CHAPTER Fifteen
When I woke up, the dorm room was dark. I was aware of the sounds of others sleeping around me and hoped that I’d only lost a day. I had a lot to do. Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I glanced at the green glow of the clock on my bedside table. It flashed 3.20am. At least that meant that I’d have some peace as everyone else would be in the land of nod. I was still wearing my clothes from the day before so I lifted up my t-shirt and gingerly prodded my side. It was sore and tender but nothing more. Even better. Pushing myself until I passed out had not been my smartest move ever – at least the green gloop from Julia had put the kibosh on that happening again. And with Lord Shifty himself gone from the keep, I’d have more freedom to arrange my thoughts and continue my investigations properly. The other Brethren members didn’t seem capable of jumping without his say so, meaning that it would be a lot easier for me to stay out of the way of those remaining.
I pulled out the shifter lotion from the drawer in the table and padded into the bathroom. I undressed and surveyed the damage. I was covered in scratches and bruises, a mesh of different rainbow colours from angry purple to fading yellow. Lovely. I’d have killed for a long soak in the tub but was mindful of Julia’s warning about bathing. Sniffing my skin experimentally, I wrinkled my nose. I was normally a bit of a stickler for good personal hygiene and the stale smell wafting off me was not pleasant. There was nothing I could do about it, however. If the remaining Brethren stayed away from me because of my unwashed reek then it was probably all for the better. I gently rubbed the lotion all over, taking care to cover every inch of my skin. I’d been lucky with it so far, but didn’t want to leave any part of me uncovered. Even with Corrigan gone, there was still the danger that the remaining Brethren would work out what I was, and the longer they stayed, the more real that danger became. I could leave nothing to chance.
With that done, I pulled on a clean pair of black leggings and a snug dark button up shirt. I turned up the sleeves and ran a brush through my hair before tying it back into a high ponytail. It was still strange to see myself in the mirror without my usual shiny red. At least I could let the dye grow out quickly now that the truth about that part of me was out. I tried not to think about Corrigan’s comment that he wanted to see my natural colour.
I cleaned up behind myself then tiptoed out of the dorm. I had several avenues to cover. I now knew who had killed John, but didn’t know who or what Iabartu actually was. And then there was the wichtlein’s assertion that it had been my fault, along with the Draco Wyr details, and a few loose ends such as the black cloth I’d found next to the clearing and the mystery of the electric screwdriver. I also had no idea what had happened over the last twelve hours that I’d been asleep for, although there wasn’t much I could do about that until the rest of the keep awoke.
I weighed up my options and decided that I could worry about motives later – Iabartu and her whereabouts had to take priority. With that resolve, I headed for the library and the communal computer. It was high time I saw what the Othernet could offer.
The silence that hung around the keep was a pleasant welcome after the incessant buzz that the Brethren’s presence had caused over the last few days. I made a quick detour for the kitchen to make myself some strong coffee and then I let myself into the library and stood for a quiet moment, inhaling the musty scent of the books that surrounded the walls. It was possible that I could try researching the old fashioned way, using the library’s offerings to find any mentions of Iabartu in the books, but I was pretty sure that the Othernet would allow me to do the same but quicker.
Moving over to the computer, I turned it on and waited for it to boot up. The Othernet was an electronic gateway to the otherworld. The human internet was great, but the Othernet was our very own specialised version and covered discussions, forums and websites on every conceivable magical aspect of the world that was kept hidden from most people. When the computer was ready, I clicked onto the search engine and typed in Iabartu. Instantly, several answers appeared.
I clicked on the first one and started reading. It turned out that the bitch was one of seven daughters of Anu, a Messopotanian sky god, and his human consort. I frowned. There was that number again – seven. Not only that but a half breed goddess would be difficult to beat. It did explain the floating above the dunes part, however. If Anu was her father, then she’d possess the ability to control the air currents and appear as if she was flying – or hovering. According to the Othernet page, she lived in an otherworld realm and didn’t bother herself with our earthly plane. Well that information was certainly out of date. I opened up several other sites but couldn’t find any details on how to defeat her or disable her. No matter. I’d work it out.
