“You are incredible,” I said, shaking my head. “We aren’t here to seduce baristas, you know.”
“Well, the perimeter is secure,” he said, after taking a sip and moaning with pleasure. “The outer perimeter will lock us in, and keep everyone out.”
“What about in here?”
“Once Ramirez gets his people out, I’ll activate the inner cordon. We’ll contain any damage to this area. Did you get a read on how protected the central hub is?”
“Considerably,” I said. “I counted at least ten officers I could see and they were alert. Do you need to get in there?”
“Without question,” Monty said. “The access to the Oracle is downstairs.”
“You have a plan for extricating the officers from the heavily guarded precinct?”
“I do,” he answered with a smile. “It doesn’t even involve anything blowing up.”
“That’ll be a first.”
THIRTY-SIX
Turns out, some of the runes Monty knew were from his misspent youth, where he would convince some of his instructors at the Golden Circle that something had died in the classroom and was currently rotting away.
When the first production trucks started rolling in, Monty unleashed his rune of putrefaction right on the precinct. The odor that enveloped the area was nose-destroying, nearly making me gag. It smelled like a platoon of skunks had decided to launch an all-out attack on Times Square.
Surprisingly, as resilient as New Yorkers were, even they succumbed to the odor, giving the area a wide berth and keeping to the edges until asked to leave the area by production personnel.
Soon afterward, NYTF officers entered the scene and people started clearing out the area.
“What the hell died in here?” Ramirez boomed as he approached us. “Was this you, Strong? Don’t you bathe?”
“Do you think you could clear out the precinct for us?” Monty asked. “I need to reach the lower level to get the events of the evening started.”
“Give me a moment,” Ramirez said, holding up a finger and heading into the station. He came out ten minutes later. “Sergeant and me go way back. They’ll be out of your hair in five. One of them said you promised him a selfie with Mr. Nesquik? Who the heck is that?”
“Long story,” I said. “Once the station is clear, get your people back and keep them back. You got EMTe on site?”
“Four blocks up on 47th,” Ramirez answered. “They told me that was a good safe distance from the energy in this area.”
“They would know,” I said. “Once we go downstairs, this area will be locked down until we’re done. No one comes in, no one goes out.”
“You plan on making this mission a one-way trip?” Ramirez asked, looking at Monty and then at me. “I’ve never questioned your motives, just your methods. Every time, but not your dedication to keeping my city…our city, safe. Don’t get dead in here. The city needs idiots like you.”
He stomped off and barked orders to his people.
“Why was he staring at me when he said that last line?”
“It only means he knows you really well,” Monty said, looking at his watch. “No time like the present.”
“You know, Professor Ziller would argue that the present isn’t really a classification of time, but rather a descriptor of a current flow state—“
“Shut it,” Monty said and cracked a smile. “Ready?”
“No, but that’s never stopped us before. Let’s go.”
We entered the station and Monty gestured. A dome of violet and blue-white energy surrounded the immediate area around the station. Monty must have seen my look of concern as I observed.
“It’s called the Bulwark of Dawn,” Monty said, looking at the retreating NYTF personnel vehicles. “They’ll be able to leave, but once outside, they wont be able to come back in. They have ten minutes, and then everyone inside the sphere is ported out—forcibly. After that, it’s keyed to Toson, Orahjene, and us.”
“Ten minutes should be plenty of time for them to get clear. Let’s go,” I said. “We have a city to keep intact.”
We headed downstairs and Monty gestured again, shunting us sideways. This Oracle room was easily five times the size of the one we visited downtown.
The confluence in the center was about twice the size of the hub at Bowling Green. This orb of energy looked like the hub of a wheel with spokes shooting off in every possible direction. The energy coming off the center orb was palpable.
“It’s connected across planes, with all those extensions.”
“Is that going to be a problem?”
“Only if I get it wrong,” Monty said. “Then I’ll have the opportunity to destroy not only this city, but multiple cities across multiple planes.”
“That’s not reassuring in the least,” I said. “Don’t get it wrong.”
Monty stepped close to the confluence of energy and began gesturing. At first, nothing happened, and then I saw his symbols adhere to the orb. They attached to the extensions and began rerouting the energy in different directions, creating a loop.
Beads of sweat formed on Monty’s brow. He kept gesturing until all of the extensions formed an energetic Gordian knot, looping over and through one another. After a few more gestures, Monty stepped back and nodded.
“Not bad, if I do say so myself,” he said, wiping an arm across his forehead.
“Did it work?” I asked. “That looks incredibly complicated. How are you going to unravel it?”
“We’ll burn that bridge when we get to it,” Monty said in his best Uncle Dex voice. “Let’s go welcome our guests.”
THIRTY-SEVEN
“I’m afraid we’re going to have to enlist your creature to run interference with the golem again,” Monty said when we reached street level. “Do you think he’s up to it?”
