I’m glad it’s bad, because it’s like well-deserved punishment. So I’m left with a partially fixed ulcer that bleeds and cramps and reminds me all day, every second, that the stress in my life is going nowhere. Jonah’s not speaking to me, even though I see him, and Kellan’s not seeing me, even though we talk, and I feel like the walls are closing in on me.
Paavo called to tell me that Kellan confirmed my whereabouts and the case against me is, once again, closed. Jens is still missing, ironically from the same Elvin plane that three Guard went missing from earlier in the year, and the Guard is in such a tizzy that Karl tells us everyone is afraid to even breathe.
“There are a lot of accusations going on,” he says to Jonah, who I should point out, is freely speaking to our friends but still not to me. “And people are getting nervous. How is it that four Guard have gone missing in one year?”
“Jens Belladonna is no longer part of the Guard,” Jonah tersely reminds Karl.
“You know what I mean. The other ones, well—a lot of people thought it might’ve been because they weren’t experienced or powerful. Jens was, though. Jens may’ve been an ass, but he was very strong.”
“Do you know what he’d been up to?” Jonah asks, motioning to the waitress to bring more coffee. We’re out at lunch with Karl and Moira, and if either of our friends has noticed that Jonah hasn’t said one word to me, they haven’t indicated it.
“Elders recon,” Karl says, sipping his espresso. “At least, that’s what I heard. Was taking matters into his own hands.”
Jonah doesn’t say anything.
“I overheard Battletracker saying he found a journal Jens was keeping. He mentioned the possibility of finding the hive.”
“Hive?” I ask. Emily, who I’ve been bouncing on my lap, tugs at one of my loose strands of hair. This earns her a kiss, of course.
“Their home base,” Moira says, tugging my hair out of her daughter’s strong yet chubby fingers. “We figure they’ve got to be regrouping at a hive of sorts. It seems more and more like there is a leader issuing commands and there’s soldiers carrying out the orders.”
“Why the Elvin plane?” I ask.
“Sightings, mostly,” Karl admits. “There’s been a pattern—sightings on Elvin soil usually occur shortly after attacks on other planes. There aren’t always attacks during these sightings, either, and they’re not always Magical sightings. Non-Magical publications and news sources have been reporting them on the Elvin plane.”
“Interesting,” Jonah says, setting his coffee down. “And sloppy. Up until now, they’ve been very careful about concealing their presence pre and post attacks.”
“The only times I can remember them blatantly risking detection was when they gunned for Chloe,” Moira says. She hands me a spoon for Emily to play with. “I remember how tough it was for the Guard to go into the area and wipe out the public’s recollections of strange, black shifting masses afterwards.”
“And,” Karl adds, “if you think about it, they weren’t careful when they were attacking the cave Chloe and Kellan were trapped in. Remember, when we got there, they’d been slamming it straight for days.”
I tense at the mention of Kellan’s name. But if Jonah is tense, he’s not letting our friends see that, either. “Well,” he says, “like Moira pointed out, it was during an effort to get to Chloe. Normally, though, they’re pretty careful. Think about how quiet the one was that we trapped in California. Have you had any success tracking the hive? I haven’t gotten a report from you guys in two weeks.”
The smile Emily gives me warms my entire being. I wish I could bottle toddler love. I could use it whenever I feel my worst, which is all too often lately. Emily doesn’t judge. To her, I’m just Auntie Chloe, not Heartbreaker At Large.
“We currently have three Trackers on the Elvin plane looking,” Karl says. “And we’ve got a few Intellectuals working on some map configurations based on the sightings. Personally,” he says, leaning in closer and lowering his voice, “I have my suspicions that the Guard disappearances are due to the Elders, and we just haven’t found the bodies yet.”
“This is old news,” Moira says grimly. “Everyone who has a brain in their heads knows this. Chloe, I hope you believe that no one other than Jens, and now Paavo, ever thought you were capable of—”
“I know,” I tell her, putting my hand over hers and squeezing. Emily bends in my arms so she can add a hand, too. “But thanks anyways.”
“Most of the murders and attacks have been targeted towards powerful Magicals,” Karl says. “It’s rare that anyone of a lesser skill will be singled out. Cora, no offense, was merely a tool to get to you, Chloe. She was an anomaly.” He drums his fingers against the table but stops when the table trembles below us. Moira rolls her eyes. Emily claps her hands and squeals. “What we’re not sure about yet is what the Elders are doing with the people they attack and kill,” Karl continues. “Simply taking out the competition? For revenge? Or are they capable of doing something with a Magical?”
“Like what?” I ask.