Page 24 of Muted Voices (Broken Ashes #1)

O nce we’re through the front door, Doc says with a confused frown, “That was the fastest that they’ve ever let us through.”

“Yeah, it was weird,” Van replies.

“They didn’t even ask about Neith, and I thought that was going to be a sticking point since she’s so obviously human,” Reed adds.

“I think I might be offended,” I tease, making them chuckle.

As we move further into the pub, the guys surround me. I’m not sure if they’re doing it intentionally, but it’s very clear that they’re trying to shield me from the supernatural patrons of the pub. Even though they are more than aware that most of them can probably smell or sense a human in their midst anyway.

I would normally call them out on something like this, but I’m happy to stay incognito for a bit. I’m curious to see how the people here react and if Sully knows them too. It’ll give me a good idea of what kind of people they really are.

“Boys,” Sully’s familiar Irish brogue booms across the room. Being an Ogre, he can’t really help that his voice is loud, but he uses it to his advantage regularly. “What can I do for you?”

“Can’t we just come and see you for a drink?” River asks happily.

“You can,” Sully says and then adds, “but you haven’t.”

“As always, you’re right,” Reed replies.

“I don’t have all evening; get to it,” he says impatiently and then pauses and says, “Wait a second, who are you hiding?”

The guys reluctantly move out of the way to reveal me, and I grin.

“Neith love!” Sully booms, barrelling toward me and pulling me into a tight hug, “How the hell are you?”

He’s a giant of a man, and he’s got his human-friendly facade on at the moment. Even so, he’s still nearly eight feet tall and too broad to fit through most doors; he has the standard lumberjack look, with the big beard and massive muscles, but not only is hair down to the middle of his back, with braids running through it but it's also a mixture of different colored blues with a couple of streaks of pure silver showing his age. I guess some might consider him handsome, but to me, he’s like a big brother, and he’s always been that way and always will be. He’s family to me, and he sees me as a little sister. It’s the way it's always been.

“I’m good, Sully,” I reply, squeezing him tightly before he sets me back down on my feet, “how’s things?”

“Well, Ernie is pissed because you missed the last two poker games, and he wants to win his money back, but other than that, the same old. A lot quieter without you here,” he chuckles.

“Hold up, Ernie, as in Earnest, the high vamp for the western cities?” Ransom asks incredulously.

Sully grins, “Yep, that’s him. Neith wiped the floor with him, and it was glorious.”

“Of course she did. I mean, I don’t know why I’m surprised anymore,” Griff replies flippantly.

“Hold up, I feel like we missed a step here,” Evander starts.

“Er, while I’m sure you guys have questions, I’m thirsty. Can we do it at the bar instead of in the middle of the room?” I ask.

Sully chuckles, “Come on, I’ve got a new cocktail for you to try.”

“Oh yum, I hope it’s better than the last one. That was disgusting,” I shudder.

“Careful, Neith,” Doc warns me, “Ogres aren’t known to take criticism very well.”

Before I can reassure him that Sully doesn’t give a damn, Sully himself bursts out laughing and claps Doc on the back. Doc’s a big guy, but nothing compares to ogre size, even with the glamour on to help make him a more palatable size for the humans. Because of his extra strength, Doc ends up tripping forward, and he has to catch himself before he face-plants.

“Neith is the exception to the rule,” Sully states, and I can see amusement in his eyes. I’d almost say that he did that to Doc on purpose. He glances over the guys as he steps behind the bar, “I think you’ll find that Neith is the exception to most rules. If she’s found her way to you, then I assume that it's starting.”

“What’s starting?” Raiden asks.

“Grab a drink and follow me,” is his only reply.

My curiosity is peaked.

While we wait for the guy's drinks, Van asks, “Why didn’t you tell us you knew Sloane?”

“Oh shit, this is Sloane?” I exclaim, and they all look at me like I’m nuts, which prompts me to continue, “Well, mainly because I’ve known him for so long now that I actually call him Sully, and I’d forgotten that his name was Sloane. I don’t think any of the regulars here actually call him Sloane. It’s either boss or an insult.”

Sully laughs, “She has a point.”

“Well, that kind of clears that one up then,” Raiden chuckles.

“Follow me. I sense that you guys have something that you need to talk to me about,” Sully says as he hands me a tall glass with a purple and blue glittery drink swirling inside it. I can sense the magic coming from it.

“Should she be drinking that?” Reed asks.

“Dude, thanks for the compliment, but I’m way over twenty-one,” I reply, and then add with a smirk, “I love the concoctions that Sully makes, and I’ll fight you if you try to take it.”

Sully’s laughter booms through the room, and it just goes to show how used to Sully everyone is because no one even looks in our direction.

