by R. L. King
“Hey, Al. Just wanted to check with you on something.”
“What’s on your mind?”
“I got a case that’s taking me down to L.A. tonight. I figured I’d take Amber along to help out, and maybe we’d stay a couple extra days for a little R&R. You need us for anything? You haven’t said much about this pyramid thing—is it over?”
He sighed. “I think it is, much as I don’t like to admit it.”
“So, you sure you don’t need us?”
“No, no. You go. Have fun. You two need a holiday.”
“Yeah, we kinda do. Okay. Take care, Al. You could use a holiday too. Try to relax. I know you suck at that, but try.”
That same evening, Verity texted him. Got a minute? Give me a call if you do.
“Hey,” she said when she answered. “Jason was telling me he and Amber were going to L.A. for a few days. He said you told him the pyramid thing was over.”
“Far as I know, yes. It’s been days since I’ve heard anything.”
“I know you’re disappointed about it, but I’m kinda relieved, to be honest. Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to talk about.”
Stone leaned back on the sofa and carefully nudged Raider away from his Guinness pint. “So what is it?”
“Well…I wasn’t gonna do it because I didn’t want to leave you alone in case you needed me, but if it’s really over, Scuro’s got a tattoo job he wants me along on.”
He frowned. “Why are you calling about that? I’m sure you’ve got all sorts of tattoo jobs.”
“Yeah, but this one’s in Australia. There’s a portal in Sydney, but Scuro says the client’s really reclusive and is paying big bucks on top of the regular fee for a house call. She lives about an hour out.”
“Ah. And he wants you to go along to heal.”
“Yeah. He’s offered me a nice bonus if I’ll do it. Enough so I could put some serious money away.” She paused. “Plus, I’ve never been to Australia. He said he’d show me around Sydney a little after the job.”
Stone chuckled. “I absolutely think you should go, then. Can’t turn down money like that, and I’m sure you’ll quite like Australia. If you get a chance to investigate them, there are some fascinating magical traditions among the Indigenous people in that area.”
“That sounds awesome.” Another pause. “You sure you’ll be okay, though? With Jason, Amber, and me all away at the same time—”
“Verity, come on. I’m quite capable of taking care of myself. I did it for years before I ever met you lot. And besides, all I’ve got planned is spending some time working on papers with Raider. Not very exciting, I promise.”
“Famous last words,” she said with a laugh. “Okay, then. I’ll tell Scuro it’s a go. You be good while I’m gone. I’ll ask Raider when I get back, and you know he’ll rat you out in a second for a few kitty treats and a tummy rub.”
The following day, Stone had no classes. He slept late, drove up to campus for a meeting in the afternoon, and ran a few errands he’d been putting off. It had been a while since his life was this normal; he’d gotten a bit used to it during the last quarter, but he still wasn’t sure he liked it. Was this the way most mundanes spent the majority of their lives? He couldn’t imagine it.
Verity, Jason, and Amber were all gone by now, and he hoped they were doing something more productive than he was. He thought about giving Eleanor a call to see if she’d left the area yet, but decided against it. Their relationship, as fake as the pyramid that had disappeared following the theft, had run its course, served its purpose, and now the best thing to do was let it go.
Instead, he picked up some take-out from his favorite Thai place in Menlo Park, then drove back to the Encantada house. “Well, Raider,” he said as the cat wound around his legs and demanded his own dinner, “I guess it’s just you and me tonight.”
Raider didn’t seem to mind that at all. He tore into the plate of cat food Stone set on the kitchen floor for him, then followed him out to the living room and hopped onto the couch. Stone picked at his own dinner, realizing he wasn’t nearly as hungry as he’d thought he was, and half-listened to the Zombies tune playing in the background.
He was trying to decide between going upstairs to work on research for his latest paper or giving Brandon Greene a call to see if he wanted to get a beer and catch up when his phone buzzed on the table.
He glanced at it, figuring it was probably one of his friends updating him on their adventures. But this was a call, not a text, and the number showed as UNKNOWN.
“Yes, hello?”
“Dr. Stone?”
It was a male voice, and he didn’t recognize it. “Yes, who’s this?”
“You don’t know me, but you probably know the organization I represent.” The man sounded calm, at ease—maybe even a little smug.
“Is that right? And which organization is that?” Stone sat up straighter.
“I think I’ve got something you’re interested in. And I’m fairly sure you’ve got something I’m interested in. I’m calling to make you an offer.”
34
Stone tightened his hand on the phone. At this point, he wasn’t seeing anything else in the room. “What are you talking about? What kind of offer?”
The man chuckled. “Don’t play stupid, Dr. Stone. It’s not a good look for you. We both know you know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“Suppose I did. You’d be mad to think I’d entertain any offer from anyone connected with your…organization.”
“I don’t see why not. We’re not your enemies, Dr. Stone. In fact, I suspect we see eye to eye about more things than you’d care to admit. One of them being the particular subject of our current interest.”
“It doesn’t matter if we do. Even if I did have what you think I’ve got, you must know I’d have it hidden and protected well enough that you lot will never find it.”
