The Fountain of Truth (Tales of the Dark Fae Book 1)

by Hadley Weaver

  "You sure took your sweet time." Dorian laughed and wiped a streak of blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

  Connor shrugged. "Traffic."

  Both he and Lorelai had their weapons ready for attack. Dorian took advantage of the distraction to hit Vincent and get back on his feet. The Elwoods darted forward and the fight resumed. Iris saw them make their way through the crowd like missiles through water, twirling and flying over the vampire's heads, and then she couldn't see anything anymore.

  22

  Painful Reprieve

  When she opened her eyes she was in her bed. She touched her shoulder as the memories of the warehouse fight began to come back. The pain was gone, probably thanks to the magical powers of the Elwoods' spheres. She took a quick shower and darted downstairs. She had to see Marion. Iris had let her down so many times lately and caused her so much pain. Now her mother was dead, and that too was because of Iris.

  When she opened the front door Dorian was standing on the porch. Iris gasped and jerked at the same time. His dark eyebrows were a straight line cut in half by a vertical deep furrow underneath his long silver bangs.

  "Have you lost your mind? Have you no fear at all?"

  He took her by surprise. She'd expected a mocking salute and a cheeky smile, yet he was serious. And angry.

  "Excuse me?"

  "You could have died. How could you go meet Vincent alone?"

  She went and sat on one of the chairs around the small round patio table on her front porch. He took the chair next to hers.

  "What was I supposed to do? Call the sheriff?"

  "You could have called me or Elwood."

  "I did call you."

  "Before. You could have called before you got tied up to a chair."

  They were both facing the street. On the other side, Marion's house was dark and quiet. A piece of police yellow tape caught under the living fence in front of the house was fluttering in the cold autumn breeze, a heartbreaking reminder of tragedy that had plagued her best friend.

  "Marion was in danger." Her voice broke. A tear rolled down her cheek and she rushed to wipe it away.

  Dorian paused for a moment. "I can see why Elwood fancies you so much. You both entertain this ridiculous delusion that there's good in everyone and everyone deserves to be saved but, no matter how desperately you try, you'll never be able to save everyone. You'll only end up getting yourself killed one day."

  "It's not a delusion. None of us is all good or all evil. We're all a mixture of both. That's why everyone can be saved. Including you."

  He looked at her in a way he'd never had before, as if he really wanted to believe her words. Sadly, it only lasted a second before he returned to his usual self. "Have you any idea how many lives I've taken? And I'm not just talking about those I was forced to take, but those I could have preserved yet chose not to."

  She shuddered. To hear a teenager speak like that was terrifying. Then again, neither of them was a regular teenager, Dorian least of all. She remembered Connor's story about the time Dorian had stayed with them. They had cuts all over, and Dorian had a stab wound on his side from front to back, like a sword had been run through him. He was unconscious for weeks. We didn't think he would survive. Her heart sank at the thought of all the horrible things that must have happened to Dorian prior to that. She had no doubt that he was telling the truth about the many lives he'd taken, but there was a hint of sadness in his voice that sparked in her, again, that burning desire to save him.

  "You're right. I don't. I have no idea. But what I do know is that we don't have to let our past define us. My grandmother always says that our lives are the result of our own choices. Good or bad, you can't change your past, but you can refuse to let it haunt you for the rest of your life."

  There it was again, that look that said I want to believe you. This time it lasted a second longer than before. A strand of hair fell over his dark eyes and she fought the impulse to lean over and slide it away.

  He sat there, staring at her, without saying a word. Without a reply to what she'd just said and afraid to push him, she decided to change the subject. "Thank you. For saving my life. Again."

  He smiled his usual cheeky smile. "I'm keeping score, you know. So far it's three to one."

  She smiled back. "How did I get home?"

  "Elwood brought you. He would have stayed to read you a bedtime story but Lorelai was in bad shape so he had to rush home."

  "Marion?"

  "She's fine. I had one of the bloodsuckers give her some of his blood and compel her to replace the events in the past twenty-four hours with an aimless stroll in the woods. I was forced to improvise since the wonder twins' magical toys only work in their hands, and Elwood was already on the way here with you while Lorelai was, well, rather indisposed at the moment."

  "Vincent?"

  "Got away. Again."

  "He's after you."

  "I know. Why do you think I'm here? I needed the Guardians to get rid of the hounds for me. They're the only ones who can do it. Had they listened to me, we wouldn't be here right now."

  "Why is he after you?"

  "I probably killed or ruined someone he loved."

  "No. That's not it."

  "Care to elaborate?"

  "He was framed. His wife and son were captured. He was hired to kill you in exchange for their release. But why?"

  "Sorry, love. I'm afraid I can't tell you that. At this point, whenever someone comes after me, I just deal with it without wasting too much time pondering on their reasons."

  "Even if they've been looking for you for the past six years?"

  A shade of surprise flashed over his face, but he didn't comment. He got up and headed towards the front steps. She followed him. At the front door, he turned around, reached into his pocket and took out a small object that he handed to her.

  "Where did you get this?" Iris took the statue and when their fingers touched a spark of electricity pricked the tip of her finger, forcing her to withdraw her hand.

