by J. A. Curtis
I held back an eye roll, wishing she’d shut up and let me think. My griffin could get me over the fence, but then the juvenile detention staff would see me, not to mention the cameras. Over the fence wasn’t an option. Any other exits I had seen on my quick tour had led out to the courtyard.
After dinner, I’d slipped into the bathroom and attempted to get my faerie guardian to turn into my social worker, a security guard, anyone—with no luck.
If only I better controlled what form my faerie guardian took. In theory, my faerie guardian could turn into anything. Discovering new forms was similar to unlocking a new skill or ability in a video game. I required the right combination of intuition and need. Like I had to earn it.
Guess I haven’t earned a way out of this situation, yet.
Over the last few months, I’d changed my faerie guardian into a couple of new forms. I was most proud of the dragon form. Although, I didn’t know what that said concerning my need—actually, I did. I needed the dragon because the faeries were in danger of attack, and my griffin lacked the necessary ability to protect them.
But my dragon wouldn’t help me any more than my griffin now. And my ability to see visions of the past? Well, I had less control over that than my faerie guardian. The last vision I’d had of Fand fighting the faerie ogres wouldn’t be any help here.
I sighed. My roommate was right. The only way out was through the front doors. My shoulders fell, and I slumped to my bed and threw the covers up over my head, facing the wall.
“Can I make a suggestion, kid?” the girl said. “Just cooperate with them. Things will go a lot easier for you if you do. ’Night kid.”
Funny—the inmates at Kootenai Juvenile Detention Center were more welcoming than the faeries had been when I’d woken up at the Haven for the first time.
After breakfast the next morning, I waited in my room until the social worker lady from the day before escorted me to the courthouse for my hearing. We sat on a hard wooden bench outside the courtroom, waiting.
I’d held out against the police officer and the social worker. I was pretty sure I could hold out against the judge as well. But there was something so official about going before a judge. It made me nervous. As if refusing to answer his questions would be the ultimate act of rebellion.
A small folded piece of paper appeared on the bench next to me. Without turning fully toward it, my right hand slid over the smooth, polished wood and flipped it open.
Meet in the bathroom. Five minutes.
My heart warmed. Arius. He’d come for me.
I palmed the note, slipping it into my pocket.
“I need to go to the restroom,” I said, grateful those words had meaning on multiple levels.
The social worker nodded, and we walked to the women’s room on the main floor. The woman waited outside while I entered the large windowless bathroom.
I quickly checked, but each stall was empty. “Arius,” I whispered.
“Not quite.” A deep voice responded.
Margus came into view. In an instant, my burning heart froze into an icy block.
He leaned against the far concrete wall in slacks and a large jacket over a button-up shirt. I should have known. Only one person could move freely throughout a bustling courthouse without being seen.
Had he come to finish me? Why here, of all places? Why now?
“What do you want?” I demanded, gliding back across the floor till the ungiving bathroom wall stopped me. I pressed my back against the tiled blockade, wishing I could melt through it. The faint smell of urine and feces mixed with the sickly pungent smell of the automatic air freshener high up on the wall, making me lightheaded. I considered exiting the bathroom and heading back to wait for the judge. Except Margus stood between me and the door.
“I’m here to rescue you,” Margus said. “Now listen, someone might walk in on us at any moment. I’ll go out, take down the woman guarding you while you make a run for the exit. A woman in a long black coat will meet you outside and tell you what to do next.”
My head reared back, striking the wall, knocking some clarity into me. “Are you kidding? Even if I were to trust you enough to do as you say, you think I’d make it thirty feet past the doors with all the security around?”
“I’ll make sure you get out.”
“How? By attacking people?”
Margus’s cool, even gaze stared back at me. “If I have to.”
My hands balled. “No. We aren’t hurting anyone.”
“Then what’s the plan, General?” Margus sneered.
I stood there, undecided. Should I resist him? Once we were outside the courthouse, I’d be no match against him.
How long would it take for the police to identify me? What if they already had? Maybe the judge already knew who I was and would send me home to my family.
I didn’t know how long it would take to place me in foster care. What if Arius or the other faeries of the Haven tried to find me? What if they were caught in the process?
I could pretend to go along with Margus. There was bound to be a period of time, even a brief one, where I’d be outside the courthouse but still in public. If I made my escape then, I could take advantage of this opportunity without ending up at Margus’s mercy.
But what about the woman Margus mentioned was waiting outside? Could I escape her too? It was risky. And yet, with my faerie guardian to help, it might be possible.
I released my faerie guardian. A girl appeared next to me, looking like my duplicate.
“Impressive,” Margus said.
“I’ll send Other Mina out with the social worker,” I said, motioning to my faerie guardian. “Then we walk out of the courthouse together. People will be less likely to question me if I’m with an adult.”
Margus became invisible again, while I entered a stall, locking the door. I sent Other Mina out to meet up with my social worker. They walked back to the bench and sat down. I reached for the stall door but froze when the door to the bathroom’s entrance slammed shut, unexpectedly. A person with black pointed heels and dress pants entered the stall next to me. I moved until my calves hit the lip of the cool porcelain bowl to appear as if I was also using the toilet. I let my finger trace nervously over a swear word carved into the dented metal wall.
