Cloak (YA Fantasy) (29 page)

Will kept reading. After the explosion that killed Dr. Grimm, the cousins were found unconscious among the debris. One of Rizz’s horns had been blown off and Dean was in a coma. One article was titled, “The Rizzuttos’ Great Blunder.” Another, “Agents of Shame,” said that by failing to protect the world’s last Immune, the Rizzutos had let down all enchants everywhere. They had survived while Dr. Grimm died. And with Dean in a coma, all the blame fell on Rizz.

There had been a hearing in front of the Council of Wik. Rizz had been demoted, replaced as the head of Special Branch. One of the most scathing testimonies was from a former member of Special Branch, Yvonne Liska, who blamed the deaths of the Special Branch agents and Immunes on the incompetent leadership of Rizz and Dean.

Yet Liska had not even been in St. Grimm’s during the siege. Rizz had suspended her from duty for using “excessive force” in an interrogation of a witness. The thought of Liska made Will grit his teeth. No wonder Rizz hated her.

The next articles were about Josef Grimm—his charity work, his contributions to orphanages around the world, and his work creating prosthetics for disabled enchants. His advances in pheromone communication were praised and his special programs to help reach out to Builders were called groundbreaking. It had been his suggestion to the Council of Wik that all the Immunes seek refuge in St. Grimm’s, stating that Special Branch would never allow them to be harmed.

Will studied the next clipping about Josef Grimm’s funeral service. There was a photo of Dr. Noctua next to the casket with Dr. Bump at his side, wearing a sling on one of his arms, a cast on his leg, a bandage on half his face. Behind him lurked De la Vega.

A photograph of Josef W. Grimm accompanied one of the stories. He was a tall, lean man with an angular face and dark hair. The picture was circled and Stripe had given Grimm a monster face and fangs.

Not a fan of the late Dr. Grimm?
Will faced the Builder.

Stripe snapped his mandibles together angrily and laid his antennae back flat.

I’ll take that as a no.

Strings started at Josef Grimm’s picture and stretched to articles all over the wall, linking the doctor to Thaddeus Bump, Councilman De la Vega, Rizz, and Dean.

Will followed one string to a story about the attack on the Chambers of Wik. There was a photo of Dr. Noctua being helped to an ambulance. A string led from his name to an article about the nursery massacre. The story told of Councilwoman Annabel Noctua, a former, decorated Special Branch Agent who volunteered to help relocate Immunes to St. Grimm’s. She had been helping Immune children and the children of the Special Branch agents stationed at St. Grimm’s when the nursery was attacked.

They found Annabel Noctua, her wings wrapped around a wounded child that she had protected from the Builders. The little girl’s parents, Agents Diego and Isabel Carmona had been killed trying to save their assigned Immune. There was a photo of Dr. Noctua cradling baby Margarit Carmona in his arms. One more string led from the clipping to a faded picture, identical to the one Will had seen on Dr. Noctua’s desk of young Dr. Noctua and his wife.

Will’s eyes followed more strings emanating from the nursery massacre. Hans C. Grimm, Dr. Grimm’s brother had been killed with his wife Lucy. Their toddler had been in the nursery.
Rudolf Grimm, Jonathan Grimm, Judith Grimm, Martha Grimm—
fifty-two Grimms had been wiped out by Builders. Every member of the Grimm family dynasty had been killed in the attacks. Josef Grimm was the last, ending the Grimm family and, until Will, Immunes forever.

Will stepped back and looked at the wall of tragedy. He had read every article, looked at every picture, and still didn’t understand what Stripe wanted him to gain from it, or what it had to do with him. He took a moment to look at the strings. Grimm to Bump, Bump to Dean and Rizz. Then he noticed the label carefully placed next to Dean’s picture—
‘Guardian.’

Guardian?
wondered Will.

Stripe began to nod and tug Will’s elbow toward the door in the floor.

Wait. Stripe, where are we going? I don’t understand all this yet.
Will motioned to the wall.

The Builder ignored his comment and led him out of the hidden room, through the tunnel and back into a smaller tube. Will wasn’t happy about going into the hole again, but Stripe seemed desperate.

After several minutes of sliding through tubes, they arrived at a vent that overlooked a dim hospital room with a single bed in the center.

Will moved forward and looked down at the bed’s occupant. It was Rizz! Or at least it looked just like him. Stripe removed the grate. Will could see that the pale enchant in the white hospital gown was skinnier than Rizz, and his features were a bit less angular. He had two full unbroken horns that didn’t have any engravings, and his hair was cropped tight to his head, nothing like Rizz’s ponytail.

Dean?
thought Will.

Stripe looked back and nodded. Will was half-way out the vent when Stripe twitched his antennae wildly and shoved Will back into the hole, closing the grate in his face. The little Builder sprinted down the wall and disappeared under Dean’s bed just as the door opened and light flooded the room.

The door closed. Someone knelt beside the bed.

“Hey there, cuz,” said a somber voice.

Will leaned his head to get a better look.

It was Rizz. How would Will explain this? He had promised to avoid Builders. Best to just stay quiet.

“Happy birthday.” Rizz produced a small box. Inside was a little cake with lime-green frosting. Rizz lit a single candle with an old lighter. He held it in front of Dean’s face and blew out the flame.

“I miss you, man. I’m sorry it turned out this way. I really am.” Rizz dropped his head. “But I’m trying to make it up to you. Soon, I promise.”

