Chapter 28
Tim, Finn, Scrum, Tony and I decided to kick back for a couple hours in my room until dinnertime. As we walked down the hallway, Spike and the twins caught up to us.
“Where’re you guys headed?” he asked.
“To my room. What about you guys?”
Spike was all smiles. “Dunno. Want us to come with you?”
I looked at him sideways and knew right away he wanted me to say no.
“Why don’t you take the twins and show them the forest a bit. I’d bet they’d love to go for a run. Or whatever it is you nutty cube-eyes do out there.”
“Cube-eye?”
“Succubi, incubi ... cube-eyes.”
“Ah-ha, I see. Okay, well, we cube-eyes are going out then. See you at dinner.”
I kept walking, leaving them behind.
“Come on girls,” said Spike, “I’ve got something really cool to show you.” I felt the air move past me as they sped away on hyper drive, up the hallway towards one of the symbol doors.
I smiled. Spike had looked positively electrified, he was so happy. And the twins had looked pretty intrigued with Spike in general. Seemed like a match made in heaven.
“Danger in the forest tonight,” said Tim, flying past me.
“Do you think so?” I asked. I still kind of wondered what cube-eyes did when they got together. Did they hunt other fae or humans? Or did they just hunt each other?
“I know so. Those guys get in a pack and ... well ... watch out. I’ve seen what they can do.”
I shivered, a vision of my friends smiling as they came to suck the life out of me in the darkness of the trees, invading my mind. That was not something I wanted to ever have to deal with. I turned my thoughts to somewhat happier subjects. “Tony, I want to know all about the Gray. According to Chase there’s an Infinity Meadow there and probably a lot of other things I’m totally clueless about.”
We’d reached my door and Tony pushed it open. “Sure. Whatever you want to know.”
Everyone found a spot to sit, me on my bed, Tim on his, and everyone else on the floor. Before we could begin though, a sudden movement in the corner of the room caught my eye. I almost screamed bloody murder before I realized it was just Becky appearing out of nowhere.
“Holy shit, Beck, a little warning next time! Geez!”
She smiled, nearly bouncing with happiness, “Oopsy! Sorry! I’m just so excited, I had to come right away. The loyalty test was no biggie and only took, like, two seconds. I went and saw Naida and she was so happy to see me, she actually smiled. Can you believe it?”
I shook my head. “No. I can’t actually. I think you imagined it.”
“No, seriously. She did. I even saw her teeth.” Becky moved to go sit next to Finn, causing him to smile and redden a little, making his freckles stand out in relief.
I grimaced at the idea of Naida’s teeth. I didn’t want any details. My made-up visions of what I thought they’d look like were enough for nightmares. “Tony was just going to give us a primer on the Gray.”
Everyone turned to look at Tony, and I could see him trying not to squirm under the attention.
“Okay, well, I guess I should say first that it’s kind of a lot like here. Most of the stuff there is like a carbon copy or something. But the people or fae are missing, at least the living ones are, and there are some other things there instead.”
“Other things? Like what kind of things?” asked Scrum.
“Spirits. Fae that can travel there like me or like the gray elves – although they do it differently than I do sometimes. Those kinds of things.”
“You mean, like, ghosts?” asked Becky in a hushed voice.
“I guess you could call them that. Everyone who dies spends a little time there – it’s kind of the space between realms. But if you’re lucky, you’re only there for a little while.”
“Why only if you’re lucky?” I asked. I thought about my mom being in there, and was so glad Tony had been there to watch out for her. The idea of my mom hanging out with ghosts didn’t sit well with me.
“I’m not sure why it happens, but some of the spirits in there have been there for a while. They went in and then didn’t move on. Most of them are not what you’d call happy. They sometimes ... uh ... try to get others to stay with them.”
“Oh, dang, unhappy ghosts. Gives me the willies,” said Finn, shivering visibly for effect.
