Elemental Light (Paranormal Public Book 9) (18 page)

“We’re best friends,” said Jett. “We come from London, that’s where we’re supposed to start school. Well, what you all think of as college. Actually, it’s outside London in an abandoned manor house, one large house, but whatever. We say London, because no one’s ever heard of it. Originally we’re both from Ireland. Our parents grew up together there.”

“No, that’s not true,” cut in Peds. “Our parents grew up in Afire Circle, which is nowhere reachable. They moved to Dublin later.”

“Right, sorry,” said Jett. “We’ve known each other our whole lives, but it’s difficult. We come from very
. . . different backgrounds.”

“We don’t care about any of that now,” said Sip impatiently. I glanced at her, because she sounded so harsh, and she looked at me apologetically.

“Anyway,” said Jett, “I’m an Iron Chaser, or I will be once I go to school, so I can in fact change my powers into other powers. Not yet, of course. I must be trained, and I’ll need a staff. I grew up with my father, but I never knew my mother. My powers are . . . strong. I assume that’s why he took me. Peds here is the same thing. Future Iron Chaser, although somewhere down his line we think one of his ancestors had an affair with a faery or a goat, not sure.”

He grinned apologetically as Peds punched him in the arm.

“You’re the most deadly type of paranormal there is,” said Sip, looking at Jett with a thoughtful expression.

“Correct,” said Peds. “You’ve probably even heard of him.”

I shook my head. I hadn’t heard of any of this, but Sip obviously had.

She nodded. “We always grew up being told that if we did anything we weren’t supposed to do, a len angel would come for us. They’re avenging angels, after all, that’s where the story comes from.”

Jett nodded, all seriousness. “Yeah, I heard you were a bad kid. You were definitely next on my list.”

Sip snorted, but then she laughed a little. Jett had a very dry and sarcastic sense of humor that would fit in perfectly with my group of friends. Peds was quieter, more serious and reserved, but his loyalty did show through. He loved Jett like a brother, or someone even closer than that.

“How were you taken?” I asked. “What were you doing in the States?”

“We made the mistake of wanting to travel and see the world,” said Jett. “At least, I’m sure our families will be glad we think it’s a mistake, since they never wanted us to leave home. “We sort of left without permission. It seemed harmless at the time.”

“Except for all those dire warnings to avoid the States at all costs,” said Peds. “We should have listened.”

Sip’s purple eyes went wide. “They’re saying to avoid the States?”

“Of course thy are,” said Peds. “I mean, look at the mess you’re all in.”

“Thanks for that,” I said. “We really appreciate it. You’re welcome for saving your life.”

“You know what I mean,” said Peds. “This is a mess. You’re all beholden to that Power of Five nonsense.”

“It’s not nonsense,” said Sip sharply.

“I know,” said Peds. He spread his hands wide, “Obviously not.”

“It still doesn’t answer the question of what he wants with you,” said Sip. “What does Faci want with you?”

Jett shrugged. “Power shifting, never mind that it might kill me, is a good start. If not that, maybe he just wants to use us against our parents, which is hilarious, because my mom’s dead and my dad’s a drunk.”

Sip gasped. “Paranormals can’t drink.”

“You should try telling my dad that, but I’d do it from a distance.”

“My parents would care,” said Peds. “They’re already probably worried sick about me. I never should have left them.” He glared at Jett as if it was all his friend’s fault, but the paler boy just ignored him.

“We can’t send you home,” I said. “We don’t have the resources.”

“You will after you trample the demons,” said Jett excitedly.

“Did Lacy say anything to you after she was put in the cage?”

“She said, ‘In case you’re wondering, I hate you,’” said Peds and Jett together. “Sweet of her.”

“Her grandfather had just been kidnapped, I’m sure she didn’t mean it.”

“Did you meet her?” Jett asked. “I bet she did.”

“He’s just being dramatic about it, because she’s his type,” said Peds, “Not that they ever keep his attention for long.”

