The Weight of a Wing (The Stolen Wings Book 1) (11 page)

They should have gone straight to the blue room, but the
Guardians had decided to stop and heal themselves first.

Alise laid her head back and let the warm breeze caress her
face. The hot sun was shining brightly. She looked at the clear sky—not a cloud
in sight—and at the trees in the distance. It was a beautiful day, perfect to
spend in the park.

One would think the people sitting in the shade of the trees
that surrounded their little clearing would pay some attention to the two
bare-chested men covered in blood, but no one looked at them. It was as if a
one-way glass wall separated them from the rest of the world. It had to be some
kind of concealing spell. How the Guardians managed to keep it up was a
miracle. They both had been through hell and showed it.

She had thought she was never going to see the sun again,
but there they were. Inhaling deeply, she allowed herself a moment to enjoy the
warmth, peace, and silence, and she ran her fingers through Cassie’s hair. The
girl lay on the grass, her head resting on Alise’s lap. She had passed out the
moment they had crossed back.

Beside them, the Guardians busily healed their wounds. She
only felt light-headed and tired, while they were a mess. Fabian hadn’t held
back during the confrontation, as if he wouldn’t have minded killing them at
all.

 “What the hell happened in there?” Vale asked.

“That’s what I would like to know, too,” Rafe muttered, focused
on healing his wounds.

The healing stones worked fervently as they ran them over
the same patches of skin multiple times until the skin remained clean
underneath. It was a tedious process.

“Well, he obviously escaped, or we wouldn’t be here,” Vale said.
“It’s not like we weren’t expecting it.” He made a sour face as he played with
the stone.

“Yeah. It would have been too good to be true for him to
stay put.” Rafe sighed and smoothed the skin on his forearm. The scars were
almost gone.

Vale stopped to stare at his healing stone, a puzzled look
on his face. “But how did he know when and where to show up?”

“For all we know, he’s so bored, he did nothing but time
jump all over the place in the hopes of getting to us. Or stirring up some
trouble to entertain himself,” Rafe grumbled. Then he made a face. “Only he
missed the timeline.”

“We were in between timelines,” Vale said. “How could he be
accurate, especially under that kind of pressure?”

Rafe shrugged. “Whatever. He’ll still be in trouble with the
Council when he gets back … if he does.” He frowned. “And so will we.”

“Well, he saved us. We’ll deal with it,” Vale said.

“Of course,” Rafe hurried to say so there was no doubt about
it, but he was still frowning. The prospect of facing the Council after the
last stunt must not have been appealing to him, and for good reason. One did
not turn against the powers above without suffering the consequences.

Vale twisted around, grimacing, to investigate a wide wound
on the side of his torso. It oozed with blood. “It doesn’t explain why she…” He
glanced at Cassie, “was able to see him while we couldn’t. I mean, we know him,
but Cassie never met Nate,” he said, confused. “It makes no sense.”

“Who’s Nate?” Alise asked.

Rafe’s hand stopped moving, his fingers clenched on the
healing stone. He looked at Vale.

“He’s a Guardian,” Vale said. “He can time jump.”

Alise had understood that much, but she couldn’t help
feeling she was missing something important. Had she been right about the
Triad? They had talked about him as if they knew him, which was unusual since
Guardians rarely socialized outside their circles. There hadn’t been a war
forcing them to do it in ages.

She caught Rafe’s eyes, and he took his time before getting
the words out. “You were right. We’re a Triad.” He paused then forced a grin.
“You’re not the only special one.”

Alise kept her annoyed grumble to herself. She didn’t want
to be special. She
refused
to be special. But it wasn’t up to her
anymore. There were no other Fairies without wings; therefore, she
was
special. She rolled her eyes.

“What did Nate do to upset the Council?” she ventured to
ask.

Rafe’s eyes flashed at her. “That’s none of your business.”

“Hey, what did I do to you?”

He held up both hands. “This one itches, and this one’s
numb. Take your pick.” He glared at her.

