Suspicious Minds
IGNATIUS
T hankfully, Morgana looks unharmed as she strides over to us, but her expression tells me she’s not just pissed about the fallen orc.
That look screams irritation at the grumpy dragon, who can’t seem to get out of his own way, especially because the other one is finishing the Fae creature still.
I checked that out a couple times, but I can’t really get a good bead on what the demon hybrid is doing besides scaring the damn thing into a quivering ball.
I’m smart enough not to ask the giant shark guy, though.
Questioning his authority doesn’t feel like a good use of my time.
The weird thing is… we’re not finding bodies for the Harvest emissaries—live or dead.
“Where did they go, Iggy? This is so weird,” Slade mutters as he tosses a charred piece of table. “There’s not even, like… detritus to prove they were even here.”
“Very suspicious indeed, siren.”
Slade looks at the mono-syllabic shark, pushing up his glasses nervously. “Yeah. I mean, if they were dissolved—or whatever—there should be something , even if it’s a signature.”
“I don’t smell a fucking thing, either,” Lucas sighs. “Nothing recent, at least.”
Morgana’s eyes narrow as she joins us, looking around with an assessing gaze. “They’re gone, and it’s not because they were killed or incinerated. Someone took them, I think. The orc was a distraction for a good old-fashioned kidnapping.”
Liam comes back from his trip across the pathway to the Reaping tent, a grimace on his handsome features.
“That story mirrors the one from the other side. I’m uncertain why anyone would want such a low level Fae, though.
Representatives from the courts who would attend this sort of thing aren’t privy to important intel or strategic secrets. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Perhaps, Prince, the other courts are less discerning about who they send to this side of the Veil.” Kaspar stomps over, running a hand through his dark hair. “Your father and the general would be more cautious, but the other royals might not.”
“They could be missing to distract from undeclared guests who are also no longer here.”
Everyone looks at the serious looking rainbow-haired demon curiously. He’s standing with the gorgeous blond that had snake-like features during the fight as they assess our tent. The blond smirks, shrugging as they brush off their designer clothing.
“Being part of a royal envoy that is here without a genuine invitation, flying under the radar until now—I’m simply suggesting that as much as we all did not want anyone to realize we’re here, others could have made the same mistake.
The Fae courts are as full of intrigue as ours, yes?
Perhaps the visitors had serious business and were betrayed, leaving missing beings of great importance no one realizes are missing as yet. ”
Son of a bitch. If that’s true, we all need to get the fuck out of here.
“You might be right, Xerxes,” the shark says gruffly. “That means we should be gone before the dust settles.”
I nod at him, turning to Liam and Morgana. “They’re right. We did our duty helping to save lives, but none of us were invited to this affair, and that possibility leaves us in uncomfortable cross-hairs. It’s time to make like a banana.”
Slade chuckles as he steps over the rubble to get to Morgana. “I agree. We saw my folks and the ones Tracer suggested. I’d like to explore more, but Iggy and the demons are right. If this is a political landmine, we need to hop on Thorne’s plane before anyone can point fingers.”
“Thank you for the help,” Li says as he looks at the gathering of demon hybrids who are now watching us. “You should get the Prince and your other companions out of here, too.”
The rainbow-haired, willowy demon lifts his hand calmly, shooting a burst of magic across the sky toward the area where their leader is handling the orc.
I can’t see what he’s doing in the smoke, but I guess that’s some sort of…
demon signal? Who knows? But the small red-haired Kitsuné pokes his head out of his tails to smile at our girl shyly.
He reminds me a bit of Slade, to be honest.
“Prince Jasper would thank you for fighting with us if he weren’t locking down the orc.
Please accept our gratitude on his behalf, Morgana, and family.
” The studious guy looks at his companions, tilting his head.
“The Fae Prince is right, I think. We should find Salem and Kit Kat quickly, then get as far from the Faerie territory as possible.”
I frown at them. “You won’t be leaving?”
“Not possible.” The big demon grunts, looking irritable as he finally moves away from the piles of rocks he was moving. “Our objectives, unlike yours, are incomplete. However, we will honor the agreement made while we continue our business.”
Bad plan, in my opinion, but what do I know of demon shit?
“Be careful, then,” Liam says as he takes Morgana’s hand. “We’ll be off, and I will contact your prince once the dust settles.”
The five demon hybrids nod their assent, and my new family makes their way out of the mess to cut through the other side of the marketplace. It takes a few moments to get out of the disaster zone, but I wait until we’re almost at the entrance before I speak.
“Do you really believe they’re hunting down demons who might conspire to take the throne in Hell?”
The Prince nods, his expression grim. “I do. Demons who primarily live in the underworld are not wont to come to the surface, unless it’s business or politics.
It’s a very different world down there from what our occasional emissaries have reported, and they don’t give a fuck what’s going on here unless it affects their interests.
