Forged in Ice (9 page)

“Sounds like a plan.” I led Ainsley out to the car. I was relieved we would be sitting beside one another.

I took the middle seat, wanting to spare her from the less comfortable spot, and Talen slid in on my other side far too close for comfort. Ainsley had not been kidding about the small size of her car.

“Thanks for driving,” Ainsley called to the front as Rachel pulled out of the lot.

“Thanks for doing so much driving yesterday.” Rachel turned onto the road.

“You are thanking me even though you have no clue why we’re even going?” Ainsley shook her head. “That’s impressive.”

“It’s where you need to be, and right now that reason is good enough for me.”

“What are you hoping to get from your involvement?” I remembered Rachel was a girl with single-minded determination. She was not the type to go along with something unless it held some benefit for her.

“Rekindling old friendships.” She glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Proving to myself I am not crazy. There is more going on than anyone in town believed.”

“You are not crazy,” Henry reassured her. “And I am sorry we had to leave the way we did. I am sworn to protect Charlotte, and I did what I had to. My oath of protection is imbedded in who I am, and I could not hesitate. I had to save my people and do my duty.”

“And eventually you will explain to me who your people are?” Rachel took the ramp back onto the interstate.

“Maybe you’ll get to meet them.” Ainsley stretched out her legs. “You never know.”

“She has to now.” I admitted. “She knows too much.”

“Because that doesn’t sound scary?” Rachel changed lanes. “It sounds like a threat.”

“Not a threat. No one is going to hurt you. And you can go home eventually, but not until we get to the bottom of this.” I chose my words carefully.

“I can go home
eventually
?” Rachel’s voice dripped with skepticism. “I am with you willingly. You can’t force me to stay.”

“Technically we can.” Henry looked down. “We are stronger than you think.”

Rachel shook her head. “Save your breath, I am coming with you anyway. I want to see Charlotte.”

“Can you imagine Charlotte’s face if we return with Rachel?” Henry leaned forward in his seat. He sounded like himself again.

“Were you two very close?” Ainsley asked Rachel.

“Yes, although she wasn’t in Charleston all that long. She’s a really cool person. One of my few true friends. Well, I thought she was. I don’t know what to believe anymore.” Rachel sighed.

I decided to put her out of her worries on one issue. “She was truly your friend. She misses you.”

“Yeah?” Rachel caught my eye in the rearview mirror. “I’ve thought about her a lot over the years.”

“Have you thought of me?” Henry leaned over toward her.

“I already told you I never got over you,” she mumbled.

“I have thought of you every single night since I met you.” Henry looked at her with such an intensity I could nearly feel it.

Talen laughed. “Oh, this is too much. A Guardian declaring his ever dying love?”

Henry turned around. “Stay out of this.”

“Why did you wait so long to come back?” Rachel’s question took me by surprise. By the relaxed way they were moving around each other now, I assumed they discussed all this already.

“Because I thought you and Roberts were together. I did not want to get in the way of your new life.”

“There was nothing to get in the way of.”

“But you are a lawyer. That’s awesome.” Ainsley jumped in.

“Oh professionally it’s been fine, but I figured he meant a relationship.”

“I have had no relationships either,” Henry admitted. “None at all.”

Talen groaned. “This is pathetic.”

“Why?” Ainsley leaned over me toward Talen. “What is pathetic about two people trying to come to terms with the way their relationship left off?” Her hands balled into fists.

“Henry is not just a man. He is a Guardian. Guardians are supposed to be above that.”

“If it doesn’t get in the way of his job, what does it matter?” She relaxed her hands and placed them on my lap.

“It will get in the way, just you see.”

“Have I gotten in the way of James?” Ainsley challenged.

Talen nodded. “Absolutely.”

“I have not.” Ainsley crossed her arms.

“Yes you have.” Talen smirked.

“In what way?” She leaned even further over me.

“We stopped last night.”

“That was so we could arrive later in the day.” Ainsley rested her hand on my leg again.

“It was because he wanted to spend the night with you.”

“Not so.” She shook her head.

“Yes so.” Talen’s eyes danced with amusement.

I could not sit back and listen to them argue. “She has not gotten in the way of my job. I do believe arriving later in the day suits our needs. We do not know how this wolf and his pack will respond to our appearance. Besides, if he is not where Milo predicted we would find him, we will have to ask around for assistance. I would prefer not to knock on doors in the early hours of the day.”

“Just a note: we should avoid knocking on doors in general.” Rachel sped up and passed a slow moving truck. “Maybe it’s different where you are from, but at least in Charleston people will assume you are selling something or trying to convert them to a new religion.”