The healing stone obviously hadn’t helped. Alise frowned.
Sure, it had been a lot of concentrated magic, but it wasn’t supposed to behave
like that. Perhaps Guardians’ bodies reacted differently? She doubted it. More
than likely, the repeated blasts had set him off balance. It was one thing to
act like a recipient for the magic, and another thing to blow it all up. The
universe reacted to such events, and it usually reacted badly.

Without asking for his permission or even looking at him,
Alise leaned forward and took Rafe’s hands in hers. She didn’t have to
voluntarily do anything. She was the perfect medium. The void inside her called
to it, drawing the magic in. The undercurrent ran through her, and she
struggled to ignore its power and deceiving appeal. It was not hers to have.
She had to struggle to give it back, but she did. As soon as the charges were
balanced, Rafe’s body relaxed. When she dared to look up, his face was less
tight, but the frown hadn’t completely disappeared.

“No need to thank me.” She released his hands, a small smirk
pulling at the corners of her lips. She enjoyed being in control for a change.
It reminded her of the days when she used to be free and able to do whatever
she wanted. The moment passed, and she lowered her eyes to Cassie, who stirred
in her lap.

“Nothing to be grateful about,” Rafe muttered. “You dragged
me into this.” He refused to acknowledge her help, looking at his hands and
flexing his fingers.

“I didn’t force you,” Alise said. She hadn’t, but she had
known he would do it.

“I had no choice!” Rafe snapped.

They stared, daring each other to say more.

“What was that?” Vale broke the silence. “The thing you
used…?”

“Ask Miss Magic Dealer over there.” Rafe nodded at Alise and
returned to his healing.

Vale looked at her, waiting for an answer, so Alise said,
“There are no natural sources of magic around here, so some people take
advantage of the situation. It’s good business.”

“How do you know?” Vale asked. He was done with the healing,
and she had his undivided attention. “Do you get a share of it? I don’t feel it
on you.”

Alise didn’t bother answering that accusation. Vale had no
idea how difficult the visits to the greenhouse were for her. Each time she
left empty-handed, it felt like a small victory.

“No,” Rafe said, “she’s not using. We wouldn’t be in this
mess if she was.”

She grimaced. Then she would have been dead, battling with
Gorem, and they wouldn’t have had to get involved at all.

“Well, that’s a lot of magic coming from somewhere,” Vale
said. “Someday, someone will notice, and we better not be associated with it.”

“We already are,” Rafe said. “Maybe we can pin it on Gorem.
He’s meant to take the fall anyway. Apparently, he butted heads with the wrong
Fairy.” He smirked.

“Will you two stop picking on her?” Cassie groaned and
rolled to the side, making an attempt to get up.

Sneaky little human
. Who knew for how long she had
been awake? Still, Alise supported her, helping her sit up on the grass.

“Where are we?” Cassie ran a hand over her eyes and pushed
the curly locks off her forehead. “Oh, we’re in Exhibition Park. What happened?
How did we end up here?”

“And she’s up and speaking again.” Vale sighed. “Don’t
humans have an off switch?”

“You passed out.”

“Nate brought us here,” Alise and Rafe said at the same
time.

“Funny. This is the safest place that came to my mind when
the specter took us away,” Cassie murmured, looking around. “Nate?”

The Guardians exchanged a glance. “Nate could never take
other people with him when he time jumped. This is a first. Could she be a
catalyst?” Rafe asked.

“Great. Now we’ll never get rid of her,” Vale grumbled, and
Cassie shuffled closer to Alise.

“Alise?” she said in a little voice.

“Nate is their friend, but also a Guardian,” Alise said.
“He’s your specter.”

“Oh…”

Rafe gave her a long look. “Was he all right?”

“I couldn’t clearly see him, but yeah. He looked fine,”
Cassie said.

Rafe nodded.

“Are we going to meet him?” Cassie asked, a little too
excited.

“Not any time soon,” Vale said. “If he knows what’s good for
him, he went back home.” He sounded uncertain.

“He better have,” Rafe muttered. “Hey! Stop that!” He glared
at Alise.

“What?” she snapped back.

“Are you trying to reveal our presence to everyone in the
park?” he scolded her.

