by Alex Steele
Heading to the opposite side of the street, we ducked under a drooping overhang and made our way toward the Awakened’s stronghold. The crowd grew more dense, rowdy excitement pulsing out of everyone we passed.
The Awakened weren’t the only draw down here. Two other clubs boasted long lines packed with well-dressed and impatient people.
We made our way around to the side of the building. The endless noise was muffled as we entered an alleyway, skirting between Bound and another club. The buildings were packed in close here. Infierno had its own set of rules, but construction permits were apparently not part of it.
“I’m not seeing any doors,” I said quietly as we reached the halfway point.
“They probably hid it. Otherwise everyone would be in the alley trying to get in like this.” Swift stopped abruptly and drew an unfamiliar rune on the wall.
“What rune is that?”
“Something Bootstrap came up with. He says it should help uncover hidden—” The rune flared abruptly, lighting the alley up with a flash of light that sent spots dancing across my vision.
I stepped back with a grimace and rubbed at my eyes. “Nothing he does ever works exactly as intended.”
Swift snorted. “You’ve got that right, but it did find us a way in.”
Looking in the direction she pointed, the blurry outline of a door was visible in the wall. It began to fade immediately.
I shrugged. “That’s a start. Waltzing in through the back door might raise some questions though.”
“Using Talos’ name worked for you before. Let’s try it again. What’s the worst that could happen?”
I opened my mouth to object, but realized it was ridiculous for me to attempt to be the voice of reason. “Alright, let’s do it.”
A chuckle echoed down the alleyway behind us, coupled with the unfurling of a magical signature. I stopped and turned to face the eavesdropper.
“Not everyone is a fan of Talos ‘round these parts.” A man wearing worn, black jeans and a red shirt stood behind us. A cigarette dangled from his fingertips. “And no one is a fan of IMIB agents. Maybe you two should find your way out of here.”
Fire slipped out of his fingertips, burning the cigarette to ash in an instant. He was more powerful than your average mage, but he didn’t realize who he was up against. This guy was just a big fish in a small pond.
I stepped forward and let a grin spread across my face. “Who says we’re IMIB agents?”
His eyes trailed over me, then Swift. “It’s pretty obvious.”
Holding my grin in place, I lifted my shoulders and let them drop, unconcerned. “Guess we have a problem then, unless you decide to walk away and mind your own business.”
He shifted his stance, muscles tightening as he gathered magic in his palms. “I’ve decided this is my business. You can either leave, or you can find out how flammable your fancy clothes are.”
“That sounded an awful lot like a threat. Are you sure you want to start that kind of trouble with us?”
“You don’t scare—” The guy’s eyes flicked to someone behind me and he stopped abruptly, all the color fleeing from his face. He took a step back. “Maybe you’re right, man. No need for trouble. I’m just going to…” He let the sentence trail off as he scurried away.
I turned around slowly and found Swift standing next to a familiar person. Jebediah Tane. He wore a devilish grin, seemingly pleased by the retreat of the man that had been harassing us.
“Jebediah,” she said in lieu of a greeting. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“Strange coincidence, indeed,” Jebediah agreed with a nod.
“Do people normally run when they see you?” she asked, crossing her arms.
“Only the guilty.” His eyes moved slowly to me. “The righteous are drawn here.”
My eyebrows lifted slightly. “Did Talos invite us here because he thinks we’re...righteous?”
Jebediah laughed. “That is yet to be determined. You were invited because you are useful.” He nodded back toward the front door of the club. “Come with me. I’ll walk you inside. No need to sneak in the back.”
Nineteen
We fell into step behind Jebediah as he led us back around to the front of the building. A woman spotted Jebediah and her eyes went wide. She leaned over to tell her friend, and by the time they looked up, dozens of others were pointing at him and whispering among themselves.
Jebediah ignored them all, seemingly unaware of the attention. A mix of envious and hateful stares prickled along the back of my neck as we approached the velvet rope barring entry. A man stepped up and unhooked it, allowing us past.
The club’s security personnel didn’t wear what I’d call a uniform, but they all stood out nonetheless. The faint glimmer of a shield hovered around their bodies from head to toe. The uniformity of the shields was strange. They must have something on them projecting the shield or it would be impossible to maintain for hours on end.
We passed through the twenty foot high white walls that protected the front courtyard. Light and sound faded as we walked in, both growing dimmer the closer we got to the entrance.
The courtyard itself was strange and full of shifting shadows. A few people milled around, but it seemed that most went straight into the club on entry, and I couldn’t blame them. This place gave me the creeps.
Jebediah stopped right in front of the main door. “I have some other things to do, so I will leave you here. I’m sure you can manage to find your way inside from this point.”
“Of course,” Swift said with a nod. “Thanks for the help.”
Jebediah winked at us, then stepped back into the shadows and vanished.
I glanced over my shoulder, unease growing in my gut. “These people are strange.”
“They’re probably listening in as well.”
“I hope they’re taking notes.”
Swift shook her head in exasperation, but a smirk was playing at her lips. “You’re terrible at diplomacy.”
