“How can you see when someone is lying?” Anna leans forward eagerly. I sigh.
“The information you want. What do you want to know?”
“Tell me the truth about yourself. What are you? How do you see what you see, know what you know?” Her eyes open even wider. “Are you sharing your body with a spirit already? Which element chose you?”
I stare at her levelly for a few moments. She gazes back with anticipation, mouth slightly parted, awaiting my response.
I don’t handle ultimatums well.
Quicker than Anna can react, I spin around the island and charge toward her. My hands grab each of her wrists and twist her arms behind her back, transferring both wrists into one hand. I slam my body into hers and shove her against the fridge. My hips press into hers to pin her tight, then I twist the lauvan that surround her head with my free hand.
“You will tell me where Alejandro is,” I breathe into her ear. “I’m very persuasive.”
Anna simply smiles, an unusual reaction to being forcibly detained. I focus on my task, but her lauvan slip through my fingers. Now that I look more closely, her lauvan are interwoven with translucent orange threads, no thicker than the width of a hair. She’s joined with a spirit—of fire?
“Just tell me, Merry.” Anna leans her head forward and rubs her cheek softly against mine. She whispers in my ear. “Tell me, and your friend will be safe. How do you do what you do?”
I’m tired of playing games with Anna. Giving in to Anna’s threats is not in my nature, and I’m not interested in handing Potestas any information they can use. Their methods are beyond questionable—they’ve already proven that erupting a volcano above an innocent town is acceptable and killing me unobjectionable. I can’t give in, but I can’t leave Alejandro at Drew’s mercy. Anna has left me only one option I’m willing to use.
With my free hand, I lunge for a large knife that sticks out from a block on the counter. I press the point into Anna’s neck before she can move.
“Tell me where Alejandro is, and I won’t use the knife.”
Finally, for the first time, Anna looks frightened.
“You wouldn’t.”
“You have no idea what I would do. I’ve done worse.”
Anna’s breath comes fast, and her lauvan dance with agitation and fear. I take no joy in threatening Anna—using physical strength against a woman is unjust, and Anna and I have a history and a lauvan connection—but she made her choices, and innocent Alejandro sits at the mercy of her people. I protect my own.
She holds out for a while, considering the knife. I press it harder to her skin, and she gasps. One more twitch and I’ll draw blood.
My phone rings. Is it Jen with news? I can answer it. Holding Anna at knifepoint only takes one hand, after all. I fumble with the lauvan behind her back to prevent her hand from moving. That should buy me enough time for a phone call.
I slide my phone out of my pocket with the hand that held Anna’s arms.
“What?”
“Merry? It’s Wayne. I found the Mordecai log cabin up on Hollyburn.”
Alejandro was in a log-lined room with a wood stove.
“Do you have directions?”
“Yes.”
“Meet me at your house right away. Quick as you can. Alejandro’s a prisoner at the cabin, and we need to regroup to rescue him.”
I hang up while Wayne is still sputtering exclamations. He’ll figure it out. I meet Anna’s eyes.
“Luckily for you, I just received the information I need.” I step away and slide the knife back into its slot. Anna retreats and rubs her neck where the knife touched her.
“Would you really have cut me?”
“Don’t cross me again, Anna.” I plant my feet squarely on the floor. “I have a demand of my own. You’re not to contact anyone from Potestas until the end of the day, by which time I will have rescued Alejandro.”
“You expect me to sit obediently in the house without phoning anyone?”
“Don’t worry, you won’t have a choice.”
She grows pale.
“What are you going to do to me?”
“Nothing you won’t recover from. I don’t suppose you have any insight as to defeating Drew?”
“Good luck with that,” she says with a sneer. “I have a small connection for protection, but Drew is fully connected to his spirit traveler. All powers of the wind are his. Oh, I can’t wait—once my ring is fully open, there will be no stopping me.”
“Ring? That’s how this works? He wears a ring that somehow allows him to be possessed by an elemental?”
I glance at Anna’s hand, which sports a ring of fine gold filigree. Anna looks annoyed with herself.
