Feargus

  Days Until Rhian Returns: 4

  Crew and Company Placement:

  The estate ? Peter

  The base ? Strauss, Evelyn, Alex, Teeth, Jakob

  Oskari ? Michael, Marta

  The lair ? Rhian, Rhydian, Riz, Bells, Sebastian(?)

  On a date ? Adeline

  Lawing ? Zack

  Gander ? Quinn

  Everywhere ? Everleigh

  I dropped Adeline off at Kavelin’s townhouse in the nick of time. I told her I’d be staying at the Gander for the evening, and to drop by when she was ready to return to the base. I wished I didn’t have to put a limit on her night in case she wanted to stay over, but I had to have my work done and my schedule freed up by first thing in the morning. Anyhow, she looked beautiful in the yellow dress she borrowed from Evelyn, just like I thought she would.

  That’s really all there is to that, mates.

  Before letting myself into the Gander, I smoothed out my beard some, shoved my hat into my jacket, and mussed up my hair. Like always, the receptionist was happy to see me, and I was happy to see him. When I asked how Quinn was doing, he replied with, “See for yourself.”

  Since I wasn’t planning on working that night, I didn’t bother stopping for an apron, but I did put my coat away, and then I swaggered my way through reception, down the hall, and into the lounge. It was a full house, and it wasn’t even the weekend.

  I waved to everybody, and everybody waved back.

  Ben was dancing that night, so he flashed me a wink, and I returned the favour.

  Behind the bar, Quinn was wearing one of Everleigh’s cat costumes—ears and all. She even had a tail, which was swaying back and forth on its own, apparently. I shook my head and blinked a few times and there it was: the tail was a lie. The illusion didn’t work on me for long, but she could have the Barrens entirely ensorcelled if she wanted.

  When Quinn clocked me, she lofted a hand, and I stepped in beside her at the edge of the bar. Behind the counter, the tip jar was overflowing.

  “How’s it going?” I asked.

  Quinn poured me a shot of Hocks Spirits while she thought about her answer, and that’s when I noticed the bracelet around her wrist—just like Tag’s. I wasn’t in a position to look at the engraving, but the charm was the same: the amalgamated bass and treble clef.

  “I can’t complain, can I?” she said. “I’m making tons of money, though I’m not sure what I’ll even spend it on. It’s nice to be around people that aren’t brainwashed.”

  “Mate, everyone in the audience thinks you have a tail.”

  “Okay, so, its nice being around people that aren’t brainwashed by someone other than me.”

  I chuckled and downed my shot. She poured me another.

  “’Ey, Q—have a second to step into my office for chat?”

  Quinn shrugged, and I waited while she lined up a few shots of whiskey on the bar for whoever might need a drink while we were otherwise occupied. Those in the audience who knew me—including Ben—watched while I led her into the broom closet, all with knowing smirks on their faces. But I had no plans to sleep with Quinn that night—or ever, really. Like I said, I was hoping to set her up with Michael.

  I closed the door behind us. It was pretty dark, but once our eyes adjusted, we were able to see each other, and that was enough. I pulled the bracelet out from my inside jacket pocket, and the sound of the chain links clinking together must have sparked instant recognition in Quinn, because she immediately locked on to the jewelry.

  “I spoke to the clean-up crew, and this is all that remained…”I extended the bracelet toward her, and though she took it easily, she didn’t say anything straightaway. So, I probed instead. “I couldn’t help notice you’re wearing a similar bracelet.”

  “We all have them.”

  “In the reserve group?”

  “Yeah. They’re meant to serve as a reminder of our faith, and of what’s at stake.”

  “Right—what exactly is your faith, and what exactly is at stake?”

  “You really want to have this conversation in a broom closet?”

  “To be fair, I’ve done all kinds of things in this closet and it’s worked out well so far.”

  “Look,” Quinn paused, rustling with her sleeve, “take mine, too. They’ll work as evidence that me and my brother are both dead. That’s what you’re really after, isn’t it?”

  “Among other things—including answers, frankly.”

  “Fine,” Quinn acquiesced, but she still insisted I take the bracelet, so I did. “I’ll give you three questions before I have to get back to work.”

  “How many Partisans are there in the reserve group?”

