Balance of Power: An Alastair Stone Urban Fantasy Novel (Alastair Stone Chronicles Book 25)

by R. L. King

  “Isn’t that enough?”

  “Touché.” Stone slid out of the booth. “I’d best head home, then. Still got a lot to do tonight.”

  Blum tilted his head. “You sure you’re okay? Like I said, something looks off with you.”

  “I suppose having someone try to kill you can do that.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “I wish I were. Good night, Detective. Let me know if your little friends contact you again.”

  Stone had a hard time concentrating when he returned home and went back to examining the catalog. He paged through it, focusing most of his attention on the pages with photos, but part of his mind wandered far away.

  Who were these people who’d talked to Blum? How much did they know? Was there some government agency out there, tasked with keeping tabs on mages or magical artifacts? If so, why had he only learned about them recently? Were they watching him specifically now?

  Damn it, he didn’t have time for this. The last thing he wanted was for a bunch of nosey mundanes to be interfering with his affairs. Hell, he was trying to help them. The least they could do was leave him alone.

  But he supposed, if they’d somehow managed to find out about an artifact that would interfere with magic, they’d be every bit as interested in it as Portas was. Mundanes were terrified of mages, and with good reason—most of them had little defense available if the mages decided to target them. Having something like this on their side could be a game-changer, and it would be hard to resist trying to find it.

  “Bugger them,” he muttered, as Raider leaped onto his desk and settled into a loaf on the corner. If they wanted to play these kinds of games with him, he could play too. If they wanted something from him, they could bloody well reveal themselves and their purpose to him. Until then, they weren’t his current problem.

  He continued paging through the catalog, pausing now and then to examine some interesting item. Leander McGrath’s collection had been both larger and more varied than Hiram Drummond’s, consisting of equal parts stage-magic paraphernalia and exotic, occult-related items he’d obtained during his travels following his retirement. Every now and then, Stone’s heartbeat would quicken as he spotted some item he’d like to get his hands on—only to remind himself that this auction had taken place over fifty years ago, and most of the collection was probably scattered beyond recovery. Even if he found what he was looking for—assuming it was here at all—tracking that single item after all this time would likely be a nearly-impossible task. Trying to find more of them was out of the question, at least until this problem was solved.

  He fell into a rhythm: flip a page, scan it, pause a few seconds longer if it contained a photo, then flip to the next one. The catalog had almost two hundred pages, and by the time he was three-quarters of the way through, his eyelids were drooping. Verity had been right: she might have healed most of his physical damage from the accident, but the body still held on to shock. He needed to get some sleep.

  Just a few more pages.

  Flip.

  Scan.

  Flip.

  Scan.

  Flip—

  Wait!

  Stone went stiff, pausing in mid-flip.

  Something had caught his eye on the previous page, but his brain had been on autopilot and he’d nearly missed it. He flipped back. The page didn’t have any photos, but some bit of text must have flashed past. He scanned the page more slowly, looking for anything related to the item.

  Beveled black sculpture with unknown markings, a heading halfway down read.

  Stone spun in his chair, summoning a magnifying glass from a nearby shelf with barely a thought. He pulled the desk lamp closer and bent over the page.

  The text was sparse, since whoever had written it clearly had no idea what the thing’s purpose was. It listed the item’s dimensions, and made a cursory attempt at describing the symbols on all four sides. Speculation is that the object was used as a platform or base on which to display some other item, it continued, but its actual purpose is unknown.

  His gaze fell on another small block of text at the end. Two small protuberances, ½” in height, extend from the top surface of the sculpture, 3” apart.

  Yes!

  Stone almost pumped his fist. This had to be it! Unless anything else turned up later in the catalog, this had to be what he was looking for.

  The only problem now was finding it before Portas or someone else did. He—

  His head snapped up. Raider was looking at him with wide-eyed curiosity, and he realized he must have nodded off for a few seconds. If he could do that in spite of his excitement about his find, that had to mean he needed sleep now. He’d get nowhere with this if he wasn’t at his sharpest.

  If he put it aside now, he’d have just enough energy left to pop to Caventhorne and store the catalog in Desmond’s vault.

  Tomorrow, he had two stops to make.

  24

  He woke later than he expected, but by the time he got out of the shower, he felt mostly back to himself. He reached his first stop at eleven-thirty.

  Gina looked up from her desk. “Hi, Dr. Stone. What’s up? I think Jason’s on a call right now if you want to wait for him.”

  “Good morning, Gina. That’s fine, but I’m actually here to see you.”

  She grinned. “You come to see me more often than Jason anymore. People will think we’re in love.”

  “Don’t tell Jason—he’ll be terribly jealous.” He pulled out the catalog. “Listen—I need you to do something for me. This isn’t related to your work, so I’ll pay you extra for it. I suspect it’s going to take a fair bit of your free time.”

  “I’m intrigued already.” She nodded at it. “What’s that? Looks like an old magazine.” Then her eyes got big. “Holy shit, is that what I think it is? The catalog from the McGrath auction?”

  “The very one.”

  “How…did you get it? You didn’t steal it, did you?”

