“Mordred?” Nabu asked in a tone that suggested Mordred was rambling.
“Ah, yes, sorry.”
“You think she’s hidden important information in the cave?” Remy said. “Do you know the kinds of things that hide in caves?”
“Trolls, monsters of various shapes and sizes. It’s going to be a blast. You’d probably better get Diana, though, just in case we need something torn in half.” Mordred watched Remy run off and turned toward Nabu. “Useful skill to have around, tearing people in half. Never know when it’s going to come in handy.”
Nabu stared at Mordred for several seconds. “You okay?”
“My brain is moving very quickly. It happens every now and again when I feel stressed or concerned about something. Doesn’t help that I’m impatient to get going, and my brain doesn’t like it.”
“I thought you were all better. Thought you’d managed to keep your manic side under control.”
Mordred smiled. “That’s a very subjective term. Compared to being a drooling wreck who wants to eat someone’s face, I’m goddamned dandy. Compared to someone who doesn’t sing ‘Mario’ fifty times a day, I might be slightly unhinged. But one man’s unhinged is another man’s sane.”
“That’s one way of looking at it.”
Mordred’s smile vanished. “I’ve spent a long time being damaged. I’m not going to be that anymore. I might be quirky, I might be strange, but I’m me.”
“I never wanted to suggest otherwise.”
“I know. I know you’re just looking out for me. Everyone is always just looking out for me. Sometimes I think they do it because they’re expecting me to revert to my old evil ways.”
“I don’t think that,” Nabu assured him.
“Every day is a battle not to let my past actions crush me. Every day I tell myself that today I’m good, that today will be a good day. And for the last decade or so, I’ve been right.”
Nabu remained silent.
“You’re wondering what happens if one day I’m wrong?”
“The thought did cross my mind,” Nabu admitted.
“Then one of two things will happen. Either I murder those I love, or they kill me before I get the chance. Neither appeals. I tolerate my slight brain farts because to do anything else might drive me even more insane than how I was before Nate shot me.”
“Every day is a battle for many of us, my friend,” Nabu said, resting his hand on Mordred’s shoulder. “You are not alone in this, I promise.”
Mordred turned to Nabu and smiled. “I know. And that helps me think I can do better. Can make amends for those I wronged.”
“Is that why you’re here?”
Mordred turned to watch as the rest of the group left the house. “No. I’m here to find a way to stop me from having to kill Nate. I’m here because Elaine is missing and she’s pretty much the only member of my family who gives a shit about me. And I’m here because I want to find the people behind all of this and crush them into paste. They’re killing innocent people, Nabu. And that shit won’t stand.”
“Remy says you have an extremely stupid idea,” Morgan said. “I cleaned up his words a little.” She paused. “A lot, actually. Damn, that fox-man can swear like a sailor.”
“Thank you,” Remy said.
“You want to go spelunking?” Fiona asked.
“Do people just like saying that word?” Mordred asked. “Spelunking. It is quite fun, I guess.”
“Mordred,” Fiona snapped.
Diana rested a hand on her shoulder. “Easy, my friend. He’s not the enemy.”
Fiona shrugged off the hand and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”
Mordred shrugged, as if it were no big thing, although he wondered just how tightly wound Fiona was, and whether she might snap if she wasn’t careful. “Not specifically, no. I came here a few years ago to talk to Elaine, and she told me about a cave system. She made a really big deal about telling me of this system. Pointed me in the right direction and everything. I promise you, she hasn’t hidden anything in that house. Anything anyone found was of no real importance.”
“And if you’re wrong?” Fiona asked.
“We waste an hour and know I was wrong. I’ll even let you sing a song about how wrong I was.” He paused and held Fiona’s gaze. “I’m not, though.”
“A hidden cache of some kind?” Diana asked.
“Yes,” Mordred said. “It’s in those caves over there. I’ve never been down there myself, and I don’t really know exactly where she would have hidden anything, but we won’t find anything here.”
The group set off across the plains, making good time as the morning sun warmed the cold just enough to make it bearable. They reached the cave entrance, and Mordred peered inside, expecting to see something of interest, but it was far too dark, and far too deep.
“There’s a thirty-foot drop,” Remy said. “I can smell the insects inside. Lots of them. Also, something else. A scent. Two scents. The first is Elaine, no doubt about it, but the second is—”
“Perfume,” Diana finished, and took a sniff of a nearby rock. “I think Elaine dabbed perfume on these stones. It masks her scent, but more importantly it gives us something to track.”
“What if the people who came here searching knew about this?” Fiona asked.
“No other scents,” Remy confirmed.
“Remy and I will go first,” Diana said. “The rest of you, keep back, and try not to get hurt.”
“Have I ever told you how much I love your motivational speeches?” Remy asked. “They inspire such confidence.”
“I can throw you down the hole, if you’d prefer.”
Remy winked and darted into the darkness beyond, vanishing from sight within seconds. Diana followed soon after, leaving the rest at the mouth of the cave peering in.
“You see anything?” Morgan shouted.
“I can see all,” Nabu said, and stepped into the cave.
Morgan and Mordred shared a look of surprise. “What is he?” Morgan asked.
“An och,” Mordred said. “To be honest, I’m not exactly sure what he can and can’t do. He doesn’t talk much about himself.”
“Are you all coming down here?” Diana shouted from somewhere inside the cave.
Mordred walked into the cave with Morgan and Fiona beside him and used his air magic to gently lower all three of them to the ground, then immediately wished he’d brought a torch.
The light from Morgan’s phone illuminated a massive cavern. Several things moved on the walls, and Mordred was sure he didn’t want to get too close to them. There weren’t a lot of animals in the UK that would kill you, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t give a bite, and Mordred knew for a fact that some of those bites hurt like hell.
“So, any idea where she went?” Fiona asked.
“The perfume is still fairly strong in here,” Diana said, sniffing the air. “It’s maybe a week old.”
“How long does the scent last?” Morgan asked.