The Inner Circle (Return of the Ancients Book 3) (24 page)

“We don’t know much about him,” I said honestly. “I’m the only one that’s seen him here. He started out as that gnome in Mrs. Patton’s yard.”

Al’s brows rose at that one.

“He seems to be trying to help me,” I felt compelled to say.

Al nodded and asked me from under bushy brows, “And when you got sick in the park?”

“Blondie,” I said with a shudder, recalling how close I’d come to death.

“Blondie?” Al repeated the name curiously.

“The leader of the lizard people,” Rafael supplied quietly. “The most dangerous one of them all. At present, he’s still trapped in the second dimension, and has only managed to gain control of the body of a Mesmer. He seeks to return to Earth and gain a human body to possess.”

I shuddered. I hadn’t known that.

Al nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, and asked, “So, how long do we’ve got before these lizard people get this portal operational?”

“My best guess is no more than a month.” Rafael’s jaw clenched. “At least that’s what Marquis believes.”

Jareth and I looked at him in surprise.

“Then what’s the plan?” Al asked. “Who’s in charge of our defensive strategy here?”

“As of today,” Rafael answered. “I am.”

I blinked and shot a quick glance at Jareth. Somehow, I figured he was going to object, or at the least, say something snarky. But to my surprise, he only gave me a belligerent shrug and drawing a coin from his pocket, began to flip it through his fingers.

“Melody and Marquis were tasked by our Queens to oversee Earth’s protection,” Rafael began to explain. “But both Jareth and I have uncovered their duplicity. I … made the … choice…” He paused noticeably on each word before continuing, “The choice to use my heritage and position in the Inner Circle to take control, to keep the peace in Avalon and protect Earth, as is my duty.”

My eyes misted with angry tears. How could such a choice be deemed bad? It made little sense. If this was considered wrong, then something was really wrong with the system.

“Already I’ve used my new position to order a contingent of Protectors to aid us in finding this portal,” Rafael was still speaking. He pointed across the street to his house. “We would greatly benefit from your insight, should you care to join us.”

An expression of pure delight crossed Al’s face. He was beaming. “Then let’s get busy,” he said, pushing his empty coffee cup away. “But give me three minutes. I’ve got to get ready.”

Precisely three minutes later, Al returned to the kitchen, and I could tell by his heavy military boots and fatigues that he was prepared.

Rubbing his hands briskly together, he said, “Let’s get this show on the road! I’ve told Betty that you boys have joined the Neighborhood Watch and that we’re out on a training patrol.” He was practically bubbling with excitement. “Now, let’s be off to this Mission Control Center of yours.”

Thinking Neighborhood Watch was a bit of an understatement, I followed them across the street, listening to the sound of their boots crunching in the newly fallen snow. But as I stepped through the front door of Rafael’s house, I paused on the threshold in surprise.

The place was crawling with Fae Protectors.

They’d set up their equipment in the living room and kitchen. But it didn’t look like much of a Mission Control Center. It looked more like an art gallery with different sized crystals of varying hues arranged around the rooms on marble pedestals. One wall of the living room was lined with gilt-edged mirrors.

It was a stark reminder of Rafael’s recent loss of his own mirror.

He must have read it on my face because soon he was at my side, murmuring into my hair, “There’s more to be gained by living in the present than by being trapped in the past, little green-eyed pixie.”

My head snapped up just as he leaned down, and for a moment our lips brushed together before he moved away, leaving me to think that he’d strategically timed it. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one to conclude that, because as Rafael left, I caught Jareth rolling his eyes.

As Rafael led us through the rooms, a few different Fae approached to give him updates.

“The Queens have sequestered themselves in the Hall of Mirrors,” a particularly thin Light Fae female named Sadaf informed him. “They’ve given orders for peace to rule Avalon while they search for the truth.”

“That is well.” Rafael nodded, obviously pleased. “See that the Inner Circle obeys these orders as well. I’ll sanction no violence.”

Sadaf gave him a salute and stepped back.

It was Brock’s turn to report next. He gave me a quick smile before announcing, “Melody has disappeared. We can find no trace of her.”

Rafael’s face remained calm, but I knew him well enough to see the tension in the corners of his mouth.

“Keep looking,” was all he said as he moved to where Jareth slouched near a particularly large blue crystal.

