Chapter 8
Two weeks later…
Nica stood alone near the back of the ballroom, watching as fifty couples performed the exact same steps and turns in unison to the exact same music performed in every one of the thirteen ballrooms she’d been in since arriving on Apedra. She’d memorized the steps and movements to half a dozen dances that the dance instructor had taught her, and she had no trouble performing them. She’d even accepted a few invitations to dance at various balls in order not to appear rude. But she got no more enjoyment from performing the dances than she now got from watching them performed.
Bree appeared at the far end of the line with Quill Thomas, and Nica forgot all about the other dancers. She watched the couple carefully, not liking the way Quill kept brushing his fingers along Bree’s arms, back, waist and shoulders whenever he was near her. This was not the same as touching her in the course of the dance, like before. None of the other dancers took such liberties with each other, but there was more to it than that.
Nica had spent her childhood among soul-linked clan Jasani. Men and women who were so deeply in love with each other that it showed in their every look, word, and touch. There was no love in the way Quill touched Bree. There was no real regard at all as far as she could tell. But what bothered Nica the most about Quill Thomas was that she couldn’t get a good read on him. She just couldn’t tell if he was dangerous to Bree, or not.
Bree wasn’t helping matters, either. She’d fallen head over heels for the tall, handsome blonde with the pretty smile and unreadable eyes, and she got angry whenever Nica cautioned her to slow down or, worse, if she asked questions about him. She couldn’t believe that Bree didn’t know, or even care, how old he was, where he’d gone to school, what business he was in, what his family did, or even how long he’d be staying on Apedra.
Nica wouldn’t have cared how angry Bree got with her so long as she listened to her warnings. But that was the rub. Bree didn’t listen to the warnings, and Nica was running out of patience. Not just with Bree and Quill, but with the entire lifestyle these people apparently enjoyed. Personally, she felt as though she were about to lose her mind.
How anyone could spend three whole months shopping for clothes during the day to wear to one ball after another with the same people, the same dances, the same music, the same food, and the same gossip was a complete mystery to her. Before the end of the first week she’d taken to doing a cardiac workout every morning in one of the upstairs parlors after Bree had helped her move the furniture out of the way, and she had to do sit-ups every night before bed just so she could sleep. She ached for a good long bout of sparring, or even just an old fashioned run in the park. But people didn’t run in public on Apedra, and they didn’t have spar-bots, either. They didn’t even have gyms. If you wanted exercise, you participated in the nightly round of pattern dances or you went home to the country and worked on your estate.
It was almost the middle of the third week and Nica knew two things. The first was that she’d never be able to spend an entire summer doing nothing of worth or meaning. And the second was that she’d never be able to leave with a clear conscience unless she was certain Bree was in safe hands.
Quill and Bree moved out of her line of sight after a few moments, so Nica started to make her way to the refreshment table for a drink. She caught a flash of light out of the corner of her eye and changed direction, not wanting to examine how she knew that the flash meant that the sprites were outside and wanted to speak with her. She went to the double doors that led out to the veranda and slipped out unnoticed, closing the doors behind her. She walked to the far end, breathing deeply of the cool night air, glad that there were no other people present. Later in the evening there would be, but it was early yet.
She leaned her back against the railing in a dark, shadowed corner so that she could see the rest of the veranda and the doors, and waited. Before long she saw Nim and Min flying toward her, keeping close to the wall of the house up near the roof line where people rarely looked.
“Hello you two,” she said softly when they settled on the railing beside her. She turned around to face them, knowing they’d warn her if anyone came outside.
“Hello Bright Lady,” Min said while Nim bobbed his head several times in greeting.
“I haven’t seen you for a while. I was starting to get worried about you.”
“You worried about us?” Nim asked in surprise.
“Of course I did,” Nica said. “I asked you to do something dangerous and I haven’t seen you since I told you where Quill was staying. That was over a week ago.”
“You’re very kind, Bright Lady,” Min said.
“Did you find out what room he’s in?” Nica asked.
“Oh yes,” Nim said. “That part was easy.”
“What wasn’t easy?”
“Following that man around all the time without getting too close,” Min said. “He goes many places.”
“Did you ever smell the Changeling?”
“No, Bright Lady,” Nim replied. “Not once. But then, we did have to stay far away, so maybe it was there and we missed it.”
“Why do you have to stay so far away?”
“As we can smell the Changeling, so can the Changeling smell us,” Min said, her wings shuddering behind her.
“Of course,” Nica said. “Sorry, guys. I think this place is numbing my brain.”
“That does not sound good, Bright Lady,” Nim said worriedly. “Maybe you should see a human healer.”
“You are ill Bright Lady?” Min asked, her voice growing higher and higher with each word.
“No no, I’m not ill and I don’t need a healer,” Nica said. “I just meant that I’m bored.”
