Algernon wanders over and makes himself at home on my lap as I settle down.
“Hey, buddy, where’ve you been?” I ask him rhetorically.
“He’s been with me.”
I look up to find Gloria smiling down at me. “Oh, I’m glad he’s made another friend,” I say, scratching him between the ears while he purrs. “He’s not always keen on strangers.”
“He’s been quite talkative, actually. Told me all about your adventures together, and your family. He’s a real delight,” she says pleasantly, and I wonder briefly what she means by that. Just as I’m about to ask whether she can speak cat or if her telepathic abilities extend to animals, she wanders off to make a cup of tea and leaves me to guess.
“Weird. What’ve you been telling her?” I ask him, shaking my head when he mews quietly, fixing me with his yellow-green stare. I chuckle and give him another stroke.
“We’ll, it’s no trade secret, but I have to tell you something, Algernon,” I say as I lean my head back and allow myself to drift off. “I know it’s a long shot, and we’re all crazy, but we might just, just, be in with a chance of coming out of this alive,” I mumble as my eyes close. “Hope for the best; prepare for the worst,” I recite, like a lullaby, as a dreamless sleep overtakes me.
CHAPTER 15
“She’s a wolf in a woman’s skin, Curtis,” Mumbe says to me, glancing warily down the road at the nubile form of Miss Banks.
I’ve never seen her in anything other than business suits and heels, but today she looks quite different in her tactical gear, black jeans, boots, and leather jacket. She and Steve almost look related.
I still haven’t gotten to the bottom of Mumbe’s disliking for her, but now is not the time to ask.
“You’re probably right, mate,” I say, patting him on the arm, “but like it or not, she’s our wolf right now.”
He mutters something in his native language, only for David to come round the car and give his arm a reassuring squeeze.
“We’ll keep you two separated,” he says to his partner. Soothingly. “Won’t we, Curtis?” David fixes me with a meaningful look, and I nod.
“I have the teams all worked out, and you’re about as far away from Miss Banks as I can get you,” I say. David gives me a grateful nod and goes off to check on the others, while Mumbe still glares, arms folded over his chest, at the cause of so many of his nightmares.
“We’ve all endured pain, Curtis,” he says as I study him, “but she is responsible for much of mine. One day, maybe, I’ll tell you the story, when all of this is over.”
I smile at him grimly. “I’d like that, mate. I really would. I’ve always wanted to hear how you and David met.”
“That is a very interesting story,” he replies, grinning finally, “involving a hospital, a nun, and a pigeon.”
I laugh at that, despite the seriousness of the current situation. Mumbe never cracks jokes, so it’s all the funnier when he does. David and Mumbe are something special. One of them is light where the other is darkness, and yet they complement each other perfectly.
“I think your troops are waiting for your orders,” he adds, nodding towards the gathering team.
Our three cars are pulled up on the side of a country lane, two miles out from the lab. According to Tilly, this is about as close as we’re allowed to get before we’ll be detectable by the Duke’s security system. Other than woodlands and fields, the only building to break the landscape is a solitary barn to our right, where she’s teleported those who didn’t have wheels. Apparently, trying to teleport more than a handful of people at a time wasn’t worth trying, and I didn’t feel like experiencing it again any time soon, so we drove in convoy; myself, Jer, Lou, and Marco, with the unwelcome addition of Giovanni, the ATU team in their own car, and Beryl driving David, Mumbe, Prunella, and Gus.
“Why can’t Tilly teleport us into the building again?” Gio complains as we gather around the front of the Land Rover we’re using as a conference table.
“You’ll take at least an hour to recover from the smallest teleportation,” Edward replies flatly, taking a drag from his cigarette and giving Gio his best unimpressed look. “Unless you want to wake up in the middle of a lab, surrounded by my father’s henchmen, you’re better off going on foot as we’ve planned.”
Gio wrinkles his nose, knowing what that plan entails, but he nods in agreement all the same.
