One Salt Sea
Page 82
“You’re hurting me!” he wailed.
“No, I’m showing you that I can hurt you.” I let go. He staggered back a step, eyes wide and wounded. “Someone told Raysel where to find my daughter, Bucer. It wasn’t me. It wasn’t Connor, because he didn’t know. Not even the Queen knew where she was. It was a secret, and someone told.”
Bucer licked his lips, looking cornered. That wasn’t much of a surprise. He was cornered. “Somebody had to know where she was. Maybe that liege of yours—”
“Sylvester would never have told anyone where to find Gillian. Not even his own daughter knew where to find mine. But Devin knew, didn’t he? Devin knew what she looked like, because he sent a Doppelganger that looked just like her to my door. And if Devin knew, someone had to find out for him. You’ve always been good at finding things out, haven’t you, Bucer?” I took a step forward, closing the distance between us again. “How did she find you? How much did she pay you?”
He looked into my eyes. Whatever it was he saw there, he didn’t seem to like it very much. “I don’t know how she found me,” he whispered. “People like her, they always find people like us when they need to, you know? Someone told her who I was. That we used to work together, that I’d . . . I’d . . .”
“That you’d know where to find my little girl.”
Bucer took a slow breath before he said, “Yeah. That’s what she wanted. One of the things, anyhow. Maeve’s ass, Toby, you left the kid. She was going to get hurt sooner or later. You had to know that. I was doing you a favor.”
My hands itched to lock around his throat. I fought the urge back, taking a calming breath. “And you don’t know who sent her?”
“No.” His ears drooped. “I just wish whoever it was had sent her to somebody else. This ain’t worth it.”
“No. It’s not. What did she pay you?”
Bucer’s expression turned shifty again. “Money. Lots of it. And she said she’d make sure I had time to get out of the Kingdom before they found the bodies of the little boys. She said I could come back when the fighting was over, and they’d make me a Baron.”
Raj scoffed. “What, and you believed her?”
“Just the first part. Not the Baron stuff. I figured the Baron stuff didn’t matter so much anyway, since I was never going to come back here.” Bucer frowned, ears twitching. “Why’d you bring kids here, Toby? This ain’t something kids should see.”
“We saw this sort of thing, remember?” I grabbed his ear again, twisting. He howled. “Keep it down. If the neighbors call the cops, you’re going to regret it more than I will, and believe me, I am not in a merciful mood. Where is she keeping the children, Bucer? Where are they?”
“I don’t know! I don’t—” His protests became a scream as I twisted his ear downward. I clapped a hand over his mouth, slamming him against the wall. His scream became a whimper.
“Now you listen to me, and you listen good,” I whispered, leaning forward to keep the others from hearing me. Raj might hear me anyway—Cait Sidhe hearing is some of the best in Faerie—but he would understand. The others might not. “I want to kill you right now. Do you understand that? I want to hurt you in ways I have never wanted to hurt anyone, because you crossed a line. You involved my daughter. Cooperate and maybe you walk away.”
He nodded, eyes so wide that the whites were visible all the way around his irises.
“Smart boy. Now, I know there’s no way Rayseline went to ground without leaving a trail, and there’s no way you didn’t consider the value of being the only one to know her hiding place. You followed her when she took Gillian. Now where is she? Tell me, and I let you live. Understand?”
He nodded again.
“Good.” I took my hand away. “Where are they, Bucer?”
“Muir Woods,” he whispered. He swallowed hard before continuing, “There’s an old shallowing there. Little Mike told me about it before he left for Angels. Said I could hide there if Devin ever got to be too much to deal with; said it was part of some knowe that fell down a hundred years ago. We lost the rest of it, but the shallowing stayed.”
“If Little Mike told you about it, how did Rayseline know it was there?”
He didn’t answer me. He didn’t have to. The way he glanced away told me everything I needed to know.
I was suddenly, unendurably tired—and more, I was suddenly aware that my self-control wasn’t going to hold for very much longer. I let go of his ear, giving him one last shove before I turned to face the others. “Raj, go get your Uncle. Tell him he needs to meet us in Muir Woods.”
“Where?” asked Raj.
“The main parking lot. It should take us about an hour to get there.”
Raj nodded, once, and turned, stepping into the shadows clinging to the corner of the room. The smell of pepper and burnt paper rose and was gone, taking him with it.
I looked to Quentin and Connor. “Are you coming with me?”
“Yes,” said Quentin.
“You can’t stop me,” said Connor.
Bucer cleared his throat behind me, asking, “So, ah, does this mean I can go?”
“You’re a traitor to the Kingdom of the Mists, Bucer O’Malley,” I said dully. “I don’t care so much about that. I probably should, but hell, it’s not my Kingdom. You’re also the bastard who sold me out—who sold my daughter out—for the promise of something you knew you’d never get. So yeah, Bucer, you can go. You can take your things, and you can get so far out of this Kingdom that I never hear your name again.”
“And, ah . . . if I come back?”
I glanced back over my shoulder, smiling pleasantly. “If you come back, no one will ever charge me with breaking Oberon’s Law, because nobody will ever find your body. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yeah.” He wiped his nose with the back of one hand, looking at me with wide, wounded eyes. “You always were Devin’s favorite. I guess I finally see why.”
“Good-bye, Bucer.” I started for the door. Quentin and Connor followed me, neither of them saying a word. I’m pretty sure they had no idea what they should say. That was fine by me, because I wouldn’t have known how to answer them.
