Nevermor Page 23

  “It’s true,” Wren spoke up. The sound of her voice soothed him, but not quite enough.

  “Then who else could have possibly done it?” Rifter asked, ignoring Nix’s comments and refusing to calm down. “Are you suggesting that she got close enough to the monster that it could catch her scent?”

  “We couldn’t have done it,” Finn defended, getting visibly frustrated himself. “We know where it sleeps. There’s no way we could have gone that far and gotten back before it would be obvious that we were missing!”

  It didn’t ease Rifter’s mind, but he knew that Finn was right. They knew where the beast had made its den, but it would have been hours of travel on foot. They were not that fast. Someone among the group would have noticed that a member was gone.

  “Rifter,” Sly said once they had all quieted down, drawing his attention back. “There is only one of us that could have done it.”

  He didn’t go on, and Rifter grew impatient.

  “Who then?”

  Sly sighed. “The only one who could have gone all that way in a hurry and come straight back without us noticing that she was gone.”

  The impact of those words came down on Rifter like stones, barricading him up with the only possible answer. Still, he didn’t want to believe it, even though it was right in front of his face. He looked around the room, though of course he didn’t see the one that he was looking for. She was hiding, listening as her secret was undone.

  “Where are you?” he asked, his voice so low that it was terrifying to the rest of them.

  Whisper didn’t come out immediately, and when she did, she floated down gently to hover in front of him with her head down.

  “Did you do this?” he asked her directly, but he already knew the answer. She wouldn’t look at him, but her body language showed her guilt.

  She was trying to act like she had suddenly become too weak to even hold herself in the air, as if the effects of her previous sickness were still with her, but he knew better. She had flown with him just fine the whole way to get Wren’s brothers.

  “Speak!”

  He heard her whispery voice, speaking lowly, and though he didn’t hear all of the words so clearly, he heard enough to know that she had done this. He didn’t care about any excuses that she used to try and cover up that fact.

  He was disappointed and angry, especially since she had been the last one he’d expected to have done it – the one closest to him. He’d been ready to believe any of his brothers might have done it over her.

  “For a long time, I’ve told myself that you were different from the others – that you were human enough to know right from wrong. Is that untrue?”

  More excuses came from her mouth. I did it for you. She’s an evil, terrible thing. I love you. I love you so much. He couldn’t listen to any of that.

  “Just go. I can’t look at you right now.”

  “I’m sorry; I’m so sorry,” she said.

  She was begging now – pleading with him – but he wasn’t willing to hear it. She’d made him ashamed to be associated with her, and in that moment, he didn’t even want to call her a part of himself.

  “Go!” he shouted at her, and she stormed out in the way that only she could do, leaving a flicker of light behind her that eventually faded.

  They were all quiet after that until they realized that the silence was too awkward, and then the boys began to talk among themselves again as if nothing had happened.

  But the damage had already been done to Rifter’s pride. He didn’t want to be among them. He thought they were all looking at him with pity because he hadn’t been able to see what was right in front of his face. Even Wren was staring at him, pitying him. The one he’d trusted most had made him into a fool. He couldn’t face the humiliation of it.

  Rifter turned and retreated to his room to be alone. Wren looked after him, but she didn’t call him back.

  Chapter Eighteen

  1

  Rifter did not return before the rest of them had retired to their own spaces for the night. Max was to sleep in Wren’s room and Henry was given the spot on the rug in the den. Even though he was Wren’s brother, the rest of them didn’t like the idea of the older one being in the same room with her, since she was a lady. Max was young, however, and they agreed that he should be under her care – mainly so that they wouldn’t have to deal with him themselves.

  Her bed was big enough for both of them, so she put Max to sleep first. The traveling had tired him out it seemed, even though he’d been asleep for most of it. It wasn’t long before he was out again.

  Wren watched him sleeping there for a while, and she felt relief at something as simple as listening to him breathe. It seemed like so long since she had seen him, and she knew he had been worried over her. Perhaps he hadn’t slept at all since she’d been gone and that was why he was so exhausted, but he was here with her now, and he would not be taken away.

  No one else will have him. He’s mine forever.

  She didn’t feel wrong for thinking that then. Maybe she wasn’t his mother, but he was her baby all the same. She was the only one who had ever cared about him, after all. Now he would always be hers – frozen in time, kept so innocent – always. Her heart swelled with love and pride, and a smile came to her lips. He would want for nothing. They would keep him safe.

  A boy does need a father, but…

  Wren snapped up when she heard a light tapping on the outside of her doorway, and she lost her thought.

  “Wren? You awake?”

  Her heart thumped when she heard Rifter’s voice, and she got up promptly to meet him, pushing the curtain aside to see his face.

  “Max is asleep,” she told him quietly.

  He motioned for her follow him out into the corridor and took her a few steps away before he turned. He had an unusual expression on his face, like he had a bad taste in his mouth. She stood patiently, waiting. Rifter kept his eyes averted, looking at everything except her for what seemed like much too long, and then finally he spoke.

