Chapter 29
"My lord?"
When Gabriel opened his eyes and saw the relief on Thomas' face, he knew that his momentary lapse into weakness had ended.
Despite the fact that the bond's destruction still throbbed through his mind, Gabriel knew he could not hide in the library forever.
He would have to make an effort to discover who had died. He would have to ask Sennet about Malachi's status, and try to find a safe place for Emle and Eri to stay, because the Hunt's home was no longer safe for her. He would have to ignore the weakness, because he could not afford to do anything else.
"My lord, Lucas wants to know if there is anything he can do."
Gabriel considered that request for a long moment before replying. "Yes. There is something he can do. But I will see Malachi first. And then I will speak with Lucas."
It took an effort just to walk--the short rest had not helped the weariness that threatened to consume him. But he made it to the bedroom without falling, and locked the weakness behind one of his habitual masks.
Sennet sat beside Malachi, her talent still working to repair the damage the bond's destruction had wrought. Despite the mask, she grimaced when she glanced up at Gabriel.
"You don't look much better off than your Hounds."
"Is he--" Gabriel did not want her attention--or her talent--taken away from Malachi until he was stable.
"He'll live--I think," Sennet said. "And he may be okay. The mind is a remarkably resilient thing. But he may not remember anything that has happened."
"I would rather he forget than die," Gabriel said softly. "I did not see this coming."
"I don't think anyone did," Sennet said. She stood then, and removed her hand from Malachi's limp grasp. "He needs to sleep. Is there anyone else who needs my help?"
"Thomas is awake," Gabriel said. "He spoke to me just now. I don't know about Zechariah yet--"
"What about you?" Sennet asked, as he knew she would.
Pride was one thing, but Gabriel could not refuse her help and find his missing Hounds. Healing would lessen the pain of the bond's destruction, and it would also hasten its renewal, and give him a bit of strength to function.
"My Hounds first," he said. "They are hurting too." He struggled to find the right words--to lessen the urge to tell her nothing. "The bond between us--it connects us together. When it is torn away--"
Sennet nodded. "I understand."
"I will sit with Malachi," Gabriel said. "See to the others, if you don't mind."
When she was gone, he sat next to his Hound and stared down at his face. Malachi's eyes were ringed with shadows still, but he breathed on his own, and he seemed in no danger of dying. With only Malachi to see him once he dropped his mask, Gabriel closed his eyes and let down his guard.
Who had died? He had been so intent on ferreting out what Malachi knew that he hadn't paid any attention to the others. Who had died?
"M-My lord?" Malachi's voice was a faint, raspy whisper.
"I am here," Gabriel said, shoving all worry from his voice. "The bond is broken. Someone is dead, but I don't know who."
A minute passed before Malachi replied. "I felt--" His body twitched, as if in remembrance of the pain.
"Hush. Lie still. You almost died." Gabriel hesitated, then took Malachi's hand. "You will recover."
Malachi licked his lips. "You--Did you find out what you wanted, my lord?"
"No. Not enough of it," Gabriel said. 'But it is no matter now. You are alive. That is enough."
A quiet knock on the door prevented Malachi's reply. As Gabriel rose to answer it, he wondered if Malachi would remember this conversation, since he had yet to open his eyes.
Lucas stood on the other side of the door with Emle and Eri behind him, his hand raised to knock again.
"I am sorry to intrude, but Thomas said I could do something to help?"
"How is he?" Emle asked.
"He was awake a moment ago," Gabriel replied, and realized he had forgotten to hide his weariness behind a mask. Did it matter now? Lucas knew every single one of the Hunt's secrets, save for the actual origin on the Wild Hunt. "Sennet says he will recover." Before either Lucas or Emle could reply, he continued, "Lucas, if you will, I'd like you to take Emle and Eri to your house until this is resolved. They will be safe there."
At once, Emle opened her mouth to protest. "You cannot just send us away!"
"No!" Eri's eyes filled with tears. "I don't want to go--"
"This house is no longer safe," Gabriel said. "I cannot vouch for Josiah's wards, and I cannot protect you from an invisible enemy." Despite Lucas' presence, he took her hand and drew her into his arms, then enveloped his daughter into their embrace. "Please. Don't fight me in this."
Emle laid her head against his chest. "I do not like this. I have no wish to leave."
Eri quivered against him. "I don't want to leave either."
"And I have no wish for you to leave," Gabriel said, stroking his daughter's hair. "But what other choice do I have?"
"Lucas could supplement the wards--" But even as Emle suggested that, her voice trailed away.
"I could do such a thing," Lucas said. "However, it won't answer the question that you don't know the answer to, Gabriel. What will happen once the binding has expired? Will Magdalen summon you? Is the curse still in existence?"
