“That’s probably a good idea,” I reply.
“Jax can find you accommodations. We can speak again in the morning.”
“Thank you,” I say.
Kyuki turns her attention back to the piles of papers on her desk, and Jax leads us out. Dray glares at us as we pass by, but he remains silent, as does everyone else. We follow Jax back through the narrow corridors. A few of the demons we pass give us respectful nods, but others avert their eyes. Eventually we reach an area that looks like living quarters, although like everything else here, it’s not what I expected. It doesn’t look that much different than the apartments back at the Factory. There’s even a common area complete with couches, comfy looking chairs and bookcases full of tomes.
Jax stops in front of one of the many doors.
“This may not be as luxurious as you’re used to, but hopefully it will do for the night,” he says, before stepping inside.
Other than the lack of a window, the space resembles a small, studio apartment. There’s a queen size bed, small couch and chair and an open door that leads to a bathroom on the far side of the room.
“This’ll be fine, thank you,” I say.
Jax nods at me, but I notice that he smiles at Reeva.
“I’ll come around in the morning. Sleep well.”
He slips out the door and I unbuckle my sword belt while Reeva goes to check out the bathroom. Kateri stands by the couch, a scowl on her face.
“What’s the matter?” I ask.
“What’s the matter? Are you kidding me?”
Reeva walks out of the bathroom to join us.
“I know you don’t like this—”
“Don’t like it? You’re putting your trust in these … these animals.”
“They’re not the same as the others,” I say.
I can feel Kateri’s anger, not just in her words, but in her thoughts as well.
“That’s like saying this wasp isn’t like the others. They’re both going to sting you.”
“What about what they did for me?” Reeva asks.
“It doesn’t matter. They did it to help further their own agenda.”
“How do you know that?” Reeva asks, leaning against the bathroom door frame.
“I know it because they’re demons,” Kateri replies. “You should know better. You’ve seen what they can do.”
“I know,” Reeva says, “but this is different.”
Kateri shakes her head and then she looks at me. “And you,” she says, her eyes boring into me. “Who made you the boss?”
“Father did,” I reply, starting to get angry now. “If you don’t like it, that’s too fuckin’ bad.”
I immediately regret cursing at her as I see the hurt in her eyes.
“What happened to ‘I’m gonna kill em’ all’?”
“Things change, Kateri. Circumstances change.”
She frowns at me and shakes her head. “Your mom would be disappointed in you,” she says, her words cutting me like a knife, and that does it.
“Fuck you, Kateri!” I scream, stepping up closer to her. I want to start crying, but I force it all back down. “You all brought me into this. You didn’t know her, and you don’t know me!”
“I guess I don’t,” she replies, sneering at me, before turning and stalking out the door, slamming it behind her.
My hands are shaking and my heart pounding when Reeva touches my arm.
“She didn’t mean it, about your mother. She’s just upset.”
I nod slowly and collapse onto the bed. “I know, but what if she’s right about Jax and the others?”
“She’s not,” Reeva says, sitting down next to me.
“How do you know?”
“I just have a feeling, that’s all. I’ve been fighting demons for a long time, and there’s something different about these ones.”
“Do you really think we can trust them?”
“Yeah, I do. I also think we have a chance to do something really important here.”
“What about Kateri?”
“She’s seen a lot of killing. It’s going to take some time.”
“You’ve seen a lot too, Reeva.”
“Yeah, but I haven’t lost as much.”
And then it dawns on me. “Is this about Lena?”
“Probably, at least partially,” she answers.
“What happened to her?”
“You have to ask Kateri about that,” Reeva says. “But don’t think this isn’t about you too.”
“Me?”
“Of course. She loves you and she’s scared she’s going to lose you, and I don’t know if she could survive that again.”
Again?
“What happened to Lena?” I ask.
“I shouldn’t …”
“I need you to tell me, Reeva.”
She sighs and sits on the edge of the bed, her head down.
“It was about a year after she had brought Kateri to the Factory. There was an incursion in downtown Pittsburgh and the two of them went to investigate. When they got there, they found two demons trying to break through into the Solas. They killed the first one easily, but the second one, he was a different story.”
I lean forward, eager to know more, but also slightly reluctant to hear about the loss and pain that Kateri’s suffered.
“After a long and very damaging battle, the beast had a hold of Kateri, a knife at her throat. They were all grievously injured, so he told Lena that if she lowered her weapon, he would let Kateri go and return to the Abyss.”
“Jesus.”
“Yeah. I don’t know why she did it. Maybe she thought they couldn’t beat him in their condition, or maybe she really did trust him at that moment, but she did what he asked. As soon as she lowered her defenses, he threw the knife at her and struck her in the neck. She was probably dead before she hit the ground.”
I just shake my head, and my stomach feels sick.
“What about Kateri?”
“She went berserk. I mean, you’ve seen her fight, she’s a demon in herself, but this was different. When we didn’t hear from them, I was dispatched to see what was happening. When I got there, Kateri was covered in blood; hers, Lena’s, the demon’s. She was sitting on the ground, holding Lena and just rocking back and forth. The demon’s body, or what was left of it was still there. It looked like she had torn him to pieces with her bare hands, which I actually think she had.”
