The Silver Mist: A Wild Hunt Novel, Book 6, Page 3

  I didn’t have the knack for spellwork that I had hoped for, but I was learning how to direct the energy better than before. The innate abilities—like my Leannan Sidhe defense—were always there and ready, and my ability to talk to water elementals and summon the moisture out of the air had grown stronger. But actually manipulating the energy through spellwork? Not quite so easy for me.

  However, my workouts were a different matter. Ever since the Cruharach, my workouts had become stronger and more intense, and I was finding that I could run faster, climb harder, and fight better than ever before. I was training with a martial arts teacher now, and he had me learning parkour, though I was still nervous about some of the acrobatics.

  I called Herne on Sunday afternoon as I was sitting in my bedroom, trying to figure out what to pack. “Hey, we’re still heading out early, aren’t we? I’m packing and not sure what to take.”

  “Pack whatever you think you’ll need for tromping out in the woods and snow. Don’t forget to make arrangements for Fumblebutt.” He laughed. He was fond of Mr. R. and had dubbed my cat with the nickname.

  “Already done. And Mr. Rumblebutt kindly asks me to remind you that he is as graceful as the day is long, and he’ll claw your nuts if you keep tormenting him with such cruel names,” I said, inserting a formal accent into my voice.

  “Yeah, well, tell the fluffball that I said hi.” Herne laughed again. “Seriously, you and Angel need to bring winter clothing. Angus said it’s cold over there and it’s been snowing. They have five inches on the ground.”

  “It’s been an unusually cold winter,” I said, thinking about the roads. I hadn’t been over to the Olympic Peninsula often, so this would be a new experience for me. “How many cars are we taking?”

  “I don’t want anybody driving over there who isn’t experienced on the backroads. The highway can be dicey at times. We’ll take my Expedition, and Viktor’s going to rent a sturdy all-wheel drive big enough to pack equipment in. Yutani’s vehicle is mighty, but too small. I’ll pick you, Angel, and Raven up tomorrow morning. Raven’s joining us, right?”

  Herne had asked me to see if Raven would go with us, given the possibility of possession, and she had agreed to come with us. She would also come in handy if we met any of the Ante-Fae, given she was also one.

  “Yeah, she’ll be coming along.”

  “Good. Viktor will pick up Talia and Yutani. Rafé will meet us there—he’s got an all-wheel drive so he’ll be able to manage the roads. Charlie’s staying here, of course. He has a couple tests and needs to focus on his schoolwork.”

  Charlie Darren was a nominal employee of the Wild Hunt, which meant to say that he was officially employed by the agency, but was focused on getting his accounting degree for the next year or so. After that, he’d be in charge of the Wild Hunt’s ledgers. He did some data entry for us, but Herne wanted him to train into his position. Charlie was also a vampire, which meant traveling with us was potentially hazardous to his health if we got caught out in the daylight.

  “Anything else we need to bring? Weapons, of course. I’ll bring my pistol grip crossbow—I’m not conversant enough with the long bow yet—and my dagger.”

  “Just whatever you think you’ll need for a few days to a week. We could end up there for a couple of weeks if things stall out. I hope not, but we need to be prepared.” Herne paused, then added, “I talked to Danielle this morning. She’ll definitely be coming to visit for Ostara. I’m looking forward to seeing her more than I realized.”

  “Then I’m glad she gets to come.” I paused, then added, “Herne, I wanted to talk to you about Yutani.” I wasn’t sure what exactly to say, but Herne took care of that.

  “I know, I know. I’ve been meaning to talk to him. He’s been a PITA lately, and frankly, while I understand, it’s not helping morale at work any. He can be as sullen as he wants on his own time, but when he’s with the rest of us, he needs to leave the attitude behind. His aunt Celia called me the other night. She said that when she talked to him not long ago, he actually told her to keep her nose out of his business. And you know how much Yutani adores his aunt. So something has to be going on.”

  “Yeah, that is bad. Okay, well, given you already know what I was going to say, I’ll leave it to you for now. But if he gets on my back, I’m not going to sit here and be his punching bag—metaphorically or any other way.” I blew a kiss into the phone. “I love you. We’ll be ready tomorrow. I assume early?”

