Chapter 6
Six
Martin
I stared out my window at the atrium leading to the open sky, the earth that had birthed me below.
I was one of the few members of the Magical Usage Council who had a window in my room or any direct access to the outside.
I’d always been grateful, mostly to Huxley himself as he’d given me this room and space.
He’d told me this area of the compound was designed just for me.
While I thought that was most likely true, the motivation behind it was now suspect. But why? Why me? Why a dryad at all? Dryads weren’t kitsunes. Our magic was minimal and restricted to being able to change from tree to humanoid form.
I held out my hand, my fingers elongating and twisting into branches, fledgling oak leaves sprouting and leafing out.
Turning my branched hand back and forth, I stared at my leaves.
There was nothing important about me. I was sturdy.
My oak nature made certain of that. But that sturdiness was easily overcome.
I was susceptible to fire. I could and would burn.
I could be cut down, and even I couldn’t withstand tornadic level winds.
The very fact I was still alive—that I wasn’t one of the ones Huxley had come for, was proof of how insignificant I was.
Huxley hadn’t seen me as a threat. I’d been allowed to live, to mourn those who he’d deemed necessary to eliminate.
Was it any wonder I contemplated why Huxley would have bothered with me to begin with?
Maybe Huxley hadn’t been lying to me when he said he’d found me.
Maybe planting me had been little more than a whim on his part.
The truth was, I’d never know. From what I understood, Huxley was still alive, though in a deep slumber.
Waking him was far too risky. Besides, even if I could speak with him, how could I ever trust anything that came out of Huxley’s deceitful mouth.
The short of it was, I couldn’t. And I wasn’t alone.
Keir would always wonder why he’d been left alive.
Keir wasn’t like me. His gryphon form was ferocious and formidable.
Keir had a mind for problem-solving and didn’t allow his emotions to get in the way of analysis.
Methodical, logical, and morally driven, Keir was a desirable ally and a terrifying foe.
Shaking the leaves away, my branches shrank back into humanoid fingers. I could spend a lifetime wondering and still never have the answers. If I allowed myself to get stuck in that mental loop, it would be a wasted life indeed. I’d be just another one of Huxley’s victims.
“Brooding?” Henry asked, using a blanket to crawl up a nearby chair, placing him not at eye level but at least off the floor. “Seems like that’s all everyone does around here anymore,” he lamented.
“You don’t think its warranted? After everything Huxley did, the friends we’ve lost, the mess we’re still trying to clean up?”
“Didn’t say it weren’t warranted. Just sayin’ it’s gettin’ a bit old and borin’.” Henry lifted a back foot and scratched at his ear. A puff of dust filled the air before drifting off and settling on the furniture. Or maybe back on Henry. It was hard to tell.
“Sorry we’re not as entertaining as we used to be.” I didn’t sound especially sorry. Mostly because I wasn’t. “If it’s any consolation, I was just standing here contemplating the same thing.” Not exactly the same, but the sentiment was true enough.
“Yeah? That sounds promisin’. You know what else is promisin’, that will-o’-the-wisp Keir hired. I like him.”
My muscles tightened to the point of pain. My instinct was to automatically disagree. The problem was, I wasn’t so certain anymore. Grayson had been exceedingly empathetic regarding his latest find. Thinking of Hikaru, I asked, “Did you hear what Grayson found?”
Henry deflated. “I did. Huxley was a real sack of shit.”
I grunted an agreement. “No argument here.”
“I heard Hikaru’s screams on the other side of the compound.” Henry gripped his shirt over his heart. “I’m not embarrassed to say I shed a few tears when I heard that. So much pain. Too much pain.”
Acidic bile threatened to crawl up my throat. “I’m glad he has Holland.” It was the only thought that brought me comfort.
“You think he’ll be able to do anything with what’s left of Hikaru’s tail?”
I stilled, my eyelids barely blinking. I hadn’t thought that far. “I’m not certain. Perhaps.” Warlocks excelled at destructive magic. It was possible Holland could deconstruct Hikaru’s tail, siphon off the remaining magic, and somehow give it back to him.
