The Fabled (17 page)

“Where is he?”

“I’m afraid you’ll need to be a bit more
specific than that, Sunshine.”

“Where is Tristan?”

“I wouldn’t know where the boy is. Perhaps he
grew weary of you.”

I called on Werewolf magic and backhanded him
before placing the blade to his throat again.

“Where is he?”

He wiped the blood off of his lip. “I told
you I don’t know.”

“You threaten to kill him then the next night
he’s taken by a Vamp and yet you expect me to believe you had
nothing to do with it?”

“I don’t really care what you believe. I’ve
told you the truth. I had nothing to do with the child’s
disappearance.”

Suddenly there was a knife to my throat.
“Lower your weapon or I will kill you.”

I smiled. Carly should have known better than
that. I reached up and used Witch magic to cast a simple spell that
would hold her in place and then I began pulling her magic into me.
After several seconds she fell to her knees and I turned to look at
her without breaking contact with her hand.

“That is enough,” Roman told me but I ignored
him.

I looked her in the eyes. “The next time you
hold a blade to my neck you had better kill me because I will kill
you.” I released her and she fell to the floor. “I want my boy
back, Roman. I will destroy this world if I have to but I will get
him back.”

I used the Djinn’s magic to teleport to the
stage and took the mic from Dan. “Someone was taken from me.
Someone I care for deeply and I will not stop until he is returned.
Spread the word because whoever stole him is dead. It’s just a
matter of time.” With that I teleported out of the club and to
Lucian’s.

I took a moment to get my emotions in order.
I don’t know what to think. Roman is the top suspect but he didn’t
seem to be lying when he said he knew nothing of Tristan’s
disappearance.

“Are you just going to stand out here all
night?” Lucian asked from the darkness surrounding me.

I looked toward where the voice had come and
instantly he was standing in front of me. He took a second to look
at me before he wrapped his strong arms around me. I tried to keep
my tears in. Only a few managed to escape as Lucian held me.

After a few minutes he pulled back. “Come
inside and tell me all you know about his disappearance.”

It didn’t surprise me he knew why I was here.
Lucian had ways of acquiring information I would never know about.
He led me inside and Brennan took one look at me before she too was
hugging me profusely. I let her hold on for a few seconds before I
moved us to the sitting room. Lucian handed me a cup of tea and I
accepted it gratefully.

We just sat there in silence for a moment
while I gathered my thoughts then I began telling them everything I
knew about Tristan’s abduction. When I finished Lucian seemed to be
thoughtful for several minutes. Finally, he got up and began to
slowly pace the floor.

“You can stop with these silly notions Roman
took him. That should help you concentrate on finding the real
villain.”

“He held Tristan over the side of a building
and threatened to kill him just two nights ago. I think it’s safe
to assume he had something to do with this.”

“And I am telling you he did not.”

“Why would you think he’s innocent? Because
the two of you are buddies?”

“I am sure he didn’t do it because he spent
the majority of last night here with me.”

Brennan was nodding her head in
agreement.

“Why would he be here?”

“We were talking about…things.”

“Things? You mean me. Did you tell him
Tristan is my son?”

“No. He told me of the events on the roof but
I thought it should be your decision to tell him the truth or not.
I did tell him your relationship with Tristan wasn’t as it seemed
but that was all.”

“So he still thought Tristan was my lover and
after he left here he went and abducted him.”

“He wouldn’t do that. No matter how much he
did not want Tristan in the picture he would not have harmed him. I
also told him that Tristan was important to me and if anything
happened to him I would not be happy. Do you think I would defend
someone I truly thought may have abducted my grandson?”

“I don’t know Lucian. I keep learning more
and more about how close you and Roman are and don’t get me wrong
but you aren’t exactly that friendly toward Tristan.”

His eyes widened. “He is my grandchild. I
merely mean to guide him into the man I know he will once be. I
have known Roman for centuries but that does not mean I would
choose him over Tristan.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just that if it wasn’t
Roman, who was it? I have never seen the Vampere who took him
before. I have no idea if he was working alone or for someone.
Where do I even begin to find any information?”

Lucian walked over to me and put his hands on
my shoulders. “You need to stop thinking like a mother and start
thinking like the agent I know you to be. If you allow your
emotions to cloud your judgments you will never find him.”

A tear slipped out and he wiped it away. It
was easy to say not to let my emotions control me but my mind was
screaming that my boy was gone. He could be being beaten right now
while I sit here and do nothing. He could already be dead. No, I
won’t go there. I can’t go there.

“Stop. Your thoughts will be your downfall.
The mind is a dangerous thing especially when it is lost.” He
seemed thoughtful for a moment. “Perhaps there is one who can help
you. She knows all but it has warped her mind and forced her into
hiding. Thou she may be willing to help you this once.”

“Tell me father. The sooner I get Tristan
back the better.”

“Her name is Aerystasia. She is the strongest
oracle to have ever lived. She is ancient and she will know what
you seek before you ask it. Whether she will tell you the answer
you want is the true mystery.”

“It’s worth a try.”

“I’ll come with you,” Brennan piped in.

She had been so silent while me and Lucian
talked I had forgotten she was here.

“No Brennan. You don’t have control of your
magic yet and if this woman is as old as Lucian said she will be
very dangerous.”

“That’s why you need me. My magic is
strong.”

“Yes it is. That is why you need to learn to
control it.”

She huffed and for a moment I thought she
would continue to argue but instead she held out her hand.

“Then take some of my magic. It’s getting
stronger as the meds wear off and you taking some of it will help
me and you both.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded.

“Then I thank you and except your offer.”

I reached out and took her hand. I pulled in
as much as I could stand to take before squeezing her hand once and
releasing it.

