by R. L. King
Verity seemed more stressed than the other two—her breathing came fast and she clutched Jason’s arm tightly. “You okay, V?” he whispered.
“Feel—weird.”
Stone stopped. “Weird? What sort of weird?”
“Hard to explain. Stressed. Like something’s trying to get into my head.”
“Are you okay to go on?” Jason asked, concerned. “Maybe you should go back down—”
“I don’t think that will help,” Stone said. “It’s probably from the portal. Verity, are you blocking?”
She nodded.
“Can you deal with it? I think it will get worse before it gets better, unfortunately.”
She nodded. “I—think so. It’s not too bad, just distracting.”
“All right, then.” He turned back and began creeping his way up the path again, and the others followed.
After about fifty more feet the trees opened up, revealing a clearing. “That’s it,” Jason whispered, pointing at something on the other side of it.
Stone nodded. It was hard to see in the dim light, but it was clear that on the far side of the small open area, the hillside began climbing at a much steeper incline than the one they had just ascended. A black opening loomed ahead of them, about half the height of a tall man and partially hidden by brush, skeletal tree limbs, and the remains of the boards that had been used to close it off from visitors.
“What’s that flickering?” Verity whispered. As the other two focused on the opening, they noted that she was right: something inside the cave indeed flickered faintly in the black mouth.
“Good news,” Stone whispered back. “I think that means the portal’s still active.”
“Great,” Jason muttered.
“Well, it is great,” Stone said. “It’ll be a lot easier to close it if we can find it.”
“How are we gonna get in there without attracting attention, though?” Verity asked. “They’ve got the bottom part of it boarded up. What do they do, climb over?”
“I’m guessing they’ve probably rigged something with the boards,” Stone said. “We’ll—”
“Wait!” Jason whispered, cutting him off. “I saw something move!”
Stone fell silent and all three of them searched the area where Jason pointed, trying to spot movement. It didn’t take long. Crouched over near a large rock on the side of the cave opening closest to them was the tall, thin form of a man. As they continued to watch, a tiny light flared, moved upward, and then settled near the man’s head.
“Cigarette,” Verity whispered.
Stone shifted a bit to put more of the tree between himself and the man, peering out from behind it. “I wonder if there’s one on the other side as well.”
Jason looked around the other side of the tree. “Don’t see one—but that doesn’t mean he’s not there.”
“I don’t see any other auras,” Stone said.
“Can you knock him out magically?” Verity asked.
The mage nodded. “We’ll need to be ready, though—if there’s another one, we’ll have to get him before he raises an alarm.”
“Go ahead and do it,” Jason said. “I’ll keep a watch on the other side.”
Stone leaned out a little further so he could get a good view, then pointed his hand at the guard. In near silence, the man clutched his head and crumpled. As he dropped, Verity caught him and levitated him out of the way.
“Nicely done,” Stone whispered. “You’re getting better at that. I thought you told the others you couldn’t do anything that heavy yet.”
She shrugged. “Didn’t feel like showing off. And besides, I cared if I screwed up and dropped the coffee urn.”
Jason was still squinted into the darkness, trying to spot the guard’s counterpart. “I don’t see anything,” he said. “Do you think they just left one guy out here?”
“Possibly,” Stone said. “Come on—I’m still masking us. Let’s move in closer.”
They left the safety of the tree, moving toward the cave opening from the side where the guard had been. There was still no sign of any other movement.
“Check the boards,” Stone told Jason. “I’ll keep an eye out and take out anyone who comes close.”
Jason did as directed. Several planks had been pounded into the rock on both sides of the cave mouth to a height of about five feet, clearly designed to keep intruders out while still allowing enough open space for bats to fly in and out. A sign nailed to the middle of the boards read UNSAFE. KEEP OUT. UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY PROHIBITED in letters big enough to make out even by moonlight. There was more text at the bottom, too small to read, which probably listed the relevant laws that anyone choosing to enter the cave would be violating. He glanced back at where Stone and Verity waited, checked the other side of the cave for movement, and then set about trying to find some method of entry.
It didn’t take long to find it. An entire section of the board structure was not attached, and instead swung up when lifted off the nails holding it in place. Jason lifted it enough to determine that he could, then set it back down again, took one last look for incoming hostiles, and then beckoned Stone and Verity over.
“Find it?” Verity asked. She too tried to look everywhere at once, clearly convinced someone was sneaking up on them.
In answer, Jason grabbed the boards again and swung them up, revealing an opening about three feet wide in the wall. He motioned them through; once all three of them were on the other side, he lowered it carefully back down so it appeared not to have been disturbed.
It was dark inside the cave entrance; the moonlight didn’t reach in here, but the flickering was brighter, making an eerie, intermittent, strobelike effect that pulsed off the uneven rock walls of the chamber. No one else occupied this section, but they could see an exit about ten feet away on the other side, an opening a little taller and wider than a standard interior doorway. More flickers, brighter still, strobed across a rock wall that looked like one side of a passageway.
