respect as she described how Tamani refused to talk even after being shot. She hadn’t expected to tell him about herself, but she began speaking of how she’d held the gun and couldn’t bring herself to shoot the monster until her life depended on it. And even then it was mostly an accident.
“So he got away?” There was no judgment in his voice.
Laurel nodded.
“It’s not your fault, you know. Tamani is a trained sentry and he takes his work very seriously. But you, you were made to heal, not kill. I think I’d have been disappointed if you were able to kill someone, even a troll.”
“But he knows now. He knows who I am.”
Jamison nodded. “And he knows where you live. You must be on your guard. For your parents’ sake as well as your own. I am appointing you as their protector. Only you know the secrets that can keep them alive.”
Laurel thought of her father lying in his hospital bed, perhaps even now taking his last breaths. “My father is dying, and in a few days there will be no one left but my mother and me. I can’t be what you want me to be,” she admitted in a shaky voice. Her face dropped into her hands and desperation washed over her.
The old faerie’s arms were around her instantly, pressing her against his robes that cushioned her face as softly as down feathers. “You must remember that you are one of us,” he whispered in her ear. “We are here to assist you in any way we can. Our aid is your right — your heritage.” Jamison reached into his voluminous robes and pulled out a small, sparkling bottle filled with a dark blue liquid. “For times of trouble,” he said. “This is a rare elixir one of our Fall faeries made many years ago. We create very few potions that can help humans these days, but you need it now, and you may need it again in the future. Two drops in the mouth should be sufficient.”
Laurel’s hands shook as she reached for the tiny bottle. Jamison placed it in her hand and closed his palm over hers. “Guard it carefully,” he warned. “I don’t know for certain that we have another Fall faerie strong enough to make an elixir like this. Not yet.”
Laurel nodded.
“We would also like to assist you in one more way. But,” he said, one long finger in the air, “it is a conditional offer.”
“Whatever you need,” Laurel said earnestly. “I’ll make it happen.”
“It’s not a condition for you. Here,” he said, opening his palm to reveal what looked like an almost golf ball — sized piece of rough crystal. “I would like you to offer this to your mother.” He placed the rock in Laurel’s hand, and she gaped at the gem.
“Is this a diamond?”
“Yes, child. One that size should be sufficient for any need you may have. Here is our offer. You know you were placed with your human parents for the sole reason of obtaining the land upon their eventual death.” When Laurel nodded, he continued. “Recent events have made your purpose so much more important, and we must see this property transfer ownership sooner. This gem is for your parents if they will put the land into a trust in your name as soon as your father’s health allows. How and what you tell them is a decision only you can make.” His voice became very firm. “But you
Laurel nodded and tucked the gem into her pocket. “I’m sure they’ll agree.”
“I believe you are right,” Jamison said. “You need to hurry, Laurel. Your father’s time is measured in hours now, not days.”
“Thank you,” Laurel whispered, and turned to leave.
“Oh, Laurel?”
“Yes?”
“I hope to see you again soon. Very soon,” he added. His eyes sparkled as he lifted his old lips into a gentle, knowing smile.
IT SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE THAT THE DRIVE BETWEEN Brookings and Orick could feel longer than when she held Tamani fading in her arms. But alone with David — her pockets filled with two of the greatest treasures she could imagine — the miles crept by slower than ever. The old faerie’s words pounded through her head.
Which he hadn’t so far. After hugging her when she stumbled out of the woods, he had silently opened her door and said, “The hospital?” He hadn’t said a word since. She was grateful for his silence. She hadn’t decided yet what she could and could not tell him. Weeks earlier she’d promised to tell him everything Tamani said unless it was a faerie secret. But she hadn’t actually expected to be made privy to such details.
Now she had. She knew the location of a gateway that any troll would kill her or her loved ones to gain access to. Perhaps telling David would only put him in more danger.
So nothing was the best thing to say right now.
He finally pulled into the hospital parking lot and looked up at the tall, gray building. “Do you want me to go in with you?”
Laurel shook her head. “We’re both a mess. At least if there’s only me, maybe I won’t draw quite so much attention.”
“I’ll stay out here and call my mom, then.” He hesitated, then laid his hand over hers. “I need to head back to Crescent City in a few hours — my mom’s going to have kittens when I call her as it is. She’s left me about twenty messages. But if you need anything…” His voice trailed off and he shrugged. “You know where to find me.”
“I’ll come down soon to say good-bye. But I have to go see my dad right now.”
“They gave you something to save him, didn’t they?”
Tears filled Laurel’s eyes. “As long as it’s not too late.”
“Go, then…I’ll wait for you.”
Laurel leaned in to hug him before pushing the car door open and hurrying to the hospital entrance.
She tried to stay out of sight as much as possible. Her tank top was stained with mud from the bank of the Chetco River, and she’d forgotten to get her jacket back from David to cover it. On top of that, her hair was a mess, her jeans were torn over the right knee, and she was still wearing the oddly fashioned moccasins.
At least the river had washed David’s blood out of her shirt. And she didn’t have a face full of bruises like he did.
She managed to reach her father’s room without actually being approached by anyone — though she did receive several probing looks — and took a deep breath before knocking on the door and pushing it open. She peeked around the curtain and saw her mother asleep with her head on her father’s thigh. The room was full of familiar sounds; the beeping of her father’s heartbeat, the soft whoosh of oxygen puffing through his nose tube, the buzz of the pressure cuff inflating on his arm. But instead of being daunting the way they had for the last three weeks, the sounds brought instant relief. Her father was alive, even if just barely.
Her mom’s eyes fluttered open. “Laurel? Laurel!” She staggered to her feet and ran to her daughter, flinging her arms around her. “Where have you been? I was terrified when you didn’t come back last night. I thought…I don’t even know what I thought. A million horrible thoughts all at once.” She shook Laurel’s shoulders a little. “If I weren’t so happy to see you, I’d ground you for a month.” Her mom stepped back and looked at Laurel. “What happened to you? You look awful.”
Laurel rushed back into her mother’s embrace — the embrace she’d been sure she would never feel again when she was trapped under the murky waters of the Chetco. “It’s been a long night,” she said with a shaky voice as tears threatened.
Her mother clung to her as Laurel looked over her shoulder and studied her father. He’d been lying in that hospital bed for so long, it was almost too bizarre to imagine him waking up and rising from it. Laurel stepped away from her mother. “I have something for Dad.” She laughed. “I have something for you too. Never go on a trip without bringing back presents, right?” Her mother looked at her strangely as Laurel continued chuckling to herself.
She walked around to the other side of her father’s bed and pulled a rolling stool up near his head. “Don’t let anyone in,” she told her mother as she removed the small bottle from her pocket.
