But he didn’t. A huge shudder went through his body and he stopped; straightened. Fear radiated in waves from his frame, a bone-deep terror she could feel through their connection. He bent over to retrieve the gun.
“Finn!” She was now close enough to see the blank expression on his face, one she’d come to know well.
Finn couldn’t hear her.
He turned his back to her, his long white cloak falling around him like a mist, and resumed his hike toward the watchtower.
***
The call from Dave wasn’t all that unexpected. After waking up and finding Finn sitting in bed, his face pale and eyes unfocused, she’d guessed it was only a matter of time before she learned things were worse than just a nightmare.
But as it turned out, it wasn’t a Gate.
“There was a sighting of the dragon in the area of the bay,” Dave said. “A hiker said he saw something huge and white fly over the cliffs. I don’t know whether to believe him or not, but I thought to check with you.”
“Haven’t noticed anything,” Ella lied with the ease of long practice. They’d packed and she sat in the car, waiting for Finn to come out. When he did, he took his time walking to the car. He looked a little unsteady on his feet, though she knew better than to offer help. “We’re heading back to the city.”
The storm clouds had gathered, hanging dark and low over their heads. She really hoped to get to the city before it hit.
“There’s one more thing.” Dave hesitated. “Found a piece of tech that may be elven. It may have fallen through some time ago, we can’t be sure, but I’d like Finn to come have a look.”
Tech. Whoa.
The car door opened and Finn entered, letting in a blast of frigid air. He fell onto the seat with a grunt and fumbled with his seat belt.
Setting her jaw, Ella revved the engine and turned on the heater. “Roger that, Dave. We’re on our way.”
Finn stared straight ahead as she drove along the coast, searching for the entry onto the highway. His hands were clenched on his thighs, his knuckles white.
“What did Dave find?” he asked as they raced back toward the city, its buildings jutting into the leaden sky.
“Tech. Said he wants you to have a look. Could be from an old Gate.”
God, she certainly hoped so. Besides, the dream hadn’t been bad enough to open a Gate, had it? True, it had a sense of foreboding and dread and had left Finn pretty shaken, but it wasn’t the bone-jarring, heart-wrenching horrible memory that usually led to a breakthrough to another world.
Right?
Finn twitched, jerking against the seat belt. He grabbed his arm, cradling it to his chest.
“You okay?” Ella gave him a quick glance. Why was he holding his arm like that?
He said nothing, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.
Well, fine. He needed rest.
No rain yet, which was a good thing. Ella hated traveling on the highway with low visibility. They entered the suburbs and Christmas lights in storefronts blinked, while in the distance lightning flashed.
Dave’s directions led her to a quiet neighborhood near Ashton Park, an area of old houses with white picket fences and tall, old trees. It seemed like the most unlikely place to hunt for elven tech. Then again...
She turned to Finn as she parked. “Have you ever been here?”
He gave her a wary look. “I think so. Shade attack. Months ago.”
She relaxed. The Gate, if that was what it was, had to be that old. Now curiosity was getting the better of her. She’d never seen elven tech.
Getting out, she scanned the street. Dave’s green sedan was stationed around the corner. Finn levered himself out of the car, his motions slow and tired. He took a moment leaning against the car before he pushed off to follow her, his mouth twisting in a grimace.
Barometric pressure changes, humidity rising. No wonder he was in pain. Her own bad leg throbbed.
Making a mental note to go shopping for extra strong painkillers, as well as vitamins and energy boosters for Finn — hell, for both of them — she checked her gun until he caught up with her. He had his jacket zipped up and his hands stuffed in the pockets.
She gave him a moment to catch his breath, decided to put the physiotherapist on speed dial, and they set off together. A drizzle began as they rounded the corner, annoying as hell.
Three people stood on the sidewalk, staring at something over a fence. Two of them wore Bureau technician jackets with yellow stripes and the logo of their department on the back.
