“You might know I didn’t do it, but all of Ember’s Landing thinks otherwise.”
“I’ll talk to them when they’re not on the war path and try to explain the situation. My problem is that you didn’t do it, which means whoever did is still out there. I need to know everything.”
So Aspen relayed what she’d done since leaving that morning, all the way up to when she ran into Lucien. She read his face as she talked, paying particular attention to when she described the drained, waxy bodies of the Vamps and shifters. He didn’t look the least bit surprised.
“You’ve seen this already,” she said.
Now he looked surprised. He swiftly smothered it with an expression of indifference. “I might have,” he conceded.
“Don’t patronize me, Lucien. You dragged me into this and now I’m in way deeper than I’m supposed to be. You have to tell me. Keeping me in the dark might get me killed.”
Lucien brushed his bangs away and leaned back, throwing his arms across the back of the booth. A couple girls at the next table were whispering to each other, glancing his way. Lucien ignored them.
“Drained magical beings like what you’ve described have been cropping up in Ember’s Landing for about a month. It might have also happened for the other Mages in their boroughs, but if they have, they aren’t likely to tell me.”
“What, is it like a pride thing? Others would think they can’t take care of the boroughs?”
“Something like that. More like showing weakness. Too weak to protect their borough means a weakness to exploit. You might not have noticed, but not all the Mages get along,” he added sarcastically. “Nina would have told me if she’d had anything like that going on, but I’m sure the others wouldn’t. For my part, I’ve tried to keep things under wraps to make sure I don’t cause mass panic.”
“How’ve you managed that? Somebody has to have noticed.”
“It’s only been one or two supernatural beings here or there. Alone, most not too powerful. Today was the most brazen act I’ve seen, and the most disturbing. Means whoever is doing it is desperate, confident they won’t get caught, or almost finished with what they need.”
“Finished?”
“You said the Heads were drained of magic, right?”
Aspen nodded.
“There’s no reason for a normal supernatural being to do that. They’re collecting it for something. I’ve seen spells like that drain magic before, and there are a few supernatural beings who feed on others’ magic to survive, but none of the other Mages have any of those beings registered in their boroughs. None they’ve told the rest of us about, anyway.”
“It could be a rogue. A drifter,” Aspen said, thinking to some of the more unsavory characters that had filtered through Brune’s shop.
Lucien nodded, brushing his hair back again. Aspen swore one of the girls beside them swooned. “Could be. Could have been. Until today. One supernatural being couldn’t have done that to the Heads.”
“Unless that one supernatural being was insanely powerful,” Aspen said.
“That would make the most sense,” Lucien said, in a tone that said he really, really hoped that wasn’t the case.
Aspen let out an aggravated sigh and slumped back. Once again, things in her life had snowballed into an avalanche of disaster in record time. If she got out of this alive she’d need to have a serious talk with Fate about constantly dealing her a bad hand.
“So what do we do now? The assessment—”
“Screw the assessment,” Lucien said. “This is way bigger.”
Aspen held up her right wrist. “As much as I’d love to, you’re forgetting something.”
Lucien leaned forward and pushed aside her wrist so that he could meet her eyes directly. “Don’t worry about the Bond. I promised you wouldn’t get hurt. I’m not many things, but I’m a man of my word.”
Okay, that girl had definitely swooned.
“Fine,” Aspen said. “If you say so.”
“I do say so,” Lucien said. He scooted out of the booth. “There’s someone I need to talk to. Maybe see if we’re dealing with a predatory magical being. Maybe he’ll help us figure out what we can do next.”
Aspen caught his arm before he could step away. She tried to put words into the sudden confused jumble of colliding thoughts in her head. His confident assurance that she wouldn’t get hurt, that he wouldn’t let her get hurt…she could count on one hand the number of times in life someone had made such a passionate promise to her.
“You didn’t have to come get me. You could have let me fend for myself and deal with this alone.” She glared up at him. “Why did you really find me?”
