Chapter 5
Chapter Five
After nearly a week in Georgetown and several visits to the oracle’s vision, Silas was growing frustrated with the limitations of working inside his and Nox’s psyches and wanted to see real world progress.
He was determined to make something happen as he headed downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. He’d had another night of vivid, erotic dreams and Silas was getting desperate.
He didn’t know if the dreams were meant to be an incentive but Silas was doing everything he could and was running out of ideas.
Nox and Merlin greeted Silas when he entered the kitchen, both were already enjoying cups of coffee and tea, pastries, and assorted cheeses, preserves, and nut butters.
“Good morning! Have a good night?” Nox asked as he slid a cup and saucer toward Silas.
“It was fine.” Silas raised a brow at Nox’s velvet blazer and trousers. Neither were ripped or faded and were in more traditional shades of gray and his hair was slicked back. “You’re all dressed up. Where are you headed to?”
“I have a job,” Nox reminded him. “I’m a working professor and the university is allowing a documentary producer and her team to sit in on my Anthro Theory lecture this morning.
I’m discussing the effects of war and migration on research and field studies, post World War II,” he said as he rubbed his hands together.
“It’s one of my favorite modules. Lots to cover. ”
“Sounds swell…” Silas said as he poured himself a cup of coffee from the carafe. “What about our investigation? Does the university know that we’re trying to save a man’s life?” he asked, earning a hesitant grimace from Nox.
“This isn’t an official investigation, unfortunately. I can’t get a note from the FBI to excuse me from class for this one but I’ve got my best guys on it,” he said as he pointed at Silas and Merlin.
“Us?” Silas gave him a hard look. “I can’t do anything without you. I need to go back to the vision and—”
Nox stopped him, shaking his head. “Taking you doesn’t cost me anything but time and it’s infinite when we’re in there, but I’m worried about you, Shelby,” he said sincerely.
“We’ve gone back over a dozen times. You’re spending more time there with each visit and it’s getting harder for you to leave. ”
“What else can I do? It’s our only lead,” Silas argued but Merlin made a concerned sound.
“You’re becoming fixated, lad. I can see that you’re still there, long after you’ve returned. Your eyes are faraway and you can barely hear us.”
“It’s all I have.” Silas wasn’t talking about the vision and their lead, though.
The skull was burned into his brain and he saw it every time he closed his eyes.
More than the sultry dreams, the skull haunted Silas and called to him when he was awake.
It was the only “tangible” piece of the puzzle Silas had and he felt closer and knew him when he was holding the skull.
“That’s not true,” Nox said as he went to put his dishes in the sink. “We have the location. We know that at some point, our victim will visit Mount Rogers.”
“We don’t know when,” Silas countered. “And don’t call him that. He’s still alive and it could be any time in the future. It could be years.”
“Very true.” Nox nodded slowly. “We can tell that it’s early autumn but is it this year? We don’t know.”
“Exactly.” Although, Silas’s gut screamed that they were running out of time. “What about Nelson? Where’s he at?” he asked and earned another sheepish look from Nox.
“He’s been summoned to the office as well. He left about an hour ago but he shouldn’t be gone all day. A few cold cases have been pulled for review and he’s going to see if there’s anything in our wheelhouse.”
“You’re taking another case and going back to your lectures?” Silas couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re already moving on and pawning the search off on us? I took time off of work and dropped everything for this.”
“We’re not pawning this off on you two. Not at all,” Nox stated calmly.
“I have to give the university a day here and there to keep my job and earn my pay. My TAs can cover most things but this is one of my signature lectures and the school looks good and makes more money when I put on a show and dazzle ‘em. I’ll be back in time for dinner and whatever Nelson finds will be cold. He’ll have some cadets and junior agents do the preliminary research and locate witnesses so we can hit the ground running when we’re ready.
Finding our guy before Dùbhghlas does is still our main priority. ”
“Okay…” Silas nodded, feeling better. “I can find something useful to do while you two are away.”
“I have a feeling you will,” Nox replied with a wink.
He left a short time later and Silas followed Merlin into the study.
