Heart of Gold: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Clans of Shadow Book 1)

by J. A. Cipriano

“Yeah, lady, and you just told us you’ve got bosses over you,” I rightly observed while jutting out my impressive chin. “Now I’m a military man, so I know a bit about how this whole chain of command thing works. You might be all sunshine and dandelions, but you seriously don’t think your boss wouldn’t go over your head?”

  “Other than being the lucky recipient of the most powerful artifact we know of, Bearer, you have no clue what is going on around you. I don’t know you, and I don’t give a shit what you think.” Marlowe looked back at the Doc. “You know me, and you know us. We wouldn’t kidnap your son for leverage. There’s nothing to gain by it, especially with the White’s stance toward hostages and negotiation.”

  Gabby’s knuckles whitened as her fingers dug into the plush armrests. “I know you, Tabitha, but your cult? They were responsible for John’s death, along with all the rest of the Peacekeepers.” If Gabriela could cast a spell, I honestly thought she might break that Hippocratic oath of hers and do some serious harm. “You’ll understand if I don’t believe you when you say your people wouldn’t take my son from me.”

  “Ditto!” Of course I was going to add my two cents because it was totally fucked up to kidnap her kid. Who was John? Well, I had a guess, and it was certainly making some things turn crystal clear for me.

  The director looked like a dog who had just been hit with a newspaper for crapping on the carpet. “I tried to warn him just like I’ve tried to warn you.” She shook her head while somehow managing to look even more tired than when we first walked in. “I had to do my duty, do my part to save the world, but I never wanted to hurt anyone in your family. How many times had you healed my own people? How many hours had John given selflessly to help out both sides when things went too far?”

  “Oh, but you rolled over for your master when push came to shove, didn’t you, Tabby?” I rolled my eyes. “Just another soldier marching to orders while thinking that makes shit A-OK! Well, newsflash, it doesn’t!” I stabbed a finger at her. “Every asshole general everywhere tells you otherwise, but at the end of the day, you own the blood you spill.”

  Tabitha shot me an icy stare. “You think I don’t know that?” She glanced back at Gabriela. “You know what’s at stake here, what this war is about. Sometimes the greater good is more important than principles. There’s plenty of time to hate yourself after everyone else is safe.”

  The Doc’s expression was unchanging. “Principles make sacrifice worthwhile. If you burn those up in the process, you’ve done it all for nothing.” She leaned forward. “But it doesn’t matter what you believe to be true. I just want Max back.”

  “Didn’t you hear what I said? We don’t have him.” Marlowe rubbed her eyes again. “Look, I’ll prove it to you.” She picked her phone up off the desk and tapped away at it. “I’ll talk to Marcus, and you can hear the truth from the horse’s mouth.”

  “Who the fuck is Marcus, and why should we care what he says?” I asked, letting my annoyance leak into my voice. The name sounded familiar, but I wasn’t quite sure why. Still, they seemed to think he was important, and if he was important, even if they didn’t have Gabby’s son, he was at least responsible for some of what had happened at Gabriela’s clinic. That meant he’d have to pay. Big time.

  Doc eyed me sidelong. “Marcus Drakos is the Grand Elder of the End Society, the C.E.O. of EnderTech LLC. The big boss, if you will, and one of the most powerful wizards on the planet.”

  Tabitha continued to text as I responded, “That answered number one, but what about question two?”

  “He has a curse on him.” Gabriela’s demeanor softened as her tone turned scholarly. “Well, technically, it was a mutual enchantment laid upon both Roland and Marcus, one of the last mutual ideas shared by the cults before our little Cold War went hot. It forces both leaders to communicate in nothing but the truth. Whatever he tells us, be it by text, speech, or telepathy, has to be the truth, at least on the technical level.”

  “Fat lot of good the truth did for you guys, no offense.” I couldn’t help but snort. “Still, I suppose it’s something.”

  Tabitha put down the phone. “I should hear back from Elder Drakos shortly.” She sighed. “Now, while I am sure I’m right here and things are on the relative up-and-up, we should talk about la Corazon. It’s the whole reason behind the mess we’re in, after all. We never would have attacked your clinic, Gabriela, had you not been in possession of the heart.”

