#
Franz Hobert’s face was haggard when we knocked on his door at 2:30 in the morning and he answered. He stared at what we carried between us. Disbelief chased the lack of sleep from his bloodshot eyes. He didn’t say much. Between us we drug the moaning vamp into the cabin and waited while he made a few calls.
“I’ve got a friend in Purdy that will treat Magicals and Other and won’t talk about it. Probably because his wife is a Dragon and would eat him in his sleep if he blabbed. I will not get into how you all came across him by accident in the middle of the night and three quarters of the way into Purdy. I can tell you all the ways what you did was idiotic. Somehow, I don’t think it would do any good.
We ignored his concerns. We’d had plenty of practice doing that.
“I don’t think he was supposed to live Mr. Hobert.” Sirris murmured, watching the vampire writhe on the floor in pain. He didn’t speak, but his teeth were audible as they chattered and bumped against the floor like a starving infant looking for his mother’s milk.
Franz glanced at her with hard eyes. “No, I imagine that’s right. But they may not have had much experience with vamps. Maybe they thought draining them would do the trick. It slows them down alright, but it won’t kill them. Decapitation… burning. Maybe we should be thankful they didn’t think of that.”
I didn’t bother to mention that it wouldn’t have been the first time I’d seen a headless Magical. Maybe it was because I wanted so badly to block out the gruesome memory. Together we left the vamp with Franz and the now arriving Counselors who would transport him safely, for them, not the victim, down the mountain so he could get help.
“This isn’t finished, is it?” Nick asked calmly as we walked. Something flippant and mean bubbled to the surface, and I opened my mouth to lash him with my sarcasm. But then I snapped my mouth shut and reconsidered his solemn eyes in the near dark.
“No. It’s not. They just dumped their last victim. Means they are now working on the next. Most likely that’s Janice. She didn’t ask or deserve any of this. If we hurry, maybe we can get to them before it’s too late for her like it was for Jacob Winters.”
If I expected an argument, he disappointed me. His eyes met mine, serious and angry, but for once not at me. “Tonight is too late and they are expecting us to do something dumb. So, as soon as we can get away. Tomorrow would be difficult, what with the picnic and all.”
Todd piped up. “Hard to get away during that. I invited Jayne.” He admitted. We all were attending the annual beach party and potluck in Purdy the next day.
Nick spoke up. “Yeah, but if not then, it has to be soon if we plan to get to Janice Whitmore before it’s too late.”
CHAPTER TEN
They held the picnic on Mallow Beach, so named for the medicinal plant that grew in the surrounding flatlands. It was an annual event held every year by Franz Hobert and the Counselors of Camp Greylock. Campers and their friends and families from the neighboring mountain and the town of Purdy alike were invited. Franz Hobert began putting them on fifteen years before to mingle with the surrounding neighbors, to create lasting friendships and goodwill between the town and the camp.
Camp Greylock was a camp for Magicals and Other—period. Because of the nature of the classes, it could be no other. A carefully constructed weeding process that was part magic and part long form discouraged their human neighbors from attending. It wasn’t meant to ostracize the human population as much as it was to protect them from something they wouldn’t understand. Still, Franz was friendly by nature and this picnic was his way of including everyone in a fun way. A huge bonfire on the beach took center stage along with a pig roast and all the fixings. They had set volleyball nets and corn hole boards up and for the day at least, no Magical or Other could use their powers in competition, which evened the playing field immensely.
It was a beautiful day, as it had been since the event started so many years ago. Looking at the perfect blue skies and feeling the wispy kiss of a light breeze on my bare shoulders in my trim one piece suit, I wondered if magic had played a hand in that at least.
Our two cabins, along with Jayne and Niel, had taken one side of the volleyball net against our opponents. Most of us were far better with our weapons of choice and our Magic than playing any sport, but we held our own against our opposition, a neighboring cabin and about six human friends from Purdy High school. The festival was a pretty even mix, with the humans outnumbering the rest of us by a slight margin.
