Legend of the Ir'Indicti 5 - Destroyer (9 page)

"What is it, Ashe?"

"What happened to that rifle and the poisoned darts that Chump and Wormy had?"

"They're locked away in my gun cabinet."

"Good. I don't want anybody else to have access," Ashe sighed.

"Agreed," Winkler nodded. "We don't need another death like that. And if Marcus had any sense, he'd be thanking you that there weren't more deaths."

"Marcus doesn't trust where he should," Ashe's eyes filled with stars before clearing abruptly. "Randy's girlfriend is a shapeshifter. She turns into a flop-eared rabbit. She's pretty, too. Both ways. I think it might be dangerous if she comes back to Star Cove."

"I heard she was a veterinarian. A good one."

"Yeah. Randy's in love."

"If she shouldn't come back to Star Cove, what do you expect Randy to do, kid?"

"I don't know. I can always lend him money to fly to Chicago, I guess. Or she can meet him in San Antonio when she flies down. I just don't know how to tell him that."

"I have a condo in San Antonio," Winkler said. "Three bedrooms. Plenty big enough and in a good neighborhood. Trace uses it sometimes, when his partner visits. Randy could borrow it if he wanted. I'll let him know." Winkler raked fingers through his hair before pulling out his cell and tapping in a reminder.

"Heard from the vamps?"

"I got a text from Tony—Anthony Hancock." Winkler offered Ashe a wry grin. "I know he says his last name is Rockland, now, but that name is for humans. He said they landed in New York to spend the day. They'll be here tomorrow night, around midnight."

"I called him a hero in a paper I wrote for a school assignment," Ashe went back to worrying his pocket flap. "I didn't know much, back then."

"Will it make you treat him differently—to know that he didn't do all those things the history books say he did?"

"I figure he didn't have much control over that part, and at the time, he was probably protecting somebody else."

"He was. He was protecting Lissa. Sort of. I wanted to protect her, too. You see how that turned out."

"I can't figure out how they don't remember her."

"Kid, I can't figure out why they don't and the wolves do. You have to leave around seven in the morning to get to the testing location on time. Breakfast is at six. Trace will take you to Beeville, and see you get lunch at the break."

"I'll be ready, Mr. Winkler."

"Good. There's still time for a run on the beach or a workout in the exercise room before dinner."

"I think I'd like a run," Ashe rose and stretched.

"I'll get Trace or Trajan to go with you."

"I'll get my shoes on."

* * *

"The kid was asking about that dart gun," Winkler jerked his head toward the locked gun cabinet inside his study. Ashe had already gone to bed and Winkler was having a last-minute meeting with Trajan before heading for his bedroom.

"That worries me, then," Trajan sighed, shaking his head. "Not much gets past Ashe. You think somebody might try to break in?"

"The house is alarmed and the cabinet is locked. I'm not sure what else to do with it."

"How about letting the kid take it into the hidden room in the basement?"

"There's a thought." Winkler nodded, considering the idea. "How about this—you arrange to have a smaller gun cabinet delivered tomorrow, and I'll put the dart gun and darts inside it, then ask Ashe to do his thing and leave it inside the closet in the hidden room. Nobody but you, Trace and I have to know anything about it."

"Sounds like a plan. If you don't have anything else for me, I'll head toward bed." Trajan stood and stretched. With his arms held up, Trajan filled a lot of space. "We have to get to that board meeting in Dallas by ten," Winkler said before covering a yawn. "Jet will be ready at six-thirty."

"Don't remind me." Trajan walked out of Winkler's study.

* * *

"Salidar, please explain where you've been most of the day, and why you're coming home at midnight. I left three messages on your cell and you failed to reply." Marcus' voice was a low growl. Sali sat at the kitchen table, a rebellious expression on his face. "Are you going to answer me?" Marcus went on when Sali failed to reply.

"Dad, I was out. My cell ran down. I'm sorry." Sali's tone indicated he was far from sorry.

"Grounded," Marcus announced flatly. "Give me your keys and go to bed, Salidar. You are not to leave the house outside school hours for two weeks."

"Fine." Sali slapped his car keys on the table. "Car was out of gas, anyway," he muttered, rising and stalking away.

"Three weeks," Marcus called out. Sali kept walking.

* * *

Wildrif's cell battery was almost drained, and there were few options in the Arizona desert to recharge it. He had calls to make, and hoped the battery would last at least that long.

"Don't stray too far," Rumble, the last of Baltis' new Destroyers growled at Wildrif as he walked past the guards posted on the eastern edge of the Dark King's encampment.

"Just getting a bit of exercise," Wildrif replied meekly, his head down. Rumble snorted and let the quarter-blood seer go. There wasn't anything for miles, Rumble knew, and the seer would find nothing but death should he stray too far. Rumble felt it might be a fitting end for the unwelcome misfit, but Baltis did seem to find him useful at times.

Wildrif walked for perhaps a quarter mile before pulling the precious cell from his pocket and making his first call—the most important one. The call was answered on the second ring.

"Master Tanner?" Wildrif spoke after Zeke's gruff "hello."

"Wildrif? What do you have for me?"

"A suggestion, Master Tanner. And a request."

"What's the suggestion?"

"Do you still have your contact in the U.S. capital?"

"I do."

"I will send a message containing vital information. You should forward it to him. He will take appropriate action."

"I'll do that. What's the request?"

"Might I be removed from the Dark King's loving embrace? He has become more than tiresome."

"I can have somebody at your current location in two days."

"I will be waiting."

"Good. Here's what I want you to do."

Chapter 6
 

Curtis Roberts, Director of the U.S. Intelligence and Foreign Communications Division, toyed with a printout of information he'd received from his source in Mexico. The title of Curt's division sounded completely benign. It wasn't. He had authority even the CIA couldn't claim. He'd held his position for nine years, after the division had been created by an outgoing President during a lame-duck session. As yet, the current President, still in the first year of his term, hadn't been notified of the IFC's actual role in national security.

