Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith.
Part 14.
Psyche looked at the small group of her friends gathered in the room. Truth sat on a table swinging her legs and looking off into space thoughtfully. Fiachra leaned against the door keeping watch to make sure no one interrupted them; he stood with his arms folded and a grim expression on his face looking very much like a bodyguard. Every now and then Psyche noticed his gaze drift to Truth but no one else did.
Midir and Emma stood as far apart from each other as was possible. Midir stood at the window looking at something only he could see and Emma sat at the other side of the room, her face was pale and she looked worn but determined.
"Okay," Psyche began breaking the silence that had occupied the room for the past few minutes. "My mother has come up with an idea of how to find whoever did the spell."
"How?" Truth asked, " A spell? I didn't know there were tracing spells."
"Not a spell," Psyche told her, "she's going to try and scry for them."
"How would she do that?" Truth asked.
Psyche smiled, Truth had always been interested in witchcraft and she was glad to see the spell hadn't robbed her of that interest.
"Well the power used for the spell may have left a, I don't know how to describe it, a residue I guess, one that could lead us to the person or she could try and scry for the person who cast the spell. I think she's going to try and trace the power first; that's the most likely to work."
"So what then?" Midir asked.
"Well we're going to be with her when she scries and when we find whoever did it we take them before the elders," Fiachra told him.
"Who's we?" he asked.
"Me and some of the pack. You too if you want."
"And me," Emma said.
"I don't think," Fiachra began.
"And me," Truth interrupted him.
"I don't think," Fiachra began again raising his voice.
"I don't care if you don't think it's a good idea I'm going," Truth told him.
"How do you know that's what I was going to say?" he asked.
"Because I know you and I know the stupid ideas you have about protecting people," Truth replied.
"There's nothing stupid about wanting to protect the people you care about," Fiachra snapped.
"I know," Truth said wearily, "I'm sorry but there is no way in hell you're stopping me from going and I think that goes for Emma too."
"That goes for me too," Emma confirmed.
"See," Truth said with a hint of triumph.
"Fine but if anything happens to you guys I am not responsible, alright."
"Alright," Emma replied, "When are we going to do this?"
"That depends on Mom, tonight or tomorrow night," Psyche informed her.
"When will you know?" Midir asked her.
"When I get home; I'll call all you guys and let you know where and when."
"Sounds like we've got a plan," Truth said with a smile.
"Sounds like," Fiachra agreed and grinned at her.
"Unfortunately it doesn't include a way for us to avoid English which is starting oh about 5 minutes ago," Psyche said.
"I guess we'd better go so," Fiachra said.
"Do we have too," Truth groaned, "it's so boring I bore myself awake."
"See Truth the key words there are I and myself, the class is fine it's you that's got the problem," Fiachra joked.
"Are you insinuating that I am boring? Me?"
"Yes Truth, you are incredibly boring and if you don't hurry on you'll be boring yourself to death in detention, you know how Miss. Clifford hates people being late," Psyche advised her.
"This is so weird," Truth said softly to Fiachra when the others had left the room.
"What is?" he asked gently.
"Talking about trying to trace someone who put a terrible spell on me and then having to worry about being late for English."
"I know, we all feel like that from time to time but I'd have thought you'd be used to it by now, you've lived here since you were born; you know what it's like here."
"Yeah but it's not the same," Truth replied.
"Why? Because now it's happening to you?"
"Something like that," Truth said meekly.
Fiachra opened his mouth as if to say something but obviously thought better of it and clamped it shut again. He sighed heavily and opened the door.
"Come on, English awaits," he said.
Truth wondered for a moment what he had been about to say then followed him from the room.
"Couldn't have been anything important," she said to herself as she followed him down the corridor.
Emma noticed Psyche glancing sideways at her as they walked down the corridor.
"So are you going to tell me?" she asked.
"Tell you what?" Emma replied.
"What you and Midir are fighting about."
"We're not fighting," Emma told her.
"Then what's going on? Yesterday you guys couldn't get enough of each other and today you're not even talking; if that's fighting then I don't know what is."
"He got upset because of something I said."
"He got upset?" Psyche said with a slight grin.
"Yes, he got upset. It's not as strange as you seem to think."
"A scary assassin getting upset over something you said sounds pretty strange to me," Psyche replied. "What did you say?"
"I just said that I don't really know him."
"And that upset him so much you guys aren't even talking?"
"Apparently so," Emma replied.
"I wonder," Psyche said biting her fingernail and looking thoughtful.
"You wonder what?" Emma asked.
"Just why something like that would upset him so much. You're his soulmate don't you know?"
"If I did do you think we'd be having this conversation."
"I don't know. Would we?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma asked angrily.
"Nothing," Psyche replied quickly.
"Psyche what did you mean by that?" Emma demanded.
"Look I don't want to upset you or make you angry but maybe, and I mean maybe, you're looking for someone to blame this all on and Midir's a pretty handy target."
"That's not what's going on Psyche," Emma replied angrily, "Midir's my soulmate; I love him, I don't blame him for what's happened."
"Does he know that?" Psyche asked.
"Of course," Emma told her.
"How? Have you told him? And if he knows why are you guys fighting?"
"I don't need to tell him; he knows, and we're not fighting."
"If you say so," Psyche said softly.
"I do," Emma replied.
Midir walked down the hall in a kind of daze. It would be over soon; they'd find whoever had cast the spell, unfortunately he knew that wasn't the only problem they had at the moment. Finding whoever had tried to hurt Truth wouldn't fix what was wrong between him and Emma, nothing would. He sighed despondently as he neared the class room door, if he wasn't with Emma then what was there to keep him in Glenalta, what did it matter if the Night World found him; what did it matter if he died when he had nothing left to live for.
Truth turned to Fiachra just before they went into English.
"How do you think the others will feel about you talking to us? How do you think they'll feel about helping us?" she asked him.
"They'll be fine with it once we explain. Trist, Clea and Nathan were already trying to get us to talk to you guys and Hern and Hayden will understand. It's Stella and Hazel you've got to worry about; they've got the most to lose if someone from the Night World does find out about this place."
"But it wasn't the Night World who sent him here; it was Circle Daybreak surely that's got to mean something to them."
"Truth I know you're close with Psyche and her mom and you're a pretty big Daybreak supporter but not everyone feels the same trust in them you do. No offence to Mrs. Ahern but it's hard to trust a group who will accept anyone as a member and I mean anyone, even the worst of the worst."
"That's not true, besides the fact that the worst of the worst wouldn't want anything to do with Circle Daybreak, they're not idiots whatever you might think. They don't give their trust lightly; they've got so much to lose as much as anyone here. They're not going to trust someone unless they're trustworthy. Midir's trustworthy Fiachra, I know it, Emma knows it, even Psyche knows it, trust us if you can't trust him."
"I'll try Truth but I can't forget what he is, what he was, what he's done. Don't ask me too," Fiachra said softly.
"No one expects you to Fiachra, we just want you to give him a chance and not to stop being friends with us because we're friends with him."
"I'd never stop being friends with you Truth no matter what."
"Thanks, I'm glad. I'll always be your friend too, come what may."
"Come what may? You're definitely spending too much time with the witches," he said with a laugh.
"Well you know what they say," Truth replied with a smile.
"No, what do they say?"
"Witches rule and wolves drool," Truth said and rushed into the classroom laughing.
Fiachra stuck his tongue out at her and smiled. Things were finally getting back to normal between them and Midir didn't seem like such a bad guy maybe things would be okay.
"Or maybe not," he thought as he saw the looks of anger on the faces of his other friends.