13 Secrets (7 page)

Rough hands hauled Tanya up by the shoulder, forcing her to turn around. A hulk of a man held her effortlessly, unaffected by her struggles. Beside her, another man, similar in size to her captor, held Fabian tightly. Tanya’s knees buckled as she saw a huge sword at his side. Both of the men were fey.

A slight girl with white-blond hair stood a little way back.

“They’re only kids, Suki,” the man holding Tanya told her. His voice sounded unusual, and when Tanya looked up she saw that he was missing some of his front teeth. “What are we going to do with them?”

“I don’t care if they’re just kids,” Suki answered abruptly. “They were spying on us and we need to know why.” She jerked her head toward Fabian. “I recognize him—he was with Red when I delivered the message—but it doesn’t explain why he’s here now. Samson, bring them both in. Victor, you go and get the mutt. In a moment or two, it’ll recover its courage, so watch yourself.”

Victor obediently handed Fabian to Samson, who proceeded to drag both captives toward the stone building.

“Who are you?” Fabian said to the girl, but he was shaken silent.

Twisting in Samson’s grip, Tanya saw Victor heading toward the trees, where, sure enough, Oberon had emerged, snarling.

“Don’t you touch my dog!” she yelled just as Samson’s hand shifted from her shoulder to her mouth, cutting her voice off. She managed to catch a glimpse of Oberon bolting toward Victor before Samson steered her in the opposite direction. They stumbled over the uneven field until they reached the door of the barn.

“I’ve got them,” Samson announced.

The door swung open, pushed from within, and Tanya and Fabian were herded through, with Suki close behind. Inside, Tanya saw four others: a man,
two boys… and Rowan. She stared at them, plainly horrified.

The door closed behind them as Victor came in last, holding a snapping, growling Oberon at arm’s length on his leash. He handed him to Tanya.

“Calm the dog down.”

“Why should I?” Tanya demanded.

She caught Rowan’s subtle nod and grudgingly took the leash, crouching to put her arms around Oberon. He stopped growling immediately and pressed himself into her, quivering.

Samson guffawed. “After all that—his bark’s worse than his bite!”

The man with the mismatched eyes next to Rowan stepped closer, not joining in with the laughter.

“Who are you? Why were you out there?”

Tanya hesitated. She had no idea what to tell him. Whatever she said could endanger them all—including Rowan.

“They’re with Red,” Suki said, folding her arms.

“They’re my friends, Tino,” said Rowan. “They must have followed me. We can trust them. Just let them go.” She faced Tanya and Fabian and spoke urgently. “You don’t want to get involved in this. Don’t ask me to explain. Go home.”

“I don’t think so,” said Tino. “They’re not going anywhere until we find out what they’re doing here.”

“And we’re not going anywhere until we find out what you want with Red!” said Fabian through clenched teeth.

Tanya glanced at Rowan. Her lack of reaction to being called by her old alias told Tanya that these people knew her as “Red,” and she guessed that Fabian’s use of it had been intentional. Given that the group members were making no effort to conceal their names, she quickly concluded that all of them were using aliases and decided that, for now, it was safer not to use Rowan’s real name.

Tino’s eyes slid over them in assessment.

“At least we agree on one thing.” He turned toward Rowan. “What have you told them?”

“Nothing,” she replied curtly. “I know the rules.”

“Seems you’re not too good at keeping them, though,” Suki put in.

Rowan bristled but continued to direct her words at Tino. “I’ve done my best. But it’s not exactly easy when you send messengers in broad daylight—
noticeable
messengers. You were asking for trouble.”

“You mean Suki in Tickey End?” Tino asked.

“Of course I mean her. She stuck out like a sore thumb.”

“Red’s telling the truth,” Fabian said quietly. “I was there. It rattled her. We knew something wasn’t right, so we followed her tonight. She never told us a thing.”

“So what
do
they know about you, Red?” Tino asked. “Because one thing’s obvious.” He tilted his head in Tanya’s direction.

Rowan nodded. “She has the second sight.”

“But the boy…?”

“No. But he knows. He’s used something before, a tonic to allow him to see fairies temporarily.”

“Do they know about your brother?”

A look of pain crossed Rowan’s face but she kept her voice neutral.

“They know everything except my link to you. I kept my word.”

Tino nodded slowly. “And what of your brother?” he asked. “Have you given up on finding him? Or are you so cozy in your nice new home that you’ve forgotten about him?”

The scruffy blond boy shook his head. “Give her a break.” He spoke with a strong Northern accent.

Rowan shot him a grateful look. “It’s not like that. I… I found him.”

There was a shift in the barn at this information, and a few low murmurs from everyone except Tino. He hadn’t moved, hadn’t reacted.

“I got into the fairy realm,” Rowan continued, and Tanya could see her struggling to keep her composure. “I went to the courts and bargained for his return. They set me a task.”

“What kind of task?” Tino asked.

