“Execute.”
The flash of white light came again, and they found themselves in an open space surrounding the upper level of the amphitheater. The crowd of wedding guests had thoughtfully left a clear space around the area of the teleport gateway, but the rest of the space was packed with attendees from all over the Armistice, others of Toby’s human friends, and a few of Layla’s trusted allies from within the Court of Shadows. The background noise of their conversations filled the acoustically perfect space, free of the muffled quality created by the mystically reprocessed atmosphere that filled the rest of the Citadel. Here, the oxygen from the Arboretum on the second level kept the air fresh.
The five of them stepped off the gateway, and Rafael led them toward one of the wide staircases, which led down to the stage at the base of the amphitheater. While they walked, however, Andrea caught a mental ripple of surprise rolling through the crowd. Just when they reached the stairs, she touched Rafael’s arm. “Wait.” He turned his head to look quizzically at her, but stopped and waited until the other three joined them.
Andrea looked around while the sound of conversation dropped away. Several of the guests stared openly at them, their faces showing various expressions of shock.
Noah was the first of the three musicians to notice something wrong. He raised a hand to silence Ethan and Matt’s conversation. More of the guests had begun to face them, and it was obvious that the three humans were the focus of their regard. Uncomfortable at the harsh scrutiny, he glanced at Andrea. “What’s going on?”
Andrea looked intently at the guests, feeling the crowd’s jumbled surface thoughts. They were mostly surprised, and some were … awestruck? She focused her attention on Noah, and the bottom dropped out of her world when she saw exactly what the others had, and what it meant.
“Oh, God,” she said with a quick exhale.
The four men watched her in confusion. “What is it?” asked Rafael.
Andrea extended her mind to find the psychic signature she needed. “Takeshi.”
The Sentinel answered immediately. “What is it, Andrea?”
“We have a problem. I need your help as Director of Armistice Security. Is there a secure location nearby where we can meet?”
“Of course. We can use the Arboretum. The whole area has been cleared for security reasons. What’s wrong?”
“Meet us in the Arboretum, then. Bring Rory and Layla, as well.”
Takeshi’s tone sharpened. “What’s wrong, Andrea?”
“If Rory is with you, ask him to look into your eyes and tell you what he sees.”
Takeshi was silent for a few seconds. “We’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”
Andrea turned back to the others. “Rafael, can you show us the way to the Arboretum? We need to have a serious discussion.”
Rafael nodded and led them back to the gateway as the wedding guests silently watched. “Ballista—transit us to the Arboretum level.”
They were suddenly standing in an open space surrounded by lush greenery. Andrea walked away from the group and sat on one of the marble benches. She sighed when she looked into the expectant faces of the other four.
“Would someone like to tell me what’s going on?” Noah asked, his voice edged with irritation.
She faced Rafael. “Raf, are you shielding your aura right now?”
Rafael raised an eyebrow. “Of course not. This is the Citadel, not the outside world. There are no latents here.”
“Yes, there are,” Ethan said in a quiet voice, staring fixedly at Matt and Noah. “Or at least, there were.”
Matt’s head snapped around to stare at Andrea. “Sentinels? We’re Sentinels?”
Andrea nodded.
Noah shook his head in denial. “No. No way. Toby wouldn’t have kept that from us.”
Rafael closed his eyes and turned away from the others. “He wouldn’t have known. Only an Air Sentinel or a vampire reading you by direct physical contact with his senses open can easily detect a Sentinel before the Gift kindles. Toby would have had to test you with a spell with specific intent to identify you.”
Matt sputtered. “Then why didn’t he go ahead and test us?”
“He was supposed to,” Andrea said. “It’s a standard precaution before bringing any human into a Free People facility. We assumed that Toby had tested you for latency before bringing you to Anchorpoint when Antonio was born.”
Ethan sighed. “He was pretty distracted. I guess he forgot.”
Noah threw up his hands. “That’s just great! Come to a party and stay forever. Could this get any worse?”
“Yes, it can,” said Rory.
They all turned around to find the Triumvirate standing on the teleport gateway behind them. Rory and Take were dressed in matching black and gray tuxedos with the seal of House Jiao-long stitched on the breast pockets. Layla wore an elegant gown of white silk, discreetly edged with lace and pearls, a sheer veil hanging down her back from a headband of filigreed silver. Rory looked carefully at Noah, Matt, and Ethan in turn.
Rafael stood straight when he faced the Triumvirate. “It’s not an Armistice violation if they kindled by entering a Free People facility of their own volition. You can’t penalize Toby for this.”