"I don't know," Gabriel whispered, which was the truth. "And I won't know until the binding expires." He hesitated; this was difficult enough without admitting everything under the sun. "I have reason to believe that the death of one of my Hounds was a distraction, nothing more. Magdalen intends worse. I don't think she expects the curse to be valid after all this time." And surely it wouldn't be. Curses couldn't last forever, and the binding had--hopefully--broken the curse. "But I can still be bound. And there are two ways I could be bound again. By force--and I doubt Magdlaen has enough power to do what the Council did--or by deceit."
"You think we're in danger," Emle said. "You think she will try to get to us to bind you."
"Who else?" Gabriel asked. "Either you or one of my Hounds, and if she has one of my Hounds, I will know soon enough. We know that she asked Malachi about you. He claims she knows nothing of Eri, but what if she does?"
"I understand." She hugged him tightly, then moved away, dabbing at her eyes. "I'll pack some clothes."
Eri did not release her grip around Gabriel's waist. He lifted her up and she buried her head against his neck. "I don't want to leave."
"It is only for a little while," Gabriel said, and hoped that was true.
"I have a spare bedroom you both can stay in as long as you need," Lucas said. His voice was completely sincere. "What about Malachi? If you're attacked--if Josiah's wards fail--"
"I think Sennet will say that he is not stable enough to move," Gabriel said. "Emle and Eri are the targets. Keep them safe."
"I think you are the target," Lucas said quietly.
Gabriel smiled. "Yes. But I am not asking you to shelter me."
"You told me that you knew Magdalen 'of old'," Lucas said. "Was she the person who cursed you?"
"No." Out of long habit, Gabriel hesitated. "The person who cursed me was her mother." Another hesitation. Why was it so difficult to talk about this? "I killed her mother. Magdalen swore revenge."
"But her mother cursed you?"
"She--Magdalen's mother created the Wild Hunt after I refused to serve her." It was a bare explanation to everything that had happened, but it would do to soothe Lucas' curiosity. "As punishment. She cursed me when she died."
"Ah." Lucas did not press for a more detailed explanation. He looked as if he wanted to say more, but perhaps he realized that Gabriel did not know the answers to his questions. "If something happens and you need additional help, don't hesitate to send someone to my house."
"Thank you." And then, as he knew he must, Gabriel said, "I will remember your kindness. I--"
"You owe me nothing for this," Lucas interrupted. "And I know what you're going to say. If you wish, think of this as repayment for serving the Council all these years."
Gabriel nodded, too weary to argue. "Very well."
"I am ready." Emle appeared again, a small bag in one hand. "You will send word?"
"I will send word," Gabriel promised. He did not want to see her leave, but what choice did he have? Emle and Eri would be safe with Lucas.
He hugged them and kissed them one last time, and then watched them leave, certain that he would never see his family again--but unable to call them back.
This was, after all, for the best. Lucas would keep them safe.
He hoped.
Chapter 30
Despite Magdalen's order for Althea to stay well-away from the Wild Hunt, she found that she couldn't leave them alone. Now that she knew what she knew--now that the Hunt was in chaos and despite Magdalen's assurances that they had won--she wanted to know more.
What else had Gabriel hidden from the Council? Or, rather, from the rest of the Council, since Lucas had been inside the Hunt's lair.
She combed through the files in the Council's vast library, searching for any indication that this secret had only been kept from her.
She found nothing. Oh, vague references, and all the usual histories, but nothing more than that. Nothing to show that the Council--save for Lucas, the traitor--had been aware of Gabriel's secrets.
In fact, there had been a push to destroy the binding fifty years after its implementation, on the grounds that the Council no longer wished to force the Wild Hunt to serve them.
Nothing had come of it, of course, but that little footnote in the histories made Althea wonder if the binding could be broken early.
Is that what Lucas intended to do?
The damning evidence of his desires never appeared. In fact, it was a glaringly obvious omission.
She could not find the binding itself.
She knew it was on paper--any spell that was set to expire had to be written down so it could be destroyed when the time was right. She had seen a copy of it once, long ago, soon after she began her instruction and training to become a member of the Council.
Since everything else to do with the Hunt was kept in the Council's library, Althea had assumed that the binding would be kept there as well.
Had Lucas--taken it?
Long ago, he had created a permanent portal from his library to the Council's library--a shortcut so he didn't have to drive between the two buildings all the time, and also a way to share his own extensive library with the rest of the Council. There were no rules to pass through the portal, per se, but Althea did not want to have to answer his questions about why she was looking for the binding, either.
Still, it wouldn't hurt to see if he had taken it, for whatever reason. With that in mind, she opened the door that closed off the portal.
Lucas' library was set up like the Council's library, with a row of oak file cabinets along one wall and bookcases--filled, of course--covered every other available surface. The room had been two bedrooms once, and he had removed the wall between them, doubling the space.
The first closet held extra files, the second had been converted into a tiny workstation for students who needed some private space to research.
Althea searched the file cabinets first. She found an empty file folder under the heading "Hunt, Wild", but nothing else that could have contained the binding. And would Lucas have left such an important spell out in the open like that?
