Chapter 3
Three
Grayson
This place really was massive. I wondered if anyone here truly knew the extent of the tunnels and connecting rooms. Were there even any architectural plans?
Doubtful. Keir informed me the compound had been built and designed by their previous director, the shadow born, Tenzen Huxley.
Considering shadow born couldn’t be killed and had been present on the Earth since its creation, I seriously doubted anyone currently living within its walls had been alive when Huxley carved the space out of the land.
Shadow born. Just thinking the name sent a shiver down my spine.
I’d never considered them myth, but I hadn’t thought any were still awake and operational.
Had those working for Huxley known what he was before he totally went rogue?
I didn’t know and had more than gotten the impression speaking about Huxley was a touchy topic.
It was odd, considering that was the reason I was here. Keir and the others had to talk about Huxley, but they didn’t want to. His name was spoken with a mixture of hate, anger, and grief. It was a toxic cocktail to be sure. Personally, I’d never met him and thought that was to my advantage.
Another shiver went through me. Corpses.
There could be bodies hidden within. Given Huxley’s reputation, I’d be more surprised if we didn’t find any deceased and decaying corpses by the time all was said and done.
Definitely not my favorite form of treasure.
I tried not to disparage those that felt differently but found it difficult.
As far as I was concerned, unless you were a priest or priestess with a zombie hoard to feed, there wasn’t much value to be found in the dead.
A capable necromancer might argue that point with me as well, but I didn’t need to speak with the dead to find their hidden treasure. What can I say, it was a gift.
Unfortunately, right now I was struggling with my gift.
My abilities had never felt more like a curse than they currently did.
The noise was damn near excruciating. Too many songs competing for attention, creating a chorus that pounded against my skull.
Each song pulled at me, begging me to seek it out, to uncover its presence.
That was something others didn’t understand.
I wouldn’t say treasure was sentient, but I did know one thing—it didn’t like being hidden, secreted away and often forgotten.
Treasure wanted to be found. It wanted to be celebrated and coveted by as many as possible.
So much treasure I found was left languishing, all alone without anyone to fawn over it.
I would never allow my treasure to fall into the same trap.
Will-o’-the-wisps rarely secreted their treasure away.
We showed it off. We were proud of what we’d found.
It was one of the reasons why we were so bad at keeping secrets.
If the treasure I found was something intangible, such as information, I shared it.
Given how the secreted treasure felt, I could hardly do anything less.
Will-o’-the-wisps set treasure free. That didn’t mean we didn’t claim it for ourselves.
That stuffy old dryad, Martin, was right about that.
I didn’t find fault in what I was or what I did.
There was no shame. I was a will-o’-the-wisp, and I didn’t give two shits what other species thought about me. Their opinion wasn’t treasure.
Inhaling, I attempted to quiet my mind. That was a near herculean task given the noise knocking against my walls. I barely allowed a hint of cool, blue flames to lick up my arms. It was just enough to get a taste, not a meal.
I’d been led to this waiting room by the ghostly Elvira.
I had a feeling she was going to be my keeper while here.
She was a good choice. When in my wisp form, I could go where many others couldn’t.
Elvira wouldn’t have that problem. It would be foolish of me to ever think I was truly alone.
If she didn’t want me to know she was here, watching, then I wouldn’t be able to tell if Elvira was near or not.
I figured Elvira was lurking in some shadowy corner. Did a ghost even need a shadowy corner to hide? I had no idea. It wasn’t often that one ran into a medium strong enough to lend enough energy to a ghost to make them visible to others.
“What are you doing?”
Speak of the ghostly devil.
“You’re not helping,” I said. I wasn’t really trying to be an ass. Elvira’s voice, more than her presence, disrupted my concentration. If I wasn’t careful, I could lose myself to this twisted maze.
“Neither Keir nor Tabitha asked me to help you; therefore, I am under no obligation to do so.”
“Is that a fact?”
“It is.”
“And did they ask you to hinder me? Because that’s what you’re currently doing.” I banked my cool fire, giving Elvira my undivided attention.
Arms crossed, she hovered by a nearby wall. I got the impression Elvira was tapping her foot but couldn’t be certain, considering her body dissipated past her shapely ankles. “The others do not trust you.”
