Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Ben had thought that convincing Sidney to let him go into the forest alone would be the hardest part of his evening.
She’d argued with him, had said it was crazy for him to go out there by himself.
But he knew he wasn’t the shadow stalker’s prey, and that was why she needed to stay home.
As long as she was inside, she should be safe.
Probably.
But now he realized coming out ahead in that particular argument had only been the first hurdle. Now he had to actually find the damn griffin.
According to her, the majestic creature had a talent for appearing when you least expected it and vanishing the moment you actually needed its help.
He’d been hiking through the woods for nearly an hour, following the barely there trails that Sidney had shown him over the past month, listening for any sound that might indicate where the DAPI teams were conducting their search — or where a griffin might be hiding.
Something about the forest seemed almost electric tonight, as if the very air was charged with potential energy.
His phone had lost signal altogether about twenty minutes into his hike, which wasn’t entirely surprising, given Silver Hollow’s spotty cellular coverage.
However, the way his flashlight kept dimming and brightening told him his cell phone’s defection was something much more than simple equipment failure.
A branch snapped somewhere to his left, and Ben froze.
The sound was too heavy to be a deer, too deliberate to be random forest debris falling.
He clicked off his flashlight and waited, letting his gaze adjust to the darkness, since the moon hadn’t risen yet and would be less than half full even when it did appear.
Alien eyes gleamed at him from between the trees.
The griffin stepped into the small clearing where Ben stood, its leonine body moving with predatory grace despite its size.
Up close, the creature was unbelievably impressive — easily six feet tall at the shoulder, with wings that spanned at least twenty feet when fully extended.
The eagle head tilted as it studied him, dark eyes full of an intelligence that was both alien and yet oddly familiar at the same time.
“I was hoping I’d find you,” Ben said, keeping his tone low but conversational. He’d learned from Sidney that speaking normally seemed to work better than trying to whisper, which the creatures apparently found suspicious.
The griffin made a low rumbling sound that wasn’t quite a growl, wasn’t quite a purr.
Ben felt rather than heard the response in his mind — not words, exactly, but concepts and emotions that his brain struggled to translate.
Was this easier for Sidney, since she apparently carried some magic within her that allowed her to attract and communicate with these creatures?
He supposed he should be glad that he understood anything at all.
Danger. Hunt. Protect the light-bringer.
“Sidney,” Ben said, and the griffin’s huge feathered head dipped once in acknowledgment. “The shadow stalker is hunting her specifically. We need to find it before it strikes again.”
Already hunting. Not alone.
That comment stopped Ben cold. “Not alone? You mean there are more shadow stalkers?”
Images flashed through his mind — darker patches moving through the forest, creatures of living shadow that fed on magic and left only cold emptiness behind. But underneath the griffin’s thoughts, Ben sensed something else.
Fear.
Coming through. Portal unstable. More will follow unless —
The griffin’s mental contact cut off abruptly as the sound of voices echoed through the trees. Human voices, speaking in the clipped, professional tones of people conducting official business.
“ — readings are definitely stronger in this sector. Dr. Rosenthal wants us to set up the monitoring station here.”
“Copy that. But I’m telling you, something’s not right about this place. My EMF meter’s going crazy.”
Ben dropped to a crouch behind a fallen log, and the griffin melted back into the shadows with surprising stealth for something so large.
Through the trees, Ben could see the lights of the DAPI team’s equipment — two agents in dark tactical gear, setting up what looked like a sophisticated monitoring station complete with satellite dishes and multiple screens.
They were less than a hundred yards from one of the portal sites.
Must move them away, the griffin’s voice echoed in Ben’s mind. Shadow-eaters drawn to their metal-thoughts.
Ben wasn’t entirely sure what “metal-thoughts” meant, but he got the general idea. The DAPI team’s electronic equipment was somehow attracting the shadow stalkers, which meant Sidney was right — they needed to draw the federal agents away from the most sensitive areas before someone got killed.
A plan began to form in his mind — probably not a good one, but better than sitting here doing nothing while disaster unfolded around them.
“Can you make some noise?” Ben asked the griffin, still in the same quiet, steady tone he’d been using throughout their conversation. “Something to get their attention but not close enough to actually hurt them?”
