by Leela Ash
Before they entered, she paused and glanced to Achilles.
“Do you want me to go in first, so people don’t see us together?” she asked. The town was one of the fastest gossip spreaders she had ever seen, and the hospital was primetime for that. Nurses and cafeteria staff, on top of patients and their families, had a tendency to talk about anything and everything.
Achilles seemed to consider this and then shook his head.
“There’s no time. I think it will be okay if we do this together. Either way, today is a turning point and they may end up finding out regardless how we play out this situation. So, let’s not beat around the bush any more than we have to, okay?”
Veronica nodded, able to see the sense in his logic. She led him inside to the reception desk. The person at the desk recognized Veronica immediately.
“Sheriff Mitchell! What brings you here? Is your father well?”
“My father is fine, thank you, Debby. I’m actually here because Lester got into some trouble and I would like to check on him and see if everything is okay.”
“I’m a welder.”
The sudden statement surprised both Debby and Veronica, and both women turned their eyes to him expectantly, waiting for an explanation.
“I mean. The sheriff told me there was some damage done to his property so I thought maybe I could just visit too, send him my regards and let him know I have a team of guys who can help him fix things up for free. Because it’s just kind of an unfortunate thing, you know. We have to help the people who are getting up in years. I was just wondering if I am allowed to visit with Sheriff Mitchell.”
Veronica had to keep herself from laughing. She didn’t think that either of them had expected Achilles to blurt out such a random, but well thought out, cover story about why he was there to see the old man in the hospital. Not that Debby was likely to ask. She was one of the few women around there who kept to herself. But Achilles didn’t know that, and there was no telling who else might have been around and ready to talk about them at the drop of a hat, so Achilles went with his story and they looked to Debby expectantly, wondering whether he had sold his story convincingly.
“That’s really nice of you!” she exclaimed. “I’m always saying there should be more people out there giving back to the people who built this town and made it what it is today. But the way things are, nowadays, there are older people who just tend to fall through the cracks.”
Achilles nodded, and Veronica stared hard at him before turning a kind smile to Debby. “That’s true,” she said. “And it’s pretty sad, considering most of the younger generation wouldn’t be who they are without their elders.”
“Absolutely!” Debby exclaimed. “And for someone like this to come in from out of town and offer a kindness to a stranger because of his misfortune, a kindness people who have known this poor old man for decades couldn’t be bothered with? Well, that’s just mighty fine of you, sir. And I’m going to have people know about what you’re doing for him.”
Both Veronica and Achilles were surprised by the impassioned speech, and Debby beamed at him. Veronica suddenly felt a painful twinge of envy. Debby was attracted to Achilles. That was why she was being so forward about her opinion and heaping so much praise on him. While the points she was making were absolutely valid, the way Debby was eyeing the man beside her was starting to make Veronica feel uneasy.
Achilles had managed to muster a humble smile, and Veronica gripped him by the arm and turned him toward the door of the lobby before the praise could get too much to his head. After all, this was the first she had heard of Achilles being willing to help with any of the repairs on Lester’s property. And since when was he a welder?! That was news to her. Then again, life was full of surprises. Especially with this man.
“Yeah, he sure is something else,” Veronica said in admission. “But I am in a bit of a hurry today, I hope you don’t mind if we cut this short. I don’t want to miss Lester while he’s still coherent.”
“Of course,” Debby said. As they walked away, she called to Achilles, “It was nice to meet you!”
Achilles turned as much as Veronica would allow and offered her a wave. Veronica rolled her eyes and urged him forward and he looked down at her with his brow raised and a knowing smile playing at his lips. He could tell she was jealous. And it was amusing to him.
So what?! Of course, she was jealous. But there was no reason for them to even acknowledge it. Whether she liked Achilles or not, they had work to do, and now that they were at the hospital, they could finally get down to doing it. That’s all there was to it. No more, no less.
12.
Achilles felt his stomach drop as he entered the room. The energies in hospitals were always a bit on the oppressive side, but it was particularly bad when he was visiting someone who was there because of him. He couldn’t help but blame himself for Lester’s misfortune. However, to be fair, the enemy had found him the day he and Veronica had somehow shown up on the property at the same time while Lester was out. Maybe the man had known there was someone after him. That could be why he hadn’t been there when they had been left to fight the two invaders.
Either way, he should have done more to protect Lester and he intended to make up for it in any way he could. Veronica might have thought he was bullshitting when he said he and his friends would be willing to fix up the old man’s place if he needed it (honestly, there wasn’t a whole lot of repairs that needed to be done, but the whole place did need a good cleaning, and they would probably be off the hook when it came to that).
He had been genuine in his desire to help, and putting their names out there as talented craftsmen who were willing to put their efforts toward a good cause was probably one of the best ways he could think of to help he and his comrades gain good standing in the community they were a part of. It was difficult enough not to have people on their side. They had come in as outsiders. But if they could gain some good reputation by helping out the poor old man, then help him they would.
