“What’s wrong?” Angus said, looking back.
Yutani was frowning and he cocked his head, scanning the forest. “What did you hear?”
“I heard a click. There’s something here. I’m not sure where it was coming from, but I know the sound when someone cocks a crossbow.”
I paused, stretching out with my senses, trying to find out who might have a bead on us. A moment later, I heard the slight shift of a footstep on the snow, and instinct kicked in. I whirled, knocking Yutani to the ground as an arrow came flying his way. Angus dropped to the ground beside us.
“What? Who?” Yutani let out a snarl.
“Stay here,” I whispered. I began to crawl through the undergrowth as silently as I could. I felt a sense of curiosity drifting past, as if the archer was wondering whether he had missed. Good. Whoever was targeting us wasn’t sure if he had landed a hit. That gave us some wiggle room.
As I crept low, through the snow and ice, I began to hear breathing. Whoever was watching us was nervous. I could sense their worry and hesitation, and I found myself falling into hunter mode. I hadn’t brought my bow, but I was armed with two daggers, and I could do plenty of damage with them from the right angle.
As I drew close to the bowman, I paused and peeked through the undergrowth. It was a kobynok and he was peering in our direction, holding a bow and arrow. One of the sub-Fae, the kobynok was a winter goblin of sorts, shorter than regular goblins. He stood about three and a half feet, but his kind were crack shots with the bow, and they had no scruples. They’d happily kill a child as well as an adult.
The kobynok had a dagger hanging by his belt—and he was male, that I could see too clearly. But his attention was focused on the last place he had seen us. Kobynoks had good hearing, but since the Cruharach I moved much more quietly.
A bush stood to the right, behind the kobynok, and I slowly began to creep toward it, skirting him as I went. As I rounded the corner in back of him, I realized that I had one good shot to kill him outright. If I missed, he’d have a chance to grab his dagger.
Flipping the snap on both daggers, I eased them out of their sheaths as silently as possible. Then, gathering myself, I let out a soft breath and leaped out behind him, simultaneously plunging both daggers into his sides. I jacked them firmly into the flesh, twisting them to do the most damage I possibly could.
The kobynok didn’t even have the chance to let out a shriek. He just stiffened, and then fell to the ground. I quickly slid my daggers out of his side, cutting his throat for good measure. I pulled the bow and quiver of arrows away from his body and, just as with his goblin-cousins, within moments the kobynok began to melt, dissolving as though acid was eating his flesh. Five minutes later, there was a bubbling pile of goo left where he had been laying.
I glanced around, checking to see if there was anybody else, but caught sight of no one. Once I was reasonably sure we were secure, I stood up and trudged my way back through the snow to Yutani and Angus.
“Kobynok. What are the winter goblins doing around here?” I turned to Angus. “Have you seen any others in the area?”
He shook his head. “They never come down out of the mountains. Or at least, I thought they didn’t.” He paused as I handed him the bow and arrow. “Were these his?”
I nodded. “The bow’s made of birch, and the arrowheads are polished bone. That’s pretty unusual for sub-Fae. They’re usually equipped with rudimentary weapons. Birchwood bows are expensive and bone arrowheads require skill to make.”
Angus shouldered the bow and quiver, and led us on. Another ten minutes and we entered a clearing. A circle of boulders surrounded a tree stump, and on the tree stump was a stone that stood about a foot tall and six inches wide. It was carved from a dark rock, though there was something oddly familiar about it and was covered with sigils and symbols.
“So you think the Cailleach has broken out of the stone and taken over Fiona?” Angus knelt down beside the rock, staring at it like he’d never before seen it.
“Yeah, that’s what we’re saying,” I said. “And Angus, I’ll be honest, I think you knew she was in there. But regardless of whether that’s true, the stone’s empty.” I held my hands out to the rock, and the hum of energy almost made me pull away. There was great power here, but it felt dormant. It also reminded me of the energy I had sensed from Fiona. “The stone’s waiting—I think we can trap the Cailleach back in the stone, but it’s not going to be easy.”
