"What is it?" Kenzi asked and twitched the sheet out of Bo's hands, turned it several times in every direction and laid it finally on the counter. She couldn't read it, it was encrypted in runes. Trick gave her a small smile. He liked the girl.
"It's a description, written as a riddle." he explained to her. "Description? For what?" "For something I have to find." Bo answered, taking the sheet back in her hands, eyeing it clueless. "Why they don't just call?" Kenzi was annoyed.
"Because they like to be old fashioned? I mean riddles? Who the hell uses riddles? Can you read it again!" Trick took the paper and began. "To the succubus alone. Find the place under the star where green hide the sky and fog the ground. With the shadows growing, listen to the songs of the potameides." he finished."That's it? No 'bring the money if you want to see her alive' or so?" Bo asked helplessly.
"Just that." Trick shrugged. "They want to meet with you." he looked at Bo. The succubus closed her eyes and nodded tiredly. "On their ." Bo came to the same result as Trick did. "Find the place under the star...where green hide the sky and fog the ground" Kenzi mumbled thoughtfully. "Is that a forest?" Bo turned her head to her friend and raised a brow."I would say so." Trick agreed.
"And growing shadows...like to cast long shadows?" Kenzi wondered.
"May be later the day...in the evening? Or at night?"
"Ever seen a shadow in the night, cupcake?"
"Hey, it's fae world...I am sure there are fae who can do that."
"Yeah, right." Kenzi slapped her friends forearm. "Fall asleep by the songs of the potameides…What is a potameide?"
"It's a nymph bound to water, in this case a stream or a river." Trick told the human. "Ah..."
"So I am looking for a place in the woods with some water around. Where I have to be in the evening." Bo summarized.
"It's a stream or a river." Trick corrected but agreed.
"But there are a lot of woods in this area." The girl interprosed. "Yes … " Trickster smiled triumphantly. "but there is just one 'star'. In the old days we often used that phrase. It's the northern star they talk about, what means you have to start..."
"In the north …got it." Bo pouted.
Kenzi slapped his shoulder playfully. "Gosh Trickster, you are a genius." The bartender gave her a tender smile and shook his head amused.
"I guess I know where to go." Bo was chewing her lower lip deepened in her thoughts. She slowly grabbed her jacket and put it on. Her friend followed her. "Bye Trickster!" Kenzi fluted and blinked at him. Then she hit Bo's body unexpected. "Ouch."
"What are you doing?" The fae asked.
"I come with you?"
"No, they said 'to the succubus alone'. The last time I checked I was the succubus."
"Hey! I am your absolutely trustworthy and good looking..."
"Kenz...no!" Bo cut her off.
"Oh, come on Bo. What if this is a trap?"
"What if Lauren is in trouble? I am not going to risk anything. You stay here with Trick." she commanded to her. "Trick?" The man lifted up his eyes from the paper in his hand he watched so warily. "Hm? Oh yes. I take care of her. And Bo. Be careful."
Hoody stood behind the bearded man and watched him work. His fingers nearly danced over the keyboard, let programs plop up, opened lists, copied files, encoded numbers.
Three other men sat in a circle to him and worked as busy as he did on their own workstations. "We are in!" A short information followed by an eager look.
"Place it!" Daniel commanded.
"Creating a shadow." The air was filled of the sound fingers flying over the keys.
"Done."
"Placing it in.."
"Done."
"Loading it up..."
"Upload starts ….now." A final hit of the enter key. The bearded man turned on it's chair. "It will take a few minutes."
"Can they detect us?"
"No. We're juggling to be an anti virus run. The sub is placing it in the shadow and hide it deep in their systems. We are out before anyone can see us."
"We got 20 percent." A man of the circle informed. Daniel smirked appreciatory.
Another man arrived, bowed respectfully and handed the coated man, who stood in a small distance to the hooded one, a note.
"The succubus is on her way." Daniel heard the coated man say. "Good." was his plain reply while he watched still concentrated on one of the monitors in front of him. After a few moments he faced the man besides him. "And the wolf?"
