The Return: (The Eternity Road Trilogy Book 2)

by Lana Melyan

  “Fray.” Eleanor gazed at him, angry and astonished at the same time. “What are you doing?” she shouted. “I almost had her.”

  “I got this. Go help Craig,” said Fray. Eleanor didn’t move, still staring at him. “Go,” said Fray firmly. Running after Joanne he glanced back to make sure Eleanor was gone. A few minutes later, he sent her the signal. He pressed his ring once to his coin and twice to Eleanor’s, which meant that the job was done.

  Later, Joanne told Fray that when she was in the village, she’d heard news of animal attacks in the woods. In the last two months one hunter and two lumberjacks had died and one was injured. The surviving lumberjack had said that he and his friend were attacked by a mysterious animal the previous night, which looked like a wolf but was too big, and his paws looked like hands. Fear has big eyes, people said, and not many believed him, but to Joanne it was clear that there was a werewolf in the woods. The Hunters weren’t that far away, and if there was a witch nearby, it wouldn’t take long for them to show up. Trying to keep her new home safe, and hoping it wasn’t too late to prevent the Hunters appearance, Joanne decided to find the wolf and kill it herself.

  She found the wolf on the last night of the full moon, but to her surprise it wasn’t alone. There were two of them, with the Hunters in tow.

  23

  “Oh my God,” exhaled Eleanor, barely awake, her eyes still closed. “He was there.” She opened her eyes and sat up. The dream she just had was almost the same as the previous ones. It had only one difference. She was chasing the same woman in a black dress. When she grabbed the vampire by her shoulder, she vanished, like before, but this time, the moment it happened, Fray appeared in front of Eleanor. Only his face. And he was laughing.

  She flung herself from the bed. Now she was sure it wasn’t just a dream. She remembered that day, and that place, and everything that had happened there. “That’s it. It has to be,” she muttered, pulling on her clothes.

  When she came downstairs, Lindsey was already in the kitchen.

  “Good morning,” he said, putting down the newspaper.

  “Hi, Dad.”

  “You’re up early. Going somewhere?”

  “To Hanna’s.” She couldn’t wait to run to the others and tell them about her discovery, and she was glad to see Lindsey get up and walk to the door.

  “The coffee’s ready,” he said, smiling on his way out.

  “Thanks,” said Eleanor. She took a cup, but as soon as her father closed the door behind him, she put it down and grabbed her car keys. The moment Lindsey’s car left the driveway, she rushed out. After what happened the previous night, Eleanor was sure that Fray and Alec were nowhere around and her father wasn’t in any danger at the moment, but she still drove to his work taking roundabout ways, and when he safely entered the building, she sped away.

  Eleanor drove into the yard and stopped the car right before the first step of the porch stairs. She dashed into the house and stopped abruptly in the kitchen doorway.

  They were having their morning coffee. Eleanor supposed they had been sitting around the table, but it seemed the gnashing of her car brakes had alarmed them. Still holding their cups, they were all on their feet, staring out of the window. Hanna was the first to turn around.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, looking startled.

  Eleanor looked from her to Ned, then at Ruben and Kimberly, and then stopped, her eyes on Riley. “I think I know where they are,” she said, her heart hammering with excitement.

  “Who?” Riley raised his eyebrows, looking lost. But when Eleanor rolled her eyes, his face changed. “The bodies?” he asked, astonished. “Where?”

  “Really?” asked Ruben, coming forward.

  “Wait.” Eleanor stuck out her index finger. “I need to check something.” She darted upstairs and flew into the study. She pulled rolls of maps from the shelf and began unrolling them one after another. When she found the one she was looking for, she stared at it for a moment, then grabbed it and hurried back.

  The others were now waiting for her in the living room. Eleanor picked up the antique vase from the coffee table and tossed it into Hanna’s hands, then she squatted in front of the table and put the map down.

  “What’s the whole hubbub about?” came Kizzy’s sleepy voice from the top of the stairs.

  “We don’t know yet,” said Riley.

  “Kizzy, come down,” said Eleanor. “You need to hear this, too.”

  “I’m all ears,” said Kizzy, climbing down the stairs. Yawning, she went to the kitchen.

  Eleanor glanced at the others. “Look,” she said, pointing at the map. “You see this field?”

