11. Greg
CHAPTER 11
GREG
I blinked up at Cal and Edgar’s concerned faces. I’d been a little out of it for a few minutes, but I hadn’t been unconscious. Which was a pity, because now I absolutely knew two things. First, being held—and carried —by Cal was exactly as intoxicating and comforting as I’d imagined, dammit. And, second, Cal and I resonated like a fucking bass drum in an empty concert hall.
But I’d deal with that later.
I sat up, waving off their protests. “I’m fine. We need to go. Thomas—” I squeezed my eyes shut. The pain wasn’t only emotional. Wonders died, of course. But if they went peacefully in their sleep or after a long illness, there was very little feedback to the DM other than the absence of the former connection. But if they went violently like Thomas had, the fear and pain reverberated through the connection and lingered. Not to mention the echoing horror from the other Wonders who’d also been connected to Thomas. My phone would blow up in a few seconds.
Edgar sat next to me on the couch and put his arm around my shoulders. He was still holding my phone with my mom on the line. “Just breathe through it, my boy. I’m guessing this was a violent death?”
I nodded rapidly.
Cal sank down onto the chair perpendicular to the couch. He said, “Hi, Delphia. It’s Cal. This morning I had a vision of one of Greg’s Wonders getting murdered by... something.” He grimaced and waved a hand. “Luckily from my description Greg was able to identify the Wonder and warn her before she went to the place where she’d be killed.”
I nodded again, leaning into Edgar and letting his magic wash over me and soothe my agitated senses. I would’ve rather been held by Cal, but that wasn’t happening. I only had to look at his stained t-shirt to remind myself why.
My phone vibrated in Uncle Edgar’s hand. No doubt the first of many Wonders trying to find out what happened to Thomas. I took the phone from Uncle Edgar and clicked the option to stay on the line with Mom and send the new call to voicemail.
“Mom,” I said. “I need to talk to my Wonders about Thomas. And Cal and Edgar and I need to go see where he died.”
“You think he was killed by the same person as in Cal’s vision?” she asked.
“Yes.” I grimaced as another call came in. I sent it to voicemail, only to have a text message come through.
Cal said, “Delphia, I saw this thing kill another Wonder—I’m pretty sure—in a vision last week. I didn’t get a look at it, but whatever it was, it covered the area around the Wonder in fog. The same thing happened in my vision about Annie, the Wonder we were able to warn this morning. Do you know of any Wonders who can create fog, or are there legends of anybody being able to?” He looked at Edgar with a hopeful expression.
Edgar frowned and shook his head.
My phone chimed with more texts. I sat up, ready to prepare to leave.
“No,” Mom said slowly. “But let me ask some of the older Wonders here while you go see what happened to Thomas.”
Cal said, “Greg told me you have a Discord server for Wonders. Delphia, can you post something and ask them to try not to be anywhere by themselves for a while until we figure out what’s happening?”
Mom made a sound of distress. “I’ll do it right now.”
I said, “Thanks, Mom. We’ll call you later.”
I hung up with her, then sighed as more texts came in. I turned to Cal and Edgar. “I need to talk to the Wonders Thomas was connected to, or else they’ll keep freaking out.”
Edgar stood and patted his pockets as if looking for his keys. “If you tell me where to go, I can drive while you talk on the phone. You have a general area, or can you narrow it down?”
I knew exactly where Thomas had been when he’d died, which was disturbing. That wasn’t the type of information I’d ever been able to glean from a connection with a Wonder before, even if they’d been in distress. For all I’d tried to keep my distance from Cal today, him carrying me, however briefly, had formed a connection between us. A strong one, stronger than any connection I had with my Wonders.
Fuck.
“He was at a cemetery near Pflugerville. ”
Cal nodded. “Let’s go.” He got up and went to the table to put his sticker-covered laptop back in his ratty backpack. I looked away from the stain on his t-shirt. Why did I have to be attracted to him? When I was focused on other things, like when we’d been talking at lunch, it was comfortable to be with him. He was easy to talk to, and I appreciated his sarcasm.
But then I noticed again how slovenly he was, how he didn’t seem to care about his belongings, and my anxiety skyrocketed.
If we’d already formed a connection, was he my mate? Contrary to what I’d let my mom and everyone else believe, I didn’t want to end up alone. But I also couldn’t ask Cal to change who he was just so he didn’t trigger my anxiety issues.
I excused myself to go to my bedroom for a moment. It was my favorite room in the apartment, all soothing shades of gray-blue with crisp white accents. I stood in the center of the room and breathed in and out.
We had to find Thomas’ killer. I’d keep as much distance as I could between me and Cal, and maybe our connection would wither away. Or at least it wouldn’t get any stronger.
I grabbed my phone charger and went back to the living room. Cal and Edgar were ready to leave.
In the elevator, I kept Edgar between Cal and me. And when we got to Edgar’s SUV, I volunteered to sit in the back so Cal could help navigate while I made my phone calls. See? Keeping space between us would be easy.
My first text was to Craig, letting him know I wouldn’t be back to the pet resort before closing time, but at some point I’d drop Cal off to get his truck .
