And so, without anything else to stop me from completing my contract, I headed toward Lizzie’s house.
4
I hadn’t gotten far before I noticed a dog running on the frontage road behind me. I scowled.
What now?
I couldn’t tell if it was Alexander or an evil hound, but I couldn’t outrun it, and I obviously couldn’t kill Lizzie with a hound on my tail.
Ha. Pun.
I pulled over to the side of the street and got out of my car, leaning against the trunk with my arms folded, watching as the dog bounded toward me.
When it was close, it shifted into a man—Alexander. The exact last person I wanted to see at that point, given my decision to go through with murdering Lizzie. Unfortunately, he was one of my bosses, so I couldn’t avoid him.
“You’re a hard person to catch up with, Abel,” Alexander said. “Even for someone like me who travels far and wide.”
I gave a curt nod, but didn’t see a reason to respond.
“I’ve got a specific demon I need you to hunt down and destroy.”
“Oh?” When he’d first given me the job to protect Lizzie, he’d told me I wouldn’t need to actually hunt demons. Just kill them when they came after her, and focus on the hounds specifically.
“Yes. I’ve been tracking him myself for a while, but even though I’ve reached him more than once, I haven’t been able to kill him. Quite the contrary—he’s destroyed me multiple times.”
Interesting. “What kind of demon is he?”
Alexander shook his head. “I’m not positive. A very powerful one.”
“And he’s looking for Lizzie?”
“I still don’t know for sure. But based on what I’ve learned about him—which isn’t much—we must assume he is. You have tracking skills, yes?”
“Of course.”
“Good. Because you’re going to be using them quite a bit with this one. His movements are erratic and weird—he disappears for days on end, and I’m not sure why. I haven’t been able to focus on him as much as I’d like due to my own duel nature. And like I said, every time I’ve finally tracked him down, he’s killed me.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t hounds—being dogs—supposed to be good trackers?”
Alexander waved me off. “Not all of us are. We aren’t exactly dogs, you know.”
Fair enough. “I don’t know how aware you are of my . . . abilities . . . but I can’t track more than one person or creature at a time. Which means I won’t be able to cover Lizzie fully until this demon is gone.”
“That’s fine—I expected I’d have to help pick up the slack. Just send a text when she needs someone watching her. If it eases your mind, she has the amulet now. It helps protect her from hounds.”
Very well. “Where do I start with this demon?”
“Last I saw him was in an old factory in the middle of the Salt Lake Valley. I’ll text you the address. He doesn’t live there anymore, but he did leave things behind in the basement. Maybe you can get ‘scent’ of him that way.”
“Okay, I’ll head there now.”
Alexander put a hand on my shoulder. “Thank you, Abel. I really appreciate your help.”
I shrugged. “You’re paying me to protect her.” I refused to admit it—to acknowledge it—but a slight bit of relief flashed over me like hot water. A little delay to the inevitable couldn’t hurt, now that I’d caught up somewhat on rest.
As long as I didn’t think or feel again, I’d be fine.
“Yes, I am. Oh, and please don’t tell her anything about this demon.”
“Why?”
“Until we know more about him—whether he’s attracted to knowledge about him the way a hound would be—it simply would be better to keep her in the dark.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be a guardian of knowledge? How do you not know more about him?”
Alexander shook his head. “I don’t know. The only thing I can guess is he’s a new creation.”
“Let’s get this thing figured out, then. I’ll send you any information I pick up while tracking him.”
“I appreciate it. I’ll head to Lizzie’s now so you can focus on the demon without worrying about her. Text me when you’re done.”
Alexander thanked me before shifting back into a dog and running away, and I latched onto the first excuse that filtered into my mind. I couldn’t risk having this demon find Lizzie before I reached her, and not just for Alexander’s sake. The Shadow Prophet had been implicit—none of these targets could be replaced. If the demon killed Lizzie first, I’d lose the contract.
Besides, there was no way I could kill her or even head to her right now. Not while Alexander was watching.
So, destroy the demon. Relieve Alexander. And then take care of Lizzie.
I got back in my car in time to hear my phone beep with an incoming message. It was from Alexander. I punched the address he sent into my maps application and headed in that direction.
***
The factory was easily visible from the freeway. If I’d needed a place to call home, I might have claimed it. It was beautiful, if you considered rust, broken walls, and condemned locations beautiful. Which I did.
I got off the exit and pulled around the corner, parking near the gates of the fence that walled off the old factory. Of course they wouldn’t leave it open to the public. No, that would be too dangerous, especially with how ancient this place was.
I studied it as I exited the car. The walls were a deep rust color. Whole planks and sections had fallen off, concrete crumbled everywhere, and dead weeds sprouted up through cracks in the cement.
Like I said, beautiful.
I knelt in front of the gate and used one of my spells to unlock the massive rusted padlock.
Rust seemed to be the theme of this abandoned factory.
The padlock dropped, and I looped it over one of the links in the fence before opening the gate and entering the yard.
