Spirit of the Towers

by Jamie A. Waters

  Valentina smiled at the memory. She used to always ask her grandmother to tell her more stories about the dragons. Curling up on the older woman’s lap and listening to her spin fantastic tales was one of the most treasured memories from her childhood.

  “Most of our stories revolved around a bogatyr, or hero in your language, slaying the dragons. But in some of these stories, the dragons would become friends with them. I liked those the best.”

  Ariana nodded. “A lot of the folktales in our archives also focus on the hero killing the evil dragons. I think people tend to fear what they don’t understand, and the dragons were just one more example of that.”

  Valentina glanced at the figurine again and frowned. “My grandmother told me some dragons could shapeshift. Zmei Gorynich was one of those. If your people believe our abilities are tied to dragons, perhaps the two are connected. It’s often said there’s some element of truth in every story.”

  “A lot of the earliest fairytales were passed down by oral tradition. Perhaps they feared putting the truth in writing. The stories could have been a way to preserve knowledge without endangering themselves,” Ariana suggested. She was quiet for a moment and then added, “I’ve always loved books. Until I got a handle on my empath abilities, it was easier for me to cope with the emotions from the characters in the stories. Over the years, I’ve gotten to know some of the archivists well. They might have some of these stories in our records. It would be interesting to run a check for common themes.”

  Kayla cocked her head, studying Valentina thoughtfully. She walked over to the dragon figurine, picked it up, and offered it to her. “I think you should have it.”

  Valentina’s eyes widened. “I can’t accept that.”

  Kayla shook her head and continued to hold out her hand. “You need to take it. I don’t know why, but one of my abilities is to find lost or missing objects. I have the feeling you’re supposed to have this for some reason. When you picked it up, something just sort of clicked into place that it was no longer lost. That feeling went away when you put it down.”

  Valentina took the dragon figurine again and studied the design. Something about it called to her too, but she didn’t know what or why. “It feels warm in my hand.”

  Ariana frowned and studied the figurine. “That’s so strange. There’s some sort of energy transference happening. That doesn’t usually happen with inanimate objects. Kayla, can you take the object again? I want to see if it resonates with you.”

  Kayla took the dragon figurine from Valentina’s outstretched hand and turned expectantly toward Ariana, who shook her head. “It’s not quite the same. There’s still a transference, but the resonance is different. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  Kayla offered it to Ariana. “Why don’t you try it?”

  Ariana bit her lip and took the statuette. She lifted it, studying it in amazement. “This is incredible. The resonance shifted again. But it’s different with me too.” Ariana turned toward them. “I think both of you need to touch it with me.”

  Valentina arched an eyebrow. Out of the three of them, Ariana had the most knowledge when it came to energy manipulation. Ariana also struck her as being cautious by nature, so it was doubtful she’d suggest such a thing if it were dangerous. Valentina reached out with her fingertips and brushed against the dragon’s wing. Kayla did the same.

  The moment they all came into contact with the stone dragon, they each gasped as a sudden awareness filled them. Valentina could sense Kayla and Ariana and knew they felt her too. It was almost as though another bond had formed, reminiscent of the one she shared with Sergei, Nikolai, and Yuri.

  Kayla frowned and pulled away. The moment she broke contact, only a lingering trace of the connection remained. “You guys felt it, didn’t you?”

  Ariana nodded. “Yes. I’ve never heard of such a thing happening.”

  Valentina picked up the figurine again and studied it. “I’m not familiar with this mineral. Do you know what it’s made from?”

  Kayla shook her head. “We didn’t do any sort of tests on it. I never considered it until now.”

  “I suppose we could ask one of our scientists to take a look,” Ariana began, looking decidedly uncomfortable. “I’m not sure it should leave our possession though. It seems to resonate with our particular type of energy.”

  Valentina ran her finger along the dragon’s snout. “Perhaps we can take it to them and remain with them while they study it. I don’t think it would be wise to have them perform any sort of sampling tests though.”