I had still had over an hour until dawn and the keep began to stir awake, so it was time to start on the Draco Wyr. I was nervous about what I might find with this one. I didn’t want any confirmation that it had anything to do with me, that my own human blunderings by inadvertently killing one of them had caused them to take their revenge and kill John in return.
Heart in my mouth, I typed in the words and hit return. Images of different coloured dragons appeared at the top of the page. They were definitely larger than your average wyvern. The first website returned was a gossip column, which I ignored, but the second one was from Otherpedia. That would do it. I opened it up and read.
Draco Wyr were intelligent members of the dragon family. They
possessed the ability to shift into human form and were known to
regularly visit the human demesnes. They were reported to be
an average size of eleven feet tall, with impenetrable scales
covering their dragon form. The Draco Wyr also had some magical
abilities, mainly from the power inherent in their blood.
Legend states that anyone who drinks the blood of a Draco Wyr
will be able to converse with animals and gain the strength of
twenty men. Most scholars believe that this is an over
exaggeration, however, as there is little evidence of this.
What is known is that the blood of a Draco Wyr contained
enough magical properties to be used as both a deadly poison
and a cure-all medicine for a range of ailments. There have
been no eye-witness sightings since 1666 and the Great Fire
of London, which is believed was caused when two Draco Wyr
lost their tempers and attacked each other near the site of
Pudding Lane.
I looked back at the artists’ renderings. The pictures indicated old-fashioned full-on fairy tale dragons, complete with red scales, pointy tales and sharp, gleaming teeth. They also all appeared to be about the size of a two storey house. Nope, I’d definitely never come across one of them before. So what on earth had the wichtlein meant when he’d said that the Draco Wyr had been involved in John’s death but that it was my fault? I didn’t feel that I was any closer to finding out anything of any real significance. And it had been three hundred and fifty years since anyone had even seen one anyway. Despite what Alex had said, Craw must have been lying. But then there was also John’s computer password to consider – that had been the Basque word for dragon. Was that a coincidence? And how about the fact that John had hidden the increased otherworld activity from the rest of the pack? And, in particular, me?
I leaned back in the chair and pondered my next move. With my research on the dragons creating more problems and questions than answers, I had to focus my efforts on finding Iabartu. It would be good to know what the Brethren and the rest of the pack had achieved the day before. Maybe Alex had uncovered some evidence of her trail. If not, then my best move would be to do something to draw her out into the open where I could attack her. I had no idea yet what that might be.
Figuring that Betsy would be a good person to deliver all the gossip on what had transpired over the last day whilst I’d been sleeping, I headed back to the dorm room to see if she was awake yet. I was just about to push open the door to go inside when Anton came out, clutching something white and scrunched up in his hands. What the hell?
I growled at him and his eyes snapped up from what he was holding.
“Human,” he hissed.
I answered in like. “Prick.” I looked at down at his hands but he stuffed them behind his back. “Sneaking around in the girls’ room now, are you? What have you stolen? Let me guess, someone’s dirty underwear so you can sniff at it at your leisure.”
Instead of the usual smart reply I was expecting, Anton actually blushed. Okay, now I had to know what it was he’d taken. I reached behind him, but he sidestepped and snarled.
“Stay away from me.”
Not a chance buster. I eyeballed him with my best steely gaze. “Then give me what you’ve got there and I’ll leave you alone.”
His body tensed and I could see dark spots appearing under the skin on his face. His were was trying to get out. I narrowed my eyes further. Something was definitely up.
“C’mon, Anton,” I coaxed, trying to reach behind him again.
He backed away against the door frame. “F*ck off.”
