The Hunt: A Custodes Noctis Book (12 page)

“I’m going to get another coffee. You want something?” Rob asked Flash.

“My usual.”

“Sure, they’ll sell you eight shots all day, and me? Me they limit to quads.” Rob smiled and walked out the door.

“What was that about?” Flash grabbed the extra stool and pulled it over to Galen.

“Nothing.”

“Yeah, is that the nothing that’s out at the beach?”

“Yeah.” Galen smiled at his friend. “Rob’s a little on edge.”

“And you’re beyond the edge.” Flash put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

“It usually is.”

“Not really.” He held up a hand to stop Galen’s protest. “Fine, this feels worse to me, though. And don’t deny it. You let Pete and Sean start a drinking contest with you. Two against one. I haven’t seen you do that since—I don’t think I’ve ever seen you do that!”

“You’re right.” Galen scrubbed a hand over his face. “It’s a mess and I might have made it worse.”

“Then don’t go.”

“We have to, Flash.”

“Why?”

“This way we can stop things like those creatures that were in the park the other night. If we waited here, they’d come anyway. And, well, it’s what we do, you know that. Either way, I’m lost.”

“You are not lost,” Rob enunciated each word in a soft growl as he came back into the shop.

“And now we know what the fight was about,” Flash said with a grin. “I agree with Rob.”

“You don’t even know what’s going on,” Galen said.

“Don’t care. You’ll figure a way out of it,” Flash replied.

“It’s really nice that you two are so fucking confident. I’m not.”

“He’s swearing, it’s bad,” Flash said to Rob.

“It might be,” Rob agreed.

“It’s not a joke!” Galen stormed out. He didn’t pause when he heard his brother call him, he headed up stairs and grabbed his bag, tossing clothes into it as he paced around his room. When he was done, he opened the closet and contemplated the array of weapons. He picked up his falcata, the long-bladed dagger he wore in the small of his back and his nine millimeter handgun. He honestly doubted he’d need the gun, this was the kind of thing that required blades, but sometimes creatures had helpers that bullets could be handy against. His last stop was at his bedside table. He grabbed the small knife Rob had given him for his eighteenth birthday and tucked it in his pocket. As an afterthought, he slipped the little amulet over his head as well.

“You all packed?” Rob asked.

“Yeah, Flash destroying the shop yet?”

“No, he said he’d wait until we were gone to start breaking stuff.”

“I wish there was some way to keep you out of this.”

“We’re Keepers, Galen. I understand, though, if there was a way to keep you out of it, I would,” Rob said, laying his hand on Galen’s shoulder. And there it was again—that surge of confidence, of certainty in what he was doing that terrified Galen.

“Do you need to pack?” Galen asked.

“Nah, I packed and put my stuff in the Jeep this morning. I didn’t sleep much.”

“Sorry about that.”

“Don’t apologize for that, apologize for barfing on my shoes. I’ll put your stuff in the car, and grab the swords.” He put the soft emphasis on it he always did when referring to the swords of the
Custodes Noctis.
“We’ll need them.”

“Thanks, Brat.” Galen watched his brother go. Rob was singing again. It felt almost like something brushed Galen. There was a soft shimmer at the edge of his vision. “That you, Dad?”

“We’re worried,” his father said.

“Yes,” Bobby said, appearing beside Parry.

“You aren’t alone,” Galen said, dropping into the chair by the bed. “It’s happening so fast.”

“Yes, it is,” Parry said.

“If they’re right, about the
feorhbealu
and the Hunt being the only thing that can stop them, we have to go.” Galen wondered if he was trying to convince his father or himself. “And more to the point, I’m losing myself to the Hunt more and more each day. Rob figured out that’s what’s blocking the bond. I can hardly sense Rob, unless he’s in the room with me. Maybe he’s right, if we go to them, we can reclaim it and I won’t lose myself when I become king.”

“Assuming the Fae priest is telling the truth,” Bobby said.

“Rob’s sure he is. Maybe not the whole truth, but what he told Rob.”

“How does he know?” Bobby asked. “I have no idea how to read one of the Fae. He could tell me the sun was purple and it could look like the truth.”

“I think he was telling some part of the truth, too, there was something about the way he told the story.”

“But how would he know?” Bobby insisted.

“I’m pretty sure he was there, at the founding. Rob discovered the Fae were instrumental in founding the Hunt.” Galen sighed. “We have to go.”

“You’re going to need help,” Parry said quietly.

“We might,” Galen said cautiously. “We’ll need someone there in the physical plane, to fight as well.”

“Call us, like you did when you fought the Old One,” Bobby offered.

