Chapter Twenty-Seven: Nootau |
 Nootau - Tradesman - Skin Walker |  Edwige - Healer - Human (Magic User) |
The rain wouldn't stop. Nootau wished it was snow instead, but Spring was rearing its head. For nearly two weeks the Knights had been coming, poking their noses in everyone's business. Asking for copies, pushing for information, bringing photographs and information in for them to to go over.
Akemi hadn't lied about getting to the bottom of the dragon business, but they had yet to resolve anything with the walkers. No connection had been found whatsoever, but then neither had any connection to Tibo's information. In fact, Akemi was starting to believe his problem was a Guild issue, but wasn't a hundred percent certain. The only thing for certain was it did seem Ashe's and Mal's information were connected in a roundabout way. The bastards involved with the dragon breeding were about to get fucked sideways by Akemi no matter what.
The good things they had come out with were names and evidence. Even if Dario and his husband Nils were total bastards, Nootau held the knowledge their network was about to get brought down. Tibo might not get that satisfaction. Nootau wasn't certain their testimony would do any good, but Akemi seemed certain the order would do something, and if need be, investigate further. As Aegeus said, "Hope isn't a bad thing. It means having something worth fight for." A snort escaped Nootau. Hope was indeed an awful thing to have. He should know.
"Nootau?" Edwige's voice called out.
A shudder ran through him. Her voice was liquid silk to his broken spirit.
"You in here?"
Here was a small nursery room on the third floor. Nootau found it not long after Akemi showed up and shared the Firedrake project with them. Filled mostly with fables and children's stories. A chest of toys had been carefully placed in one corner while a small table and chairs sat across the room from it. A closet held dress up clothes. The north wall had a working fireplace with a rocking chair next to it. It was a comfortable rocker with pillows and warm blanket to snuggle in.
The room was a refuge from everyone. Here the quiet soothed him. Everywhere else had too much noise. It hurt. Nootau could barely stand being in the same room as Edwige and Aegeus anymore. But sitting in the rocker, surrounded by all the warmth of the room, made Nootau feel better. Then he wouldn't think about how he'd have to leave his lovers. Or why they would leave him.
Because they are good.
Nootau growled.
Unlike you, soul stealer. You are filth.
"Shut up!"
"Did you just tell me to shut up?" Edwige asked with a sharp twist to her voice.
"Not you," Nootau said, closing his eyes. "Never you."
Footsteps came into the room, right in front of Nootau. He refused to open his eyes. Too see the disappointment in Edwige's face again, Nootau's stomach couldn't handle it. Not that it could handle much these days.
"Do you need something? A draft of anti-nausea medication?" Edwige's warm hand went to his forehead. "Think you could drink some water and keep it down?"
"Yes." For her Nootau would.
Because you want her dirty like you.
"Is the infection back?" she asked.
"No!" Not the one from his stupid stitches at least.
Edwige's hand traced down to his jaw. She pressed her palm against the side of his throat. "Maybe you should talk to Akemi's Healer again?"
"I'm fine," Nootau said. "There something you need?"
Edwige didn't answered immediately.
"Or just saying hi?"
Why would she want to see your worthless face, walker?
"Just wanted some time with my guy," Edwige answered softly.
Nootau finally opened his eyes and met her sorrowful gaze. So much pain resided there. "Aegeus is downstairs in the study with Mal."
A quick, in-drawn breath told Nootau how much the words cut Edwige. The tears threatening to fall from her eyes did too. You're a bastard, walker.
"I meant you." Her words came out with a wobble.
"Oh."
A knock interrupted them. "Edwige? Nootau?"
The good doctor Jaxx stuck his head into the room.
"Ah." Edwige wiped at her cheeks. "You need something Jaxx?"
His smiled faltered briefly but he recovered fast. "Yes, Akemi is here. She wants to know our answer. She's down in the study."
Edwige nodded and headed for the door after Jaxx's shadow. When she got to it, she called back without looking, "You coming?"
"Yeah." And Nootau pushed the blanket off him and stood. His bones cracked and moaned, protesting the movement. He did his best to straighten up. Last thing he needed was for the doctor or Edwige see him limping.
Happens when you rot from the inside out, walker.
* * * * *
Aegeus settled onto the loveseat they moved into the study. He and Mal had been over the shipping receipts from the Guild and Rubrum Lux one last time to be sure the operations from the aerospace lab were in fact separate.
At least we can confirm Dario and his husband Nils are working through their own network.
The thought wasn't really comforting but knowing who was caught up in what helped clarify what was going on. The clusterfuck nearly made Akemi lose her cool on a couple occassions. Just little ticks to her jaw, but Aegeus was pretty sure those meant she was seething underneath.
When Jaxx hurried through the door with Edwige stomping behind him, Aegeus pushed off the loveseat only to have her murderous glare sit him back down. What had their third done now? Only Nootau could make her look so... hurt. Aegeus opened his arms and Edwige flew right into them, burying her face in his shoulder.
More than a few people shot a troubled look in their direction.
"Where's Nootau?" Akemi asked, not looking at Aegeus and Edwige.
"Here."
Speaking of the devil. Aegeus frowned as their third, distant as he may be the past couple weeks, walked stiffly into the room.
Nootau didn't avoid them entirely, but he left space between them on the loveseat. He wouldn't meet Aegeus' eyes either. Something definitely happened. Gods Above and Mother Earth below he was breaking Aegeus' heart along with Edwige's.
Akemi walked back over to the fire place. As always over the past few days, Gian and Jariah flanked her like overprotective guard dogs. Their protectiveness over her was warranted. They'd found some nasty information.
Information that had caused many more fights between them. More than one person sported a black eye in the room. Knights and them alike. Gian's had a particularly nasty one from Ashe. Though the purple went with his new make-up scheme. The knight knew how to rock eyeshadow really well.
After a loud, harsh breath out, Akemi turned back toward the room, facing their party. All of them had their attention fixed on her.
"Well?" she said. "Have you decided?"
Aegeus looked over to Rolly, Jaxx and Mal. They nodded. He felt Edwige nod against him as well. "We'll come in."
Akemi's flawless composure almost broken when she smiled. "Good."
"But we have a few conditions," Rolly threw in.
"Oh?"
Jaxx nodded. "We want to bring our own transport."
"Understandable."
"We're keeping copies of our documents or files," Mal added.
Akemi frowned but nodded. "Anything else?"
Smart fox. That had been a deal breaker for most of their party.
Edwige twisted around in Aegeus' lap. Normally that did nice things to his crotch, today though, it didn't. "Can you really guarantee our safety until the investigations are finished and prosecutions go through?"
"Not 100 percent, no," Akemi answered. Her jaw ticked. "I wish I could, but we'll do our best to protect you until then."
"You do realize how much this has affected all our lives, our jobs?" Edwige pushed hard. Anger laced her voice.
"You will be compensated," Akemi said. Her gaze lingered on Mal then moved back to Edwige. "In fact, I hope some lasting relationships occur out of this. We need some new blood in Rubrum Lux."
Aegeus glanced over at their friend. He wondered what that was about.
"Okay!" Akemi clapped her hands together. Another of the knights, Lea, pulled out a computer pad and a projected image of the castle popped up. "We have some guidelines to go over."