The soft murmuring of the Fae died in an instant, and all eyes turned upon us.

“And Jareth, will you now share your insight into the Brotherhood?” Rafael asked, bowing his head in respect. “We need the vast knowledge and help of the Dark Fae if we’re to succeed.”

I understood some of the significance of his words. I mean, it was clear that Rafael was extending an olive branch of some kind, and that he was publicly going against whatever Melody had said about getting rid of the Dark Fae.

But from the way everyone was watching them, it appeared deeper than that. Far deeper.

Jareth stood there a full three minutes in complete silence. Finally, he opened his mouth. “You’ve become unpredictable of late, Rafael,” he said.

“I know that’s a compliment coming from you,” Rafael observed in reply. Bowing his head, he murmured, “Thank you.”

Again, Jareth studied him. And then he divulged, “The Brotherhood’s in an uproar. They hit an unexpected roadblock with their portal, and Ajax nearly severed Blondie’s connection. They’re waiting for Blondie to recover.”

“Then we’ve bought time,” Rafael said in overt relief.

“Time we must use to our advantage,” Jareth agreed. “I’ll track Marquis, if you’ll lend me you aid. He’s likely to be near Blondie. Perhaps we’ll learn the nature of the Brotherhood’s connection and more of this portal.”

Rafael nodded. “A promising approach. But the tracking will be solely up to you now, Jareth. My mirror is … gone.”

It struck me then. It was the decided lack of snarky comments and barbs. Jareth and Rafael were
working
together—together, as true counterparts should.

And in spite of the fact that things were still dire, I felt a strong surge of hope.

Maybe, just maybe, things would be all right.

Al stepped forward, clearly intrigued. 
“You know, I should give Jack a call,” he said, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. “Sounds like we need his brain on this portal mystery.”

“By all means, the more help we have, the better chance we have,” Rafael replied.

I wanted to offer my help, but I hung back.

I couldn’t mention my tulpa theory in front of Jareth. Not until I’d figured out what was going on with him. Reaching over, I tugged Rafael’s sleeve.

“Can we talk later?” I asked.

His eyes lit with a smile as he looked down at me. “I’ll find you in a little while,” he promised.

I watched him work with Jareth for a bit. They stood in front of the mirrors, but there were no images displaying on them. Only clouds of mist. Not wanting to disturb them, I went outside to join Al on the front porch.

Al was staring at the sky with his face knit into a frown. But he smiled when he saw me and pulled a small notebook and pencil out of his shirt pocket.

“I guess I always figured we weren’t alone,” he said, waving his hand absently at the sky. “But I thought someone else would discover that a few hundred years from now.”

I joined him at the railing.

Al didn’t know the half of it. We hadn’t told him about the Blue Threads or the impending disaster of the Tree of Life’s destruction.

It was an awful lot to hold in.

Closing my eyes, I whispered, “I'm scared, Al. I feel like I'm flying too high, and if I open my eyes, I’ll see that and fall.”

Al’s sharp blue eyes zeroed in on mine. He waited for me to continue, but when I didn’t reveal anymore, he chuckled.

“Don’t worry so much, kiddo,” he said. “If you’re flying, you’ve got wings, right? You won’t fall. You’ll only glide down.”

Al always knew what to say. Or, I guess his words just made a lot of sense to me. I smiled, finding his company comforting.

He gave me a fond pat on the head. “You’ve got quite a head on that shoulder of yours, Sydney. And I’m even more impressed now, knowing what you’ve been dealing with. You’re one tough cookie! Never doubt yourself!”

I’m not one given to tears, but tears threatened upon hearing that, and I quickly dropped my gaze and focused on his army boots. No one had ever called me a tough cookie before. I liked it. It only made me more determined to be a tougher one.

Al flipped his notebook open, and wetting the pencil with the tip of his tongue, he wrote “Mission Control Center” in big, block letters.

He paused and gave me a conspiratorial grin. “We need some codenames here,” he said. “Something that won’t tip Betty and Grace off. I’m not sure they could deal with this yet.”

I nodded in whole-hearted agreement.

He wrote “Lizard People Portal”, “Mesmer Attack”, “Mysterious Weapon”, and “Shadow People” on the page and knit his brows in concentration.

It didn’t take him long.

