“Kind of. They’re like the boogeyman you never want to have to call in. But in this case, we’re left with no choice. Leaders within MECA are trying to eliminate other leath cine, and they’re working with a dangerous order whose main purpose is genocide.”
We arrive at the gate and file through two by two. Each of us steps through the wooden frame wrapped in vines until finally Calder and Calum step through and we’re all in the human realm. I take a deep breath. The air tastes different here. There’s an edge of something metallic like aluminum that I didn’t notice for the twenty-three years I lived here. Funny how living in Faerie in the Goblin Kingdom can change the way you feel about what fresh air really is.
We head toward the two vans waiting for us. My crew, Dare, the twins, and I jump into one, the rest of the guys in another.
“Okay, everyone clear on the plan?” I look around and get nods of affirmation from everyone. Dare adds a squeeze to my thigh where his hand rests. I squeeze his hand with my own and turn back to learning as much as I can.
“D, why haven’t you told me who we’re crash-landing with yet? I need to know who it is so I can be prepared.” Unease skitters down my spine as I run through the possible bad scenarios Doyle could be trying to avoid telling me about.
Doyle twists around from the front seat of the van and locks his gaze with mine. “It’s Gwynn, Ev. We’re meeting with Gwynn.”
My mouth opens and closes as I try to process what he just said. Gwynn is supposedly descended from the lord of the underworld for which he is so named. It’s rumored that his father is the leader of the wild hunt. I look around at my crew and take a mental count of how many people we have with us. We don’t have enough. We’re about to walk into hell’s mouth, and we only have twelve people. Anxiety pinches my chest as visions of members of my crew and Dare’s being torn apart by hounds of the wild hunt dance through my head.
I return my focus to Doyle. “Gwynn?” I have to ask. Maybe I heard wrong. Maybe we are meeting with someone else. Someone not known for hacking off heads first and asking questions later. Someone who isn’t known for being a wee bit unstable.
“Gwynn. He’s our best bet. I know that’s not very reassuring considering the rumors…” Doyle trails off.
“Fuck!” I throw my empty coffee cup at the back doors of the van. “You should have told me before we left, D. We don’t have enough men with us. He lives in a fucking fortress and he’s the most heavily guarded of all of them.” My heart pounds in my chest and I look to Dare like he has the answers.
“I do not understand. What is the problem with this Gwynn?” Dare looks to Doyle.
“Rumor has it he’s the only son of Gwynn Ap Nudd.”
“King of the Wild Hunt Gwynn Ap Nudd?” Calder asks.
“Yeah, that one. Gods damnit!” I slap my hand on my thigh, the sting bringing me a moment of clarity through the heavy black smoke of my thoughts.
“And why are we worried?” Calder leans forward.
“Because he’s the creator of the guards. He created all of our training, all of our tactics, everything. He’ll see us coming from a mile away, which seriously hamstrings us. It leaves us with seven of you who can surprise him and five of us who might as well cuff ourselves and wait to be beheaded.” I never should have let Doyle and Axel have full rein on this. I thought they were smarter than this. Smart enough to not throw us into another situation that we have little hope of getting out of fully unscathed. My mind races frantically as I try to formulate another plan for us. “This changes everything. Our plan is absolute shit now.”
“No it’s not. Think about it, Ev.”
I wave a hand for Doyle to continue, my patience fraying around the edges.
“How many people have come up with elaborate schemes and plans to get to him? He’s ready for all the crazy stuff. He’s ready for an ambush, for snipers, and for people to sift in. He’s ready for all of that. What he’s probably not expecting is for a group of leath cine and goblins to walk up to his door, ring the doorbell, and request a chat.”
I look to Dare. He tightens his grip on my thigh before rubbing his hand down to my knee and back up again. “I think it’s simple enough that it could work. We’re not trying to attack him; we only want to talk with him. I see no reason he would harm us.”
“Besides the fact that he’s fucking insane?” I shake my head and look to Eryn. I lean forward, my forearms on my knees, my hands clasped. “Did you know about this?”
