by Steve McHugh
Sometimes I forget just how good a dragon-kin’s hearing is. “I assume because she knows who she can trust there, and Tommy has probably the largest network of non-Avalon contacts I’ve ever seen. From what Arthur said, Avalon sounds like it’s in some sort of free fall. That might be why My Liege has finally decided to launch their attack.”
“Hera, Baldr, Nergal, and anyone else involved. That’s a lot of power to go up against Avalon. I never thought I’d see Hera or her cronies go after humans like this. Not in the modern age, anyway. She has little care for humanity, but any pretense of keeping Avalon a secret is going to vanish if people keep using magic to kill humans in broad daylight.”
“Maybe that’s the point? Maybe they want to out us all, to make humans fear us. Humans fight back; whoever is involved in My Liege slaughters them and declares themselves rulers of Avalon.”
“That’s not a nice thought.”
“No, it isn’t. But it’s one that needs considering.” Selene took my hand in hers and kissed me on the mouth. “Go to Tommy. I’ll go find Remy and meet you there.”
“You sure? He might be out in the forest.”
“And if that’s the case, I’ll be able to track him quicker than you. Remy has a distinctive odor.”
Dragon-kins have considerably better senses than my own. I was about to ask if I had a distinctive odor when I changed my mind—there are some things I just didn’t need to know.
I left the house, taking the keys to my Jaguar F-Type R in British racing green. It was a dark, sleek car that was probably about as sexy as a car could ever manage. The five-liter, almost six-hundred-brake-horsepower engine sounded beautiful and went like a rocket with a second rocket strapped to the side for added speed. Some people would say it was ostentatious, or too James Bond, but it made me smile, so I honestly didn’t care.
I entered the garage and set the automatic outer door to open while I slid onto the comfortable leather driver’s seat. I pushed the starter button, and the noise of the engine instantly made me smile. It was probably going to be an awful day, so any little pieces of joy would be welcomed. I took the car out into the driveway and drove sedately down to the edge of my property before pushing the accelerator, grinning from ear to ear the entire journey to Tommy’s company, Enhanced Security.
Technically, Tommy’s building was two buildings that were joined together by a walkway above the staff parking area. The smaller of the two buildings was three stories high and was the main entrance to the larger, twenty-five-story building behind it.
I entered the smaller of the two buildings and was immediately taken aback by the amount of extra security in place. Normally there would be a dozen or so guards patrolling the building, but I counted twelve just in the reception area itself. Behind the massive reception were six glass lifts that contained thermal imaging and a few special tricks so that the security could see who, and more importantly what, was about to head up to the main building.
At the reception desk I was greeted by a young man with a neatly trimmed, bright-purple goatee and short, dark hair. “Matias,” I said with a smile. “The color is new.”
“The color won’t come off,” he said with the returned smile of someone who had spoken about their facial hair a lot more than they were used to. “Was meant to be washable. Now I have a purple chin. Wanna guess how happy the boss was with my beard?”
“He pointed and laughed.”
“That’s exactly what he did, yes.”
“Why don’t you just shave it?”
“Because it’s my beard, and it’s a part of me. I’ll dye it black before I shave it. I cannot have a naked chin.”
I had to admire his dedication to his beard, even if he was being mocked for it. “Talk to human resources; tell them Tommy picked on you.”
The large security guard standing beside Matias stifled a laugh.
“That’s why I don’t do that,” Matias said. “I’m a water elemental. I’ve been placed here to give me a chance to deal with all kinds of people. What kind of employee would I be if I couldn’t take a bit of gentle ribbing from my boss? I’m a hundred and nine years old; I know he’s just trying to wind me up and get a reaction. It’s not like he’s being cruel or unpleasant. I sort of expected some mockery. I mean, my beard is bright purple.”
“Even so, don’t let him keep having a go. If he says anything again, you need to show him who’s boss.”
“He really shouldn’t,” Tommy said as he left the lift and walked toward me. “I’m a werewolf, remember? I can hear you.”
