Refuge

by Karen Lynch

  “You came?” said a small voice, drawing my attention to the pale blond boy huddled in the hospital bed. Michael had one arm folded over his chest and the other was chained to the bed railing. “I didn’t think you would.”

  “I wasn’t sure I would come either.” I paused then walked over to stand next to the bed. Up close, he looked even paler than usual, and I could see dark shadows beneath his eyes. “How are you feeling?”

  “O-okay.” His blue eyes brimmed with tears. “Sara, I-I’m sorry for what I did to you. I know you won’t forgive me, but I want you to know that I didn’t ever want to hurt you.”

  “You didn’t hurt just me, Michael. Olivia and Mark are dead.” The words came out harsher than I’d intended, but the pain of watching Olivia die was still too raw. I didn’t know if that was something you ever got over.

  Michael’s face drained of color, and I realized no one had told him about them. “Oh God,” he moaned and tears spilled down his face. “No one was supposed to die. They said if I gave them you, they would give me Matthew.”

  “And you believed them?” What had he thought the Master planned to do to me once he had me? Or had that not mattered to him?

  “I had to.” His eyes pleaded with me to understand. “I messed up everything else, and it was my last chance of getting Matthew back.”

  Tristan stepped forward, looking a lot more composed than I felt. “What do you mean? What did you mess up?”

  Michael stared down at the blanket, unable to face Tristan. “I-I was supposed to scare Sara and make her leave. I did things to make her want to go, but she never did.”

  “What things?” My mind replayed every bad thing that had happened to me in the last month. “Did you have anything to do with us getting attacked in the movie theater?”

  He darted a glance at me and looked down again. “I only told them what movie you were going to see. I didn’t know they would sic demons on all those people.”

  I was right. There had been a vampire nearby when we left the movie theater. But what had they thought to gain by sending lamprey demons after us? “What about the vampires at the party we went to? Did you tell them we would be there?”

  He shook his head. “I didn’t even know you were going to a party. I swear.”

  “What else did you do?” Tristan asked sternly.

  “I gave Sara some drex venom.” I gasped loudly, and Michael swung his gaze to me. “It was supposed to make you sad and depressed so you’d want to leave. It’s not supposed to make people sick. I didn’t know what to do when you got so sick.”

  “You did that to me?” Drex demons disabled their victims by injecting them with their venom, which was like a powerful psychotropic drug. It should have, at the very most, caused me to have hallucinations. But I had been so sick I could barely move from my bed. I had a suspicion that drex venom and Fae blood did not mix well. No wonder it had taken troll bile to cure me. Trolls are immune to all toxins and poisons.

  “Where on earth did you get drex venom?” Celine asked.

  “They keep a lot of venoms in the medical ward for making antidotes,” Michael said, and I shivered to think of what other poisons he could have used on me. It was a miracle I was still alive.

  “What else did you do?”

  Michael cowered from the barely contained fury in Nikolas’s voice, and it took him several minutes to answer. “I-I let the hellhounds out so they would scare her. I did it when there were lots of warriors around to keep her from getting hurt.”

  “How did you do that without anyone seeing you?” Tristan asked calmly, shooting Nikolas a look that said “let me handle this.”

  “They let me hang out in the control room sometimes, and I saw Ben entering in his security code when he was on duty. After that, it was easy to log on from my laptop.”

  While everyone digested how easily a fifteen-year-old computer nerd had broken into their top-notch security system, I thought of something else. “You set the karks on me, didn’t you?”

  “I sprayed some scarab demon pheromone on you. I used just a drop to get them worked up. I had no idea they’d go nuts like that.”

  I threw up my hands. “I don’t get it. The vampires wanted me dead and you had so many chances to finish me off. Why didn’t you just kill me and be done with it?”

  He recoiled as if I’d slapped him. “I couldn’t do that. I never wanted to hurt you at all. I just wanted you to leave so they would see I did what they asked me and let Matthew go. And they said they wanted you alive.”

