I figured out where she was going. Brendi had seen more, done more and experienced more in her young life than most teens her age. "She's not coping, is she?"
"You'll see."
Grey finally spoke up. "What about the goblins?"
I shook my head and snorted. "Goblins? There are goblins in these ruins?"
She laughed in my mind. "No. You're thinking of goblin myths. Tiny little green-skinned creatures with pointed ears, sharp teeth and bad reputations."
"Yeah, I am."
Clouds moved overhead and cast shadows over the ruins. I noticed I hadn't seen a bird or any other living thing.
"Goblins are half Faerie, half human," Medbh said. "They have the blood of both."
That was a new one for me. "You mean like what we think Changelings really are."
"Yes. But you'd be wrong. A goblin doesn't have a lot of standing in Alfheim. I mean, they're half-breeds. So they live in your world."
"Do they know they're goblins?"
"Some do. Some don't. It depends on if their parents told them." Medbh snickered. "You know a goblin."
"I do?" I did a quick mental check over everyone I called a friend but didn't think any of them were half Faerie. "Who is it?"
"We're here," Grey said.
I hadn't been paying attention, so I didn't realize we'd actually approached what looked like the frame of two massive doors. The doors themselves lay in huge chunks piled to the side. Grey continued inside and disappeared in the dark. So I trotted to keep up with her as Medbh held on.
The smell made me snort. I didn't know if all Unicorns were sensitive to scents, but I was. The air was thick with decay, dust and an overwhelming presence of death. I saw skeletal remains littering the sides of what had once been a grand hall. Some were clad in armor, some not. "The people fought back."
"They did," Medbh said. "What a mess. It'll take a queen with strong magic to clean this up."
We continued walking until we got to another set of doors. These two were destroyed, and beyond that point was the throne room. I hesitated as I remembered this place. I was happy I couldn't look up to see where chains had suspended Crwys as we walked around the hole where his blood had fallen. More remains, more rubble, more devastation.
It was all such a waste. A child's dream, spurred on by a Magician's lust for power? Was that all it took for this kind of horror?
A noise to the right caught my attention and I stopped. My ears moved back and forward as I honed in on the sound of bare feet. Running. Coming closer. Until…
"A Unicorn!" It was a child's voice. Or it sounded like a child. It had all the innocence and wonder of a child. But the girl that appeared like a ghost in the midst of all this gray and black wasn't a child. She was a woman in her teens. She wore little more than a slip of a gown and her skin bore the marks of many, many wounds. Bruises. Cuts. Some were infected and had turned to red welts.
Her face was marred by bruises along her right cheek and eye. But the worst marks I could see where the dark ones around her wrists and ankles. She'd been restrained.
Red hair, dulled by time and disappointment, fell in rolling nests, tangled and snarled like the soul I saw as I watched her. I was entranced by the kinks and tears, the bleeding cuts within her very being.
She ran past Grey, who didn't stop her, to wrap her arms around my neck. Her skin was cold and she shivered against me. "I've always wanted a Unicorn."
This was Brendi.
And she was broken.
TWENTY TWO
CRWYS
The entire Aces pack blocked the gates of Gypsy Gardens. None of them had transformed into their wolf forms, luckily, but they were there, preventing any cars from going in or leaving. Crwys, still in Arden's car and making a wet mess all over the leather, opened the car door seconds before she brought it to a stop. "What the hell's going on?"
Several of the closest wolves growled at him under their breath, but they bowed their heads and stepped back.
He held up his badge. "Detective Crwys Holliard. You people know you're trespassing on private property." He didn't need to ask. He figured they knew exactly what they were doing.
A tall man with salt and pepper hair stepped forward. Crwys didn't sense any hostility coming from him, just a clipped, brusque feeling of frustration. The wolf's shirt was open, revealing a chest and neck full of tattoos. Crwys thought a few of them looked like magical writing, but he couldn't be sure without seeing the entire tattoo. "I'm Ben Waterson, Beta for the Aces pack."
"Ben!" Arden demand as she appeared beside Crwys. Kyle and Dharma showed up as well. "You look terrible. Are you okay? And why are all of ya'll in front of my driveway?"