The door to the factory was slightly ajar, and I toed it with my boot, pushing it the rest of the way open. I turned on the flashlight app on my phone, shining it inside. The light revealed pallets, containers, boxes, and a whole lot of graffiti and trash.
The place was empty, but I could tell it’d had plenty of squatters over the past years. Alexander said the demon had lived in the basement, and so I explored around until I found stairs leading down. The stairs were metal and rickety, and I expected them to collapse under me at any moment. They held, though, and I continued.
There was a slight charge to the air that I hadn’t ever sensed before. I assumed it originated from the demon. I wasn’t sure what kind he was, and Alexander hadn’t been able to tell me.
I wandered slowly through a couple of narrow hallways, past a storage area, down another hall, and into a large room I knew had been the demon’s residence. His print was strongest there. The room was full of all sorts of odds and ends—forks, broken lamps, garbage bags, and piles and piles of musty blankets and old clothing.
The room was very dirty. And it wasn’t just dust from years of neglect. No, a fine, fresh silt covered everything.
I crouched in front of a pile of blankets that looked like it had been slept in recently. Well, more recently than the rest of the blankets.
Reaching out magically, closing my eyes, I grabbed hold of the demon’s essence. And then I pressed my tracker tattoo, asking it to memorize the print that surrounded me.
I half expected nothing to show up, but I was surprised when the usual dusty blue smoke appeared, leading back to the hallway. It was faint. I didn’t have much time before it disappeared completely.
Heading out immediately, I followed the smoke and glowing embers back up the stairs and out a door I hadn’t noticed while searching for the stairs. The trail led to a hole in the fence near a back road. From what it looked like, the demon had walked that road for quite some time—I couldn’t see where he’d veered off. And so I returned to my car on the main road and pulled aroun
d the factory onto that street. It turned out to be a frontage road.
As I sped along, the trail got fresher and fresher until it was only a couple of days old. The demon had been on foot, apparently, and my car traveled faster than he had.
The dusty smoke led me to an area in Bluffdale not far from the prison. More specifically, it led me to an abandoned warehouse. Obviously, this creature wanted to be left alone. Couldn’t say I blamed him.
The front door was completely open. It clanged in the wind against the wall, leaving a gaping black hole like a mouth that was ready to consume whoever dared enter.
I pulled my gun and stepped quietly to the open doorway.
5
The trail was less than a day old here. My heart rate quickened, and before I could stop it, excitement flooded my system. I loved tracking.
Even though it hurt to feel anything again, I allowed myself this one last moment of joy.
I refused to let it get in the way of my resolve, though.
The trail took me into the dark interior of the warehouse, around some supply rooms and offices, and to a set of stairs that led down.
A wave of exhaustion flooded my system. My tracker tattoo was stealing from the other tattoos too much, and it was wearing on me. I needed more sleep, needed to finish replenishing myself, but I had to make as much progress as possible where this demon was concerned, and by extension, Lizzie, since the demon was tracking her. I couldn’t risk him catching her before I found him, thereby losing her magical essence.
I entered a corner room that had apparently been used for storage. The trail stopped cold there.
I looked around, wanting to be sure, but nothing—not my tattoo, not my instincts—indicated that the demon had doubled back.
Had he disappeared? Turned into mist like vampires did? I didn’t think so. Vampires—if that was what he was—didn’t walk to some random corner just to leave as soon as they got there. They disappeared whenever they wanted—wherever they were when they decided to go somewhere else.
And this obviously wasn’t a hideout for vampires. There wasn’t anything there. No blood, no scent, no prints, nothing.
My instincts told me it wasn’t one, and I’d learned to trust my instincts.
If not a vampire, then what?
The demon hadn’t hung out in the room for longer than a couple of seconds. The trail would have doubled on itself several times had that been the case.
More of that fine silt was on the walls and floor. Did he use it as a way to travel? Did he go through the wall? Was he there now, watching me?
The hairs on the back of my neck rose at the thought, and I chided myself for letting my thoughts freak me out.
I needed more information, though getting any would be difficult. What I had wasn’t a lot to go off of, but I’d have to use it anyway.
I’d start with my own underground warehouse first. If I couldn’t find anything there, I’d go to the one in Salt Lake City.
6
Returning to my car, I sent a text to David, one of my clients who frequently had information at hand, and asked him to meet me at my warehouse. Then I headed there. I was hungry and definitely tired, but I was on a one-track-mind task and refused to let anything distract me.
David was waiting out front of the warehouse when I pulled up. It made me wonder what he did for work, since he was almost always available when I needed him. I wasn’t curious enough to actually ask, though.
Once inside, we walked to an unused mat and grabbed some poles to spar with while chatting.
After parrying for ten or fifteen minutes, David asked, “What kind of demon are you looking for?”
I wiped sweat from my forehead. “I’m not entirely sure. Something that’s tracking the local Fire Impeder and that I’ve been asked to take care of.”
“What does he look like?”
I shook my head, dodging a blow. “I haven’t seen him yet. I’ve tracked him to a warehouse in Bluffdale. The trail disappears there. Something noteworthy, though—each time I’ve searched for him, I’ve found a bit of dust that he’s left behind.”