“Can I? If I’m in the Between World?”

“I don’t know.” Parry’s form shimmered with worry.

“We can follow you to the beach,” Bobby said.

“That’s good, Rob might need you.”

“He plans on going with you when you join the Hunt,” Parry said. “He was on the phone discussing it yesterday.”

“He intends to stand as champion, the way it once was.” Galen was surprised when he used that phrase, Rob had been repeating it and now he was starting to believe it. “As it once was.”

“That’s from the ritual.” Bobby frowned.

“I think so,” Galen confirmed. Cold mist swirled through his mind.

“They’re calling you,” Parry said, laying his hand on Galen’s shoulder. He reached for his father’s healing and used it to push the shifting fog away.

“It’s getting louder. I won’t be able to resist much longer. It’s gotten so much worse the last couple of weeks. I was sure when Rob came back, it would stop.” Galen sighed. “At least this way something good might come of it.”

“Your brother has a plan.”

“I’m losing myself, Dad, it’s pulling me away. I hear the bells all the time now,” he said.

“I’ll be there,” Rob said. The surge of emotion from his brother was so strong, Galen glanced at him in surprise. Even through the now muted bond, Galen could sense a shining glow of confidence that warmed him nearly as much as his father’s healing had moments before. The mists moved further away.

“Ready to get going?” Galen said, standing up.

“Might as well.”

“We’ll be there.” Parry gently squeezed Galen’s shoulder, then turned to Rob. “You’ll be careful?”

“I will, Dad, don’t worry,” Rob said. Galen had the feeling he’d missed part of a conversation somewhere along the line.

“We do,” Bobby added. “We’ll be watching and try and help as much as we can.”

“Thank you.” Rob smiled. “Let’s go.”

“Right behind you, Brat. I’m just going to check with Flash on the way out.”

“Probably a good idea. I think I heard something hit the floor on my way back up here.”

“Great. We’ll see you,” Galen said, nodding to his father and uncle. He heard his brother’s soft farewells as he headed down to the shop. Flash was behind the counter, staring wistfully out the window. Galen glanced over in time to see Sarah lean out the window and hand someone a coffee.

“If you laugh, I’ll kick your ass,” Flash said, turning to look at him.

“I wouldn’t laugh at you.” Galen grinned.

“Yes, you would. You have.” Flash grinned back, then sobered. “Are you leaving?”

“Yeah. Don’t destroy our shop while we’re gone.”

“You are coming back?”

Galen swallowed. “I don’t know.”

“Where are you staying? In case I need to get a hold of you?”

“I’ll have my cell phone.” Galen frowned.

“What if it doesn’t work out there?”

“You’re right. We’re at the Waves Lodge.” Galen paused, it felt like a cold wind had puffed through he shop. He looked over to make sure the front door was closed.

“How long will you be gone?” his friend asked.

“At least three days. I’ll call you when we get there, just to make sure the shop is still standing.”

“I appreciate the trust, man.” Flash stood and pulled Galen into a rough hug. “Be careful.”

“I will.” He clapped Flash on the back and let go, after taking a last look around the shop, he headed out to the parking lot.

“What’d he break?” Rob said, opening the passenger door.

“I forgot to ask.”

“Probably better to not know.” Rob chuckled and got into the Jeep.

“You don’t want to drive?” Galen asked as he got behind the wheel.

“I didn’t sleep much last night. I don’t think it’s a good idea if I drive in this state. I’m not even sure the three coffees I had before you woke up are enough to keep me going.”

“Three? No wonder Becci wouldn’t give you more.”

“Yeah, I know.” Rob yawned and turned on the stereo before leaning back in his seat. He yawned again and closed his eyes.

“Rob?”

A soft snore answered him.

Galen pushed a different CD into the stereo. The radio station had lost the signal outside of Raymond, Washington, so he was working his way through the collection of discs in the car. The last three he’d chosen had grated against his headache. Rob was still asleep, which was surprising, although for some reason the bond seemed less muted since they’d gotten into the Jeep. He wasn’t sure what was making the difference, but whatever it was, he was relaxed for the first time in in a very long time and Rob was sleeping soundly.

He made the turn onto the highway that led out to the beach. Heavy clouds were dropping sleet, making the road slick, and in the distance he could see fog rolling in over Willapa Bay. He remembered the first time he’d been there, summer twelve years before. His father and uncle had arranged a trip to the beach as a treat for him and Rob after finishing a facet of their early training as Keepers. Rob had been excited, the closer they got to the beach, the more his excitement vibrated through the car.

“It looks just the same,” Rob said, sitting up and looking out.