Outcast, page 15
“So what, they ran?” Beatrice asked.
Nodding, Leif said, “Far away.”
Draven’s eyes lit up and he lifted a finger. “Precisely. Oh, that mind of yours, Leif. I wish we would have had it long ago.”
Leif didn’t think his mind held any great secrets to puzzle-solving or deduction. Leif’s experience was among fruit trees and music, not riddles.
“However, great minds can only think so far,” Draven added. “After finding that shifter acceptance letter, I’d overlooked one little piece of data it contained. We’ve known about The Island for quite some time.” The vampire leader snatched up the acceptance letter, then pointed at the bottom. “We have a name. Signed, Director Slegr.”
Leif cast his eyes at Beatrice — who happened to be smiling smugly at the letter in the air — then back to Draven. “Unless somebody here is familiar that surname, I don’t see how useful that information is.”
Draven smirked and Beatrice cackled.
“Leif’s from another time, remember?” Beatrice said.
“Of course, of course,” Draven replied, clapping Leif on the back as he stepped toward the vampire madly typing away in the corner. “Leif Villers, I’d like to introduce you to our most recently turned vampire, Philip Steadman.”
Like a train coming to an immediate stop — without all the screeching — the clacking keystrokes coming from Philip ceased. The thin vampire had sunken cheeks and looked almost malnourished. But vampires couldn’t be malnourished.
“It’s an honor meeting another vampire of such high status,” Philip said in a high-pitched, nasally voice that sounded just as shrill as his typing. And he wasn’t getting any bonus points for assigning Leif a status — he still had yet to figure out his place at Heritage Prep.
“Yeah. Um, nice to meet you, too,” Leif said, throwing Draven a confused look. What did this guy have to do with anything?
“As you know, we only recruit the best here,” Draven said. “Mr. Steadman is a master hacker. A database sniffer. A—”
“I’m a computer programmer,” Philip corrected with a hint of annoyance, then gasped as he realized he’d interrupted the vampire leader. “Forgive me, Draven! Call me whatever you wish!”
The quick apology appeared to appease Draven, but it only annoyed Leif. Everyone was so eager to please the vampire leader. And yet, Leif hadn’t worked all that hard at impressing the vampire leader, and somehow he’d done just that.
Draven looked back at Leif. “As I was saying, Mr. Steadman is particularly computer savvy. Have you ever heard of the internet?”
Leif shook his head. The word was foreign. He deducted that it had to do with computers due to their current conversation.
“The internet connects computers around the world together,” Draven said, reaching arms wide to his sides and extending his fingers. “There are systems holding large amounts of data, and there are people like Philip Steadman who can find the juiciest bits, sink their teeth into it and suck it away like blood.”
Leif felt out of the loop. Computers, internet, data — they were just words. But apparently those words held significant meaning.
Draven’s eyes lit with excitement. “Slegr! He ran a search on the name within the United States, sifting through state and city databases. Tell us, Philip. What did you find?”
“Happy to share, sir,” Philip said. “Slegr’s not a common name, by any means. Besides a hockey player and a lead singer in a rock band, there’s not much out there. But searching beyond people, I looked for places using the name. That pulled up an interesting result; there’s a mass of land just outside of Lubbock, Texas called Slegr Ranch.”
Texas. Bells rang in Leif’s head. “One of the acceptance letters was postmarked from Texas, right?” he asked.
Draven nodded. “Indeed.”
Beatrice clapped her hands rapidly and grinned. “Smells like a trail!”
The connection was more than coincidence. Unless it was a false trail, of course.
“You said the ranch is fifty acres?” Draven asked Steadman.
“Uh huh,” Philip confirmed.
Scratching at his five o’clock shadow, Draven observed Leif. “That sounds like plenty of room for a school, doesn’t it?”
Actually, the more Leif thought about it, the more the connection felt fishy, like it was too good to be true. Perhaps he was overthinking things, but the director’s name could have easily been planted in the acceptance letter.
