Page 31 of Wake the Dream

It took work to keep his face unemotional and expressionless, to school it to something akin to mild curiosity. Nothing to give away his investment. Or his new knowledge.

“Yelena thought there was more to life than this,” Shula began. She worried her lip before sucking in a breath through her teeth. Her fingernails, still that electric red, beat out a tune on the bar top to release her nervous energy. “More than just her everyday routine. She wanted more for herself. She felt trapped.”

“Trapped by what?”

“By her job. Her routine. This place.”

“Hedgehill Marsh? It’s the one place where she can be herself in plain sight with no one the wiser.” Kieran would never understand. The Marsh was special, the only place of its kind on earth. A town outside of time, where monsters and creatures otherwise forced into the shadows could step forward into the light. To embrace their natures without risking exposure. The magic affected anyone who stepped over the town line, winding through veins and blood and sinew to impact their sight. Their knowing.

The magical became mundane in the eyes of the tourists. The abnormal, normal.

Why would a Fae be discontented in such a place?

“Yeah, but it wasn’t her home. She and Illaria, they’re trapped here. Not like the rest of us,” Shula insisted. “We choose to stay because it’s better here than hiding. Do you know where I came from before I found the Marsh?” Her eyes followed Kieran’s as he shook his head. “I burned down my apartment building in New York City. Before that, Chicago. I was working my way across the continent, hoping to get to Canada, hoping the temperatures there would somehow help me when I couldn’t control myself. Yelena, she has arealhome out there. Parents on the other side that they can’t get to.”

He made a note on the pages. They had their issues, he knew. With Illaria he knew the abandonment made her angry, more prone to acting out. Yelena must have processed things differently, acted out in different ways. No one better than the other.

“How did they get trapped?”

“I’m not sure on the specifics. Yelena didn’t really talk about it much. I think it hurt her that the gate slammed closed on them. It would hurt me.” Shula gave a half shrug.

“Okay, that’s fine.” He was getting off topic anyway. “Tell me where Yelena went when she left here. You know, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question.

Slowly, Shula nodded. “I have a feeling. She never gave me specifics, and the more I think about it, the more I think she wanted to keep me from finding out. But I know she went underground. Some place that isn’t spoken about in polite society.”

The way she gestured around the room gave Kieran the distinct impression that wherever Yelena went it was way worse than Claw. Hard to imagine, surely. At once he recognized the risk Shula took in telling him. As an officer of the law, he had a good chance of making a bust that would get not only her but the rest of her clients in trouble. She must have really felt strongly about Yelena to give up the information now.

“Do you have the address?” he asked.

“I didn’t go with her,” Shula said, scribbling a note when he handed her the pen. “She didn’t ask me, probably because she knew I would say no. She went alone and...she never came back.”

Kieran grabbed the pad, stuffing it back in his pocket and thanking her for the information and her willingness to cooperate. Another lead, another building block in his case. Clearly, Shula had nothing else to say. The woman hadn’t seen her friend since the night she disappeared. He knew it to be true from the vibes rolling off of her. With nothing else forthcoming from her, he stood from the seat and winced when the tape pulled again.

“Thank you. I know it took a lot for you to come forward.”

Shula stared at him as he walked out. Kieran paused at the door, one arm outstretched. The question burned in his mind and he knew if he didn’t ask, he would think about it again and again. Wondering.

“Did she say why she went?” he finally asked, raising his voice to be heard.

“She said...” Shula began, then stopped. It took a moment of silence before she finally said, “She wanted towake up.”

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