CHAPTER Twenty Three
Walking back up the spiral staircase that I’d so unceremoniously been carried down, I still felt very puzzled and slightly hurt. I mean, it was good that Corrigan was letting me go, but it just didn’t make any sense.
Once I rounded the top of the stairs, I was faced with a large ornate chamber. A glass done covered in different shades and colours of stained Tiffany styled panes glimmered in the dying afternoon sun. There was a group of shifters to my right, clearly Brethren by their dark suits and vaguely superior countenances, but for all their airs they appeared to be incredibly worried about something. I wasn’t particularly surprised. Whatever this disease was that was ravaging the pack, it was clearly something not to be taken lightly.
No-one stopped me and, in fact, virtually no-one even bothered to glance my way. It was as if I’d somehow ceased to exist. I was sure I’d not imagined the buzz that had occurred as I’d been brought in, even if I’d been blindfolded. At yet now, no-one was interested. Why had Corrigan given up trying to find out what I was? Didn’t he care about the whole green fire shooting from fingertips bit? I was pretty sure that I wasn’t just in need of my ego being massaged and that there was something else up.
Spotting Staines striding across the room with the loping and limbering stride that gave away his alter-ego as a were-bear, I took a deep breath and walked up to him, grabbing onto his arm. He spun around and snarled at me.
“What the f*ck do you want?”
“Staines, I know you don’t like me very much, but what the hell is going on?”
He yanked his arm away and glared. “Get lost, human. You’ve caused enough damage.”
“Staines, come on,” I insisted.
His yellow sheened eyes narrowed. “If you must know, the Lord Alpha has got it.”
“Got it?” I asked in confusion.
“Got the f*cking disease. The one we can’t control or cure. The old woman just confirmed it not long ago. We’re going into shut down.”
My stomach dropped with a lurch. Corrigan? But he was too fit surely to be ill. “But he looked fine! Well, a bit tired and pale but I just saw him.”
“Well, he’d hardly tell you what was going on, would he? You’re not one of us.”
The spite and venom in Staines’ voice was staggering. I barely noticed though, still reeling as I was from the information about the Lord Alpha. I thought back to his appearance just now but all I could remember was how I’d felt being in such close proximity to him.
“What happens now?” I asked in a dull voice.
“Now?” Staines looked at me disbelievingly. “Now piss right off and don’t bother us again.”
I forced myself to refrain from reminding him that it hadn’t been me who’d been doing the bothering.
“I mean, what happens to Corrigan?”
He looked at me balefully. “If it’s anything like the others, then he’ll get gradually weaker and weaker. There are already indications that his temperature is rising. Shifting just makes it worse. This disease seems to affect the liver and the kidneys. His skin will start will turn red with hot flushes, he’ll get thirsty and then…” Staines shook himself and seemed to remember who he was talking to. “Now f*ck off, girlie, we don’t need you here.”
He jerked his head towards one of shifters in the group to the right. He broke off and came over.
“Sir?”
“Escort Miss Smith off the premises. See to it that she doesn’t return.”
The shifter moved to take hold of my arm but I side-stepped away from him. “I can make my own way out, thank you very much.”
“Then make it,” snapped Staines, turning away.
The shifter next to me put his hands on his hips. I looked him in the eye, daring him to try to touch me again. He looked away. Hah. Pulling my shoulders back, and trying to ignore the sick feeling inside me at the news that Corrigan was ill, I walked out towards the entrance and into the street.
I’d forgotten how cold it was outside and shivered almost immediately. I turned and looked at the now closed door to the Brethren’s headquarters. I chewed on my lip for a moment and then made my decision.
Corrigan?
There wasn’t an immediate answer. A squat dirty looking truck barreled past me in the road, disappearing out of sight. I tired again.
Corrigan? Are you there?
For a moment I thought he wasn’t going to answer but then his Voice popped into my head, sounding tired.
What is it, Mackenzie?
Staines told me. That you’ve got it. I didn’t that I needed to elaborate on what ‘it’ was.
And? Are you going to gloat now?
Upset that he thought so little of me, I sat down heavily on one of the steps leading away from the building. Now wasn’t the time to fight back. I’m sorry, Corrigan. There must be something you can do. Julia knows a lot of stuff about a lot of herbs.
She hasn’t been able to do anything more so far than ease of the pain of those suffering.
Do you know where it came from?
