Tracker: A Rylee Adamson Novel (14 page)

“Frank, meet Eve. Eve, Frank is a necromancer. He’s going to help us with the dead guy.” Without any more introductions, he headed toward the barn.

Eve reeled back as if she’d been struck. “Frank must come with me.”

Liam’s feet froze. “What?”

“He must come with me.”

Frank stammered out, “I … can’t, I have to help Liam.”

Eve shook her head. “No. You will fly with me to the Harpies and help me convince them. That is all there is to that, Death Walker.”

Liam’s wolf nodded his approval.

The prophecies come true in strange ways.
For the moment, he ignored the voice inside his head, even if he did svenook A agree with it. Though he knew no prophecy that dealt with a Harpy and a necromancer, that didn’t mean it wasn’t important.

“First, we need Frank’s help with Agent Valley. Then he can go with you.”

While Frank stammered and stuttered his way to the barn, the others didn’t question Liam’s decision. About fucking time they saw it was his job to run the show.

The barn door pulled open easily, but the scent of rot was not so easy to take. One of the few times Liam actually cursed his sensitive sense of smell. “Fuck, that is nasty.” Though the light was dim, he saw clearly. But he wasn’t so sure the others could. Reaching to the right, he flicked on the switch for the overhead lights.

The view was, unfortunately, no better than the smell.

Behind him, the two witches gagged and wretched, and a glance back showed him they were not coming any further into the barn.

Milly pointed at the house. “We’ll wait inside.”

Frank followed Liam into the barn. “It’s not that bad, you know. I’ve smelled worse.”

Liam couldn’t help the way his eyebrows shot up. “Worse?”

Frank shrugged. “Probably just part of being a necromancer.”

Agent Valley shuffled toward them, one eye sagging out of its socket. Liam planted his feet firmly, determined not to back down.

“O’Sheaaaaaaa … Ingers is tied … Black Coveeeeeeeeen.” Agent Valley gasped for breath, feet stalling as he wobbled from side to side.

“Frank, can you find out more information? Details, places and names?”

“It will drain what is left of him. I don’t want to do that,” Frank whispered, backing away. Liam lunged toward him and grabbed the kid by the arms.

“He’s already dead, Frank. But he can still help us if you can pull your shit together. Do you understand? This isn’t a game. It’s life or death, and your uncle died to protect you, trying to protect all of us.”

Frank’s eyes filled with tears. “He was the closest thing to a father I had.”

This was not the moment for Liam to soften, and he knew it. “Then make him proud, Frank. Do what you have to do.”

Frank sniffled loudly, and then slowly nodded. “You have the questions, so you ask him. You need to touch him.”

This was not what he was expecting. “How?”

The kid walked forward and put his hands on Valley’s head, thumbs above the eye sockets, fingers wrapped around his head. “Press in hard, hard enough to feel … past the bone. I’ll open the connection between you two.”

Oh shit, this was not what he’d been thinking at all. But there was no way he’d back down now that he’d shamed the kid into it.

Two steps and he was face-to-face with his old boss. He lifted his hands and placed them where Frank had, the feel of dead flesh under his fingers making his own skin crawl. He couldn’t stop the low growl that built in his chest. Bearing down, his fingers pushed through the dying tissue that had once been Agent Valley. Breathing shallowly, he thought for a moment that he was going to lose it, his gorge rose and he had to fight not to jerk away.

Then his fingers touched the soft resistance of Agent Valley’s brain, and everything shifted.

“O’Shea. This was not how I expected to speak to you after our last visit.”

Liam closed his eyes and concentrated on the voice in his head. Kind of like Blaz’s, only this felt more distant. Almost like he heard the words outside his head at the same time they echoed inside his head.

“Yeah, me neither, boss.”

“Did you find where the guns are being made?”

“Yes. Grabbed a few for myself.”

Good man. But that is only the start. Ingers had connections within the Army, and if she can prove the supernatural world exists …”
Agent Valley didn’t have to say anything more, Liam knew.

If the Army felt threatened, then it really would be an all out war with the humans.

“Fuck, we can’t let that happen.”

“I agree. You have to kill Ingers, wipe her files, get rid of everything that is even mildly connected to the supernatural.”

The body of Agent Valley let out a heavy groaning sigh.
“All those years I tried to tie the humans and the supernaturals together, to bring about change. To help Frank. All to see it be wiped out now.”

