Grounded (19 page)

She couldn’t bring herself to say a word to him. So she didn’t. Avery turned and walked inside, leaving the courtyard in stiff silence.

Eighteen

Avery walked forward blindly. She only wanted to put as much distance between herself and Mason as possible. She’d passed their room and weaved though the floral decorated hall. She stopped at the last room and rattled the doorknob to open the door. Inside the overhead lights were off and the majority of the room was cast into shadows, but Avery recognized it.

She’d arrived at the library in which they’d been before, back when they’d found Jericho’s journal missing. Her eyes slid over the cushy red chairs, and she’d decided to stay in the silent room just when her phone ring jingled.

Wrenching her phone out of her pocket, she checked the number on the front blue screen. Avery recognized the blocky digits instantly, but unsure of what to expect, she took a moment to answer.

“Yea- yes? Nate?” She cleared her throat and wiped at her burning eyes when she pressed the warm metal device to her ear.

“Avery?” Nate’s voice answered but the tone was indiscernible.

“What’s up?” She quizzed immediately. “Is everything okay?”

She had left the boy with a seemingly impossible task, but she didn’t expect it to go wrong so quickly. Pulse quickening, she anxiously waited for Nate’s reply.

“So I got Leela out of the house. Out of the school. And I definitely got her on the plane.” He said but his voice still wasn’t reassuring.

Avery twisted the phone in her hands and urged him on.

“So is everything good?”

“She’s heading to Portland.” Nate said shortly and Avery hissed.

“Portland? As in Portland Oregon? As in the one Portland I told you not to go to?” She asked but didn’t want to believe it.

Nate confirmed the fears in the same frustrated, hopeless voice.

“Hey, this isn’t my fault. She found out where you were and jumped on a plane to go there! How was I supposed to even see that coming?” He blurted. “She left overnight and she could be anywhere by now. It was you, Avery, who told me Leela wouldn’t get hurt in all this!”

The seething panic on his side was clear but Avery certainly couldn’t reassure him. Pacing over the tan carpet, she shook her head.

“Portland’s a big city. I don’t think she could show up on my doorstep.” Avery rationalized aloud but that train of thought didn’t help either. At least if Leela was here, they could protect her. Out there, she could run across Mikhail and be killed.

Avery cursed her luck and blurted a shaky goodbye to Nate. Talking would do no good now, Avery decided. She needed help. Her eyes shot up to find the nearest exit. There was a door on the opposite side of the room, next to the only lamp that illuminated with a yellow glow. Avery stuffed the phone into her pocket and hurried for the exit. Just as she passed the lamp, something caught her attention. In the reclining chair rested Samuel. His knuckle propped up his chin but his eyes were closed and his chest rose with slow, rhythmic breaths.

“Samuel,” She called him, suddenly desperate for the wise old harpie’s help.

He didn’t stir at first so Avery crossed the room, up to his side, and placed a hand on his shoulder. Samuel suddenly snapped to life. Launching forward, he wielded a rusty blade. Avery dodged backwards, slamming into the coffee table and sprawling toward the ground in an explosion of movement. Samuel stopped after Avery fell. The knife in his hand lingered and his hazel eyes stared downward. Abruptly, he dropped the blade and fell back into his seat. Raking his trembling hands through his hair, he shook his head in an erratic motion.

“I’m sorry child.” He cried, “I’m sorry.”

Avery, struggling to regain her composure and get her heart out of her stomach, propped herself up.

“Are you okay?” She asked.

Avery had known she startled him but the violent outburst wasn’t warranted. The old harpie seemed disturbed by it too. He took a few long minutes to regain control of himself. Hazel eyes drilled into the floor, the lines on his face suddenly seemed all too apparent. Cheeks hollow and shadows under his eyes heavy, he let out a gasping whine.

“I suppose I’m a little too jittery.” He finally spoke clearly. “I do fear that Mikhail will be coming for me any day now.”

“Yea, but that’s why we’re here to fight.” She said but the reminder did nothing to calm the old harpie.

He shook his head radically.

“I’m sorry child but we won’t win. You don’t know him. You don’t know how persistent Mikhail is. He won’t stop. He won’t ever stop until you’re dead or he is.” Samuel blurted. “He took over fifty years to hunt Jericho. He waited until Jericho made the amulet, stole it, and had him killed. Mikhail never forgets and those who encourage his wrath will never be safe.”

The grave words were unsettling and Avery swallowed thickly. She didn’t know how to answer. Samuel took a moment to regain his regular composure.

“So you came to talk to me?” He prompted, simply looking tired again.

Remembering the original purpose of it all, Avery stood and explained.

“Yea, so I kind of have a problem.” She started. “One of my friends is coming to Portland to find me. Except I have no way of contacting her. I need to find her or she’ll be in danger.”

Samuel absorbed the words quickly and shook his head just as fast.

“You cannot leave these walls. You will be a target and it would be extremely foolish to give the Band that kind of opening.”

“Please, she’s helpless out there. And I need to find her. Can’t someone go?” Avery pressed more frantically.

Samuel kept his emotions in check and the conversation rational.

“You, Mason, I-- we are all targets. And I certainly won’t allow my daughter to go out there. Who does that leave?”

Avery had a fleeting thought about Eva but that went as quick as it had come. Eva already hated Leela and the harpie woman was also on guard duty. She was the only one watching the outside walls and they needed that in case of surprise attack. So who did that leave, Avery asked herself.

“Patrick.” She whispered when it dawned on her. “Can Patrick do it?”

“He certainly can. But the question is, will he?”

Avery bit her lip and considered it. Patrick was a vicious killer, but at the same time, he was a playboy who had a thing for Avery. And she did have a date with him-- possibly the perfect time to win him over. If she could get him to find Leela then Avery had to take that chance.

