Magaestra: Loyalties: An urban fantasy series Page 14

  A knock on the door made her jump a bit, which in turn made her wince as both her ribs and her head protested the sudden movement.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to surprise you. That was some scowl though.” Detective Lincoln stepped in and perched on the edge of the chair that Madeline had dragged in.

  “It’s okay. I was in my own little world here.” Sarah waved his concern away and popped the last of her fruit into her mouth.

  “I wanted to check in with you. I tried earlier but you seem to have run off to do the same thing to everyone else.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “You have a concussion, you know. You’re supposed to be resting.”

  “Yeah, well. The world doesn’t stop to wait on me healing up.” Faith shrugged. “How are you doing? How’d your end of things go?”

  Ken sighed and sat back in the chair. “I am not looking forward to going in to the office. There’s going to be a ton of paperwork waiting for me, and that’ll be after I get my butt chewed out and maybe fired for an unauthorized raid with civilians. Marc suggested that we claim that he got a phone call about where he could find Mr. Honeyford and acted on it against my advice. I have a couple of guys in custody now that I’m going to take in when I report this mess. So far I can still pretend nothing massive has happened.”

  “I guess it would look bad if Greg suddenly showed up again out of the blue, huh?” Faith scrunched up her face and immediately regretted it.

  “Yeah, pretty much.” Ken peered at her, his gaze lingering on the bandages on her head and her arm. “That was quite a fall you two took.”

  Faith started to nod then thought better of it. “Yeah. Marc said it measured out at just about seventeen feet. I managed to land on a particularly solid patch of the floor.”

  “But you’re all right? Just the concussion and some scrapes?”

  She shrugged gently. “I bruised the hell out of some ribs, too, so I’m pretty much off the roster for a while. I managed to pull some power from the earth, since we were in a cave and all, and I think that might have helped me heal up a bit faster. Madeline said she was surprised I hadn’t broken anything.”

  Ken nodded. “Sometimes a large rush of power can heal a few things on the way through, it’s true. Usually starting with the worst injury, from what I understand.”

  “Considering the injuries I have left…” Faith shivered slightly at the thought. “Hate to think what healed up that was worse than bruised ribs and a concussion.”

  “Let’s not think about it too hard and just be glad you’re mostly whole.”

  Ken fell silent for a moment as he stared at her, his eyes darting around to look at her bandages again, then scanning over the rest of her in a way that felt somewhat clinical. Faith had the feeling that this was Detective Lincoln the cop, not Ken, her new friend and mentor.

  “What are you looking for, exactly?” She asked.

  Ken frowned for a moment, considering his words, before meeting her gaze. “Aldric seemed to have come through unscathed.”

  Faith grimaced. “Yeah, well. Vampires are pretty freaking resilient. Besides, he ended up sheltered behind that rock for most of the debris fall and I didn’t.”

  Ken blinked at her. “You do realize that I’m trained to watch for evasiveness and lies,” he said flatly. “What happened down there?”

  Faith raised an eyebrow of her own. “Am I about to need a lawyer, Detective Lincoln?”

  Ken’s breath exploded out of him and he surged out of his chair to stomp across the room to the window. “Faith. Those… those things out there aren’t— You can’t just— Ugh!” He stomped back to the bed and glared for a full minute.

  Faith took a deep breath and counted backwards from ten to calm down before clearing her throat. “Exactly what are you trying to imply, Ken?”

  “You asked what I was looking for? Puncture wounds. That’s what I was looking for. That… that creature you were trapped with must have fed from you to heal himself up. You’re lucky he didn’t kill you! Drained dry, I've warned you about him!” Ken started pacing as he spoke, gesturing with sharp, slightly wild motions. “I’ve seen the photographs! The pictures of the dead mages, drained so dry they look desiccated, like they were left in the dessert for weeks. And now… Oh god. Now he’s got power. Some of your magic. Faith, it’s not safe here for you or your niece. I was willing to turn a blind eye before when you were being stubborn. You didn't know any better. But now it's far too dangerous. We have to get you out of here. We have to—”

  Faith cut off his ranting with a hand held up. She felt a calm settle into her bones. A surety that she had simply not acknowledged before.

