“Thanks,” Vera said. “I’ll call a glazier in the morning.”
“Was anything inside damaged?” Hardy asked. “That glass splintered real good.”
“A couple of scratches, but nothing bad. Still haven’t found the shell, though.” She took the broom off Drew. “I’ve been thinking…”
“Here we go,” the elemental said with a laugh.
“A thinking witch is a dangerous witch,” Hardy added to the joke.
“What about?” Drew asked.
“I want you to stay,” she told him. “But you need to get your own place.”
“Way to rip off the bandaid,” Hardy remarked.
“It’s not like that,” the witch complained, turning to Drew. “You’re starting over. Wouldn’t you like your own space?”
Drew raised his eyebrows. He hadn’t even thought about it. Living in a tent was as good as he’d had it for a long time. Vera’s couch had been like a five-star resort, especially compared to his grandpa’s house. But his own home…? A place that was just his, with walls, a roof, and everything that went in one? It was a dream that he’d never even considered because it was so far out of his reach, it may as well be on Mars. He had twenty bucks to his name; he’d never be able to afford anything like that. Ever.
He felt his face turn red and he lowered his gaze. Wiping his arm across his brow, he tried to cover his embarrassment.
“I know a place not too far from here,” Kyne said, pretending not to see. “Just up the ridge a little. Old miner’s camp. The front will need some elbow grease, but the back section is cut into the side of the ridge. It’s got an electrical hook up, but needs a new water tank.”
“One of the old timer’s gold mines?” Hardy asked.
“Yep. They never found anything, but the workings are still there. Some bloke turned it into a house.”
Vera glanced at Drew. “Who owns it now?”
The shifter shrugged and swallowed hard. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve got my swag.”
“You’re not sleeping outside in a sleeping bag,” Vera raged. “No way. Once the rains come, you’ll float away.”
“I own it,” Kyne said before the shifter and witch could start arguing. “That whole ridge up until the rear of Blue’s is mine.”
“Sneaky bugger,” Hardy declared, giving away that he didn’t know about the elemental’s side career as a real estate mogul.
“What?” He shrugged. “You think I just leave all the money I fleece from you in a bank account?”
The vampire chuckled. “At least I’m reinvesting in Solace via that fleecing.”
“What do you reckon, Drew?” the elemental asked. “Up for some renovation work?”
“I-I don’t…” He swallowed hard. “I can’t pay you.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said with a wave of his hand. “Since Eloise caved in Black Hole Mine, I’ve got some time on my hands. It’s gunna take a while to get machinery out here to start again.”
Hardy gaped. “Eloise did what?”
“Bam.” Kyne slapped his hands together. “Crumpled it like a bit of paper.”
The vampire scratched his head. “Well, I guess you don’t have to pay to rehab the claim.”
Drew watched their back and forth numbly. They’d seemed to have already made the decision for him, but there’d been no talk of money.
“But…” he began. Kyne stepped down off the verandah and put his hands on the shifter’s shoulders.
“I was going to do something with it anyway. Win, win, eh?”
It was a blatant lie, but he wasn’t going to argue. The Exiles had won his trust a long time ago. If Kyne said not to worry, then he probably shouldn’t.
Hardy checked his watch. “It’s almost seven.”
Vera smiled at Drew and nodded at the pub. “You hungry?”
“Yeah.”
Kyne whistled, the sharp sound echoing across the road. “Grub’s up!”
Wally and Eloise emerged from the depths of the garage and waved. The werewolf closed the roller door with a slam, then they crossed to meet them.
After Vera had locked up the Outpost, they walked together to the pub.
Drew hung back, his stomach rumbling, his mind churning. His ears still rang with the sound of the gunshot that delivered the justice his family deserved.
The Dust Dogs were gone, just like that, and he still wasn’t sure how to feel about it.
“Hey, Eloise?” he called.
She turned, her blue eyes sparkling in the light of the blazing sunset.
He waited until the others had gone inside. “I just wanted to tell you… I… Thank you.”