“I’ve got it,” he said with a crisp nod. “‘Operation Take Down’ should cover the portal problem, ‘Operation Defense’ can handle the Mesmer attack, ‘Operation Bloodhound’ to find Melody, and ‘Operation Gumshoe’ for these Shadow People.”

“Gumshoe?” I asked, puzzled.

“You know, to creep around like you’re wearing soft shoes,” he said, waggling his brows.

I knew a lot of people would take one look at Al and assume he was an uneducated redneck. But that would be their loss. I knew different. Al was one of the sharpest, smartest, and inspiring people that I’d ever met.

As he scribbled in his notebook, my mind began to wander.

Was Rafael right? Was Earth really on a course of destruction?

I couldn’t feel it. But I didn’t know if that was because I was holding onto hope, or if I was just in denial because the obliteration of Earth was just too foreign a concept to ever feel real.

“Where is your mind, little green-eyed pixie?”

I jerked and whirled to see Rafael leaning against the railing with his arms folded across his chest.

I didn’t know how long he’d been there, watching me.

He pushed himself off the railing and joined me. And, as his lips curved into a smile, his eyes softened.

“You need to rest, Sydney,” he advised gently, sliding a long finger under my chin. “Your body needs to heal.”

I knew he was right. I was tired and sore, but I didn’t want to admit it.

He leaned down and kissed me lightly, first on the cheek and then on the nose. 
“Come,” he said. “Ajax and I will walk you over.”

“Ajax?” I said, looking over my shoulder as the Doberman trotted out onto the porch.

Reaching down, Rafael absently stroked the dog’s ears and smiled. “Ajax will be staying with you until the Brotherhood is no longer a threat. He’ll see that you won’t come to harm.”

I didn’t mind that at all. I felt completely safe with Ajax.

Rafael slipped his hand over mine, and we walked across the street, but once I was certain I couldn’t be overheard, I began, “I’m sure Melody’s doing something horrible to Jareth.”

He didn’t appear surprised at the sudden switch in subject. “It started some time ago,” he murmured. “I thought at first that she was researching how the Mesmers actually control their victims, but now I believe she’s up to something else. But what that is and exactly what she’s done to him … I can’t fathom.”

I felt a ripple of fear at the very thought of the damage Melody might do should she learn how to mesmerize.

“Whatever she’s doing to Jareth, it’s getting worse,” I said. 
And then I told him how I’d stumbled upon the thought of creating a good tulpa to destroy the mutant one.

His gray eyes widened upon hearing it.

“What an astounding thought, Sydney,” he said, genuinely impressed.

I couldn’t help but smile back at him.

“Well, I’m discovering I’m not very good at creating good tulpas yet,” I admitted gruffly.

“Still, it’s something worth practicing,” he said, but then added, “But for now, it’s not something we should mention to Jareth.”

I could only agree as we stepped up onto Al and Betty’s porch.

“So, what’s the plan?” I asked, waving my hand in the direction of the Fae Mission Control Center. “What can I do?”

He didn’t hesitate. And he replied with conviction. “Nothing.”

“What?” I burst out in outrage. “I want to
help
—”

Interrupting me, he put his fingers on top of mine and gave them a reassuring squeeze. “Doing nothing is the best way to help right now, my green-eyed pixie.” He continued, “And doing nothing is a dangerous mission. Both Melody and Marquis will be watching you. You can help the most by acting as if nothing unusual has happened.”

I scowled, highly suspicious that he was only trying to protect me. Pointing across the street, I said, “Do you really think they’re not going to notice that Mission Control Center? That’s pretty unusual.”

“We’ve got to find Melody,” he replied, and I could hear the sincerity in his tone. “If you return to work, you just might draw her out of hiding enough so we can track her down. She won’t be expecting you to act as if all is well. She might even follow you.”

I saw his point then. But the thought of Melody showing up at the coffee shop and trying something nasty—like unexpectedly demonstrating her new ability to mesmerize—was an unsettling one.

“Then you want me to act kind of like an undercover cop,” I said. Finding a better analogy, I voiced it. “Or, more like the bait in a trap.”

“We’ll be watching over you closely,” he reassured as he slipped a comforting arm around my waist and guided me into the kitchen. “But enough of this for now. Now you must eat to regain your strength. You’re far too pale for my liking.”