"What about the Riders? I did some research on them, but couldn't find what they were, or even if they were defeated," said Aurie.
"I'm not certain they are important. There were many dangers that existed then that do not exist now. It was the problem of their time."
"Then what was it? You've told me the things you think that didn't happen," said Aurie.
"Does it matter?" asked the professor with an uncharacteristic shrug. "If I had to make a bet, I'd say that it happened in either your mind or Semyon's, like a dreamstalking. Except you came out with the injures you obtained in that place. Which means that you can die there."
"I gathered that much," said Aurie.
"Energy equilibrium is a fundamental law of science and magic. Whatever happened satisfied the Engine because after you returned, the hum reduced to its previous state," said the professor.
"So science wants to kill me. Great."
"Technically, the Engine does, or Semyon, or the connection to the other patrons through the charter, or something else entirely."
Aurie looked outside the hazy glass of the greenhouse. The buildings were fuzzy and streaked, as the ice-rain ran down the sides.
"I have a feeling that it's not done with me."
Professor Mali rolled next to Aurie. "I'm afraid not. Already the Engine vibration is increasing. The mind-transfer didn't happen when I touched the Engine. It's keyed to you, and you alone."
"What if I don't touch it again?" asked Aurie.
"It would likely explode."
The professor was looking at her gravely.
"Now is the time, Professor, when you lecture me about how foolish my decision was to visit Oba and convince him to give me the Engine."
"I wish that your total punishment would be a thorough tongue-lashing, or a two-hour lecture that would bore holes in your head." She sighed into a grimace. "You may not have graduated yet, but you're an adult. You made your decision to get the Engine, and now, you must deal with the consequences."
"Me and everyone else in Arcanium. I might have killed them."
The professor gazed up at Aurie with supreme confidence. "Or you may have saved them. Only time will tell, but I have faith in you, Aurelia Silverthorne."
Aurie wandered to the edge and put her hand on the cold glass. She wished she had faith in herself, but it was getting hard to find, especially without Pi around.
"I miss you, sis."
Chapter Fifteen
The hike through the Undercity had taken nearly three hours. Jade led the way, followed by Pi, and then the others. The first half the journey kept them on the organized paths that connected the various settlements beneath the city of Invictus. The way was well marked and occasionally lit with faint blue magelights.
Then Jade led them into the wilderness, cutting through vast caverns filled with strange fungi that pulsed purple or waved tiny stalks in unseen winds. Pi kept her questions to herself, though she had many, like where Jade was leading them that would take them to the surface.
When Pi saw the obsidian arch nestled into the corner of the bleak cavern between two white marble statues of naked men, she exclaimed, "How do you know about the Garden Network?"
Jade spoke over her shoulder. "A girl's gotta have her secrets."
This answer didn't sit well with Pi. The Garden Network wasn't a subway station that anyone could use.
The statues were twice as tall as the obsidian arch. Sisi ran up to one and poked his genitals with her finger. "What's with Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Hung-Like-A-Goldfish?"
"It's best not to poke things, Sisi," said Jade. "What if that had been activated by touch?"
Sisi pulled her hand back as if she'd been burned. "I didn't think of that."
"Where does it take us?" asked Pi.
"I only know a couple of passwords," said Jade. "Assuming they haven't changed them."
This news surprised Pi. She'd thought the way to the surface was going to be a hidden staircase or an elevator like the one in Freeport Games. The idea that Jade knew passwords to the Garden Network changed Pi's impression of her.
Sasha stepped forward. "What are you two blathering about?"
"It's a portal," said Pi. "The patrons and those they trust use it to get around the city quickly. I've been through a couple."
"Holy shit," said Bethany, running her hand along the glassy black stone. "I'd heard rumors, but thought people were joking. Like when they send freshmen to get the elevator pass in a one-floor high school."
"I can get us into the fourth ward. The portal comes out in the back of the City Library. I'll take everyone one at a time once I make sure the coast is clear. So you'd better tell us where we're going from there, Pi."
