Frey Saga Book II: Pieces of Eight (20 page)

"Frey," Ruby was
impatient as she stood in my doorway, waiting on me. Geez, we'd
been that close?

I didn't remember
going to sleep, but I couldn't forget my dreams. They were so
unreal, not at all like my usual dreams. But they were just as
uncomfortable. Ruby and I were arguing.
You didn't tell me,
she'd said.
Yeah, well,
apparently I've had some trust issues,
I'd yelled back. The room was spinning around us, filled
with anger and bitterness. And then Fannie was there, joining in
the quarrel, but it wasn't the new Fannie, not the murderous beast
set on revenge. It was the old Fannie, Aunt Fannie, cursing me for
the mundane and insignificant. And then Ruby faded and Fannie began
to violently attempt to persuade me of her theories of high
council's conspiracies. She was vehement, ferocious, and she
started to distort, her shape deforming until it resembled a great
dog, and then shifting into a cat, but not the frightening lion, a
smaller, less menacing version that melted away into the thin
carcass of a snake. A dead snake that curled and writhed as if it
lived. I could hear her words echo through my mind, disgust evident
above all else.
It must be
brought to an end, it is a perversion, brought on by lust for
power
. And it struck me that,
though I knew it was her, it didn't sound like Fannie, didn't carry
her unadorned style. And it didn't sound as if she was speaking of
council.

So, when Ruby
woke me before I was ready, I was a little testy. "What?" I
complained. She didn't answer so when I opened my eyes, ready to
convey my grievance, I was surprised to see Chevelle standing
beside her. She smiled archly. I sat up too fast and my head spun.
Neither of them reached out to steady me.

When it cleared,
I peered up to give at least one of them a dirty look. But
something was wrong.

"What?" I asked,
unease waking me fully.

Chevelle knelt to
eye level. "We need to know where the storage room is."

"I don't know," I
answered automatically. "I already told Ruby, I was lost when it
happened."

"It didn't just
happen, Frey. I need you to tell me everything you can remember
about it."

"There was
nothing, it was just a plain door in the middle of nowhere. I can't
find it again." But then I hesitated because, though I didn't know
how to find it from inside the castle, I knew where the exit was. I
started to stand and he pitched back as if he were frightened of
me.

"What are you
doing?" Ruby asked, right before I toppled forward and Chevelle,
who was standing now, caught me.

"Ugh," I moaned.
When the dizziness passed, I looked up at him but he expressed no
emotion in his still face. I sighed. "I know how to find
it."

"Then tell us,"
he said.

"I can't, I don't
know how to explain it, I just know where it is. From the
outside."

I felt Chevelle's
hold give just a fraction as the shock hit him. "What do you mean,
Freya?"

My chest
tightened at the endearment and it took a moment to find my voice.
"I mean, I don't know where the storage room is, but I know where
the tunnel comes out."

An exceptionally
nasty word escaped Ruby's mouth before she tightened her jaw. They
were both silent while they regained composure. And then Chevelle
spoke. "You took a
tunnel
out of the castle?"

"Not on purpose."
I tried to defend myself. The set of his jaw betrayed his anger and
I started to babble. "It's not like I can remember anything and so
I thought I was going the right way when I found the storage room
and then I saw the tunnel and I don't know what happened, I was
just running through it, and when I came outside I knew where to
find the path and I was almost there when-" My words broke off as I
reached the part about being caught.

"Almost where?"
Chevelle demand.

"I don't know. I
can't explain it," I added, defeated.

Chevelle nodded,
giving us all a moment before starting again. "We need to know
where you were going. Can you tell us where to go from where we
found you?"

I contemplated
it. "No. I'll have to show you."

He shook his
head. "No."

"There's no other
way," Ruby interjected.

He glared at her.
"We don't even know what she's going toward."

"We will all be
with her," she argued. "It's got to be sooner or later-"

He cut her off.
"Later. It will be later."

As he looked back
at me, he seemed to become aware that the hold he'd had to steady
me was now nearly an embrace and he dropped his arms and stepped
back from me. "Rest, Elfreda." He started to go but glanced back at
me and added, "Let us know if you recall any other
details."

I nodded, and
then slid my hands behind my back when I realized I was wringing
them. Once he was gone, I slumped and then fell back onto the
bed.

Ruby was
fidgeting and restless, a rarity for her. I sat up as I questioned
her. "What?"

"Nothing, Frey.
Rest."

It wasn't long
before Grey was at the door and she practically bolted past him
before he stopped her. "What's going on, Ruby?" She feigned
ignorance. "Then I guess I'll be going. I was merely checking on
you since Chevelle informed me not to relieve you of your
charge."

She gritted her
teeth. "He did, did he?"

"That's what I
thought," he laughed.

She'd disappeared
before he'd even turned to greet me. "So, Freya, what have you done
this time?"

I grimaced before
confessing, "I got lost and took a hidden passageway outside the
castle." The smile dropped from his face. "Yep," I continued, "and
I don't really know where I was going so Ruby wants me to show them
the way..."

"And Chevelle
knows better," he finished.

I nodded,
conceding his point. Ruby really did enjoy trouble, it reminded me
of her laughter last night. "How's Steed?" I asked.

"Fine." He
grinned. "How are you?"

"Ugh," I
answered.

"You are much
improved, aside from the wine, of course. We were all relieved to
see your response during training yesterday."

"If only I could
get to my mind that way," I mumbled.

"It won't be
long, Freya." I looked at him, confused, and he explained, "You are
so close now, only one remains to release you."

I sat straight
up. "
What?
"

And then we heard
them in the hall, as their bickering rapidly approached the door.
They filed into the room, Ruby, followed by Chevelle, Rhys, and
Rider.

