Fields of Blood (The DeathSpeaker Codex Book 2) (30 page)

There was a gleaming new windshield, and the destroyed back doors had been replaced. The hood was dent-free. All the tires were brand new. Armored siding was installed on both sides, neatly trimmed and bolted in place. The metal antenna had been replaced with a pair of modern, slim plastic stubs, and there was a small satellite dish mounted on the roof.

“Gideon.” Bill walked toward me with a hand outstretched, and I tried to reel my jaw back in as I shook. “Sheriff Gormann explained what happened to your van,” he said. “When Chester said he was going to fix it, I volunteered to help. Being the town mechanic and all.” He smiled. “Some of the others donated parts. Even Jesse kicked in.”

I remembered Jesse. The big angry guy who’d called Chester a crackpot and tried to rally the others against him. “Thank you,” I managed, and introduced Bill around. When I’d collected myself a little more, I said, “You didn’t have to do all this.”

“The hell we didn’t. You saved our lives,” Bill said. “Hell, you probably saved the whole town. I doubt those people, whoever they were, would’ve kept things small-scale for long.” He walked over next to Chester and gestured at the van. “Go ahead and check it out.”

“The glass is bulletproof, by the way,” Chester said. “Werewolf-proof, too. No offense, Sadie.”

“Um. None taken.”

“Have a look inside.” Chester moved to the van and opened the passenger side door.

I looked. There was a flat screen mounted on the center of the dashboard, and a bunch of new ports installed next to the radio. Standard power, USB, even an AC socket. All the broken glass and plastic shards had been cleaned out, and there was a bench seat installed parallel to the fold-down bed, on the opposite side. A file folder-sized cardboard box rested on the seat.

“Touchscreen GPS and navigation,” he said. “And I copied all my files on the aliens for you. They’re in that box, there.”

I turned to stare at Chester and Bill. “Have you guys even slept since you got back?”

“Not really,” Bill laughed.

Chester shrugged. “Hell, I don’t sleep much anyway. Never have.”

“Well, I…don’t know what to say. Thank you,” I said. “This is incredible.”

“You just call me the next time you go up against them,” Chester said. “I’m pretty sure you could use my help.”

I smiled. “Yeah. I think you’re right.”

Now the only problem I’d have would be driving around Manhattan in a suspicious-looking armored van. Good thing I had a friend in the NYPD.

Abe was probably going to hate me for this.

Chester sent us off with meals. I decided not to ask what was in them—it was better that way. If I had to eat squirrel, I didn’t want to know it.

Sadie opted to stretch out on the new back seat, so I had Taeral up front with me on the way home. We’d spent half an hour in exhausted silence, when Taeral suddenly said, “Are you not going to rub it in?”

“What, that you’re afraid of snakes?” I said. “Don’t think I forgot.”

He sighed. “You were right. About Milus Dei.”

“Oh. That.” I still didn’t want to think about it, but I guessed we had to. “Honestly, I don’t know what to do,” I said. “If Chester’s right, and I’m afraid he is…this thing is huge. Even if we don’t do anything, they’re going to come after us again.”

“Aye. That is why you must learn to control your abilities,” he said. “Not just as a Fae, but also as the DeathSpeaker. A subject I obviously know nothing about.”

I grimaced. “How am I going to do that?” I said. “Nobody knows anything about it, right? I mean, correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought I was the only one.”

“You are. But there have been others before you.”

“There have?” I said, mildly stunned. “Any of them still around?”

He shook his head. “The last DeathSpeaker has been gone for a century or more, and the previous at least as long before him. Only those who’ve known them still live,” he said, staring grimly out the window. “And to reach them, we must travel to Arcadia.”

The sound of that word stirred my blood, every time I heard it. “The Fae realm?” I said. “You want me to go to Arcadia.”

“You cannot go alone. The Unseelie territory is a deadly place, even to those who belong there. And you’ll likely need to pass through Seelie lands, perhaps the Autumn Highlands as well. Then there are the Mists and the Eternal Springs to contend with. You’d not survive an hour, brother.” His faint smile faded. “I’ll have to accompany you…I’ll have to return home.”

His voice caught on the last word, and I could feel the pain in it. “Maybe there’s another way,” I said. “Couldn’t one of them come here, or something?”

“Not likely. Few Fae enjoy being in the human realm,” he said. “Most here have been banished, for one reason or another.”

“Except you,” I said.

“Aye, but I may has well have been. The Winter Court will not look favorably on my return.” He let out a shuddering breath. “We’ve no choice. We will go, and soon,” he said. “On a more personal note, perhaps you’d care to explain your tattoos?”

For a few seconds I didn’t know what he was talking about. Then I remembered the soldiers in the arena, muttering about the freaky glowing tattoos on my back. I’d forgotten that little event had been televised—and Taeral had to watch it. “I’d love to explain it,” I said. “But I had no idea they did that. Never saw my back in the moonlight before.”

“I’m not certain the moonlight caused them to glow,” he said. “Where did you have them done?”

“It was years ago, when I was starting college,” I said. “This weird place in Midtown called The Grotto.”

Taeral drew a quick breath at the name.

I raised an eyebrow. “You know it?”

“I’ve heard…rumors,” he said carefully.

“Um. What kind of rumors?”

“That The Grotto is a haven for banished Fae.” He drummed his fingers on his leg. “And the owner is a bastard Seelie prince.”

“Cobalt?” I remembered the owner. Nice guy, strange name. He’d actually done my tattoos himself—he took pity on the dumb college kid when I managed to explain that I wanted to cover the scars, and did them all for free. I probably should’ve questioned that a little more than I had. “He didn’t seem like a bastard,” I said.