  “So after all that, they suddenly decided to come here to get me themselves. Why?”

  He looked away again, and his chest rose as he took a deep breath. “They asked about your uncle . . . and I told them he was human again. They wanted to know how, but I didn’t know how it happened. That’s when they told me I had to bring you to them or Matthew would die.”

  They know what I can do. A fist-sized lump of ice formed in my stomach. It was no wonder they were desperate enough to attack a Mohiri stronghold.

  Tristan walked over to stand beside me. “How did you make contact with them in the first place?”

  Michael swallowed hard. “I was on a forum where you look for missing people. I posted about Matthew a bunch of times, and a month ago, someone contacted me. They said if I helped them, they would tell me where to find Matthew.”

  “Oh, Michael.” I knew the kind of message board he was talking about. It wasn’t a normal missing persons website. The people on there were looking for family and friends who they believed were taken by aliens or something supernatural. I’d used them myself when I was looking for a sign of Madeline’s whereabouts.

  He shook his head fervently. “You don’t understand. They sent me pictures of him. He’s alive.”

  The denial in his eyes tore at my heart. “If you posted an old picture of Matthew, it would be easy for them to find someone who looks like he would today.”

  “You’re wrong! You think I don’t know my own twin?” He twisted his fingers in the blanket. “I failed him.”

  I glanced helplessly at Tristan. “Michael, you see now that the vampires were using you, right? They never had Matthew.”

  “You’re wrong!” he yelled, getting agitated. “I saw him. I talked to him.”

  “They tricked you.”

  “No!” Michael’s eyes blazed and for the first time, I saw the madness in them. “He’s alive and now he’s going to die because I couldn’t give them you.” His screams grew louder, and he began to thrash wildly in his restraints. His sweet face suddenly twisted into one I didn’t recognize. “This is all your fault. Why couldn’t you just leave? You killed him, Sara! You killed my brother.”

  I put my hands over my mouth and backed away from the bed as two healers ran into the room. One held Michael down while the other injected him with a sedative. The powerful drug kicked in quickly and soon the only sound in the room was my ragged breathing. Nikolas made a move toward me, but I shook my head.

  “What will you do with him now?” I asked Tristan.

  Tristan looked at me with eyes full of sorrow. “We have a facility in Mumbai where they’ve had some success rehabilitating some of the older orphans we’ve found. I’ll contact Janek and have him take Michael there.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Sara, what he said . . . ”

  “He’s delusional, I know.” Michael’s outburst had hurt, but not because I believed him when he said it was my fault. It hurt me to see how much pain he was in.

  Celine stood and waved a hand at the unconscious boy. “Please tell me it’s not that easy to get to our children and turn them against us.”

  Her insensitivity rubbed against my already frayed nerves. “He’s sick and they used that against him. How about a little compassion?”

  “You expect me to show compassion to the person who betrayed us?”

  Tristan stepped in before I could reply. “The welfare of the boy was our responsibility, Celine, and we failed him. I don’t be
lieve our young people are at risk. This was a special case.” He tilted his head toward the door. “And I think we should continue this conversation elsewhere.”

  “I’m done here,” Celine said angrily and swept out of the room.

  I walked out behind her and waited for Tristan and Nikolas. They walked out, deep in conversation, and I was about to excuse myself, but I stopped when I heard what they were saying.

  “If they know what Sara did to Nate, they will stop at nothing to get to her,” Nikolas said in a low voice.

  Tristan nodded. “I’ve already spoken to the rest of the Council. We are doubling our force here and bringing in five special teams to hunt this vampire.”

  Nikolas’s brows drew together. “It’s not enough. You saw the small army he was able to assemble and send against us. One child Hale witch brought down half our sentries without blinking. I’m shocked it hasn’t been tried before. You can be sure they will try to use them again now that they know how effective they are. And the only person who can go up against a Hale witch is the one we are trying to keep safe.”

