Forging Day (Crucible of Change Book 1) (20 page)

“Luckily for us, they all really like Korembi, so they haven’t decided we’re on the menu yet.”

“Good thing,” she said, her eyes never leaving the raptor. “Let’s go talk upstairs.”

“Want a refill on your tea, or would you prefer a shot of Mikah’s whiskey?” I asked.

“I’ll take you up on that when I’m off duty. Tea for now,” she replied. “In the meantime, I can get use of a van.” She drummed her fingers on the side table. “I need to think about the Lyons situation. I’d like to make some inquiries without anyone flagging them back to here. For your own fallen, has anyone notified their next of kin?”

“Frank called Sonya’s sister,” said Korembi. “I believe the group at the sanctuary was going to contact Matt’s family.”

“I’m going to leave it at that for now, but I’ll want to interview Frank when we finish with the dinosaurs. I’ll be back with the van in about an hour. Someone at the motor pool owes me a favor. I will need to drive it. I presume you’ll come along to keep Stella happy?”

“Of course, mon. I not be lettin’ my sweet girl eat de nice police officer.”

The change of dialect didn’t even faze Sharon. I guess seeing a live raptor in the cellar raised her surprise threshold.

She finished her tea in one long pull. “I’ll be back.”

Kat waited until she left. “Are you crazy? They had no way to tie us to Lyons. And what about the two that were shot? And the two that Tessa sucked the souls out of? How are you going to explain that?”

“I had to say something. Dad said she always liked to follow the weird cases as a hobby. If she saw something about a group savaged by unknown animals, and she already knew that we were up that way camping, she might start wondering what Stella was up to, and what we were up to, and why I didn’t say anything in the first place. Telling most of the truth is better than looking like you’re trying to hide something. Trust me. I grew up around cops.”

“I be hopin’ you right, Olivia. I’m thinkin’ if we end up back in the Lyons jail, we not ever be havin’ a trial.”

“That’s what I think too, Korembi. I’m gambling that Sharon will reach the same conclusion.” I saw the scene in my mind again…the blood and the screaming, and what Tessa became.

“You know what, though—unless you guys took the license plates off the two bikes we left behind, they do have a way to tie us to Lyons. All they have to do is run those Wyoming plates. Do you have anyone you can trust at the university to tell you if anyone’s been asking questions?”

Korembi looked grim. “I didn’t think about the plates. I doubt anyone else did either. We had too many wounded and too many dead and we were trying to get out of there. I don’t want to call anyone and draw any more attention. Maybe Roz and I can try another spirit scout tonight. I’ll go talk to her.”

* * * *

Sharon was somber when she arrived with the van. It seemed silly to keep thinking of her as Officer Curtis, all things considered.

“Kat, I’m going with Korembi. Could you keep an eye on things here?”

“Okay, but please be careful. I need to keep an eye on Fluffy, anyway. I think he’s mad at you.”

Between Korembi and the last of the steaks, we got the dinosaur gang loaded into the van.

“I be lettin’ Cliff know we be on the way. He say come to the zoo entrance.”

“We got in a fairly large evidence kit from Lyons for analysis,” Sharon remarked to no one in particular. “It seems like only some of the blood is Human and the rest is of unknown origin.” She took the next corner, and added, “There’s going to be a public service announcement about the Changed coming in to register for new photo IDs. I think you should stay home.”

Her conversation turns were giving me whiplash. How did we get from Lyons to photo ID? “Won’t I need an ID at some point?” I asked.

“Go to the DMV. There’s no hurry. You should skip this one.”

We turned again, and the redwoods came into view. “All of you should stay home for now,” she said.

“Um, okay. I’ll let everyone know when we get home,” I promised her.

She pulled into the turn lane for the zoo, even though there was nowhere to turn. The hedge parted in front of us, making a van-sized opening. While we waited for traffic to open up, I tried to see inside. Shadows swallowed the road, making it impossible to see what was beyond.

As soon as we had a break in traffic, Sharon turned and drove through the opening. The headlights showed only the road, scarcely visible in front of us. She drove forward slowly, the branches brushing the sides of the van. The hedge slammed closed behind us.