The other was Dave.
“Hey, boss.” Ella shoved her hands into her pockets and wished she were home with a pot of hot, sweet tea and cookies. “Where’s the find?”
Dave glanced at Finn who’d stopped, his teeth obviously gritting, and lifted a brow. “Here.” He pointed into the front yard of a dilapidated house where the weeds had reached waist height.
Which explained why nobody had reported this so far.
The technicians vaulted over the fence and Ella followed their example. Finn leaned against the wooden spikes, then carefully climbed over. When he jumped into the garden, his knees buckled and Ella grabbed him just in time, saving him from falling flat on his face.
Okay, what the hell?
She patted his shoulder, avoiding Dave’s gaze, and pretended all was fine. She pasted on a smile and made a show of adjusting her belt while waiting for Finn to straighten, her heart pounding.
The find was partly obscured by the overgrown weeds. Ella edged closer, seeing the glint of metal in the grass. The piece wasn’t very big, less than five feet long and two feet wide. Silver and squarish, like a panel, with indentations and protrusions forming patterns. Spirals, of course — now she saw them just about everywhere — but also rectangles, long wiggly lines and blossom-like shapes.
The rain was now falling in earnest, soaking their clothes, washing the tech clean so that it shone. Whiter than steel, obviously not affected by the passage of time.
“So is it?” Dave crossed his arms over the fence. “Your tech?”
The last was addressed to Finn who made an effort to move toward the metal chunk, although he seemed to be getting paler with each step. A feat of stubbornness that made Ella’s heart ache.
“Yes,” Finn said, wiping rainwater from his face. “Looks like ours.”
He bent over as if to study it, hands braced on his knees, but Ella could hear him wheeze. This was getting scary. She got he was exhausted from the nightmare and the lack of sleep, also that his leg was probably killing him, but why did he look like he was about to keel over?
“A piece from a wanderer,” Finn muttered and pointed at a carved pattern that didn’t look any different than the rest to Ella. “A defender. It’s dead.”
“What do you mean, it’s dead? And a defender of what?”
But Finn’s eyes closed and he folded quietly to the ground.
Ella grabbed him as he toppled and fell on her knees, her arms around him, saving him from crashing onto the tech.
“What’s wrong with him?” Dave asked, and the technicians’ voices rose, too, but Ella tuned them out, holding on to Finn
He was out cold. Goddammit, what was wrong? Had something else changed in the Veil?
“Is he breathing?” Dave asked by her ear, and she swore.
“Yes, he’s breathing. He’s just exhausted.”
“Why?”
“Not sleeping well.” Ella snapped her mouth shut, holding Finn’s head against her shoulder as the rain fell, cold and stinging — though not as cold as the pit of fear in her stomach. Was that blood dripping off Finn’s hand? She shook him. “Wake up!” She turned to Dave. “He’s hurt.”
“’M okay,” Finn mumbled, making an effort to push off her and failing.
“Let me help.” Dave knelt and got a good hold around Finn’s waist. “Let’s get him up.”
Together they hauled Finn to his feet. He was mostly dead weight and his lips were bloodless.
His head rolled forward.
Dammit.
They moved toward the metal gate, opened by one of the technicians.
“So tell me,” Dave said as they exited onto the street, adjusting his hold on Finn. “Are you sure you didn’t see the dragon at the beach?”
“Damn you, Dave, I told you, no,” Ella snapped. “Do you know what’s wrong with him?”
“I might,” Dave said.
The other technician opened the car door and Finn roused enough to sit, his head falling back.
“He’s not bleeding much,” Dave said in the same voice he might have used to say ‘lots of traffic today’.
Ella was undoing Finn’s jacket, trying to assess the damage. She pulled up his black sweater. The white t-shirt underneath was stained with fresh blood, but as Dave had said, it wasn’t much; a thin streak and drops.
The rain kept falling, drenching her. She drew back. “If it’s not that he’s bleeding out, then what is it?”