Only that it originated in Somerset as far as we can tell. The first victim was an older shifter. Nobody realised how serious it was until the others around him started to get ill also.
I thought of Betsy, Tom and Julia, along with all of the other shifters inside, just feet away – Staines’ comment that they were going into shutdown. What’s going to happen to the Pack?
Why do you care? You left, remember? He didn’t sound annoyed, which worried me more than anything. He just sounded as if he’d had enough. I wished now that I was back with him; the urge to give him a hug was overwhelming. Perhaps it would be worth wangling my way back inside. I didn’t have long before I had to get back to the mages, but under these circumstances they might be a bit understanding. Not that understanding and compassion was something I had yet noticed was a trait of any of the magic wielders, but you never knew.
Are you sure it just affects shifters?
What – are you worried about yourself now? There was a slight tinge of irritation flitting back into his Voice now, which gladdened me immensely. Besides, I thought you were in a rush to go off and play student with the mages.
It might be dangerous letting me out on the street, Corrigan, I could be a carrier. Maybe I should stay with you. Uh, I mean, with the Brethren.
We know that humans aren’t affected. In fact, no species other than some animal ones and shifters are affected by the red fever. We’re not entirely stupid, kitten, we did check.
I doubted very much that any of the Brethren had thought to check whether that included dragons, but wisely didn’t say anything. Then I paused suddenly in mid thought.
What did you call it?
Mackenzie, I’ve got things to do. There are plans that need to be put into place in case the disease spreads further.
Corrigan, this is important. What did you call it?
The red fever. The symptoms start off with just a temperature and headache. A bit like the flu, I suppose. But a day or two in the afflicted shifter’s skin starts to flush red. If they shift, then their eyeballs turn red also. It’s really all downhill from there. One of our doctors has come up with some kind of blood test that detects whether someone has it or not. We were all tested this morning, before you were brought in. Nine of us are already infected. She expects that the first symptoms will start appearing in the next few hours.
My mind was suddenly whirling. I tried to think and focus.
Mackenzie?
Uh, Corrigan, I’ve got to go.
I’d expect nothing less. Look after yourself, kitten.
His Voice left with his final words ringing in my head with an air of depressing finality about them. I pushed them out of my thoughts and pulled myself up off the cold step. I needed to get to Scotland and time was of the essence.
With no money, and no identification, flying was out of the question. The train or the bus would take too long. What I really needed was Solus, but clearly he was playing hard to get. I tried calling out his name, just in case he’d now decide to hear me, but my voice just bounced around the empty street. This was clearly not a very efficient way of getting in touch with him. I thought about the troll in the weapons shop. I didn’t think I could trust that creature as far as I could throw him – and that wouldn’t be far given how squat and heavy looking he’d been. But Solus hadn’t paid for the knives – and I certainly hadn’t paid for the knives – and the troll had certainly seemed to know the Fae already. So, even though it seemed like a long shot, it was just possible that he would have a way of contacting Solus, if only to bill him.
With sudden purpose, I took off. I figured I was at least five miles away from the shadowy little alleyway where the troll’s shop had been and I didn’t know this city at all. My weak sense of direction would probably not hold up well amongst the maze of concrete buildings. But I didn’t have to actually go there in person. All I needed was a computer.
There were no shops – and certainly no internet cafes – anywhere nearby. As I ran, I listened for the buzz of people and traffic. The streets were fairly quiet but there was a distant hum coming from over to my right hand side. As soon as I could, I turned off into that direction.
Before too long, I passed a homeless guy sitting at the side of the road with a brown paper bag covering whatever the tipple of the day was. I slowed down and bent over to talk to him.
“Hey, where’s the nearest internet café?”
He gazed up at me with unfocused eyes. “That’s a hell of a fight you’ve been in, sweetheart,” he slurred.
“I’m not your sweetheart,” I snapped. “Internet café? Where can I found one?”
He pursed his lips and then jerked his head up to the right. “Over there. On Bewer Street.”
I threw out a quick thanks, dropping the last of my crumpled up money from Alex into his hand, and sprinted off. He shouted something after me, but his words were lost in the wind. I dodged a few rubbish bins and skirted down a small side street, my eyes scanning the area. There was a graffiti laden street sign on the other side of the road so I jogged over and tried to make out the words underneath the black spray paint. Bewer Street. Outstanding. I glanced up and down, trying to work out which direction to take. There appeared to be a cluster of shops up ahead so I ran off in that direction, the cold wind whipping at my face.