  They stared at each other for a moment, without saying a word. The line between his eyebrows was gone and she clenched her fist to keep from touching his forehead to feel the smoothness of his light skin. He smiled and this time it touched his eyes and she couldn't help notice how beautiful they were in that moment, wide and unwary, even though he knew that he had a mark on his back.

  He slowly came closer, until his face was just a few inches away from hers. Iris' eyes widened and her cheeks exploded at the thought of what he might do next. "I am incredibly attractive, am I not?" he said, smiling.

  She jerked and took a step back. The statue slipped through her sweaty fingers and smashed against the hardwood floor. Dozens of little pieces of porcelain spread all over the porch. Iris looked at them in horror, cursing herself for being so clumsy, but then surprise took over as she noticed a piece of paper at her feet. She picked it up and turned it over. It was a business card, on it nothing but a name.

  "J.L. Kane," she said, more to herself. She didn't know anyone with that name but whoever it was they must have been important and they must have had some connection to the supernatural world, if her father had hidden their business card inside the statue of a Fae goddess.

  Dorian was staring at her, a mix of caution and surprise in his eyes. When he spoke, his voice sounded a bit off. "Aren't you going to ask me if I know him?"

  "Do you?"

  "I might."

  "So, who is he, then?" She was anxious. She'd been trying so desperately to find out what she was and finally, after so many dead ends, she had a possible lead.

  "What's in it for me?"

  "What?"

  "I might have some information that you want. What do I get in return if I give it to you?"

  "You know what? Forget it." She turned around and stepped inside. It didn't matter. She'd ask Connor. He had to know who J.L. Kane was.

  "Elwood's not gonna help you. You know that the only answer you'll get fr
om him is no."

  Could he read minds?

  "Well, at least he won't charge me for it." She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. She didn't hear him walk away but, when she looked through the peephole a second later, he wasn't there anymore.

  Iris knocked three times before Marion finally opened the door. Physically, she looked fine. Better than fine, actually. Her skin was glowing, even though she wasn't wearing any kind of makeup, and her hair looked like she'd just finished filming a shampoo commercial. But Iris knew that, inside, Marion was devastated.

  The house looked like a hurricane had just passed through it. All the furniture in the living-room was on the ground, there were shards of broken glass everywhere, and the walls were stained with blood. A red and gold table cloth was thrown on the floor next to the couch, probably to cover up the spot where Sarah's body had been found.

  Tears flooded Iris' eyes. "I am so sorry."

  Marion was gathering some books scattered on the floor. When she spoke her voice sounded faint and bleak. "The sheriff says it was a burglary. What could they possibly have expected to find here? We're not rich, we don't even go to restaurants or fancy dinner parties."

  "Is there anything I can do?"

  "No. My dad's flying in tonight." She paused and looked at an invisible spot in front of her for a while. "You know… I can't help thinking that if I'd been here… Maybe I could have…"

  Iris went to Marion, put down the books and took her hands. "There's nothing you could have done. Marion, this is not your fault." It's mine.

  The girl looked at Iris like she was seeing her for the first time. "You're right. It's not my fault."

  "You should rest. Come on." They went upstairs and Iris helped Marion get into bed. "I'll be here when you wake up."

  "That's okay. You don't have to stay."

  "Are you kidding? I'm not leaving you alone."

  "I'll only be alone for a few hours until my dad gets here. But I'll be asleep so I won't even notice it. Go."

  Iris didn't want to leave. She wanted to be there for her friend, even though there was nothing she could do for her. No amount of words or comfort would ever be able to fill the hole in Marion's heart. Iris knew that because she had one too.

  Marion insisted. "Go. It's okay."

  "If there's anything you need, anything at all, just call."

  Marion nodded. "Iris," she called, just as Iris was stepping over the threshold. "Do you think they're going to find whoever did this? Make them pay?"

  "Yeah. They'll pay."

  "I hope so."

  23

  A Deal with the Devil

  Iris had spent all night searching the internet like a madwoman, trying to find any detail about J.L. Kane, but for the first time in her life Google proved to be useless. She wasn't surprised, though. If he really was a supernatural being, he probably preferred to stay away from the World Wide Web. She'd ransacked her father's study, although it seemed ridiculous to hide someone's name in a statue and then leave details about them lying around. She'd even gone through the phonebook, twice, reading each and every name on the J, L and K pages, all in vain. J.L. Kane was a ghost. Figuratively. Literally, he could have been anything.

  Tired and frustrated, she got in the car and headed towards the Elwood mansion. She had to tell them about her conversation with Vincent anyway and she hoped to find a window to ask about Kane too.

  "He wants Dorian," she said as soon as Connor opened the front door. She barged inside without waiting for an invitation and went into the living room. Lorelai and Aeryn were sitting on the twin leather couches in the middle of the room. She told them everything that Vincent had revealed to her back at the warehouse.

  "So?" Lorelai asked.

  Iris sat next to Aeryn. "Don't you see? Someone went to a lot of trouble to make sure Dorian is out of the picture—stealing an object from the Treasury, framing Vincent for it, then stealing Satune's Seal and putting it on him so he could resurrect the hellhounds. I mean, however cruel Dorian may be, this is too much work for someone who just wants revenge for something he did. This is big."