“Oh, I see,” Min said doubtfully. She glanced sideways at Nim, who shrugged, then the both of them looked at Nica again with big smiles stretched across their faces.
“Um, did you get a chance to go into his room?” she asked in a choked voice. “Maybe he lets his guard down when he’s alone.”
“If we go in his room, he will smell us,” Nim said. “He will know we were there.”
“Only if he’s the Changeling,” Min pointed out. “He is here now, doing the walk-turn-hop ritual.”
“Walk-turn-hop ritual?” Nica asked, then bit the inside of her mouth. Hard.
“I’m sorry, Bright Lady,” Min said quickly. “I meant no offense.”
“Oh no, don’t worry Min, I’m not offended. I promise.” Min looked so worried that it took away some of Nica’s enjoyment. “Please, go on, Min. What were you saying?”
“I think since he is occupied here, it is a good time to go into his room and check.”
“That’s too dangerous, Min!” Nim squeaked. “You will not do this!”
“Don’t you tell me what to do, Nim!” Min squeaked back. She turned to Nica. “I will go now. It will take just a couple of minutes.” Before Nica could say anything Min’s wings went back and she shot straight up into the air.
“I better go after her,” Nim said morosely. Then he was gone too.
Nica shook her head slightly in surprise. Once they made up their minds, those sprites didn’t waste time. Three minutes later Min and Nim reappeared on the railing beside her, startling her.
“How’d it go?”
“We smelled the whole room,” Min said. “There is no trace of a Changeling there.”
“I suppose that means Quill isn’t the Changeling,” Nica said, disappointed. It wasn’t that she wanted him to be, but it certainly would have explained her feelings about him.
“No, it could still be him,” Nim said, surprising her. “I think the Changeling is hiding its scent.”
“I don’t understand,” Nica said. “If it can hide its scent, how did you smell it before?”
“Because it’s getting stronger,” Min replied.
“Stronger? How?”
Min and Nim exchanged a look, then Min sucked in a breath and answered the question. “We think the
Changeling is killing people for the power in their blood.”
***
Later that evening Nica stepped out of the Fadden carriage onto the sidewalk in front of Fadden House, then turned and waited for Bree to join her. She heard a soft giggle, then silence. It was too dark to see inside the carriage, even with the door open, but she didn’t have to see to know what was going on. And she didn’t like it one bit.
On Apedra, reputation was everything, especially for a young woman. Bree had always been conscious of that, even when she was away at college. Since meeting Quill Thomas, Bree had changed. Now she behaved as though she no longer cared about such things. And from the sounds coming out of the carriage, she didn’t much care who knew it, either.
Nica considered going inside and leaving Bree to her fate, but she couldn’t make herself do it. They were friends, and friends didn’t abandon each other when they were in need of help, whether they realized it or not. As embarrassing as it was for her to do, Nica stared directly through the doorway of the carriage. Happily, she couldn’t actually see anything, but Bree and Quill wouldn’t know that. After another minute or two Bree stepped out of the carriage and joined Nica on the sidewalk. She waved goodbye until the footman closed the door, then she turned to face Nica.
“You could have given me a few minutes alone, Nica,” she said petulantly.
“Yes, I could have,” Nica agreed. “You’re welcome by the way.”
“For what?”
“For protecting your reputation regardless of how uncomfortable it is for me to stand outside in the dark staring into a carriage at something I’d much prefer not to know about let alone watch.”
“I’m sorry, Nica, and yes, thank you,” Bree said, having at least enough grace to blush. They climbed the steps to the front door and went inside, handing their wraps to Joseph, who handed them off to two maids. Nica thanked Joseph and the maids, and bid them a goodnight, but Bree seemed to be in her own little world, as usual. They crossed the foyer and headed up the stairs together.
“Bree, are you in love with Quill Thomas?” Nica asked, deliberately not giving her friend fair warning beforehand.
“Yes, Nica, I’m in love with him, and he loves me, too,” Bree replied, her face lighting up. “I know it’s fast, too fast I suppose, but that’s the way we feel.”
“I don’t know about that,” Nica said slowly, an image of Ian filling her mind. “Sometimes, if it’s right, you just know it. Time has nothing to do with it.” Bree’s smile slipped a little and Nica sensed that her friend needed to share right now. She deliberately set aside her misgivings about Quill, and focused on being a good friend. “Are you planning to get married?”
“Well, that’s a harder question to answer,” Bree said, the happiness fading completely now. They reached Bree’s door and stood outside of it, in the hall. “We’ve talked about it, but Quill wants to wait until he receives his inheritance next year. Then we can go to Sauria to live on his family’s estate. I told him we could get married now and live at Fadden Fields in the country, or here at Fadden House, just until he receives his inheritance.”
“What did he say to that?”
“He doesn’t want to live off of Ian, and I can’t blame him for that.”