Cracking my neck, I leaned back on my hands. Earlier, I’d planted my butt on the ground, sitting in a lotus position. Most of the time I didn’t need that much focus. This place was different. Very different.
“Does that mean you don’t trust me either?” Considering I wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of a whole hell of a lot of trust, her words didn’t bother me. As far as I was concerned, it was just another day at the office, although admittedly, a much more interesting day.
“I don’t know you well enough to say. However, I do know Keir, Tabitha, and the other members who live and work within these walls. Them, I trust.”
“Ah.” I nodded with understanding before turning away from Elvira, ready to get into position again. The dismissal didn’t sit well.
“Aren’t you going to try and convince me otherwise?” Her confusion was evident.
“Nope.”
“Why not?” Now there was a hint of disappointment.
“Been there, done that. It’s a waste of time. Nothing I say will sway you, and why should it? You’ve known everyone here for…” I waited for Elvira to fill in the blank, curious as to just how old she was, or perhaps the better way to say it was how long she’d been dead.
Elvira didn’t bite and answered, “Long enough.”
“And you’ve known me…” This one was easier.
“Less than a day.”
“Exactly.” I snapped my fingers and threw Elvira a wink. “I missed the trust train by a mile. There’s no way to make up time, so…wasted effort.”
I think Elvira might have huffed but wasn’t certain. “You are an odd creature.”
“Says the ghost.” I rolled my eyes and didn’t care if Elvira saw. “At least I’m alive.” That might have been a low blow. I didn’t know this particular ghost well enough to know. If it was, Elvira didn’t let on.
“For now,” Elvira cryptically answered, admittedly giving me pause.
“You know something I don’t?” It was possible. Elvira could go where others couldn’t. Perhaps she had an inkling as to what Huxley had hidden.
“No.” Irritated anger filled that singular word. “Tenzen was clever, and I did not know he was dangerous until it was too late. I knew he was up to something, but…” Elvira twisted her head, her memories taking her away from the here and now.
“You didn’t realize he was dangerous, that he’d harm the ones you care for.”
“No. I did not believe he would harm the ones I thought he cared for. Obviously, I was wrong.”
“Don’t take it too hard. From what I understand, you’re hardly the only one.”
Elvira’s plush lips thinned and her face momentarily morphed into something ghastlier.
The disturbing image was there and gone before I could flinch.
“I should have known better.” Elvira’s attention zeroed back in on me.
Her head tilted at an angle that wasn’t entirely natural.
“I will not make such a mistake again, Grayson Delarue. I will not lose anyone else. Am I clear?”
Oh, Elvira was clear all right. She was clearly threatening me. “Crystal.”
“Excellent.” If possible, the smile stretching her lips was even more macabre than her earlier visage.
“It is good to know you will use care when dealing with my friends.” With that parting comment, Elvira dissipated.
Her presence could have still been in the room, but I didn’t think so.
She’d laid down her threat and left. Message received.
I had no real intention of causing anyone here harm.
But I’d been alive long enough and was experienced enough to understand that even the best intentions didn’t always work out the way we wanted them to.
It was impossible to state no one would be harmed when I didn’t even know what I’d find or what that something might do.
Asking the impossible hadn’t stopped Elvira. Maybe because her continued existence was a nearly impossible thing. Elvira was probably used to such things and had come to expect them. I’d try not to disappoint her but made no guarantees.
“Insanity.” Leaning back on my hands again, I stared at the ceiling.
Treasure’s song whispered in my ear, tugging me in different directions.
The feeling was distinctly uncomfortable and a far cry from the joy I typically experienced.
Keir was lucky I liked a challenge. Otherwise I would have walked right back out the minute the cacophony of noise met my ears. “This place is absolutely insane.”
“No argument here.” I jumped, skittering to the side as something light walked over the top of my hand. “Hey, watch it! You could have broken somethin’.”
My eyes widened as I stared at the diminutive form. “A house dweller? The compound has house dwellers?” I repeated just to clarify what I was seeing.
“Don’t look so damned shocked. We ain’t extinct yet,” it huffed before sitting, one leg pulled up and elbow casually resting on its cocked knee while staring up at me with its crimson eyes.
I hadn’t seen a house dweller in years. Decades really.
This one was just as grimy and dusty as the last one I’d seen.
Some said house dwellers looked like miniature monkeys.