I created a text thread with everyone who’d called or texted me for information regarding Thomas. He hadn’t had any family, and he was pretty much a loner. He’d been in the Central District for over forty years, however, so he’d made a few connections along the way.
I’m on my way to find out what happened to Thomas. Please try not to speculate.
Chuck
He wasn’t at home. I checked his house.
I know where he was, and I’m on my way there now with Edgar and Cal, the new Seer
Pria
Annie is saying on Discord how Cal had a vision where she died, but you warned her in time. But now Thomas is dead. Did the same person who was going to kill Annie kill Thomas?
We’re not sure of anything yet. I’ll post in Discord when I know something.
The group text was a good effort, but it didn’t keep some of the Wonders from calling me, demanding answers I’d already told them I didn’t have.
A hour later, as we reached the outskirts of Pflugerville, I was able to put my phone down. “They’re all freaking out,” I told Edgar and Cal.
Edgar snorted. “With good reason.”
Cal shifted in his seat. “I’ve been doing some research on my phone while we were driving, and I have a couple of possibilities for what the monster might be.”
I started to automatically object to calling anybody a monster—having been trained from an early age not to use terms like that for the Wonders. But in this case he was right. Whatever was killing the Wonders, it was a monster.
Edgar held up a hand. “Before we get to that, Greg, we’re almost to Pflugerville. Where am I going?”
Thomas had lived several miles outside of Pflugerville, but he hadn’t died at home.
“It’s a cemetery. I don’t know the name, but you’ll exit in about two miles, and I can direct you from there.”
I saw Edgar’s raised eyebrows in the rear-view mirror, but I didn’t say anything else. He knew damn well I’d never been able to identify exactly where a Wonder was located via a connection before. Hopefully he’d wait until we were alone before he interrogated me about my new abilities.
Since Cal had touched me earlier, all I had to do was focus on a particular Wonder I was connected to, and I knew exactly where they were geographically. And if I concentrated hard enough, I could get a tiny hint of their emotional state.
I ignored the giant pulsing connection I now had with Cal. Surely it would wither away if we didn’t touch each other again. We hadn’t even intentionally created it.
Too bad connections didn’t work like that. It was here to stay.
I directed Edgar through a residential neighborhood. Eventually the houses fell away and we were driving along the edge of a cemetery. Black wrought iron gates stood open and welcomed us to the Forest Rest Memorial Park. The road wound through grassy areas studded with gravestones and huge oak trees.
Thomas had been at the very back of the cemetery, where a high stone wall marked the edge of the property. A dense forest was visible on the other side of the wall. Edgar parked as close as he could, and we all got out .
“What kind of Wonder was Thomas?” Cal asked as we tromped over the lush grass, dodging the occasional headstone.
“Imp,” I replied. I pointed at the wall. “He could’ve made it over that, no problem.”
I walked closer until I was standing exactly where Thomas had died. “He was attacked here.”
I was only fifteen feet from the wall.
Cal turned so he faced back into the cemetery, then he stared at the wall again. He pulled out his phone.
Edgar said, “There isn’t any blood, and the monster must have taken his body.”
I did not want to think about why.
I cleared my throat. “I guess when he saw the monster, he ran for the trees.” I pointed at the branches hanging over the top of the wall. I put my hands on my hips and scanned the cemetery for any belongings Thomas might have left behind, but there was nothing.
“Did he have a loved one buried here?” Edgar asked.
I shrugged. “I wouldn’t know, but we can see if there’s some sort of roster of the, um, occupants.”
Cal said, “I think he came from the other side of the wall.”
Edgar and I turned to stare at him.
He held out his phone. “Look.” He’d pulled up Google Earth for the cemetery. Cal pointed at the top of the screen. “On the other side of the wall is this reservoir. Could he have been swimming or fishing? Or just walking around?” He gestured at the cemetery. “Plus, where’s his car? ”
I blinked. “You’re right. And we’re far enough from his house that he wouldn’t have walked. You know, the creature this morning seemed to be trying to get us into the trees. Thomas might’ve been trying to get out of the trees instead of into them.”
Edgar and I started walking toward the SUV, but Cal said, “Does anyone have something we can leave on the wall so we can see where Thomas went over from the other side? I already put a pin in the map, but it’ll help to have a visual cue.”
Edgar and I processed this.
“Fuck, that’s smart,” I said. He might be woefully untidy, but Cal was impressively intelligent.
“I’ve got some tie-down straps in the back of the Bronco,” Edgar said. “We could drape one over the top of the wall.”
It was only a matter of a couple of minutes to grab the bright orange strap out of the car and throw one end over the wall. After we got back into the Bronco, Cal directed us to the access road for the reservoir. An old gray sedan was parked on one side.
When we got out, Cal jogged over to the car and peered through the windows. He turned back and said, “There’s a sweater and a towel in there, but that’s it.”
The reservoir was quiet, the water barely lapping at the shore. It was surrounded on three sides by dense trees. I was relieved to hear birds chirping and insects buzzing.
My phone chimed with a text. I checked it, then sighed and sent Craig a quick GIF back.