“Should we take it?” Yutani glanced over at me.
I nodded. “If we leave it, we give Fiona the opportunity to destroy the stone, which she will if she thinks we’re on to her. She’ll know for certain once we take it, but maybe we can put a crimp in her plans. Angus, what can you remember your father telling you about this stone?”
Angus crouched in the snow by the stone, staring at it. “I remember him telling me the tales when I was little. I know you think I’m lying, but they seemed just like tall tales out of legend and lore. My father was serious about it, but you know how it is…I grew up believing that being keeper of the stone was an honorary position.” He shook his head. “In all that time, my father never mentioned anything about any danger attached to it.”
“Your father had to know—” I began, but Yutani shook his head.
“Don’t jump to conclusions,” he said. “Does the legend mention the last time the Cailleach was free? It may have been before Murray’s time.”
“I don’t know,” Angus said.
Yutani crossed his arms, shaking his head to shake off the snow on his hair. He suddenly stopped. “Someone’s coming.”
“Fiona,” I whispered. “She can’t find us here.”
“I’ll take care of this,” Yutani said. He stood back and began shedding his clothing. I was used to this and gathered them up as he stripped. Angus was staring at us, but said nothing. When he was naked, Yutani turned to us.
“When I take off, grab the stone and get back to the car. I’ll find my way back to the hotel. Trust me on this.” He began to shimmer, transforming into his coyote shape, and before we could say a word, he darted out of sight.
“Crap. Herne’s going to kill me for this. Grab the stone and do as Yutani said.” I began to retrace our steps, hoping we could manage to escape before Fiona caught us.
As we swung around a curve in the path, I held up one hand. There, in a patch of woods ahead, was Fiona. She was wearing a long white dress, with an icy headdress atop her copper locks. She was looking for something, and I could only hope that Yutani had managed to catch her attention. I motioned for Angus to follow me and we silently sped by, keeping to ourselves, as the snow continued to fall.
CHAPTER EIGHT
We slipped out of the thicket and raced over to the car, Angus tucking the stone into the crook of his arm. There was another vehicle in the driveway. I turned to Angus.
“Hers?” I pointed to the SUV.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“Get in.” I fumbled through Yutani’s pockets and found the keys to Herne’s Expedition, unlocking the doors as we raced toward it. As worried as I was about Yutani, I was more worried about Fiona catching us.
I yanked open the driver’s door and jumped into the seat, tossing Yutani’s things in the back. I prayed that he could evade her long enough to get away. I fumbled with the keys, finally managing to turn the ignition. As the car started, I fastened my seatbelt. Angus was staring at the trees, looking like he was about to cry.
“Hold on tight,” I said, backing out of the driveway and turning abruptly onto the road. I wasn’t used to driving on snow, but I’d better learn fast.
Behind us there was a sudden burst of thunder, and the snow began pouring down so fast that even the window wipers weren’t able to keep up with it. I bit my lip as I navigated through the sudden whiteout, hitting the gas and praying for the best. I could feel her anger behind us, roiling along with the clouds.
“What about Yutani?” Angus finally managed to say.
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“We’ll have to hope he can get out,” I said, trying to avoid thinking about him. I had to focus on driving, or we’d be in deep shit if I spun out. Fiona was after us—or rather, the Cailleach was—and I wasn’t sure just what she could do.
Finally, we shot off of Olympus Boulevard onto Oak Bay Road, and a few minutes later, I was pulling into the parking lot at the hotel. I leaned back in my seat, staring at the snow that was falling so hard that I could barely see.
“Come on. Let’s get inside. Herne needs to know what Yutani did. We may have to mount a rescue mission.” As we stumbled out of the car, I took a deep breath. We had made it, but how safe would we be here? As I hustled Angus toward the hotel, a blast of wind gusted past us and I thought I could hear something howling on it.