Jett puffed out his chest. “My attention’s very valuable.”

Peds rolled his eyes and then looked at us curiously. “So, what happens now?”

“Honestly?” I said, “I have no idea.”

Jett rubbed his hands together. “Excellent.”

We needed to push on. There was only one road, so we figured Lough could catch up once he found Lacy; there was no way for him to get lost. He did come back before too much more time had gone by, but he was empty-handed. He looked tired and irritable, but being thick piece of bread and a steaming plate of chicken went a long way toward reviving him. After he’d finished swigging cherry blossom  water he sighed and told us what had happened. It was a short story.

“I saw her once,” he said. “She was heading in the right direction for Public. I’m not sure what she knows that we don’t, but she had obviously heard something.”

Sip busied herself pouring more tea, obviously thoughtful. But I said, “We need to know who her grandfather is, and why Faci wanted her so badly.”

“I can tell you that,” said Jett. I thought he had fallen asleep where he lay, reclining on Rose’s cloak with his fingers folded over his chest and his eyes closed. But now he cracked one eye open and said, “She’s a mage. Like, a powerful one. I don’t know why she was hiding, but my power as an Iron Chaser tells me what paranormal type you are, and she’s definitely a mage.”

“She isn’t a darkness mage?” I asked.

“Right,” he said. “Exactly.”

Exactly what?

Finally, after a day that had seemed like a week, we were getting close to the place that Gargoile had described as being near his camp. Weariness dragged at my bones and my arms were heavy as they held the reins. My eyes kept closing and I kept snapping awake.

A voice came suddenly out of the darkness with a sharp commend: “Halt.”

We were now well into night. As we rode through the evening I had started to notice signs of life, and the road leveled off and got wider and more paved. I wasn’t sure where we were, but I knew we must be close to the Circle. Gargoile disappeared several times, I assumed to talk to scouts, although we never saw them.

It was a woman’s voice that spoke to us, and it sounded vaguely familiar. I frowned and examined the green trees and the wide road. Next to me, Rose shuffled. We’d already had too many surprises for one trek. Then I saw three paranormals coming toward us from up the road, two men flanking a woman. Each man had a gauntlet on his wrist and held a torch. It was clearly the woman in the middle who had spoken. She was tall and willowy, her dark hair in braids and her blue robes billowing around her.

“Halt,” said Mrs. Swan, her eyes glinting. “We were told that only four were coming.”

Chapter Sixteen

A small explosion went off in my brain with the realization that my old dorm mother wasn’t dead. The fact that Cat Swan was walking toward us, all seven feet of her, robes swirling around her impossibly long legs, sent power shocks rushing through me.

“Mrs. Swan,” Sip cried, before I could say anything. “You weren’t murdered!”

Mrs. Swan, who had disappeared into the night years ago and never returned, smiled at Sip, but her eyes stayed on me. “No,” she said, “but I had to disappear. There couldn’t be any questions.”

“Right,” said Lough. “Good job.”

Mrs. Swan inclined her head. She was half water maven, half witch, a rare hybrid combination that works to deadly proficiency. “I had forgotten what spirited friends you have, Charlotte.”

I had no idea what to say, so I didn’t say anything at all.

“No one else has been able to,” Halston muttered.

Gargoile rushed up and transformed.

“Sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting you to come and meet us.”

Mrs. Swan glanced at Gargoile, the look of a superior to her inferior. “Thank you for bringing them,” she said. “I appreciate the risk you’ve taken.” Her voice was rich and husky, just as I remembered it. I also remembered that she was a deadly fighter. It turned out that the woman I had come to like and respect wasn’t dead, or even captured; she was leading a super-secret organization sworn to protect paranormals, and she had sent a werewolf to fetch me.

“You could have told me,” I said to her. “You didn’t have to keep the fact that you were still alive a secret.”

Rose was looking back and forth between us, a curious expression on her face. Clearly she wanted to know what was going on.

