Chapter Thirty-Six
A silence descended as we waited for the fae; even the dripping water seemed to be hushed in anticipation. I was ready to burst when a woman dressed in rags opened the creaking door. Inside the shack, I spotted bits of old piping, but I also noticed clay jars, a braided rug, and other homey objects. The woman's face was lined with deep wrinkles and bore the sign of exposure to the elements, though her eyes and mouth appeared too long and shapely for her round features.
She wore a pair of cotton knit pants over a pair of jeans, visible through worn holes on the knees. Though I couldn't see all the layers she wore, the bulk suggested they were many. Her hair was hidden by a filthy rag wrapped around her head and knotted at the base of her neck. I immediately recognized her as a fae. Like the others, something about her appearance looked off, unnatural. She glanced at Josh and me before her long mouth turned up into a smile.
“Nikolai,” the woman said in a Celtic accent. A Russian name in a Celtic accent is rather funny sounding. Again, I was surprised. Nik had not mentioned knowing the fae when Muffler suggested us coming to her, though he had seemed rather knowledgeable about her abilities. “It's been a long time.”
“Faunus,” Nik repeated in way of a greeting. “May I introduce Josh and Ash?”
The old woman waved her hand as if to dismiss us. “What are you here for?”
“I was hoping to strike a bargain with you.”
She hesitated a moment, her eyes narrowing as if she were calculating the risks while staring at Nikolai. Finally, she nodded slowly and turned to her shack. She opened the door and waved us in. I followed the others into the shack, expecting to be stuck in the doorway. There was no way all four of us could fit inside that building. To my astonishment, there was room to spare. I wanted to go back outside and walk around the perimeter of her home. Had I been mistaken about the size?
Josh and I stayed near the door while Nik strolled further in, standing near a small fire pit made out of stone that had not been original to the building. I looked up but couldn't see any hole in the roof to let the smoke out; nevertheless, the room did not fill with the toxic fumes. The woman stopped on the other side of the fire and turned to stare at Nik.
“Now, what is it you want from me?” she asked.
“I need you to look into this girl’s past. People are hunting her,” he said, leaving out the fact that some of those people were her superiors. “And I need to know why.”
“I see,” murmured the old woman. Something about her appearance changed: her skin suddenly seemed to melt from her body, the ragged clothing dripping from her to transform her shape from large and bulky to tiny and half covered in fur. I blinked a couple of times, but before I could figure out what was happening, a totally different person stood before us. My eyes went wide as I stared at what once had been an ugly, slightly weird looking homeless woman. Now stood a short half human, half deer-like creature. I wracked my brain for the right word. I think she was a faun.
Faun. Faunus. Duh, Ashley.
She stood about four feet tall, with legs that bent in the wrong direction; they were covered in dark brown fur. The hair on her head draped down her back in waves that were a shade redder than the fur on her legs. Two brown horns wrapped delicately around her head creating a kind of natural crown. She wore a small doeskin vest and a few silver rings; from her hair hung copper and silver baubles. The room filled with a subtle, gamey scent. It reminded me vaguely of the bleeding werewolves.
She stepped up to Nik, her tiny hooves clattering against the concrete floor.
“Now, Nikolai, what would you trade me in exchange for providing you information about this girl?” she asked, waving a tiny hand in my direction. Her green eyes flashed toward me, mischief pulsing out of every fleck of color. I smiled at her; I couldn't help it.
“I will offer you a favor, to be completed once she is safe.” Nik paused. “And to include no killing of innocents.”
The fae considered his offer for a moment before nodding. “Agreed. Come here, child,” she said, addressing me.
I glanced at Nik, who nodded, and I stepped to the faun's side. She held out her hand, waiting for me to place my fingers in hers. I'm the monster now, I told myself as I relinquished my hand to her. Faunus hissed and jerked her fingers away from mine as though I had burned her. She clenched them to her chest and glared up at me. Nik was across the small fire and at my side in a moment, his hands resting on my shoulders, ready to pull me to safety should it be required.