By the time we called it quits, we were only down by one game—our four to their five. By then, the smell of the straining tables of food beckoned and we got in line to eat. The festival itself started around 10:00 a.m. and would go past dark.
We claimed a set of picnic tables in the shade. Dark though I was, the pink tinge to Sirris’ nose was all the convincing we needed to give her fair skin a break.
My first bite of the slow-cooked pork made me moan, and I wasn’t alone. Starving, none of us spoke for several minutes.
Then, out of the blue, Sirris stuck her foot in her mouth in a big way.
“So, when are we getting together tonight?” she asked around a mouthful of smoked salmon. Everyone else was having roast pig. Countless pairs of eyes froze on her face in horror. Realizing what she’d said, she coughed. Thomas patted her on the back until she waved him off, his pounding sending it further down her windpipe rather than up. After several tense seconds and a half a glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade to wash it down, she recovered. Unfortunately, the question had been asked.
“What are you getting together for? I thought this thing went most of the night?” Jayne asked, eyes smiling in Todd’s direction.
Sirris stuttered. “Um, well… what I meant to say was when are we getting together for our race to the rafts after dark and back… that’s it.”
She stared at Sirris and frowned in confusion. “Oh, I guess I thought you were going somewhere.”
“Well, we aren’t. We usually have to be out of here before 10:00 p.m. anyway because we have to get back to camp before it gets too late. Especially in lieu of all the muggings and attacks that have happened lately.”
At the mention of the recent events that had put much of the town on lock down, Jayne blanched.
“That’s been a horrible thing, hasn’t it? I’m so sorry you had to be part of that, being new to camp and all. I don’t suppose it was what you had in mind when you signed up, is it?”
Fern spoke up. Most of us had forgotten she was there, tucked in on the other side of Sirris. “You’d be surprised.” She mused, looking cannily at Jayne. I watched a shimmer of something opaque in the air just below her neck and I knew Kit was there and looking at us all with enormous eyes, invisible to the naked eye as she hid behind her camouflage.
Fern continued in a conversational tone. “But what about you? You sound as if you are used to being under attack. I heard you were new to town yourself, so aren’t you blindsided by what’s happening just as much as the rest of us?”
Jayne gave a jerk and her smile slipped a notch. “Oh, yes. I mean myself too, of course. I’ve seen nothing like what’s been happening here in town before. Nasty business, I hope they catch whoever is behind it. There can’t be a good reason to do that to anyone.”
I felt suddenly disoriented and dizzy. So much so, I wondered if I’d gotten a hold of something tainted at the buffet table. But I recognized what it was quick enough. It was my uncanny lie detector going off, telling me someone was lying, and I knew who. I stared in confusion at Jayne. What reason could she have to be hiding something?
I stared at her and ventured. “It’s too bad for sure, what happened to Jake Winters. Nobody deserves to be murdered and discarded on some mountain like day old trash. Whoever is responsible deserves whatever they get, don’t you think so?”
I watched the color fade from her cheeks. I knew I wasn’t the only one staring either. She spoke up in a whisper, blinking rapidly.
“I’d hear
d he was alive when they found him. He died later, that’s what the news said.” She choked out, horrified.
“Did it? I had heard nothing of the sort. But he was dead when he was found. Days dead, in fact. The coroner’s report confirmed the fact that he had died long before he was left there to rot. I thought you knew that.”
“No, I didn’t. I’m sure you have to be wrong. He was alive on that mountain. He fell and injured himself and died later...”
I looked at her pityingly and casually picked up a roll and buttered it with smooth strokes. “But that is right. You see, we’re the ones that found him. The days… and nights… hadn’t been kind to him it’s true. But it was whoever had beat him to death that had done the worst damage. Worked him over good too.” I watched her face. At first she had paled to a shade just this side of alabaster, leeched of all color. But as I watched, something darker flashed in her eyes.
