Night Quest

by Susan Krinard

  Cody called for frequent stops to allow Beth to rest, so the going was slow. But Artemis still looked wan and pale, and Garret knew that if she got much worse he would have to beg these people to give her blood. She would certainly never ask for herself.

  The group crossed the Willamette over a barely intact bridge at a place called Ross Island, and then continued west to the hills framing the southern portion of old Portland before continuing north again.

  By the time the sun was at its apex, they had paused on a ridge overlooking the river, which glittered like a silver ribbon in the sun. Cody consulted with Sonja and several of his other compatriots, pointing toward the sprawling ruins in the valley below. Varus, Beth, Rachel and two others split off and descended at a fast pace. Artemis moved to follow, but her guard had already anticipated the attempt and jammed the muzzle of his gun into her neck. Garret’s guard did the same to him.

  “Don’t worry about her,” Cody said, addressing both of them. “If you pass muster, you’ll see her again soon.”

  Garret followed Cody’s gaze, squinting against the glare of sunlight on water. The four men and women with Beth were only specks against the slope of asphalt, concrete and faded autumn grass.

  Cody held a pair of binoculars up to Garret’s eyes, giving him his first glimpse of their destination: the high walls of a fortress on the river shore, built almost on top of a bridge that connected the western half of the fallen city with the east.

  “Delos,” Cody said, a note of pride in his voice. He glanced at the others. “Let’s go.”

  * * *

  Like almost every settlement, mixed colony or militia compound Garret had ever seen, Delos was a garrison designed to hold off an army of enemies if the need arose. But it seemed even more martial than most: the battlements were bristling with weapons, including what looked like a cannon and an array of machine guns. The eastern wall of the fortress literally butted up against the riverbank, with the bridge accessed by heavily guarded rear gates.

  If Avalon had been protected this well, he thought, he might never have lost Roxana or Timon. But once the front gates swung open, he could see that the interior was not so different from Avalon’s, with rows of barracks, a wide central commons for colony meetings, social gatherings and entertainment, an extensive garden, storage units, and a handful of smaller buildings that served as administrative offices.

  “Is this what we were looking for?” Artemis asked Garret, twisting to see around the guards.

  “I hope so,” he said. “Are you—”

  She held up her hand and looked across the commons, her eyes narrowed under her hood. Garret followed her gaze. Halfway across the central plaza, Rachel held Beth in her arms as she consulted with a tall woman in a much-mended lab coat.

  “The doctor,” Cody said, coming to join Garret. “She’ll put Beth to rights.”

  “One of us should go with her,” Garret said. “She’ll be frightened without us.”

  “No can do. We’ll have to confine you until the boss can talk to you.” He narrowed his eyes. “You sure you don’t have anything to tell me? Something you might have forgotten before we left your camp?”

  “Let us speak to your leader,” Artemis said.

  “In time,” Cody said, his attention already focused on something else.

  “I think we have the same enemies,” Garret said. “The child I’m looking for is—”

  Cody turned and walked away before Garret could finish. Sonja took his place and grabbed Garret’s elbow.

  “Do yourself a favor,” she said, “and don’t try lying to the boss.”

  “Garret!” Artemis called as her guards escorted her across the commons.

  “Where are you taking her?” Garret demanded.

  Sonja didn’t answer. She and Garret’s other guards waited until Artemis was out of sight, and then dragged him in the same general direction. People at work—humans, dhampires and presumably Daysiders, who could tolerate the sun—paused in their building, repairing, harvesting and sweeping to watch Garret and his escort pass, but he was clearly not much of a novelty. If Delos was anything like Avalon, they would have seen many people come to them in hopes of finding refuge.

  Or maybe, Garret thought grimly, arriving as prisoners.

  “Where have you taken Aresia?” he asked again, deliberately slowing his pace.

  “You don’t need to know that right now, though I’m sure she appreciates your concern,” Sonja said. “Just remember that her treatment depends on your good behavior. And vice versa.”

  Muscles knotted with the compulsion to search for Artemis, Garret barely maintained his composure. The guards half dragged him past the rows of barracks to a windowless building near the eastern wall of the fortress. An armed sentinel unlocked the door and stepped aside as Garret was pushed into one of several small, dark rooms with a tiny barred aperture set in the door. He stumbled into a cot set against the wall, and the cell door slammed shut before he could straighten and turn back.

  “Wait!” he called, pressing his face against the bars. “If you’re worried about the children, I can tell you where they’re taking them!”

  No one answered. The outer door closed. Garret knew perfectly well that it would be futile to bang on the cell door, so he walked the perimeter of the tiny room, looking for a means of escape. He wasn’t surprised to find that there wasn’t one. This place had obviously been built to hold Opiri, who were stronger than any human.

  Garret sat on the cot and assessed his situation. Unless his captors were as bad as the militias and intended to try to sweat the “truth” out of him by confining him in a cold room without food or water for a few days, he doubted that he would be left alone too long.

  But if Artemis was left without blood...