“I’ll leave that to the daughter of politicians,” I said as I placed a hand on the door to the club. “Ready?”
She nodded.
I pushed the door inward. It swung open silently, revealing a long staircase that led down steeply.
A flickering red glow beckoned us to descend. Shadows stretched up the wooden steps like skeletal fingers. A breeze flowed up from the depths, carrying a strange, dry heat with it that prickled along the skin of my face.
Swift looked at me and raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure this isn’t a trap?”
“Nope.” I stepped through the doorway onto the first step. Another wave of heat washed over me, more intense now that I’d stepped into the jaws of the beast.
“This is such a bad idea,” Swift muttered as she followed. As soon as we were both over the threshold, the door slammed shut behind us.
She gave me an accusing look, but I just shrugged. There was no way we were going to turn around and leave without investigating this place.
We took the stairs slowly and the sweltering heat grew with every step. Sweat rolled between my shoulder blades. I regretted the leather jacket already, but there had been no way of knowing I’d be wandering into an oven tonight.
“It smells strange down here,” Swift said with a grimace. “Like sweat and dust mixed with something older.”
“You might just be smelling us.”
She snorted. “Trust me, you smell much worse when you get sweaty.”
I threw her a weak glare but she just smirked in return. It was strange, in moments like this, to think back on how little I’d trusted her when I’d met her. She’d been a strange woman in a red duster sent to ruin my peace. And she had ruined it, though not on purpose.
The stairs ended in a small landing in front of a simple door. It had no handle, but there was a burnished gold knocker in the shape of an eagle. The thump of bass from some loud music filtered through the door.
“No snarling beast waiting for us. I’m go
ing to take that as a good sign,” she said lightly.
“You hear that thumping too, right?” I asked cautiously.
“Yes. It sounds like music.” She leaned in to inspect the knocker. “There’s no magic on this. You want to do the honors?”
Pushing aside my hesitation, I grabbed the knocker and banged it firmly against the metal plate behind it. The door opened immediately, startling both of us.
A young woman greeted us with a huge smile. She was wearing a tight party dress covered in sequins. “You don’t have to knock! Just push, the door isn’t locked.”
She pulled the door wide and waved us inside, letting it go as she twirled away. I caught it with the flat of my hand before it could close on us and we slipped inside, taking in the chaos.
The club consisted of one long room packed with people. Most were dancing, some were just chatting or waiting in line for drinks. We’d come in the only visible entrance, and I couldn’t see a separate exit.
A fire burned in a long line through the center of the room. The flames, streaked with blue and green, stretched almost to the ceiling, undulating like snakes. It cast an orange glare over the whole room and provided just enough light to move around. The shadows were impenetrable in the dim lighting.
I let the door swing shut as we walked farther in. Heat from the fire pressed against my skin. It was almost unbearably hot down here, which was a strange choice for an underground club. Most tried to make guests comfortable, but this place seemed designed to drive people out.
A group danced near the fire. Sweat glistened on their skin as they writhed together, moving in rhythm with the sinuous flames. A shudder of magic rose up from the group. For a second, I could have sworn it took the shape of an eagle, but then I blinked and it was gone.
I shook my head. The heat was already making me see things.
Swift looked around, brows pinched together. “Well, an underground rave was not what I expected.”
“Me neither.” I turned in a slow circle. “I’d say it was a good cover, but they aren’t trying to hide their involvement with the club.”
“Want to split up and look around? Talk to some of the, uh, partiers?” Swift asked, eyeing a couple that seemed to be attempting a tonsillectomy by kissing right in front of us.
I hesitated, then decided to go with my instincts. “I think we should stay together actually. I’m getting a weird vibe from this place.”
Swift looked surprised, but didn’t argue. “All right. If you’re that concerned.”
The fire twisted, taking on a strange shape for an instant once again. A chill went through me despite the heat. There was something wrong here. Something we were missing.
I glanced at my watch and the time ticked over from 11:59, to midnight. A whistle cut through the noise and the music abruptly stopped. Everyone turned toward the back of the room. A palpable sense of excitement spread throughout the club as we waited.
Swift scooted a little closer, looking around with suspicion. Her magical signature was barely suppressed as she prepared for a possible fight. I put my hand on her arm and shook my head. Whatever this was, it didn’t feel like a threat. More like a celebration. These people weren’t afraid at all.
From the shadows, a man emerged. A black hood covered his forehead, casting the rest of his face in darkness. He walked forward slowly as every eye turned to him. The room went still.
He stopped at the front of the fire on a low platform that lifted him just high enough to be visible to the whole club. With both hands, he pushed the hood back. Talos’s blond hair stood out against the black cloth. He looked over the gathered crowd, his expression serious. The congenial smile he’d displayed while negotiating with the Mage’s Guild was gone. All the trappings of a politician were replaced by the cold resolve of a man prepared to lead people to war.