“That does not mean they will not give assistance.” Even as I said it I knew I was being idealistic. Besides, much had changed since I had last been in the lost world. They had replaced ice cream. Maybe they had also replaced common curtesy.

“He will be where he is supposed to be.” Talen clenched his jaw. “If he is not, we will find him through his pack. I have no worries.”

“Glad you are so optimistic.” Rachel clicked her tongue.

“What attitude do you prefer?” Talen grumbled.

“I’ve grown to be a realist.” Rachel said in a matter of fact way.

“You say that like a bad thing.” I added. “Realism can be helpful.”

“‘Can be’ are the optimal words. Sometimes it isn’t so great. Either way, it’s what I am.” Rachel let out a deep breath.

“Not always.” Ainsley leaned over me again. “I mean you are with us now. If you were a realist you’d assume you were wasting your time with a bunch of crazies and be back at work living your life. You’re taking a risk with us, which means you are at least partly a dreamer.”

“You were always a dreamer.” Henry looked out the window. “I loved that about you.”

“And you were a goofball, and for some reason I liked that.” Rachel smiled.

“No, you liked that he was different. He treated you with respect.” I was not sure why I bothered to stay part of the conversation, but I remembered my shock at how boys in the lost world—for they never acted as men— treated their female peers. Sure men in Energo could be coarse, but to treat girls so disrespectfully and expect no consequences was foreign to me. I still planned to punish Ainsley’s ex-boyfriend, but that would have to wait. I would have to be careful not to cross the line. I did not want to upset Ainsley in the process. I would have enough to make up for already.

T
he morning wore
on as we neared New Orleans. I was comfortable sitting next to James despite there being three of us in my tiny backseat. Although I appreciated Rachel driving, it felt funny to be sitting in the back seat of my own car. I’d never been particularly good at handing over control, and having someone else drive the one piece of property worth any value that I owned was harder than I expected.

To her credit, Rachel was a good driver. Still, I was tense, and I kept my eyes fixed on the road.

I jumped at the sensation of my phone vibrating in my pocket. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen. I groaned. “And here I thought he’d forgotten about me.”

“Is that the same Brad?” James leaned over.

“Yes.” I was sure he wasn’t thrilled to see that name show up on my phone either.

“And you are not going to answer it?” He pointed to the phone.

“What could I possibly say?”

James smiled. “I am sure I could come up with something creative.”

“He’s my best friend’s cousin.” Which meant I had to at least try to sound polite. And avoid making things more awkward for when I saw her again. Whenever that was. I still had no clue what was going to happen.

“And he was rude to you. That negates any protection he gets from his relation with your friend.” James put his arm around the back of the seat behind me.

“What’s this about?” Rachel asked.

“Just a guy I got set up with. It didn’t go well.” That was the simplest way to describe it.

“He was rude and a prick,” James added.

“A prick?” I raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware that word existed in Energo.”

“I picked it up during my time in Charleston.”

“I am sure you picked up all sorts of words.” I still couldn’t imagine James trying to blend into a regular high school. Everything about him stood out from everyone else I knew. At least that’s how he seemed to me. And there I went losing it over James again. I dropped my phone into my lap without even listening to the message. There was nothing Brad could say that would be worth hearing. He’d only make me angry, and I had enough emotions to deal with already.

“Have you told your friend where you are?” Rachel adjusted the temperature. “From experience it really stinks when people just disappear from your life.”

Henry sighed. “I am sorry. I really am.”

“That statement wasn’t directed at you specifically. I was trying to save Ainsley’s friends the same grief I went through.”

“I guess I should check in with Grace.” I felt a twinge of guilt. I hadn’t even considered calling her before Rachel brought it up. What did that say about me? I complained about my fair-weather friends, yet here I was completely flaking on the one I had left.

“But what would you say?” James asked. “It is not as though you can explain your absence easily. Be careful not to make things worse.”

Rachel sighed. “He has a point. Lying won’t help matters either.”

“Maybe I should listen to Brad’s message. Maybe he’s talked to her already.” I hit play on his message and put the phone to my ear.

Ainsley, hey it’s me. I’m sorry for what happened the other night, but maybe we could try things again? Or if not, could you tell Grace it wasn’t my fault? She won’t talk to me.

“That was odd.” I slowly lowered the phone.

“What?” James asked.

I handed James the phone after hitting play again.

He listened and returned the phone to me. “Why is that odd?”

