by Ciara Graves
If not, then I might call Rafael and let him know we would be questioning Greg Sherwood again.
Chapter 7
Rafael
Sherwood’s apartment gave me nothing new, and I knew that speaking to the man himself again would do the same. If he had something to do with the gargoyles, I wasn’t going to get it out of him by going to him. I had to find a way to get him in one of our interrogation rooms at the Fed building. Throw him off balance. Sadly, he had a clean record, and all I could do was leave a message with Joseph requesting Greg come down to our offices to take care of some formalities. He said he’d pass it along, but even he sounded uncertain it would get Greg here.
While I waited to get a call from the main desk announcing he was here, I dug around for more information on the Gathered. Not much showed up and I gave up as another, more worrisome issue returned to mind.
That goblin in my dream. I know I’d seen him before. Iris was at lunch, so I took the chance to pull up any recent arrests or news stories about goblins.
The dream replayed over and over in my head. Mercy arguing with Bowen and that goblin. The table had been covered in papers and maps. There’d been a list too. I couldn’t picture what was on it anymore though. And it was cold. That realization gave me pause. I couldn’t feel cold in a dream. So maybe it was not a dream. Maybe it was a memory. I scrolled through the names. Rot was top of the list. After that, Rot’s brother.
As soon as the photo filled my screen, my blood ran cold, and I was sucked back into that memory…
“Well, now. Long time no see, blood breath,” Rufus grunted to Bowen.
“You… how did you get out of your cell?” Bowen asked then turned to Mercy. “You broke him out?”
“I had to turn to someone after you stopped talking to me and Damian refused to help me track down the ones responsible. So yeah, I broke him out. Thought you’d be happy to see your old friend.”
“Friend is pushing it,” Bowen hissed. “Acquaintance, at best.”
“Oh. Now, what’s got your panties in a twist?” Rufus said with a wink.
“You changed.”
“We all changed so you can piss off about that,” Rufus snapped.
“None of us started eating children.”
“He eats kids?” I asked, alarmed.
“Not anymore. Part of the deal for my busting him out. How about we all take a deep breath, promise not to kill each other, and sit down. We have a lot to go through today,” Mercy said.
Bowen glowered at Mercy. “I will not work with him.”
“You don’t have to. I am.”
“You can’t.”
“Why the hell not?” Mercy seethed. “You won’t talk to me about what happened. Damian acts like I’m a child that needs protecting. Rufus is the only one willing to even talk to me about it. He’s the only one who agrees we can’t keep sitting on the sidelines. You wanted to know the truth well here it is.”
“You are insane. Do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into?”
“Blood Moon. That’s where it starts.”
“And you have no idea what that entails. You,” Bowen snarled, rounding on Rufus, pointing in his face viciously, “you have no right to get her involved! You’re going to get her killed!”
“She has just as much right as you or I do, and you know it,” Rufus said calmly. “She’s right. If you keep babying her, she is going to get herself killed. She’s an adult, she can make her own choices, and she’s damned strong if you give her a chance to prove it.”
“Rafael?”
I jumped when Iris’s hand landed on my shoulder, dragging me out of the memory.
“Yeah?”
“You alright? Look like you dozed off at your desk.”
I glanced at my screen, but Rufus’s face was no longer on it. Had I exited the window? “Not sleeping much, I guess. Worried about Mercy the last couple of days.”
That was true, but now there was a pit in my stomach. That memory… Mercy was working with Rufus, a goblin she captured and locked away for committing a long list of terrible crimes. Bowen’s words rang in my ears. Broke him out, Mercy broke Rufus out of his cell. No, she wouldn’t go that far. Would she?
As Iris wandered back to her desk, eyeing me curiously now and again, I searched for Rufus’s status.
Bowen and Rufus seemed to know each other and not simply from around the Underground. And as for Damian, what did he have to do with them? What were they really working on? I assumed the Blood Moon had to do with Envy, but from the way they were talking, there was much more to the story. The rest of the memory teased me. I waited for the search to complete, shut my eyes, sifting through the confusion of my mind until I heard more familiar words. Ley lines. Someone was using the ley lines.
I jotted down the random words as they came to me in snippets of conversation. When my computer dinged, ready with results, I opened my eyes and dropped my pen with a curse.
On the paper were words that made that pit in my stomach grow larger. Sacrifices and ley lines. Something about charging the ley lines. Sacrifices. That word bothered me. The people Mercy and I saved had been in some sort of ritual circle around that tree. Was Envy really the only one behind that? But no, I knew that wasn’t right. The name was right there on the tip of my tongue. All of it was. All my attempts to remember did was serve to give me a headache, so I gave up. For now. I folded up the paper and shoved it in my pocket to ask Mercy about later, then turned to the computer.
“Shit,” I whispered as I saw the latest intel on Rufus.
He’d been reported missing from his cell weeks ago. The goblins and another sector of our Feds were searching for him, but the goblin hunt was being kept quiet so as not to alert the public.
My chair squeaked as I leaned back in it. Rufus’s dark eyes glared at me from the screen. He was free because Mercy broke him out. She was working with him. They all were.