I rocked back slightly before feinting left and whirling round behind him, pulling the piece of material away from him. It ripped as I yanked it out of his hands. I looked down and saw my bloodied t-shirt from the day before which I’d left stuffed in the dorm’s laundry basket. Now I was seriously freaked out.
“You’re stealing my clothes? With my blood on them?” Was he going to take the t-shirt to the Brethren to prove to them that I wasn’t human? The hackles on my back rose and I felt hot inside. I’d known he hated me but I hadn’t thought that he’d really put the whole pack in jeopardy just for a little revenge.
Tufts of dark hair began to spring out on his cheekbones. “Keep it. I don’t need it,” he bit off and pushed past me down the corridor. Fear and fury rose inside me and I was about to go after him with a vengeance when a door on the floor above slammed shut and I heard a couple of Brethren coming out and talking loudly. Resignedly, I watched him disappear round the corner. This was definitely not good. I considered whether I should go and tell Julia what he’d done. That felt a bit like running off to the teacher but he must have worked out some way of getting round the geas to tell the Brethren who I was - and that put everyone in danger. He was getting far too dangerous for his own good. I looked down at the t-shirt. I was going to have to dispose of it before I did anything else. It hadn’t occurred to me that leaving it in the dorm was a bad idea but clearly I was going to have to be a lot more careful from now on.
I went straight into the bathroom and found some bleach in a little cabinet. I poured it liberally over the shirt and stuck it into sink, watching the brown red colour slowly disappear. Betsy wandered in, wearing pink frilly pyjamas and yawning loudly.
“Now you’re cleaning, Mack?”
I told her what Anton had done and she looked alarmed. “I know he doesn’t like you, babe, but I don’t think he’d tell them you’re human. Besides anything, the geas would stop him. And with Julia confirmed as alpha, she can stop him from doing anything at all.”
I stared down at the sink. “Please don’t call me babe, Bets.”
She rolled her eyes. “I mean it, Mack. We still don’t know enough about how the Brethren would act if they worked out what you were. Anton might be a wanker but he’s loyal to the pack.”
“Then why was he taking my clothes, Betsy?”
“I don’t know,” she answered softly. “But Lynda likes him and I think he likes her. I’ll get her to hang on his coat-tails for the next few days and make sure he doesn’t do anything. Maybe he’ll confide in her.”
My fists clenched. “I do not need him screwing things up at the moment. There’s enough to do and enough to worry about as it is.”
“Yeah, especially with that spooky portal that the mage uncovered.”
I looked at her. “Portal?”
“Oh, yeah, you were asleep all day. He did some kind of uncloaking spell. It turns out that there’s a portal on the beach, not far from where John died.”
“A portal? As well as the seven stones? And you’re only telling me about this now?” My voice was rising to a screech.
“Jesus, Mack, give me a chance. No-one’s gone into it because we don’t know where it leads to. Even the mage can’t work out where it goes. The Brethren are staking it out in case anything else comes out. They reckon that’s where both the terrametus and the woman came from.”
“Iabartu.”
“Huh?”
“The woman is called Iabartu. She’s some kind of demi-god.”
“How did you….?” She shook her head, “Never mind. Most of what you do is a mystery to me, Mack.”
I ran water into the sink to rinse off the bleach. “Does Julia have a plan?”
“I think she’s letting the Brethren make the decisions for now.”
F*ck that for a game of soldiers. This portal was clearly where the action was going to be. I wrung out the t-shirt and dumped it in the bin. At least now I knew where to go next.
“You’ve got a scary look on your face, Mack.”
“Get Lynda to stick with Anton, as you said. I’m going to head to the beach.”
I started to walk out the bathroom. Betsy called after me. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? By all accounts you were half dead yesterday. The Brethren have got things under control.”
“I feel fine. And I know things they don’t. If you see Julia, tell her about Anton and where I’ve gone,” I flung back, then picked up my backpack and made sure I had everything I might need. Time to rock and roll.