Age of Aquarius

by Tawdra Kandle

  Sionnach lagged behind me. “I hate this place. It’s all stiff and formal, with everyone pretending to be one thing when they’re all really plotting behind your back.” She sounded vehement and bitter.

  “Ah. So, you were actually here before?” I slowed my steps to match hers. “Why won’t you tell me what went down when you worked for Carruthers? Don’t you think it would be helpful for me to understand it?”

  “Probably,” she agreed. “But Cathryn is, uh, with your brother now. I’m not getting in the middle of that, or putting you in the middle of it. I know enough about you, Daeglan, to realize that you’d defend me at all costs, and if Seamus is anything like you, he’d do the same for Cathryn. Right now, winning this battle has to be our only focus. We can’t afford distractions.”

  She had a point. “That’s very selfless of you.”

  “Yeah, that’s me. Selfless to a fault.” She was glib, but I knew the truth.

  “Hey.” I gripped her arm and hauled her into a shadowed corner of the foyer we were passing through. Framing her face with one hand, I stared into her green eyes. “You are, you know. Selfless. You care more than you let on. I know you feel like you need to keep up this big front about being the badass kitsune, but it’s okay to take credit for who you really are every once in a while.”

  Sionnach brushed my hand away. “You see what you want to see, lucky charms. You’re sweet, but never underestimate my capacity to be the selfish, brutal bitch. That’s the part of me that’s always ready to come out and play.”

  “I don’t have any doubt that you can be that. You’re strong, and you’re probably the most capable person I’ve ever met, man or woman. I know being soft feels scary to you, darling one, but with me, you can always be that. Soft or hard, I’ll never complain.”

  For a long moment, we stood there. Sionnach swallowed, pressing her lips into a thin line. “Okay.”

  I took a moment to seal my mouth against hers, hard and fast. “Let’s join the others. I don’t want to miss anything vital.”

  She rolled her eyes and gave a hmmmph, but beyond that, she didn’t reply as we climbed the sprawling staircase to the second floor. Just down the long hallway with its gleaming dark wood floors and dimmed chandelier lighting, my middle brother stood outside the door to what I knew was the main conference room.

  “Seamus.” I drew him into a tight, brief hug, both of us thumping each other on the back. “Good to see you, brother.”

  “And you. Glad you’re back safe and somewhat sound.” He winked at me. “And this must be Sionnach.” There was an underlying current of respect in his voice, and I appreciated it. “I’m pleased to meet you. Thank you for joining us. Cathryn is very grateful.”

  “Oh, I’m sure she is.” Sionnach smirked. “But I’m happy to meet you, too, Seamus. Daeglan talks about you and Cillian all the time.”

  “Only believe a quarter of what he says. He’s always been one to tell tales of us poor younger brothers. He’d have the world believing Cill and I are hooligans and troublemakers.”

  “If the shoe fits, Seamus. Now get out of the way so we can come in. We don’t want to keep people waiting.”

  The meeting room was indeed crowded. I recognized a few people I’d met during my brief stay here before I’d left for New Orleans: besides Rafe, Nell and Cillian, there was Veronica Carruthers, the ancient and yet still exquisite vampire, and of course, her great-granddaughter Cathryn. Zoe, the staff psychologist and empath, with her multi-colored hair and broad smile, sat next to our boss.

  On Zoe’s other side were three people I didn’t recognize. A young woman with long brown hair was flanked by a guy around her age, whose arm rested on the back of her chair, and by an older woman who bore a strong resemblance to the man. All three seemed to be slightly ill at ease, and I noticed that Rafe and Nell were standing as far away from them as possible. I thought of Nell mentioning Tasmyn. This must be part of the history I’d suspected.

  At the other end of the table sat another couple, though these two were definitely older than most of us in the room . . . other than Zoe, that was, and Veronica, of course, who had us all by several centuries. The man was watching everyone else, his expression calm and his eyes alert. The woman with him was laughing with Rafe, who had a hand on her shoulder in affectionate, almost brotherly way.

