Lark (33 page)

             
I look into his alluring green eyes and realize just how hard it is to deny him anything.

             
But I am a coward and choose to answer Hannah first.

             
“I am not sure how much I’m allowed to tell you, but since I totally just broke normal protocol by even bringing you here in the first place, I guess I better fill you in.” I see Jacoby's eyes tighten in frustration, but I ignore him.

             
“That would be nice, because I’m sorta freaking out over here.” Hannah's squeaky voice is shaking and it reminds me of a cartoon mouse.

             
“We are in Álfheimr. Er...um...the home of the Light Elves. I, uh, sorta transported us here.” I am definitely not as eloquent as Grey was when he was first explaining this same thing to me not too long ago. 

             
As I expected, Hannah looks at me like I just grew a third head.

             
“Elves? Did you say Light Elves? As in little people who make shoes?”

             
“Yeah,” I laugh nervously. “I mean, yes I said elves, but no they are not little people. They are actually normal size. You've even met one already.”

             
“Come again? Is this some sort of joke? Did you get those guys to stage that attack on us? You know April Fool's is not for another couple of months, right?”

             
I’m kind of offended that she would even think I would play such a mean joke on her. Those scary guys at the movie theater were not even remotely funny.

             
“No. I am not playing a joke on you. I’m being serious. A lot has happened since Christmas break. I sorta found out that Grey is a Light Elf and my father is the King. This is his castle actually...” 

             
“That’s crazy. Elves? Like with pointy ears? What have you been smokin’? Wait, did you say your father is an elf? You can't honestly expect me to fall for this. You can’t be serious?”

             
“As a heart attack, I'm afraid,” Jacoby pipes in, clearly growing impatient with me.

             
Just then, Freya and Grey enter my room. Freya curtsies as she curiously glances between me, Jacoby and Hannah.

             
“We heard voices coming from your room and weren't expecting you,” Freya explains, looking slightly embarrassed for just barging in my room unannounced.

             
“What's going on?” Grey asks me, his face growing serious. “What is Hannah doing here?”

             
“Hey, Mr. Intensity, never thought I'd be happy to see you. Could you help us out? Show Hannah your ears already so we can move on.”

             
“Pardon me?” Grey looks completely baffled.

             
“We were attacked tonight. I had to bring Hannah with me. I couldn't leave her there,” I try to explain.

             
Out of nowhere, Hannah, quite impressively, leaps at Grey throwing his hair behind his ear. She jerks her hand back and yelps.

             
“No freaking way.” She turns to me, wide eyed in shock.

             
“I told you—” But I don't even finish my sentence before Hannah collapses to the floor in an unconscious heap.

             
“Mind helping me with her?” I ask Grey since he is closest. He lifts Hannah up easily from my arms and carries her over to the bed.

             
“My turn,” Jacoby says as he turns to me.

             
I just stand there, staring at him, nervously twirling my hair, waiting for him to ask me again because I have no idea where to begin.

             
“Tell me,” he demands, not unkindly.

             
“I can't. I promised,” I admit.

             
“What is he talking about Mia?” Grey interferes.

             
“Tonight. At the theater. Brian said something about my parents dying for no reason, but he wouldn't explain further. He seems to think Mia knows something about it though,” Jacoby says with an accusatory look at me. “He said to ask her, but she won't tell me.”

             
“I am sure she has good reason,” Grey tries to defend me.

             
“Lark, please. If you know something, please tell me.”

             
His eyes are so beseeching that I can't keep it from him any longer.

             
“Freya?” I turn to the meek little elf. “Could you please go get Isobel?”

             
She curtsies and leaves the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

             
“Let's wait for Isobel,” I plead.

             
“No. I want to hear it from you.” He is so close to me I can smell his comforting rustic scent and it weakens my resolve. I squeeze my eyes shut thinking that maybe it will make what I am about to say easier if I don't have to see his reaction.

             
“Dugan didn't just stumble across you and your parents that night. He was hunting you.” My words are barely louder than a whisper.

             
“Why?”

             
“Because of who your mother was. Because of what a Half-blood child was destined to do.” I slowly open my eyes and look up at him meaningfully.

             
“No.”

             
“Yes. Cordelia,” his eyes widen at the mention of his mother's name, “was next in line for the throne. You could very well be the Half-blood in the prophecy. We assumed it was me because of my father. But it could just as easily be applied to you.”

             
“How do you know this?”

             
“Isobel figured it out. Cordelia was her sister.”

             
Jacoby's face blanches.

             
“How could you not tell me?”

             
“I promised. We didn’t know how to tell you,” I try to explain, but he holds up his hands to stop me.

“Don’t. Just don’t. I can’t—just not right now. I
gotta get out of here.” He takes several retreating steps away from me.

             
“What? Why? Where are you going?”

             
“I just need to think,” he says breathlessly. “I gotta go.”