I’d always thought they looked more like a monkey crossed with a cat.
Their ears were too pointed, and they had whiskers like a cat.
The tail could go either way. At less than four inches tall, house dwellers lived within the walls, crawling through nooks and crannies and making seemingly impossible spaces their homes.
They also helped keep a house clean. They weren’t as good as a home-and-hearth pixie, but they were industrious little devils, feeding on dust mites.
“Can’t say that I’ve ever seen a will-o’-the-wisp before. Wouldn’t have even known what you were if I hadn’t heard all the fuss earlier.” The small house dweller stuck their finger in their ear, leaning into the itch. “Keir must be pretty desperate.”
Recovering from my shock, I nodded. “Seems that way to me.”
“Huh” was all I got.
“What’s your name?” I asked while looking around for more. “Are there others?” As large as the compound was, the place could certainly provide for a large population.
“Name’s Henry, and nope, it’s just me.”
That was…unfortunate and sounded lonely. “Henry. Does that mean you identify as—”
“I’m all male,” Henry answered while running his hands over his puffed-out chest, a lascivious smile tilting his lips.
At my quirked brow, he let loose a hearty laugh.
For such a small creature, Henry made a lot of noise.
“Hah! The look on your face.” Doubling over, Henry rolled around as great bellyfuls of laughter filled the room.
“Oh, that right there’s priceless.” Wiping at the tears making dirty streaks down his face, Henry finally settled, rocking back and forth, appearing as if he might tip over at any moment.
“I’m glad you find me amusing.” I wasn’t too put out. It was difficult to be truly irritated given the obvious joy lighting Henry’s face.
“Me too.” Henry sobered. “This place has felt like a tomb since…well, since Huxley went off the rails.” Henry shook his head, displacing a floppy tuft of cottony white hair that was stained dirty gray with dust and dirt.
“Damn shame. This place used to be a hell of a lot more fun. Now it’s…
quiet. Too damn quiet. Especially without Hikaru. ”
“Hikaru?”
Henry waved me off and answered, “Ornery kitsune. Heard he went off and got himself attached to a warlock or some such nonsense.”
“Ah yes, I think I heard about that.” It rang a distant bell. “Nikodemus Holland.”
Henry snapped his fingers. “That’s the one.”
Nikodemus Holland was now the head of the Warlock Council, not that it seemed he truly wanted the job. At least, that was the rumor.
Standing, Henry slapped his pants, sending dust motes into the air. Crossing the distance, He grabbed a section of my pant leg and climbed up, perching on my bent knee. “I also hear you’re here to find all of Huxley’s twisted secrets.”
I considered the words and mostly agreed. “If Huxley considered them treasure, then I should be able to do so.”
“Ugh, I don’t envy you that.” He shook his head again. “Ain’t nothin’ good gonna be found within these walls or beyond ’em, at least not if Huxley was involved.”
I leaned forward, less than a few inches away from my new friend. “And what would you know about that?”
Henry frowned. “More than I want to, and that’s all I’m gonna say, so don’t try pryin’ for more.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Of course you wouldn’t,” Henry huffed while crossing his arms and lifting his chin. “Word of warning or maybe advice: be careful. Some things are better off not found, if you get my drift.”
I did. “Are you going to interfere with my search?” I wasn’t certain what a house dweller could do, but I’d learned long ago never to allow size to influence my perception where danger was concerned.
“Naw, nothin’ like that.” Henry slid down my pant leg, landing on the floor with a flourish.
“Just a friendly warnin’. I like you, little will-o’-the-wisp.
” The irony of him calling me little wasn’t lost on me.
“Even if it’s because they’re worried, you’ve at least livened the place up a little.
Mind you, it’s gonna take a lot more than one will-o’-the-wisp to bring this place back to what it once was, what it’s meant to be, but you’re a start. Good luck.”
Racing across the floor on all fours, Henry disappeared into a crack I hadn’t noticed before.
Alone once more, my mind was left to wander. To be certain, simply looking for Huxley’s concealed treasure wasn’t the only threat. The treasure itself might be just as dangerous as the search.
Flopping onto my back, I winced as the hard concrete did nothing to soften my fall. Maybe it wasn’t just the house dweller that was crossed with a cat. I was curious enough to fit the bill. I just hoped my innate curiosity didn’t lead down the same troubled path.