  “I’ll drop by around eight. I won’t see you tonight, I’m afraid. I’m spending the evening with Morgana. She wants to brief me on some things she’s picked up on that Saílle and Névé are doing. I think our fair queens are up to shenanigans, and they’re probably not harmless.”

  I sighed. The more we dealt with the Fae Queens, the happier I was that neither wanted me to join their courts. I was about to say something when my phone dinged. I glanced at the screen.

  “Hold on, Raven’s texting me.”

  He snorted. “That could take awhile. Call me back when you’re done.”

  I switched over to my texts.

  DON’T FORGET, YOU NEED TO PICK ME UP TOMORROW. NOT SURE WHAT GOOD I CAN DO BUT YOU KNOW I’LL TRY. SOUNDS LIKE A FUN TRIP.

  I quickly texted back, CAN YOU BE AT MY HOUSE BY 7:30 AM? ARE YOU BRINGING RAJ?

  She texted back, YES, I CAN’T LEAVE HIM ALONE THAT LONG. I’LL BE THERE. SEE YOU THEN.

  I called Herne back. “I just got a text from Raven. She’ll be here tomorrow.”

  “Good.”

  I grinned. “By the way, she’s bringing Raj.”

  There was a brief silence, then Herne snorted. “Why am I not surprised? All right. He’s housebroken, right?”

  It was my turn to snicker. “He’s a gargoyle, not a dog. And yes, he’s housebroken. Anyway, see you tomorrow, love. Wish we had time to get together tonight, but I need to do laundry, anyway. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  As I pocketed my phone, I glanced out the window. There, perched on the roof outside my window in the snow, a lone crow was staring at me. A shiver ran down my back as I walked over to open the window. I leaned out, and the crow tilted his head.

  “What do you want to tell me?” I whispered. I had come to realize that the crows were messengers for me. I touched the crow necklace at my throat that Morgana had given me to symbolize I belonged to her.

  The crow let out a long shriek, then glanced up at the sky. I followed his gaze. There, the clouds were thickening, and I could smell ozone in the air—the scent of snow riding the wind.

  “There’s a storm coming, isn’t there?” I asked, turning back to the crow.

  He stared at me for a moment, then let out a single caw before taking wing. Circling outside my window three times, he then set out, heading west toward the incoming storm. I shivered as I reached out to touch the water elementals caught in the clouds. They were dark and twisted, and I quickly pulled back, shielding myself. Something was on the move, that much I could feel, and whatever it was, it scared the fuck out of me.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Raven was at the house by seven A.M. She looked incredibly alert for that early in the morning. Raven BoneTalker was one of the Ante-Fae, the predecessor to the Fae races, and she was a bone witch. She was somewhat of a firecracker—though Herne called her a loose cannon—but Angel and I found our friendship with her growing.

  Raj was sitting patiently in the snow behind her, staring at the house with a skeptical look. He wasn’t afraid—I knew him well enough to recognize his expressions by now. Raj just happened to find strange places rather daunting at first, and he was suspicious of them until he figured out they weren’t going to launch themselves toward him. He had been over to our house with Raven often enough, and though he had cottoned up to Angel and me, he hadn’t come to a decision about the house itself. At least not yet.

  Leaving him where he was with a stern, “Stay here,” Raven followed me into the house, carrying a basket cove
red by a tea towel. She was wearing a black velvet dress with a low-cut neckline lined in lace. The bodice fitted to her curves and the skirt flared out in an asymmetrical hem, with the front just above her knees and the back to mid-calf. Raven was a buxom, curvy woman, with hair about the length of mine, only her espresso locks were streaked with purple. I thought it was natural and not dyed, but it seemed rude to ask. Her eyes were the same deep brown as her hair, and she sparked off magic in her wake.

  “Morning, ladies,” she said, breezing past me as I opened the door. I was still in my sleep shirt and robe and I yawned as she brightly ordered, “Get dressed, Kearney. It’s morning. Snap to it!” She brushed my cheek with a kiss, then hustled through the hallway to the kitchen. “What’s Angel making for breakfast? I thought we could add these to the table.” She set the basket down on the table and pulled the cloth off to reveal a bowl of muffins. “I made them. Blueberry lemon, with pecans.”