“It’s got magic in it,” River says as he sniffs the top of my drink, and his eyes widen, “strong magic in it.”

“Don’t worry, boys, this is nothing. She’s used to drinking magic-enhanced drinks.” Sully reassures them, although they look more unsure than they did before.

“Yeah, for some reason, I can’t get drunk like a normal human. Only with magic spiked drinks do I feel a buzz.” I shrug and take a huge sip of the drink, “Just add it to the list of things that make me weird.”

“Like a supe,” Reed comments.

“Come on,” Sully says again.

This time, no one interrupts him, and we all head down the hallway behind the bar to a massive office at the end. It has to be big purely because of the size of him and also because this is where he has his meetings. If those meetings go south, then he needs to be able to drop his glamour, and if he does that, his size increases by a lot.

That and he likes his luxuries.

There are just the right amount of seats set out in front of his massive desk, and I’d say that it was a coincidence apart from the fact that I’ve been in here many times, both as a guest and an observer for whatever reason that Sully need me to be and the seat number changes every time. I’m reasonably sure that he’s got some sort of precog ability, but of course, he’s never told me outright.

“So, why are you here?” Sully asks, making me smile. He’s never one for small talk, and it's something that I really appreciate about him and why we get on so well.

“That’s down to me,” I reply, figuring that now it turns out that I know Sloane and better than the guys, I can explain it all myself.

“I figured it would be, love,” Sully chuckles.

I give him an unimpressed look as I stick my tongue out at him and reply, “Rude. Anyway, I have a spirit animal, well, actually several. Although do I have several?”

While I’m pondering and have gone entirely off track, Sully just raises his eyebrow and pinches his nose. I think we’re pretty lucky that he’s used to me.

“Neith, love, start from the beginning. I have a feeling that the story of how you ended up with these boys is the same as how you ended up with a spirit guide?”

“Right,” I reply and then proceed to tell him all about what happened. It's the same version that I told the guys.

If I could tell anyone what really happened, it would be Sully, but I can’t get into it now. Not with the guys here.

“So we were wondering if you knew why a human would get a spirit guide and if there’s anything that we need to be aware of? Any threats to Neith?” Evander asks.

I’m glad that he’s taken over and is asking the important questions because I exhausted myself with all the talking, and I’m gulping down my drink like I was in the Sahara.

“Well, for one, humans don’t get spirit guides,” Sully says, very matter of fact, “but Neith’s not human.”

I choke. I think that’s the appropriate reaction when someone throws your entire belief about who you are out of the window.

“Shit,” River exclaims, jumping up as he comes over to me and starts patting my back, “are you okay?”

I don’t answer River, and I think at this moment he’ll forgive me for ignoring me, “Okay, Sully, dearest Sully, I’m going to need you to repeat yourself very slowly, and then tell me why the fuck you didn’t say anything before and what else you know.”

To his credit, Sully takes my request seriously and answers me immediately, “You are not human, and you have never been, and before you come at me, I physically couldn’t tell you even though I wanted to.”

I nod. “Are there other things that you can’t tell me?”

Sully smiles proudly, “You always manage to see further than the initial issue; that’s what makes you such a great agent.”

“That didn’t answer her question,” Doc points out, his eyebrow raised.

I smile with understanding, “He answered my question in the only way he could. Thanks, Sully. I know that if you could have, you would’ve told me. I get it.”

“But she smells human,” River states, his arm still around me, and to be honest, I’m grateful for the support because this is life-changing.

“Yes, well, if her spirit guide has shown up, then her magic has just started brewing,” Sully says.

“Why do you sound so unsure?” I ask him.

“Because when it comes to you, none of us know what to expect; we just have vague guesses,” Sully replies honestly, although I can see the frustration in his grey eyes, and I know that there’s more that he wants to tell me, but he can’t.

“It’s okay, Sully. I know you'd tell me if you could. I get that,” I tell him, and relief fills his eyes.

He nods, “Thanks, Neith.”

“So we don’t know what kind of supe she is?” Reed asks.

Sully shakes his head, “No, but trust the spirit guides. They’ve shown up to help you; that’s what they do.”

“Okay, I have no problem doing that. I wish we knew more though. I feel like we came in here for answers and got more questions, and I don’t think it’s really sinking in that I’m a supe,” I start to ramble.

“I know. I can’t even begin to understand what you’re feeling,” Sully says.

“Thanks, Sully,” I start to say and then instantly change tracks because something occurs to me, “Wait, I can’t be a supe. The HID tested me every month pretty much up until last month. If it had shown up that I was a supernatural on those, they wouldn’t have kept me around; they would’ve killed me a lot sooner.”