“It sounds like a false trail,” Leif said.
Draven narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. “Explain.”
“Very well. The shifters wouldn’t risk such a mistake being discovered. They’d hide their tracks better than that. Either the school director is not actually named Slegr, or if he or she is, the Slegr Ranch has nothing to do with The Island.”
Beatrice laughed. “That’s not much of an explanation.”
Leif threw her a glare, then looked back at Draven. “Why plant that information unless they wanted to send people down the wrong path?”
“Of course, we don’t want to underestimate the wisdom of the shifters,” said Draven. “But everyone is capable of making mistakes. Perhaps this is one of those moments? Never before have we come across the name Slegr.”
“Look,” Leif said, “all I’m saying is that it sounds like a plant. Especially if you haven’t come across the name before.”
“It’s a lead,” Draven replied. “And it’s the best we’ve got right now. Leif, you’ve got your first official solo mission. Your daywalking ability will be put to use, and it should make your objective a much quicker task than sending any other vampire out to investigate.”
Leif kept his lips shut as he ran his tongue over the front of his teeth. At last, he said, “I’ll set out at once and find out the truth.”
“A man with a mission,” Draven said proudly. “You can take my personal jet, if you’d like. This mission is that important to me. I’ll alert Simon — our pilot — to fly you to Lubbock. Meet him at the back of the school in the hangar in one hour, unless you hear otherwise from me.”
The very idea of a solo mission terrified Leif. Sure, by vampire reckoning, his last mission had been quite successful, but that was only because he’d had another flashback in the middle of the fight, and the attacking merfolk hadn’t seen him. He was lucky he hadn’t been killed.
At the same time, Leif knew this particular mission was more of a task of reconnaissance. And Leif felt particularly talented at not being seen when he didn’t want to be. If there was a mission to go on, this was it. At the very least, he wouldn’t have to hurt anybody.
“Do you have a map of Texas?” Leif asked, looking at the scattered maps on the table. Draven pulled a smaller one out from the stack and handed it to Leif.
“Lubbock is circled in green,” Draven said, pointing at the city, then drew his finger to the side as he said, “Slegr Ranch is twenty miles to the east.”
Leif nodded. “I’ll pack some clothing and head to the hangar.”
Draven nodded his head, then walked to him and placed his hand on Leif’s shoulder. “Come, I’ll walk you to your quarters. There are a couple of other things I’d like to speak to you about.”
Beatrice grabbed Leif’s hand, pulling his attention before he could leave the conference room. “You be careful out there, okay?”
Her affectionate touch and concern made him squirm. He found himself wrenching his hand away.
“Yeah, I will,” he said, keeping his eyes on the floor while taking long strides to the door.
Leif hated how Beatrice brought the worst out of him. He always ended up regretting his coldness to her, but her forwardness really got under his skin. She was so opposite of Gemma.
“You’re never going to give her a chance, are you?” Draven asked as he kept pace with Leif.
“I wish she’d pick up on that,” Leif said with a sigh. “I haven’t tried keeping that a secret from her — I’ve been perfectly clear.”
Draven laughed. “Then you don’t know Beatrice as well as I thought you did. She doesn’t see you as a lost cause; she sees you as a challenge. The more you put up your walls, the harder she’ll try to tear them down.”
The vampire leader’s words did little to change his mood. “Something tells me Beatrice wasn’t one of the things you wanted to discuss with me.”
Draven snorted. “You’re right. I was merely trying to shed some light on your admirer’s actions. But like you said, we have other matters to talk about. The first bit is your daywalking ability. I need to know how you obtained it.”
Leif knew the question was going to come at some point. “My fiancé, as you know, was a selkie. To help me lead a more normal life, she created a complex spell that gave me the ability to survive exposure to sunlight.”
“What was the spell?” Draven asked with an eagerness that revealed his intent. He wanted the same ability.
