“On The Outside.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
Lyra waved her confusion away. “Never mind. Go on.”
“Anyway, I saw this amazing buck with great antlers and I started to take his picture.” Did Lyra’s enthusiasm suddenly wane?
“But when I did, he saw me and charged. I was so stunned I barely thought to grab my camera. Once I did, I took off running and ran straight into a big hole.”
“No! Was it a deep hole? Like a pit or a trap?”
“Yeah. How’d you know?”
“I’ve seen them before. So is that when they found you?” Lyra leaned forward, anticipating the rest of the story.
“No. It was strange, but first there was this animal who watched me. I’m not sure what it was.”
Lyra’s face darkened. “Did it have red eyes?”
“Yes, it did. Do you know what I’m talking about? Have you seen it?” Eagerness zipped through her.
“I have and you were lucky that it didn’t do anything other than watch you.”
The venomous tone of Lyra’s voice had her rearing back. “It didn’t seem all that vicious to me. What is it? I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Is that when the Deacon men showed up? Did they run it off?”
It seemed Lyra was an expert at avoiding questions. But again, she decided not to push. “No. You’d think I’d sent out invitations. After the creature left, then three wolves showed up. That’s when I really got afraid.”
“Really? Did they act like they’d hurt you?”
She stopped to recall how they’d paced around the hole. Yet they really hadn’t done anything threatening. Even when the dark wolf had jumped into the hole, he hadn’t attacked. “No. Now that you bring it up, they didn’t. One even got within a foot of me and didn’t bite. I guess I was lucky.”
“You’re luckier than you know.” Lyra leaned back and rested her weight on her elbows. “Then what happened?”
“The wolves left, and after a while, that’s when the Deacon brothers showed up.”
“What a wonderful story.”
“You’re being nice. I look like an idiot. Hell, I am an idiot for running straight into a hole.”
Lyra finished her apple in a couple of bites that any longshoreman would’ve been proud of. “What else were you supposed to do? Let the buck run over you?”
“Thanks for saying that.” She took another bite of her banana then followed it with a long drink. “So what is this place, anyway?”
Lyra’s face lit up with joy. “It’s our home. I suppose others might think of us as a cult or some kind of commune, but it’s not that. We call our home The Hidden since we’re so protected from outside interference by the mountains. We like to live in a simple way without all the modern conveniences.”
She laughed at Callie’s shocked expression. “I can understand your reaction. At first you think, what will I do without a washing machine? Or a hot bath to soak in? But, trust me, this place has so much more to offer. I bet once you get to know us, you won’t ever want to leave.”
The remainder of her banana dropped to the quilt. “Wait a minute. You make it sound like I’m staying. I’m leaving in the morning. No matter what.” She’d added the last part as a challenge.
Lyra pulled back, her mouth parting in an oh. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. Maybe I should go. The Deacon men should explain all this to you. Not me.”
She stood, not bothering to gather any of the food, and scurried to the exit. “Please enjoy the food.”
“No, Lyra. Stay. I have a lot more questions.” She jumped up after her and made it outside to see Lyra dashing away. Luke put his brawny frame in front of her, blocking her from leaving again. She scowled at him but didn’t try to get around him. What was the point? She’d never make it.
What the hell is going on?
* * * *
Blue stood next to his brothers and faced the members of The Council. Charlton sat at the low long table along with Xnax, the firemaker, Tina, a fairie, Wisa, a werecat, and Harrison, a werewolf that he and his brothers didn’t like very well. The newest member, Titto, one of the few elves in The Hidden, propped his feet on top of the table.
“As we were saying, we believe another opening has formed. Jerry said he felt it, too. We’ll send a few people back to the pit and see if they can locate it during the next Time of Leaving. If it’s true that it exists, we’ll need to come up with precautions to watch over it.” Charlton stroked his beard as he spoke, his blue eyes sliding from Blue, to Raine, and then to Pete.