Liam felt the Agent’s emotions as if they were his own, and he shared in the disappointment that was so much more than just a simple task going unfinished.

“Humans aren’t ready, not yet, Agent. You know that.”

“I’d hoped perhaps we’d finally come far enough.”
Another deep groaning sigh rumbled out and Liam had to hold his breath to not take in the putrid scent from the belly of the rotting Agent.

“Sir, is there anything else you can tell us?”

“The meeting is on the night of the winter equinox. I don’t know how Ingers plans on showing her hand to the Army, but I know that is the night. She has ties to the Black Coven. I was coming to warn you about them when she killed me.”

Liam squeezed his eyes tight and lowered his chin to his chest. “A little less than three days.”

“Yes. And Liam, I would ask one thing of you. The boy is like my son…”

Liam knew what his request would be. “I’ll do my best to watch out for Frank. There is a war coming. I can’t guarantee his safety, but I will look out for him as one of our own.”

Seemed Rylee wasn’t the only one collecting wards.

“Thank you, O’Shea.”

With that, Agent Valley
jerked away and fell to the ground, his body twitching twice and then stilling.

Liam looked at his hands, goo hanging off the tips of his fingers, grey matter under his nails. Teeth clenched he turned to see Frank crying.

Nothing he said would ease the kid’s pain. He knew from experience when you lost a parent, there was very little anyone could say to even begin to help. So he kept it simple.

“Come on, kid. Let’s get cleaned up.”

v

Chapter 14

D
oran, Alex, and
I bolted through the castle, not really looking where we were going. Just running blindly.

We spun around a corner and there was Jack and Berget, waiting for us.

Fuck a duck, we were so screwed.

“Rylee, lovely to see you again, sister,” Berget all but purred. As with Faris, I saw the sign something was wrong, off with her. Her whole body quivered, like a horse covered in flies, its skin twitching uncontrollably.

“Jack, be a dear and grab her, would you? I’m feeling rather faint.”

Jack’s blue eyes swirled three tones, so he was still a Tracker, could still Read people, and now to add to that, he was a vampire. A baby vampire, but that didn’t matter.

He rushed forward, his eyes full of sorrow. “I’m sorry,” he mouthed, and I saw in that moment he was holding back. Still, he was too fast for me.

Doran, though, was another matter.

The Daywalker slid between us, catching Jack off balance, and off guard, apparently. They crashed into the stone wall, shaking the place. Dust fell from the ceiling and Berget clapped her hands together. “Oh, I love a good fight. Shall we make a bet, Rylee?”

I yanked my swords out, and didn’t bother to answer her crazy fucking idea. “Alex, start opening doors.” We had to get out of here. I was banking on at least one doorway leading into the daylight.

Alex yanked doors open left and right. Night time, night time, and then, bingo.

Sunlight filtered in, early morning or late evening, I couldn’t tell. Didn’t matter. I jumped toward Doran and Jack, driving my blade through Jack’s chest. He reared off Doran long enough for the Daywalker to scramble from under him.

A mad dash was all we had, and the three of us tumbled through the doorway and into the sunlight, the door slamming behind us. Sand and surf, we lay on a barren stretch of beach. Alex, the previous danger immediately forgotten, ran toward the waves, diving in and under like a seal.

Doran sat up and I got a good look at him. “Not bad for tangling with a vampire, I hardly see any marks.”

“He was holding back. I think he is tied to her, like I was, and is fighting her.”

I snorted. “So? He chose this life, Doran. Did you chose to become a Daywalker, or did someone just take you?”

His eyes clouded over. “I see your point.”

I noticed he didn’t answer the question. Jack, in choosing to become a vampire under Berget’s power, made his choice. He was not on our side anymore.

Maybe he never had been. I stood and brushed the sand off my dress, checked my weapons and looked around. The sun was rising here, wherever here was.

I glanced into the water to see Alex further out than he should have been. “Alex, get your furry ass back here!” With no effort, he turned and headed back to the shore.

The waves crashed around us, and Alex was back in a few minutes, grinning like a fool. “Seals are fun.”

I stared into the water, saw dark spots humping up and down in the water.

And then the unthinkable—a set of jaws burst out of the water around one of the seals, clamping down on it, then dragging it under the water. Alex’s mouth dropped open.

“S {jusre was.

“Holy shit, Alex! That could have been you.”