“Good on him if he can.” Henry flopped down, sitting on his ass, tail dangling behind him and arms stubbornly crossed.
His sudden action emitted another dust mote.
“If I’d known, I would have taken a few pieces of Huxley myself.
” Henry lifted a hand, tiny, needle-like claws flexing.
I doubted he could have done more than land an irritating scratch.
Then again, papercuts tended to hurt more than their size suggested, so maybe I should give Henry a bit more credit. It wasn’t like I could do any better.
Slumping and crossing his arms again, Henry cocked his small head to the side. “Makes you wonder what else is hidin’ in this place, don’t it?”
Forehead resting in my cupped hands, I pressed my palms deep into my eyes, relishing the pressure. “Why do I get the feeling you might know a thing or two about those things?”
Henry shrugged. “Mayhaps I do and mayhaps I don’t. I can tell you one thing, I didn’t know about Hikaru’s tail. I wouldn’t have stood for that.”
I had no doubts regarding that and said as much. “I know you care for Hikaru.”
“Damn straight. I miss that kitsune.” Henry chuckled. “We sure did get up to some stuff when he was here.”
My memories of Hikaru’s antics weren’t nearly as fond as Henry’s. That didn’t stop the smile curving my lips. “That you did.”
“Might be able to get up to a little mischief with Grayson too.”
I wasn’t comfortable with the glee infusing those few words.
I also wasn’t entirely comfortable with the butterflies inexplicably fluttering about in my stomach.
I needed to remember that will-o’-the-wisps were not altruistic creatures.
Then again, what creature was? Logically, I knew it wasn’t right to tarnish an entire species based on a handful of experiences.
Everyone was different. Each species had specific characteristics that formed their core, but those traits varied in intensity between individuals.
“Have you been following Grayson?” I asked, curious if Henry could even keep up with the will-o’-the-wisp.
“It weren’t that difficult until recently.”
I turned, focusing my attention on my tiny bit of company. “What do you mean?”
Henry shrugged. “Just that Grayson hasn’t gone anywhere. Not until a few hours ago, when he took off after Hikaru’s tail. He just kind of sits and…I dunno, concentrates? Maybe? That’s what it looks like he’s doin’ to me. It don’t always look comfortable either.”
My stomach churned. I didn’t like the thought of Grayson being uncomfortable…not that I wanted to spend any time analyzing why that was. “What makes you say that?”
Henry tapped his forehead. “Gray gets all sweaty. His eyes pinch and his mouth is screwed up like he just tasted somethin’ foul.
That blue flame he has licks up his hands and wrists, but usually doesn’t get much further.
As a matter of fact, I’ve seen him clench his hands, snuffin’ out the fire and groanin’ like his head’s killin’ him.
I’m just sayin’, that don’t look like a lot of fun to me. ”
It didn’t sound like it to me either. Moreover, I’d seen will-o’-the-wisps work before and never seen one act that way. Was there something wrong with Grayson Delarue? Was he not up to the task? Then again, he’d found Hikaru’s tail which led me to believe that Grayson was truly capable.
Now I had a headache.
“You okay?” Henry asked.
“I’ll be fine,” I answered by rote. I’d stopped saying I was fine a few months ago. No one believed any of us were okay, but we all had this desperate hope that one day we would be.
Henry’s grunted reply indicated he knew exactly what I meant.
“I’m gonna go check in on Gray,” Henry informed me as he slid down the side of my chair, a happy wheeee filling the air before he landed in a puff of dust. “That never gets old.” Henry chuckled as he scurried off, darting through a small crack in the corner of the room.
I stared at that space, zoning out, a barely there smile tilting my lips. Spending time with Henry was one of the few activities that could still make me smile.
Slipping out the door to my courtyard, I lifted my head to the sun, spread my arms and allowed my oak form to take over.
My roots buried deep, diving down into my birth soil and finding the nourishment my body needed.
My soul was a different matter, one I suspected required a totally different type of sustenance.
Knowing it was needed was the easy part. The trick was finding it.