The griffin’s dark eyes gleamed with what Ben could have sworn was amusement. Diversion. Yes.
The creature launched itself into the air with a powerful beat of its wings, disappearing into the canopy above. Ben counted to twenty, then began moving carefully through the underbrush, trying to position himself where he could observe the DAPI agents without being seen.
A moment later, a roar echoed through the forest from the opposite direction — the same sound they’d heard from Sidney’s house, but louder and more sustained. It was followed by the crash of falling branches and what sounded like a large animal blundering through the undergrowth.
The two agents immediately stopped what they were doing and reached for their radios.
“Base, this is Team Three. We’ve got some kind of large animal activity approximately two hundred feet northeast of our position.”
Dr. Rosenthal’s voice crackled back through the radio. “What kind of animal activity?”
“Unknown. Big, though. Really big. And it doesn’t sound like anything native to this area.”
There was a pause, and Ben could practically hear Dr. Rosenthal’s mind working through the implications.
“Pack up your equipment and investigate, but maintain a safe distance. Document everything. Do not engage.”
“Copy that.”
Ben watched as the two agents quickly broke down their monitoring station and headed off in the direction of the griffin’s distraction.
Once they were out of sight, he emerged from his hiding spot and jogged toward the portal clearing, hoping to put some distance between himself and the DAPI team before they realized they’d been led on a wild goose chase.
Twenty minutes later, he was out of the forest and walking down the narrow lane that led to Nancy Petterson’s property and his rented casita.
Although he wasn’t about to pat himself on the back or anything, he still couldn’t help being pleased that the diversion seemed to have worked.
He and Sidney had already decided that it would be best for him to head for home and simply act as if he’d been out for an evening stroll, so that was why he’d come here rather than going directly to her house to give a report as to what had just happened in the woods.
In fact, his phone pinged inside his pocket right then, and he pulled it out at once, figuring she had probably gotten impatient and was reaching out to make sure he was okay.
Unfortunately, the message definitely wasn’t from Sidney.
Mr. Sanders, this is Dr. Sonya Rosenthal. I believe we need to have a conversation about your research in Silver Hollow and your relationship with Ms. Lowell. Please contact me at your earliest convenience.
Well, shit.
Ben stared at the message for a long moment, his heart beating way too hard.
So, they weren’t just watching Sidney anymore.
No, they were closing in on both of them.
He found Sidney standing by the east-facing window in the dining room, all the lights in the house ablaze. She looked up after he came in through the back door and moved through the kitchen, relief flooding the smooth oval of her lovely face.
“Thank God you’re okay,” she said, and rushed over so she could throw her arms around him and hold him close. Some sweet smell drifted up from her loose hair, and he wished he could hold her like this forever.
Unfortunately, it didn’t seem as if the universe was going to allow them that grace.
“I’ve been going crazy, wondering what was happening to you,” she went on. “The shadow stalker disappeared about an hour ago, but I could still feel it out there, watching.”
As good as it was to have her so close, Ben knew they couldn’t waste any more time on intimacies. “I’m fine,” he said briefly. “But we need to leave now. Tonight.”
Sidney blinked up at him, her expression a study in confusion. “What do you mean, ‘leave’?”
He’d been thinking about this as he made his way over to her house, taking circuitous routes down side streets and alleys so he wouldn’t run into Dr. Rosenthal’s goons.
And since Sidney was staring at him as if he’d lost his mind, he pulled out his phone and showed her Dr. Rosenthal’s text message. “They want to question both of us.”
Sidney’s eyes scanned the message, and the blood drained from her cheeks. “But where are we supposed to go?” she asked, her tone almost plaintive. “If they’re federal agents, they can track us anywhere.”
“Not anywhere,” Ben said, and hoped he was right. “I have an idea. But first, pack a bag. Just essentials for a couple of days.”
She looked as if she wanted to protest, but something in his gaze must have told her this wasn’t the time for arguments. “All right,” she said. “Just give me a few minutes.”
While she gathered her things, Ben made the one call he couldn’t avoid any longer. Marjorie Tran answered on the second ring.