“Oh, no doubt. I’m certain of that. But you can be equally certain that we likewise have our part hidden where you won’t ever find it.”
Stone leaned back into the couch cushions. “Maybe that’s for the best. If you know anything about the item and its function, I don’t know why you’d even want it.”
“Probably the same reason you do—curiosity. We want to know how it works. And…”
“And what?”
“And we want to keep it out of the hands of those who shouldn’t be meddling with things they don’t understand.”
“Oh? And who would those be? Anyone who isn’t you?”
“Of course you know I’m talking about mundanes.” The man made a little clucking tsk. “Come now, Dr. Stone—you can’t tell me that you’re any more comfortable about having it in mundane hands than we are.”
Stone didn’t answer that. “What makes you think I’ve even got it? Last I heard, it was up for auction in San Francisco, and someone nicked it from the man who paid far too much money for it. Was that you?”
“You and I both know that item was a fake. A well-made fake, for certain, but a fake nonetheless.”
Stone gave a wolfish grin. “Bet your people were surprised when they found out. I can picture them hopping about like a bunch of angry chickens.”
“You think that was us?” The man snorted. “Hardly. We wouldn’t dirty our hands with such a thing. And you know as well as I do that if it had been us, the unfortunate Mr. DaCosta and his assistant would not have fared as well as they did.”
“What do you want?” Stone snapped. “I’m not going to waste my evening nattering on with you. I’ve got better things to do.”
“I told you before: I’m offering you a deal.”
“And I’ll ask again: what kind of deal?”
“A chance for both of us to satisfy our curiosity.”
“Sorry, I still don’t follow.”
The man tsked again. “I’ll make it clearer for you, then: we want to see how this thing functions—or if it functions. We believe you do too. Thus, my proposal is that we meet s
omewhere neutral, in a public place, and discuss the situation. You bring your piece of the device, I bring ours, and we…put our heads together.”
Stone barked a laugh. “You must think I’m a complete idiot, if you think I’d agree to something like that.”
“I know you’re not an idiot, Dr. Stone. I know you have reason to be apprehensive. But I assure you—in this case, we have no malicious intentions. You may choose the venue, with the only requirement that it be a public place not associated with you. And of course you must come alone, as will I.”
“And…what? We both bring our pieces and we sit there out in front of everyone trying to put the thing together?”
“Surely you’re capable of an illusion that would hide our efforts. I know I am.”
Stone had to allow that he was right. Those kinds of small illusions were easy.
He let his breath out. This was an inopportune time for this to occur, when Jason, Verity, and Amber were away. He wondered if the Ordo had planned it that way on purpose. He had to admit, though, that despite his reservations, his curiosity had poked its head tentatively up for a look around.
“I might be interested,” he said. “But not tonight. Call me again in a few days.”
“I’m sorry, Dr. Stone, but that won’t be possible. The offer exists only for this evening.”
Of course it does. “How do I even know you’ve got the thing? Assuming I have my half, this whole thing could be a ploy to get me somewhere you can get your hands on it.”
“I could say the same of you—though we’re willing to trust our intelligence reports that you do have your part. And as a good faith gesture, I will send you this.”
The phone beeped again, and an image popped up on the screen.
Stone studied it, narrowing his eyes. He’d never seen the platform part of the device before, but the item in the photo matched the description in the McGrath auction catalog. The symbols carved into the two shiny black, visible sides were clearly in the same ancient language as those on the pyramid. The background was indistinguishable: a corner with white walls and a white floor. He could barely see the twin protuberances extending from the top. Sure, it could be a fake too—but if it was, it was a damn good one.
“Assuming you’re not lying to me—what then? We show up, do whatever it is we can do with it, and…what? I’ve got no intention of letting you take the completed device with you, and I doubt you’d fancy letting me take it with me.”
“Simple—once we’ve assembled it and determined whether it’s possible to make it function, we separate it once again. You take your piece, I take ours, and we return them to their respective secure storage locations.”
Stone narrowed his eyes. “What’s the point of that, then?”
“I’m surprised you don’t see it. You’re right about something: we don’t have a compelling reason to possess the functional device. I’m sure you know who I represent, and we are…shall we say…rather famously pro-magic. The last thing we want to do is interfere with magic. In fact, it would be in our best interests if the device were stored in separate pieces, far away from any chance a mundane organization like those ridiculous religious zealots might get hold of it. Doesn’t that make sense?”
Once again, Stone had to admit it did. He remembered what Eddie had told him about the American branch of the Ordo—that they were more mad scientists than raging magical chauvinists.
“You want us there alone? Just the two of us? How do I know you won’t have the place under surveillance, and be ready to jump me as soon as I show up?”
“Technically, you don’t,” he admitted. “It’s a risk you’ll have to take. But think about it—we know how good you are…and more to the point, how adept you are at getting out of traps. Why would we risk it? We want to know about this thing as much as you do. Possibly more. Not only how it works, but how, perhaps, we might defend against it should we encounter it in the future. And in any case, that’s why we’re allowing you to choose the venue, so you’ll know we won’t have time to prepare anything ahead of time. What do you say, Dr. Stone? Will you take a chance on satisfying your curiosity?”
