The Rede Breaker

Chapter 36: Down the Path

Laura's attack on Archer leaves him severely disorientated. His brain is too fried to drive us back to the Shadowfield, so I help him into the BMW and drive us back. Icarus meets us at the BMW and helps get Archer inside.

Icarus takes him to a room where Avarie and a woman named Dr. Greta Eckhard are waiting. Dr. Eckhart is a smaller woman with a tight brunette ponytail and a pair of designer glasses. She is still wearing her white coat as she begins to examine him.

I am on pins and needles as I wait. She asks that I leave the room and I debate following her request. The argument for my leaving is quickly resolved when Finn assures me Dr. Eckhart will do everything in her power to make sure Archer is alright. I have no choice but to leave him in the doctor's capable hands.

I step out into the foyer as she takes his vitals. Archer is still conscious, but his body is almost lithe on the couch.

Avarie steps into the hallway and tries to have a discussion with me, but I can barely concentrate on anything else, only giving her a slight nod or noncommittal affirmation.

The spell Laura used on Archer is common among witches. It is meant to incapacitate supernatural victims into submission by causing a small aneurysm. It is effective on most supernatural beings but can be lethal to humans. I have never used it on a human for this reason.

My thoughts are frantic and chaotic as Icarus steps into the foyer. He is so quiet I almost miss him.

"How is he?" I ask.

"Dr. Eckhart thinks he'll be fine. The spell didn't cause too much damage."

"I'm glad, but he shouldn't have been there."

"He wanted to go. He said so himself. You've joined his protection circle."

"I don't need protection."

"Tell him that."

Icarus laughs and it breaks the tension. I even crack a smile. Something about the Teresos breaks through my barriers. They are nothing like you would expect. With all the money, power, and darkness surrounding them, they are surprisingly down-to-Earth.

"The lug head will be fine. She's just making sure his vitals are good." Icarus says.

His reassurance is welcome. I have thought of little else since I hauled him all the way up here. It kept me from thinking about the harsh truth of my situation. Laura doesn't want to be helped, and I can't force her to accept my help.

But I can't write her off yet.

She reminds me of myself. Pining away for a toxic guy lost in his own darkness. It sent me down the same dark path. The difference is I didn't commit the atrocities she did. I always had a limit to what I would do. She doesn't have such a limit.

Icarus chuckles. "You've got it bad for my brother, huh?"

"You know, some people would take issue with someone of my past dating their doctor brother."

"We all have a past, Parker. I don't care what you did. I just care that you're good to my brother." Icarus says. "And you make him happy. He's been a buzzkillington for a while now and you bring out the fun parts of him. I miss those parts."

"I keep hearing about this dark side of the Teresos. When is someone going to tell me more about this? You guys know my past."

"Maybe after you say, 'I do' and move into Shadowfield. I doubt you'd join the family if we told you all the secrets up front."

"You're already marrying us off? Let's take things one step at a time. I have to talk some sense into Laura. I failed spectacularly this time."

"She did this?"

"I held back."

"Why?"

"Because I believe in second chances. I thought if I could give her a better option, she would stop whatever she's doing. I know what it's like to go into such a dark territory that you have to fight like Hell to pull yourself out of it. I thought I could give her a hand."

"Admirable. A little naive, but definitely a vibe." He says. "But she almost killed Archer. We can't pull punches with her anymore."

Icarus is right. Whether I help her or not, I cannot allow her to gain the upper hand. There is more at stake here than her soul. Innocent people could die because I didn't give it my all.

Dr. Eckhart calls us back into the living room where Archer is sitting upright on the sofa. I latch onto him without thinking and he hisses in pain. He states he has a migraine and Dr. Eckhart says he should rest.

Archer protests that he can't possibly rest but I put an end to that argument.

We thank Dr. Eckhart before we help Archer upstairs to his room. I'm surprised by how spacious his room is. It's the size of my first apartment. We help him to his raised four-poster bed and a fire roars to life in the fireplace.

Icarus goes to a large black armoire and retrieves a pair of pajamas for Archer before leaving us alone. Archer gingerly undresses and dresses in only the pajama bottoms. I take the opportunity to scope out the rest of the room.

To the right of the bed is a large row of bookshelves with an antique desk in front of it. A closed laptop rests on the surface of the desk beside stationary and a holder full of pens. On the opposite wall there is a large painting of a couple with their three children.

Little Archer, the eldest, smiles brightly while Icarus's smile is dimmer. The last child in the painting has a knowing smirk. He cannot be more than ten. The parents do not smile at all. They are stone-faced.

"It's art. Supposedly." Archer says.

He leans back on the bed and I move to his side. He effortlessly conjures a cold compress and lays it across his head. I lean forward and place a kiss on the side of his lip.

"I'm sorry she got away." Archer says.

"Ah, it's not a problem. As long as you're alright, I think I'll survive."

"She knows we know now."

"Yeah, but we know what we're dealing with." I say. "It feels like the final countdown. And I hate to break it to you, but you're in no shape to come with."

"I can go."

Archer tries to sit up and I softly push him back down. I sigh to myself as I rest my hand on his bare chest. "No, Arch, you can't. Don't worry. I can do this."

"Alone?" Archer asks.

"I'm not alone. Isn't that what the cards say. I have friends and family. I might even take my favorite jacket. It's kind of cold in the demonic realm."

"Parker. This isn't a joke."

"I need to joke. If I don't joke, it's all--it all hits me."

Archer reaches up and places his hand under my chin, guiding my eyes to his. "I'm always here with you. Wherever you go, I go too."

I lean down and kiss him deeply. It's the first time in months I haven't felt alone. His words strike a chord in my heart that I didn't think it was possible to reach. When I pull away, my eyes are watering and I quickly hide the tears as I push myself off the bed.

"I'm not alone."

My pocket jingles and I walk away from him to read the text that has come through on my phone. My heart drops to the floor when I read "Come home" from an unknown number.

I tell Archer and he offers me to use his BMW to get home. I thank him and rush out of the mansion without saying so much as a bye to Icarus or Avarie. Something feels wrong.

No, something is wrong.