Speak about my daughter like that again, and you won’t be seeing the end of the rainbow, you’ll be seeing the end of my fist.
Fourteen
Harley
“You’d think they hadn’t done anything over there. As if these poor souls had not been through enough, they had to fall into the hands of Cronenberg! As lazy a physician as he was a student,” Krieger complained. “Why, I believe he would rather have let them die than do any actual work.” He flipped open a chart sent from St. Louis with the traumatized duo, though Krieger looked like the traumatized one right now. Two hours had passed since the duo arrived, and Krieger and Jacob had been hard at work ever since. This was the first time they’d come up for air after running test after test to gauge the extent of the damage.
“Cronenberg?” I didn’t recognize the name.
Krieger pursed his lips. “The physician in St. Louis. We were at university together. He was always scraping through exams by the… how do you say it? Skin of his teeth?”
“Are all physicians German?” Wade joked.
“The best ones usually are, but Cronenberg brings our average down.” Krieger set the chart on a nearby table. He picked up a pen in an arthritic claw to scrawl notes on a clean page. The ink came out shaky, like a spider scuttling across the lines. He’d gotten frail in his advancing years, his fingertips trembling as he flicked the pages. But he had Jacob, his son and heir apparent to his physician empire, to help him. I had no idea what we’d do when Krieger retired, but I knew what he’d do. He’d mentioned plans to move to the Arctic Circle to study the aurora borealis: a personal pastime, waiting in the wings for the day the doc would be free to explore it.
“You want me to do that?” Jacob smiled. The mid-thirties suited him, and he’d grown to be as handsome as he was smart. Because of his Native American and Latino ancestry, he didn’t look much like his adoptive father, but the affection in his kind eyes showed that they were family in the way that mattered most.
“Would you? I don’t have the right glasses on.” Krieger handed off the pen and the chart.
The physician and scientific engineer famed for inventing the magic detector. Now, I doubted he’d be able to fix a screw on his own invention without Jacob’s help.
Jacob began to write, speaking aloud to keep Krieger involved. “Both patients showing a fear response when introduced to stimuli on screen. Neither patient able to articulate, likely due to mind-wiping. Vitals remain stable, but there are multiple internal and external injuries.” He looked up. “Did I miss anything?”
“They show signs of re-experiencing.” Krieger flexed his fingers. They cracked loudly.
“Re-experiencing?” The term wasn’t familiar to me.
“The state of involuntarily reliving the traumatic experience in a physical sense—spasms, defensive reactions, that sort of thing. A symptom of PTSD,” Krieger explained.
Jacob poised the pen and glanced back at Wade and me. “It’s a way for the mind to process what it’s been through. But if they have no flashbacks due to the amnesia, it puts the brain under even more strain.”
“Excellently put.” Krieger patted his son on the back.
“There’s no mention of night terrors in the notes, but we’ll monitor them tonight.” Jacob tapped the pen against paper and frowned. “Alyssa wanted to have dinner. I’ll have to reschedule. Unless she wants to come have a picnic here.”
It boggled my mind that Jacob had a wife. I still remembered him as a teenager. The kid the Smiths took in, and then had to forget through no fault of their own. His first love had turned out to be one of Katherine’s cronies, whom she’d killed in front of him. Luckily, life had gone a little smoother for him since. And I loved Alyssa, his wife, almost as much as Jacob. Fiery and assertive, she’d spotted Jacob on her first day here seven years ago, and she’d gone for what she wanted. He’d been wary of love for obvious reasons, but he’d been bowled over by her. Literally, at times.
“She wouldn’t mind helping you watch the patients, I am sure.” Krieger beamed contentedly. He was as smitten with his daughter-in-law as the rest of us. “I would offer, but…” He trailed off with a sad note.
“Your sleepless nights are done, Dad. You’ve earned it,” Jacob said softly. “Why don’t you go ahead and get out of here? I’ve got this.”
Krieger smiled gently in a way that seemed to hold deep meaning. “I know you do.” With that, the old man nodded to us and turned to leave.