“Keep going?” Jason whispered. Convinced now that there really was a portal somewhere in the back of this cave, he still wasn’t sure whether they’d find anyone here. The guy out front was a good indicator, but they might have just left him there to guard the cave against possible intruders. After all, the disembodied Evil coming through the portal wouldn’t need a welcoming committee.
Stone watched the doorway to the back of the cave for a few seconds, then motioned them toward it with a head gesture. Together, the three of them crept across the chamber and examined it.
As it had appeared, the chamber opened onto a passageway about six feet high and six feet wide that extended forward about ten feet or so, and then veered off to the right. The passage looked like it had been artificially enlarged, but it was impossible to tell whether it had been done recently. The light flickered brighter and more constantly here.
Stone crept forward again, with Verity next and Jason bringing up the rear. Jason paused to take another look over his shoulder to make sure no one was sneaking up behind them yet; the chamber was silent and empty as before, the board wall still in place. He hurried forward to catch up with the others.
The narrow passageway didn’t extend very far; when they cautiously reached the part where it veered to the right and peered around, they saw it only went on for another six feet, and then opened out into a much larger chamber. They pressed themselves against the wall of the passage and stared inside.
Of the three of them, Stone had seen by far the widest variety of magical travel portals. This one resembled none of them. The closest it came was the abortive attempt at a temporary portal the Evil had tried to build in their headquarters in San Francisco: both that one and this one had a decidedly unhealthy look about them.
Where the permanent portal in the basement of A Passage to India was a uniform size and shape, its colors soft and pleasant like pastel watercolors mixing together and then moving back apart, this one was ragged, fluctuating on both its vertical and horizonta
l dimensions. Instead of soft pastel colors, the portal they stood in front of looked ill, a nauseating mix of reds and purples and greens that clashed wildly with each other. Periodically, part of its surface rippled and protruded outward, resembling nothing more than a large pimple or boil preparing to burst. It continued pressing out until it seemed the skin of the portal could no longer contain it, and then it broke, spewing something gray and hazy out into the room. The thing darted around, then veered wildly and flew out of the cave.
“That gives us a better idea how fast they’re coming out,” Stone murmured so softly that Jason and Verity could barely hear him.
“Al, let’s do this before somebody comes,” Jason said. It was hard to tear his gaze away from the miasmic portal, but he nonetheless did so periodically to make sure nobody was coming in through the passageway entrance.
Stone nodded. “All right, then,” he said. He regarded the portal for a moment longer, then took a deep breath. “Verity, you’ll have to watch the entrance. I’ll need Jason to help me with this.”
“You got it,” Verity said. She shook visibly now, her eyes big and haunted. Despite the cold in the cavern, beads of sweat stood out on her forehead.
“Are you sure you’re all right, V?” Jason asked her. “You okay to do this?”
She nodded. “I got this, don’t worry.”
“Remember,” Stone said, “Speak up if you see anything out of the ordinary, and especially if anything comes in that door.” He moved into the middle of the room until he stood in front of the portal. He motioned Jason over next to him.
“Is this—safe?” Jason asked.
“How should I know?” Stone already looked distracted as he examined the portal. “I told you I was playing this by ear. Just concentrate on doing what you do, and try to stay focused no matter what you see.” Another deep breath. “All right, let’s get started—”
“Nice try,” came a voice out of nowhere. “But I don’t think so.”
Stone and Jason spun, expecting to see someone who had somehow gotten past Verity at the doorway. But she was staring wide-eyed at the far side of the chamber, beyond the portal. Four figures had appeared from thin air. One of them pointed a hand at Stone’s back. A burst of weird light arced from his hand to the mage, and Stone fell silently to the floor without even a chance of protesting.
Jason whipped around and tried to lunge at the newcomers, but was brought up short by the business end of a large gun. “I wouldn’t,” said the man holding it. And then the first man and another standing next to him waved their hands again, and Jason and Verity joined Stone on the floor.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Cold… Wood… Mustiness… Vague stench of decay… Lightheadedness…
These were Stone’s first sensations as he struggled back to awareness. His situation came back to him quickly, and he didn’t open his eyes.
He couldn’t stop himself from shivering, though. He lay on some kind of cold floor, though it didn’t feel like the rocky one from the cavern. His coat was gone, and he suspected all of his magical items were as well. His arms had been pulled behind him, his wrists secured with what felt like handcuffs. He didn’t move, but he felt something around his ankles as well. Whoever had captured him wasn’t taking any chances. But why? Why not just kill him? And where were Jason and Verity?
They’d been ambushed, completely surprised. Stone was disgusted with himself for not considering the possibility that they might have mages on their side too, especially given all the murders that had occurred recently. The Evil had obviously been recruiting mages to their cause, and killing any who refused to join. But again—why? What did they want with mages?
None of that mattered now, though. What mattered was that he needed to figure out a way to get out of his bonds, discover what had become of his friends, and get them all out of here.
“You’re not fooling anyone, Dr. Stone,” a voice said. “We know you’re awake. Why don’t you open your eyes so we can have a talk.”
Stone sighed. Playing possum clearly wasn’t working. He opened his eyes.