"Right," said Pi, rubbing her hands together. "There's a bar in the fourth called the Smoke & Amber. It's a popular haunt of Coterie mages."
"I heard about that place," said Bethany.
"We need information," said Pi. "We're going to grab one of them and make them talk."
Jade held up a plastic spray bottle, the kind used by gardeners to water the leaves of delicate plants. "And this is going to make them want to never shut up."
Pi had worked out the details of the plan with Jade while they were in bed last week. It'd taken a few days to acquire the reagents. The mixture was a contact potion that would make the relevant information spill out of them, enhancing their memories until they couldn't stand not to talk about them. A few well-placed suggestions would make their captive babble like a talking brook about whatever subject they wanted.
The trip through the portal made Pi nauseous, but it wore off within minutes. Sasha's trip left the girl retching into a trash bin.
"I get motion sick easy," she said once she'd recovered.
The obsidian archway was in the back of the library in a locked room. Pi got them through the door. Outside, despite the late hour, the city was alive, or at least Pi had gotten used to the muted underground, which seemed to simultaneously silence sound and reflect it in mysterious ways. She'd forgotten that it was early December, and the air was chilly, but not enough that they'd need spells to keep warm.
The Smoke & Amber was two blocks away, pulsing and thumping with music. Pale smoke leaked out the bottom of the door, disappearing into the night sky. Pedestrians gave the mist a wide berth as they passed the establishment.
The seven women stopped in the alleyway behind the bar.
"So who wants to go in and lure someone out? It can't be me or Bethany."
To Pi's surprise, Jade added, "Not I," then added after a breath, "I had friends in Coterie."
Jade looked away when she said it, which suggested it was something she wasn't proud of. Pi decided to ask later, rather than in front of the others.
"I can go," said Yoko, with a cautious smile and a slight head nod.
"I've got to go then," said Sasha, looking unhappy about it. "'Cause Stone Arm sticks out and Sisi doesn't look like she's old enough. My only question is what do we do to get someone out?"
"That'll be something for you to figure out," said Pi. "Don't try any spells. They'll be sure to have protective enchantments, trinkets, and other warning devices that'll keep them safe. Attacking them in any way will bring unwanted attention. Mage bars like these like to keep their clients, which means a night of safe fun. We don't want to trip up their alarm systems either."
Sasha rolled her eyes. "Great. No spells. Find someone and lure them outside into the alleyway. Like maybe, hey, I'm a nice black girl who wants to talk to you out back. Wanna come with me and my sexy Japanese friend?"
"Yeah, whatever, try that," said Pi.
Sasha returned a dead look. "They probably won't even let me in."
"Hurry up," said Jade. "We need to get this done before someone wonders why we're hiding back here."
Before they went in, Pi pulled a handful of gold dust from a pocket and sprinkled it over Sasha and Yoko, murmuring a spell. The particles flashed as they drifted onto their hair and shoulders.
When Pi was finished, Sasha looked at the sparkling dust on her arm and said, "It looks like you rolled me in a vat of strippers."
"What does this do, Pi-san?" asked Yoko.
"The spell is shit, supposed to make you luckier, or better at being rich, like that prosperity gospel crap, but the reagents are expensive, so only the wealthy can afford to cast it."
"Sounds a bit self-selecting," said Sasha.
"As long as it keeps anyone from assuming you don't belong," said Pi.
Sasha grabbed Yoko's hand. As they left, Pi heard Sasha say, "Let's grab someone and get the hell out, like quick. These places give me the heebie-jeebies."
While Sasha and Yoko were inside, the other five waited in the shadows. Pi crouched on her heels, feeling exposed above ground after weeks in the Undercity. She kept getting an itchy feeling between her shoulder blades like someone was watching. She knew it was practically impossible for anyone from the Cabal to know she'd returned above ground, but she kept expecting an attack to come as soon as she let her guard down.
To distract herself from her worried thoughts, Pi pulled out her cell phone and rubbed the ON button with her thumb, deciding whether or not to send a message to her sister. She caught Jade watching her, so she shoved the phone back into her pocket.