  “Aldric will never harm me. Or Kaylee. He would die before he harmed a single hair on either of our heads. He would— and has— put himself between us and danger repeatedly, without hesitation. Aldric does not drink from people. It is his line in the sand. He refuses absolutely to harm someone simply to find a meal, regardless of the possibility of adding more magic to his own abilities, and I will not have you spouting hateful bullshit about a good man.”

  Faith skirted close to the edge of lies in her little speech, but Aldric had been beating himself up enough over the whole situation, and when he had bitten her, he had made sure to do so where she was already injured, to avoid doing any further damage to her arm. She absolutely wouldn’t sit there and let Ken— or anyone— think less of the man who had been dying until that moment.

  Ken sputtered, trying to form an objection, but Faith went on. “I do understand your concerns. Believe me, I am fully aware of how deadly Aldric and the others can be when pushed, but that’s just it. They have to be pushed, and pushed hard, before they use that sort of force. The Frostwalker Clan is made up of people who are defenders. Protectors. There are others out there, Like Jesse Honeyford and Alpha Molin that are abusers and predators. There is evil in the world, certainly, but you can’t throw the good out just in case some of the evil is hiding behind it.”

  Ken scowled. “Faith. It’s… It’s just not safe.”

  “I am safer here than I am anywhere else on earth, and I would stand, bleeding and injured, beside Aldric any day of my life and still feel safe and protected. I know that, because I have.”

  “There is nothing I can say that will convince you, is there?” Ken slumped back into his chair.

  “Not a word.” Faith smiled now.

  “Then we’re spending every spare moment we have on your training. Heal up for a few days, then you’re going to learn how to keep these monsters in line.”

  “I will train and I will practice, but I want to be entirely clear, Ken. I am a Frostwalker. And we are not monsters.” Faith wanted him to have no questions as to where her allegiance lay.

  Ken scowled and started talking about schedules.

  20

  Aldric couldn’t focus. His mind kept springing back to Faith’s declaration of loyalty that he and Marc had overheard as they headed for Greg Honeyford’s temporary room.

  I am safer here than I am anywhere else on earth, and I would stand, bleeding and injured, beside Aldric any day of my life and still feel safe and protected. I know that, because I have.

  The words took his breath away and he had stumbled when he heard it. He would have fallen if Marc hadn’t caught him, though Aldric could have done without the knowing smirk his friend had worn. Marc heard Faith just as clearly as Aldric had.

  And then she had casually but unambiguously declared herself to be part of the clan. It almost took his breath from his lungs. He could almost feel her certainty in him and in the Frostwalkers brushing over his skin.

  He and Marc were standing now in Greg Honeyford’s room, trying to decide what to do about the man, and Aldric needed to focus.

  “I've already said that we understand what happened with your brother,” Marc was saying when Aldric wrenched his attention back to the present. "We don't hold you accountable for anything outside of poorly considered gossip."

  “I am so, so sorry,” Gre
g said. His voice was soft and rough, and Aldric was willing to guess that it hurt to speak. “I will never forgive myself.”

  Marc smiled softly. “You will eventually. Faith already has, and I know for fact that Kaylee is barely restraining herself from coming in here to visit. Madeline took her aside and stressed how much you need to rest before you have visitors, and I think that's the only thing holding that kid back. You might need to be braced for a pair of very eager kids to sneak in when they think we’re all asleep.”

  Greg blinked at him, the question in his eyes unvoiced.

  “My son Jake has appointed himself her personal bodyguard,” Marc sighed. “He’s not even a year older than she is. Hell, he shifted to try to protect her when those damned Goldfangs attacked the other day. Do you have any idea how horrifying it is to see a puppy growling at a blighthound? I lost about ten years of my life that morning.”

  Greg’s eyes widened as much as his injuries would let him. “Shifted?”