Flowers had bloomed all around them.

“Oh, how pretty…” Cassie picked up a sunny marigold.

“I’m sorry,” Alise mumbled. “I didn’t do it on purpose. It …
just happened…” It came naturally to her. Most times, she did it without
thinking.

“Well, just stop.” Rafe waved a hand.

Vale smirked. “He’s allergic to pollen.”

“Shut up.”

As Vale didn’t seem the type to make jokes often, it
startled her a little, but Rafe had a point. They shouldn’t attract attention.
Alise folded her hands in her lap. She doubted she would be able to do it again
anyway. The residue left in her system from the magic was running out fast.

She wasn’t getting her hopes up. Soon, she was going to be
in the same position as when they found her. Nothing won, nothing lost, her
wings would still be gone, and Gorem would still be out there, making plans to
capture her. At least they were free and, most importantly, alive … for the
time being.

They couldn’t do anything about their clothes, so the
Guardians put their blood-stained shirts back on. Cassie looked as disappointed
as Alise felt to see them cover themselves up. The brand new clothes Alise had
bought for Rafe that morning were ruined. It made her wonder why they bothered
to wear clothes at all.

“Is Fabian gone?” Cassie asked, slowly standing up.

“For now,” Rafe said. He stretched his back and grinned,
clearly pleased with the way his body reacted to the torsion. The blades had
disappeared underneath his shirt.

“We hope for a long time,” Vale said.

That cheered Cassie up considerably. “Gorem can’t attack us
now?”

“He still can, but he probably won’t,” Vale said. “Not until
he finds another Wizard or gets his own back. He’s no fool.”

Cassie mused over it while playing with the marigold. “Well,
that’s good, isn’t it?”

Alise wasn’t so sure, but she smiled as she stepped closer
to her friend. “We survived, didn’t we?” Cassie leaned in to hug her, and Alise
returned the hug, disconcerted.

“What was that for?” she asked, the smile still on her face.

“I haven’t seen you smile in ages!”

There had been few reasons to smile lately. Ironic smirks
didn’t count.

“Then you should thank us, ‘cause we saved your cute little
asses,” Rafe teased

“Can I have a shirt instead of a hug?” Vale looked
disgustedly at his clothes. “Sometimes I hate this job. It’s way too messy.”

“Yeah. I’d like one, too,” Rafe said. “Err…” He glanced at
Alise. “I’ll pay for it.”

Alise didn’t hide her grin when she stepped off the grass
into an alley that led to the exit of the park. She surely wasn’t going to buy
him another one. The Guardians could use any door to get to their private
stash.

As they passed by a fountain that happened to be
working—something unusual since it wasn’t in plain sight and the city was
cutting back on expenses—Rafe stopped to wash his face and cool down. Vale
followed his example.

“Where to now?” Cassie asked. “Are we going home?”

“We need to get the car first. It’s at the university,”
Alise told her. Luckily, they weren’t far from it. “And they need to change.”
She nodded towards the Guardians. “They can’t show up looking like this.” Sarah
and Mark, and possibly the dogs, would freak out.

“Actually…” Rafe ran a wet hand through his hair. “I’d
rather not go back to the house. And tell Daddy to get you a new apartment,
too.”

“Monster residue,” Vale explained. “It makes us edgy.”

“That, too.” Rafe rolled his eyes. “But it’s not just that.
Monster residue is a bitch to remove, and once it’s there, other monsters can
come, too.”

“Oh … well, Mark won’t sell his house,” Cassie said
pensively, “but Sarah will definitely want to move if they get married.” The
conviction was lacking in her voice.

“Yeah. Good luck with that.” Alise snorted. Mark was not
going to get married any time soon. “We do have to take her home, though.
They’re expecting her to return. We messed up her life bad enough.”

“We should be safe for one more night,” Vale said, but he
was looking at Rafe.

The blond Guardian glanced at the sky, the grass, the people
around them, looking incredibly tired for a second, then he let out a sigh.
“Okay. We’ll take her home.”