She smiled and he thought she looked happier than the first time he’d met her that night beside the pub. Despite him being naked and exhausted, she’d never looked away from his gaze…or down into the danger zone. The way someone met a stranger’s gaze said a lot to a dingo.
“Are you all right?” she asked. “It’s been heavy. Not just today.”
Drew was tongue-tied. He knew she was with Kyne, but he found her beautiful. There was something in her gaze that he found comforting. Like she knew all the right things to say but didn’t have to actually say them aloud.
Finally, he managed to nod. “I will be.”
“Time heals all wounds.” Her smile widened. “At least, that’s what people say.”
“I suppose.”
“Can I ask you something?”
He blinked, his left eye throbbing. “Yeah.”
“The alpha… Is it the same as werewolves? Wally told me a bit about it, but I know shifters are different.”
“Yeah, like werewolves, it’s the alpha who controls the pack,” he said with a nod.
“So the pack would’ve followed Roth here, regardless?”
“Maybe, but there’s no way of knowing. Roth was the problem. He was responsible for the path the pack took. Now he’s gone.”
“Would they have followed you if you’d asked them to leave?”
Drew grimaced. That was a loaded question. “If I forced them to, maybe. There would’ve been another challenge and…” He shrugged. “My arse would’ve been kicked.” There was no use skirting around it. He wasn’t the strongest shifter and definitely not leadership material.
Eloise turned thoughtful for a moment. “So, without a way to get to their alpha, they can’t pick a new one…or lead themselves out of a one-way street.”
Drew stared at her, suddenly realising why she’d sent them away. He hoped she’d decide to stay. Solace—and the seal—would be better with her around.
He glanced at Wally’s garage. “So, what’s the verdict on your van?”
Eloise smiled. “Let’s go in,” she said instead. “I bet there’s going to be one hell of an epic debrief over dinner.”
Eloise held open the door for Drew and they went into the pub.
She breathed deeply, her nostrils filling with the scent of beer and cooking. Blue was bashing about in the kitchen, trying to shoo away Finn from the deep frier. No doubt there was a fresh batch of chips bubbling away.
Tonight, the publican had a mixed CD of classic INXS loaded into the CD player, which was currently playing ‘New Sensation’. Eloise shook her head at the irony of the lyrics and went over to the Exiles, who’d taken over the middle table.
“Hey,” Kyne said, patting the empty chair beside him. “How’s the van?”
“I know what a head gasket looks like now,” she replied, much to Wally’s amusement. “So, I guess it’s off to a good start.”
“So…” Vera began, leaning back in her chair, “are we going to talk about what happened?”
All eyes turned to Eloise, who immediately felt her cheeks heat. She wasn’t used to attention, let alone having elemental powers. She needed to decompress just as much, if not more, than the others.
“Where did you send them exactly?” Hardy asked, taking the pressure off her a little.
“Right about now, they’re in a des
ert in the Middle East,” she told them. “Though, I’m not quite sure which Middle East.”
“I knew it,” Vera whispered.
“Knew what?” Eloise asked.
“The fifth element,” Kyne told her. “Ether isn’t just spiritual…it’s the thing that binds us all together.”
“Reality,” Eloise murmured.
“That’s why you can alter people’s minds,” Hardy added. “And probably why you’re the only one of us who’s ever met this mysterious Andante.”
The pieces of the puzzle were finally slotting together.
Eloise looked up at Kyne. “Coen talked about the river, how it ebbs and flows, never in a straight line. He was talking about reality, but it wasn’t until I was out there, that I felt it.”
“The river ebbed…” Kyne murmured.
She nodded. “I can only manipulate what’s there, and it was there when we needed it.”
“Thank goodness,” Vera declared. “If we ever get into an argument, I’d hate to be accidentally teleported across the planet.”
“Food’s ready,” Blue called from the kitchen. “Come and get what you like.”
