Guardian Of The Grove (11 page)

April moved Alby so she had to put her weight on her bad leg, and then lashed out. Alby sprang to the side, dodged under a punch that April threw out, and then wrapped her arms around her neck from behind. She jumped up, tightening her legs around April, and threw them both backward. She took the brunt of the fall, but it took away the chance of April gaining any leverage. I waited to see what would happen. Five seconds later, April tapped out. I was in shock. April never went down that easy. Maybe it was my fault for asking her to go easy on her.

I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t cheer on Alby without hurting April. I wanted so badly for both of them to be able to win.

Marcus had no such problem when he shouted, “Way to go, Alby!”

April shot him a dirty glare before looking at me. I nodded to her. I think she understood that I was giving her the ok to go at her as hard as she could. It seemed only fair considering she had lost the first round. The two women separated and stood up. April watched her with a newfound respect.

Alby smiled down at her. “That was the best fight I’ve had in years. No holding back this time.”

April looked at me just to double-check, and then turned to face Alby. “Sounds good to me. I can’t believe I fell for the wounded leg routine.”

“It only works when someone doesn’t know your style. It’s a risky ploy if they figure it out in time.”

“Agreed. Let’s do this.”

They started to circle again, and I almost couldn’t watch. Wasn’t once enough for them? I mean, Jesus, were they trying to give me a heart attack? My mom came up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder as they fought. “It’s ok, Jackson. This is the life they lead. Nothing will change that.”

I nodded, watching the fight. It was spectacular. Alby used her size to her advantage, forcing April to stay back or risk being taken to the ground again. I watched, mentally taking notes of techniques I could use against smaller opponents. April had fought against people larger than her for her entire life. Every move she made was to test a hole or to expose some weakness. They had exchanged several blows, and I could feel the fight building toward a climax.

Alby darted forward, throwing a few punches at April’s face. April moved the blows just enough off center that they missed, and then slammed her fist into Alby’s unprotected stomach. Alby doubled over for a second, and April almost rushed in. At the last second, she dodged back, missing a vicious uppercut that Alby started at the knees. When April moved back and the punch Alby threw missed, it left her entire body exposed. April took advantage by landing a solid kick to her ribs and then a single blow to her face. Alby fell to one knee and held up her hand in submission before the blow April had aimed at her face could land.

Thank God that was over. Watching two of my friends fight almost made me want to throw up. I wondered if it felt like this for them when they watched me train. I knew it was stupid of me to worry about them because it was two women fighting, but I just couldn’t shake it. April had been kicking ass her whole life, and apparently Alby had as well. I’d get over it at some point; I had to. Plus, it was nice knowing that both of them had my back.

April walked over and helped Alby to her feet. “You almost got me again.”

“Well, I had to try. I couldn’t take much more of a beating.”

“Do you mind?” April asked, placing her hands on the injured Alby. She didn’t say no, but I could see the worry etched into her face. April’s magic flared as it went to work, and Alby was healed within minutes.

“No wonder you guys are such good fighters. You can get back into the ring faster than anyone else.”

“Healing magic sure helps. You guys have your own version, right?”

“We do, but it doesn’t work nearly as quickly.”

It looked as though the fight had made them friends, if you could believe it. That was going to be helpful when we all had to work together tomorrow. Marcus looked as if he had just watched the most wonderful thing in the world. I tapped him on the shoulder, drawing his attention away from the two women. “Bro, you’re downstairs in the office. There is an awesome leather couch in there, and there should be a blanket draped over the back.”

“Right on, Jackson.” He headed inside, even though he probably would have preferred to stay out here and gawk at Alby some more.

Sarah must have already gone inside, so I moved down onto the lawn and gathered up the escrima sticks. Sarah had already stashed her stuff in the master bedroom, so that was taken, leaving only the loft and the guest bedroom open. I stepped forward toward the two women. “So we have two rooms left. The couch in the loft and the guest bedroom.”

“I can take the loft,” Alby said.

“Don’t be silly. Take the bedroom. I’ll take the loft. I’m a heavy sleeper anyway.”