“You know the cost,” I said, looking at Monty. “Extra meat.”
Monty gestured and formed a sausage about the size of my leg.
“He can have that when he hits battle-mode size,” Monty said. “There’s five more like that one—if you stop the golem.”
Peaches bowed his head and growled, a deep rumbling sound that vibrated along the ground and in the pit of my stomach. He inhaled and let out what I could only call a sonic boom of a bark. All of the ground floor windows in the surrounding buildings exploded, and several of the signs hanging directly over the station shattered, raining pieces of electrical equipment everywhere.
The runes along Peaches’ flanks exploded with red light as the air around him became charged with energy. He spread his forelegs, sinking several inches into the concrete. He shook his body and barked again as his eyes gleamed red. My ears were still ringing as he grew, reaching battle-mode size. He was taller than the station as he sniffed the air.
“Toson is on his way,” I said, still in awe at Peaches’ transformation. “Can we face him?”
“Together, yes,” Monty said with a nod. “The Bulwark will inhibit much of the Earth’s Breath’s effects. The golem should be manageable for your creature now.”
I looked over and saw Peaches inhaling the immense sausage Monty had created for him.
A large stone slab, easily the size of the midtown bus, sailed our way. It tumbled slowly in space as it headed lazily in our direction to cr
ush us. Peaches turned his head and unleashed his baleful glare. Twin beams of red energy intercepted the slab and blasted it to a cloud of dust.
“Jen is incoming,” I said under my breath. “Maybe we should let them settle their differences?”
“Only if we want to call this area the crater formerly known as Times Square,” Monty said, forming violet orbs of energy. “Do you still want to capture him?”
“He just tried to crush us with a boulder the size of a bus,” I answered, drawing Grim Whisper. “What do you think?”
“This is not the end,” Monty said, unleashing the orbs as they raced at Toson. “It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. Let’s crush him.”
“British Bulldog for the win, then,” I said, firing Grim Whisper. “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
I saw Peaches rush the golem, knocking it on its side. Toson screamed in anger and unleashed an orb of flame at my hellhound, who blinked out and reappeared behind Toson, unleashing his omega beams.
Toson raised a stone wall only to have it obliterated. The golem got to its feet and punched Peaches in his side, launching him across the street. Peaches shook off the blow, and then charged at the golem as Toson raced at us, hands blazing.
“Today you die,” Toson said, blasting us with flame. “Today, I will scatter the ashes of your bones.”
Monty raised a shield and deflected the flame to the side.
“I think he may be a bit stronger than last time,” Monty said, unleashing more orbs. “His energy signature has escalated.”
“Of course, I’m stronger,” Toson sneered. “I deciphered the limiter you placed on my artifact and modified it. Now the golem’s essence feeds me directly.”
“Directly?” Monty asked, slashing a hand through the air, destroying several stone orbs headed our way. “Are you mad? Don’t you know what that means?”
“It means I will have all the power,” Toson boasted, raising his flame-covered arms. “I will incinerate you into ash and then I will wait for her. She will bow to me before she dies.”
I pressed my mala bead, creating my shield. Monty stood next to me and reinforced it, as an enormous wall of flame headed our way.
“That looks hot, Monty. Too hot for these shields.”
“I know,” he said, grabbing my arm and flinging me to the side, out of the way. With another gesture he formed a blade of air, slicing his arm. I saw the blood float lazily in the air in front of him and in his hand he held the vial of Mors Tenebris. “I’m sorry, Simon. This is the only way to stop him.”
I patted my pockets, but the box was gone.
“Monty! No!” I yelled. “That’s not—”
Monty drank the vial and gestured. Nothing happened.
Toson laughed and sent more orbs of flame at Monty.
“Fool!” Toson screamed. “No one can stand against me! Burn in your death!”
Two beams of red energy punched into Toson from behind, knocking him to the side. Peaches bounded forward through the wall of flame with the golem in pursuit. The golem caught up to Peaches, bringing a hammer-fist down on his back. Peaches deviated from his trajectory, slipping into a slide and crashing forward, head-first.
Monty, still in shock from the ineffective Mors Tenebris—actually a vial of Coke, didn’t have time to get out of the way. Peaches shook his head at the last second and launched Monty to the side, away from the wall of flame. The wall of flame engulfed Peaches a second later.
“Peaches!” I screamed when he disappeared from sight. I pulled out the flask and for a split-second, I considered it, before opening the flask and pouring out the contents. I let the rage wash over me.
“Ignisvitae!” I yelled, unleashing a beam of violet energy from my hand that blasted into the golem, sending it crashing into a building. Toson looked at me in shock.
“You won’t stop me,” he said, running to the golem. “Your mage gave me the key. You will all die!”