Shaking his head, Leif said, “I don’t know. The words were from another language. But the first time Gemma tried, the spell backfired, and I became ultra-sensitive to all light. The second attempt worked.”
“You don’t remember the spell at all, though?” Draven asked with disappointment.
Leif had Gemma’s grimoire, and the spell was written somewhere inside. But he wasn’t going to reveal that bit of information. If Draven obtained the daywalking spell, then found another talented selkie, he could make an army of vampires that could survive during the day. And based on what Leif had seen so far, such power would be devastating in Draven’s hands.
“I don’t,” Leif said at last. “I was newly turned, and my mind and body were still adjusting to my changes.” It was a lie. Leif remembered every last moment of the experience so vividly. He remembered the sunflower seeds. He remembered the bitter taste of the moonflower petals and roots. He remembered hearing Gemma’s soothing voice as she spoke her strange language, tapped into her magic, and conjured a protection spell that enveloped Leif, blocking the harmful rays of the sun entirely.
“It must have been a powerful enchantment,” Draven said with hallowed reverence. “Your Gemma must have been quite the spell caster.”
She was so much more than that, Leif thought.
Once again, his mind spun like a tornado, and no longer was he standing by Draven, but by Mr. Frost in the library of the boarding house. The smell of the paper and ink was in the air, and Mr. Frost was wearing a white-collared button down with a gray vest on top, matching his slacks.
“The fruit is coming on strong this year,” Leif said, dusting his dirty hands on his just-as-dirty pants. “The harvest will have a bountiful harvest which is both good and bad.”
“Good and bad, you say?” Mr. Frost said. “I understand the good, but what is bad about a great harvest?”
Leif scratched at the side of his nose and smiled. “More work for me, is all.”
Mr. Frost laughed. “Surely Camilla will be more than happy to help you with the harvest. She’s more spry than last year, and she has learned only from the best.”
Leif chuckled along with the man who had become a father to him “I will gladly accept her help.” Looking down at his filthy clothing, he said, “I should get myself cleaned up before supper.”
“Actually, our latest boarder arrived earlier while you were out in the orchard,” Mr. Frost said. “I sent Camilla to retrieve the young lady from her quarters so you can meet her. No doubt she is getting settled in upstairs.”
“A young lady, you say?” Leif said with a wink. “Then I must make haste to wash up and change from these rags, in case I wish to impress.”
Mr. Frost shook his head. “You have not pursued a woman since Ms. Morton departed. I do not expect you to change that habit any time soon.”
Like distant thunder, rapid footfalls came from the staircase down the hallway, then Camilla flew into the room. “She is coming!” She looked at Leif. “Did you know she traveled all the way from New York?”
A New Yorker had come all the way to little Vancouver? Most people were trying to get into the bigger cities of the country, not the smaller ones.
“And quite a journey it was.” The soprano voice was heard before its owner appeared. Through the library doorway, a young woman entered. She was wearing a green dress that flowed from her shoulders to her ankles. Stitched patterns of the same color flowed throughout like leaves on a tree. But the green only accentuated the young lady’s happy, emerald eyes. Her fiery red hair was intricately pulled back in braids — almost like a crown — making her look like a princess.
Leif felt his heartbeat increase as their eyes met, and his tongue went slack in his mouth. He tried to introduce himself, but only a muted grunt bumbled from his lips.
Nearby, Camilla covered her mouth as she stifled a laugh.
Leif wanted to throw her a glare, but found himself transfixed on the angel who had entered the library, who also raised a hand to her face as she chuckled. She cast her eyes to the floor momentarily, then looked back at Leif, sending fresh sparks down his back. He felt his cheeks flush.
Coming to Leif’s aid, Mr. Frost clapped him on the back and said, “Leif Villers, meet Gemma MacLugh. Ms. MacLugh, Leif is a valued member of the house. Although we have no blood relation, I consider him as a son. If you have need of any repairs or modifications in your quarters, Leif is quite the handyman. Also, I know you plan to travel into town tomorrow to run some errands. Might I suggest Leif accompanies you there?”