  “I’ve been trying to think of why she would do it,” he said, and Wren guessed he must have been talking about Whisper.

  Wren hadn’t been surprised to hear the accusation against the fairy for luring the monster to her. It made perfect sense to Wren and, in fact, she wasn’t sure why that wasn’t the first thing she’d considered when seeking her own explanation. She was only glad they had survived the encounter, but Rifter seemed to be taking it hard. With good reason, she supposed. It was a betrayal from the one he’d trusted most.

  “We’re all alive,” she reminded him, looking on the brighter side. The wisp was already gone. It wouldn’t do any good to speak ill of her.

  “That’s true,” he agreed, but he seemed hesitant. His gaze had drifted off to the side, leaving him to stare absently at the ground. Wren knew how to recognize when there was trouble brewing in someone’s mind, and this was what she saw on his face now.

  “Is something else bothering you?” she asked. He glanced at her with surprise, as if he hadn’t expected her to be so perceptive. Since he didn’t protest, she thought she might be able to get an answer out of him. She decided to press further. “You can tell me.”

  She reached for his hand just to put him at ease, but quickly found herself glued there when he laced his fingers with hers. Wren wondered how her heart wasn’t bursting out of her chest when she looked into his eyes, longing for the secrets of his mind. He considered another moment, but eventually decided to put his trust in her. He gave in.

  “I’ve always considered Whisper to be like another limb. I send her out and she does what I tell her. We’re part of each other. If I believe that, I also have to believe that I’m responsible for this – that some part of me wanted to hurt you.”

  Wren shook her head to deny it, but it was a frightening thought. She didn’t understand the truth about the way he was bound to the pixie, but she was sure that they did not act as the same person.

  “The f
irst thing you ever said to me was that you would never hurt me,” she said to reassure him. “I believed you and I still do. She acted on her own.”

  Rifter seemed grateful for that, but his optimism was quickly taken again by the sorrow and anger from the betrayal.

  “Where were you when it came after you?” he asked seriously, changing the subject.

  Wren hesitated at that. She searched her mind for some vague answer she could give him that would not hurt the promise she’d made to the others. They didn’t want him to know where they had gone.

  “I’m not sure. I haven’t really learned my way around yet, you know. We were just out there and it showed up all of a sudden.”

  Rifter shook his head as he mulled it over, but he seemed to go right over what she’d said without a problem. She felt a bit guilty for lying to him.

  “Will you take her back sometime?” Wren asked. She wasn’t requesting it, but was curious to know if he would be able to forgive his companion for her wickedness.

  “Not anytime soon. She made a fool out of me.”

  She could tell he was still angry about it, and it wasn’t that Wren was unhappy to have the wisp gone, but Rifter had a bond with that hateful fairy. She guessed it would be hard for them to break apart completely.

  “You know,” he started again, “the more I think about it, the more it seems to make so much sense. Whisper set it up and then she wouldn’t even have to be around when it happened. Dammit! I don’t know why she would do it. I just don’t.”

  Wren wasn’t sure that she was doing the right thing by explaining it to him, but she felt he should have been able to understand.

  “Sometimes women are jealous,” she said, divulging the secrets of her gender. “She felt that I was a threat to the relationship the two of you have.”

  “She was jealous of you so she tried to kill you?” he asked.

  More than once. Wren shrugged.

  “You understand that but you think I have poor reasons for killing?” he asked, amazed.

  “It was a bit extreme,” she admitted, “but she wanted to get rid of me any way she could so that I wouldn’t come between the two of you.”

  He thought about that, creasing his tanned brow.

  “So all women are jealous this way? I guess it does explain some things…”

  “Not all of us are,” she defended. She didn’t care for any generalization about her sex.

  Rifter cocked his head and smiled roguishly. “Are you jealous, Wren?”

  The way he said it – his voice suggestive – made her blush. She had never given much thought to whether she was easily taken by jealously or not. She’d never found herself in a situation where it might be demonstrated.

  “Well, I don’t know if I am.” She smiled a little. “Should I be?”

  There was something on his mind. She could tell. Of course, she didn’t know what it was. She never could with him.

  “I want to show you something else tonight,” he said. There was a mischievous note in his voice, but she managed to overlook it. “Will you come with me?”

  His fingers shifted against hers and Wren lit up at the prospect. Her brothers were here, safe and sound; there was no reason why she shouldn’t. Being alone with him, especially without Whisper, was rare.

  “Where are we going?” she asked as a way of accepting.

  “It’s a surprise.” There was still a secret at the corner of his mouth as he brushed past her.

  “Will I like it?” she asked. “Is it very far?”

  He turned to her, still close, and put a finger to her lips. She was promptly silenced, lost in the way he smiled at her.

  “You’ll just have to trust me,” he said.

  He tugged her hand to pull her along, and while she wanted to throw away all caution, she resisted. Her sense of responsibility was holding her back.

  “The others are here to keep an eye on Max, aren’t they?”

  “Of course,” he promised with a laugh. “You worry too much. What do you think we are? Animals?”