“What are you working on?” Silas asked him. “Need me to pull any books for you or look for anything?” he gestured at the higher bookshelves but Merlin shook his head.
“I have all I need at the moment, but thank you. Nox had a thought about water-horses and asked me to read over a few things while he was away.”
“Water horses? I thought we were looking for dogs or wolves,” Silas said and chewed on his lower lip. “I can’t remember seeing signs of a horse in the area. It’s pretty steep around that stream.”
“There are water spirits, like the selkies, that are known to take the shape of a horse or a man and inhabit rivers and streams. And some, like the each uisce, are said to be especially violent and malevolent. Nox believes it’s possible he could have mistaken a wild, horse-like creature for a wolf or a dog.
He’s drawn to canines on a spiritual level and they’re drawn to him so it would be natural,” Merlin murmured as he settled into a seat behind a smaller desk, his back to a pair of rolling chalkboards, then flipped aside several pages in the massive tome in front of him.
“What should I do?” Silas looked around and considered tidying up a bit.
There were books scattered around the study but many were open and Silas didn’t want to move something if it was still being used. He went to the other desk and began gathering up the loose pieces of paper but Merlin waved him off.
“Leave that for Nox. He has his own chaotic ‘filing system’ and knows exactly where everything is.”
“Alright,” Silas dropped into the seat behind the desk and scrubbed his face with his hands, frustrated.
His plan to go back to the vision with Nox had been blown and he was feeling useless.
They were probably right about him being fixated on the skull but it wouldn’t leave him alone!
It was begging Silas to come back and to find him.
And Silas couldn’t shake the feeling that he missed the man it belonged to, that he was lost and had nothing without him.
Which was crazy and impossible for Silas to explain without sounding like he was obsessed.
His instincts told him that whoever the man was, he had nothing to do with vicious water-horses.
Somehow, Silas knew everything about this man, despite knowing nothing at all.
He had nothing but what he felt, yet Silas felt a powerful, natural connection with him.
Natural.
“Their guy,” as Nox had called him, was one with nature. His spirit was wild but it was generous and gentle, not dangerous. They were a similar breed, but unlike Silas, their guy was off the grid. Far, far off the grid.
Was that part of the reason why the warlock wanted him?
Who would notice if someone like that went missing and how long would it take before law enforcement felt compelled to get involved.
If they got involved. Silas knew from experience that many survivalists and extreme outdoorsmen were anti-government and occasionally hostile towards the authorities.
Depending on who their guy was, it might be more convenient to assume he had just moved on.
Silas would share his thoughts with Nelson when he returned. The FBI would know about the more dangerous survivalists and anti-government outdoorsmen in the area around Mount Rogers. But how much further out should they look? The entire East Coast?
Once again frustrated, Silas returned to the skull. It haunted him and it calmed him when he wanted to climb the walls.
“Is there a sketchpad that I can use?” he asked, peeking beneath the folders, open books, and loose paper on the desk.
“I’m sure you’ll find something in one of the drawers. Help yourself,” Merlin said distractedly.
“I used to be pretty decent at drawing,” Silas said under his breath as he pulled open the top drawer on his right and began hunting.
The drawers were much neater than the desktop and Silas was able to find a rather nice pad of sketching paper and some charcoal pencils.
He took them out onto the terrace steps, feeling more inspired and closer to his subject in the sun and the crisp breeze.
The leaves were starting to turn and fall and it smelled like autumn to Silas.
Wherever he was, Silas knew he was surrounded by nature.
At first, Silas’s hand moved on its own as he imagined being in the vision, by the stream and holding the skull.
Once it began to take shape on the paper, Silas’s focus shifted and he began to nitpick over individual details.
He shaded and smudged until he could see the contours of the bone and the depths of the shadows in the sockets and around the teeth.
The day grew chillier and it started to sprinkle so Silas moved inside to the sofa, reclining with the sketchpad. Merlin arrived with their lunch on a cart but Silas barely stopped working, fine-tuning details between bites of mushroom and steak pie.
“Lovely work, lad!” Merlin declared when he looked over Silas’s shoulder. He gave it an affectionate knead and his hand lingered before the hair along Silas’s nape was stroked.