"Guidelines? Why do we need guidelines?" Tibo asked. He crossed his arms. Aegeus could almost see the cloud of discontent rolling off him. Tibo sniffed. "Think we're going to trash the place?"
Akemi did the best eye roll ever in response. "No, but I always plan for a bad day. I prefer to know you will get in and out safely."
Aegeus decided to start humming. The agitation in the room was palpable.
"Why can't we give our evidence over now, then?" Ashe asked. He put a protective arm around Jaxx's shoulders.
"We still need your testimony."
Ashe shook his head. "Can't we just do that here? I don't want Jaxx hurt."
Jaxx huffed but didn't argue. Aegeus felt for Ashe. He understood exactly. Putting loved one in the line of fire took years off a person's life. Or felt like it anyway. Aegeus just wanted the whole ordeal to be done and over. Maybe then they could help Nootau find a way back to himself again.
"I have some of my superiors coming in to hear this and look at the evidence," Akemi answered. The tick in her jaw got that much bigger. "We have to go through official channels to be able to have the precedence for action to be taken against those in our investigation. I have their ear, but without testimony and the evidence official sanctions can't be brought."
"And how are ye going to keep us safe?" Rolly queried.
"Each of you will have an armed escort in and out of Rotlicht. They will be stationed outside the investigator rooms while we get your testimony."
"We're just coming in for our statements and bringing our evidence," Kaden said, pressing against Mal. He threaded his fingers with Mal's. At least someone was on good terms with their lover. "Why would we need an armed escort?"
"Like I said." Akemi sighed. "We have a few big names in this mess. I'm not sure who to trust besides the men and women I have brought on personally. Caution is our friend."
Aegeus couldn't agree more. "Yes it is."
"How many rooms are we getting put in?" Edwige asked.
"Four, so figure out who goes with who."
Aegeus laughed. Like Akemi didn't know how they would split. At least she pretended to let them have some control over the situation. He rubbed his chin over Edwige's head and gave her a squeeze.
"Well, when do we do this?" Aegeus asked.
"I'll have cars waiting for you tomorrow at noon." Akemi smiled, showing a little fang. "Time to nail the bastards."
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Chapter Twenty-Seven: Ashe
Dandelion
 Ashe - Cowboy (Unicorns) - Phoenix |  Dr. Jaxx - Doctor - Satyr |
Ashe’s head was pounding.
We're all on the same bloody team here mate.
Mal was right. He was being an ass about things, but he was having a hard time calming himself down. They’d been trapped like rats in this house for days on end, forced to go through this run-around. Wanting to fly, but stuck to the ground. It made him crazy.
Even in their little place back home, with his father, he’d been able to get out into the sky when he felt cramped—to soar above the world for a few moments of peace and quiet.
His father.
I’m my father’s son.
It hit him like a bucket of cold water, cooling his ire instantly.
How many times had he chastised Kino for losing his temper and getting in a fight? And at least Kino had alcohol for an excuse.
Ashe needed to get his shit together.
He stood unsteadily, bracing his hand on the kitchen chair.
The knight was staring at him from the other side of the kitchen table, his hand over one eye. Probably from one of Ashe’s elbows, thrown unconsciously when his vision had gone red with rage.
“I’m sorry, Gian,” he said, his voice calm. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, truly. I need a few moments, if that’s okay.”
Gian nodded, staring at him warily. “Take all the time you need.” He put his hand down, coming away with a smear of silver eyeshadow. A bruise was already forming under the man’s eye.
Ashe nodded and left the room.
There was nowhere to go, really—that was the problem. Nowhere but the room he shared with Jaxx, which now seemed more like a prison cell.
Edwige shot him a look as he passed her, one that might have been concern.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, and hurried on to his room. He pulled the door closed behind him.
He sank down on the bed, remembering his father—all the times Ashe had dragged him out of a bar, the times they’d gone on the run together after his father’s rage had burned down a barstool, or a wall, or sometimes the whole place.
His father, Kino, who had left him all alone in this world.
He started to cry, first in small sobs, then full-on in ugly cry mode. He really was all alone in the world. His mother had been taken from him long ago—that wound had mostly healed, or at least scabbed over. But his father’s death still burned like a motherfucker. Kino had been gone in a flash, in the blink of an eye, leaving Ashe all alone.
Ashe rolled over on his side, racked with sorrow now instead of rage.
He felt rather than heard Jaxx when he came into the room. “Hey.”
Jaxx sat on the bed, hovering over him, and turned him over to pull Ashe onto his lap. The satyr leaned over and held him, his body warm against Ashe’s shoulder and back.
Slowly Ashe calmed down as Jaxx rubbed his back, whispering softly in his ear.
At last, he squeezed Jaxx’s arm in thanks, and rolled over onto his back, staring up at the plaster ceiling, which was showing a few cracks.
"I miss him," he said simply.
"I know." Jaxx dropped down to lie next to him, following his gaze.
"Is Tibo okay?"
"Yeah. It'll take more than a pissed off phoenix to bring that little goblin down, I think. Last I heard through the bedroom door, he and Rolly were going at it pretty good."
Ashe snorted.
"So what happened?"
Ashe was silent for a long time. Jaxx squeezed his hand.
At last he turned to face the satyr. "I don’t know. I just feel trapped. It's been ages since I last flew, with the long trip cross country and then overseas, and the broken wing--"
"Which has healed nicely, by the way."
“Thank you.” He allowed himself to smile, just a little. “Now, cooped up in this house for days on end with these ‘knights’…” He looked into Jaxx's eyes. "How can we trust them?"
Jaxx shrugged. "I don't know. But what's the alternative?"
"I could take you in my arms and burst out of that window into the sky,” he said hopefully. Oh God, it would feel good to fly again, with Jaxx in his arms. “We could run."
Jaxx laughed softly. "Yeah, right. And be looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives?"
"Yeah. When I said it out loud, it did sound a little half-assed." Ashe wondered how he had gotten so lucky to have this Being as his own.
"You want to find the people who took away your parents, right?"
"Yes." It came out as a hiss.
"Then you need to find a way to be a patient. Surely a few more days stuck in this house are worth bringing them to justice?"
Ashe nodded. Jaxx knew just what to say to calm him down, though he still looked longingly over the man's shoulder, out the window at the open sky. A few more days. "I've been an ass, haven't I?"
"Maybe. A little." Jaxx kissed him and tousled his feathers. "It's understandable."
"How's Nootau?"
Jaxx sighed. "Not good. It's like he's broken inside. I don't know how to help him.” He wiped the moisture from Ashe’s cheek. “I’m hoping Akemi has someone who can fix him.”
Ashe sat up. He pulled off his shirt and let out his wings, which manifested themselves with a rustle. “Come here.”
Jaxx grinned, pulling off his own shirt. “I love it when you share your wings with me.” He kissed Ashe hungrily.
Ashe grinned. Even better than flying.
* * * * *
Rolly stared fondly down at Tibo, nestled in his arms in the afterglow of sex. Tibo fecking Glent, suddenly a pussycat curled up next to him, eyes closed and looking like a green-skinned angel.