“Hey, Lester,” Veronica said, her voice gentle as she greeted the aging man. He looked well considering his surroundings, and when he saw Achilles, his eyes grew wide.
“You! You were here last night!”
Veronica cast a worried look to Achilles, and it was clear from her expression that she was concerned the old man was delusional.
In reality, though, Achilles had managed to contact Gavin the night before and they had spoken in depth about what could cause such invisible injuries. The explanation had been unsettling.
A group of evil creatures known as the ringleaders of an imperial onslaught against civilization were capable of this type of destruction. He had called the group the Kaw, and they were known for their raven-like looks and incredible intelligence.
“I don’t know that he was, Lester,” Veronica said.
“No, he’s right,” Achilles admitted. “I came to visit yesterday. After hours.”
Veronica’s brow lifted in visible surprise. “You came here without me?”
Achilles glanced around. The hospital didn’t seem like the most secure place to speak about such things. He had snuck in to distribute the cure that Gavin had cheerfully told him about; a mixture of herbs from the bear shifter planet that Achilles had managed to sneak away from Atlas when the bear shifter and Apollo were off taking care of interior work.
“I did,” he finally said. “I had to do something to make sure he would be okay.”
Lester gazed at Achilles as if star struck and smiled.
“This man saved my life.” His face contorted in an expression of excitement and he glanced back to Achilles. “It is okay to call you a man, isn’t it? The others I have met had no objections, but I know each of you is different…”
Veronica gaped at Lester, then back to Achilles.
“How did you know what to do?”
Achilles shrugged lightly. “I have my sources. And it didn’t alert any attention to us, so if that’s what you’re worried abou
t, don’t. I was as careful as could be.”
He had decided to call Gavin rather than pouring over the book he had stolen from Lester’s apartment, and it was a good thing he did. He got the answers much faster than he would have digging through a book he could hardly translate for himself. But as he chatted with Gavin, he did flip through its pages. And what he had found was remarkable. There were answers there. Secrets. And if this was what the enemy was searching for, Achilles had managed to find it first.
But he still couldn’t be sure they were out of the woods yet. Lester still hadn’t been in any position to speak after his visit that night, so now, they were there. And Achilles had spent the day pouring over the book in hopes of finding a clue that would help them in case the enemy was ahead of them. He wanted to make them pay for all the anxiety and pain they were inflicting on everybody. He was sick as hell of everything going wrong and he was going to do everything in his power to fix it, once and for all.
But he had to start with Lester.
“I didn’t tell them anything,” Lester said immediately, as if he knew exactly what they were doing there. “Nothing they didn’t already know. I don’t know what they did to me, but it only hurt for a moment and then it was like I was sleeping. No pain or anything. But I couldn’t move my body.”
“It will come back in time,” Achilles interrupted. “My source tells me it’s a gradual cure, but it will work. And I will make sure you have plenty of it, in case it wasn’t enough. You know. The dose I have already given you.”
Lester nodded. “Thank you so much for your help,” he said, his eyes clear and bright.
Achilles nodded. “It’s my fault. I wasn’t there to protect you from the Kaw.”
Lester grimaced. “So that’s what they call them, huh? I thought as much.”
The old man struggled to sit up in his bed, but his efforts were clearly futile. Veronica made a move to help him, but Achilles had already beaten her to it and helped to lift the man to a seated position. Veronica found the controller to his bed and moved it up so he could stay there comfortably as Achilles did his part to stabilize the man’s limp body.
“You know it’s not safe anywhere, right?” Lester said conspiratorially, glancing around the room. “It’s impossible to tell where they are.”
“It’s impossible for humans to tell where they are,” Achilles corrected. “I can smell them a mile away.”
Lester turned skeptical eyes onto the wolf shifter. “And you have met a Kaw up close?”
Achilles was quiet for a moment as he considered the question. No, actually he hadn’t.
“That’s what I thought. And there is plenty of good reason for that to be the case!”
Lester was already preparing himself to move again but seemed to think better of it. “How long do you think until I won’t be a vegetable?”
“Oh, stop it, you’re not a vegetable,” Veronica said kindly. She went to the man and lifted a glass of water that was laying by his bedside table. She offered it to him, and he smiled gratefully.
“How did you know?”
Veronica shrugged, and Achilles glanced to the woman. How did she know? Sometimes, if he didn’t already know better, he would have sworn Veronica had some kind of shifter blood running through her veins as well. But that was impossible. He would have been able to sense it right away. Wouldn’t he?
“Anyway, they threatened me something awful. Went through all my things. Destroyed so many of my precious artifacts…”
It looked as if the old man were about to become seized with emotion, and Achilles took a step back uncomfortably. It was one thing to be in the presence of Veronica’s feelings, and quite another to encounter the emotions of an old man he had only met under such stressful circumstances.
“I’m sorry, these medications they put me on are making me a bit more emotional than I would be on a normal day,” Lester said, immediately noting Achilles’ discomfort.