“I will open a portal for you to get to
Aerystasia’s,” Lucian offered.

“How will I get back?”

“That will be for you to figure out. If you
are really lucky, Aerystasia.”

“Great. I have to rely on the crazy
uber-powerful oracle. Thanks, father.”

“You are quite welcome daughter.” He winked
at me.

He waved his hands in front of him and the
air began to distort. After a moment he pulled his hands back and
nodded to me. I nodded back and walked through the portal.

“
Crazy cave lady”

I came out in a cave. WTF? Why am I in a
cave?

“Because you have to ask me where your son
is. Or at least that’s what one voice says.”

I turned to see an old woman approach me. She
was dressed in rags and her hair looked to have either fallen out
or been pulled out in places while the rest looked as though it had
went unbrushed for centuries. There was dirt all over her and her
hands had several scratches on them with the nails broken and
jagged. There was a light surrounding her but it didn’t seem to be
coming off of her. It just moved with her lighting her way.

I curtsied to the best of my ability.
“Aerystasia.”

“Get up girl. I know my damned name. At least
I haven’t lost that yet.”

“Uh, sorry. I was just trying to show you
some respect.”

“You want to show me some respect? Next time
don’t come to me with your problems. There are so many thoughts and
strings. Thousands of strings. If you pluck just one, just one, the
whole thing might unravel. I hate when the strings get tangled.
Takes forever to get the knot out. Still trying to get the knot
out.”

Okay. Let’s try to move this along.

“I’ve come to ask you if you could tell me
where my son is.”

I didn’t bother to word the question if she
knows where he is because more than likely she does.

“I’m not omnipotent. I only know what I’m
supposed to know and yes, his whereabouts are one of those
things.”

“Um, okay. So you will tell me?”

“I can tell you much child. Some you will
want to know. Most you will not.”

“Right now I only want to know about my
son.”

“He is alive. That is all. You must pick your
allies for the coming battle. The Vampere would not be a bad
choice.”

“What battle? Which Vampere? Where is my
son?”

“So many questions. Always questions. What it
would be like to be the one told for once.”

“I will tell you something. If you would
permit me.”

She tilted her head and I worked hard on
thinking about anything except what I had planned to do.

“You will. I grant you permission.”

Before I could think better of it I reached
out and touched her arm. Images flooded my senses so fast I felt
lightheaded. Pain was the one sense that accompanied it all. I
released her arm and took a step back. Before the images could
leave me I sorted through what I could make sense of.

She has been alone her entire life. Put on
display as a child by her father and demanded to give premonition
after premonition. She finally managed to get away from his
controlling hand only after his death. Others have tried to control
her but she learned how to be cunning and lead them to their death
until no one would try to take advantage of her again. Even with
that freedom she was a slave to the voices. They seldom let her
sleep and constantly tell her secrets, futures, deaths, she has
seen and experienced it all. There was but one person in the whole
world she was never able to read. A man she met in a chance
encounter and then he was gone. It was only after his departure she
realized she knew nothing about him. All of her life she knew
everything about everyone. More secrets than she ever wanted to
know. And yet with this one man she knew nothing.

That was the information I needed to seek. I
need to find this man for her. He will be her salvation. With the
thoughts I heard whispers from within. Her magic at work. Telling
me everything. All that I might want to know and all that I don’t
want to know. I asked the voices where my son is and they went
silent. No wonder she was crazy. All the information about anyone
except the one you really want to know about.

I put thoughts about Tristan aside. If I’m
lucky, she will help me find him. Instead I thought about the man
she could know nothing about. Because he wasn’t connected to me the
voices immediately started telling me everything. I turned to
Aerystasia and smiled.

“He is a Djinn.”

Her eyes widened.

“He is alone. As you’ve never forgotten him
the same can be said for him about you. If you leave tonight and
follow the North Star, you will find him.”

There were tears in her eyes and she didn’t
speak for several minutes. Finally, she looked down at herself and
seemed to notice the state she was in for the first time. As she
looked back up at me she was a young woman in her twenties with
golden locks flowing down her back and the sheath style dress she
wore was pristine white. She smiled at me and I smiled back.

“I thank you for your gift, child. It is the
first true gift I have ever received. In return I will ease your
burden.”

“You’ll tell me where Tristan is?”

She shook her head slightly. “That I cannot
do for it would do him a great disservice. I will however allow you
to rest. When you awake you will know your son’s location.” She
smiled again. “Oh, and be prepared to beg.”

My brows drew together. Beg? She reached out
and touched me and I knew no more.

I was floating happily and when I landed I
was on a trail in the woods. I looked around but didn’t see
anything familiar.

“Is this the fastest you can go? You’re like
a sloth.”

Roman was standing in front of me smiling as
he teased. It wasn’t the Roman I left in his bar earlier but the
older version I had known years before. He took my hand and we
started along the trail again. “Come on. It’s only a little further
and I want to get there before it’s too late.”

Too late? Wait. Something about this seems
familiar. I followed him through the woods up a slow incline until
finally the trees opened and I saw a large meadow that lead up to a
cliff overlooking the canyon below. Now I know why this seems
familiar.

The sun was about to set and that was
obviously why he wanted to hurry. I also saw that a blanket had
been laid out and there was a picnic basket sitting on top.

“Wow. You’ve went all out,” I heard myself
say.

“You’re worth it. Have a seat and I’ll pour
the wine.”

I sat down on the blanket and he poured us
wine before coming to sit beside me. We could watch the sun’s full
descent from our perch and it was perfect. Slowly the sky turned
from a brilliant blue to an orange before turning red and finally
becoming purple.

“That was beautiful.”

“You are beautiful, Sunshine. My very own
light in the dark. Without you I would live in eternal
darkness.”