by Alex Steele
I ground my teeth together, sure I was going to regret my next offer. “I might be able to get a healer over here — someone I know and trust — to help your friends.”
Her shoulders curled in, tense with the need for what I was offering, and fear of the strings attached. “But?”
“Just tell us everything you do know. We’ll get your friends healed, then never bother you again.”
For a moment, I thought she might refuse, then her shoulders drooped.
“Fine. But you’re getting that healer here first. I’ll tell you while they’re helping my friends, and not a minute before.” She crossed her arms, defeated, but unmoveable on this last point.
I nodded. “Okay, let me make a phone call.”
Swift and I stepped outside, leaving the door cracked so we could hear in case she tried to run.
“You sure about this?” Swift asked in a whisper.
“No,” I said, glancing uncomfortably at the sliver of the apartment I could see through the crack “But I don’t like the idea of leaving those people without help, and we need to find out what we can.”
Swift sighed, but nodded. “Alright. Make it quick.”
I pulled out my phone and dialed Billy’s number. I was going to have to start paying him a retainer fee.
Thirteen
I leaned against the brick wall of the apartment and scanned the cars as they passed. Heavy clouds hung low over the city threatening rain. Yet another thing I never missed about London. The weather here was as miserable as the memories.
A small, black sedan parked across the street and Billy stepped out of the car...followed by Sarah, that girl he’d met during the unicorn attack. I’d told him to come alone, but apparently he’d decided not to listen.
Shoving off the wall, I jogged over to that side of the street.
Billy lifted a hand in greeting. “Blackwe--”
I grabbed his arm and motioned at him to be quiet. “Don’t shout my name.” Glancing at the girl who was getting something out of the trunk, I leaned in to whisper. “Why did you bring her? This isn’t a sight-seeing trip, it’s dangerous.”
He rolled his eyes. “We’re getting married, dude. I trust her. Besides, she can help.”
“Oh? How exactly?”
“She’s good with people and she knows first aid. She might be able to get some information from them while you’re talking to that woman you mentioned.” He clapped me on the shoulder, then nodded for his fiancee to join us. “Lead the way.”
Sarah stepped up beside him with an enthusiastic smile. “I got your kit.”
I shook my head in disbelief, then turned and led them back to the entrance. We half-jogged up the stairs — the elevator was busted — and made our way to the apartment. I rapped my knuckles twice against the door and Swift opened it.
“Billy and his girlfriend are here,” I said dryly as I stepped past her into the apartment.
“What? Why?” she asked, looking at Sarah in confusion. “No offense.”
“Fiancee, and she can help,” Billy said firmly, shouldering his way past us both to get inside. Sarah followed close behind.
He made his way straight to Ashley, who was warily standing guard over her friends, and held out a hand. “My name is Billy, this is Sarah. I can heal them if you’ll let me.”
She looked at his hand like he might hit her, then just stepped aside and nodded. “He’s got an infection I think.” She pointed at the man on the right. “It was a bad burn.”
Billy knelt by the man’s head and pressed a palm to the side of his face. “Sarah get an IV started on her first. See if she’ll wake up.”
I pointed my head toward the bathroom, the only semi-private place to talk. Ashley waited until the golden streams of healing magic were flowing from Billy’s palms before heading toward the place I’d indicated.
Swift stayed with Billy and Sarah, standing guard over them and the door.
Ashley walked in and leaned against the wall by the sink, eyes still glued to her friends. The woman had a protective streak. She’d been the only one to stop when we’d caught Jebediah, and she’d taken it upon herself to try to care for these people too. Hopefully that would let me get through to her more easily.
I rested my shoulder against the door jamb. “Do you know the names of anyone in charge? Anyone you saw while with the Awakened?”
She scratched at her cheek with dirty nails. “Jebediah, but you already know him. Everyone else had these names that weren’t real, you know? Greek stuff, I think, like Achilles and shit, if they were important.”
“Did anyone have anything distinctive about them? Something that we might be able to use to figure out who they are?”
“Not really.” She shifted on her feet, trying to see around me. “Look, I don’t know what you’re hoping for here. I don’t know much, I already told you that.”
“Will there be another protest?”
“What do you think?” she asked, rolling her eyes. “They’re just getting started. I—” she shook her head. “I don’t want to do it anymore, neither do Jake and Lisa. That’s why we’re here laying low.”
“Do you know what they’re planning on protesting next? Will it be in Moira?”
She shook her head, wrapping her arms tight around her middle. “Why can’t you just track down Jebediah? I can’t help you.”
“You know something,” I accused, blocking her view of her friends and forcing her to look at me. “If you don’t help us, how many more of your friends are going to get hurt? Killed?”
She cringed away, her eyes darting down to her shoes like she was ashamed. “It’s not my fault.”
“It is if you know something and don’t tell anyone that can stop it.”
A tear slipped out of her eye and she brushed it away angrily. “It’s too late, okay? It’s too late.”
“What is?”
She looked up, face pale with fear. “The next protest has already started.”
I whipped around. Swift was already at the front door, having overheard the conversation.
“Billy, we have to go now. Leave as soon as you can and head straight home. Got it?”