“You’re wrong. I don’t know where you got that information, but I don’t believe it!” It was my turn to stare in shock as the color came flooding back… and didn’t stop until her face was a brilliant red, the twin spots of anger in her cheeks nearly purple. Todd reached out a tentative finger and touched the back of her hand and then pulled it back with a hiss of pain. She flashed brilliant orange eyes at him before swinging back to me. I gulped. What the Hell?
Todd spoke up. “Jayne, hey, you’re burning up! Water, that’s it, I’ll go get you something to drink, okay?” He scrambled away from the picnic table. His brother and Nick joined him. Niel was at the buffet table snagging seconds, so that left just us girls at the table.
“Yeah, Todd. You do that. I’m thirsty.” She hissed, her eyes never leaving mine.
They walked away and I watched the color in her cheeks slowly fade to near normal as she reined in her emotions.
I spoke calmly. “Maybe he was alive when they left him there. It could be the coroner was wrong. I’m not sure any of that matters. I mean, dead is dead, right?”
She nodded and picked up a slice of watermelon and took a huge bite. It made a hissing sound as it hit her tongue. But I figured I’d imagined that part.
“Did you know him? Jake Winters? You seem awful worried about him.” Fern asked, as curious about her reaction as I was.
Jayne whipped her head around and stared at Fern in alarm. “No, of course not. I mean, I might have seen him around, sure. But I didn’t know him. I don’t think we ever met. Remember, I haven’t been in town that long.”
My dizziness was back as I processed her answer. Another lie, or I was catching the flu.
“I just feel bad for anyone injected with SP-17, I’ve heard it can be very painful and make you sick.”
My gaze sharpened, but before I could ask, Sirris beat me to the punch. “You know about the SP-17? I didn’t think that was public knowledge.” She asked, expression quizzical.
Jayne sputtered. “Well, no. I mean, they had to incapacitate him, right? I’ve heard that was a common drug that was used to make POW’s talk during interrogation in war time. That’s all.”
“It is, among about fifteen other choices that are or have been used. Illegally, of course. Its unlawful to use any of it anymore. Not that that always stops the government. Or secret organizations with their own agenda,” I added.
The lies were piling up and I wanted to know why.
“Jayne, how come I feel there’s something you aren’t telling us. Do you have information about what happened to Jake Winters that the rest of us don’t?”
Her mouth formed a small moue of shock. She shook her head, blond hair flying in a light cloud about her face. “Of course not. I’m just guessing like you are. I just can’t stand the thought of anyone being put through what he must have suffered. It’s horrible, all of it!” a tear jiggled at the edge of her eye and dribbled down her cheek.
At exactly that moment, the guys returned. Todd’s eyes fell on Jayne’s ravaged face and his cheeks flooded with color. His eyes wandered the table and fell on me, dark with accusation. Dang it, I wasn’t the only one at that table. Why did he assume it was my big mouth that had done the upsetting?
I threw up my hands. “Stop looking at me like that. She’s just upset about what’s been going on in town, what with the attacks and all. She knows they used SP-17 on Jake, and I was just asking her how she knew. No biggie. She doesn’t like what’s happening to the victims any more than we do.” That last part at least I knew was the truth. She hadn’t been lying about that. But the other…
“Well, you can just keep your curious comments to yourself. You know better than to talk to hum… I mean people about what we found. We aren’t supposed to be sharing that information anyhow, and now you’ve upset her. She doesn’t want to hear about gross stuff.” He finished, gingerly putting his arm across her shoulders and snugging her into his shoulder for a comforting hug. I noticed he moved with caution though, and I wondered if he was the littlest bit worried about getting burned.
I let the conversation drop for the rest of the afternoon. It took a while, but easy smiles eventually returned and most of us forgot about the reason there’d been tension in the first place. Most of us.