Yeah, it sucked being cooped up here. But there were compensations. Like getting to spend more time one on one with his Tibo before the whole world got wind of this new development.
Someone knocked at their door.
Tibo’s eyes flickered open. “Who in the fucking seven hells is it?” He glared at the door, then up at Rolly, who had to stifle a laugh. Now there’s the Tibo I know.
“Come in,” Rolly called.
The door opened, and an abashed looking phoenix stood there. “Hey guys.” Jaxx stood right behind him, a hand on his shoulder.
“You haven’t come back to beat the shit out of me again, have you?” Tibo snarled.
Ashe frowned. He looked truly chastened. “No. I came to apologize. I’ve been an ass.”
Rolly started to say something crass, then stopped as Jaxx shot him an imploring look.
“Yes you have,” Tibo said. “You just up and fucking attacked me for no good reason.”
Ashe bowed his head. “I know. I just felt trapped. And angry.”
The phoenix looked more relaxed than he had in days. So did the good doctor. Rolly grinned. “You fecking got laid, didn’t you?”
Jaxx turned nine shades of red.
Tibo cackled. “Holy crap, you’re right, Rolls. That’s all our man Ashe needed.” He slipped out of bed and pulled on his pants, and marched up to Ashe. “Why didn’t you just say so? I would have sent you off to your bedroom days ago with marching orders.”
“Marching?” Rolly raised an eyebrow.
“You know what I mean.” Tibo spat on his hand and held it out to Ashe. “Square?”
Ashe looked at the wet hand for a moment, then shook it. “Square.”
“Rolly?” That was Jaxx.
“If Tibo’s okay with it, I am too.”
Ashe bowed. He actually bowed. “Thank you, both of you. Now I’ve got some more amends to make.” He pulled the door closed behind him. “Back to whatever you two were up to.”
Rolly gave Tibo his best shit-eating grin. “Up for another round?”
* * * * *
Ashe found Gian in the living room. The knight was slumped on the couch, watching DNN on the flatscreen TV—some war or other with dragon bombers flying low over gray ruins.
“The world’s going to hell in a handbasket,” Ashe said conversationally.
Gian looked up at him, grunted, and looked back at the TV.
Ashe decided to take a more direct tact. “I’m here to apologize,” he said, holding out his hand with his mother’s flash drive.
That got Gian’s attention. The big man shut off the TV and sat up. “So what changed your mind?”
Ashe shrugged. “I have to start trusting someone, sometime. We came all this way to see this through. If I go home emptyhanded, my parents both died in vain.”
Ashe noticed he’d replaced his silver eye shadow with a bright red, probably to cover up the bruise. He felt another twinge of guilt.
Gian nodded. “Okay, let’s see what you have.” He took the flash drive and led them back into the kitchen. He retrieved his laptop from his bag on one of the chairs and plugged in the flash drive. “I have got a search diagnostic app that runs a hellishly complicated algorithm with a simple aim—to pull out anything that matches several parameters I’ve set that might be of interest to our investigation. But while that runs, I want to show you something.” He flipped open Ashe’s dragonskin diary. “I was leafing through this, just to see if anything of interest popped out at me. Fascinating stories this thing tells of that time period—some of them I’ve never heard before, and I am pretty well versed in dragon lore.” He paused, probably for dramatic effect. “I asked them to pull the checkout record for this book.” He held up the journal. Then he pulled up an email.
Ashe squinted. “What am I looking at?”
Gian grinned and pointed at the screen.
Ashe scanned the list, and stopped dead at the last name. “Nancy Heyoka,” he said aloud softly. Eleven years before. “How…?”
Gian shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s not a public library. Maybe she posed as a visiting researcher? In any case, your mother was there, more than a decade ago. If we can find out what she did, who she saw—”
“We might find out who she was investigating. Who the killer was.” Ashe stared at the man with newfound respect.
Gian nodded.
His computer beeped.
The knight scanned the results. “Nothing of particular interest to us. Most of it appears to be historical research. There are a few files thrown in here from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Magic. But it looks like mostly publicly available stuff.” He frowned. “Why would she go to so much trouble to get this to you, if there was nothing important on it?”
“The key,” Jaxx said.
“What?” Ashe had almost forgotten Jaxx was standing behind them.
“The key she left you. It was spelled. And the notebook. It was coded. Neither of them were what they seemed.”
“The satyr makes an excellent point.” Gian pulled the flash drive out of the computer. He held it up to the light. “Yes, there’s something here. Can you see it? A flower. A mum, maybe? Or—”
“A dandelion.”
Gian held the flash drive out to him.
Ashe looked at it under the light of the ceiling lamp. Sure enough, a small dandelion was etched into the plastic, so faint he hadn’t noticed it before. “What does it mean?”
“Try holding your thumb over it for a moment.”
Ashe tried it. Nothing happened.
“How about your left thumb?”
He complied. After ten seconds, there was a flash and an audible click. The thumb drive split in half in his hands.
Inside was a second usb flash drive, less than half the length of the first.
“Keyed to her son’s thumbprint,” Gian said, whistling. “I think you’ll want to get Mal for this.”
Ashe nodded at Jaxx, who ran off to find the dragon rider.
Gian slipped the new flash drive into his computer and opened the files. He whistled again.
Mal and Kaden showed up with Jaxx. Mal glared at Ashe but didn’t say anything to him. “What did you find?” he asked Gian.
Ashe could feel the frost.
“Lots and lots of files on the dragon breeding project you were tracking, apparently.” There were pages and pages of graphs, folders full of reports, video snippets, and much more. “Looks like we hit the motherlode here.”
Ashe grinned. Finally, some kind of breakthrough. He caught Mal smiling too. The man looked at him sheepishly and turned away.
Gian was frowning. “When did you say your mother died?”
“About ten years ago.”
“Interesting.”
“What?” Ashe peered over the man’s shoulder.
“The last of these files was added to this flash drive just six months ago.”
Ashe frowned. “That’s not possible.”
“Unless she was working with someone else? Is there anyone else who might have had access to the safe deposit box where she left this for you?”
Ashe shook his head. “The only one who knew about it…” Holy crap.
He and Jaxx locked eyes. “Professor Dressler.”
“Who?” Mal looked back and forth at the two of them, looking confused.
“An old friend of my mother’s. He led us to the safe deposit box, and then helped us get here. And there’s more.” He held up the journal. “My mother was at Schloss Rotlich too. She checked out this same book.”
Mal’s eyes widened.
“We have to go back,” they both said at the same time.
****
Ashe was in bed, leafing through one of the books he’d found in the house’s small library, an English-language travel guide on famous Swiss castles. It was all tourist fluff, and Schloss Rotlich wasn’t included, probably because it was in private hands.
There was a light tap on the bedroom door.
Ashe glanced at the clock by the bedside. It was after 11 PM. Jaxx was asleep, snoring heavily, his back turned away from the bright moonlight streaming through the window.
Ashe got up and pulled on his pants, muttering at the late night interruption.
He opened the door, surprised to find Gian there. “I thought you’d gone home with the rest of Akemi’s crew.” The man looked tired, his trademark eye shadow faded and smeared.
