An Uncommon Truth of Dying (Broken Veil Book 2)

by Marie Andreas

  “Gotta say, me too. Can we see if there’s any connection in deaths that year? It’s a feeling more than anything I heard, but the deaths were based on our age and some deal our parents made way before we were born.”

  Reece pulled out a laptop from his luggage. “This will get better intel than a standard internet search, but still not as good as if we had full Area 42 access.” He looked up. “I don’t think this should go through any agency until it absolutely has to. If this does tie to the High Council and the first families....” He let that thought hang, then started typing.

  He was completely right. Whatever they were dealing with, a contract to kill a bunch of well-off fey children at a certain age would rock far more than just the involved families.

  “Are you sure you’re okay? You look far paler than normal.” Maeve leaned forward. “Not healthy at all.”

  “Yes, no, who knows? It’s been a weird couple of days. And how is all of this connected to what’s going on with the veil?” She rubbed her temples. The fact was, knowing her mother killed her actually didn’t make her angry. It made her want to know why. And if it was that important that Aisling die, why did she allow her father to bring her back? He never went against her wishes, and even the life of his youngest child, if he knew she had to die, wouldn’t make him change that.

  “I think we have a connection.” Reece turned his laptop toward her and Maeve came behind them to see. “First family deaths are a big thing for the news services and the year you turned five there were a higher-than-average number reported. Yet, none of the news stories connected that all were the same age range or were from the first families. They reported each death individually as if unrelated to anything else. Most of the deaths were accidents.”

  Aisling watched as a list compiled of dead children. There were twenty-five. The only way there wasn’t an investigation or at least a news story, was because the first families or High Council shut it down. “Mott. He’s not dead either, but same age, same High Council connection. Maybe we can learn as much from who didn’t die as from who did.”

  Reece saved his first list and started a second search.

  “Could this be connected to the vallenians and those boxes? Although it seems odd that they would have saved you as an adult if they had demanded your death as a child.” Maeve brought in a bunch of random snack foods and dumped them on the coffee table. “Help yourself, I’ve been eating out mostly.”

  “The three family boxes were all High Council. I’m not dead, Mott isn’t dead, who was the third one?”

  Reece looked up from his search. “The Hthia. One step ahead of you, their twin daughters are your age and not dead.”

  Aisling held up the pendant. “As far as I know, this wasn’t connected to any family and considering the metal in it, it shouldn’t be able to exist on this side of the veil. Pretty sure that it’s not from here. Aside from still not coming off, it seems to be helping me. I just wish I knew why they put it on me. Could the others be protected as well?”

  “Can it do anything? Maybe call the vallenians for help?” Maeve shrugged at the look Reece gave her. “What? They could have killed her four times that we know of. If they were part of whoever wanted her dead, they would have done so. Therefore, maybe they are on our side?” Her argument lost steam but she didn’t look like she was going to back down.

  “Or they have their own agenda that, while not supporting the child killers, is also not on our side.” Reece went back to his laptop. “Well, of the sixty-five children who were from the first families in your age group, forty survived to their sixth birthday.”

  “And? There was an and hanging there.” Aisling tried to look at his laptop but he wouldn’t let her.

  “And a lot of bad things happened to many of the families over the years. Out of those sixty-five, there are only ten left. Excluding you and Mott.”

  Aisling sat back. She didn’t need the details, the look on his face said the bad luck that followed them was suspicious as hell.

  “Then what’s the connection?” Maeve looked at them. “Some of the first families got into a deal with a creepy group or being to give them power over something, somewhen. It involved killing a certain group of children at a specific age. The ones that agreed went on to stay successful and the rest had a horrible two hundred years? Did someone curse them?”

  “I’d say more likely they had made a deal; a spell was cast long before two hundred years ago and then it came back to them.” Aisling had a bad feeling this might be the spell Harlie had been talking about coming back. Which would explain her mother getting more aggressive now—whatever she and the others had pushed back so other fey wouldn’t feel it was coming back with unknown repercussions.

