The Changeling (43 page)

“Where are they?” I finally asked, almost growling.

“They are close, but please, we’ve all gathered to hear how you accomplished this incredible rescue
by yourself
. Just this morning you were prepared to give up.”

In the calmest voice I could manage, and as concisely as possible, I recounted Danny’s version of events. Ozara questioned me about the disappearing act at Basin Park. She’d already spoken to Smokey and Gusty, who were in human form and standing just a few feet away.

Since I’d learned how to form Clóca, I decided that showing them the simple energy barrier was probably not revealing too much. I channeled the night air and disappeared from their senses even though I was perfectly visible to their physical eyes. Ozara studied me, touching the barrier before turning to Gusty, who had taken the form of a beautiful blonde woman. She nodded when Ozara silently asked if I was being honest. Several Council members silently commented on how effective the screen was, and confirmed Billy’s belief that none of them had ever seen it before.

Ozara continued to interrogate me and, as Danny predicted, she asked for my phone. She buzzed through the screens confirming the call times, and then asked me for more details about meeting the family that held Mitch. I navigated the questions, keeping it simple.

When Ozara asked me whether I’d encountered any Fae, I exhaled and said, “Thankfully, no. I got in and got out.” She studied me long enough to make me feel uncomfortable. I knew she thought I was lying. She also couldn’t prove it, and I wasn’t about to give myself up—we were both playing games.

Ozara’s face finally relaxed and she made a silent command that I heard as clear as a bell. “
Bring them.”
Three Seelie, who I only recognized as having been guards in the garden last year, escorted four Unseelie into the clearing. One of them was Alain, the dark haired Fae I’d seen at the farmhouse. I didn’t recognize the other three.

“These are the rogues responsible for your brother’s kidnapping,” Ozara said with complete confidence.

Well, some of them.
Dresha, Chalen, and Markus were also involved.

Before I could ask, Billy did. “They acted alone?”

Ozara replied, “No, Cassandra was involved, but we have not yet located her. There are other rogues who conspired with them, of course, and we will pursue retribution with all haste, but these three were directly responsible.”

Something was wrong. Even if Alain had lied, I knew Ozara could have peered into his mind. Surely she knew Chalen and the Unseelie clan were involved? Not that it mattered, I suppose. When it came to punishing their own, Fae justice was pitiful. This was all a front for my benefit, and I expected nothing more than an eternal ban from the physical realm that would last a few months.

What was worse, the
accused
didn’t seem to be very concerned. Alain was disinterested, smug even. His reaction made me angry. I glared at him, allowing my anger to boil on the surface so he could read it. He got the gist of my message and turned away with dismissive nonchalance, sending his own message right back to me.

Ozara’s voice was unusually harsh, and it matched the expression on her face when she turned to them. “This terrorism must stop. I believe it is time to send a message to every rogue and malcontent among our kind that the Seelie Clan will no longer tolerate such behavior.”

All eyes focused on Ozara, and even Alain seemed surprised by the acidity in her tone. He turned his head and locked his black eyes directly on her. In disbelief, I watched as she tilted her head to the left, just slightly, and allowed a wicked smile to form. Then in a blink, she screamed, her voice full of rage, and the four rogues joined her in an agonizing chorus before Aether consumed them. Four bright flashes temporarily overpowered the moonlight.

A sharp breath caught in my throat as I jumped, and I tried to pull free of Ozara’s grip. Our fingers were tangled and she tightened her grasp just enough to keep a hold on me.

“Relax, Maggie, my dear. You have nothing to fear.” She turned her blazing amber eyes to the Fae guards and silently commanded them to bring Drevek. My heart began beating faster.

Still in Mitch’s form, Drevek was conscious and trembling. He’d seen what Ozara did to the others. My mind wandered to his body, and I sensed the Aether still lodged in his chest. I turned my eyes and stared at Ozara, terrified of what was about to happen.

“And what shall we do with you?” Ozara’s voice was soft but ominous. Her warm facial expression belied the anger I sensed boiling underneath.