The Exiles loaded up their plates with a cornucopia of traditional Aussie pub food—chicken parma, battered fish, roast veggies, hot chips, and salad—and Blue poured drinks. Cider for Eloise and Vera, and beer for the men. They settled back at the table and ate in silence for a while, listening to the music…and their own thoughts.
Eloise mulled over everything that’d happened since arriving in Solace, and even long before she’d ever heard of the little outback town. Her dreams had been filled with recurring visions that’d only played out once arriving. The knocks, the hand reaching towards her, and the mysterious black mountain.
There were things that still felt unresolved, things that were beyond her control but had everything to do with her presence in Solace.
“I think…” Eloise began, setting her fork down, “I think you should know something.”
Kyne tensed beside her, but it was Hardy who spoke. “Which is?”
She took a deep breath. “I’ve been having dreams for years, dreams of things that have only happened in real life since I arrived here.”
“The dreams that matched my vision,” Vera added in understanding.
“What vision?” Finn demanded, triggering a hurried explanation from the witch that also brought Wally and Blue up to speed.
Eloise bit her bottom lip as her thoughts went to the strange peak of black, volcanic rock.
“The only thing that hasn’t come true is the black mountain,” Vera said, bringing her thoughts back to the present.
“Now you all know what I do,” Eloise finished. “That something bigger than myself led me here. That there’s still something unexplained in play.”
“A black mountain,” Kyne mused. “I wonder why?”
“I believe it has something to do with the seal,” Eloise told them. “Everything that’s happened is because of it. I was meant to come here, but I don’t know why.”
“Coen has said on multiple occasions that you fly like Bunjil,” Hardy remarked. “Bunjil is a creator spirit. A great, wedge-tailed eagle from the Dreamtime stories in the south of Victoria.”
The feather. Eloise brushed her fingers over it. It was still in her hair where Coen had weaved it with her blonde locks. “Protection,” she murmured. “Andante told me I walked close to the spirits. That they were attracted to me.”
“That’s probably why you’re the only one of us to ever see a kadaitcha,” Wally told her.
Drew frowned, but he worked up the courage to speak. “I saw a shadow when I was hurt, but I don’t know…” He shook his head.
Eloise glanced at Hardy. Maybe it had just been the vampire…or Coen. Both were still mysteries to her, but she trusted both with her life. Actions spoke louder than words, which was something she’d learned the hard way.
“I don’t…” She tried to put her concern into words but couldn’t quite manage it.
“You saved us today,” Vera said. “You alone.”
“Who knows who would’ve been hurt or killed if it wasn’t for you,” Wally said. “If something led you here, it wasn’t because you’re a threat.”
“Quite the opposite, I reckon,” Blue added.
Eloise’s eyes widened. “I’m worried about what the mountain means. Today was… Well, it was just one day.”
“A pretty epic day,” Finn declared. “Get over it. You’re good.”
Vera snorted. “You could’ve put it more eloquently. I thought fae were supposed to be poetic.”
“Nah,” he drawled. “Poetry is a witch thing. Blessed be.”
“Now we have the key and the seal under our protection,” Kyne said before they could launch into a full-blown argument. “And thanks to Eloise and her meeting with Andante we know others will come. All we can do is wait and watch.”
“And prepare,” Vera added. “If the mountain means something for Solace, we’ll figure it out. If it means something for Eloise, then we’ll figure it out, too. Together.”
Eloise frowned, knowing the rest of their lives would be spent protecting the seal. Now that the Dust Dogs had come and been defeated, their attempt had sent up a flare into the universe, sending ripples across the rivers that wove through the Dreaming.
Did she want to be a part of it? Her dreams had all played out, except for the mountain, but there were no mountains around Solace for hundreds of kilometres.
“Eloise, have you put any thought into where you’ll go next?” Hardy asked, earning himself a sharp glare from Kyne.
It was the million-dollar question.