“I’m not really explaining this right. It’s not that they’re unhappy. It’s that they’re lost. Dissatisfied. Lonely. Unlinked to anything. It’s very sad, really. Sometimes I go and try to help them, if I have time.”
“Does it work?” asked Scrum, reverently, “Are you like, a spirit guide or something?”
Tony shrugged. “Sometimes it works – I see them heading off somewhere with a purpose, as if they know what to do finally – other times it doesn’t. They’re stuck in their rut and it’s what they do. Haunt the Gray, I guess you could say. That’s why the place has kind of a negative feel to it. But it doesn’t bother me.” He looked at me and I kind of knew what he was saying, even though he didn’t come right out and say it.
“So are you in there, in there, or just kind of like a ghost there too?” asked Scrum.
“Well, it depends. Sometimes I go fully in, like as myself. And other times I go in through astral projection – sending my spirit in, basically, but leaving my corporal body here in this realm.”
“That’s different than the gray elves,” I said, remembering when Gregale, one of the gray elves, had taken me to visit Tony when he was still living in Florida.
“Yeah. They can only go in with astral projection. They can’t go in fully, like me.”
Before I’d met Tony, I was kind of in my own Gray. I didn’t have much of a purpose, other than being angry. I didn’t know where I was going or what I was supposed to be doing. I was unhappy and feeling unloved. But his friendship changed that. I guess in a way, he was my spirit guide.
He smiled at me, vibing my thoughts so I didn’t have to say them out loud. But I did anyway, because I wanted everyone to know how awesome he is.
“Tony was my spirit guide. He’s the reason I’m here.”
Finn looked at us and nodded. “Ya’ll have a special bond. Everyone can see it.”
“I kinda feel that way with all of you guys,” said Becky, shyly. “That’s why I didn’t stay over there with the Dark Fae – even though there are some super nice ones there. I’m totally serious, guys. There are. They’re not bad guys like you all think.”
“Ben is,” I said, with absolute conviction. Nothing she said would change my mind about that.
“No, Jayne, he really, really isn’t. I got to know him a lot, and he’s a super nice guy. I can see why Tony and he were friends. They’re a lot alike.”
My mouth dropped open. “Are you sure they didn’t put some weird juju on you, Becky, because I swear I just heard you say Ben is like Tony – and in my world, them’s fightin’ words.”
Becky smiled. “You can’t catch me, Jayne, so don’t even try. And I’m serious. Ben is nice, helpful, always ready to offer advice if you want it. He really cares about the fae. He’s dedicated to our entire species.”
I snorted. “Pfft. Whatever. He has an agenda and he roped you into it. I know what I know.”
“You know what you think you know. There’s a difference,” she said, refusing to give in.
“Becky. Do you want to stay in this room or do you want to get kicked out?”
“Stay. But with my own opinions.”
Tony raised his eyebrow at her and then looked at me, waiting to see what I’d do. I almost hated that he didn’t jump in and handle it for me. Becky was pushing me into a corner and it wasn’t like her. It made me mad, which was too weird, because being mad at Becky was like being mad at Bambi or something.
“Fine. Have your own stupid opinion. Just don’t go preaching the Ben’s awesome sermon at me, ‘cuz I’m not buying.”
She shrugged. “Okay. Fine. But you’ll see. Eventually.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, but let it drop. It didn’t matter anyway. I was staying as far away from Ben as possible. As far as I was concerned, our elements just didn’t mix well.
I looked over at Scrum who was busy rubbing his short hair over and over, as if petting a dog, and it reminded me of Gorm.
“Hey, Scrum, what happened to Gorm? Did he escape?”
Scrum dropped his hand into his lap. “No, not exactly. He said his debt was paid. He wanted to go report back to Chase and get released so he could go back to his cave. Without you here, he didn’t see any point in staying.”
“So you just let a fae-eating monster wander off into the forest?”
Scrum squirmed a little, “Well, no, actually I escorted him over to the clinic where a witch mixed up a potion for him to drink, I took him to that spot where you had taken Chase before, and then I made him drink it. Then I got the heck out of there before he woke up.”
