by Ioana Visan
“We should be safe for one more night,” Vale said, but he was looking at Rafe.
The blond Guardian glanced at the sky, the grass, the people around them, looking incredibly tired for a second, then he let out a sigh. “Okay. We’ll take her home.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
As the night enveloped the city, a cricket chirped from the bushes surrounding the house. Where is it? Where is it? Where is the bloody bug? The dogs sniffed around, annoyed that they couldn’t find the source of the noise. From time to time, they returned to the table on the back porch and whined for treats. Gimme, gimme! So Alise would toss them a cracker.
“You’re spoiling them,” Cassie said. “You’re worse than I am.”
“Let them live a little.” Alise scratched Ben behind the ears. They never knew if they would live to see another day.
Jerry rubbed his back against Rafe’s knee, hoping for some petting, too. The Guardian granted him a friendly look, but declined the request. He sat low in his chair and hadn’t moved since getting there. At times, he appeared to be half-asleep.
At the opposite side of the table, Vale moved cups and glasses around, folded and unfolded napkins, touched everything within his reach. He even pulled out his blade once when they were alone for a moment. The two Guardians had such different ways of dealing with the stress.
“Anyone want more juice?” Cassie asked, noticing the empty pitcher.
“Red orange juice?” Alise looked hopefully at her.
“Sure. I think there’s one more box,” Cassie said.
Alise waited for the girl to enter the house and close the door. “Okay, you both need to pull yourselves together,” she told the Guardians.
“We will, once you start talking,” Rafe replied. Under his deceivingly lowered eyelashes, his eyes glinted at her, fully alert.
She blinked. “About what?”
“I’m not going through that again.” Rafe shook his head, and Vale nodded. “We need to know what’s going on.”
Alise frowned. Why the sudden need to return to that topic in particular? She had made it clear she had no answers. “You know what’s going on. He wants to kill me.”
“Striking you on the spot is practical. Kidnapping you to kill you somewhere else is not,” Rafe said. “So excuse me if I find that hard to believe. This can’t be a simple case of protecting himself in front of the Council. There has to be something more.”
He stared at her, and Alise lowered her eyes. “Well, he might be a little miffed with me…,” she muttered.
“Why?”
“It turned out the wings were not good. Not my fault, but…” She shrugged. “You can’t reason with him. He’s mad.”
“Oh, he’s not mad,” Vale said. “He knows what he’s doing. Or that Wizard of his does anyway.”
The door slid open, and Cassie stopped in the doorway. The sound of rising voices came out from behind her, and she closed the door, wincing. Mark and Sarah were fighting again. “Juice?” she asked.
“Are they always like this?” Vale asked her.
“Five years and counting,” Cassie said, grimacing. “That’s why I don’t live with them.”
She refilled Alise’s glass, and Alise dipped her lips into the red, cold liquid, ignoring Rafe’s stare.
His eyes narrowed. “Not good?”
“Uh-huh.” Alise nodded.
“What’s not good?” Cassie whispered towards Vale, moving to occupy the chair next to him.
“Her wings. They didn’t work,” Vale whispered back.
Cassie thought about it for a moment then shook her honey-colored curls. The blonde highlights sparkled in the artificial light. “I don’t get it.”
“I’m not sure I get it, either.” He sighed.
Rafe was still staring. “Not good for what?”
Alise put her glass down and ran her fingertips along the rim. “To catch a Mermaid’s song,” she said quietly, her eyes focused on the liquid inside the glass.
“You can catch a Mermaid’s song with Fairy wings?” Vale asked.
She shrugged. “That’s what Gorem seems to believe.”
“I didn’t know Mermaids were real,” Cassie murmured.
“For every fantastical creature you ever heard about, there’s a world it lives in,” Rafe said. He looked distracted, as if he was thinking about something else. A dark shadow flew over his face, and it wasn’t caused by one of the night flyers. Vale shifted in his seat.
“So, there are more worlds?” Cassie asked, but no one hurried to answer.