  Aisling’s phone rang. Caradoc. “Hey, we were just discussing mother.”

  “That’s a cheerful thought, any particular reason?”

  “Long story, might be best to wait until we’re in person—but she’s worse than we thought she was.” She wanted to tell him now, but not over the phone. This needed to be talked about in person. “What did you need?”

  “Didn’t want you to think you guys got all the excitement, we had a visitor at the apartment collapse not long after you left.”

  “Nix?” Aisling held up her hand as Maeve almost grabbed the phone out of her hand.

  “Nope. We have another family box. I got to see my first vallenian. Bart didn’t see him, nor anyone else. But they’re back.”

  “Damn it. Did it do or say anything besides giving you the box? And what family name does it belong to?”

  “Not a thing. It shoved the box at me, then literally ran through Jones, and vanished. Bart looked the name up, another High Council family. Flinth.”

  Aisling hadn’t heard of that family name, but she’d never made it a job to know them all. The vallenians obviously thought they were important. “How long was it there? It said nothing to you?” To be fair, they’d only talked to her once. When they’d frozen a gang fight all around her.

  “Not a word. Just the one, popped up, nodded to me, handed over the box, then poof. I didn’t even get a cool pendant.”

  “Where are you now?”

  “We’re waiting for the bus to take us to our train. Your little explosion caused a hell of a mess to the train schedules. I’m assuming you two are okay and you found Maeve?”

  “Yup and yup. We did get tailed, but we’re not certain if they were after us or Maeve, The Lazing have sent people here. They followed Maeve to the station, then followed us in two cars. Tell Jones to keep an eye out, he’ll probably spot them way before you would.”

  “That’s not good. Nor is the fact you were willing to discuss them on the phone and not whatever you were talking about our mother.”

  “It’s bad. I’d either want to be in person, or have someone like Harlie running an interference spell. No offense to your gadgets.”

  “Understood. Okay, our bus is here, stay out of trouble. All of you.” Aisling knew he wasn’t too concerned about Reece, but there had been something growing between him and Maeve.

  “You three, too. I’ll call you when we check on Harlie.”

  Caradoc hung up. Aisling realized that if things were okay, he hung up without saying goodbye. It was when the shit was hitting fans everywhere that he said goodbye. Annoying, but good to know.

  “We have another box?” Maeve settled down when it was clear there hadn’t been another Nix sighting.

  “Good guess.” Aisling told them what Caradoc said. “It sounds like it was only there for a few seconds.”

  “Unless it didn’t want Caradoc to see it before the handover. It seems like they chose when and where to be seen.” Reece turned back to his laptop. “What family name this time?”

  “Flinth.” Aisling shook her head. “I don’t recognize that one.”

  Reece typed a few inquiries, his scowl getting deeper on each one. “Are you certain that was the name?”

  “It’s a short one, and the line
was clear, so yes. It’s not in the fey database? All the first families were.”

  The first families were made up of a small group of fey who came through the veil before the rest. But they only came over days or weeks before the mass migration. That didn’t stop them from being elitist about it. Most were also on the High Council.

  “Not at all...wait a moment.” Reece found something but it wasn’t making him happy. “That line died out over a thousand years ago. They were a first family, but were killed in some sort of battle.”

  “A battle that wiped out an entire line? Did they all live in one village?” Maeve picked her way through the snacks.

  “Sort of. It was a magic battle. One mage wiped them out and followed the bloodline. That box was held by the victors.” He looked up with a wince as he found more information. “Your mother.”

  “She destroyed an entire family line by herself?” Aisling was finding out more than she wanted to know.

  “No. Supposedly the Flinth started it, your mother and three other first family leaders took them down. According to the footnote, destroying the lineage of your enemy was an old way of doing things from before the crossing. It doesn’t say what the cause of the fight was, though.”