“You were mean to your employee,” I said, mocking him a little.
“I pointed and laughed at his bright-purple chin. It was funny.”
I looked over at Matias. “He’s got a point. It is funny.”
Matias nodded. “I know.”
Tommy looked serious for a moment. “You honestly upset that I mocked you?”
Matias shook his head.
“You sure? Because if you are, I’ll apologize right here. My employees have the right to dye their hair any color they damn well choose. This isn’t the military.”
“I promise I’m fine,” Matias assured Tommy while passing me a small wooden bead bracelet. There were magical runes written into the property’s very skeleton, which meant the second I stepped into either building, and for my entire time inside, I lost all connection to my magic. It’s an odd sensation to lose access to my magic, and feels a lot like when I wear a sorcerer’s band, a small bracelet that stops the user from accessing their abilities or blows them up if they try to remove it. The bracelet that Tommy passed out to his employees was essentially the exact opposite of a sorcerer’s band.
The bracelet’s beads had been carved with runes that bypassed the security and allowed the wearer to access their abilities, be that magical or otherwise. They were custom-made for each person who worked here full-time, and I was fortunate enough to have had one made especially for me. Everyone who worked for Tommy wore a bracelet, even the humans. Tommy said that it was so everyone felt a connection to one another; no one was singled out as different, but I knew that it was so anyone attacking the place wouldn’t be able to weed out the humans from the rest of the staff. It was a way to keep everyone safe. And I knew that the security of his employees was always Tommy’s first concern.
“Why is it everywhere you go, you cause trouble, Nate?” Tommy asked me.
“Practice,” I told him with a smile.
Tommy glared at me before turning back to Matias. “If I ever say something that upsets you, please tell me. Nate has no sense of keeping his opinions to himself, but I at least like to think I don’t upset people on purpose.”
I chuckled, and Tommy walked with me toward the glass lifts at the far end of the lobby. “Glad you came,” he told me as the lift doors opened and we both stepped inside.
“It’s been a weird day.”
“In what way?”
“I’ll explain when we get upstairs. Who else is there?”
“Olivia, Zamek, Diana, Irkalla, and Nabu.”
“Mordred?”
Tommy paused. “He’s on his way to Scotland. Elaine’s there.”
“Even without Mordred, that’s some serious power. Olivia mentioned Mordred was there when one of these people killed themselves?”
Tommy nodded. “You ever heard of anything like this?”
“No. I didn’t even know you could kill yourself with your own magic. I’ve never heard of anyone doing it. Not even rumors.”
“Someone wants humanity to be afraid.” The lift doors opened, and we both stepped out into the walkway beyond.
I glanced out of the windows that lined the walkway. We were several dozen feet above the ground, and the busy employee parking lot beneath the walkway was full.
“Everyone got their holiday canceled,” Tommy said, clearly noticing what I was looking at.
We left the walkway by passing through a set of double doors, where two more security guards waited for
us. Tommy nodded a greeting to them both, and I followed suit. I didn’t recognize either of them, but I found it always paid to say hello to the people who were trying to protect you.
It took a few minutes of walking, and another lift ride, before we reached the top floor of the larger building, which was home to Tommy’s office and very little else. There were a few meeting rooms, all of which appeared to be empty, but no one in the corridor, or guarding the entrance to Tommy’s office. Tommy pushed open the door and beckoned me inside.
Tommy’s office was massive. It was big enough to house a small family without any problem. Windows lined one side of the building, giving impressive views of the surrounding area, while the opposite side contained bookshelves and a door to a private bathroom.
Dozens of pieces of artwork sat on the walls, most of which were science fiction or fantasy based. More than one of them was of a Star Wars character or scene. A few were even signed by the actors. In one corner sat an exact replica of Darth Vader’s costume.
“That’s new,” I told him as several of the occupants of the room turned toward us.
“Had it custom-made,” Tommy told me as we approached the group seated around a large conference table.