  “Well, that’s a two-part question, but I’ll bite,” Quinn answered. “In the reserve group itself: twenty-six, last I counted.”

  That was an underwhelming number, but where was she going with this?

  “But there are two branches,” Quinn continued. “The reserves—like myself and Tag—and the congregation. I don’t know the exact number in the congregation, because the reserves are segregated. If I had to guess, though: maybe six, seven hundred.”

  “What do the Six represent to the reserves and the congregation?”

  “They’re the mouthpieces for the brothers, but I’ve never met them. Only the highest level members of the congregation have access to the Six.”

  “What would incite the congregation to leave the underground?” I asked.

  Quinn sighed. “The scripture says that when the Law and the Light return to the world and ultimately reunite, so, too, will the six-part cleanse commence. In the end, the congregation would form topside to help bring upon the reckoning. Only the most faithful would be spared, the ones who’d be responsible for repopulating the world under their doctrine.”

  Oh, boy. I had so many more questions, such as:

  ? Were the Six aware of the Zack Nap?

  ? Were they actively preventing the brothers from reuniting somehow?

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  ? Were the special reserves their spies/active agents?

  ? Did they have any bases of operation outside Palisade?

  ? What were the six parts to the cleanse, and how long before the reckoning?

  …and the list went on.

  But my three questions were up, and by the sounds of things, the Six were planning another Divide if the brothers ever were to reunite. Sadly, that tracked. If Zack’s account was accurate, they were the ones who forced their separation in the first place. So it was about fear, and it would continue to be about fear. Then, I wondered how the Six would know if the brothers were reunited, and how long after we did exactly that, would we be in their sights?

  Something told me Quinn wouldn’t have the answer to that question even if I had a question left to ask. So, we'd have to put a pin in that for now, but eventually I’d have to decide: reunite the brothers and instigate the apocalypse, I guess, or do everything in my power to keep them apart—hurting my friends, their family, and directly working against every one of our current agendas. Not to mention, I still believed reuniting the brothers would be one of the keys to destroying the Six.

  I tucked both Quinn and Tag’s bracelets into my pants pocket. “Can I ask another question not about faith or what’s at stake?”

  Quinn adjusted the cat-ear headband she had concealed well under her wild nest of hair. “You have thirty seconds.”

  “What would happen if the person picking up the secret drop mail were to… disappear?”

  “They’d probably send a pair of reserves to investigate.”

  “So they wouldn’t bring on the apocalypse or anything?”

  Quinn chuckled. “Who knows? But no, probably not.”

  “Thanks, mate.”

  “Sure. We done?”

  “Aye, go on—get back out there and give the people the tail they deserve.”

  When we got back to the bar, I downed the second shot I hadn’t taken yet.

  While we were away, the customers had helped themselves to Quinn’s whiskey line, and even though there were still two shots remaining, it’d be a waste for me to drink them.

  So, I put forth my glass to be refilled with Hocks.

  Quinn complied, and I knocked it back. And then another.

  That should do for now, I reckoned, and I had myself a sit. If the world was going to end again, I may as well enjoy myself while I could. And watching Ben shake what his mother gave him up on stage was a decent start, right? Right.

  It was a decent start, but let’s take a closer look at how the middle bits went, shall we?

  While Ben finished up his delightful set, I helped Quinn by providing bar-to-table service for the folks too drunk or too lazy to get up and serve themselves. I knew most of the customers, and it was nice catching up while I was at it. I took another shot of Hocks. Maybe two.

  Somewhere in that first hour, I was invited to join a table of lasses around my age. I’d never seen them in before, and after the introductions were out of the way, one of them asked if she could stare into my eyes, and then she stared into my lips instead. And then, seeing as all her friends were there, I had to kiss them, too. It was only fair, and why not.

  Somewhere in the second hour, I found myself worrying about the shy-looking lad sitting at the far corner table by himself, so I excused myself from the lasses, bought him a drink, and made my way over. By that time, Anne was a few minutes into her set.

  “’Ey, mate,” I said.

  “Hi,” he replied.

  “Looked like you could use some love.” I slid the drink over his way.

  “Heh, thanks,” he said, taking a sip. “I was actually just thinking about leaving. I don’t even know why I came here tonight.”