  Garret lay back, closed his eyes and quieted his mind. He woke to the sound of metal scraping metal as someone unlocked the outer door. He rolled off the cot and jumped to his feet.

  The cell door swung open. Cody and Varus stood just outside, rifles aimed at his chest.

  “The boss will see you now,” Cody said, jerking his gun toward the door.

  Garret moved past them out of the jail. The sun was on the decline, and he realized that he’d slept far longer than he’d planned. His mouth was dry and his head ached, but he was already planning what to say to the “boss.” He knew how to be very diplomatic when he had to be.

  And if diplomacy didn’t work, he would find something that did.

  His guards’ destination was another of the freestanding smaller buildings near the front of the colony, but Cody stopped midway to stare at a commotion near the colony’s front gate. Garret swore under his breath as several Opiri dragged a cloaked and hooded Nightsider inside the stockade. Pericles hung limp between the arms of his guards, but he seemed unharmed and in one piece.

  Garret knew better than to acknowledge him now. First, he had to find out what the hell was going on. He ignored the activity near the gate and didn’t stop until they reached the building. Cody held the door open and pushed Garret in front of a plain pine desk, a battered chair and a wall covered with detailed maps of the area, each one marked with notations and pins.

  While they waited Garret listened to the raised voices outside and clenched his teeth against his anger and worry. “Keep me informed,” a masculine voice said somewhere behind the door at the back of the room. Then the door opened, and a man walked in to stand behind the desk. He looked at Cody expectantly, barely sparing a glance for Garret.

  “We have something of a crisis, Cody,” he said. “You’ll have to—”

  “Daniel?” Garret said.

  Chapter 12

  The man stared at Garret, clearly as startled as he was. Daniel moved around the desk to clasp Garret’s shoulders. “What in hell are you doing here?” he asked.
<
br />   “I could ask you the same question,” Garret said, relief replacing his astonishment.

  “Sir, you know this man?” Cody asked.

  Daniel shot him a weary, impatient look. “You’re usually a keen observer, Cody. Perhaps you need more time to rest between patrols.”

  “No, sir,” Cody said, flinching at Daniel’s sarcasm.

  “This is the man you reported as being a potential child-stealer?”

  “There seems to have been a misunderstanding,” Garret said.

  “Apparently,” Daniel said. “Uncuff him, Cody.”

  Clumsy in his haste, Cody released Garret’s hands. Garret rubbed his wrists, thinking about Artemis and Beth.

  Hold on, he urged Artemis in his mind. This won’t take much longer.

  “You’re far from your home ground,” Daniel said, stepping back.

  “So are you,” Garret said. “It’s been a long time.”

  “A strange time,” Daniel said. He gestured toward a chair behind Garret. “Tell me what happened.”

  Garret perched on the edge of the chair and studied Daniel’s face. It was clear that the past few years hadn’t been easy on the man who had been a fellow serf in Erebus. Born into slavery, Daniel had been treated brutally for much of his early life in the Citadel and had learned to behave like any good human: quiet, obedient and controlled. He had only revealed the extent of his rebellious side when he had learned that his master, the Bloodmaster Ares, was actually his father, and that in spite of his appearance, he wasn’t human. He’d risked his life to save Ares from his enemies, and had helped Roxana and Garret get dozens of captive humans out of the Citadel.

  He had escaped with them, only to be overwhelmed at first by the vast world outside the Citadel’s high walls. He’d adapted quickly, but the man who stood before Garret now had clearly done far more than merely adjust to a strange and hostile environment. He’d become like the soldiers who followed him: battle-tested, wary and tempered by hard experience.

  Garret knew he was fortunate that Daniel wasn’t his enemy. “I assume Cody told you most of it already,” he said. “Your people found us traveling with a little girl about twelve miles southeast of here and apparently assumed we’d kidnapped her.”

  “My soldiers have reason to be suspicious,” Daniel said, taking his own seat behind the desk. “Other humans in the area have been seen working with the rogues.”

  “Working as in side by side? You can’t believe that they’d be traveling together.”

  “But you were with an Opir,” Daniel said. “If I had been there, I never would have suspected you, of course.” He steepled his fingers on the desk. “You were trying to get the child to safety?”

  “We heard there was a mixed settlement somewhere near the river in Portland. If I’d known you were here—”

  “Fortunately,” Daniel said, “I was elected commander three years ago.” He glanced at a paper on his desk. “I assure you that Beth will be well looked after. Who is the woman?”

  Garret took a long, careful breath. “Aresia is a fellow colonist from Avalon, a former Bloodlady from Oceanus. She’s no threat to anyone.”

  “Cody tells me that you are searching for another child.”

  “My son, Timon. He was taken from Avalon by rogue Freebloods nine weeks ago.”

  “I’m sorry. Aresia volunteered to help you find him?”

  “She did.”

  “Then she is welcome here.” Daniel tapped his fingers on the desk. “We knew the rogues have been stealing children wherever they can find them, but they must be ranging far if they’ve reached Avalon.”

  “Yes,” Garret said tightly. “Have they stolen any of yours?”