“And it stays here,” Olivia finished before kissing Tommy on the lips. “I have to put up with enough of his . . . quirks at home.”
“I’m certain he wears it around the office,” Diana said with a laugh. “I think he wants to chair board meetings while wearing it.”
“That’s a slight . . .” Tommy paused. “Okay, that would be really cool.”
Diana hugged me, the scent of whatever fruit shampoo she used on her long, dark hair filling my nose. “It’s good to see you, Nate. I’ve been busy with our new recruits and haven’t had much chance for socializing.”
“How are they coming along?” I asked.
“Well,” Zamek said. “Kasey and Chloe were miles ahead of the others in the beginning, but the rest of the group is catching up. You should come see them again.”
“I will,” I promised him. Tommy had set up a small, covert team that consisted of Kasey, Chloe, and several others who were off Avalon’s radar. Chloe had wanted nothing to do with Avalon after the death of her father and the subsequent arrest of her mother, Mara, but Tommy had asked her to do a job for him, and I hadn’t seen her since. A few months ago Tommy asked me to come over and observe the new recruits, and I’d been impressed. I’d spent a few months helping out with the training, but the longer I was there, the more jeopardy they would be in, so I’d left them to it. I was glad to hear it was going well.
Zamek dropped down from the chair he was on and offered me his hand, which I shook. He was one of the Norse dwarves who had helped us escape from the realm of Nidavellir. Once a dwarven realm, and ally to Avalon, it was now ruled by blood elves, a species that lived to cause death and misery.
“How’s the tablet translation going?” I asked. The tablet in question was one of the reasons we managed to escape from the blood elves. King Arthur’s brother, Kay, had been using it to jump from the Earth realm to Nidavellir and back again. Unfortunately it only took its user from one exact spot in this realm to one exact spot in the other, and until we managed to figure out how to move the spot in Nidavellir away from the blood-elf stronghold, there was very little chance of rescuing the remaining dwarves holding out in Nidavellir.
Zamek shrugged. “I can’t figure out how to change the teleport destination. I went back twice and ended up in the middle of the blood elves both times. It wasn’t a fun experience. It’s hard to translate, and even with Nabu helping, it’s slow work. Three years of research and we still haven’t managed to figure it out. We know how to get to Nidavellir, but not how to get the rest of the dwarves out of there without starting a war we might not be able to win.”
“I’m sure they’re okay.”
“Oh, I know they are,” Zamek said with a smile. “We left the blood elves something to think about, and I think they’re going to be more concerned with their own problems than my people. We’ll get to them eventually.”
I placed a hand on his shoulder as an act of understanding. “Still wearing the leather armor, I see.”
“And carrying these two axes,” he said, meaning the battle-axe on his back and the one-handed axe that hung from his belt.
“It’s taking him time to adjust to not having to fight every day,” Tommy said.
Zamek took a deep breath. “It’s a strange thing, not having to worry about blood elves attacking every day. Not having to go out and forage for supplies. Good, but strange.”
“We will figure out the tablets eventually,” Nabu told me as he shook my hand. At one point, Nabu had been considered the Mesopotamian god of wisdom, although in reality he was an och, a rare species and one of the few who were genuinely immortal. He was smart, and cunning, sometimes to his own detriment when he felt that keeping secrets worked better for him. Some of those secrets had come back to bite him on the ass. He was several inches taller than me, with long, dark hair that cascaded over his shoulders. His beard was neatly trimmed, and looked like he spent time and effort to achieve the effect. He wore an expensive gray suit that I was certain had cost a lot more than I would have felt comfortable spending on one item of clothing. I liked him, and I’d fought alongside him several times, but I wasn’t certain I trusted him not to keep secrets again. He tended to work several moves in front of everyone else and thus expected people to know things he knew without having to tell anyone. It made for the occasional difficult moment when everyone really did catch up and wanted to know why he didn’t mention anything.