Gian chuckled softly. “I got wrapped up going through the contents of your mother’s little flash drive—there’s a lot of data there. I’m more certain than ever that someone was helping her, someone who may be still alive. But I wanted to show you something.” He gestured for Ashe to follow him.
Ashe glanced back at Jaxx. Could he really trust the knight? Should he wake his lover? He decided against it. Jaxx needed his rest, and there were enough of his friends in the house who would come running if he started a ruckus.
They made their way back to the kitchen. Gian’s laptop provided the only light, casting the room in a blue glow.
Gian slid into his seat and opened a folder. “I found this. I thought you should see it.” He looked up at Ashe. “I’d do almost anything to get a message from my own mother.”
Ashe nodded. He looked at the screen. There was a file there cryptically labeled “possibilities.”
Gian double-clicked it.
Ashe scanned the contents. It included information on five people—Professor John Lynde, a mathematics expert on an extended fellowship to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Magic; Dr. Muriel Saxon, an authority on dragon breeding; Dr. Dexter Cooper, an American genetics specialist working at Türlersee; Nathan Combs, a British man working at the castle in upper management, and Talia Foss, whose title was unclear in the documents.
These were the people his mother had been investigating. The ones involved with the dragon research. Maybe one of them had been involved in her death, and Kino’s.
Cooper. That name had come up before, in the files on the main flash drive he and Mal had searched through.
Ashe reached the end of the file. There was a note:
I left a dandelion for my little bird. Keep it with you and it will guide you to the truth. —‘Mita
Ashe stared at it and the list for the longest time.
“Here, take this,” Gian said, pulling out the flash drive and handing it to him. “I’ve already copied all the files. She wanted you to have it.”
“Thanks.” Ashe looked at the dandelion on the side wonderingly. A dandelion for my little bird.
“Do you know what she meant?” Gian asked, closing up the laptop.
He shook his head. “No idea.”
It was a lie. He knew exactly what his mother intended. To find her killer.
Lynde, Saxon, Cooper, Combs and Foss.
One of you might be the one.
We're all on the same bloody team here mate.
Mal was right. He was being an ass about things, but he was having a hard time calming himself down. They’d been trapped like rats in this house for days on end, forced to go through this run-around. Wanting to fly, but stuck to the ground. It made him crazy.
Even in their little place back home, with his father, he’d been able to get out into the sky when he felt cramped—to soar above the world for a few moments of peace and quiet.
His father.
I’m my father’s son.
It hit him like a bucket of cold water, cooling his ire instantly.
How many times had he chastised Kino for losing his temper and getting in a fight? And at least Kino had alcohol for an excuse.
Ashe needed to get his shit together.
He stood unsteadily, bracing his hand on the kitchen chair.
The knight was staring at him from the other side of the kitchen table, his hand over one eye. Probably from one of Ashe’s elbows, thrown unconsciously when his vision had gone red with rage.
“I’m sorry, Gian,” he said, his voice calm. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, truly. I need a few moments, if that’s okay.”
Gian nodded, staring at him warily. “Take all the time you need.” He put his hand down, coming away with a smear of silver eyeshadow. A bruise was already forming under the man’s eye.
Ashe nodded and left the room.
There was nowhere to go, really—that was the problem. Nowhere but the room he shared with Jaxx, which now seemed more like a prison cell.
Edwige shot him a look as he passed her, one that might have been concern.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, and hurried on to his room. He pulled the door closed behind him.
He sank down on the bed, remembering his father—all the times Ashe had dragged him out of a bar, the times they’d gone on the run together after his father’s rage had burned down a barstool, or a wall, or sometimes the whole place.
His father, Kino, who had left him all alone in this world.
He started to cry, first in small sobs, then full-on in ugly cry mode. He really was all alone in the world. His mother had been taken from him long ago—that wound had mostly healed, or at least scabbed over. But his father’s death still burned like a motherfucker. Kino had been gone in a flash, in the blink of an eye, leaving Ashe all alone.
Ashe rolled over on his side, racked with sorrow now instead of rage.
He felt rather than heard Jaxx when he came into the room. “Hey.”
Jaxx sat on the bed, hovering over him, and turned him over to pull Ashe onto his lap. The satyr leaned over and held him, his body warm against Ashe’s shoulder and back.
Slowly Ashe calmed down as Jaxx rubbed his back, whispering softly in his ear.
At last, he squeezed Jaxx’s arm in thanks, and rolled over onto his back, staring up at the plaster ceiling, which was showing a few cracks.
"I miss him," he said simply.
"I know." Jaxx dropped down to lie next to him, following his gaze.
"Is Tibo okay?"
"Yeah. It'll take more than a pissed off phoenix to bring that little goblin down, I think. Last I heard through the bedroom door, he and Rolly were going at it pretty good."
Ashe snorted.
"So what happened?"
Ashe was silent for a long time. Jaxx squeezed his hand.
At last he turned to face the satyr. "I don’t know. I just feel trapped. It's been ages since I last flew, with the long trip cross country and then overseas, and the broken wing--"
"Which has healed nicely, by the way."
“Thank you.” He allowed himself to smile, just a little. “Now, cooped up in this house for days on end with these ‘knights’…” He looked into Jaxx's eyes. "How can we trust them?"
Jaxx shrugged. "I don't know. But what's the alternative?"
"I could take you in my arms and burst out of that window into the sky,” he said hopefully. Oh God, it would feel good to fly again, with Jaxx in his arms. “We could run."
Jaxx laughed softly. "Yeah, right. And be looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives?"
"Yeah. When I said it out loud, it did sound a little half-assed." Ashe wondered how he had gotten so lucky to have this Being as his own.
"You want to find the people who took away your parents, right?"
"Yes." It came out as a hiss.
"Then you need to find a way to be a patient. Surely a few more days stuck in this house are worth bringing them to justice?"
Ashe nodded. Jaxx knew just what to say to calm him down, though he still looked longingly over the man's shoulder, out the window at the open sky. A few more days. "I've been an ass, haven't I?"
"Maybe. A little." Jaxx kissed him and tousled his feathers. "It's understandable."
"How's Nootau?"
Jaxx sighed. "Not good. It's like he's broken inside. I don't know how to help him.” He wiped the moisture from Ashe’s cheek. “I’m hoping Akemi has someone who can fix him.”
Ashe sat up. He pulled off his shirt and let out his wings, which manifested themselves with a rustle. “Come here.”
Jaxx grinned, pulling off his own shirt. “I love it when you share your wings with me.” He kissed Ashe hungrily.
Ashe grinned. Even better than flying.
* * * * *
Rolly stared fondly down at Tibo, nestled in his arms in the afterglow of sex. Tibo fecking Glent, suddenly a pussycat curled up next to him, eyes closed and looking like a green-skinned angel.
Yeah, it sucked being cooped up here. But there were compensations. Like getting to spend more time one on one with his Tibo before the whole world got wind of this new development.
Someone knocked at their door.
Tibo’s eyes flickered open. “Who in the fucking seven hells is it?” He glared at the door, then up at Rolly, who had to stifle a laugh. Now there’s the Tibo I know.
“Come in,” Rolly called.