  “Ahem.” Cathryn stood up and cleared her throat. As slight as she was, barely over five feet tall and probably weighing less than one of my own legs, this woman could command a room. I’d seen it back in Ireland when she’d come to recruit my brothers and me, but standing here before this group of powerful, power-filled people, her leadership was undeniable. Everyone went quiet.

  “Thank you for being here.” Her ice-blue gaze swept around all of us. “I almost always begin speaking with those words, and I know that some of you find them trite. But they’re always true, and never more so than this morning. Because, after all, each of us has made a choice to be here and to be part of this . . . fight.”

  The tip of her tongue darted out to moisten her lips as she went on. “Some of you have been part of this for a long time.” She smiled at Zoe, Rafe and Nell. “And some of you were with us for a while and have now returned to help. Others of you were recruited specifically for this battle. Each of us brings a different and unique set of talents to the proverbial table, but we are all crucial to victory. I have every confidence that we’ve built a team that will be able to stop the Hive’s plans. I won’t tell you that it’s going to be easy, and I won’t claim that we won’t suffer . . . pain and loss. But I know we can win. With the power in this room—with the extraordinary talents we all possess—we have the capacity to turn the tide against the evil that seeks to destroy us. We can redeem the horror of yesterday. We can survive the attacks of today . . . and we can save tomorrow, not only for us, not only for the world as we know it, but for the generations who will come after us.”

  The pause that followed her words was electric. The air fairly sparked with anticipation. Next to me, Sionnach crossed her arms over her chest, shifting her weight to one foot. Her eyes never left Cathryn, and as though our leader felt the weight of her stare—or, given her particular skill set, heard our thoughts—she turned her head to meet the fox’s gaze.

  “Not all of us know each other here, but we’re all adults. I’ll trust that you can introduce yourselves, and as we’re shortly going to be in very close quarters for an, uh, extended period of time, you’ll have plenty of chances to get to know each other. But I want to say something important before I explain what comes next.”

  Cathryn skirted the table, coming straight for Sionnach and me. I felt Sionnach tense, and her hand went to her neck, where her star ball lay nestled on her collarbone. The necklace was a mystical and powerful symbol to kitsune. It held elements of her abilities, as I understood it, and the small crystal charms that hung from the main pendant represented the three tails that she had earned thus far in her existence.

  Coming to a halt before Sionnach, Cathryn raised her voice so that it carried over the room, although she never lifted her focus from the fox. “This is our latest and perhaps one of our most important recruits, Sionnach Creven.” She coughed a little. “Of everyone in this room, Sionnach had more reason to say no to us than anyone else. She had every right to refuse to work with me again, because I committed a terrible sin against her when she worked with Carruthers some years ago.”

  Surprise jolted me. Although the animosity between these two was certainly no secret, I’d assumed it was simply a matter of personality clash. I hadn’t expected Cathryn to make a confession about something that she’d done wrong.

  “Sionnach, I want to apologize to you here and now, in front of . . . everyone. What I did back then was unacceptable. I don’t have any excuse except that I was young and brash. I wanted to be in charge, and I let the need to impress others supersede what was right. Taking your star ball in an effort to control you for the benefit of Carruthers was a terrible thin
g to do. I’m very sorry, and I promise you, I will never make that mistake again.”

  I sucked in a shocked breath. I didn’t know that much about kitsunes; I’d done a little preliminary research before I’d gone in search of Sionnach, and she’d shared some information with me, too. One thing I did know was that stealing a fox’s star ball was a very serious offense, as possessing the necklace gave the thief control over its kitsune. All at once I understood with perfect clarity why Sionnach had been so adamantly opposed to working with Cathryn Whitmore again.

  I lurched forward involuntarily as anger rose in me. “What the hell, Cathryn? How could you do that to her? Taking a person’s free will is one of the most heinous things I can imagine. Talk about control issues.”

  “Daeglan.” Sionnach held onto my arm. “Don’t. She’s apologizing. She’s sorry.” She paused. “We were both young and headstrong.”

  “Thank you, Sionnach.” Cathryn extended her hand. “I don’t deserve your grace, but I appreciate it.”

