We stood beneath the rising sun, Daniel and I looking over the railing of the container ship and across the chopping waters of the Atlantic. Daniel had returned to his human form at some point overnight and had found some clothes in Androse’s quarters. He dressed like a cowboy from a low budget direct to DVD movie. If DVDs were actually still a thing. These days those sorts of things went direct to streaming, and not usually to Netflix either. His outfit was straight from Quibi.
“How’s your father?”
“Not good. He lives, and we have a healer in our group, but it’s touch and go.”
“How many casualties did you suffer?”
“The answer is the same as always. Too many.”
I moved along the railing toward the lifeboat, which hung loosely on the side of the ship. It was a bright orange, enclosed watercraft with a self-powered engine. I wasn’t entirely sure how long the container ship had been at sea, but I felt pretty certain I could get back to Boston easily enough.
“Where will you go?”
“Does it matter?” Daniel shrugged. “Somewhere you’ll never see us again. Isn’t that what you want?”
“Maybe. But I don’t know— you guys aren’t as bad as I thought.”
“Such an open-minded, inclusive fellow you are.”
I stepped off the ship and into the hatch of the lifeboat, then paused and looked back up at Daniel as he looked down at me.
“I’m sorry. For what I did to your father— even for how I treated you.”
“My father will heal— eventually. For the rest of us, life goes on.”
“I spent centuries of my life hating your kind. I’m not sure how I can appropriately apologize for that.”
“Looks like you just did. The best apology you can offer is to learn from your past mistakes. To change. And to live your life with a more open mind. I can’t really ask for anything more. The past is the past, there’s nothing we can do to change that. Just think of ways you can change the future.”
I nodded, my hand pressed to my forehead to shield my eyes from the brightness of the morning sun. Somewhere in the distance, I heard the shrill song of a seagull, audible over the roiling churn of the ocean water. Daniel was barely an adult, a Lycan far beyond his years and I found it hard to believe I could have ever looked upon someone like that and hated them without truly knowing them.
“Stay safe, Angus.”
I lowered myself into the hatch of the lifeboat and felt it start to lower, moving along the side of the ship and toward the open water.
#
I spent most of the ride back to shore thinking of Loren Montague. She’d agreed to help us, she’d put herself in harm’s way. Even as the queen matron of the Darkheart Coven, she hadn’t hesitated to get involved in our petty dispute. In my mind’s eye, she would always be that young woman I’d first met in Salem, Massachusetts four hundred years ago, the inexperienced witch who I’d swept off her feet. Somehow, some way she’d become a queen— every inch looking like the woman she portrayed, stoic and regal.
I thought of Indigo as well, and desperately wished I’d had my cell phone with me— some way to reach out, to check on her and see if she was okay. She hadn’t taken a magic bullet to the chest as Loren had, but still there was no guarantee she was alive.
Ocean navigation was far from my specialty, though I had managed to guide the lifeboat back to the shore, not in the middle of Boston Harbor, but further north, bumping up against the edge of Nahant Short Beach, which drew quite a bit of interest and attention. They’d called 9-1-1 as one might expect, and I’d rushed to slip away before the police arrived, quickly losing myself within the beachfront community, looking for someone who might lend me a phone.
An hour later I stood outside a small restaurant and pub, watching as Sammy Melendez’s Toyota sedan pulled in and wedged itself into one of the diagonal parking spaces outside.
“Ain’t you a sight for sore eyes?”
“I could say the same.” We clasped hands and I made my way around to the passenger side, then slipped in and closed the door. I waited until he backed out before I asked the inevitable questions. Questions, I wasn’t sure I wanted the answers to.
“How’s Indigo? Is she— okay?”
Sammy nodded, though no hint of a smile creased his lips. “She’s back at the office right now. Worried sick, of course, but she managed to get back before sunrise, thank goodness.”
I let out a breath I wasn’t aware I’d been holding.
“What happened out there?” Sammy glanced sideways at me.
“Lucas Androse shouldn’t be bothering us anymore— probably won’t be bothering anyone anymore.” I looked out the passenger window and tried not to think about what fate awaited Androse at the hands of the Lycans. They’d simply locked him in one of the cages before I left, but I had no doubt in my mind they had some nefarious plans in store for the bounty hunter.
“That kid— Daniel— he all right?”