This was madness. He knew it. It was a huge risk. But on the other hand, the Ordo man was probably telling the truth: they wanted to study the thing too. And what was the worst thing that could happen if they did manage to get hold of it? The old Ordo, the European version, might have been a bigger threat, but unless this lot planned to start kidnapping mages, they’d probably just do exactly what Stone had done with it: store it away somewhere and spend the next several years trying to work out what made it tick so they could counter its effects. It wasn’t as if they could build another one, since the substance necessary for its function appeared to be extinct on Earth.
He was rationalizing, he knew.
But still…
“All right,” he said at last. “This is against my better judgment, but honestly I think it would be difficult for your lot to take me down before I could make life quite unpleasant for you.”
The man chuckled. “You’re probably right. We’re scholars, not fighters. So, do we have a deal?”
“I suppose we do.”
“Name the place. Oh—one more requirement. Please forgive me, but unfortunately I must disqualify A Passage to India for obvious reasons.”
Stone didn’t argue. If this whole thing went pear-shaped, he didn’t plan to put Marta in danger, or bring unwanted attention down on the portal location. He thought for a moment, trying to come up with a place that was still open and would be difficult to surround, with good sight lines and lots of windows. You’re starting to think like Jason.
“How about University Perk, on University Avenue?” It had been his favorite spot for morning coffee when he still lived in Palo Alto, and popular with local workers. He knew from experience, though, that it wouldn’t be crowded this late.
“Done. I’ll meet you there in an hour.”
“How will I recognize you?”
“I don’t think it will be difficult. I’ll be the one carrying the large box.”
It wouldn’t take anywhere near an hour for Stone to get to University Perk—that was part of why he’d chosen it—but another thing Jason had taught him was to do a little recon prior to potentially dangerous meetings.
First things first, though.
The meeting would be a risk, but he could minimize the risk to at least some extent. He thought about texting or emailing Jason and Verity, but decided against it. There was no point in interrupting their plans, especially since there was no way they could get home fast enough to be of any help even if they wanted to. Instead, he wrote them a note explaining what he was planning to do, enchanted everything but the names on the outside to require magical sight to read, and left it prominently displayed on the breakfast bar.
He also considered contacting Ian, but likewise chose not to. His son was probably still off on the other side of the world with Gabriel, and dragging him into this mess at this late date didn’t seem to be a good idea even if he was close enough to a portal to make it here in time.
Kolinsky was pointless. He’d already told Stone he wouldn’t involve himself in anything to do with the device, and Stone was sure he wouldn’t change his mind now.
He was on his own, then, which meant he’d have to be especially careful.
He was about to pop over to Caventhorne to retrieve the pyramid when another idea occurred to him.
He paused to send a single text and wait for a reply before stroking Raider’s head and disappearing from the kitchen.
As Stone had expected, University Perk wasn’t crowded at nearly nine p.m. Most of the retail stores along University Avenue had either already closed or were in the process, leaving only the restaurants, bars, and a few coffee shops open. It was a drizzly, unpleasant evening, and most of the remaining window-shoppers had already fled to the various eateries and watering holes.
Stone, under a disregarding spell, watched the coffee shop f
rom across the street. The place was well lit, revealing clearly through the full-length front window that two customers lingered near the counter while waiting for take-out orders. Two more, a man and a woman who looked like students, sat at one of the back tables, each with a laptop open. When he shifted to magical sight, their calm, untroubled auras all sprang into being: blues, yellows, greens, oranges, with no sign of red flashes, nervousness, or discomfort. As far as he could tell, none of them were waiting for anything other than their orders.
He lifted his head, scanning along the roof, and then checked out the few other people on the street. Aside from a pair of young men who appeared to be having an ambulatory lovers’ spat, nothing stood out. He watched them until they disappeared around a corner, still arguing.
Stone faded into the background and waited, occasionally slipping his hand into his coat pocket to verify the pyramid was still there. He’d retrieved it from Desmond’s vault at Caventhorne and paused to leave another note for Eddie and Ward, inside their workroom. They wouldn’t see it until a few hours from now, but at least they’d know his plans if anything went wrong.
The meeting was set for nine forty-five. At nine-forty, he dropped the disregarding spell and jogged across the street. The two take-out customers had already left, and no one else had come in to take their place. The couple with the laptops might as well have been in another world for all the attention they paid to their surroundings.
Stone pushed open the door and entered the shop.
“Welcome,” the barista, a smiling young woman, called. “What can I get started for you?”
Stone didn’t recognize her, but that wasn’t surprising. He rarely frequented the place anymore, and when he had, it had been in the morning. Aside from her, the only other employee was a man about the same age wearing a white T-shirt, jeans, and an apron. He came out of the back and began fiddling with the espresso machine.
“Er—nothing at the moment, thank you. I’m waiting for a…friend.”
