Fablehaven: Journey to the Eternals' Pass (fanfiction) (HIATUS)

6: Giza

Kendra didn't even have time to scream before Evan spun, dodging, ducked past Kendra, and pinned Darcy against the wall. "Look," Evan growled, "I don't know what the hell your problem is, and you might have some skills, but I'm bigger and stronger and I will not let you take me by surprise."

Kendra rather thought she was more surprised than Evan. Darcy didn't usually go around throwing knives at people.

"Evan," Jania started, but her words were swallowed by her following scream as Canis' hundred and thirty pounds of muscle leapt across the room and sank its teeth into Evan's leg.

Chaos erupted. Evan cried out, Jania was screaming and running over, a fifth voice was yelling "Canis!" over the tumult. The wolf released Evan, who sank to the ground, face white, puncture holes in his leg spilling scarlet. Elaine pulled Canis away, almost as pale as Evan. "I'm so, so sorry. He was just protecting Darcy."

Kendra made her way over to Evan. She'd only ever seen a few people react that quickly, and they had all been seasoned fighters in the battle at the demon prison. Jania was inspecting the wound on Evan's leg, surprisingly composed. "It's deep, but nothing tore and it didn't severe an artery. Do you have a first aid kit?"

"I'll get it." Kendra volunteered. Jania might be fine with it, but the strong tang of the blood was unpleasant.

When she returned, Elaine was huddled deep in discussion with Darcy, who spoke and gestured furiously. Jania expertly cleaned and dressed Evan's wound, refusing to let him do it, a desire he expressed vocally and repeatedly. Kendra made a mental note to pick up first aid. 

The twins were as silent and expressionless as when Kendra had first met them. Over the past week, she had concluded that it was their instictive defence rather than their actual personality.

Looking from them to a sullen Evan to a worried Jania, Kendra figured she'd better start. "Darcy," she began, since it was her most burning question, "what was that all about?"

Darcy's mouth thinned. "Why don't you tell us," he shot at Evan coldly and almost mockingly, "Giza?"

Evan's eyes widened. "What do you know about that?" He said finally.

"A lot more than you'd like, I bet." Darcy snapped. His emotionless wall was quickly breaking. 

"Evan," said Jania suspiciously, "what's Giza?"

Kendra didn't feel like pointing it out, but Giza was clearly a who-and that who was Evan. Giza, Sphinx- Evan could not have picked a better or more obvious alias. She couldn't figure out what it had to do with Darcy, though.

Evan sighed. "Giza is my online alias."

Jania folded her arms and stared Evan down, finally looking the authoritative older sister. "Online alias?"

He sighed again, defeated. "Hacker alias."

"And?"

Kendra was reminded of all the times she'd caught Seth trading with the satyrs. For the third time that day since meeting Jania and Evan, she thought painfully of her brother.

Evan slumped helplessly under his sister's relentless onslaught. "I did jobs for people. I got information, tracked people down, disabled or wrote systems, anything, if the price was high enough."

"And you never told me?"

"I knew you would have stopped me, and I couldn't let you! Where do you think all our money came from, Jania? When mom was sick or dad was in trouble and needed bail?! When they were going to take our house? When you tangled with the wrong people? All thsoe times we didn't have money and suddenly we did?! Where did you think that came from? It came from me! I saved our family time and time again, screw my methods!" Evan was breathing heavily by the end of it. Jania looked like she'd been slapped. Evan swallowed and looked at Darcy. "So what did I do to you?"