Oath Bound

by T. G. Ayer

We were filing into the kitchen when Cassie breezed in from the shopfront, bringing with her the enticing scents of food. I glanced at the Chinese takeout bag, unsurprised to find she’d bought from The Golden Dragon. She sent me a wink, which Mel didn’t see, what with having her nose in the bag of Thai food, concentrating on inhaling the smell as though her life depended on it.

  We worked together to unpack and set the takeout boxes on the table, which we’d cleared of the giant map. I met Cassie’s eyes a few times over her chopsticks, aware she seemed entirely guiltless at keeping secrets from Mel. I wasn’t sure if I should be impressed with her skills at keeping a straight face, or worried that she was so talented at pulling the wool over our eyes.

  Not unlike what I was currently doing to Mel.

  25

  At that moment, she let out a low sigh. “Sorry for the run-around at HQ, Mel.” Her expression was focused as she speared a chunk of meat with her fork. “I promise I was just trying to make sure Gilfillan wasn’t on to me. I couldn’t risk him finding out I’m a snitch.” With a twist of her lips, she proceeded to chomp on her chicken tikka.

  Mel lifted one shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. “Yeah, I had wondered about that. Is there a reason why you didn’t want him to know that you are part of our team? I assumed Ivy would have already given him a list of the people that we had on-board.”

  As Mel spoke, I spotted Logan’s expression. He looked slightly constipated as he schooled his features into something that resembled agreement with Mel’s line of thinking. Dragon needed to work on his poker-face “If anything, Grams would’ve kept those details close to her chest.”

  Mel gave a short nod, her expression bland. “Grams is a Sentinel agent and so is Cassie, so I have to admit I am a little confused because it seems to me that their own agents don’t trust them.”

  Eyes wide, her look was mostly “Duh!” with a touch of impatience. “Took you long enough to figure that one out.” Laughter reverberated around the room, the sound comforting and making me let out a stressed breath. We ate the rest of the meal, conversation centered on the progress of our young sidekicks, which was a safe enough topic.

  At last I set my plastic fork inside the empty noodle box and wiped my mouth. Cassie took that as her signal and quickly cleared the table. Once done, she said, “The truth of the matter is Gilfillan has been hunting high and low for a set of records that he is one hundred percent sure is in the Sentinel system. He spent half of yesterday afternoon combing through the entire seventeenth-floor records-room looking for those maps. I swear the man was going to give himself an aneurysm.”

  Mel let out an inelegant snort. “Cassie, if you’re not careful you’re going to make me think the director is actually a good guy.”

  “He is a bit of a hard-arse,” Cassie replied, offering a one-shoulder shrug. “But I think he is on the up and up. Seriously, he’s not trying to pull the wool over your eyes. This truly is a case of important files having gone missing, and the director of the agency is entirely unable to explain it.”

  “So, what makes him so sure those plans are there in the first place?” Logan said. He’d been serious about the bag of cookies which he’d retrieved from the cupboard before we’d begun the meal. Now, tilting back precariously on the back legs of the chair, he scooped it up from the counter behind him.

  “Because he claims to have done recon and generated the maps himself,” Cass replied, smirking. “And then stored them in the records system himself.”

  “I guess that’s a pretty good reason to set him off balance and confused,” Logan replied, ripping the bag open and fishing out a cookie.

  He looked like a mischievous kid but all I wanted was to take the noisy, crackling bag from his hands and hide the cookies from him because not only was the sound distracting, but he didn’t appear to be interested in sharing.

  He looked up at Mel. “Does he have any reasons why they’re not where they’re supposed to be?”

  “None he’s admitted to any one of us, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out Sentinel probably has a mole. That’s probably the only way those files could have disappeared from our system.”

  I tapped my fingernail on the surface of the table, impatient with Logan’s greedy scarfing down of the cookies—two at a time no less—I reminded myself it wasn’t worth making a scene over a bag of cookies. “Yeah, especially since Grams herself confirmed those maps were there. She messaged to say she’d been on a mission with the director. She sounded pretty much as confused as he seemed to be.”