  “Hell no,” Kayla said, crossing her arms. “No sampling. As soon as you said that, I got chills.”

  Ariana nodded. “On that, we’re all in agreement. I’d be interested to know if another Inner Circle member has a similar reaction. Perhaps we can ask Lars to try it.”

  “Or Brant,” Kayla suggested. “If it’s responding to our spirit energy, I’d like to know how it reacts to him.” A wicked grin crossed her face. “He loves it when I ask him to try out these sorts of things.”

  Valentina placed the dragon back on Kayla’s dresser. “We’ll need to do it once we return. It’s getting late, and the statue will wait until we finish at the club. I’m sure everyone’s wondering what’s taking us so long.”

  Kayla glanced over at the figuring again. “You know, if those stories you heard about shapeshifting were true, that could be fun. I wouldn’t mind being able to turn into a dragon. At least, provided I could eventually change back.”

  Valentina laughed. “Ah, but being a human has its benefits. Those shoes you’re wearing are just one example. If you’re human, no one will know the weapons within your possession. But if you fly around breathing fire, you’re suddenly a very large target.”

  Kayla grinned. “I knew I liked you.”

  “Come on, drakonikha,” Valentina teased. “Let’s go find some heroes to play with.”

  “Drakonikha?” Kayla asked, saying the unfamiliar word.

  Valentina nodded. “Of course. It’s what we call a girl dragon. It’s not just the boys who can breathe fire. We can do it too.”

  Valentina had left Ariana in the VIP section with Hayden and navigated her way toward the main floor area where the majority of the people were intermingling with a few Inner Circle members. She would have preferred leaving Kayla behind, too, but the woman was tougher than she’d initially realized. They’d come to an agreeable arrangement, and Kayla and Carl were currently occupying a table on the main floor with Yuri. He had every appearance of socializing with the couple, but Yuri was more focused on listening to her via hidden comms and keeping a discreet eye on her progress through the club.

  The last person she’d spoken to had been useless. It had only taken her three minutes to find out he knew next to nothing and was only interested in taking her home with him. After scraping him off, it was time to find a new mark. Fortunately, that wouldn’t be difficult.

  She walked over to one of the ornately carved barstools and slid onto it, allowing her short dress to hike up even higher on her thigh. Tossing her loose hair over her shoulder, she leaned forward and pretended to study the large array of bottles displayed behind the bar.

  “Can’t decide?”

  Valentina turned to regard a man with sandy-blond hair standing beside her. He was wearing one of the translating devices in his ear, which was promising. If he had enough interaction with their people to warrant such a device, he might have knowledge of their missing supplies.

  Tilting her head, she gave him a small smile. “I’d love to hear your suggestions. There are so many choices, and I’m afraid I’m unfamiliar with most of them.”

  He grinned and ordered something from the bartender. A moment later, she was handed an amber-colored drink. “You’re Coalition, right?”

  She nodded and took a small sip. It had a nice flavor, but Lars had better liquor in his quarters. “How did you guess?”

  “Your accent,” he replied, lifting his glass and leanin
g even closer to her. “I haven’t seen you here before, and I would have remembered you. Let me guess… You heard about the excitement last night and wanted to check things out?”

  Valentina laughed and leaned forward, mirroring his movements to show her interest. “Is it that obvious? The rumors have been growing since I arrived, but I don’t think anyone really knows what happened. I’ve gotten the impression most of the people here are just as curious as me.”

  “Yeah,” he agreed with a cocky grin. “I overhead the last guy telling you a pretty crazy story. I hope you don’t believe a word of it. I wasn’t here last night, but my friend David was.” He gestured to a man talking to a brunette a short distance away. “We didn’t think the club would be open again so soon. We decided to stop in to see what people were saying too.”

  Valentina took a sip of her drink, smiling over the rim of her glass. She wasn’t interested in hearing another outlandish tale, but if this man was a frequent visitor, he might have more pertinent insight. “So the stories aren’t true? Lightning didn’t strike anyone? The walls in the club didn’t collapse?”

