Grim Echoes

Chapter 79 - Ander

Irritated by Will's words, too similar to Wyatt's when they were children, Ander clenched his jaw and remained silent. Will must have realized the resemblance to his father's statements, because after looking at him, he stopped speaking. Still surprised, Will allowed Maeve to come on a mission. Even the less dangerous part of information gathering and fact checking. It made Ander nervous. She would not understand the significance, but Ander did.

Will did not break code. The rare exceptions where Will had were in direct correlation to him. Will had only known Maeve for a short time and broke code three times. The first two infractions were not severe, however allowing her to tag-a-long on a mission when an officer had not trained or cleared her was. The unknown factors put all of them at elevated risk. Occasionally due to circumstance or events, the soldiers of night found themselves with untrained normals, as Will preferred to label them. Not a choice, they simply had to complete the mission and attempt to keep the innocents alive.

Perhaps Maeve affected them more deeply than either of them wanted to admit, at least verbally. Calculating why she had become important to him was simple. The moment their eyes locked, they connected and shared something. She had peered into his wretched soul and still cared for him. To his delight, she thought positively of him. His heart picked up pace from the memory when she verbalized he was amazing. He glanced at Will, who vehemently denied having a similar experience. Will pointed out she had not used her soul powers on him. Nothing was shared.

After hours of checking locations and speaking with some local humans, they had isolated the location to in or around a small bed-and-breakfast shut down for renovations. The sun had set, but there was still enough light to view the well laid out landscaping around the bed-and-breakfast. Conveniently the house was surrounded by trees that gave them the needed privacy.

"Shades can be dormant for a long time but then get all worked up when the reno starts," Will gazed out the window at a two story large Victorian-style house that served as a bed-and-breakfast. "Happens more often than people realize. They buy some old place and everything's great but then they decide to take out a wall or update the kitchen and that's when the shit starts flying. Sometimes literally." Will broke into laughter and gripped the steering wheel. "Remember that?" Will continued to laugh.

Ander nodded and could not resist laughing as well. Maeve looked back and forth between them and touched her lips. Will wiped his eyes.

"When we were kids, we were on a mission with Wyatt and," Will cackled and smacked the steering wheel. "Hit straight in the face, he was so pissed,"

"Should have waited to check the outhouse," Ander added and recalled his delight of Wyatt furious and covered in feces.

"A shade threw poop in your father's face?" Maeve gasp.

Perhaps because Ander was already amused by the memory, but her response caused him to laugh again.

"Poop! Who says poop? Haven't heard that since elementary!" Will laughed again.

Maeve's face tightened with irritation. "Shouldn't we be checking the bed-and-breakfast?" she crossed her arms.

"Right. Get serious, Andy," Will chided, still amused. He coughed, took a drink out of his flask before he opened his door.

Everyone exited the SUV and went around to the back. He and Will checked equipment. Both satisfied, they moved to the front of the vehicle and discussed who would preform which action. Will did not speak to Maeve or even acknowledge her. Ander followed Will but made certain he gestured for her to follow. The hurt from the Will's behavior evident in her watery eyes.

Compelled to do or say something to ease her hurt, but unsure what action to take or if she wanted him to console her. He did nothing. Instead, he gripped the hilt of his knife and gritted his teeth for his lack of focus. About to enter the unknown, he needed to shift his mindset or he could endanger them all.

"So you good checking the house?" Will winked.

Ander nodded and understood what was necessary. He turned and headed toward the door.

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Ander entered the old home with practiced ease. He and Will had broken into buildings, safes and cars since childhood, part of their daily life for many reasons. Pleased at the speed, he picked the lock, confident he would surpass Will's talent again. Like brothers, their daily competitions of who was better at their needed skills a constant. Sometimes it grew their skill sets faster, other times it caused them to bicker and occasionally it bonded them.

No alarm system on the house, and after checking for any technology that would monitor his activity, Ander padded around the house. He checked for usual signs of a shade inhabiting a building but nothing registered on the equipment or his natural ability to sense if something was present.

Appraising the few genuine antiques he noticed downstairs, it disappointed him none had enough value to take. He found an old vase he recognized, however; it was only valued around ten thousand and not worth the problems it created if he removed it. Ascending the stairs to the second floor and investigating further was also fruitless. Fewer valuables and no paranormal activity.

Frustrated, he flexed his hands and withdrew his knife. Even with gloves, he twirled it to relax and focus. He glanced at a clock and knew time was short; he desired some measure of success. Will indicated something of value in the house. But because Maeve was with them, he did not give Ander details. Perhaps Mason was vague when she spoke to Will earlier. The attic?

Ander climbed up the pull down stairs into the attic and found dead rats and a house's worth of rotting antiques. Still, he rummaged around to be certain there was nothing of value for Mason. The only items of interest he discovered were three old crumbling letters signed by the original owner. He put them in his pocket to review later. Disappointed, he descended the steps and pushed the stairs up.

He rubbed his eyes; the dust had irritated them. Needed to change his contacts and clean the green ones he wore. Maeve liked his green eyes. He doubted she would like his real eyes. To him they reflected the aberration he was. Mostly humans were unsettled by them.

Ander returned to the first floor and headed to the back door before he stopped in the kitchen. He had not attempted everything. The reveal the unseen incantation would expose both shades and valuables. Paranoid, his eyes darted around, worried Will would perceive his actions. It was a minor spell. Not reliant on magic the way he had been. Only for this mission.

He cleared his mind and centered his thoughts as the words filled his thoughts. His heart pounded in his chest as he whispered the words and watched the glowing filaments extend from his fingertips. The familiar rush coursed through his body. He attempted to ignore it.

Ander rapidly re-checked the house and broke into a sweat from the speed he moved. He refused to acknowledge how his skin tingled, the euphoria that danced in his mind, or the crushing need to spellcast again. He halted his movement in the kitchen and was disappointed to have discovered nothing. Ander slumped by the door and gripped his knife; the euphoria was a lie. He had broken his word to Will.

His blood pressure and heart rate spiked from casting. Ander's mind sharper than it had been in months. Clear to him what they sought was not in the house but on the property. Recalculating the information simple after spellcasting. The item was in the back of the property, near Will and Maeve. Ander opened the door and sprinted into the back yard.