  I stared at the fragrant muffins and my stomach rumbled. “Yum,” I said. I reached for one but Raven slapped my hand.

  “Not till you’re properly dressed. Good gods, don’t be a slouch. Get a move on, woman.” She glanced around. “Where’s Angel?”

  “She’s finishing up her shower, I think. I’ll go get dressed.” As I started to turn from the table, I grabbed one of the muffins and, laughing as she waved me away, took off for my room.

  I met Angel on the stairs.

  “Raven’s here, and she brought muffins.” I held up my prize. “I scored one.”

  “Of course you did,” Angel said, laughing. She was dressed in skinny jeans, a peach-colored turtleneck, and a pair of Uggs. “I’ll get breakfast started.”

  I hurried to my room and decided to follow Angel’s lead. Jeans and a sweater were good. We had packed for inclement weather and for tracking out in the woods, but I hadn’t decided on what to wear for the trip itself.

  I grabbed a fresh pair of low-rider black jeans, pairing them with an emerald green V-neck sweater. I dug out a pair of Doc Martens I had recently bought. They were platforms, ankle boots that laced up the front. The chunky heel was easy to move in and had good traction, and they were extremely comfortable. I slid them on, then did my makeup, brushed my hair back into a ponytail. Taking one last look around my bedroom, making certain I had everything I’d need, I saw Mr. Rumblebutt sleeping on the bed. He started to purr when I scooped him up.

  “Hey you, be a good boy for Ronnie, please. I’ll be back as soon as I can, and so will Angel. Meanwhile, you’ll score—I know Ronnie gives you extra treats. Don’t worry about us, okay?” I held him up, then kissed him on the head and let him down again. He zoomed away, thudding down the stairs. He must have heard a can opener.

  I followed him down to find Angel making scrambled eggs and bacon while Raven was setting the table. Ronnie had arrived, and she was opening a can of cat food for Mr. Rumblebutt, who was all over her. He liked her, for which I was grateful, and she made it a policy to spend at least an hour a day with her pet clients, if not more.

  “Have you been over to Talia’s yet?” I asked, wiggling my fingers at her.

  “No,” Ronnie said. “She said she’d take care of them this morning. I’ll go over there at noon to walk them, then again at eight, after I’ve fed Mr. Rumblebutt here and played with him for a while.”

  “You don’t know how glad I am that Mr. R. can use a litterbox.” I frowned, thinking. “Raven, what does Raj do? I mean, I know you let him out, but if you had to leave…he’s intelligent enough, can he make do inside somehow?”

  Raven laughed. “He’s quite intelligent, but gargoyles are wired differently than we are, so we don’t necessarily understand their abilities. But no, he goes outside mostly. I could train him to use the toilet, though it would be harder for him unless I bought one low to the ground, but frankly, that seems more trouble than it’s worth. I have a friend come over to take care of the ferrets while I’m gone. You remember Apollo? He’s an animal lover and Vixen doesn’t mind if I hire his services for this.”

  I blushed, my mind going to all sorts of places at the word “services.” Apollo the Golden Boy was another one of the Ante-Fae. He was gorgeous, and one hell of a sexy dancer, and he belonged to Vixen, the Mistress of Mayhem. Vixen was possessive of him, but they—Vixen was gender-fluid in the most literal sense of the word—had no problems with Apollo making platonic friends.

  “All right, let’s eat,” Angel said. “Ronnie, I made enough for you, too.”

  We gathered around the table and ate breakfast. By the time Angel had started the dishwasher, it was almost eight. A horn sounded from outside and I got a text from Herne, telling me it was time to get our butts out to the car.

  “Lock up when you’re done,” I said to Ronnie, picking up Mr. R. for one last snuggle. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

  “You know he’s in good hands with me,” she reassured me.

  Grabbing my suitcase—thank gods for rolling luggage—I headed outside, followed by Angel and Raven. Raven whistled to Raj, who came bounding over to her, and we descended on Herne’s SUV en masse. As Herne stowed our luggage in the back, I slid into the front seat while Angel and Raven settled in the middle seat with Raj between them. Once we were all buckled in, Herne started the engine and we were off, headed to the ferry.

