The Inner Circle, Book 3 of the Glass Wall ( A YA Urban Fantasy Romance ) (10 page)

I rolled my eyes. “That would never happen.
He’s like a … a …” I couldn’t think of the right word.

“Brother?” Grace asked curiously.

Brother. That was a new concept for me. I
didn’t answer, but I thought about that for most of the dinner. And
the more I thought about it, the more I was actually surprised to
discover I cared for him.

On some level, anyway.

It was nothing like a romantic love. He
annoyed me. I thought he was obnoxious. Yet I knew to my very bones
now that I could count on him. And if we weren’t in such a messed
up situation, I bet we could actually have some fun. Was that what
a brother was?

“Al, did you give Sydney her present?”
Betty’s voice cut through my thoughts.

I looked up.

“Ah yes!” Al smiled, pointing to a small
paper bag sitting on the edge of the table. “Merry Christmas,
kiddo.”

Grinning like a fool, I grabbed the bag and
peeked inside.

It was a cellphone. And a nice one. Much
fancier than the one I had before.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“This one’s got a techy-pet, just like mine,”
Grace said with a wide grin, and grabbing my phone from my hand,
she hit a few buttons and showed me the screen.

It was some kind of fuzzball thing. It stared
at me and zipped across the screen for a bit before leaving a pile
of digital poo in the corner.

Grace snorted a laugh. “Mine’s potty trained
now,” she said, showing me her phone with a bright orange fuzzball
at the bottom of her screen, dutifully hovering over an itsy-bitsy
litter box.

But then she got a text from one of her
friends and began jamming on her keys in reply.

Shortly after that, Betty and Grace’s show
started, and they stood to take their plates to the family room.
But before they left, Betty gave Al a quick peck on the cheek.
“Remember now, dear.” Her voice took on a gentle sternness. “I’ll
not be seeing this house turned into a chicken coop.”

Al seemed to be struggling to hold back
words. “Right, Betty.” There was a clear note of reluctance in his
voice. But then he added, “It just don’t make sense—”

“’Doesn’t’, dear,” she corrected with a
bright smile and left.

Al’s shoulders slumped.

I suppose he’d been holding out hope until
now.

No sooner had they left than he said with
pronounced regret, “Betty’s not too keen on the chicken coop wire.”
He pointed a warning finger at the microwave. “That thing’s
dangerous. Betty should quit using it, especially since this house
isn’t protected. And the danger is far more widespread than you
think. There are many cases of missing time that people should be
investigating. The government’s up to something. Big.”

I could only agree with him. The lizard
people were everywhere, and that probably included congress.

“Wi-Fi, baby monitors, games consoles,
security systems…” Al squared his shoulders. “Jack says they’re
using all of those devices to manipulate human minds.” He scowled
so hard that his brows almost met in the center of his
forehead.

“We can’t give up,” I said. I couldn’t have
Al bailing out on me. I counted on him to help me. And then I
remembered my research. “What about hats? Foil hats?”

He stared at me and then smacked his palm on
his forehead. “You might have a whopper of an idea there, Sydney!”
He blasted a great laugh. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of it.
That’s worth a call to Jack right now.”

I smiled, pleased with myself as I watched
him disappear down the hall to phone Jack.

I’d just finished helping to clear the table
when Betty called from the other room. “Sydney, would you mind
putting the chickens to bed for me?”

“No problem!” I answered, patting my pocket
to make sure Jareth’s rune was still in there. It was. Right next
to my shiny new cellphone.

I knew the Mesmers could reach me anytime,
night or day, so logically there was no reason to fear the dark
especially. But honestly, it was a little hard to believe it as I
eyed the dark night outside the window.

Arming myself with a fork from the drawer and
Al’s night-vision goggles, I went to the back door and pressed my
head against the frosted glass. I couldn’t see any movement through
the goggles, and after a few minutes, I deemed it safe.

Someone had accidentally left the chicken
coop light on. Several of the hens were still awake in their nests.
They were crazy-looking hens, a Polish variety, with feathers
sprouting from their heads like afros. Except that the feathers
blocked their vision so they couldn’t really see. But that didn’t
stop them from going after me as I slipped my hands under them,
searching for eggs. A couple of them got in a good peck before I
could jerk my hand away. I only got one egg.