The damned headache throbbed behind my eyes. I winced. The desk phone rang.
I answered it.
“Sir, there’s a Greg Sherwood here to see you. Something about paperwork?”
“Send him up please.”
I hung up and exited out of my computer search for Rufus.
I got up to meet Sherwood at the elevator, meaning to pop in and tell Iris we had a mission, my cell vibrated. I checked it.
A message from Gigi said Mercy had left her shop and she wasn’t sure where she was headed. Said she texted Damian, too, so there was no need for me to rush off. He’d returned yesterday from his day trip and as far as I knew found no new leads.
I replied with a brief question about the claw. She texted back that it hadn’t worked, but if I wanted details, I should talk to Mercy.
“Like she’ll tell me the truth.”
“What was that?” Iris stood at my elbow. “Rafael?”
“Nothing, let’s see if we can’t get anything else out of Sherwood.”
“You really think dragging his ass down here is going to make him cooperate with us?”
“He’s not as strong here. He’s off balance. No harm in trying, right?”
I waited anxiously for the elevator to ding, and when it finally did, Sherwood stepped out, wearing a suit and tie instead of his mage robes.
I gave him what I hoped was a sincere smile. “Thank you for coming down. I know this is a bit inconvenient.”
“Anything to help wrap this up, Agent.” His smile was fake.
I kept my fake smile plastered on. “Right this way. It will only be a few minutes, I assure you.”
Iris led the way to one of our nicer interrogation rooms where a stack of papers waited for him to be completed. He sniffed annoyed as he shuffled through them then asked for a pen.
“Before we get to that, we do have a few follow-up questions,” I said as Iris shut the door.
“And they are?”
“Have the mages had any dealings at all with the gargoyles in the past? I know it was hundreds of years ago,
but you must keep records.”
He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “We did, but that’s not out of the ordinary.”
“No?”
“No, the gargoyles were employed by several races back then.”
“And, to your knowledge, do the mages have any spells or rituals that can bring back a race? Even if only for a short time?”
“Agent, if you would like to accuse me or the Gathered of something, just do it. I am a very busy mage, and you are taking me away from extremely important work.”
“Am I now? You said that before. What are you working on at the moment?”
“I’m afraid that is none of your concern.”
I glanced at Iris, but she didn’t seem to have anything to add. Not that I blamed her. I was grasping at straws as it was. “Very well. Do you have any idea why a dead gargoyle would suddenly burst into flames? Destroying all evidence we might collect? Gold and white flames?”
Greg’s face paled. “It did that? Who killed one?”
“Mercy Temple. The bounty hunter. It attacked her at home, and she managed to decapitate it.”
He swallowed hard, giving himself a hard shake. “She is stronger than we thought,” he whispered.
“What was that?”
“Nothing, just I would expect nothing less from Mercy Temple, considering who her father was.”
Iris and I exchanged a look.
“Her father?” she asked.
“Yes. He was one of us a very long time ago before he was killed.”
Funny. I wondered if Mercy knew this then realized she probably did and neglected to tell me. No wonder she was so damned strong, even after being cursed by Envy. But we weren’t here to talk about Mercy, and as many questions as I had piling up around her, I had to stick to the current case. “And you can think of no reason why the gargoyles would be attacking her directly? Or you?”
“As I said before, they would not attack me.”
“And why is that? Is it perhaps because you’re the one behind their return?”
“I have no knowledge of how or why they’re here. But,” he added when I was going to keep pushing, “if the body did burst into flames as you say then you are dealing with someone extremely powerful. May I ask you a question, Agent?”
I growled quietly but nodded.
“Is there anything else you’ve noticed about the gargoyles?”
“Aside from them targeting Mercy and taking far too long to kill?” I was going to say no but remembered Mercy had shot the one in the head and chest multiple times. “Would a gargoyle be able to survive a shot to the head?”
“Would you? Gargoyles are sturdy creatures, but they’re not immune to gunfire.”
“Tell that to the one she shot in the head.”
Greg’s eyes widened. “No, if it did then, well, what you’re dealing with might not be permanent.”
“Meaning?” Iris asked annoyed.
“Meaning whatever magic brought them back is temporary and that though the gargoyles appear to be alive, they’re not. At least not fully.”
“Do mages have that kind of power?”
Greg hung his head. “Very powerful ones could, but I assure you no mage would do this.”
“And why don’t I believe you? You’re hiding something from me, Sherwood, and I’m getting really tired of waiting for you to come clean.”
He placed his hands flat on the table. “Agent, we mages take our work very seriously. I cannot tell you what I’m working on, but I promise you it has nothing to do with the gargoyles. If they came to my place and are after Mercy, that is indeed a mystery that needs to be solved. I, however, do not have the answers.”
The longer I looked at him, the more I felt I could concede that he was telling the truth. He might not have anything to do with these gargoyles, but someone did. “Thank you for your time.”
“I too would like to get to the bottom of this matter. May I borrow a pen?”
