“Er, and the name you have registered at the hotel is…?”
“Who is this?” demanded the troll suddenly as my luck started to abruptly run out. I was about to try to pacify him to see if I could wheedle Solus’ other pseudonym out of him, when I heard voices coming from the back door through which I’d entered.
Shit. I slammed the phone back onto its cradle and ducked down behind the coffee bar, heart thudding. I’d have to hope that whoever it was had just forgotten something – like locking up properly perhaps - and wasn’t going to hang around. Then I remembered the computer. The page I’d left it on was linked to the Othernet. That was not good. I was pretty sure that no-one, be they mages or shifters or even trolls, would be particularly happy with me if I left that particular gateway open to prying human eyes. I vaulted over the wooden bar, somersaulting in a roll to the computer and quickly disconnecting and clearing the history, before curling up under the desk and pulling the swivel chair in front of me to try to cover myself.
The voices grew louder. “Jesus, Tina, you need to lock that door every time we leave.”
“Yeah? How about you need to lock that door? Not everything is my fault, you know.”
The couple continued bickering to each other. I, meanwhile, tried to make myself into as small a ball as possible and prayed they didn’t enter the actual shop front. For once, my luck was holding and the voices drifted away and up stairs to where I assumed there was a small apartment. I began to extricate myself from under the desk when I realised that my hair was caught on something. Without really thinking about it, I tugged my head away and almost yelped at the sharp yank on my scalp. Reaching up, I gave a grimace of disgust as I realised that I’d managed to attach myself to someone’s discarded chewing gum on the underside of the desk. That was seriously gross. I picked with my fingers, trying to release myself, eventually pulling free but with half of the gum coming with me. Feeling up to my hair with my fingertips, I scowled at the large amount of sticky gunk that had now attached itself to my scalp. On the grand scale of things it was a small matter, but I was pretty vain about my hair. Pulling my fingers away and wiping them on my jeans, I sighed. It would just have to wait till later. I cast a forlorn look over at the coffee machine and clambered out from under the desk, then exited quietly through the back door. ‘Tina’ had helpfully left it unlocked again.
Once outside, I considered my options. Somehow I was going to have to get to the Ritz-Carlton hotel to find Solus. I hadn’t had time to get onto the normal human internet and find out exactly where the hotel was. It had to be in central London, however. I had an idea in my head, I guess from having seen it in pictures or on the news, of what it looked like, but its specific location was a bit of a mystery. I didn’t have any money left now so I couldn’t jump into a cab to get there. I thought for a moment about flagging one down anyway and making Solus pay for it at the other end – let’s face it, it would be the least he could do after not answering my previous requests for his presence - but there was no guarantee that Solus would even be at the hotel and I didn’t want to cause any more potential trouble. There was nothing else to be done, I’d just have to try and run my way there. I hoped it wouldn’t take too long; my time must surely be starting to run out.
I jogged back down to the main road and looked up and down. There seemed little point in going back the way I’d come, so I figured I’d continue to head away from the Brethren and hope that it was the right way. It occurred to me as well, that for my plan to work, I’d have to somehow get back to the Brethren too. Hopefully by then I’d have Solus back on my side and helping. I could remember Bewer Street but stupidly hadn’t thought to pay attention to what street I’d started from. It wasn’t like I could ask for directions. I imagined that conversation in my head with a random passerby. ‘Yes, um, hello, sir? Can you tell me where all the dying shapeshifters are holed up?’ No, that probably wouldn’t work.
Setting off yet again, I tried to look up at the skyline for tall, recognisable buildings. It kind of stood to reason that they would be in the centre of the city where the hotel was. The angles must have been all wrong, however, because all I could see were telephone wires and grey skies. I was just pulling my gaze away from the heavens when I careered straight into a hard, warm body.
“What the fuck?” There hadn’t been anyone in the street a moment before.
“I might ask you the same question, dragonelette,” drawled the object of my search.
I began to pummel Solus on the chest. I wasn’t trying to hurt him and he didn’t move away but he equally didn’t look massively impressed either.
“Where have you been? Solus, I’ve been calling and calling you!”
The Fae folded his arms and glared at me. “I’m not your servant and neither am I at your beck and call. I think we need to re-define the parameters of our relationship.”