“Alby, there should be towels in the bathroom downstairs. April, I’ll show you where to go upstairs.”

They both nodded and walked inside. I showed April the shower and then went into my own room and took one of my own. I climbed into bed and thought about what was going to happen tomorrow. I was going to see a grove of the Fae. How many people could say that they had seen something like that? Not many who lived, I bet. It was going to be something special, and considering how Alby had felt about me when she found out what I was, this was an honor not many of the Ascended had ever had.

I started to think about Britta, but I shoved those thoughts to the side. If she had wanted to be here, she would have been. The fact that she hadn’t come spoke volumes about where our relationship was heading. I couldn’t blame her really. I had been pulling away for months, and the dreams about my folks couldn’t have made it easy for her. I just wished she would talk to me about it. Instead, she decided to cut me out of her life and flip out over the smallest of things. She was pushing me away in her own right. Both of us knew it was over, but neither of us had the courage to say it.

My door cracked open, and April slipped inside before closing it behind her. She didn’t say anything as she made her way over to my bed. I didn’t say anything to dissuade her. Instead, I just lifted the sheet so she could climb in next to me. April wrapped her arms around me and nestled her head into my chest. I kissed the top of her head, and we fell asleep in each other’s arms.

S
o far the
trip back home hadn’t exactly gone the way I planned. My son had been arrested in a very public way, forcing me to break off negotiations with the area pack leader early. He was none too pleased by the sound of the voicemails that he left. Going back there now would be a huge risk, but one I had to take if the Ascendancy was going to succeed.

Last night had been a pleasant surprise, when Jackson’s friends had come right away to help with our new Fae problem. The bond between them had grown so strong, it was almost as if I could see it connecting them to each other. Alby had found a way to meld almost seamlessly right into what they were creating together. It was as if they were meant to be here in this moment, united against whatever was coming.

The problem with the grove concerned me greatly. Something like what was happening shouldn’t be possible. Shalana controlled the tree that tethered their grove to Faerie. Nothing should be able to enter this realm unless she opened the portal. She would only do that if she had been commanded to by the Seelie Queen, or had opened it to let someone return to Faerie. The fact that something had been able to subvert her control of the veil was disturbing. At the very least, it meant that either she or the magic controlling the veil had been corrupted.

Either way, today we would find the answers. I pretended not to notice when April slipped out of Jackson’s room. It was good that they had found each other. Something between them had grown, and it felt like the love I once had with John. I hoped Jackson knew what he was doing with Britta. A scorned lover would bring him an entirely new set of problems. A set of problems I wasn’t entirely sure he was ready to deal with.

In the next hour or so, I was going to have a house full of hungry kids. The kitchen called to me anyway as my belly rumbled at the thought of food. It took me awhile to find everything I needed to get started, but once I did, the kids slowly started coming out of their comas. There was one thing that seemed almost universal—if you wanted a teenager to get out of bed and into the kitchen, all you needed were two things: bacon and coffee. The kids dug into the food, almost faster than the pack children, and then they sat around, talking and sipping their coffee.

“All right, guys, get your gear on. Full weapons. Today you represent the Ascendancy when you speak with Shalana. Don’t let us down.”

They all made sounds of agreement and headed off to get ready. Alby stayed behind, looking nervous. “What is it, Alby?”

“I’m just not sure how my uncle is going to react.” She frowned. “Ok, that isn’t true. I know how he will react. He is going to be furious that I brought outsiders into our business.”

“Is there a reason we are going to your uncle instead of your parents?”

“My folks live in the grove. They don’t like the outside world and hold to the old traditions. I need someone to get us the ok to go in so we don’t get harassed by the guards.”

Makes sense. I wonder if I’ve met them before.”

“It’s possible. They have been members of the grove for centuries. Do you really think it will be ok, what we are doing today?”

“I really do. I’ve met Shalana before. I wouldn’t exactly call us friends, but we have bonded over the years. That relationship should give us the leeway we need to get in and figure out what is going on.”

“And what happens if it all goes sideways?”

“I can’t guarantee the outcome, but if anything happens, you always have a place here with us.”

