Chapter Twelve
Bastien placed his hand on my arm and lowered the globe. “He’s not a threat.”
The man dropped the ax and almost tackled Bastien in a hug.
“Ah, Renard, my dear friend.” The man clapped Bastien’s back. His eyes went to me, panting so hard the skin around his tusks waggled. “Who did you bring with you? Outsiders aren’t welcome.”
“You forget, I’m an outsider,” Bastien said, his tone light.
The man laughed. It was more of a roar, really. “That is not entirely true. More like a savior. We owe our lives to you.”
Bastien’s smile was bright. “I’m not owed a thing. Gianna, this is Enoon.” He rested his hand on my back. “And this is Gianna Bianchi McCabe and her guard, Demos.”
Enoon smiled, placed his hand on his chest, and bowed.
I leaned against Bastien. “What’s he doing?” I whispered.
“The Mystiks considered Gian their king. To them, you are like royalty.”
My great-grandfather. He had fought for the Mystiks’ rights.
“Not in all my days did I believe you would come,” Enoon said, straightening. “My father told me of this day, but I never thought it would be while I was alive. My life is yours. I am your servant.”
“Um.” My gaze went to Bastien then to Enoon. “No one needs to serve me. If there’s a fight, we stand together.”
He may have looked menacing, but his eyes were kind. “Such a young girl, but a brave heart.”
If he knew how terrified I was, he’d be disappointed. I didn’t know how to respond to him.
Bastien helped me out. “We need to find The Red,” he said.
“He’s here.” Enoon inclined his head over his shoulder, gesturing toward the town. “Made a camp just outside the village. Follow me. I’ll take you to him.”
We traveled down a narrow dirt road full of potholes and jagged rocks embedded in the ground. It snaked around mud-caked buildings with thatched roofs. They looked poorly made, or they’d been put up in haste. A bell rang somewhere, followed by a woman’s voice yelling out names. Somewhere from a road or two away came the clanking of metal against metal.
“How long has this village been here?” I asked, just as my foot landed in one of the potholes.
“Be careful, you’ll turn an ankle,” Enoon said. “Our village was destroyed by a horrible fire. We sent out distress calls, but no aid came. We lost everything. Many lives. This place is temporary until we can rebuild.”
Bastien’s foot slid across some pebbles, and he righted himself. “It was a beautiful village. The loss was devastating.”
Enoon patted Bastien on the back. “Bastien here saved us. Without supplies from Couve, our people would have starved.”
I gave Bastien a bright smile. “He’s definitely a saint.”
“A little too sure of himself for his own good,” Enoon teased. “But with a heart bigger than Throgward Canyon.”
Bastien gave me a side-glance. “She has no idea what Throgward is.”
Enoon nodded at a woman working in her garden. “Then I will assure her it is quite vast.”
The villagers stopped whatever they were doing to stare at us as we passed. But there weren’t many of them outside. Two children resembling Enoon followed beside us. The girl looked to be about ten and the boy maybe six, but they didn’t have tusks.
“She’s too thin to be a Sentinel,” the boy said.
The girl smiled up at Demos, a dreamy look on her face. “Do you have a girlfriend?”
“You don’t stand a chance,” I told her. “He’s smitten with a bird girl.”
“I didn’t ask you,” she said and sniffed the air. “You smell.”
I must reek. I’d kill for a bath but doubted there was indoor plumbing here.
Enoon waved his hands at the kids. “Shoo. Off with you. Check on your mother. Make sure she doesn’t need anything.”
“Pa, do we have to?” the boy whined.
The girl gave him a stern look. “Of course we do. Get moving.” The two ran off, heading back the way they’d come.
“Is something wrong with your wife?” I asked.
Enoon’s face scrunched up in confusion. “What is this wife?”
“She means partner,” Bastien answered.
“Aye. She has the sickness.” Enoon kept his eyes in front of him. “Most of the village came down with the disease.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, wishing I could tell him I had the recipe for the cure. Nana had warned me that the curers in the covens might not have all the items needed to make it. And I didn’t want to give him false hope.
