Ghost Light

Chapter 20

We slipped through the hidden doorway, leaving the ice behind. The cold of the frozen area of the club was replaced by warm, humid air as I stepped into the dark. Claws tapped on pavement and I tensed as shapes began to take form.

Fae blood gave both Ceff and me excellent night vision. Jinx wasn’t so lucky. I heard her voice whisper shakily.

“Ivy?” she asked. “Remember when we agreed not to have strangers over to the loft? Well, I think this is a good time to tell you about this guy I let sleep over a few nights ago. I know you’re always worried about visions, so you may not want to use your toothbrush.”

My leather gloves creaked as I curled my hands into tight fists. Was this some kind of evil twist on deathbed confessions? If it was, I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t have time for an argument, but when this was all over, Jinx and I were going to have a serious talk.

My skin started to glow, pushing back the shadows.

“Your friend is clever,” Ceff said.

Jinx turned to me and shrugged.

“Not all of us have superhuman see-in-the-dark powers,” she said. “I had to improvise.”

I shook my head. Jinx was something all right.

I looked around the room, though room may not have been the correct word. We stood in an alley with what looked like night sky overhead, smog blocking out the stars. The narrow space was filled with crates, barrels, and boxes that hundreds of cats of every shape and size lounged atop, leaving no surface clear of watchful eyes.

In the far corner a familiar cat sidhe with scar-lined fur sat on a large, overturned wood spool. The spool was the industrial type used for transporting wire. Someone had flipped it on its side like a makeshift, ghetto-style table. The cat sidhe perched atop the spool and lazily licked his paw, unbothered by our sudden appearance.

I stepped toward the scarred cat sidhe, but several cats jumped down and hissed, blocking my path. The cat sidhe stopped licking his paw and sighed. He stood and arched his back, letting out a low keening cry. The fur along his back began to ripple, replaced by skin, shadow, and black leather.

Darkness enveloped the cat and when the shadows dissipated, a handsome man sat with one leg dangling over the edge of the table. One arm leaned on a leather-clad knee and a half smile quirked his lips. We had found Sir Torn, lord of the cat sidhe.

Like many fae, the cat sidhe lord was easy on the eyes, but he lacked the perfection which so many high bloods prized. In his human guise, Torn was as damaged as he was beautiful.

Torn retained the multitude of scars I’d first noticed when he was in cat form. The faerie’s face was dominated by a large, ragged scar that ran through his left brow, eyelid, and across the bridge of his nose. Additional scars crisscrossed both arms, but these were nothing compared to the damage sustained by his ears. Even in human form, the cat sidhe’s left ear was filled with holes and his right ear was nothing more than a lump of scar tissue.

Instead of hiding these battle scars, Torn had embraced his imperfections. He’d adorned the many holes in his ears with bone and feather piercings, perhaps trophies from his kills. Fur, bone, and feathers also decorated the leather vest, pants, and boots that he wore. The look suited him in a wild, roguish, Beyond Thunderdome kind of way.

Torn flicked his remaining ear in a move that was completely inhuman, a signal for the cats to stand down. With a swish of tails the cats spun away and returned to the shadows. Torn gestured to the makeshift table and smiled.

“Come, sit with me,” he said.

The faerie lord continued to perch atop the table. I stood my ground, not wanting to place myself below Torn by sitting on one of the low crates. When we didn’t move, he shifted his attention to our weakest link.

Torn turned yellow eyes to Jinx and winked. Her lips parted and she took a step forward. Torn ran a hand down the length of his body to pat the wood beside him. He was like a cat playing with a mouse.

I cleared my throat, snapping Jinx from Torn’s spell. She took a step back and pulled something from the bag she wore slung over her shoulder. Every cat in the alley hissed, hackles raised, and I risked a glance at my friend. Jinx held a crossbow trained at the faerie lord’s head. I turned back to Torn, a wry grin on my lips.

“No more games,” I said. “I have questions.”

“Nice to see you too, princess,” he said.

“Sorry, Torn,” I said. “This isn’t a social call. I don’t have time for social niceties.”

He tilted his head to the side and raised a scarred brow. When we’d met before, the cat sidhe claimed that he was bored. I was hoping that our mission was intriguing enough to hold his interest.

“Go on,” he said.

“Two things,” I said. I held up two fingers. “First, how did you know I was a princess? That didn’t become common knowledge until a few minutes ago.”

I scowled, remembering the phoenix perched on the stair rail announcing my royal title to the entire club below. That single moment was going to complicate my life, as if it wasn’t difficult enough already.

