Free Changeling: Zombie Dawn by Steve Feasey Page B

be dead than suffer a life alone. They found his body floating in a river.’ During this explanation Ella had stared out into nothingness, lost in her own memories, but now her eyes snapped back to her captive. ‘No. You have to become our third member, Trey. You’re all we have left.’
    ‘You’ve lost your mind.’
    She paused, as if considering this. ‘You’ve never felt it, have you? Never felt the keening wrench of separation. And do you know why? Because of this.’ She hoisted the silver amulet in her hand, letting the chain play out between her fingers until it hung down, swinging gently to and fro. ‘This makes you into the lone wolf that you’ve become, Trey. It keeps you away from your own kind. It keeps you bound to the likes of Lucien Charron.’ She looked down at the thing and shook her head, before adding, ‘At least it did.’ She gathered up the chain in her hand again and placed it in her pocket before turning to walk away.
    ‘Wait, Ella, please. You have no idea what you’re doing. My friends! They’re in terrible danger. We all are!’
    ‘I’ll bring you some food and water,’ she called over her shoulder as she disappeared through the door leading out of the workshop. ‘And then you and I need to have a little chat about your friends.’

11
    Tom was emerging from the armoury on the first floor when he saw Lucien walking through the office. It was unusual to see the vampire up and about so early in the morning, and there was something about the look on his friend’s face that told Tom something was seriously wrong.
    ‘Mrs Magilton has just informed me that Trey did not sleep in his bed last night.’ Lucien said.
    Tom reached for the mobile phone in his pocket.
    ‘I’ve tried that. His phone is dead.’
    The two friends shared a look, neither wishing to voice the thoughts they were both having at that moment. Both were reminded of their recent conversations with the teenager, and how he’d hinted at a desire to run away from everything. Tom was the first to break away, giving Lucien one brief nod before striding off in the direction of his office, already barking instructions into the communications earpiece he wore. Before he entered, he turned and called across to his boss, ‘Find Hag and Alexa, especially Alexa. One of them may have an idea where he is.’
    The three of them, Lucien, Tom and Alexa, sat around the large table in the kitchen eyeing each other nervously. Hag had already told Lucien that she would not be joining them, pointing out that she had no idea where the boy was, and that her time would be better spent by trying to locate him using sorcery.
    ‘We have to face the fact that Trey might have simply gone of his own accord, and that he’s decided that he no longer wants any part of this,’ Lucien said with a vague gesture of his hand.
    ‘I don’t buy that,’ Tom said.
    ‘You yourself told me that he’d been very down lately, and that he’d suggested to you that he’d considered simply walking away. Why is it so hard to believe?’
    ‘Because the boy was just voicing his fears about whatever lies ahead. He’d no more walk out on us than you or I would.’
    ‘You don’t know that for certain, Tom.’
    ‘Yes I do. And so do you, Lucien.’ Tom let out a long sigh and eyed his boss. ‘Are you honestly going to sit there and tell me you think that boy could just up and leave like that, without so much as a goodbye?’
    The vampire shook his head. ‘Everything I know about Trey tells me that you’re right. But we don’t know what’s going on inside his head, do we? And we can’t begin to guess how psychologically damaged he was after his experiences in the Netherworld.’ He paused and added in a lower voice, ‘Everybody and everything has a breaking point, Tom. Even you . . . or me.’
    The Irishman turned to look at Alexa, who’d been silent throughout all this, staring at the table and chewing nervously at the inside of her mouth.
    ‘Tell us