Boreal and John Grey Season 1 (48 page)

“Stay out of this,” Dave said, pushing past her toward Finn’s sprawled form.

Her heart boomed, and her hands clenched so hard her nails bit into her palms, tiny sparkles of pain. “The fuck I will.”

In one move, she swept his feet from under him. He fell with a thump and she straddled his back, pinning his hand with the gun to the floor. He bucked under her, but a chop to his hand released his hold on the gun and she took it away. Reversing it, she pressed the gun mouth to his neck, pressed hard until he stilled.

Footsteps sounded on her left and she whipped her own gun up. The two men Dave had brought with him stopped moving.

“Get out of here”, she rasped. “And close the door behind you.” A sob wracked her and coolness spilled down her cheeks. Damn them all to hell.

They backed away, raising their guns. She waited until the door closed before turning her gaze back to Dave.

“This isn’t a joke, Ella,” he muttered, his voice strangled. “He’s John Grey, opening Gates, about to cause this world to be invaded. Keep out of this.”

“Shut up.” Speaking hurt her chest. She couldn’t breathe. It was as if she’d been the one shot. “Just shut up. My hand isn’t steady and my mind not made up yet whether to kill you now or later.”

“Ella...” Dave had stopped struggling. “Calm down. I know this is hard for you.”

Oh now he was concerned? Fuck him. Anger sent her heart slamming against her ribs, her blood pounding in her ears. It made her hands tremble — and cleared her eyes so that she saw a darkness spread down Dave’s throat and inside — spirals and clockwork, spinning and whirring.

Oh shit
.

Her gorge rose. She fell off him, scrambling backward, her breath caught short. To see the seam of the Guardians, Mike had said, she needed to be in an altered state — but it wasn’t fear or alcohol that did the trick. It was anger. Mind-blanking fury.

Dave sat up carefully and she raised the gun, pointing at him. Would a bullet kill him if she took the shot? Could anything kill him?

“You’re a...” She couldn’t even say it. The seam running from Dave’s head to his polished shoes was already blurring, fading as shock replaced her anger. “A goddamn
Duergr
, a fucking Guardian.” She had to swallow down bile before she threw up. “You killed Finn.”

Dave wasn’t looking at her, as if not caring that his true identity was known. He stared at a point behind her. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

She got up slowly, her limbs uncoordinated and heavy, and turned.

Blood had pooled on the floor and fat crimson drops led to the open window. She blinked, unable to process what she saw.

Finn wasn’t there.

Vaguely aware of Dave shouting for the two officers, Ella gathered her scattered wits and stumbled to the window to look outside. Five stories. And Finn was shot and bleeding.

Frigid air stung her wet cheeks as she leaned out and stared down to the street, then up. No sign of him.

Finn was gone.

THE END of EPISODE FOUR

Episode 5

Nine worlds hang on Ygdrasil, shaken by the giants

the asas mend the threads of worlds,

the dwarves guard mighty portals

the aesir drink, the dark elves weave,

the light elves wage war.

In a familiar hall I stand

far from the sun, on a strand of dead bodies

where venom drips and serpents slither.

My dreams are heavy.

I shall endure the ache and sorrow,

I shall not lay down my arms.

Anger and fury have their uses,

children of my pain
.

Chapter One

Dark

Ella held her head, hunched over on the couch. “You shot Finn,” she muttered, not too loud, in case her skull split apart.

“And you stopped me from finishing him and let him escape,” Dave grumbled. “That’s obstruction of justice. Not to mention assault on your superior.”

“I’m an officer of the law.”

“And I’m your boss!” Dave was wearing a hole in the carpet, pacing up and down the living room.

“My boss.” She wanted to throw up. “You’re a robot. You’re not even human.”

“Neither is he.”

His admission changed nothing; it was simply a confirmation of what she’d feared, and it paled in the face of what had just happened.

A pool of blood by the window —
Finn’s blood
— drew her eye. She felt sick. “He was under your payroll. Someone will wonder what happened to him.”

“He held a temporary position. In a secret bureau. Without papers. His traces have already been erased.”

“Erased.” The word tasted bitter. “He’s my partner and he was doing his best. He had no idea he was causing the Gates. I’m sure there’s another way to fix this.”

“Yeah. Not sleeping. And how long did you think that would last? A day? Two?”

He’d listened in to their discussions. What else had he overheard? Maybe he’d already connected the dots, known she was the reason the Gates held.

“If it’s magic, there must be counter-magic,” she whispered. “Stands to reason. It’s what the tales tell us.”

“So you’d depend on fairytales for a solution?”

“He’s an elf, if it escaped your attention. Fairytales might just be the best source of information we have.” She glanced at the window Finn had used to escape. “And you’re a fucking
duergr
. A Guardian. A dwarf.”
A pretty tall one, too
. “How come you didn’t know John Grey was a Light elf? How on earth didn’t you know how the Gates open? What crappy sort of Guardian are you anyway?”

“I’ve been stranded here since the Middle Ages,” Dave grunted. “Some knowledge got lost, obviously. Now, where is he?”

“I told you, I have no idea.” Ella rubbed her forehead. She had an idea, in fact, unless Finn had more friends than he’d admitted to. It all depended on how mobile he was. Probably too stubborn to stop moving even if he was dying. “He never said anything. I bet he wasn’t expecting to be brought down by his own team.”