A robed man holding a wooden staff stepped out, gesturing for us to stop. I almost didn’t recognize Oaken, even after he threw back his hood. His hair and beard were long and unruly, as if he’d been in here for many years.

Sharon and I got out first, followed by Korembi. “I greet you,” said Oaken. “It’s been a while, old friend.”

Korembi stared. “I be greetin’ you too, old friend, but it’s been three days.”

Oaken shook his head. “The Gods have their ways. We live and serve.”

“Where do you want the dinosaurs?” I asked.

“Here will do. The Grove is closed to outsiders.”

Sharon and Korembi opened the doors and stood back. Stella and the compys hopped out and scented the air.

The compys ran wild. They chittered with joy as they ran tight circles around Korembi, and then chased after each other in mad gyrations before disappearing into the underbrush.

Stella went up to Korembi slowly, gently butting him with her head. It still rocked him back on his feet, but he patted her and rubbed her eye ridges. “You be happy now, Stella. You be free.” She rubbed her snout against him one more time, and then she, too, was swallowed by the forest.

Oaken started to walk away, and we suddenly had Officer Curtis back. “Sir. I understand two of your companions were killed, and that you have the bodies.”

He turned back to us. “Their mortal shells were returned to the elements. Their souls have resumed their journeys. No bodies remain.”

Sharon was undeterred. “Were you at least able to notify the next of kin of the male deceased?”

“Yes. I believe Aspen undertook that task when we first arrived.”

The shadows moved in strange patterns outside the circle of headlights. “It’s time for you to go,” said Oaken. “If you stay any longer, your companions will think you lost.”

Sharon looked like she had more questions, but before she could speak, I tapped her shoulder. “I think we should go. We saw Oaken three days ago. He had ear-length hair and a short beard.” She stared at Oaken’s wild hair, reaching halfway down his back, the long beard reaching down his chest, and we all headed for the van without further discussion.

Korembi paused just at the door. “I hope we meet again, old friend. Be well.”

“If the Gods will, so mote it be. Be well, old friend.”

There was just enough room to turn the van around, and we’d only gone a few feet before the hedge opened again in front of us. The sun had been blazing overhead when we entered. Now it was full dark with the moon high overhead.

No one spoke during the drive home. I wondered how many hours we’d been in there, and I was glad no one had offered us refreshments.

Sharon waited while I hopped out and did the code to open the gate. I walked through while Sharon pulled in with the van. It seemed to me like we had a couple of extra cars in the driveway. I sincerely hoped that none of them were unmarked police cars. We had made off with one of their officers and one of their vans for a few more hours than we’d anticipated.

Sharon parked and we all went in. I heard raised voices from the back of the house. It sounded like someone was having an argument in the dining room. I thought about just sneaking upstairs, but I couldn’t do that to Korembi and Sharon. We’d face the music together.

It looked like they were having a party, except everyone looked upset.

“Hey guys,” I called out. “Sorry we’re late. Can I blame it on traffic?”

Kat screamed, and the platter she was carrying shattered on the floor.

Tessa beamed a smile at me. “See, I told you they were still alive.”

Strange Bedfellows

A smoky room, somewhere in the snake pit that is Washington DC:

For once, opposition leaders were united in a cause.

“This is totally fucked up. How are incumbents supposed to continue campaigning when they’ve turned into little green Goblins with pointy noses?”

“I can’t believe your candidate is still running for president. She’s a Dark Elf, for God’s sake. And her husband looks like some kind of hairy gnome.”

“My granddaughter said he looks like a crazy little dude from
Warblade
. She wouldn’t stop laughing long enough to explain.”

“Did you see the new directives from the FEC? ‘All candidates must produce new advertising materials showing their current physical condition.’ If you don’t get your ads certified as current, the stations aren’t allowed to run them.”

For a while, the only sound was the clink of ice, and the smell of bourbon wafted through the air.

“We’ll just have to do it. I hear she already has her new ads ready to air.”

“We can’t run another convention at this point. There’s no time. We’re stuck with this group, unless something happens.”

“And you thought your base freaked out over the last president. That’ll be tame compared to what’s going to happen this year.”