The door opened, and an abashed looking phoenix stood there. “Hey guys.” Jaxx stood right behind him, a hand on his shoulder.
“You haven’t come back to beat the shit out of me again, have you?” Tibo snarled.
Ashe frowned. He looked truly chastened. “No. I came to apologize. I’ve been an ass.”
Rolly started to say something crass, then stopped as Jaxx shot him an imploring look.
“Yes you have,” Tibo said. “You just up and fucking attacked me for no good reason.”
Ashe bowed his head. “I know. I just felt trapped. And angry.”
The phoenix looked more relaxed than he had in days. So did the good doctor. Rolly grinned. “You fecking got laid, didn’t you?”
Jaxx turned nine shades of red.
Tibo cackled. “Holy crap, you’re right, Rolls. That’s all our man Ashe needed.” He slipped out of bed and pulled on his pants, and marched up to Ashe. “Why didn’t you just say so? I would have sent you off to your bedroom days ago with marching orders.”
“Marching?” Rolly raised an eyebrow.
“You know what I mean.” Tibo spat on his hand and held it out to Ashe. “Square?”
Ashe looked at the wet hand for a moment, then shook it. “Square.”
“Rolly?” That was Jaxx.
“If Tibo’s okay with it, I am too.”
Ashe bowed. He actually bowed. “Thank you, both of you. Now I’ve got some more amends to make.” He pulled the door closed behind him. “Back to whatever you two were up to.”
Rolly gave Tibo his best shit-eating grin. “Up for another round?”
* * * * *
Ashe found Gian in the living room. The knight was slumped on the couch, watching DNN on the flatscreen TV—some war or other with dragon bombers flying low over gray ruins.
“The world’s going to hell in a handbasket,” Ashe said conversationally.
Gian looked up at him, grunted, and looked back at the TV.
Ashe decided to take a more direct tact. “I’m here to apologize,” he said, holding out his hand with his mother’s flash drive.
That got Gian’s attention. The big man shut off the TV and sat up. “So what changed your mind?”
Ashe shrugged. “I have to start trusting someone, sometime. We came all this way to see this through. If I go home emptyhanded, my parents both died in vain.”
Ashe noticed he’d replaced his silver eye shadow with a bright red, probably to cover up the bruise. He felt another twinge of guilt.
Gian nodded. “Okay, let’s see what you have.” He took the flash drive and led them back into the kitchen. He retrieved his laptop from his bag on one of the chairs and plugged in the flash drive. “I have got a search diagnostic app that runs a hellishly complicated algorithm with a simple aim—to pull out anything that matches several parameters I’ve set that might be of interest to our investigation. But while that runs, I want to show you something.” He flipped open Ashe’s dragonskin diary. “I was leafing through this, just to see if anything of interest popped out at me. Fascinating stories this thing tells of that time period—some of them I’ve never heard before, and I am pretty well versed in dragon lore.” He paused, probably for dramatic effect. “I asked them to pull the checkout record for this book.” He held up the journal. Then he pulled up an email.
Ashe squinted. “What am I looking at?”
Gian grinned and pointed at the screen.
Ashe scanned the list, and stopped dead at the last name. “Nancy Heyoka,” he said aloud softly. Eleven years before. “How…?”
Gian shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s not a public library. Maybe she posed as a visiting researcher? In any case, your mother was there, more than a decade ago. If we can find out what she did, who she saw—”
“We might find out who she was investigating. Who the killer was.” Ashe stared at the man with newfound respect.
Gian nodded.
His computer beeped.
The knight scanned the results. “Nothing of particular interest to us. Most of it appears to be historical research. There are a few files thrown in here from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Magic. But it looks like mostly publicly available stuff.” He frowned. “Why would she go to so much trouble to get this to you, if there was nothing important on it?”
“The key,” Jaxx said.
“What?” Ashe had almost forgotten Jaxx was standing behind them.
“The key she left you. It was spelled. And the notebook. It was coded. Neither of them were what they seemed.”
“The satyr makes an excellent point.” Gian pulled the flash drive out of the computer. He held it up to the light. “Yes, there’s something here. Can you see it? A flower. A mum, maybe? Or—”
“A dandelion.”
Gian held the flash drive out to him.
Ashe looked at it under the light of the ceiling lamp. Sure enough, a small dandelion was etched into the plastic, so faint he hadn’t noticed it before. “What does it mean?”
“Try holding your thumb over it for a moment.”
Ashe tried it. Nothing happened.
“How about your left thumb?”
He complied. After ten seconds, there was a flash and an audible click. The thumb drive split in half in his hands.
Inside was a second usb flash drive, less than half the length of the first.
“Keyed to her son’s thumbprint,” Gian said, whistling. “I think you’ll want to get Mal for this.”
Ashe nodded at Jaxx, who ran off to find the dragon rider.
Gian slipped the new flash drive into his computer and opened the files. He whistled again.
Mal and Kaden showed up with Jaxx. Mal glared at Ashe but didn’t say anything to him. “What did you find?” he asked Gian.
Ashe could feel the frost.
“Lots and lots of files on the dragon breeding project you were tracking, apparently.” There were pages and pages of graphs, folders full of reports, video snippets, and much more. “Looks like we hit the motherlode here.”
Ashe grinned. Finally, some kind of breakthrough. He caught Mal smiling too. The man looked at him sheepishly and turned away.
Gian was frowning. “When did you say your mother died?”
“About ten years ago.”
“Interesting.”
“What?” Ashe peered over the man’s shoulder.
“The last of these files was added to this flash drive just six months ago.”
Ashe frowned. “That’s not possible.”
“Unless she was working with someone else? Is there anyone else who might have had access to the safe deposit box where she left this for you?”
Ashe shook his head. “The only one who knew about it…” Holy crap.
He and Jaxx locked eyes. “Professor Dressler.”
“Who?” Mal looked back and forth at the two of them, looking confused.
“An old friend of my mother’s. He led us to the safe deposit box, and then helped us get here. And there’s more.” He held up the journal. “My mother was at Schloss Rotlich too. She checked out this same book.”
Mal’s eyes widened.
“We have to go back,” they both said at the same time.
****
Ashe was in bed, leafing through one of the books he’d found in the house’s small library, an English-language travel guide on famous Swiss castles. It was all tourist fluff, and Schloss Rotlich wasn’t included, probably because it was in private hands.
There was a light tap on the bedroom door.
Ashe glanced at the clock by the bedside. It was after 11 PM. Jaxx was asleep, snoring heavily, his back turned away from the bright moonlight streaming through the window.
Ashe got up and pulled on his pants, muttering at the late night interruption.
He opened the door, surprised to find Gian there. “I thought you’d gone home with the rest of Akemi’s crew.” The man looked tired, his trademark eye shadow faded and smeared.
Gian chuckled softly. “I got wrapped up going through the contents of your mother’s little flash drive—there’s a lot of data there. I’m more certain than ever that someone was helping her, someone who may be still alive. But I wanted to show you something.” He gestured for Ashe to follow him.
Ashe glanced back at Jaxx. Could he really trust the knight? Should he wake his lover? He decided against it. Jaxx needed his rest, and there were enough of his friends in the house who would come running if he started a ruckus.