“Hi, Nate. Care to join the meeting of the minds?” Irkalla said. She leaned against Tommy’s wooden desk, a wry smile on her elegant face. She wore a simple pair of jeans, a red T-shirt, and black trainers, and still looked refined. Irkalla was a necromancer, and one of the most powerful I’d ever met, with maybe only Hades outclassing her, and even then I wasn’t 100 percent certain she wouldn’t be able to take him.
Irkalla walked over to me and hugged me tight. “It’s good to see you again.”
“You, too,” I told her. “Selene will be along shortly with Remy.”
A sparkle flickered in Irkalla’s eyes. “Excellent, I haven’t seen Remy in months.”
The pair had become close friends in the last three years, something I never would have even considered if I hadn’t seen it myself. Remy’s natural ability to piss off anyone no matter how much more powerful they were than him was something Irkalla greatly admired.
“How are you doing, Nate?” Olivia asked as we walked over to the only remaining seated person at the long conference table, Fiona Daly.
“I’m good. Arthur came to see me earlier.”
The room immediately fell silent.
“Why?” Fiona asked.
Fiona was a conjurer and was able to create illusions. It was a powerful ability, and she used it to great effect as an agent for the SOA. I’d known her for a few centuries and found her to be an excellent agent. She could be counted upon when the shit hit the proverbial fan, which happened a lot when dealing with Avalon. She was married to Alan Daly, who was . . . not . . . an SOA agent. For most of his life, Alan wasn’t someone you could say was law-abiding. But since marrying Fiona, he’d become a changed man, and his lack of presence in the meeting was an odd one.
I explained about Arthur’s visit and his request, as well as the information about Lucie Moser.
“This is news to me,” Fiona replied. “Why would Lucie move jobs? She loves her job.”
“News to me, too,” Olivia said, making me feel nervous for the first time. It was rare that Olivia was unaware of something as momentous as the head of the SOA stepping down.
“Well, I’m just relaying information,” I said, feeling their stares.
“What about Galahad?” Nabu asked. “You’ve shown no interest in working for Avalon and have in fact taken several steps over the years to stop people in
Avalon from doing their jobs.”
I shrugged. It was pretty much the only thing I could think of to do.
“Maybe that’s why Arthur asked him?” Irkalla said. “Nate is friends with both Galahad and Arthur, yet he has no allegiance to Avalon or Shadow Falls. Do you think Galahad is involved with what’s happening here?”
“No,” I said instantly.
“I can’t see it,” Diana said. “It’s Galahad. He’s not the despot-murdering-innocent-people kind of person.”
No one else had anything to say for several seconds.
“Do you want to wait for the rest of us to arrive?” Tommy asked.
“No, we need to get on with this,” Fiona said, and I saw the irritation in her manner for the first time. She was usually excellent at keeping her emotions in check—it came with the territory when you worked for the SOA—but her control was slipping. I got the feeling she was dealing with something that I’d soon find out about, so I didn’t bother to ask her what was going on.
“Anyone else coming can catch up,” Fiona continued. “I had Tommy call everyone here for a reason.”
“You did?” I asked. “So, I was the last to know?”
Tommy nodded. “We didn’t want to include you until we knew what was happening.”
“Why?”
“You’ll see.”
“So, does everyone else here already know what Fiona is about to say?” I asked, wanting to figure out exactly where I stood in terms of knowledge compared to the others.
“Selene and Remy wouldn’t know,” Olivia said. “Neither does Zamek, Nabu, or Irkalla. Only Tommy, Diana, and myself know what’s happening.”
“Can I start?” Fiona asked, her voice quaking slightly and a little anger leaking out, as if she were trying her best not to just explode and release whatever was bothering her.
“Sorry,” I said, hoping to defuse some of that barely contained anger.
“Two weeks ago Elaine Garlot and a dozen of her bodyguards vanished. One of them was my husband, Alan.”
“What?” I snapped.
“Nate,” Tommy said softly. “Seriously, wait.”