  "We have no proof that what you're saying is true, other than the word of a madman. Who, for some reason, keeps coming back to life and escaping us."

  "It's the Seal," said Aeryn. "Besides control over the hounds, it also grants him immortality."

  "Which is why you need me to kill the hounds," Iris said.

  "No. The Council is handling that now."

  "My God, you people are stubborn."

  "Oh, you're the one to speak," Lorelai exploded. "If you hadn't been so bent on meddling in our business, we wouldn't be here right now."

  "Lorelai!"

  "No, Grandma. I'm tired of this. Ever since we told her about us, we've been battered and bruised more times than we had our entire lives here. We kept blaming Dorian for bringing this pest into town but it's actually Iris' fault. We put aside our mission and our methods of doing things to protect her, and now we're the ones who'll pay the price for our failure when the Council gets here."

  "Lorelai, enough!" Connor's voice made Iris jerk. Lorelai got up and left the room. Her words resounded in Iris' head long after the girl was gone.

  "It's not true," Connor said to her. "She's just frustrated. We all are." He raised his head at the same time as his grandmother and both looked into the foyer. There was nothing there but Aeryn got up and left the room. Iris heard her open the front door, although she hadn't heard the doorbell ring. "Stay here," Connor told her and went after his grandmother.

  Iris remained seated on the couch, listening.

  "Quite a mess you've got yourselves into," a voice said. It sounded familiar but Iris couldn't tell exactly where she'd heard it before. She got up and walked towards the foyer. In the doorframe, she hid behind the wall in the living room and kept listening. There was a pause and then the voice spoke again. "Come out, human."

  Iris walked into the foyer with slow, small steps. First she saw Aeryn, then Connor. They both looked at her with fear in their eyes. And then she saw the man who'd summoned her and she gasped as she remembered where she'd heard his voice before.

  "What a surprise," he said. His smile sent shivers down her spine. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon. And here of all places." He turned to Aeryn. "Care to explain?"

  "Iris and Connor are classmates. She's here to bring him some school assignments."

  "Please, Aeryn. Don't insult my intelligence. We both know that's not true. I can sense her." He turned to Iris. "These days, everyone seems to be lying to me about your identity."

  "Cyrus—"

  He raised his hand, interrupting Aeryn. "Exposing yourselves to a human, allowing for the town to be plagued by vampires and bloodhounds, putting the mission in danger like that..."

  "We can fix all that."

  "It's too late." He turned around and headed for the door. "If I were you, I'd make preparations for the aftermath."

  Iris knew what that meant. The Council would soon descend and burn the town to the ground. She couldn't let that happen.

  "No!"

  Cyrus turned around and looked at her as if she was a cockroach on a sandwich.

  "I was going to let you say goodbye to your loved ones but your impertinence just robbed you of that courtesy, human." He looked at Aeryn. "Get rid of her. Now."

  "I know a way to fix this problem without the Council's intervention," Iris blurted.

  "Iris, don't," Aeryn begged her. "This does not concern you."

  "It does, if it'll help save the people in this town."

  "Stay out of this, Iris," Connor implored.

  It was too late. She'd already caught Cyrus' attention. "Elaborate."

  "I can control the hellhounds."

  Both times she'd met Cyrus he seemed unable to show any kind of emotion. Whether he was bringing someone back from the brink of death or delivering a death sentence, his face muscles never moved a quarter of an inch, as if they were paralyzed.
And yet in that moment, for a split second, Iris thought she saw one of his eyebrows twitch.

  "How?" he asked.

  "What?"

  "How do you control them?"

  "I don't know. I just do. And I don't have any tattoos or special marks on me, if that's what you're wondering."

  He turned to Aeryn. "Is this ability proven?"

  Aeryn told him about the accident on Chestnut Road and the fight in the woods. Cyrus listened without taking his eyes off the woman. He kept staring at her, even after she was done talking, like he was deliberating. He turned his eyes to Connor, then Iris, then back to Aeryn.

  "I will give you another chance, if only to quench my curiosity regarding the human's ability. You will kill the hellhounds tonight and I will be there to watch. If you fail, tomorrow night the whole town will burn to the ground."

  Humans had a lot of sayings. Desperate times call for desperate measures was one of them. And Connor was desperate. He didn't blame Iris for anything that had happened lately but she was at the center of it all and, if he wanted to save her and his family from the wrath of the Council, he had to try everything. Including a deal with the devil.

  He parked the car in front of the warehouse and got out, inspecting the surroundings. He couldn't detect any unusual movement, but he knew better than to let his guard down. The warehouse door was open. He stopped in front of the entrance, listening to someone's heavy steps coming towards him.

  "I have to admit, you're the last person I expected to hear from," a voice resounded inside. A second later, Vincent stepped out of the darkness of the warehouse. "Please, do come in. I made tea. It's not every day that I get a visit from a Guardian."

  "I don't have time for this. I came to make a deal."

  "I'm intrigued. Though I don't know what you could possibly have to offer me."