He gave her a tight smile. "Nice to see you again, Miss Vervain. I'm afraid we're here to demand the trade back for Bastien's wolf half."
"The trade back?" Crwys looked at Arden before he slid his gaze back to Ben. "What exactly are you asking?"
"He's asking for Ivan's sight," Dharma said as she stepped forward and put herself just slightly in front of Arden. "That's not going to happen, Beta."
"Our Alpha is in a coma, Witch," one of the other waiting wolves snarled at her and Crwys took a protective step between them. He wasn't about to let a fight go down, not here. And if a fight happened regardless, then a few of them were going to meet their maker in a fiery way.
"Please," Arden held up her hand. "I'm aware of the deal made, but none of us were a part of it. That was an agreement struck between the Summer Queen and your Alpha."
Crwys spoke up. "You care to fill me in? I didn't know Bastien was that sick. I hope he's in a hospital." One look around told him the wolf wasn't. "Zeus's balls. You want him to die?"
Not that he really cared if Bastien lived one way or the other, but it would hurt Sam. Crwys's dislike of Bastien LeBlanc didn't come from the man's demeanor or strength, but from the fact the bastard had his sites on Sam. And that just wasn't gonna happen. Werewolves and Dragons shared a lot more in common than he cared to admit, and stubbornness was one of the commonalities.
"We're here to demand the Witch Queen open a Cairn so we can save the life of our Alpha," Ben cleared his throat as he directed his request toward Crwys, not Arden. "The Faerie Queen of Summer, Tzariene, took our Alpha's wolf half. We want it back."
"Took his…" Crwys looked from Ben to Arden. "What the hell is he talking about?"
"It's a long story, Crwys, and I'm not sure this is the right place to tell it. Just know that what Ben's saying is partially true. But she didn't take it, he traded it to her."
"That's a lie!" someone in the crowd yelled.
Another one said, "This is an act of war! To destroy our Alpha!"
"You promised to protect our land, Arden Vervain," came another voice. "But you allowed this to happen."
"Please," Arden stepped past Crwys to confront the group of thirty wolves. "Bastien voluntarily traded his animus so that he could help someone."
"He did it save the eyes of a Witch!" someone shouted.
She looked at each of them. "I understand you're angry, and with Court's recent death and the realization he'd been overshadowed by a Leviathan, you're ready for blood."
"We demand retribution. Our Alpha is dying!"
Crwys put his hand on Arden's arm and she looked up at him. "Isn't there something you can do? Make a new deal with Tzariene to get this animus back?"
In a low voice she said, "I need time. Just a little more time."
"You don't have time," Ben said, and though his voice was gentle, his tone wasn't. He didn't say anything else, but Crwys could hear the hum of a small motor. A golf cart came into view as it approached the path, a pack member at the wheel. Two more wolves hung off the sides. They stopped it at the gate, and to Crwys's surprise, others opened the gate. He'd assumed it was locked. This meant the Aces were already in the mansion. How in the hell did a pack of Lycans make it that far into Gypsy Gardens? Was Arden slipping?
Dharma gasped when she saw the cart.
Crwys balled his hands into fists.
The man on the left took two people out of the back of the cart. One was a woman in a nurse's uniform. Maybe in her early thirties. The other one was Ivan. He looked exhausted, wearing little more than a t-shirt, pajama bottoms and no shoes. He stumbled when the wolf guarding him yanked him forward by his arm.
"Stop it!" Dharma screamed and her Undine manifested twice its normal size, ready to drown every one of them.
Crwys stepped forward as well, igniting his own power. He knew where every one of them stood and with a thought, he could wipe out the entire pack.
Arden put a hand on Crwys's arm, then Dharma's. "Don't."
"I can destroy all of them," he told her in a low, guttural voice. Steam rose off of him as his body heated up. If he kept this up, his damp clothing would dry out within minutes.
"And start a real war? Neither of you want that. Please step back. Dharma, dismiss your Elemental."
"No. Not until I have Ivan."
Ivan heard her and lifted his head. He was really, really wobbly on his feet but smiled when he saw her. "Hey, baby."
