"Nothing. The man's a douche." Dorian started walking towards the place he'd left his motorcycle.
"What happened?"
"He politely invited me to become his hunting dog before he drilled into my mind and then turned on me like a backstabbing—"
"Does that mean he didn't give you the plans?"
"Not only that he didn't give me the plans, but now he wants me to deliver someone to him."
"Who?"
"A girl."
"A girl? Intriguing. What girl?"
Dorian told his friend everything that had happened from the moment they had split up at the vampires' lair up until the meeting with Tara. He also told him about the conversation with Kane. He could almost feel the pressure inside his brain again just from remembering Kane's method of collecting information. Raven, always fascinated with humans, hung on to every word, like a child listening to his favorite bedtime story.
"So what do you think makes her so special?" he asked when Dorian was finished talking.
"That's what I want you to find out. There's a reason the Elwoods went out of their way to save her and Kane knows that as well. I want you to learn everything you can about her."
"What do you think he wants with her?"
"Not a clue. But knowing Kane, it can't be good, so if I am to deliver her to him, I want to know why I'm signing her death sentence."
9
I Need an Answer
"Iris?" she heard her grandmother's voice from the kitchen as soon as she walked through the door. "Oh, thank God you're okay." The woman threw her arms around her granddaughter. It felt good being wrapped in her grandmother's arms, where she'd always felt protected and safe, and that was precisely what Iris needed in that moment. Her world had been turned upside down. She needed a tether to normalcy and her grandmother was exactly that.
"How's Marion?"
Iris fought back the memory of the Elwoods on top of her friend. "She's fine. We just dropped her off."
She hadn't lied. Surprisingly, Marion was fine. When Iris and Connor woke her up she seemed her usual, cheerful self. She remembered the events of that morning exactly the way Iris and the Elwoods had practiced. No hellhound, no miracle healing, no sleeping water.
"What happened?" Elizabeth asked.
"I hit a mountain lion on Chestnut Road. The car broke down and there was no cell signal. Connor eventually came to get us."
"That boy is an angel."
No, he's Fae, Iris thought, looking at Elizabeth. Before her parents' accident, Iris' memory of her grandmother was that of a graceful woman with dark hair, kind eyes and a warm smile. When they met for the first time after the tragedy, streaks of gray ran from her temples towards an elegantly coiffed chignon at the back of her head. When she smiled, two deep lines, which had been barely visible before, now dug into her cheeks at each corner of her mouth. Thinking of how heartbroken she was at the loss of her parents, especially as she grew older and really comprehended the immensity of that loss, Iris could only imagine what it meant for Elizabeth to lose her only son.
"Go wash up and come down to eat something. You must be starving."
Iris noticed something in her grandmother's expression, as if she wanted to say something but was waiting for the right moment. From the corner of her eye she saw a suitcase leaning against the couch in the living room. "What's going on, Grandma?"
The woman hesitated for a few moments. "It's your Aunt Margret. She's not well."
Iris had very few memories of her grandmother's sister, most of them from when she was little, and even those were scarce—Thanksgiving dinners, birthdays and Christmas presents. That was before Margret discovered she had breast cancer. After she started treatment, they barely saw each other anymore. But Elizabeth would go visit every once in a while and the sisters talked on the phone regularly, so Iris knew that her grandmother wanted to say goodbye.
"Go," she said. The news about her aunt saddened her but she was also happy that her grandmother had a reason to leave town. Forest Hills was the last place Iris wanted her to be at the moment.
"Are you going to be okay for… a few days?" Elizabeth's voice trembled and broke as she spoke those last three words.
Iris tried to sound as reassuring as she could. "Grandma, I'm sixteen. I'm pretty sure I can survive a few days without you."
"I hate to leave you alone. Especially after what happened today."
"Go. She's your sister. What time does your train leave?"
"In an hour."
"Do you need a ride to the station? Let me just take a shower and change—"
"No. I've already booked a cab."
Iris hugged her grandmother. She couldn't imagine what could offer more solace than the chance of saying goodbye to someone you loved and knew was going to die. She wished she'd had the chance to do that with her parents.
When Connor got home his sister and his grandmother were at the kitchen table. The Book of the Past was open at the page about the hellhounds.
"How did it go?" Lorelai asked as soon as he stepped through the door.
"Not well. She's angry, confused. And she wants answers."
"Yeah, well, so do we. Like who would be stupid enough to resurrect a hellhound and how are we going to deal with this before the Council gets wind of it?"
"Agatha might be able to help us," Connor said, happy he'd found a means to tackle Iris' request.
Lorelai's eyes lit up. "Grandma?"
"I already thought of her," the woman said. "But I think she's already left."
"It's worth to try, though, right?"
"I suppose."
"Grandma…" Connor was trying to find the right way to ask a question whose answer he hoped would be yes instead of the usual no. "Speaking of Agatha… She might be able to help Iris…"
"Absolutely no," Aeryn said on a tone that didn't leave room for protests.
"She's looking for answers. We just pulled her into this world that up until today she thought only existed in books. We made her part of it. It's only fair that she find out her role in all of this, don't you think?"
