The Hunt: A Custodes Noctis Book Page 4

  “What?” Galen sounded annoyed, he glanced up and Rob got a good look at his eyes, at the fog moving there. After a moment, Galen shook his head and sighed, the mists were gone. “I think I'd better crash, Brat.” He stood up and swayed, Rob put a hand out to steady him. “Sorry, healing Greg was a little rough.”

  “I noticed,” Rob said.

  “You did?” Galen headed towards his bedroom, Rob trailing after him. “I'm okay.”

  “You're completely drained, Galen.” It was true, the liquid silver shimmer of power that usually surrounded his brother was dimmed to almost nothing. He put a hand out as Galen stumbled when he reached the door to his room. “And a little more.”

  “Yeah,” Galen said, reaching for the door. “I'll see you in the morning.”

  “Sure.” Rob headed into the living room. He pulled several books down, set them on the table and straightened the shelf. When he'd moved into the apartment and added his library to the books there, they had to make another bank of bookshelves for the wall. He arranged the books on the table and went to check on Galen before heading downstairs to the store. Galen was asleep, the soft colors that preceded dream sleep moving around him. With a sigh, Rob walked down to the shop, he often opened after midnight, giving some of the non-human customers the chance to visit before the sun was up. Once he was there, he turned the lights on, unlocked the door and turned the coffeemaker on.

  For the last four months, he didn't seem to be able to sleep more than a few hours a night. The reasons varied, sometimes it was dreams, sometimes it was just the inability to fall asleep. At first he thought it might have something to do with surviving a near-fatal attack four months before, but he was becoming more and more convinced it had to do with his connection to Galen, and his brother's nightmares. Whether Rob could see into Galen's dreams or not, the emotions those dreams created affected him deeply.

  Rob got himself a cup of coffee and sat down behind the counter. He needed to know what was going on with Galen, needed to know the meaning of what he'd seen while hunting the creature. After chewing on his lower lip for several minutes, he made a decision. He had to know, there was no choice, not after what had happened earlier. A soft disturbance sparkled at the edge of his vision.

  “Shouldn't you be asleep?” Parry said as his form shimmered into existence. Sometimes the appearance of his father and uncle surprised him, they'd died six years ago. But since Galen had called the former Keepers into service to help with the Old One the year before, their father and uncle had been, as their Uncle Bobby said, “Haunting the place.” Like all the Emrys Custodes Noctis, Parry was named for a healer—Paracelsus—and his younger brother was named Robert—Bobby in his case. Rob remembered asking his uncle how many Roberts there had been, and why was it that way in the first place, and Bobby had just shrugged and said, “It is our Tradition.”

  “And you've seen me sleep how much lately, Dad?” Rob chuckled, his father's gently chiding voice always made him smile.

  “Not much, we've been worried.”

  “You should have said something,” Rob said, relieved Parry was there.

  “Your brother always says that, too.” Parry walked over and laid his hand on Rob's shoulder.

  “I'm losing him,” Rob said bluntly. “Its been getting worse, and tonight...”

  “Tonight what?” Bobby said, appearing alongside Parry.

  “Something happened while we were out, I was watching, things were going well, then he blanked out.”

  “Blanked out? Galen?” Bobby asked with a concerned frown.

  “Not for long, but long enough to affect the bond.”

  “Tell us what happened,” Parry said.

  Rob told them—about the creatures, about the attack on Flash and Greg, and about that moment when he was pretty sure Galen had died and his corpse had forgotten to fall. The terror of those moments pulsed through his veins. Parry put a shimmering arm over his shoulder and Rob drew from his father's healing enough to calm the slamming of his heart.

  “What do you see?” Bobby asked him.

  “What do you see, Bobby?” Rob looked at him, his uncle shifted, the shimmering light surrounding him dimming. Rob glanced at Parry, he'd dimmed as well. “You don't need to know what I see. You know, both of you, don't you?”

  “What do you see?” Bobby said again, his voice a harsh whisper.

  “Mists, shifting around him, through his eyes. Sometimes I see horses, a stone circle. Tell me,” Rob snapped.

  “We thought he'd escaped, Rob, we thought once you were back, it would solve the problem,” Parry said gently.

  “Problem?” Rob looked from one to the other, watching the colors shift around them, dark shades of concern mixing with the usual hues he associated with his father and uncle. It was bad, whatever was coming was bad.

  “It was seven years ago...” Parry began.

  Seven Years Before

  Parry

  It was cold, the kind of damp chill that permeated the Northwest coast, and to add to it, there was fog wisping through the landscape. The evergreens along the road were black with wet, their stunted limbs lifting into a dull gray sky. Parry sighed as he turned onto the road he was looking for. He felt Bobby's eyes on him, but just shook his head. They couldn't talk about it now, Galen was in the backseat and the discussions with him never went well. His son was something beyond stubborn when the subject of Rob came up.