  “No, but only because we’ve taken steps to make sure they don’t get the chance. We send out regular patrols to look for packs that might have children with them.”

  “And the humans who are helping them.”

  Daniel’s eyes turned cold. “I was told that you know where the rogues are taking the children.”

  “North, over the border to Canada. Some kind of stronghold in the mountains.”

  “Yes. There are rumors that this stronghold is a Freeblood encampment, but we don’t have any details.” Daniel’s fists clenched. “Even if we can’t provide you with much additional information, we may be able to spare a few fighters to help you after we’ve dealt with the current problem.”

  “The Nightsider you just brought in?”

  “You saw him?”

  And I told Pericles that I wouldn’t let him fall into their hands, Garret thought. “Not clearly,” he said. “What has he done?”

  “There’s a good chance that he’s one of the rogue scouts who look for vulnerable settlements to raid.”

  “We didn’t encounter any rogues on the way here.”

  “They come in waves, and we’re in a lull at the moment.” Daniel frowned. “We have reason to believe that the prisoner has been a spotter for the child-stealers. He locates settlements and colonies where the others can break in.”

  It seemed, Garret thought, that this was a day for nasty surprises. “You’ve seen him before?”

  “He’s been described to us in considerable detail.”

  Garret almost spoke up then, but something in Daniel’s manner convinced him to wait. “What do you do with prisoners?” he asked.

  “Question them about our enemy’s intentions. I don’t expect them to tell the truth.”

  “And then?”

  “We can’t afford to keep them here for long.”

  A chill settled at the base of Garret’s spine. This was definitely not the old Daniel. “It seems almost personal with you,” he said.

  “Opiri like my father and our people here can be trusted. Most Freebloods can’t.” Daniel cocked his head. “You don’t hate them for what they did to your son?”

  “Yes,” Garret said, “and for what they did to Roxana. Raiders killed her four years ago.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t have to tell you how highly I thought of her. Does Ares know?”

  Garret tried to remember the last time he’d seen Daniel’s father and Ares’s mate, Trinity, who like Garret had come from the Enclave of San Francisco. “Ares left Avalon not long after you did,” he said. “I don’t know where he is now.”

  “I understand.” Daniel rose abruptly. “For the time being, you’ll be assigned quarters and everything you’ll need until our patrols report that it’s safe for you to leave.”

  “And Aresia?”

  “We’ll release her on your recognizance.” Daniel ran his hand over his face. “But this isn’t like Avalon. We have strict rules here and tend to be suspicious of strangers. I’ll make sure everyone knows you’re guests, so feel free to talk to anyone in the colony if you have questions.” He cocked his head. “Do you prefer shared accommodations with your companion or a separate room?”

  “Shared will be fine,” Daniel said. “I...should have told you that she is my wife.”

  “I see,” Daniel said in a neutral voice. “I’ll arrange it.”

  Garret nodded his thanks. “After you’ve released Aresia,” he said, “I’d like to speak to the prisoner. He may know something about Timon.”

  “We know how to get that kind of information very quickly,” Daniel said. “There’s no need to dirty your hands.”

  “We’re talking about my son.”

  With an unreadable glance at Cody, Daniel nodded. “Find me or Cody when you’re ready.”

  “Thank you.” Garret offered his hand.

  Daniel took it, gripping hard. “Good luck,” he said.

  Concealing his deep disquiet, Garret followed Cody back outside. Daniel might be a little too eager to find guilt in Pericles, but it wasn’t as if Garret or Artemis had know
n the boy for more than a few weeks. If he was what Daniel had claimed...

  “I’ll take you on a short tour of the camp, and then to the Bloodlady’s holding cell,” Cody said, interrupting Garret’s thoughts. “Your quarters should be ready within the hour.”

  “You seem to trust Daniel’s judgment without question,” Garret said.

  “He’s kept us alive,” Cody said. “That’s good enough for me.”

  * * *

  Artemis knew that Garret was coming before he set foot in the prison. She breathed in his scent and closed her eyes. Though she hadn’t been mistreated in any way and didn’t expect that the soldiers would seriously harm Garret, she’d had grave doubts about the nature of this colony. Though it did appear to be one of those in which Opiri and humans lived and worked together, the soldiers’ behavior suggested that it was little better than a typical militia compound—run with military precision, bound by almost rigid order and tainted by overt hostility toward outsiders.

  “Where is she?” Garret’s voice demanded from outside the building.

  She inhaled sharply. Garret wasn’t alone, but his words were clear and strong.

  Perhaps there wouldn’t need to be any violence, after all.

  The key turned in the lock, and the door to her cell swung open. Garret stood framed in the light seeping in from the outer door, straight and still. Footsteps receded, and in an instant Garret’s arms were around her, and he was pressing his lips to her neck as if he were the Opir and she the human donor. He released her quickly and closed the cell door behind him.

  “They set you free,” she breathed, pulling him down on the cot beside her.

  “They’ve set us both free,” Garret said. “We have the run of the colony.”

  She took his hand. “How did you manage that?”

  “I know the man who runs this place.”

  “You know him?”