“I would be honored to have him join me,” Gemma said with a nod. She gazed at him warmly, and Leif’s heart leapt within him. Self-conscious about his appearance, he wished he’d really gone and cleaned himself up before meeting the girl. Surely he looked as if he’d been taken in off the streets.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Villers,” Gemma said. “Camilla has spoken very highly of you since I arrived. She told me you are in charge of the orchard?”
Leif nodded quickly, gripping his hands behind his back to stop them from trembling. Nobody had ever had such an effect on him before — not even Beatrice. “That is right. Forgive my disheveled look. I only now just got in from laboring among the trees.”
She flashed him a smile. “It suits you.”
This time, Leif found himself looking at his socks. He’d taken his muddy boots off at the back door before entering, and was appalled to see a couple of toes poking from holes.
I really do look like I was taken in off the streets!
“Ms. MacLugh will teach the children here at the boarding house,” Mr. Frost added. “She is quite skilled in reading and writing, and will be a valuable asset to the house.”
“Leif!” The voice didn’t belong in the library, and fragmented the scene in Leif’s mind. The shards of the memory slowly faded like the light at sundown, but Leif kept his eyes on the piece that contained Gemma, until she disappeared. Blinking, he saw torchlight dancing on black, stone walls.
“Can you hear me, Leif?” Draven asked, shaking his shoulders.
Leif’s eyes focused on the vampire leader, his heart still fluttering at the memory of seeing Gemma for the first time.
“Yes, sorry,” he said. “I was just…” Leif trailed off.
Draven sighed, released his hold on Leif, then rubbed at his temples.
“This is the other thing I wanted to discuss with you. Your temporary blackouts are problematic, and occur frequently, even in the middle of conversations, not to mention fights.”
“I can’t control them,” Leif argued. “At random, conversations or situations trigger the memories.”
“Your memories control you,” Draven said. “You have forced my hand to find a way to inhibit them,” Draven said.
“What?” Leif gasped. “You do realize that I enjoy reliving my past, right?”
“What you enjoy is irrelevant,” Draven replied. “Future missions will require your full attention and focus. The future of our people might very well depend on whether or not you’re coherent enough to hear the right bits of information.”
“My memories are all I have left,” countered Leif. “Taking them away from me would destroy me.”
A couple of vampires shuffled past, bowing to Draven mid-stride, their footsteps echoing off the walls as they walked away.
Draven watched them until they became mere shadows, then looked back at Leif. “Is it not enough to be able to fondly think back on your memories, rather than experiencing them again and again?”
“Thinking about memories is not the same,” Leif replied. “Experiencing the memories… it’s like they’re happening for the first time. Every time.”
Draven stared into his eyes, as if he were on the verge of saying something. Instead, he turned around and started walking down the passageway. “With any luck, it will never happen again.”
Did Draven expect his memories to just randomly stop popping up?
Leif watched the vampire leader as he walked away, wondering at his words, then followed him. His mission was before him. Had he finally found his place among the vampires? Being a spy sounded a lot more appealing than being a killer — even if the shifters were set on killing him. If Leif discovered information about The Island, he’d have to make a decision on whether or not to share it with Draven. If the vampires converged on a shifter school based on Leif’s findings, all the resulting deaths would indirectly fall on his shoulders.
What have I gotten myself into?
No answer came — not from himself, and not from Gemma.
Leif sighed. Before the end of the day, he’d be breathing the country air of Lubbock, Texas.
CHAPTER TWELVE
LUBBOCK WAS UNLIKE the western part of Washington in every way. For one, it wasn’t nearly as green. The comforting trees that had surrounded Leif all his life were few and far between here. And the air smelled different — probably due to the lack of nearby ocean water. But the place was a lot like Cle Elum in climate. There was no rain, which brought on an eerie silence. Leif was accustomed to the white noise of a constant drizzle in winter.