They made their way back to the kitchen. Gian’s laptop provided the only light, casting the room in a blue glow.
Gian slid into his seat and opened a folder. “I found this. I thought you should see it.” He looked up at Ashe. “I’d do almost anything to get a message from my own mother.”
Ashe nodded. He looked at the screen. There was a file there cryptically labeled “possibilities.”
Gian double-clicked it.
Ashe scanned the contents. It included information on five people—Professor John Lynde, a mathematics expert on an extended fellowship to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Magic; Dr. Muriel Saxon, an authority on dragon breeding; Dr. Dexter Cooper, an American genetics specialist working at Türlersee; Nathan Combs, a British man working at the castle in upper management, and Talia Foss, whose title was unclear in the documents.
These were the people his mother had been investigating. The ones involved with the dragon research. Maybe one of them had been involved in her death, and Kino’s.
Cooper. That name had come up before, in the files on the main flash drive he and Mal had searched through.
Ashe reached the end of the file. There was a note:
I left a dandelion for my little bird. Keep it with you and it will guide you to the truth. —‘Mita
Ashe stared at it and the list for the longest time.
“Here, take this,” Gian said, pulling out the flash drive and handing it to him. “I’ve already copied all the files. She wanted you to have it.”
“Thanks.” Ashe looked at the dandelion on the side wonderingly. A dandelion for my little bird.
“Do you know what she meant?” Gian asked, closing up the laptop.
He shook his head. “No idea.”
It was a lie. He knew exactly what his mother intended. To find her killer.
Lynde, Saxon, Cooper, Combs and Foss.
One of you might be the one.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Mal
Learning to Trust
 Mal - Dragon Guild Member. Job Title: Dragon Ranger. Human. |  Kaden - Accountant - Wolf Shifter |
Fucking Firedrakes. Who in their right mind was trying to breed firedrakes? Those dragons were dangerous and uncontrollable, at the best of times. Mal couldn't believe what he was hearing. And if his sister hadn't been killed just for stumbling on to this breeding program what the hell had she been killed for?
"We'll get to the bottom of this," Kaden whispered in his ear.
His wolf squeezed Mal's hand, making him feel comforted to know he wasn't in this alone.
Mal leaned over and kissed Kaden gently on the cheek.
Kaden smiled at him again.
Before Mal could say anything else they had a blue-skinned Kobold standing in front of them, a laptop tucked under his arm, and a case slung over his opposite shoulder. Mal had been too distracted by his own thoughts to have heard anything that had been said in the last five minutes.
The man must have realized Mal and Kaden had been in a world of their own as he stuck out his hand and introduced himself. "I'm Dzim. Akemi thought we should have a chat."
"Mal. This is my partner Kaden." Beside him Kaden seemed to sit a little straighter after the way Mal had introduced him. Mal couldn't think of any other way than to call Kaden his partner. They had been through so much in such a short amount of time. More than most people experienced in an entire lifetime. And Kaden was still here, right beside him.
Mal shook Dzim's hand, quickly followed by Kaden.
"Is there somewhere quiet we can talk?" Dzim asked.
"Sure. There's rooms all over this house. We shouldn't have any issues in finding an unoccupied one," Kaden said.
"Lead the way then." Dzim gestured for them to head out.
Mal glanced around the room and noticed that everyone seemed to be breaking off into groups with their own member of Akemi's team. He had no idea what Dzim had that he wanted to show them, but Mal was willing to listen.
Mal had told the others that they should believe in Akemi and he stood by his decision. He knew what it was like to work in a large organization, first in the Australian military, and then in the rangers. Akemi genuinely seemed like she wanted to help them, and that always went a long way with Mal.
Mal followed Kaden and Dzim as they walked through what Mal considered to be a mansion. He’d never been in a house this big or ornate before. Kaden led them to Mal's favourite room in the entire house. Everywhere they looked there was antique furniture and invaluable objects. Mal was scared to move half the time for fear of breaking something.
This room however was styled for comfort.. Large plush leather couches, low coffee tables, lamps sat on corner tables, a massive flat screen TV hung over a fireplace which had been re-laid and was ready for someone to light it. If the room got much cooler Mal might just be tempted to, he didn't have his leathers on right now, which meant he was feeling the cold more than he usually would.
Mal and Kaden took a seat beside one another on the couch, Dzim sat in the seat catty corner to them. He leaned forward and pulled the coffee table closer to them and then placed his laptop on the table.
"I'm one of Akemi’s tech guys, with my boyfriend Pel. He is now chatting with your famous friends."
"Good luck to him." Kaden chuckled beside Mal. "Tibo can be a little stubborn at times."
Dzim grinned. "I have complete faith in Pel. As long as he isn't flirting with them, all should be well. Now, let's get down to business," Dzim said as he opened his laptop.
Mal sat and watched almost mesmerized as the beautiful blue, slender fingers danced over the keyboard.
"Why don't you, in your own words, tell me how you've come to be here."
Kaden squeezed Mal's hand in reassurance, Mal took a deep breath and told his tale. He couldn't help but get choked up when he told of his sister's passing.
"I'm so sorry for your loss," Dzim said softly.
Mal nodded his thanks and continued. Dzim's fingers continued to fly over the keys as Mal talked. Several times he paused thinking he was going too fast for Dzim, only to have the man tell him to continue.
When Mal finished, he felt like he'd run a bloody marathon.
"The Firedrake breeding Akemi mentioned earlier is just the tip of the iceberg of what your sister stumbled upon."
"Akemi said that alone wouldn't have gotten Anya killed," Mal replied.
"That’s correct, it was more than likely the nano-tech ranger experiments and the cover ups that unfortunately led to her death," Dzim answered somberly.
Mal sucked in a breath. "How did you know about them? I didn't say anything of the sort just before."
Dzim eyed Mal and Kaden carefully. Mal's hand itched to plunge into his boot and grab one of his knives. He could have it to this man's throat in a matter of seconds. Had he been wrong about Akemi all along? Just how much trouble were they all in?
Mal watched him closely as Dzim reached for the laptop case he'd placed beside the chair when they'd sat down.
One wrong move, or even a glimpse of a weapon and Mal would end the man's life faster than Dzim could count to three.
"Easy now," Dzim said. He must have realized Mal was ready to strike.
"If I were you, I would explain really fucking quickly," Kaden said from beside him.
Instead Dzim reached into the laptop case and removed a very familiar looking notebook.
"Where did you get that?" Mal snarled as he reached out and snatched the book from Dzim's hand. "We left that in Australia in Kaden's apartment."
"And we had an operative retrieve it for us." Dzim maintained eye contact with Mal, never blinking, showing Mal the man wasn't scared of him. "As a show of faith, I'm giving it back to you."
"You don't steal something and then give it back to the rightful owner," Kaden growled.
"You do when other people are searching for it as well."
"Why would other people be searching for it?" Kaden asked.
"Because it has information in it certain people don't want getting out. Even though it's not a complete record, your sister did an incredible job," Dzim said softly. "We need to know if you're willing to testify. With the notebook as corroborative evidence your testimony could go a long way to uncovering the people behind not only all the experimentations, but also your sister's death."