  Mel let out a weary sigh and pressed her fingers into her forehead massaging her temples for a few seconds. Logan’s crunching could be heard like background noise of the worst kind. I was quickly becoming tempted to throttle the guy.

  “Why do I feel like we’ve just been going around in circles?” asked Mel softly. “Has someone been trying to sabotage our mission? Or did the maps disappear a long time ago and Gilfillan’s finding out now because we need them?”

  With a sharp shake of her head, expression assuring us Sentinel wasn’t trying to pull one over on us, Cass said, “At this point, there’s no way of knowing. CCTV and access-card records haven’t given us as much as a hint of who the culprits could be.”

  Mel’s sighed simply echoed my own silent one.

  We appeared to be the only ones at the table impacted by Cassie’s words because the dragon king was tilting his head back, busy tipping the remaining crumbs from the empty cookie bag into his mouth. How in Ailuros’ name were we supposed to concentrate around him?

  Now, Logan said, “I agree. Probably a waste of our time trying to figure it out. As much as they will be valuable in understanding if someone is attempting to sabotage our efforts, really speaking, even if we did confirm it, what will we do about it?”

  “True,” I said, beginning to lose my patience with Logan. What was going on with him? Sadly, my glare was returned with a shrug and a look of pure innocence. The man—or dragon, rather—was impossible. “It’s not as if we are likely to delay our departure in order to nab the double agent.”

  “We definitely don’t have time to waste,” Mel said, looking around at each of us.” Maybe we just consider Sentinel’s involvement as a bonus. If they do manage to sort themselves out and join us on the mission, we take that as a win. In the meantime, we keep doing what we need to in order to get this show on the road.”

  “I have to ask, Mel,” Cassie asked, facing the tracker head on. “Do you believe the queen really is unable to provide us with the maps and details of the city?”

  Though she appeared uncomfortable, Mel replied, “I admit that’s something I have to question, but not everyone will be as loyal as we would like. And if she is holding out on us, it’s probably because she has a very good reason.”

  “What could possibly be a good enough reason for Aisha to hold back maps to the city?” Cassie replied, her voice soft and non-challenging. We all knew the kind of relationship Mel had with Saleem’s mom. “Maps that would help us get into the palace and save her son’s life? What does she think we are doing all of this for?”

  Mel looked at each of us one at a time, her smile amused. “Look guys, I’m certainly not about to go head-to-head with her on what is possibly the eve of our departure. I know the choice makes me look weak, as though I was afraid of Aish—”

  “No, it makes you look like you have a lot of respect for her,” I assured her. “Besides, she’s kind of scary and I would advise against making her angry. It’s possible you’ll end up chargrilled or something.” I held back a smile though it was a waste of time as everyone burst into laughter.

  26

  After Mel left for home and the shop emptied of trainees and trainers, I messaged Ash to suggest a quick bite at O’Hagan’s. But, instead of bar food, she gave me a better option—home cooked food.

  Who was I to decline?

  I headed over to her place, a loft on the outskirts of the warehouse district, not too far from Grams’ place.
It was boho chic, the Soho of Chicago, for want of a better description, and I missed Grams’ place as lately I was staying over at the house in the mountains.

  Even Grams was spending more time in Tukats, Ailuros knew why. Perhaps she’d has some sense that things were going to go to Hel in a hand basket. Or maybe the woman knew more than she was telling. Way more.

  I’d barely knocked on Ash’s apartment door when she opened it, a bright smile on her face—though I didn’t miss the tension in her shoulders. Her dark hair was twisted up at the top of her head in an untidy knot, long gypsy earrings dangling from her ears. Her baggy paisley printed harem pants, shocking pink singlet, and her bare feet all looked like she was trying super hard to appear relaxed.

  Something was bugging her and I suspected it was me.

  After a quick hug she waved me inside, kicked the door shut and swerved around me as she sprinted to the kitchen. “Shit! I knew I should have taken it off the stove.” Her muttered words were floored by the clanking of pots and the squeal of the trashcan lid.