  “Of course not. Not if the first families destroyed them. How did the high king and queen let this happen?” Aisling saw the same answer on both their faces that was in her head. They were involved in whatever had happened. “I wish the vallenians would stop dropping these boxes off with no discussion. There’s no way to find out what they want, or what they are trying to tell us.”

  “That your first families are a bunch of assholes? Sorry, that’s what this human mind is picking up.” Maeve shrugged.

  “I have to agree.” Aisling’s phone rang before she could add to that thought. “Hi Stella, anything wrong?”

  “Not that we know of at the moment. Well, there might be, not sure. I just received a phone call from my friends, Jili and Arthero, where Harlie is staying. The good news is he’s awake, the bad news is he appears to have gone berserk. They locked him in a meditation room, but he keeps yelling and pounding the walls. He appears to believe you are dead.”

  Aisling was getting a bit tired of this dying bit. “We can go over there; can you text me the address though? I don’t understand how they are keeping him in. His magic should be able to blast through their walls, let alone the door.”

  “That’s the thing, he hasn’t used any magic. Okay, sent you the address, good luck.” She ended the call.

  “What now about Harlie?” Reece was already shutting down his laptop.

  Aisling filled them in on the little they wouldn’t have heard. “I’m hoping that seeing me alive will calm him down.”

  Maeve grabbed her jacket. Both Aisling and Reece picked up their luggage. She raised an eyebrow. “Just because one building you were in got squished doesn’t mean all will.”

  “No, but we might have to leave London quickly if there’s something seriously wrong with Harlie. No idea why my brother’s not using magic, but I think that if he does start, we probably don’t want to be in one of the largest cities in the world.”

  Maeve sighed. “Good point. Hold a sec.” She darted into a bedroom and could be heard frantically packing things.

  The drive to the meditation retreat wasn’t long, although the scarcity of street signs as they got closer did make it a bit more problematic than it should have been.

  Jili ran out to them as they pulled up. Her cloak was askew and she looked rattled. “Thank goodness you’re here. We’ve sent our clients away, as your brother is a bit disturbing. He’s still locked up but that might not last long. Arthero went to get help.”

  Aisling got out and motioned to the others. “Stay behind me. I want to try talking to him first and even though he might not be using magic yet, he could still be sensing things.”

  Maeve and Reece nodded and dropped behind her.

  “If you don’t mind, I’ll stay out here. I’m not a strong magic user, and his screaming is hurting my soul,” Jili said.

  “I’m just sorry he’s doing this. My brother is one of the gentlest people I know.” With a nod, Aisling led the way through the small buildings. The gardens were lovely, lush and soothing and a deep wind chime echoed through. At least she could hear the chimes in between the increasing yelling.

  Harlie was yelling sounds more than words, but a few words came through. Death. Destruction. Aisling.

  Aisling picked up the pace and stopped a foot from the room. “Harlie. It’s me. I’m not dead, nor dying. Something is wrong with you.” She had to repeat herself twice before he stopped yelling.

  “Aisling? Are you calling me from beyond the veil? I tried to protect you, little sister. I tried. I failed!”

  She went up to the door. “It’s me. Calm down and feel me.” She put her hand in the middle of the door and tried sending healing magic his way. The magic slammed back at her.

  She turned to Maeve and Reece. “Can one of you go ask Jili if they put an additional shield around this room? I’m not sure if this is them or Harlie, it’s not the same as the one around the entire compound.”

  “You’re dead. Gone beyond the veil with the others. The wee ones we couldn’t protect. Gone.” Harlie was wailing now and if she’d ever seen him drink, she’d say he was on a nectar binge.

  “No, I’m not. Reach out, Harlie. I’m alive. Right here.”

  “It’s a trick! You want me to cross the veil too. I won’t. I know what’s over there. You can’t fool me.”

  Maeve came back from speaking to Jili and Arthero. “No additional spells used. They hadn’t sensed anything else on the building.”