“I need a name,” Mal said. his voice cold and flat.
“A name?” Dzim looked confused.
“Who in your organisation would have had the authority and knowledge of what my sister was up to, to order her death,” Mal asked.
Dzim stared at him for a minute before he sighed heavily.
“Akemi didn’t want me to tell you this, if I didn’t have to,” Dzim held up his hand for Mal to be quiet, when he went to protest. “Please understand, if we had any solid evidence, she would have told you days ago. But as it sits right now, Akemi hasn’t been able to find anything that unequivocally states this person ordered the hit on your sister.”
“I want the name, Dzim.” Mal said, he felt like he was vibrating from coiled tension.
“Cynthia Papamixahl. She’s a white stellar majesty, the vice-president of Research and Development. She’s also a sphynx and a real bitch. If she didn't order the hit herself, then I’d bet my life she knows who did,” Dzim said.
“Thank you.” Mal pushed to his feet. He needed space to think, he finally had a name. Someone he could look in the eyes and ask why they had to kill his beautiful sister.
His stomach growled at him, letting Mal know he'd been neglecting it.
"Give me a minute. I need some time to think," Mal said as he handed Kaden the notebook. He trusted Kaden with his life.
"You want some company?" Kaden asked as he clutched the book to his chest.
"Nah, I just need to clear my head for a minute. Shouldn't take me long. You be safe here alone?" Mal really wanted to believe he could trust these guys, but after everything he wouldn't take any chances with Kaden.
"Yeah, if he tries anything I’ll just shift and bite his hairy blue arse." Kaden grinned.
Mal chuckled.
Dzim looked offended. "I'll have you know my ass isn't hairy. I have it waxed."
Mal shook his head and walked out of the room, strangely he was feeling a little better about the entire situation already.
Rolly was walking down the stairs as Mal closed the door to the room behind him.
"How'd everything go with you two? Mal asked.
"As good as can be expected. I believe my stubborn little goblin has finally realized Akemi's lot are our best shot at getting this finished and going home," Rolly said as they made their way together towards the kitchen.
"Yeah, as much as I hate things being taken out of our hands, at some point we have to learn to trust someone. Akemi genuinely seems like she wants to help."
Before Rolly could reply raised voices could be heard, quickly followed by the sounds of a fight.
"Bloody hell! What's he gone and done now, I'm going to paddle that goblin's ass, I swear!" Mal and Rolly took off down the passage and through the door to the kitchen.
Mal didn't even think, he just grabbed Ashe around the chest and dragged the man back off Tibo. The goblin he left to his banshee boyfriend.
Ashe kept struggling in his grip. Mal growled when he copped an elbow to the ribs.
"Quit now, before I break your other bloody wing to make sure you stop!" Mal had had enough of their petty fucking squabbles. As much as he growled there was no way he’d break Ashe's other wing, not on purpose anyway. Ashe finally stilled and Mal released him when he noticed Tibo and Rolly were nowhere in sight.
"We're all on the same bloody team here mate. It's about time you realized that," Mal growled.
He snatched a couple of apples off the kitchen bench and stormed out of the room. So much for a nice relaxing walk to clear his head.
"We'll get to the bottom of this," Kaden whispered in his ear.
His wolf squeezed Mal's hand, making him feel comforted to know he wasn't in this alone.
Mal leaned over and kissed Kaden gently on the cheek.
Kaden smiled at him again.
Before Mal could say anything else they had a blue-skinned Kobold standing in front of them, a laptop tucked under his arm, and a case slung over his opposite shoulder. Mal had been too distracted by his own thoughts to have heard anything that had been said in the last five minutes.
The man must have realized Mal and Kaden had been in a world of their own as he stuck out his hand and introduced himself. "I'm Dzim. Akemi thought we should have a chat."
"Mal. This is my partner Kaden." Beside him Kaden seemed to sit a little straighter after the way Mal had introduced him. Mal couldn't think of any other way than to call Kaden his partner. They had been through so much in such a short amount of time. More than most people experienced in an entire lifetime. And Kaden was still here, right beside him.
Mal shook Dzim's hand, quickly followed by Kaden.
"Is there somewhere quiet we can talk?" Dzim asked.
"Sure. There's rooms all over this house. We shouldn't have any issues in finding an unoccupied one," Kaden said.
"Lead the way then." Dzim gestured for them to head out.
Mal glanced around the room and noticed that everyone seemed to be breaking off into groups with their own member of Akemi's team. He had no idea what Dzim had that he wanted to show them, but Mal was willing to listen.
Mal had told the others that they should believe in Akemi and he stood by his decision. He knew what it was like to work in a large organization, first in the Australian military, and then in the rangers. Akemi genuinely seemed like she wanted to help them, and that always went a long way with Mal.
Mal followed Kaden and Dzim as they walked through what Mal considered to be a mansion. He’d never been in a house this big or ornate before. Kaden led them to Mal's favourite room in the entire house. Everywhere they looked there was antique furniture and invaluable objects. Mal was scared to move half the time for fear of breaking something.
This room however was styled for comfort.. Large plush leather couches, low coffee tables, lamps sat on corner tables, a massive flat screen TV hung over a fireplace which had been re-laid and was ready for someone to light it. If the room got much cooler Mal might just be tempted to, he didn't have his leathers on right now, which meant he was feeling the cold more than he usually would.
Mal and Kaden took a seat beside one another on the couch, Dzim sat in the seat catty corner to them. He leaned forward and pulled the coffee table closer to them and then placed his laptop on the table.
"I'm one of Akemi’s tech guys, with my boyfriend Pel. He is now chatting with your famous friends."
"Good luck to him." Kaden chuckled beside Mal. "Tibo can be a little stubborn at times."
Dzim grinned. "I have complete faith in Pel. As long as he isn't flirting with them, all should be well. Now, let's get down to business," Dzim said as he opened his laptop.
Mal sat and watched almost mesmerized as the beautiful blue, slender fingers danced over the keyboard.
"Why don't you, in your own words, tell me how you've come to be here."
Kaden squeezed Mal's hand in reassurance, Mal took a deep breath and told his tale. He couldn't help but get choked up when he told of his sister's passing.
"I'm so sorry for your loss," Dzim said softly.
Mal nodded his thanks and continued. Dzim's fingers continued to fly over the keys as Mal talked. Several times he paused thinking he was going too fast for Dzim, only to have the man tell him to continue.
When Mal finished, he felt like he'd run a bloody marathon.
"The Firedrake breeding Akemi mentioned earlier is just the tip of the iceberg of what your sister stumbled upon."
"Akemi said that alone wouldn't have gotten Anya killed," Mal replied.
"That’s correct, it was more than likely the nano-tech ranger experiments and the cover ups that unfortunately led to her death," Dzim answered somberly.
Mal sucked in a breath. "How did you know about them? I didn't say anything of the sort just before."
Dzim eyed Mal and Kaden carefully. Mal's hand itched to plunge into his boot and grab one of his knives. He could have it to this man's throat in a matter of seconds. Had he been wrong about Akemi all along? Just how much trouble were they all in?
Mal watched him closely as Dzim reached for the laptop case he'd placed beside the chair when they'd sat down.
