by Leyton, Bisi
“I don’t want to hear your lies right now. Either you get rid of the biters or you go,” she bluffed. There was no way she was making it through the swarm of infected in front of her.
“It was because of Lara that the Seven Elders lured Red Phoenix to the Czech Republic for extermination before releasing Nero. They thought they had succeeded, but some of the vermin made it through. Lara, too—ironically.”
“If you hated the Red Phoenix, why use them? Why didn’t you just do it all yourself?”
“Surely, you can appreciate using trained monkeys, especially since I detest Terrans. But you are right. I should have taken you myself.”
Her eyes widened.
“Do not worry. I am not here to for you—not yet.” He grinned. “My plans have changed slightly. I just have a message for Bach. If I go to him, he will try to attack me.”
She wanted to say no, but she knew he could just rip off her head if he wanted to. “Please don’t ask me to do that.”
“I have saved your life and you are being ungrateful,” Felip remarked in feigned surprise. “I suppose I would be cranky too, if I learned the one I shared a Mosroc with was pledged to someone else.”
She knew he had to be baiting her. “Whatever.” Still, his words cut deep and after losing Andrew and Garfield disappearing, this was the last thing she needed to hear.
“I mean, Alba is incredibly hot.”
“You’re crazy if you expect me to believe anything you say.”
Felip stepped close. “You should believe this. There is another Famila on Smythe. Tell Bach.”
“He’d know that.”
“He has concealed himself in some way. We are quite good at running away.”
“So, how come you know?”
“Does it matter to you? I do not even want you to bring him to me. Just find him and let Bach or your mother deal with him. Your doctors will be able to confirm who the Famila is.”
“Why are telling me this?” She frowned.
“He is dangerous, unimaginably dangerous,” Felip warned.
“What’s his name?”
“You know how useless names are in the Family.”
The Family never revealed their real names to anyone. Even she didn’t know Bach’s full name. It was the deepest form of intimacy and privacy.
“All I ask is that you act grateful.” He was now a few inches away. “And say, ‘thank you, Eminent Felip.’”
“Thank you, Eminent Felip.” Seething, she moved back, knowing there was nothing she could do to him.
Closing the distance between them, he brushed her hair out of her face. “Bach should have been here to protect you.”
There was something about his grimace that troubled her even more than before. “I don’t need protecting.”
Squeezing her neck hard, he asked, “Yet, I’m here saving your life?” Stepping back, he gave her sword back to her. “I suggest you wait in this house until morning, I have sent the infected away.”
Looking around, she saw the infected were gone. When she turned back to Felip, he was gone too.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Since going through the Mosroc, Bach could sense Wisteria, so as soon as he returned to Terra, he knew she was in trouble.
“Wisteria?”
She was crouched in the corner of a dank room in a dilapidated house in a town called Woolmer.
He hated the notion of her working as a tracker. And seeing her out alone infuriated him. He had to take her away from here.
“Bach?” She looked at him with tired eyes.
His anger dissolved. Moving toward her, he took her into his arms. “Are you hurt? You need me to carry you?” He could feel her trembling.
“Huh? No, I just need to rest.”
“What happened? What are you doing out here?”
She told him everything that had happened that night. As she spoke about her friends--Andrew, a soldier, and Garfield, the annoying archer--tears escaped her eyes. Before he could brush them away, she wiped them off and once again, suppressed any sign of emotion.
“You look like you need some sleep.” He should have done something when he learned her brother was going out. Why did he not just renew David? That way David would do whatever he was told. He knew Wisteria would not want that.
“This place isn’t particularly ideal for sleeping,” she replied.
“Let us go to Smythe.”
“The army’s looking out for anyone and everyone sneaking in. You jump over the walls with me, they’ll shoot at you and most likely hit me.”
“No, I am fast. I regenerated in Jarthan.”
Biting her lip, she rubbed her eyes. “We should see if anyone else needs help.”
“I have blocked the image of this place from the biters. Although for some reason, they do not appear to be drawn here. Wait here, I will look.”
“No, I’m going with you,” she insisted.
“You should rest.” But she seemed not to like his answer, so he let her have her way. He took her to his SUV and they drove through the town. They did not find anyone aside from the biters staggering out of Woolmer. Two hours on, she fell asleep, so he drove to his new den.
“Where are we?” she asked quietly when he parked his SUV in front of an ancient-looking cottage, outside a village called Forrester. They were sixty miles away from Smythe.
“My new den. No Famila knows I use this place, but it is a bit run down.” The cottage and its underground apartment would never be as opulent as the Hunter Tower penthouse or the mansion in Hammond village. Then again, those dens were furnished and cared for by Thayns or a steward. He had hoped to have this new den better prepared before she arrived.
She checked around, confused. “How many do you have?”
“Personally, just this one, but the Family has thousands around the world.”
“It’s safe?”