Taeral gave a slanted smile. “Bastard, as in his father and mother were not wed. Something of a scandal, and very hushed among the Summer Court,” he said. “If he’s given you those tattoos, I believe we should pay…Cobalt a visit.”

“Yeah.” Now I really wanted to know what he’d done to me, because they definitely weren’t normal. I made a mental note to never accept free tattoos again. “I guess The Grotto is on the to-do list, then.”

But the first thing I wanted to check off that list was getting home.

C
HAPTER 46

T
he Castle showed no signs of gunfights, bombs, or otherwise fiery destruction. So that was a good thing.

It also seemed extremely quiet. I wasn’t sure how good that was.

I parked the newly remodeled van out front. Sadie, who’d been asleep most of the way, stirred and sat up fast. “We home?” she said.

“Yes, we are.”

“Good. I’m going to sleep in my bed.” She yawned and stretched her arms over her head. “Wake me up next week sometime.”

I suspected that about covered it for all of us.

We climbed out, and Taeral took the lead to the door. I knew he’d been worried about Daoin, even though he said he wasn’t. The three days we’d been gone felt like a lifetime. A lot could’ve happened here.

Most of it probably happened to Reun. I was sure Denei, at least, had come up with some new and painful activities while Taeral wasn’t here to threaten her.

Grygg was in the same place, wearing the same expression. But he actually turned his head when we came in—and almost smiled. “Welcome back,” he rumbled.

“Thanks.” I returned the smile. For him, that was practically a keynote speech.

Faint voices came from the parlor, so I assumed we were headed there first. About halfway across the lobby, Sadie caught up with Taeral and touched his arm. He stopped. “Hey,” she said. “Are you going to be all right if I go to sleep now? I’m so beat, I’m not sure I’ll even make it all the way back to my room.”

A sneer started to form on his lips, and I almost knew what he was thinking—that he didn’t need her help. But he made it disappear and gentled his expression. “Of course,
a’ghreal
,” he said. “Go and rest.”

I kind of had to admire him, now that I knew firsthand how hard it was for him to do that. To not give in to that instinctive, cold superiority.

“Thanks.” She smiled, and her hand lingered on him a little too long. “You know where I’ll be, if you want to talk later.”

“Aye,” he said.

Okay, so maybe I was still a little jealous, too.

She broke away and sent me a casual wave. “Goodnight, Gideon.”

“Yeah,” I said. “See you next week.”

She laughed as she headed for the stairs.

“Not a word,” Taeral murmured when she was out of earshot.

“Wouldn’t dream of mentioning it.”

“Good.”

We kept going toward the parlor. The voices got louder, but I didn’t recognize any of them. Then I started to hear other sounds. Screeching brakes, gunfire. And…dramatic background music.

I also could’ve sworn I smelled popcorn.

We went in to find that things had been rearranged.

The tables and chairs were pushed up to the front half of the room. At the back was a big-screen television with a DVD player and a stack of movies, and two couches in front of it. Reun and Denei sat on one, with Daoin and Zoba on the other.

They were watching Die Hard. The first one.

“Interesting,” Taeral said loudly.

Reun flinched and stood quickly, turning to look over the back of the couch. Behind him, the image on the screen showed Bruce Willis holding a machine gun and staring wildly through a broken skyscraper window. “
Welcome to the party, pal
,” drifted from the TV, just before the image froze as someone pushed pause.

Appropriate.

“Taeral,” Reun said, more than a little flustered. “You’re back.”

“Oh, you’ve noticed. How observant.”

“We were just…”

“Relax, Unseelie.” Denei rose and turned, standing next to Reun. “You know there ain’t much to do in this place, and we can’t exactly get cable installed.”

“I was not concerned about the television,” Taeral said flatly.

Just then, Daoin stood and walked around the couch, wearing a cheerful smile. “My son. You’re back,” he said to Taeral. “I don’t remember movies, but I must have liked them. Didn’t I?”

“Aye, Father. I suppose you did.” His smile turned brittle as he regarded Reun and Denei. “Am I to assume this is your idea of untold pain and suffering, swamp child?”

Denei flapped a hand at him. “We did the pain thing,” she said, and her smile took on a wicked slant. “Tell the truth, I’m pretty sure he liked it.”

Reun coughed and looked distinctly uncomfortable. “I’ve held to my promise,” he said. “Miss Duchene and I have…come to an understanding.”

“Oh, yeah. We understand each other real well, now.”

 “But no harm has come to Lord Daoin,” Reun rushed out, shooting a glance at her.

Damn. All this happened in three days? I guessed Denei moved fast when she really wanted something—but I sure as hell couldn’t imagine why she decided to want Reun.

“I hope you had a good time with your friend, Taeral. That’s what a father would say.” Daion smiled like he was proud of himself, and then looked at me. “Gideon. I know you,” he said, and his smile caught slightly as he moved toward me. “You are…my son. Like Taeral.”

I blinked rapidly and shot an apprehensive glance at Taeral. I had no idea what to say. The last time he brought this up, he’d broken down and retreated into his terrified shell for days. But he seemed lucid now.

“Aren’t you my son?” Daoin said.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Taeral’s faint, cautious nod. I swallowed hard, and rasped, “Yes. I’m Taeral’s brother…your son.”

Daoin beamed. “They told me you were dead, but they lied. You’re not dead,” he said. “And now I have two sons. Two great sons, who can watch this movie with me. This Die Hard. There is also one called Die Harder.”