“So what will you do?”
“Well, I think I’ve finally convinced him that if we lived on my money it wouldn’t be any different than living on his money. The problem is that Ian controls my money.”
“Why is that a problem?” Nica asked. “Won’t he give it to you if you ask him?”
“I don’t know,” Bree replied. “He should. It’s my money. But if he decides not to, there isn’t anything I can do about it until I’m twenty five. Until then, the money is his to distribute as he sees fit in my best interest.”
“Can he stop you from getting married?”
“As the head of my family, yes, he can stop me from getting married on Apedra, but again, just until I’m twenty-five,” Bree replied. “But I’m not waiting two years to marry Quill, Nica. If I have to, I’ll go to another world where there’s nothing he can do to stop me.”
“You’re willing to break ties with your brother, with the only family you have left, for Quill Thomas?”
“It’s not what I want,” Bree said. “It’s not what Quill wants, either. But if Ian forces me to make a choice, then I’ll have to choose Quill, Nica. If you were in my place, you’d do the same.”
“This isn’t about me, or what I would do,” Nica said. “It’s about you, Bree. Ian is the only family you have left. I think you’d regret it a great deal if you broke ties with your brother, no matter the reason.”
“Well, it’s really up to Ian,” Bree said without meeting Nica’s eyes. “If he wants me in his life, he’s going to have to respect my choices.”
Nica bit back a sigh. She didn’t think it would do her much good to argue with Bree on this point. In fact, it wouldn’t do much good to argue with Bree on anything having to do with Quill Thomas. The irony was that Nica would have completely agreed with Bree if they hadn’t been talking about Quill Thomas.
“Nica, Quill invited me to the museum exhibit tomorrow afternoon,” Bree said, interrupting her thoughts.
“That’s nice,” Nica said. “Did you accept?”
“Yes, I did,” Bree replied. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not,” Nica said. “You’re allowed to have a date without me tagging along, although I do hope you’re planning to have a chaperone of some sort with you.”
“Evan Hearken is going with us, so that’s covered,” Bree said. “Are you sure you don’t mind, Nica?”
“Positive,” Nica said.
“All right, Nica, thank you,” Bree said, then looked around in mild surprise to see that they were standing out in the hall. “Did you want to come in and talk awhile?”
“No thanks,” Nica said. “All I want to do is go to bed. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” Bree said. She watched Nica until she turned the corner, then opened her door and went inside.
***
Luagh prowled the dark streets near the edge of the city, pausing now and then to sniff the air before moving on. It had been two weeks since he’d first discovered the power hidden within the blood of Apedran humans. It had taken a bit of trial and error to discover that not all humans were the same, which meant that he’d had to kill a number of them. He hadn’t expected it put the entire city up in arms and on guard, but it certainly had. It was very annoying, too, because it made hunting very difficult.
On the upside, the more power he consumed, the easier it became to determine which humans had power without spilling their blood first. Some had a little, like that first woman in the park. Others had less, but most had almost none at all.
He was careful to kill no more than one human a day now. He wanted very much to allow himself more, but his human’s body could not tolerate more blood than that no matter what he did, and the blood had to be inside his human before he could absorb it. He consoled himself with the knowledge that he was getting stronger much faster than he’d expected, and he got the added bonus of killing one human every single day. He also stuck to the poor areas of the city where authorities were thinly spread, and was very careful to hide the remains of his hunts. Unfortunately for him, there weren’t very many poor humans with enough power in their veins to make taking it worth the effort, so he had to spend a lot of time just searching for the few who did.
It was frustrating to have to be so careful when what he really wanted to do was cut a swath through the most powerful humans, those that called themselves Druids, and fill himself with their power all at once. Once he’d grown strong enough to scent the power hidden in their blood, he realized that the humans attending just one of those strange gatherings they called balls would be more than enough to fill him with all the power he could wish for. But it would take days, weeks even, for his human to consume them all and, more importantly, it would be like announcin
g his whereabouts to Queen Eibhleann. Even at his most powerful he could not hide from her. No Unseelie could. So, he restrained himself and kept his distance from those with the most power of all. Besides, the authorities that were so few and far between in the poor sections of the city were so thick around the wealthy that he could never have gotten his hands on one anyway without getting his human caught.
A hint of power drifted past him and he paused to sniff carefully. He started to smile, had even turned in the direction it had come from before catching another scent. Sprites. He stopped in his tracks, then spun around and began walking in the opposite direction while wishing more than ever that he had enough power to fly. He was powerful enough to hide his and the human’s scent now, but not enough to make it invisible, or to fly. If the sprites saw his human’s face here, on the streets of the poorest section of the city, in the wee hours of the night, they would know exactly where he was hiding.
Nica's Legacy (Hearts of ICARUS Book 1) Page 17