She found it, finally, in the closet, in a small wooden box, along with a codicil signed by Lucas and three other members of the Council--Althea not included. The codicil transferred the binding into Lucas' grasp alone, which meant that he controlled the Hunt.
Niklas--the dragon--was named as a backup if something happened to Lucas.
The codicil was dated five years ago.
For a moment, Althea considered tearing up every single piece of paper in the box. Five years ago, she had been a new member of the Council, and no one had mentioned such a thing. The Hunt was supposed to be at the Council's beck and call, not only subject to Lucas' whim. It was no wonder that they had largely dropped out of sight in the past five years--Lucas had kept them in the background, no doubt by Gabriel's request.
She could have no more summoned Gabriel to meet with Magdalen than she could have forced him to sign a new binding. She was powerless in that respect.
She stared down at the brittle parchment nestled in the bottom of the box and forced herself to read it closely. Forced herself to search for some loophole that would negate Lucas' addendum and make it null and void.
The only thing she could work with was a very small note--almost an afterthought--at the bottom of the page.
If the Council deems that the Hunt has served in good faith, this binding can be removed before its ending date.
But if Lucas had every intention of freeing the Hunt, why hadn't he already destroyed it? Didn't he know the note was there? Had he ever read the binding in its entirety?
The Hunt may harm no one without just cause. The Hunt may not harm a member of the Council.
It was a list of rules more than a binding, a guideline of sorts, forcing Gabriel to become a more--civilized creature. And even Althea realized the binding had worked. Gabriel had learned his lesson.
But that had nothing to do with Magdalen's desire to control the Hunt.
She heard voices then--Lucas and someone else--and crept towards the open door that led to the rest of Lucas' house. When she recognized Emle's voice, she almost knocked over a stack of books in her haste to stay unseen.
What was Emle doing in Lucas' house? Was the child with her?
"...spare bedroom," Lucas said, his voice a low murmur. "And down that hallway is the library--I'll show you it in a moment. The bathroom is through that door--"
Quickly, Althea shoved the paperwork back into the box and put it away. Then, trying to think of a valid reason to be there in the first place, she pulled a handful of books from the shelves--aversion spells--yes--that would do--and settled down in a chair to read.
The Council would want an aversion spell around the remains of the Daulton House. That was obvious, unless someone else had beaten her to it.
She wanted to hear Lucas' excuse for Emle's presence.
"Make yourself at home here," Lucas said, his voice growing louder. "I'm sure you'll be back home soon. In fact--" His voice trailed away. "Althea?"
Althea glanced up as he stopped in the doorway, and held her place in her book with one finger. "Hi Lucas." She ignored the fact that he did not return her smile. "I went back to the Daulton House again--just to scout around a bit. I thought someone needed to put an aversion spell around the house, but I didn't know any offhand. Sorry--I didn't know you had a guest?"
It was too late now, of course, to hide Emle's presence. Or the presence of Gabriel's child, hiding behind her mother, her eyes wide. "Yes, but she's only staying until her house is safe for her again," Lucas said smoothly. "An aversion spell is a wonderful idea. I'll leave you in charge of that."
He made no attempt to introduce Emle or the child, so Althea pretended she did not sense the slight and smiled at the woman. "Hi. I'm Althea Dunning. Sorry if I startled you. I'm almost finished," she said to Lucas. "I'll be out of here in a minute--"
"It's no trouble," Lucas said, but Althea thought she heard annoyance in his tone of voice.
"It is good to meet you," Emle said, but did not give her name or hesitate when Lucas led her away. The child glanced back at Althea, curiosity plain in her gaze. Could she work with that? Entice the girl away from her mother?
A moment later he was back, his face troubled. "I would appreciate it if you don't tell anyone they are here," he said.
"I won't tell anyone," Althea replied. "Let me know if it's anything I can help you with, okay?" She finished copying the spell and closed the book.
Lucas crossed the room to the closet where the binding was, and took down the narrow box. "I'll let you know," he said, and tucked the box under his arm. "For now, casting that spell would be very helpful. I meant to do it earlier, but--"
Earlier had been Malachi's rescue, and Lucas' appearance at the Hunt's lair. Althea nodded, careful not to show any curiosity about the box. "No problem. I can do it now; I'm not busy."
"Thank you." He waited until she had put her book back before turning his back to her--and waited until she passed through the portal before opening the box. The last thing she saw before she closed the door was Lucas holding the binding, as if bracing himself to tear it in two.
She would tell Magdalen, at least. Now that she had an excuse to be at the ruined house, she could cast her spell and give her report all at the same time.
And perhaps she could get out from under Magdalen's thumb sooner than later.
Perhaps. If Lucas destroyed the binding, that would benefit her more than the Hunt itself. And that would be just fine.
(Next Update: October 9th)
House St. Clair Home
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