Sticking the warm egg into my pocket, I drew
the bolt and locked the chicken coop door. I jiggled the handle to
make sure it was secure, and I’d just turned back towards the house
when a dark shape materialized out of the darkness.

I choked on a scream, but before it could
escape my lips, I recognized Ajax’s pointy snout.

“Ajax!” I snapped at him. “Are you
trying
to kill me?”

He gave a sharp yap of a bark and pawing the
snow, turned to peer into the greenbelt for a few seconds and then
back at me.

“No way,” I scowled.

He stamped his foot and glanced back at the
greenbelt, clearly wanting me to follow him. His ears were standing
at attention.

“I’m not going out there,” I told him
stubbornly. And jamming my hands into my pockets, I headed for the
house.

But as I pressed forward, he stood in my way.
Placing his shoulder against my knees, he pushed back, forcing me
to stop.

Whipping out my cellphone, I stole a page
from Samantha’s book and said sternly, “I’m calling Animal Control
right now and telling them there’s a rabid Doberman trying to kill
our chickens!”

If dogs could roll their eyes, I believe he
would have. He obviously didn’t believe me.

But then he switched tactics and lying down
in the snow, he began to whine.

I hesitated.

Maybe Rafael wanted to see me?

I have to admit, my heart began to quicken at
that, even though I knew full well it could be Melody, or even
Marquis, hiding in the greenbelt.

Knowing that he’d won, Ajax leapt to his feet
and pranced to the edge of the yard.

“Just a few feet,” I grumbled, letting
curiosity get the better of me and then added, “Just know I have my
fork!” I knew that didn’t really matter. The Fae could disable me
with their trions long before I could poke them with a fork.

Figuring that I’d probably regret it, I
stepped onto the path and ventured down the trail, my shoes
slipping over the wet twigs and soggy leaves. The snow was
partially melting, and it was slippery.

I made a lot of noise.

In the patches of the light ahead of me, I
could see Ajax wincing, and he shot me more than one annoyed look.
Finally, he returned, and I got the message that he wanted me to be
quiet as he crouched low and slunk forward as silent as a cat.

I slowed down and did my best to mimic
him.

“Are you taking me somewhere nasty?” I
couldn’t resist asking in a hushed tone, suspicion creeping into my
voice.

I weighed the thought of dashing back home
when he veered sharply to the right towards a park with a barbecue
area and a few covered gazebos.

It was eerily dark.

I frowned, figuring it was just like Ajax to
lead me out here and then desert me. I shuddered, wondering if the
Mesmers were watching me even now. But Jareth’s stone was cool.

And then a twig snapped behind me, and I
whirled.

Ajax was there in a flash, standing between
me and the sound with his lips drawn back from his teeth in an
inaudible growl.

But it only turned out to be another dog.
Ajax snarled in warning, and the other dog loped away. After that,
the Doberman trotted closely by my side.

Leaving the path, he crept through the dead
ferns towards the gazebos. I hardly dared to breathe as I followed
him.

A branch swiped my cheek.

And then we’d arrived at one of the gazebos.
Hearing voices, I hugged the wall and inched forward slowly to peek
around the corner.

There were some bushes in my way, but through
a gap between them, I could see several tall shapes moving about in
the dim light of what looked like a fire.

They were Fae.

At my side, I could see Ajax’s dark eyes
watching me, but he made no move to betray my presence. He clearly
wanted me to witness something. I could only wonder why. And then
sending me a fierce look and showing his teeth, Ajax hurtled past
me to join the Fae.

He obviously didn’t want me to follow.

Slowly, I crept a little closer.

I recognized Melody first. She looked as
menacingly evil as I’d always felt she was. I couldn’t suppress a
shudder.

And then I saw Rafael, clad in white and
holding the white-feather mask emblazoned with intertwining circles
in his hand.

He looked downright dangerous.

And incredibly handsome.

