I could see his eyes darting around, trying to look for new bruises, so I forced a little smile and lied. “I’m fine.”
Chapter 27
Standing in the kitchen, I twisted the coffee cup around in my hand while I listened to Ethan leave. A minute later, Vincent came downstairs, and everyone left. The vehicles drove away and the house was silent.
What the hell had happened?
I’m not sure what Ethan was thinking, but Rider wouldn't look at me, Vincent was livid, and I had been benched from my job. All before noon.
This was set to be a stellar day.
I dumped the coffee and worked my way through the kitchen doing mindless chores. Halfway through the dishes, the tears started to fall. After the dishes were done, I looked through the cabinets to see if we needed anything, then I set about making a grocery list. Gran would be back soon and I knew she'd want to have a stocked kitchen, even if she wasn't planning on cooking anything.
I thought about making cookies for Logan's family, but my tears were starting to slow. With the waterworks out of the way, I eased into thinking over the issues at hand.
First, I went to check the laundry room. The entire cage had been taken away. We could assume it had been Einar, but was it? The idea of checking the Path was discarded immediately. I didn't want to experience Einar's Path again. Especially not alone.
Besides, I told myself, I shouldn't be reading, I should be saving my strength.
Rider might be able to take a look, or sniff, or whatever. If he would do that for me. After his reaction this morning, I wasn't sure if he would.
How could my best friend not even look at me? Back in the living room, I replayed this morning’s events in my head. I had come down the stairs, seen Rider...and then what?
I could sense the wolf inside him. The animal was there, wanting to get out. I've always known Rider was a werewolf, from the moment we met, but I had never seen him in wolf form. Sure, his hands changed from time to time, but I'd never seen the beast within.
Until today.
Looking at my arm, I had the bruises to prove it, but why this morning?
He said I smelled like a werewolf, but that wasn't possible. Seeing Einar's Path was one thing, but I hadn’t taken in the souls.
My mind grew panicky at the thought. No. There was no way I could have absorbed those souls. They were whole and complete. They wouldn't have jumped into me, would they?
How would I know?
I'd know. Surely I would. I had known with the leprechaun. They'd be jumping around trying to be seen and heard. Besides, that wouldn't make me a werewolf. So why did Rider think I smelled like a werewolf? Why had I seen his wolf under his skin?
The Rider issue would have to wait for the others to be fixed. I would need help in figuring out what was wrong.
I would need Rider to talk to me.
I took out the laptop Neil had given to me and went to the kitchen. With a fresh cup of coffee in hand, I started to research golems. It was too bad I couldn't keep my mind on the task.
What had Ethan been thinking? He said he hadn’t been worried about Vincent, but was that true? Even with that, my relationship with him seemed more solid than with anyone else this morning. That was saying a lot.
I began to rub little circles around my temples to relieve the building tension. How do I tell him what happened last night? Something like that might push him over his threshold or weirdness. Ethan needed and deserved someone more normal. Or at least screwed up in a normal way. I'm no good at breaking up with someone, but I think it had to be done.
Then there was Vincent this morning. His anger seemed to escalate from almost nowhere. He had reason to be angry, but at me?
There was a rattle at the front door, and I froze. I heard the door open.
"I'm home!" Gran called. "I...oh."
"I'm so glad you’re home!" I went to meet her in the living room. If anyone could help me sort out this mess, it would be Gran. "You're home..." Her voice had trailed at the end, but it hadn’t sunk in.
My stomach almost rejected its contents. Gran was there, but standing next to her, holding her arm, was Einar.
"Get away from her!" There was a quaver in my voice that I wish hadn't worked its way in. I fought towards the Path, but this close to Einar, it wasn't an easy task.
"Well, look at you. Or you all." Gran seemed completely unconcerned that the man held her arm. She reached up and drew her hands over his face. "Isn't that somethin’?"
"Let her go," I said.
You are needed. I could hear the words, but Einar was looking at Gran.
Panic clamped down. "What do you need with my grandmother?"
No. Not her. You, Cassandra, are required.
"You're all clay," Gran said. "That's interestin’. Can I make you a cup of tea?"
My mouth almost dropped open. "Gran! You can't offer him tea. He's threatening you."
"These people aren't going to hurt me," Gran said.
Einar's features didn't change, or if they did, it was subtle, but he seemed upset. I am Einar. One together. Not people.
Gran looked at the clay man and smiled. "I'm sure we can whip up something for lunch if you're hungry."
"He says he's one, not many," I told Gran, "and he doesn't seem very happy at the moment. Look, Einar, leave her alone. If you need me, that's fine. I'll go with you."
Gran frowned. "We’re okay while you all are here. I'm not sure what happens if you all leave."
"He's safe here in the house?"
"Safe may be a strong word, but he isn't going to hurt us here."
I do not wish to hurt the old woman, but I will if I must.
Gran had been off her game lately. How could I tell if she was right?
"I'll go with you. It's no problem. Once you let her go and she leaves the room."