“Interesting.” He swung wide, and I managed a strike to his stomach. He grunted and tightened his advances. “I’ve never heard of anything like that. Want me to ask around?”
“Yes.”
I knew it wouldn’t jeopardize what I was doing to have him send out feelers. Unlike the hounds, it was highly improbable that solely obtaining information about this demon would lead to problems.
We finished with the poles and moved on to wooden swords. It didn’t surprise me that David wasn’t very good with this weapon. It was an older form of fighting, one I’d found handy multiple times. Despite the practicality of a gun, sometimes I preferred the beauty and grace of swords and knives. Especially since they didn’t make nearly as much noise.
We sparred for another thirty minutes, and then David left. I checked in on the others who were training in the warehouse, then decided to head to Salt Lake to see if anyone there knew of this demon. My curiosity was definitely piqued.
Alexander finally responded to my text. He didn’t know what the demon looked like—he hadn’t gotten a good look at him. Not only that, but the creature’s form had apparently changed a couple of times. He didn’t know anything about the demon’s habits other than the fact that the beast seemed to like basements and was probably dirty.
After I got past the bouncer in Salt Lake City, I meandered, looking for people who might have information. I ended up at the bar next to an elderly witch who knew a lot about many sorts of demons. I enjoyed comparing notes with her as we discussed what this particular demon could be. As it turned out, she didn’t know much. It hadn’t killed many—probably just Alexander, who didn’t die permanently—and so it wasn’t catching a lot of attention.
I was just wrapping up our conversation when I noticed someone familiar entering the warehouse. I froze. Despite the fact that she wore darker clothes and a black hood, I would recognize her anywhere.
She was my seventh target.
7
I’d been too shocked at my discovery of Lizzie as the sixth target to pay much attention to anything surrounding target number seven. I didn’t know her name, where she lived, other than it was in Utah, nor whether she had family alive or friends nearby.
But I did recognize her face. Her dark hair and clear eyes were unmistakable. But so was the confidence she exuded. I’d sensed it in her picture. I’d also sensed experience, and a lot of it. Without needing to talk to her, I knew she’d seen more than even I had.
The air charged when she entered the warehouse. People paused their conversations and stepped back, making room for her. Their reactions weren’t due to fear, but respect. This woman held an important role in the local community.
Something about her drew me to her, though I wasn’t sure what. I wasn’t a power seeker—never had been. So the reactions of the others in the warehouse didn’t affect me—just piqued my curiosity. But something did draw me to her. Was it her magic? She had incredible amounts of it flowing around her, and I knew without asking that she was a very powerful Silver—an Arete who has access to all of the elements. If not that, what else?
I was tempted to follow her, but decided not to. Not without knowing more about her.
Besides, she’d probably figure out pretty quickly what I was doing, and despite my own reputation, it was apparent that she was held in higher esteem here. I had zero desire to turn the locals against me.
Interesting, though. This was the first time one of the Shadow Prophet’s targets had been associated in any way with the underground.
It unnerved me to see her. I stepped into the background, standing up against a wall and
folding my arms as I watched her and the rest of the club.
After getting stopped several times, the woman eventually joined a group of Aretes in the corner. None of them looked my way—they wouldn’t have a reason to do so. Still, I found myself nervous.
/>
After watching for a while, I realized I needed to find out more about this woman. It was time to look at that last folder, especially if things went as planned and I killed Lizzie soon.
My phone chimed with an incoming text message, and I decided to leave. When
I got in the car, I checked the message. It was from the first of my Shadow Prophet targets. Or rather, the first of the Croents who were covering for my Shadow Prophet targets.
Payment coming soon?
What did he mean? I still had two days before needing to do that. Just to be sure, and before responding, I pulled up my calendar app. I blinked when I saw the date. He was right—payment had been due the night before. Crap. My days had been swirling around each other too much lately. I’d missed the alert because I’d been sleeping in the hospital with my phone powered off.
Realizing that I needed to put off the confrontation with Lizzie yet again, I headed home to pack for a quick trip around the world.
8
I couldn’t skip paying the Croents—I had no idea what would happen if I did, and I really didn’t want to find out. Especially with them being able to turn invisible at will. Nothing would protect me against something invisible—they’d be able to get past guards into pretty much any prison, and not even my tattoos would help me in a one-on-one fight with a Croent in a jail cell.
I sent Alexander a quick text, informing him of what I’d learned and letting him know I’d take over protecting Lizzie until I started tracking again. I hated feeling like he was waiting on me.
Once he’d confirmed he’d received my message, I hired a couple of acquaintances to keep an eye on Lizzie. They were the same ones I’d hired when Porter and I had headed to Kansas to confront the Shadow Prophet.
My first stop was in Hong Kong, then Brazil, New York, and Arkansas, and finally to Chicago where Rachel, my fifth target, lived. Er, had lived. It wasn’t her anymore, but for my sanity’s sake, I continued referring to my targets by their names after the Croents took over.
Evening Storm (Midnight Chronicles Book 2) Page 2