The heirs of the courts making a secret journey to this place, at this time, with those claims are very serious, Ignatius. ”
Great. The entire world is going haywire all at once, and we’re smack dab in the middle of it.
“Do you think we can trust them?”
Liam chuckles as we exit the gates of Fae territory together.
“I think we can trust them to honor the agreement we made. There will be more tricky negotiations needed to know if we’ve found a staunch ally.
But I got the feeling that the Prince’s group came here to investigate, just as they claimed, and they’re concerned about the upheaval in their realm. ”
“That’s exactly how I feel about here.” I shrug when they look at me.
“Have any of you heard of this kind of… teamwork between malcontents across the realms before? I’ve read a lot of history in my time and I sure as fuck haven’t.
Fae manage their shit and do not want interference.
Same with the deities, the demons, and so on.
It’s not just unusual; it’s unprecedented.
The balance is totally fucked if we’re right. ”
Lucas frowns, shaking his head. “This kind of shit is way out of my depth. Nana does big picture stuff with the Society, but I’ve never paid attention to it. Since they keep things together on this plane, I assume it’s going to become a huge fucking deal quickly.”
“Of course it will,” Morgana murmurs. “The local Councils report to the Society. The Society’s highest members include leaders from the other realms who all make treaties and agreements that we live by.
Assholes from everywhere banding together to foment chaos in what can only be an attempt to overthrow the current system is a threat to everyone. ”
“I forget you saw some of the bigwigs at your trial,” I murmur. “That had to be a shock. Most people never see the faces of those in charge. They stay in the shadows for a reason.”
She shrugs, looking down as we walk down the path towards the original entry point we used before our visit to Slade’s clan.
“Magnus had friends in prominent places. They made certain my crime was escalated to a level that normally would be reserved for far worse offenses. Killing a dragon—even an old one who runs a university—is beneath those people’s notice.
But I’m just lucky that way. Besides, most of them wore masks.
That’s not shown in the recordings. I don’t know who the hell they are. ”
A fact that probably benefits her; I doubt some of the non-Earth bound supes would appreciate her revealing their involvement in the Society.
“That’s probably good,” Lucas says, echoing my thoughts. “It means no one is coming after you because you can identify them. What do you know?”
“There’s someone from all the realms, plus a few extras, since places like here have a lot of species.
It’s a big intimidating room, and the process resembles a secret society kangaroo court from some movie.
None of that helps us with what we suspect now, though.
If this shit is as big as we believe, it means one or more of the reps on that stupid committee are involved.
Doesn’t matter if it’s willingly or not—they’ve got protection from above, keeping their moves cloaked. ”
Kaspar stops as we reach the entrance, looking at us seriously. “Having even one being on that council is dangerous, and it will make finding out what the true goal is almost impossible. Stopping it will be even more difficult.”
“If we don’t, they’ll keep coming for us.
The attacks on campus point to Morgana and Lucas, at best, being targets.
No way the Prince won’t join them if your rebel Fae people are part of it.
” I wait for Morgana and Slade to walk through the gateway that opens without anyone saying a word, then follow.
Once we’re all back in the desolate warehouse, Kaspar takes the lead again, guiding us to the car.
“We’ll fly home on Thorne’s jet, but I don’t want to fill him in on these discoveries just yet.
You know he’s an agent for them, as are his associates.
I don’t believe he’s involved, but I don’t think raising the flag with the Society is the right play at the moment. ”
Liam nods and holds the door of the SUV open for the others.
“Agreed, old friend. Jackson and his team can focus on getting Lucas cleared in the murder case. We will go back to life as we know it, but surreptitiously continue monitoring the situation. If we keep this knowledge to ourselves, the circle is tight and there won’t be any leaks. ”
Groaning, Morgana settles in between the Prince and Slade before she speaks. “Guys, that means we also have to keep Channing out of the loop. I hate doing it, but…”
“She’s safer if we do,” Slade says softly as the car moves. “Plus, she’s working closely with Thorne’s guys and having to lie makes Chan get hives. She’ll be too hyper for them not to notice that she’s hiding something. I think you’re right, Morgana, even if I also don’t enjoy doing it.”
“That means I don’t tell Nana, either,” Lucas sighs. “I hate lying to her, but she’s way too connected, not to mention this shit to her brethren.”
We all look at one another uneasily, except for the dragon. He’s driving, but he grunts his assent. “I will continue poking around campus when we return. We don’t know when we’ll hear from the people Tracer introduced us to, nor the demons, so I can do the reconnaissance.”
Morgana arches a brow, looking amused. “That’s a good punishment for your shitty attitude, I think. Having to run around talking to college kids and staff members is going to drive you insane.”
Hopefully, not enough to lose his shit in public, or we’re all screwed.