Lucien merely gave her one of his million megawatt smiles, the one that showed all his stupidly perfect white teeth.
“Why, because you’re my apprentice, my dear sweet Aspen. Now let’s go.”
Lucien led them back toward Ember’s Landing. The entire time, Aspen kept her eyes peeled for any signs of supernatural beings following them in the crowd, but it seemed to just be shoppers streaming into the gigantic Pokémon store or Macy’s across the street. Even still, she swore she could feel eyes staring at her from within Central Park. Probably the Fae again. She shivered.
“Oh, come on, it’s not that bad,” Lucien said.
Aspen looked at what they’d stopped in front of. A giant FAO Schwarz toy store, complete with a gargantuan Hello Kitty face in the front glass. Aspen couldn’t hide her disgust.
“You’re kidding, right? This is where your contact is?”
“He’s an adept craftsman who likes building things, so yes.”
Aspen could still feel the lingering eyes on the back of her neck. “You didn’t want to visit him in his borough instead?”
“Charlie doesn’t live there. Plus…I’d rather meet in public. He’ll be less likely to attack me with witnesses around.”
Aspen looked sharply at Lucien, who was examining the store like he was devising his best plan of attack.
“Just out of curiosity,” Aspen said, “how many people hate you in this city?”
“We’d better go. Time’s a wastin’!”
“I’m going to ignore that you dodged the question.”
“And I’d appreciate it if you kept doing that.”
Lucien strode through the sliding front doors, Aspen tight on his heels. She swore the Furbys on the front display rotated to look at them as they entered, but she swiftly forgot about that. She’d never been inside a toy store, but Aspen imagined even for those who had, this place was a mecca of sorts.
It was two stories of enough bright lights, colors, big-eyed mascots, and sparkling sequins to turn any kid into a frothing mess of desire. The bottom floor was sectioned off by brand: action figures, toy wands, building blocks, play kits. A plastic T-rex big as an SUV peered down at them from the second floor, behind which were flying machines tacked to the ceiling and model kits. The further in they walked, the more Aspen could practically feel herself succumbing to childlike wonder.
“No,” Lucien said as Aspen started to take off towards a giant piano built into the floor.
“But look at it, Lucien! Its keys are as big as I am!”
“It’ll probably snap your body in half the second you step on it.”
He was peering around with suspicion. After he was done, they took the escalator to the second floor and peered down at the aisles below. “This is Charlie’s turf. And since you’re with me, that means you’re under watch, too.”
The Barbies next to her snapped forward when Aspen glanced over at them. The giant Lego figurine waving benignly at her didn’t seem so friendly anymore. “Wait, you mean he’s got the entire place…”
“Lucien.”
Aspen nearly jumped as a squat, sallow-faced dwarf waddled into view at the end of the aisle. He wore a tool belt with a hammer hanging from it, like something one of Santa’s elves might have, except there was nothing jolly about him. His arms were dark as dirt, and as thi
ck and gnarled as tree roots. His mouth was hard to make out between the thick tufts of beard, but Aspen could see it was set in a deep frown.
In contrast, Lucien broke out in his seemingly ever-present smile. “Charlie! Great to see you, my friend!”
“Can’t say the same.”
Lucien’s smile didn’t waver. “Still mad?”
“My daughter’s still heartbroken.”
It took Aspen a second to understand. “Really, Lucien?” she whispered. “This is your ex’s Dad?”
“It was true love,” Lucien said out of the corner of his mouth. “For about a week.”
“You have a lot of nerve showing up here,” Charlie said. He raised a hand. Aspen realized the toys around them had been slowly, inch by inch, closing in on them. Some of the Star Wars figurines had lined up beside her head, tiny guns pointed into her ears. She took a big step away.
“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t let them tear you apart,” Charlie said.
“Witnesses,” Lucien said.
“Maybe I don’t care.”
“Then you’d care about the murders happening around the boroughs. I know you’ve already heard about what happened in Ember’s Landing this morning.”