“There.” He pointed to a green haze that seemed to float around the building. “The piron nets will make the den undetectable to humans and the Family. Even someone walking right in front of the house will not notice the building. And anyone I bring here will forget the location once they have left.”
Cautiously, she got out of the vehicle and followed him inside. “So, why do I remember your other dens?”
“We did not use piron nets when you were there. You were there before the net went up, but you would still find it difficult to find the Hammond Village den because the piron will confuse you.” Taking her hand in his, he walked her into the house. “Because simply focusing on the building will be difficult.”
“And only you’ll remember this place?”
“I can allow anyone I want to remember it.”
“And you don’t want me to?”
“Anyone in the Family. If I could make you remember, I would, but there some things I cannot do.”
“How does it work?”
“If I fully knew, maybe I could help you remember this place.” Leaving her, he descended into the underground apartment. Although more secure, it was dank and needed a lot more renovating. Once he’d gotten the space sorted out, he’d bring her down. Right now, he just stored his valuables. “This is a piron nexus.” He returned to her with a small emerald cube. “This creates the piron net.”
“How do you turn it on?”
“Put it in the center of the area you want to secure. You see the line down the middle?”
“Yeah.”
“Turn the top left and the bottom right, and it releases the mist that is the net.”
“And it’s not poisonous?” She ran her fingers over the nexus.
“Might turn your eyes green,” he teased.
She tried to smile, but the fake smile didn’t last. “Do you have any extras? This would be great for Smythe.”
“No, I just have the one for this place. They are very valuable and kind of hard to get, but I will try to get one from Jarthan.”
“Thanks.” She didn’t seem convinced or comforted.
He didn’t mind the silence, as he wasn’t a talker, but seeing her so unhappy was painful. “There is a room for you. You do not need to sleep in that chair.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t paid you any attention,” she muttered. “What did you want to talk about?”
“Sleep.”
“With you?”
“Wisteria, are you even listening to me?”
“Am I keeping you up? Go to bed,” she suggested.
“Go to sleep. You are not making any sense.” Moving to her, he rubbed her shoulders and she relaxed slightly at his touch. “Please.”
Nodding, she left the room with him. After setting her up in his other room, he turned to leave, but saw her just standing over the bed with her sword and knife in each hand.
“Felip came to see me in Woolmer.”
“D’cara.” Returning, he twirled her around to face him. “Did he hurt you?” He’d been so caught up in the politics of Jarthan that he’d left her exposed to meeting Felip again. Bach had assumed the empirics would solve the issue with Felip. Perhaps they would, but right now she was exposed to him and that was a serious threat.
Glowering, she said, “He had a message for you. He said there’s another Famila on the island.”
“He is lying,” he replied. “If there was another on Smythe, the Lord Jarthan would know. He keeps the account of who journeys where.” He sat on the bed.
“Yes, I thought your mother was the Lady of Jarthan.” Finally dropping the weapons, she sat next to him.
“She was until she married my father.”
“So, Felip was just messing with me?”
“No, he was probably trying to get to me,” he realized aloud. “I will talk to Lord Rafel when I get back.”
*****
“When are you going back?” Wisteria tried not to sound clingy, but she felt better having him near. A lot better than she’d ever admit. “I’m not asking you not to go, I’m just curious.” Now that Garfield was probably gone, she had no one else.
“I was supposed to return in eleven hours,” he told her.
“Oh.” She forced a smile.
“But if you try to sleep, I will find a way to stay longer.” He cupped her face in his hand. “There is nothing you can do for your people now, even if you were there.” Gently he moved his hand down to stroke her neck.
Their eyes met and he stared at her with an intensity that frightened her.
“Stop.” She crawled onto the bed. “I’ll sleep.”
“Goodnight.” He gave her a regretful look and left the room.
Lying down on the unworldly soft mattress, she tried to sleep, but the pictures of that night flashed across her mind, vivid and dark. The worst were images of Andrew’s headless flesher and Felip taunting her. “No!” She woke up. Had she screamed? She covered her mouth.
Seconds later, Bach appeared at the door, his green eyes puffy as if she had disturbed his sleep.
“I’m fine.” Forcing herself to smile, she waved him away. “Sorry, sorry, go.”
“You have been talking to yourself for an hour.” He stood in the doorway.
“I have? I’ll try to be quieter.”
“No, that is not what I mean. It is just clear that you are very disturbed about what happened and you seem unwilling to talk to me about it.”
“I told you what happened.” She shook her head, avoiding his gaze. “I don’t know what more to say. I killed my friends. If Garfield hadn’t gone with me or if I hadn’t told Andrew about the party, they would’ve been safe. I murdered Andrew. I cut off his head with my hands.” Glancing at her hands, she found they were shaking violently. “What kind of person can do that?”
The next thing she knew, Bach’s arms were around her. He stroked her hair as she wept onto his chest.
*****
When Wisteria opened her eyes, the sun was high in the sky. Curiously, she felt rested, which seemed unusual after such a stressful night. Trying to move, she felt a very heavy body wrapped around her. Wriggling free, she saw Bach lying asleep.