He lay on the wooden floor of a room about the size of a bedroom or small office. The walls were also wood, and unpainted. Across the room was a desk with a lamp, and behind the desk sat a man. Another man stood near the window, leaning against the wall with the air of someone who’d been hired more for security than brainpower. Stone didn’t recognize either of them. He waited.
“Nothing to say?” the man behind the desk asked. He looked to be around fifty, in good shape, with short gray hair, a professorial beard, and the loose face of a man whose job involved more thinking than physical activity. He wore a plaid flannel shirt and wire-rimmed glasses. His face was neutral, but something was wrong about the look in his eyes.
Stone shrugged. “What good would it do me to say anything?”
The man considered that. “Maybe none,” he finally agreed. “But I’d at least think you’d want to know where your friends are.”
“You’ve killed them,” Stone said in a monotone. He struggled to shift position; the cold and the angle at which his shoulders had been drawn back caused a distracting amount of discomfort.
“Far from it. They’re no good to us dead. No, they’re being held in a…safe place.”
“What do you mean, they’re no good to you dead? You want us all dead. You’ve made no secret of that.”
“Eventually, we do. But we have…other requirements that are currently more important to us than killing you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Stone demanded. “Any chance you might start making sense at some point?”
“Ah, a man of few words. All right, then.” The man got up from the desk and came over to stand over Stone. He wore faded jeans and heavy leather work boots. “It’s very simple: I have a deal for you.”
Stone sighed. “Yes, wonderful. A deal. As if I had any expectation of you keeping any promises you make me. And besides, what could I possibly have that you might want? There’s no way in hell I’ll let you possess me, so don’t even bother asking.” He wondered what had become of the Harmony Farms group—he hoped they’d gotten away. When the Evil referred to “his friends,” was he talking about Verity and Jason alone, or had they captured the others as well? He couldn’t think of a way to ask without revealing the others’ existence if the Evil didn’t already know about them, so he kept quiet for now. Mouth shut, ears open was usually a good policy when you weren’t sure what was going on.
The man smiled tightly. “No, Dr. Stone, I know better than to ask you that. I’m well aware of your—strong resistance to the idea of joining us. I honestly doubt that a possession would even work properly on you, given your level of abhorrence to the idea.”
“Well, what then?” Stone shifted again on the floor, still trying to get comfortable. The Evil didn’t seem affected by the cold.
“Simple. You have something we want, and we have something you want. If we can come to a mutual agreement, then we can make a trade.”
Stone sighed. “Are you going to get to the point sometime this century? Because I’m bloody freezing, and I can feel my brain seizing up as we speak. So if you want something from me, you’d better tell me soon.”
The man moved back over and perched on the edge of the desk. “Fair enough. I’m sure you’re aware of what we have in the cave outside of town, since you managed to quite stealthily make your way in to have a look at it.”
Stone waited in silence.
“I’m sure you’re equally aware that the portal is—shall we say—quite unstable. It only appears periodically, and it is only during those times that we can bring more of our kind through it to take their places in this world.”
“Yes, and—? Surely you don’t expect me to do anything about that.”
“Actually,” the man said, smiling, “that’s exactly what we expect you to do.” When Stone didn’t answer except to stare at him in disbelief, he continued: “You see, Dr. Stone, we’ve—ah�
��recruited some mages to join us. You met them tonight.”
“Yes. That was a rather large mistake on my part, not expecting them to be here. But that still doesn’t explain what that’s got to do with me.” Stone was fairly sure at this point that he knew where the Evil was heading, but that didn’t mean he had to let on quite yet. Let the man talk. Maybe he’d reveal something useful.
“We’ve been doing some research on you,” the man said. “Oh, yes, we can use libraries and other sources of information as well as you can. That’s the beauty of the merge: we get all the resources of the vessel, along with our own knowledge.”
Stone suspected he might be dealing with a higher-order Evil than he’d initially thought—possibly even one of the top-tier variety. He’d need to be careful with this one.
“And,” the man continued, “because the mage community is rather small and insular, even most of those mages in this country who don’t know you personally have heard of you, just as you yourself have heard of many mages in the United States and Britain, even though you haven’t met them.”
“Do keep going,” Stone urged. “I’ve got nowhere I need to be while I wait for you to muck around in that wormpit you call a brain and locate your point.”
Something—rage?—flickered across the man’s face, but it was almost too fast to see. His mask of blandness dropped back into place before Stone was even sure it had slipped. “Very amusing, Dr. Stone. If you’re trying to provoke me, you could probably do it if you keep up with that sort of thing. But it won’t go well for you if you do. You see, I’ve got both of your friends in my custody. Really, I only need one of them to keep you in line. I could arrange to have the other one ripped limb from limb, screaming, right in front of you, if you’d like. And then I’d still have the other one to hold over your head.”
Somewhere in the deepest reaches of Stone’s brain, a little voice cheered. He had done exactly what he’d been trying to do, and even gotten an extra bonus for his trouble. He now knew that the Evil quite probably didn’t have the Forgotten—and possibly didn’t even know about them—and he had forced it to make a threat. You may be an ageless extradimensional being, you bastard, but there aren’t many who can match me for deviousness when you push me. Let’s see where we can go with this.