“We all did. We wanted to handle as much as we could so it wouldn’t land on your plate. It’s already full enough.” She reaches forward and lays a hand over mine.
“You guys should have told me about this. This is total bullshit. So now, instead of coming up with a new plan, we’re just going to walk up and ring the doorbell of one of the deadliest leath cine who’s ever lived?” My voice drips with sarcasm and scorn.
“Correct.” Doyle nods.
“Little tine, I think you might be overreacting.” Dare turns my face to his with a finger under my chin.
“I’m overreacting? My crew went behind my back and kept something vitally important from me. On purpose.” Betrayal slivers over me, cold and sticky. Is my own crew removing me from leadership? Part of me is livid. Another part of me doesn’t blame them. I’ve been a horrible leader the past few weeks. I’ve been crippled by my inability to make a decision, and it’s affected our dynamic.
“They did it to protect you. So you wouldn’t worry unnecessarily.” Dare lowers his voice even though in these close quarters everyone will still hear everything he says. “You have been worried enough about everything. Allow them this kindness. This wasn’t done with malice, but instead done to give you some freedom from having to make the decisions.”
I lean my head back against the cold metal of the van and close my eyes to think for a moment. Dare’s words are exactly what I was thinking. And I can’t blame them for making this call. I can’t. The plan is simple enough that it just might work. Maybe. I only wish I’d known all the circumstances ahead of time so we could have better prepared. Had teams on standby if we weren’t back by a certain time. Told people where we’re really going instead of keeping it as need-to-know only. My biggest priority the past few weeks has been to minimize my impact on others with each decision I make. This time, I have no impact. The thought is freeing. My mind clears, my breathing slows, and that heavy feeling of betrayal dissipates.
“I could strangle each of you. But for right now, I’ll thank you. I promise I won’t be like this forever.” I meet each of my crew’s gazes head on. Axel’s, Eryn’s, Doyle’s, and then Kirin’s in the rearview mirror.
“We know, Ev.” Doyle smiles at me and I nod.
“Is it always like this? All these girly feelings flying around?” Calder asks Dare.
Dare looks at all of us before turning back to where the twins sit. “No. It’s not. Be thankful that they’re in a forgiving mood or your jest would probably get you a black eye.”
Axel twirls a knife between his fingers, his movements sure and quick. “At the very least.”
“Whenever you’re ready, Axel. We’ll see who’s better with a blade,” Calder challenges.
I laugh. To date, we haven’t come across anyone with a deadlier accuracy with a blade than Axel. I’m skilled, but he’s an expert. “Calder, be careful what you say. None of us back down from a challenge. If you’d like to maintain your current status as best among the goblins, I’d leave it be.”
Calder raises an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
A thunk sounds and a blade lands next to Calder’s head. A lock of his jet-black hair falls to his shoulder and Calum whistles, leaning away from his twin.
“I’d say that’s so. Stop irritating them. We’re here to support them, not piss them off.” Calum pulls the knife out of the van and hands it back to Axel. “Sorry. He has no concept of danger.”
Calder rolls his eyes, but he keeps his mouth shut.
We all grab on to
what we can as we start down a bumpy road. The lack of padding on the seats leaves my ass feeling like I just rode a horse bareback for days.
“Any end in sight, Kirin?” I clench my teeth together so I don’t bite off my tongue as I bounce around.
“Almost there.” He grins like a lunatic over his shoulder.
After what seems like forever but is really only another three minutes or so, we come to a screeching halt.
“We’re here.” Doyle mutters the words softly like he’s afraid someone will hear them.
I duck my head and walk toward the front of the van so I can see out the windshield. We’re at the edge of a clearing. One side is open field, the other dense trees. We all wait like we planned, searching our surroundings for anything or anyone out of place. Every muscle in my body is tensed. My thighs ready to spring into action, my hand a breath away from the gun holstered on my thigh. After five minutes with no signs of life, I back up and grab my leather jacket from the bench. I throw it on, concealing the shoulder holster and the three blades sheathed at my lower back.