“There’s a ceremony. The ring is just symbolic, to show others your connection.”
I doubt that. In my experience, lauvan need to be bound to a physical object. A ring would be a perfect carrier.
“Besides, you’ll never defeat him. The spirit traveler is too powerful. You’ll never get close enough to Drew to harm him.” She laughs. “You’d better bring your windbreaker. I hear there’s a storm brewing.”
I’ve had enough of Anna. Time to rescue Alejandro. I move toward Anna and a flash of fear ripples across her lauvan.
“I’m not going to hurt you. There’s no need, now.” I dart forward and snatch her hand before she can resist, and she shrieks momentarily. There’s an electrical plug on the island, from which lauvan crackle and jump. I swiftly knot her lauvan with the electrical strands, leaving enough leeway for the threads to wiggle out from their bonds by the end of the day.
“You’ll stay here until sundown.” I move her phone out of reach, then lean across and pluck the orange from the other side of the counter. “Here’s lunch.”
Anna tries to pull away from the plug, but she is too tightly bound. Her lauvan dance with anxiety once more.
“How did you do that?” Her eyes are wide, panicked, but still she wants to know what I am. “What elemental are you bound to?”
I walk away without looking back.
“Goodbye, Anna.”
***
The house where I left Anna is not far from Wayne’s. I briefly consider abandoning my car and flying, but I’m too hungry. My bird form would immediately veer off in search of a meal, and I don’t have time for that. I assume Drew and his spirit are with Alejandro, but I can’t risk being swept away by malevolent winds. A few minutes later, I turn onto Wayne’s street. There’s no parking, so I pull into the free space in front of a fire hydrant and run to Wayne’s door. It’s unlocked, and I burst in.
“Merry! There you are.” Jen stands up from the couch in the living room, followed closely by Cecil. “You took your time.”
“Do you know where Alejandro went?”
“He’ll be back soon. He just went to the grocery store for some lunch.”
I’m intensely happy to see that Jen is still here, but annoyed that Cecil is tagging along. This doesn’t concern him, and I don’t favor anyone else knowing my business with Potestas.
“What’s Cecil doing here?” I say bluntly. I don’t have time for niceties. Cecil looks affronted, but wisely refrains from speaking. Jen bristles.
“I asked him here. Everyone was gone, and I was sitting here twiddling my thumbs.” She turns to Cecil. “Cecil, could you please get my water bottle from the car? I’m really thirsty.”
“Sure.” He glances between us. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Jen waits until the front door closes behind Cecil before she speaks again.
“I need to talk to you about something.”
“I don’t have time for chitchat right now, Jen.” I dig in my satchel to find Braulio’s notebook. One last glance through, look for anything that might help me in the battle ahead. Perhaps there is something akin to the spell that Bethany gave me. Anything that will give me an edge over this air spirit possessing Drew.
“Make time. I’ve earned it.”
Je
n’s eyes narrow with resolve. I throw the notebook on the coffee table and lean my forearms over the back of the couch.
“Fine. You have one minute.”
“I looked up the name Merlo Nuanez. It’s not a common name. Not a lot comes up, until I start searching earlier. There’s a marriage certificate in 1951 in Georgia, and a newspaper mention in 1943 in Guatemala.”
“They’ve digitized their old records?” Even through my horror, I’m astonished.
“A few of them. I got lucky. So, that’s weird, right?” She stares at me with intensity, as if expecting me to refute this statement. When I don’t respond, she continues. “Then I opened my search for Merry Lytton to other places and times. There are plenty of Lyttons in England, including a Merle Lytton in the 1870s.”
“Very interesting.” I stand up straight. “Your time is up.”
“That’s it?”
“I don’t have time for more. Alejandro is currently a prisoner of Potestas, and I need to gather ammunition to mount a rescue mission. As soon as Wayne gets back, we’re heading to Cypress where he’s being held.”
Jen gasps.
“Why didn’t you say so earlier, you idiot?”