“And the only sensible way in really is the sewers?” Lou asks, no doubt hoping that we’ll suddenly come up with an alternative solution.
“The sewers will get us into the courtyard,” Edward says, pointing at a crudely drawn map laid out on the bonnet of the car, which Tilly sketched so that we could plan out our best course of attack. “From the courtyard, Tilly can open the door from the inside, where no one will be watching. The courtyard manhole is the only entrance to and from the outside world that is large enough to fit a person through, so there’s no point looking for another solution. We’ve already been through all that.”
“Glad I didn’t wear my best outfit, then,” Lou mutters, pulling a beanie over her head for extra cover, as do the rest of us.
“Remind me never to do that again,” Plague’s voice grumbles from inside the barn. He, Bubble, the Andersons, and Gloria stumble out into the daylight, shielding their eyes even though the sun has barely risen.
“Ah, glad you could join us,” I say, ushering them over to the car. “Sorry. I did try to warn you,” I say when I see Gloria’s uncomfortable expression.
“Nothing could have quite prepared me for feeling like I was knocked out with a bulldozer, Curtis, but I appreciate your efforts,” she says meekly, rubbing her temples and joining us around the map.
Algernon, who sat on my lap for most of the journey and has been ensconced on the roof of the car since we stopped, finds Gloria interesting enough to saunter down and join us, and I scratch him behind the ears.
“I still don’t know why you brought a cat to a fight,” Edward mutters, giving him a disdainful look.
Algernon responds with his own stony glare and blinks his yellow eyes at him. I still think Algernon is the cause for Edward’s scar on his face, but neither of them has admitted as much to me.
“I didn’t bring him, he forced his way in. There’s no arguing with this one when he sets his mind on something.”
“Besides,” Gloria says, leaning over and giving Algernon a stroke, “he’s not really a cat, is he?”
“What do you mean?” I ask curiously, ignoring Edward’s dramatic roll of his eyes.
“Well, he’s a person cat. You know, you get animals that are just animals, doing their thing and being cute, and then you get people-animals. I see them all the time in the pet shop. I can read their minds as well as any human.”
I would ask more questions, but Jer makes a strange noise from next to me and drags my attention away.
“I can smell trouble, Curtis,” he says, tugging on my arm, “I think we need to move out.”
“Right now?” Lou asks, the slightest tremor in her voice betraying her usually confident demeanour.
“Right the hell now. I can sense Kai from here, and he’s getting closer,” Jer says, sounding equally as worried.
In a frenzy of barked orders, Miss Banks hands out portable batteries to everyone who needs them to use their powers, our radios are switched on, earpieces shoved in ears, packs are hefted onto backs, and we divide into the four groups we agreed on back in the bunker.
Miss Banks has given everyone tranquilliser guns in the hopes that no one will have to use their powers, but I know the chances of that are slim. Lou has already slipped hers into her belt and has the battery pack clenched firmly in one of her hands.
“You know the plan, guys. One ATU agent, two offensive Augurs, two skilled Augurs. The doctor and the healers hang back in case we have an emergency, with Gloria, Plague, and Bubble to defend you—but stay hidden. We’ll radio if we need backup. Mumbe, you’re on Lou’s team.”<
br />
Mumbe nods and gives David a wan smile. I didn’t want to split them up, but he’s seen more action than the neighbourhood watch team has.
“Miss Banks, you’re with Edward, Maisie, and Michael. You’re on finding the drugs and incinerating the lab. Steve and Lou, you take Gio, Pru, and Gus. Your job is to find and apprehend Munday, the Duke, and anyone else who needs to spend some time thinking about their actions in the basement of the ATU complex.”
Lou grins and cracks her knuckles, while Steve nods appreciatively, checking his weapons one last time.
“Crossley, Jer, Marco, and Tilly are with me. Our job is to get Ella out of there, and anyone else who happens to be an innocent bystander,” I say firmly. Mentally, I’m including my child amongst those innocent bystanders, although the only person who gives me a knowing look is Dr. Lindhurst.