“I think he’ll be all right. I’m not sure we’ll see him either.”
“Probably for the best.”
“Probably.” I wasn’t in an especially talkative mood and Sammy could tell. Thank goodness, unlike Indigo, he actually took the hint. The rest of the ride back to my apartment was in blessed silence.
We stopped by Side Pocket to grab some lunch to go and while Sammy stood at the counter, I took Doris aside, finding a quiet corner to talk to her.
“Doris—” I placed a hand on her arm. “Something happened to Loren last night. At the docks.”
Doris looked around, then gestured me even further into a corner.
“Where have you been, Gus? We’ve been worried sick.”
“They took me onto that ship,” I replied breathlessly. “Androse kept me alive— twisted freak thought I might work for him.” I shook her question away. “But that’s not why I’m here. It’s Loren, Doris, it’s about—”
“I know,” Doris replied in a quiet whisper. “She told me all about it. It’s— it’s horrible.” She closed her eyes.
“Who told you all about it?”
“Loren. She told me all about it.”
“Wh— what? What do you mean?”
“The fight at the docks. The bounty hunter, the Realm Walkers— Androse. She told me everything.”
“I don’t understand.”
“There was an emergency council meeting this morning. Loren took everyone aside, made sure they were all on the same page before the summit—”
“Doris,” I almost barked, interrupting her. “Are you telling me— Loren is alive?”
Doris blinked. “Oh dear.” She pressed a hand to her mouth. “Oh, dear you didn’t know.”
“Didn’t know what?”
Doris looked at the floor and drew in a breath, struggling to compose herself. “At the docks last night— that wasn’t Loren. That was Leander, one of her lead Handmaidens.”
“What? No— no it wasn’t. I— I saw her. It was—”
“It wasn’t Loren.” Doris looked to the ceiling. “When there is a very direct threat on a queen matron’s life, they will often use decoys. Witches who use disguise spells, or sometimes even physical disguises. They’ll take the place of the queen matrons in situations that might appear too dangerous for the queens themselves.”
“So the woman who was killed at the docks? That was— Leander?”
Doris nodded. “Not by Loren’s choice. The council overruled her. Told her that using a decoy was the only way they’d approve her plan.”
I felt a tickle in my throat, a light, feathery flutter in my chest.
“She’ll be glad to know you made it back okay as well. She— wasn’t sure what happened to you.”
“To be honest— I’m not sure what happened to me either.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “How is she— is she hurt? I don’t—”
“She is grieving the loss of her Handmaidens. Including Leander. Especially Leander. Those two had grown very close in the small time that Loren had returned.”
“Leander.” I thought of the woman I’d met in the manor house what felt like so long ago. A woman who had given up her life— sacrificed herself for Loren. I couldn’t even imagine how Loren was feeling.
I felt the tension slip from my shoulders, and my knees very nearly gave way completely. My cheeks flushed as a tightness formed in my chest. I recalled the feeling I’d had when I’d seen her shot, the way she’d collapsed, alive one moment— lifeless the next. It had been Leander the whole time. I felt a measure of relief at the news, but that relief was clouded by shame— Leander was as much of a person as Loren was— and yet here I was, feeling like I was celebrating her death.
“I can’t believe it. Loren is alive. She’s healthy.”
“As healthy as she can be, given that she just lost five of her sisters. Five of— our sisters.”
“I’m sorry, Doris.”
“It’s a testament to the state of our world, I’m afraid. Such violence just before a summit to broker peace.”
“Can I— see her?”
“Soon. Give her some time. She will be glad to know you’re okay. She was asking for you after the skirmish. There were just— so many issues for her to deal with.” Doris guided me back toward the register, where Sammy was waiting, to-go bag cradled in the crook of one arm.
“The good news is,” Doris continued, “the attack helped to forge a strong bond between the covens. If anything, the sisterhood has galvanized. Not just from within the Darkheart Coven, but from the outside as well. We’ve been hearing from all over the world— words of support for standing up to the bounty hunter. Support for the sacrifices our Handmaidens made in service to their queen matron. Such things are not soon forgotten.”
“I guess that is good news.” It helped to try and find a silver lining, though I had to admit, the events of Androse’s attack at the docks seemed to have, perhaps, driven a further wedge between myself and Loren. From the sounds of it, she had been focused on her coven duties in the wake of the battle. It was as it should be, but more than ever it felt as though we existed in different worlds.