  “This is the place, Dad,” Galen said from the backseat, his eyes fixed on the map he was holding. “There should be a path out to the beach.”

  Parry pulled off the road. They got out of the car, Bobby wandering to the edge of the trees. Parry and Galen gathered up the weapons they were carrying, then walked to stand beside Bobby. “What do you see?” Parry asked.

  “There's something here,” Bobby said softly, his eyes unfocused as he used the Sight. “Something dark has moved through, there's a trail of blood here.” He pointed at the path winding through the trees. “They went that way.”

  “Are you sure?” Parry was staring at the trail, wishing he had the Sight for the thousandth time. He knew the bodies had been found on the beach above the high tide mark, so they hadn't come out of the ocean, but that didn't mean they had come this way.

  “Pretty sure,” Bobby said, his eyes bleak. “Let's go,” he added, leading the way down the path. Parry followed, aware of the emotion flowing off Bobby, whatever he'd seen was bad.

  They walked down the path towards the sound of surf, it wound through a marshy area, the scent of decay filling the trees around them. There was a cliff, rising up more than a hundred feet on their right, just ahead the trail narrowed where a hill, looking like a giant boulder, thrust out of the ground. The cliff swept away from them as they approached the hill, opening up to a grassy area, leading to the beach.

  “They broke off, there are two trails,” Bobby said, stopping at a fork in the path.

  “I'll go left and out onto the beach that way,” Galen said, coming up beside Parry. “I'll meet you by that rock.” He pointed to a large gray stone sitting in the sand where the grass met the beach. Something in his voice alerted Parry.

  “Galen?” Parry walked over and put his hand on his son's shoulder. A wave of sadness flowed up the touch. “What is it?”

  “I was just remembering the summer we went to the beach with Rob,” Galen said softly. His eyes were sad, but warmed as always when he spoke of his brother. “I'll meet you.” He gently detached Parry's hand and walked down the path, looking left and right, pausing to touch the trees, trying to get a sense of what had passed that way.

  “What is it?” Parry could feel the worry flowing off Bobby as they stood watching Galen move down the trail.

  “Sometimes it's like he's fading away,” Bobby said. “I mean that literally, Parry.”

  “Bobby?”

  “I can't imagine living like that, without the bond.” Bobby looked at him, not that they needed a look for the concern to reach Parry. “Most of us
wouldn't have lasted this long, it's only because Rob's alive that he functions at all.”

  “I know. We need...”

  “To get them back together,” Bobby finished for him. “Any idea how? Rob called two days ago, his Sight, never mind, he called. I,” he paused, “I tried to tell him, Parry.”

  “Yeah? You couldn't?” Parry sighed. “I've tried, too.”

  “You what?”

  “I think the words, but somewhere between my brain and my mouth they stop.”

  “Galen's blocking us, isn't he?” Bobby asked, incredulously.

  “Yeah, it has to be him. I've wondered if we could get into physical proximity with Rob, if we could force through the block. I don't know. For all I know, if we tried to leave we'd just drive in circles. I think he's blocking Rob too—I mean, Rob's never asked to come back, I don't think that's just grief, I think it's because he can't.”

  “How can Galen do that?”

  “He's determined not to let the Legacy come to fruition, he's sure that he's one of the Keepers of the saga, but he thinks as long as he stays dead, as long as he's separated from Rob...”

  “There are other ramifications, Parry.”

  “I know,” Parry sighed sadly, then shook himself, they talked about it on a regular basis, but the despair creeping into his soul felt different. “Bobby? Do you see anything?”

  “Funny you should ask, the mist, there's an odd tinge to it.”

  “Odd tinge?”

  “Dark, cold.” Bobby turned and gazed down the path to the beach. “It's affecting us, whatever it is, isn't it?”

  “Might be,” Parry agreed. He started down the trail, listening for any movement, aware of a cold damp slowly seeping into him, something that had nothing to do with the fog or the waves crashing just out of sight. Somewhere over his head a raven called, its harsh croak the only sound other than the surf.

  “Dad!” Galen's voice slammed into Parry with physical force. “Dad?” the call came through the mists, amplified by Galen's power, Parry heard it clearly in his head.

  “Galen!” Parry shouted. “Bobby!” He hadn't needed to call his brother, Bobby was already on the way, just a few steps behind him as they raced down the path Galen had taken.

