“You’re right, uncle.”
A quiver went through me. Something about the way Dillan said uncle spoke of moonless nights and menace. Beneath the surface of his charm and arrogance hid a deadly aura that reached out and grabbed my spine, causing it to straighten like a rod. There was still so much I didn’t know about him. The playful guy who looked hot in a ribbed shirt was just one side of the whole. I couldn’t let my guard down for a second.
I broke the awkward silence that settled in the room. “So, you know what’s after me.”
Mr. Sloan pointed at a chair. “Take a seat.”
“I’ll stand, thank you.”
He wasted no time when he asked, “What do you know of Manticores, Selena?”
The word set off a chime of recognition in my brain. I should be familiar with it, but the light bulb moment seemed too far away for me to reach. My hands came together in a tight grip until my knuckles turned white.
Not waiting for my answer, he shifted his icy glare to Dillan. “Enlighten her, please.”
“Manticore. A creature that has the body of a lion, the tail of a scorpion, and the head of a man with lots, and I mean lots, of sharp teeth. Its name means man-eater in Old Persian. In ancient times, it was known to lure men off the road with its melodious call and eat them.”
My throat constricted, cutting off the air I so desperately needed. “What does it have to do with that needle?”
“Manticores shoot poisonous needles from their tail.” Mr. Sloan indicated the spike with his finger. “That’s certainly from a young one.”
“How do you know it’s young?” Dillan asked.
Mr. Sloan pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re alive. The older the creature is, the more potent its poison. The wound should have killed you instantly, but it didn’t.” My teacher studied me closely. “Are you aware of the kind of danger you’re in, Selena?”
His question hit me square in the chest where fear gnawed away. “You tell me. Only a month ago, I thought my life was normal. Now, I’ve been attacked by corpses, I find out about the Illumenari, and you’re telling me a creature that shoots poison darts—”
“Needles,” Dillan corrected.
“Whatever.” I glared at him. “I wish I could say I want my old life back, but it’s not going to happen. So, you tell me, Mr. Sloan. Do you think I’m not aware of how dangerous my life suddenly is?” Dillan squeezed my shoulder in warning. I ignored it. I was on a roll. “Instead of telling me what I already know, why don’t you share something useful, like how I can survive this?” I still held on to the hope that everything that had been happening had nothing to do with my certain death.
“I believe now is the time for you to speak to your grandparents.” He tapped his desk.
My brain switched to overdrive. “What do they have to do with all this?”
“More than you might think.” He nodded. “We’ve been monitoring the situation, but the creature continues to elude our efforts to capture it. Dillan can’t seem to find proper tracks that could lead us to where it hides.”
“It’s probably a rogue.” He rubbed his chin.
“Manticores are obsessive creatures. When they latch onto someone, in this case—”
“Me.” One bleak syllable that distracted me enough from the big ball of anxiety growing in my gut. My grandparents? I wanted to run out of that study, go home, and grill them. Did everyone in my life lie to me?
“They tend to stick around until the object of their obsession is claimed. Since this creature is young, it is still inexperienced.” Mr. Sloan’s expression became thoughtful. “But, it certainly doesn’t connect to the Maestro. They seem to be working separately but with the same goal.”
A groan escaped before I could suppress it. This just kept getting worse and worse for me. “But I haven’t been attacked by the puppets since that night at Valley View.”
“Just because you haven’t been attacked doesn’t mean you’re safe. A Maestro is smart. What happened at Valley View could mean it tested our defenses.”
“I don’t think we should lump the two together,” Dillan said. “Selena might be a common denominator or she might not. It’s foolish to jump to conclusions.”
Mr. Sloan smiled ruefully. “Spoken like a true Sloan.”
Dillan grimaced at the compliment that sounded more like an insult.
…
After hours of listening to Dillan and Mr. Sloan bicker about why two seemingly unrelated supernatural creatures stalked me and how I should stay home for the next couple of days just to be safe, I called it a night. Well…late afternoon. I had other things on my mind, like how to broach the subject of all this to my grandparents. I got the feeling Mr. Sloan had Dillan bring me to their house to drive home the reality of my situation. My life was never normal to begin with. His words made so much sense now. Betrayal could come from anyone, especially those I trusted most.
With a heavy heart, I looked out the window of Dillan’s car as he drove me home. The sun bathed the prairies with fading orange light. The sky looked a rosy shade of pink, the color of my favorite summer dress. I didn’t care why mythical creatures wanted me. What I cared about had to do with staying alive. Considering the track record of my visions, I had an ice cube’s chance on a radiator that I wouldn’t die any time soon. But the vision involved a black dog and a cloaked figure, not some creature with a man’s head, lion’s body, and a scorpion’s tail.
“I’ve never seen Mr. Sloan so…cold,” I said, my chin on the palm of my hand.
“He just wants you to be safe.” He took my other hand and placed it on top of the gearshift.
“That doesn’t sound reassuring.”
He sighed. “Rainer has his faults, but he does have his not-so-psychotic moments.”
“Dillan Sloan complimenting someone?”
“It’s the closest you’re gonna get.”
I looked at my hand under his while he shifted from first to second gear. The intimacy of our connection curled my toes. I kept my hand as slack as possible, so he didn’t have trouble shifting. The charm on his cuff bumped against my wrist. Its pulse reminded me of the power it contained. So did the electricity that ran through our bodies.
“I still can’t believe this is happening to me.”
“Me either. A few weeks ago, all you did was get on my nerves.”
“Ugh! You’re one to talk, Mr. Rock-Star-National-Geographic.”
He flinched. “How’d you come up with that name anyway?”
My shoulders slumped forward. All teasing had left the building. Or in this case, car. “Penny put it together.”
“What’s with the tone?”
“Penny’s being all weird. Kyle hasn’t spoken to me properly since the fieldtrip. I miss my friends. And I have to have a ‘conversation’ with my grandparents I so don’t want to have right now.” Something in the distance caught my eye. “What was that?”
A flicker of movement then a shadow.
“What?”
I squinted and pointed. “There. Is that Kyle?”
“Where?”
“Stop the car!” I removed my seatbelt. “Stop the car!”
Dillan pulled over to the side of the road. I hopped out without waiting for him and ran in the direction Kyle went, about fifty yards away. My best friend held a long staff in his left hand. I lost him when he crested a hill. Barely aware of Dillan running alongside me, sword in hand, I ran as fast as my legs would let me. About halfway up the hill a growl similar to the whole trumpet section of an orchestra reverberated from the other side. I stopped and covered my ears. Kyle was running toward that sound. I couldn’t see him, but I needed to get to where I assumed he was before whatever growled hurt him.