Doran stepped beside us, affecting a strong Aussie accent. “Can I interest you in a shrimp on the barbie?”

Australia, we were in the land down under. Shit, first time for everything, I suppose. Well, since we were here, I Tracked the Blood.

Expecting nothing.

Shocked as hell when I got a resounding thread to follow.

“They’re here,” I said, striding off in the direction of the Blood.

“Wait, are you serious?” Doran grabbed my arm.

I stared at him. “Well, what the fuck did you think we were going to do?”

“Wait for Faris?” He quirked an eyebrow at me, his piercing catching the glinting sun. “You know, since we just had to run like hell from Berget and Jack as it is?”

“We’ll be ready for them next time.” Shit, even I didn’t believe me.

“Fuck, Rylee. We need help. If not Faris, then can you connect with Blaz?”

I shook my head. “No, he’s too far.”

Doran held me loosely. “We should get you out of the sun.”

“I’m not frail.”

He frowned at me, the piercing in his lower lip dipping downward. “You sure as hell aren’t ready to go flitting across the continent right now, are you?”

A wash of fatigue and I had to concede he was right. “A few hours. Maybe Faris will catch up to us tonight.”

“Are you ill, Rylee?” Doran’s concern was heavy in his voice.

“No, I think I’ve finally just hit the wall.”

Then again, maybe we were on our own again. I tried to figure out how Faris would find us and I knew there was a reason he should be able to, something to do with Alex, but the thoughts slipped through my mind over and over, and then I realized I wasn’t awake any longer. I was out cold and dreaming.

Deerborne Park again. Hell, my life always seemed to circle back to this place. Berget and I were on the teeter totter this time. Up and down, her hair floated around her face for a moment before she went down, like she was in water.

“Rylee, you have to be careful. The madness is growing stronger without any blood to feed my body.”

I pushed off the ground. “Figured that out already.”

She shook her head. “I do not know if you can save me. I am fading.” As if her words were the ignition, she flickered, like in an old movie where the reel jumps from scene to scene.

I wanted to grab her and make her stay, but again, she shook her head. “If I must go, then I will. But when you try to stop the madness, realize it might be too late. I don’t think I will be able to reach you again.”

The teeter totter creaked as we bounced up and down, the old wooden seat jarring when it met the ground . “Are you saying goodbye?” I whispered.

“I’m saying thank you, for never giving up on me. For being my sister to the bitter end.” She smiled, a tear slipped down her cheek, and then she was gone and I blinked in the bright sunlight.

Doran peered down at me. “Hey, none of that. No passing out on me.” He reached out and brushed a tear off my cheek, his voice softening. “And none of that, either.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, but didn’t try to sit up. Nausea ro {up.“And lled through me, and I was afraid if I moved I’d puke.

Never mind.

I twisted to one side and spewed whatever miniscule amount of food I had in my stomach onto the floor. Wait, floor?

I looked around us. We were in an open roofed room, but there were walls and a floor and I was completely confused. “Where are we?”

Doran smiled and helped me move away from the bile. “Shamans are all over the world, you just have to know where to look.”

On cue, a wiry old Maori man stepped into the room. He was dressed in loose khakis, but no shirt and his feet were bare. Tattoos covered his torso and several strings of beads and bones hung from his neck. Yet I didn’t feel animosity flowing from him. He reminded me of Louisa, despite the fact they were different genders, and worlds apart. There was that same calm knowledge deep in his eyes.

He crouched beside me, his fingers hovering over my forehead. “My name is Al.” He touched me gently. “You’re feeling rough, eh, little Tracker? You have the look of your mother, that you do, but it is the fire that comes from your daddy that drives you.”

My jaw dropped and I stared him, his words bouncing inside my head. “You don’t mean my adoptive parents, do you?”

Making a duck face, he shook his head. “Nope. But we don’t have time for stories, do we? Not today.”

He held up a piece of pottery, a barely molded cup, steam curling out of it. Fuck, the last thing I wanted was something hot, but Shamans were not to be ignored.

I took the shallow cup and put it to my lips. The liquid started out hot, but as it trailed down my throat it turned to ice. I gasped and choked, Doran pounded on my back.

“What is this?”

“A drink of my people. It will keep you cooler as you cross the desert. You won’t need water or drink for several days. But after, you need to take time off. Time to let your body heal. Understand?”