The Guardians were staring at Alise. “Mermaid, huh?” Rafe’s eyebrows arched up. “When did you find this out?”
“After I recovered, he tracked me down once. He didn’t try to kill me, but he made it clear it wasn’t over, and we would see each other again.”
“That’s when you crossed over,” Rafe said.
“I didn’t think he’d follow me over here. Silly me.” Alise let out a bitter laugh that died as soon as it started.
Silence fell over the table. The cricket had taken a break. All they heard was the faint sound of the moths hitting the neon light bulb above their heads. At their feet, the dogs stirred. The moon was shining over the hill.
“Why a Mermaid?” Rafe asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Does it have to be a specific Mermaid, or can it be a random one?”
“I don’t know,” she said once more, her voice tight.
Rafe watched her intently. “What else do you know?”
“I told you everything!” Alise snapped.
“Everything okay out here?” Mark stepped out onto the porch. He looked better than earlier. Through the open door, Sarah glared at his back.
“He’s very jealous,” Cassie whispered to Mark, glancing at Rafe.
“Yep, that’s me.” Rafe grinned and picked up his glass. There was only a sip of beer left in it.
“Luckily, this one’s not,” Cassie said and put her arm through Vale’s, succeeding in only making him stiffen his back.
“I was raised well,” Vale said.
Mark’s eyes roamed the table while he bounced on the balls of his feet. He made no attempt to sit down.
“Everything okay in there?” Cassie returned the question with a little smirk.
“When is it ever?” Mark sighed. “If you need anything, let me know.” He stepped back inside.
“A leash,” Rafe said under his breath, and the dogs huffed.
We’re going for a walk? Now?
No, Alise tempered their enthusiasm.
“So, not only a Fairy killer, but a presumptive Mermaid killer also,” Vale reasoned out loud, exchanging a glance with Rafe.
Was there a hint of worry in the way Vale looked at him? Alise couldn’t be sure, but there was something he wasn’t saying.
“How should we proceed to prove that? Should we try to track down some cases of missing Mermaids?”
“One would be enough,” Rafe said. “If there are cases of missing or maimed Mermaids, the rumor must have spread among them by now.”
In the absence of any protests, Vale tapped his long fingers on the table. “But we’d have to go back to find one…”
Both Guardians glanced at the dark, distant side of the garden. It would mean temporarily abandoning their mission and going home. Alise wished they would. She was doing much better before they showed up. But there was also the issue of that sigil Rafe put on her. If they left, they might want to take her with them, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She felt safer with the humans. Gorem and his Wizard were less powerful here, while she was the same in either place. Tough choice.
“What if … What if I can find you a Mermaid here?” Cassie said in a shy little voice.
“Cassie, don’t you start with that!” Alise rolled her eyes.
“Why not? If what they said is true, why couldn’t the story my grandfather used to tell me as a kid be true, too?”
“Come on, Cass
ie…”
“What story?” Rafe asked.
Alise groaned and stole his glass. If Cassie continued, she needed a stronger drink.
“Each summer, I used to spend a few weeks with my grandparents at their cottage up north,” Cassie said. “We had no TV, so I got to listen to a lot of stories before bed. My favorite was about a Mermaid who lived in a lake nearby. Whoever heard her singing became insane. Grandfather and I went on tons of expeditions in search of that lake, but never found it. But what if it’s really there? The rumor must have started somewhere.”
“A Mermaid, you say…” Rafe nodded pensively. The wooden chair screeched when he shifted his weight on it. “Does the cottage still exist? Would you be able to locate it?”
“Yes, it does, although it doesn’t get much use these days. Uncle Mark occasionally goes there to fish in the river, but that’s about it. Sarah doesn’t like it.” She chuckled.
“Can you find a reason to go there? Would Mark mind?” Vale asked.
Alise dropped her head on her arms, groaning. “Good God. Shoot me now.”
“You watch too much television,” Rafe told her. “So, could you?” he asked Cassie.
