by T. G. Ayer
“Of course I have. The big bad Fae King was trying to throttle the life out of— I lifted my hand to my throat and swallowed. "Oh. Right.” The pen was still in place, things having gone from bad to worse and everyone just forgetting to remove it. “Anyone wanna help a girl out?”
Evie shook her head, raising her hands as she backed away. “Nuh-uh, not a chance.”
I scowled. “Why not? You kill demons on a regular basis. Why get squeamish about pulling a pen out of my throat? It’s not life-threatening.”
Evie shrugged. “How do I know you won’t spurt blood all over me when I take that thing out? And what if I nick something and you die in the process?”
I grunted. “What is with you?” When she remained silent and averted her eyes, I said, “Okay fine.”
Turning to Barry, I was about to ask him to do it instead of the scaredy-cat angel when he tapped his wrist and said, “I gotta go save a few more asses from the big bad Fae King.”
“Coward,” I called back though he wouldn’t have heard me, that’s how fast he jumped away. I sighed and looked at Grams. “Don’t you dare tell me you’re not going to help me.”
She shrugged. “Sorry, dear. You have a hole in your throat. If we take the pen out, you will still have a hole in your throat, but we have nothing to clean or bandage the wound. You may have to let it stay there until we get a first-aid kit or something. “
I made a rude noise. “Seriously? You want me to walk around with a silver pen sticking out of my neck? You have any idea how ridiculous I look?”
My question was met with giggles, one choked off quickly, the other unabashed unchecked. I glared at Grams. “This is funny?”
Tears filmed her eyes and she kept shaking her head. She’d gone to the next level of laughter now, silent sobs that only kept her tears flowing. She wiped her eyes delicately with the sleeve of her blouse but when she tried to speak again, she succumbed to another wave of laughter.
“You’re hopeless,” I said, disgusted with being the brunt of her amusement. “When you’re done can you please explain how we’re going to get out of this mess? And what exactly did Grampa Fae want?”
Grams stilled at the question, her laughter fading almost instantly. “It isn’t safe here. You shouldn’t have taken me away before I was done talking to him.”
I shook my head, trying to ignore the presence of the pen in my neck. “What’s going on Grams? What does he want?”
“It’s better that you all don’t know the truth unless it’s necessary. Right now, he’s going to be very angry, and this place isn’t safe.” The Odel matriarch’s tone was stubborn, leaving me little room to fight her.
“Baa’ruk was certain this plane of the underworld was completely safe,” Evie said, her brow creasing with a frown. I had no clue where we were, but I didn’t have time to ask because Evie kept talking. “Is there something you know that we don’t?”
Grams sighed. “Nothing untoward. Just that he would have been able to track us through the Veil. We didn’t stop to erect wards to hide our tracks. They’ll be here any second now.”
“Then we’ll just take you somewhere else, keep jumping you until we figure out what to do to get you to safety,” said Barry as he materialized again.
Grams looked like she was about to resist then took a moment before replying, “We are going to need help.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You don’t say….”
“Thank you for your input, dear. Now can you please get a message to Cassie? I’m quite certain she’ll have a plan to spirit us to safety.”
I nodded and grabbed my mobile from my jeans pocket only to discover that I didn’t have reception. “I can’t from wherever the Hell we are right now. We’re going to have to get closer to Chicago to get a message to her.”
Barry let out a deep growl then disappeared. Moments later, he reappeared, fingers gripping Cassandra Monteith’s upper arm. The second they arrived, he let go of her as though she were a live serpent. I almost wanted to laugh at the pair’s strange behavior but I didn’t have time.
Cassie didn’t let me speak. “What the bloody hell!” She snarled at Barry who took a step away and then pointed at Grams and me. “Oh? What’s going on?” she asked, a little mollified now that the demon overlord hadn’t spirited her away for his own nefarious reasons.
“Grams needs help,” I said quickly. “We need to hide her from some dangerous bad Fae.”