Drevek tried to plead for his life, but Ozara’s expression transformed, gradually becoming harsher with every word. His begging worked like fuel for her burning fury. Sure, Drevek had been involved in the plot, but he had tried to help me find Mitch and I’d forgiven him. My breathing became more labored.

“I believe there is but one solution,” she said. Billy and I exchanged looks, and he shook his head slightly when he recognized what I was about to do.

“Ozara, please,” I said.

Dead silence.

A hint of warmth returned to her expression. “Yes?”

“Please, spare him.”

Ozara studied my face, genuinely bewildered. My request caught her off-guard. It caught them all off-guard. “
What did she say?”
The words rang in my head as the Seelie began silently conversing. Another asked, “
Why would she spare him?”
I ignored them and focused on Ozara. After an awkward moment of silence, she relaxed. “Very well.”

Victoria silently applauded me, saying, “
Compassion for our kind, more than many of you possess. A lesson from a human child. Perhaps we should re-evaluate her.”

Ozara put an immediate end to it by silently commanding,
“This is neither the time, nor the place to have this conversation.”

The muscles in my chest relaxed, and my breathing slowed as I thanked Ozara and turned to Drevek. “Change shapes. Never take my brother’s form again.”

Ozara pulled the Aether out of Drevek’s body, and he shifted. Pale skin, dark blond hair, large pale blue eyes, and chiseled features—predictably, he was beautiful. He looked Eastern European. After a slight nod, and what I thought was a smile, he changed into his natural form and shot away.

***

Back at the empty cottage, I went upstairs and stretched out on my bed. The small porcelain lamp on the nightstand cast soft light around the end of the room and reflected off the diamond panes of the window, which against the ink black night on the other side acted like so many mirrors. It was odd having the time to stare at my reflection, to simply do nothing. For months I’d been too consumed with rescuing Mitch to allow for a few minutes of mindless gawking. Doing nothing was one thing, relaxing was quite another. Despite having Mitch back, I found it impossible to relax.

Waiting behind my eyelids, ready to pop into my consciousness when they closed, was Cassandra’s face the moment before she flashed out. Two years before, when I allowed my mind to wander, I could drift off into miraculous places or picture myself doing crazy things, like winning a gold medal in the Olympics. At that moment, however, my body ached when I saw her in my thoughts.

“I killed.”

My gut wrenched and I felt nauseated. A deep breath didn’t settle my stomach. There was no pity. I hated her for what she’d done to Rachel, to Mitch, and for what I knew she wanted to do to me. Nonetheless, I had killed. One moment it didn’t seem real, killing her, the next, it clawed at my consciousness and left me desperately searching for something, anything, to make the memory go away. I wasn’t sure whether it was remorse I felt. If any killing was justified, it was hers. The reality was crystal clear: I had to kill her, and in my gut I knew if it had not happened at that farmhouse, it would have happened somewhere else. Despite all the rationalizing and justifying, however, I could not get her face out of my mind.

The familiar presence entered my room. I expected it. It took only a minute to relax and leave my body. As soon as my mind rolled over high above the bed, I saw Aunt May staring at me.

“Ya aren’t blamin’ yerself, I hope?”

“No, it’s not blame…it’s…I don’t know what it is.”

“Ya did what ya had ta do, darlin’, and I would’a done the same in yer shoes. Ya had no choice.”

“I know.”

“Well, if ya know, ya’d better put it ta rest. This ain’t over.”

“Aunt May, I’m not complaining or anything, but why didn’t you tell me how to find Mitch sooner?”

“Sweet child, bein’ dead didn’t come with any instruction book. I’m learnin’ as I go. Taking shape, tryin’ ta communicate, it takes a helluva lot’a practice. Learnin’ ta draw the energy isn’t easy, either. I don’t have’a lot’a time. I’ll need ta rest soon. Ya need ta know that Cassandra and Chalen were workin’ with the Unseelie Elders.”

“How do you know that?”