I wasn’t looking forward to marching back through that crowd when it came time to leave. Every faerie in the club was probably talking about my lackluster entrance into fae society. My mouth went dry and I focused on one of the feathers in Torn’s tattered ear.

“We cat sidhe are masters of concealment,” he said. To demonstrate, Torn began to fade away, obscured by shadow. Within seconds he was completely invisible. “No secret is safe from our eyes and ears.”

A moment later, the shadows shifted and Torn reappeared, beginning with his amber eyes and scarred ears. He was wearing a satisfied smirk that pulled at the scar on his cheek. Nice trick.

“Impressive,” I said.

The cat sidhe waved his hand in dismissal, as if it were nothing. But being able to walk the streets unnoticed, both in cat form and concealed by shadow, was a major talent.

Sir Torn and his subjects could have been listening any time I discussed my parentage outside the protection of The Emporium or my house wards. I’d have to learn to be more careful. I tilted my head at Torn, studying him more closely. If all cat sidhe had the ability for such stealth, they would make a powerful ally, or an invincible foe. For the first time, I wondered which side the cat fae belonged to. Were cat sidhe members of the Seelie or Unseelie court?

“Cat sidhe are independent,” he said. “We belong to no one.”

It was as if Torn plucked the question from my mind. Oh yeah, I’d have to learn to be a lot more careful in future dealings with the cat sidhe.

“If you are such masters of secrets, then maybe you know something about my real father,” I said.

I held my breath and waited. Before today, my only interest in my father was finding a cure for my life threatening wisp abilities. But after memories of my childhood had seeped past the unraveling spell on my mind, I now wanted to get to know my father. I felt a duty to help him find a way to break the curse he was under and bring him home. But I’d have to find him first.

“More than you,” Torn said. I wanted to wipe the smug smile off his face with one of my blades, but instead I waited. I rolled my shoulders and tried to look bored. I was learning a thing or two about faerie negotiations. “What will you give me for this knowledge?”

I shrugged.

“That depends on what you know,” I said.

“I know that Will-o’-the-Wisp, king of the wisps, left this city twenty years ago after he made a foolish bargain with a demon,” he said.

“Whatever,” I said. “I knew that already. Maybe you’re not as good at gathering secrets as you like to think.”

“I know more, but that information comes at a price,” he said.

Crap. I was hoping to keep the faerie cat boasting long enough to give something useful away for free. No such luck.

I was tired of faerie bargains and the heavy price they carried, but there was one tactic I hadn’t tried yet. Since the cat sidhe were unaligned, it just might work.

“How much information would you be willing to share with an official ally?” I asked.

Torn’s eyes widened for just a second, but I’d seen the reaction. I had caught the faerie lord unawares. I smiled. I was pretty sure that Torn didn’t surprise easily. He returned my smile, displaying pointy white teeth.

“You are willing to ally the wisps with the cat sidhe?” he asked.

“Yes, but only in exchange for useful information about my father,” I said.

“Your offer is…unprecedented,” he said. Torn made a strange purring sound low in his throat and licked his lips. “I accept.”

I felt the pavement shift beneath my feet as the bargain settled on my soul, but for once, there was no pain or nausea. I took that as a positive sign.

“What do you know of my father’s whereabouts?” I asked.

“Liam, as I knew your father, left Harborsmouth after that foul demon bargain,” he said. “He is cursed to walk the world carrying a lantern filled with an ember from the fiery pits of Hell. Will-o’-the-Wisp has become Jack o’ Lantern. He carries the lantern until the curse can be broken or he hands the lantern over to another.”

“But if he passes the lantern on to someone else, he’s effectively cursing them, right?” I asked.

“Yes and the lantern must be taken up willingly,” he said. “The role of Jack o’ Lantern cannot be forced, though trickery and manipulation are permitted.”

“So my father is trying to find a way to break the curse without damning someone else,” I said. “Is that why he left Harborsmouth?”

“He left because the lantern is dangerous,” he said. “Your father realized that the lantern he carried was a conduit to Hell. Liam did not want to harm you or your mortal mother with its presence.”

My father didn’t abandon us—he was trying to protect me and my mother. My heart swelled.

“Do you know where he is now?” I asked.

I bit my lip. Please, please, please. Torn slouched and spread his hands wide.

“I am sorry, princess,” he said. “The last known location for Jack o’ Lantern was Fukushima, just before the tsunami and nuclear disaster. Many went missing that day, both fae and humans, and I lost track of your father. Locating him again will be difficult, but I will have my people look into it.”

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was known the world over. Radioactive materials had been released due to a meltdown at a nuclear power plant in Fukushima Japan. The nuclear disaster followed the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami which caused over 15,000 casualties.