  I gestured to the empty chair beside him questioningly. When he nodded, I sat.

  “Just had your heart broken, did you?”

  The lad looked to me incredulously. “How’d you know?”

  “It’s written all over your face, mate. And you know, in the sound of guilt and regret.”

  The lad flashed me a quick smile. “Yeah, I guess.”

  “Well, if you don’t know why you came here tonight, why don’t I give you a reason?”

  The lad paused mid-sip. “What reason is that?”

  “You find her cute?” I jerked my head toward Anne doing her thing in a cat costume—tail and all, but this one was clearly stuffed and a little stiff.

  The lad blushed and shrugged. “I mean, yeah…”

  “Great,” I said, grabbing the back of my chair almost as soon as I stood from it.

  I carried it over toward stage right.

  When Anne clocked me waiting there, I nudged my head back toward the lonely fellow in the corner, and she winked and nudged her head as if to say, “Proceed,” and so I proceeded by placing the chair on the stage next to her. I skittered off, and Anne crooked her hand toward the shy lad. He hesitated at first, but then couldn’t help but laugh when everyone else in the lounge began cheering him on. Beet red but obviously into it, he took his seat on stage.

  Good times, mates. Good times.

  I took another shot.

  And then I wondered how Adeline was getting on with her date.

  Anne was only three and a half minutes into her lap dance with the shy lad, when things took a turn. She leaned down and whispered something in his ear, and he said something quietly, but I still heard, “I don’t have money for that…”

  Anne laughed and shook her head, whispering again in his ear.

  The lad grinned and the two ran off the stage.

  Mates, I’m telling you—

  The crowd went wild, roaring and cheering as Anne and her fellow disappeared down the hall. Aye, the crowd went wild… until they realized they’d just lost their entertainment.

  Back over at the bar, I took another shot.

  The crowd was buzzing, and not in the good way—

  A tap on my shoulder and I spun around on my stool to find two Quinns which soon became one Quinn. She gestured to the stage. “I think that’s your cue.”

  Her swishing, lying tail appeared, and then it disappeared again. I spun around on my stool to find two stages which soon became one stage.

  “You’re not suggesting I get up there?” I asked—maybe too loudly by accident.

  Or maybe too loudly on purpose.

  The crowd, who were a moment ago muttering in displeasure, went mental again.

  Quinn, while confessing she’d heard stories about me already, slid me another shot.

  I drank it.

  And then…

  I did it, mates. I climbed stage left, my arms outstretched as if giving the crowd a hug. I’d been on stage before in my career at the Gander—but not like that. Adding and removing chairs? Aye, sure, all the time. But just me, standing there, the firelight making everybody in the audience look extra fine and foxy, well—

  I flashed them all a grin before slowly lifting my shirt.

  All the running kept most Strachan Partisans in decent shape, so—good for me.

  The shirt came off, and the notes started flying up on stage.

  I caught the eye of a lass with an impossible corset doing impossible things, and I tossed her a wink before I tossed her my shirt. I might have been drunk, but my aim was still true. She waved it over her head and the crowd had mixed feelings. Sadly, I only had one shirt.

  Suddenly, I remembered: the GusGus. That was a pretty sexy dance, wasn’t it? I remembered even thinking so at the time.

  How’d that go again?

  I stepped forward while undoing my belt, and then, grabbing on to the buckle end, I performed the fancy twirl, and at the same time, spinning myself out of my belt.

  I threw it to the side.

  The crowd went wild.

  Boot scoot, and the boots came off.

  Butt wiggle, and I brought my hands to the button on my pants.

  Shimmy, shimmy.

  The pants were open, mates. They were open.

  Two, seven, twelve seconds and they were on the floor. I kicked them to the side.

  I glanced over to Quinn, who was now sitting at one of the side tables with a small group of customers. She looked like she was having fun, and so did everyone else—especially the table with the two lads who were signalling me to ‘see them after class.’

  Aye, everyone looked like they were having a grand time.

  But I was in my skivvies and mid butt wiggle when it happened, and there was no turning back on this one. From the opposite end of the room, approaching the stage with a look nothing short of astonished, it seemed Adeline was finished with her date.

  She looked beautiful in the yellow dress she borrowed from Evelyn.

  Aye, just like I knew she would.