"Miss Vervain," the nurse spoke up. "They came in and made me wake him. He needs to be back in bed."
"This," Ben pointed at Ivan. "Is the reason our Alpha suffers. We demand you open a Cairn and force Tzariene to return his wolf half. And we will give her back those eyes."
"I'm afraid that's not the way it works, Ben." Arden's voice was strong. "In order for you to trade, the trade has to be new. It has to be something the Queen wants. Ivan's eyes were not restored by Tzariene's magic. But by a Dragon's blood."
"You're lying!"
"Am I? Is there a Truth Sayer among the Aces?"
A medium sized girl stepped forward. Her dark skin glistened in the swamp's heat, but it was her bright, amber eyes that caught Crwys's attention. A wolf's eyes. This was a perigee, born to the wolf. "I'm a Truth Sayer."
"Have you tested what the Beta says?"
"No, but I—"
"Then as the one standing accused, I request you test Ivan to see if my claim is truth. You will know where the eyes came from."
The girl looked uncertainly at Ben. An older man stepped forward. "It's allowed. Go girl, test."
Arden took a step toward her, closing the gap as the girl approached. The other wolf dragged a still groggy and stumbling Ivan toward them. Arden waved the support away and pulled Ivan to her. She addressed the girl. "What's your name?" she asked her.
"Rayna."
"Rayna, you are perigee, correct?"
"Yes."
"Your blood possesses venom."
"Yes."
Dharma started forward, but Crwys put out his hand. He watched as Arden pulled up the hem of her skirt and revealed a white handled knife strapped to her thigh. She unsheathed it and held it up for all to see. "Ivan, I need your palm. This is gonna hurt."
"I'm a big boy," he said in low voice. He held out his hand just before Arden ran the tip of the knife across his palm. Dharma hissed and her Elemental floated in the air near her, just as agitated. Rayna held out her hand to catch the bright, scarlet life as it ran free. Once there was a sufficient amount in her palm, she lapped it up and ran her tongue over her hands to catch every last drop.
Kyle stepped up to Ivan as Rayna's body trembled, keeping the attention of the wolves. He pulled at Ivan's hand, exposing the cut and pressed something feathery and thick into it, then pulled a white bandage from his bag and pressed it onto the plant and into Ivan's palm.
Watching Kyle, Crwys caught the scent of yarrow and smiled.
"What is that?" Ivan asked with interest.
"Yarrow. It's a natural astringent. And it'll stop the bleeding, so keep pressure there."
It was Arden that smiled at him and said, "Thank you, Kyle."
Rayna bent forward as if she were going to hurl, then straightened and lifted her face to the sky. Fire shot from her open mouth and the other wolves quickly moved away. Once the fire was gone, she coughed and fanned face. Dharma's Undine swam to her and offered her a hand-sized bubble. Rayna took it and sucked on it until it was gone.
"D-dragon," said Rayna. "Dragon's blood. The eyes are his own."
Dharma stood behind Ivan, her hand on his shoulder as he turned and the two of them squeezed each other tight. Crwys had the feeling that was the first time the two had done that in a while.
"You see," Arden stepped forward and looked at Ben. "If Court told you his eyes were the trade, you were deceived. But if you've done no damage to my home, and Bastien is well guarded, I will help you get his animus back."
With an eyebrow raised, Crwys watched as the wolves seemed a bit more…relaxed. They crowded around Arden as she went over what she would do, but they had to return to the cabin, to the Cairn there.
He turned to see Ivan, Dharma and Kyle approaching them. "You okay? You look like hell, kid."
"I've felt better, but I'm alive. And I needed to get out of that bed. I'm sore." His color was returning and Dharma had his hand in her grasp, keeping Kyle's bandage tight. "Have you seen Sam? Kyle told me what happened at Ina's."
"No, I haven't seen her. And right now," he pulled his phone from his pocket. No bars. Great. "I might go look for her."
"I think Arden might need you here," Dharma said. "She's really going to open the Cairn."
"Is that a good idea?"
"She's got to do something or Bastien's not going to make it. If there's a way to bargain for the animus, we have to try. And she's determined to do it."
