Jennifer Scales and the Messenger of Light (22 page)

She turned and looked down the street.

Evangelos wasn’t following her.

In fact, Evangelos wasn’t there at all.

INTERLUDE
Confusion

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Why didn’t you kill them?

Evangelos huddled under the oaks and maples deep behind the Oak Valley apartment complex. This encounter had been a surprise, a hunt, a success, and a disaster, all rolled into one.

Meeting up with Susan Elmsmith on the street outside the Scales house had been unexpected. Her screams had been unnecessary: Evangelos had no desire to kill her. But that neighbor beaststalker—the one who burned so delightfully well. Monster killers, indeed! If that’s all it took to bring down a beaststalker, Evangelos wasn’t so sure why they had such a horrific reputation.

Was there a twinge of regret for the woman? Very well, there was regret. Evangelos hadn’t wanted to involve other people in what was essentially a family matter. In fact, the woman’s interference would greatly complicate things. The Blacktooths—that was their name, right?—yes. The Blacktooths would want revenge now.

Her son, Eddie. So brave. So concerned with his mother.

That was what had made Evangelos pause, instead of dealing the deathblow. And then Father’s wife and their daughter had shown the same concern for each other. All of them struggling to save the other’s life. Was such a love between parent and child possible?

Was that what Dianna Wilson had felt?

Or Jonathan Scales?

There is no love
!

But there was a memory there, back in Australia. One of the very first from this world. Before the horror and grief at what had happened. Before the fear of a premature delivery.

She had felt love. For her husband, and for their child. It was there, wasn’t it? Was that what made the boy on the street do what he did?

Evangelos had dismissed the memory at first, out by the desert surrounding the underground town of Coober Pedy. Perhaps that had been a mistake.

No mistake. What the boy felt doesn’t exist for you. Father doesn’t feel that.

But was there no chance? None at all? Was there no hope?

Evangelos growled at the unbidden thought.

A gentle rain began to fall—a phenomenon unique to this world. But in fact, the pattering of the raindrops made it easier to think, trace, and remember. Still clear were the memories left here in these woods by the Scales family days ago, when they hid and followed Rune Whisper.

There is always hope, the woman had said. She was a doctor. For everyone. Until the very end.

Doctors, like rain, were unique to this world. Evangelos struggled with this woman in particular, and the memories she had, and the things she said.

The very end? When was that, exactly? How long would the killing continue? When would the end come?

She used to be a killer, too.

But then she stopped. When will this stop?

When Jonathan Scales has paid the price. You should have killed her. And the daughter. And the neighbors. All of them. Why did you show mercy?

Mercy. Doctors. Rain. So many new things in this world. Since arriving in Coober Pedy, so much had happened, so many memories lingered, and so many voices had emerged that Evangelos was not sure what to do with it all.

A harsh conviction rose out of the uncertainty.

You must go back and finish the job
.

But deep inside, there was resistance. The idea of going back was not appealing. It had little to do with danger—plainly beaststalkers were not invincible.

Cruelty. Yes, that was it: This was all becoming too cruel, to hunt down family and kill them. It was too cruel to ambush an old man in his cabin; it was too cruel to kill Father’s friend, miles away, who had nothing to do with this. Nothing at all…

Too cruel!

Evangelos almost laughed at the thought, and spat instead. The leaves beneath him hissed and smoldered.

Too cruel! Like the world I grew up in?

There was no immediate reply within. Evangelos pressed the matter.

Go back and finish the job.

There was fatigue, defiance, desperation in there. No easy answers. Go back? Not now. It was too much.

No. Now.

The rain drove down harder, and the drops off the branches above struck black skin and sizzled.

Go back. Finish it. Now.

CHAPTER 13
Sanctuary

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“He flew away,” Elizabeth told her daughter, plainly furious at her as the three Scales sat around the kitchen table. Jonathan was trying to cool them down with iced tea, but it had no apparent effect on his wife. “I don’t know why he didn’t chase you down. Quite frankly, I find the idea of beating some sense into you quite appealing right now.”

“Wendy Blacktooth needed you!” Jennifer protested. “And it worked, didn’t it?”

Her mother made an indescribable sound—something teetering between disgust, relief, and surrender. Fortunately, she then changed the subject to Wendy’s injuries.