"Let's go, Frey,"
Ruby directed. I stared at her blankly. "It's decided, you will
show us the way."

I glanced at
Chevelle. His jaw was tight, but he didn't argue. Ruby tossed my
shoes at me so I hastily put them on while she barked out orders.
"Grey, go get Steed. Anvil is waiting at the south gate. We leave
now."

I didn't
understand how Ruby had taken over charge of the group until I saw
Rhys and Rider's expressions. They had agreed with her. I was
certain Grey would go along with her as well, even if he thought it
foolish. And if Anvil was already waiting for us, Chevelle must
have been the only dissident.

Which was how we
found ourselves standing in the middle of the path, waiting for my
murky brain to tell me the right direction to take. Chevelle was so
near me I could barely concentrate and everyone stood either
staring at me while they waited, or watching the surrounding rocks
sharply, as if they might come to life and crush us. It was making
me anxious and I was about to give up as I noticed a vulture
circling above.

I was staring up
at it when the wolves signaled a short way down the path. We
started toward them as a group and then I saw it, the rock that
leaned just so over the pass. I stopped to examine it but the
others kept on, except for Chevelle.

"What is it?" he
asked in a low tone.

"Here," I said,
suddenly heading off the trail and around a tall rock, down the
hidden path before he could stop me.

"How far?" he
asked, glancing back for the others, who were not there, though we
could hear them with the wolves now.

"I'm not sure," I
said, "but it feels close."

He put a hand on
my shoulder. "Wait." Anvil was behind us suddenly and Chevelle
turned to him to find the cause of the wolves' call.

"Carrion," I
heard Anvil say, but his tone was off, so much so that I almost
looked back to see what was wrong. But I didn't, because I could
see it now, the way in.

It took only two
steps further to reach it and Chevelle was in such a solemn
discussion with Anvil that he didn't notice the minor move. Until I
cried out.

Chapter
Eleven

Gross
Misconduct

I woke in my own
bed. Ruby, Chevelle, and Grey stood anxiously watching, but I could
see they were trying to seem nonchalant. I sat up, surprised to
find that my clothes had been changed.

"How long have I
been out?" I asked.

"Not long,"
Chevelle answered, "merely hours."

I glanced down
again, thinking I must have remembered wrong, until I heard Grey
mutter, "I told you," and then louder, "Ruby decided you needed
fresh garments."

"You changed my
clothes while I was sleeping?" I asked. "That's weird."

And then I
remembered falling, well, nearly falling since Chevelle had caught
me just in time, and retching violently into the rocks at my feet.
"Thanks Ruby," I said as I leaned back to my pillows, certain a
change of clothes was the least of it, she'd probably had to wash
the contents of my stomach off along with-

I sat up
suddenly, heaving over the edge of the bed, but there was nothing
left to give. They rushed closer, despite the threat of vomit, and
waited for my response. But what could I say? It had been clear
enough, the revolting horror inside the-

I stopped short.
"Where was I?" No one answered right away. "What was that
place?"

"I was unaware of
it," Chevelle said finally. "It must have been a site shared with
you by Asher." My face twisted at his reply.

I'd barely
examined the room, but what I had seen was no mere burrow or cave.
There had been a well-built chamber just inside, doors off that led
to at least two separate quarters. It was dim, but the stones were
smooth and the space clean. Except for the blood.

The image of the
carcasses rose to the surface and I couldn't stop myself from
seeing the hands again. I didn't know why they were so important,
why they'd kept stealing my focus, unless it was simply that my
subconscious didn't want to see the rest of the picture, the
mangled, torn, destroyed bodies. But the hands were intact, the
fingers curled loosely, skin discolored but pale, caked lightly
with dark, dried blood. It had been apparent that one pair was male
and the other, more disturbing, petite set of hands were clearly a
woman's. I could still see the delicate bracelet that hung,
undamaged, around her tiny wrist.

"Who were they?"
I asked.

"Deimos,"
Chevelle replied tentatively. I felt my chest tighten at the name,
but couldn't understand why. He could see the question in my eyes.
"He was a member of Asher's guard."

I steeled myself
against the wave of unease. "And the girl?" I asked.

He seemed
surprised by my observation. "We do not know."

I was certain
there was more to his answer but kept on. "What happened to
them?"

He hesitated and
though I was confident I knew, I had to hear him say it, so I
waited. I could feel a cool prickle run over my skin before he'd
even spoken. "It seems to be an animal attack."

A movement at the
door made me jump but it was only Anvil. He gave Chevelle a pointed
look and then his gaze followed Chevelle's as he looked again at
me. Anvil stepped closer to us and placed a hand on Chevelle's
shoulder as he spoke. "I will sit with Freya."

I was sure I'd
missed something but couldn't bring myself to care enough to
question it. Chevelle eyed me, hesitant for a moment, and then
stood, glancing once at Ruby before she followed him from the room.
Grey gave me a parting nod as he turned to go with them.

I glanced up at
Anvil, who seemed distracted. When he finally looked back at me, he
saw my curiosity and shook his head. "You're driving him
crazy."

For no good
reason, I flushed.

He continued as
if he were speaking to himself. "Yet it is much improved. It was
exceptionally strange before, akin to a child." I bristled but he
didn't seem to notice.

"Well, it's not
exactly easy on my end either," I said.

He laughed. "I
would reason not. You, expecting naught and finding it nonetheless.
Us, expecting Lord Freya and getting-" he held his hand out toward
me in a gesture that cut short, along with his intended
description, at my expression. "Now, now," he explained with a
smile, "I mean no offense. It is merely unsettling to meet someone
you have known and find they are not at hand."