Einar looked away from Gran. You will get what you need.
"What is it that I need?" I asked.
We will use the automobile outside.
"When did you learn what an automobile is?" My mind was running towards any exit advantage it could find.
They belong to this time. I have been inside them.
“I can’t drive that vehicle,” I lied.
I came to know you. Last night.
The thought made my skin turn cold. It was something that Vincent had said last fall. He had taken my soul into him and he knew me.
"Right. Let her go and I’ll get my stuff," I said.
Einar shook his head.
I didn't want to leave Gran alone with Einar, not even for a second. But my gun was upstairs and my purse was in the kitchen. I guess up until this point, the gun had been ineffective towards Einar anyway. The only thing that I had was the Path, and that was useless at the moment.
I walked backward out of the living room. Once my purse was in sight, I ran, grabbed it, and returned as fast as I was able.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
You do not need to know.
"I do actually. I need to know what to bring." That was almost a lie. Apparently, it was close enough to the truth that Einar relented in the end.
Many miles away, there was once a town of Others. You will take me there.
"The town of Others..." I stopped and rephrased what I was going to say. Somehow, I didn't think Einar would be happy if I said 'the town of Others you killed.' "The town of Others from the Civil War?"
Yes.
"Is that town even still there?" I asked.
We shall see what remains.
"Right. Okay." My mind raced for something else, anything else that might get Einar to stay, but allow Gran to leave. The guys would come eventually.
But would that be any better? Logan had had little effect when fighting Einar, I doubt Rider would have much more. Vincent was the only one that could do anything, but that was far too dangerous to try. There was no point in stalling. I needed to get Einar out of here.
"I have everything I need. Let's go."
&
nbsp; Einar cocked his head and looked at me. I could practically hear his brain working, trying to figure out if I had a trick or plan.
Outside.
I walked to the door, leaving plenty of room around Einar, and then I opened it and waited.
He looked over at Gran. Tell the old woman that I apologize if I scared her. This was a necessity.
"What?"
Tell her.
I glared at Einar. "Gran, he says that he is sorry if he scared you."
Gran frowned. "Takes more than that to scare me. But I don't want you going with him. I don't know what will happen." She turned to Einar. "Promise me that you'll bring my granddaughter back. In one piece, mind you."
Einar and I both looked at Gran. She waited calmly for a response. When she didn't get one right away, she opened her purse and started rummaging through it.
Tell her I do not wish to lie. I do not know what this day will bring.
That made my heart skip a beat. I had to swallow twice to keep my voice steady. "He said that he doesn't know what the day will bring and doesn't want to lie to you."
"Are you protectin’ this hunk of clay?" Gran asked, elbow deep in her cavernous purse.
"No, he’s a murder suspect."
"Not working out so great, is it? Sorry to hear he won't promise, though." Gran hauled out a revolver and shot Einar at point blank range.
I’m not sure if it was the recoil or her surprise of actually firing the gun, but she staggered. Einar steadied her and took the gun out of her hands.
"Gran! Where did you get a gun?"
"Huh? Sorry Darlin’, got a whistle in my ears. I didn’t see that one comin’."
Einar led Gran over to a couch and sat her down. Gran was tugging at her ear and moving her jaw around trying to restore her hearing.
The fact that Einar was being gentle gave me hope that he didn’t intend to harm her, even though she had tried to kill him.
Einar stood and watched Gran for a moment. We must go now. Keeping the gun in his hand, he gripped my arm and hauled me out to my car.
"What's this about, Einar?"
You will get into the car and drive.
Rule number one. Never go to a secondary location with someone who you think might want to do you harm. Actually, it was probably more like rule number four. The trouble is, I was more worried about the damage that would be caused if we stayed in the current location.
"All right," I muttered, "but you're going to have to give me directions.”
When I got into the car, a squeaking noise made me turn. My rabbit was in the backseat. He was chewing on lettuce that looked much fresher than the stuff I had given him yesterday. I furrowed my brow at Einar when he got in, but didn't say anything when I started the car.
You will drive left.
I did what he said, feeling resentment at being told what to do. When I reached the road to town, where I could turn left or right, I stopped and waited for the next direction.
Einar bounced the tip of the gun against the clay of his legs. With every impact the metal caused a clanging echo, which seemed to fill Einar. You will keep going.
"Do you want me to turn left again?"
Einar frowned. We must go straight.
"There's no road. We have to travel on roads, especially in this car."
Einar seemed to think this over. We must go in that direction. Take me to a road that goes that direction.
"Right," I mumbled, "this day keeps getting better and better." I drove to the Interstate and started heading south.
We sat in silence. Gran was safe. That allowed me to drop down a terror level. She also knew where we were going. Well, not knew, but she had enough details that she would be able to tell the guys.
Vincent would already know, but he found that kind of connection an annoyance. Today, he might choose to ignore it all together. There hadn't been a call on my cell phone yet. Usually, he called if he suspected something was wrong, or he'd make someone else call.