“I followed her from the farmhouse to a meetin’ with Zarkus an’ the rest of ‘em. I heard them Maggie, it’s been the entire clan all along.”

“Yeah, I know—I’ve always known.”

“There’s something else goin’ on, Maggie. Got the whole clan runnin’ scared, and it’s threatenin’ their plans.”

“What is it?”

“Maggie, several Unseelie were destroyed a few days ago. One was left alive with his mind turned to mush and…”

“…and Aether in his chest?” I interrupted.

“Yes, how did ya know that?”

“The same thing happened to some Seelie last week. Do you think Ozara fought back?”

“That makes sense, but it’s troublin’.”

“She killed four Unseelie tonight at the Council meeting. She said she was sending a message.”

“I don’t like this, don’t like this one bit. You keep’n eye on yerself an’ the family. You can handle anything, child, but promise me ya’ll be careful.”

“I’ll be careful…Aunt May, can I ask you something, please?”

“Make it quick, child.”

“Are you alone? Are there others?”

“Naw, there’re others like me who haven’t crossed over yet.”

“Crossed over?”

“Yep, crossed over…the next phase’a life. I’ll be crossin’ over soon enough, but I can’t see leavin’ ya while yer still in danger.”

“Aunt May, where do you go when you cross…”

“Child,” she said interrupting me, “if I could answer that question, I would. All I know is that most of us cross over when we die. Yer friend Rachel did, immediately. Rest easy, Girlie Girl, Rachel’s in a better place. Cassandra crossed, too. Would’a kicked her spirit behind if she hadn’t. Some, like me, stick around for a while for one reason or another—unfinished business, I guess. Some never leave.”

“But…”

She faded slightly, but managed a crooked, toothy grin. “Time’s up, child, we’ll talk soon. Watch yerself…” Then she dissipated before I could say goodbye.

Settling back into my body, I sat up in the middle of the duvet when the awful visions returned. After a change of clothes I set off to do one last thing: I drove to Candace’s to tell her, Doug and Ronnie the good news.

THIRTY

OMEN

Candace swung the door open and yanked me inside. Behind her, Doug and Ronnie stood wide-eyed and silent. Billy materialized behind me, startling all three.

“It’s okay, we’re alone,” I said. The Seelie guards left when we arrived.

“What happened? Do you have him back?” Candace asked, closing the door as Billy and I entered the dark foyer.

I smiled and nodded.

“Is he all right?” Doug asked pensively, in little more than a whisper.

“Yes.”

Tears welled up in Candace’s eyes and she embraced me. Then two more sets of arms wrapped me up. Doug kissed my forehead and repeated, “Thank god,” over and over. Ronnie found my hand, squeezed it gently, but didn’t say a word.

“Is your family home?” I asked.

Candace nodded, wiping her eyes. “Follow me,” she whispered.

On the second floor, she led us to a spiral staircase and we ascended to the third-story turret. A small Tiffany light hung from the center of the round room, casting a soft glow around the cushion filled space. The low light seemed no match for the pitch darkness beyond the windows. I felt uneasy, unsure, and began to worry about each of them. There were no Fae, other than Billy, within a mile of us. With my Air barrier in place, I told them about Mitch waking up, avoiding any mention of the farmhouse, and then about Ozara executing four of the Unseelie. They sat silently, staring at me.

“They’re going to be furious, aren’t they? What happens now?” Candace finally asked.

Sweat beaded up on my forehead—she was right, of course. We all knew it, but before I could answer, Billy said, “Yes, they will be furious, but their anger isn’t the problem. They most certainly had a contingency plan ready in the event this might happen.”

My blood went cold as Billy verified my worst fear.

“Do you think they’ll come after one of us again?” Doug asked with a grave tone, his eyes frozen on Billy’s face.

Billy shook his head. “I don’t know. But be warned, Cassandra is unusually vindictive.”

Doug looked down at his hands, Ronnie slumped back into the cushions, and Candace nervously shifted her eyes back and forth between Billy and me.