“Ben?” she said, sounding puzzled but thankfully not sleepy, so he guessed he hadn’t woken her up. “It’s almost midnight. What’s going on?”
Way too much, he thought, but he only said, “I need you to do me a huge favor. That paper you want to publish about the electromagnetic anomalies — I need you to delay it.”
There was a long pause. “Why would I do that? This is career-defining research.”
“Because the phenomena have stabilized,” Ben lied, and prayed she would believe him. “The readings have dropped quite a bit over the past twenty-four hours. If you publish now with incomplete data, it could undermine your credibility.”
“That’s impossible,” she said, her tone flat. “My equipment showed massive spikes just yesterday — ”
“Which is exactly why you need more time to collect additional data,” he broke in. “What if the anomalies are cyclical? What if there’s a pattern you haven’t identified yet?”
Yes, he knew all this was a long shot…but he also had to hope that Marjorie’s scientific curiosity would override her ambition.
Another pause, a shorter one this time. “How long are you asking me to wait?”
“Two weeks,” he replied at once, since he’d already fixed that number in his mind as something that would buy him and Sidney some time but wouldn’t sound completely outrageous.
“Maybe three. Just until we can establish whether the situation is really stable or if we’re dealing with some kind of recurring phenomenon. ”
“Fine,” Marjorie said, reluctance clear in that single syllable. “But I want regular updates. If the readings spike again, I’m submitting my paper immediately.”
“Understood. Thanks, Marjorie. You won’t regret this.”
She let out a breath. “I’m not so sure about that.
After he ended the call, Sidney appeared at the top of the stairs with a small duffel bag slung over her shoulder.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“The Henderson farm,” he said at once. He’d noticed the little house, smaller than the cottage he was currently renting, when he and Sidney had gone over to help with the goats, since the driveway that led to the detached garage was situated between the two structures.
Anyway, the casita hadn’t looked occupied, and he thought it would be the perfect place to hole up for a bit.
Well, as long as the Hendersons were okay with the idea.
Sidney nodded, comprehension growing in her clear gray eyes. “The guest house they built for Patty’s mother. She passed away a couple of years ago, so I know no one’s using it.”
“Yes, that one,” Ben replied. He was sorry to hear about Patty’s mother, but at least now he knew for sure that the place was unoccupied. “It’s isolated, off the main roads…and John owes you a favor after you saved his goats.”
Sidney shifted the duffel bag on her shoulder. “Do you think they’ll let us stay there?”
“Only one way to find out.”
The drive to the Henderson farm took about ten minutes on back roads Ben had never traveled before.
Sidney navigated while he drove, both of them keeping watch for any sign of federal vehicles.
The farm’s windows were dark when they pulled into the driveway, but a motion-sensor light turned on as they approached the front porch.
John Henderson answered the door in pajama pants and a Humboldt State T-shirt, looking confused and wary until recognition dawned.
“Sidney? Ben? What’s going on? It’s past midnight.”
“We’re in trouble, John,” Sidney said simply. “Federal agents are investigating the electromagnetic problems around town, and they think I’m somehow connected to them. We need a place to lie low for a few days.”
John’s expression shifted from confusion to concern. “Connected how?”
“It’s complicated,” Ben said, hoping a brief explanation would be enough to convince the other man that he needed to help hide them.
“But they have surveillance footage that makes it look like Sidney is generating some kind of energy field. We think they’re planning to take her into custody for questioning. ”
“Jesus.” John ran a hand through his untidy fair hair. “Come on in. Let me wake Patty, and we’ll get you settled.”
And within less than fifteen minutes, Ben and Sidney had bedding and a plate of cookies waiting for them if they happened to wake up in the middle of the night and needed a snack. She tried to protest that they didn’t need all the attention, but he could tell Patty Henderson was having none of it.
“You’re one of us,” she said stoutly. “And I don’t recall anyone inviting those federal agents here. You can stay as long as you need.”
Sidney must have been exhausted, because she hadn’t tried to protest…and she hadn’t argued when Ben insisted on her having the bed while he slept on the couch. They’d exchanged a goodnight kiss and then retreated to their separate spaces.
With any luck, they’d have an uninterrupted night’s sleep, and then they could figure out tomorrow when it came.