In a field just outside of the village was a large camp with rows of pod-like tents. The murmur of voices hung over pitched canopies. Smoke rose from somewhere in the center of them. As we neared, one of the guards, a buff Laniar with silver hair, turned and darted down a row of tents. I recognized the other guards from when they’d attacked Nick and me in one of the libraries. One was rust colored with horns, and the other was stocky with a partially bald head and bushy sideburns.
Enoon stopped at a line of small rocks stretching across the road. “We wait here until The Red invites us in.”
Bastien and I came up to stand on Enoon’s right side, and Demos on the left. “Why must we wait?”
“It’s the agreement we made. No entry without permission. He protects the village and we leave him and his band alone.”
I saw his hair, the color of fire, just over the tents before he came into view. The Red. His long, scraggly hair had been cut short, and he no longer had a beard, which made his large snout less noticeable. He actually looked younger and kind of good-looking in a feral way. His broad shoulders and thick neck and arms seemed even larger than the last time I saw him during the big battle in front of my home in Branford.
He had helped us fight Conemar and his band of evil Mystiks. The Red had come for his sister, Faith, and we lost her that day. I felt a connection to him after that. We both loved Faith, and her loss was painful. I touched her pendant hanging from a chain around my neck, and it clanked against the locket with Pip’s feather inside. It didn’t belong to me. I’d have to give it to him soon, and I knew when I did, I would feel the loss again.
“Gia,” The Red said, approaching. “You’ve made it.”
His gang trailed him.
The smile on his face was strange to me. I was used to it having a menacing scowl. Possibly finding Faith and losing her had changed him. They had been separated for so long only to reunite briefly during the battle. I’d think he would be angry at the world.
“It’s good to see you,” I said, uncertainty coating my words.
He laughed. “No need to be afraid. This is your army.”
What is he talking about? An army? Me? No. Not happening. “My army? I don’t think so.”
“I see. You’ll need time to get used to the idea.”
“We appreciate you giving us refuge in your camp,” Bastien interjected before I could completely freak out.
“It is our pleasure.” The Red’s eyes traveled over Demos. “You’re a Sentinel. From Asile?”
“I am.” Demos rested his hand on the hilt of his sword and eyed the men behind The Red.
“You needn’t fear them,” The Red said. “The others will be pleased to see you.”
“What others?” Demos asked.
“Gia!” The sound of Jaran’s voice almost made my knees buckle. My eyes went to where it originated. Jaran dashed across the field with Lei just behind him.
I covered my mouth with my hand, stopping a sob. They were alive. And they were here. All noises silenced. The voices around me sounded muffled. It was as if Jaran was moving in slow motion. I wanted to run to him, but my feet wouldn’t take off.
Jaran finally reached us and caught me in a hug. I squeezed him back. “You’re here. And alive.” My heart swelled almost to bursting.
“I’m sorry if we scared you, but we couldn’t send word.” He released me. “You look horrible. What happened?”
“It’s a long story,” I said.
“Okay, tell me later.” He winked.
Lei stopped in front of me. “Hullo, ducky.”
Ducky? I hadn’t heard her use that in a while. Not since she had her emotions subdued with a spell.
She wouldn’t be the first to hug someone, so I dragged her into my arms. “I’m so happy to see you.”
“I missed you, as well.” Lei pulled away, her nose wrinkling. “What is that smell?”
“Wait—you seem normal.”
She screwed up her nose again. “Define normal.”
“Less drugged up,” I said.
She raised her hand. The spell tattoo of a radiant lotus between her thumb and pointer finger was gone. “I decided it was better to feel something, no matter how painful, than nothing. And you are in dire need of a bath.”
Demos put his arm around Lei’s shoulder. “It’s been maddening without you. I missed passing insults with someone.”
She wrapped an arm around his back. “I think that’s about the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“Arik mentioned you two went missing from the library,” Bastien said. “What happened?”
Jaran’s smile slipped, and his face went serious. “We were on our way out of the library when a band of guards and Sentinels pulled up in vans. They had Carrig. He’d been beaten and bound.”
My stomach twisted at the thought of Carrig being hurt.
“We decided to fight them,” Lei said. “It didn’t look good for us. We were outnumbered. My lightning globe took several of them down. That was before one of their Sentinels figured out he could stop the flash by stunning it.”