The medics had arrived for Wendy Blacktooth almost immediately after Jennifer returned from reviving Susan and taking her home. Wendy had been unconscious but alive, her prospects for survival decent. Eddie and Hank had gone with her in the ambulance—after Hank retrieved his precious Blacktooth blade, of course.

“I’d like to cram that family heirloom of theirs right up his butt,” her mother reported in clipped tones when Jennifer asked about it. She turned on her husband. “If you ever put a stinking piece of metal above my own welfare, Jonathan Daniel Scales, I will skin you, wings and all!”

“Noted,” her prey responded dryly. He put the iced tea back in the refrigerator. “Jennifer, how was Susan? Did she say anything when you walked her home?”

“Not much.” In fact, Susan had said nothing at all after her ordeal, not even good-bye at the door. Jennifer tried to believe that allowing the block-long escort was at least a hopeful signal, but the blank look on Susan’s face had been less encouraging.

I should have told her everything long ago.

“You should call Skip. If Evangelos was attacking Susan, Skip may be next.”

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door and Skip poked his head in.

He hadn’t heard anything about the attack, but after Jennifer and her parents filled him in, he shook his head sadly.

“That increases the chances that Rune Whisper is Evangelos.”

“What do you mean?” Jonathan asked.

“Well, I decided to follow Rune again today, and—”

“You what?” Jennifer couldn’t tell if Elizabeth’s harsh tone meant she was still upset at Jennifer or newly irritated at Skip. “Without us?”

“Yeah.” Skip stuck his chin out a bit as he plopped his iced tea down. “Without you. I’m a big boy, Mrs. Georges-Scales.”

“That’s Doctor Georges-Scales, and you’re not as big as…”

“What did you find out?” asked Jennifer hurriedly. “Where did Rune go?”

The boy gritted his teeth, but turned. “Well, that’s just it—Rune wasn’t there.”

Jennifer mulled that over. “Well, that makes sense if Rune is Evangelos. Because he was here with us, instead of somewhere else with you.”

“That’s possible,” Skip admitted. “But then again, it’s still possible he’s just on the trail of the real Evangelos. So I went to the places Rune went last time, and looked around. Checked employment records, watched folks, that sort of thing…”

“You checked the employment records at the hospital?” Jennifer saw her mother’s face turn from irritation to alarm. “That’s illegal.”

Skip looked at her with a small smile. “It’s not the first time I’ve broken the law, Mrs. Georges-Scales.”

Why is he provoking her? Jennifer wondered, holding her mother’s hand and squeezing. The answer came right away: Because he likes it. He likes bucking authority. He’s liked it since the day you met him. That’s what gave him the courage to stand between you and his own father.

Jonathan intervened smoothly. “Skip, did you learn anything new?”

“Well, the most recent employee at the hospital is, get this, Martin Stowe. Custodial work. I guess he can still do that much, even with his bad eyesight. And I also saw Angus Cheron—”

“Yes, wonderful research,” Elizabeth interrupted, sarcastically. “People who are new in town are apparently the most recent hires at local employers. A true investigative breakthrough. And if you saw them, we’ll grant you they couldn’t be Evangelos. But as my husband asked you, do you have anything new?”

Skip pushed his chair back. “You know, I’m not your trained monkey! I don’t have to tell you anything!”

Jonathan rose enough to rest a reassuring hand on Skip’s shoulder. “We’re glad you’re here. Aren’t we, honey?” This got a noncommittal grunt. “And we’re all working for the same goal.”

“I’m not so sure of that,” Skip snapped. “After all, if he’s trying to kill you, you’re probably trying to kill him. Are you sure you guys are completely blameless, here?”

“What are you suggesting?” Jennifer snapped. “That we’re murderers like him?”

He bit his lip as he looked at her. “Well, people do have a habit of dying around you…”

Jennifer felt like he had taken a hot poker to her lungs. She opened her mouth and found no words to say.

Even though she saw his face change at the sight of hers, she didn’t want to give him a chance to apologize. She kicked her chair away, ran out of the kitchen, and made sure she slammed the door to her bedroom so everyone downstairs could hear it. She set about her charcoal sketches immediately.