“No, I’m showing you that I can hurt you.” I let go. He staggered back a step, eyes wide and wounded. “Someone told Raysel where to find my daughter, Bucer. It wasn’t me. It wasn’t Connor, because he didn’t know. Not even the Queen knew where she was. It was a secret, and someone told.”
Bucer licked his lips, looking cornered. That wasn’t much of a surprise. He was cornered. “Somebody had to know where she was. Maybe that liege of yours—”
“Sylvester would never have told anyone where to find Gillian. Not even his own daughter knew where to find mine. But Devin knew, didn’t he? Devin knew what she looked like, because he sent a Doppelganger that looked just like her to my door. And if Devin knew, someone had to find out for him. You’ve always been good at finding things out, haven’t you, Bucer?” I took a step forward, closing the distance between us again. “How did she find you? How much did she pay you?”
He looked into my eyes. Whatever it was he saw there, he didn’t seem to like it very much. “I don’t know how she found me,” he whispered. “People like her, they always find people like us when they need to, you know? Someone told her who I was. That we used to work together, that I’d . . . I’d . . .”
“That you’d know where to find my little girl.”
Bucer took a slow breath before he said, “Yeah. That’s what she wanted. One of the things, anyhow. Maeve’s ass, Toby, you left the kid. She was going to get hurt sooner or later. You had to know that. I was doing you a favor.”
My hands itched to lock around his throat. I fought the urge back, taking a calming breath. “And you don’t know who sent her?”
“No.” His ears drooped. “I just wish whoever it was had sent her to somebody else. This ain’t worth it.”
“No. It’s not. What did she pay you?”
Bucer’s expression turned shifty again. “Money. Lots of it. And she said she’d make sure I had time to get out of the Kingdom before they found the bodies of the little boys. She said I could come back when the fighting was over, and they’d make me a Baron.”
Raj scoffed. “What, and you believed her?”
“Just the first part. Not the Baron stuff. I figured the Baron stuff didn’t matter so much anyway, since I was never going to come back here.” Bucer frowned, ears twitching. “Why’d you bring kids here, Toby? This ain’t something kids should see.”
“We saw this sort of thing, remember?” I grabbed his ear again, twisting. He howled. “Keep it down. If the neighbors call the cops, you’re going to regret it more than I will, and believe me, I am not in a merciful mood. Where is she keeping the children, Bucer? Where are they?”
“I don’t know! I don’t—” His protests became a scream as I twisted his ear downward. I clapped a hand over his mouth, slamming him against the wall. His scream became a whimper.
“Now you listen to me, and you listen good,” I whispered, leaning forward to keep the others from hearing me. Raj might hear me anyway—Cait Sidhe hearing is some of the best in Faerie—but he would understand. The others might not. “I want to kill you right now. Do you understand that? I want to hurt you in ways I have never wanted to hurt anyone, because you crossed a line. You involved my daughter. Cooperate and maybe you walk away.”
He nodded, eyes so wide that the whites were visible all the way around his irises.
“Smart boy. Now, I know there’s no way Rayseline went to ground without leaving a trail, and there’s no way you didn’t consider the value of being the only one to know her hiding place. You followed her when she took Gillian. Now where is she? Tell me, and I let you live. Understand?”
He nodded again.
“Good.” I took my hand away. “Where are they, Bucer?”
“Muir Woods,” he whispered. He swallowed hard before continuing, “There’s an old shallowing there. Little Mike told me about it before he left for Angels. Said I could hide there if Devin ever got to be too much to deal with; said it was part of some knowe that fell down a hundred years ago. We lost the rest of it, but the shallowing stayed.”
“If Little Mike told you about it, how did Rayseline know it was there?”
He didn’t answer me. He didn’t have to. The way he glanced away told me everything I needed to know.
I was suddenly, unendurably tired—and more, I was suddenly aware that my self-control wasn’t going to hold for very much longer. I let go of his ear, giving him one last shove before I turned to face the others. “Raj, go get your Uncle. Tell him he needs to meet us in Muir Woods.”
“Where?” asked Raj.
“The main parking lot. It should take us about an hour to get there.”
Raj nodded, once, and turned, stepping into the shadows clinging to the corner of the room. The smell of pepper and burnt paper rose and was gone, taking him with it.
I looked to Quentin and Connor. “Are you coming with me?”
“Yes,” said Quentin.
“You can’t stop me,” said Connor.
Bucer cleared his throat behind me, asking, “So, ah, does this mean I can go?”
“You’re a traitor to the Kingdom of the Mists, Bucer O’Malley,” I said dully. “I don’t care so much about that. I probably should, but hell, it’s not my Kingdom. You’re also the bastard who sold me out—who sold my daughter out—for the promise of something you knew you’d never get. So yeah, Bucer, you can go. You can take your things, and you can get so far out of this Kingdom that I never hear your name again.”
“And, ah . . . if I come back?”
I glanced back over my shoulder, smiling pleasantly. “If you come back, no one will ever charge me with breaking Oberon’s Law, because nobody will ever find your body. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yeah.” He wiped his nose with the back of one hand, looking at me with wide, wounded eyes. “You always were Devin’s favorite. I guess I finally see why.”
“Good-bye, Bucer.” I started for the door. Quentin and Connor followed me, neither of them saying a word. I’m pretty sure they had no idea what they should say. That was fine by me, because I wouldn’t have known how to answer them.