Charlie nodded at Aspen. “Heard a girl did it. That her?”
“It wasn’t me,” Aspen said.
“Somebody—or something—immensely powerful is at work here, Charlie,” Lucien said.
“Then why don’t the Mages do something about it? Mage Gurk hasn’t done squat about it in Rivendell. He pretends like nothin’s the matter, but we aren’t stupid.”
Lucien opened his arms wide. “And that’s why I’m here. I’m hoping I could get your help. Try to figure this out. The thing is, something that powerful…there are a few supernatural beings I know of that could pull it off. High-level demons; Nephilim, maybe. Even an Elemental, if it’s the right type.”
Charlie’s hand was slowly lowering, though the toys didn’t leave their places. “There’s your answer, then.”
Lucien shook his head. “Problem is, none of those are in the city. Not registered ones, anyway. Which means if it is them, they’re getting in some other way.”
Charlie’s eyes gave off a glimmer of understanding. “Now hold on…Are you blaming—”
“I’m not blaming you. I’m asking if you’ve seen or heard of anything passing through Rivendell.”
“You know I don’t live there anymore.”
“But part of Rivendell connects to the caverns, and a dwarf is always in touch with the earth no matter where they are, am I right?”
Charlie huffed proudly, pulling up his belt. “Darn right. But nah, hadn’t heard nothing through the caverns neither. You might ask them drool lickers over in the Necropolis. Their underground’s way bigger.”
“I might have to do that. What about the wards? Anything through there?”
“Those wards are strong as ever. Least ‘round where I’m at.”
“You mean the magical wards around the city?” Aspen said. Charlie gave her a funny look.
“No way you coulda been the one who killed them Heads this morning if you don’t even know what the wards are. Yeah, those wards keep out the dark beings, the really bad ones. You’ll still get the occasional troublemakers who’ll get through, but nothing that’s real bad news. The old gods or the Kings.”
“Kings?”
Charlie nudged his head toward her. “You better teach this one some basics, next chance you get. Can’t be walkin’ ‘round that stupid and survive for long.”
Lucien stuck out a commanding arm to stop her as Aspen started forward.
“So nothing in your area,” he confirmed.
“Nothin’. Even if there was I probably wouldn’t tell you ‘bout it.” Charlie grinned. Lucien grinned back.
“Fair enough. That narrows down our possibilities, at least. Well then…We’ll get going, then.”
“Best idea I’ve heard all day.”
Lucien nudged Aspen until she stopped glaring at Charlie and began to move to the escalator.
“Oh,” Lucien added when they were on the top step, sinking down. “Be sure to tell Sarah I said hello.”
Aspen saw the giant Lego man shift, a second before its arm swung around and nearly clubbed them off the escalator. A couple people nearby yelped in fright.
“Just a malfunction, folks,” Charlie said in a monotone, glaring at Lucien with deep loathing. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the problem.”
They ducked as the Lego man swung again. Aspen peered below. The bottom floor was teeming with movement, hundreds of toys subtlety moving their direction, like an ant colony zeroing in on a carcass.
“Whoops,” Lucien said. “Guess I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Yeah, whoops, you moron!” Aspen yelled. She brought up her coat in time to brush aside some plastic bullets from a nearby Star Wars play set. “Why couldn’t you keep your stupid mouth shut!”
They hit the bottom floor and shoved through a crowd of shoppers. The front doors were close, but between them were a dozen play trucks, slowly rolling towards them. Kids laughed and pointed.
“They think it’s a show,” Aspen said. She glanced outside, catching a glimpse of a familiar form flash through the crowd. “Aw, hex it all!”
She ducked behind one of the display shelves and batted aside the grabbing figurines. Lucien joined her a moment later.
“What are you doing?”
“They found me.” Aspen thumbed towards the front door. Just outside, shuffled between the passersby, was the bear shifter from this morning. “I can’t get out that way.”
“Lucien!”