“Beryl, I’m sorry to ask this of you, but can you try and stop Algernon from following us?”
“Of course, dear,” she replies, picking the black furball off the bonnet of the car and tucking him under her arm. He gives me his best ‘thanks for nothing’ look but thankfully doesn’t struggle.
“Remember, the people we encounter work for the most ruthless Augurs in the country. They won’t let us go that easily, and I have no doubt that although we’re only armed with tranquilliser guns, they’ll be using their powers at full force. Be as violent as you need to be.”
“He’s gone into full agent mode,” I hear Lou whisper to Jer beside me, but ignore it. I can’t tell if she’s annoyed or impressed, but at this point I don’t care. We have a job to do. A job that involves risking the lives of my friends and people I’ve only just met. The fact that I’ve been trusted to do this has to be enough to pull me through, even knowing that Ella won’t be there for me if we come out of this. When we come out of this, I hope.
“Do you feel that?” Gloria says, and as if on cue, the ground begins to rumble beneath our feet.
“Yep. Time to move. Now take cover before Mr. Earthquake shows up and buries us all underground,” I say, nodding at the others and taking the lead of my group.
“That was a rubbish pep talk, by the way,” Marco quips, giving me a grin before we split off, Crossley and Jer behind us and Tilly somewhere in front.
“Not my specialty, mate,” I quip.
We head for the concealment of the undergrowth and move as quietly as we can in the direction of the lab. The ATU members are only a few miles away at the old Facility site, probably planning their attack, as pointless as it may be. Maybe they’re already moving in, just as we are. If I had a team of them behind me, I might even enjoy this mission, knowing that, at the end of it all, we were on the right side of the law. At this rate I’ll be lucky if they don’t arrest every one of us, if they ever manage to catch up.
We steer clear of the road and wander deeper into the forest, Jer giving me an occasional prompt to tell me that we’re keeping the same distance from Kai, so far as he can tell. Tilly guides us the entire way, steering us towards a shallow stream that cuts through the forest bed like a ribbon. She disappears at intervals to check that the other groups aren’t in trouble and are making progress at the same pace as us, to save us using our radios until we need them.
We decided we’d split up early on. No point in turning up and dragging nineteen people in one go through the forest, or we might as well have brought a herd of elephants and a marching band.
With smaller groups, not only do we have less chance of being detected, but if a team is caught, we still have others to pick up the slack. It’s a brutal way to think, but as Lou said, I’ve gone full agent mode.
“Nearly there,” Tilly says when we’ve been walking for three quarters of an hour.
I welcome the smells of the forest: dark earth and green leaves, peaty dirt and country air. I didn’t realise I missed it until now. It stirs memories of lying with Ella on the grass outside Beryl’s manor, walking with her through fields and woods, jumping streams and listening to her laugh as if I was the only person capable of making her smile. My chest aches, and I look down, concentrating on my footing and pushing the thoughts of her out of my head.
“Look out for the spot where the stream begins, and let me check the others have found their way,” Tilly advises, bringing me back to the present.
A rumble, followed by a loud creak and the sound of a tree falling the distance, stops us all in our tracks.
“Kai’s getting closer,” Jer whispers a warning. Our search for the drain cover kicks up a notch, each of us dropping on all fours and scrambling over the damp ground.
“Tilly, go and check that none of the others are in trouble. We’ll take it from here,” I say, and I can only tell she’s gone by the sudden feeling of absence where she was before.
We locate the manhole cover after a few minutes of searching through the undergrowth, pushing dead leaves and dirt out of the way to reveal a rusted, metal disk embedded in the forest floor, just large enough for each one of us to squeeze through. I peer through the trees for any sign that we’re near the lab building, but the trunks and branches obscure anything more than a few metres away, and it’s at least another fifteen minutes through the tunnels before we reach the inner courtyard, from what we’ve been told.
It takes all four of us with our fingers in the ground to lift it, and we grunt with effort to haul it aside.