I slowed when I started to near the shops. I passed a liquor store and a 24 hour convenience shop that clearly wasn’t very convenient nor was it 24 hours because it was all shut up. The next shop front along was an internet café. I tried the door but it was locked. Cursing, I jiggled the doorknob pointlessly, but the café wasn’t going to open miraculously just because I wanted it to. I peered inside the grimy windows. There were several desktop monitors dotted around. I couldn’t make out anyone inside.
Jogging around the back, I looked for a way in. There was a back door with a plate of glass covered with wire mesh set into it. I cast around for somewhere a key might be hiding, turning over a few stones that were lying around and kicking over a rubbish can that was filled to the brim with sour smelling rotting waste. Nothing. F*ck it. I picked up one of the stones and threw it at the door but it bounced harmlessly off. The shop might look like it was falling apart but getting through the wire mesh was going to take more time than I really had to spare. I’d missed the lockpicking part of my education but figured it really couldn’t be that hard. If I could just get hold of a credit card or a bobby pin then I could try that. Looking down at the upturned bin, I wrinkled my nose in disgust. There was nothing else for it, however.
I knelt down and began rummaging through, wondering what diseases I’d be picking up myself by doing this. There were remnants of old mouldy bits of bread, plastic wrappings and bits of cardboard. Everything I touched seemed to have some horribly foul gloopy stuff covering it. Eventually I came across a scrunched up pile of papers that seemed to be photocopies of letters addressed to the local council complaining about the poor rubbish collection procedures. Their complaint was my gain in more ways than one, however, because they were bound together with a paper clip. Wiping the gloop off the little piece of metal first by swiping it over my jeans, I straightened it out and then crouched down beside the lock to try my luck. I stuck the clip inside the rusty lock wondering what the hell I was doing. With my free hand, I gripped the door knob, intending to twist it as I fiddled around trying to catch the lock. Without warning though, the knob turned and I was falling headlong through onto the back porch.
“F*cking hell!” I swore aloud. The bloody door hadn’t been locked at all in the first place.
Scowling in irritation, I picked myself up carefully. Either the café owner was careless or someone was still inside, so I quietly made my way through to the front, keeping my senses alert in case I was discovered. It appeared, however, that they were simply just not as careful about security as they should have been as the whole place was silent. Briefly sending up a prayer of thanks to the god of fortuitous breaking and entering, who definitely seemed to have been on my side of late, I jogged over to one of the computers and turned it on. As it slowly creaked its way into life, my gaze fell on the small bar at the side. There were shelves filled with dubious looking plastic wrapped cakes and a small display fridge. And there was a state of the art coffee machine with a green light blinking next to it. Sighing in happiness, I jumped over and found myself a mug, flicking on the machine to pour a shot of sticky black caffeine goodness, then I made my way back to the computer, gulping thankfully as I went.
Once the machine was turned on, I made my way onto the internet and typed in the address in the search bar that would take me to the Othernet gateway. Before too long, the familiar glow of the otherworld’s search engine blinked at me. I typed in troll, weapons and London, immediately coming up with a list of possible sites. I clicked on the first one and the unsmiling face of the troll stared out at me. Perfect.
There was a tab detailing contact information so I clicked on that and ended up with various bits of information, including a phone number. Memorising it quickly, I moved over to the café’s front desk and picked up the phone there, dialing the number. It rang several times before a familiarly gruff voice answered.
“What?”
“You might want to work on your customer service there,” I commented.
The troll hung up. F*ck. I had to stop pissing people off with my big mouth. I rang it again. Again the troll answered.
“What?”
“I’m sorry about before. I’m calling because I was in your shop yesterday. Maybe you remember? I was my friend and we picked up a couple of daggers.”
“No refunds,” growled the shop owner.
“I don’t want a refund,” I said hastily, before I annoyed him any further. “I just need to check that you have the right details for payment.”
“Lord Sol Apollinarus. Care of the Ritz Carlton, same as always.”
Yahtzee. Although ‘Lord’ again? Solus clearly was more important than I’d given him credit for. Despite that, it was a great start. I doubted that he checked into the hotel under ‘Lord Sol Apollinarus’ though.
“Er, and the name you have registered at the hotel is…?”
“Who is this?” demanded the troll suddenly as my luck started to abruptly run out. I was about to try to pacify him to see if I could wheedle Solus’ other pseudonym out of him, when I heard voices coming from the back door through which I’d entered.