"We keep him busy." Daniel nodded fugally, focused on what he saw.
"40 percent." the announcement came from the cyber circle. Waiting. A deep breath of impatience hit the cool chains of discipline.
"What about the blood king?" Daniel asked casually.
"He still has no clue." Silence. " Hm...I wonder what takes him so long." Daniel remarked.
"70 percent."
"But this is just a question of time." he went on. "The old man is a master in putting things together. He will know soon, at the latest when the succubus will be returned." The hooded man looked at his companion and smiled his conspiratorial smile.
"You think it's wise to let her talk to the succubus before she finished her work?"
Daniel face darkened. "Are you questioning my decisions?" he asked threatening. "No, of course not. I just wanted to make sure where your loyalties lay." Hoody blinked, turned to the coated man and stepped closer to him so that this could feel the heat of Daniels breath. "Are. You. Challenging me?" the deep voice gave him a chill. "No. But when this is over, the human will be expandable." For a very long moment Daniel looked into the eyes of the other man till he finally answered. "Yes."
"Done." He lifted his eyes back to the cyber circle. "Nicely done!"
Lauren waited, her arms folded in front of her chest. She was angry.
"Do you need something? "
"What about the truth?"
"You lied to me"
"In what way?"
"You probably missed to inform me that there are different shape shifters in the pack." Lauren confronted him. He lowered his head but kept his eyes glued on Lauren. "As far as I remember, I didn't mention anything about any kind of shape shifters. It was your conclusion only." he answered with a soft smile, a smile Lauren wished to wipe out of his face. She felt used. Manipulated. Like the Ash did this to her before. She wasn't a stupid kid. She knew exactly how this game was to play. She learned about it 5 years ago. No matter how politely they treat her - she was just a human and they were fae. They will never treat her like an equal not like Bo does.
"You … are everything else but an ordinary pack." Their eyes met. A mixture of arrogance hit recognition.
"You really shouldn't talk like this..." Daniel told her warningly.
"Why? Are you going to kill me?" It wasn't wise to provoke him in that way, but Lauren on the other hand didn't know what to think about these people. May be they will keep their word. Probably not.
"As I told you before, we don't intent to." Although he spoke in a soft tone, Lauren couldn't deny the shiver it caused on her. "Yeah. Right."
"By the way...it's time." Lauren lifted her eyes and looked puzzled. "For what..."
"To meet the succubus." he told her causally.
"Bo? She is here?"
"No, but we will bring you to her." Lauren remained speechless what was exactly what Daniel expected to be her reaction. He had noticed her suspects and he also knew that this meeting, she wanted so desperately will change her opinion for good. "Ready?"
"Ehm... yeah. Ready."
They stepped in the night. Cold and foggy as it was, it was also beautiful. Calm and peaceful. Lauren looked up to the sky, where she could see a clear full moon and probably millions of sparkling diamonds. She smirked. When was the last time she could do that? She couldn't remember. It's nearly impossible to see the stars in the city but here and now it was the most impressing view she ever had. The human took a deep breath of the icy air. It burned a bit in her lungs but also reminded her to be still alive. She haven't done this in times. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" it slipped out of her mouth before she could swallow it.
"The night is like a rose - beautiful, but you better beware of it's thorns." Lauren frowned at him. Was it a warning or a threat or was it just a statement. Lauren couldn't tell. She was surrounded by three pack members. The one she called Daniel and two others, a man and a woman, she never noticed before. "Take his hand!" Daniel told her and took hers."We are there in a minute."
She felt cold and dizzy all of a sudden, saw the fog rising around them and the next thing she noticed was that cabin in the woods.
"What was that?" Lauren was still disorientated by what happened. "And where are we?"
Both question were ignored by the hooded man.
"You have time until the hour of the wolves begins." he told her unceremoniously. She nodded and stepped out of the group. "Oh and Lauren …" the blond interrupted her walk, turned and looked in dark eyes. "I know. I will be there."