Aric jerked me into his arms and held me close, almost smothering me in his efforts. “I’m going to buy you eighty rings.”
“I only want one,” I said. “I want the one in our safe at home. It’s cruel and unusual to let me see that ring and then lock it away.”
Aric finally managed to smile. “I didn’t show it to you. You pitched a fit, so I had to ruin my plans to shut you up.”
“Yes, well, I’m odd,” I said. “That’s what Bob told me anyway.”
“Are you sure his name was Bob?” Paris asked. She was engaged in the conversation, but nervous I would get angry with her again. I didn’t blame her.
“No. Whatever his name was it started with a C – or maybe a K,” I answered. “It was way too long and I didn’t care enough to try to learn it. He didn’t seem to care either.”
“Did he say why he left the note under our door?” Aric asked.
“He said he wanted to get me moving as fast as possible because Quinn wasn’t ready for me yet,” I replied. “He also said there’s no way Quinn can take my powers or wield the book as a weapon.”
“Just so someone says it, are we sure we want to believe the weird guy living in the hole in the ground?” Paris asked.
“He seemed sincere,” I replied.
“That doesn’t mean he wasn’t some sort of trickster,” Aric pointed out.
“He said you and I were bound forever, and as long as I survived you would survive,” I said. “Now, I might believe him because I want to believe him, but I choose to have faith in what he told me.”
“Since when are you a believer?” Aric pressed.
“Since … the earth swallowed me up and dropped me in a hole that had very few bugs and absolutely no snakes,” I said. “Whoever Bob was, he knew a lot about us. He said I’d been on his radar ever since I healed you behind the library.”
“What else did he say?”
“Well, he talked like a pretentious a-hole most of the time, but some of the stuff he said made some sense,” I said. “A lot of it was total crap, though. He said if they identified me for what I was as a child, they probably would have taken me from my parents. Because I was raised without an overblown ego … .”
Aric snorted, causing me to shoot him a dark look.
“… they decided to watch what happened,” I finished. “He said I never craved power because I didn’t know I had it. He also said that I would be able to figure out a way to use the book to help us, but he wouldn’t tell me how. Where is the book?”
“Here,” Aric said, rummaging through his pack until he found it. He handed it to me and then took over cooking duties. “I’ve returned to Earth and am no longer freaking out about the possibility of you going anywhere. I do not want to eat burned beans, though, so I’ll take it from here.”
“It’s a good thing you’re hot,” I muttered.
“I think that about you at least three times a week,” Aric shot back.
I kissed his cheek and then moved back to the spot in front of the tree so I could study the book. “Do you think this book can make me more powerful?”
“Do you want it to?” Aric asked.
“Not really. I’m already freaked out by the powers I have. I don’t need more of them screwing up our lives. No tree in our yard is safe, after all.”
“I don’t think that’s what he meant,” Paris interjected quietly.
I glanced at her. “What do you think he meant?”
“Bob said the book could never be wielded by Quinn,” Paris said. “Maybe that’s because the book was changed during the centuries it was missing.”
I waited for her to continue.
“Think about it,” Paris prodded. “Maybe someone took that book because it was dangerous and turned it into something useful for the people it was meant to hurt.”
“Maybe,” I conceded. “Or maybe whoever made the book had no idea what he was doing. It doesn’t matter. I know I’m going to have to torch most of that compound. I’ve come to grips with it.”
“Maybe not, baby,” Aric said, removing the pan from the fire and resting it against a rock to cool. “I’ve been thinking about this. I think a show of force might be enough to scare most of Quinn’s followers away.”
“Like?”
“Well, I’m curious about this compound,” Aric said, shifting his eyes to Paris. “What should we expect?”
“It’s basically a big house in the middle of the woods,” Paris said. “It’s kind of a mansion. I think some rich kook built it in the 1960s because he was convinced that the world was going to be taken over by communists. That’s what Quinn said, anyway.