  The raven's croak echoed around Parry as he ran through the dark trees. He glanced around, trying to find Galen. When they broke through the trees and into the grass on the beach, Parry stopped for a moment and waited for Bobby, knowing that the Sight would allow Bobby to located Galen long before Parry could.

  “Over there!” Bobby pointed to the right, down by the driftwood cast up by the waves.

  Parry turned and ran through the grass, the sand slowing his progress. As he came around a large trunk, he spotted Galen, lying in the sand, face down. “Galen!” He ran to his son, slamming to his knees beside him. He gently turned Galen over as Bobby knelt beside him.

  “He's almost gone,” Bobby said breathlessly, fear coloring his voice.

  “Galen?” Parry laid his hand on Galen's head, trying to assess the damage, wondering what had happened in the few minutes they were apart. Darkness flowed up the touch, Parry shifted his hand, laying the other over Galen's heart, trying to get a better sense of what had attacked him. Cold mist wrapped around him.

  “Shit,” Bobby whispered.

  Parry glanced up from Galen. Bobby was staring across the grass, a look of surprise on his face. Parry squinted, all he could see was a soft shimmer, almost like mirage on a hot day, the grass moving in the wind. It took a moment before he realized that the wind wasn't blowing. It was only in that single spot that there was any movement in the silent landscape.

  Bobby made no sound as he stood, he moved so he was between the shimmer and Parry. “I can see you,” he said. There was a pause and Bobby drew his sword and held it in front of him. “Did you hear me?”

  “Bobby?” Parry asked silently, through their bond.

  “We've got a little trouble.” Bobby took a step forward. “You know what I am, stay back.” He took another step, his sword raised. “Parry!” Parry was up an instant later, drawing his own sword and moving to Bobby's left. “Just ahead of you!” Bobby called.

  Parry raised his sword and took a swing at the air, only slightly surprised when he felt his blade impact on something solid. He pulled back and thrust again, the sword slamming against metal this time. “Shield?” he asked Bobby.

  “Shield and sword.” Bobby was swinging his own blade, the sound of metal striking metal ringing through the fog.

  “Got it.” Parry moved forward, took another swing at where the shield should be, then feinted to the right, his sword slid into something, an icy cold swept up the sword and into Parry's hand. He nearly let the hilt go as the freezing touch of darkness wrapped around him.

  “Down!” Bobby said from beside him, Parry moved without thinking. He was up in the next breath, cutting low. There was a phantom grunt of pain. Out of the corner of his eye, Parry saw that odd mirage-like shimmer moving up. “Behind us?” he said.

  “Yeah.”

  “Right,” Parry said, knowing Bobby would move. They shifted together.

  “Riders,” Bobby said suddenly.

  “What?”

  “Oh gods, Parry! I... I think it's... Oh gods, it is! It is the Hunt! Wake Galen, get him up, conscious!”

  “Are you sure?” Parry asked, dropping back beside Galen, his heart pounding with fear for his son.

  “Pretty damn sure, I can see them. The other thing is with them. We have to get Galen out of here. Get him up.”

  “Trying,” Parry said, focusing the healing into Galen. Cold seeped up his arms, and with it the image of swirling mists and softly chiming bells. “Galen,” he said desperately. He wasn't going to lose Galen without a fight. “Galen!” In desperation, he slapped Galen's face, and finally he felt the light moving through his son's body, felt when the first sliver of awareness touched him. “Galen?”

  “My lost brothers,” Galen whispered. Parry wasn't sure if he'd heard it, or sensed it through the healing. “I can go.”

  “No, Galen.” Parry concentrated, trying to force Galen into wakefulness.

  “Parry? You might need to hurry, I can't hold them off forever.”

  “I'm trying,” he murmured. “I don't have enough...” He paused, then changed his focus. “Galen, I need you to use my Gift, focus it into yourself. Come on, Galen.” There was a long moment when nothing happened, then he felt the shift in the healing as it amplified and altered, blending with Galen's Gift.

  “Dad?” Galen's eyes fluttered opened.

  “We really need to go,” Bobby said, stepping back towards them.

  “Help me,” Parry said, pulling Galen to his feet.

  “What's going on?” Galen mumbled.

  “Now!” Bobby said desperately. “You take Galen, I'm right behind you!”

  Parry ran towards the path off the beach, Galen stumbling beside him. As they reached the trail, he heard Bobby shout in pain, felt the blow echo through his own body. He staggered. “Bobby?”

  “I'm okay, keep going.”

  Parry could hear movement behind him as they ran through the trees, Galen's steps faltering more with each passing moment. By the time they were back to the car, Galen was nearly unconscious again. Parry wrenched the door open and laid him on the backseat. He ran around the car and jumped in, turning the key in the ignition just as Bobby dove in the passenger side.