Broken (15 page)

Up ahead a copse of trees loomed, and I knew where Jonathan
was heading. He said something to Brokk. Then the little man nodded
and disappeared.

I picked up the pace. There was nothing behind me I could hear, but
I knew what was there. The howlers. I had the same feeling now I
had back at the inn when I first saw them. Except, this feeling
was much more intense. There had to be dozens of them.

I sprinted and caught up to Jonathan as we closed in on the
forest.

“Trees!” he yelled. “Brokk will tell you which
one to climb!”

He looked at Chris. “You know what to do!”

As we entered the forest, I scoured the trees, searching for
Brokk. I found him on some low lying branches of a gnarled old
tree. He was glowing and waving furiously.

I bolted for the tree and climbed as fast as I could with Brokk
lighting the way upwards.

When his presence dimmed, he climbed on my shoulder. He patted
my face, and I knew this was where he wanted me to wait. I got
myself comfortable while looking down through the gloom to where
Chris and Jonathan stood, backs to the tree.

Chris’s body lit up with a glow like I had seen in my
dream. Jonathan’s didn’t, but he tossed out some small
glowing spheres in the clearing to help light the space.

The howlers became visible, one by one as they stepped into the
light. I stopped counting at thirteen.

The beasts stalked about the tree, encircling it.

Jonathan stood at one side, Chris at the other. Somehow Chris
seemed bigger. His shirt was stretching, to the point he removed
it. The tattoos I had seen in my dream were there, glowing. His
body got thicker. Not hulkish, but larger than his usual size.

He looked at me. His eyes were glowing.

I sucked in my breath.

I heard growling at the opposite side of the tree, so I searched
for Jonathan. He was barely visible, a dark aura enveloping him. A
curved blade waited in his hand. His eyes were black sockets as the
shadows enveloped him. He disappeared from sight after one last
glance in my direction.

Then, the howlers attacked.

Chapter 18

I felt helpless sitting in the tree.

Chris dodged the first howler, his thick form much more agile
than he looked. He smashed the beast with his fist as it flew over
him, striking it in the ribs.

The dark form yelped and hit the ground rolling. Then it limped
into the darkness.

Two more jumped at him, and I wrung my hands as one of them
latched onto his arm with its teeth. Chris barely reacted other
than to pull it off and fling it at the tree. I felt it shake when
the howler struck.

On the other side, I caught only glimpses of Jonathan and the
flash of his blade as he stabbed at the howlers before disappearing
into the darkness once more. Puddles of darkness began to pool near
the foot of the tree as, one by one, the howlers dropped at his
feet.

Yet with each one that Chris or Jonathan took down, three more
took their places, emerging from the shadows, teeth gleaming. The
two men moved closer together until their backs were to the tree
and each other.

“This isn’t going well,” Jonathan said.

Chris dodged another bite and tossed the howler into the others.
“There’s too many of them.”

“And if I die,” Jonathan said, “Katherine will
be visible.”

I felt like I should say something to that. I wasn’t worth
dying for.

Before I could utter a word, the howlers halted their advance.
They inched back, still snarling, heads lowered. Brokk clambered
down the tree and ran to Jonathan’s leg where he climbed upon
his shoulder.

Both Jonathan and Chris took the respite to catch their breath
and waited. Moments later a pale woman draped in black gossamer slipped
from the shadows. Her hair was golden. Her lips were like ripe
berries, and her feet were bare upon the earth.

She glided across the ground.

I sat for a moment in the tree, wondering if she could see me,
but she searched the tree and the shadows and never appeared to
look in my direction. I breathed a sigh of relief, and then inched
down the tree, careful not to make noise.

“Where is she?” the golden-haired woman asked.
“I know she’s here.”

Jonathan and Chris said nothing. They stood ready.

I crept down the tree until I reached one of the lowest
branches. Her gaze continued to dart about, searching. She sniffed
the air. She inched closer to Chris, smelling the space around
him.

“You reek of her fornication,” she said and took
another whiff. “Does she know you, Changeling? Does she know
the other half? Has she seen the Troll that is your other
side?” She swiped at him with her nails. He backed up before
she struck. “Does she know the temper that pulses in your
veins?”

She looked at Jonathan, sizing him up. “Nymph. And one of
my own Court,” she said, tsking. She waved a finger at him.
“Do you think helping her will win you favor among the Summer
Court? That they will take you in as one of their own?” She
laughed. “I was once one of them. It will never
happen.”

Jonathan’s grip tightened on the blade.

“I can smell your desire for her,” she said. She ran
her finger along his chest. He remained still. “But I could
get you in good standing among our own Court. The Queen overlooks
you, as if you don’t exist. I could change that.” She
looked at him with a cocked head. “Get rid of the half-blood
and you can have the girl. I will let her live, and she will be
yours until you’ve had your fill of her. It’s in your
nature to make her succumb to your charms.”

I saw Chris glance at Jonathan. His muscles bulged a little
larger.

“She’s not here,” Jonathan said.

The woman laughed. “Oh, come now. No lies to Morgana.
We’re like family, you and I. Don’t think I don’t
know that you’ve been helping that human woman, Marigold, all
these years. She died, you know?” She shook her head.
“Shame it took so long, but the tea finally did
it.”

Jonathan’s face betrayed his surprise.