I stood. “Don’t worry about the paperwork. We have everything we need. Iris will see you out. If you think of anything, I expect you to call me.”
Instead of heading back to my desk, I walked to the stairwell to have a few minutes of privacy. The gargoyles were not actually coming back. That was a good sign, but we had no way to know how many had been brought back to life. Or what they were after. And now I had more questions about who Mercy was and what she got herself into with Rufus.
I was calling her without knowing exactly what I was going to say.
“Rafael?”
“Hey, Gigi said you left her shop. Where are you headed?”
“Nowhere in particular. Don’t worry though, I’m meeting Damian. So before you give me a lecture, I’m well looked after,” she said sharply.
“Just being careful.”
“Whatever. You have anything new?”
“I do.” I figured I’d start with what I learned from Sherwood, and go from there. I told her exactly what he told me about the gargoyles. “Mercy?”
“Explains a lot.”
“And nothing at all. We still don’t know who’s behind it. Gigi said the tracking didn’t work?”
“It started to, but we were interrupted. Something stopped me from getting too close.”
“Damn.”
“Damn would be right. Sherwood say anything else helpful?”
I scratched at my beard as I added, “Why didn’t you tell me your father was one of the Gathered?” Silence met my question, and I pulled my phone away to make sure she hadn’t hung up on me. “Mercy, did you hear me?”
“I did. I was just hoping I hadn’t.”
“So?”
“So what? Never came up in conversation.”
“That’s what you’re going to say?”
“Look, he died when I was little, and I never knew about it until recently. Drop it.”
A growl slipped from my lips. “No.”
“No?”
“No. You should’ve told me. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t be proud of that fact. Or why you’re with Damian when you could be with them.” I remembered how she hadn’t wanted me to go see them alone either. “Why don’t you trust them?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Then make it shorter.”
“You want me to spell it out for you? Fine. Liam and Envy were both part of the Gathered. And both of them have tried to kill me. Envy was there the night my parents died. Happy? Why would I trust those mages when the two hybrids I’ve met so far came from their ranks?”
“That doesn’t damn them all.”
“Does in my eyes. You don’t understand.”
“Then help me understand.”
She shot off a stream of curses, then hung up on me.
I called her back, but she didn’t answer, so I did it, again and again, until finally, she picked up.
“What?”
“I’m trying to help you, and you’re pushing me away. Why?”
“Let it go.”
“Can’t do that when I’m finding myself waist deep in questions about what you’ve been up to the last few weeks with Bowen. Mercy,” I glanced around to ensure I was alone then whispered, “why am I remembering arguments about ley lines and sacrifices?”
“I don’t know, must be a mistake.”
“Right, is it also a mistake that I saw Rufus there?”
The silence stretched on again, but she hadn’t hung up, yet.
“You going to arrest me?”
“What? No. But I think I deserve some answers.”
“And I can’t give those to you, not right now. I’m sorry.”
I heard someone yell her name in the background.
“Damian’s here. I have to go.”
“Mercy, wait. Is there something I need to be worried about? Aside from gargoyles?”
“All you need to worry about are the gargoyles. Nothing else matters right now.”
“You’re lying.”
“Aren’t I always?” she r
eplied, then hung up again.
I threw my head back, squeezing my cell so hard I was amazed it didn’t crack. Damn that stubborn woman. I should arrest her. Should go to Nor right this minute and tell him Mercy was the one who freed Rufus. But I didn’t.
I stayed in that stairwell, glaring down into the shadows.
The argument between Bowen, Rufus, and Mercy resounded in my ears, and I willed myself to remember more. Bits and pieces fell into place. Our talking about these ley lines and something about using artifacts to charge them? Artifacts I’d been helping them find. We had to get them to do something with them. Not use them. No, we were trying to stop someone else from doing that. Someone dangerous.
I slammed my palms on the metal railing when nothing else came to me. Maybe it was time I did some research of my own. If there was more danger looming on the horizon, I needed to know what it was, and when it was coming, so I could protect the people here.
That was my job, and as of this moment, Mercy was obstructing me.
Fighting her was not what I had in mind, but if she didn’t come around soon and be truthful, she’d leave me no choice, but to take action.
At the door back to the office, I stopped as an echo of Mercy’s laughter drifted past my ear. All that happened between us, the warm embraces, the kisses, the feeling at ease with each other flashed through my mind.
Could I shove my strong emotions toward her aside? Risk losing it all?
Isn’t that what she’s doing, a voice in the back of my mind said. She’s pushing you away, and you know it.
Pushing me away to what, keep me safe? Or stop me from figuring what she was really up to with the others.
When I woke up this morning, I trusted her without question.
Now, that trust wavered, and I suddenly hated her for making me doubt all what we might have together.
Chapter 8
Mercy
Mistake. Everything with Rafael had been one massive mistake. He knew about Rufus and the ley lines. And shit, he knew about my dad. How much longer until he remembered what I was? The smart thing to do would be to go underground. To disappear before he remembered that bit of information. I couldn’t do that while there were gargoyles roaming loose. I’d take care of them, then disappear. It was the only option left to me now.
