Chapter 14
“Continuous learning is crucial for staying ahead—take advantage of all opportunities to expand your knowledge. Curiosity should be one of your most well-honed skills.”
Entity Employee Handbook: R&C Edition
The first thing Nic noticed when he entered Elliot’s room wasn’t Alexys’s shocked expression or her phone which she’d dropped on the floor. In fact, he barely noticed her at all. His attention was immediately grabbed by what looked to be a true crime inspired murder board on the wall behind her.
“What. The. Hell. Dyre?!”All the color had drained from her face and a sharp scowl formed at her brow. He waved a hand at her by way of greeting and stepped past her to get a better look at the mess of red string.
“Afternoon, Keane. Fret not, I’m here to help.”
Alexys snatched her phone up off the floor and stepped in front of him, blocking his view. She jabbed her index finger into his chest to emphasize her words. “I asked for a report, not your insufferable presence.”
Nic grabbed her hand to prevent any further abuse to his chest. “I didn’t realize I needed your permission to travel. Have I missed the news of your promotion?”
Alexys’s face fell ever so slightly, but it was gone in an instant. She jerked her hand free and pointed toward the door.
“Leave.” She spat the word like it was bitter in her mouth. “Now!”
“Unfortunately, I can’t.” He sidestepped her again and refocused his attention on a series of news clippings. “This is quite impressive,” he remarked.
“Gee thanks,” Alexys said sarcastically. She moved to block his view again.
It might have worked if she wasn’t nearly an entire foot shorter than him.
Nic’s lips twitched, and he cocked his head to the side. “What’s all this, then?”
Alexys groaned and dropped her arms. “It’s Elliot’s.”
He glanced back down at her and arched a brow. “Obviously.”
“I just found it. I …” She took a deep breath. “I’m worried. I can’t get hold of him.”
Nic nodded but said nothing. He didn’t want to admit what he knew, especially not when he had a direct hand in Elliot’s unsanctioned investigation. Given her love of rules, he knew it would only set her off, and he needed her to cooperate if he wanted to get access to Elliot’s findings.
“Did you hear me?” She nudged him. “I’m worried for his safety.” Nic could tell it pained Alexys to admit it, and to him of all people. She frowned. “The only lead I have is Mercyhill, so I’m going to start there.” She ran a hand through her thick tawny hair.
Nic pursed his lips. So she’d figured out the where, but not the why.
That could be problematic. She didn’t know about the Hollow Walker just yet, but when she found out, and he did suspect she would find out, she’d be stupid enough to run out to Mercyhill just like Elliot.
He needed to take control of the situation, and fast.
“I’ve come to help,” he said simply.
She clucked her tongue. “I don’t need your help. I can handle this myself.”
“Yes, I can see you’ve done an excellent job of that so far.” It came out a bit more biting than he’d meant. It wasn’t Alexys’s fault, it was his own. But she didn’t need to know that just yet. “I have a wealth of knowledge I can share.”
“I already have your wealth of knowledge. It’s all in your very detailed, very delayed report.”
He looked sidelong at her. “It’s a brief summary of everything stored in my brain, Keane.” Alexys groaned and rolled her eyes.
“What makes you so sure he’s gone to Mercyhill? There are a number of local towns on this wall. He could have gone to any number of them.”
She stood silently for a moment before shaking her head. “Well.” She looked back at the wall. “It seems like that’s the location mentioned most often, but it also appears to have the most red strings coming in and out of it. I’m also pretty sure Elliot mentioned it over the phone. I think.”
He nodded, eyes tracing over the various connections made by the threads. “Is the room exactly how you found it?”
“Yes,” Alexys replied, peeved by the question. “Look here: ‘mysteriously dead livestock, suspected cult activity,’ and then something about a blackberry winter—although I don’t see how that’s relevant.” She frowned.
Nic’s eyes widened but he didn’t say anything. He examined all of the things she mentioned and tried to follow Elliot’s threadwork to whatever connections he might have made before he left. The article on cult activity kept catching his eyes. He turned toward Alexys.
No time like the present.
“Have you heard about the Hollow Walker?”
“I don’t think so,” Alexys said, tilting her head. “It sounds vaguely familiar, though.”
“I’m not surprised. It was included in my report.”
A warm flush filled her cheeks with color. She looked down at her shoes, glaring at the floor like it was personally responsible for her negligence.
“I didn’t think the footnotes were relevant,” she grumbled.
Nic smiled a little at her embarrassment, but he wasn’t surprised that she’d skipped it. It was mostly written for Elliot.