  “That’s the one where the vampires grabbed Samson,” said Ruben.

  “Right. This is the field.” Eleanor moved her finger to the dots, representing houses. “This is the village, the name of which I don’t remember. Those are the woods and this is the way to the Castle. Right?”

  “Right,” said Riley. “And?”

  “Hanna, remember I said it might be the same field? The same one I saw in my dream?”

  “Is it?” asked Hanna.

  “Yes, I’m sure of it now.”

  “What dream?” came Kizzy’s annoyed voice from the kitchen. “If you want me to understand this,” she said, showing up with a large mug in her hands, “you’ll have to start from the beginning.”

  “Since the day I came back, I keep having this same dream. I’m chasing that woman from the picture, but every time I’m about to catch her, she vanishes. Only once did I get to see her face. Last night I had it again, but this time it was a little different. This time, when I was about to catch her, Fray showed up out of nowhere and blocked my way. Then he looked me in the eyes and laughed. When I woke up, I . . . It wasn’t just a dream. It really happened.” Eleanor looked at Hanna. “I didn’t kill her. Fray stopped me. He helped her escape.”

  “Okay,” said Ruben. “This proves one more time that Fray knew her. But what does it have to do with the bodies?”

  “You don’t understand,” said Eleanor. “I remembered everything that happened that night. Samson sent me and Craig to hunt down those werewolves. Fray shouldn’t have been there at all. When he suddenly jumped out of the woods, it surprised me, because there wasn’t much to do and he never hunted with me and Craig. He said he’d deal with the vampire and told me to go help Craig kill the werewolves. When I was leaving, I looked back. There was a house at the end of the field, and the woman ran to it and went inside.”

  “You mean, it was her house?” asked Ned.

  “Or it was Fray’s, and she was invited in.” Eleanor looked at Riley. “We need to check that place. That’s where the house was, and that’s where they grabbed Samson.”

  “Eleanor, he went back. He checked it and didn’t find anything. If there was a house, Samson would’ve mentioned it.”

  “He wrote in the journal that something made him stop at that field, and it didn’t look like the vampires were there by accident. Samson felt something there.”

  “Just because you can’t see the house doesn’t mean it’s not there,” said Kizzy.

  “What are you saying, Kizzy?” asked Ruben.

  “I’m saying it might be cloaked.”

  Everybody stared at her. Then, shaking his head, Riley said, “No. Samson knows what a cloaking spell is, he would—”

  “He would guess, yes,” said Eleanor, “if he knew there was a house there before.” Eleanor jumped to her feet. “Let’s go.”

  “Wait,” said Riley. “How big was the house?”

  “Not big,” said Eleanor, pondering. “It was tall, but it only had one story, I think.”

  “One story? Could it fit fifty coffins?”

  “I don’t know,” said Eleanor, getting frustrated. “Maybe it has a basement? And maybe the bodies aren’t in coffins.”

  “You mean he just piled them up on the floor?” asked Kimberly.

  Eleanor shrugged. “Why not? It’s Fray. Anyth
ing’s possible.” She gazed at Riley. “It’s not like you have a better clue.”

  “No, I don’t. I just don’t want your expectations to be too high,” said Riley. “Let’s not waste time.” He glanced at Kizzy, who was still in her silky night robe. “Go put some clothes on, we’re leaving. Ruben, you’re coming, too.”

  “I think we should all go,” said Hanna. “What if Eleanor’s right?”

  “Yeah,” said Ned. “What if the bodies are really there? In that case,” he shrugged, “it’s Fray. You never know what to expect.”

  “I’m not staying here alone,” protested Kimberly.

  “Actually,” said Kizzy, who was already at the top of the stairs, “we might need Kimberly.”

  “Me? Really?” Kimberly stared at her, surprised.

  Kizzy nodded once and headed to her room.

  “What for?” Ruben yelled after her, but in response Kizzy just slammed the door behind her.

  Riley said, “Let's say Eleanor’s right. If so, then we have to be careful. We can’t be seen. It means we have to do this quickly, while the sun is up and shining and vampires can’t follow us.”

  “We have to find the shortest route,” said Ruben. “This map is old. I’ll print a new and more detailed one.”

  A few minutes later, they were all ready to leave. Except Kizzy.

