Kas swallowed a groan. “Fuck, I wish I’d known. I didn’t save you guys. I threw you to an even worser fate.”
“It’s all good.” Jareth licked his lips, uncaring that soot added flavoring to his cookie. “I’m about to fix that. You protected us in here, Kas. You were the big brother we all needed. Now, I get to be the asshole misfit with a grudge.”
“You’re going after them?” Kas asked.
Jareth shrugged, ignoring his question and continuing with his previous subject. “I always knew this particular Fables was hidden in Kentucky’s national park. So, the first keywords I had my guy flag was any mention of caves, boulders, and walking trails that were recently found. Any conversations on hiker’s forums, climbing clubs, wildlife enthusiasts...he flagged it all—just in case someone stumbled upon this hellhole.”
“So that’s how you found my Jeep,” I breathed. “You followed the same ribbon path I did.”
Jareth grinned. “Yep. But I made sure no one else will. Whoever came close to Kas almost screwed up. Couldn’t have complete strangers stumbling upon this place...just in case Kas didn’t clean up like he said he would.” He finished off his cookie. “Anyway, once I had the route, I made my guy erase all evidence from the web. He ensured Kentucky Khalessi never existed.”
“What? Why?” I clutched the piece of paper. “What about the guy who originally found the boulder?”
“Guess his directions sucked, or we sucked at following them. Either way, there’s no boulder around here. Not that I found.”
I traced the same image and random directions to get to the boulder that’d given me the impulsive decision to pack my Jeep at midnight and go hunting. It was the entire reason I’d found Kas in the first place. It’d been my insurance policy for my brother to find me. He had my log-in details for the site. I’d told him which post I was following.
Yet...it would’ve been taken down.
How soon after I’d seen it did Jareth’s guy have it removed? No wonder my brother never turned up! He probably didn’t even look for this post for a few days until finally putting Operation Find Stupid Sister into effect.
My heart raced as I stared at the page.
That was why no one came.
That was why Joshua never appeared.
I’d vanished without a trace.
Snatching the page back, Jareth tore it into ribbons and watched them twirl to the ground, flickering orange and yellow from the fire still roaring in front of us. Slowly, he wiped his hands on his black pants, looking like a swat member about to go to war. Grabbing the cookie bag, he snagged another before passing it to Kas. He waited as Kas took a bite and moaned at the taste of refined sugar and oats before tapping the rest of the sheets of paper on the ground.
The stack was big enough to make my stomach clench and my heart sink.
Did each page represent a different Fable location? A different family member still trapped in hell?
“I came after you first, Kas. I had to know if you got out. And I’m glad I did. But I’m done here. You’re safe. You’re moving on.” Jareth threw me a wink as if this was a strange snack break and not a confession by mansions bonfire. Throwing me a cookie, he said, “Gem will make you move on. You don’t need me.”
“Like fuck I don’t. What are you saying, Jareth? That you’re gonna single-handedly find each place where our family was taken and...then what? Burn them?”
“Slaughter them first. Then burn them.” Jareth nodded matter-of-factly. “And I’ll enjoy every fucking moment of it.”
Kas swallowed, coughing under his breath. Steely determination came to his eyes. “Well, I won’t let you do it on your own. You’ll fuck up at some point. You need someone there to guard your back.”
“Nah, I like working on my own.” His teeth flashed, reflecting the roaring fire. “More fun that way.”
“But—”
A noise sounded on the horizon, shutting Kas up as we all stared into the dark sky.
“What is that?” Kas murmured, slowly climbing to his feet, stuffing the rest of his cookie into his mouth.
Jareth stood too, folding the paperwork into his bag. He zipped it closed and cocked his head. After a second, he suddenly grabbed his backpack and slung it onto his shoulders. “That’s my cue to leave.”
“Why?” Kas looked at him just as a helicopter appeared from the darkness. Its bright searchlight scanning the valley, highlighting trees, river, and locking onto the inferno that once used to be a secret mansion hidden in plain sight.
Grabbing Kas in a hug, Jareth looked at me over Kas’s shoulder. “Look after him, Gemma Ashford.” Pulling away from Kas, he smacked a kiss on his brother’s cheek. “Thanks for protecting us when we were younger, Kas. I’ll always be there for you, if you need me. Just like I know you’ll always be there for me.”