“I see,” Cassie replied, giving Grams a knowing glance.
But before she could speak, the wall beside Grams shattered sending bits of rock flying.
Pain flared on my forehead and in my hip, moist head filling the wounds I’d received from the flying debris. We threw ourselves to the ground and even as I scrambled away and turned to Barry, he was jumping Grams away and returning for Cass and myself who he took with him in one jump.
We materialized again in the EarthWorld, at the lake where I’d used the portal to the Greylands to see Greer. But I couldn’t think about the dead right now. The living needed my attention.
“Grams? What are we supposed to do?”
Grams simply sank to the ground and poked a thumb in Cassie’s direction before slumping flat on the grass. Evie ran to her, waving me off saying she had it covered.
“Grams’ blood is ok but not mine?” I muttered though nobody appeared to care.
Cassie touched my arm and said, “We need to talk.”
I shrugged. “Guess we do. Grams seems to think you’re the person with the escape plan that could work?”
She nodded. “I’m afraid I haven’t been entirely honest with you,” Cassie said softly.
She looked so filled with guilt I didn’t have the heart to berate her. “Okay. What do you need to tell me?”
Cassie took a deep breath. “I’m not from England.”
“Oh,” I replied, thinking this wasn’t such a bad thing when it came to truths and lies. “So, where are you from then?”
“I’m from a realm that forms part of the DarkWorld Universe. But we’re one of the very few realms who have technology far more advanced than even the Earth Realm.”
I frowned thinking this explanation was taking far too long for this life-or-death-get-Grams-to-safety situation we were in. “And?”
“And in my realm, we don’t live on the planet. Well not everyone does. We’re mostly spacebound.”
“Space? You mean your people have learned how to travel the stars?” I asked, at last understanding why Grams felt Cassie was the key to her safety.
“Something like that.”
“You have a safe place to take Grams?” I asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Yes. I can take her to our space station, the one I’m currently based on. She should be fairly safe there.”
Grams' voice filtered to us as she pushed to sit up. “It’s not me they want,” she muttered and for a moment a strange fear filtered through me.
Then an idea popped into my head. “Cassie, maybe you can use your shifting powers to pretend to be Grams and lead them away while we get her to safety.”
Cassie shook her head. “Unfortunately, I need to be the one to take her back with me. I can take you with me as well just so you can be comfortable with where she is.”
“Ok, I guess we can manage without a decoy.”
Cassie smirked. “You can still have the decoy,” she said, her fingers fiddling at her wrist for a thin band which had suddenly materialized around her hand. She unclipped the band and handed it to me. “We can give this to someone who is willing to act as the decoy.”
I frowned. “You’re not a shapechanger then?”
“Not a supernatural one,” she said, lips twisting. “We use these devices to rearrange our exterior molecular structure in order to project whatever outward appearance we wish to have. So, it’s technological, not supernatural.”
“I have to admit that I’m both disappointed and amazed at the same time.”
Cassie simply smiled in reply.<
br />
“So who do we get to pretend to be Grams?” I asked the group.
“Not me. I’ll fry anything that is powered by energy,” said Evie, looking little disappointed.
Barry nodded. “If you’re going to take Ivy away to your realm then you have no need of me. I can act as a decoy.”
Grams still looked like she wasn’t happy with the plan. She shook her head and said, “I can’t go with you. And Kai, you can’t tell your parents anything. Not until we know how to keep…. safe….” Grams fell silent as she slipped into unconsciousness.
“What’s wrong with her?” I snapped as I rushed to her side. “Is she hurt?”
Barry crouched down beside me. “The wound from the other day has reopened. She’s been bleeding quite profusely but she didn’t want to let on. I’d let her sleep until we get her to safety and get her comfortable.” Barry gave Cassie a pointed look and I nodded in silent agreement.
A low rumble had the rock floor beneath our feet vibrating. The water on the lake rose and fell, rough as though an angry wind rushed through the trees to churn the waters into a frenzy.