  “Kizzy,” called Eleanor from the bottom of the stairs. There was no answer. Eleanor darted upstairs. When she opened the door to Kizzy’s bedroom, she heard the sound of falling water. “Kizzy,” called Eleanor again.

  “I’m taking a shower,” came Kizzy’s voice from the bathroom.

  Eleanor shook her head. “Seriously?” she muttered under her breath, then said louder, “Everybody is already in the cars. Hurry up.”

  Riley, Ruben, and Kimberly were in the Jeep. Passing by Hanna’s car, Eleanor glanced at Ned, who had already started the engine. “You can turn it off. Her highness is taking a shower.”

  “Thank God we don’t have a bathtub in that room,” said Hanna, sitting next to Ned.

  Eleanor slid into the backseat of the Jeep. Riley was setting the GPS and Ruben was studying the map, looking for a shortcuts.

  “How are you doing?” Eleanor asked Kimberly, whose look was fixed at the back of Ruben’s seat.

  “I’m okay. It’s nice to get out of the house. I always liked road trips.” She turned her eyes to Eleanor. “What do you think Kizzy needs me for?”

  “I don’t know. We didn’t get a chance to ask, did we?” said Eleanor grumpily. “Don’t worry. Whatever it is, we won’t let her do it without your permission.”

  “I’m not worried.” Kimberly glanced out of the window. “I want them dead, and I’ll do anything to help.”

  Her joyless voice was so confident, it made Eleanor’s chest hurt. For nine years Amanda was Kimberly’s best friend, her source of joy and comfort. But after becoming Eleanor, all she brought into her life was fear and death. Kimberly, who’d always called Hanna’s tough actions showing off, was now training to fight off a vampire attack. It was Eleanor who was responsible for turning Kimberly’s life into a nightmare with monsters who killed her mother and almost killed her. Who knew what would happen next? Whatever it was, she’d do everything in her power to keep Kimberly safe. She would always be there for Kimberly, but Eleanor believed that it would be Ruben, with his love and solace, who would help her get through this grievous time.

  Eleanor looked at the front door. They’d been waiting for fifteen minutes now, and Eleanor wanted to go back in and throw Kizzy out. She glared at Ruben in the rear view mirror.

  Ruben looked back at her. “Turn your sound on before you choke.”

  “What the hell is she doing in there?” Eleanor burst out. “We don’t have time for this.”

  “And it’s my fault because. . . ?”

  Eleanor turned her rage to Riley. “You need to talk to her, explain to her that this isn’t a vacation, that we didn’t call her here to—”

  The front door opened.

  The moment Kizzy came out, Ruben started the car, asking, “Kimberly, is your seatbelt on?” as he stepped on the gas.

  Now that they were finally moving, Eleanor’s thoughts went back to the point of their journey. This time, each thought had a question mark at the end. Was it wise to go all together? What if there was a trap? Or what if there was nothing there at all? Suddenly, all her theories seemed feeble and unfounded. Yes, she’d seen a house at the end of that small field, and it probably belonged to Fray, but there was nothing special about it, and Riley was right; it wasn’t big enough to hold fifty coffins.

  Eleanor’s phone vibrated. It was a message from Alec. “Thank God,” she whispered as she read the short text.

  “What is it?” asked Kimberly.

  “It’s Alec. He says he took care of Debra. He got her out of the house before she could hurt anyone. Her family is safe.”

  “What’s going to happen to her?” asked Kimberly. “Does this mean that the next time you see her, you’ll have to kill her?”

  Eleanor sighed. “I don’t know,” she said, slowly shaking her head. “I can’t think about it right now.”

  Her phone vibrated again. It was Craig. “Hi,” she said quietly.

  “Hi. How are you?” asked Craig.

  Eleanor closed her eyes, imagining his face. “I’m fine. I’m in your car.” She opened her eyes again. “We’re driving to Clear Pond.”

  “Why? What’s in Clear Pond?”

  “There is a place in the woods we want to check out. I remembered that once, when you and I were hunting there, something happened. It might be important. We’ll let you know if we find anything. Where are you?”

  “We’re in Egypt. Eleanor, the place we’re going next,” Craig hesitated, “it’s the crucial point of our journey. What I’m going to do, it’s not just about the mission, it’s a big deal for us—I mean, for you and me. I needed to hear your voice.” He paused for a second, then said, “To do this, I need to know that you still trust me.”