Jacob continued. “Anyway, where was I?”
“Night terrors,” I prompted, waving to the older doctor as he exited the room.
“Right.” He started writing again, the doctor in charge now. “Both are experiencing pain, tremors, nausea, and sweating. The above are to be monitored closely. Thus far, neither patient is responding to magical or non-magical treatment for the amnesia.”
“You can heal their physical injuries though, can’t you?” My thoughts flitted to the girl. Sixteen years old and covered head to toe in bruises, cuts, burns, and lesions. I hadn’t been able to look at her for long. When I saw her, I saw Persie, and I couldn’t deal with that right now.
“We’re working on it,” Jacob assured. “There’s just so much to repair. Whoever did this to them tried pretty much everything to get something out of them.”
That poor girl. “Have her parents been found?”
“She doesn’t have any.”
“A foster kid?” The cracks in my heart splintered a little more.
Jacob nodded.
“What about the guy? Does he have family?” Wade’s tone was thoughtful. I quickly understood what he was getting at: a possible connection.
Jacob checked the chart. “He has a wife and two sons, both waiting for him in Kentucky. They were going to come visit, but the UCA forbade it, considering the circumstances. We’re sending them updates on his situation instead.”
Wade sank down onto a nearby bed. “I thought I might’ve had something there.”
“You thought maybe they were only taking people without anyone to care if they disappeared?” I sat beside him.
“Exactly.” He ran a hand through his dark curls, flecked with a few strands of gray. His wizard hairs, as I liked to call them. “Do you think they’re stable enough for me to try some magic on, Jake?”
Jacob set down the chart. “They’re awake, but confused, so we might have to keep it brief and have some sedative on hand in case things take a turn.”
“I’ll be as quick as I can,” Wade replied. Tension lines creased between his eyebrows—a sure sign of inner stress. I put my arm around his waist and hugged him close, knowing that we were bonded in our stress and fears. About everything.
I pulled back and peered up into his eyes. The eyes I’d loved for twenty years of my life. “Nobody knows mind-wiping spells like you. If there’s a way of reversing this, you’re the man for the job.”
He brushed his thumb across my cheek. “I just hope I can help them.”
“You will, one way or another,” I assured him.
Jacob grinned at us. “Some things never change, huh?”
“Weren’t you just talking about picnics?” I laughed.
“It was a hospital picnic, which isn’t exactly romantic.” Jacob beckoned us to follow him toward the ICU. He tried to keep his tone light, but the growing tension as we neared the ward was palpable. “For one, you can’t have candles with so many flammable things around. If one of the oxygen tanks sprung a leak, this whole place would go up.”
Our good humor died as we entered a secure room with two sets of quarantine-safe sliding doors. The girl was sitting up in the nearest bed, rocking slightly and clawing the edge of her blanket. The man, on the other hand, sat eerily still, staring unblinkingly at the opposite wall. Both looked like they’d been through a battle—on the losing side. Chunks of the girl’s short blonde hair were missing, some parts singed to the scalp. And the man had so many bruises on his face that everything had puffed up to inhuman p
roportions. As Jacob went to the girl’s bedside, Wade and I stood quietly near the doors, taking in the pitiful sight.
“Zara?” Jacob spoke slowly and gently. “Zara, these are my friends, Wade and Harley. You might remember them from before. Wade wants to talk to you. Is that okay?”
Her eyes darted left and right, like she was following some unseen creature on the bed. “Zara?”
“That’s you,” Jacob replied. He put his hand on her forearm, and she stiffened.
“Another trauma response?” I whispered.
Jacob took his hand away. “Apparently.” His eyes widened in sudden thought. “Actually, maybe you could sit with her and keep her calm while Wade talks to her? I’d like to test a theory.”
Breaking away from Wade, I walked around to the other side of the bed and sat down. Gingerly, I put out my hand and let Zara decide if she wanted to reciprocate. She flinched at the sight and her eyes flickered wildly toward me. But the moment she saw my face, her shoulders relaxed, and her hand reached out. Her fingers gripped mine tightly, as though I might be the only thing in the world she had left to cling onto. And her eyes finally focused on mine.