Cal pointed. “We need to go this way. ”
Once we were among the trees, our way forward wasn’t as difficult as I’d feared. We were able to pass between the trunks, and there wasn’t a great deal of ground vegetation. It took us fifteen minutes to reach the cemetery wall, and we were only about twenty feet from the bright orange tie-down strap.
“Damn, Cal, that was some excellent navigation!” Edgar said.
Cal flushed and mumbled, “Thanks.” I caught a flash of pleasure and embarrassment through our connection. Oh, shit.
“Look.” Edgar had walked over to the tie-down strap and was pointing at the ground a few feet into the trees. A bright green reusable water bottle lay there.
And that was it. No other clues.
Cal said, “Why aren’t we seeing any blood?”
Edgar and I shrugged.
We fanned out into the trees from the water bottle but didn’t find any evidence of a struggle.
“If he’d changed into his imp form, he’d be small enough not to break any branches as he ran,” I said.
Cal sighed. “And if the monster was in fog form, it for sure wouldn’t leave any traces.”
Edgar looked at him sharply. “You think the fog is a form for the creature, and not some sort of camouflage?”
Cal nodded. “It’s my working theory. We can discuss it on the way home.” He picked up the green bottle and asked, “Are there any psychics who can touch things and see what happened to them?”
Edgar said, “Readers? There was one in the original families. I think he lived in Idaho. Not sure if he’s still alive, but we can check.”
Nodding, Cal took his backpack off his shoulder and tucked the bottle into a side pocket. He brushed some leaves off the fabric before swinging it over his shoulder again.
We didn’t speak on the way back to the car. My mind was a swirl of worry over the monster, grief and shock over Thomas’ death, and panic over the unintentional connection with Cal.
Dusk was falling as we got back into the SUV. As he pulled out onto the main road, Edgar said, “I need dinner first for the energy, but later I can try to trigger a vision. Having visited the area where the death occurred should be enough to enable me to focus on the fog monster.”
Cal stared at him. “That’s right. Greg said you can have a vision when you want to.”
Edgar smiled and held up his left hand to show off his wedding ring. “Once you’re bonded, you’ll be able to do it too.”
“Oh,” Cal said faintly. I couldn’t quite identify the uncomfortable emotion that flashed through our connection.
Edgar changed the subject. “Cal, you said you had theories about the fog monster?”
“I do.” Cal unlocked his phone. “Assuming Stephen King’s The Mist is still fiction, and vampires aren’t real....” He looked between me and Edgar with a raised eyebrow. We shook our heads.
He shrugged. “Otherwise I couldn’t find much. There’s something called—and I’m butchering the Gaelic— féth fíada , which is a mist or fog used by ancient Celtic gods to conceal themselves. But I’m not sure why an ancient Celtic god would appear randomly in present-day Texas and go after Wonders.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t seem likely,” I said.
“There’s a creature called a borda , which could be more promising. It’s an Italian legend that seems to have mostly been a tale to scare children into behaving. The borda is a kind of hideous witch who comes out in the fog, and she kills anyone who meets her.”
“How do we fight one?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I couldn’t find any stories where people even met one. It’s more of a bogeyman tale. But I’ll do some more googling tonight.”
I nodded. “I’ll try as well.”
Cal said, “It’d help a lot if you’d give me access to your Discord server. I really want to document any recent Wonders who passed away to see if the deaths are related. The fog monster has to have come from somewhere.”
I frowned. “Asking that sort of thing in the general server would just create more panic among the Wonders. I’ll ask the other DMs though.”
Cal huffed, but said, “Fine. I’ll text you a list of questions.”
“You know,” Edgar said slowly. “I wonder if the book room at TWIST would have any relevant information on this creature.”
My body went hot, then cold. TWIST was bad enough, but the book room? I struggled to control my breathing.
“What’s TWIST?” Cal asked.
Edgar paused. “Greg hasn’t told you? It’s the rescue organization Delphia runs out near Boerne. Officially TWIST stands for Texas Wildlife Intervention and Support Team, but its real function and name is the Texas Wonder Intervention and Support Team. The people who work there go in and rescue Wonders who are either being held captive or are in dangerous situations. Then if they wish, the Wonders can stay at TWIST until they get back on their feet. There are similar organizations across the country and all over the world.”
“Interesting.”
“You really should visit,” Edgar said. “And not just for the book room. You can meet dozens of different Wonders.” He chuckled. “And see where Greg grew up, of course.”
My breathing finally under control, I stared out the window and pretended this conversation wasn’t happening.
“Oh, uh, sure,” Cal said uncertainly. “Um, I’d love to meet more Wonders, but let’s see what I can dig up on the internet before we take any road trips. I’m not sure we have the time to spend on something like that right now.”
“Good point,” I croaked out. I cleared my throat.
We drove for several miles, each of us lost in our own thoughts. However, Edgar must’ve decided he couldn’t stand waiting anymore.
“So,” he said. “How long have you two been connected? I can’t believe I didn’t notice it when you walked into the apartment. It’s so strong it’s almost blinding.”
After a moment of shocked silence, Cal said, “It’s what ?”