"Connor, you know Agatha. Until she asks for a visit, I can't take Iris to see her."
"But she might never ask to see her. Please, Grandma."
"No."
Connor clenched his fists behind his back. "We owe it to her."
Lorelai's eyes were two burning flames staring at him as she set her teacup down. A clinking sound pierced his ears when the porcelain saucer gave in under the force of the girl's hand. "We don't owe her a thing. If anything, she owes us for saving her life. Twice."
Iris was lying in bed trying to make sense of the events of the day. She'd taken a shower and said goodbye to her grandmother and, now that the house was quiet, all her thoughts were rattling in her head, making the room spin. You give off this energy. It's almost impossible not to notice—if you're one of us, of course. So what was she? Clearly she wasn't one of them. We're Fae. Was it possible that it was all just a bad dream and she would eventually wake up and the whole world would be like before? Connor would be just her best friend since childhood and maybe her boyfriend and Marion wouldn't have had her memories wiped.
She closed her eyes, thinking about their lives just hours before. A wave of anger rose in her chest. How dared they? Who did they think they were, playing with people like they were toys? Yes, Marion looked fine, but who knew what kind of damage lied dormant somewhere in the back of her mind? What if she woke up one day remembering everything and not knowing what to do with what she knew? Wouldn't she feel like she was going crazy? And what if she found out that Iris had known all along and kept it from her? Marion would never forgive her and their friendship would be ruined.
Maybe it was better to tell her now. Tell her everything. Marion wouldn't breathe a word to anyone. Iris trusted her. Yes. She would go over and tell her best friend the truth. The whole truth. And then face the consequences. They probably wouldn't be able to go back to the lives they'd had before t
he hellhound attack, before she found out about the Elwoods. But maybe in time they would manage to find at least a shred of normalcy, even knowing what their friends were. In the end, they were people with special abilities. Like geniuses of sorts. So she could control some dogs. So what? A lot of people could do that. Dog whisperers. There was nothing special about them other than their affinity.
She got up and headed downstairs. Just as she opened the front door her phone beeped. It was a message from Aeryn. If you want to see Agatha, meet me in Town Square at four o'clock.
She checked the time on her phone. Three fifteen. She had forty-five minutes, just enough to get to the square. But if she went, she wouldn't be able to talk to Marion and she was afraid that, if she postponed it, she wouldn't find the courage to do it anymore. On the other hand, if she didn't go, she knew that Aeryn wouldn't give her another chance to find out the truth about what she was.
It seemed that whatever she chose, she would lose something important. If her grandmother were there she would ask for advice. She wouldn't tell her the truth, naturally, but she would invent a similar situation, like when you talk about something that happened to a friend of a friend. She pictured how the conversation would go and what her grandmother would say. Do what your heart tells you, honey. Good advice, she told herself and, set on following it, she grabbed her messenger bag and the first hoodie that fell into her hand and darted out of the house.
10
Not Exactly the Answer I Was Hoping For
The first thing Dorian did when he got back to the Millers' was get rid of his soaking wet clothes and jump in the shower. Now he was sitting in an armchair in the living room, staring at the gloomy landscape on the other side of the windows.
The events of that morning kept replaying in his mind. He managed to push them back and clear his thoughts but her face kept coming back. It was like it had been imprinted on the back of his eyelids. What was it about her that felt so familiar to him? He was sure he'd never seen her before that morning and yet…
He heard the front door slam and he nearly jumped out of his seat. Raven walked in, brushing off the water in his hair. He advanced into the living room, leaving deep, wet, dirty footprints behind him, and let himself fall into the twin armchair next to Dorian's.
"So?" Dorian asked, anxious.
"Well, up until this morning Iris Davenport—that's her name—was the most ordinary human teenage girl on the face of the planet. Straight B student, never breaks the rules, nice to everyone although she has very few close friends. One of them, her BFF—that's best friend forever in human teenage speak, by the way—is the girl that was with her in the car today, one Marion Young. Anyway, this girl is more boring than a post office line."
"When have you ever waited in line at the post office?"
"I haven't, but I hear people complain about it a lot. Nevertheless, the point is that the only thing about her that stands out is the fact that she suffers from aquaphobia."
"She's afraid of water?"
"Yup."
"Yet she lives in a town where it rains for three quarters of the year. That's brave. What about her family?"
"She's an only child. Parents died in a car crash when she was little. She was with them when it happened. They were leaving town apparently. The weather was worse than today, her dad lost control of the wheel on Newport Bridge, and the car slid and broke through the safe rail. It's unclear how Iris managed to get out before the car fell into the river but the ambulance found her passed out on the sidewalk next to the accident site. Since there were no witnesses and the girl couldn't remember anything, the sheriff suspected that the dad pulled her out first, then went back for his wife but didn't make it in time before the car plunged. They recovered the wreck but her parents' bodies were never found. She lives with her grandmother now. The end."
"Are you certain she's human?"
