“Go outside and clear your head,” Logan said.
Someone stepped up to take my place and I silently left the house.
The sun mocked me with its bright rays. Taking a few deep breaths of the fresh air helped. I started to push away images of what we discovered inside the house.
Logan had a plan for me, or he wouldn’t have sent me out here. I needed to move and be useful. The thought of going back inside made me cringe, but I wanted to be working.
Agents scoured the area around the house, but another set of eyes wouldn't hurt.
Other agents were already processing an empty shed. I stared at the outside of the house and made a circuit around the perimeter. My mind felt like it moved through sludge. Something was missing. All those small people inside. Where were the larger Lost?
Logan met me outside. “Let's saddle up and go see this cave.”
Years ago, I came out here with friends. The cave had a wide entrance with several rooms carved out where they quarried stone. There was nothing at the entrance, but we explored the other rooms.
The minotaur was in the first room we inspected. I expected the large horned man to be raging. Instead, he was terribly wounded. There were lacerations across his body. Either whips or chains had stripped flesh from chest, back, arms, and legs. We called another team and the doctor over to the cave.
The minotaur was chained to the ground, unable to stand. I tried to talk to him, but received no response. We left some someone with him while we scouted the rest of the cave.
In another room, we found the centaur. He had fared little better. He tried to talk when we entered, but his voice was gone. His skin had a pinched look of severe dehydration. He stood, chained to a wall with a collar around his neck.
We tried without success to pull the chains from the wall. Logan sent me back to the truck to grab bolt cutters.
Chapter 26
Going straight to the minotaur I tried to cut the chains. He watched listlessly as I struggled. Logan took the tool and used his immense strength to cut the chains while the doctor looked over his patient. He ordered a stretcher to take the man quickly back to the Farm.
The doctor looked weary. How long had we been here? How many patients had he already seen? The doctor did a cursory inspection of the centaur and ordered him back to the Farm. The doctor rushed to catch up with the minotaur.
We stayed at the cave. We inspected every inch, looking for signs of other Lost. In a small room carved out of the back of the cave, we found sets of chains drilled into a wall, but the chains were empty. Their wearers had moved on to unknown locations.
Logan called on me to read the Path. The landscape was marred with pain so strong that I couldn't read anything of use. We called in the clean-up crew and left the blighted stone behind.
One house and one cave. Most of the missing Lost were accounted for.
Back at the house, we fingerprinted everything before starting to load empty cages into the truck. We were careful to use gloved hands on everything. Clancy would be going over everything in minute detail.
Doing what I could, I read the Path in the house. Pain and despair had permanently leeched into the fabric of the Path. It bled into every fiber of the house. I followed each Path as it entered and left the house. For each of the Lost, I noted when they entered. Some left and never returned.
Outside, I picked up apathy and greed. The kidnappers. Anger seethed inside me as I followed each of their Paths in and out of the house. Someone spent a good deal of time walking around outside.
It wasn't until Logan put his hand on my shoulder that I realized I had done too much. The Path tried to cling to me when I pushed it away. I gritted my teeth and tried not to waver when I stopped Reading. The world was dull and dark when I dropped the Path, but I welcomed the darkness after the intensity of emotions that surrounded us.
The sun had already sunk below the horizon. We'd been there for hours, but it felt like days.
As soon as we reached the offices, we started processing the Lost that were well enough to be returned home. It was heartening to know that some were only waiting for Logan to sign off on their discharge before they could leave. We quickly handled the ones that were ready to go home.
Checking into Clancy's progress, I found the man in tears. Similar to what I had felt in the house, he was taking in the emotions of each item of evidence. From the pain and fear of the cages down to the greed and gluttony of the trash left behind.
Leaving Clancy behind, I started helping the agents trudging through trash to find useful pieces of evidence. Grim images churned in my mind as I catalogued items.
Barry looked anxious and split his time between getting case updates and being on the phone with Washington. Hank pulled every satellite picture he could from the area. Dr. Taylor from MyTH and other medical staff were pouring into the Farm. The entire building was working toward one grueling task. Find those responsible.
Hank stopped on his way by my desk. “You might want to see to the new guy.”
I scanned the room for Vincent, hope rising in my chest, and then my eyes landed on Rider.
“He looks worse off than you,” Hank said.
He wasn't wrong. Our werewolf stood at the edge of the room looking forlorn.
“I've got him,” I said.
Hank nodded and I went to Rider. I led him to a desk and we buried ourselves deeply in paperwork. We went over procedures and protocols until my mind was firmly fixed on training.
We went home for a few hours that night, but sleep was fueled by nightmares and didn’t last.
The next day at the office, coffee flowed heavily. Logan pulled Rider and me into a conference room to debrief.
“There are holes in the case,” I said to Logan.
Logan nodded. “Big ones.”
Kyrian overheard as she walked by. As leads in the case, we consistently had Barry or Kyrian hovering around us.
“Reps from Washington will be here in two days,” Kyrian said. “We can't have holes in the case.”