"This is more than interesting," Curt handed the printout back to his personal assistant, Calhoun. "With this information, we can make arrests before the day's over."

"Who should I notify?"

"Matt Michaels. His people can move the fastest."

"What about the last paragraph here?" Calhoun dangled the paper by a corner. "It says there may be more coming, to prove we can trust the source."

"I'll wait to see what more coming actually means. These three names are good, but I'd need something better than that to make the source unimpeachable, in my opinion. Get with Matt Michaels, hand him the names and see if he can make arrests. If this information is wrong, well," Curt shrugged.

"We let Matt Michaels take the fall for it," Calhoun grinned.

"He's just too squeaky clean," Curt agreed. "Keep me posted with texts—the meeting I have on the hill may take all day."

"Of course, sir."

* * *

"Nervous?" Trace glanced at Ashe as they drove toward Beeville. Coastal Bend College was their destination for the test, and they'd left Port Aransas in plenty of time.

"Yes and no," Ashe sighed. "I know," he held up a hand as Trace started to reply. "That's not much of an answer. I have mixed feelings about this, Trace. I can't explain why, right now, but I do."

"You think you won't pass?"

"I can pass." Ashe hunched his shoulders. "No worries about passing."

"Winkler already pulled strings to get you enrolled at the University of Texas. He knows the College President."

"Yeah." Ashe looked out the passenger window.

"Kid, what's wrong?"

"Trace, ask me that question in a few weeks. Okay?"

"You're starting to scare me, Ashe."

"You think I'm not already there?" Ashe turned and blinked at Trace.

"Let's get through today, and we'll let tomorrow take care of itself," Trace muttered, turning onto Charco Road. Ashe saw the college sign near a parking lot, which was already filling up.

"Good thing we left early," Ashe sighed.

* * *

"What are you wearing tomorrow?" Wynn flopped onto Dori's bed. Dori had been restless and out of sorts all morning, calling Wynn right after breakfast and asking if she wanted to do anything on their last day of summer vacation.

"No idea. Maybe I should have waited to break up with Sali. At least he has a car and could take us somewhere," Dori grumped, dropping onto the floor in a cross-legged position. "I still have enough money to buy new shoes."

"Ace is out of town," Wynn nodded. "I miss him when he's gone. I know not to be a pest," she held up a hand at Dori's lifted eyebrow. "I don't call or text. We agreed that he'd let me know when he wasn't working. We talk, then."

"At least he's a mature werewolf." Dori frowned. "Unlike Sali, who resorts to childish insults at the first opportunity." Dori still hadn't shown Sali's last message to Wynn. The insult was too embarrassing.

"What do you think tomorrow will be like? Ashe won't be there. Hayes is gone. Larry and Jeff are still not talking to anybody, and Sali's back to being a jerk." Wynn examined her blue toenail polish with a critical eye. She'd have to redo it before classes started in the morning. "I'd really like to get my bangs trimmed," she added. "I wonder if Mom will let me borrow the car."

"We can ask, but if we don't have somebody with us," Dori said. "Marcus laid down the law after Hayes got killed. I still don't understand what happened to Jeremy. Sali told me that Micah took Chad's execution," her voice dropped to a whisper. "But he wouldn't talk about Jeremy."

"Well," Wynn scraped off blue toenail polish with a fingernail, "Ace told me. He said Marco told Cori, too, so I'm surprised she didn't tell you."

"Tell me what? I haven't really seen Cori lately; she's been busy moving into her dorm room."

"Ashe did it. Ace wouldn't explain how."

"It was that scary?" Dori blinked at Wynn in confusion.

"No. He said it was—unusual. That's all."

"That describes Ashe. Completely. He's unusual." Dori got up and wandered to her bedroom window. "I still want to go out today, but Mom's with Cori, hauling a load of stuff for her dorm room in the car. Dad's asleep and nobody else we know is available to ask."

"Yeah. Ace wouldn't like it if we're not guarded. I hate being cooped up here."

"Cori says Ashe is taking the GED today. You know he'll pass it."

"He'll pass it," Wynn agreed. "Do you ever get the feeling that Ashe not only passed us by, but he did it at warp speed?"

"It's scary. I remember when he was a laughingstock, because he couldn't turn. Now, he's working for Mr. Winkler and about to start college. Two years ahead of us."

"I can't believe Sali and Ashe aren't friends anymore. I thought they'd stick together always."

"Things change," Dori nodded. "Let's go outside. Maybe we can find somebody to give us a ride." Wynn slid off the bed and followed Dori out the door.

* * *

"Amos, how are you?" Bear Wright shook Amos Thompson's hand and then stood aside to allow the buffalo shapeshifter inside his home.

"Bear, we haven't talked in a while," Amos nodded.

"You're right. Not since your brother Alex disappeared all those years ago." Bear led the way to his kitchen, where he offered Amos Thompson a seat at his kitchen island. "Want coffee?"

"Sure. Thanks."

"I still miss Alex," Bear said, dumping coffee in the coffeemaker. "He and I, we put up a hell of a fight for the Marines in Dubya Dubya Two. You went off and joined the army, so you missed it."

"Our parents said they couldn't face losing both of us, so we went in separate directions. Thought it gave us a better chance."

"Yeah. Not easy to deal with, knowing Alex survived the war, only to fall into somebody's trap later on. I always suspected the Tanner bunch, but there was never any proof."

"I'd just like a body to bury, if there is one," Amos sighed. Bear set a fresh cup of coffee in front of his old friend. "I was hoping somebody coming to your meeting might know what happened to Alex. He was in Arizona when he disappeared."