"Then I wanna go too—" Ivan said.
"No. Uh uh. You go back to bed."
"Oh, screw that. I'm tired of laying on my ass."
Kyle leaned back and took a look at it. "Yeah, you're getting a fat one. Might want to move around."
Ivan grinned at his coven mate. "Asshole."
"Google Boy."
Arden approached them as the wolves disappeared into the woods. "We're opening the Cairn in a few hours. I suggest you all head into the house. Ivan, Crwys, you need showers and fresh clothing. I have both."
"Look," Crwys said. "I appreciate that, but I have to look for Sam."
"No. Don't worry. We'll find Sam once we're finished."
TWENTY THREE
SAMANTHA
Luckily, Brendi wasn't so broken she couldn't lead her new Unicorn and doll with its very own doggie into what used to be an inner garden. Or that's how it looked to me. When the castle was in its full glory, I could imagine the walls towering above the open square. The denizens inside would look out over what had once been a magnificent fountain but was now nothing more than a pile of rubble and ash. Ash covered everything.
But this wasn't ash from Crwys's fire.
What walls remained were little more than facades with no real back to them. A movie set held up with glue, hammer and nails. It gave the place a little bit of normalcy. At least we weren't in that damned throne room anymore.
Twisted, scorched husks of what Grey and I assumed had been shrubbery remained at the base of the hollowed walls. The brown and black grass clung to my horsey…fur? Hair? I'd never owned a horse, so I wasn't sure. It made my purpleness darker and the whole place smelled like burnt dinner.
Brendi didn't seem to notice as she sat beside me on the black grass that felt like straw beneath me. She braided my mane and wove in pieces of her slip. Grey said it looked very pretty. Medbh had gone very quiet since we moved the party out here. She leaned against my other side with her back to me, her arms crossed.
Brendi talked a lot. But none of it made sense. She sang and I watched her as she reached out to pet Grey now and then. Her ears were only slightly pointed, and her teeth—I'd seen them once when I asked her to show them to me—were sharp but not like a true Faerie's.
"…Gets it going sometimes," Brendi was saying as she brushed my bangs around my horn. "But that's okay. 'Cause see, Jan and Cindy didn't want that other one to know. The middle brother? It's hard 'cause there's so
many kids. We only had one, but that was because Mom didn't want any more…"
I turned my head to look at her and she stopped. Abruptly, through the jibber-jabber, something in there made sense. "Brendi, are you talking about The Brady Bunch?"
Her face brightened. "Yes! I watched it on the magical box when the wand Mom had wouldn't work. She would be awfully mad and would turn it off. But I turned it back on because I wanted to see what that little white doll would do."
The Brady Bunch. Little white doll. I assumed she was talking about the episode where they went to Hawaii and one of the brothers got the little amulet that brought bad luck. It was odd that she used some words to substitute for others. Like magic box for television and wand for remote control. Her two worlds, the human and the Faerie, had blended together.
"Brendi, do you remember your father?"
"Yes." Her lower lip stuck out, which looked strange on a girl that looked maybe eighteen.
"Do you remember his name?"
"Mike."
"And your last name?"
Her face showed that was a little more difficult. "Man…no, Ross! Brendi Ross!"
I thought of Mike and how upset he would be if he saw her like this. "Do you ever want to see your daddy?"
Now her hands dropped and she bowed her head. "I—I can't go back. He told me I could never go back."
"Who said that?"
"The Black Wood. He told me I was too bad now and I would…I had to make my name here." She touched my mane, her expression wistful. "I miss…"
"Yes?"
"I miss my mommy."
"Do you remember the last time you saw her?"
She nodded. "I got on a plane to fly to Daddy. He called her all summer about me going home to start school. But…" she shrugged. "She was too busy."
"And you started school with your daddy?"
"How in the name of Oberon's cock is this getting me my body back?" Medbh snipped.
"Sshh," Mom and I said at the same time, though it came out kinda full of phlegm since wolves and horses don't really have that kind of tongue control. I leaned my head over and bopped her on the head with my chin. "Watch your language."
Elemental Soul (The Eldritch Files Book 5) Page 16