I nodded and the Shaman handed a drink to Doran and one to Alex. They swallowed and gave the same kind of response I did.

There was no way I could resist asking. “My parents, are they alive?”

He shook his head. “No. They died protecting you. It’s a long story, Rylee. One I have only a small part in. I have their story in your mother’s journal. When you are done, come and get it.”

I nodded, grateful beyond words. If I was going to lose Berget, maybe I could at least have the memory of parents who did love me. I wanted to ask the questions burning in my gut, but Al was right, there wasn’t time.

Revived beyond belief, I stood. “How long was I out?”

Doran’s eyes slid away from mine. “Almost a day.”

Holy shit. “Faris?”

“Yes. He was here all night. He can find us through Alex, since he took his blood. For some reason, he can’t find you anymore. He’ll catch up with us as night falls. But we have to hurry. We have less than a full day to get to the Blood.”

“Berget is in the same boat.”

His face was grim. “Which will make her desperate and even more dangerous.”

I thought about what Berget said to me. “I don’t think it will matter. We will try to get the opal on her, but …” I shook my head. Perhaps I was too naïve for this life, to keep believing the outcome would be anything but death and pain. Yet, with everything that had happened, I needed to believ {ded to e there was hope, there was a possibility we could see this through and bring Berget back. Otherwise, what was the point, if I stopped believing?

“Something you want to share?” Doran asked, his eyes watching me closely.

“Nope. We’re going to kick ass, leave the names behind, and do this right. We’re bringing her back, and then we’ll figure out what the hell we’re doing about the vampires’ leader.” I checked my sheaths and thought about asking Al for a pair of shorts. The cocktail dress was really not doing it for me. Though, at least I’d get a tan.

A half-smile slipped across Doran’s lips. “Well, I’ve been wondering where you’ve been.”

“What are you talking about?”

He shrugged and turned away, saying nothing more.

Al loaned us his truck. Mind you, it was a Willy, an old army beast that looked like it had been through the desert more than once. The paint peeled in multiple places leaving gaping holes to the bare steel, but when Al started it up, the engine turned over no problem.

“Here’s a map, not that you should need it, but I’ve marked where you can find others who will help you if you have need of it.”

Grateful for his foresight, I took the map and had a look at it. Half a dozen places were marked with red dots. Al put his finger at the top center. “You’re starting here, we’re on the Cape York Peninsula.” He moved to the back of the Jeep. “Extra water and fuel in the back.” Al tapped two canisters marked diesel, then a third marked drinking water. “This one is in case you get stuck out there when my drink wears off.”

Alex yipped and leapt into the back, his front paws on top of the cab. “Car riiiiiiiiiiide!”

I slid into the driver’s seat without asking Doran if he wanted to drive. “Thank you, Al. I’ll be back for that journal.”

The old shaman winked at me. “Of that, Rylee, I have no doubt.”

We drove out of his place and I locked onto the threads of the Blood. They were a fucking long ways away. Like I barely felt them. Only enough to know what direction.

“How far do you think?” Doran rested his arm on the door of the Jeep, the wind whipping in around him.

I focused on the threads, their signature weak inside my head. “Could be on the other side of the continent, or could be they are just faint. Fucked if I know; I don’t have a sense of distance here like at home. They’ve been closed off for how long?”

Doran grunted. “I don’t know for sure. Several thousand years, at least. There are secrets held by these vampires, the Blood are a mystery, even us Daywalkers don’t know. It is part of how they keep us in line.”

I laughed at him. “That, and the fact they can kick your fangy butts into next week.”

“Smart ass.”

“Better than a dumb ass.” I grinned at him, feeling light, and better. Belief—who the hell knew that a little faith, a little hope, could give me so much?

We drove south until the Willy was nearly out of gas, stopped, fueled up, and continued on. We were well into the interior, and the landscape was nothing short of mind boggling. Blazing blue sky, empty as far as I could see, and the ground wasn’t any better. Scrub grasses and the occasional lone tree.

“Pretty barren.” I found myself driving more to the west now, heading toward what I knew was the center of Australia.

The desert. Even with Al’s drink {Aldumcoursing through my veins, I was soaked, the backs of my knees dripped sweat onto the floorboards and my back stuck to the seat. A glance at Doran showed me he was soaked too, his shirt clinging to his chest and abs, clearly showing he had at least one piercing I’d not known about.