  “Yeah. His teen years just got a whole lot more interesting.” Marc grimaced. “But look, my point here is that none of us blame you for the actions of a few greedy jerks, your brother included.”

  Greg huffed out a harsh breath. “I know what Jess is like. He is basically only nice to me, and I don’t know why he’s even that decent. But he's always been a good big brother, even if he's a total thug.”

  “Well, it’s a glimmer of hope at least. He’s not entirely irredeemable. We told him what happened to you and he’s been giving us information on Molin ever since. He’d like to see you, if you’re willing to let us help you there in a day or two. I’d rather not let him out of the cell we have him in, if it’s all the same.”

  Greg grimaced and nodded. “Let me heal up a bit more first?”

  “Absolutely.” Marc nodded.

  "Why did the Goldfangs take you, do you know? It seems odd, at best," Aldric asked. He had been wondering since Lincoln first told them that the younger Honeyford had been abducted.

  "They seemed to think I knew everything about Kaylee's family. Like I was in touch with her and her aunt while they were here for some reason. They kept asking me about how many guards were posted inside the clan house and if Faith was able to fight off four wolves or five?" Greg started to roll his eyes but winced almost immediately. "How the heck would I know any of that? I told them I hadn't talked to Kaylee or her mom in weeks but they just kick me again and ask another question."

  "Unbelievable," Marc growled. "They're honestly dumber than I expected. The brains behind this have got to lie with the vampires. Cherro is just using the Goldfangs as cannon fodder and distractions."

  The silence that filled the room was not a comfortable one, Aldric thought. It was heavy with anxiety and pain and expectations, and finally Greg was the one that ended it.

  “What are you going to do to me?” He asked.

  “What do you mean?” Aldric squinted in answer. Something about how Greg phrased his question threw him.

  “I mean, now that I’m here in your custody, what are you going to do to me?” His voice was getting rougher the longer they sat here.

  “Let you heal, mostly. After that I will ask you to stay at least long enough to ensure that you’re safe to return home,” Marc answered. “I think you’ve been through enough, and honestly I don’t see you spying for the Goldfangs, so there’s no reason to keep you confined.”

  Greg snorted at that. “No. Molin is a homophobic asshole, among his many other fine qualities,” Greg said with as much venom as he could pack into his voice. “The only reason I’m not dead is that he wanted to keep leverage over Jesse, but I don’t think that was going to stay the case for much longer.”

  “Well, as soon as you’re safe and healthy again, you can go home. Until then, rest up.”

  Greg blinked at him. “That’s it?”

  “That’s it.” Marc smiled at him.

  Greg glanced over at Aldric who also smiled and nodded.

  “Now you get some rest. Aldric and I have a lot to talk about and a ton of planning to do.”

  Aldric could see that it would take Greg some time to trust them, and he honestly couldn’t blame the man.

  His experience in a pack had been brutal, and trusting a new alpha, even one as good as Marc, would take experience and effort on their part.

  “Be careful. Molin is a thug, and not very creative, but the guy with him— the vampire— seems clever,” Greg said as they turned to go. “He only came in to observe them beating me in the guise of questioning once, but he was… cold. Creepy.”

  Aldric’s instincts roared to awareness. “Do you know his name? How long he was there? Anything?”

  Greg swallowed and winced, coughing a bit, before shaking his head. “I only saw him the once, but I heard Molin bragging about getting support from someone named Sandy? Count Sandy?” Greg shook his head again. “I'm not even sure, really. He was bragging after they finished beating on me for the day, so I was kind of out of it. I don’t know if this Sandy guy is the same guy that came in with him that once, but…”

  “Thank you. We will look into it,” Aldric said. “Now you rest. Heal.”

  Greg nodded, saving his voice, and Aldric stepped into the hallway after Marc. Neither of them spoke until after they were in Marc’s office again, and the door closed behind them.

