25. Babysitters
Babysitters
Zeke
As we reach the cave outcrop, I stop everyone and turn to Knox, “Want to do a scope?”
His tongue rolls out of his mouth, and I take that as a yes, even though I know it’s Fluffers that I’m addressing. If it were Knox, he would have stood up and already started without me, like he’s done in the past. I turn back to everyone and give them a quick smile.
“Just wait here, since it’s out of the rain, and let us check the cave, since we can see in the dark. Be right back,” I tell everyone, not waiting for an argument as Knox and I slowly enter the cave.
Having done similar things in the past, we easily take up our normal sweeps.
He goes right, and I go left. I don’t see any traps, but what I do see shocks me.
It seems as if someone, or a party of someones, has been holding up here, which might cause us a problem if they come back.
This couldn’t have come from someone in the Gauntlet; it’s already been used.
It’s not like the Leaders can clear the Woods and keep people out for weeks.
Is this a camp for Trappers? Hunters? Worse… Rebels?
There’s already a fire pit, sleeping bags, a few torches set up along the back wall, and some oval-shaped, colorful rocks lying haphazardly in a corner in a stack on the ground at the back.
Still, other than that, I don’t see or smell anything else suspicious.
Stopping by the fireplace and meeting up with Knox, I lay my hand over the pit and confirm there’s no heat or hot coal, proving it hasn’t been used in a while, and we should be good to use it.
Walking back to the entrance, I poke my head out and give everyone a thumbs up.
“We’re good. Come on inside, and someone start us a fire. I’m cold,” I plead.
A few minutes later, I’m warming myself against the crackling fire, while JP begins to prepare a snack with the camping supplies lying around that are useful, and Levi goes on medic duty.
We’re not completely heartless. I’ve piled the prior supplies in a corner for someone to use or come back to get, but we would rather use our stuff.
One, we know what we packed, and two, we know it's not tampered with.
“Does anyone have any injuries that need to be looked at? Even if they are small, we need to make sure they are taken care of in case of an infection,” he asks, making a point, and Rez reluctantly raises her hand.
“It’s just a minor cut along my ribs,” she tells us, and we all jump up. Knowing she’s in good hands, I try to relax by the fire once more until Moni starts zipping around. Afraid she’s going to pass out and land in the fire, I focus on her.
“Did you see what I did?” she asks, turning a neon green. “I controlled greenery.” She does a little twirl and a flip in the air, and Chester calls out praises, but instead of Moni passing out and falling, something else falls to the ground with a clink.
“What’s that?” Knots asks, leaning over from cleaning his sword.
“OH! That’s what I wanted to show you. How did that fall out of my S.I.N. box?” Moni says, lifting a shimmering iridescent holographic coin.
“Let me see that.” Ryker turns it over, and I watch as something flashes as he flips it over. “It looks like a fae coin,” he explains. “I saw one of these on one of the Cyanide students.”
“There was one on the Bailiwick student I took out,” Lynx admits, carrying a blanket over to his sleeping bag.
“Hey, can I see it?” I slowly inspect the oversized fae coin as it warms my palm, and I freeze as symbols slowly appear on it.
“I’m not seeing things, am I?” I ask, my voice slightly shaky as a foreign language appears.
On top of the language I can’t decipher, a couple of reddish-brown sharp angles appear in random places on the coin.
Running my finger over it, some dust comes off, and I catch a whiff: iron.
Why is there iron on a Fae coin? They are vulnerable to it, or they should be. Why is that on here?
“Nope, it’s definitely alien. Doesn’t surprise me since we’re supes. Aliens exist now, too,” Lynx states, throwing up his arms in frustration. “Someone else I’ll have to fight off to keep Rez away from. Damnit!” He turns and walks back to his spot.
“I’m more concerned with the iron that just appeared on the coin than not being able to read it,” I casually mention, and half the room whips around to stare at me.
“What?” Ryker leans over to look at the new appearance and turns slightly pale as he stares at it in horror before backing up.
We’ve never tested whether he’s allergic to iron, but being that he is half fae, we’ve just assumed he is and kept it away from him.
Chester leans over and narrows his eyes at the coin in my hand.
“Can you read it because it looks like gibberish to me.” Chester hangs his head in defeat.
“It’s okay, Chestie baby. You’re great at other things,” Moni cheers him up.
“You won’t be able to, if it’s a Fae coin.
It will be spelled to those who pledged their loyalty to or whose realm it is.
So normally, if it’s a Winter court, the fae coin would be white.