“There are technically five buildings on the compound,” she continued. “There’s a main house, a detached garage, a guesthouse, a greenhouse where they grow most of the food they eat, and a watchtower.”
“Tell me about the watchtower,” Aric said, his eyes thoughtful. “Is it set apart from everything else?”
“It’s in the front of the property,” Paris replied. “The compound is surrounded by an iron fence. It’s pretty tall. You can’t climb over it. Every twenty feet or so there is a column to hold the fence in place. Those columns are cement.”
“Is the house set back on the property?”
“More in the middle.”
“Is there any reason that Quinn would hold Ted and Nancy in the watchtower?” Aric asked.
“I don’t see how that would work,” Paris said. “It’s really tall, but narrow. The main floor has a little den area with a television and a bathroom. There’s a refrigerator in there, too. There is no basement, though. The stairway is spiral and goes up to a walkway. There’s nothing else there.”
“Then that’s where Zoe is going to make her show of force,” Aric said, his jaw clenched.
“That sounds great,” I enthused. “How?”
“You’re going to blow it up.”
I stilled. “How am I going to do that?”
“The same way you set things on fire,” Aric replied. “All you have to do is make sure the fire is hot enough. Even if you can’t blow it up, if you set it on fire that’s bound to be enough to scare at least half of Quinn’s followers.”
“That still leaves up to fifteen people for us to handle,” I reminded him.
“I know. They’re going to be scattered, though. If we’re lucky, Quinn will rethink his position and run.”
“When have we ever gotten that lucky?”
“I got lucky the day I met you,” Aric said, shooting me a charming grin. “I honestly think this is going to be our best course of action, Zoe. We want to send them a clear message.”
“What if they bring my parents out and threaten them in front of me?”
“I hate to say it, but that’s what I’m hoping for,” Aric said. “We need to know where your parents are when things really get going. That way … .”
“I can burn the whole place down without accidentally getting them,” I finished for him. “It’s okay. You can say it.”
“You’re strong,” Aric said, resting his hand on my shoulder. “We’re going to do this together and everything is going to work out.”
“Are you trying to convince me or yourself when you say that?”
“Both.” Aric gave me a soft kiss. “Let’s eat.” He reached for paper plates to dole out the food but I stilled him with a hand on his arm. His eyes were curious when they met mine. “What?”
I didn’t respond, instead pointing to the other side of the invisible perimeter, where a large wolf dug in the dirt, snuffling as it searched. The animal was larger than a normal wolf, black fur coating its body everywhere but its white-barreled chest.
Aric and I exchanged a look.
“What do you want to do?” he whispered.
“I have an idea.”
“Oh, I’m going to hate this,” Aric muttered.
“Just … trust me.”
I got to my feet and moved in the direction of the wolf. He showed no signs of se
eing or hearing me. I cast a look back in Paris’ direction and pressed a finger to my lips, warning her to be silent. She mutely nodded.
Aric was right behind me. He didn’t speak. He waited for me to act – so that’s what I did. I dropped the magical shield, catching the wolf off guard. Before it could move I reached out with a glowing hand – red fire licking my fingers – and grabbed the wolf’s scruff.
“Welcome to camp,” I muttered before dragging it inside the fairy ring as it helplessly yelped. I threw the perimeter back up, closing us off to interlopers in case our visitor wasn’t alone, and smiled at the wolf. “You’re going to wish you’d picked a different side, Fido.”
25
Twenty-Five
“Shift!”
The wolf was low to the ground, its glowing eyes murderous as they watched me.
“Shift,” I ordered again. There was no way I could question a wolf.
The wolf merely blinked.
I poked Aric in the side. “Make him shift.”
“You make him shift,” Aric shot back. “You have the fire hands of death. What do you want me to do, put him in the submissive position and bite him?”
“Well, depending on how hot he is when he’s in human form that might be something of a turn on,” I deadpanned. I needed to force the wolf to shift if my plan was to work. I narrowed my eyes. “Shift or I’ll set you on fire.”