Shit. I slammed the phone back onto its cradle and ducked down behind the coffee bar, heart thudding. I’d have to hope that whoever it was had just forgotten something – like locking up properly perhaps - and wasn’t going to hang around. Then I remembered the computer. The page I’d left it on was linked to the Othernet. That was not good. I was pretty sure that no-one, be they mages or shifters or even trolls, would be particularly happy with me if I left that particular gateway open to prying human eyes. I vaulted over the wooden bar, somersaulting in a roll to the computer and quickly disconnecting and clearing the history, before curling up under the desk and pulling the swivel chair in front of me to try to cover myself.
The voices grew louder. “Jesus, Tina, you need to lock that door every time we leave.”
“Yeah? How about you need to lock that door? Not everything is my fault, you know.”
The couple continued bickering to each other. I, meanwhile, tried to make myself into as small a ball as possible and prayed they didn’t enter the actual shop front. For once, my luck was holding and the voices drifted away and up stairs to where I assumed there was a small apartment. I began to extricate myself from under the desk when I realised that my hair was caught on something. Without really thinking about it, I tugged my head away and almost yelped at the sharp yank on my scalp. Reaching up, I gave a grimace of disgust as I realised that I’d managed to attach myself to someone’s discarded chewing gum on the underside of the desk. That was seriously gross. I picked with my fingers, trying to release myself, eventually pulling free but with half of the gum coming with me. Feeling up to my hair with my fingertips, I scowled at the large amount of sticky gunk that had now attached itself to my scalp. On the grand scale of things it was a small matter, but I was pretty vain about my hair. Pulling my fingers away and wiping them on my jeans, I sighed. It would just have to wait till later. I cast a forlorn look over at the coffee machine and clambered out from under the desk, then exited quietly through the back door. ‘Tina’ had helpfully left it unlocked again.
Once outside, I considered my options. Somehow I was going to have to get to the Ritz-Carlton hotel to find Solus. I hadn’t had time to get onto the normal human internet and find out exactly where the hotel was. It had to be in central London, however. I had an idea in my head, I guess from having seen it in pictures or on the news, of what it looked like, but its specific location was a bit of a mystery. I didn’t have any money left now so I couldn’t jump into a cab to get there. I thought for a moment about flagging one down anyway and making Solus pay for it at the other end – let’s face it, it would be the least he could do after not answering my previous requests for his presence - but there was no guarantee that Solus would even be at the hotel and I didn’t want to cause any more potential trouble. There was nothing else to be done, I’d just have to try and run my way there. I hoped it wouldn’t take too long; my time must surely be starting to run out.
I jogged back down to the main road and looked up and down. There seemed little point in going back the way I’d come, so I figured I’d continue to head away from the Brethren and hope that it was the right way. It occurred to me as well, that for my plan to work, I’d have to somehow get back to the Brethren too. Hopefully by then I’d have Solus back on my side and helping. I could remember Bewer Street but stupidly hadn’t thought to pay attention to what street I’d started from. It wasn’t like I could ask for directions. I imagined that conversation in my head with a random passerby. ‘Yes, um, hello, sir? Can you tell me where all the dying shapeshifters are holed up?’ No, that probably wouldn’t work.
Setting off yet again, I tried to look up at the skyline for tall, recognisable buildings. It kind of stood to reason that they would be in the centre of the city where the hotel was. The angles must have been all wrong, however, because all I could see were telephone wires and grey skies. I was just pulling my gaze away from the heavens when I careered straight into a hard, warm body.
“What the f*ck?” There hadn’t been anyone in the street a moment before.
“I might ask you the same question, dragonelette,” drawled the object of my search.
I began to pummel Solus on the chest. I wasn’t trying to hurt him and he didn’t move away but he equally didn’t look massively impressed either.
“Where have you been? Solus, I’ve been calling and calling you!”
The Fae folded his arms and glared at me. “I’m not your servant and neither am I at your beck and call. I think we need to re-define the parameters of our relationship.”
“Solus,” I groaned, “I don’t think you’re at my beck and call at all but I thought that maybe we were kind of friends and that I could count on you. I needed your help. I know you’re a Fae and you don’t like humans but I thought maybe you liked me a bit.” I realised as soon as the words were out of my mouth just how pathetic that sounded.
“You’re right,” he said. “I don’t like humans. But you aren’t human, are you? And that, not that I owe you an explanation, is where I’ve been.”
