"Gloat? No, that's so beneath me. I just called to say I told you so."
"That's still gloating."
He laughed. "Well, if you still want to meet him…"
"What do I have to do in return?"
"Nothing."
"Really…"
"What can I say? I'm a generous lad. So what say you?"
"Of course."
"Great. Meet me outside your house."
"When?"
"Now."
Iris jumped on her feet and ran to the door. He was standing on the other side of the threshold.
"Now?" She checked her watch. "We have two hours before sunset."
"Excellent. We'll have time for a cup of tea before we set the woods on fire."
Connor knocked on the door for the third time, cursing his sister for giving Iris so much sleeping water. Now she was probably still in such a deep sleep that she couldn't even hear him knock. He focused on the inside of the house trying to listen to her heartbeat. When he couldn't hear anything, panic struck. He looked around to make sure no one saw him and took out his sphere. When the lock clicked, he burst inside and darted upstairs. Her bedroom was indeed empty just like all the other rooms. The house was a mess but nothing seemed to be broken. Still, just because there was no sign of a struggle didn't mean that something wrong hadn't happened to her. He took out his phone and called her. A buzzing sound came from under a blanket on the living room couch. Damn it, Iris!
He ran across the street. He hated to bother Marion but he had no choice. He knocked and, after a few seconds, he heard steps coming towards the door.
"Connor." Marion's father looked like he'd aged ten years since the last time they'd met, six months before.
"Hello, Mister Young. Please accept my condolences."
"Thank you. I'm sorry. If you're here to see Marion, she's resting now."
"Actually, I was wondering if Iris was here."
"No. I haven't seen her since I got back."
"Oh. Thank you. Please tell Marion I said hi."
He turned around and ran back to Iris' house before the door closed behind him. As soon as he got inside, he called the last person to see Iris, his sister. The girl answered on the fourth ring.
"What took you so long?"
"In case you forgot, I'm kind of busy trying to prevent a mass murder."
"Iris is missing."
"What do you mean, missing?"
"I mean she's not at her house."
"Maybe she's at Marion's."
"She's not. I checked."
"Have you tried calling her?"
"Of course I did. She left her phone at the house."
"Well, I don't know, Con—"
Connor's heart skipped a beat. "What? What is it?"
"Oh, she wouldn't…"
"Lorelai! Get out of your head!"
"She's probably in the Underground Society."
"What?!"
"She came across Kane's name and thought he might be able to tell her what she is. She asked me about him—"
"And you told her?!"
"You know how she gets when she focuses on something. She's like a dog with a bone."
"God damn it, Lorelai!"
"Please tell me you're not going after her. Connor—"
Whatever his sister had to say, it didn't matter now. All that mattered was Iris.
The last time she and Dorian were in the woods, she was carrying him on her back, desperate to save his life. This time they had Raven with them and she prayed that things would go better. She was excited and scared at the same time at the thought of meeting the only person who might be able to shed some light on what she was besides Agatha, who was gone and God knew when she would come back.
"How much further?" She stopped and leaned against a tree, panting. They'd been going up the mountain towards the twin Silent Peaks for half an hour and it seemed her two companions had forgotten that she was human. Now her leg muscles were on fire and her lungs expressed a painful desire for air.
"We'll be there in five minutes." Dorian extended his hand but she didn't take it.
"Five minutes calculated at human or Fae walking speed?"
Raven, who was a few steps ahead of them, turned around. "You see those rocks over there?" he asked, pointing at the mountain wall barely visible through the curtain of trees ahead of them. "That's where we're going."
Raven went ahead. Dorian stayed with Iris, watching her gasping for air. Her face must have been red from the effort and she wondered why it bothered her that he saw her that way.
"How did you know that Connor wouldn't take me to see Kane?" She was still panting but she started walking again, just so he wouldn't stare at her anymore.
"Guardians may be almighty, with their superpowers, terrific gadgets and deadly weapons, but there are still some places they can't enter. Well, not so much can't enter as they're not welcome to. One of these places is the Underground Society."
"Why?"
"Because they work for the Council and the Underground Society is a safe haven for everyone that the Council has banned into the human world. The Guardians stand for everything us, regular folk, hate."
His phone rang. He looked at the display and slipped it back in his pocket.
"Aren't you gonna answer that?"
"It's not important. What is important is that you remember one simple rule. Once we're inside, no matter what happens, don't talk to anyone, don't look at anyone funny, no matter how fascinating or monstrous they appear, and I can't stress this enough, do not, under any circumstances, leave our sides."
"Why?"
"Because anyone can enter the Underground Society but not everyone can leave."
25
The Underground Society
When they'd finally reached the small clearing in front of the mountain wall, Iris looked around for any sign of life other than the usual forest inhabitants, but there wasn't any.
"You won't see anyone out here," Dorian said.
Raven whistled and the sound pierced through the trees and lost itself in the woods. A second later, a hawk descended from behind the mountain top, going in circles a few feet above them.
Iris was anxious. "Well, where is everyone?"