The golem stood and caught the running Toson in its embrace, and the Earth’s Breath exploded with orange light as Toson was absorbed into the golem. It grew taller and brighter as it stood, then looked at us and roared.
“You really should have let me drink the dark death,” Monty said, looking at the Toson-golem. “He just became exponentially more lethal.”
“The dark death was a horrible idea,” I said, putting my flask away. “I really wish I had some coffee right about now.”
The Toson-golem zeroed in on us and started running in our direction. I felt the vibrations through the street as it closed the distance. When it was a hundred feet away, it leapt in the air, its intention to give us a flaming foot stomp of doom. Monty began gesturing and forming shields around us.
I heard the growl from behind us as Peaches bounded over us, eyes blazing, and crashed into the flaming Toson-golem. The golem grabbed Peaches and slammed him into a building before throwing him across Broadway.
Peaches shook it off, but I could tell he was out of it. He tried to walk and fell to one side.
Peaches tried to stand again but fell over. The golem looked at Peaches and dismissed him with a roar as he headed our way.
“He’s too strong, Monty,” I said, looking at the approaching golem. “What did he do? He said you gave him the key. Which key?”
“He undid the limiter I placed on the artifact,” Monty said. “By doing so, he must have found a way to merge with the artifact and the golem—creating this amalgamation of human and golem.”
“That’s going to come crush us.”
“I think our part here is done,” Monty said. “This is too much power for us.”
“What are you talking about? He hurt Peaches. I’m not going to give up.”
I drew Ebonsoul and approached the golem when a hand reached out and grabbed me by the shoulder.
“Simon…” Monty started.
“Let go of me, Monty,” I said, shrugging off the hand. “You sit there if you want, but I’m going to go stab that bastard a few times for hurting my hellhound.”
“I told you. This was my duty.”
It was Jen.
THIRTY-EIGHT
It wasn’t the Jen I remembered from the secret garden.
This was First Elder Orahjene in her capacity as Judge, Jury, and Executioner. She looked at me and nodded.
“Thank you both,” she said, her voice slightly altered with the increased power. “This is something I must face. Something I must do.”
I moved to the side as she started approaching the golem.
“That’s not just the golem,” I said, warning her. “Toson is in there somewhere, too.”
“I know,” Jen said. “If you would allow me, I have need of your hellhound.”
“He’s hurt,” I said, looking at Peaches. “I don’t think he can help you.”
“He can, but first I must help him,” she answered. “With your permission?”
“If it means making him better, then yes, please.”
Jen waved an arm in a semi-circle, while extending the other arm in Peaches’ direction. A beam of red-orange light flowed from her hand into Peaches’s side. A few seconds later, the beam disappeared. Peaches got steadily to his feet and shook his body.
“Tristan, Simon, please step back,” Jen said and walked forward as Peaches leapt forward and crashed into the golem, sending it tumbling. “This will be over soon.”
The golem swung at Peaches, who moved back out of the way. I saw him take a breath and braced myself for one of his supersonic barks, but when he opened his mouth, a blast of red flame
is what shot out, wrapping itself around the golem.
I stood there in awe as the flames kept growing over and around the golem. This wasn’t normal flame.
“Hellfire,” Monty said, standing next to me. “She must have helped him unlock that ability.”
“Hellfire,” I repeated as Peaches hit the golem with another blast. “This is going to be a problem—I think.”
Jen extended both arms to the side and then moved them in a circular fashion. The energy around her body increased in intensity as she completed the circle. When her hands came together, she pushed them both forward.
The wave of energy traveling outward from Jen slammed into us and launched Monty and me down the street. After we landed, we bounced for another few feet until we finally came to a halt.
“That was unexpectedly unpleasant,” Monty said with a groan. “I’d say she has definitely shifted into Archmage level, or is at the very least one shift away.”
“You think?” I said. “She wasn’t even trying, and we were behind her.”
I looked up to see the golem gone. In it’s place, stood a battered, bruised, and bloody Toson.
“Hello, Toson,” Jen said. “Look at what you have done. For what? For power?”
“Jenny,” Toson said through cracked lips. “I did it for us!”
“Us?” Jen said, and I felt the power spool in her direction. “You did this…for us?”
Monty gestured and cast another set of shields.
“Yes, Jenny,” Toson answered. “Everything I’ve done…I’ve done for us.”
“My name is not Jenny. It is O…rah…je…ne. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
“Simon, hurry,” Monty said as he dropped another Bulwark dome over us.
Jen raised an arm and unleashed a beam of white light. The beam punched into Toson, obliterating him into nothing—not even dust remained. The shockwaves rushed out from her as the beam made contact and increased in intensity. Monty and I were sliding back from her as the energy dissolved Monty’s shields.
I pressed my mala bead materializing my shield, only to have it disintegrate a few seconds later.
The Golem: A Montague & Strong Detective Novel (Montague & Strong Case Files Book 10) Page 17