I swing around and perch on the edge of the couch to flip through the notebook. Is there anything that can help?
“What can I do?” Jen asks.
“Zip it for two seconds while I find a spell.”
“Spell?” Jen murmurs, but I tune her out and focus. Surely, something…
Almost without exception, every polytheistic religion has at least one deity that controls the wind. Where there are gods, there is supplication to the gods. Take Ehecatl, or Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl as he was often known….
The door opens as Cecil enters, and a car splutters to a halt outside. I read the rest of the paragraph before I slam the notebook shut. That’s all I have time for. I hope it’s enough.
“Wayne sounds like he’s here,” Cecil says to Jen.
“Good,” I say. “We’re going to collect Alejandro.”
“I’m coming too,” says Jen. She turns to Cecil. “Drew is holding Alejandro hostage.”
Cecil’s eyes open wide, but before he can speak, I cut in.
“That’s not wise. Drew is targeting people I care about, and you certainly qualify. He’s desperate, has nothing to lose, and has—special abilities that make him extremely dangerous.” I glance at Cecil, who looks bewildered and skeptical.
“So give me some defense, and I’ll bring up the rear. You might need a decoy, someone to haul Alejandro away—don’t argue with me on this.”
“Fine. Come. But do what I tell you at all times. Understood?”
Jen nods, but Cecil cuts in.
“You’re okay with Jen tagging along to catch some dangerous weirdo who’s holding your friend hostage? Why not the police? I don’t think you should go, Jen.”
Jen picks up her purse and rummages for her keys.
“Thanks for your concern, Cecil, but I’m going.”
“Then I’m coming too.” Cecil pushes his shoulders back in a confident pose. Jen frowns and her lauvan sway with hesitation. I grab my own keys and ignore the posturing from this young peacock.
“No,” I say with finality. Jen’s lauvan freeze with indignation.
“I don’t think that’s up to you, Merry. Not at this point.”
The front door bangs open and Wayne barges in.
“You two work it out,” I say to Jen and Cecil. “Just don’t let him call the police, Jen.”
“What happened?” Wayne asks breathlessly.
“I’ll explain in the car. Give Jen the directions, will you? We’re having a big jolly outing, apparently.” I’m not keen on Jen joining us, but perhaps it’s for the best to have her close. I don’t want another kidnapping behind my back. Cecil, I couldn’t care less about, except he might slow us down with awkward questions. I wonder what Jen has told him about me. He might be in for a few shocks, and I might have a new initiate—one of the many I’ve collected over the past few weeks. That’s the last thing I want, but Alejandro comes first. I’ll do my best to hide my abilities. Cecil had better keep up, and keep quiet.
***
As soon as we hop in the car and I turn the key, Wayne speaks.
“What’s happening?”
“Drew has Alejandro tied up in a log cabin. I had a vision.” I roar out of Wayne’s quiet street and onto the main road.
“A vision, hey?” Wayne shakes his head and shrugs. “Sure. Anything else in said vision? You’re sure he’s at Hollyburn?”
“I only saw the inside, but it’s a log cabin with a wood-burning stove, owned by Mordecais. It’s the best lead we’ve had so far. If he’s not there, I’ll go back to my source and get more information. However I can.”
“Who’s your source? I thought we didn’t have any leads before.”
“A woman I met in Wallerton. She slept over the other night, but she’s deep in Potestas, so I’m sure I can uncover what I need to if necessary.”
“Not recommended, sleeping with the enemy.” Wayne chuckles. “I guess I don’t have to tell you that, now. So, what are we up against? We’re walking into a hostage situation with no police back up, and our opponent has magic wind powers. What can I expect?”
I zoom over the Lion’s Gate bridge to the North Shore. Sunlight dazzles on the calm bay below.
“Good question. I wish I had a better answer for you. Expect whatever the wind can bring us. I’ve seen strong pockets of wind, attacking birds, dense fog, a tornado…”
Wayne whistles.
“I appreciate your confidence in me, bringing me along, but how can I help?”
“You’ll come in handy. Muscle paired with brains always does.”