Charlie was thundering down the escalator, pushing past frightened tourists. He was apparently upset his toy creations hadn’t managed to dismember them yet and wanted to do the job himself.
Lucien shoved Aspen toward the rear of the store.
“Back door. Go. I’ll distract them and try to explain what happened to the Heads.”
“What if they don’t listen to you?”
Lucien flashed her a smile. “I’m Lucien Dunadine. Of course they’ll listen to me.”
Then he was gone before Aspen could say that attitude was likely to get him killed someday. Possibly today.
Aspen took off toward the back. Charlie froze with indecision, spinning between her and Lucien, who had kicked aside the last of the toy trucks and scurried through the front doors.
Aspen brushed past startled shoppers and employees and shoved her way through the back doors. There were boxes of inventory stacked to the ceiling, all waiting to go out to the main floor. As Aspen passed them, she sent a brief prayer that Charlie hadn’t managed to mechanize these yet.
Then she was through the loading bay entrance and slipping into a back alleyway.
For a moment, she paused. What if Lucien was wrong? What if the shifters didn’t listen to him and decided to attack? Surely he couldn’t take them all? She should be there to—
Aspen thumped the side of her head. Idiot. He was a Mage. What did he need her for? It wasn’t like he was her problem, anyway.
With that thought in mind, she drew the collar of her jacket up and blended back into the crowd.
For what felt like the billionth time in the past twenty-four hours, Aspen had no idea what to do.
She hated the drifting feeling. Lack of knowledge was lack of ability to do anything, and lack of ability twisted into feelings of powerlessness. That was never good. She needed to be doing something. When she’d been with Brune—in what was alarmingly starting to feel like a lifetime ago—she was never stagnant. There was Brune to worry about, jobs to take or prepare for, contacts to follow up on. It was grueling, dangerous work, but work that kept her occupied. Kept her focused on the present instead of the past, and kept them both alive.
Well, she had a new goal, but with no immediate way to reach it, which meant other thoughts could worm their way in.
Like how Lucien, twice no
w, had helped her. What was his deal? Normally she could get a read on people, lump them into two categories: those she wanted to use, and those who wanted to use her.
At first he’d been an easy one to figure out. But now…she wasn’t so sure. That was frustrating. No, that was scary. The last thing she needed in this crazily hashed-together plan to clear her name and get her old life back was somebody to stay attached to her. Or somebody she owed something to.
Aspen walked, being sure to stay away from any of the other magical boroughs located in Manhattan. That was pretty easy, considering. Besides Ember’s Landing, there was only the Courts of the Fae in Central Park, the Necropolis near the Hudson, and the Jade Palace in Chinatown, where the djinn and low-level demons lived. All of them were pretty spread out, so she was able to weave through the streets, letting passersby’s faces blend into a single stain against the backdrop of glass, brick, and steel. She walked until the hum of the city filled her again. It was in her blood, thrumming through her feet up through her bones. She focused on that.
Night was coming. She couldn’t remember if it was the Vamps week of the month to feed, but she’d need to find a place to bunk down until Lucien could finish whatever it was he needed.
Lucien again! Curse him. Curse her sudden reliance on him. This wasn’t how she planned her revenge on Xavier would go. Not that she’d had a plan, other than becoming a Mage. But if she had, it certainly wouldn’t have involved his easy manner and quick, annoying smiles.
She strolled quietly through the High Line. Eventually the path spit her out at the base of some developing condominiums. This one was just a shell of concrete with a weak wire fence around it. She hadn’t had to break into anything in the Norm world for a while, but desperate times…
Movement flickered from the overpass above her. Aspen froze in the shadow of the condominiums, staring at a single spot in an effort to pick up any movement. Her heartbeat had picked up again. If it was a Vamp, they could probably hear it.
She started walking again, keeping her eyes on the overpass. Probably just a normal homeless Norm. Probably.
Mage's Apprentice (Mages of New York Book 1) Page 13