  “No. I bought it. It wasn’t the one from the photo you found. They had another one in storage.” He held it up so she could see the coffee stain on the cover. “It was damaged, so they don’t put it on display. I made a…generous donation to the museum fund.”

  She laughed. “Must be nice to be able to solve all your problems by throwing money at them. Anyway, what do you want me to do?”

  At this point, Jason came out of his office. “Oh, hey, Al. What’s up?”

  “I’m in the process of hiring your assistant away from you for a side project.”

  He shrugged. “That’s nothing new. As long as she keeps up with her real job, it’s fine with me. What kind of side project?”

  Stone glanced at him, looking for any sign Verity had told him about last night, but saw none. Maybe she hadn’t had time to call him yet. He opened the catalog to the page he’d marked and dropped it on Gina’s desk, pointing at the entry for the item. “I need to find out where this ended up.”

  She looked at it and frowned. “What is that thing?”

  “Something I need to find, and quickly. If I leave the catalog with you, do you think you’ve got any chance of tracing it?”

  Gina was studying the page. She flipped back to the front. “You don’t want much, do you? This is fifty years old.”

  “If it was easy, anybody could do it. And I promise, I’ll make it worth your while if you can manage it.”

  Jason picked up the catalog. “I think your only hope is if the auction company still exists. Maybe they’ve kept hardcopy records, but that’s a long shot.”

  “It’s the best we’ve got,” Stone said. “Do your best, Gina—but keep this under your hat. I don’t want it getting out that I’m looking for it, so don’t spread it around with your…hacker collective, or whatever you call it.”

  She laughed. “Old people are so cute.”

  “Oi. I’m the old person who’s planning to give you a nice bit of cash if you get me what I want, so show some respect.”

  “You’re
right. Those are the best kind. Sorry. Leave it with me and I’ll do what I can. If it’s out there, I’ll find it.”

  Stone had already looked through the rest of the catalog this morning and determined there weren’t any other items of interest. He’d also used his phone to snap photos of the cover, the information about the auction company, and the page with the sculpture’s entry. “Be careful with this thing. When you’re not looking at it, keep it hidden and locked up.”

  “You think somebody’s going to come in here and try to steal it?” She frowned, tilting her head. “Doc, are you some kind of international spy or something? Don’t take this wrong, but you’re way more interesting than a college professor should be.”

  “We all have our secrets. Thanks for your help.”

  He nodded farewell to her, then followed Jason into his office and closed the door.

  Jason settled behind his desk. “I can’t believe you found that thing. I’m kind of impressed.”

  “Well, don’t be too impressed. It was a lot less fun than I’d hoped.” With the “cone of silence” spell active so Gina couldn’t overhear, Stone told him about last night’s adventures, and his meeting with Blum.

  Jason stared. “Shit. So somebody else really is on the trail of this thing. You aren’t just being paranoid.”

  “On the trail of this thing, yes—but also, apparently, on my trail more than I’m comfortable with. It’s beginning to feel like I don’t have much time to solve this little problem. If Portas or the Men in Black or whoever else is looking for this thing manages to get to it before I do…”

  “Yeah, but it might not help them, right?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well…you’ve still got the other piece. You swapped a fake one into the collection that’s going to auction, so even if they get their hands on that, it won’t help if they need to put the two pieces together to make it work. You said there’s no way for them to get to the real one, right?”

  “Correct. I’d pit Desmond’s vault against any mage I’ve ever met—up to and including Kolinsky. But if they get hold of the fake and realize it is a fake, that will lead anyone with half a brain back to me, won’t it? And depending on how desperate they are, that could put others in danger.”

  “Don’t worry about that now. Let’s focus on finding it before they do. Gina’s good, but do you have any other leads you can pursue?”

  “I’m about to go pursue one, actually. Someone I’ve preferred to keep out of this, but I’m realizing it might not be possible anymore.”

  25

  Stone hadn’t visited Stefan Kolinsky’s shop in more than three months. Partly it was because nothing much magically interesting had been going on and Kolinsky wasn’t the kind of guy one dropped in on for social visits, and partly because he didn’t have anything he needed the dragon’s help with. Kolinsky had, likewise, not contacted him recently.

  When he reached the East Palo Alto shop, he found it closed and locked, but there was no sign on the door behind the wards indicating how long Kolinsky would be away. Since this wasn’t an emergency, he decided not to enter the shop and call; instead, he took out his notebook, scribbled I need to talk to you about something. Dinner tonight? AS, along with today’s date. Then he left for campus, where he had one class to teach that afternoon. There wasn’t much else he could do in the meantime, since Gina had a better chance of tracking the location of the new artifact than he did.

  He stopped by his office after class. Laura, the department’s admin aide, looked up from her computer. “Oh, Dr. Stone?”

  “Yes?”

  “Your…strange friend dropped off an envelope for you. The one who sends messengers in funeral-director suits.” She took it from her drawer and offered it to him. The face was blank, but she’d put a sticky note on it that said “Dr. Stone.”

  Good old Stefan. Stone wasn’t sure how he knew to send his reply to the University instead of his home, but he’d given up wondering how Kolinsky knew things. “Thank you. I was hoping he might.”