Dave didn’t wince in the slightest at the barb.
Bastard
. “I’ll do another sweep of the block. Don’t even think about moving from here.”

Ella watched him go with the two officers. She didn’t think Finn would be coming back to her. The look of betrayal on his face when Dave had walked in had told her all she needed to know: Finn was sure she’d given him up. The only direction he’d be running now would be away from her.

That hurt. But what hurt more was the knowledge that he might be dying and she couldn’t go look for him while Dave breathed down her neck.

Fuck
.

Jumping to her feet, she walked to the window. She’d seen Finn climb buildings like a spider before. At least she knew he hadn’t fallen to his death — the body would have been found immediately.

Would he board a bus to Jamesville to Norma Jones, the woman he’d spoken of? Or was he bleeding his life out in some alley?

With a growl, she turned to pace the living room. She hated that Dave made sense. Killing Finn would be the easiest solution — close all Gates, avoid the invasion. Problem solved.

But killing people —
elves
— wasn’t a solution. Killing Finn, dammit. And now Dave had sent him running, perhaps back to his own world. What if his dead mother or her doppelganger beckoned once more? What solution would Finn see other than return home?

By taking the easy path, Dave had made things worse. Before, they’d been sure Finn was on their side — but what about now?

Cursing, she turned to grind another furrow in her floor, when the door banged open.

Finn?

Hope died at once. Dave was back, his scowl dark. “Gone like a puff of smoke. I hoped the wound would slow him down. But it wouldn’t, would it? Bloody elf.”

Ella shrugged. Nothing short of passing out would stop Finn. “How the hell did you realize he’s John Grey?”

“Followed the half-formed Gates, asked around to find out if he’d been there. Then there was the connection to you: a Stabilizer. And bingo.”

She winced. How on earth was she performing this stabilizing trick? What was the connection to her sharing Finn’s dreams? She’d obviously done it since she was little, even though she didn’t remember. Finn hitting his majority had obviously changed the way that worked.

“There has to be a way to neutralize his magic.” But who could she ask? “If I’m the Stabilizer, why didn’t you kill me?”

“Don’t give me ideas,” Dave snapped. “I don’t need to kill you. There are many Stabilizers out there. Only one John Grey.”

Huh
.
Disappointed you’re not unique, Ella?
“So why did you take notes on me?”

“I took notes on all of them.” He shook his head. “Didn’t help one bit in finding him.”

But Finn had apparently seen her face only and no other. Damn, he’d said she made him feel safe, and now...

If the Gates were connected to Finn’s dreams, it made sense his interrupted sleep would lead to interrupted portals. Whereas, when Finn slept by her side, he felt safe and slept soundly, not waking.

Forming perfect Gates.

She wasn’t stabilizing the Gates. She was stabilizing Finn.
Shoot me now
. She eyed Dave’s gun.
Or rather not
.

“I see,” she said, her mind a whirlwind. “You’ve got it all figured out.”
Or so you think
.

“Insubordination and concealment of important information,” Dave grated. “I could remove your badge and throw you into jail.”

“Then why don’t you?”

Because he wanted her to lead him to Finn, obviously. She lifted her chin. She had to find Finn and put Dave off her trail.
How?

“I’ve lost enough agents already,” Dave muttered and holstered his gun. “We’ll find him, with or without your help. If you tell us where he is, we might arrive before he bleeds to death.”

“You want me to believe you won’t put a bullet in his head as soon as you see him.”

It had been a mistake, saying those words. Dave’s eyes gleamed. “So you do know where he is.”

“Dammit, Dave, I told you I don’t. I know nothing about him, his friends or haunts. He’s not the talkative kind, you know.”

Anger drew his features into harsh lines. “Fine. You’re staying here, in case he shows up. If you remember where he might be, let me know. You have my number.”

“I’m to be a prisoner in my own home?”

“Unless you prefer a prison cell. Don’t get any ideas. I’ve got men posted outside, downstairs, at the fire-escape and around the building.” He signaled at the two officers. “Keep an eye on her at all times. Call me if anything changes.”

He left them guarding her door.

Ella watched Dave go. Leaving was his first mistake. She’d find a way to get out before he came back.

***

The two men observed her as she puttered around the kitchen, fixing herself a cup of tea and trying to remember when she’d last eaten. She found some stale bread and ham and slapped together a sandwich. Her stomach roiled at the thought of eating, but she had to keep her strength if she was to help Finn.

Munching on the hard bread, she wandered to the windows of the living room. The men tensed.
What?
She wasn’t going to climb down the building facade; she wasn’t Finn.

She sat on the couch, washing the sandwich down with lukewarm tea. He wasn’t any more responsible for his ability than she was. Hadn’t used his magic on purpose any more than she had.

Was there a way to neutralize a magical ability? Who might know?

Sarah
. Maybe Simon’s girlfriend knew someone or something to help fix this. In that secret organization, there had to be knowledgeable people to ask, though Dave shouldn’t get a whiff.

If she found a way out of the building. If she managed to contact Sarah. If Sarah could help.

Well, there was only one way of knowing, wasn’t there?

She put down her cup and considered her options. According to Dave, men were posted around the building watching every possible way down, including the fire escape.