Page 53 of Seer

My contact in Albuquerque hasn’t had any unexplained deaths since he became DM nine years ago. Still waiting to hear back from the others I reached out to.

CHAPTER 14

CAL

I wasn’tsure what to expect of TWIST. I think I imagined some sort of zoo, but the animals in the fenced areas by the main road made it seem more like a ranch.

After we went through the heavy iron-looking gate, Greg drove along a winding road. At first it was lined by more fenced animal yards, but then it was just trees. You couldn’t see anything from the road, which was probably for the protection of the Wonders who lived here.

Greg turned down a second driveway.

I saw movement in the side mirror, and when I turned around, I jerked back and shouted, “Fuck!”

Greg chuckled, but I ignored him in favor of staring at the freakingrhinocerosrunning alongside the car. Its feet thudded as they hit the ground. We were probably going 25 miles per hour. The rhino ran like it could keep pace all day.

Then in front of us, a grinning red-haired man flew out from the trees on the left. And I mean heflew. He hovered over the road, and his wings were beating so fast I couldn’t get a look at them. He wore blue jeans but no shirt and no shoes.

“Fucking show-off,” Greg muttered.

We drove under the winged guy, and the SUV shuddered as he landed on the roof with a bang.

The rhino’s footfalls were joined by loud hoofbeats, so I looked back. We were now also accompanied by a big black horse. A tiny golden creature was clinging to its mane, but I couldn’t get a look at it due to the angle.

“I take it this is the welcoming committee?”

Greg nodded. His fingers were white-knuckled on the steering wheel. As much as I didn’t want to praise someone who despised me, I had to admire how much courage it took to go back to the place that was the source of his trauma.

He slowed as we rounded a turn, and the trees fell away. In front of us was a large two-story brick house. Outbuildings were scattered behind it, and I could see the tops of large nets—possibly animal enclosures?—dotted in between them among the trees.

Greg drove along the circular drive in front of the house. To the left was a gravel area with what had to be more than fifteen cars and trucks parked in it.

Greg stopped the car. He looked at me. “Brace yourself.” Then he took a deep breath and opened his door.

A cacophony of voices shouted versions of “Greg!” and “Greggy!” over and over.

I jumped when my door was yanked open from the outside.

“Hey there!” said a woman who couldn’t have been more than four feet tall. She had a Scottish accent and didn’t have a second self. “Ye must be Cal. Is it short for Callum? I’m Aileen.”

“Uh, hi. And, uh, it’s Calvin. Sorry.”

She waved this away. “No matter. Yer parents picked it, not you, I’m sure. Now come on out and I’ll get yer bags.”

I undid my seat belt. “Uh, I can get them.” I slid my backpack over my shoulder and hurried to the back of the SUV. The winged red-haired guy wasn’t on the roof any longer.

Aileen had the hatch open and was dragging Greg’s bag over the bumper.

I reached over her head to get my duffel, but she whacked me in the stomach with her free hand.

“Hey!” I backed up.

She shook a finger at me. “I’ll be gettin’ yer bags. It’s part of me job.”

“Um.” I searched around for Greg, but he was being mobbed by a bunch of people. “Okay, but may I make it easier on you and hand you my bag? I can reach it without stretching.”

“Fine.” She nodded and stepped back a little to give me room. I grabbed my duffel and passed it to her. She tucked it under her tiny arm so she was holding both of our bags one-handed.

She pointed at the trailing strap of my backpack. “Hand that over too, and I’ll fix it in a jiffy.”