“I’ll go by and see them. Is that better?”
“It was better in about two seconds, I just liked the rub.” Laughing, Rachel reached back, gave Fallon a pat. “Let me walk you down. Oh, and more good news,” she added as she rose.
“I’m always ready for it.”
“Lissandra and Brennan—the preemie? They’ve officially moved into the apartment over Bill’s. A lot of people ask for a different place when they find out there was a murder in it, but she’s happy to have it. She said she’d been caged, and now she and her son were free. Plus, she hit it off with Bill—who doesn’t? He loves having them upstairs.”
“That’s very good news.”
“She’s learning how to knit so she can contribute, and since Bill’s a baby softie, she’s taking Brennan down and helping him at Bygones a couple days a week.”
“That’s good. Good for all of them.”
“It is. I advised her to wait until spring before she did any serious volunteering or work outside. It’s better for the baby to stay out of the cold for now, but going right downstairs is fine. She’s a good one, Fallon.”
She paused outside a door. “I wanted to give these two a little privacy, and with all the releases in the last few days, I could give them their own room. It’s small, but they have it to themselves.”
Rachel knocked, eased open the door. “You’ve got a visitor. Don’t stay too long,” she murmured to Fallon, and stepped back.
“Oh, it’s you!” Lucy, hair washed, pulled back in a tail, her face no longer carrying that gray tinge, popped up from a chair. “Johnny, it’s Fallon Swift. We’re so glad to see you. So glad.”
Fallon barely stepped into the room before Lucy embraced her. “You saved us. Jonah said Johnny’s going to be fine. Rachel said so, too.”
“That’s good.”
The man in the bed didn’t look fine, but he looked a hell of a lot better than he had. He sat up in the hospital bed, and though shadows dogged his eyes, they’d healed much of the bruising. He wore a white T-shirt, his arm in a sling, an IV drip in the back of his other hand.
“You’re The One.” His eyes swirled with tears as he reached out to her. Though his grip was weak, he clung to her hand. “Thank you for the life of the woman I love. Thank you for mine. I—I couldn’t stop them.”
“There were too many of them.”
“You stopped them. When I’m able, I’ll fight for you.”
“We’ll talk about it when you’re better.”
“No, please.” Lucy moved closer, brushed a hand at his hair. “We’ve talked. I was wrong to ask him not to fight. We want to stay here, so we’ll fight. I don’t know how—my grandmother wouldn’t let me—but I’ll learn. We’ll learn. I can sew, and cook, and garden. I can help until Johnny’s well.”
“I’ll have someone come in and talk to you about that. And when the medicals say you’re well enough, we’ll see about the rest. How far had you traveled?”
“Three days, west to east,” Johnny told her. “We’d been in the house we found for two days before the Raiders found us.”
“And where you came from? How many people?”
“Maybe a hundred. I’m not sure.” He looked at Lucy.
“People like my grandmother didn’t want the Uncannys to mix. We had our place, and they had theirs, with the river between.”
“If I brought a map, could you show me?”
“I could.” Johnny nodded. “If you went there, some would fight for you.”
“I’ll bring a map then. For now, get better.”
She considered as she left them. A small, segregated community. She’d seen them before. It would be worth a visit, worth trying to rally the willing and able.
She started out, as she’d kept her animals waiting long enough. She saw Hannah in the waiting area with a boy. A pretty little boy, cheeks pink from the cold, blond hair curling out from under a red cap with snowmen dancing over it. Hannah had one of his mittened hands in hers.
“Of course I’ll go see her. Just let me get my coat and a medical kit.”
“She’s really sick.” He had a slight, endearing lisp, and big blue eyes. “She coughs and coughs. And her head’s really hot.”
“We’ll get her some medicine. Hi, Fallon, this is Bobby. His mom’s sick.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“She doesn’t feel good. She sent me for the doctor.” He stared up at Hannah with those big, blue eyes, a boy no more than six or seven. “You can make her all better. You need to come now.”
Fallon started to put her hand on his shoulder in comfort, but he jerked away, pushed closer to Hannah.
“Where is she?” Fallon asked easily. She stared into his eyes, fascinated she could see neither dark nor light. Just the face of innocence. “My horse is outside. He can get you there very fast.”
“Just Hannah! You need to come now!”
“It’s okay, Bobby. We’ll go now. It’s all right.” She smiled at Fallon, but surely didn’t see her. Not with those blank eyes.
“Sure. Wouldn’t want to get in the way.”
She moved fast, shoved Hannah back, threw power at the boy. He screamed at her, and those blue eyes went black as a crow’s wing.
“The bitch is mine!” With his child’s hand, he tossed a stream of fire at Hannah. Fallon simply caught it, crushed it. When he heaved the next at Fallon, it crashed against the shield she threw up.
“Do you think your power exceeds mine, imp?”
“I want her!” He pounded against the barrier, little fists full of hate. “I want her, I want her! Give her back!”
“Go to hell,” Fallon suggested as she heard the sound of feet running behind her. “Stay back.”
“It’s not fair!” Tantrum tears spurted from those black eyes. “You’re mean, and I’m gonna tell. We’ll kill you all! You’ll burn and burn and burn.”
“I see you now. I see the dark in you.”
“It’ll eat you up. Chomp, chomp, chomp.” On a scream of laughter, he tried to flash, then looked wildly around when he stayed in place.
To Fallon’s astonishment, he dropped down to kick his feet, beat his fists in the air. “You’re a mean girl, mean, mean, mean. I wanna go home! Let me out, you shitty-head.”
“Christ, what a brat. You’re not going anywhere, so calm the hell down. Who sent you?”
Temper stained his face an ugly red, tears turned it blotchy. But those black eyes gleamed into Fallon’s as he rolled into a crouch.
A little spider, she thought, poisonous for all its size.
“The Princess of the Dark has a message for you. Eat this, Cousin!”
He gathered himself, pulling, pulling power, sucking it in as he might suck in air to blow. Even as Fallon warned, “Don’t,” he unleashed a flood of fire.
She saw his face, the shock and fear on his face, before the flames struck the barrier, flew back, and consumed him.
“Oh my God.” Rachel, still kneeling beside a shaken Hannah, scrambled up.