As the night enveloped the city, a cricket chirped from the
bushes surrounding the house.
Where is it? Where is it? Where is the bloody
bug?
The dogs sniffed around, annoyed that they couldn’t find the source of
the noise. From time to time, they returned to the table on the back porch and
whined for treats.
Gimme, gimme!
So Alise would toss them a cracker.

“You’re spoiling them,” Cassie said. “You’re worse than I
am.”

“Let them live a little.” Alise scratched Ben behind the
ears. They never knew if they would live to see another day.

Jerry rubbed his back against Rafe’s knee, hoping for some
petting, too. The Guardian granted him a friendly look, but declined the
request. He sat low in his chair and hadn’t moved since getting there. At
times, he appeared to be half-asleep.

At the opposite side of the table, Vale moved cups and
glasses around, folded and unfolded napkins, touched everything within his
reach. He even pulled out his blade once when they were alone for a moment. The
two Guardians had such different ways of dealing with the stress.

“Anyone want more juice?” Cassie asked, noticing the empty
pitcher.

“Red orange juice?” Alise looked hopefully at her.

“Sure. I think there’s one more box,” Cassie said.

Alise waited for the girl to enter the house and close the
door. “Okay, you both need to pull yourselves together,” she told the
Guardians.

“We will, once you start talking,” Rafe replied. Under his
deceivingly lowered eyelashes, his eyes glinted at her, fully alert.

She blinked. “About what?”

“I’m not going through that again.” Rafe shook his head, and
Vale nodded. “We need to know what’s going on.”

Alise frowned. Why the sudden need to return to that topic
in particular? She had made it clear she had no answers. “You know what’s going
on. He wants to kill me.”

“Striking you on the spot is practical. Kidnapping you to
kill you somewhere else is not,” Rafe said. “So excuse me if I find that hard
to believe. This can’t
be a simple case of protecting himself in front
of the Council. There
has
to be something more.”

He stared at her, and Alise lowered her eyes. “Well, he
might be a little miffed with me…,” she muttered.

“Why?”

“It turned out the wings were not good. Not my fault, but…”
She shrugged. “You can’t reason with him. He’s mad.”

“Oh, he’s not mad,” Vale said. “He knows what he’s doing. Or
that Wizard of his does anyway.”

The door slid open, and Cassie stopped in the doorway. The
sound of rising voices came out from behind her, and she closed the door,
wincing. Mark and Sarah were fighting again. “Juice?” she asked.

“Are they always like this?” Vale asked her.

“Five years and counting,” Cassie said, grimacing. “That’s
why I don’t live with them.”

She refilled Alise’s glass, and Alise dipped her lips into
the red, cold liquid, ignoring Rafe’s stare.

His eyes narrowed. “Not good?”

“Uh-huh.” Alise nodded.

“What’s not good?” Cassie whispered towards Vale, moving to
occupy the chair next to him.

“Her wings. They didn’t work,” Vale whispered back.

Cassie thought about it for a moment then shook her
honey-colored curls. The blonde highlights sparkled in the artificial light. “I
don’t get it.”

“I’m not sure I get it, either.” He sighed.

Rafe was still staring. “Not good for what?”

Alise put her glass down and ran her fingertips along the
rim. “To catch a Mermaid’s song,” she said quietly, her eyes focused on the
liquid inside the glass.

“You can catch a Mermaid’s song with Fairy wings?” Vale
asked.

She shrugged. “That’s what Gorem seems to believe.”

“I didn’t know Mermaids were real,” Cassie murmured.

“For every fantastical creature you ever heard about,
there’s a world it lives in,” Rafe said. He looked distracted, as if he was
thinking about something else. A dark shadow flew over his face, and it wasn’t
caused by one of the night flyers. Vale shifted in his seat.

“So, there are more worlds?” Cassie asked, but no one
hurried to answer.

The Guardians were staring at Alise. “Mermaid, huh?” Rafe’s
eyebrows arched up. “When did you find this out?”

“After I recovered, he tracked me down once. He didn’t try
to kill me, but he made it clear it wasn’t over, and we would see each other
again.”

“That’s when you crossed over,” Rafe said.