Takeshi frowned. “He broke protocol by not testing them before bringing them to Anchorpoint. If they’d kindled then, he’d be on the hook for a class three breach.” He looked at the three musicians. “But that’s not the worst of it.”
Matt swallowed. “What then?”
Rory took a deep breath. “In every generation, the Winds have always found each other.”
Noah’s eyes went wide. “Oh, Christ. You can’t be serious.”
Rory looked at Matt. “The Wind of Water.” He faced Noah again. “The Wind of Earth.” Then he looked directly at Ethan. “And you know what you are already.”
Matt blinked and looked at Ethan. “What does that mean?”
Ethan said nothing, just stared at the floor.
Rory smiled, showing his fangs. “The Wind of Fire kindled earlier in the year, but we never found him.”
Takeshi scowled at Ethan. “We thought you were wearing a psychic inhibitor to shield your mind, but you weren’t, were you? You’re doing it yourself, just like you’re concealing your Gift so that none of us can see what you are.”
Ethan raised his gaze to meet Takeshi’s. “Yes.”
Noah growled and stalked toward his bandmate with his fists clenched.
Layla raised her hand imperiously, and Noah smacked into a wall of hardened air. “There will be no violence at my wedding,” she stated.
Ethan faced Noah and Matt. “My Gift kindled when I was on vacation in Hawaii. The locals helped me discipline my emotions so I could maintain control, but I didn’t want to involve you in that life. Hell, I didn’t want to be involved, myself. I designed a spell to suppress my Gift. I wanted to be human again. It didn’t even occur to me to test you.” He dropped his eyes. “No one knew except Sarah and the Sentinels who trained me.”
Noah frowned. “Sarah? Your old girlfriend? Is that why she broke up with you? Because she knew you were a Sentinel?”
Ethan’s face twisted as he glared at Noah. “She didn’t break up with me. She died.” He scowled at Layla. “She was trampled during the Nexus riots, and I couldn’t reverse the suppression spell fast enough to reclaim my Gift and heal her injuries. She died right in front of me, and I couldn’t stop it.”
She nodded in understanding. “Is that why you turned on Tobias? Because he allied with them, you leaked details of his security to the Organic Underground. Did you honestly think spilling his blood would wash away hers?”
Ethan stood straight, implacable in his anger. “He chose his side.”
She smiled, her fangs fully extended, and her eyes shifted to red. “And when the assassins came for me and my child, as well? Were we to be just collateral damage in your vendetta?”
Ethan sagged on his feet. “I didn’t know they had
sent someone for you. Not until afterward.”
She shook her head. “Does that really matter? You have also chosen a side, Ethan Clark, and that makes you my enemy.” She stepped away from the teleport gateway. “Leave now, and I will not kill you today.”
Ethan looked around at the others, seeing both Matt and Noah staring at him in contempt. He squared his shoulders and walked back to the gateway.
Takeshi grabbed his wrist in an iron grip. “The master gateway will accept your codes to return to Earth, but then you will be forced to leave the Armistice Zone immediately, unless you accept the terms of the Armistice Declaration.” He glared directly into the eyes of the Wind of Fire. “Make no mistake, Ethan. The Nexus is part of the Armistice now, and we protect our own. You are not welcome among the Free People so long as you pursue your vengeance.”
Ethan twisted away from his clasp with more than human strength. “Fine. Can I go now?”
Rory answered. “Cutlass, relay his transit through the master gateway to Anchorpoint and notify Armistice Security to process his deportation papers.”
“Confirmed. Teleport ready.”
“Execute.”
Ethan disappeared in a flash of white, his fury naked on his face as he went.
Takeshi faced Matt and Noah. “You two won’t be feeling the effects of the Gift yet, but it’s probably best if you don’t stay for the wedding. We can make up quarters for you at Armistice Security while you train for the Test of Reason.” He tilted his head curiously. “Assuming you wish to sign the Armistice Declaration and stay in the country, of course.”
“Of course,” Matt said weakly, still in shock.
Takeshi turned to Noah. “And you have a choice to make.”
Noah frowned. “What choice?”
“You’re the Wind of Earth, Noah. If you sign on to the Armistice, then you will have a good shot at becoming Speaker for the Watch, if you want the job. I’d be happy to advise you as Director of Armistice Security, but I have no problem standing aside from the Triumvirate if you wish to join the Council.”
Noah just stared at him.
Takeshi smiled. “Think about it. You might feel differently in the morning.”