Jaran slid a look at The Red. “If it weren’t for The Red and his gang, we’d be dead now.”
The Red adjusted his stance. “Actually, it was a book faery who alerted me.”
Aetnae? Or maybe it was another one, but my bet was on her. She did more than protect books from humans and natural forces, the nosy little faery. And I was thankful for that.
Lei turned to The Red and said, “We would have lost Carrig if you hadn’t been there.”
“And our heads,” Jaran added.
My spirits jumped. “Carrig’s here? Where?”
The grim look that passed between Jaran and Lei deflated all the excitement inside me.
“What is it?” My voice sounded as shaky as my hands. “He’s not dead, is he?”
“No,” Jaran said quickly. “He’s injured but stable.”
“I want to see him.”
Lei shrugged Demos’s arm off her shoulder. “Follow me. But first, you need a bath and some fresh clothes. Then I’ll take you to him.”
…
After I’d bathed, which was in an actual metal tub that several boys and girls filled with hot water, I followed Lei to Carrig’s tent. The clothes Lei gave me to wear were epic warrior style. I decided to go with the long beige tunic top over leather pants, and boots. The rest of the gear I left on the mat in the tent assigned to me.
Carrig lay on a cot, blankets wrapped tightly around him.
I sat on the stool beside his cot and picked up his hand. It was warm and limp. His eyes closed, face slack, he looked peaceful. “Has he woken up since the attack?”
“No,” Lei said. “He was out cold when we rescued him and has been this way ever since.”
“Sinead is in a coma, too,” I said. “They found her in the barn.”
“That makes sense,” she said.
I kissed his hand and placed it by his side. “Why do you say that?”
“When a Fey marries a human, their lives are connected. So when their human spouse dies, they do as well.”
I could lose them both.
She lifted the flap to the tent. “I’ll leave so you can have some privacy.”
I nodded. “And Lei…”
She paused and looked at me.
“Can you get the others together? I have some stuff to tell you guys.”
“Will do,” she said and ducked out of the tent.
I rested my cheek on Carrig’s chest. His breathing rocked my head. He was warm. Alive. “You have to get better,” I whispered, absentmindedly twisting his watch repeatedly around my wrist. “Sinead needs you.”
I swallowed the lump forming in the back of my throat.
“I need you.”
I’d gotten close to my birth father and his wife while in hiding. Deidre probably didn’t even know her parents were still alive. She was safe in Asile with Royston and Cadby. But now that the Wizard Council considered me a traitor, going to them wasn’t an option. I just hoped Emily could get my note to Cadby—he had to get Royston to me. We needed to free the Tetrad and stop Conemar and whoever else he was connected to before they got control of the monster.
The Red ducked into the tent. He practically filled the entire space at the foot of the cot.
“Your Sentinels are gathered and waiting for you,” he said. “What will you have my men and me do?”
I pushed myself off the stool. “Can you join us? I think you should know it all.”
He nodded and lifted the flap, holding it for me to exit. “As you wish. I am anxious to hear what you have to say.”
Several werehounds gathered around the tent, heads pointed in our direction. On all fours, their bodies came up to my waist. The largest one, and one of the medium sized hounds, had brown, matted fur. Two had black fur, and the smallest, gray. As I passed, each one sniffed my legs.
“They must’ve heard of your arrival.” The Red petted a gray one that was smaller than the others. “We call them Gian’s pack. They loved him so. Wherever he went, there were a few around protecting him. I suspect while you’re here, they’ll show you the same respect.”
I held my hand out to a large, brown one, and he nuzzled it. Or at least I thought he was a he. It was hard to tell. “Do they ever change to human form?”
“Most choose not to. It’s very painful and temporary.”
“So they have a choice?” I reached out to another one, and she pushed her head against my palm.
“They do.”
“Thank you,” I said, my gaze touching each one before I continued following The Red.
A recent rain had dampened the ground. The mud slurped at my boots as I sloshed after The Red to a large tent. The group sat on pillows around a fire pit. Smoke snaked up from the logs and exited through a hole in the top of the tent.