Sully smirks, “Everyone knows exactly how prejudiced the majority of HID is. Do you really think that we would’ve given the humans the ability to test for supernaturals? It would not have ended well for anyone. They already don’t report all of the supe incidents that they come across. There is no way that they’d be honest about the results of the tests they do. I mean, they’re only supposed to test a person once a year at most and look how much they tested you. That’s proof enough that they can’t be trusted not to abuse the system.”

“You know it never made sense to me why we let them have that power when they’ve done nothing but prove how much of a danger they truly are to us if they’re left unchecked,” Griff replies.

“Not all humans are the same. The majority are indifferent; they just want to be left alone and want to leave supes alone,” I reply, “the issue is that those who do have a problem with supernaturals tend to be the people that are in positions of power.”

“Exactly,” Evander replies.

“You know a lot about me and my situation,” I start as something else crosses my mind, “do you know who my parents were?”

Sully nods, “I did. I’m sorry, Neith, I can’t tell you much. I can tell you that they loved you dearly, and it was not an easy decision to leave you with Luke and Rose.”

“Wait, I was specifically left them? Did Rose and Luke know?” I ask, sharing a look with Van. His parents always told us that I was left at the very edge of their compound, and my appearance there was a mystery.

“Yes, they knew your parents as well as I do,” Sully confirms. A look of nostalgia crosses his features, quickly followed by sadness as he replies, “We were all very close.”

“We can go and talk to my parents, Nene. It might be like it was with Sully, and they might be able to tell us something now. I know that they’d love to see you anyway, they miss you like crazy.” Evander starts, and then his eyes widen, “They refused to help me try and find you though. They just kept saying that you’d come back when the time was right. I actually stopped speaking to them for a while because it was so infuriating.”

His words shock me; Evander and his parents have the best relationship, and the fact that he stopped talking to them because of me is massive and not something that I could’ve predicted.

“They were right,” I reply to him, “we can go and talk to them. I’m overdue a visit by a long time anyway.”

Van nods.

“So, what do we do now?” I ask Sully, “You can’t tell me what kind of supe I am, I’m assuming, because you don’t know?”

Sully nods, “Correct, but that’s all I can say. You’ve pretty much got to wait and see, and we’ll all be curious to find out as well.”

“So that’s it. I just have to wait and see if my magic will develop?” I ask, aware that I’m sounding frustrated, but really, who wouldn’t be in this situation.

Sully nods, his expression full of sympathy, “I’m afraid so. Your next step is to listen if your spirit guide decides to give you any advice; they can be a bit tricky about helping, so if they do decide to help, bloody listen. Your magic is likely to develop very slowly, so pay attention to any little signs. You are exactly where you are supposed to be; never doubt that.”

I sigh but decide to let it go in a way because what he’s telling me is that there is nothing I can do now; there’s no more information that he can give me, and from the information that he has been able to provide me with, there’s nothing else that I can do apart from wait.

“Well, I guess that’s that then,” I reply.

“Am I right in thinking that at a later point, you might be able to tell Neith more?” Doc questions.

Sully nods, “I would assume so, since I couldn’t say anything before now, and I tried on multiple different occasions.”

Suddenly, the door bangs open, and in walks one of the bartenders, looking a little bit stressed. Everyone clearly heard him coming down the hallway because no one else was surprised at his appearance apart from me.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, sir,” he addresses Sully, “but Reggie just turned up, and Ralph took exception to that. It’s about to kick off.”

The guys all start shifting nervously, and I know it's because I’m here, and we’re at a supernatural bar, and there’s about to be a fight.

Sully grins and looks at me, which prompts the bartender, who I have met a few times but have unfortunately forgotten his name, to look at me too, his eyes filling with relief. The guys obviously see this exchange as well because their gazes switch between us, looking incredibly confused at the whole interaction and making me chuckle.

Sully grins, “Want to go and break up a bar fight?”

Standing up, along with Sully, I say, “I could do with a good fight to let off some steam now.”

“I don’t think that's a good idea,” Raiden says immediately.

Ransom shoots him a look that tells him to be careful what he says, as he adds, “Not that we don’t think that you’re capable, it's just that this is a supernatural bar fight.”

“And you’re human,” Reed adds, as his magic starts to stir just a small amount before he gets it back under control again.

He must be absolutely exhausted from doing that all the time. He is constantly wrangling his magic trying to keep it under control and it makes me wonder why. And what he is, because I know it’s something super strong just from how much magic he has, but I’ve never heard of a supe having to have such tight control over their magic before.

I’m curious.

Sully’s booming laugh fills the room, shocking the guys and making me smirk as I’m pulled from my distracted thoughts.