“I better call him to let him know I’m bringing company.”

I watched her walk out of the room. It was hard doing the right thing when years of tradition told you it was wrong. She was a strong woman, one I could respect for standing up for what was right. If things truly were breaching the veil between our realms, we needed not only to know about it but to put a stop to it.

I was going to need one of the kids to put the officers to sleep. There was no way we could have them following us around the city. The last thing we could do was lead them to Faerie. Humans weren’t meant to know about our world. That didn’t mean they weren’t dragged into the mix every now and then, but it was something we tried to avoid at all costs. Once you knew about the world, there was no turning away from it. You either embraced the new world and kept your mouth shut, or you ended up dead.

April seemed to be the least intimidating member of our party, but only if you hadn’t seen her fight. I pulled her aside. “Before you finish getting your gear on, can you go and take care of a little police problem for me?”

“Sure thing.”

I explained to her what I needed her to do, and she took off up the street, but not before flashing me a mischievous grin. I could see why Jackson liked her so much. I found a spot in the shadows under a tree at the edge of the driveway and watched her. If she had any problems, I could get to the car in three or four seconds and then I would handle the situation in a different way.

April walked up to the car and tapped gently on the passenger side window. The officer inside rolled it down. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but the open window should be all she needed to remedy the situation. Sure enough, a few seconds later, the police officers slumped in their seats. There really was nothing like a good sleeping spell to sneak around prying eyes.

When April made it to the end of the driveway, I slid out of the shadows and matched my stride to hers. “So what did they say?”

She jumped at the sound of my voice. Clearly we had some additional training to do. “Something about not disturbing them while they were on official business.”

“How long will they be out?”

“Probably about an hour. If we need longer, we should have Marcus hit them with something on the way out.”

“That should be fine. Get the rest of your gear; we leave in ten.”

Alby still looked nervous when I came in the door. “How did your call go?”

“He’ll be waiting for us. He isn’t happy, but he said Shalana will make the final decision on what happens.”

“Well, we should be ok, then.” The look on her face said that she thought that was wishful thinking.

“When was the last time you saw Shalana?”

“Probably nineteen years ago, why?”

“A lot has changed since then, especially with her. Don’t expect her to be the same person you knew before.”

Well, that was something I hadn’t expected. The Fae were damned near immortal and didn’t get sick or fall victim to mental illnesses. If something had changed her that much, then something was wrong, deadly wrong. That would explain why things had been coming through the veil. If she had somehow lost control of her power, it would make the perfect crossing point for them to come through. That also meant if something was wrong with her that we might have to take drastic action. That might be more than the four kids could handle on their own. We would have to cross that bridge when we got there. For now, they were enough to get in and start digging around.

Everyone came out with their gear on, and they made a fearsome sight. Jackson had picked up a leather vest from somewhere that had metal plates fitted into the leather. The plates covered his shoulders and chest. It was a cool piece of armor, and I was going to have to ask him about it later. His twin swords were strapped to his back, and as always, I could see the hemp rope of his father’s necklace around his neck.

April looked almost the exact same. She had the same new top on and black leather pants. Her twin swords poked over her shoulders. Marcus looked drastically different. He wore loose-fitting clothes and covered them with a robe. The hood covered his face in shadows, and the robe covered him from head to toe in black fabric. He almost looked as if he was a wizard in a fantasy RPG.

Alby was the only one who still looked normal, besides me. She had on jeans and a T-shirt. She wore a nervous smile, but I could see the determination in her eyes.

“Jackson, why don’t you ride with Alby. We’ll follow behind you in the Jeep.” Sarah said.

“Sounds good.”

Without a further word, we piled into the vehicles and were off. It was going to take us about forty minutes to reach her uncle’s property, and then maybe another twenty or thirty to reach the outskirts of the grove. From there, we would be guided in by the defenders of the grove, otherwise known as Shalana’s personal guard. They would lead us inside until we reached the sacred tree and Shalana’s throne. It was going to be a long day, but one that could help to re-forge an old alliance.

