Mercy Temple Chronicles Box Set 2

by Ciara Graves

  “Rafael, do as she says. We’re among friends here, remember?” Damian said with a small head shake.

  I caught a whiff of apples.

  That gave me pause.

  Mercy.

  I scanned the sixth floor. There was no sign of her black and blond hair. Maybe I was closer to falling over that line into crazyville than I thought.

  I gave my head a little shake and closed my lips around my canines until they shrank down to normal size.

  “Lead the way,” Damian told Iris.

  She gave me a worried look, then led us to the conference room. The walls were glass and inside was a large oval table. There was a screen on the wall, as well as a computer station. With no outside windows, the lighting came from overhead fluorescents.

  Nor was the only one in the room.

  Iris motioned us in, then closed the door behind us. She took up a post in the hall, just on the other side of the door. She was visible through the glass wall.

  “Glad you two could make it,” Nor said without looking up from the folder of papers he was studying. “Quin Nolan, Joseph Sycamore, and the rest of the Gathered’s Council will be here shortly. So will Governor Rickshaw.”

  I was surprised at the mention of the governor but didn’t ask who decided to call him in.

  “I’m assuming you brought us here early to discuss the papers?” Damian said, not moving to take a seat .

  Nor snapped the folder closed as he stood. “Yes, but mostly where you acquired them.”

  Damian pulled out the pages from his pocket and slid them over. “Horace and I,” he started.

  Nor shook his head.

  Damian raised a brow. “No?”

  “Rafael, I’m sure you were there,” Nor said, his eyes zeroed in on my face. “You tell me.”

  “Not sure what you’re talking about, sir.”

  “Don’t,” he warned, voice dropping dangerously low. “Don’t stand there and lie. You left your apartment last night. You were seen. Then lo and behold, what do I hear this morning? A mage bar in Sector 76 was burned to the ground. Twelve bodies found inside, burnt to a crisp. Then, to make my morning even better, I receive a call this morning from Damian saying he’s found a new lead.”

  I shrugged. “Coincidence.”

  Nor’s nostrils flared as he stomped around the table. “Now tell me the truth, were you there last night? Did you have anything to do with this mass murder? Because that’s what it is.”

  “No, actually, it’s not,” I snarled back.

  Damian cursed, pulled out a chair and plopped into it.

  Nor’s eyes narrowed. “What did you say?”

  I gritted my teeth. “These victims, if that’s what you’re going to call them, are all connected to her. They’re her army, Nor. Casualties of war, that’s it. Let it go.”

  “There is no war.”

  “Not yet, you mean. It’s coming. We all know it is. Just a matter of when.”

  “You can’t go around murdering people,” he uttered quietly. “If you’re caught, I can’t simply let you off the hook.”

  “Good thing I won’t get caught then.”

  Nor glared at Damian, who threw his hands in the air.

  “Don’t look at me. I’m on his side. You know damned well this is how you get answers, Nor. You might be the chief, but I remember a time when you were out there, breaking the law.” Damian tugged his sleeves up, then clasped his hands casually behind his head. “He’s right. The war’s already started.”

  “I can’t have you drawing attention. The Hunters are here. You realize that, right?”

  “Good. Then they can go after Shuval,” I muttered.

  “Rafael, you have to stop,” Nor insisted.

  I snarled so loudly that Iris poked her head into the conference room to check on us. The chief waved her off, and she backed out again.

  Blood burned through my veins, like it was on fire. I paced away from Nor, needing the distance between us.

  “I can’t,” I whispered, my voice dropping to a growl. “Mercy is with Shuval, and until I find her, I can’t stop.”

  “Your rage is going to tear you apart if you don’t.”

  “It will if I do,” I shouted, whirling around on him. “I will not abandon her. No matter what it takes, no matter how many hybrids or mages in Shuval’s army I must kill. You want to stop me? You better lock me up.”

  A hint of guilt crept into my mind at the defeat on Nor’s face. But then I remembered my recent nightmare and the guilt vanished.

