Ablaze Without Flames

Chapter 11, Part 3 - Thea

Thea spotted Joe loitering at the end of the road before she hopped off the bus. He was shifting his weight from one foot to the other, head swivelling from looking at the road to the gravel path behind him. She thanked the driver and hurried over to join him, eyes already scanning the khaki jacket hanging loosely in his grasp.

'Hey,' said Joe, not really looking at her. 'I was gonna wait for you down there but then some people showed up and told me to leave.'

'What kind of people?' Thea asked, even though she knew.

'I don't know. They were all dressed in black and told me I was interfering with a crime scene or something.'

'They let you keep that, though?' She pointed at the jacket, eyeing the smudge of blood on the sleeve.

Joe glanced down at it. 'Yeah. I think they thought it was mine.' Thea took it from him when he offered it and examined the pockets and the labels. It was the same brand, style and size as the one she had bought for Blaise. There were drops of blood down the collar and a spray across the front. Whatever injuries caused the stains were minor; assuming it was even Blaise's blood.

The doubts she had before were all but quashed by the fact that demon hunters had shown up, raising more questions in their stead. If they were back here, did that mean Blaise had escaped? Or was someone else after him?

Thea looked up. 'Thanks, Joe.'

He didn't look reassured. 'Do you think it's his?'

She thought about lying, about brushing it off and sending him on his way while she went to investigate on her own. But she wouldn't know if he hadn't called her. Lying to him after that felt like a disservice. '...Yes.'

Joe chewed on his lower lip. 'What are you going to do?'

'I'm going to try and find him.' Thea stepped onto the gravelled road with the jacket tucked under one arm. She would have to keep her distance from the demon hunters, but maybe she could get close enough to eavesdrop on their plans. Maybe she could locate Blaise before them.

A hand on her elbow stopped her. 'Those people are still down there.'

'I know.'

She had to be sure they were actually demon hunters, and not some other group completely unrelated. And if they were the demon hunters, then she needed to find out if they knew where Blaise was; and if they didn't, if they knew how to track him down.

'Listen,' Joe said once the internal battle had finished playing out across his face. 'I know you think he's a nice guy and all,' his expression indicated that he didn't think so himself, 'but if he's tangled up in something sketchy, I don't think you should get involved. What if you get hurt or something?'

Any other time, any other person, Thea would agree with him. If it was nothing to do with her, why put herself in danger? But she was already involved, and Blaise was already her responsibility. She smiled and said, 'He doesn't have anyone else.'

Joe took a breath, probably to keep arguing, but then let it out again in one great gust. 'All right. Can I at least go with you?'

She hadn't considered that option. While she could do without anyone else discovering the full details of Blaise's situation, it was true that going in alone wasn't exactly wise. 'On the condition that you do what I say and don't ask questions.'

He sighed. 'This is really messed up, isn't it?'

'It's best you don't know,' Thea assured, starting down the path towards the country house. Joe flanked her side, hands deep in his jeans pockets and shoulders hunched up to his ears. The trees here were so thick that they lost sight of the main road after a few minutes of walking, the branches blocking out the midday sun to create a dim light more akin to evening.