by WB McKay
We were camping about half a day's walk from the portal to Volarus. The Morrigan's men, the ten or so that were left--I hadn't wanted to look too closely at that math--had departed when we made camp. Everyone else was asleep. Owen was curled up with his fur blanket. I'd tried unsuccessfully to get him to leave it behind. It smelled terrible. Hopefully, he would be ready to get rid of it soon. The first order of business was to find some way to wash it when we got back home.
The trip out of the cave and off the floating mountain had been a trial. Thanks to Ava and Zoe's fast thinking, finding our way out wasn't a problem. They'd posted Graulfv's men at each split in the tunnel. We gathered them up on our way back out.
Letha hadn't been bluffing about the reinforcements. We saw them approaching as we descended to the mainland. If they caught sight of us, they didn't follow.
All of that had gone much smoother than I'd planned for.
Owen was the real problem. He continued retreating into his head. Sometimes he ran away. Other times he would refuse to move at all, paralyzed with fear. It always took a logical argument to get him moving again. Often, it had to come from Zoe. As much as I understood that he needed time and that it wasn't about me, it was hard adjusting to him not trusting me. Ava and I walked most of the way side by side. She'd only recently resumed her relationship with her brother. I could tell his mental state was taking a toll on her, even if she didn't say as much out loud.
I sat on a log next to her now, as she whimpered in her sleep, looking small and fragile in a way I'd never considered her before. I'd been seeing lots of new sides to Ava these past months. I brushed her hair back from her face and she sighed. It was a sweet sound that made me smile. I'd have never imagined caring so much for her a year ago.
I passed the rest of the night considering why the Orani kidnapped Owen. He talked constantly about what they'd asked him and told him, but it was hard to sort out. He often fell into ramblings that weren't meant to be understood by anyone other than himself. I talked to myself frequently--it helps build up confidence in tough situations--but I'd never talked to myself in code. Owen was too smart. I worried about how we'd ever get him out of his head with all he had going on in there.
Why would someone do this to him?
It had been difficult to rescue Owen, difficult enough that it was widely accepted as impossible, but I didn't understand why he was still alive at all. Had there been a ransom? The last Ava had heard, there wasn't. I was already fairly certain that hadn't changed. This was Erik Bresnan all the way, and he wasn't after money. He was after power. Many people wanted to control Owen's magic--that was a good possible motive for Erik Bresnan. I'd half expect him to think I'd trade Owen for the Fleece, except he hadn't tried bargaining. I was left thinking that he didn't want anything from me, or from Lana Kinney. While taking Owen could have been meant to hurt both or either of us, it seemed to me that he wanted Owen for a purpose.
I'd taken a lot of power from Bresnan when I'd won the Fleece. Had he been trying to gain the upper hand by taking the most magically powerful thing he could from me? Was I being ridiculous and self-involved believing this was about me?
At some point I must have fallen asleep because I woke up with my face stuck to a log. If I could have slept next to Owen, I would have, but he jerked violently when I had tried cuddling him. I sought him out as soon as my foggy brain cleared. He was sitting up, watching me, his fur clutched in his arms.
"I know I'm acting crazy," he said, barely above a whisper. Ava, Phoebe, and Zoe were still asleep. "I'm trying not to, but I feel like I can either put my energy toward acting normal or sorting my head out."
"You do you. I'm here for you." I stretched my arms out in front of me. I'd made it a priority to rinse off the best I could in a stream the day before, but there were still patches of dried blood. "We'll be home soon. We'll take showers, we'll eat, and we'll do whatever else we need to in order to recover from all this. One step at a time, right?"
"You make it sound simple."
"As much as anything ever is."
"The crown is pushing at me."
I sat up straighter. "What?"
"I'm pushing it back--I got good at that dealing with the Orani--but I can still feel it pushing at me. It wants me to trust that you're right and that you can handle things. I mean, you are right, and I know you can handle things, but it wants me to… surrender."
