Oak & Thorns

  “Did you call the paramedics?” Herne asked.

  Talia shook her head. “No. Angel called the hospital and they told her it would be better if we headed straight here, rather than wait for the paramedics. They asked if he was losing blood, and while he was, it wasn’t like he was bleeding out. Given the state of the authorities around the area, I made the decision that we should bring him here. I don’t trust any of the emergency services down near Seacrest Cove. Not with Astrana watching over the area so tightly.”

  “I would have made the same decision,” Herne said, reassuring her.

  As Viktor and Angel entered the building, a doctor hustled out, looking around until he saw us. He hurried over.

  “You’re Yutani’s friends?”

  Herne nodded. “We are. How is he? Can we see him?”

  “He’ll live. But he’s got a nasty break in his arm, and he’s going to need at least seventy-five stitches to close all of the gashes made by the trap. He’s a coyote shifter?”

  Herne nodded. “Yeah. Do you have a specialist for SubCult injuries?”

  “Actually, it’s one of my specialties. We always have a doctor on duty here at the hospital who can handle SubCult medical issues. At least the break is clean, so we’ll just have to splint it up and then he’ll need a cast as soon as the swelling goes down. The nurse is prepping him for stitches now. I’ll have her come get you when we’re done.” And with that, he turned and hustled off again.

  Talia finished filling out the forms and took them up to the desk, handing them to the receptionist along with Yutani’s insurance card. That was one of the great perks we got with the Wild Hunt—fantastic insurance and a retirement savings plan.

  We moved over to one of the corner seating areas, where we couldn’t be overheard.

  “We need to go see Rhiannon while we’re here,” Herne said. “It’ll probably take a little time to sew up Yutani’s arm, so the rest of you wait here while Ember and I go visit her. Viktor, please fill in Angel and Talia on what happened at the park.”

  As we headed over to the reception desk, I wondered at the timing. Had the trap been set deliberately? It seemed odd to have both Yutani and Rhiannon end up in the hospital at the same time. But then, if whoever had run Rhiannon off the road had their way, they probably would have killed her. As far as the trap went, nobody could know that Yutani was going out for a run. We swept our rooms every night now for listening devices, so they couldn’t have overheard him tell Talia that he wanted to go out, or have time to set the trap, even if they had followed him to find out where he was going. It had to be a coincidence, albeit a nasty one.

  “We’re here to see Rhiannon of the Foam Born,” Herne said, giving the receptionist with a bedazzling smile.

  She glanced at her roster, then at the clock. “It’s a little late for visiting hours.”

  “We just found out she was in an accident.”

  “All right, wait for a moment and I’ll call someone to take you back to her.”

  Sure enough, a moment later a nurse appeared and motioned for us to follow her. As we headed down the hall, through a pair of swinging doors, I wondered if Blackthorn had orchestrated the attack. Had he seen us down on the shore talking to Madrigal? If so, we were all in danger. With that thought, we entered the room where Rhiannon was confined to a bed, her leg in traction. When she saw us, she didn’t look happy.

  Chapter 13

  RHIANNON WAS BANGED up pretty bad. She had bruises over her left eye, which was a purplish black—the color of deep bruising that hadn’t begun to heal yet. One side of her jaw was swollen. Her left leg was elevated, in a splint, and she looked both scared and angry.

  The nurse turned to her. “You have company,” she said. “Are you up to having a few visitors?”

  Rhiannon frowned, then winced. “For just a moment. I’m not feeling very well.”

  The nurse left the room, and I crossed to Rhiannon’s side. I wanted to take her hand, but decided to let her take the lead.

  “Can we get you anything?” I genuinely liked the woman, and I was really pissed at whoever had chased her down. “Do you need us to bring you some things from your home?”

  “No,” she said. “A friend’s doing that.” She paused, then said, “Listen, I want you to stop the investigation. Just drop it.” A note of fear clung to her words.

  “I can’t do that,” Herne said, approaching the bed. “My father has made this investigation mandatory now. We’ve identified twenty potential murder victims, and over forty missing people, Rhiannon. And since the murderer is targeting more than just Fae, we’re stepping in. Tell us what happened tonight.”