“I didn’t think he’d follow me over here. Silly me.” Alise
let out a bitter laugh that died as soon as it started.

Silence fell over the table. The cricket had taken a break.
All they heard was the faint sound of the moths hitting the neon light bulb
above their heads. At their feet, the dogs stirred. The moon was shining over
the hill.

“Why a Mermaid?” Rafe asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Does it have to be a specific Mermaid, or can it be a
random one?”

“I don’t know,” she said once more, her voice tight.

Rafe watched her intently. “What else
do
you know?”

“I told you everything!” Alise snapped.

“Everything okay out here?” Mark stepped out onto the porch.
He looked better than earlier. Through the open door, Sarah glared at his back.

“He’s very jealous,” Cassie whispered to Mark, glancing at
Rafe.

“Yep, that’s me.” Rafe grinned and picked up his glass.
There was only a sip of beer left in it.

“Luckily, this one’s not,” Cassie said and put her arm
through Vale’s, succeeding in only making him stiffen his back.

“I was raised well,” Vale said.

Mark’s eyes roamed the table while he bounced on the balls
of his feet. He made no attempt to sit down.

“Everything okay in there?” Cassie returned the question
with a little smirk.

“When is it ever?” Mark sighed. “If you need anything, let
me know.” He stepped back inside.

“A leash,” Rafe said under his breath, and the dogs huffed.

We’re going for a walk? Now?

No,
Alise tempered their enthusiasm.

“So, not only a Fairy killer, but a presumptive Mermaid
killer also,” Vale reasoned out loud, exchanging a glance with Rafe.

Was there a hint of worry in the way Vale looked at him?
Alise couldn’t be sure, but there was something he wasn’t saying.

“How should we proceed to prove that? Should we try to track
down some cases of missing Mermaids?”

“One would be enough,” Rafe said. “If there are cases of
missing or maimed Mermaids, the rumor must have spread among them by now.”

In the absence of any protests, Vale tapped his long fingers
on the table. “But we’d have to go back to find one…”

Both Guardians glanced at the dark, distant side of the
garden. It would mean temporarily abandoning their mission and going home.
Alise wished they would. She was doing much better before they showed up. But
there was also the issue of that sigil Rafe put on her. If they left, they
might want to take her with them, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
She felt safer with the humans. Gorem and his Wizard were less powerful here,
while she was the same in either place. Tough choice.

“What if … What if I can find you a Mermaid here?” Cassie
said in a shy little voice.

“Cassie, don’t you start with that!” Alise rolled her eyes.

“Why not? If what they said is true, why couldn’t the story
my grandfather used to tell me as a kid be true, too?”

“Come on, Cassie…”

“What story?” Rafe asked.

Alise groaned and stole his glass. If Cassie continued, she
needed a stronger drink.

“Each summer, I used to spend a few weeks with my
grandparents at their cottage up north,” Cassie said. “We had no TV, so I got
to listen to a lot of stories before bed. My favorite was about a Mermaid who
lived in a lake nearby. Whoever heard her singing became insane. Grandfather
and I went on tons of expeditions in search of that lake, but never found it.
But what if it’s really there? The rumor must have started somewhere.”

“A Mermaid, you say…” Rafe nodded pensively. The wooden
chair screeched when he shifted his weight on it. “Does the cottage still
exist? Would you be able to locate it?”

“Yes, it does, although it doesn’t get much use these days.
Uncle Mark occasionally goes there to fish in the river, but that’s about it.
Sarah doesn’t like it.” She chuckled.

“Can you find a reason to go there? Would Mark mind?” Vale
asked.

Alise dropped her head on her arms, groaning. “Good God.
Shoot me now.”

“You watch too much television,” Rafe told her. “So, could
you?” he asked Cassie.

“I don’t see why not,” the girl said. “I’m
supposedly
done with all my exams for the summer, and we could all use a weekend out of
the city to escape the heat. Uncle Mark will approve of this idea, as long as
he gets to come along. He’d like to get know you all better … and flirt with
Alise.” She patted her friend’s shoulder. “Think I didn’t notice?”