  He laughed. “No, not even close. Just a minor skirmish, but they found one of your people’s weapons.”

  Valentina frowned and lowered her glass. “I heard that. Just because I’m with the Coalition, I hope you don’t think I had anything to do—”

  He shook his head and grinned. “No, I don’t think you’re responsible. Quite frankly, I haven’t seen many women from the Coalition here. I was intrigued and had to come over to introduce myself.”

  She bit her lip and tilted her head. “You’re not on the construction crew, are you? I don’t recognize you, but then again, I haven’t been here long. I haven’t met many people yet.”

  He chuckled. “No, I live here in the towers. I’m Jakob.”

  “Hello, Jakob. I’m Valentina.” She held out her hand and he took it, squeezing it gently.

  “Gorgeous name,” he said, sliding into the seat next to her. “You don’t strike me as the type to work a construction site.”

  She shook her head and smiled. “I don’t. Not really. I mostly do some administrative-type duties. You know, inventory of nails and tools. I’m afraid it’s not very exciting.”

  “Oh yeah?” Jakob put his elbow on the bar and leaned in closer. “There was a guy who used to come in here who did that too, but I haven’t seen him in about a week or so. I think his name was Pavel. You work with him?”

  Valentina lowered her gaze. “No. I’m sorry if he was a friend of yours, but I believe Pavel was in some sort of accident. I’ve been temporarily assigned to take over his duties.” She sighed wistfully and looked around the club. “I never imagined your home was so beautiful. I’m grateful for the opportunity to experience it, even if the circumstances surrounding my promotion are less than ideal.”

  Jakob paused, studying her for a long time. She finished her drink and put it on top of the bar. When he didn’t say anything, Valentina inwardly smiled. Something was telling her Jakob knew something, and his silence only helped reinforce that opinion. She glanced at him. “So what do you do here in the towers?”

  Jakob waved over the bartender and ordered her another drink. “I manage a store a few levels down.”

  “Do you enjoy your work?”

  “It’s all right,” he said with a shrug, glancing toward the dance area. It was clear he wasn’t thrilled with his job and didn’t want to discuss it. “What do you think of the club?”

  “It’s much different than anything we have on the surface,” she admitted. “I never imagined anything like this existed. You’re very fortunate to live in such a place.”

  He turned back toward her and arched a brow. “Yeah? If you like it, there are a bunch of places around here that are even better. I don’t think they’re open to your people yet, unless you have an escort.”

  Valentina blinked up at him. “Really?”

  “Oh, sure,” Jakob said, puffing out his chest a bit.

  She resisted the urge to smirk and took another sip of her drink, pretending to hang on his every word as he described some of the other clubs and restaurants in the area. He seemed to enjoy the idea he could introduce her to a world she’d never experienced. Fine. If this was his game, she’d play along.

  Valentina sighed wistfully. “It sounds wonderful. Some of my people were talking about this club, and I thought they might have been exaggerating. That’s part of the reason I wanted to come here tonight.”

  He rubbed the back of his fingers up her bare arm. “I could show you a lot of things.”

  She bit her lip and lowered her gaze. “I’m sure you could.”

  “I thought you might brush me off like the last guy,” he admitted. “You’ve been doing that all night.”

  She tilted her head and gave him a small smile. “You were watching me?”

  He chuckled. “Most of the men in here have been watching you all night, even a lot of the Inner Circle people.”

  Running a hand down the front of her dress, she used the gesture to subconsciously draw his attention to her figure. It was highly effective as far as distractions went. He wouldn’t be quite as fixated on her questions if he were too focused on getting her into bed. “I guess the dress was worth it.”

  “Definitely,” he agreed, his gaze roaming over her curves.

  Valentina smiled. “Men from the Inner Circle don’t usually look at women?”

  He hesitated, his expression darkening. “They do on occasion, but they mostly stick to their own kind. It’s better that way. Sometimes, women come in here specifically hoping to get their attention. Is that what you’re looking for?”