“For the gifts we have been provided, we must give thanks. We must give fealty. We must give all.” His voice was deep, echoing throughout the room in a way that must have been enhanced with magic. He lifted his arms and clenched his fists. “Ierí fotiá!”
The crowd echoed his cry, their fists pumping in the air.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he stuck his left hand in the fire. Swift stiffened in shock next to me and I tightened my grip on her arm, shaking my head to emphasize that she shouldn’t interfere.
The man’s skin began to blister immediately and the sickening smell of burning flesh filled the space. However, he didn’t flinch and he didn’t pull away. He watched his hand burn almost impassively. I’d have thought he didn’t even feel it except for the slight trembling that made the sleeve of his robes sway.
The crowd began to chant, saying ierí fotiá over and over like a prayer. It was Greek, but I wasn’t sure what it meant. It was one of the languages I was rusty in, at best. The fire grew, and the undulating rhythm collapsed into a strange vibration. It curled around his hand, burning brighter and hotter. The man’s hand began to shake in earnest as his skin blackened. Pieces of it curled back and fell away. He must be in agony, but he didn’t pull away.
“What the hell is this?” Swift hissed under her breath.
“Whatever it is, it’s sick,” I whispered back, looking around to make sure no one had heard us, but nobody was paying attention to our conversation. They were transfixed by the spectacle in front of them. “Do you know what they’re chanting?”
“Yes. It means sacred fire.”
The man tilted his head back, and with a hoarse voice, cried out, “Eímai katharós!”
Everything shifted, as if being sucked in toward the fire, then it exploded outward. The flames reached us in less than a second. I reached for my magic to shield us, but I was too slow.
Heat and pain washed over me and through me. It burned but I somehow knew it wasn’t hurting my physical body. This was something different entirely — something I’d felt before. This was after my magic.
With a snarl, mayhem magic exploded from my chest, wrapping Swift and I in a cocoon of darkness. The heat vanished and I groped blindly for Swift, yanking her closer to me. She grasped my arm as well, as if worried we’d be separated.
A crack formed in the shield I’d placed around us and the bright light of the white-hot flames shone through. As quickly as the crack had formed, it re-closed. My magic was stronger than whatever this spell was. It could not reach us in here.
Well, isn’t this interesting.
Of course the voice was showing up now.
“Do you know what’s going on?”
“No, why would—you’re not talking to me, are you?” Swift asked.
“No, the voice is back,” I confirmed.
“Is it explaining anything?”
I frowned, mentally glaring at it. “No, it isn’t.”
Without warning, my magic rushed back into me. For a brief moment, we were exposed to the fire again, but it was sucked back into the fireplace less than a second later.
The floor of the club was littered with bodies. The people looked uninjured, but no one was moving. Swift and I broke apart, checking on the couple that were closest to us.
“This one has a heartbeat and she’s breathing,” Swift said, relief obvious in her voice. “Whatever that was, it didn’t kill them.”
“I think it took their magic. Not all of it, but enough for them to collapse.”
Footsteps echoed off the concrete floor and I looked up as Talos approached. His hand was completely unscathed. The burns had been healed like they’d never existed.
I rose slowly. “Who the hell are you?”
He grinned at us. He looked even younger up close, with a handsome face and friendly smile. He reminded me of Billy in a way — if Billy was a cult leader. “Talos.”
“That’s a name you picked for your position, not who you are,” I said, annoyance growing in me. “Enough with the mind games.”
“What did you do to these people?” Swift demanded, pink smoke leaking from her eyes as her anger rose.
Swift looked back at the woman at her feet, suspicion still clear on her face. “We’ll see.”
“So you are part of the Awakened,” I confirmed.
Talos nodded. “We are.”
“And this was meant to be a way to recruit us? Because trying to steal my magic before even saying hello isn’t exactly the best start.” I crossed my arms and stared him down. We deserved an explanation.
“You had no problems shielding yourself from the spell, as I expected.” He turned and waved for us to follow. “Let’s go somewhere more comfortable and talk.”
Swift and I exchanged a look and she nodded, but she didn’t look happy about it. Keeping my magic close to the surface, we followed Talos deeper into this strange place.
Twenty
We stepped around the fallen clubbers as Talos led us toward the back. One guard, seemingly unaffected by what had happened, stood in front of crimson velvet drapes at the back of the VIP section.
The guard pulled the drapes aside without comment and let us pass. There was nothing more behind them than a door that led to a narrow stairwell. As we ascended toward the surface, the dark and mysterious trappings of the club fell away. The walls here were white, and everything was well lit and clean.
We emerged into a simple living room that could have been in any house in Las Vegas. It looked lived in, but it was clean and uncluttered. The walls were bare of art or family pictures, leaving it a bit sterile.
A couch separated the living room from the kitchen. A hallway led toward what looked like two bedrooms and a single bathroom. Neatly folded blankets topped with a pillow were stacked at one end of the couch, as if someone had been sleeping on it. Perhaps this was a halfway house for cultists.
“Is this where you live?” Swift asked, poking around the room shamelessly. She opened a box on a small table near the door but it seemed to be empty.