“Foxglove,” she said. “It’s a lovely
tea, perfect for such uses.” She slid her finger across her
neck. “Being cooped up in that house left the old woman at
the mercy of the delivery boy when the little Nymph wasn’t
around. He would leave her groceries outside the iron gates.”
She cackled. “I wish I had thought of it earlier, but, alas,
it is finally done. And when I have this little minx my work will
be complete.”

“Leave her alone,” Chris muttered.

“So, the half-blood knows how to speak?” she said,
turning her attention to Chris. “I’ve had your kind
before — Troll. Strong, virile, rough in bed, but dumb as a
stump. Can’t see what’s right in front of their noses
until it’s too late.”

Chris said nothing, but his fisted hands betrayed his
thoughts.

“Oh,” she said, and almost laughed, “you seem
to care for her. Oh, that’s quaint.” She stalked around
him, circling. “You know,” she said. “I think I
might be willing to make a trade.”

“A trade?” Chris asked. I leaned closer, listening.
What could he possibly trade that she’d want?

She looked at Jonathan. “You will make the trade. In two
days — at her ancestors’ home.”

Jonathan’s iron gaze turned to one of confusion.
“What trade?”

She snatched Chris’s arm. “The Troll’s life for
hers!”

Then Chris and Morgana were gone.

I almost screamed, but then clamped my mouth shut. The howlers
were still there.

As soon as Morgana disappeared they started in again. I
clambered back up the tree, with Brokk skittering past me. When I
reached the branch I was on before, Jonathan slipped from the
shadows beside me.

“Where did she take him?” I asked. “What will
she do to him?” I hoped he would tell me something I wanted
to hear.

“Not sure,” he said. “Imprison him, torture
him, have her way with him, who knows.” He pulled out his
blade, then disappeared. I heard a yelp from one of the
howlers.

He reappeared. “Either way, we need to find him without
her knowing, or we need to appease her. Handing you over to her in
place of him isn’t really an option.”

He seemed so cavalier about it I wanted to scream at him. I wouldn’t be able to
live with myself if anything happened to Chris. I would sooner hand
myself over to her. Whether I met an early end or not, if she hurt
Chris I’d take the regret with me to my grave.

I felt Jonathan’s hand on my arm. He looked sullen.
“I’m sorry, Katherine. Although I’m not big on
Chris, he doesn’t deserve this.” His thumb rubbed my
arm. “We’ll get him back. Don’t worry.”

He looked pretty sure of himself.

I nodded. “So now what?” I asked. The howlers
circled the tree. There were still dozens of them.

Jonathan flicked his thumbnail on his blade, thinking. Brokk
crawled into his lap.

I looked to where Chris had been standing. She had taken him in my place.

I closed my
eyes. This was exactly what I had wanted to avoid. My heart ached.
My stomach wrenched.

Jonathan stirred beside me, putting his curved blade away. “When daylight comes,” he said, “they’ll
leave. Then we’ll make for your ancestors’ home.”

“So we sleep in the tree?”

He shrugged. “Not a lot of choice.”

I wasn’t sure I could sleep in a tree, but at the very
least, I decided to settle into a large crook that would be
somewhat secure. Falling asleep here would at least reduce the
chances of plummeting to my death. Brokk crawled onto my stomach
where he curled up in a ball. I put my hands around him and looked
up at the night sky.

“Why my ancestors’ home? What’s so special
about it?” I asked.

He followed my gaze skywards. “That’s what’s really odd. It’s surrounded by
yew trees. She shouldn’t want to go anywhere near
it.” He gave me one of those matter-of-fact looks.
“Unless there’s something there she wants.”

“Huh?”

“She can’t get into it unless the owner of that home
invites her.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense,” I said.
“Why was she killing off my relatives if all she wanted was
for them to let her in to some house?”

“You must have something they didn’t.”

I thought about the earrings, but my grandfather had been given a
cufflink as a child. That couldn’t be it.

I was the only girl, but surely that couldn’t be it.

Jonathan waited for me to answer.

I didn’t know what to tell him.

“You haven’t born a child yet, have you?” he
asked.

I shook my head. Not the last time I checked.

“All of your ancestors died after they got someone with
child. But you haven’t had a child yet. I wonder if you were
to get pregnant, would she spare your life long enough for you to
give birth.”

I had no intentions of getting with child anytime soon.

“And that would help me how? Then I run the risk of an
abandoned child after she kills me. And that doesn’t really
answer the question of what’s different about me or what she
could want.”

He stared down below. The howlers continued to pace about the
tree. “I wonder if she tried to get each of your ancestors to
let her into that house. Maybe when each one refused, she killed
them after there was another one to fill their shoes — the
next in line to inherit it.”

I wasn’t sure I agreed with his logic. It wasn’t
like I’d been given the chance to let her in up to now. If
this was her way of asking, it needed some refining.

He disappeared then, but I didn’t hear a yelping. I
settled further into the crook and closed my eyes with Brokk
nestled on my belly.

Then came the dreams.

Chapter 19

I found myself back in the little forest. I was draped in puffy
green hideousness again. Along the stream the Faeries were
frolicking once more. I wasn’t sure which way to go. Looking
for Chris down by the water was an option, or I could go on a blind
search for Morgana. I decided to go after Morgana. Seeing Chris
making out with everyone and their brother wasn’t going to
help me, nor did it have anything to do with what was going on in
the real world. Or, at least, that’s what I tried to convince
myself of.