“You’re safe now.” I shuffled closer and put an arm around her shoulders. She nestled into me and buried her face in my shirt. Quiet sniffles drifted upward, and I felt dampness through the fabric. She was crying.
“That’s what I thought,” Jacob said, his voice heavy. “She’s not afraid of you, like she’s afraid of us.” He gestured to Wade and himself.
“Does that mean…?” I started, covering the girl’s ear as I held her.
Jacob swallowed. “Men. I can’t say for certain, but I think the perpetrators were male. I’d have to see what Howard’s response to you is, to gauge his reaction.”
I nodded, turning back to the girl, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re okay. I’m here. I’ve got you. I promise, you’ll get through this. We won’t let anything bad happen to you again.”
I realized, with sudden tears of my own, that I wasn’t just speaking to her.
Wade approached. We looked into each other’s eyes as he reached out and placed both hands on either side of Zara’s temples. She seized in my arms, gasping for air. I held her and stroked her hair gently, whispering soothing words.
“You don’t have to be afraid. I know this is scary, but we’re here to help.”
In front of me, white sparks of Chaos threaded out of Wade’s hands and into her head. Her body went limp, but I kept right on holding her, as though my life depended on it, too. I hadn’t been able to help Persie when it mattered the most. I wasn’t going to fail Zara as well. Not on the same day.
“Do you sense anything?” Jacob asked.
“Not yet.” Wade closed his eyes, and the white threads brightened. A spell of his own design, written in the Grimoire that he’d vowed to complete by the time he was fifty. I’d made the same vow, but with that deadline fast approaching, I doubted I’d make it. I hadn’t yet written a single word.
I glanced down and watched little bursts of light exploding through the layers of skin and bone. Wade’s magic, digging deep for evidence. The glow was mesmerizing. I kept watching, transfixed, until Wade snapped me out of it with a quiet gasp.
His eyes shot open while his hands stayed in place. “There’s been some heavy-duty magic in her head. Magic I’ve hypothesized about, but never seen. Dangerous stuff, due to the possibility of peripheral damage.”
“I guess whoever did this didn’t care about that.” Hatred boiled up inside me, aimed at our invisible enemy.
Jacob frowned. “Do you think it’s an ability or spell work?”
“Hard to say. All I can feel is the residue of what’s been left behind. And it’s potent.” A muscle twitched in his jaw. “I’d say it was done by an expert in memory spells. Someone more adept than me.”
“Is there an ability that matches that?” I looked to Jacob, the Sensate, for an answer. “I know the ability is forbidden by executive order, but is there a rarer ability we might not know about? To get around the order?”
“No,” he said simply. “That order covers variations.”
A bead of sweat trickled down the side of Wade’s face. “If it’s not an ability, we’re dealing with someone hugely powerful.”
We’d thought we were done with powerful people wanting to cause trouble, but we should’ve known better. Now we had Leviathan and this to deal with. Whatever it was.
The color of Wade’s threads turned slightly pink as they thrummed into Zara’s temples. He was trying something else. I continued my maternal stroking. Whorls of light spiraled and darted across her head, literally trying to jog her memory.
A few moments later, he pulled his hands away and severed the magical tie. “Try again.”
I jostled her gently and she stirred in my arms. “Zara?”
“You’re still here.” Her eyes filled with fresh tears. “You didn’t leave.”
“You remember me?” I said.
She nodded slowly. “Harley?”
“That’s right. What’s your name?” I prompted, keeping every extremity crossed.
“I… I don’t remember.” Her face clouded over with confusion. “Do you know who I am?”
“You’re Zara.” I struggled to suppress the pain in my voice. “Zara Gilchrist.”
She mustered a faraway smile. “That’s a pretty name. Who is she?”
“She’s you,” I urged, like it would make a difference. “You’re Zara Gilchrist. You’re in the infirmary at the San Diego Coven. Do you remember why? Do you remember what happened to you?”