  “What do you propose?”

  Nikolas’s eyes met mine, and the hard set of his jaw told me he was going to say something he knew I would not like. “We need to move her to a new location, somewhere known only to a handful of us. Overseas would be best.”

  “Hold on.” I stepped up to them. “I’m not moving again, especially not to some strange place where I’ll be on lockdown twenty-four seven.”

  “Nikolas makes a good point, Sara,” Tristan said like he was actually considering it. “It would not be permanent, just until we deal with this Master.”

  “That could take years. I am not going to spend the rest of my life running and hiding while you two hunt this vampire. Forget it.”

  Nikolas shook his head. “Actually, I will be coming with you.”

  It should have made me ecstatic that we would be together, but all I saw was a future where I was a virtual prisoner. “So, I’ll be back to having a bodyguard again,” I said bitterly. “Why don’t we invite Chris along, too, and it’ll be just like old times?”

  “We can bring Chris if you’d like,” Nikolas replied, deliberately ignoring my angry sarcasm. “He likes to travel abroad.”

  “What if I don’t like to travel abroad?”

  “You can hardly say that when you’ve never left US soil,” Nikolas pointed out with infuriating certainty. “I’m sure we can find plenty of places you will enjoy. We can even bring your two beasts if you want.”

  “This would be the best way to keep you safe,” Tristan added, and I felt my freedom slipping away. “I promise we will do whatever we can to end this and bring you home soon.”

  “But what about Nate? I just got him back. I can’t leave him like this, especially if he’ll be in danger here.”

  Tristan gave me a reassuring smile. “I’ve already told Nate he has a home with us as long as he wants to stay. But if he wants to go with you, he has that option.”

  “How can you expect me to run away like a coward and leave everyone else here to face this?” I cried desperately. “Please don’t ask me to do that.”

  Tristan shook his head. “No one here would ever call you cowardly, Sara, especially after what you did last night. But being a warrior means you must also know when to retreat. This is one of those times.”

  My throat constricted painfully, and I could only nod mutely. I did not trust myself not to cry if I spoke. Neither of them said it, but the message was clear; it didn’t matter how well I’d fought. I still wasn’t good enough in their eyes. They weren’t planning to send the other trainees away, even after Olivia and Mark had died. Because they think I am the only one too weak to protect myself.

  I turned toward the door. “Sara, please understand,” Tristan called after me, but I refused to stay there another second.

  “I’ll talk to her. She’ll come around,” Nikolas said in a lowered voice.

  I turned back and glared at Nikolas through angry tears. “I will never be okay with this or having no control over my own life. If you don’t know that, then you don’t know me at all.”

  * * *

  I chewed my bottom lip thoughtfully as I surveyed the bounty spread out on my desk: seven hundred dollars in cash, fourteen large diamonds, and a tiny vial of troll bile. The cash wouldn’t get me far, even if I stretched it, but I’d already been in touch with one of my old contacts about the diamonds and he said he could get me a hefty price, after they were authenticated of course. The only problem was it would take a few days to set it up and I wasn’t sure how much time I had.

  The troll bile would fetch enough money to allow me to disappear for a long time if I wanted to. But it would also draw way too much attention. I decided to hang onto it and use it only in an absolute emergency.

  My eyes went to the email from David two hours ago that was still open on my monitor.

  We found her. I’m running some checks now to verify the information, but so far it looks solid. She’s in Albuquerque, but I’m not sure how long she will stay there. Are you sure you want to do this?

  He’d done it. He’d actually found Madeline. Now, it was my turn. I was going to track her down and make her do something good for once in her life. The way I saw it, she owed me. My mother was the only one who supposedly knew the identity of the Master. She was going to tell me who he was and then I would tell Tristan, who would take care of the rest. It didn’t matter that neither of them knew of my plan yet. In fact, that was exactly how I wanted it.