As we entered the hotel, I dashed for the stairs, Angus on my heels. I didn’t want to wait for the elevator, and it had occurred to me that the Cailleach could summon up a storm strong enough to bring down the power lines. I didn’t want to get caught in the elevator, not just for one flight of stairs. As we headed down the hall toward Herne’s room, I was grateful that I had made the decision as the lights flickered and died.
“Crap. The power.” I pulled out the flashlight that I’d attached to my key chain. It was a narrow beam, but strong. As we came to Herne’s door, I rapped on it. A moment later, he opened it, letting me in.
“Where’s Yutani? What’s going on?” he asked.
Angus set the stone on the desk and stood back. “Fiona knows,” he said, his voice a whisper. “Here’s the stone.”
“Where’s Yutani?” Herne glanced around.
“I don’t know,” I said, feeling weak-kneed. “He shifted form to distract Fiona so we could get away.” I glanced out the window. “I’m pretty sure the Cailleach is driving the storm that took out the power. I could hear her on the wind.”
Herne paled in the beam of my flashlight. “Stay here. I’ll be back.” He grabbed on his coat and headed out the door. “Talia, call Viktor and ask him what’s going down. We can’t track Angel without power.”
As the door shut behind him, Talia called Viktor. Meanwhile, I sat down by the stone, staring at it. “I wonder if she can track where it is.”
“What are Fiona’s chances?” Angus asked, sitting beside me. His face was a mask of pain.
I shook my head. “I can’t answer that, Angus. The Cailleach is a force like none I’ve dealt with. You’d have to ask Herne, but I’m not even sure if he knows.”
Talia joined us, staring at her phone. “Viktor texted Angel to get the hell out of Nalcops’s office and he’s waiting on her now.” She gazed at the stone. “So, this is what’s caused all the fuss. Angus, did it never occur to you that there was something to the old legends? I’m not trying to needle you, boy, but did you really think your father watched over this stone day and night simply because it was tradition?”
Angus started to answer, then paused. After a moment, his shoulders slumped as he said, “All right. Truth? I didn’t want to leave here. I didn’t want to give up my life here and go back to Scotland. Over the years, as my father grew ill, I convinced myself that I could watch over the stone from here, and that what he said about never moving it was simply his way of trying to bring me home. He wasn’t happy when Fiona and I moved over here.”
“Then you knew this was a bad idea,” Herne said from the door as he opened it. Yutani was following him, naked with just Herne’s jacket draped around his midsection. “You know the Cailleach is real. You just chose to cover your ears and sing ‘La-la-la-la’ and put everyone in danger rather than do your duty. Is that what you’re saying?”
From where he was standing, Herne’s eyes glittered in the reflection of his flashlight, and the strength of his voice made me shiver. He was furious. I was grateful that I wasn’t in Angus’s shoes right now, though I did feel sorry for the man. He had chosen to try to alter his destiny and it hadn’t turned out right.
Yutani raised his hand to me, nodding. “I’ll be back in a moment. I need to dress.”
“I have your clothes right here,” I said, holding up the sack in which I’d put them.
“Thanks.” He took it and headed for the bathroom.
Angus looked miserable. He swallowed as Herne just stared at him.
“Did you get hold of Viktor?” Herne asked Talia without looking away from Angus.
Talia was watching the two men carefully. “Yes. The power outage didn’t hit Port Gamble. Viktor’s close enough to see the front door. The power going out took us offline, though, and so he can’t tie in to the tracking app that Yutani created. He’s waiting for her to come out. I told him if she’s in there too long, use his judgment on when to go after her.”
“Viktor’s got a good head on his shoulders. He’ll make the right decision.” Herne glanced out the window. The snow had reached whiteout conditions and it was almost impossible to see the road.
“Herne, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” Angus said. “Please believe me, if I thought that this would have happened, I’d never had asked them to ship the stone over here. I suppose there was a part of me that truly believed that nothing would happen. My family has watched over the stone since…I don’t know how many generations. Nothing has ever happened.”
Herne crossed his arms, still looking irate. “Perhaps that’s because all of the previous keepers followed instructions.”