  “Grace means that I won’t hold the past against you.” Sionnach spoke in measured words, even as she accepted Cathryn’s hand. “It doesn’t mean I’ll forget it. If you ever try something like that again, even under the most extenuating circumstances . . . I won’t be responsible for how I respond. Don’t do it.”

  “I understand.” Cathryn nodded, and for one silent moment, we all breathed a sigh. Releasing Sionnach’s fingers, our boss turned to face the room again. “All right. Now that that’s out the way, I can proceed with today’s agenda. It’s very important that you listen carefully and understand.

  “As some of you know, we’ve been waiting for a sign, a signal, that events are escalating and as they say, the battle is nigh. We got notice of that sign yesterday. Donald Parcy was murdered in the nursing home where he’s lived for the past five years.”

  Murmurs broke out among the team, but Cathryn ignored them. “It’s time for us to take action to protect ourselves as we prepare for the fight. Veronica has secured the safest location possible for us, and we will be moving there today. In a matter of a few minutes, we’ll be underway.”

  “In a few minutes?” Rafe frowned. “We didn’t bring anything today, Cathryn. You said we didn’t have to worry yet about suitcases or clothes or shit. And what about everyone else who’s on their way here? Julia and Marica and . . . what about Joss?”

  She nodded. “We’ve made arrangements for all the others to be transported to a location nearer to the safe house, and we will meet them there and bring them with us. As for Joss, the good news is that between what Nell and Zoe worked on yesterday and a little input from Lucas, we’ve figured out a way to free her from the townhouse and bring her with us. However, she won’t be manifested until we are safely in—well, at our destination.

  “As for our luggage, we didn’t want anyone watching to see packed bags or preparations. All of your necessities have been moved here under a cloaking spell and are already loaded in our, ah, conveyance.”

  “Conveyance?” The younger woman with the brown hair spoke up. “That sounds ominous.”

  Cathryn looked pained. “I wish I could say I’d secured us luxury transportation, but again, we have to fly under the radar. But getting to safety quickly is essential, and I’ve been convinced this is probably the best way to make that happen. When I finish talking to you, we’ll go down the back stairs, out the kitchen door—those of you who are here more often know it as the staff entrance—out past the garage and into the woods. At the end of the path, our, uh, vehicle is awaiting us.”

  “Yesterday you said we were going dark as soon as we left here,” Nell said. “And that included hiding our whereabouts from the other Carruthers agents. Won’t people notice us leaving? Wouldn’t it be easy to follow us?”

  “If they could see us leaving, you’d be absolutely right.” Cathryn smiled at me. “I was hoping that this is where Daeglan might be helpful to us.”

  I had an idea of where she was going with this, and I began to nod. “Yeah, of course. That makes sense.”

  “Daeglan will take us down in groups of three. As long as you are touching each other, you’ll be able to share his invisibility.” She tilted her head my way. “At least, that’s what Seamus tells me. It works with up to three people?”

  “That seems to be the limit. Beyond that, trying to move more than that many folks without detection would be tough, anyway. Someone would brush up against a piece of furniture or knock over something, and then the gig is up.”

  “Perfect. So we’ll move down in a few moments.” She lifted her phone to check the time. “Henry will have the door propped open, ostensibly to air out the kitchen after he’s burned something. That would be our only obstacle. Otherwise, just be careful and make as little noise as possible.”

  I ran my gaze over the people in the room. “Thirteen of us, then. As I’ll be making each trip, that’s really twelve, so four trips of three each.” I grinned. “Guess I’ll be getting my walking done today.”

  “Fourteen,” Cathryn corrected. “There will be fourteen of us traveling.” She dropped her gaze to the floor. “Henry’s coming along.”

  A ripple of surprise ran over the room. The woman who’d been chatting with Rafe earlier clapped her hands. “Oh, that’s the best news I’ve heard all day. I’m so glad you’re bringing him, Cathryn.”

  “Is that wise?” Veronica spoke up. “I understand that you’re attached to him, Cathryn, but he doesn’t have abilities. We’re going to be very cramped as it is, making this trip.”