After an hour, the others started to get worried.
"Should we go in?" asked Bethany.
The others crowded around her for guidance. Pi saw the annoyed frown and arm-cross from Jade. She clearly thought of them as her followers. Pi hoped this wouldn't come between them. She hadn't had a girlfriend or boyfriend in a long time, and was really enjoying having a connection with Jade.
"Give it more time," said Pi. "Maybe it's taking time to get someone to leave. I wouldn't get worried yet."
After her little talk, Jade found her away from the others. Pi's eyes had adjusted to the darkness, so she saw the way Jade was biting her lower lip.
"Why haven't you messaged your sister yet?" asked Jade.
"What?"
The word slipped from Pi's lips. It was the last question she'd expected.
"I saw you fidgeting with your phone earlier. You should send her a note, let her know you're okay," said Jade.
Pi's face flushed warm. "I, uhm, thanks."
Jade leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Pi's cheek, squeezed her arm, and wandered away to give her privacy.
After collecting her thoughts, Pi turned on her phone, cursing its slowness. When the little bars filled in at the top left corner, she opened up the messaging app and typed in a quick note, letting Aurie know that she was alive and doing well. She didn't mention anything about Jade or the others, or that she was still messing with the Cabal. She didn't want her to worry.
After the message whisked away with a quiet bright noise, Pi stared expectantly at the phone, waiting for a response. But the time was 1:48 a.m., and Aurie was likely asleep.
Pi froze when she heard voices entering the alleyway, until she recognized Sasha's deep voice. The guy and girl with them were weaving back and forth, clearly intoxicated. The guy was wearing a fashionable white suit, and the girl a silvery flapper outfit. The four of them were laughing.
"Are we really going to have a foursome back here?" asked the guy in a slurred voice.
The voice was familiar, and in a nagging not-good way. Pi was on the other side of the alley, so she couldn't see them clearly.
"Hey, Sasha," said the girl, stumbling in place. "Who are all them?"
"Friends," said Sasha.
Before Pi got over to them, she recognized the girl's voice. Bree Bishop. She'd been in the same year as Pi in Coterie. Bree and Brock DuPont had tried to kill Ashley numerous times. A red-tinged rage washed through Pi's mind, but she had to push it back. Now wasn't the time for anger.
"Sorry, Ashley," she whispered.
The others crowded around the two mages. Jade stepped forward and sprayed the potion into their faces.
"What the hell was that?" asked Bree, starting to be annoyed, but clearly too drunk to do anything about it. "Is this a robbery or something? That might not be a good idea. We're mages, or at least I am. I could take the lot of you with my pinky tied behind my back. Or is it my arms tied behind my head? How does that go?"
Pi stepped in front of them. "Not a robbery. We're going to ask you some questions before you get to have your foursome."
"Oh, goody."
She'd been so focused on Bree, that she hadn't noticed who the guy was until she was staring straight at him. He was looking at her with a confused expression on his face. It was Alton Lockwood.
The last time she'd seen him, she and Aurie had turned the tables, using his vial of succubus tears to place a near-permanent enchantment on him. It was supposed to have made him forget he could cast magic, cause him pain if anyone saw him naked, and keep him from remembering them. Last she'd heard, he'd been sent away to his rich family.
"Merlin's tits."
He leaned forward, scrunching up his nose. "Do I know you?"
"Oh my god," said Bree, punching him in the arm. "That's that stupid twit who left Coterie to join Arcanium. Cake or Pie or something like that. Alton, honey, don't you remember her?"
He blinked and looked sad as he tried to remember. Pi held her breath as he spoke, afraid that they'd been able to fix his memory.
"No?"
Bree shook her head. "You're such a retard, Alton. If you weren't hung like an elephant and richer than a third-world country, I wouldn't put up with you."
Her comment brought chuckles from everyone except Bethany, who was staring at Alton as if he'd murdered her puppy. Pi was about to check on her, when Jade shook the bottle at Pi.
"This potion isn't supposed to be this good. What did you do to them?"
