Forged in Ice (12 page)

N
o matter
how many times I tried to clear my head, I could not shake the image of the black plague. I already knew the darkness was dangerous, but hearing it described as a sickness capable of changing a good person into an evil one chilled me. Could I be changed in that way? Could James?

I was still thinking about it later that evening when we sat around the campfire. We needed to get moving, but Hunter wanted us to wait for his friend, and I think James was hoping Denny would share more of his mother’s stories. He seemed to think they held more clues than it seemed on the surface.

Sitting around a campfire with wolves and guys from another world was surreal, but comparing it to having spent time in another world and being supernaturally attached to a guy from it made the current situation far less crazy. Yet there was something more frightening about these wolves. They were from my world, meaning it was likely there were more of them living among us as humans. These wolves seemed nice, but I assumed there were others who weren’t. Maybe some were the monsters childhood stories had come from.

I shivered and wrapped my sweatshirt tighter around me. So much had changed in such a short period of time, and I couldn't quite comprehend it. No matter what anyone said, I knew Grace’s disappearance had to do with me. The timing was too perfect to be anything else.

"Ainsley?" James whispered my name. "Are you okay?"

"Just worried about Grace." I rested a hand on the rough bark of the log we were sitting on.

"We will find her."

"I still don't get why her apartment was empty." That part made absolutely no sense. It would have taken so much more effort than just taking her.

James scooted closer to me, effectively eliminating any space between us. "That may actually be a good thing.”

"What are your thoughts?" I watched James with anticipation.

"I was thinking the same thing." Hunter answered before James could. He stood from his seat on the log across from ours. His incredible hearing was hard to get used to. "I will not discredit your suggestion from earlier, Talen, but there were other ways to show they weren't coming back.”

"Maybe it was a threat?" Rachel suggested. "Are they the type to do that?"

"They are the type to do anything. You cannot predict the actions of dark ones.” James looked down at the ground.

"Or a bribe?" Hunter suggested. “Did she need money? Or the boyfriend?"

"Neither are rich, but that doesn't mean they'd scare their families and run away for money.” They weren’t desperate.

"But both of those possibilities sound better than kidnapping," Rachel shrugged. “And more likely. I've never heard of kidnappers who would clean out a whole house. Seems extreme."

"I need to know everything about these friends and the men you think are involved." Hunter crouched down in front of us. "I thought this darkness was something from the past. Something that no longer happens."

"It had not happened for a long time." James looked out at the fire.

"Until your father brought it back?” There was no accusation in Hunter’s voice. He was being careful.

"Yes."

"But he had to have brought it from somewhere. He had to have had help awakening it." Denny spoke from the other side of the fire. The dancing flames between us cast shadows all around.

James nodded. “My father never told me much about the darkness, or almost nothing. It is as though he assumed I understood.”

"Did he change when he brought it back?" Hunter rose to standing and took a seat on the other side of me.

"I do not know when it started, but I only remember him that way." James looked off into the distance.

I watched James with rapt attention. His face was hard and sad as he sat in the firelight.

James turned back to Hunter. "I followed his orders blindly. I never hurt anyone, but I understood he was hurting others. I am not innocent in this, but I do not support him."

"No one is accusing you of supporting him." Hunter placed one of his large hands beside him on the log.

"Not aloud, but in your head. You are already questioning my involvement with Ainsley." James took my hand.

"How could I not?" Hunter met James’ eyes.

“I am not working with the dark ones, and Ainsley is safe with me." James moved our entwined hands to his leg.

"It is her right to decide that. Not mine." Hunter looked at me. "I assume you know what you are doing."

I nodded, even though knowing what I was doing wasn't exactly how I would describe my situation. Instead I was being ruled by emotions and desires I had absolutely no control over. I turned to Denny. "You never finished telling us what you know about what those affected by the darkness looked like." As much as I wanted to know more about James and his father, that wasn't why we had driven all the way to Louisiana to see these wolves.

"They are men hollowed out and then filled with a darkness so strong it cannot be contained. They feel nothing but hate swirled in with the darkness. And what makes them most dangerous is that they can hide it when they want to.” Denny stood and walked around the fire toward us. “That is how it can move between people so easily.”

"Wait. If they can hide it, then how do we know they are back?" My body tensed, as fearful thoughts I hadn’t yet processed filled my mind.

"They do not always hide it. Sometimes they wear it as a badge.” Talen stretched out his legs in front of him. He was sitting on the same log as Rachel and Henry.

"Did Blake hide it?" I asked impulsively.

Talen shook his head. “Blake was something different, a Cipher."

"Denny never finished telling me about it. What is it exactly?" I asked with trepidation.

“Your worst nightmare.”

“I assume you don't mean mine specifically.” Another shiver ran through me, and James wrapped his arm around me.

“No. Everyone's.”

James leaned in and brought his lips against my ear. “Do not worry, he is gone now."

There was something missing from his words, a note that felt off, and it made me wonder if he completely believed what he was saying.

"A Cipher is the polar opposite of the Essence. Of Charlotte. She can control everything living, a Cipher can control anything dead." Henry’s face was tight. “She controls the light, while he manipulates the dark.”

“Including zombies.”

“Yes, like the dead.”

“But Blake is dead.” I spoke the words softly, hating to even say the name in front of James. “So shouldn’t that power be gone? Is it a new Cipher?”

“We do not know.” Talen stood up. “But a new Cipher would be almost unimaginable. The fact that Blake became one was unbelievable.”

Everyone turned at the sound of crunching debris and sticks. A girl with long black hair walked toward the fire. "Looks like I'm late to the party again."

"I’m glad you decided to show up." Hunter smiled.

We all stood and walked toward her. Evidently this was the girl we were waiting for.