The wolf whimpered and crawled along the ground, bumping into the perimeter with his head and glancing back at us with bewildered surprise.
“Yes,” I said, nodding and crossing my arms over my chest. “You’re trapped. You can’t get out. If I set you ablaze you’ll burn right here. Then … .” I had an idea. “We’re going to eat you because I don’t want beans.”
Aric made a face. “I’m not big on cannibalism.”
“You’ll eat him if I tell you to eat him,” I snapped. It was an empty threat. I’d rather eat the can the beans came in than a wolf.
The wolf considered our offer for a few seconds and then shifted into a form I recognized. Unfortunately, I’d forgotten to take his nudity into consideration when I ordered him to shift. “Ugh!” I covered my eyes. “Put something over your twig and berries, Officer Tusken.”
Aric rummaged through his pack until he found a pair of cotton shorts and tossed them in Tusken’s direction. “Get dressed before she decides to see whether she can roast your twig and berries.”
Tusken scowled as he shimmied into the shorts, resting his back against the invisible perimeter wall and regarding us with overt contempt. “I can arrest you for attacking a police officer. You know that, right?”
I snorted while Aric barked out a coarse laugh.
“You can try,” I said. “No one knows you’re here. No one can see inside the bubble. I can torture you for hours and no one will ever know a thing. Then, when we eat you, I’ll incinerate your bones and leave nothing but legend behind.”
“Oh, that was almost poetic, baby,” Aric said, his shoulder bumping against mine. “I don’t care how much you want to threaten him, though, I’m not eating him. You need to stop saying that or I’m going to throw up.”
I scowled. “You’re ruining it!”
“You’re terrifying without the dinner threats,” Aric said, turning his attention back to the pan of beans. “I know! Why don’t you threaten to cook dinner for him instead of making him dinner. That will make him talk.”
Aric dished out beans onto a paper plate and handed it to Paris. She appeared apprehensive about what was happening but wisely kept her mouth shut. There was an uncomfortable conversation in our future, too, but I didn’t want an audience for it.
I ignored Aric’s jab and focused on Tusken. “Things are starting to come into focus for me, Tusken,” I said. “I wondered where all these wolves were coming from given James’ standing with the wolf council. Teague has always had a problem with Senator Winters, and all anyone would have to do is research their past problems and approach Teague with an offer.”
Aric arched an eyebrow as he handed me a plate. “Eat while you mess with him. You’re going to need your strength. He’s not stupid enough to attack while he’s trapped.”
“You don’t know that,” I scoffed. “He looks plenty stupid.”
“Eat, Zoe.”
I spooned a mouthful of beans into my mouth and chewed as I studied Tusken. “You’re a made wolf,” I said after I swallowed. “Has Teague been making wolves to bolster his army? I knew what you were at my parents’ house. You’re weak, though. You’re not strong enough to be a real threat.”
“I’m stronger than you know,” Tusken snarled.
“Yes, you’re truly terrifying, Cujo.”
“If Teague has been making wolves for war, that means he intends to use them as fodder,” Aric interjected. “Once you incinerated the group at our house, Teague probably realized Quinn’s plan wasn’t going to work unless they had something to barter.”
“Teague offered up my parents?” I asked, glaring at Tusken. “Were you there? Did you touch my parents?”
“Your parents are dead,” Tusken spat.
“No, they’re not,” I said. “We know Quinn is holding them at his compound. We have … inside information … about his plans. Why do you think we’re in the middle of nowhere? It’s certainly not because I’m a fan of nature.”
Tusken scowled. “I’m not telling you anything.”
“Good for you,” I said, straightening as I took another bite of dinner. I was sick of beans and we’d only made a meal of them twice. I couldn’t wait for some prime rib … or crab legs … or even a McDonald’s breakfast sandwich.
“Where did your head just go, Zoe?” Aric asked.