I grabbed the golden feathers and threw the Fleece at a tree with enough force it should have shattered. Instead, the feathers broke apart, fluttered into the air, and reformed on top of my head.
I stopped breathing for a couple seconds.
"That was weird," said Owen.
My laugh was a bit hysterical. "This can't be happening," I said. "We can't have this around you right now."
"It's okay," he said. "It's just one more thing, and a small one, in the sea of things I've got going on in here." He tapped the side of his head.
"I don't even know why it's doing that to you. I don't need you to surrender to me. I'm not feeling that."
"I didn't say it was you. I said it was the crown." He looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to think that through.
"I keep thinking about it like it has a mind of its own," I said.
"You've always been intuitive," he said. "You know that everything I've researched about the Fleece says different things, but I know enough to believe that the magic involved in the Fleece has a mind of its own."
"That makes me want to barf."
He shrugged. "It's not a comforting thought."
"Maybe I should stay away from you until I get this sorted." I immediately hated the idea, but it did sound best.
"Absolutely not." He was a little loud, and Ava rolled over in her sleep. Quieter now, he said, "You do more good than the crown does bad. If you want to leave me, obviously you can. I'll understand under the circumstances. But Sophie, not to make you feel pressured here, but if there is one thing that gives me hope I can get through this, it's you."
"Leave you." I grabbed his hand. "I was suggesting physical distance for me and the crown, not leaving you. Don't be ridiculous."
He exhaled heavily. "That's better." His hands wrapped around and cupped my backside. "I could do with less physical distance, personally."
That was Phoebe's cue to wake up. Owen adjusted his hands and grinned at nowhere in particular.
"You look better," said Phoebe, her usual chipper self. That woke Zoe, but she watched quietly.
"I feel better," replied Owen.
Phoebe looked over and saw that I was awake and then glanced at Ava. "Then let's wake up Lazy Bones and get a move on. I need to check on my tree. She's probably lonely."
I tapped Ava on the shoulder. "Time to wake up, Lazy Bones."
She muttered a few expletives and rolled to her feet. "Wait. What? Patricia..." She fixed me with a look that said I was being discussed by nosy ghosts right now. "I did not need to know these details, Patricia." She was quiet for another moment and then closed her eyes, her nose twitching. "Manners," she admonished the ghost.
"You are soooo weird," said Phoebe, her face lighting up with a smile.
"There are two fire-breathing dragons here, Sophie's mother is death incarnate and she's wearing a mythical artifact on her head, you are in a long term relationship with a tree, and you claim I am 'weird'." Ava dusted her hands and walked into the woods, presumably to answer nature's call.
"Let's get our weird asses rolling," I said. "I need to sleep in a real bed and eat all the real food."
The walk back to the portal was surprisingly pleasant. Owen and I strolled hand in hand. He was jumpy, and still muttered things under his breath, but his eyes focused better and he only froze up a couple of times. I managed to talk him out of both of those situations. Sleep had helped him. I'd have to remember that.
"I think you can go now, Zoe," I said. "We're getting close to the portal, and you've done more than I ever would have asked."
Zoe smiled. "I'm thorough. I like to make sure a job is done right from beginning to end. I'll stay with you until the portal. I have no desire to go into Volarus right now, so I'll leave you there."
"Suit yourself," I said, my smile returning. "You do realize that you're making yourself a part of this weird little crew, right?"
"I'm aware," she said, her loud laughter ringing through the trees. "I don't think I'll regret it."
We walked for another couple hours before the portal came into view. We stopped a hundred feet away and all turned to face Zoe.
"It almost feels like I should thank you," I said. "We never could have done this without you."
"You honored both my mother and me by allowing me to repay her debt," said Zoe, as serious as I'd ever seen her. Then she smiled and poked me in the stomach. "Come back and visit us soon."
I laughed. She was a strange mixture of serious and jovial that I still didn't quite have a handle on. "I'm not sure how soon that will happen. I think twice a year is probably about all I can stand Faerie."
"You would feel differently if you didn't only come here on impossible quests. Faerie can be a fun place."
