The Marradith Ryder Series Part 13
We stopped at a motel around 11:00 that night.
The room was nothing special, but it was warm, clean, and came with free cable, so it was a palace in comparison to the warehouse we’d slept in the night before.
While Justin went and got food for us from the taco place across the street, I took a long, hot shower. I changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt. By the time he got back I was going over my hair with a blow dryer.
“I didn’t know what you wanted, so I got some of everything,” he said, spreading the bags across the bed. I sat down and ate with him. Or more accurately, watched him eat.
He did eat like a werewolf. Once he finished it was his turn to shower, and I sat, watching television. Not thinking, I manipulated the channels the way I do when I am at home alone: I snapped my fingers, flipping the channels back and fourth with a flick of my wrist.
It took a minute before I realized Justin was standing in the doorway, watching me do this.
“What I can’t figure out is which side of your family that comes from,” he said.
“It’s not a werewolf trait, I can tell you that for sure. Handy, though.”
“Blame it on Mama,” I said. “I’ll tell you one thing. I bet she knew full well about her family… the vampire link. It explains some things about her, personality-wise.”
Justin shrugged. “You’ll have to talk to her about that.”
“If I see her again, you mean.”
“No, you’ll see her, and the rest of your family. You should get some rest. We’re going to drive another full day and night before we reach The Compound.”
“You should have told me that before,” I said.
“The Compound is where we’re going. It’s a safe house. Your family is in another place right now, but I promise, when we get there, things will be better. You’ll be able to make plans for your life again. After some time passes and the situation has calmed, we’ll be able to bring your family to you.”
“How much time?” I asked.
“That, we won’t know, until we’ve had time to get off the road.”
Justin sat down in a battered recliner on the far side of the room.
“Are you sleeping over there?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yes.”
“You sure? I promise to beat you if you get too close.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “It’s not a good idea, Ryder.”
“Okay.”
I raised my hand and the lights went out. Apparently this amused him. He laughed softly.
I laid down and pulled the covers around me. From across the room, Justin’s irises glowed green in the dark. It made me think of the other night, after we plunged into the river, when his eyes were the only light I could see.
“Thanks,” I said. “For what you told me about my family. I needed to hear that.”
He must have blinked; for a moment the green shine was gone. “You’re welcome.”
Though it was a comfort to know that Justin was there, watching, I already knew that I liked having his arms around me much better.
***
“I expected you to have Marradith by now.” Leighton growled.
Syd and Leighton were in the living room of Leighton’s mansion. Syd sat with a glass of whiskey in his hand, which he’d filled and drained twice within the hour. Leighton stood, arms crossed, staring out the back door into the woods that surrounded his house. The moon was obscured by clouds, only a sliver visible above the treetops.
“I know what you expected, but this is where we find ourselves. My men are handling the situation,” Syd took another small sip and relished the heat in the back of his throat. His pale eyes were sensitive during daylight hours, but were much worse at night. Leighton’s figure seemed twisted under the moonlight, a shape that was not Wolf nor entirely human.
He blinked and saw again his friend’s regular human form. Long blond hair, sharp chin, thin, rounded mouth. He cared not to count the years that they’d known each other, but Leighton was only a child compared to Syd.
“I’m surprised,” Syd said, “that you did not want to be there to see Granthem die.
All these years, I thought you’d want to enjoy it first hand.”
Leighton shrugged. “He is not my priority. It’s a coincidence, that he’s involved in this situation with Marradith. The Sojourners could have sent anyone else for her just as easily.”
“I see. Whatever reason that you want to acquire her. I’d urge you to remember. The Circle will have to be answered to if this is not done correctly, beneath the notice of the humans. This is why we’re proceeding as I explained to you earlier. You don’t want to inflame the Elders.”
“Well I have you for that, don’t I?”
Syd chuckled, a low, grating sound. “You know very well I am only one. There are the others.”
“However you’re going to do it. I need this done. I don’t like waiting.”
There was pain in Leighton’s voice.
Syd frowned. He didn’t understand. “Are you intending on telling me what your obsession is with this girl? I see that she has powers. But that is not entirely it, is it?”
“I’ll tell you,” Leighton replied. “But not before I tell her.”
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© 2009 Lori Titus
Lori Titus’s The Marradith Ryder Series appears each Wednesday on Flashes in the Dark. Many of her short stories have appeared on MicroHorror and Shadeworks, and she is currently writing an anthology of short stories with a tentative release date in 2010.
For more information see her at http://www.myspace.com/talesforthedark.
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April 29th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Great update, Lori! I’m looking forward to learning more about what Leighton expects Marradith to be able to do for him.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:11 am
As I told Lori the other day, even though I have 50+ future Marradith chapters saved in my inbox, I don’t read them until I post them because I like to be surprised like everyone else. But….my bet is that whatever Leighton wants with Marradith, it’s personal.
April 29th, 2009 at 11:24 am
You’ll just have to keep reading to find out the answer.
April 30th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Ack! I want to know the reason, too!
June 16th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
I am almost willing to bet that all her talents from wolf, vampire, and maybe even a real witch could combine into another gift. Just what could that one do is the question.