  “To study it, yes, not to weaponize it, something I’m certain is at the top of the End’s agenda.” Gabriela gestured broadly around the room. “After all, it could end magic as we know it, which is the sole thrust of your rituals.”

  “You’re not as correct as you think. All the rituals here are complete.” Tabitha seemed like she should have smiled, but she didn’t. Instead, she almost looked relieved.

  I raised my hand. “Look, as the guy who both has the trinket beating in his chest and the guy who has the least idea what the fuck is going on, can we have some catch-up over here?”

  Abner muttered something in that gravelly voice of his. Out of the heat of action, I could make out the weird marks on his forehead as more Hebrew. That reminded me of something, some old tales Mr. Goldman loved to tell Bobby and me when we were kids.

  “Yes, Abner, but this is nothing hidden. If Mr. Butcher is going to be a player in our world now, he needs to know the ground rules.” Tabitha shrugged at Gabriela. “No offense, Doctor, we may be friends, but I’m sure you didn’t tell him things from our perspective, now have you?”

  The Doc made to open her mouth, but I shook my head at her. “Let the lady speak, Doc. This is America. Everybody gets their say, right?” She looked at me for a long time before nodding.

  Tabitha smiled. “Well, I’m certain you know the baseline concept here. The White wants to spread magic to everyone, from the brightest minds to the maddest of hatters, while the End wishes to dampen magic to a manageable level. To be fair and open, that could mean the elimination of all overt magic because we’ve all seen how effective it is to regulate magic, eh Gabriela?” She let out a slow breath that made me think she might not actually be taking a jab at the doctor, but either way the Doc didn’t take it that way. Her eyes seethed with rage. “You can imagine how both of these stances could cause disagreement among the magical community.”

  “Yeah, folks don’t like their toys taken away, but at the same time there’s a shit ton of assholes who I hope to God never learn how to explode heads with their minds.” I took a deep breath, finding it a little odd I had to play the adult. Pathetic, right? “I don’t see why you don’t just deal with this shit like normal folks. You know, talk it out, debate, government red tape, the usual B.S.”

  Oddly, that made both Gabriela and Tabitha break out laughing. Even the taciturn clay guy let out a chuckle. “Since when have normal people settled anything without war?” Tabitha shook her head sadly as she settled back into her chair. “We wizards have kept our problems and disagreements under control for thousands of years.”

  “Well, you’ve done fucked up now, to quote a phrase.” It was my turn to laugh. Guess us normal people weren’t the only fuck ups around. “So I take it you guys both have a grand scheme to bring balance to the Force? And let me guess, it was your buddies in black that figured it out first, so you guys executed Order 66 on the only guys standing in your way, the Peacekeepers?”

  Tabitha was a bit speechless at my awesome talents of deduction, but Gabriela nodded sadly.

  “I knew you were always smarter than you looked, Frank. That’s essentially the truth of the matter, even though I’m pretty sure no one is going to get your reference to Palpatine having all the Jedi killed during the Clone Wars.” Gabriela smiled in a way that made me feel like she was a nerd after my own heart. “Both of our cults have been working for centuries on various rituals to fulfill our goals. Before the last year or so, these efforts have been kept in check by treaty, conclaves, the Peacekeepers, and occasionally direct sabota
ge.”

  Marlowe broke in again, “On behalf of the Society, I will take the responsibility for the… clash with the Peacekeepers.” It was obvious from her darting eyes, she couldn’t meet the Doc’s gaze. “While I don’t agree with it, and wish there had been another way, it happened, opening the way for us to rein in magic once and for all.”

  Before Gabriela could jump in again, I opened my big mouth. “Why? I mean, look, I can get the idea of not wanting every asshat with a wand to be able to blow up the world, sure, but why get rid of all of it? Hell, before you guys decided to blow up the Doc’s place, I never even knew there was real, live magic out there. Ninety-nine percent of the world doesn’t! Why rock the boat?”

  “In the last decade alone, the world has been brought to the brink of utter annihilation over a dozen times by rogue wizards and misused artifacts, Mr. Butcher, and those are just the ones I know about. Every time we come just a hair closer to the edge, and on a long enough time frame, every game of Russian roulette ends the same way. How many more times will we luck out before someone goes too far?” Tabitha gestured at Gabriela. “I’m telling the truth, aren’t I?”