Alise peeked out from between the long tresses that had
fallen over her face. “You told me that cottage is the size of a matchbox. And
didn’t you say it’s right beside the river?”

“Oh, don’t worry.” Cassie waved a hand. “There’s enough room
for all us. And what’s wrong with the river? We have one right here in the
city, too. There’ll be no mosquitoes.”

 “You call that a river?” Rafe smirked.

Vale grinned a little and whispered to Cassie, “Fairies
avoid water if at all possible. They don’t like to get their wings wet.”

“Oh, so
that’s
why you refused to go to the seaside
with us last summer?” Cassie sounded like she had figured out a big mystery.

“Well, that’s not a problem now, is it?” Rafe patted Alise’s
shoulder.

Cassie frowned at him. “That’s mean.”

Alise closed her eyes and shook her head once more. “Don’t
worry about it. They have no mothers to teach them good manners,” she muttered,
her head still resting on her arms.

“No … No mothers?” Cassie stammered, looking from one
Guardian to the other.

“Haven’t you heard? We’re born under eucalypt leaves,” Vale
joked.

“In any case,” Rafe said, stretching his long legs under the
table, “no one is going anywhere tonight, except to bed.” The decision was
made. “We all need sleep. Tomorrow, we’ll go to catch ourselves a little
Mermaid.” He forced a grin, but even Cassie could tell his smile was strained.

“Are you sure?” Vale asked, the corners of his mouth pulled
tight.

“What else can we do?”

No one answered.

“Okay. I’ll go talk to Uncle Mark and tell him about our
plans,” Cassie said, getting up.

“Same rooms?” Vale stopped her to ask.

Cassie looked back. “I think so. Why?”

Vale grimaced, and signaled for her to go. She complied.

Alise straightened her back in the chair. “The blue room?”

“Not tonight.” Rafe shook his head. “It takes too much
energy to keep it up, and neither of us is fit for it right now.”

Reluctantly, Vale nodded, and she caught a glimpse of how
tired they were.

“Yeah, I suppose we’ll be all right for one night,” she
murmured. “Come on, boys!” She gestured for the dogs to get inside and started
to gather everything from the table.

Rafe caught her hand. “Leave them. They won’t go anywhere.”

That was true. Sarah didn’t indulge in any cleaning
activities.

“Okay,” Alise murmured, not in the mood for it, either.

She pushed the chair back and stepped towards the door,
waiting for the Guardians to join her. If she went ahead by herself, they would
get worried about her, and it wasn’t worth the hassle. Plus, despite
everything, she was beginning to feel comfortable in their presence. She waited
for them to unfold from their chairs and straighten up with great difficulty,
showing their real age for once. It was
not
twenty-five.

“We’ve been doing this for a long time.” Rafe chuckled as he
winced. “Ever wondered
why
we keep doing it?” he said towards Vale.

“What else could we do?” Vale shrugged, less amused.

Indeed, what else? They were stuck in this cycle, and
neither of them could get out. So they better make the best of it while they
could. Unlike them, Alise dreaded the thought of returning to that bed that
brought back memories filled with fire, terror, and pain. Underneath the
covers, the sheets were still stained with blood.

“Do
not
go wandering outside the room during the
night.” Rafe’s warning came while he was taking off his shirt. He’d already
kicked off his shoes.

“Can I go to the bathroom?” Alise asked with a raised
eyebrow.

Rafe finished undoing his buttons. “That’s acceptable.”

The roll of her eyes went unnoticed as she headed for the
bathroom. When she returned, she found him splayed on top of the covers. Under
the silvery shadows coming in through the window to the left of the bed, he
appeared to be asleep. If it hadn’t been for the slow rise and fall of his
chest, he could have easily passed for dead.

In the corridor, the dogs were trotting from one door to the
next, making sure everyone was safely tucked in their beds.

With a small sigh, Alise climbed into bed and switched off
the light. She curled up as far away as possible from Rafe, resisting the pull
of the magic that drew her in. Too bad her body would betray her the moment she
fell asleep. Oh well. Nothing she could do about it now.