  Wren was certain that she shouldn’t answer that, and he didn’t make her. She let go of her concerns and allowed Rifter to lead her on through the tunnels until finally they emerged in a distant part of the forest. The night was dark around them, the tree branches creating a canopy to shield the ground from the light of the large moon.

  “So, you’re not afraid of flying?” he asked her once they were out in the night.

  Flying? Would he finally take her up? Wren was so excited that she was nearly breathless.

  “No,” she said, shaking her head rapidly. “I’m not afraid.” How could she be, after the other things she had seen?

  Rifter seemed pleased to hear that. He didn’t ask permission to put his arms around her, but the surprise of his immediate closeness excited her in a way that she’d been unaware of until now. It was a pleasant shock.

  “Hold on tight, then,” he instructed, and she wrapped her arms around his neck just before he took off into the air, supporting her so that she could fly with him. Wren was conscious of her own weight but he didn’t seem to mind much. She smiled as the wind blew her hair back, as Rifter took them higher until they were above the trees and under the starlight.

  Was this different than it had been before? He had taken her up into the clouds once when she had been a dreamer, but this felt different. Then, she had been terrified at what was happening, but now she was willing to embrace it. He held her tight and spun around in the air, and instead of shrieking, she laughed. She was brave enough to spread her arms out and let them cut through the air.

  This is unreal – fantastic!

  She looked up at the stars, watching them sweep by as twinkling gems. From that, she transitioned to his blue eyes, which watched hers raptly. They were shining as brilliantly as the stars, and were, perhaps, more beautiful to her.

  She could honestly say that she wasn’t afraid she would fall. He was there holding her and that was all the faith she needed – that was all that mattered. Wren closed her eyes, letting the wind blow by her, feeling the warmth of his face against her own as she leaned in against his shoulder. She knew that if she could do this with her eyes shut so tight, her trust in him was real.

  It was all she needed.

  2

  Once Rifter and Wren had gone out into the night, the underground home was filled with whispers, but the hushed words were not from the banished fairy. The wolves were stirring. They had their leader’s permission to take on a task tonight, and their unsuspecting victim was the only one among them who didn’t know what was in store.

  Their prey was lying on the bear rug in the den, having slept for a few hours, but he should not have needed to sleep. He had been slumbering when Rifter had brought him through the veil, and he should have been plenty strong enough for the test.

  It was a rude awakening when Henry felt a boot jab him in the ribs. His temper flared even before he had woken fully, but he did not lash out when he saw the ones that had shaken him awake. There were six faces looming over him, none of them very friendly.

  Henry could see why they were called a Pack, even if it was only his personal reason. They glared at him like wolves who’d found an intruder sleeping in their territory.

  His eyes widened in confusion and his muscles tightened. He had seen them all before when the Rifter had brought him in, but none of them had said a word to him since. Their glares, however, had spoken volumes. Henry hadn’t expected to find more than just Wren when he’d come to this place, but he guessed that these were others Rifter had kidnapped, much like she had been snatched. Apparently, they didn’t like newcomers.

  “Get up,” the tallest boy said, but Henry wasn’t going to do anything they told him to do. Even if it was something as simple as that, he wouldn’t let them order him around.

  “What’s going on?” he growled at them. “What do you want?”

  They all smiled down at him wickedly, and he knew that something unsavory was
afoot.

  “It’s time for your initiation,” said a boy with a red mohawk, and Henry saw that there was another who looked just like him on the other side. But this didn’t distract him for long.

  “My what?”

  Many hands reached down for him and jerked him up, setting him on his feet. This wasn’t received very well. Henry pushed their hands away from him where they gripped his clothes, but once he was standing upright, they let him be. A few of them stepped back, but there was still one large, rotund boy keeping an eye on him.

  “Where’s Wren?” Henry demanded to know. He didn’t see his siblings anywhere. “And Max?”

  “She’s off with Rifter. The little one is asleep,” said the short one with the animal hood. “What do you figure for this one, Nix? A standard knife? Or perhaps something a bit more difficult?”

  “Nothing ranged,” said the curly-haired one. “He might try to turn it on us. This one’s explosive; I can tell.”

  Weapons? Henry thought with surprise. What are they going to do to me? I knew it! This whole thing was a trick!

  Henry had come here with a knife he’d swiped from the kitchen at the Home, but it was nowhere in sight now. They must have taken it off him. Furious, he began to struggle, but the large boy held him fast.

  “Stop squirming. We’re not going to hurt you,” the one called Nix said. “We’re just going to give you a little test.”

  “What kind of test?” He might have been able to figure out the answer to the question by deduction, but he was in a mood to make demands.

  The boys didn’t answer him. Instead, they made sure he went forward into a different part of the tunnel, beyond a flap of animal hide, where he was confronted with a wall of weapons like he had never seen before. To be honest, Henry had never even seen a sword up close and the only gun had been his father’s pistol, but this collection was so much more than he could have imagined.

  There were blades and guns of many different shapes and lengths. Henry couldn’t begin to guess where they had gotten all these. They had enough to arm a small militia.