Harley Merlin 12 Read online

  Five

  Finch

  There wasn’t much more to say after that. Luke wouldn’t let Melody run wild in San Diego, and I had a book to find and a sister to hug. So, I’d said “See you later” to them and popped my head in to say thanks to Cecily and Richard before heading back to the closest thing I had to a home. I’d have preferred a glitzy set of ruby slippers to get me there, but a chalk door to the Science Center and using the front door worked just as well.

  It felt weird to walk these hallways again after everything I’d been through at the Fountain and the monastery. I kept expecting a monk to suddenly appear and usher me into a pottery studio or something. Instead, I got some curious looks and whispers from the other members of the coven.

  That’s right, lads and lasses, get a good eyeful—the boy is back in town. I checked my phone and saw a message banner. I’d texted Harley the moment I landed, so to speak.

  You’re back?! Meet me in the Alton Waterhouse Room! I promise I won’t strangle you.

  Not exactly the fanfare I’d been after, but at least I’d get to see her. Man, I really had missed her. Being the Count of Compartmentalization, I hadn’t let myself linger on it, but all that delayed emotion crashed into me at once. Having to keep secrets from her, and not letting her help me, hadn’t been easy.

  Fifteen minutes later, I stood nervously outside the Alton Waterhouse Room—formerly the Luis Paoletti Room. A fitting tribute to our fallen director. I’d want something way bigger if it were getting called the Finch Merlin Room, but hopefully there’d be no homages to me anytime soon.

  I stepped in. Immediately, a Harley-shaped bulldozer hurtled into me, almost sending me flying back into the corridor.

  “I missed you so much!” She flung her arms around me and squeezed tight. This time, I knew exactly what to do. No limp-arm syndrome here. I pulled her close and hugged her hard, stopping just short of crushing her.

  “I missed you, too,” I murmured into her shoulder. “So friggin’ much.”

  She pulled away. “It’s so good to see you, Finch. Seriously, after you disappeared from the Jubilee mine, I almost lost my mind. Everyone was pretty glad when I finally got word from Ryann that you were okay. I went a bit militant for a while.”

  I chuckled. “What’s new? I blame the special-agent uniform.”

  “Hey, I like this uniform.” She stared at me like she couldn’t quite believe I was real.

  “That’s part of the problem. You’ll have everyone saluting next.”

  Her eyes turned suddenly sad. “You look like crap, bro. Haven’t you been sleeping?”

  “Not really.” I’d popped two more pills before I came back, to keep the gremlins behind enemy lines. But I could still feel them nagging away, trying to wiggle through. Like mental fruit flies that I couldn’t get rid of, no matter what I did.

  She looked concerned. “You’re not doing well, are you?”

  I shrugged. “You know me. I’ll be fine, I’ve just got a lot on my plate.”

  “Are you going to tell me what exactly is on your plate?” She ushered me over to the stools by the main workbench. I sank down, letting out the kind of weary groan you’d expect from an octogenarian trying to get out of an armchair.

  I hesitated. “Didn’t Ryann tell you?”

  “She told me you were on a job for Erebus, that’s it. I tried to get her to say more, but she said you’d explain when you were ready.” Harley put her hand on mine and curled her fingers around it. “What’s going on with you, huh? You can tell me. Whatever it is, I’m here for you.”

  “I know…” The “but” hovered in the air between us.

  “Actually, I’ve done some research into Erebus myself. I know you told me not to get involved, but he’s got you by the balls, Finch, and I couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. I wanted to try and find something, anything, to… well, get your balls free, if that’s not super-weird of me to say.”

  I gaped at her. “You haven’t. Tell me you haven’t.”

  “I’m your sister and you’re in trouble. Of course I wasn’t going to listen to you.” She squeezed my hand tighter.

  Panic rushed through my veins, piggybacking on my twitchy anxiety. She’d been researching Erebus? Why hadn’t she listened? I’d more or less begged her not to do anything about it, and she’d gone ahead and investigated anyway. Then again, I’d have been a class-A hypocrite if I laid into her about it. If she were in my position, I’d have done exactly the same thing, swooping in to try and save her. In fact, I’d already done that.