             
“Please,” I implore. “Please, just wait. Wait to talk to Isobel.” 

             
He rushes out the door but before I can follow him, Grey stops me.

             
“Just give him some space. What you just told him...just give him some space. Give him time to take it all in.”

             
“Oh, Grey. I really freaking messed up tonight.”

             
“Hey, come here.” He pulls me into his arms and rubs my back. “Shh, it's okay. He'll be fine. Just give him some time.”

             
For a moment I am comforted in his arms, inhaling his intoxicating smell. But then I realize the only reason he is acting like he cares is because we are alone and as soon as anyone else enters the room, he'll go right back to acting completely apathetic towards me. It makes my stomach flip, and not in a good happy way but more in an I-am-about-to puke-all-over-you sorta way. I pull away as Isobel enters my room.

             
“What happened?” Her sea-green eyes widen with confusion.

             
“He knows.”

             
“Oh my God. How? Why?” Isobel frantically asks.

             
“They were attacked tonight.” Grey is quick to answer for me. “One of the Dökkálfar spies told him. Mia just filled in the blanks.”

             
“Where is he?”

             
“I am not sure. He left to go process everything on his own,” Grey answers again as I can't seem to manage to speak.

             
“I'll go to him.” Her royal blue dress flares out dramatically behind her as she leaves.

             
After a few moments of silence, I go to sit on the bed next to Hannah.

             
“How much trouble am I going to be in for telling her? For bringing her here?” I ask Grey.

             
“Alberico will understand the circumstances. In fact, I should probably go brief him on everything that has happened.”

             
“I'll stay here with Hannah if you don't mind.”

             
“As you wish,” he nods. “I shall return shortly.”

             
I lay down next to my best friend, letting everything wash over me. I wish she would hurry and wake up so I could talk to her about it. But I also wonder if maybe it would be better to transport her to her house and let her think it was all some crazy dream. That would probably be the kinder option. As much as I wish I could talk to my best friend about everything that is going on, I am not sure I want to put that on her. Do I really want her to be scared and worried about me all the time? Would knowledge of the Light Elves and Dark Elves put her at risk too? I am not willing to chance it. I have almost decided to go ahead and take her home when Isobel, out of breath and scattered, stumbles into my room.

             
“He's gone!” she sobs. “I saw him leave. He transported! I couldn't get to him in time to stop him!”

             
I don't need to ask her where he went.

             
I already know.

             
“I'm going after him.”

             
“You can't! Not without help. Alberico is planning the attack for next Saturday,” she reasons. “Maybe we can move up the date?”

             
“I'm not waiting long enough to find out. I can't,” I tell her. “I know what Dugan is capable of. There is no way I am leaving Jacoby to face him alone. I've got to go.”

             
“Then I'm coming with you,” she proclaims.

             
“No. I need you to stay here. I need you to take Hannah back to her home and I don't know, do some of that elfish memory replacement stuff. Get her to believe it was all a dream. Please, Isobel? I'll get Jacoby. I swear. But I need you to do this for me,” I plead.

             
“Okay. But please, please bring me back my nephew.” She grasps both of my hands in her own.

             
“I will. I swear it.” I grab a piece of paper and quickly jot down Hannah's address then thrust it into Isobel's hand. “I promise. I'll bring him back.”

             
“I can't let you do that,” says Grey, startling me. I don't know how long he has been standing in the doorway, but even if he just got there moments ago, I am sure with his elfish hearing, he could have heard us from down the hall. We weren't exactly whispering.

             
“Grey, I have to. This is my fault. I have to get to him before Dugan tortures, or worse, kills him.”

              His expression is pained, but determined.

             
“Then I'm going with you.”

             
I am speechless. Grey has never been shy about his disdain for Jacoby but here he is offering to help me save him.

             
“I'm not doing this for him.” He must have read my expression accurately. “I'm doing this for Alberico. I won't let him lose you.”

             
For a second there I thought he was going to say he was doing this for me, but I should know better by now.

             
“Okay, what are we going to do?”

             
“First, we need to decide where exactly in the Underworld we will be transporting to.”

It's hard to focus on the Underworld without the fear creeping in and overtaking my thoughts. There has to be some place that we can transport to that won't attract a lot of attention. I think of the room I first arrived in. I see it clearly, but that probably wouldn't be a very good place for us to just appear. The only other rooms I remember are the cells and the torture chambers. Chills run
up and down my spine as I remember the acrid smell of blood and earth mixed together, and worst of all, the screams of the prisoners being tortured. I take a deep breath and try to block it all out so I can concentrate.

             
“This may be kind of crazy, but I think we should transport into the cell they kept me in.” I eye him reluctantly. The idea isn't really all that appealing to me, but what choice do we have?

             
“Are you thinking that maybe they will be so preoccupied with Jacoby that they won't notice the two of us just popping in out of nowhere?” He doesn't seem to buy it.