I shake my head slowly and slump forward.
“So, what should I do?”
“Don’t worry. She’ll come around,” Reeva says, patting my shoulders gently.
“I hope so,” I reply, sighing deeply.
I look at the door, hoping that Kateri will walk through it, but she doesn’t.
“Should I go after her?” I ask.
“Nah. She needs some alone time. We should try and get some sleep. You want the couch or the bed?”
“Doesn’t matter,” I say, lost in my own thoughts.
“I’ll take the couch, in case she comes back. It doesn’t look big enough for two,” she says with a wicked grin as she tries to inject a little humor.
“You’re bad.”
“Never denied it.”
“Night Reeva, and thanks.”
She looks at me and smiles. “Thanks for not leaving me behind,” she says.
“Never.”
She switches off the lamp by the sofa, and the room is plunged into darkness, the only illumination coming from a tiny nightlight in the bathroom. I lay on the bed for a long time, just staring up at the ceiling. I can’t sleep without her beside me, there’s not even any point in trying. Finally, I hear the door open and then close quietly. I lay still, waiting for what comes next.
K ~ I’m sorry.
E ~ I know. So am I
K ~ I didn’t mean what I said. Your mom—
E ~ I know. Come on, I can’t sleep.
I roll onto my side and a second later I feel the bed shift and Kateri’s arm slips over m
e. I intertwine my fingers with hers and tuck them against my stomach. She shifts closer to me and I slowly close my eyes.
K ~ I’ll follow you anywhere.
I wake suddenly, and for a second, I’m not sure where I am, but the knocking on the door brings me back to the here and now. I look over at the couch, but Reeva’s not there.
“Kateri. It’s time to get up,” I say pushing her gently.
“I’m up, I’m up,” she replies sleepily. “What the hell time is it?”
“3 am,” I reply, looking at the screen on my phone.
“Ughh. I guess they did say morning.”
“3 am is not the morning,” I grumble.
I roll off the bed and pad over to the door, opening it slowly. Radik is standing there, slightly crouched over so we’re face to face.
“Miss Eve and Miss Kateri, it’s time.”
“Okay. Do you know where Reeva is?”
“She’s with Jax, waiting for you.”
“All right. Give us a minute,” I reply, closing the door.
Kateri is standing by the bed, slipping into her boots. She looks at me and smiles, and I can’t help but return the gesture. I sit down and pull on my own shoes, tying the laces as quickly as I can. Just as I stand, Kateri comes up behind me and pulls my hair into a basic ponytail, securing it with a black tie-back. I turn, sliding my arms around her waist. Her eyes full of swirling colors stare back at me and then we both lean in and kiss, our lips pressing together. When it finally ends, she gives my butt a little squeeze and she smiles at me.
“Come on, let’s go get this done and go home,” I say.
“Hell, yeah.”
I turn to open the door when she touches my hand.
“What?” I ask, looking back at her.
“I still don’t trust them,” she says, a tiny bit of fear in her eyes.
“Good. We need someone to watch our backs,” I reply, and she squeezes my fingers gently.
Radik is waiting for us, standing guard just outside the door.
“We’re ready,” I say. “Lead the way.”
He nods to us before turning and heading back down the corridor in the direction of Kyuki’s office. We follow, Kateri walking side-by-side with me. Even if we wanted to walk alongside Radik, he’s far too big and the corridor, far too narrow.
“I wanted to thank you again for helping our friend,” I say.
“It is nothing that requires thanks. I did what I thought was right,” he replies, his tone gentle.
“But not everyone does what’s right.”
Radik stops suddenly, and both Kateri and I have to pull up short to avoid colliding with him. He turns slowly and looks down at us, the tips of his shark-like teeth peeking out of his mouth.
“That is a sad notion for someone so young to carry with them.”
“It may be, but it’s true,” I reply.
“Yes, unfortunately it is. Come now, they’re going to start without us.”
He turns around and we continue down the hallway, passing by a few other demons in the process. When we reach Kyuki’s office, Radik opens the door to the foyer and we walk right in, moving quickly past Dray who seems to defer to Radik without a word being spoken. One quick knock and we all march into Kyuki’s tiny office. Reeva and Jax are already there, standing and studying some papers on the desk. There’s no sign of our host.
“About time you got here,” Reeva says with a grin.
“You could have got us up,” I reply.
“You needed the sleep, I’ve been resting for days,” she says before walking over and taking Radik’s massive hand in hers. “How are you?”
“I am well little one,” he replies with a gentle, but still slightly scary smile.
“Where’s Kyuki?” I ask.
“She’s on her way,” Jax says. “Are you two hungry?”
“I could eat,” Kateri answers.
“Not sure we eat the same things,” I say, thinking back to my first encounter with the Shayds in the Factory.
Jax looks at me and grins.
“We sent someone out to get something that you might like,” he says. “There are some McMuffins over there.”
He points to a small table in the corner where a tray full of wrapped breakfast sandwiches is sitting.