* * *

W
e made
it to Alby’s uncle's house on the outskirts of Tucson. Jackson got out of the car with her, and we all trailed behind them. Her uncle came out of the house with an air of importance. He was a big man, and round around the middle. His girth didn’t betray the strength that was left in those massive arms. When Alby got within a few feet, he grabbed her by the arm, pulling her close to him.

“What have you done?” he hissed.

Jackson stepped forward, pulling one of his blades as he did. He placed the tip of it under her uncle’s chin. “Take your hands off of her.” He delivered the line with calm authority.

“Mind your business, Ascended. This is a family matter that doesn’t concern you.”

I watched as his skin turned dark brown and rigid like tree bark. To his credit, Jackson didn’t step away. “We are here on official business, and until that business is concluded, the girl is under our protection. Release her or face the consequences of your actions.”

Her uncle snarled but did as he was told. Alby moved behind Jackson as he sheathed his blade. The brown skin he had grown was slowly replaced by his human appearance. “Aren’t you that kid who used to work for me?”

“I am.”

“Damn, what is the world coming to?” he said, shaking his head. “You damn kids have no respect.”

“You mean the kind of respect that means terrorizing your niece? I can do without it.”

He fixed Jackson with a flat stare. “I don’t care what she told you. I’m no longer interested in taking you to the grove.”

That was my cue to step forward. “Then I guess I can show them the way. I would have preferred to do this the easy way, but if you insist on dishonoring your family, I can show them where to go.”

“And who in the hell are you?”

“Sarah Blackthorn, friend of Shalana.”

“She’s dead.”

“Not as dead as you were led to believe.”

“Screw it. Get back in your cars and follow me. I’ll let the guard sort you out.” He turned toward Alby. “Me and you aren’t done talking about this by a long shot.” Then he wandered into his garage, and an old Range Rover rolled out. It was covered in dust and belched a few noxious fumes into the air before it rumbled to a stop. Jackson held his hand in the air and twirled his finger, signaling everybody to get back into their cars. We all followed his instructions without saying a word.

We followed the cars in front of us out into the desert. We wound our way down a trail until we arrived at what appeared to be a greenhouse. Her uncle parked, and each of us slid into a spot next to him. He stopped in front of the building, and I could hear him mumbling something before he reached out and opened the door. He motioned for all of us to go inside, and then closed the door behind us.

At the back of the greenhouse was a large stone structure that looked like the entrance to a cave. He placed his hand on the wall, and a gap formed in the rock face. Two guards moved out of the opening, covered from head to toe in silver armor. They had spears in their hands and swords attached to their hips. Two more guards waited just inside of the entrance.

One of them called to us. “Please follow us and do not deviate from our course. You are to be taken directly to Shalana.”

We stepped into the cave, and the two guards who had come out of the entrance fell in behind us. It was unusual for the guards to be dressed in their full battle armor. The only other time I had seen them dressed this way was during a funeral John and I had attended more than sixty years ago. Normally the guards were dressed informally and only used to escort those seeking an audience. Alby was right; things had certainly changed.

We continued through the caves; the stone floor had been worn into a groove from the countless passing feet over the centuries. A small stream bubbled and worked its way through the cave to the right of us. It was pleasant down here, at least twenty degrees cooler than the blistering desert above. I remembered thinking it would have been nice to have a place like this to retreat to in the summer. We weren’t allowed to deviate from our course on this trip, but I knew from experience that they had entire fields of trees and plants down here. It was a magical place; at least, it used to be.

The two guards in front stepped aside as we entered the main hall. A massive oak tree grew seamlessly out of the stone. The majestic oak’s branches ran along the cave floor and blossomed toward the sky from its massive knotted trunk. The tree was the most stunning thing I had ever seen. Giant lamps hung from the cavern’s ceilings. The light from them filtered down through the oak’s canopy, bathing the throne at its base in shadows. To each side of the raised dais were fifteen guards all dressed in full armament. As we walked into the room, the four guards sealed off the passage behind us and the thirty in front lowered their spears. It wasn’t exactly what I would have called a welcoming greeting.