  Even though his voice was soft, it was also firm.

  Rhiannon seemed to hear the determination in it as well. “I can’t risk my people. I just can’t. Don’t you understand?”

  “You already have. We’re dealing with one of the Ante-Fae.”

  She froze, staring at him. “Oh great gods. The Ante-Fae?”

  “Yes, and we’re all on his radar now. So tell me, what happened?” Herne was still speaking gently, but the command was there.

  Rhiannon glanced at the door. I moved to it, peeking out to make sure nobody was listening in. I shut it softly, leaning against it so that nobody could intrude on us unexpectedly. She let out a long sigh, wincing as she twisted her lip. Finally, she looked up at Herne.

  “I’ll tell you, but you have to promise me to make sure Marilyn and her son Ryan are safe.”

  “We’ll do our best to ensure their safety. Maybe my mother can help transport them back to their pod.” Herne paused, then he leaned forward, his elbows resting on the bed rails. “Rhiannon, you have to help us. It’s the only way for us to help you and the others, now that this thing seems to be blowing open.”

  “I was heading toward a friend’s house. She lives over in Greenbank, on the other side of the island. I was on Bakken Road, and I was almost to the highway when a car pulled up behind me. Let me think for a moment,” she said, closing her eyes.

  A few seconds later, she opened them again. “The car came off of Day Road—I remember now. It swung in behind me, really fast, and sped up until it was tailgating me. I tried to put some distance between us, but the car lurched forward and smashed into the back of my car, forcing me off the road. It hit me so hard that I spun into a tree. Another car was coming along the other side and they immediately slowed down. That’s when the car behind me roared past and took off.”

  “Did the other car stop?”

  “Yes, thank the gods. When I hit the tree, it crunched in the driver’s door and my leg was stuck. I didn’t get a chance to look at the license plate or anything. The people who stopped called the cops and an ambulance. Astrana sent a deputy out. I told him what happened, and even though the driver who was helping me had seen that my attacker was driving a blue sedan, the deputy said they probably would have a hard time finding it. If the other car hadn’t stopped to help, I’d be dead. Whoever hit me wasn’t playing any games. He meant business.”

  She seemed exhausted by the effort of telling us what it happened. She leaned back against the upraised head of the bed, closing her eyes again and breathing softly.

  “Do you happen to have the name of man who helped you?”

  She shook her head. “I asked the deputy as I was being put into the ambulance and he said that he’d get me that information when he could. I haven’t heard one peep out of the police since I got here.”

  “It might be time to pay a visit to Astrana’s office,” Herne said. “Except that’s probably going to blow up in our face. First we have to check on Yutani.”

  “I’m frightened. I told the deputy I was afraid whoever hit me might try to finish the job, but he laughed and told me it was probably some rowdy teenagers. I can tell you this: It was no teenager out on a joy ride.” Rhiannon was getting upset again. “I asked him if he would post a guard on my door, and he said there wasn’t any need.
So I have a couple guards from the Encampment coming in.”

  “Until they get here, Viktor can watch over you.” Herne looked pissed. “My father’s right. We have to take care of this, and the sooner the better.”

  “I’ll go get Viktor. You stay with her until I come back.” The truth was, I didn’t want to listen to her plead with Herne to back off. I felt bad for her, but Cernunnos was right. I slipped out of the hospital room, back to the waiting room. The others looked up expectantly.

  “She’s pretty banged up. And of course, Astrana’s writing it off as a joke. Viktor, Herne wants you to stay on guard for Rhiannon until her own bodyguards get here.” I gave him the room number, and he took off. I was about follow him when the doctor came out.

  “You can see your friend now,” he said.

  Talia, Angel, and I followed him back through the labyrinth of corridors until we came to a set of double doors leading into an examination room. Yutani was on the bed, his head elevated, his arm swathed in bandages and a splint. His eyes were glassy from the pain. Most shifters didn’t handle drugs very well, so they usually opted out of pain medication.