"Yes. I checked her lineage. Father comes from a long line of librarians; in fact, he owns the town's old library. He bought the building when the administration wanted to close it down and build a commercial center instead. Mother was a nurse. Like I said, ordinary."
"She's anything but ordinary. She managed to escape a hellhound attack."
"Yeah. Because the Elwoods showed up."
"No. The hound was long gone when they got there. And even if they'd arrived while it was still there, it would have devoured them all."
"You think she can—"
"Control hellhounds? It might have crossed my mind. Either way, I'm telling you, there's something special about this girl and Kane's sudden interest in her proves it. I just wish I knew what that was."
"Okay. So now what?"
"Now it's time to meet the Elwoods."
For the people of Forest Hills, the Magic Cup was nothing but a normal spice shop where homeopathic enthusiasts and soccer moms with chronic headaches and expired prescriptions went to buy their favorite poison. For the Fae of Forest Hills, it was a constant source of information and a hub for the underground communities to stay in touch with each other without the Council knowing. It was a secret that everyone knew but no one talked about.
The owner, Alexia Thornton, known to everyone as Lexi, was a former pixie with bright red hair, sparkling eyes and an attitude to match. She would swear on her ancestors' graves, to anyone who asked her, that she never knew anything that was going on in, around and underneath the town, yet she always had something to offer if the client asked nicely—that is, if she got something in return.
With that in mind, Connor got out of the car and studied the shop from the other side of the road. Guardians were not very liked within the Fae community. Some hated them because they got to keep their powers when they entered the human world, but almost everyone hated them because the Guardians worked for the Council and the Council was responsible for everyone who'd been deemed a criminal and banned out of Aldera.
His sister and his grandmother would have killed him if they knew he was there but the books weren't telling them anything and they needed a way to fix the problem without contacting the Council. Lorelai was already turning every rock among her sources but so far no one knew anything or were too afraid to talk. The Magic Cup was a long shot. He was well aware of it. Lexi was not a friend, but if anyone knew anything about whoever was running around with a hellhound it was her.
It was almost closing time, so the shop was nearly empty when he walked in.
"I'll be right with you," Lexi called from the back when she heard the door chimes. A moment later she hopped into the front area, with a big smile on her face, but when she saw who was waiting for her at the counter her smile vanished. She was fair-skinned by nature and Connor didn't think her complexion could lose any more color, yet it did. It turned white as a sheet.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered, carefully looking around the shop to make sure no one was watching or listening.
Connor leaned over the counter. "I need your help," he whispered.
"Go away. You're not welcome here."
"Come on, Lexi. I'm sure you've heard about the attacks in the woods. I just need to know who's behind them."
"I don't know anything. Now leave."
He sighed. "Okay. We may have a loose hellhound killing people and if we don't stop it, the Council will."
Lexi looked at him for a moment, as if she was weighing her options. Connor hoped she would fear the Council more than she feared the rest of the Fae in town. When she shook her head, he tried another angle. "What if I gave you something in return?"
"I'm sorry. Like I said, I can't help you."
Elizabeth Davenport's Ford started with a coughing sound that made Iris think the car was older than her grandmother but it was still better than taking the bus to town. With her fear of driving, Iris had postponed getting her driver's license as long as she could, but eventually she realized she couldn't always rely on other people driving her around and the bus would only take her so far. Now she was seeing the advantages of h
aving her own means of transportation, although the fear of driving, especially when it rained, was still a constant trip companion.
The rain had stopped, though the sky was still dark and heavy, and Iris was a little more relaxed now that she could actually see where she was going. Plus, the traffic wasn't as maddening as in the morning, so that helped too. Still, with her keeping a high enough speed to not get pulled over for driving too slow and hindering the rest of the traffic—the other drivers honking and screaming at her didn't really bother her—it took her nearly forty-five minutes to get to Town's Square. Marion would have gotten there in half that time. The thought of her best friend brought back the memory of her lying on the Elwoods' couch, having her memories stolen from her, and it made Iris' heart skip a beat. She felt guilty for choosing to meet Aeryn instead of going over to Marion's and tell her the truth, but she promised herself that she would do it as soon as she got back home.
The Town Square, usually full of people, especially on weekends, was now almost completely deserted and, when the bells in St. Gabriel's Catholic Church tower marked four o'clock, their sound was deafening as it echoed across the empty space. Only a few stray passersby, probably forced to leave their homes on that weather, crossed the square in a hurry, throwing back drops of water from the wet cobblestoned pavement.
Before she even stopped the car, Iris noticed Aeryn sitting on one of the four benches placed around the water fountain towering in the middle of the square. Her back was straight, her gloved hands folded in her lap. The Elwoods had a thing for gloves—they rarely went outside without them. Iris figured it was some sort of germ phobia that had been passed from generation to generation.
Aeryn sat as if she was posing for a portrait, and Iris wondered whether it didn't bother her that she would get wet. Iris parked in the only spot available in sight, on the far end of a narrow street west of the square, and walked back towards the fountain.
The Fountain of Truth (Tales of the Dark Fae Book 1) Page 9
