Page 8 of Woodland Web

“He doesn’t,” I said. “I’ve been reticent on the subject, and of course I’d never mention it to Wren, though I’m sure she knows, but Walter’s on the fast track out of this realm. The past few times I talked to her, I could feel his energy back there, and he’s waning. It breaks my heart.”

“A sobering note, but I think you’re right,” Hank said. “I can feel it too.”

“Well, we’re not here to speculate on Walt’s health,” Caitlin said. “I mean, I think so too, but let’s focus on what we can do something about.”

“What have you got for me?” Millie asked. “I brought pictures of the victims. One’s going to live, but he’s pretty sliced up. The other’s dead. Whatever the creature is, it took a bite out of both of them. Nasty wounds, and the victim who survived has a raging infection. The doctor has it under control but it’s required IV antibiotics to do so. Not as bad as a Komodo dragon’s bite, but far worse than any dog or cat bite.”

She tossed a couple file folders on the table. “I would have just emailed these, but we haven’t had a chance to scan the pictures in and the paperwork is still waiting on our data entry clerks.” As she headed over to pour herself a cup of coffee, Tad pulled the files over in front of him.

I sat on one side of him, and Millie sat on the other. Caitlin and Hank settled down as close as they could. Tad flipped open the file and sorted out the pictures. Millie was right. The bite was nasty—as were the slashes across their arms and legs. Both victims were men, and neither looked weak.

“You said this happened in Devil’s Gulch?”

Devil’s Gulch was a ravine on the distant outskirts of town. It was seldom used or visited, and it was overgrown with vegetation. I wasn’t familiar with why people avoided it, but my instincts had always kept me from even getting near it.

“Yes. Here, these pics show the bites.” Millie paused, then said, “What have you got for me? Do you know what we’re dealing with? You must have had some reason to ask about attacks today.”

“We do, actually,” I said. “You remember when I told you about my little bargain with the Fae—how I owe them a favor?”

She nodded. “Yeah… Oh, I assume they’ve called it in?”

“Right. This needs to remain private—I can’t have the news getting around, but it might give you a leg up on the investigation. Maybe we can work together.”

Millie frowned. “What do you mean, ‘private’? How can we work on a case if we can’t talk about it?”

“Millie, we have to. The information can’t get out.” I held Millie’s gaze. “I’m serious about this—if word gets out, my life could be in danger. I wouldn’t put it past them.”

“Past who? Is somebody blackmailing you?”

“The Fae are negotiating with the Court Magika right now. They can’t have anything of this nature slip out.” That was all I had to say.

Millie stiffened. “Okay, I see. All right, I’ll keep this as private as I can. No need to say more.”

I nodded. “This could affect those delicate negotiations. Briar specifically told me I’m not to let them get wind of what’s happened.”

Millie thought for a moment. “And you’re okay with keeping this quiet from your grandmother?”

I nodded. “I have to be. I honestly don’t think it would shake things up as much as Briar seems to think, but I’m not willing to fuck around and find out. I owe him a favor, a favor that saved Tad and Hank. I owe him two lives’ worth of reciprocation.”

“All right, tell me what’s going on,” she said after a moment’s contemplation.

“What’s going on is that they accidentally let a sluagh get loose. The creature’s in town, prowling around, and they want me to destroy it. Not return it, but destroy it.” I told her what we had learned about the creature.

“Then you truly do need to take it out. And I understand why Briar didn’t want you to say anything. To be honest, I know a little about the negotiations going on. I wasn’t going to say anything, because this is dicey, explosive territory. But at this point, you’re correct. It wouldn’t be wise to tell your grandmother or any power player in the Court Magika about this situation. The Fae are attempting to connect to the world around them, after all these thousands of years of self-exile, and something like this could muddy the waters.”

“Is that what the negotiations are about?” The thought of the Fae mingling with townsfolk seemed absurd.

Millie nodded. “The Fae are looking to join society, like the vampires did decades ago. But as I said, it’s a delicate balance. They’re more arrogant than the vamps were, and more volatile. However, if they don’t manage to find their place in the modern world, they won’t be able to keep their sacred grounds without resorting to a war on the world around them. And they would not win—and they know it.”

“So they’re desperate, and their egos have been stung? That’s not a good combo,” Tad said.

“No, it isn’t. And something as simple as this sluagh could truly topple the delicate dance of diplomacy going on at this moment,” Millie said. “I’ve probably told you more than is wise, but if you’re involved in this matter—and I understand that you have no choice—then you really should understand the stakes.”

I let out a long breath. “I kind of wish I didn’t know. But you’re right. We’re playing a political game of Jenga right now.”

“Good analogy,” Millie said. “Anyway, this creature sounds like the same one who attacked my victims. The survivor couldn’t give a good description except that it made him think of a cyclops, only smaller than those in legend.” Millie sorted through the reports in the files.

“That sounds about right,” I said. “The sluagh like to eat people.”

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