Page 54 of Flock Around and Find Out

He had a while to think, since the server walked out with our bowls of food, setting them before us. It took him all that time—and a few bites—before he answered.

“I’m not sure.”

“Really?I figured you all would be ritual-ed out.”

“What I mean is that while other clans turned their backs on the idea of old gods, while they distanced themselves from who they once were, we are different. We have always clung to those old ways, to understanding our place in the world. Many things that we do might be considered ritualistic. We are most closely bound to the energy that runs through the earth, after all.”

I took another bite of my food—and yeah, it was good enough I didn’t miss the meat a bit, though they could have gone a lot lighter on the carrots—as I considered his point.

It was true. While the other clans had struggled with each other, always trying to gain more, to climb higher, to move away from whatever primitiveness they’d had before, the Natures had reveled in that side of themselves. They’d never wanted to change it, to be different, to distance themselves from their roots.

Did that mean that this would never befall them?

It might also explain why Porter could so easily sense the corrupted energy, because he had none of his own?

“So you believe that this is the reason for the strays that have appeared in the Were clan? That they have somehow moved away from the source of their energy, and that has caused the energy to grow ill?”

“It’s my best guess. I found an old book that explained when it happened to others—well, I mean, to be fair it was a fable—but given when that wereraven said, it makes sense, right? We know that it’s happened before, to other clans, and it seems to be affected the Weres all over the place, so ithasto be something other than a normal sickness or we’d be able to track it.”

“Do you have any idea about what ritual the Weres used to do?”

“Galen said that a long time ago, like centuries, they used to go on pilgrimages to somewhere special. It was to appease the old gold. It fell out of fashion, though, and they don’t do it anymore.”

“So you’ll try that?”

“That’s the plan, if we can figure out where it is. There’s a very old weretiger who might know, so we’re going to question him in a couple days.”

Porter nodded, his hands folded together, his gaze distant. “Some of those places…” he said softly, then paused.

“What?”

His gaze moved to me. “I don’t know exactly where the Weres went, mind you, but I have my suspicions. You see, Natures understand there are places that are notfullyhere, in this realm. We understand the ties between the different energies better than many others. We are, in many ways, the most closely connected to this place. If the Weres went to commune with the old gods, with the source of the old powers, then they would have gone to one of those old places, the ones that are not fully here but not fully elsewhere, either. They’re dangerous, and even we don’t venture there without purpose and without a guide.”

“We don’t know where it was, though. Maybe it was just down the street, in like, Billy’s basement?” I pictured Weres making some long pilgrimage just to find themselves waved toward the basements steps by some guy in a white tank top, holding a beer.

I wasn’t sure how I’d react to that, personally. It’d probably be pretty disappointing.

Porter shook his head. “Those ancient places are few and far between. Or perhaps they are all one place with different doors? It’s hard to say. I would say don’t venture there if you can avoid it, however.”

“Why? It’s just energy.”

“We are all just energy.”

“Are you telling me you believe in the old gods stuff?”

He had the decency to think about it for a long moment, as though considering it. Finally, he answered. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen one, but I also don’t believe myself so great that I think it impossible, that I think we are the most powerful beings around. I can tell you thatsomethinglives in those old places, perhaps things we are not yet wise enough to fully comprehend. If you go there, Grey, tread lightly. What dwells there is like nothing you have faced so far.”

Talk about ominous…

* * * *

Private planes aren’t that bad.

I, like most people, had bitched and moaned about others’ use of such frivolous travel. I mean, a private plane? What the fuck was that? It was pretentious nonsense.

But fuck was it comfortable pretentious nonsense…

Only Galen, the pilot and myself were on the plane, so no service, but that was fine. We’d gotten to the small, private airport that flew out of Yucca Valley early in the morning, and the process to get off the ground was easy and quick.

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