Had my father been injured during the disaster? Was he even still alive? I shook off the heavy cloak of doubt before it had a chance to suffocate me.

My mouth went dry as another thought wormed its way into my head. Had my father’s presence had something to do with the Fukushima disaster? If so, the lantern he carried was more dangerous than I thought.

I sighed. I needed to talk to my father, but there was nothing to do now but wait for a lead to his whereabouts. I had no doubt that if anyone could discover where my father was hiding, it was the cat sidhe. For now, my fate, and my father’s, were in Torn’s hands.

The cat sidhe leaned forward, tilted his head, and studied me with open curiosity.

“And the second reason you sought me out?” he asked.

Oh, right. I’d wasted enough time on my own personal agenda. It was time to learn what I could about the walking dead. If I could trace the reports of strange lights and other supernatural activity to a specific burial ground, then we’d be one step away from rescuing those kids.

“You said that you’d heard rumors of ghost sightings in Harborsmouth,” I said. “I think these sightings might be linked to a case I’m working involving missing fae kids.”

Torn hissed and his eyes flashed bright yellow in the dark alley, but his anger wasn’t aimed at me. Faerie children are rare and precious to the fae. I gave the guy a moment to collect himself.

“Our children are missing?” he asked.

“Yes, over thirty kids that I know of so far,” I said. “The calls started pouring in this morning. We have some leads, but we’re short on time.”

“Tell me what you know,” he said.

I gave him the Cliffs Notes version of the case. When I mentioned the rats, every cat in the alley showed their teeth and claws. Apparently cat sidhe and their feline followers aren’t besties with the rats of the city. Since most of the rats I’d seen in my vision were the size of cats, I assumed they made a dangerous foe, especially in large numbers. But if I were a betting girl, I’d put my money on the cat sidhe in a fight.

“We know that Melusine is capable of murdering children,” I said. Ceff blanched, but I continued on like I hadn’t noticed. It was better to get this over with fast, like ripping off a bandage. “We also know that The Piper will need to begin the Danse Macabre in order to feed off the children’s life energy and to fulfill his bargain by providing Hell with their souls.”

“You’re running out of time,” Torn said.

“Yes,” I said. I swallowed hard. I just hoped we weren’t already too late. “I know who the key players are, and what they want, but what I haven’t been able to figure out is where they are hiding. I just know that it’s likely that they are near a burial ground.”

“And you think the ghost sightings might lead you to them,” he said. I nodded. “Do you have a map of the city?”

“Yes,” I said. I pulled up the map display on my phone.

Torn stared at the map, brow furrowed.

“Here and here,” he said, pointing. “Most of the ghost sightings are reported near these two cemeteries—Ocean Overlook and Far Point.”

They were the two oldest and largest cemeteries in Harborsmouth, each encompassing acres of city land. It was a lot of ground to cover, but at least Torn had helped us narrow the search to two possible locations.

“Thank you,” I said.

“If you wish to thank me,” he said. “Bring back our children.”

I nodded and turned toward the wall where we’d entered from Club Nexus, but the door was gone. I turned to Jinx who shrugged.

“Ahem,” Torn said. Torn stretched catlike and slid down from the table, his boots silent as they hit pavement. “This way.”

Torn sauntered with feline grace toward the end of the alley. The sea of cats parted as we followed their leader. I wondered where they had hidden the exit. Was the door somewhere in the brick wall? The alley mouth? I just hoped it wasn’t inside the dumpster.

I walked up behind Torn and he stepped aside with a flourish. We were standing facing a dark street that looked entirely real. I rubbed my forehead trying to make sense of what Torn was showing me. The energy jolt I’d received when entering the club was wearing off and I was too tired for games.

Torn pointed to my left and I gasped. The entrance to Club Nexus, still guarded by the ogre bouncer, stood a few doors down from the alley. How could that be possible?

“We aren’t inside the club?” I asked.

Torn looked down at our feet standing inside the alley and lifted his eyebrows.

“Now that is a matter of opinion,” he said. I stepped out onto the sidewalk, testing a theory, and turned back to Torn. He nodded and smiled. “You are most definitely outside the club.”

I looked up at the night sky, a grin pulling at my lips. We’d found the answers we were looking for and saved valuable time. The strange geography of the cat sidhe’s pocket of Club Nexus meant we didn’t have to go back through the club to find an exit—and I wouldn’t have to face the stares of snoopy curiosity seekers.

I cracked my neck and lowered my head to look at my companions. Jinx slid her crossbow into her bag and Ceff nodded.

It was time to go find the kids.