  “Well. It sounds like our speculations were close to accurate. You agree he meant Conti, not Count?” Marc groaned as he sat down. “As if a pack war wasn’t bad enough, now we’ve got the beginnings of World War Three on our doorstep. Fantastic.”

  Aldric simply grimaced, not sure what to add. Marc had summed up his own feelings fairly well.

  Marc turned a piercing gaze at Aldric. “Not to mention the issue that you are very carefully avoiding, my old friend.”

  “Issue?” Aldric tried to keep his voice steady and his face blank.

  Marc sighed. “Aldric, I’ve known you literally my whole life. I played with you while I still believed in the tooth fairy. You helped me with my horrible history and math homework in middle school. You gave me dating advice through my twenties, and all but held my hand when Suze delivered Jake, and then again when she left us. You have been one of my closest friends and most trusted advisors. I had no hesitation in putting the safety of the Frostwalkers into your hands when I took over leadership.”

  Aldric swallowed heavily. He couldn’t stop himself, but he tried to mount a defense against what he knew was coming.

  “I have been honored to serve the clan, and also by your friendship,” he replied.

  Marc nodded. “You have never given me cause to doubt you in any way. Which is why it hurts so much to know you’re hiding something from me now.”

  Aldric’s heart sank like a stone to the bottom of his stomach, but he didn’t say anything. Marc sat there, waiting, and the silence stretched uncomfortably long until finally Marc sighed, a deep and sorrowful sound.

  “I’m not just asking as your Chieftain that needs to know for the security of our people. I’m asking as your friend, Aldric, because I am worried about you as a person. What happened?”

  Aldric sat tense and ruler-straight on the edge of the chair, rather than sinking back into it as he usually did. That alone likely told Marc that his suspicions were accurate. There was nothing to be done but to confess and accept his exile graciously.

  “I was gravely injured in the fall.” Each word felt like he was landing in the dark cavern all over again. “A boulder landed on my leg and I was bleeding out. Dying. “

  Marc nodded slowly, absorbing Aldric’s confession. Aldric couldn't bring himself to speak the words out loud. Marc was smart enough to hear what Aldric wasn't saying. I fed on Faith. She offered herself to me and I fed.

  “I should have been stronger and continued to refuse no matter how she argued. I have no defense, and I accept whatever consequences you choose to impose upon me for my unforgivable actions.”

  Marc blinked, but otherwise sat still an
d silent as the stone that had pinned Aldric.

  “And what will stop you from hunting the humans in town, now? Or our shifters? Wolf blood may not bestow the same sort of powers as a mage’s does, but it is still powerful, from all reports.”

  Aldric almost snarled at the accusation, but he clenched his jaw shut on his instinctive reply. Taking a deep breath, he said, “If you feel I am a danger to your Clan and your territory, I accept that.”

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Of course I wouldn’t do that! I would never hunt people!” Aldric couldn’t keep the outrage from his voice. “I would not have even fed from Faith but she was already bleeding and refused to let me deny her offer. I was pinned and dying, too weak to get away when she all but force-fed me. I would never hurt someone, and I truly thought you knew me better than that!”

  “Then why on Earth would you think I would punish you?" Marc raised his eyebrows, incredulity radiating from him. "Honestly, Aldric, I wanted you to tell me because you trusted me, not because you had to. I know perfectly well that you’re not a danger, dammit! I’d think you would know me better than that!”

  Aldric jerked back, shocked. “You— you’re not exiling me”

  “Why the hell would I exile you? I need you! We’re at war, Aldric! You don’t just fire your general and chief advisor because he did something he doesn't like when he was in a shitty situation!” Marc leaned forward and scrubbed his fingers over his scalp without ever taking his elbows from the desktop, making his hair stand on end. “I know you too well to think you forced Faith to feed you, and honestly, I think I know Faith well enough at this point to know how determined she was when she offered.”

  “I—” Aldric tried to come up with words but all he could do was blink at Marc’s accurate summary of what happened. The one thing, the single tenet that he lived his life by and Marc was telling him that it didn't matter. That he had missed the point somehow. “But—”