  I didn’t need Gabriela to affirm what she said to realize she had a point. Given enough dumbasses with the power to destroy the world, it’d eventually happen. It almost made me want to help her erase magic, only that would be giving into fear, and we all knew how giving into fear ends. With joining the Dark Side. Well, screw that noise.

  Gabriela looked from me to Tabitha and back again while biting her lip. “In part, yes. We have had too many close calls, but nothing the Peacekeepers couldn’t handle.”

  “The Peacekeepers were too soft on the White and their overuse of magic!” Tabitha roared, suddenly angry. “Or have you forgotten Rio?”

  “No, I haven’t.” Gabriela sighed. “I’ll be the first to admit the Alliance occasionally steps too far into the expansion of magic, but to go the other way has more than a few dangers of its own. You know as well as I do that magic is inherent to life itself.”

  “I do, but stronger steps needed to be taken. Almost no one in the End wants to see magic totally wiped out, but there have to be more stringent controls in place.” Tabitha placed her palms on the desk palms up, “Otherwise it won’t matter if you rescue Max because there won’t be a goddamned planet for him to live on.”

  An idea sprang into my head, and before I realized what I’d done, I’d stood up and raised my hands. “Okay, look, I get the idea. You two are going to start arguing philosophy in a second, which is going to break my poor brain.” I glanced at Clayface. As I’d leapt to my feet, he’d moved, but now he was watching me with cool, calculating eyes. “Look, let’s say you guys did take Max, regardless of your personal intentions. Maybe we can cut a deal and everybody can leave happy and without killing each other.”

  The Doc blinked at me. “Frank –”

  “Quiet, Doc, let me say my peace, okay?” I looked to Tabitha for leave to go on, not that I needed it. I sort of figured I should play nice if this were to have any chance of sinking in.

  Tabitha nodded. “Go ahead, Mr. Butcher.”

  “Well, it’s obvious you would have taken Max to get the heart, right?” I thumped my chest lightly. “Well, here it is. How about I put myself in your custody, work for you guys willingly, if you let the kid go and throw in some restitution to Gabriela for the damage you did and the people you hurt? You get what you want, the Doc gets her boy back, and nobody else gets hurt.”

  As I said the words, I could hear my very own Jiminy Cricket saying, “Frank, these Ender guys are obviously the bad guys! How could you cut a deal with them? How could you join them?”

  I mentally glanced at the cricket on my shoulder and smirked at the poor dumb bastard. “Well, shit, isn’t it obvious?” I told the figment of my imagination. “Gabriela just wants her son back. If I can get him back. This shindig is over, and she won’t be in harm’s way anymore.”

  The cricket just looked at me like I was a complete dumbass, which was probably bad since I’d made him up. Now I was explaining stuff to my dumb self? Man, this golden heart thing was really melting my brain.

  But, here was the thing. It did make perfect sense to me. We Butchers prize family above all else. I didn’t give a shit about who I might be working for as long as Gabriela got the last bit of family she had back. It was plain as day that this John had been her husband and a Peacekeeper at that. Max was all Gabby had left, and I was going to do what I said: get her son back, no matter what.

  Besides, who says the Enders were the bad guys? Shit, they were talking at least as much sense as the Whites were. Frankly, they both seemed a bit too extreme for me. The very fucking fact both Gabby and Tabby (see what I did there?) seemed to be straying from the party lines a bit made me think all of these cults were as fucked up as our political parties. In other words, they were all a bunch of assholes who cared too much about their ideology to see the real answer was somewhere in the middle.

  Apparently pleased with my offer, Tabitha pushed her glasses back up on her nose and smiled. It was a genuine one. The relief from not having to hurt someone she thought was a friend was as plain as day. “Mr. Butcher, I can’t say absolutely before talking to Marcus, but I honestly think that would be perfect. If we really do have Max, I don’t want to keep him from Gabriela.” She looked to the Doc. “I mean that.”