I was a bit confused. Solus elaborated. “The Summer Queen is none too impressed that I have not yet explained why I have been spending so much time on this plane. I could, of course have told her that I have a living breathing Draco Wyr with me, but it occurred to me that might not be the best idea just yet so I have been prevaricating about you on your behalf. Neither is she particularly happy that there is a comatose Scottish witch on her land.”
I freaked out. “You almost told her what I was? You prick! Solus, you’re the one who told me that I couldn’t tell anyone at all! Well, clearly I don’t need to because you’re doing all the blabbing for me!”
“Dragonlette, she’s my Queen. And I didn’t tell her YET, but I might have to.”
Jesus, what was it with all these otherworld idiots and their chain of command?
“Anyway,” Solus continued, “you’ll be pleased to know that I have gained you somewhat of a reprieve. She’s agreed to allow your Mrs Alcoon to stay for the time being, providing that you travel to Tir-na-Nog in the near future to meet her so she can determine your true nature for herself.”
“She’s going to have to get in line,” I growled.
Solus raised his eyebrows at me questioningly. I filled him in on the events of the last forty-eight hours, from what had happened at the Ministry up till I’d left the Brethren. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was a good idea broadcasting the fact that the shifter world was becoming incapacitated by a disease, especially to someone who I clearly couldn’t really trust, but if my plan my worked, then I figured it wouldn’t really matter. And if my plan didn’t work, well then it wouldn’t really matter.
“How did you know I was here?” I questioned, suddenly. I had given up on calling for Solus ages ago and wasn’t massively keen on the idea that he could find me with a snap of his fairy fingers whenever he wanted to.
“I received a very strange phone call from Balud about someone trying to track me down. He said the call from this area.”
Oh. Balud must be the troll. He must either have some mad tracking skills of his own or some outstandingly good tech to have pinpointed my location. I decided that either way I didn’t really want to know. There were other things to worry about for the time being.
I softened my voice and looked hopefully at Solus. “So, will you help me now?”
“I don’t quite understand, dragonlette. What help do you require? I do not see that there is anything you can do, unless you have a medical degree tucked up in your sleeves somewhere.”
“Don’t you get it? I thought you were all-knowing and wise. One of the things Mrs Alcoon had me do was collect some blisterwort from the Cairns for her to help her friend.”
“To help her friend get over some mild illness,” Solus said, confused.
“Well, yeah, but she also said that it had been used in the past to cure other things, including something called blushing disease.”
Solus’ expression cleared. “And you think this blushing disease might be what your pack is suffering from.”
“They’re not my pack, Solus,” I said absently. “But, yes.”
“There is one other thing that you’ve no really thought about,” he added.
“What?”
“You’re a Draco Wyr. This Iabartu woman…”
“Uh, demi-goddess, thank you very much.”
He ignored me. “She wanted your blood, according to you, so that she could use its properties. And those properties include healing. Maybe all you need is to get your Lord to suck on your blood, vamp style, and then all your problems are solved.” He clicked his fingers with a snap for effect.
“It’s a possibility, Solus, but I don’t know what my blood can do. Neither do you for that matter. I don’t know if it’d end up making things worse, not better. And besides, it’s also addictive. I don’t want to turn the pack into a bunch of drug addicts.”
“They might want to know why you are giving them blood in the first place too, of course,” he surmised.
“Yes, and I’m trying to keep that a secret.” I glared at him to let him know how pissed off I was that he’d been telling others what I didn’t want anyone to know.
He gazed back innocently. “Hey, you can trust the Summer Queen. She’s one of the good guys.”
I refrained from commenting that I didn’t think the Fae were ever truly going to be classed as the ‘good guys’ but decided it wouldn’t exactly help my cause. Instead I returned to my original question. “So, will you help me?”
“If you promise me that when you’re done with all this daft magic training stuff, you come to Tir-na-Nog and meet the Queen.”
“Yes, yes. I promise,” I said rashly. “You know it might be five years though?”
He shrugged. “Time is not a problem.”
I snorted. “Not for you. I’m on a clock.” I peered at him anxiously for a moment. “You will keep Mrs Alcoon safe until then?”
Solus bowed dramatically and grinned at me. “You have my word.” He held out his arm and the air started to shimmer purple. I held my breath waiting for the inevitable flood of nausea to hit and closed my eyes tightly.