  I’d snapped at Erebus just this morning about being transparent, when I was leaving my own trail of frustrating breadcrumbs for my sister. Knowledge had power. And, maybe, the best way to keep Harley safe was to give her the bigger picture. Then, she might understand the danger everyone I cared about was in. And that might be enough to stop her from digging deeper and traveling into even more treacherous waters.

  “You need to stop looking into Erebus,” I said. “I’ll tell you what’s been going on, but you have to promise not to keep investigating on your own.”

  She peered at me cautiously. “How can I promise that if I don’t know what you’re going to tell me?”

  “You just have to.” I sighed. “Please, sis. Trust me on this.”

  “I can give you a conditional promise.” Why do you always have to be so stubborn?

  “Unconditional, or I can’t tell you the truth,” I insisted. “Lives are at stake if you don’t. Namely, yours.”

  Her gaze darkened. “Okay… then, I guess I promise.”

  “Unconditionally?”

  She bit the inside of her cheek. “Fine. Unconditionally.”

  “Here’s the short version.” I took a breath. “Erebus is planning something huge. I don’t know what—I really don’t—but it’s big. I don’t know what Garrett and Saskia told you about the Jubilee mine, but Erebus got himself a nifty little meat suit from the Fountain of Youth hidden there, which is now drained and buried under all that rock. Now, he’s looking for Atlantis.”

  “Atlantis?” she gasped. “Why Atlantis?”

  “Oh, you have no idea how many times I’ve asked that question. It’s literally on repeat in my head, like I’ve been Atlantis rick-rolled.”

  She gave a nervous smile. “Erebus isn’t spilling the beans?”

  “Erebus never spills the beans. So, I have no idea why he’s looking for Atlantis, but I do know he’s not on the same psychotic trail as my mother. A shred of good news in a mountain of crap. He says none of this has anything to do with enslaving humanity, and, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I believe him. It seems… personal, somehow.”

  “How can you be sure?” She leaned forward on her stool, no doubt having Elysium flashbacks. I could almost see the memories of Katherine’s cracking face flitting across her eyes, oozing black goop.

  “The human body gives it away,” I replied. “It took him a lot of scheming to get it, and it’s giving him a few glitches. Glitches he’d already prepared for by sending me across the globe, picking up Ephemeras. If he wanted to lord it over humans, he’d have done it already. He’s still powerful enough to make it happen, so we’re not dealing with Katherine Mark 2.”

  Harley’s mouth gaped like a beached fish. “So, Erebus is… human now?”

  “Well, human hybrid is more accurate,” I replied. “He’s got most of the Child of Chaos juice, but he’s run into some limitations now that he’s all fleshy.”

  “Is that what the Ephemeras were for?” That was the beauty of Harley—she always asked the right things.

  I nodded. “I didn’t know why I was collecting them at the time, but most of the trips I took for him involved finding rare Ephemeras from ancient magicals. They’re basically like his premium unleaded, to fuel his human body and make the limitations less of a problem for him.”

  “Is that where you’ve been? Searching for more Ephemeras?” She kicked her foot anxiously against the workbench.

&
nbsp; “No, Erebus tasked me with finding Atlantis. That’s what I’ve been doing.”

  She took a shaky breath. “Did you find it?”

  “Yeah, I did.”

  “You found it?! It’s real?” Her eyes bugged. “I mean… how did you find it? How do you even go about finding a mythical place like that? Atlantis is the biggie, right—up there with El Dorado and Shangri La, and all that legendary stuff?”

  “Oh yeah, and that, my sweet sis, is a pretty long story. Let’s just say I had to go into an altered state of mind for it. A bit like Euphoria.” I wasn’t deliberately keeping the monastery from her; I just didn’t have the energy to go into detail. My body felt like lead, and the more I spoke, the more I sensed the uprising of the gremlins. Besides, the specifics didn’t matter.

  She nodded in understanding. “Then we need to research Atlantis. Maybe there’s a clue somewhere.”