Taking the comment personally, my cheeks turned pink and I narrowed my eyes at her. Logan, on the other hand, kept his cool.
“That's what we have,” Logan said. “We don't know who's further up the line.”
“Fix it.” Kyrian walked off without another word.
I rubbed my temples after she left.
“What don't we know?” Logan asked.
He was getting all mentor-y again. My attention focused.
“We don't know who's above Seth in the organization,” I said.
“Does there need to be anyone above Seth?” Logan asked.
“I think so,” I said. “Seth was the one catching. I don't think he was the one selling. Plus, where did he find out about the different types of Lost?”
“Those that know about the Lost are pretty limited,” Logan said.
“MyTH and AIR know about them,” Rider said.
Logan nodded. “There are a few other non-profits. Other countries have their own agencies as well.”
“Didn't you say something about secret societies before?” I asked.
“I don't expect them to be too involved,” Logan said. “If they are, we’ll have a hell of a time tracking them down.”
I thought back over the last month of activity. “We're looking for more than someone who knows about the Lost. We're looking for someone who knows about portals too, and where specific Lost are located. They knew where to find the fairies, not exactly, but enough that they kept searching the area over and over again.”
“That leads us to where we were before,” Logan said. “Someone in the agency.”
“Before we found the Lost, we were talking about the beast that killed the troll,” Rider added. “We do not know if it plays a part in any of this.”
“If it could have opened the portals, it may know who else is involved. It may even be at the top of the food chain itself,” Logan said.
“I think that’s where we should st
art. Let's go track a monster,” I said.
Rider instantly looked eager.
Logan was a little more resigned. “Whatever this thing is, it's smart, Cassie. Tracking might be difficult. It could be just about anywhere.”
“I don't think so,” I replied. “If Rider is willing to help,” he started nodding before I even got the words all the way out, “then we have the best tracker we can get. I think it's still in the area. If it opened those portals, it's probably been regaining its strength. If it’s a part of this, it could also be waiting for payment. I think we have a good chance of tracking this thing down.”
“What are we going to do once we track it down?” Logan asked.
“I think we need it alive,” I ventured. “We need to knock it out somehow.”
“I'm not sure we can use the tranquilizers with this thing without setting up some kind of ambush,” Logan started. “I'm a good shot, but I need to be positioned right. We don't even know what it is, so there may not be a way to lure it out.”
“Once we locate the thing, luring it out is going to be easy,” I said with confidence. Logan looked at me thoughtfully, but Rider was still clueless.
“How do we lure it out if we do not know what it wants?” Rider asked.
“I think it'll want me,” I said.
“No!” Rider said loudly. “We will not let you do that.”
I crossed my arms and looked at Rider. Logan actually scooted his chair away some. “Won't let me? Look, I know you're new here and all, but this is something you need to know. You do not let me do anything. I wasn't asking for permission, and I certainly don't need permission. If you want to help, great. If you want to stay out of it, that's fine too. But unless anyone else has another suggestion, this is the best option we have.”
Rider looked taken aback by my anger.
I turned to Logan, “I’m going to grab some gear.”
He nodded but didn't say anything. Logan whispered something to Rider, but it was too low for me to hear. I glared at both of them before leaving the room.
I pulled my hair into a braid so it wouldn't get in my way and checked out the truck. The tranquilizer guns were there, so I loaded them up and made sure they were ready. I even checked the expiration date on the tranquilizers. When I first started working with Logan, expired tranqs made a job more difficult than expected. That was one mistake we’ll never make again. I paused now and again in my preparation to pull myself back into my center. Once I was finished, I was calm and ready to go. When I went back into the conference room, Rider was there, but Logan was gone.
“He is contacting his family and speaking with Hank,” Rider said.
I nodded and helped myself to more coffee. It was promising to be another long night. I asked Rider if there was anything in particular that he might want. He didn't apologize and didn't bring up the earlier discussion, both indicators that Logan had a talk with him.
Since we last saw the creature at the Sanctuary, I called Travis on the way over. It was almost dark when we arrived and the place was clear except for the fairies. The ATVs were waiting when we arrived. Travis agreed to stand by on the short wave radios in case we needed the cavalry called in.
Logan led the way and Rider brought up the rear. We made two stops on the way out to the cliffs where the troll had been killed. Twice Rider called something out and stopped for a few moments before giving us the go ahead. By the time we reached the cliff, the night had turned cool.
We ditched the ATVs when we could take them no further and tromped through the woods that met the base of the cliffs. Well, okay, I tromped. Rider was almost as silent as Logan. We agreed to go over the area where the troll died and where I was attacked before trying to pick up any other trails. After so much time, I figured the scents of this area would have dissipated, but Rider assured me they were still strong enough to follow.
