Liam’s eyes slid to half-mast. “Pterodactyls. Giant leathery wings?”
“Yeah. And they’re mean bastards. They like to play with their food like a cat. But why the hell there would be a Roc in those mountain ranges bordering ogre territory doesn’t make sense to me.”
I checked my mirrors and changed lanes, scooting the truck around a tiny blue VW Bug. “Why not?”
Dox scratched at his chin. “They love heat, lots and lots of heat. Like a snake. I don’t remember any Roc’s there when I still lived—” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, if there is a Roc hanging around, it can’t be good. Someone has to be holding the reins in order for one to fly this far north. They’re native to South America, if I remember correctly.”
Liam snorted. “And that’s all Kyle could find when it came to possible suspects?”
“The only thing in that area that has the strength to pick up a six-month-old unicorn foal and get away with it, and has the Pacific Northwest as a home territory, even if that is only a temporary home territory.” I tapped my fingers lightly on the wheel. The fact that the AA division had even that much info on a creature that was not in its home territory … I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Either the AA division was getting better at finding supernaturals or they had someone helping them. I was betting on option number two. Not that it pertained to me and this particular case, but it was a good piece of info to tuck away. For later.
I Tracked the young foal as we drove to Doran’s place. Still alive, her vibrant threads soothed the darkness that had begun to cling to me. The fears that were being dredged up, the uncertainties, and all that fate had been throwing at me lately. A vacation, that’s what I needed after this. Maybe Liam and I could get away somewhere, use the veil to make a jump somewhere warm and cozy. I snorted softly to myself. Yeah, I could hope for that all I wanted, but I had a sinking feeling that ‘trials and tribulation’ were going to be my middle name for a while.
Calliope’s threads hummed through me, stronger now, spreading peace over my worries. A peace that previously I’d only ever found in Liam’s arms.
Holding her threads lightly, I Tracked Pamela and then Alex, and then Eve. Pamela and Alex were in high spirits, laughter dancing along the threads of their lives. I smiled and Liam caught the reflection of it in the rear view mirror. No words were needed. He gave me a wink and smiled back. I didn’t let him see my face as I Tracked Eve. She was terrified, fear coursing through her threads strong enough to bring tears to my eyes. At least she wasn’t hurt. Gods, let Pamela and Alex get there fast. For all that Eve was a Harpy, and deadly dangerous, she was still just a child. A juvenile at best.
Liam surprised me out of my Tracking.
“Tell me about the veil.”
I blinked several times, gathering my thoughts before I answered. We were still a ways from Doran, so I had time to try and explain this to him. “Well, it divides the world. Supernatural on one side, world the humans see on the other.”
“Yeah, I’ve got that, but why don’t all supernaturals reside there then? Why not just stay out of the humans’ way?”
Funny how quickly he put himself separate from the humans. Good too, because he no longer was one of them. I’d seen people fight what they’d become and it had killed them in the end.
Again, Dox beat me to it, twisting in his seat so he could look Liam in the eye. “The veil is a safeguard, somewhere we can go if we need to, but with so few entrances and so little room, it isn’t feasible that all creatures live there. That was why it was created, at least from what I understand.”
I shifted gears. “And it was never meant to be a place to live. Just a help. That’s what Giselle told us. The problem comes when those who would fuck with the rest of it use it as a tool to hide the shit they do.”
Liam took that in, his lips quirking to one side. “And what about the levels of the veil? How many are there?”
Now that was a question I wasn’t sure how to answer. I settled for brutal honesty. “I know that there are at least three because Jack talked about a Tracker named Brin getting dropped into the third level, where apparently a ghost took him. But I don’t know how many veils there are.” I thought about what Agent Valley had said. “If what your ex-boss said has any bearing, then there are possibly seven. But I’m not sure how accurate a human’s understanding of a prophecy would be.”
Dox sucked in a sharp breath. “Shit. I didn’t know that.”
I glanced at him. “I don’t think it’s common knowledge. Giselle never spoke of more than the one veil to us. And anything that slipped out of her mouth about deeper veils I just chalked up to her madness.”