“I don’t see why not,” the girl said. “I’m supposedly done with all my exams for the summer, and we could all use a weekend out of the city to escape the heat. Uncle Mark will approve of this idea, as long as he gets to come along. He’d like to get know you all better … and flirt with Alise.” She patted her friend’s shoulder. “Think I didn’t notice?”
Alise peeked out from between the long tresses that had fallen over her face. “You told me that cottage is the size of a matchbox. And didn’t you say it’s right beside the river?”
“Oh, don’t worry.” Cassie waved a hand. “There’s enough room for all us. And what’s wrong with the river? We have one right here in the city, too. There’ll be no mosquitoes.”
“You call that a river?” Rafe smirked.
Vale grinned a little and whispered to Cassie, “Fairies avoid water if at all possible. They don’t like to get their wings wet.”
“Oh, so that’s why you refused to go to the seaside with us last summer?” Cassie sounded like she had figured out a big mystery.
“Well, that’s not a problem now, is it?” Rafe patted Alise’s shoulder.
Cassie frowned at him. “That’s mean.”
Alise closed her eyes and shook her head once more. “Don’t worry about it. They have no mothers to teach them good manners,” she muttered, her head still resting on her arms.
“No … No mothers?” Cassie stammered, looking from one Guardian to the other.
“Haven’t you heard? We’re born under eucalypt leaves,” Vale joked.
“In any case,” Rafe said, stretching his long legs under the table, “no one is going anywhere tonight, except to bed.” The decision was made. “We all need sleep. Tomorrow, we’ll go to catch ourselves a little Mermaid.” He forced a grin, but even Cassie could tell his smile was strained.
“Are you sure?” Vale asked, the corners of his mouth pulled tight.
“What else can we do?”
No one answered.
“Okay. I’ll go talk to Uncle Mark and tell him about our plans,” Cassie said, getting up.
“Same rooms?” Vale stopped her to ask.
Cassie looked back. “I think so. Why?”
Vale grimaced, and signaled for her to go. She complied.
Alise straightened her back in the chair. “The blue room?”
“Not tonight.” Rafe shook his head. “It takes too much energy to keep it up, and neither of us is fit for it right now.”
Reluctantly, Vale nodded, and she caught a glimpse of how tired they were.
“Yeah, I suppose we’ll be all right for one night,” she murmured. “Come on, boys!” She gestured for the dogs to get inside and started to gather everything from the table.
Rafe caught her hand. “Leave them. They won’t go anywhere.”
That was true. Sarah didn’t indulge in any cleaning activities.
“Okay,” Alise murmured, not in the mood for it, either.
She pushed the chair back and stepped towards the door, waiting for the Guardians to join her. If she went ahead by herself, they would get worried about her, and it wasn’t worth the hassle. Plus, despite everything, she was beginning to feel comfortable in their presence. She waited for them to unfold from their chairs and straighten up with great difficulty, showing their real age for once. It was not twenty-five.
“We’ve been doing this for a long time.” Rafe chuckled as he winced. “Ever wondered why we keep doing it?” he said towards Vale.
“What else could we do?” Vale shrugged, less amused.
Indeed, what else? They were stuck in this cycle, and neither of them could get out. So they better make the best of it while they could. Unlike them, Alise dreaded the thought of returning to that bed that brought back memories filled with fire, terror, and pain. Underneath the covers, the sheets were still stained with blood.
“Do not go wandering outside the room during the night.” Rafe’s warning came while he was taking off his shirt. He’d already kicked off his shoes.
“Can I go to the bathroom?” Alise asked with a raised eyebrow.
Rafe finished undoing his buttons. “That’s acceptable.”
The roll of her eyes went unnoticed as she headed for the bathroom. When she returned, she found him splayed on top of the covers. Under the silvery shadows coming in through the window to the left of the bed, he appeared to be asleep. If it hadn’t been for the slow rise and fall of his chest, he could have easily passed for dead.