Yoko giggled behind a cupped hand. "She tried to put something in our drinks. I switched the glasses."
Pi focused on Bree. "Unintended effects from the mixing. I guess this is going to be a little easier than we thought. Can you tell us what Coterie's plans are for Arcanium?"
Bree tapped her electric blue fingernail against her lower lip, keeping her mouth open like a bass. "Uhm, Arcanium." She giggled. "Hall defenses are falling faster than Semyon can recover. The patrons have offered vast wealth and a pick of artifacts for whoever can take down that self-righteous prick Semyon. This is way better than those second-year games. Soon, they'll be weak enough, and that's when the real fun will begin."
A sob came from Bethany, momentarily distracting Pi. The girl was crying, but Pi put it out of her mind. She had more questions to ask.
"How soon? Do you know any specific plans?" asked Pi.
The distractions continued as Bethany was mumbling. Then Alton broke out in laughter as he seemed to notice Bethany for the first time.
"I know you," he said as Bree was explaining something about a secret way into Arcanium. Pi wanted to pay attention, but whatever was unfolding between Alton and Bethany had put up alarms in her head. "You're the dumb girl I ran out of Coterie after I tricked you into touching that cursed Sumerian artifact. Oh yes, see-through guts girl."
He started laughing, pointing at her. The scent of faez warned Pi, but she couldn't react fast enough. Bethany blasted Alton with a force spell, hitting his defensive enchantments. The spell rebounded onto the group, scattering them like bowling pins.
Pi bit her tongue as she landed on the concrete. She spit the coppery-tasting blood out.
A siren was going off in the Smoke & Amber. Pi stumbled to her feet.
"Run, get out of here. Back to the portal," she said.
Two bouncers from the bar entered the alleyway. Pi knew she was too slow. They were going to use the Voice of Command. High-end bouncers were typically members of the Protectors.
To Pi's surprise, Jade pulled a ziplock bag of orange powder from her pocket, poured it in her hand, and blew it at them. A mini-tornado formed and whirled towards the bouncers, knocking them into the street and shattering the si
de window of a passing car. When Jade released the spell, she collapsed. Her eyes flickered black, and her face contorted with a quiet agony.
Before the bouncers could regroup, they abandoned Bree and Alton and ran the other way. A sudden ice storm formed overhead, raining fist-sized balls of hard ice onto them. Pi countered with an umbrella-shield, and so did Jade, but the others didn't fare so well. Their screams filled the alleyway as they were pummeled.
Pi spied the mage behind the spell at the other end, peeking around the corner. She sent a tightly focused force missile straight into his face, throwing him backwards and ending the ice storm.
Sisi and Nancy had been knocked out. Sasha grabbed Nancy, while Pi grabbed Sisi. Bethany had blood running from a gash in her forehead. They looked like they'd been through a meat grinder. No one ran straight as they headed to the City Library, only two blocks away.
Pi thought they might get away, but then a floating metal ball appeared above their heads. Tendrils of electricity shot out of it like from a Tesla electrical generator. When the first bolt hit Bethany, it seized up her legs and knocked her to the ground. Within moments the whole group of them were on the sidewalk, screams erupting as the metal ball shocked them. Pi launched a water spell, using lexology to collapse the liquid around the ball, shorting it out.
When they stumbled into the City Library a few minutes later, the librarian behind the counter stared at them with wide eyes as they marched up the marble stairs to the second floor, where the portal was located.
They were able to wake Sisi and Nancy before taking them through the portal. When they were on the other side, safely in the undercity, only then did they relax.
Before they traveled again, Pi moved amongst them, using her Aura Healer skills to assuage the worst of the damage. There were no broken bones at least, but there were at least three concussions, and Sasha might have torn her Achilles.
"I'm sorry," said Bethany in the quiet time after, when everyone was still breathing heavily. "I couldn't believe it was him. He took everything from me."
"For what it's worth," said Pi, "my sister and I had a serious run-in with him, and gave him a taste of his own medicine."
Gathering of Shadows Page 13