  Valentina frowned, understanding the need to navigate carefully. For whatever reason, this was a sensitive subject with him. “My only agenda was to explore a little bit of the towers and see what life was like here.” She shrugged. “I don’t know much about this Inner Circle. I’ve heard a few rumors about them, but I haven’t paid much attention. I’m still learning my way around.”

  Jakob relaxed a fraction. “Sorry. It’s just a touchy subject. If you’ve only been here a short time, it makes sense you wouldn’t know much about the political stuff.”

  “What political stuff?”

  He waved off her question. “Oh, it’s not important. Why don’t you tell me more about yourself? I’d like to get to know you better.”

  Valentina frowned. It was time to step things up a notch or they’d be sitting here exchanging small talk all night. He was hinting around to something but leery about letting her in on whatever it was.

  Tucking her loose hair behind her ear, she leaned forward to give him a view of her cleavage and then brushed a light kiss against his cheek. “Actually, it’s getting late. Thank you for the drink, Jakob. I really enjoyed meeting you. Maybe I’ll see you again soon.”

  His eyes widened. “You’re leaving already? Don’t you want to dance?”

  She glanced toward the dance floor. “Oh, I don’t know if I’m much of a dancer.”

  Jakob took her hand. “I’ll show you. It’s too early to leave just yet. Besides, I want you to meet someone.”

  Valentina followed him to the dance floor, immediately intrigued. “Your friend David?”

  “Nah,” he said and put his arm around her, pulling her close as he began to move to the music. “Another friend of mine was wondering what happened to Pavel. They’d gotten to be good friends. I’m sure he’ll want to know what happened.”

  “Oh,” Valentina murmured, running her hands up his chest and winding them around his neck like some of the other women were doing. “I don’t know if I can tell them much. I only met Pavel twice, and I don’t know many details. Who’s your friend? Would I know him?”

  He ignored the questions. “Hey, you’re a pretty good dancer.”

  She smiled up at Jakob, debating whether to suggest Sergei plant him in a chair and try out his truth detection abilities. The only problem was that she didn’t quite tr
ust Sergei to not kill or maim him in the process. “I think I have a pretty good teacher.”

  He slid his hand down her back and cupped her backside. “I bet we could teach each other a lot of things.”

  “That might be fun,” Valentina agreed, wondering whether Sergei would leave any of Jakob’s bones intact by the end of the night. She hoped Nikolai was keeping him distracted. At least he’d agreed not to listen in on her comms. Only Nikolai and Yuri were doing that.

  Jakob pulled her even closer, and she softened her body against his. “You know, after you meet my friend, we could go back to my place. You mentioned wanting to see more of the towers.”

  She bit her lip and teased, “I’m not sure how much of the towers I’ll see if we end up at your place.”

  He chuckled. “Well, maybe I can show you the towers some other time. What do you think? Do you want to get out of here?”

  She arched her brow. “You sure you want me to meet this friend of yours?”

  He swept his gaze over her and hesitated. “No, but he’ll kill me if I don’t introduce you. Come on. I’ll call him and have him meet us outside. My place isn’t far away. We’ll head there afterward.”

  Valentina giggled and leaned into him as he led her off the dance floor. She caught Yuri’s gaze on the way out, and he inclined his head, indicating he’d heard everything and would follow them.

  They headed outside the club into a busy commercial district. She looked around, pretending to be amazed by the sights, but she was studying the layout of the area as well. She’d entered through a side entrance with everyone else and hadn’t seen the main entrance. “Your friend doesn’t want to meet us in the club?”

  Jakob glanced over at her. “Not until things settle down after last night. Have you been to many of these shops?”

  Valentina shook her head. “Just a few places on the way to the club. A lot of the areas are still off limits to my people. Will you get into trouble for bringing me here?”

  “Nah,” he said, waving off her concerns. “It’s mainly the Inner Circle who are uptight about those things. None of us are permitted in their tower. You’re allowed in ours, provided a resident is with you.”