In the corridor, the dogs were trotting from one door to the next, making sure everyone was safely tucked in their beds.
With a small sigh, Alise climbed into bed and switched off the light. She curled up as far away as possible from Rafe, resisting the pull of the magic that drew her in. Too bad her body would betray her the moment she fell asleep. Oh well. Nothing she could do about it now.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Cassie fanned herself with one hand and wiped her forehead with the other. As the sun rose higher in the sky, the air became increasingly hot inside the car. Her small Toyota fared well on the narrow and winding road that separated the mountains. Vale had turned out to be a less suicidal driver than Rafe, and aside from keeping under the speed limit, he also made sure to stay behind Mark’s Audi that led the way. This behavior had brought some grumbles on Rafe’s part at the beginning of their trip, but he had gotten easily distracted by Alise’s presence sitting next to him in the back. She represented such a good distraction that he listened with an amused smile to Cassie’s lecture.
“So no fighting and no spell casting. I mean it. Do not spook them. They’re good people, and I have to live with them.” She turned in the passenger’s seat so she could look at both Guardians.
“I thought you couldn’t stand them.” Rafe smirked.
“That doesn’t make them bad people,” Cassie said. “Don’t mess with them. My family is complicated enough as it is, and I don’t want to spend the summer with a couple of zombies.”
Her remark brought a quiet laugh from Rafe. “Roger that.”
Vale nodded, keeping his eyes on the road.
“We won’t be there long,” Rafe said. “We’ve got a job to do.”
“Yes, but you at least have to stay until the barbeque is ready. Uncle Mark bought tons of meat, and he’ll be disappointed if you miss it. And Sarah might start to wonder…”
In the last big town they passed through, they had stopped to buy supplies for their weekend away. While Mark pushed the shopping cart loaded with various pieces of meat, and Sarah ran around like a busy bee, bringing more stuff they didn’t necessarily need, the Guardians had stopped by the soap aisle, debating the properties of each bar in particular, guided by their scents. It didn’t help that Alise had remained stuck by a shoe rack. Mark had to be wondering already.
“Good. After lunch, Uncle Mark will probably go fishing, which we can easily skip, and Sarah… Well, whatever she’ll be doing, she won’t need us,” Cassie said.
Since she knew them better, they left it at that.
Four hours after their early morning start, they left behind the last sign of civilization, a small village where they stopped to buy water and ice. The temperature had taken a pleasant drop compared to the city heat, but they still needed ice for their drinks. Besides the non-alcoholic drinks, two cases of beer and three scotch bottles rested inside the Toyota’s trunk.
“Okay. Five more kilometers and we’re there.” Cassie could hardly contain her excitement.
The thick forest along the road gradually opened until they reached a wide plateau and, right there, the wooden cottage waited with its back planted in the rocky slope of the hill.
They spent the next few minutes airing out the rooms, setting up the patio furniture and the grill. The Guardians turned out to be handy when it came to moving the heavy stuff and, more importantly, they didn’t complain. Soon, the chores were split among them. Sarah wanted to make a fire in the evening to keep the insects away, so Rafe and Vale went into the woods to chop down some dead trees. Mark tended the grill, Alise set the table, and Cassie fetched drinks. Sarah bossed everyone around when not cursing under her breath because her high heels stuck in the turf. The dogs got in everyone’s way, making them stumble. It wasn’t easy to avoid a sixty kilo mass that refused to budge unless fed. Most people caved in rather than try to move them.
Regardless of the small impediments encountered along the way, everything was going fine until Mark stopped Cassie to ask her quietly, “What’s wrong with your friend? She used to be more vocal. Is it because of the new boyfriend?”
“What? No.” She froze, a little surprised that Mark had noticed. “Alise is fine. She’s feeling a bit under the weather because all of her shoes got affected by the flood, that’s all.” She wasn’t lying. The apartment had been badly damaged, and Alise had always liked to dress well. He would buy that.