“There was a bracelet. A charm bracelet, based on the thirteen treasures. They split the charms up and hid them in our world. I had to find them all.” She gestured to Tanya and Fabian. “With their help, I did. But the whole thing was a setup. I found out that James isn’t really my brother… he’s my cousin. The woman I grew up believing to be my aunt is
really my mother. And James didn’t even recognize me. He was happy where he was, with a fey family who had lost their own son, who loved him. James was a replacement. So… I left him there.” She paused as Tino’s lips pressed into a disapproving line, yet he remained silent. “Afterward, I was given a chance… a chance of a new life off the streets, with a family that understood me. A family that had already helped. So I grabbed it. That’s why I didn’t answer your messages, and why I’ve avoided you.”

“So what’s changed?” Tino asked. “Why did you suddenly decide to come tonight?”

“Because I owe it to you—and to myself—to tell the truth. I don’t want to be part of this anymore. I want… I want
out
.”

Whispers and gasps rippled around the stone building. Again, Tino did not react.

“I heard something about a girl who’d humiliated the Unseelie leader a few months back,” he murmured. “Not a widely known story, but one that was doing the rounds nonetheless, and gathering momentum. Only ever spoken about in trusted company, of course. And when I heard it, well, I wondered…” He smiled. “It was you, wasn’t it? You stirred up quite a storm, so to speak. The worst winter on record, according to the mortal news reports, for six decades. Snow, hail, and floods all the way up until the Seelie Court resumed power in May.”

“I heard that story,” said Victor. “That was
her
?”

“She obviously drew attention to herself,” said a
new voice from the other side of the building. The boy with untidy black hair rose to his feet. So far, he’d sat silently in the corner and not said a word. He wore trousers of burgundy and black, patterned with horizontal stripes. They were too short for him, giving the impression that he’d had a growth spurt and shot up unexpectedly. He looked older than the scruffy boy and Rowan; probably about sixteen or seventeen. He had a sly manner that Tanya immediately disliked.

“You think the winter king will have forgotten her?” the boy continued. “If she wants to leave, then let her. It’s more dangerous to keep her in. For all we know she could have led them straight to us.”

“I agree with Crooks,” Suki said. “We should let her go—find someone to replace her.”

Tino shook his head, frowning. “That’s not how it works. We all take risks, and we all pose a threat. Any one of us could end up in a situation that compromises our safety. We don’t abandon each other. We stick together.”

“Crooks and Suki are probably right,” Rowan protested. “I’ve already crossed the courts once—”

“You’d love it to be that simple, wouldn’t you?” Tino retorted, his eyes flashing. “Sorry, but it’s not going to be. Your search may have ended, Red, but there are others that are ongoing.”

“The changelings,” Tanya whispered, finally getting it. “These are her contacts—the people who make the switches.”

Fabian gulped.

“I know that,” hissed Rowan. “I did my bit, remember? Risked my neck for months on end, just like we all did. I knew those children were nothing to do with me, yet still I helped. Took on a few of the jobs no one else wanted too, if I remember right!”

“Exactly,” Tino snapped. “And ask yourself why that is.” He stopped suddenly, as if keeping himself in check. An awkward silence filled the building.

Suki was the one to break it. “So why is it, exactly?”

Rowan and Tino glared at each other, neither saying a word. But Tanya had a sudden inkling of what had been coming next, and why Tino had cut off what he was about to say.

It was because Rowan was the best. Out of them all, she was—or had been—the best at what she did. But even though Tino didn’t want to say it in front of the others, it was clear they already knew it. As Tanya glanced from one face to the next, she saw the recognition of Rowan’s talent there in all of them, whether through jealousy, resentment, admiration, or acceptance. Whatever the others felt, Tino didn’t want to let Rowan go.

And he wasn’t going to release her without a fight.

There were two new arrivals following Rowan and Tino’s heated exchange. They were an elderly, red-faced man, oddly named Nosebag, and a wiry black woman with a shaved head and a thin, twisted leg. She moved slowly, and with the aid of a stick. Apart from her face, every inch of flesh on show was heavily tattooed. It soon became apparent that she was mute, for she communicated in simple gestures, and any questions directed her way were phrased to require a nod, shrug, or shake of the head by way of answer.

“Who’s she?” Fabian asked, nodding toward the woman.

“We call her Fix,” said Rowan. “She had polio as a child, in case you’re wondering.”

The small building felt crowded now, with eleven people jammed inside it. Yet still Tino waited.
Evidently, more were expected. The night was ticking away, and soon the group broke into small huddles.

Rowan stood protectively by Tanya and Fabian. They were joined by Sparrow. Suki and Crooks stood on the far side, making no attempt to hide that their conversation was about Tanya and Fabian.

Tino, Nosebag, Victor, Samson, and Fix stood talking quietly together, their eyes occasionally straying to the two intruders.

“Do you think they’re going to let us go?” Tanya asked. “What are they going to do with us?”

“I don’t know,” Rowan muttered. “You’ve caused a lot of trouble by coming here tonight. You shouldn’t have followed me.”

“And you should have told us what was going on,” Fabian retorted. “Then we wouldn’t have needed to follow you.”

“It would have helped if you’d stayed out of it,” said Rowan. “The less you know, the better for everyone.” She looked at Sparrow. “Who are we waiting for now? I just want to get this over with.”