I didn’t want to interfere, but the anguish on Angus’s face was apparent and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
“I think Angus realizes what he’s done,” I ventured, keeping my voice neutral.
Without missing a beat, Herne said, “As well he should. But now the entire town—if not the entire peninsula—is in danger. In fact, the Cailleach is a force that the entire world should fear. She can usher in ice ages.”
Angus hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Does this mean I’m on my own with this?”
Herne let out a long sigh. “No. It does not. Although it would serve you right. But there are innocent people in danger due to your poor choices. We can’t just leave them on their own. And you and I…we have a long history, Angus Lesley. I gave you my word. But for now, you get yourself a room in the inn and you stay put. Don’t go home. She’ll kill you for sure if you do. We need to plan what to do, but right now, I want you out of my sight until I calm down. Do not disobey me on this.”
Angus stood, reaching for the stone but Herne stayed his hand. “Leave that here.”
“Aye, Herne. I’ll get myself a room.” With that, he left without another word.
Yutani came out of the bathroom, using the flashlight app on his phone. “Thank gods there was still hot water in the tank.”
“You took a shower in the dark?” I asked.
“A shower’s a shower, in the dark or the light.” He glanced around. “Where’s Angus?”
“Don’t ask,” Herne said, turning back to the stone. “The question is, how do we deal with this? What can stop the Cailleach? We need power so we can do some research—” Even as he spoke, the lights flickered and came back on. “Well, that helps.”
Yutani headed for the table. “I’ll man my laptop.”
“Hold on there,” Herne said. “What were you thinking, running off like that? You could have been killed.”
“You know that’s how we work in some situations. The bitch was coming for all of us. I gave Ember and Angus the chance to get away with the stone. That’s how we roll, dude.” Yutani shrugged, sitting down in one of the wing chairs, leaning his head back.
“Yeah, I know. And you probably saved their lives. I’m just angry that Angus put us in this spot to begin with.” Herne paced the room, stopping to stare at the stone.
“I know you’re angry with him, but don’t let this destroy your friendship.” Talia voiced what I had been thinking. “Angus made a terrible error in judgment, but don’t for the moment think he meant for this to happen.”
At that moment,
Raven tapped on the door, peeked in, and entered. She yawned, stretching. “Sorry. I felt the need for a nap.”
Yutani jumped up, offering her his seat, but she graciously refused, coming over to sit by me. For the past month or so, he had been badgering her to go out with him, and she had told him no several times, but he was like a moth to a flame. I wondered if we were going to have to talk to Herne about this as well. All in all, Yutani had been acting up like a two-year-old, though after he helped to save my life today, I was less inclined to be bitchy toward him.
Herne frowned, staring at Yutani for a moment, before he turned back to Talia. “I hear you. I do. But this isn’t just a minor slipup. However, we’ll help him, and then I’ll decide what to do. I’m not at all sure how to proceed. Yutani, can you run down to the restaurant and order coffee and pastries? I don’t want to bother with room service right now.”
The coyote shifter nodded, then vanished out the door. When he was gone, Herne turned to Raven. “Still bothering you?”
She blushed. “How did you know? I didn’t tell you.” Her jaw dropped and she gave me a quick look. “Did you tell him?”
“No, I didn’t. But I think you guys better finish your conversation before he gets back,” I said.
Raven gave Herne a nod. “Yeah. He’s still sniffing after me, but Ember’s right. This is neither the time nor the place to address it.”
It wasn’t long before Yutani entered the room again, a waiter behind him who was carrying a tray of coffee and various pastries. Yutani slid into his seat in front of his laptop and booted it up, quickly typing orders as soon as the screen lit up. A moment later he wiped his mouth and leaned back.
“Got the tracking system back for Angel.”
Herne pulled out his phone and quickly texted out a message. Another moment and he looked up. “Viktor says Angel’s still inside with Nalcops. Should I text her?”
“I wouldn’t,” Yutani said. “At least not now. How long has she been in there?”
The Silver Mist: A Wild Hunt Novel, Book 6 Page 9