As the small wisps of smoke dissipated, Will saw that Dean had opened his eyes. He stared at Rizz, who had turned away and was sitting on the edge of the bed, eating the cake. Dean’s eyes followed as Rizz took a bite. Then his gaze shifted to the vent where Will was hiding. He stared through the grate and opened his eyes wide.

Rizz finished the cake in four mouthfuls. “Wish you could have had some, man. It was good this year.” When Rizz turned to look at his cousin, Dean closed his eyes again. Every time Rizz looked away, Dean opened them and stared at Will. It was like an eerie version of peek-a-boo.

“Rizz, are you there?” Manning’s voice sounded through his dental floss communicator.

Rizz squeezed Dean’s hoof. “Duty calls, cuz.” He lifted the floss and pressed the button. “Rizz here. What’s up?”

“It’s Tuttle. He’s gone.”

“What?” Rizz stood.

“I just went to relieve Flores. He’s out cold, hit from behind. And the kid’s room is a disaster—window shattered, doors broken. You’d better get here, now.”

“On my way.” As Rizz sprinted out the room, Dean’s eyes opened and followed him until the door closed, then they refocused on Will.

Moments later, Stripe removed the grate and lowered Will to the floor, Dean watching his every move.

Next to the bed was one of Stripe’s perfect red roses. Stripe extended his hand and placed it on top of Dean’s listless hoof.

Will thought of the word under Dean’s picture.
Guardian.

The Builder nodded, pointing to himself and then Dean.

You are his guardian?

A nod. He motioned to Dean, then himself.

And he’s your guardian?

Stripe pointed to Dean’s eyes then to his own.

You are his eyes?

Stripe nodded and pointed to his ears.

And his ears?

The Builder picked up a book from the nightstand and opened it. He motioned to Dean, to the book, then to himself.

Dean taught you to read? But how?

Stripe wafted his segmented hand in front of Dean’s nose.

He can scent-speak?

Stripe nodded vigorously.

“Can you talk?” Will asked Dean in a whisper.

Dean blinked two times.

Will thought it was usually two for no and one for yes.

Dean blinked once.

You can scent-speak like Stripe?

One blink.

Wow. Does Rizz know?

Two hard, fast blinks.

No? You don’t want him to know?

Two blinks. Dean squeezed his eyes shut with force.

Okay. I won’t say anything.

Dean’s eyes relaxed and he blinked once.

What about your doctor? Does he know?

Dean blinked twice, more violently than before.

Strange. Will picked up Dean’s chart and checked the doctor—Thaddeus Bump.

Oh, I don’t blame you for not wanting to communicate with him.
There was obviously a reason Stripe wanted him to meet Dean. It had to have something to do with Will’s weird scent-speaking thing. Maybe there was something Dean wanted to tell him—something that Will could tell somebody else?

One blink.

You want to tell me something?

One blink.

How?
It would take forever to find a way to understand Dean with this yes/no guessing game. Maybe Will could communicate better with the smell enhancer. Maybe he could find a way to get it from Rizz and come back.

Dean blinked one tight squeeze.

Okay. I can try, if you think it will work.

One blink.

Will stood.
I don’t know how long I’ll be.
He turned to Stripe.
Can you take me back to my room?

The Builder smiled and nodded, lifting Will back toward the vent.

Will looked back just in time to see Dean close his eyes peacefully.

You’re welcome,
thought Will as he entered the dark, round tube.

Stripe lowered Will into a janitorial closet around the corner from his room.

Thanks.

Stripe pulled his mandibles into a smile and disappeared back into the vent.

When Will snuck around the corner, the hallway was packed. A crowd of rubbernecking patients pressed against the yellow tape that had been strung across the door to his room. He spotted Berko at the head of the line. He was patting Mars on the back. Tears streamed from her eyes.

Will felt a surge of guilt and pushed his way through the group.

“I heard the gerbilchant got eaten by a wolf,” whispered a llama enchant to his feathered friend.

“Doris Butler, across the atrium, swears she saw him kidnapped by a Builder,” gossiped a lemur enchant in curlers.

“Such a waste,” cried Nurse Starr next to Mars and Berko.

“Excuse me.” Will squeezed between a pair of buffalo enchants in bathrobes.

“It’s him,” someone whispered.

“Hey, that’s the kid.”

Soon the murmur spread through the group.

“He’s alive.”

“Well, will you look at that?”

There were gasps of surprise. Someone whispered, “That’s one tough gerbil.”

When he shoved through the crowd to the front of the line, he was instantly swallowed in a giant hug between Berko and Mars.

“Stinky, where were you?” Mars stepped back and punched him in the shoulder.

“Don’t hit him.” Nurse Starr stepped forward to examine him. “He could be injured.”

“I’m fine,” blushed Will.

The door to his room flew open behind the tape. “What is the racket? We are trying to investigate a horrific crime. Now return to your…” Agent Liska stopped short and caught her breath. “You?”

“Will?” Rizz stepped in front of Liska with his jaw hanging open, then swept him into hug, squeezing the air from his lungs. “We thought you were toast, kid.”

Manning, Dr. Noctua and Flores emerged from the room with looks of amazement. Everyone pelted him with questions, impressed with his ability to survive yet another attack—everyone except Deputy Liska. She stood inside the demolished room and glared at Will, her fiery eyes burning with suspicion.

24

Accused, Arrested, and Tried