "But you'll yell or something if you need us, right?"

  "You bet," Logan said.

  Sadly, I was already getting winded. The cold air rushed in and out of my lungs, making me feel cold from the inside out. It was a relief when Logan slowed.

  "The glen isn't far from here," Logan said. "I want both of you to thoroughly check this area. I don't want Henderson to set up a base camp in the same place as pixies, or near whatever could be roaming these woods, and definitely not in the glen itself. This might be a good spot."

  Rider began circling the area. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before jumping into the Path. The crashing river of information flowing around us threatened to throw me off balance. The power wanted to push me either further ahead or further back in time. It was a struggle to stay in the present. I spent a few moments trying to hold back the flow, but my power stubbornly maintained its grip. Since I was burning through energy fast, I took a quick look around. Logan and Rider's Paths were shining like beacons. There were smaller traces of animals, but nothing that seemed similar to what had chased the pixies away.

  I leaned against a tree, hoping something anchored in the physical world would help keep me anchored in the present Path. It was a nice theory. My grip slipped when I tried to study an older Path, and before I knew it, the older Path was becoming more and more solid. Looking around, I saw that Rider and Logan's Paths from today were gone, even though both men were clearly there. I closed my eyes and tried to freeze my backward projection into the Path.

  "Find something?" Logan asked.

  I looked up and nearly jumped when I saw that Rider loomed over me. It was enough to make me lose the tenuous grip I had on my power. The Path thrust me backward, and the world around me flew by in a rush. Looking up, I saw the leaves returning to the trees—not slowly, but as though they had been startled off the ground and were jumping up.