She shrugged. "Can't help how busy I am." She turned to Rachel and me and held out her hand. “I'm Michelle."

"Ainsley."

"Rachel."

She shook Rachel’s hand and then narrowed her eyes. “Why do you look surprised?”

“You introduced yourself to us first.” That didn’t happen very often.

"I guess I did." She turned to the rest of the group. "I’m Michelle."

"Pleasure to meet you." Henry bowed his head slightly.

Michelle smiled. "Likewise."

Rachel moved to Henry’s side. I bit back a smile. She was definitely still into him.

"So what did I hear about a missing person?” Michelle let her eyes glide over all of, making it feel like she was asking each of us the question.

"That's just the tip of the Iceberg." Hunter lifted his chin.

“Perfect.” She walked over and stood right next to Hunter. A look passed between them that was unmistakable. Either they were sleeping together, had slept together in the past, or were contemplating sleeping together.

“Her friend and the friend’s boyfriend are missing.” Hunter pointed at me.

“Ainsley’s friend.” Michelle nodded. “Got it. Sounds straight forward.”

“But missing as in the entire apartment is cleared out.” I provided more details.

“Ok. So this was a voluntary disappearance?”

“On the surface… except for the reason they are here.” Hunter pointed to us.

“You mean they aren’t here because of your good looks?” She teased.

He shook his head. “They think I can help them defeat evil.”

“Evil?” Michelle raised an eyebrow.

“More specifically those touched by darkness.”

“Should that mean anything to me?” Michelle asked.

“Maybe, maybe not.” Marni replied. “I had no clue until Denny started reminiscing about our mom’s stories.”

“I don’t know those stories, so is someone going to tell me? What are those touched with darkness?” Michelle used air quotes.

“Evil people,” Denny provided.

“Ok…”

I zoned out as James and Talen once again recounted the details.

“
I
can’t believe
we’re here.” I snuggled into James’ arms. We were lying in a bunk up in a loft inside a rustic cabin. It was unheated, and the blankets we had were thin, but James’ body was warm enough to make it comfortable.

“This is the part you can’t believe?”

“I can’t believe any of it I guess… But I was just starting to get used to Energo, and here we are at an old camp in Louisiana.”

He laughed. It was a deep laugh that shook his whole body. “So Louisiana is more foreign than my world?”

“Not more foreign. Just more surprising I guess.”

He kissed my forehead. “You can be strange sometimes.”

“So can you.” And mysterious. Sometimes that mystery was sexy, but other times I was desperate to know more.

He pulled me up on top of him. “You do not believe your friend is in danger. Something calmed you, and I want to know what it was.”

“The more I thought about it, the more the empty apartment thing didn’t make sense. Why leave things that way?”

“I have thought it over as well. It must be connected, but that does not mean Grace is in danger. She may have run.”

I sighed. “The not knowing is the hard part.”

“You need to sleep. It will be a long day tomorrow.”

“You need to sleep too. Even more than me.”

“I will.” He yawned. “I am due for it.”

“Do you think Hunter and Michelle will be able to help us find Grace?”

“Maybe. They seem determined.”

“Is Michelle a wolf too?” No one had mentioned her identity, but she was definitely close with Hunter’s pack.

“I am unsure. I suppose we can ask her in the morning.”

“I will.” I closed my eyes and settled against his side. “Sleep well.”

“You too.” He kissed the top of my forehead before I drifted off to sleep.

I
was standing
outside a deep forest looking into the woods as though something important waited inside.

“Come.” An unfamiliar voice called to me. It was harsh and strong.

“Come. Do not fear me.” The voice came from inside the trees.

I took a single step closer, but I stayed outside of the tree line.

“Come.” A shadowy finger beckoned to me from behind a tree, “I can help you find what you are looking for.”

“I'm not looking for anything.” I wanted to step back, but I couldn’t. It was as though I was stuck in one place.

"But you are looking for someone." The figure’s voice lilted.

"No." I shook my head. “I’m not looking for anyone.”

"Yes. You have been looking for him your whole life."

“No." I shook my head. “I haven't." I let the lie escape my lips. I had spent years searching for one person, but I had finally accepted I would never find him.

"You have. I know it, and so do you." He held a hand out toward me.

I shook my head again. "No."

“I can show you everything." He extended his hand. "Come with me."

"No. My life is complicated enough without bringing him into this."

"But he is your father. He is half of what made you." He finally gave a title to the person we both knew we were talking about.

"He wanted nothing to do with me. I want nothing to do with him." Another lie. I wanted to find him. I wanted answers.

"Quit pretending.” He reached out for me. "Come."

"What if I don't like what you show me? What if I don't like him?"

“That is a risk you will have to take." The honesty surprised me. It was at odds with his persuasive words.

Then I spoke my bigger fear out loud. "What if he doesn't like me?"

"Then you would still have the closure you crave."

"I can't leave James. I can't." Where was he? Did he know I was outside alone?

"You can come back. The faster you come, the sooner you can return."

The wind swirled around me, making me shiver. I wrapped my arms around myself.

"Please come, Ainsley." His voice was desperate and younger than he sounded before.

I nodded. "But only if I can come back."

"You can come back." He stepped out of the tree line slightly.

His face was hidden by the shadows, as he held out his hand again. "Please come."

I stepped toward him, determined to see his face. As soon as I neared him he reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me into the woods.

The woods were dark and deep, we were surrounded on all sides by large trees that seemed so tall that they could reach the sky.

I wrapped my free arm around myself as the wind howled and my hair blew around in a flurry of freshly falling snow.

"Oh, sorry, I have this.” The guy materialized a deep blue cloak with a fur lining.

"Who are you, and where are we?"

He smiled a large all teeth smile. “I am Gregor, and you are in the Woods of Elsie.”