As she rose, he gripped her arm. Without words, he pulled her back and placed his lips on hers. With a strength that amazed her, he held her tight against him with one hand on her back.
Holding his face, she desperately kissed him, almost scratching him the process. When the images of the night before flashed through her mind, she broke away. “Please, take me home.”
Reluctant to let her go, his hands slowly slipped away from her.
She got up and hurried to gather her things. She found her watch and saw it had stopped working. She hadn’t wound it last night.
“Twenty-three minutes past three in the afternoon,” he informed her. Even though he didn’t have a watch, Famila always had a good grasp of time. “You have been here about twelve hours. This is the longest we’ve been outside Smythe since I came to the island.” Sitting on the bed, he watched her reassemble her possessions.
“When do you go back to Jarthan?”
“Over an hour ago. I suppose I will be slightly late.” He got up. “You have not eaten anything since you arrived. I can make you some lunch?”
“I want to check again and see if everyone’s okay.”
“I went back to Woolmer again last night, after you slept, and sent the infected further back away from the town. Even if the kids start walking back to Smythe now, they will not encounter any infected.”
She’d seen him do this once before when they were surrounded by biters in the Mulberry Orchard. “If you can block the places from the minds of the infected, like the Isle of Smythe, Woolmer, and your den, why don’t you do that for everywhere?”
He grimaced at the words. “That would be impossible for a Famila to do alone. It takes a lot out of me to just be able to do it for Woolmer.”
“Are you strong enough to travel?” she asked, because controlling large numbers of infected might mean he needed to regenerate.
“Since you have stopped using the strangle weed, I was able to regenerate a bit while you slept.” His Family could heal themselves by going into a deep sleep. They called it regeneration. “My shana are completely black. See?” He rubbed his arms. Trailing down the sides were black spots varying in size from a peanut to the size of a toddler’s fist. He had smaller spots on the sides of his neck. “The darker they are, the better I feel.”
“So, you’re at full strength now? Wait.” It dawned on her. “Did you pulse me to get me to sleep?” She remembered him telling her that Famila could pulse another Famila with the blue light to cause them to sleep, so they could regenerate faster. She wondered if he could do the same with her.
He raised an eyebrow.
“You can do that, right?” She didn’t know all the limitations of his abilities, especially when it came to controlling humans.
“I suppose it is possible, if I wanted to lose my mind.” He got up, came closer to her and rubbed her back. “I can put a Thayn to sleep, and the biters, but a free human would first have to be renewed.”
According to him, the renewal turned people into mindless drones with only one object in life: to please their liege. She was immune to the renewal because she and Bach were bonded, but still the thought of mindless service to another person was revolting.
“And since we have gone through Mosroc, renewing you would turn us both mad,” he continued.
“I thought it just turns the Famila insane.”
“You are right, but I assumed once that happened to me, you would turn mad in grief.”
She chuckled weakly. “Thanks for letting me crash here last night.”
He kissed her forehead and left the room.
“But we’re leaving now, right?” she called after him.
That issue hadn’t been resolved, but she ha
d to find out what was happened to the others. “I don’t want to eat anything.” Leaving the room, she dashed to the stairs. On her way, she was startled to see a tall, teenage girl standing at the open front door.
This girl was about Wisteria’s age, dressed in an old fashioned but stunning blue dress that hung to the ground. Her short blond hair was almost the color of ivory and her clear green eyes stared at Wisteria. “Hello, who are you?”
She had to be the most beautiful person Wisteria had seen in real life. Compared to this girl, every supermodel was obese and mutated. “Who are you?” she replied.
“You are Bach’s human friend,” the girl said cautiously.
Wisteria realized the girl was probably a Famila. What was she doing here? Bach said no one knew about this den. “How did you find this place?”
“I am sorry to show up like this. I am Alba of the Third Pillar,” the girl announced. “I am here to see Bach. I have an important message for him. I can wait outside, if you prefer?”
“Bach—I do not know where he is.”
“We should find him.” Inspecting Wisteria from head to toe, Alba nodded. “Once you change, we can look for him.”
“Yeah.” She was wearing one of his shirts, so changing was a good idea. Wisteria was taken aback by how nice Alba was. Aside from Bach, every other member of his Family she’d met had been horrible to her.
*****
Bach was trying to cook, but he hated cooking. Back home, he had servants for this. Not Thayns, but actual Famila who prepared exactly what he needed. Never in his life had he served anyone, not even a Famila, and now he was doing it for a human. Dropping the knife on the table, he wondered what he was doing. Then he heard Wisteria talking to someone. Leaving the kitchen, he saw Alba standing in the doorway.
“Nice place you have here. It is a lot more provincial and basic than I would expect from a Sen-Son.” She grinned. “You were not joking when you said this den was rustic.”
“How did you find this place?” He’d explained the den to Alba, but never told her how to get here.