“San Diego?” She giggled strangely. “I’ve never been there.”
I held her gently by the shoulders. “Do you know where you’re from?”
“I’m from…” Her giggles turned to rapid breaths, her eyes darting wildly again. “I don’t know where I’m from. Am I from San Diego? Is that why I’m here? Did I have an accident?” She looked down at her bandaged arms, horrified. “Is that why it hurts?”
“You’re from Portland, Oregon.” I fought back tears. She looked so lost and scared. It reminded me of Persie at six or seven, when I’d lost her in Waterfront Park. I took my eyes off her for a second and she wandered off. I found her half an hour later. But by then, we were both in tears. Up until today, it had been the scariest moment of my life. Screw Katherine and her Challenges, and screw Davin and his schemes—losing my little girl for those thirty minutes had trumped any fear they’d ever ignited in me. The thought of losing her forever was the only thing worse.
Zara blinked. “Portland? I’ve never been there, either.”
“You tried, Wade, but I don’t think it worked,” Jacob said sadly.
“Wade? Who’s Wade?” Zara kept staring at me.
I pulled her back into a hug as Jacob took up a syringe. “It doesn’t matter. You just need to sleep, and you’ll feel better. Just remember: you’re safe and you’re going to be taken care of. We’ll get you through this, one way or another.” My gaze drifted up to meet Wade’s. Tears welled in his eyes. I knew he was thinking about another scared young girl, just like me.
Jacob injected the sedative. A few moments later, Zara’s body relaxed in my arms. I rolled her back onto the bed and tucked the blanket around her. On the other side, Wade fluffed her pillow. Anything to make the poor kid more comfortable. But it was like putting a band-aid on a severed leg. She’d wake up again, and the re-experiencing would come back. And we might not be here when that happened.
“It looks like we’re at another dead end.” Jacob dropped the syringe into the hazardous materials bin. “I’d say these two are the lucky ones, since at least they came back, but they’ve still got a long road ahead.”
“Are there specialists who can help?” I took two tissues from the box on the bedside table and passed one to Wade.
Jacob nodded. “Astrid is arranging for them to come and take these two to a special facility.”
“Like the one in Pari
s?” My heart lurched. Odette had been murdered in one of those places. She’d still been granted her happy ending with Remington, in an otherworld somewhere. But she’d been a Librarian, while Zara was an ordinary magical. Who was to say that the people who did this wouldn’t find Zara and finish the job? What would be her happy ending, then?
“It’s higher security than Paris. They’ll be safe there.” Jacob turned away. His shoulders sagged wearily. He and Alyssa didn’t have children yet, but I knew they’d been trying for a while. A long while, actually. Perhaps he was putting himself in a father’s shoes, imagining how he’d feel if Zara were his.
Somehow, things like this felt sadder when they happened to the young. I guessed that was why Persie’s situation hurt so much. She’d lived eighteen years, and now she probably thought her life was over. All because that stupid snake had “gifted” her something she didn’t want. Something that would make everyone look at her differently.
But not me, and not your dad. We’d never look at her differently.
“Should I test Howard’s response to me?” We might as well settle this now, so we could report that we'd made the tiniest step of progress.
Jacob turned back around. He looked tired. “Yeah, let’s try it.”
Leaving Zara to her artificial sleep, I crossed to Howard. He hadn’t made a peep since we’d come in; he just kept staring at the opposite wall. I approached with caution, but he didn’t seem to notice me.
“Howard?” I said tentatively.
He whirled around. For a second, he did nothing. Then, to my horror, he screamed so loud I thought my eardrums might burst. I staggered away from him and put my hands up in a gesture of peace. But he didn’t stop. His screaming continued as he tried to shuffle away from me. With a panicked expression, Jacob approached him from the other side. But the moment he saw Jacob, he stopped and sat still and quiet, returning to his staring competition with the wall.
Harley Merlin 18: Persie Merlin and Leviathan’s Gift Page 12