Dave shrugged. “I think it’s shock. Better warm him up.”
“Shock? Why?”
“Well, when we got news of the dragon sighting I told you about, we sent an agent down there and he managed to get a shot in.”
Ella slid into the car, gathering Finn to her. His lids fluttered, his eyes half-opening, but his face went slack before he fully woke. “What’s shooting the dragon got to do with Finn?”
“I don’t know, you tell me.” Dave settled behind the wheel and started the car. “They say there’s a bond between a dragon and its rider. Do you think there’s any truth in that?”
Oh god. She felt sick. “Is the dragon dead?”
“She flew away, although she was having trouble.” He hummed as he drove toward Ella’s neighborhood. “I told him to kill her. I hope you can hear me, Finn.” He shot them a glance through the rearview mirror. “I may not know much about elven tech, but I do know a thing or two about dragons, and quite a bit more about the Boreals.”
***
Dave stood by the window, the curtain tweaked back, staring out into the wall of rain. He turned when she entered the living room.
“How is he?”
Pale as death. Barely came around when she dabbed disinfectant and bandaged the round wound in his bicep that looked a lot like a bullet hole, dammit. But she’d taken off his wet clothes and covered him up, making sure he was warm before she left him to rest.
“He’s fine.” Rubbing her arms, still wet, she walked to stand next to Dave. “I take it the dragon was shot in the wing?”
Dave nodded.
The wound in the dragon’s wing had appeared in Finn’s arm. Shit.
“How does this bond work?” Apart from the obvious: hurt the dragon, hurt Finn.
“Its strength depends on the individual rider and dragon. I hadn’t realized a bond had already formed between Finn and the creature.” Dave sighed, rubbed the back of his neck. “What worries me is anyone else finding out. It’s a weakness that could be used by the people who are after you.”
“They won’t know.” She pressed her mouth flat. “Unless you tell them. You haven’t told anyone, right?”
Dave shrugged. “Can’t remember if the possibility was raised. After all, Finn swore he’d kill the dragon and I thought the issue of the bond would never come up.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “You need to trust me, Ella. You and your partner. Things are much more complicated than they seem.”
What else was new?
“Have you found out anything else about the sniper?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “About this inside job?”
“I’m doing what I can,” Dave said. “This tech... the Gate was old, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. Finn confirmed he’d been in the area some time ago.”
“Good.” Dave sagged a little. “Look, as Sarah may have told you, I know something changed in the Veil. And it’s no surprise: Finn closed the Gates, strengthened the threads, but he’s not that strong yet, and he’s not the only one with strong magic. He may not be interested in conquering other worlds, but others are.”
Like you? Ella thought. “And your point is?”
“That I need to know what’s going on, not find out through others. If Sarah wasn’t an oracle, I wouldn’t have known of the changes in the Veil. If the dragon wasn’t shot, I wouldn’t have known Finn formed a bond with her. What else aren’t you telling me?”
Oh god, if you knew... Ella bit her lip. Then she remembered that Dave was listening in, even in their most private moments, that Sarah was most probably his spy, and not to forget, he’d shot Finn instead of giving him a chance to talk, so... “I’ll let you know if there’s anything new. Thanks for helping bring Finn home.”
Dave sighed, shook his head. “Sure thing.” When he turned to go, though, a wince tightened his face.
“Hey. Are you okay?” The question was out of Ella’s mouth before she realized and it hung in the air for a long moment.
“I can feel the change in the Veil,” Dave said, his voice uncharacteristically low. He rapped a fist on his chest. “Right here.”
“In your machinery?” Ella frowned. “Why would you feel it?”
But Dave didn’t answer. He turned and walked out, closing the door behind him.
Interesting. It felt like an important clue, though she couldn’t know what it might mean.
Yet.
***
“Hey, girl, would you like to come over for Thanksgiving dinner?” Mike’s cheerful voice over the phone jarred Ella from her daze.
