The Steele Wolf (Iron Butterfly #2)(65)

A soft hand touched my shoulder and I turned quickly to see Fanny. Standing this close to her, I realized how petite she was. She was even a few inches shorter than I.

“I’m sorry, Thalia. You must hate me. I’ve disappointed you twice now.” Fanny looked devastated as. Her head dropped in shame and she dropped her hammer into the dirt and fell to her knees. “I couldn’t stop him. I’m not strong outside of my workshop shield. Plus, there wasn’t anything I could have done.”

I dropped to my knees next to her and put my arm around her. “No, Fanny, don’t blame yourself. I’m not disappointed. It was wrong of me to ask you to do something I couldn’t. I just assumed you had other gifts besides healing. It was my fault.” I wrapped my arms around her and comforted the older woman.

“I was coming to tell you that I found the information you asked me about. I didn’t think you wanted to wait until morning so I was going to leave a message at your home. I was on my way when I heard his voice. I would recognize that voice anywhere, although he wasn’t speaking with an accent. I hung back in the shadows to be sure and when I saw him, I knew it was him.”

“What did you find out?” I asked.

“Well, I was right about the fake name.” She ruffled in her apron pocket and pulled out a much worn, yellowed piece of paper. “The order was placed by a Balto Varen from Thunder Valley. That man was definitely him except that when he spoke with me he wore a wig and spoke with an accent.” Fanny stood up and I walked with her as we headed to the closest entrance to the Jesai home. We parted ways and I told her to come by if she remembered any more information for me. Heading up the stairs to the main room door, I opened it to find that the place was quiet, empty.

Was I gone so long that everyone had departed and gone to sleep? That’s when it hit me. I had forgotten about Mona. She was a traitor, in league with her father. I flew up the stairs as fast, or should I say as slow, as my wobbly legs let me and burst through the observatory door. What I saw left me speechless. The room was destroyed.





Chapter 26



Furniture was broken, tables overturned with food spilled all over the floor. What looked like either blood or wine was splashed across the marble walls. People were lying in heaps on the floor. I saw Berry’s body lying protectively over Avina.

Crying in fear, I stumbled through the room and knelt down to them, touching their skin. It was warm. In fact it was too warm. And that’s when I saw Berry’s eyes wide with fear blink at me.

She was alive! I moved Berry’s hair aside and saw that Avina was alive and well too. They were only paralyzed. Avina tried to speak through frozen lips.

“Shhh, shhh. It’s going to be all right.” I tried to comfort them. “It will wear off in a while and then you will be good as new. I promise.” I knew all too well the emotions they must be feeling. First it would be fear and helplessness, followed later by anger.

Standing up, I surveyed the rest of the room and damage. I checked every guest in the room and all of them were no worse for wear. A few bumps and bruises; a couple cuts and scrapes as some guests were unlucky enough to fall on glass. But everyone was in the same condition; paralyzed, but alive. Had Mona done this? What had happened after I had left?

Hemi, Joss, Nero, Gloria, Darren and Mona were unaccounted for. I tried to reassure everyone that was still in the room that I would be back in a moment and began a hunt for the missing Jesai family. It wasn’t until I had checked in Gloria’s room that I found them. They were mostly unharmed.

What surprised me the most was that Mona was gagged and tied up in a corner of the room. She had been tossed there like a bag of rotten potatoes. Joss had a fat lip, and Nero sported a bruised cheek. Both of them were sitting on either side of Gloria’s bed, clasping her hands. Darren stood guard over Mona and kept giving her disgusted looks. As soon as Hemi saw me, he rushed over and picked me up, giving me a large hug. He then crushed my wrist within his large hand and held on for dear life as if he were afraid I would disappear again on him.

“What happened?” I asked. My voice sounded loud in the near silent room.

Joss glanced at me but looked away from me in shame, refusing to make eye contact. Nero’s shoulders were shaking as if he was crying.

It was Darren who finally answered me. “We aren’t really sure what happened. One minute we were happy and celebrating, and then the next we were all fighting amongst ourselves like dogs. I can barely remember who started it. But I think it was meant as a distraction. Only I don’t know how it happened or why.” Darren gave a seething look at Mona before looking over to Gloria again.

“It’s the drink. The more you drink, the more she is able to control you,” I spoke. Mona’s head snapped up and her eyes glared angrily at me. “I ran into her father, Joss, and he said as much.”

Joss didn’t even look at me but hung his head in shame and buried his face in his hands.

“Joss,” I said his name trying to get him to look at me. “Joss, please look at me.” He didn’t move and I was getting frustrated. “Joss, Talbot is the Raven. Talbot has your sister.” When my words sunk in, Joss turned and flew from the bed in a single motion to face me.

“Are you serious?” Now that Joss faced me I could see that he had been crying.

“Yes. Talbot is the Raven and he said he has your sister. He ran away, and Kael is looking for him.”