  Aisling closed her eyes and mentally reached out to whatever spell was around the small room. It was familiar, but so deftly woven she wasn’t sure who...Harlie?

  “Harlie, it’s me. Your little sister. You built a shield into this building. I need you to lower it so you can tell it’s me.” She grabbed her pendant and readied a powerful healing spell. It would tap into the newer abilities, but hopefully Reece and Maeve could pull her back if needed.

  Harlie didn’t say anything but a wave of pain strong enough to drop her to her knees slammed into her. Harlie’s grief was horrific, but there was more to it than that. He felt he had killed her. That she’d gone beyond the veil. Which was disturbing in itself as her people didn’t see death as going beyond the veil.

  Aisling stayed on her knees, easier in case another wave of pain hit, and gently reached out to him. “It’s me. I’m not dead. I’m here.” She kept sending that thought over and over while she let a trickle of healing magic flow through her words.

  Finally, the pressure of the shield dropped completely, and the pain vanished.

  “Aisling? Is that you? It was so real...so horrible.” Harlie cracked open the door. He always looked a bit like someone who had spent a lot of time in a cave by himself. Now he looked like someone who should still be back in that cave under heavy sedation. He ran forward and picked her up in a hug. “It is you!”

  Aisling hugged him back, then had to pound on his back. “Crushing me.”

  He gently sat her back on her feet and nodded to Reece and Maeve. “We found Maeve, good. What did I miss? I remember those beings coming from the ground, then nothing.” He ran his hand through his hair and started untangling the knots. Whatever had made him think she was dead had vanished.

  “There’s been a lot.” Aisling peered into his dark eyes closely. He looked rough, but it was her brother who peered back. They’d need to sort out his hallucinations, but right now he didn’t look like he was aware of what he’d just gone through. Later might be a better time. “Maeve, can you bring me my small pack?” She was pretty sure this was really Harlie, but no reason to take chances.

  Maeve handed her the pack and she took out the box. “I know you had a rough time, but we need to check something. Can you look into this box?”

  His face lit up. “Mott’s box,
yes. You’ve had possessions?” He looked right into the box. The flash and words of being possession free caused his smile to widen. “That is good to know.”

  “It is.” Aisling brought out one of the slivers. “This is a combination of Mott’s work and Stella’s; it will allow us to see if you become possessed.”

  Harlie beamed like he was a kid who was getting a treat. “Where?”

  “Just turn your cheek toward me, doesn’t matter which one.”

  “I wish to apologize to the owners of this place. I don’t remember coming in, but it seems a place of calm. I can feel that I was not that.” A brief flash of pain and sorrow crossed his face.

  Aisling and the others escorted Harlie out toward the car. Jili was waiting. She kept smiling and didn’t flinch, but there was caution in her eyes.

  “I am glad you are able to walk out of here.”

  “I apologize for any problems I caused. I was not myself.” Harlie still had hair sticking up all over and his clothes were a bit worse for wear. But his smile was sincere. “I will be leaving now, thank you for the shelter when I needed it.” He bowed and a feeling of calm settled over everything.

  Jili’s eyes were wide as she clearly felt it. “Thank you, you didn’t need to do that. You are still recovering...thank you.” She felt what Harlie had shared. Judging by the looks on Reece and Maeve’s faces, they did too.

  “It is a small token of my thanks.” His smile dropped. “There are dark times coming, and all who seek shelter might not respect it. Protect your doors and yourselves. I’d like to offer a spell of shielding if you don’t mind?”

  Jili nodded. “We would be honored.”

  The spell of shielding was more subtle than the one of peace. Aisling felt it but she didn’t know if the others did.

  “It is done.” Harlie hugged Jili and then climbed into the back seat.

  Aisling couldn’t follow up that, so she just smiled and shook Jili’s hand. “Thank you for everything. And Harlie is right about things changing. Be careful.”

  Jili smiled sadly and took Aisling’s hand. “You’re the one who needs to be careful. I see the armor of warriors on all of you.