Page 54 of Frost and Fate
Laurie shrugged apologetically. “She’s been keeping to herself. I’ve been meaning to talk to her about everything that happened. I was hoping she would be here.” Laurie looked like she wanted to say more, but stopped herself.
“I’m sure she has her reasons,” Brona chimed in.
Something didn’t feel right about the whole situation. Nova gave Liam a quick squeeze of the cheek and then headed back to where Darren stood with Aaron. As soon as the cocky jokester caught sight of Nova approaching, he let out a whistle.
“Fireandice? Well, Silver, aren’t you a beast.”
Nova lifted her right palm and allowed a small blue flame to flicker in and out. Aaron grinned. “And Darren thought he only had to worry about you freezing his nuts when you were pissed. Now you can roast them too.”
Darren let out a strangled cough that made Nova think that thought hadn’t occurred to him yet.
“He better be on his best behavior then,” she joked as she gave Darren a playful punch to the arm.
“Good lord, what’s that?” Aaron was staring down at Nova’s left hand. “Are y’all…”
“Engaged,” confirmed Darren.
“Congratulations, man!” Aaron gave him a big bear hug.
“Did I hear something about someone’s roasted nuts being tied down for the rest of his life?” Lucas joined their group, a broad grin on his face. “Congrats, mate!” He clapped Darren on the shoulder.
“Thanks, man.” Word of the engagement spread through the meeting room quicker than Nova’s blue fire. Laurie and Brona ogled the sparkling heirloom. Even Leah gave it an appraising gaze.
“Well done, Ridgewell.”
The engagement buzz finally died down when Gideon entered the room. “If everyone could take their seats, we will try to make this as brief as possible.” With the room situated, Gideon commenced their meeting. “I’ll be straightforward with you all.” He looked from person to person. “There hasn’t been any sign of Collectors nor any new missing person reports that match their pattern.” This should have been good news, but something about Gideon’s demeanor told Nova they weren’t in the clear yet. “Unfortunately there was no sign of Creedin among the bodies, nor the mysterious hooded figure.”
Nova caught sight of Brona, glancing at her for a moment before returning her attention to Gideon.
Aaron stirred in his seat. “Isn’t it possible the bodies were just burned beyond recognition?”
“It’s possible, though unlikely.” Gideon grimaced. “We had Brona and her brother check each of the bodies. Apparently Creedin and the hooded man emanated much more powerful energy signatures. The bodies in the cavern registered as no more than Collectors and an unfortunate Veil Walker named Theeds.”
Brona silently stared down at her hands. Nova pitied the Chosen witch. First she’d been asked to screen the bodies of all those poor girls, then she’d had to go through a cavern full of charred corpses as well. There must have been a massive number of fatalities.Theeds.Sorrow hit Nova as she remembered the moment Creedin plunged a dagger into the innocent man’s chest.
“We notified his family and had the body transported back to their clan. This means it’s possible Creedin and his man escaped.”
Lance spoke up next, “Things will be going back to normal but everyone needs to be vigilant. We don’t think he will strike again right away, but be vigilant nonetheless.” The room muttered their agreements.
Gideon issued a low sigh. “There is one more thing.” He glanced at Romani, then looked across the rest of the group. “There’s a chance somethingsmay have been let out of the Veil during the few moments it was open. We don’t know exactly what kinds of threats these could be, but again, stay vigilant.”
The pit in her stomach felt weighted. It had never occurred to her that the Veil was a two-way portal when opened. She shuddered thinking of what dark things could have traversed.
“Now, Nova,” Gideon addressed her, “when you’re ready, could you please relay the events of that day? We’ve not been able to glean anything from Aria. She, evidently, has some form of amnesia or blackout. Any information you can give us could be exceedingly helpful.”
Nova’s breathing sped up as all faces turned to her. Warm fingers interlaced her own. She peered gratefully at Darren. His honey-fire eyes were kind and encouraging. Nova relayed the events and everything she could remember. The room remained quiet for several moments after she finished.
“So this Lark character may not be a bad guy at all?” Lucas said.
Darren growled. “He kidnapped Aria and took Nova hostage.”
Lucas glared at Darren, not backing down. “I understand you’re feeling defensive. All I’m saying is that it feels like there’s more to Lark’s story than we are seeing from one day of events.”
“Lucas is right,” Gideon agreed. “The whole thing sounds strange. Unfortunately he is a lackey of Creedin’s. Until he can defend himself, he’s on the list of assailants to keep an eye on.”
Nova had such mixed feelings about Lark. On the one hand he had held her captive, and hand-delivered her to Creedin. On the other hand, he had helped her discover a hidden ability with his warnings and guidance. It was all very complicated.
The meeting drew to a close and each pack member either mingled or made their way back to whatever other activities they had scheduled. Nova and Darren stood talking to Lance—and Leo who was currently being held upside down by both feet as he giggled uncontrollably—when Laurie and Brona approached them and Laurie unceremoniously plopped baby Liam in Darren’s arms.
