Page 23 of Druid Dreams

“Madam,” Franklin answered on the third ring. “What can I do for you?”

“I’ve spoken to Nathaniel and Samuel, and they seem to be having a pest problem, Franklin. Please call the exterminator and have him come by tonight at ten. Cash in hand, the highest grade poison he’s got, and tell him to spare no expenses. I need him to sweep the entire estate. You know how much I hate creepy crawly things.”

“Yes Madam, I’ll have the appointment set as soon as you hang up. Anything else?” Franklin reminded me subtly. He's always on top of things. I think I’d be lost without him.

“Uhm, yes, also have him set a couple of high quality traps. Throw the old ones out.”

“Understood Madam, it will be done.” Someone remind me to give Franklin a raise.

“Thank you, Franklin. That’s all I need.” I hung up and motioned for Briggs to toss his phone out. He looked down at his hand, shrugged his shoulders and slung his phone like a frisbee at the trees.

“Whats-“ Briggs started but I covered his mouth with my hand. Stone gave him a wide eyed look and zipped his mouth shut. I released Briggs after that and Stone took us off the interstate. The exit had no gas stations or fast food joints. It was a disaster of a two-lane road going in either direction. Trees grew just feet from the road, their roots breaking up the concrete and their canopies reaching across the road. It felt like we were driving through a tunnel.

After fifteen minutes of silence, staring out the window and letting my thoughts run wild, I popped the case off my phone so I could take the SIM card out. Chunking my phone out into the wooded wastelands around us, I exhaled a relieved breath. That’s the third phone this year, and it’s only fucking May.

“Can I talk now?” Briggs pleaded quietly.

“Yes.” I approved as I folded the SIM card up and tore it apart, tossing it out as we maneuvered off the desolate road and into a small town. It was a rural area with a clever little setup. Everything functioned around the downtown area. The restaurants were brightly painted in historical buildings. The vehicles were all beat up. The town square sat in front of a quaint courthouse. There seemed to be a festival of some kind going on. We got stuck in the small town version of traffic, but the town’s police were efficient in keeping it from getting out of hand.

“What was all the code about?” He fretted aloud, sounding anxious and curious.

“Nathaniel said his phone was bugged, but it’s probably someone hacking into it, because he never sets the damned thing down for someone to tamper with it. That’s why I asked Papi if he had a pest problem, and why I called Franklin. He’s searching the estate for bugs and he’ll check all the camera feeds. After he does that he’ll grab some cash and go get new phones under an alias and pick up laptops.” I explained it all to Briggs. I was surprised Charles never went over this stuff with him.

“Who is the exterminator?”

“Franklin is. He’s going to take my laptop and collect everyone’s phones, then take them to a guy he knows to have them searched. If he finds anything he’ll trace it and call Franklin. We also need to check all the cars.” I felt my shoulders sag. “I’m surprised Charles didn’t explain any of the code to you. Did you understand any of it?”

“He explained it, but it’s been years and I’ve never heard it used.” He assured me.

“Well, get used to it, because if what Nathaniel says is true then we’ll be using it more often than any of us thought.”

“What did he tell you?” Stone queried, cutting his eyes to me in the rear view mirror before returning them back to the road.

“He said to keep up my appearance, which means to keep my usual routine going until I see something that tells me otherwise. He also said to trust you guys and trust my instincts.” I knew that wasn’t all he said, but the rest of the letter was for me. We could talk about my mom, and all the wild goose chases we’d been on to find her, later. I wanted to wait until we were all together so I could ask Vaughn about the Summer Realm. I made a copy of the letter and gave it to Palmer before we left. I’d need him to help me research more forms for my hellhounds. I also felt like he’d have some insight into a few other clues within the letter.

“Head east when you get to the next stop sign, there should be a camp ground about four miles up. We can park there and track the rogues.” I almost forgot to give Stone directions. Since we’d all thrown out our phones, I found myself feeling thankful that I knew this area so well. We may have been lost in a couple more miles otherwise. I’d hunted here many times before. It seemed to be a popular spot for rogues to hang out. I worried the campers would eventually become easy pickings. A pack of rogues this size was going to be dangerous and would do the maximum amount of damage if we didn’t get the job done efficiently. That means no stragglers.

“Uhm, East?” Stone contemplated as he pulled to a stop at a four way.

“Left.” Briggs chuckled to himself. I felt like there was some kind of joke I’d missed. Stone glowered at him from the driver's seat with flared nostrils. Maybe Stone was directionally challenged. I’d never met a demon who didn’t know his directions. Interesting.

“You’re not good with directions, Stone?” I inquired. I really wanted to know what was so funny to Briggs.

“No, I’m not,” he quietly admitted. His ire about the subject made me giggle. I tried to keep it contained, I truly did.

“I’ve never met a directionally challenged demon before,” I choked out. “It must be difficult to find your way around the Underworld,” I added with mock concern.

Briggs chortled loudly before he could smother it. “And Earth,” he agreed.

Stone glanced at us with a flustered look as we drove into the gravel parking lot of the camp ground. He parked the SUV and got out grumbling. Briggs and I shared in one last quiet giggle before we followed him out. We walked around to the back and popped the hatch of my Audi open to view the weapons that Franklin packed for us. Briggs surveyed the area before stripping down, preferring to use claws and teeth. Stone tested the weight and balance of a well made katana, which felt pretty cliche to me seeing as how he looked Asian. I decided to keep my mouth shut. I strapped a couple thigh holsters on and loaded them with throwing knives and two of my favorite daggers. Obsidian blades with intricately carved, bleached bone hilts. Franklin was a weapons master and always knew what would suit me best for my current job. I guessed the guys would be no exception. There were a couple guns left under the black cloth. I assumed those were for Briggs if he wanted to fight in his skin.

Time to focus. We were heading into a big pack for rogues. They normally ran with two or three others, but never this many. I hoped this wasn’t the beginning of a trend, but I wasn’t too worried about it. The Demon at my back looked like the quiet, lithe, and lethal type. He didn’t make a sound as we ambled through the dense trees. His eyes darted around us searching for movement. He was ready for an ambush. The Shifter in front of me was a brute of a male and a colossal wolf. His jet black fur made him appear as a shadow against the darkened forest floor. The trees were so overpopulated here that the branches formed together to look like a green ceiling above us. They let little to no light shine through from the beaming sun overhead. Snarls in the clearing ahead of us caused Briggs to stop. I fingered my knives and extended my nails into my demon’s claws.

I'm excited. It was all I could think as we swiftly approached the worn down path. What made a bitch feel mightier than an outnumbered fight with senselessly overpowered shifters? I’ll tell you. Walking into a hive flanked by sexy killers.

Novak

Saturday Midday