  “Hey, I’d ask how you’re feeling, but you’d probably hit me.” I crossed over to the bed.

  “I’ve been better,” he said. He struggled to sit up. The doctor helped him. “I did not expect a trap in the woods.”

  “Traps are illegal,” the doctor said. “There are too many shifters around. We have an ordinance against them. I had to report it.”

  I groaned. Another run-in with Astrana seemed likely, although this, she would probably take some sort of action on.

  “Any idea of who would set up something like that?”

  The doctor gave me a little shrug. “A few of the humans around here don’t appreciate the SubCult community. Rather than just being vocal about it, they tend to take action. A lot of crap like this.”

  He nodded toward the bloody trap that was sitting on one of the trays. It was a nasty piece of work, with sharp jagged teeth. It almost looked homemade, which would give credence to what the doctor had just said. If it was some wingnut hate group, they probably sat around on Saturday afternoons crafting their weapons.

  “You’d think they’d be weeded out and ostracized by now. But then again, you never know what’s lurking beneath the surface of any community.” Talia moved over to Yutani’s side, resting her hand on his knee. “You really should sleep for a while. This is the best place for you.”

  He shook his head. “I’d feel safer back at the hotel. Besides, the doctor gave me meds to keep it from getting infected, and I won’t be able to have the arm cast until we get back to Seattle. The swelling has to come down first, and the stitches have to come out.”

  “True,” the doctor said. “However, when that splint comes off to change the dressings, you need someone trained to keep the arm from spontaneously shifting. I have to insist that if you leave the hospital tonight, when you need the dressings changed, you consult a doctor. I’m writing that up in your instructions, because if you don’t and something happens to your arm, I don’t want to be held liable.”

  “Fair enough,” Yutani said, gritting his teeth as he moved his shoulder. “I can do that. When should I have them changed?”

  “I’d say tomorrow afternoon. Don’t overwork yourself, and don’t bump that arm. You have seventy-five stitches in your arm, and a broken bone. Coyote shifter or not, you’re not in any shape to go bouncing around poking into dangerous cases.”

  He gave Yutani a long look. “I saw on your registration form that you work for the Wild Hunt. I have an inkling of what that entails, so the rest of you need to keep him quiet.” He turned to look at Talia, Angel, and me. “I am writing him a prescription limiting him to indoor activity only. And no shifting until the bone heals up. And a lot of bed rest for the first forty-eight hours.”

  Yutani groaned, but Talia shook the doctor’s hand.

  “We’ll make certain he behaves.” By her tone of voice, I believed every word of it.

  At that point, Herne entered the room. He took one look at Yutani, then turned to the doctor.

  I suppose he’s insisting on leaving tonight?”

  “Yes, but I just had a long conversation with your friends here about keeping him quiet and confined to indoor activity. I’m writing it up in my discharge notes. You’re free to wait in the waiting room until I’m done. I’ll have the nurse bring him out in a wheelchair when he’s ready.”

  He pointed toward the trap. “You’re a very lucky man. That could have severed your arm if it had closed just right. Or a foot. I’ll turn this over to the sheriff, and we’ll see if we can find who built it. If we do, I’ll have the authorities notify you in case you want to sue the pants off of them for your medical bills.” Again, the doctor paused. “And if I were you, I’d take every opportunity to do so. People need to realize they can’t just run around targeting anybody they don’t like.”

  With that, he chased the rest of us out, back to the waiting room.

  “I ASSUME VIKTOR is still with Rhiannon?” I asked.

  Herne nodded. “I contacted the Second Lieutenant of the Foam Born Encampment. He said there are four men on their way to stand watch over Rhiannon. They’ll be here within half an hour. We’ll wait until they get here. Rhiannon’s not at all happy with us. She wants us to stop the investigation, but it’s too late for that. If anything, this makes it more pressing. I should talk to my father. I’m going to go call the intermediary, to contact him.”

  I suddenly understood. “You have someone you call who contacts him, so he can get in touch with you?”