There was no way everyone was too mad at me to reach out. Right?
It would make it better if they didn't come. It was depressing, but the facts were, we still didn't know how to deal with Einar. At least this way, I was the only one of us readily available for him to kill.
You are deep in thought. You are reasoning out a means of escape.
I shook my head and kept my eyes on the road. "Why did you take my rabbit? Did you send him in the first place?"
An angry hiss issued from Einar. I would not do something so foul.
"You kill people and you call sending someone a dead rabbit foul?" Why did I say that? Never remind a killer that they're a killer.
Einar was quiet for a while. It is the magic that brought the creature back to life that is unseemly.
"What are you going to do with it? Kill it?"
It is not the animal’s fault that this happened.
That was too close to what I had told Vincent last night. "What will you do with it then?"
I am not certain. Its creator is no longer available to undo the damage.
"You killed him? Was that the body my team went to see this morning?"
I do not know what body they saw. If it is new, it is not one I ended. The man did not die. He sensed the ending of our arrangement and has disappeared.
"Arrangement?"
Einar said nothing.
"So you didn't send me the rabbit. You got someone else to do it?"
Do you always speak so incessantly?
"Yes. At least when I'm... when I want answers." The word hostage almost slipped past my lips. At this point, I didn't think it would be a good idea for Einar to be reminded that I'm a hostage either. "Who did you get to send me the rabbit?"
What this creature is now, I would not wish on any animal.
"Why did your pal make it then?"
Einar slammed a fist down onto the dashboard of my car. I jumped as thick plastic and fake wood gave way to a huge dent and large cracks.
Enough! You will be silent. I will give you instructions. I've learned enough that I should be able to drive this thing without you if needed.
Panic tried to overrule my mind while I watched the thin cracks spread through the stiff plastic. This was trouble. Real, serious, this-guy-is-going-to-kill-me, kind of trouble.
At least Gran was safe. My eyes started to sting at the thought. Logan and the others would look after her. They would all take care of each other.
Crap, crap, crap, I thought as I sniffed. Going down that line of thought would get me nowhere. Vincent was probably already on his way and hopefully, dragging the others along.
And if he weren't, I would give him hell for it later, once I had gotten away from the mad man sitting next to me.
The rabbit squeaked and snuffled in the back seat. I adjusted the mirror to look back at it. Einar was already turned in his seat to watch the rabbit. It squeaked again.
When Einar reached back to the cage, I couldn't keep quiet. "Don't hurt it!"
This creature has done nothing to me. I will not harm it.
"And I have?"
You are an agent of the government and one of their botched creations. Killing you will be a release.
"Not the kind of release I want," I said. "Besides, what about Gran? You scared and threatened her."
It was a means to an end. A necessity.
"Whatever," I mumbled.
I do not know what you mean by those words.
I licked my lips and looked back again at the little ball of fur in the back seat.
Oh well, better to be pissed off and dead than weepy and dead. "It means I don't believe you. It means that I think you're telling yourself these things to justify them to yourself."
A cold clay hand reached out with blurred speed. It clasped around my neck.
Fear jolted through me as my air supply became restricted. I slammed on the brakes and took my hands off the steering wheel. My hands wrapped around Einar's straining to wrench his grip away. I mig
ht as well have been trying to push a tree over. There was no chance of having any effect.
Chapter 28
It does not matter if you believe me. I need no further justification of myself.
The hand loosened enough for a response and I hesitated. I didn't know Einar, but I knew Henry. At least a little bit.
Horns blared all around.
I rolled the dice and took a chance. "You're justifying it to yourself. You have to, or you would have to admit that you're letting those that created you control your-"
The pressure around my throat doubled. The edges of my vision began to dim. Then he removed his hand.
I coughed and leaned my head on the steering wheel, trying to suck in as much air as I could. I watched my own tears fall on the steering wheel and slide down. How much of Henry was left in there? How much of the others?
Another horn blared.
Drive. I had expected his words to sound harsh in my mind, but they weren't.
Still, I took my time. After sitting up, I wiped my face off with my hands, checked the backseat, and adjusted my mirrors.
Traffic was light, which is probably what saved our lives. Well, my life anyway. With shaky hands, I continued to drive where Einar had indicated.
It wasn't until we were moving again that I thought of running, but that wouldn't work. He knew Gran and my friends. Rubbing my throat, I thought through other options. Escape was out. If I crashed the car, I would be more likely to get hurt than he would. I wracked my brain trying to think of something I could do to get the upper hand.
We are traveling in the wrong direction.
"If you told me where we're going, I might be able to get us there."
Einar's thoughts seemed to turn inward, and he was quiet for some time. You are driving us to the village.
"The village?" Going with Einar to a place where he had already killed so many people was something I would like to avoid. "That was over a hundred years ago. I doubt it's still there."
Turn west.
Unfortunately, a road to take us west did not magically appear, and Einar's impatience grew.
AIR Series Box Set Page 84