“I didn’t see anything. Kirin, sensing any magical traces? Eryn, any emotional ones?”
“Nothing here.” Kirin takes the keys out of the ignition before tossing them in the glove box.
“Same here. I’m not getting a feel for anything.” Eryn stands and pulls the door handle, opening the door.
I step out first, sending out my senses. Wet earth, pine, and wildflowers permeate the breeze. Leaves rustle and branches sway. I give the signal and everyone files out of both vehicles at once. Dare didn’t like this part of the plan but we figured that if anyone was going to get an audience with one of the Original Few, it would be the leader of the number one crew MECA’s seen since they had first formed MECA.
Dare stands close beside me, his body throwing off heat. It’s getting colder now that Yule is approaching. I let his warmth relax my muscles until I’m no longer tensed for action but I’m aware and ready for anything. That clear space inside my head opens up and I open the door, readying to step inside.
“We ready for this? Everyone knows where they’re going? What they’re doing?”
My crew gives their assent, and Dare’s crew just nods.
“Coms on?” I hear eleven clicks in my ear for each one of them. I insisted that the goblins wear them for this mission. We’re going up against some of MECA’s finest guards here, and I won’t be able to focus on what I need to if I’m worried about everyone individually because they’re out of contact. “Okay, let’s do this.”
We fan out, all of us low to the ground, weapons ready. I take point in our triangle, Dare tight on my right side, Doyle on my left. We advance into the trees until we’re surrounded by them. Light disappears and we all stop at once to let our eyes adjust. Thirty seconds later, we continue. Six hundred feet, five hundred feet, four hundred feet. Closer and closer. One hundred feet away, Doyle gives the signal and everyone tightens ranks.
The cabin looks like a fortress. Two stories tall and rectangular, it backs up into a hillside, which I’m sure was done on purpose. One less side to defend. Metal bars cover the windows and the door looks to be solid, thick wood. I look up to the trees and search out their sentries. I don’t find any of them. I wait as everyone else does their own checks. Dare taps my right shoulder and Doyle nudges my left elbow. Everyone’s done.
I step through that door in my head and push out everything else but what needs to be done and what is happening in front of me. I take a deep breath and exhale. I holster my gun and listen to the clicks and snaps of everyone else doing the same with their weapons. If we’re going to claim that we’re here peacefully, we have to approach without guns pointed at the front door. We decided that Dare, Calder, and Doyle will come in with me with everyone else standing guard outside.
“Ready?” I whisper the words into my com and stand up fully, making sure to keep my body hidden by a thick tree trunk.
Dare brushes against my right and Calder appears to my left, nodding. Doyle taps my shoulder, letting me know he’s behind me and ready to go.
We step forward as one and walk quickly to the tree line, our hands at our sides, palms facing the cabin to show we mean no harm. We get no farther than a few paces into the open yard in front of the house before guards appear with weapons drawn, seemingly from thin air, their guns pointed squarely at our chests.
My heartbeat picks up speed but I don’t falter in my stride. I came here to shed some light on long-kept secrets. There’s no turning back now.
Let the dance begin.
CHAPTER
EIGHT
“That’s far enough!” one of the guards on the deck yells out.
We all stop and hold our hands up and out so they can see we aren’t reaching for any weapons.
“State your business here.”
I search to see who’s speaking. It’s the largest guard of them all. He stands front and center, his gun pointed squarely at my chest. I didn’t expect their leader to be so accessible. I weigh exactly what I want to say in my head before I decide that I better just be blunt about it.
“I’m Ever Leath. Leader of the top crew within MECA since the Original Few. I’m here to talk with Gwynn.”
“You’re here to talk with who? There’s no one here by that name.”