“Thank you for the idea.” She told the old harpie, and with a brief nod, turned and hurried away.

She backtracked towards the door but never made it a step into the hall before she collided with something tall and heavy. Avery’s head shot up and she recognized Mason.

“Hey.” She untangled herself out of habit. Taking a step back, she got a clear look at him.

Dirt and blood still marred his cheeks and clothes, his wings were frazzled and his brown hair stuck up in a mess. Purple bruises over his knuckles and jaw line stood out against the pale white of his face. The old anger that lingered for the harpie dissipated some while looking at him so Avery didn’t give into the sneaking urge to run away.

“Are you okay?” She asked mechanically.

“We should talk, Avery.” He answered, and though she’d been expecting to hear that, she wasn’t ready for it.

“Let’s go back to the room.” She said. And patch him up, she added only mentally. Mason didn’t look quite right, and though standing, he swayed.

They returned to the room in silence after that. Once the door shut, sealing them in, Mason spoke up.

“Patrick’s up to something. I know it. I just don’t know what.” He pressed his wings back against the door. “His request wasn’t funny, Avery. This is a red flag.”

That wasn’t exactly what they needed to talk about but Avery let it sit. She wasn’t exactly rushing to talk about their relationship yet.

Avery strode straight to the bathroom to retrieve a few fluffy white towels. She checked in the cabinets but found no medical supplies. At least Mason’s wounds weren’t deep and his immune system was top notch. She twisted on the knob and waited for the water to get hot.

“How can he be up to something worse than killing me?” Avery asked. Her fingers danced under the stream of water but it was still cold.

“Because he’s not.” Mason amended himself when she shot him a look. “The way he acts, its strange. Harpies aren’t forgiving Avery, he doesn’t just decide not to want you dead suddenly.”

Avery made a face.

“That’s…great…” She still didn’t know what to make of it. Maybe he wanted the Willow magic now but realistically, he still needed to kill Avery to get it. The magic would only jump from her body when she was dead. And that still put them at step one.

“Everything about Patrick is strange. I’ve been looking into his background. You know what I found? He has no background. Nothing. He has no residential history, no last name, no work… nothing. It’s like he dropped off of the face of the Earth for a few years.”

“So what? He could have been living with the humans.”

“Then why wouldn’t he just say that? Avery, he’s hiding something. I just don’t know what it is. I would think Adalyn did but she only met him that night we were at the harpie court—the night Mikhail escaped and you almost died.”

It was also the night that Mikhail had blown up a prison and a courtroom, while swearing revenge on them. Avery remembered clearly and didn’t need reminding. Instead, she tried to focus on the issue at hand.

“Patrick seems pretty obsessed with Adalyn. He keeps saying he owes her and that he was trying to kill me for her. So what exactly did she do for Mr. Shady?”

The tone was childish, maybe, but the closer they got to the subject of Mason’s ex-fiancé, the worse she felt.

“I don’t know. I can’t talk to her. I’m not as close to her as I used to be.” Mason said slowly but Avery suddenly snapped.

“Not close to her?” The water for the towels grew hot but Avery didn’t act on it yet. “What was up with that wager then? Why did you want Patrick to stay away from her, her and not me? Stop lying. I’m not that stupid. It was bad enough I found out you were planning to leave for the harpie community without me. Now you’re still stuck on Adalyn?”

The steam twisted in the air. Unable to keep her hands still anymore, Avery ran the towel under the scolding water. With the towel wet, she wrung it out until it was damp. Her hands shook as she twisted.

“I told you yesterday that Adalyn has nothing to do with it. I’m not trying to get back with Adalyn… I’m just trying to get her away from Patrick because again, he’s up to something.”

“You’re throwing me to the wolves instead then.” She snapped back.

“Look, I didn’t think I’d lose, Avery. And besides, I only risked it because I don’t have to worry about you being stupid. You know he’s dangerous and I know you’re smarter than Adalyn. Right now though, you’re not acting like it!”

She whirled to face him. Picking up the wet cloth she beamed it at him. Mason snatched it out of the air before it smacked him in the face.

“How should I act then, Mason? Should I be happy that you’ve had an epiphany to go home? Should I be fine with us going back to being just friends? God, maybe that’s my problem. I don’t know what I should do.” She rubbed her temples, forcing her rational head to remain intact. “Better yet, what did you expect me to do when I heard that?”

Mason was quiet for a long moment and though tempted to look at him, Avery didn’t. Finally the harpie let out a breath.

“I don’t know…” He admitted.

She didn’t know what kind of answer she’d expected but that wasn’t quite it. His words only left more of a sinking feeling.

“That’s fine. We don’t need to fight. We just need to get through this.” She said but she wasn’t sure which one of them she was trying to convince.

“I won’t let Patrick hurt you, you know. You may have to spend time with him but I won’t be far away.”

“Yea I know. I have to get ready to do that.”

Mason stiffened and suddenly standing, he maneuvered for the door. Just before he reached it, he babbled some excuse about needing to get air. Avery knew what he needed. He needed to get away from her for awhile. She couldn’t say she blamed him though. It was going to be a long two weeks.

Nineteen

Avery stared at her reflection while smoothing out the black blouse that she’d newly adorned. The fabric was satin and smooth, doing well to fit her body despite the obvious problem with size. It had once belonged to Adalyn and she’d gotten it on permanent loan from Samuel. Considering she’d never brought any clothes, it’d have to do with a pair of tight jeans. A fresh shower left her smelling like strawberries and a fight with a comb left her curly hair somewhat straightened. The freckles on her cheeks stood out but accented by the dim light, they looked endearing.