Ten minutes later, her father knocked on the door.

“Is he gone?”

The door cracked open. “No. He says to tell you he’s sorry. He didn’t mean to remind you of Grandpa Crawford like that.” There was a pause. “He sounded pretty sincere.”

“Why isn’t he up here?”

Another pause as he reviewed her artwork. “I didn’t want you to kill him.”

This got the corner of her mouth twitching. “Huh. No, I’d be satisfied if he just left.”

“He’s not leaving. We are.”

“Why?”

“Crescent moon’s coming. Seems like a good time to get out of here. I’d been thinking of doing this anyway, but after today I’m sure.”

“What?”

“We’re going to go to Crescent Valley,” he announced briskly. “You and me. Plainly, there are too many beaststalkers who are likely to ignore the mayor, like the Blacktooths did. That makes things doubly dangerous for us. We need time to think, in a safe place. And I’m going to ask the Blaze for permission to bring your mother with us. Skip, too, since Evangelos may be attacking your friends.”

Who cares about Skip, she thought bitterly. Okay, I do. Her thoughts turned briefly to Susan, but she realized what her parents had probably already figured out: Here in Winoka Susan had more certainty of beaststalker protection than Skip did.

“And Skip’s staying here with Mom while we go?”

He nodded, with the faintest of smiles. “Your mother insisted. For his protection, until we return. He looks pretty miserable about the idea, but he feels so bad about what he just said to you, he couldn’t refuse.”

She let a small, satisfied smile escape. “Let’s go.”

Despite her nervousness about what they were here to do, Jennifer found herself relaxing again the next morning when she broke the surface of the dark lake near Crescent Valley. Geddy the gecko was on her nose horn, braving the underwater voyage with unnatural aplomb. His head perked up at the sound of fire hornets in the distance, and he turned just in time to see the belt of fire surround the eternal crescent moon.

Looking at his expressionless, reptilian face, Jennifer couldn’t help but wonder if he knew more about the venerables and what else was up there than she did.

“I sent word ahead of us,” Jonathan told her as they broke free from the water’s surface and spread their wings against the starlit sky. “The Blaze should be assembled by the time we arrive.”

This much was true. Even from miles away, Jennifer could spot five or six large silhouettes floating just below the tip of the crescent moon. Like dark albatrosses, they simply let the gentle wind carry them where it would. Upon Jennifer and her father’s approach, however, they began to turn over and dump the wind from their wings, descending in rapid circles to a point she quickly recognized: the dragons’ amphitheater.

It was full, as it had been last time. Jennifer spotted Winona Brandfire without much trouble, and was surprised to see Catherine sitting right next to her grandmother. A few rows away, the prickly dasher Xavier Longtail sat restlessly on his haunches. He watched Jennifer as she eased herself to the ground next to her father.

Winona Brandfire wasted no time; Jennifer didn’t even get a chance to sit down. “Jonathan Scales. You have summoned this Blaze.” Her tone was sharp and inquisitive enough for Jennifer to hear the implied question: Why?

“I have, Eldest. Thank you. I am here to make a simple request: My wife requires sanctuary from clear danger. I need approval for her entry to this refuge, so that she can remain safe while we reconsider our strategy for hunting Evangelos.”

He had not even finished speaking before several weredragons began mumbling and growling. Xavier was the loudest among them. Jennifer couldn’t hear every word he said, but “preposterous” and “never” were easy to catch.

Winona held up a wing claw for silence. As she had before, Jennifer spotted a small, mysterious gleam on one scaly finger. “Elder Scales, you know our law. Not even weredragons before their fiftieth morph are allowed to know where this refuge is, much less come here.” Jennifer caught the sideways glance to her granddaughter. “Why should we allow a beaststalker?”

“Because she’s my wife, and I love her.”

Jennifer, along with the rest of the dragons assembled, waited a few moments for more. But Jonathan offered nothing else.

Xavier rose and flicked his indigo tail irritably. His voice was loud, but the anger appeared just under control. “We are not responsible for your life decisions, Elder Scales. Had you married a weredragon, even one who hadn’t reached her fiftieth morph, your request might be reasonable. But you cannot seriously expect us to allow one of our most dangerous enemies into our last and most sacred refuge!”