Autumn would be burnt orange, Spring would be pink or green, and so on,” Ryker explains, finding a sleeping bag to sit on.
“So, an iridescent holographic coin probably belongs to which realm?” Rez questions.
“Not a realm, it would be an individual,” Ryker confirms the problem. Whose medallion does this belong to?
My body jolts as electricity flows up my spine, and shadows ink past my eyes briefly. Blinking, trying to figure out what the fuck just happened, the coin catches my eye once again, and I realize I can read it this time.
“Hey… um guys. I think I just had a seizure or something because now I can read this thing,” I admit wearily, nervous that something is going on with me that’s unexplained again. Ever since Cain hijacked me, I’ve decided to be more forthright and tell people if something feels irregular.
Since Levi is done patching up Rez, he comes over and peers over my right shoulder. Rez is slowly rolling down her tank top over her bandaged ribs as she walks over, and she gives us a confused look.
“Oh! I can make out a little bit!” she rejoices, but immediately squints and groans in pain. “Ugh, never mind.” She grabs her head. “It’s not worth the headache. I don’t think my powers are up to it. Sorry." She waves away the coin and heads over where JP is with the food.
“It’s okay, Kitten. You need to heal,” Knox coaxes.
“No, you’re not crazy, Ezekiel. I can read it too.” Levi turns it slightly, looking more pale. “And if I’m reading that correctly, we’re in bigger trouble than I thought.” We share a worried look before he turns and moves to the fire.
“What does it say, and how come you two can read it?” Moni asks, cuddling up to Chester.
Ryker, Knots, and Knox come over and take a look at the coin, and judging by their reactions, I take an educated guess as I take a seat by the fire.
“If I had to guess, since only Knox, Ryker, Levi, and I can read the coin, our Horseman powers are allowing us to read it. And to answer your question, Moni, it’s not good. To sum it up, it proves that the Cyanide and Bailiwick group down there was working together to take us out.”
“Which means there will be others,” Knots cuts in.
“Yes,” Levi confirms.
“These are instructions on how to kill us,” I continue.
“What?” JP’s head jerks up in surprise.
“I was not expecting that,” Rez squeaks.
“Wow, the kahonas on this guy,” Lynx groans.
“I’m serious. He must not be able to walk.
” He gets up and moves to the fire, plopping down next to Rez.
“A wheelbarrow is holding his nuts as he’s motored around.
” He shakes his head in shock, looking to Rez.
“Could you imagine. Do you think we’ve met this guy? ”
“What kind of instructions?” Chester asks, bringing us back to the issue at hand.
“Pretty much, it points out our weaknesses,” I admit, but continue, giving examples. “Like telling them Levi is a mage, but his power is emotions. Knox is a shifter, and his animals are a wolf and a Gryphon. All of our stuff, even information about Rez’s weird barrier.”
A few of us, including myself, shift uncomfortably as that information sinks in.
“Why would someone even risk taking on an assignment like that?” Moni asks, pulling on her tail.
“For money and prestige,” I answer as I pass the coin over to Levi.
“According to that coin, they are promised wealth and their family a noble status once they have killed us and they have finished the Gauntlet.” My stomach rolls at the thought of there being a bounty on our heads on top of everything else we have to deal with.
“Well, the good news is, it seems like they don’t have all the information on us,” Rez says with a haphazard smile.
“Except for you at the moment,” Lynx laughs and bumps into her shoulder, trying to make light of her lost powers. Rez rolls her eyes, and I catch something zooming behind her before perching on an edge in a corner.
It’s a bird.
I start to turn and grab a bowl of the food JP has prepared, but the bird cocks its head in a way that doesn’t look natural to me, so I pause and give it a closer look.
‘Knots. Am I seeing things, or is that not a normal bird?’ I watch its eye as it seems to focus in on the group in front of the fire. Knots stands and walks over to me to focus on the object in question.
‘You seem to be correct. Watch the eyes. I do believe it’s mechanical,’ he agrees.
‘So, camera?’ I surmise, and Knots simply nods.
I look to the others and nod as I grab my food and join in with random strategy planning. It’s not until we finish with our food that a purple paper magically appears in front of Rez, shocking her.
“What the Hell?” she shrieks, but grabs it before it falls to the ground.
“It’s a message,” Levi states.
“I figured that out, but I’ve never received one before,” she replies, opening it. I lean up and read over her shoulder, forgetting the damn spying bird.
Poachers are our blight and make all blood boil,