  “Are you telling me when your family was taken from you, that you stopped trying to avenge them because someone told you to,” I asked quietly. “Tell me that, and I’ll consider backing down.”

  He turned his back to me.

  I scoffed. “That’s what I thought.”

  “Damian, I’m trusting you to keep him in line,” Nor said as he returned to his seat on the opposite side of the table. “I trust you’ll know when he’s going too far.”

  “It’s the other side that’s gone too far, Nor. I’m not the one to ask to babysit. She’s practically my daughter. Now,” he said, his gaze flicking to the pages he set down earlier, “are we going to talk about those sectors or not?”

  Nor sighed heavily. “If you two get caught,” he warned, “I can’t help you. Not officially.”

  I took a seat beside Damian.

  “Then as Rafael said, we won’t get caught.”

  Nor scowled at that answer but reached for the papers. He read them, his brow wrinkling with each page he turned. “Once we’re finished here, I’ll put together two teams to investigate these sectors. If they’re being run like Sector 2, we’ll shut them down.”

  I nearly yelled at him to do it now, but I wanted to be there when they searched the sectors. Nor wouldn’t have asked me to be here if he didn’t want me and Damian as witnesses to support Sycamore’s case. I glanced at the clock on the wall, ticking the minutes away.

  Nor and Damian quietly talked over strategy for breaching the two sectors. Unlike Sector 2, these two sectors hadn’t been shut down by the government. They did, however, function like Sector 13 did. Which meant they were run by less than ideal citizens. If donors were being kept there, no one probably noticed or even cared.

  When it was noon, Iris opened the conference room door, and the eight Feds from the elevator escorted the Gathered mages into the room.

  I got up and stood behind Nor. Damian did the same.

  The Gathered sat opposite us.

  Quin Nolan’s smug smile had me taking a step forward, until Damian stepped on my foot to stop me. I’d have to settle with imagining ripping him to pieces. Sycamore appeared nervous. His hands fidgeted on the table and his eyes wandered all over the room.

  After another five minutes of awkward silence, four demons in black suits appeared outside the conference room. Behind them was Governor Rickshaw.

  Nor was a large demon, but Rickshaw had a couple of inches on him. His massive black and ivory horns swooped back, then curled under. His green eyes were sharp, taking in every detail as he stepped inside.

  Nor rose to greet him. “Governor Rickshaw, thank you for joining us.”

  “When Chief Nor calls, I can’t exactly turn him down, now can I?” Rickshaw replied politely, though there was no hint of sincerity in his tone. “Serious business, this is.” His gaze wandered over Damian. When it landed on me, he stiffened. “Rafael?”

  I tilted my head in acknowledgment, but didn’t trust myself to speak.

  He must’ve read the message on my face loud and clear. He leaned in and whispered to Nor, who said something in return, too quiet for me to hear. Rickshaw looked at me once again, then finally took his seat beside Nor. His four guards stood behind him.

  “Right then, shall we get to the issue at hand?” Nor opened the folder in front of him. “Joseph Sycamore has requested this meeting to deal with a disturbing matter.”

  “Yes, and we would all love to know what it is,” No
lan chimed in, words clipped in annoyance.

  He, as well as the rest of the mages, had arrived in formal robes of dark blues and greys. Nolan was the only one who gave off an air of superiority, as though we were idiots to bring him here.

  He was also the only one with a silver and gold pin on the front of his robes. The symbol on the pin was a hand holding a flame, marking him as the leader of the Gathered in this state. Hopefully, that pin would be removed today without it turning into a fight.

  Then again, another fight was something I looked forward to.

  Rickshaw cleared his throat loudly.

  Nolan bowed his head in some semblance of an apology.

  The governor continued, “Then let’s not waste any more time. Joseph Sycamore, the floor is yours. You have requested this meeting. Please explain what it is you’ve uncovered.”

  Sycamore rose to his feet. He avoided looking toward Nolan who glared at him openly. “It has been brought to my attention, and the attention of several others here, that Quin Nolan has been discovered in connection to Sector 2. A sector known as a demon slum.”