She looked around at the Exiles. At Wally, who was the sweetest old werewolf she’d ever met. Hardy, the vampire opal buyer who’d taught her the secrets of his trade. To Vera, the Irish witch who’d welcomed her with her open, yet eccentric arms. Drew, the dingo shifter, who, just like her, had stumbled into Solace at the lowest point of his life. Then Blue, the human publican who’d accepted her without a second thought. Even Finn and his sharp arrogance and pet snake had captured something inside of her that she’d thought was lost.
Coen wasn’t there, but she felt his spirit and knew he, and the marlu he called friend, wouldn’t be long in coming…if she called.
Then there was Kyne, complicated, handsome, just the right amount of mysterious, and a power that complemented her own. Kyne, who made her heart flutter. Kyne, who’d led her back to the world.
“Just know that you have a job if you want one,” the vampire added. “I could always use an elemental who polishes opal as well as you do. Just saying…”
Everyone stared at her with enormous smiles on their faces. She flushed again and picked up her cider, sipping the tangy drink to give herself a moment to think.
Kyne coughed loudly, drawing attention away from her. “Give her a break. She’s exhausted from using her powers.”
“No, she’s not,” Vera declared, leaning forwards. “It would be so good to have another woman here. We can meditate together again, and I can show you—”
“Oh, please,” Finn drawled, waving a hot chip at the witch. “Don’t be so needy.”
“Excuse me?” she exclaimed. “I’m just speaking my mind!”
“Yeah, your needy mind.” The fae snorted, then shoved the fried potato into his mouth.
Kyne slipped his hand into Eloise’s underneath the table, pressing something small into her palm. “Whatever you choose, we’ll respect it…” he murmured as her gaze met his, “but I’d really like you to stay.”
Looking down as he let his hand fall away, her breath caught. It was the black opal she’d cut—perfectly round, with a tiny imperfection along one edge. It flashed in the light as she tilted it from side-to-side, the red shining like flickering flames.
“Why did no one ever bribe me?” Finn declared to no one in particular.
They all laughed, and Eloise sat back, clutching the opal in her fist.
“For you,” Kyne said.
“For me?” she asked.
“Don’t look so shocked. Of course, it’s for you. Not just because of what you’ve done for Solace, but…” Kyne began to turn red and she grabbed his hand.
“Okay,” she told him. “On one condition…”
“Which is?”
“Find me someplace shady to park my van that’s in walking distance to town. I don’t do well in direct sunlight.”
“Neither do I,” Hardy quipped, making the Exiles laugh even harder.
“Is that all? A patch of shade?” Kyne asked, his smile widening. “Forget about it. I can do better than that. Much better.”
“Huh?” Eloise looked up at him, confused.
“Didn’t you hear?” Hardy asked with a wink. “He owns half of Solace courtesy of Black Hole Mine.”
“Damn, I shouldn’t have low-balled.” She raised her eyebrows and turned to the miner. “Then Mr. Moneybags better hook me up with some quality air-conditioning to go with that shade.”
Kyne chuckled. “I think that can be arranged.”
“Does that mean you’re staying?” Vera asked, fluttering her lashes hopefully. “Please say yes.”
Eloise nodded, her heart filling with a warmth she’d never felt before. “Was there ever any doubt?”
Outside, Coen looked up at the stars and grinned. The marlu sat beside him, the kangaroo’s whiskers twitching as it sniffed at the breeze.
Sounds of laughter echoed from the brightly lit pub, spilling out across the yard and road beyond. The leaves of the great gum bristled happily, the scent of warm eucalyptus filling his nose.
Everything was as it should be.
The grainy ochre dirt was pleasant underneath his bare feet and he stroked his palm over the kangaroo’s head. He didn’t mind the electricity, but it made his head buzz. The stars and land were much more pleasant. They were home.
“Come, Marlu,” he said to the kangaroo. “The river calls.”
With one last glance at the pub, Coen grinned. Yes, everything was as it should be.
He walked into the darkness of the outback, the kangaroo bouncing in his wake, and the Dreaming carried him home.
Outback Spirit Page 23