Owen nodded. "I tried to tell her that the first time she came here. I don't know if she'll ever believe it."
I quirked a brow at him. "Even after this mess, you still like Faerie?"
He shrugged. "It's a big place. Oscura is only a small part of it that I never want to see again."
"That's too logical for me," I replied, turning back to Zoe. "I'm glad you talked your way onto this mission, dragon."
"I'm glad you tricked me into thinking you were merciful when you let me come along."
"I didn't trick you," I said. "And anyway, you grew up in Faerie. Shouldn't you have been more suspicious when I gave in so quickly?"
"Desperation makes us foolish."
"I don't think I need desperation as an excuse for that one."
She laughed. I was going to miss having someone laugh so hard at my little comments.
"So, this is goodbye for now, dragon," I said.
"Hug?" she asked, before jumping forward and wrapping me in a tight squeeze. "Um," she said after a few seconds.
I pulled back. "Sorry, did that go on too long?"
"No," she said, pointing over my shoulder.
A couple dozen men and women dressed in black tactical gear had poured through the portal. A few of them held wands, others held swords and crossbows. A couple even carried what looked like guns. Each of them wore a vest with large white letters declaring them FAB.
"Sophie!" squeaked Phoebe. "What did you do?"
I rolled my eyes at her. "I didn't do anything."
"Mom," said Owen.
"This looks like her doing," Ava agreed.
Apparently, Lana had grown impatient.
"Hands behind your head everybody," I said. "Except you, Zoe. You should leave now. They won't hurt us, but when they see Owen, they'll probably take us all into custody." That felt like the exact kind of incompetence I could count on. "You could be stuck in FAB red tape for days." Zoe looked skeptical. I couldn't blame her. This was a specialized, high profile FAB team. They didn't look friendly. "Really. I work with people like this all the time. They're very by the book. If they killed one of us, they'd be buried in paperwork for weeks. The one thing true of everyone at FAB is that they hate paperwork. Get out of here. I appreciate your loyalty, but it's not needed now. Tell your mother I'll visit when I can."
"She'll hold you to that, you know." Zoe backed away. "I wish the two of you the best." And with that, she shifted to her dragon form. Surprise, and fear, wiped the assessing look off the faces of the FAB agents.
"Nobody move," shouted the man in the front. If I had to guess, I'd say he was a gnome, judging by his features and small stature. "Hands up."
Whatever race he was, he was an idiot. Great. "Uh, we already have our hands up," I said. "I'm a FAB agent, by the way. Sophie Morrigan."
Zoe roared as she leapt into the air. All of the FAB agents craned their necks to follow her. It would have been a perfect distraction if we were planning to attack them, which I was sure had been her intention. I really wanted to. It would have made life so much simpler. This was going to be a complete pain in the ass.
"Hey, guys, she's just leaving." I clapped, drawing the attention of the gnome. "We rescued Owen Kinney already." I pointed to him and put my hands behind my head. "Your job is done in record time. You're welcome." I looked at Owen out of the corner of my eye and saw that he was completely rigid and trembling slightly. "He's a dragon, in case you didn't bother to read up on your job here. You know what they say about dragons. I suggest giving him his space."
The sound of Zoe's wings faded into the distance and we regained the focus of the whole team.
"I'm Agent Newton," said the gnome. "Don't move and we'll process you through without incident." He stepped forward, pointing his wand at my chest. His eyes were focused on Owen. "Mr. Kinney. We have orders to take you directly to Mrs. Kinney upon your recovery."
"What about Sophie?" he asked, his voice small.
"She'll be processed through FAB," said Newton. "If her story checks out, she'll be released."
I had to grit my teeth for several seconds so I didn't get into a shouting match. Owen needed me more than I needed to bite this asshole's head off. "Owen, it will be fine. Ava, Phoebe, and I will go with them to FAB. It should take them two minutes to confirm my identity and clear me of any wrongdoing involving your disappearance. They're going to take you to your mother. It'll be fine."