  Rickshaw shifted in his chair. “I’m sorry, Joseph, you said Sector 2?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Rickshaw scowled. “Sector 2 was cleared out years ago. I know because I was there. As were a few others in this very room. I must ask you to explain this accusation.”

  Sycamore shuffled the papers in front of him, then slid them across the table.

  Rickshaw took them with a sigh. His sigh quickly turned into a growl. Then there was utter silence in the conference room, aside from pages being flipped.

  The longer it took for Rickshaw to say anything, the more Nolan’s smug smile fell. Five minutes turned to ten as the governor continued to read through every single piece of paper Sycamore had presented to him. When he reached the last page, he shuffled the papers back together and turned them over.

  “Quin Nolan,” he said with a growl as he stood, resting his large hand on the papers, “there is some damning evidence here against you and a number of the mages in your order.”

  Nolan’s face remained blank. “Evidence? Of what exactly, Governor?”

  “Evidence that, not only were you involved in the atrocities committed against the demons who lived in Sector 2, but that you were also more recently involved in a plot to use donors as sacrifices. That you’ve been doing this in the service of a dragonborn known as Shuval. One who has been stirring up trouble for years,” Rickshaw explained. “I did not know, however, the extent of her crimes. Care to enlighten us?”

  I couldn’t hide my surprise that he knew who Shuval was.

  Even Nor seemed caught off guard by Rickshaw’s words. He glanced over his shoulder at me.

  I wondered if Nor had the same questions I did. Like, if the government had known about Shuval, why hadn’t the Feds been working on chasing her down this whole time? Why had we been playing it safe and keeping our activities quiet?

  Nolan tapped his fingers on the table. “I’m afraid I don’t know anything about this.”

  “This evidence would state otherwise. Were you involved in the deaths of countless demons? As well as donors?” Rickshaw demanded. “I suggest you choose your next words very carefully. I do not tolerate being played for a fool.”

  Rickshaw’s men split in two and moved around the table, heading toward Nolan.

  “You know,” Nolan said, smirking as he stood, “I find that statement highly amusing since you’ve been played for a fool this whole time. Governor Rickshaw, the savior of the demon race.” He chuckled, but the sound was filled with menace. “You might’ve had a chance to stop her back then. Now? I’m afraid now you’re too late.”

  “Quin Nolan, I’m placing you under arrest,” Rickshaw announced as his men closed in around Nolan. “We’ll sort this out once I have you and the rest of your men in custody at a secure location.”

  I braced myself to help them, not about to let Nolan escape when Nolan’s gaze latched onto mine.

  Suddenly, it was like a fist closed around my throat. No air reached my lungs. I clawed at my neck, trying to break the invisible hand’s grasp.

  Damian called out my name.

  Rickshaw ordered his men to seize Nolan.

  Nolan snapped his fingers. His body erupted in flames, though his face was still visible through the fire.

  Words whispered through my mind. I’ll give Mercy your regards.

  The bellow that tried to rip free from my throat was cut off by Nolan’s magic.

  He tapped his fingers to his forehead in salute. The fire he’d exploded outward.

  Heat rolled over us as we hit the floor.

  Rickshaw shouted orders to go after him.

  The explosion shattered the windows.

  Screams and grunts of pain surrounded me.

  The wall behind us was nothing more than a hole in the side of the building. Debris rained on my head.

  Finally, the pressure on my neck let up. I sucked in a dust-filled breath that left me hacking.

  A hand smacked me on the back, then yanked me upright.

  Rickshaw stood in front of me, burns on his face. If they bothered him, he didn’t show it.

  “After him! Figure out where the hell he’s gone to. Sycamore, I need your people tracking him down. Can you do that? And do you have that list of names for me?”

  Sycamore, who should have taken the brunt of Nolan’s deadly escape, appeared unburned. His robes were singed, but that was it. “Yes, I have it here. The others at the Gathered’s Citadel have been put on alert. I didn’t expect him to flee so quickly.”