  “He’s been vetted, and he’s coming.” The stubborn note crept back into her tone. “I’m leaving my parents here, Veronica. We can’t identify the leak, and my own mother and father have not been cleared. Henry’s been in my life as long as I can remember, he’s important to me and I can’t leave him behind here. Besides, we need to eat while we’re at the safe house, and who better to make that happen?”

  “Plus, if we’re talking about those of us who don’t have abilities not making the trip . . . hello.” The same woman who’d applauded Henry’s inclusion put in another two cents. “I can’t do anything useful—unless you count getting possessed by spirits against my will, which I really hope doesn’t happen again.”

  “And Michael and I don’t have abilities,” added the older woman, pointing to the man whom I assumed was her son. “Yet here we are.”

  “Each and every one of us has a role to play. You have to trust me.” Cathryn pierced Veronica with a pointed look. “I know what I’m doing here.”

  The vampire lifted one hand. “As you say.”

  “Wonderful. Well, let’s get moving. Daeglan, if you would, please take Tasmyn, Michael and Marly first. And then we’ll move Nell, Rafe and Zoe, and next Lucas, Jackie and Veronica. Seamus and Sionnach will go after that, and then Henry and I will be last.”

  “Got it.” I smiled at the three people who rose from their seats to approach me. “Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt a bit. Hold hands, and then I’ll go dark and we’ll head down.”

  Cathryn took a deep breath, biting on the corner of her lip as she wrapped her arms around her middle. “All right. This is it. This is the beginning. From here, there’s only us . . . and the battle for tomorrow.”

  Harper Creek

  Rafe

  “An RV?” I stood next to the motorhome that idled on a widened path in the woods behind Harper Creek. “Does she really expect all of us to travel in this thing? Is this someone’s idea of a joke?”

  “Seems pretty serious to me.” Nell sighed. “Probably not a bad plan, actually. Do you think the Hive would expect us to hit the roads of America in a rolling tin can? Come on, let’s go inside. We might as well get used to our home away from home . . . on wheels.”

  I hung back. “Not sure I’m quite ready.” I knew who was inside that motorhome. Tasmyn, Michael and Marly Sawyer had been the first group to be smuggled down here. They were probably checking it out, finding the best seats or beds or whate
ver the hell was in that thing.

  It had definitely been a jolt to my senses when Nell and I had walked into the meeting room and seen Tasmyn. We knew she was coming; we understood that she was going to be part of the team, but knowing it and actually seeing her were two different animals.

  I hadn’t been this close to Tas since the day we’d graduated high school way back in King, which felt like at least two lifetimes ago. Nell hadn’t seen Tasmyn in person since the day my current girlfriend had tried to kill Tas in the woods outside of King. And it was the first time that we’d all three been together; Nell had been shipped off to the loony bin before I’d moved to King, so we’d never met each other there.

  There had been a weird vibe when our eyes had met in the upstairs conference room, but none of us had said anything. Tasmyn certainly hadn’t run over to hug us; she’d given me a tiny nod and smiled at Nell. I had the sense that we were all wading through the depths of a potentially awkward reunion. Well, there was nothing like an apocalyptic battle to heal old hurts and bring people together, apparently.

  Zoe patted my arm. “Rafe, darling, there’s nothing to be afraid of in the trailer. We’re all friends here, and we’re all on the same side.”

  Most of the time nowadays, I loved Zoe. The psychologist had been an unpleasant thorn in my side once upon time, when I’d first joined Carruthers, but in the years since, I’d come to value her counsel and insight. Still, it bugged me that she had a particularly keen read into what I was feeling, sometimes even before I did.

  “I know that,” I growled. “It’s just that if we’re going to be stuck inside that thing for God only knows how long, maybe I want to delay going in there as long as I can.”

  Nell smirked. “Coward.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “You’re supposed to be on my side, remember? Love of my life and all that?”

  She lifted one shoulder in that inimitable Nell way. “I’m always on your side. But I call them how I see them.”