He studied my face for a while and then nodded, his lips pressed into a firm line. "Let's get this over with."
I didn't blame him for having that attitude. He didn't like interacting with his parents under the best circumstances. I had to make sure that FAB figured out who I was and sent me on my way. And I needed to do that without using the Fleece, tempting as it was. I'd gone ahead and used it so I could get Owen back. It had served its purpose. If I was going to cut ties, the first step was to stop using it. "Come on, Newton. Let's move this along."
The rest of the FAB crew had already started moving Owen toward the portal. They were gentle. At least they weren't all as stupid as their commander.
"Take them into custody," said Newton, snapping his stubby fingers. "Let's roll out."
Three of the men stepped forward with zip ties in their hands. Another three backed them up. "Put your hands anywhere they shouldn't be on me or my friends and kiss those hands goodbye," I said. "I'm pretty sure all of you know who I am. You wouldn't want to disappoint me."
There were several nods in response to my words.
The first thing they did was take our weapons. I shook with barely contained fury when they put their hands on Haiku and Epic. The agent responsible didn't miss that, her eyes were watchful for any movement on my part. I stayed perfectly still.
"The crown, too," said Newton.
"But it's the Fleece," one of the agents said.
"Exactly," he said. "Get it."
The agent reached her hand up, and I debated biting it. It wasn't much of a debate--silent rage urging me forward and the ever quieting voice of reason saying noooo--but it didn't matter, anyway. Six inches from my head, the agent yanked back her hand with a shriek. "You get it if you want it!"
"Excuse me?" asked Newton.
"It attacked me," she said. She massaged her right hand with her left. "If you want it, you get it."
Newton huffed and marched over. "Are you giving my agents trouble, Morrigan? That's so like you, isn't it?" He sneered as he went to grab the Fleece from me, and this time I felt the little jolt as the crown zapped him.
Did I do that? Or was it the Fleece?
Newton shook his hand out. He looked afraid. "All right, everybody back to work. Get 'em cuffed!"
It wasn't long before we were all marching through the portal and into Last Stop. The ogre behind the counter met my gaze and shook his head, an impressed loo
k on his face. Yep, this was a story he'd be telling for months. I jerked my chin in greeting. "Hey, Ivan."
He laughed. "Hey, you found him! Hey, man. She was looking for you."
"Yeah, she found me," Owen confirmed.
"Did she do something bad to you? Did you have to call the F.A.B on her? I knew she came in here with you before, but I had a feeling she was trouble."
"She is trouble," said Owen. "But the good kind." If I'd turned around, I'm pretty sure I would have seen him wink.
Ivan laughed. "All right, good to know. I'll see you around, Owen."
"Yeah. Later, Ivan."
It was like the guys were just passing each other at the grocery store, not chatting while a line of FAB agents marched through his store.
We piled into the FAB cars without incident. Despite my insistence that everyone cooperate with the FAB agents, I was surprised at how easily things were going. I had expected there to be at least a minor scuffle, maybe a few broken limbs before they realized we weren't the enemy. Newton seemed like the kind of moron that liked to take people down hard, no matter how cooperative they were. I wondered if the crown on top of my head had something to do with that. That could be handy.
"Nope, need to ditch this thing as soon as possible," I muttered under my breath.
"Quiet back there. I'll gag you if I have to," said Newton. That was more like it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The short ride to FAB headquarters was a quiet one, mostly at my urging. Phoebe and Ava were silently seething. I'd impressed upon them the importance of staying silent and they'd listened. It wouldn't have taken much arguing for them to get themselves detained for a couple days.
I was too far in my head, worrying about Owen, to chew these guys out for following the stupid orders they'd been given. I just kept seeing Owen's stoic face as they loaded him into a separate SUV. To everyone else, he looked calm. I, however, could see the fear in his intense green eyes. It was about time that I gave Lana Kinney an earful.
"Everybody out," barked a tall, blond agent, his gloved hand holding the door. "Move."