“Because I never even told Grace how the coffee went. That is actually really weird. Normally she’d have bugged me about it.” And the slight nudge of guilt became something more.

“But she met me. Maybe she assumed you moved on?” James ran his hand down my arm.

“That would be even more of a reason for her to check in. I’m going to call. Maybe she hasn’t even noticed I’m missing.” I called her. The call went straight to voice mail. “Her phone is off.”

“Call Brad back.” James urged “Call him now.”

“You’re telling me to call Brad?” He’d changed his mind quickly.

“Yes.” His voice didn’t waver. His insistence worried me, so I listened.

“Okay.” I called Brad and waited as it rang a few times.

“Ainsley? Hey.” Brad’s voice sounded relieved.

“Hey. Has Grace called you yet?”

“No.” He paused for a second. “What did you tell her?” There was a strong accusation in his voice.

“Nothing actually. I haven’t seen or spoken to her since before I last saw you.” It felt like weeks, but in reality it had only been a few days.

“Really? I thought you guys were close.”

“We are.” I went on the defensive when being questioned on how good a friend I was.

“Then why haven’t you talked to her?”

“Why haven’t you talked to her?” I turned his question back on him. “You’re her cousin.”

“Because she’s pissed at me. Because of you.”

I resisted the urge to yell something inappropriate back at him. “But I never said anything to her, so how could it be because of me?”

“I’m going to go by her place then. I’ll get her to call you too.”

“Okay, thanks.” Hopefully she was just having phone issues.

“You’re welcome.”

“Talk to you later.”

“Wait.” His voice softened. “While I have you on the phone, want to try that coffee date again?”

“Thanks, but I’m in a relationship.” At least I had a real excuse now.

“With
that
guy?”

“Yeah… it just sort of happened.”

Henry laughed.

“Nothing just sort of happens.” Brad’s voice had an edge again.

“Well then, it happened.”

“Thanks for the honesty, I guess.” He didn’t sound thankful at all.

“You’ll call me if Grace isn’t there and you don’t hear from her?”

“Are you worried about her?”

“Just surprised I haven’t heard from her.” And worried. Very worried, but there was no reason to get him upset unnecessarily.

“Want to meet me at her place? If she’s not around we can grab lunch or something.”

“Uh, didn’t we establish I’m in a relationship?” So much about him being worried. Sometimes I gave people too much credit.

James grabbed my phone. “Check on your cousin. If she is not there call Ainsley back.” He hung up.

“That was intense.” I tried to process the conversation and James’ reaction.

“You two were getting nowhere.” James leaned his head back against the seat.

“So it had nothing to do with me having to remind him I was in a relationship?”

“Nope.” James turned his head toward me. “Or maybe a little bit.”

“She’s fine, right? I mean there’s no reason to actually worry.” I picked at my nails.

James frowned.

“What?” I touched his arm. “Why are you making that face?”

“What face?”

“The ‘bad things are coming’ face.”

“I was not aware I ever wore an expression with that description.” He touched his face as though trying to physically feel what I was talking about. It took me a second to catch he was joking.

“You are wearing it now. Do you think she’s in trouble?”

“Would she have come by the house to check on you?”

“I don’t know.” I considered what I would have done in that situation. “Maybe?” My heart sunk. “I am a horrible person. We ran and now my friend might be in trouble.”

“First, you are not a horrible person. How would you have known that? And second, she may be absolutely fine.”

“But if she’s not fine, it’s my fault.” I would never forgive myself if something happened. I’d been so focused on myself I hadn’t worried about the safety of anyone else. At least my family was safe. They never would have come anywhere near the house. I guess that was one positive of us barely speaking anymore.

“It is not your fault, but it may be mine for not thinking things through.” He kept eye contact despite his darkening expression.

“I can’t believe this is happening.” I buried my head in my hands.

“Ok. Someone needs to fill me in more if other people are at risk. Why would her friend be in danger?” Rachel asked.

“Because someone was after me. That’s why we left so suddenly.” It had all been crazy. It was like a blur. The parchment with my name—James rushing us through the gate.

“Who would be after you?” Rachel slowed the car down.

“My father’s followers.” James shifted, and his leg brushed against mine.

“Why not tell your dad to lay off?” Rachel changed lanes.

“My father has been dead for years.” James spoke in a completely monotone voice. I still didn’t fully understand his feelings for his dad. It was an incredibly difficult situation.

“Then why does he have followers?” Rachel asked a very logical question, but I knew she wouldn’t get a logical answer, because there was none.

“Because some things outlast a lifetime.” James looked out the window.