"In there." Dorian pointed at the mountain in front of them. The stone wall cracked open with a rumbling sound that shook the ground beneath them. An avalanche of rocks fell at their feet and Dorian slipped his hand underneath her elbow and pulled her a few steps back. A tingling feeling shot through her arm but she didn't free herself from his hold. When the dust dissipated, Iris stared in awe at a dark passage inside the mountain.
Dorian looked at her and chuckled. "Why do you think they didn't let Benjamin Elliot build his famous bridge?"
Iris' eyes widened as the actual story behind the town's cursed bridge began to take form in her mind. "Because it would have passed right through the Underground Society. And the fortuneteller?"
"Not a fortuneteller."
"A Fae."
"Bingo. Now, let's do this. Oh, and Iris, don't do anything stupid."
It was the first time he actually called her by her name and she wasn't sure whether she should be happy or afraid.
They passed through the rocky arch, Raven on Iris' left, Dorian on her right. As soon as they were inside, the walls rumbled shut behind them. Iris looked around, trying to take it all in. They were in a massive cave that spread as far as the eyes could see, and she was curious to know how the roof didn't collapse without anything to support such a wide open space. There were strange symbols all over the walls. Iris couldn't help wondering if their purpose was to keep the place intact by defying all laws of physics or protect it against unwanted visitors. Like the Council, for instance.
Everywhere she turned her eyes, there were groups of supernaturals, some she could mistake for humans, some she'd only see in fairy tale books. They were dressed in every possible outfit from every possible era she could imagine, including a futuristic one. It w
as like Halloween on steroids and it was fascinating.
The place was swarming, reminding her of Magnolia Lane on a weekend. In fact, when she noticed a woman with glowing yellow eyes handing a beautiful pink stone to a bald man with strange tattoos on his head and two small horns coming out of his forehead, who, in turn, gave her a small vial of sand, Iris figured out that they were in a sort of market. She hadn't realized that she'd stopped until Raven grabbed her arm. He gave her an admonishing look and she suddenly remembered Dorian's warning. Once we're inside, no matter what happens, don't talk to anyone, don't look at anyone funny, no matter how fascinating or monstrous they appear, and, I can't stress this enough, do not, under any circumstances, leave our sides.
As they walked through the crowd, Iris noticed that everyone was staring at them. At her. Raven stepped in front of them. Dorian put a hand on Iris' lower back, leading her through the crowd. As soon as she was between him and Raven, he withdrew his hand but she could still tell that he was no more than a few inches away from her at all times. She tried not to stare at anyone in particular but it was harder said than done when everyone around her had something particular to stare at—fangs, fur, blue skin, pointed ears, horns and glowing eyes.
As they passed by a stall with shimmering jewelry, strategically displayed to attract the attention of the passersby, just like its neon-green-haired owner, Iris noticed a cage a few feet behind the girl. Inside it, a petite girl with bright red hair was lying on the floor. In another cage, two feet to the right, there was a boy crawled in a corner, his forehead resting on the cold, metal bars. He was shirtless and he had bruises all over his face and torso. When he raised his eyes and looked her way, Iris sighed and took a step towards him.
"Logan!"
Dorian grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
She tried to free herself. "That's Logan Campbell. He's a friend of mine."
Dorian leaned in and whispered in her ear. "I don't care if he's the Pope. If you want us to leave this place alive, you can't get involved in any of these people's businesses."
She understood what he'd said and yet something inside her took over. "Logan!"
The boy saw her and jumped to his feet, grabbing the metal bars of the cage. "Iris?!" As soon as he moved, so did a pale man who, up until then, had his back to the crowd. When he saw them, he hissed, revealing a pair of sharp canines, almost twice as long as the rest of his yellow teeth. Vampire. Iris gasped and jerked at the same time, taking a step back and bumping into Dorian who was standing a few inches behind her. He cursed and stepped in front of her just as the man darted towards them.
"You have some nerve, coming here," he said through his teeth.
Dorian put his palms up."Listen, mate. We're not here looking for trouble."
"You found trouble when you killed my brother."
"Who's your brother again?"
"His name was Keith and he was Max's right hand."
Iris heard Raven curse behind her. She shivered as the memory of the fight at the warehouse invaded her mind. She jerked and took a step back when the vampire grabbed Dorian by the collar. Dorian clenched his long fingers around the man's wrists to free himself, and the next thing Iris saw was the vampire kneeling on the ground, moaning and gasping, as Dorian held the man's arm twisted behind his back, threatening to break it. "As much as I would love to settle this with you, I believe it would go against the Underground Society's no-fighting policy. Raincheck? You can pick the time and place."
Before the vampire could answer, the crowd around them dissipated as five men dressed in black uniforms surrounded the scene. Dorian let go of the vampire's arm and moved next to Iris.
She turned to Raven. "They're Kane's guards," he whispered without taking his eyes off the five men in front of them.
One of them took a step forward. "Mr. Kane is waiting for you at the church."
Dorian smiled but his shoulders tensed. Two of the guards started walking back in the direction they'd come from. Raven, Iris and Dorian followed. The other three guards fell into formation a few steps behind.
Iris looked back at Logan. He was staring at her with pain in his eyes.
"We'll see each other outside," she heard the vampire yell as the crowd reassembled behind her until she couldn't see him anymore.