“Normally, it wouldn’t be. The Hollow Walker is on its way to being classified as a Class E. The last sighting was nine years ago.” He gestured to the wall. “However, Mercyhill is known as the ‘hotbed,’ so to speak, of Hollow Walker sightings.”
Alexys looked up at him. Her blue eyes narrowed, her lips pursed together, and he could tell he’d already lost her.
“Elliot,” Nic said with slow enunciation, “is searching for the Hollow Walker.” Alexys laughed.
“Elliot? No, no. He’s not. I specifically told him not to chase any new leads, even if they weren’t an official case. Why would he even think …” Her voice trailed off. She tipped her head back, and closed her eyes.
“He is.” Nic nodded definitively.
“You,” Alexys spat.
Nic grinned. “Guilty.”
“I can’t believe you!” She turned away from him.
“He called down last week about it, but in my defense, I didn’t advise he go looking for it.
In fact, quite the opposite.” It wasn’t Nic’s fault her Warden had little sense of self-preservation.
But he also couldn’t deny that he’d inadvertently provided Elliot with all the tools he needed to go directly against Alexys’s instruction. He felt the smallest twinge of regret.
Alexys scrubbed a hand over her face and reluctantly asked, “And the dead livestock? The cult activity? It’s all connected with the Hollow Walker?”
“There’s no proof the Hollow Walker eats livestock, but it’s assumed that in the absence of people, livestock is a suitable alternative.
” Nic ignored the dramatic gagging sound she made and added, “The cult activity is more lore than anything else, frankly. There’s barely any evidence to corroborate it, so it’s highly speculative. ”
“Okay, all that aside, why would Elliot suddenly go after something that’s likely extinct?”
He couldn’t tell if she was directing the question at him or at the universe, but he answered nonetheless.
“Because it’s a fascinating creature worth investigating, and being the first person to document, or rather, verify, a creature is the highest honor.”
“Not without proper paperwork and permission, it’s not.” Alexys fixed him a steely look.
“The thrill of monster-hunting stardom can make people do dangerous things. Even shirk the rules.”
A dry, annoyed sound escaped Alexys’s lips. “We have rules in place for a reason. Precisely this reason,” she said, waving at the wall.
“Oh, Keane, rules ruin all the fun.” Nic winked at her, and he had to bite back a grin.
Alexys took too much pride in her work to accept an employee going rogue. She was probably even foolish enough to chase after him, and since Nic already planned on both trying to stop Elliot and hunt down the Hollow Walker, for once, their goals were wonderfully aligned.
“We should make a plan, we don’t want to lose too much time,” Nic said.
“We?” Alexys shrieked.
“We indeed. You and me, Keane.”
“Absolutely not. You might be smarter than me, Dyre, but this is my jurisdiction, my Warden, my problem.” She folded her arms, chin lifting slightly in defiance. “You can share any other pertinent information with me, and then you can leave.”
So stubborn.
She was probably the most bull-headed person he’d ever been forced to work with.
Nic stepped up to her, towering over her as she glared up at him. He crossed his arms over his chest. “All the pertinent details in the world wouldn’t be nearly as helpful as an onsite expert.”
“An expert pain in my ass,” Alexys growled. They stood chest-to-chest, but she had to tilt her head back to make eye contact with him. “Fine. Forget about it. I don’t need your help.”
“Yes, you most certainly do, I’m afraid.”
She was standing so close, Nic could smell the sweet scent of her shampoo.
She could have lit him on fire with the heat of her gaze, and he wondered if anyone else managed to get under her skin like he did.
She was always so restrained at work. It was rare to see such fury in her, he almost admired it.
Nic sighed. “I’m not going anywhere, Keane. I’m here to help, and I’m not leaving now that I’ve confirmed my suspicions. If Elliot has, in fact, gone to Mercyhill, you’ll need a whole lot more than a POA and good intent. I’m staying.”
“Whatever.” She pushed past. “Do whatever you want, Dyre.”
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“To my room.”
Nic winced. “I believe you mean our room.”
He watched her grab the door handle and freeze. Her shoulders tensed, and Nic watched that tension ripple down the muscles of her back. Her hand tightened on the door handle until her knuckles turned white.
“What did you say?” She spoke so softly he almost didn’t hear her.
“Our room,” he repeated in a carefully casual tone. “We’re sharing.”
The door handle should have snapped under her grip.
“Dyre.” Alexys slowly turned to face him, expression thunderous. “What the hell did you do?”