Part of me kept warning against this plan, and not only because of the risk. I didn’t like being indebted to Margus.
No, I wasn’t indebted. He owed me this. Still, I didn’t care for the illusion of him paying up. I preferred a groveling apology I could easily reject.
The sound of the toilet flushing, followed by running water, and then the banging of the bathroom door signaled it was time to move.
I exited the stall, opened the door to the bathroom, then held it, feeling the fabric of Margus’s invisible coat brush past me as he entered the hall. He materialized beside me.
“Quickly.” He took my arm and walked me to the door. With his head lowered, he used his bulky coat to shield me from any questioning eyes as we passed.
I hoped we would make it out. I didn’t want to have to explain any more video footage to the police. With luck, they’d just chuck it up to a very elaborate jailbreak or a camera glitch.
“What’s going on here?” a new voice said.
I glanced up and saw Sergeant Anders standing in the doorway. Great. What was he doing here?
Through my faerie guardian’s eyes, I saw my social worker rise to her feet, phone in hand. “Sergeant Anders has arrived for your hearing. Let’s go meet him.”
Other Mina rose next to her. If she rounded the corner in full view of the front entrance, there would be a lot of confusion.
Other Mina grabbed the social worker’s sleeve. “Can’t we meet him here?”
The social worker considered for a moment, but then said, “I’ll just peek around the corner and give him a wave.”
Meanwhile, Margus stuck out his hand toward Sergeant Anders. “Good day, officer. I’m a relative of Jazrael’s, and I�
�ve come to take her off your hands.”
“Jazrael? That’s your name?” Sergeant Anders looked offended. “Why wasn’t I notified?”
Margus shrugged. “I’ll make sure she gets home safe.”
“Wait, wait, wait. Home? You’ve filled out the paperwork? How d’you even know we were holding her?”
I shuffled next to Margus. He glanced at me, and I raised my eyebrows. Time was up.
Inside the courthouse, my social worker glared at Other Mina. “Excuse me? Let go of my sleeve.” Other Mina’s fingers continued to clutch the woman’s suit jacket. I didn’t have any choice. I sent Other Mina bolting in the opposite direction, feet pounding down the hallway.
“Hey! Where are you going? Come back!” my social worker shouted.
Back at the front, Margus eyed Sergeant Anders. “I’ve supplied all the information necessary for her release. You may take your concerns up with your superiors. Now, unless you want me to consider filing a complaint with your department, you’ll stop harassing us and let us pass.”
Sergeant Anders’s eyes narrowed, but he stepped aside. His hand landed on my shoulder as we tried to pass. Margus growled in a clear warning.
I looked up at the Sergeant’s face. The suspicion was gone. His brows stitched into an expression that froze me. “Do you want to go with him?”
Like a father’s face protecting his daughter. My throat suddenly burned. What would my dad think of the dangerous gamble I was making?
Margus’s fingers were making my lower arm go numb. I raised my chin. “I don’t want to be here.”
Sergeant Anders’s lips pressed into a thin line, and his hand lifted from my shoulder. Margus, picking up the vibe the officer was emanating, released my arm, and I worked my hand to get feeling back.
Other Mina had hit a dead end and the social worker had enlisted a security guard to help her. I forced my faerie guardian’s shoulders to slump. “Okay, okay...”
A woman stood at the bottom steps of the courthouse as Margus and I passed through the front doors and descended toward her. Tall with a long stylish coat that didn’t look half as bulky as Margus’s, she fell into step next to him as we passed. I felt the sergeant’s eyes on us until we rounded the corner out of view of the courthouse.
The woman passed a brown lunch bag over to Margus.
Other Mina bolted into the bathroom before I pulled her onto my arm. I needed my faerie guardian to help me deal with Margus and the unknown woman.
I scanned the long sidewalk in front of us, the short alleyway that ended in a gated fence across the street to my right, and the small grove of trees to my left.
It doesn’t matter. Pick one and run.
Margus came dangerously close. Every muscle inside of me screamed in warning. Take the alleyway across the street. Go!
Something dull and hard jabbed my back, and my body locked in place. Not pointed or painful like a sword, but round like a nickel...
Or the barrel of a gun.
4
Lack of Trust
Arius
“Beware of those who appear too helpful.”—Nuada
FROM A SMALL COPSE of trees, Luchta and I observed Mina, Margus, and a woman walk from the courthouse and around the corner. I motioned to Luchta to follow but hang back as I stepped out onto the sidewalk.
Could I beat Margus in a hand-to-hand fight? He was older and more experienced. Plus, the unknown woman with him added another level of uncertainty.
As I crept up behind them, I overheard Margus’s words.
“...not as if your precious Arius is here breaking you out.”
Rage slashed through me, and I found myself shouting, “Let her go!”
He swung around with Mina in tow. The woman stopped and turned as well. As Margus moved, I caught the flash of metal pressed against Mina’s back. A gun.
My muscles coiled. If Margus so much as twitched, I’d crush him where he stood, even if we were in public.