Billy nodded and Swift and I ran out the door.
Fourteen
The back tires skidded across the wet pavement as I took the turn. Rain obscured the windshield and thunder rumbled overhead. It was pouring hard outside which only made it harder to drive.
“Go faster, Blackwell,” Swift urged with a death grip on the arm rest.
“Normally you’re telling me to slow down.”
“Normally we aren’t racing to the scene of a protest to try and stop hundreds of people from dying or getting arrested.”
“As you wish.” I slammed the accelerator down, safety be damned. We were flung back into our seats. I wove through the traffic recklessly, laying on my horn to get people to move.
As we closed in, a booming chant became clear.
Freedom! Freedom!
“My god, there’s at least a thousand people here,” Swift said in disbelief.
I slammed on the brakes as we reached a wall of traffic. The protestors were blocking the street, forcing people to either turn around, or stay stuck in the street. I pulled up onto the sidewalk, threw the car in park, then leap out. Swift was already racing ahead of me.
The mass of people were standing, in place, signs and pickets just visible through the downpour. Some had the symbol I’d been seeing — the stylized bird wreathed in flame. Others had catchy slogans putting down the Mage’s Guild.
At the front of the crowd, all draped in black, stood at least two hundred magisters. The most I’d ever seen in one place. Rain splashed off the shields that walled them off from the protestors and magic pulsed out of them like war drums. If this went south, people were going to die.
Swift and I ran past the protestors, but a magister stepped out of the line to stop us from going farther.
“Back up!” he shouted, face impassive as he lifted his hand toward u
s, magic already gathering in his palm.
Swift pulled out her IMIB badge. “We need to talk to whoever is in charge. Now.”
The magister scoffed. “This isn’t your jurisdiction.”
“Tell them Alexis Swift has important information,” she snapped, looking for all the world as haughty as her breeding would imply.
The magister hesitated, eyes flicking between her badge and her face. “Fine. Stay here until I return.”
Behind us, the crowd shifted and the chants grew louder. Something was happening, and I doubted that was a good sign.
Slowly, they began to part and I realized someone was walking to the front. A tall, good-looking man with ice-blond hair passed through, followed by shouts of Talos. That sounded Greek, and if I remembered correctly, was a name. The rain wasn’t touching him. He must have prepared ahead of time.
When he reached the front of the crowd, he stopped just a few feet from the magisters and lifted a strange tube up to head level.
Abruptly, the crowd went still and quiet. The sudden absence of sound was almost disorienting. With everyone’s attention on him, Talos pulled a string and a scroll unfurled with dramatic flair. It stretched all the way down to his waist.
“These are our demands!” he shouted, his voice was loud and clear without a hint of uncertainty. “Will the Mage’s Guild give the people the respect they deserve? Will they hear us out?”
He looked at the line of magisters, but no one moved. A quiet murmur began as the wait dragged on, growing tenser by the moment.
“Should we do something?” I whispered.
“Like what?” Swift whispered back, her voice barely audible over the growing unrest. “We couldn’t even get the magisters to talk to us, and we sure as hell won’t be able to convince these people to leave.”
“I have no idea, but I don’t like just standing by and watching it happen.”
She ground her teeth together, then nodded. “Okay, let’s—”
A magister with red trimmed robes stepped out of the line. He looked Talos up and down with an unhappy expression. “Protests require a permit.”
“Strangely, all applications for a permit were denied,” Talos responded, still talking loudly enough to ensure everyone could hear him, unlike the magister. “It’s almost as if the Mage’s Guild won’t permit anyone to protest against them.”
Someone in the crowd shouted in agreement, earning an irritated glare from the magister.
“Tell these people to disperse.”
Talos held the scroll toward the magisters. “After you hear our demands.”
The magister gestured toward the man behind him. “Arrest him.”
I wasn’t sure who attacked first. Magic flew from both sides so quickly that we were knocked back before I could even get a shield up.
Swift rolled to her feet in front of me and summoned her mace in one fluid motion. “You hurt?”
“No, you?”
She shook her head. “We have to make room for these people to flee.”
I pushed up to my feet and mayhem magic surged to the surface, nearly breaking my control. “If we fight the magisters, we’ll end up in a holding cell next to Bradley.”
“Be creative then!” She ran into the crowd, blocking a blast of magic right before it hit a protestor in the back.
Fighting without hurting anyone wasn’t exactly one of my best skills, but I couldn’t stand around and do nothing. I ran into the fray.
A fireball arced over the crowd, then plummeted straight downward. I threw my hand forward and let the mayhem magic loose with a frantic shout of warning. It darted toward the fireball, colliding with it in a shower of sparks. People directly below still shrieked in pain, but at least they were still alive to feel it. A fireball of that size could have incinerated five or six people. The Mage’s Guild was insane using those kind of spells to put down a protest.
What a treat, the mayhem magic whispered. I could feel its glee at the situation in the back of my mind. It felt a little bit too much like my own emotion, as if I couldn’t quite separate myself from what my magic wanted.
“Shut up,” I muttered, blocking another blast of magic from hitting myself and two men with a shaky shield.