One wrong move, or even a glimpse of a weapon and Mal would end the man's life faster than Dzim could count to three.
"Easy now," Dzim said. He must have realized Mal was ready to strike.
"If I were you, I would explain really fucking quickly," Kaden said from beside him.
Instead Dzim reached into the laptop case and removed a very familiar looking notebook.
"Where did you get that?" Mal snarled as he reached out and snatched the book from Dzim's hand. "We left that in Australia in Kaden's apartment."
"And we had an operative retrieve it for us." Dzim maintained eye contact with Mal, never blinking, showing Mal the man wasn't scared of him. "As a show of faith, I'm giving it back to you."
"You don't steal something and then give it back to the rightful owner," Kaden growled.
"You do when other people are searching for it as well."
"Why would other people be searching for it?" Kaden asked.
"Because it has information in it certain people don't want getting out. Even though it's not a complete record, your sister did an incredible job," Dzim said softly. "We need to know if you're willing to testify. With the notebook as corroborative evidence your testimony could go a long way to uncovering the people behind not only all the experimentations, but also your sister's death."
“I need a name,” Mal said. his voice cold and flat.
“A name?” Dzim looked confused.
“Who in your organisation would have had the authority and knowledge of what my sister was up to, to order her death,” Mal asked.
Dzim stared at him for a minute before he sighed heavily.
“Akemi didn’t want me to tell you this, if I didn’t have to,” Dzim held up his hand for Mal to be quiet, when he went to protest. “Please understand, if we had any solid evidence, she would have told you days ago. But as it sits right now, Akemi hasn’t been able to find anything that unequivocally states this person ordered the hit on your sister.”
“I want the name, Dzim.” Mal said, he felt like he was vibrating from coiled tension.
“Cynthia Papamixahl. She’s a white stellar majesty, the vice-president of Research and Development. She’s also a sphynx and a real bitch. If she didn't order the hit herself, then I’d bet my life she knows who did,” Dzim said.
“Thank you.” Mal pushed to his feet. He needed space to think, he finally had a name. Someone he could look in the eyes and ask why they had to kill his beautiful sister.
His stomach growled at him, letting Mal know he'd been neglecting it.
"Give me a minute. I need some time to think," Mal said as he handed Kaden the notebook. He trusted Kaden with his life.
"You want some company?" Kaden asked as he clutched the book to his chest.
"Nah, I just need to clear my head for a minute. Shouldn't take me long. You be safe here alone?" Mal really wanted to believe he could trust these guys, but after everything he wouldn't take any chances with Kaden.
"Yeah, if he tries anything I’ll just shift and bite his hairy blue arse." Kaden grinned.
Mal chuckled.
Dzim looked offended. "I'll have you know my ass isn't hairy. I have it waxed."
Mal shook his head and walked out of the room, strangely he was feeling a little better about the entire situation already.
Rolly was walking down the stairs as Mal closed the door to the room behind him.
"How'd everything go with you two? Mal asked.
"As good as can be expected. I believe my stubborn little goblin has finally realized Akemi's lot are our best shot at getting this finished and going home," Rolly said as they made their way together towards the kitchen.
"Yeah, as much as I hate things being taken out of our hands, at some point we have to learn to trust someone. Akemi genuinely seems like she wants to help."
Before Rolly could reply raised voices could be heard, quickly followed by the sounds of a fight.
"Bloody hell! What's he gone and done now, I'm going to paddle that goblin's ass, I swear!" Mal and Rolly took off down the passage and through the door to the kitchen.
Mal didn't even think, he just grabbed Ashe around the chest and dragged the man back off Tibo. The goblin he left to his banshee boyfriend.
Ashe kept struggling in his grip. Mal growled when he copped an elbow to the ribs.
"Quit now, before I break your other bloody wing to make sure you stop!" Mal had had enough of their petty fucking squabbles. As much as he growled there was no way he’d break Ashe's other wing, not on purpose anyway. Ashe finally stilled and Mal released him when he noticed Tibo and Rolly were nowhere in sight.
"We're all on the same bloody team here mate. It's about time you realized that," Mal growled.
He snatched a couple of apples off the kitchen bench and stormed out of the room. So much for a nice relaxing walk to clear his head.
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About Marionettes in the Mist
This is a weekly Urban Fantasy serial written by participating MCB authors: Angel Martinez, Toni Griffin, J. Scott Coatsworth, and Freddy MacKay. It posts every Monday and Thursday. A total of thirty-six chapters will be written for the blog. Marionettes in the Mist will be released in three volumes that will include illustrations, story expansions, and of course, edits later on in the year.
Blurb
A fugitive skinwalker, a down-on-his-luck phoenix, a goblin rock star, and a wild dragon ranger have nothing in common except the sudden violence that tears their separate worlds apart. With wildly different motivations, each sets off on his own journey to try to solve the puzzles left in the wake of murder and mayhem.
When these four meet, the hints and clues begin to point them to something bigger, and toward answers that might make them wish they'd all stayed home.
Character Art (by Mila May)
Main Cast
Tibo - Goblin - Rock Star & Lead Singer for "The Flying Mantas"
Rolly - Banshee - Rock Star & Bassist (& sometimes baby sitter for the lead singer) of "The Flying Mantas"
Mal - Human - Dragon Ranger of the Dragon Guild
Kaden - Wolf Shifter - Accountant
Nidhogg - Himalayan Diver (dragon) - Dragon of the Dragon Guild
Ashe - Phoenix - Cowboy & Unicorn Whisperer
Jaxx - Satyr - Doctor (MD)
Nootau - Skin Walker - Construction/Trade/Craftsman
Edwige - Human - Healer (Magical Ability)
Aegeus - Merman (of Greek origin) - Youth Counselor & Advocate
Supporting Characters
Waban of the Menominee - Skin Walker - Medicine Man
Akemi Fessler - Kitsune - Solar Celestial in the Rubrum Lux
Jariah Dikoume - Human - Knight of Mars in the Rubrum Lux
Gian Doss - Human - Knight of Saturn in the Rubrum Lux
Dave Norris - Human - Drummer for The Flying Mantas
Eck Decapra - Satyr - Lead Guitarist for The Flying Mantas
Darel Balagee - Rainbow Serpent Shape-changer - Dragon Ranger of the Dragon Guild (part of Mal's team)
Categories
All
Aegeus
Akemi
Ashe
Banshee
Bernard
Chapter Eight
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Five
Chapter Four
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Nine
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter One
Chapter Seven
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Six
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Ten
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty Five
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty Four
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty One
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty Six
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty Three
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty Two
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty Eight
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty Five
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty Four
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty Nine
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty Seven
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty Six
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty Three
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Two
Cowboy
Dark Spaces
Doctor
Dragon
Dragon Rider
Edwige
Goblin
Healer
Hello
Human
Jariah
Jaxx
Kaden
Kitsune
Magic User
Mal
Marionettes In The Mist
Meeting
Merman
Mermen
Nidhogg
Nootau
Once
Phoenix
Ranger
Rolly
Satyr
Siren
Skinwalker
Sphinx
Tibo
Trans*
Wolf Shifter