  “Yeah. Since cell phones won’t work in his realm, he has to pop out into ours to give me a call. As a matter of fact, John—with the portal in his yard? He’s one of my intermediaries. There are others in case he’s busy.” He moved away from us, pulling out his phone.

  I turned to Talia. “Will we have any trouble keeping Yutani quiet?”

  She cracked a faint grin. “I can keep him under control. Even when Herne can’t, I’m able to get through to that fur-brained skull of his. He’s stubborn, but I’m a harpy. And even if I don’t have my powers, I still have my nature.” She winked at me. “Sometimes I think Yutani thinks of me as a substitute mother.”

  Remembering what Herne had told me about Yutani, I wondered just how much the others knew.

  “Is his mother still alive?”

  “I don’t know. He never talks about her.” Talia gave me a speculative look, and I returned it with a slow smile. She gave me a nod, but I knew that she wouldn’t say anymore until she knew exactly what I had been told. She was a cagey old bird, that was for sure, but she was smart and observant.

  “Cernunnos will call me back as soon as he gets the chance. Or rather, as soon as John is able to go through the portal. It shouldn’t be long. I told him it was a code yellow situation. Which, technically, it is.”

  At my look, he explained. “A code red situation is emergency, we have to take care of something before all out war breaks out. Code orange indicates an escalating situation that can endanger a lot of people, and a code yellow situation indicates that we are running into serious trouble and need advice.”

  “Here comes the nurse,” Angel said, nodding toward the doors by the reception desk. A nurse was wheeling out Yutani. The doctor followed behind, handing a chart to the receptionist. She made some sort of notation on it, then gave the sheath of papers to the nurse pushing the wheelchair. We walked over to meet them.

  “Here are his discharge papers,” the nurse said, giving them to Talia. “Is someone bringing the car around?”

  Talia glanced at Herne. “Do you want to drive Yutani back to the hotel, or should we?”

  “Why don’t you take him? Ember, Viktor, and I will follow once Rhiannon’s guards arrive. If you take off now, you should get back to the hotel in about half an hour. Drive carefully, and watch yourselves on the road.”

&
nbsp; Talia nodded. “Will do. Angel and I will go get the car now. I think it’s better if we go in pairs.”

  I spoke up. “I’ll walk out with them. I’ve got my dagger, and it’s just safer.”

  We headed out into the chill night air. The wind had picked up, and the faint smell of saltwater wafted through the air. None of us had much to say. It had been a long day for everybody, all the way around. As we drove back up to the loading zone, I wanted nothing more than to go back to the hotel, go to sleep, and leave this island as soon as we woke up.

  The nurse helped transfer Yutani into the backseat of the car, where he leaned back and closed his eyes, working on pain control. With Angel and Talia in the front and buckled in, I made sure their doors were locked and waved them off. As I headed back into the hospital, I saw four members of the hippocampus encampment heading across the parking lot, and I waited for them to join me. Madrigal was among them. He nodded at me, and we all went into the hospital, to Rhiannon’s room.

  BY THE TIME we filled the guards in on what had happened and left them watching Rhiannon, it was well past one a.m. As we headed out for the car, Herne’s phone rang. Cernunnos was calling him back. He answered, sliding into the driver seat. As Viktor and I got ourselves adjusted, Herne ran down what had happened. A few minutes later he hung up.

  “He says to check out the touchstone I found in the forest and use it in order to find Blackthorn. If we have to, we’re to apprehend Astrana for complicity. That’s going to be a barrel of laughs, because you know she’s working with the King of Thorns. I’m not looking forward to that little altercation.”

  “Can we contact Névé about this? After all, Astrana is Light Fae. Doesn’t that give Névé some control over her?”

  “I suppose that’s a possibility, but given she was exiled from the court, she’s probably no longer subject to its rulings. Once you are excommunicated, I don’t believe you owe fealty, though I could be mistaken.” Herne hit the steering wheel with his fist. “Let’s get back to the hotel and check out that touchstone.” He glanced at me as I yawned. “Take a nap on the way home. It’s not much, but it will help.”