Chapter 24
The slap of water against the boat, the crisp night air – the combination was hypnotic. My mind began to wander to the after-dinner craziness with Bryony and the Runecoats as me and my friends used Liam’s boat to get to Stormfen, and the musing had only continued once we got on the water.
We were to meet Liam and Zeed at the island. Assuming Zeed could slip away from Typhon, of course.
I gripped the edge of the boat, fingers flexing as thoughts of Typhon tried to override everything else. I shoved them aside and focused instead on what happened in the dining hall.
The way all the students had stood together against the Runecoats to save their teacher had been . . . inspiring.
Tarquinius kept such a tight leash on the students at Neverthorn, they’d have been terrified to even try to stand up to any authority, never mind Runecoats. To be fair, half the teachers there weren’t worth saving.
Caterina touched my arm, drawing me back to the moment at hand. “You think that rune that Bryony cast was . . . dark? Like they said?”
A quick shake of my head. “No. I think it was complicated, and probably . . . I don’t know, frowned upon? But dark, no. I didn’t get that sense. Why?”
She rubbed her hands over her arms. “Nothing really, I guess.”
She wasn’t usually the anxious sort, but before I could press further, the boat butted up against the rocks on the shoreline of Stormfen.
We hopped out and dragged the little craft up the rough beach and out of the water, removing our pendants with a collective sigh of relief and stowing them in our pockets.
Liam stood at the treeline and motioned for us to follow him deeper into the island. I didn’t think twice. “Come on. Zeed is already here.”
Zeed. Without watching eyes. We’d finally get a chance to reconnect with our friend and find out what the hell had happened to him.
“You okay?” Liam murmured as the others rushed past.
“Yeah. You heard what happened?”
He nodded. “Bryony came to me. I think it makes our position here even more precarious. We’ve got to make a move on that kraken coin, and fast. It feels as though time is running short.”
Imagine if he knew about the specter of my Fae destiny hanging over my head? Time was against us on every side.
Never mind the curse from Calypso. I’d leave that for a moment, at least until we’d seen Zeed.
“Roger that,” I said, as we hurried to catch up to the others.
We passed a ring of trees, finding ourselves in a small glade. A pool of silvery water lay in the middle of the opening, with a circle of benches around it, and torches set at various points behind the benches.
Zeed faced us, his face lit by the flickering torches, and while I wanted to run headlong in for a hug, I gave Fable a gentle push.
“Go on, you first.”
She ducked her head, but it was Zeed that grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug.
“I missed you so much.” He looked up over her shoulder. “I’ve missed all of you.”
Fable mumbled something as she hugged him back, then quickly stepped away. Zeed let his hand drift down her arm to her fingers, then pulled back, his brow furrowing.
So much had happened in the time he was separated from us. It made sense that the lovebirds had some ground to make up before things seemed normal again. Or perhaps he’d felt something with his Quirk?
“We’ve missed you too, man! We’ve been outnumbered!” Ross gave Zeed a quick hug – very manly, with a slap on the back. One by one, everyone got a hug in, each sappier and more emotional than the last, though Zeed was being careful of how he touched everyone.
I gave him a hug too after everyone else.
“Your Quirk requires skin on skin, right?” I asked softly.
“Yeah,” Zeed breathed out and relaxed a little. “It’s . . . a lot. I’m learning to control it, though.”
Letting him go, I stepped back and grinned. “Good to have you back. They said you got sent home from the hospital wing, but Fable sent letters every week, and we never heard from you. We were worried.”
He ran his hands over his hair, mussing it up – not like him at all.
“Honestly? I don’t know. I don’t even remember being in the hospital wing at Neverthorn.
My Quirk hit me hard, and I passed out.” He looked around the circle at each of us.
“Everything after that is a blur. They told me I was at home but . . . it’s like the harder I try to remember, the more distant the memories get.
I think my brain got rattled pretty hard, with the shock and all.
” He shrugged, looking miserable. “I know it’s hard to believe, but the only thing I remember is being at Neverthorn again, with Typhon welcoming me back. ”
I tried to focus on the positive. At least he was here and in one piece. But my suspicious mind couldn’t help but wonder –
“I have a feeling the only reason they brought you back when they did was because we left Neverthorn,” Marina cut in. “The minute we saw you walk into Heathermoor, I think we all suspected the same thing. You’re the bait to draw us out.”
Zeed gave a slow nod. “That was my thought, too.”