“Solus,” I groaned, “I don’t think you’re at my beck and call at all but I thought that maybe we were kind of friends and that I could count on you. I needed your help. I know you’re a Fae and you don’t like humans but I thought maybe you liked me a bit.” I realised as soon as the words were out of my mouth just how pathetic that sounded.
“You’re right,” he said. “I don’t like humans. But you aren’t human, are you? And that, not that I owe you an explanation, is where I’ve been.”
I was a bit confused. Solus elaborated. “The Summer Queen is none too impressed that I have not yet explained why I have been spending so much time on this plane. I could, of course have told her that I have a living breathing Draco Wyr with me, but it occurred to me that might not be the best idea just yet so I have been prevaricating about you on your behalf. Neither is she particularly happy that there is a comatose Scottish witch on her land.”
I freaked out. “You almost told her what I was? You prick! Solus, you’re the one who told me that I couldn’t tell anyone at all! Well, clearly I don’t need to because you’re doing all the blabbing for me!”
“Dragonlette, she’s my Queen. And I didn’t tell her YET, but I might have to.”
Jesus, what was it with all these otherworld idiots and their chain of command?
“Anyway,” Solus continued, “you’ll be pleased to know that I have gained you somewhat of a reprieve. She’s agreed to allow your Mrs Alcoon to stay for the time being, providing that you travel to Tir-na-Nog in the near future to meet her so she can determine your true nature for herself.”
“She’s going to have to get in line,” I growled.
Solus raised his eyebrows at me questioningly. I filled him in on the events of the last forty-eight hours, from what had happened at the Ministry up till I’d left the Brethren. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was a good idea broadcasting the fact that the shifter world was becoming incapacitated by a disease, especially to someone who I clearly couldn’t really trust, but if my plan my worked, then I figured it wouldn’t really matter. And if my plan didn’t work, well then it wouldn’t really matter.
“How did you know I was here?” I questioned, suddenly. I had given up on calling for Solus ages ago and wasn’t massively keen on the idea that he could find me with a snap of his fairy fingers whenever he wanted to.
“I received a very strange phone call from Balud about someone trying to track me down. He said the call from this area.”
Oh. Balud must be the troll. He must either have some mad tracking skills of his own or some outstandingly good tech to have pinpointed my location. I decided that either way I didn’t really want to know. There were other things to worry about for the time being.
I softened my voice and looked hopefully at Solus. “So, will you help me now?”
“I don’t quite understand, dragonlette. What help do you require? I do not see that there is anything you can do, unless you have a medical degree tucked up in your sleeves somewhere.”
“Don’t you get it? I thought you were all-knowing and wise. One of the things Mrs Alcoon had me do was collect some blisterwort from the Cairns for her to help her friend.”
“To help her friend get over some mild illness,” Solus said, confused.
“Well, yeah, but she also said that it had been used in the past to cure other things, including something called blushing disease.”
Solus’ expression cleared. “And you think this blushing disease might be what your pack is suffering from.”
“They’re not my pack, Solus,” I said absently. “But, yes.”
“There is one other thing that you’ve no really thought about,” he added.
“What?”
“You’re a Draco Wyr. This Iabartu woman…”
“Uh, demi-goddess, thank you very much.”
He ignored me. “She wanted your blood, according to you, so that she could use its properties. And those properties include healing. Maybe all you need is to get your Lord to suck on your blood, vamp style, and then all your problems are solved.” He clicked his fingers with a snap for effect.
“It’s a possibility, Solus, but I don’t know what my blood can do. Neither do you for that matter. I don’t know if it’d end up making things worse, not better. And besides, it’s also addictive. I don’t want to turn the pack into a bunch of drug addicts.”
“They might want to know why you are giving them blood in the first place too, of course,” he surmised.
“Yes, and I’m trying to keep that a secret.” I glared at him to let him know how pissed off I was that he’d been telling others what I didn’t want anyone to know.
He gazed back innocently. “Hey, you can trust the Summer Queen. She’s one of the good guys.”
I refrained from commenting that I didn’t think the Fae were ever truly going to be classed as the ‘good guys’ but decided it wouldn’t exactly help my cause. Instead I returned to my original question. “So, will you help me?”