“What was the potion for?” asked Tony.
“To erase his memory of his time here.”
“Including the part where he liked us and agreed not to eat us?” I asked, a little annoyed.
“Um ... maybe?” Scrum started petting his head again, at a furious pace.
I rolled my eyes. “Great. Okay, so if any of you see the Chase-monster or any buggane in the forest, run like hell.”
“What does a buggane look like, anyway? The only one I ever saw looked a lot like Chase,” said Finn.
We all looked at each other, puzzled expressions on our faces.
“Okay, that was helpful,” I said sarcastically. “Tony, you really need to get a training manual together – with pictures. Color ones.”
He smiled. “I’ll get right on that.”
“I’m not kidding.”
“She’s right,” said Finn. “We need, like, a fae encyclopedia so we ain’t so clueless all the time. I swear, half the accidents we have are preventable.”
“You’re preaching to the choir, Finn,” I said.
“I’d buy the book,” said Scrum. “I’m going on instinct most of the time, and that’s okay for protecting different fae, but for the rest of the stuff, like just living here, it would be really helpful.”
“Well, I promise to meet with the gray elves about it – but I know it’s not their priority right now.”
“Speaking of meetings,” I said, “what do you guys think about this meeting thing with the Dark Fae? Do you have anything you want me to bring up when I’m there?”
“I’m glad you asked, Jayne,” said Tony. “What I’d like to know is, what exactly is this threat? Does anyone know what form it will take? When it will come? What resources we could use against it ... ?”
I held up my hand to stop him. “Tony. This is exactly why I think it should be you wearing that cloak instead of me.” I glanced at the shimmering turquoise cloth hanging on a hook on the back of my door where my towel usually hangs. “I have no idea what everyone needs to know or even what to say when I’m with those guys.”
“Just follow your instincts,” suggested Tim. “If nothing else, they provide excellent comic relief.”
“Thanks, Tim. Very helpful.”
“I aim to please!”
“What’d he say?” asked Becky.
“He said he wishes he was as intelligent as I am, but that he knows he’ll always have to live with the fact that along with his wee ass, he only has a wee brain.”
Becky smiled first at my answer and then at Tim’s obvious annoyance as he flew around the room gesticulating at me.
I ignored him and listened to Tony instead.
“No, you are the perfect choice for the honor. If you don’t think to ask those questions, don’t worry about it. The gray elves are always brought into the loop immediately. If you all decide that we need to cooperate with the Dark Fae, then I’ll be working with their gray elves too. Together, I know we can work it out.”
I shook my head. “You’re a lot more positive about this ‘working in cooperation’ thing than I am.”
Becky jumped in. “Jayne, now, I know you don’t like Ben. And I know they tortured you over there ... so don’t go getting all p.o.ed at me, but I have to tell you that I met some super nice Dark Fae. They weren’t bad guys at all. I told them about what happened to you there and they told me they were against it. Everyone was, except for Maléna and that guy Leck, of course.” She leaned in and whispered the rest. “They’re kind of, like, loonies, if you know what I mean.”
“So they let loonies run the show. Perfect.”
“No, not really. They’re kind of off on the side of things. Maléna is on the council, but she doesn’t really get along with the others very much. Leck is her buddy. I think what happened to you was not sanctioned by the council.”
“Well, Ben was there. He knew what was going on.”
“Ben’s not on the council. He’s powerful, yes, ‘cuz he’s their elemental and he’s got seriously wicked fire and wind skills, but he’s not in charge. He has to do what they say for the most part. He can’t directly stop Maléna from doing what she does, but he did report her for what she did to you. And I’m pretty sure she got in trouble. And Leck did too. I don’t know the details, but I heard some things.”
“Whatever, Becky. You weren’t there. Ben told Leck to go ahead and torture me. He was in on it.”
Becky frowned and so did Tony.