“Quick. We have to go.” Barry grabbed hold of Grams and looked at Cassie.
“Take her to Elite HQ,” she said. “I’ll have Horner get us transported to the portal. That should leave you free to take them on a wild goose chase.”
Barry nodded and transported Grams away. He was back almost instantly to take Cassie and then returned for me. I looked at Evie. “You meeting us there?”
“No. I wish I could join you, but I have matters that need my attention. But if you do need me, please send a message.” She leaned close and drew me into a hug. “Take care of yourself, Kai. This is…bigger than you know.”
I frowned as the angel turned and surged into the sky, magnificent white wings flapping, and when I turned back to Barry, he simply shook his head, nose twitching as though he was suppressing a sneeze.
“Girl has a lot on her mind. Don’t be surprised if she ends up calling you for help first.” He smiled and held out his arm. “Ready when you are.”
I took a breath and clicked my heels three times. Barry, the demon overlord, chuckled as we disappeared to the sound of thunder and lightning, of trees crashing to the ground and of waves roaring to the shore.
9
We arrived at the Elite HQ and I was glad for the small moment of reprieve. Barry had handed Grams over to Director Horner and had left almost instantly to return to the lake.
“He wanted to ensure he was there when they arrived in order to lure them away,” High Councilman Horner looked troubled at the turn of events, pale bald head gleaming, diminutive height making him look like he was slowly being squashed by the weight of responsibility he carried upon his shoulders. Atlas in the flesh. But I had to wonder why he was even revealing his worries. Was he too unsettled by knowledge he’d been keeping to himself?
I was so tired of secrets.
Cassie’s news had hit me like a two-by-four. I’d known her for a while now and she and I had gotten on particularly well. I’d never once believed she was lying to me, so either she was a consummate liar or I wasn’t as good as I thought I was at reading people.
I swallowed as Horner pointed at the pen in my throat and waved me inside the room he’d given Grams. Cassie was there, sitting at Grams’ side and I walked over to sit down on the other side of the bed without a word. Cassie looked over first at me and then up at Horner who gave her a pointed look—which I had no doubt contained reams of unspoken instructions—then cocked his chin at me before leaving rather abruptly.
When he closed the door behind him, Cassie sighed and swiveled in place, meeting my eyes with a self-deprecating smile. “Will you be okay with me taking care of your wound?” she asked, throwing me for a loop.
I stilled, finding the question unusual, before realizing the status of our friendship had just gone through a recalibration. But it wasn’t as though I didn’t trust her in the way I used to. To be honest, it was a strange feeling to be able to trust someone and at the same time feel betrayed by them.
Maybe my brain had been more fried than I’d realized.
I sighed, then gave her a nod and a reassuring smile. I was tired, too tired to talk. Or so I told myself. She waved me backward and I settled on the pillow as she came around the bed. She sat beside me and touched her outer thigh where a narrow case slowly materialized, appearing to rise from her flesh—which I knew had to be an illusion of light or something.
Strapped to her thigh with silvery bands was a first-aid case, the stark white interior almost alien to me. In silence, she fished out a flat device which rippled with lights the moment she touched it.
Weighing it in her palm, she said, “This is a bio-scanner. It’ll tell me if the pen has severed any arteries, though I highly doubt it. Just a precaution. It should also identify if there are any infections we need to be concerned about.” I nodded and waited as she reached out and ran the little device back and forth along my neck and throat.
Moments later, she straightened. “You’re all clear for infection and internal injuries. I’ll prep the antibac and the gauze now.”
I studied Cass with narrowed eyes, aware her running commentary had its root in nervous anxiety. She was just as affected by finally having to come clean, which I hoped meant she hadn’t been all that happy keeping the secret in the first place.
Cass focused on her little box and unsealed a bag containing what appeared to be a little circle of skin. I remained still, fascinated, as she spritzed a liquid onto the wound around the pen and then paused to meet my eyes.
“Ready?”