“Because his father’s influence is still felt.” Talen added. “He is still here even though his body is not. James will not accept it, but it is the truth.”

James shook his head. “My father is dead, but he influenced many.”

“Ok, so we need to find out whether we call the police on your friend. If she’s not at her house—” Rachel started.

“How well did the police help when we were missing?” James challenged.

“But you weren’t really missing.” Rachel caught his eye in the rearview mirror. “This is different.”

“If they have brought her to Energo then there is absolutely nothing your police can do.” Talen didn’t bother softening his words. “That is a dose of reality for you.”

“Did I do something to you?” Rachel snapped at Talen.

“No. I barely know you.”

“Then why are you giving me such a hard time?”

He shrugged. “Because you frustrate me.”

“And everyone else doesn’t?”

“Oh they do. Everyone in this car does in their own way, but they are not pretending to be someone they are not.” There was an edge to his voice that made me wonder whether we should all be a little bit afraid of him.

“Excuse me?” Rachel’s voice lilted. “Should I pull over? Are you accusing me of hiding something?”

“Not at all, but you pretend to be so rational and above all this, yet you are just as bad as the rest of us. Besides, you like our situation. You want to be on an adventure. That is how you view it, is it not? That is why you missed Henry. He provided you an escape from your otherwise boring existence.”

“You are lucky I am driving this car.” Rachel’s hands tightened on the wheel, and I began to regret letting her drive.

“Talen stop.” James glared at him. “This conversation is over.”

“Good.” Rachel turned on the radio. “How about we institute the no-talking rule for the rest of this drive?”

“The no-talking rule?” Henry asked.

“My dad did that all the time growing up. It means everyone shuts their mouth. I used to hate when he did that, but now I understand it.”

“The no-talking rule sounds like a great idea.” I stretched out my legs as far as I could in the cramped backseat. “James should be napping anyway.”

“I do not need to nap.”

“We discussed this already,” I reminded him.

“Fine. For a little while.” He closed his eyes, but I doubted he would actually sleep. At least he was making an effort to try.

M
y eyes fluttered open
. I looked out the window. “Hey, where are we? I’m sorry I fell asleep.”

“We’re almost there. Talen thinks the wolf lives on this side of New Orleans, so we don’t have to drive quite so far,” Rachel said in a peppy, upbeat tone. “Have a nice nap?”

“Yeah… I must have been more tired than I thought.” I turned to James. “Did you sleep at all?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“He gave up pretending as soon as you fell asleep.” Henry ratted him out.

James crossed his arms. “Thanks for that, Henry.”

“Do you ever sleep?” I turned to James.

“Yes. Just not right now.”

“Enough about sleep.” Rachel turned off the low buzz of the radio. “Do you know where in this town we need to go, Talen?”

“A bar called The Dump,” Talen mumbled.

“A bar?” I leaned over James to him. “Called The Dump?”

“Yes. Milo said you can always find a member of the pack there. They run it.”

“Fantastic.” I rolled my eyes. “We are looking for wolves in a dive bar.”

“Who says it is a dive bar?” Henry asked.

“It’s called The Dump…” Rachel said slowly. “What other kind of bar could it be?”

“Is anyone else questioning why we want help from a pack of wolves who run a bar called The Dump?” I was definitely questioning it.

“Would it be different if the bar went by a different name?” Talen pushed back. “Would that make them seem more trustworthy?”

“This isn’t about trust as much as it’s about smarts. I mean, who would name a bar that?”

“Maybe they are not interested in attracting clientele like you.” Talen managed to make every comment feel like a personal attack.

“Then what kind of clientele are they trying to attract?” Rachel started. “Wait, on second thought, don’t answer that.”

Henry patted her leg. “You do not have to go inside the bar if you prefer to wait for us in the car.”

“Oh, I’m going in.” She shook her head.

James laughed. “Good try, Henry.”

“What?” He turned to look at James in the back. “Do you really want Ainsley going inside?”

“What I want and what she will actually do are two entirely different things.”

“Let’s hope they are actually at this bar.” I’d accepted years ago that very few things happened according to plan.

“We will find their leader either way.” Talen crossed his arms.

“Glad you are confident.” I certainly wasn’t.

“I would say I am surprised by your cynicism, but you are with James after all.”

“And James is always a cynic?” There was so much about James I still didn’t know, but I wouldn’t have expected that.

“Do not listen to him, Ainsley.” James touched my arm gently. “He is just running his mouth.”

I smiled. “I won’t listen too closely.”