And then several other Fae stepped into the
light. I didn’t recognize them. They were also dressed in white and
had the intricate Inner Circle symbols painted on their hands. I’d
seen those same symbols painted on a Fae before, the Fae that had
helped us get into the Queens’ Castle in Avalon.

So, Rafael had been controlling everything,
even then.

He stepped forward suddenly and held up his
hand. “Soon, the bloodlines will be purified,” he announced as he
surveyed those around him with a condescending smile.

Goosebumps sprouted on my arms.

“The Mesmers will soon outlive their
usefulness,” Rafael continued in a cool tone. “We must not let
their mutant tulpa divert us from our true purpose. We must focus
on our fatal blow.”

“And the Dark Fae, my prince?” someone
asked.

Rafael looked up sharply. “We will carry on
as planned with them.”

At that, Melody stepped forward. “There may
be a better way, my prince. A certain way to purify the
bloodlines.”

Rafael held still. And then he asked, “And
what is this way?”

“A … secret weapon,” she answered, but the
hesitancy in her tone was apparent.

“Weapon?” Rafael turned upon her and his
voice deepened. “Tell me of this secret weapon.”

Melody clenched her hands tightly. “For many
years, I have been developing it, and it’s almost ready. But, it’s
not ready to be revealed. Not yet.”

Rafael folded his arms and towered over her.
“I would see this weapon of yours now.”

“Soon, my prince. Soon.” She bowed
deeply.

Silence fell.

And then Rafael lifted his hand. His voice
was confident and strong. And there was no sign of mercy upon his
face. “Tread softly, Melody,” he warned. “Do not forget who I am,
and who you are.”

The contempt in his voice was clear.

Melody jerked a little, but she forced a
smile upon her lips. “Never, my prince,” she swore.

Their gazes locked and hardened in challenge,
but as the other Fae began to edge behind Rafael, Melody was the
first to glance away.

Rafael was calm. Too calm. And then with an
expressionless face and unreadable eyes, he turned upon the other
Fae.

“And why are you still here?” he asked, his
voice composed and deadly.

They shifted in one instant.

He followed them in the next.

With dread twisting my stomach, I left the
cover of the bushes and ducked behind the adjacent gazebo, forcing
myself to take deep, calming breaths.

“What the heck was that?” I muttered to
myself. A weapon? What kind of weapon? And what was it going to be
used for?

I took one step forward when Ajax appeared
before me once again and knocked me back against the gazebo. I
tripped, landing in the wet snow.

Startled, I held still as he stood in a
protective stance over me, his ears pricked to high alert, and his
eyes locked to the side.

Slowly, I turned to follow his gaze.

And gulped.

Melody had reappeared.

And she wasn’t alone.

She was supporting a tall figure. Whoever it
was, he looked drunk. He leaned heavily against her as she guided
him to the side of the gazebo and propped him against it as he
collapsed to one knee.

It was then that I gained my presence of
mind.

I needed to be documenting this. I just might
have to study all of this later for additional clues.

As Melody fumbled around in her white cloak,
I silently grabbed my cellphone and hit record.

It was dark, I wasn’t sure how good the video
would be, but then Melody solved my problem by creating a ball of
light and sticking it to the side of the gazebo wall.

It was then that I saw who she had with
her.

It was Jareth.

And that fact had barely registered before I
saw her raise her hand and drive a needle deep into the side of his
neck.

I stifled a
gasp as Melody held up the needle and vowed, “I will succeed with
or without Rafael’s aid. I will see Avalon purified and the vermin
of the Brotherhood and Earth eradicated from existence!”

And then she disappeared, leaving behind only
the trademark puff of mist.

I didn’t hesitate. As soon as she’d gone, I
scrambled to my feet and ran towards Jareth, slipping on the wet
soggy leaves and melting piles of snow.

He looked just like he had before, when I’d
discovered him collapsed against the wall on my first Neighborhood
Watch walk.

“Jareth!” I shook his shoulders.

He winced up at me, barely conscious.

It took some effort to get him onto his feet.
He was heavy. I managed to go a few steps with him, but we didn’t
get far before he collapsed into the snow.