  “Surely it couldn’t have been obliterated in the time it took to open the door,” I said, hurrying over to the check on her.

  Ash growled from the other side of the counter, back to me as she studied her stove. “No. But I was already distracted before you knocked. Seriously, I need to stop having such high expectations of myself.”

  I laughed softly. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. It smells amazing by the way. I’m feeling guilty that I didn’t bring Logan with me. He’s going to be so jealous.”

  Ash looked at me over her shoulder, one eyebrow arched. Then she sighed and said, “Stop feeling guilty, okay. I just wanna chill. Have some girl time. And I think you need it.”

  I watched her face but didn’t want to broach the topic of the MRI yet. Soon she was bringing little pots of fragrant rice and curries to her dining room table—which turned out to be a dark wood, the sides and fat round legs carved with chariots pulled by prancing horses. The piece was ornate enough to be some sort of antique and I paused again to take a better look around the loft.

  As I expected, the rest of the furniture was just as eclectic and unusual, mismatched pieces mixed in with ornate carvings and brass trays and vases.

  A giant statue of the dancing god Shiva sat on the far lounge wall, the black stone gleaming. All in all the place had a feel of comfort and home, like a welcoming hug. And in that moment as I sat at Ash’s dining table and savored the delicious aromas, I felt a sense of peace.

  A fleeting moment of serenity, but it was enough.

  After the first bite of Ash’s freshly made roti and a spiced lentil curry, I was in heaven. “Now I know why Larsson swindled you for lamb vindaloo,” I said around a mouthful of deliciousness.

  Ash grinned. “He thinks he has me fooled, but I have his number.”

  I laughed at that, enjoying the camaraderie between the two friends. At last with the meal near done, as we began to wipe out plates clean, I gave a sigh and said, “Well, I guess it’s time we got it over with.”

  Ash smiled, her lips twisting. “Yeah. We do need to discuss those results.”

  “Okay Doc, hit me with it. How long do I have?” I asked, only half joking. I kinda expected the worst news.

  Ash sighed and leaned her elbows onto the table, ignoring the pile of plates beside us. “I’ve had a look at the MRI results,” she said, cocking her chin at the tv cabinet where a yellow envelope was propped up. “I made another copy just so I could go through a few things with you.”

  I scooted off my chair and hurried to grab the envelope, dropping the contents into my palm as I returned to the table. I sank back onto my seat and spread out the printouts of the dark MRI results.

  “I’ve looked it over, and yes, I can see enough damage to be of real concern, but I haven’t been able to come up with a solid diagnosis yes. Want to fill me in on what could have caused this?”

  I shrugged. “Playing around with too much electricity?”

  Ash frowned at my response but said nothing.

  With a soft sigh, I said, “I’ve had one too many run-ins with those shadowmen. And the last time I had a visit with them, they were very generous when it came to sharing their powers…straight into my brain.”

  Ash was silent, just blinking at me as she let out a slow breath. “Okay. That could explain the damage I can see on the scan. Have you had any episodes of dizziness or falling unconscious?”

  I nodded. “Light-headedness yes. I’ve passed out a couple of times, but the thing that’s been the most concerning is what I feel was a stroke type of attack.”

  Eyes widening, Ash clenched her jaw tight. “I love how you say that so calmly. What’s been the most concerning is what I feel was a stroke type of attack. “Ash mimicked my voice, exaggerating the tilting of her head as she spoke. Despite how comical she looked I couldn’t deny the anger in her tone. And the worry. She took a quick breath. “Are you insane? You made me reroute these results that were meant for your father. Do you have any idea how much of trouble I’m going to be in if it comes out that I’m responsible for disappearing such crucial information? Corin Odel is a freaking high-ranking official with top level clearance and connections up the wazoo. You could get me fired. Worse, you could get yourself dead.”

  I sat back in silence as Ash stopped talking. She pushed to her feet and grabbed the dirty dishes then stalked off to the kitchen her spine stiff. She was furious and I could feel her anger even from all the way across the room.