  “I thought this room was warded against him?” Rickshaw asked hotly.

  Nor scratched at his jaw. “It was, but it appears I underestimated his power. It would seem Quin Nolan is a hybrid.”

  “Shit. Understatement of the year. Rafael, you alright?”

  I rubbed my throat and couldn’t stop the words that came out of my mouth. “You knew about Shuval this whole freaking time, and you didn’t say anything? What the hell is wrong with you? How are you the governor? Did you forget you’re supposed to watch out for people, huh?”

  “Rafael,” Nor said.

  I bared my teeth at him. “No, don’t tell me to calm down. He knew about her, and he did nothing.” I kicked one of the remaining chairs through the hole in the wall, sending it flying over the edge. “Mercy might not be in this situation if—” I exhaled. “None of us would be.” I waited for him to yell back.

  Instead, he looked at Nor. “You said you had two locations on the other sectors?”

  “I do.”

  “Then we don’t have much time. Rafael, you’re coming with us. I’ll explain on the way.”

  “Way to where?” I questioned, hurrying to keep up with the governor.

  Nor and Damian were behind me as we exited what was left of the conference room.

  “The other two sectors. Today didn’t exactly go as planned, in case you didn’t notice.”

  Several choice words were on the tip of my tongue, but this time I held them back.

  We were going to the other sectors.

  With any luck, someone there would lead me to Mercy.

  The ride in the back of an armored vehicle to Sector 7 was filled with Rickshaw explaining to me that they didn’t really know much about Shuval.

  Just that a dragonborn trying to recruit others had appeared on the radar. Rickshaw said he’d been preoccupied with matters in the demon slums, so he’d put together a small team to monitor her. Seems that team never found anything of interest.

  Evidently, Shuval had covered her tracks well. At least, until this past year, when she started to gather the rest of the artifacts and charge the ley lines.

  There was no hint of deception on his face when he recounted his knowledge of Shuval. None that I could see, anyway.

  He continued, “It wasn’t until Nor contacted me with this new information that I realized I should never have stopped trying to
find that damned dragonborn hybrid. Now she’s ready to start a war. The Hunters are going to have a field day with this mess.”

  I glanced toward Damian, who was sitting across from me as we bounced down the gravel road that led to the Sector 7 main entrance.

  Nor had said he’d been in contact with the Hunters but had yet to speak with them in person.

  As far as I knew, nothing had been said about Mercy or the other dragonborn that were fighting against Shuval. That was another conversation I was not looking forward to being part of.

  The vehicle came to a stop. One of Rickshaw’s demons opened the rear doors. The governor followed him out, armed and looking more like a soldier than a man who dressed in suits and ties. I was directly behind him. Damian joined me.

  The second we stepped out I knew we were too late.

  The place appeared deserted, but recently so. Hours, at most. Vehicles were haphazardly parked. There were boxes and crates strewn all over the street.

  Rickshaw walked down the main street of the Sector 7 crossroads and bent down. He pressed his fingers to the neck of a woman.

  He hung his head. “Dead.”

  She wasn’t the only one.

  I slung the rifle over my shoulder, boots crunching over gravel as I walked further down the street.

  Several buildings, ones that had once been shops, were now rundown and desolate. This was nothing like how Sector 2 had been a few short days ago. There, they’d attempted to make it seem like the donors were going to be taken care of.

  Not so here.

  This place was exactly like the slum I grew up in.

  A heavy sensation of dread hung in the air. The thirty heavily armed men Rickshaw brought with him seemed hesitant to speak too loudly.

  Body after body lay on the ground. When I came across a kid, couldn’t have been more than fifteen years old, a hollow sensation filled my chest. He’d been killed by fire. Mage fire, if I had to guess. Probably tried to run for it and they caught him.

  A radio crackled behind me and then Rickshaw was shouting, his words breaking through the cone of silence in this sector.

  “Sector 32 is the exact same,” he said loudly so we could all hear. “Empty.”

  “We’ll search this place.” Damian joined me. “We’ll find something to lead us to Mercy and Shuval.”