  “I do, I trust you,” said Eleanor softly. “Whatever it is you’re going to do, I’m with you. You have my full support.”

  “Thank you,” said Craig. She heard relief in his voice. “If you don’t hear from me for a while, don’t worry. We might have no reception for some time. And, Eleanor, when this is all over, nothing will part us again. Nothing.”

  “You promise?”

  “I promise.” Eleanor could feel him smile. “I love you,” said Craig.

  “I love you too.”

  Eleanor clutched the phone in her hands. Her insides went cold. She didn’t even know what she’d given her blessing to. What if it was something dangerous?

  Ruben’s eyes were looking at her in the rear view mirror. “Tell me I did the right thing,” said Eleanor.

  “You did the right thing,” said Ruben, and he turned his eyes back to the road.

  With shortcuts, it took them about an hour and a half to get to Clear Pond. From there, they headed to where the village was supposed to be.

  They were driving down the main road when Riley, sitting with the map in his hand, pointed at an unpaved road. “This one,” he said to Ruben. As Ruben turned left, Eleanor looked back at Hanna’s car. At the same moment, Hanna’s hand stuck out the window, thumb up.

  The road narrowed and turned into the woods. As the car slid into the shade of the trees, a big red sign rose in front of them: PRIVATE PROPERTY. NO TRESPASSING. Ruben kept driving, and shortly they came upon a large clearing, with a few extremely old, abandoned houses. They stopped the cars and got out.

  “I thought this place would be a town by now,” said Eleanor.

  “He bought the woods around your old house,” said Riley. “If he bought this too, then you might be right, there’s something here.”

  “I’ll check out the surroundings,” said Ned and flashed away.

  Hanna headed to one of the houses. She tried the door, but it was locked. She went to
the window. To block the sunlight, she cupped her hands around her face and looked in through the dirty glass. “Judging by the utensils, nobody’s lived here for at least a hundred years,” she said, walking back.

  “There are no coffins here,” said Kimberly, who was peering into the window of a house on the other side of the road. “Everything is so old,” she said with excitement. “Can I go inside?” she asked Ruben, her eyes sparkling.

  “No,” answered Riley, before Ruben could say anything. “This might be his. We can’t leave traces.”

  “Kimberly.” Ruben stepped to her and pulled her away from the window. “After we kick Fray’s butt, we’ll come here and you can disassemble this place into tiny little parts.” He beamed at her. “I’ll help you.”

  Eleanor and Hanna glanced at each other. Since her mother’s death, this was Kimberly’s first positive emotion. “Can I come, too?” asked Eleanor, grinning.

  Kizzy was standing in the middle of the road, her eyes closed.

  “Kizzy, do you feel anything?” asked Riley.

  Lifting her eyelids, she slowly shook her head. “No. There’s no magical energy here.”

  “Then let’s not waste time,” said Riley. As he started toward his car, he heard Ned’s voice.

  “There’s no road from here,” yelled Ned, coming out from the woods. “We’ll have to go on foot.”

  There was no trail, either.

  “How are you doing?” Eleanor asked Kimberly after about ten minutes of wriggling between trees.

  “Thanks to Hanna, I’m fine,” said Kimberly, and she looked down at her feet. “She lent me a pair of her sneakers.” Pressing her lips together, she glanced at Eleanor. “I know, I’m slowing you down. It would be much faster if you used your powers.”

  “Nah,” said Eleanor. “These woods are dense, the powers wouldn’t help much. Besides, you aren't the last one in line.” Eleanor waved her head backward.

  Kimberly looked back at Kizzy, then said with a smile, “You don’t like her much, do you?”

  “What? No, no,” said Eleanor, and threw a quick glance at Ruben, who was just a step away from them and could hear their conversation. Eleanor’s dislike toward Kizzy was a protective reaction. Kizzy’s undisguised interest in Ruben alarmed her. Kimberly was too vulnerable at the moment, and if she suddenly found out about their past and Kizzy’s intentions, it could mess things up between Kimberly and Ruben. Eleanor trusted Ruben, she knew that he’d never do anything to hurt Kimberly, but she couldn’t say the same about Kizzy. “It’s not that I don’t like her,” continued Eleanor. “It’s just, sometimes she’s so . . . you know . . . slow, it pisses me off.”