“We ready?” Sammy nodded toward me and I returned it, the two of us exiting together and heading back to the car.
#
“Well, thank you for blessing us with your presence, almighty Angus of clan Savage.” Indigo lifted her coffee mug in mock toast, though I could see the glimmer of legitimate relief in her eyes. She was leaning back against the pool table and even with my injured shoulder, I managed to toss her an egg sandwich, then set a coffee cup from Side Pocket on the counter, taking one for myself. She strode swiftly from across the room, removed the top from the to-go cup and emptied its contents into her half-full mug. “You ready to share what happened?”
“Not much to share, I guess,” I replied and sipped at my cup. Sammy settled at the desk again and quickly busied himself working. “Androse and his little demon buddies grabbed me— took me back to his ship. At first, he mentioned wanting me to work with him— then he said something about being in his collection. I’m not sure exactly why. Maybe there was a kinship— some common ground between a bounty hunter and an enforcer.”
“But you escaped?”
“With Daniel’s help. And his father’s.”
“Is Daniel— okay?”
I nodded. “They didn’t tell me where they are off to, but they’ve got control of the ship and they— dispatched with Androse.”
“Ah. Messy business, being a bounty hunter.”
“Did you hear about Loren?”
Indigo smiled with relief, her eyes closed. “It’s horrible what happened to Leander and the other Handmaidens. But I’m glad Loren is okay.”
“Have you— spoken with her?”
Indigo shook her head. “Didn’t seem like the right time.”
It was hard to argue with her.
I set down my coffee cup and crossed the living room, slipping the pair of knives from my sheath and my boot. Turning Joyland over in my hand, I examined the broken blade.
“Ouch. That’s seen better days, huh?”
“I know a guy who might be able to help reforge it.”
Indigo followed me down the hallway until I reached my office door. I punched in the combination and opened it, stepping inside. My eyes immediately fell on the four vacancies within the acrylic cases even as I filled two of them with the knives in my hands.
“Honestly, I’m more worried about Firestarter and Christine. I’m still not sure what even happened to them.”
“Could they be dangerous in the wrong hands?”
“It just depends on who’s hands they are. If some homeless dude stumbled upon them, or maybe a Boston firefighter, I’m not too worried. But if Androse or one of his nasties scooped them up? That could be— an issue.”
“Let’s be optimistic.” Indigo shrugged and gave me a soft smile.
“That’s— not really in my nature.”
“You don’t say.”
We returned to the living room and joined Sammy, who had his ear pressed to the phone.
“Well, I’m glad to hear that, Ms. Shirakatsi, that must be a big relief. No, I promise we didn’t do anything. Do werewolves have a— ‘mating season’?” Sammy looked at me and I shook my head vigorously, showing my hands. That was a question I didn’t want to have to answer for the nice, elderly Armenian woman on the other end of the line. “Okay, then— well, just let us know if anything changes.” Sammy paused for a moment, listening. “Oh, yes, our address is the same. Thank you so much, we look forward to it. You do make the best ponchik we’ve ever tasted.” Sammy finally peeled himself away from the call and set down the receiver, glaring up at me. “So the werewolf clans take off in a stolen container ship and suddenly Ms. Shirakatsi doesn’t see dogs mating in her flower beds anymore. Imagine that?”
“Will wonders never cease.”
Already the phone rang again, drawing Sammy’s attention as Indigo sighed, swept her coffee from the counter and perched next to her laptop, dialing up various social media accounts. I made my way to the pool table, stopping to set down my cup of coffee on a table a few feet away, then lifted the cue ball. I’d started the game a few days ago and had left it in its incomplete state since then, waiting for me to finish what I’d started. It seemed oddly metaphorical to the state of my life. In spite of that sense of half-completion, I found myself feeling oddly at peace. My ribs throbbed with the lingering pain of my various injuries, and my mind remained cluttered with the events of the past week or two. But life, such as it was, had drifted slowly back to normalcy, and considering what we’d all dealt with— that had to be considered a victory.
I set the ball back down, lifted a stick from the rack and relished the gentle squeak of chalk twisting the end. Indigo and Sammy’s voices fell into the background as I leaned over, staged my next shot and lost myself in the game.