“Can we get prime rib when this is over?”
“I’ll buy a restaurant to get it if I have to,” Aric said, rolling his eyes. “Focus on our friend.”
“I don’t like him,” I said. “He’s a weasel. He and Teague accused me of killing my parents when they both knew they weren’t dead. They torched their house. That means I’m going to torch their … twigs and berries … as retribution.”
“Good idea, baby,” Aric said. “Just don’t do it under the dome. You have no idea what burning flesh smells like.”
“Actually, I do,” I replied. “I remember what the wolves I burned at the house smelled like. It wasn’t pleasant.” I was baiting Tusken, hoping he would snap and let something slip. If that didn’t work, I was going to have to start torturing him. No one wanted that.
“What do you want?” Tusken snapped.
“I want some answers,” I replied, unruffled by Tusken’s pathetic whimpering. “Where at the compound are my parents being held?”
“They’re in the basement of the main house.” Tusken was resigned to sharing information. I could see it in the hunched slope of his shoulders. All weasels turn when their backs are against a wall. They save themselves, not the head weasel.
“Did you hurt them?”
“I … no.”
He was lying. I hate liars. “Were you there when my parents were taken?”
“I … .”
I lashed out and smacked him with a magical whip, causing Aric to take a surprised step back.
“What did you do to my parents?” I asked.
“They put up a fight,” Tusken answered, cradling his cheek as he shot me a murderous look. “We thought we wouldn’t have a problem because we were already in the house waiting for them when they came home. We were wrong.”
“How badly are they hurt?” Aric asked.
“They’re just bruised a bit,” Tusken sneered. “Of course, Quinn is going to kill them in front of you when he takes your power. After what you did to the rest of our group, we figure you’ve earned it.”
“You’re an idiot,” I muttered, hunkering down so I was at eye level with Tusken. “Quinn can’t steal my powers. They’re tied to my blood. He can never get them because I was born with them.”
Tusken faltere
d. “I … that’s not true. Mayor Teague told me that Quinn had a foolproof plan to get your powers. They know what they’re doing.”
“How do they know that?” I pressed. “I’m one of a kind. No one has ever stolen powers from the offspring of two mages because they’re not supposed to exist. So, given that, why do you think they have a foolproof plan?”
“I … you’re lying to frighten me,” Tusken hissed. “Don’t bother. I know you’re a liar. The mayor told me.”
“The mayor is an idiot, too,” I said. “What did he tell you? Did he tell you how I burned the wolves he sent to my house? Did he tell you about the spines I crushed?”
“I … he said you cast a spell on them and hypnotized them so you could torture them,” Tusken said.
“Yeah, that sounds like something a moron would make up,” I said. “Here’s the thing: I don’t need to hypnotize anyone. That’s not how this works.”
I cast a glance at Paris over my shoulder. It was time for a few other truths. “Tell me about Quinn’s plans for Paris.”
“She’s part of this. Don’t you know that?” Tusken was trying to throw me off my game.
“I know that she was supposed to get me to activate the book and then return it to Quinn,” I acknowledged. “I also know he jumped the gun because he was worried she was loyal to me instead of him. When he sent the wolves to attack, he ended their partnership and ensured she would side with us in a fight.”
“Oh, now, how can you be sure of that?” Tusken asked.
“Yeah, how can you be sure of that?” Aric echoed.
“A dirty man in a hole told me,” I replied. “Paris never told Quinn my name. That means he decided to track me down before he met her. It was only after uncovering my ties to Covenant College that he approached her. I’m guessing Teague is the one who pointed Quinn in Paris’ direction. Is that true?”
“I … .”
“Oh, no,” Paris said, her hands flying to her mouth. “That never even occurred to me. I didn’t think … Quinn always wanted you, and to get you he decided to go through me. You guys suggested it before, but I didn’t really believe it. I’m such an idiot.”
Rising Covenant (Living Covenant Trilogy Book 1) Page 19