“What's wrong?”
“I cannot look into her past,” Faunus announced, still rubbing her fingers. “She is of my blood.”
“Wait… what?” I asked, totally confused. I sure didn't look like I was a descendant of hers. Though I occasionally went without shaving my legs—due to epic laziness and a lack of a love life—they still never grew fur!
“That can't be,” argued Nik at the same moment. “She's a vampire. Fae can't be turned.”
“She is not fae, or at least, not fae enough to keep from turning. But one of her distant ancestors was fae and part of my lineage.”
“You can breed with a fae?” I asked, barely letting her finish.
“Humans can. So you can't tell me about her past?” Nik asked, turning his attention back to Faunus. I could see the frustration and anger building, as yet another plan failed before it even began.
She shook her head, the baubles clicking musically in her hair. “No. My family is my weakness. I am blind to them.”
Nik let out a long, frustrated sigh. I knew this meant we were pretty much back to square one.
“I should take her myself,” the fae suddenly said in a low voice; the walls vibrated with a surge of angry power while her vibrant eyes shown with the mischief I had previously glimpsed. “You dare bring such a temptation into my home, Nikolai?” she asked, her Celtic accent thickening with each word.
“What do you mean?” Nik asked, trying to sound as if he was confused, but I knew better. Everyone knew what was going on. Faunus had guessed my identity, and she knew her queen was searching for me, and I knew this had been a stupid idea.
“She is the one my queen wants,” said Faunus. “She is the prize.” The short fae stepped in front of me until I could have kicked her in the shins. I felt Nik tense beside me. “But you are my kin. I will not do something that might harm one of my own. And thankfully I am not prone to do as my queen bids. She is too reckless for my taste. Perhaps this will teach her.
“Take her, Nikolai, before I change my mind. And remember, though I did not succeed, you still owe me a favor.”
Nik had me out the door and back on the path before a human could have blinked. I glanced back, but the faun had already transformed into her human glamor. We hiked at a more casual pace back to the car. Inside, I turned the heat up and stripped out of the dripping leather jacket. I'd dry faster without it. We all sat in the car listening to the rain gently pelting the car. None of us had the courage to comment on our lack of motion; Nik was gripping the steering wheel as if he intended to tear it off the dashboard.
“Sooo… ” Josh eventually sighed from the back seat. “A fae vamp. Don't see that every day.”
I felt one corner of my lips tweak up into the beginnings of a smile. Leave it to Josh to make a joke out of our predicament. I counted to twenty before speaking. “So what's next, Nik?”
“I don't know,” he growled, his hands twisting around the steering wheel, making a squeaking noise.
I stared at him, a little shocked. Nik had always known the next step; I'd never seen him without a plan B, and I didn't know what to say or how to fix the situation. Thankfully, I wasn't the only one in the car.
“Anyone want to hear my idea?” Josh asked from the back seat.
“No!” barked Nik as he twisted the key in the ignition, nearly snapping it in half.
I gently placed my hand on his extended arm. “It won't hurt to listen.” I waited until Nik took a deep breath and began b
acking the car out of the small, flat parking area before turning in my seat to look at Josh.
“Let's go back to Helen. We have a little bit more information now. If we catch her at the school she might even do a spell to help.”
“Which one's Helen again?” I asked.
“The witch we visited before. But she didn't know anything,” Nik responded in a sullen voice as if he knew that Josh's notion was the best option we had.
“That could have changed. After all, we've learned a few new things,” repeated Josh. I clamped my mouth shut. As much as I wanted to support Josh, I knew he’d have more persuasive power without me adding my voice into the mix.
“Fine,” Nik spat, slamming his foot on the gas and careening down the quiet, residential street. I glanced at the clock, which glowed a faint blue and announced the time to be 4:13 A.M. in the morning. I wondered, without verbalizing my thoughts, how many people Nik had woken up with the roaring of his engine. Of course, what man thinks of things like that when he’s angry and has a fast car at his disposal?