  She was right of course. On every point. I’d been selfish and reckless asking Ash to stick her neck out and help me. There was every possibility that Ash could get in trouble if Dad doesn’t take the truth well. Although, I wasn’t convinced that he’d actually get her fired.

  I got up to clear the napkins and glasses, taking them to the kitchen where my friend was currently clearing up and filling the dishwasher, though from the sounds of it there were at least five people knocking cutlery around.

  I winced at the clattering but said nothing, allowing Ash to let off some of her steam. Rather the plates than me, I say. And if that made me a coward, so be it. It was becoming a theme with me.

  I let her be and returned to my seat, taking the MRI scans in my hand to study the details. Specific portions of my brain appeared to have been damaged, showing darker smudges within the lighter areas detailing the grey matter. I flipped through the stack of images, each a different slide of my brain showing the depth of the damage done by my fun and games with the shadowmen.

  Whatever was wrong with my brain, it wasn’t good.

  Ash sighed as she sank down in her seat opposite me. “Sorry. I lost it there for a bit.”

  I focused on her face, noticing the moist sheen to her eyes. “I’m sorry too. I didn’t really think things through when I asked you for that favor. I should have thought about the consequences for you. That was selfish of me.”

  Ash grunted. “You still don’t get it do you?” My eyes widened at the flash of anger in her voice. She shook her head. “I’m not worried about my job, Kai. I’m worried about you. What I see on that MRI isn’t good.”

  I straightened at her words, fingers tracing the edge of the papers in front of me. “Tell me,” was all I said.

  Ash took a breath and ran her hands through her hair. “You’ve suffered a number of strokes though one appears to be more severe than the rest. I’ve done a bit of research but unfortunately there isn’t all that much out there on electric shocks administered to walker-mages. I considered your genetics of course,” Ash said, giving me an apologetic glance, “And I apologize for having delved into secure files to obtain that info, although there were red-coded files I couldn’t access though I’m not sure what that means. I left them alone, just so you know. And I won’t be divulging that to anyone of course.”

  My chest tightened at her confession, but what should I have expected? I was asking for her professional opinion after all, and she was doing her best to give me o
ne, with as much information as possible. If she’d had to access high-security files then I couldn’t complain. But there was something else.

  I wasn’t just a mage-walker.

  I cleared my throat. “Did you run any of this by Horner?”

  “I did. When I ran up against the red wall, I had a chat with him. Mentioned I was doing some research for you. He just said to back off as red-code meant SHC would need to intervene before I could get access. And that isn’t likely to happen unless we both come clean on what going on in that head of yours.”

  I looked down at my hands and saw they were both clenched tightly into fists. I flexed them and then forced myself to pull a blanket of calm over my overstressed mind. “There is something else, but I’m not sure I have clearance to tell you. I’m going to have to have a conversation with a certain agent-doctor-father before I know if I can fill you in.” I looked at her, lips twisting in apology.

  Ash’s eyes sparked with curiosity but she simply nodded. “Okay. But if it’s important and could have an impact on your prognosis you need to tell me. Or at least someone who has clearance and who can help you.” She gave me a pointed glare.

  Raising my hands in defense I said, “Okay, I get it. I shouldn’t have kept this from my father. But what’s done is done. And if it’s any consolation, I will have to face the music very soon.”

  Ash chuckled. “Alright. If you survive, be sure to look me up. I’ll be waiting patiently.”

  I rolled my eyes at that. Patient was the last thing Ash would be if she was as intrigued about my condition as I was.

  27

  Though I was sorely tempted to spend the night at Grams’ apartment, I decided I’d had enough of avoiding the inevitable. Logan had planned on spending the night at the workshop, having mentioned making a quick trip home to attend to a few things.

  I envied his ability to jump just with a thought, but I had to feel a little bad for him considering he was still suffering the effects of jumping—to the point that Dad had offered to give him anti-nausea motion-sickness pills. Though at first the dragon had declined the offer, he’d come around and taken a bottle. Still, I couldn’t be sure he’d tried them at all.