  “No, you can’t go searching for intel on Atlantis, or Erebus. He’s already threatened the lives of everyone I love, which is why you need to listen this time and keep away from the missions he’s got me on,” I urged, my heart sinking. “It’s bad enough that Ryann is involved, and I didn’t know about that until it was too late. But as long as I keep toeing the line and everyone keeps their heads down, Erebus won’t have a reason to hurt her. I’m not planning on giving him one. However, if Erebus found out that you—the Great and Powerful Oz—were looking into him and his plans, and he thought you were trying to thwart him, he’d kill Ryann without batting an eyelid. That would give him a reason to get trigger-happy.”

  “Let me get this straight—if Erebus thought I was trying to ruin his plans, and thought you were somehow involved in it because you’re my brother, he’d kill Ryann to punish you?”

  “Got it in one, sis.”

  Her expression shifted toward the curious. “Because she means a lot to you?”

  “We’re not getting into this again,” I replied, with a subtle warning in my voice. “But that’s what he thinks, and he’s not going to change his mind about it. Right now, she’s leverage, and I don’t want her getting used against me for any reason.”

  Harley’s shoulders sagged. “I’m guessing he’s not bluffing?”

  “When has a Child of Chaos ever bluffed? Like I said, this job feels personal, and he’ll take it personally if he thinks someone is trying to get in his way. It’s safer for everyone if you stay out of it.” I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “I wish you could help. But you can’t. All I can offer you is the truth so you can see the danger we’re all in.”

  “We know what the wrath of a Child of Chaos feels like better than anyone, right?” She gave a wry laugh, but her face hardened with worry.

  “Oh yeah, and I doubt either of us wants a repeat.”

  She held my gaze. “You’re sure it’s not going to affect humanity?”

  “As sure as I can be, but I promise you, you’ll be the first to know if that changes. The first whiff of global domination, and I’ll be speed-dialing you.”

  Her eyes glistened. “You’ve really been through the wringer, haven’t you?”

  “About a hundred times, yeah.” I choked out a laugh. “I should be flat as a pancake by now.”

  “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you told me everything. Even if I can’t help, at least I can understand why.” She chuckled sadly. “Let’s face it, if I were in your shoes, I’d run off trying to do it all solo too.”

  “You did try to do that, remember?” I managed a smirk, but it felt off. All of me felt off. This tall glass of milk had soured. It made me glad that Harley couldn’t use her Empath mojo on me, or she’d have been able to tell that I was on the edge and struggling to keep up appearances.

  “Yes, and now I’m getting major déjà vu. I’ll be honest, I don’t like it one bit, but you’ve made a heck of a case.” She sighed and shook her head. “I hate that you’re going through this. Erebus should’ve let you go by now, but he was always a snake. And I’m worried about you, still tied to him like this. I’m worried about Ryann, I’m worried about the rest of us, but you’re the one with the ax hanging over your head. I hate it. And I hate it even more because it should’ve been me.”

  “Then we’d be having this conversation on opposite stools,” I reminded her. “And I’m friggin’ thrilled you’re not sitting where I am. I don’t have the willpower that you do. I’d have wound up dead a long time ago by sticking my nose in, if you’d been tied to Erebus instead.”

  “Still…”

  “Or I’d have offed myself for having to deal with a mopey Wade. He’d have had all this separation anxiety and jealousy, wondering if you were having a wild fling with some Polynesian beefcake while picking up an Ephemera for the Prince of Darkness.” I forced myself to lighten the mood, and it seemed to work.

  She chuckled. “I suppose I wouldn’t have been able to tell him, would I?”

  “Not unless you wanted Erebus dangling him over a sea of Purge beasts or threatening his life at literally every possible opportunity. He just loves to whip that one out. I think it might be his party trick.”

  “Why Polynesian?” She raised an eyebrow.

  “Why not Polynesian?” I shot back, with a grin. “They are some beautiful people. I nearly got a tattoo during my stay, but it wouldn’t have had the same impact as the guys out there. No one wants to see me roaming around with my top off.”

  She flashed a genuine smile. “You didn’t nearly get a tattoo!”

  “You’re right, I’ve already got two I don’t want. If only they were drunken mistakes I could laser away.”