Liam held up his hands. “As touching as this all is – and I’m truly happy to have you back, Zeed – we have more pressing matters than your missing memories. Those will hopefully come back in time, but what we must deal with now has a major deadline.”
Liam looked over at me. “Harlow, you want to fill him in?”
I drew in a breath and then dove right in. “Condensed version is that we left Neverthorn so the Senate and Tarquinius wouldn’t split us up. We won’t survive on our own. We need to stick together. If I’m sure of nothing else, I am sure of that. House Phoenix must stand together.”
“I agree,” Zeed said. “From the minute that Doyen Moreno told me you had left, I knew I had to find you guys. It was a pull like someone had reached inside and hooked me hard, dragging me here. Even if Doyen Moreno hadn’t brought me .
. . I think I might have been able to find you eventually on my own. ”
I thought back to how hard we’d all been wishing Zeed were with us. Could it be that simple, to make him want to find us? Were we all tied together that tightly now, or was it his Quirk?
Liam crossed his arms, tapping a finger against his chin thoughtfully. “Did Typhon say why he’d brought you?”
“You mean Typhon confide in me?” The laugh was sharp as Zeed grinned.
“No. He said only that they needed our help here. And when I asked about you all . . . he said it was classified. I . . . tried to find out but couldn’t get any details.
” His eyes went to mine. Shit, he’d tried to use his Quirk on Typhon.
I wondered if it hadn’t worked, or if Typhon just hadn’t let him get close.
“Not only all of that,” Fable took the reins of the story, “Harlow made a deal with the siren Calypso. That’s how we escaped Neverthorn and it broke her connection to Typhon, but now we’re on a deadline to find the kraken coin that Calypso wants in payment.”
“Or else . . .” I shrugged. “I’m a goner.”
I half expected a little quip from my pocket, but none came. She hadn’t spoken to me or even reappeared in the locket since confessing the truth about my curse. Apparently, my forgiveness had only served to make her feel even guiltier. And pissed off. A bad combination.
Fable clapped her hands, face serious. “Zeed, we know we can trust you, so here’s the plan.
We find the kraken coin and hightail it out of here.
From what I’ve been able to find out – and I’ll be honest, the library here is second to none – it’s not just the kraken coin hidden beneath the school.
There is a strong possibility that it’s the Morrigan’s treasure – which could lead us to pieces of the Grym. ”
A murmur through the group slowed Fable. “I’m sorry, the Grym? As in Grym Dunaras? Mind filling us in?” Ellie asked, flicking a glance from Fable to me and back again.
“I didn’t have the chance to tell the rest of them what Typhon told me about that and the Grym Dunaras since it all got so crazy after the Solstice Games,” I reminded her in a whisper.
“We’re all ears,” Gary said, eyes wide.
I lifted both hands and plunked myself down on the bench, then changed my mind and shot to my feet again, pacing around the pool of water instead.
“The Morrigan’s treasure is . . . legendary, we all know this, but especially in circles like I ran in back when I lived in the Unlit world.
But depending on who you asked, it was a myth.
A fun story for thieves to fantasize about.
According to what Typhon told me during the games, the Morrigan also created the Grym Dunaras. ”
I went on to explain about the weapon and the ensuing battle between Arthur and the Morrigan in as much detail as I could, ending with, “From what Fable could put together, the Morrigan kept a piece in her horde of treasure, easy for her to access in case it was ever needed again – the other three pieces she scattered. And that treasure . . . seems to be here in Heathermoor.”
When I was done, Ross shook his head, blinking in surprise.
“So, if we find the treasure, we find the kraken coin . . . and maybe even a piece of the Grym Dunaras?”
It sounded simple. Zeed volleyed the next question.
“The treasure is here, at Heathermoor? How do we know for sure?”
I sighed and flopped back to the bench. “We’re pretty sure it’s in the basement of Heathermoor – every time I cast my ‘finders keepers’ spell that’s where it leads me.
Liam and I had a meeting with a Jinn named Bellamy, and he confirmed it.
” I recapped what happened in Lairg, and Bellamy’s price for the information, and then blew out a sigh.
“The Snatchlings are notorious for taking things of value, so it makes sense that all of the items we need would be there. They are aggressive in their defense of their horde.”
“We got a way in?” Ross asked.
“Not yet,” I said.
“It will be more problematic than just finding the doorway – I’m pretty sure I can manage that much,” Liam said.