“I say we ignore it. Hear me out. Both candidates Changed. Neither side can play the Human card. We refuse to address it at all. You get the media on your side in line, and I’ll take care of mine. If they ever want to interview a candidate again, they’ll cooperate.”

“Deal. And this meeting never happened, by the way.”

“What meeting? I was getting coffee.”

What a Trippy Trip

People rushed at us. We were pulled from hug to hug, and everyone seemed to be crying. I hugged people back, but couldn’t get anyone to slow down and explain Tessa’s remark. Kat hugged me until I couldn’t breathe. Her fur was wet with tears. “You’re alive!”

Someone grabbed me by the shoulders and spun me around. I barely recognized the gaunt woman with ragged hair staring at me through red-rimmed eyes, swimming with tears.

“Cordie? When did you get back? What did they do to you in Atlanta? You look like hell.”

She hugged me so tight I couldn’t breathe. “I thought you were dead. I thought I’d lost you without telling you how much I love you.”

I hugged her back. “I love you too, sis. We just went to the zoo. I know we’re a couple of hours late, but it was kind of weird there.”

“A couple of hours? Olivia, you were gone a
month
. You left for the zoo and never came back. We thought all of you were dead.”

“I told you they weren’t dead,” Tessa said. “You just didn’t want to believe it.”

It didn’t seem real, but I’d never seen Cordie look this haggard—not since right after our mom’s funeral. “I’m sorry. I never meant to worry you. We didn’t mean to worry anyone. Seriously? A month?”

We had interrupted our own welcome-home party. Tessa had insisted we were coming home and tonight was the night. She’d started decorating and somehow made the others play along. Cordie kept looking at me like I was attending my own wake, but she never got further than an arm’s length from my side.

Mikah put down his phone and said, “Leo should be here tomorrow. I called. He says he can get compassionate leave.”

Cordie looked stricken. “I forgot to call him. How could I forget Leo?”

“It’s okay,” said Mikah. “We look out for each other. It’s taken care of.”

Sharon shook her head. “How do I explain to the lieutenant why I disappeared for a month? I was supposed to have that van back in an hour, before anybody missed it.”

“I’m sorry I dragged you into this. We should have rented a moving van or something. If it’ll help at all, you know we’ll vouch for you. It can’t be the only odd thing that’s happened in the last month.”

She smiled at me. “Waiting won’t make it better. I’m going to call in. Do you have someplace private I could use?”

“There are some small rooms off the library that we use as offices. You can use one of those. Over here.”

I took her to the office I was using for my half-assed web design business. “Use mine. Let me know if you need anything.”

The group had thinned out slightly when I got back to the dining room. It looked like most of the Trolls had called it a night. Besides the prodigals, that left Mikah, Berto, Ted, Cordie, Razaini, Tessa, Kat, and some girl with purple hair, pierced eyebrows, and Celtic knotwork tattoos covering her arms. She looked vaguely familiar. I had no idea why Cordie was glaring daggers alternately at her and Kat.

I was having a little trouble focusing. According to the television, it was after midnight, but I didn’t feel like I could sleep. In any case, I wasn’t going to bed until I heard that Sharon was going to be okay with her boss. I don’t think I was the only one feeling out of it. Korembi looked a little pale. Sharon had looked strained, too. I thought it was just from worrying about calling her boss, but maybe there was more to it.

Sharon had on her serious face when she came back. “I’m sorry folks, but they’re sending a team out. They want to interview all of us and they’re going to tow the van to impound so they can go over it. I expect they’ll be here in less than an hour. Those of us that were missing have been asked to not shower or change or do anything that might interfere with the collection of potential forensic evidence.”

“Hey, Mikah? Will you be my lawyer today, just in case?”

“Of course. You too, Korembi, if you like.”

“I think I be liking that too.”

“I don’t think it will come to that,” said Sharon, “but it’s not a bad idea either.”

* * * *

As it turned out, Sharon was wrong about the hour. The place was swarming with cops and even a couple of people that looked like the stereotypical government Man in Black—in this case, Person in Black—in under thirty minutes.