“You can ask Tim. He was there too.” I was getting pissed that they weren’t believing me or maybe thought I was exaggerating.
“It’s true!” he shouted, buzzing in front of Becky’s face and then over at Tony’s. He stopped at Tony’s shoulder, and yelled in his ear. “Ben gave the order for Leck to melt Jayne’s brain! As you can see, there were some side-effects!”
Tony half-smiled, glancing up at me to see if I was okay with Tim’s wisecracks.
I just rolled my eyes. A least the little turd corroborated my story.
“Well, maybe he had his reasons,” said Tony. “Hopefully, someday we’ll find out what they were.”
“I don’t need to wait to hear his lame excuse. He wanted to get into our compound. He was totally clear and upfront about that. I don’t need to know anymore.”
“Well, you held out and he didn’t get in. Neither did any of his friends, even though they played dirty. You showed ‘em you’re better’n they are, Jayne. You made us proud over there.”
I nodded at Finn in thanks. “I’m just lucky Chase was there. If he hadn’t been, I don’t know how I would have gotten out.”
“Seems kind of funny how he was able to do that, without anyone seeing,” said Tony.
I shrugged. “He had plenty of time to get the lay of the land over there. Plus it was in the middle of the night. Everyone was sleeping.”
“Ben let you go,” said Becky softly. “He knew Chase was letting you out. He wanted it to happen.”
I got mad at her. “Oh, please, Becky, give it a rest, would you? I don’t know what your game is, but let it go. Ben’s not our friend. He’s not on our side. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you’ll have your head back on straight.”
Becky stood up in a huff. “You’re wrong, Jayne. And I know you don’t like to hear that – and I sure don’t like being the one to say it – but you are. And the sooner you realize that, the sooner you’ll know what the right thing to do is when you wear that shiny cloak!” And then she disappeared into thin air.
“Sonofabitch! I hate when she does that.”
“What?” asked Scrum, innocently, “Tells you off or teleports?”
I grabbed the wadded up, dirty sock I’d just taken off my foot and threw it at him. It bounced off his stupid head.
“What? What’d I say?”
Finn laughed. “Dude, you are almost too clueless. Did your momma drop you on your head when you were little or somethin’?”
Scrum looked confused for second. “No. But my gra
ndma did. I still have a flat spot on my skull from it. Wanna feel it?” He tipped his head towards Finn, giving him access in case he wanted to verify.
All of us started laughing our asses off. It was too perfectly awful to not be comical. Poor Scrum with his psycho grandma. I wish I could have met that lady so I could have slapped her silly.
“No,” said a disgusted Finn, “I ain’t feelin’ your dang head, boy. Git yourself together.”
Scrum shrugged. “There was no permanent damage. Besides ... it was just an accident.”
I was holding my stomach, trying to keep the laughing pains away. I couldn’t stop. I think all of the stress I’d been holding in was coming out as guffaws and snorts. Every time I thought I was going to be able to stop, I’d look at Scrum’s confused face and start all over again.
It was only a knock at the door and Céline’s voice that finally sobered me up.
Chapter 29
I joined Céline out in the hall, giving my friends some privacy so they could collect themselves. Tony was still laughing with a silent laugh-scream look on his face when I stepped outside the door and closed it behind me.
“Hey, Céline, what’s up?”
“I just wanted to let you know that the council is meeting right before dinner, in about twenty minutes. We’d like to discuss this upcoming conference with the Dark Fae. Can you come?”
“Of course. Where?”
“Do you remember the room where we met before you went to get Tony?”
I searched my memory for the door. “The one with the symbol that has the circle and the line through it?”
“Yes. It’s the phi door. Meet us there in twenty minutes, okay?”
“Okay. Twenty minutes at the pie door.”
“Phi, not pie.”
“Oh. Okay.” Whatever that means.
I went back inside the room and saw everyone but Scrum, lying on the floor, holding their stomachs. Even Tim, except he was lying on the top of my dresser.