“Thanks, man!” the taller one called before grabbing his friend’s arm and running in the opposite direction.
In the midst of the chaos, I spotted Talos. He seemed untouched by the fighting as he strode through the crowd. A group of five fought around him, blocking some of the worst attacks from the magisters. Talos glanced my way and met my eyes with a smile as if he knew me. Or had expected I’d be here.
I shoved through the current of people to follow him. The bastard looked smug, like he’d known this would happen all along.
Lightning cracked overhead, illuminating the crowd for a split second. So many people were hurt. Too many to even help.
Talos and his group of guards pulled ahead of me. Even with all this chaos, people were parting to let him through. He must be their leader, or close to it.
Mayhem magic rushed through me, flaring out into a broad shield just in time to block an attack I hadn’t seen. It hit hard enough to send me to my knees, but I surged back up to my feet immediately. I couldn’t lose Talos. He was just as responsible as the Mage’s Guild for this massacre.
A woman went down at my feet. Green fire crawled over her skin as she shrieked in pain. I whipped my jacket off and smothered the flames, then scooped her up. Her head lolled back, eyes fluttering with shock at the pain she must be in. Talos was gaining even more distance from me, but I couldn’t leave the woman to be trampled to death.
“Hey!” I shouted, trying to get the attention of the man ahead of me.
He looked back with wild eyes. Blood mixed with rain as it trailed down his face from a cut above his brow.
I shoved her into his arms. “Take her and run. I have to help Talos!”
He nodded frantically and held the woman to his chest as he continued on with the crowd. Talos’s name was like magic here. They would all do anything if they thought it was for him.
Talos had slipped out of sight in the moment that had taken. I pushed forward and spotted a car trapped in the crush. I hurried toward them and climbed onto the roof, using the mayhem magic as a shield on my left. A few dozen yards away, I saw Talos. He looked back at me as if to urge me to pursue him.
“Any chance we can fly again?” I asked my magic.
Try and find out, it purred.
I crouched slightly, then threw myself off the car. My magic went wild behind me and I was thrown directly at the building in front of me. It reached out like a giant black hand and gouged into the wall. That changed my momentum and swung me around in a wide arc. Straight at the side of the building.
I braced just in time, hitting the brick with my feet first. The magic released without warning and I slid to the ground, landing in a heap in front of a store. People raced past me down the side street, everyone taking a different route in an attempt to scatter.
I jumped back up and searched frantically for Talos. His blond hair was visible just ahead, then disappeared as he and his guards turned right between two buildings.
Shaking off the jarring landing, I sprinted after them. The crowd had thinned out here thankfully, but Talos was out of sight. I pushed myself to my limits. My shoes threatened to slip as I splashed through puddles and the overflow of water into the street.
I skidded around the corner Talos and his guards had turned down and spotted them near the end of the narrow street. They were keeping just far enough ahead that I couldn’t even bother trying to cast a spell. Grinding my teeth in frustration, I took off again.
We wound through the shops into increasingly narrow streets. The high rises gave way to older buildings. Up ahead, Talos stopped abruptly and looked back at me, then turned right into an alley.
I sprinted across the street and followed after, but when I turned down the alley, I found myself at a dead end. No doors or
windows in sight. Just the back of a building going straight up.
But there was no one here. Talos and his guards were gone.
That wasn’t possible. They couldn’t have vanished into thin air unless they could fly — which wasn’t possible. I sent a quick flash of fire out into the alley, but it hit no one. They weren’t hiding. They really were gone.
“Shit.” I turned and punched the wall as all the frustration of the past two days bubbled out of me. Dust and bits of brick shot off from the impact. I shook out my aching hand, but no real damage had been done.
Had it been an illusion I’d been following somehow? Out of all the options, that was the most likely. It had seemed like he wanted me to follow him at times, but he obviously hadn’t wanted to be caught. Or to talk.
I almost turned to walk away when I noticed something lying on the ground. Unlike the rest of the alley, it looked clean.
I walked over and crouched down beside it. Rain spattered all around it, but didn’t touch the envelope, as if it was shielded. Taking a risk, I prodded it. Elegant script appeared on the front one stroke at a time and spelled out my name. It was clearly meant for me.
I had no idea how Talos had managed to leave it here and still escape without a trace. I picked up the envelope and turned it over. The back was sealed with wax that had been stamped with the same symbol I’d been seeing everywhere — the flame-wreathed bird. This close up, I was pretty sure it was an eagle.
I tucked the envelope into my pocket. I’d deal with it later at the manor with Swift. For now, I needed to find her and get the hell out of here before we ended up arrested too.
Fifteen
I adjusted the icepack on my knuckles and propped my feet up on the other chair in the kitchen. We’d retreated to the manor after the protest-turned-riot. Bootstrap was upstairs glued to the news, updating us with casualty estimates every few minutes.
The envelope sat on the table next to my hand, taunting me. We hadn’t broken the seal yet. Swift was concerned it was bobby trapped, or that it had some kind of ability to track us. I wasn’t too concerned about Talos being able to track me back to the manor though. It’d actually be excellent if he did show up here. I wanted to wring some answers out of him.