Sirris and Thomas as well as Jayne and Todd had gone together to take a walk along the beach, leaving Nick and I sitting alone by the fire. For once, I wasn’t looking for the first opportunity to leave his side. Niel was on the other side of the fire talking with a group of girls, telling jokes and gaining several admiring glances. He was laughing and having a good time, and I was happy for him.
Nick, noticing the direction of my gaze, spoke up, voice heavy with irritation. “What Cross, worried he might be interested in someone else besides you?”
I sighed and shook my head. I was too tired to fight. Instead, I turned to stare at his dark profile, so strong and tall in the flickering firelight. He made my breath catch in confusion.
“No Nick, I’m not. But what about you? What are you scared of?”
He snorted. “I’m doing fine, thank you. I’m not afraid of anything.”
I went back to staring into the fire. I wanted to lean into his warmth and place my head against that hard shoulder and sink in. Instead, I sat stiff and silent beside him.
He was lying. We both were.
#
Nick wasn’t used to losing. And especially not with the staff, his weapon of choice. A small crowd had gathered to watch the young Sorcerer and the Second year Dragon face off. It was supposed to be a friendly sparring match. Maybe for Niel it was. But Nick was dead set at the get go on proving a point. I just wasn’t sure who he was trying to prove it to.
I watched them circle each other, the staff comfortable in Nick’s firm hands, blue light whispering along its length and sizzling in a ball of orange and yellow flame on the end. Wherever he pointed it, compact balls of energy whipped from the end and hit their mark, making Niel jump and sidestep to avoid the small controlled balls of fire. Likewise, Niel held a staff as well. It didn’t look near as comfortable in his hands, though from the looks on the girls faces gathered there to watch, he looked plenty good holding it.
Unlike Nick’s, the slithering orange flame that ran along its length was more sporadic. But what Niel lacked in skill with the staff, he made up for in conjuring his dragon fire. Nick simply never knew where it was going to come from next. Every time Niel pushed his energy it was invisible, until it hit its mark and he called his fire from afire. Balls of energy erupted wherever he called them, singing the hair on the back of Nick’s hands and arms if he wasn’t quick enough to avoid them.
“Ah!” he swore once more, sidestepping one erupting flame and moving into another. He swung his staff sideways, using his power to nullify the flames as soon as then sprung up. But he was so busy running on the defensive, he couldn’t attack. The two of them looked like they were performing some macabre dance, and Nick was definitely still learning his steps. I suspected he’d seen this practice session going a different way. He knew how to win—he was less gra
ceful at losing. I imagine he’d looked forward to setting the cocky Dragon in his place with his emerging skills.
I thought back to all the times I’d been where he was. Losing and badly. I hadn’t handled it any better, and the memory still burned. I probably should have kept my mouth shut. But like that was going to happen.
“Nick, you have to focus. Stop hopping around like you’re standing on hot coals.” I shouted helpfully, teasing him.
But Nick was obviously not in the mood for my brand of light banter. “You mean like you did Cross? I imagine if you were standing here you’d be having a much easier time of it. He goes easy on the girls, right Niel? Especially those that have a thing for him.” I stared at him in astonishment, color rising in my cheeks. I could feel the heat as I plastered my icy hands to them in mortification. Why had he said something like that? I felt curious eyes winging my way in speculation, and I was done.
With a frigid glare in his direction, I turned on my heel and pushed my way through the crowd. I ignored Sirris and Thomas, trying to get my attention with a shake of my head. I was in no mood to talk to anyone. I had to get away from that hurtful voice, from the disdain and sarcasm he never seemed to be without lately.
Behind me, I missed the sudden move that lofted Nick into the air and landed him flat on his back, Niel’s staff pointed with purpose at his stubborn chin. Niel reached down and reluctantly, Nick took his proffered hand up. Niel nodded and mumbled something and followed me.
Rule 9 Academy Series Boxset: Books 3-5 Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy (Rule 9 Academy Box Sets (3 Book Series) 2) Page 13