“Thanksgiving.” Right. Because people went on with their lives, the earth still turned and dinners would be cooked no matter how messed up her own life was. “When is it?”
“In a few days. You sound off. Something happen?”
A sure bet with her and Finn. “Yeah. Listen... I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Okay. Take care, girl.”
She disconnected, rubbing her forehead. Worry ate at her insides, and she had a sudden urge to check on Finn.
He wasn’t in the bedroom and she swallowed down panic. Cool it, Ella. A sound from the bathroom had her turning her steps that way.
The door was open. Something glinted through the opening.
A blade.
“Hey.” She barged inside and grabbed Finn’s wrist, her heart hammering. “What are you doing?”
He jerked his arm free, saying nothing, his jaw tight. He held one of his knives but didn’t seem hurt.
It was then she realized she’d been afraid. Terrified, that he might decide to end his life. It’d solve the problem, wouldn’t it? It’d end the game of power and cancel the possibility of an invasion.
Oh god. Her eyes stung as she took a step back, trying to control herself. And froze again.
Tufts of silver hair like feathers covered the sink. She turned her gaze back to Finn, and it finally sank in that his hair was now shorter, its uneven ends hanging barely past his jaw.
He’d hacked it off.
“Why?” she whispered, her mind an echoing blank.
He shook his head and put down the knife. In the mirror, his pupils looked dilated, darkening his gaze.
Was it some sort of mourning ritual? Or was it simply a reaction to frustration and anger at being unable to protect his own, to remember his past and find his power?
“Let me help you,” Ella said, hoping her voice wouldn’t break. “Please.”
Finn bowed his head, leaned over the sink. “How?”
Just that one word, loaded with so much bitterness.
Yeah, Ella, how?
“I dreamed of a huge building on a plain,” she whispered. “Carved in the shape of a person, a face. A tower.”
Finn turned slowly, a vein pulsing in his neck. “Frontier tower.”
“Were you in one?”
He nodded. “With the army.”
“I saw you return from somewhere. You held something long, like a machine gun.”
Finn stilled. It was as if every muscle in
his body, every joint froze. “Return.”
“Yeah, returning from somewhere. A voice was saying things inside my head, about death and time running out. What were you looking for?”
Suddenly Finn pushed past her, punching the door on his way out, cracking it.
Her mouth fell open. She leaped forward and caught his arm but he continued, dragging her along toward the living room.
“Leave me... I can’t...” He stopped, panting. “Can’t talk about the dreams.”
She released him, a lump in her throat.
He staggered to the sofa and dropped on it, digging his fingers in his hair. It fell on his forehead, into his eyes, brushed his jaw like a silver curtain. The bandage on his arm was blood-stained. He stretched his bad leg forward and just sat there, breathing heavily, his head bowed.
Silence stretched as she took a seat across from him. She had a bitter taste in her mouth; she was causing him pain, but knew no other way of doing this. She was like a blade, cutting him in every possible way.
“I can’t help you if you don’t let me see,” she said. “I’ll fail you, and you’ll fail the world.” She swallowed hard. “And to hell with the world. I don’t want to lose you, dammit. Let me in.”
Finn wiped his face on his forearm and snorted, though his eyes were a little too bright. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll try.”
***
Ella dreamed of a frozen plain, stretching up to steep forested hills. Snowflakes swirled and pelted her with the wind, stinging her brow and cheeks. She couldn’t feel her lips. She stumbled in the thick snow, her feet heavy like stones.
A purpose. She was there for a reason. What was it?
A figure stumbled ahead, shoulders set against the wind and snow, long, pale hair whipping back, flashing with light.
Finn.
She forced her frozen limbs to move faster, to catch up with him, but in vain. His feet didn’t seem to sink in the snow, and his strides ate the distance.
Boreal and John Grey Season 2 Page 14