Muddied shoes lined one side near the opening. I tugged off my boots, then found a seat on a pillow between Bastien and Jaran. The Red took the one between Lei and Demos.
I inhaled a deep breath and released it slowly. “Thanks for coming,” I said and crisscrossed my legs. “I’m just going to jump in. Um…okay, so that day the hideout was attacked, Veronique and three Sentinels found me in New York. They tried to kill me but died before they could.”
“Wait a second,” Lei said. “Did you kill them all?”
“Yes, but by accident.”
“They were attacking her,” Bastien clarified, resting his elbows on his knees. “She defended herself.”
A grin spread across Lei’s face. “I didn’t say it was a bad thing. I’m just impressed.”
“Let her continue,” Jaran said and gave me a nod. He had a way of sensing when I needed him. When Arik broke up with me, Jaran was the one who’d gotten me through the tough times.
“Only Uncle Philip knew where I was going.” I swallowed. It was painful to say, not wanting to believe he had anything to do with Veronique’s attack. “I’m not sure if he sent her or if he told the council and one of them did. But the recent murders of high wizards on the council are pretty suspicious, wouldn’t you say?”
“What’s more suspicious?” Bastien said. “The wizards who’ve replaced them have always been strong voices in favor of breaking from the Mystik League and segregating the covens and havens. All but Philip Attwood.”
“He’s neutral,” The Red said. “He hasn’t taken a side, which to me is more damning than showing your hand.”
Bastien leaned back. “Then we must test his loyalties.”
I shot him a startled look.
He rested his hand on my lower back. “It’s the only way to be certain.”
I knew it was the right thing to do, but I hated the idea of it.
“There’s something else.” I uncrossed my legs and stretched them out in front of me. “The Fey have a cure for the disease spreading through the covens. But the council sent an order halting its distribution. I disobeyed that order when I delivered it to Greyhill, and now the council wants to arrest me.” My gaze went to The Red. “Are there any curers in the village? Nana sent me with the cure’s recipe.”
“The oldest and wisest curers are from Barmhilde. I’ll take you to them after we’re through here.”
Demos cleared his throat. “You failed to mention that I am also on the wanted list. And you left out the part where Arik is enforcing the council’s wishes and won’t listen to reason.”
It probably wasn’t nice of me to flash him a glare, but I couldn’t help it. “I was getting to that, but it’s more complicated. I think I know Arik better than most.”
Shit. Way to insert foot in mouth, Gia. I wanted to take that last bit back the instant it left my lips, worrying it would hurt Bastien.
But obviously it didn’t because he said, “She does. And I put my faith in her judgment.”
When I smiled at him, he gave me one back. “Arik will process what I told him, observe the council, and come to his own conclusion. And he’ll realize what we all do now. The Wizard Council is trying to get rid of the Mystiks.”
“What is your plan?” The Red’s wide chest expanded with each of his breaths. Laniars resembled greyhounds, but he looked like one on steroids.
“I sent Emily with Arik. She’ll deliver a note from me to Cadby. I told him there will be someone coming for Royston, Emily, and him next Friday.” My intense stare on the fire made my eyes water, but I couldn’t look up. I didn’t want anyone to see the fear in them. “That gives me three days to gather what I need to release the Tetrad.”
“All right, then, what are we doing?” Impatient Lei had also returned after the spelled tattoo was removed.
“Bastien will go with me. Demos will stay with Carrig. Jaran and Lei will return to Asile with an elaborate story of being kidnapped and escaping or something. Once there, take up a normal routine. Make sure Cadby, Royston, and Emily are ready. On Friday at two in the morning, The Red and his gang will library hop through the gateway books at the same time, to different places. All the activity will throw the Monitors into a frenzy.”
Jaran sat up and nodded. “I get it. That’s when Lei and I will jump with Cadby and the others. The Red’s Mystiks will mask our departure. Brilliant plan.”
“One problem.” Lei looked doubtful it was brilliant at all. “What about Arik?”
I hadn’t forgotten about him. The thought of what I would ask them to do turned my stomach. Could I do it if asked? No. How could I expect them to?
“Avoid him. But if he tries to stop you—” My emotions halted me, and I cleared my throat, not wanting to continue.
Oh, Arik. How did it come to this?