Despite her danger, Mina’s eyes rounded, and a relieved grin broke across her face.
“And here’s the belated rescuer,” Margus said. “I suppose you will have to come with us, including anyone else you’ve brought along. Hopefully not too many. We have limited space.”
He thought we would leave with him willingly? Not a chance. “I said—”
“I heard you,” Margus said. “Now hear my words. Any minute, one or more very confused police officers are going to come around that corner and demand answers. Mina will get hauled back into that place, and I have no intention of spending my afternoon attempting to break her out again.”
His head inclined as he stared me down. “So, I’ll put my gun away, and all of us will get in the red car at the end of the street. Deal?”
One. I looked to Mina. Even though she was the hostage, this was her call. Two. But if she failed to decide before I reached five, I’d make the decision instead. Three. All I required was a look, a shake of the head. Four.
“Deal,” she said.
She jerked away from Margus, and he stowed the gun inside his bulky coat.
I frowned, unconvinced Margus was the less dangerous option. But Mina comprehended that. Did she worry about what Margus might do if we refused to take the deal? We both knew he wouldn’t just stand around and await the humans’ arrival.
I motioned to Luchta to join me, and the three of us walked with Margus and the woman to the car.
“Mina, lay on the floor. You two in the back,” Margus said.
“Do as he says.” Mina climbed into the car and hunkered down on the floor. Luchta got in next, her legs folded sideways onto the seat so she didn’t place her feet in Mina’s face.
I slid onto the seat. My legs were too long to pull off the sideways fold, forcing Mina and me to work out an entanglement that was comfortable for both of us. As we settled on an arrangement, I became aware of her right knee jutting into my calf. But I remained in my position, the mild pain reminding me that she was here, safe with me.
Relatively safe. The woman removed her coat and sat in the driver's seat, seemingly glad to be rid of the bulky covering. The faerie guardian on her arm was one I’d never seen before. A creature with pupilless yellow eyes, horns, and the tusks of a boar. A dense blackness obscured most of the creature’s body.
Margus rounded the car and entered the front passenger door.
He took on a translucent quality, and I knew he’d gone invisible. Margus could hide from every eye in the world, except mine.
“Get out of here, Keera,” he said.
The car pulled onto the busy street, and within moments, we melded into the busy traffic. I was unsure if Mina had a plan, but I began running through escape options. My golem could probably force the car off the road. Or we could bail out the side doors at a stoplight before we hit the freeway.
“You must have a car somewhere?” Margus asked.
I stared at his translucent form. Why would he ask how we’d arrived? I considered not answering but couldn’t find a good reason not to. “At the library. We’re out of gas.”
We were lucky the truck had reached the library. The emergency gas light dinged for over an hour before we turned into the parking lot. At the library, we had used the leftover internet time on one computer to find where they might be holding Mina. We discovered that she was most likely held at the Kootenai Juvenile Detention Center and, after consulting a map, had made our way there on foot. After seeing Mina loaded into a van, we followed her the short distance to the courthouse.
When Margus showed, I had wanted to charge in after him, but Luchta convinced me to wait, arguing that he wouldn’t dare hurt Mina in front of all those people.
“We’ll purchase gas for you and drop you off,” Margus said.
He was going to buy us gas? What game was he playing?
I fixed him with a level stare. “Mina is coming with us.”
“Don’t worry, lover boy, I meant all of you.”
My jaw clenched. I detested this elu
sive feeling they emanated. Like they retained all the advantage and enjoyed watching us scramble for answers.
“Why are you doing this?” Mina demanded from her spot on the floor. “How did you even know I was locked up?”
“We might own a police scanner or two. It's helpful to keep track of where the police are when you want to avoid detection. When we heard them describing your tattoo, we knew. We all have a vested interest in keeping the knowledge of our existence a secret. You kids might want to remember that.”
“Seventeen years and we’ve never had a faerie arrested. Reckless,” Keera said. Her black eyes, glaring at me from the rearview mirror, were flecked with a strange reddish color.
“You weren’t so worried about that a few months ago.” The hostility in Mina’s voice, directed at Margus, warmed me.
“There are rare occasions where other considerations must take precedence,” Margus said.
“Like killing the queen?” I yelled, my voice filling the car’s small space.
Whatever game they were trying to play, it needed to end.
Margus and Keera exchanged a look. Were they surprised?
“The original plan had been to confirm the queen’s location, not kill her,” Margus said.
“So you don’t want the queen dead?” I asked incredulously.
“Nuada’s actions were hasty,” Keera said.
Meaning they wanted the queen dead—just not on that particular night.
“You said you wanted revenge on the queen. I heard you,” Mina accused.
“I will admit, the queen and I have some... history... that I need to square with her. But Nuada should not have attempted to kill the queen that night,” Margus said.
That night—again, a qualification. Neither of them had said that their ultimate goal wasn’t the queen’s death.
“It doesn’t matter how helpful you try to be.” Mina must have picked up on the wordplay as well. “I’m never going to tell you where she is.”
Margus waved an invisible hand in dismissal. “I’ve told you, finding the queen is inevitable. We are mere weeks away from discovering her location.”