  I scooped up the glittering diamonds and dropped them into a small pouch, which I stuffed in a pocket of my old backpack along with the money and the troll bile. I scanned the room as I thought about what I needed to bring with me. I needed to travel light and fast, so a few changes of clothes and some toiletries were all I could manage.

  I looked longingly at my laptop and sighed. It was thin and light and it would fit in my backpack, but I could not risk the possibility of Tristan’s security guys tracking it somehow. David was setting me up with a clean laptop and some burner phones, and letting me know where to pick them up. I had to have a way to communicate with him and know what was going on out there. It helped to have a friend with his talents, especially on this mission. Of course, I needed to get out of here first, and that was going to be tricky. I still hadn’t worked that part out yet.

  A knock at the door pulled me from my musing, and I rushed to throw the backpack in the closet. “Come in,” I called after I picked up a book and lay down on the bed.

  Roland poked his head in before stepping into the room. “We’re leaving tomorrow and you’re hiding in your room?”

  I laid the book on my chest. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore you. It’s just been a rough few days and I wanted to veg for a while.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “You mean you wanted some time alone to plan your little getaway.”

  “What?” I swallowed nervously. “What are you talking about?”

  “Nikolas told me he’s taking you away. He said you were upset.”

  “So?” I avoided his gaze so he couldn’t see the hurt in mine. I hadn’t seen Nikolas since I’d left him that morning. A few hours ago, he’d knocked at my door, but I didn’t answer. He’d known I was here the same way I knew it was him on the other side of the door, but he left after a few minutes. I hated putting distance between us, and I felt his absence like a gaping hole in my chest. But he knew me too well and I’d never be able to hide my intentions from him. If he got wind of what I was planning, he’d have me on a plane for parts unknown tonight. I couldn’t let that happen.

  Roland snorted loudly. “I know you too well to expect you to go meekly along with that. Fess up. What’s the plan?”

  I struggled to keep an innocent expression. “There is no plan, Roland. I’m just reading. See?” I held up the book for emphasis.

  “You know, I’d find that story a whole lot more believable if that book wasn’t upside-down.�
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  I glanced at the jumbled text in front of me and flushed.

  “Busted.” He sat on the foot of my bed and fixed me with a serious look. “You can’t really be thinking of running off on your own after what just happened?”

  Abandoning all pretenses, I tossed the book aside and sat up. “It’s because of what happened that I have to go. We have to stop this Master before more people get hurt. I’m going to find Madeline and make her give up his identity.”

  “What makes you think you can find her when the rest of the Mohiri can’t?”

  “Madeline is smart, and she’s watching for the Mohiri and the Master. One sign of them and she is in the wind again.” I smiled self-confidently. “She won’t be looking for me.”

  “Yeah, but first you have to find her, and she’s managed to stay out of sight for ten years.”

  “No one stays out of sight unless they are living totally off the grid, and I know for a fact that my dear mother has not been living in a cave. My friend, David, has been tracking her for a month, and it didn’t take him long to pick up her trail.”

  Roland frowned. “David, the hacker guy? If he knows where she is, tell Tristan and let him deal with it.”

  “No.” I got off the bed and began pacing the room. I wasn’t going to sit back anymore and do nothing. I couldn’t. Besides, Madeline was too smart for that and she’d see her father coming from a mile off. “Like I said, she’ll be watching for him. And I’ll be damned if I let them ship me off to God-knows-where while everyone else puts themselves in danger. You know me, Roland. I can’t live like that.”

  “But you can leave Nikolas? I saw the way you looked at him last night. You love him, don’t you?”

  I stopped pacing and swallowed past the lump in my throat. “Yes. But it’s not enough.” The idea of leaving Nikolas was tearing me up inside. I loved him more than I’d thought it was possible to love someone. But if I stayed and let him protect me the way he wanted to, I’d soon feel smothered and I’d eventually start to resent him. For this thing between us to work, we had to see each other as equals. That would never happen if we did things his way.