“Where did you get McMuffins?”
“Where everyone gets McMuffins,” Jax says, looking at me with a quizzical expression on his face.
“You have a McDonalds … in the Abyss?”
“Yeah, it’s right next to the Fountain of Eternal Damnation,” he says, and then starts shaking his head. “Of course, we don’t. We just sent someone into the Solas to acquire some food for you.”
“Sorry,” I say, feeling stupid.
“You not having any?” Kateri asks before taking a bite out of one of the sandwiches.
“We prefer something … different,” Jax says, looking at Radik.
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“Croissan'wichs,” Radik says, tilting his head to the side.
Reeva starts laughing and I just shake my head.
“Oh, ha-ha. We are all so funny so early in the morning.”
I pick up one of the muffins and unwrap it while Jax and Reeva continue chuckling. The door opens and Kyuki strides in, looking even more impressive than yesterday, if that’s even possible. She’s sporting a black leather jacket and what looks like an armored skirt made from shiny metal rings. A longsword dangles at her side, the scabbard decorated with red stones, most likely rubies. The long fur covered fingers of her right hand are wrapped around a cardboard tube. She looks at the pile of breakfast sandwiches as she moves to her desk.
“What? No Croissan'wichs?” she asks.
“Really?” I ask, my mouth full of food.
“Just kidding,” she replies. “So, morning everyone. I hope you all got a good night’s sleep, because today is going to be a long one.”
She sets the cylinder on the desk and extracts a rolled-up poster-sized sheet of paper. Using her hands, she smooths it out on top of the desk, pushing everything else aside. I take a step over and look down at the architectural blueprints for PPG Place, or the Citadel as our hosts call it.
“Okay. After what you told us last night, I sent out a patrol to reconnoiter the tower. Although they could not gain access, they did confirm that something is going on, the increased security and activity amongst their military units all but confirmed your suspicions.”
“Father was right,” I say to Kateri.
“He usually is.”
“There’s more,” Kyuki says, her expression turning more serious. “We have some contacts on the inside, infiltrators you could call them. Communication with them has been sporadic at best over the last few weeks, but one of them managed to get a message out two days ago. At the time, we weren’t sure what it meant, but now ...”
“What was it?”
“Hybrid.”
“Crap,” I say.
“But does it refer to a project they’re working on … or you?” Kyuki asks, locking eyes with me.
Suddenly, I feel the tension in the room ratchet up fifty degrees. Kateri takes a step closer to me, and my hand automatically moves to the pommel of my sword.
“How do you know about that?”
“Empath. Remember?” she asks, pointing to her head.
“It didn’t take a lot to figure out,” Jax adds from his position next to Reeva. “You pretty much told me.”
I sigh and shake my head slowly. “So much for secrets,” I say looking at Kyuki. “But to answer your question, I don’t know. We do think they know about me, but we also think they’re working on something involving producing a hybrid of their own. If they are, we have to put a stop to it.”
“How do you plan on doing that?”
I look at Kateri and she shrugs.
“Honestly, I don’t think we’ve worked that out … yet,” I say, feeling stupid even as the words tumble out of my mouth.
“
As plans go, I wouldn’t rate that one too highly,” she replies.
“I guess that’s where you come in.”
“Lucky for you, I just happen to have one,” she says, looking down at the side-elevation plans for the building. “So, we acquired these plans for the tower—at least for the tower in the human world. I can’t say much to the modifications that you can see here in the Abyss, but it should at least help you gain entry. I think your best bet will be this maintenance door on the western side.”
I study the plans for a moment before looking up at Kyuki.
“That door is on the twentieth floor,” I say. “On the outside of the building.”
“Well, to be honest, it’s less a door than a hatch.”
“A hatch? How are we supposed to reach a hatch on the twentieth floor?”
“By drifting,” Jax says, stepping up next to me.
“Drifting?”
“Yeah, you call it streaming. It’s what I was doing when you collided with me,” he says, grinning.
“When you hit her,” Kateri says.
“Either way.”
“How big is this hatch?” I ask.
“Probably about three by four,” Kyuki replies. “It’s used in case of emergencies, at least in the Solas.”
“You can hit that, a three by four target on the side of a skyscraper, in the dark, with someone in tow?”
“I can hit it,” Jax says. “Remember, we’re used to the dark.”
I shake my head. “I’m not sure about this,” I say, looking at Kateri and Reeva.
“There’s no other way?” Reeva asks.
“All of the ground floor entrances are heavily guarded.”
“What do you think?” I ask my two comrades.
“It’s up to you,” Reeva answers.
“I’ll follow you anywhere,” Kateri says, repeating her earlier promise.
Suddenly I’m feeling overwhelmed, but I don’t get that panicked feeling that I used to. I don’t know if it’s the focusing technique that Father taught me, or the fact that Kateri is with me, but whatever it is, I know I can’t let her or anyone else down.
“All right, if this is the only way, I guess it’ll have to do.”
“Okay,” Kyuki says. “After you get inside, Jax will lead you through the tower, and hopefully you can find what you came for.”
All Things in the Shadows Page 27