Dorian was walking with his hands behind his back, looking straight ahead. He was anxious and wary. He tried not to let it show but Iris could tell from his tense shoulders and his eyes, slightly narrower than usual, which reminded her of the first time she'd seen him, in the Elwoods' doorway.
"It's not polite to stare, love," he said without looking at her. She immediately turned her eyes ahead and he chuckled when her cheeks caught fire. "I know I'm fascinating, but try to focus on where you're going. I wouldn't want you to trip and fall on top of one of those squaddies in front of us. They really don't like being touched."
She stared at the gravel road, thinking about the strange creatures that made up the little town inside the mountain. Logan's face came to mind and she wondered how he would survive in there. She instinctively turned her head back, although she knew that she couldn't see him anymore.
"There's nothing you could have done for him." Iris looked at Dorian. He had to have some king of mind-reading ability. "He belongs to them now."
"But he's not a vampire."
"No. But they claimed him."
"Come again?"
"He's their human pet. They're his new owners now. Sort of like you're—"
"If you say the Elwoods' pet, I'm gonna kick you."
He chuckled. "I was going to say, sort of like you're the new owner of a puppy you found on the street and took home with you."
"This is ridiculous. He's not a puppy they found on the streets. And he has a family."
"I don't know what to tell you other than the fact that there's nothing you can do. According to Fae law, and especially Underground Society law, claimed humans cannot be touched by anyone other than their owners."
"But they're going to bleed him dry and kill him. Or turn him into one of them."
"Probably."
"I can't let that happen."
He stopped and put his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. His eyes were menacing. "Listen to me, love. Going near an already claimed human can only mean one thing. You're declaring war to their owner. And as much as I would love to rip that imbecile's head off his shoulders, I can't afford to do that. Not now, not in here. And trust me, he won't have the patience to wait for us to get out. He'll attack us now and all hell will break loose. Think of why we're here and what's at stake."
The guards signed them to keep moving.
"Fine. But promise me you'll help me save him."
Iris was so caught up in the conversation that she hadn't realized how loud her voice was. Dorian looked around to see whether someone was listening. "Why are you so stuck on this lad?" he whispered.
Iris lowered her voice. "Because he's my friend, and we had no idea he was in trouble. We all thought he was still backpacking in Europe. Also, because he's an innocent suffering at the hands of evil creatures more powerful than him."
"Are you asking me to start a riot for a mere human I don't even know? Sorry, love. Can't help you."
Iris was fighting back tears of frustration. "I don't even know why I asked."
"Neither do I. I would expect that by now you'd have already realized that I'm not the good guy in the story. Now fix yourself up. Those hair pins look like they're about to fall out and you want to look presentable."
They turned left. The more they advanced, the thinner the crowd got, until the stalls disappeared altogether. Instead of them, Iris could now see rock structures with holes in them, some square, some round, all covered by some sort of differently colored fabric. They almost seemed like… windows?
"Are those…"
"Living spaces, yes," Dorian answered. "Some of us don't like fresh air, others are downright allergic to it."
Iri
s inspected the structures, fascinated. Some of them had impressive carvings on the walls, like ancient Egyptian writings. Others had larger holes with metal bars going half way up, like balconies of sorts. Behind such a balcony was a young woman, seated on a big pillow on the floor, her back against the doorframe. She was reading a book and playing with a strand of her dark hair. When she raised her eyes to look at the street, they were glowing neon green.
"Ah, the Church of the Dead, a never-ending source of nightmares."
They'd stopped and Iris looked ahead to see what Raven was talking about. In front of them rose a massive structure the size of a real-world Gothic church. The blood froze in her veins when she realized that it was made entirely of bones. From the lowest of the ten entrance steps to the cross at the top, thousands of hollow eye sockets emerging from a terrifyingly artistic blend of skulls, tibias and God knew what other bones whose names she didn't remember, were staring back at her. She wanted to look away but somehow she was unable to take her eyes off it.
"Impressive, isn't it?" a voice said, drawing her attention away from the church.
Iris turned to see who it belonged to. A tall man was standing next to her, looking up at the church. He seemed to be in his fifties, but his eyes betrayed the wisdom and circumspection of a century-old elder. His skin was fair, as was his shoulder-length straight hair. He was wearing brown leather pants, tucked inside a pair of high mountain boots, and a large, red shirt with a black leather vest on top, in stark contrast with his pale skin and hair.
His hands were hidden behind his back and, when he spoke, he leaned forward ever so slightly. "It's our way of remembering the dead. I'm Kane by the way."
He smiled and extended his hand. Iris was about to shake it when Dorian grabbed her wrist. "How about we skip the pleasantries and get down to business? We're a bit pressed for time."
Kane withdrew his hand. He kept smiling but there was a strange look in his eyes that made Iris uneasy. "Very well, then," he said. "Follow me."
He went up the front steps of the church. Raven, Dorian and Iris followed. "Just the girl," Kane said without turning around. As he spoke, two of his guards planted themselves between Iris and her companions.
The Fountain of Truth (Tales of the Dark Fae Book 1) Page 23