“Who wants to go first, then?” Crossley whispers, peering into the darkness with a look of abhorrence as a waft of warm sewage hits us. I don’t bother to answer, kneeling into the abyss and feeling for some foothold to climb down but coming up empty. The drop looks short enough for me to make it, but the sound of water trickling below warns me that I’ll be getting my feet wet.
“Wish me luck,” I say, before dangling my legs over the edge and dropping into the slush below.
“Gross,” I say, moving out of the way just in time as Jer jumps down next to me, splashing me with sewer water, followed by Crossley and Marco. There’s no way to cover the manhole back over from down here, so we have to hope that no one notices a large hollow in the forest before we’ve had a chance to make our getaway.
With only two small torches between us, we scramble through the slush in semi-darkness, the sounds of our footsteps covered by the running water. I try breathing through my mouth for as long as I can, but after a while I become accustomed to the smell, as bad as it is.
We stay silent until three pin pricks of light up ahead signpost the courtyard for us. The ground above us groans like a slumbering giant and debris and rocks dislodge themselves, dropping onto our heads. I shine my torch at Jer for confirmation, and he nods vigorously. Kai is nearby. I daren’t open my mouth. If there’s anyone above our heads, they’ll undoubtedly hear us.
I look to Crossley and give him a silent, questioning signal. Do we stay down here and hope no one catches us, or do we take the risk and hope that we won’t be surrounded by enemies when we make it back up to dry land?
Marco grabs my arm and gestures a leg up. I think I know what he’s going to do, so I hand my torch to Jer, twining my fingers and resting them on my knee, bracing myself for him to step on me. With the support of Crossley’s shoulders, Marco heaves himself up and pokes is head through the floor above us, using his powers just enough to make his head pass through the cover overhead.
As long as no one up there is staring directly at the ground, they shouldn’t notice a black beanie and a pair of eyes emerge from the ground.
He pulls his head back moments later and gives us a thumbs up, before pulling his whole body up through the closed manhole cover and tapping on it from above us. Time to move.
Jer goes up after him, and between the two of them, they manage to push the cover open all the way, which scrapes with a loud sound of metal on concrete, making us all wince. We hold our collective breath for a moment, hoping to hell that we aren’t about to meet our first opposition. When nothing happens for a few minutes, Jer heaves himself out, followed by
myself and finally Crossley, who needs all of our help to get out, as he’s the heaviest.
“Mate, what do you eat?” Jer jokes, pulling him out by his arms.
“It’s all muscle,” Crossley replies defensively.
“Enough of that. Wet boots go back down there,” I say, gesturing to the drain and removing mine as quickly as I can and pulling out a clean pair of socks and the quietest trainers I could find. I keep lookout while the others do the same, and we lower our ruined shoes as gently as we can back into the drain and replace the cover. No good walking through the corridors of a lab, leaving muddy footprints everywhere we go.
We slink across the windowless courtyard to the solitary fire exit on the left wall. It looks like the outdoor space serves no other purpose than to ventilate the air shafts and act as a meeting point in case of a lab fire. The grey concrete walls tower two floors above us, and the only thing to break up the scene are the air ducts that poke out here and there. According to Tilly, the only people that come out here are the Duke’s staff when they want a cigarette break, and the fire exit has a convenient brick placed beside the door to stop getting anyone locked out.
Marco pulls his beanie further down to cover his face and walks through the closed door, opening it seconds later from within. We step into the corridor and wedge the brick in the door so that the others can follow after us. If everything has gone according to plan then they’ll only be a few minutes behind, and as they don’t all have an Augur that can walk through walls, we have to make the route as easy for them as possible.
“I pushed the security camera so that it’s pointed upwards,” he murmurs, gesturing to a small CCTV unit that is now getting an exciting view of the whitewashed ceiling. Anyone watching the cameras will think that it was knocked by accident, or at least that’s the idea.
“Where’s Tilly? She should be back by now,” Jer says worriedly.
Shattered by Magic Page 20