“And you? Any more tricks up your sleeve?”
“I hope so. I really do.”
We’re quiet for the rest of the drive. I don’t know what Wayne is contemplating, but I’m steeling myself for a fight, and flipping through my memories for anything that will help in the upcoming confrontation. This is it—I need to find Drew and finish this, once and for all.
The familiar drive up Cypress Mountain is long and steep, with numerous switchbacks and countless stunning views. The vistas don’t draw me in, not with my mind focused on Alejandro. At the parking lot for cross-country skiing, I pull my poor, hail-battered car into a parking space and kill the engine.
“What’s the plan?” Wayne says quietly through the stillness after the engine dies.
I ponder the options.
“We wait a few minutes for Jen and Cecil, then we go in on foot with or without them. Hopefully we can get to the cabin undetected.”
Minutes later, Jen’s car trundles up the road and pulls in beside the Lotus. I get out to greet Jen.
“You made good time. I thought we’d be waiting a while.”
“No one can match your speed, but I did my best, safely.”
A thought strikes me. “Jen, do you have any food? I’m starving.”
Cecil looks at me askance and Jen raises an eyebrow, but digs through her purse anyway.
“Is this really the time?” She hands me a granola bar, which I tear open and shove into my mouth. I speak through a mouthful of oats.
“It might be necessary, for certain tricks.” If I need to transform into a falcon, I can’t be distracted by my hunger. “Thanks. All right, everyone.” I point to the nearest trailhead. “This is our path. I’ve hiked it before, so follow me and stay quiet. According to Wayne’s directions, Drew’s cabin isn’t far.”
The path twists into a tiny vale, and the forest closes in around us. Everything is dim despite the full sun overhead and the dirt track is dusty and hard after the long stretch of unseasonable sunshine. The glowering trees don’t allow much light through. We pass a ramshackle old cabin on our left, held together with nails and twine and a prayer, and walk by a few seldom-used trails that branch off the main track. Beyond a massive Douglas fir that leans precariously ove
r our path, I stop and point. A narrow trail disappears over a knoll to some distant unseen cabin. Jen peers after my outstretched finger.
“This is it? What do we do now?”
“Find Alejandro. Keep your eyes peeled, and do exactly what I say, no hesitations. Got it?” All nod. I say sharply, “Get down!” Wayne drops to the road, but Jen and Cecil look at me, flummoxed. I shake my head. “Exactly what I say, at all times. Understood?” Jen looks sheepish. Cecil doesn’t say anything, which I take as assent. “Good. Let’s go. Quietly as you can.”
I can be as quiet as a hunting wolf when I want to be. Jen is light on her feet, and Wayne tries as best as he can, but Cecil scuffs and sneezes and steps on the loudest twigs that crack under his feet. I let it slide for half a minute, but when he starts to speak to Jen, it’s time to end this. I whirl around and step in close, pressing my face inches from his.
“Cecil. This is not a game. A man’s life might end this afternoon. Do you want his death on your conscience? Because it will be if you don’t keep quiet. No talking, and watch your feet. If you can’t, go back to the car. Do I make myself clear?”
Cecil looks mutinous but cowed. I hope that worked. One more peep from him, and I’ll silence him myself. I should have come alone—but then would Jen have been taken hostage next?
Cecil mercifully steps more cautiously during our approach. There is a small hillock that the path rises to meet. I motion to the others to stop and creep forward myself to peer between trees.
Below me lies a tiny log cabin tucked into the forest. Tree branches brush the walls and copious moss covers the roof. A metal stovepipe towers, smokeless, above the roofline. Gingham curtains are drawn across two small windows, and no one is in sight. I beckon the others forward.
“Jen, Cecil,” I whisper. “You keep a lookout on each side of the cabin’s front. Wayne, you walk a perimeter to check for unexpected company. I’ll open the door.”
“What if we see someone?” Jen whispers back.
“Scream. I’ll come running.” I grin at her and she smiles wanly. “All right, let’s go.”
Winded Page 17