  He was about to turn away when she spoke again, her voice full of worry. “That’s a terrible thing, what happened to Brandon, isn’t it?”

  Stone paused. He liked Laura, but she was the chatty type who loved to gossip and he didn’t have time for a lengthy discussion. “Yes. Yes, it is.”

  “He won’t be back till next week. He’s home now, but he’s supposed to take it easy for a few days. I hope he’s got someone to look after him.”

  “I’m sure he’s fine. I’ll give him a call. Must go, Laura, sorry. Thanks for the message.”

  He got out of there before she could say anything else, and opened the envelope as soon as he got out the door. The card was blank too, as usual, but magical sight revealed a concise message: I will join you for dinner tonight. I suggest La Maison Noire in Los Altos. Eight p.m.

  Stone smiled. Good old Stefan, indeed. Still picking the most expensive restaurant around. He couldn’t blame the dragon, though—he hadn’t suggested a place himself, after all.

  He was surprised to find himself looking forward to seeing Kolinsky. Despite his misgivings about involving the dragon in this situation, perhaps his old friend could shed some light he couldn’t find anywhere else.

  And again, it was better than talking to Aldwyn.

  La Maison Noire was a far fancier restaurant than Stone tended to frequent. Tucked away at the end of a tiny side street, it had a small, dirt parking lot full of high-end cars. He was glad he’d chosen to wear one of his best custom-tailored suits.

  Kolinsky was waiting at the bar, sipping a glass of wine. He stood when Stone entered, before even seeming to notice him.

  “Hello, Stefan. Your lavish taste in restaurants hasn’t changed, I see.”

  “Life is too short to indulge in low-quality cuisine.” Kolinsky was dressed, as usual, in one of his familiar old-fashioned black suits. Stone occasionally wondered, now that he knew more about what his friend really was, if the suits were the product of a draconic illusion generator, and Kolinsky was really wearing sweatpants and an old T-shirt.

  “Especially when I’m paying for the good stuff.” And especially when you’re functionally immortal. He smiled, taking the edge off the words. It was their old game, and as always, he didn’t mind plying the dragon with fancy meals and wine if it meant he got the answers he sought.

  A slim waiter in black took them to their table and gave them leather-bound menus. Stone ordered a glass of wine of his own as he perused his. “How have you been? It’s been a while. Have you missed me?”

  “I have not.”

  “You know, from anybody else I’d take that as an insult.”

  “You may take it as you will.”

  They placed their orders and sipped their wine. Kolinsky regarded Stone over the top of his glass. “How may I be of assistance?”

  “Well…that’s an interesting question.” Stone had been turning the situation over in his mind ever since receiving the card today, trying to figure out how he was going to describe the situation to the dragon—and how much he wanted to reveal. He’d also remembered he had another topic he wanted to discuss with Kolinsky, so perhaps it was best to lead with that. He might even combine the two to work things out to his advantage, if he was careful.

  He leaned forward. “I actually have two things I want to discuss. They’re not related, but I know how much you enjoy your quid pro quo.”

  Kolinsky said nothing, but merely watched him expectantly as he swirled his wineglass.

  Stone didn’t bother with the “cone of silence” spell for this conversation, since he was certain his friend had better concealment magic active than he could manage on his best day. “So…first of all, I’ve been finding the new travel method very useful.”

  “I am not surprised.”

  “But…” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “It’s brought up certain…difficulties for me.”

  “Difficulties?”

  “They aren’t
unique to traveling by ley line—I’ve experienced some of them while using normal portal travel. But the speed and versatility of the new way has made them more…obvious.”

  Kolinsky remained silent, his face still and calm.

  Stone let his breath out. Might as well just put it all out there. “I’m getting noticed. Naturally, I’ve been traveling more now that it’s easier, and even before this, my friends have been concerned about things like my cell phone popping up in places it shouldn’t be, my IDs and credit cards being used thousands of miles from where I’m supposed to be, that sort of thing. I’ve taken to using disposable phones and doing as many transactions as I can with cash, but that can be inconvenient too. Some places don’t even take cash, and some still require valid identification.”

  “Ah. I see.” Kolinsky didn’t look surprised. “And why are you bringing this problem to me?”

  “Well…I don’t imagine you lot have to deal with the issue, but it would make my life a lot more convenient if I didn’t either. So, I suppose I’m going back to our original arrangements, before I found out—” He spread his hands, encompassing the table. “—everything.”

  “Indeed. And which ‘original’ arrangement are you referring to?”

  “I thought you might be able to point me toward someone who’s an expert at setting up false identities. I need everything: identification, credit cards—probably multiples of each—I don’t know. This isn’t exactly my area. Basically, I need someone who it is their area to set this up for me. Of course, I can pay them handsomely.”

  “No doubt you can.” Kolinsky steepled his fingers and shot Stone a significant glance.

  And there it was. Stone gave a sly smile. “Don’t worry. I can pay you handsomely, too. And not in money. I know you don’t give a damn about that. Or, more precisely, you have more of it than you could ever spend in your lifetime.” He buttered a piece of warm bread and took a sample bite. “So…is that something you can do?”