I roll my eyes. Guess we’re going to play dumb. “Really? Do you think I was born yesterday? I know he’s in there. Probably standing behind”—I point at the front door—“that door. Are you going to stand here and waste my time, or are you going to let me in? I came peacefully, without weapons drawn.”
“Remove all of your weapons and maybe we’ll let you in.”
I laugh. Maybe he isn’t the leader but just a mouthpiece? “You know that’s not going to happen. Please tell me that you are not in charge here. Your negotiation skills are severely lacking.” It’s been awhile since I’ve been in a situation this charged with tension. I forgot the adrenaline high that accompanies it. That electric charge that lights the air and makes your skin tingle. It makes me bold and fills my body with excitement until I can barely stand still.
“Ever.” Dare growls my name under his breath.
I lean my head to the side and respond to Dare. “What? They are. Obviously I’m going to get nowhere with him.” I raise my voice and turn back to the guards in front of me. “Which of you is the head guard or leader or whatever you call yourself?”
No one moves or acknowledges me. I shrug and look at Calder. He shakes his head. I bounce back and forth from foot to foot. I watch the guards’ reactions as I move. They all follow me, their aim steady. So they’ve picked me as the most viable threat. Interesting. If they intended to kill me, though, they’d have pulled the trigger minutes ago.
“D, what do you say?” I turn my back to them to ask the question, watching Doyle’s eyes as he keeps his attention sharp on them.
“I think you’re pushing it, Ev.” His words are delivered through a gritted smile. He hasn’t tensed, though, so I know no one behind me made any moves toward me.
“You know what?” I hold up one finger and spin around. “I think I’m just going to go up and ring the doorbell. I think Gwynn would like to know what I know and hear what I have to say.” I hold a hand out to Dare. “You coming?” I make my voice as cheery as I can while taking a gamble that could either end with a bullet in my chest or access to the answers I need.
Dare’s eyes are wide as his gaze bounces from me to the ten men on the deck with rifles aimed at us. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Ever.”
“Nah. I think it’s perfect. These morons lost their advantage.” I tug on Dare’s hand and step forward. “Coming, Calder? Doyle?”
Calder chuckles and stays tight to my left as I take one step closer to the stairs leading up to the deck, then another, and another. I keep my focus on listening for the sound of a safety clicking off, but I hear nothing but shifting gear and rubber soles on wooden planks.
“See? I tol
d you.” We reach the bottom of the steps and I touch a hand to the railing, my muscles tensed again, my other hand no longer in Dare’s but hanging by my gun.
The moment my hand touches the railing, wood scrapes against wood and the giant door above me swings inward. A man steps forward and stares down at me. I freeze in place and take him in. He’s tall. Taller than Dare, but he’s whipcord lean with narrow shoulders. His eyes are dual rings of brick red and storm-cloud grey. He’s in all black, weapons holstered on each thigh, and his grey hair is cut close to his scalp. I finish my appraisal and find his gaze waiting for mine. I wait for him to speak first, questions flying through my mind at the speed of light.
“You took a chance not many would risk.” His voice is low but melodic with a hint of an accent.
“Are you Gwynn?” I ignore his statement. I’m fully aware of the fact that my actions could have put myself and others in danger. What I need to know is if he’s the man I wish to speak to or a pawn that speaks for him.
“Yes. I’m Gwynn. And you are Ever Leath. I’ve heard of you, even way out here.” He clasps his hands in front of him. “You are smaller than I thought you would be.”
I smile. “I’ve heard that before. I’m here peacefully. I need to speak with you about what’s going on in MECA. If I step on the stairs, will a bullet go through me, or can I stop shouting from down here?”
“What makes you think I care about what’s happening at MECA, girl?”
I plant a foot solidly on the bottom step. “No offense to you and your men, but I’m not sure who here has contacts where. For all I know, they could give the information and my location to my enemies. I’d rather that not happen. So you can invite me and my three friends in with our word that no harm will come to you and yours so long as no harm befalls me and mine.”
Throne of Secrets (Wicked Kingdoms Book 3) Page 7