* * *
Rafael knocked at the door of the performers’ dressing room. After a moment, Nick opened the door and waved him inside. Rafael walked into the room and looked at Toby, who sat with his head down, breathing heavily. His charcoal gray tuxedo jacket was draped carelessly over the back of the couch next to him. “Do you need a bucket?”
Toby looked up reproachfully. “I’m nervous, okay? I just found out that my best friends are actually the Winds, and that one of them has been trying to have me killed for months. The world is a lot more screwed up today than it was last night. Besides, I have a right to be nervous half an hour before my own wedding.”
Rafael glanced at his watch. “Closer to twenty minutes, actually.”
Toby’s complexion turned decidedly green, and he dropped his head again. “God, don’t remind me.”
Rafael grinned at his discomfort. Then he faced Nick. “Your message said you wanted to see me.”
Nick nodded. “It’s a Nightwalker tradition to mark the start of a formal mating by making a special kind of bloodwine from the blood of both partners.”
Rafael nodded. “Selene, yes. The bottle is gifted to the couple’s closest friend or ally.”
Toby got to his feet and picked up a small, black glass bottle off the coffee table. “Layla and I wanted you to have this.” He held out the bottle to Rafael.
Rafael stared at him, eyes wide. “Me? You want me to have it?”
Toby grinned. “You’ve taken a lot of shit from me and Nick, Raf, and you’ve always hung in there to back us up. Layla and I agree that you deserve to know how much we appreciate your support.”
Rafael was completely taken aback. “I assumed it would go to Andrea.”
Toby shrugged. “I thought about it, but we’re bonded. She can’t help but know how much she means to me. Besides, what would a Sentinel want with a bottle of bloodwine?” His expression grew serious. “You stepped up and supported us out of friendship, with no ulterior motives. We want you to have something to show for it.”
Rafael felt suddenly ashamed at the casual assumption of trust. “I don’t know what to say.”
Toby pressed the bottle into Rafael’s hand. “Say you’ll take it and that you’ll remember me when I’m gone.”
Rafael closed his fingers around the cool glass. “Always,” he whispered.
The three stood in silence for a moment. Then Nick looked at his watch and nodded to Toby. “Showtime.”
* * *
The ceremony was not short, by any means, but afterward, the only thing Toby remembered was her smile when she spoke her vows.
Then everyone cheered while he and Layla walked up the center stair together to the teleport gateway that would take them to the Starlight. He gripped her hand tightly, suddenly afraid that it was all a dream, that she would slip away if he let go.
A psychic probe touched the outer ring of his mental shields, and he reached out to it.
“Peace, Leshir,” she thought. “I will never leave you.”
Toby let go. He turned back to their friends and family and waved. Then he took her hand again and jumped them both away.
PART IV: WRATH
CHAPTER 33
December 2042; Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Sentinel Henry Davis locked his car and plugged in the block heater to keep the engine from freezing up in the sub-zero weather. Then he grabbed his briefcase off the roof of the car and made his way toward the elevator of the parkade. He had three depositions scheduled for today, and he needed to leave early to set up his daughter’s tenth birthday party. He glanced at his watch. He should be right on time.
The elevator doors opened, and he hurried inside out of the bitter cold. He looked out the glass wall at the snow-covered city while he descended, completely at ease. Then he staggered, taken by surprise by the sharp squeal of static that exploded in his ears.
“Musket, what the hell was that?” he subvocalized to his AI. No answer. He toggled the diagnostics routine, but his implant network was down. He knew what that meant. Everyone knew about EMP projectors after Oxford. Immediately he began casting a spell to jump himself home.
He was almost in time.
The detonation destroyed the entire north side of the parking garage and blew out the windows of the buildings down the entire block. People came out onto the street, braving the frigid cold, to watch in awe as the ruined building slowly crumbled. They stared at each other, wondering what had happened.
Jumpvessel Starlight, circumlunar orbit
Toby dreamed of a city made of light and mirrors, when suddenly the image shattered. He blinked away the fading dream when he came awake and looked around the room. Layla slept with her head on his arm, and the window showed the bright lunar surface from orbit, bathing the room in moonlight. He lay there for a moment, wondering what had woken him. Then a tone sounded in his ears by bone conduction.
“What is it, Icarus?” he subvocalized.
“An emergency meeting of the Nexus has been called. Our presence is required.”
Toby sighed. “Icarus, I’m on my honeymoon here.”
“It’s important, Tobias.”
“Fine. Unify.”
Toby’s consciousness expanded, and Unity flew down the shining paths of the Faster Than Light relay network to enter the virtual Council Chamber at Anchorpoint. When it entered, it noted that Nexus White was already there.
Moonlight(Pact Arcanum 3) Page 20