“When I left, I didn’t know myself what was going to happen,” Mrs. Swan said simply. “And then there was no time. I couldn’t put it in writing and I wouldn’t have even if I could, but I’m glad you’re here now.”

“Oh, so are we,” said Lough. “Overrr-joyed. Where’s dinner?” He wasn’t much for what he liked to call “useless pleasantries,” and it wasn’t like he had ever gotten close to my former dorm mother. The evening had also moved far past the normal time for dinner.

“Before we continue, don’t you think you should explain your guests?” Mrs. Swan asked, jerking her head at Rose and the others.

I looked behind me at the trail of oggles. Peds and Jett both looked dead on their feet. Haggard was the best way to describe our band of misfits at that point. Some looked stouthearted, others afraid, and we all needed rest and a long bath after a trying journey.

“You aren’t the only one who thinks explanations aren’t necessary,” I said, returning my gaze to Mrs. Swan. “If I say they’re fine then they’re fine.” Asserting my status as the only elemental and feeling strange about it, check.

A smile touched Mrs. Swan’s lips. “Very well,” she said. “Dinner it is.”

She stepped back to reveal the camp. Even in the middle of the night I could see that the place looked tough, all clandestine equipment and dark hidden tents. Mrs. Swan explained that President Caid would arrive just in time for the vote the next day, as would many of the other paranormals. The ship we had ridden on, the one on which Caid had announced to everyone present where the Mirror Arcane was, would also dock a few miles away and bring paranormals. Every precaution had been taken and every protection had been erected. The gathering was expected to be safe.

The meal was simple, but we all dug in as if we hadn’t eaten in weeks. There were vegetables and bread for making sandwiches, and I didn’t bother to ask where they’d come from. There was rice with beans, and there was water to drink. There was also a drink called Spirit, which Sip identified as an adult beverage that gave a kick.

“Are my parents here?” Sip asked Mrs. Swan as we ate.

“They’re out on assignment,” said Mrs. Swan.

We were sitting at the main table in the only open part of the campground. There were about ten of us, including Rose and Gargoile. The other oggles, along with Peds and Jett, were escorted away to get settled. Amazingly, the oggles had already taken a liking to the Iron Chasers and were willing to share sparse tent space with them. I kept absently rubbing my hands against the rough wood grain of the table, somehow comforted by the fact that it felt solid and real, not like magic but like strength and fighting.

“When will they get back?” Sip asked, before Mrs. Swan could take another bite.

“In time for the vote tomorrow,” she said, her eyes sliding my way before returning to her food.

“Do you have any books here?” Sip’s purple eyes gleamed in the dark.

Mrs. Swan raised her eyebrows.

“Girl,” said a tough-looking vampire, “does it look like we’re going to cart books around with us?”

Sip stared down the vampire.

“I don’t know what this looks like, to be honest, which is why I asked.”

“We don’t have books,” said Mrs. Swan. “Charlotte, if you don’t mind, after dinner can we speak privately?”

I met Mrs. Swan’s eyes and nodded. “I was thinking the same thing.”

Once we had all finished eating, Mrs. Swan motioned for me to follow her to one of the tents. I did, leaving the others to wash the dishes and put away the remnants of our meal.

Mrs. Swan’s tent was nearly bare. There was a cot on the floor and a couple of spare pieces of furniture but very little else, and nothing that looked personal to Mrs. Swan. The room was lit by several flickering torches that cast thick shadows into every corner.

She turned to face me after securing the flap, giving us total privacy.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you,” she said.  “I’m afraid there will be more surprises before the night is through.”

“Working at Astra wasn’t good enough for you?”

I wasn’t sure why I felt so bitter, but I did, and at this point I was in no mood to forgive.

Mrs. Swan sighed. “I had a calling,” she explained, sitting in the plain light wooden camp chair she had pulled up to a folding table. She motioned for me to take the other seat. I felt strangely as if I was being interviewed.