“No, it’s all right. I understand,” he said, suddenly feeling like an ass. But he couldn’t help that seeing other men cry tended to make him a little woozy, could he? Who knew what that was about.
Veronica shot a warning look to Achilles, and he shrugged in response. What could he do about it?
“So, why don’t you tell us everything you remember, Lester,” Veronica said. “And if it’s difficult, don’t worry. They did tell us it would take a while before your medications would make it out of your system, so take your time.”
“Actually,” Achilles said, clearing his throat. “The herbs I gave him last night should make it really fast for the medications in his system to detox out. It’s a really powerful cure. I’m sure you did a lot of sweating last night, right?”
Lester nodded. “It was a bit extreme, but I do feel much better now. Thank you so much for taking the initiative to help me.”
Achilles shook his head. “No, it’s really nothing. I should have been there to help you.”
Lester shook his head right back. “I’m sure you were doing everything you could. And anyway, it really wasn’t all that bad, like I said. A long sleep. I was under the impression they were going to come wake me up at some point, if they needed something else from me.”
“Something else?” Veronica said, her voice spiking with panic. “Does that mean they did take something from you.”
Lester sighed. “Well, besides my dignity, yes, there was one thing they took.”
“The portals,” Achilles said urgently. “Are they able to use it on the portals?”
Lester chuckled. “No, I can assure you, they aren’t. It was just a replica.”
“A replica?” Achilles frowned. “A replica of what?”
“The Serah Stone.”
Veronica looked just as bewildered as ever, but Achilles opened his eyes wide as realization suddenly dawned on him.
“The Serah Stone?”
The Serah Stone had been one of the most widely sought after and guarded relics left on Earth from the time when shifters had suddenly appeared through the portals. The wolf shifter Elders had never been clear on its exact significance, but it did seem to contain inexplicable and mystical powers. However, the exact purpose of its origins was unknown. It made sense to Achilles that an enemy might want it in their possession, but did they know something about it that he didn’t?
“So, you’re familiar,” Lester stated, his face glowing with approval. “I suppose that shouldn’t come as a surprise. You are a wolf shifter, after all. Am I correct?”
Achilles nodded. “Yes. And you’re sure it was just a replica?”
“Positive.”
“And what do you know about the Serah Stone, Lester?”
Achilles glanced to Veronica, uncertain of just how much of this conversation she should be able to overhear. If Lester knew about the portals, as Achilles suspected, he would be telling her the exact thing Achilles had been trying to protect her from. And if she knew about them and an enemy found her, she might not be able to safeguard the information.
He simply couldn’t let this happen. He wouldn’t. He wanted more than anything to make sure she wasn’t involved at all. That she remained in the dark about the portals to the other worlds and the way the enemy would finally get the upper hand and ruin civilization.
But they were dealing with all of this together, after all. She was going to get any answers he got, even if she didn’t fully understand them. He had done his best, on purpose, not to go into too much detail about the portals and how they worked. That much was a secret to him.
Besides that, he honestly didn’t have much of a clue about how they were supposed to work himself. So, it wasn’t too difficult to keep quiet about them. All she knew was that the serpent mound was an epicenter to some really mysterious things happening. If she knew more than that, it could put her in far more danger than he could imagine. What they were doing together right now was bad enough.
“All I know is what my research told me,” Lester said. He cast a meaningful g
lance to Veronica, then gave Achilles a knowing look. The old man wanted to protect her too. Achilles gave a slow nod. So, maybe there was some kind of connection after all. Was it possible that the Serah Stone was involved in all of this somehow, or was it just another rogue group of monsters who wanted to use its power for their own gain? That stone was a lot like the holy grail, as far as Achilles was concerned. Everyone knew about it. Everyone knew it had power. Most people didn’t know where it was or how to use it, but they wanted it anyway.
“Did they show any indication of knowing where to go with it?” Achilles had to know. If it had anything to do with their mission, the information would be crucial. But he was already convinced it had been the only relic in the place that they knew for sure had power. If only it weren’t a replica.
“That, unfortunately, I don’t know. I know they were looking for something specific and settled on that. They were interrogating me fiercely about some things I have read about and other things I have never even heard of. But they didn’t get any other information out of me.” Lester squared his shoulders, and Achilles was able to detect a quiet kind of strength within him. It was subtle, but he was being true to his word. He hadn’t given out any information, even though it might have cost him his life. This guy was brave. Especially for a human.
The old man continued. “I had quite a few guides along my path who taught me everything I needed to know to ensure that the knowledge I found could remain safe in my hands. Otherwise, I would have no business learning any of it.”
Achilles nodded, glad the old man seemed to understand the situation exactly for its weight. So, he’d had mentors. And had met other shifters? Is that what he meant?
“So, you’ve met other shapeshifters?” Achilles asked after a moment. “People who guided you to protect sensitive information and things like that?”
“Oh… actually… you’re technically the first I’ve met in person,” Lester said. “But I always knew I wasn’t crazy. There was so much evidence!”