The area where the troll died didn't tell us anything new. Logan and I went back to where it attacked me, while Rider ran through the woods, following the creature’s progress to where it actually met up with me. We didn't have long to wait. Rider said he made a loop through the woods ending up where I was attacked.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on that spot, trying to get a sense of where the creature went next. I closed my eyes twice, but they popped back open again. It wasn't until Logan and Rider moved closer that I felt safe enough to keep my eyes closed and concentrate. I was getting pretty good at opening only a small portion of the Path, but that trickle of power wasn’t enough and I failed to see far enough back. Bracing myself, I opened the full raging power of the Path. Instantly, my breathing ratcheted up. Logan reached out to steady me. It struck me again how amazing his pattern was when viewing it this way. Equally amazing that it was hidden before now.
Pushing myself, I felt back to the time when I faced the creature. Blacks and grays swirled in the memory of the creature's passing. The Path tried to resist the imprint the beast had made, but the energy hadn't yet been swept away. The Path of the creature went above me, over me. I looked up the face of the cliff. I told the guys where it had gone and we were off.
We walked back to the ATVs and started out. Rider was in the lead this time with Logan bringing up the rear. The trail went pretty far out of the way, but we were steadily climbing upwards. I'd never been to this part of the Sanctuary and I was all turned around from the twists and turns of the trail. Rider and Logan had a good sense of direction, however. They'd be able to lead us out if needed.
Rider dismounted the ATV and led us to the top of the cliff where the creature had disappeared. We followed it until he caught a scent. Since we had no idea where the scent led, we stuck together. Sometimes, the guys seemed to forget that I was slower. Rider and Logan were on the hunt. At one point, I found myself completely alone in the middle of nowhere and had no idea where to go. It scared me, which was good. Being scared quickly led me to being pissed off. Much easier to be in the woods alone in the middle night and be pissed off than it is to be alone and scared.
I crossed my arms and leaned against a nearby tree. “If I get stuck out here alone all night I'm going to get really ticked,” I said lightly. There was no response so I raised my voice. “And if you stumble across my dead body, don't let that get in your way.” It was a bit dramatic, but it worked. Rider popped into view and stayed closer to me.
We crossed back and forth through the woods, coming to the cliffs following one trail before catching a fresher trail and taking us away, over and over again.
“Rider, can you tell how old the scents are that we are following now?” We were working ourselves back away from the cliff again.
“Maybe three days old.”
“And the one we followed to the cliff previously?”
“Maybe four days.”
I rolled my eyes and put my hands on my hips. “In other words, it's going back and forth from the cliffs each day?”
“It seems that way, but it takes a different path each time.”
“Why don't you leave me back at the ATVs? You can follow the scents back and forth until you find the most recent ones. You'll get done faster that way.”
“What if we run into it? Or it runs into you?” Logan asked.
“I don't think it will,” I replied.
“Why not?” Rider asked.
“Because I think it killed the troll to take its cave.” I tried not to look too pleased with myself.
Chapter 27
“The troll wasn't killed in its cave.” Logan said.
“Right,” Rider added, getting excited. “It was killed well away from the cave. That way, no one would check the cave, and it would not smell up the place if no one found the troll.”
“Nice work, Cassie,” Logan added, “You could be right about this. Rider, find the most recent scents and follow them. I'll take Cassie back to the ATVs and we'll wait for you there. If you run into it, run away. Nothing else.”
Rider nodded and disappeared. I couldn't tell how f
ast he moved, since there wasn't much noise, but I knew it was much faster than we had been moving together.
Logan led the way back to the ATVs and we sat together discussing tactics.
Rider joined us again. “Last trace of a scent ended at the top of the cliffs. It could still be in the cave below.”
“Excellent,” Logan said. “Here's our idea. Since you move fastest through the woods, circle way out and come out on the other side of the cave. You can wait there. I'll be across from you on the other side of the cave. Cassie is going to step out straight in front. If the thing's asleep, she'll get its attention. You and I will move back to be to the left and right of her. That way, we don't risk hitting her or each other. When it comes out, we shoot it.”
Rider looked a little nervous. So Logan continued, “I also think that Cassie should keep a tranq dart in her hand. That way if it gets close enough, she can stab it with the dart. This will drop an elephant, so it'll drop whatever this is.” Logan said something else under his breath, but I couldn't hear it.
We all hopped onto the ATVs and went back to the base of the cliffs. Hopefully, we had enough gas in the tanks, because I didn't want to think about walking out of here.
When we parked and moved toward the cave, I started to tense. Scenarios started playing themselves out in my head. When Logan guessed we were about half way to the cave, we stopped. This was where Rider jumped off. We'd give him twenty minutes to get into place before continuing on.
Before he disappeared into the night, Rider said, “Stay safe. I will be very disappointed if you two get hurt.”
Twenty minutes later, Logan and I moved forward quietly. Crossing my fingers, I hoped Rider was in place. We walked for a while, but it seemed way too soon when Logan stopped and turned to face me. I moved up next to him. He didn't say anything, but pointed in the direction I needed to go. Bracing myself, I walked alone into the darkness.
The cliffs were white stone as high as a two or three story building. The moon bathed them in light until they seemed to glow. I couldn't have traveled more than thirty feet, but it seemed like a long walk to take on my own. Even among the trees, I felt exposed.
AIR Series Box Set Page 30