  WE ARRIVED at the Edmonds terminal ten minutes before boarding. The Puyallup was one of the jumbo ferries, over four hundred, sixty feet in length, capable of holding two hundred vehicles and almost twenty-five hundred passengers. It had an elevator to the upper decks, where there was a galley as well as vending machines and restrooms. The crossing would take about half an hour.

  Luckily, Viktor was already there, and we managed to squeeze through. As Herne paid the fare and we drove aboard, parking halfway between the bow and the stern against the outer wall where we could see the waves crashing around the ferry, the great engines of the ship creaked and grumbled. I immediately felt a sense of connection with the water so close, and found myself breathing a little easier. My Leannan Sidhe blood was water-based, and ever since I had undergone the Cruharach, that sense of belonging had increased every time I came close to any body of water.

  Herne turned off the ignition and put on the emergency brake. As we unlocked our seatbelts, I frowned. Beneath the sense of connection, there was something else—something that was disturbing my senses. I slipped out of the car and, zipping my leather jacket, stepped up on the ledge that traversed the side of the ferry. I held onto the railing, staring out over the water.

  The clouds that had been coming in from the west were closer, and though they hadn’t yet reached us, I could feel them circling through the air, spinning and crashing into each other. They were raucous and rowdy, like frat boys gearing up for a party, and there was something shadowy about the energy that made me uneasy. I usually loved storms, but I was leery of this one—it felt too alive, too alert.

  “Good morning,” Herne said, swinging up on the ledge to stand beside me. He leaned on the railing. “Raven’s opting to stay in the car with Raj, while Angel’s going upstairs.”

  I nodded, still staring at the clouds. “There’s something coming, Herne. Behind those clouds. I have an uneasy feeling about this trip.”

  “Could it just be your worry about Rafé?” He slid an arm around my waist, hugging me to him.

  I thought for a moment. Could he be right? Was it merely my fears for Rafé behind my discomfort? But when I closed my eyes, trying to pinpoint the reason, my thoughts turned toward the peninsula, and in particular to the thought of Herne’s friend Angus.

  “I think…it has something to do with Angus. I know he’s your friend, Herne, but we have to be cautious. There’s an energy caught up in the storms that are coming in, and they’re coming from the direction of the peninsula. There’s a twisted feel to it, as though they aren’t natural.”

  “Weather magic, perhaps?” Herne said, frowning. “I hadn’t noticed, I’ve been so busy trying to figur
e out how best to protect Rafé. I know you and Angel still think this is a mistake, and you may be right, but right now, this is the only choice we have. We must infiltrate the group and they’re good at keeping out of sight. This could be our break to help us figure out who’s behind the Tuathan Brotherhood, and how best to deal with them.”

  “I know,” I said softly. “I didn’t like the idea at first, but you’re right. We don’t have much of a choice when it comes down to it. I just hope that he’s able to stay safe. Who knows where the hell they’re going to take him?”

  “That’s why we fitted him with a subcutaneous tracking device. It should work in case he loses his phone. Yutani has him on trace, so barring any unforeseen complications, we should be able to track his movements no matter where he goes.” Herne paused, then added, “By the way, I talked to Yutani.”

  I let out a sigh. “And?”

  “And he told me that he doesn’t mean to be an ass. He’s been trying to contact Coyote for a while now, and he keeps running into dead ends. He’s frustrated with both the situation and himself. I think he’ll keep himself in check, though.”

  “I know he doesn’t mean to be an asshole, but honestly, we’ve all had issues and we’ve all had to deal with them. Just because he feels at an impasse isn’t an excuse for railing at the rest of us.” I felt sorry for Yutani and was pissed at Coyote for not contacting him—for not telling him in the beginning—but I was running out of patience.

  “Don’t forget, he’s been dealt a lot of blows over the course of his life, none of them for anything under his control. I think Coyote’s silence reminds him of the rejection he felt when his village pushed him out.” Herne shrugged. “Whatever the case, he promised to try to do better.”

  The ferry suddenly rose and dipped, the water spraying over the side. The winds were growing stronger and I shivered as they blasted the water around us, sending a drenching mist over the side.