I nodded and held my breath. Cassie didn’t waste time. She gripped the pen and slid it out of my neck slowly. The moment the pen left the wound, Cass delivered one more spray and then covered the gash quickly with the skin-colored gauze.
“This bandage behaves like skin and at the same time aids in the regrowth of your own skin. It contains a combination of nutrients, hormones and chemicals designed to speed up the regrowth so don’t be too surprised when you change the bandage.”
“What? It’s not going to work overnight is it?” I asked. “Not that I’d complain about it if it did.”
“Actually, it takes mere hours to work, depending on the biology of the patient. For you, I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes a couple hours before you’re good as new.”
“You are kidding right?” I stared at her, wary now.
Cass grinned. “Not kidding. That’s how advanced our tech is.” She shrugged as though she was embarrassed to discuss the technology her people possessed.
I sighed, feeling far more relieved than I cared to admit to have the pen out of my throat. It had begun to feel like I’d grown an extra limb. Weird feeling—and I knew I’d looked more than a little ridiculous.
Cassie wiped the pen clean and then dropped it in my palm with a wink. “This is quite valuable, I think. You may want to return it to its owner.” I nodded, shaking my head as she got to her feet and returned to Grams’ side. “She’s still asleep. I’ve administered a dose of med-nano which should help her wounds knit faster. I think she’ll sleep until we get there which would probably be better for her healing process.”
The certainty of her words hit me full force and I swallowed hard, finally feeling the adrenalin evaporate from my body. I blinked away the heat behind my eyes and would likely have burst into tears had the door not opened slowly to reveal Logan and my parents on the threshold, peering inside, expressions ranging from impatient to worry.
Mom hurried inside and came around to me though her eyes were trained on Grams’ sleeping form. Cass updated them as Mom drew me into a tight hug. before drawing away suddenly, gaze darting straight to my neck, eyes widening as she spotted the skin-gauze covering my wound.
“What’s this?” Mom asked softly, her expression fascinated. “It almost looks like real skin.”
I shrugged. “Some fancy tech I’ve been told. Good to know pe
ople in high places,” I said, choosing my words wisely in order to avoid an outright lie.”
Mom smirked and I felt awful, knowing she’d probably taken my words as a hint that Horner or the Elite were responsible for the fancy tech. Over her shoulder, Cassie gave me a grateful glance before she was blocked out by Logan’s sturdy frame.
Mom shifted away to pay attention to her mother-in-law while Logan settled beside me, giving my waist a comforting squeeze—which was enough to help me calm and settle myself a little more. “What’s happening now?” he asked softly, though everyone heard him clearly enough.
Cassie took a breath. “We’re taking Ivy and Kai to a safehouse I know of, but I can only take the pair of them for now. For security reasons.” She gave a short nod and scanned the faces around the bed.
“You can’t tell us where, I assume,” Dad said quietly, giving his mother a quick glance.
“She’ll be fine, I assure you she will be safe. Unfortunately, there isn’t anywhere else that we know of where the Fae Court would be unable to track Ivy.”
The room stewed in silence for a few moments until Mom leaned forward. “Are you sure someone else cannot go with her? I’m pretty sure Kai won’t be able to stay with her what with the Mithras mission.”
I nodded. “I’m going to go to make certain she’s safe and settled and okay. When I get back, maybe we can arrange for you to swap places with me. But only one of you may go, I think.” I frowned and looked over at Dad. “Have you contacted Iain? Would he want to go instead?”
Dad shook his head, then paused and gave a quick nod. “I’ve spoken to him. He’s horrified and worried about the twins and us of course. He offered to come back immediately but I told him it was mostly a waste of time. The twins are with Lily and Baz at the old Graciana Mansion. We’re going to set up shop there for now until we repair the house.”
“Maybe we should just do nothing with the house for now, Dad,” I suggested softly. “What if they come back? They’ll just destroy our home all over again.” My voice was rising and I felt Logan give me another squeeze—comfort and calm.