  “You know, I used to hate this thing.” She pulled up her sleeve to reveal her golden Apple of Discord. “But now, I look at it and I remember everything we did. I remember that we finally killed Katherine. And it doesn’t feel like her symbol anymore—it feels like ours. Yours and mine, bonding us together.”

  “Has Wade been reading self-help books to you again? How to turn a negative into a positive—that sort of fluff?”

  She gave me a despairing look. “He doesn’t read self-help books.”

  “He does. I’ve heard him rattle off philosophical garbage like he’s center stage at his very own TED Talk.”

  She stifled a snort. “I’ve missed having you around.”

  “I’ve missed being around.” I lowered my gaze. “And I like what you said about the apples. You know me, I struggle with the warm and fuzzies, so I say something snarky instead.”

  “I love you, bro.” She put her hand over my tattoo.

  “I love you, too, sis.”

  “You’re going to get through this. You know that, don’t you?”

  I shrugged. “Some days, yes. Some days, no.”

  “If Erebus tries to screw you over, or he hurts you, then I’m sorry, but I’ll break my promise not to get involved. He’ll learn what human wrath can feel like if he does anything to you.”

  “Hell hath no fury, right?”

  She nodded. “Exactly.”

  “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

  A tense silence stretched between us, both of us waiting for the other to break it. In the end, Harley took the leap.

  “We should probably go see O’Halloran. He’ll know you’re here by now, since you came through the front door, and he’ll be eager to see you.” Harley got up, and I had no choice but to follow. Even if every step felt like trudging through that proverbial mud pool. Only it wasn’t Satan and his pitchfork waiting to jab at me—it was my mind gremlins.

  We hadn’t gotten too far through the coven, when the man himself appeared around a corner. Diarmuid the leprechaun sat on his shoulder, the two of them dressed in identical black suits. Ugh… I’d forgotten about you. The angriest, scariest creature under ten inches.

  “Finch, there you are. I hoped to catch you before you left.” O’Halloran put out his hand. I gave him a handshake, as firm as I could muster.

  “We were just coming to find you,” Harley replied.
/>   “Ach, so ye’ve brought me on a wasted trip, ya great, daft mushroom.” Diarmuid threw up his tiny arms. “I told ye, they’ll come te ye. Ain’t that what being director is all about?”

  O’Halloran laughed. “I think he’s pleased to see you, as well.”

  Diarmuid shot him a dirty look. “Stuff that up yer arse. I ain’t pleased to see no one.”

  “It’s good to be back, Director O’Halloran,” I said, trying to keep my distance from the leprechaun.

  “Where’s yer red hair? Ginger ain’t good enough for ye no more?” Diarmuid peered at me.

  “Just trying not to look like a Shipton,” I replied.

  “Aye, that’ll do it.” Diarmuid barked a laugh, somehow more terrifying than his perpetual anger.

  “Now then, I hear you’ve been on a mission for Erebus. How’s that going?” O’Halloran took me by surprise.

  “Uh… fine. The usual.” I stumbled over my reply. How did he know that? I’d forgotten O’Halloran’s knack for gathering intel.

  Harley shifted awkwardly. “I may have told him what Ryann told me.”

  “Ah, right.” So that was how he knew. “Yeah, it’s all… uh… going smoothly. Nothing I can’t handle.”

  “Aye, and I’m a soddin’ unicorn,” Diarmuid muttered. “Ye couldn’t handle a donkey.”

  “Is it anything I should worry about? If I need to rally forces, I have to know as quickly as possible.” O’Halloran ignored him and focused on me.

  I shook my head. “Nope, no cavalry required. It’s more of a self-serving thing for Erebus, from what I can tell.”

  “Would you mind coming to my office so we can talk more about it?” O’Halloran said.

  “Ach, yer pullin’ me leg!” Diarmuid complained. “Ye drag us all the way out here, now yer wantin’ te go all the way back? I bet if I looked in yer ear, I’d see right through te the other side.”

  How do you get through a meeting with THAT chirping at you all the time? I would’ve said it out loud if I wasn’t certain Diarmuid was hiding his mighty shillelagh somewhere. And he’d give me a few choice whacks if I insulted him.