  Gabriela looked from Tabitha to me and back again. “I know.” She shook her head slowly. “I can’t say I entirely agree with this decision, Frank, but honestly? All I want is to go home with Max. I won’t stand in your way.” If I’d had any doubts at all, they were squashed. Even Jiminy seemed satisfied because he glanced from me to her and threw up his hands before disappearing in a puff of logic.

  Tabitha’s phone rang, making me think we’d get to talk to the big man himself. As she picked up, I walked over to Gabriela and put a hand on her shoulder. “Thanks, Doc. I don’t want to work for anybody, but I said I’d do anything to get your boy back.” She didn’t say anything, but she did put a hand over mine and smile up at me. My heart beat a little harder and let me tell you, it had nothing to do with la Corazon this time!

  The moment was shattered when Tabitha’s voice went flat. “Are you absolutely sure, Elder?”

  My hackles rose, and I found my eyes searching the room for anything that even remotely resembled a weapon. The coat rack, the desk lamp, even one of those slab-shaped magic tomes on the bookshelf, I wasn’t going to be picky! Another moment passed as Tabitha listened to the phone and her expression grew grim. “I understand, but… is this what we are reduced to?”

  The Doc stood, realizing the same thing I did. Shit was going sour fast.

  Tabitha sighed deeply, turned the phone to speaker, and held it out toward us. A surprisingly mild and even man’s voice with just a hint of a Greek accent came out.

  “I know you will only entirely believe this by hearing it through my own voice, Dr. Perez, Mr. Butcher. It is with a heavy heart I regret to inform you I must keep your son, Doctor. Maximillian will remain in my custody until the final ritual is complete.” There was a pause. “Afterward, you can have him back.”

  “You bastard!” Gabby spat, pulling at the bead bracelet. Even though I hadn’t been directly betrayed, it felt like I had. Marcus would pay for that. I turned, ready to call upon la Corazon and shred the magic right off her stupid bracelet so the Doc could get busy.

  What stopped me was the click of safeties from the four guards still in the room.

  “I’m truly sorry, Dr. Perez, but this is for the greater good of mankind. You will be held by Director Marlowe until the matter is settled. As for you, Mr. Butcher, you will be held as well. While I appreciate the intent of your proposed deal, it won’t be necessary.”

  Even Tabitha, already a bit shell-shocked from her boss’s demands, seemed surprised at that. “But, Elder, he’s the Bearer. Don’t we–”

  “No, Tabitha, we have no current need of la Cora
zon. Confine them to the prison and treat them with all due care.” The phone clicked off, leaving us in a silence so ominous, the Jaws theme song started playing in my head.

  Fuck, there was nothing to lose. I lunged across the table. I’d go to Hell before I was made some shitty prisoner of war by that fucker.

  Unfortunately, Abner was right there, moving with surprising speed for a giant clod of sod. Before I could wrap my hands around the letter opener on her desk, the guy grabbed both of my wrists and jerked me off my feet. He lifted me up, and I dangled in front of his eyes like a piñata.

  Just like that, it looked like the jig was up and the game was over. With only a last few defiant kicks that did shit and nothing, the Doc and I were drug off. Tabitha could only stare, looking pale and defeated as the office door closed behind us.

  10

  You know what hit me surprisingly hard out of all of this? The stupid wizard jail was totally fixed by the time they hauled us down there. Aside from the errant bits of shrapnel here and there, I couldn’t even tell someone had chucked a grenade at us. It added that extra layer of futility as if the danger and bullshit of the last few hours had been for nothing. Which they had been.

  The walking Pottery Barn seemed to be in charge of our stay, directing the other guards with short phrases that made me wish I had paid a shitload more attention during those summers spent vacationing with the Goldmans. Still, they didn’t feel a need to rough us up or even be particularly rude about the whole imprisonment thing. Small comfort, but you take what you can get, right?

  Gabby and I got a cell apiece on opposite corners of the jail, close enough to hear each other but not see each other. After the goons locked us up, they seemed content to let us stew in our own juices without chaperons. I gave our hosts a few minutes to stay away before going to the bars.

  “Okay, Doc, what’s the plan?” I grabbed the prison bars and gave them a test. As solid and real as, well, actual prison bars. “I rip up the magic or what not and you bippity us out of here?” I may have been new to this stuff, but I damned well knew a wizard prison had to be magic’d up to the nines.