Circle of Stone

by R. L. King

  “Hang on,” she said, digging in her bag. “It’s probably Kyla, or one of the other—” She stopped, frowning down at the display.

  “What is it?” Stone couldn’t take his eyes off the road for more than a second in the heavy traffic, but he didn’t miss the tension in her tone.

  “I don’t recognize the number. Probably a telemarketer or something.” She hit the button. “Hello?”

  She listened a moment, then sat up straighter. “Oh, shit, seriously? Okay. Just a sec.” She tapped the speaker button and put the phone on the dash. “Okay, go ahead.”

  A breathless, scared-sounding female voice came through the small speaker. “—don’t know what he’s gonna do,” she was saying, talking fast. “He wouldn’t tell us where we were going until we got here. But now we’re at this place called Caliente. It’s on 12th Street in the Fruitvale area, in a big warehouse. I wasn’t gonna call, but I—I think he’s gonna hurt people. I snuck off to the bathroom to call you.”

  “Daisy?” Stone mouthed to Verity.

  She nodded. To the phone, she said, “So he’s there now? You’re all there?”

  “Y-yeah. Listen—I gotta go. If I’m gone long, I’m scared of what he might do. Can you come?”

  “Yeah. Yeah. My friend’s here too. We’ll both come, Daisy. Don’t worry. Just—try to stall him if you can. We’re in Oakland now. I’m not sure where that place is, but we’ll figure it out.”

  “I gotta go. Somebody’s coming. Please hurry!” The line cut off.

  Verity snatched up the phone. “Oh, shit…it sounds like they’re already there.” She looked around. “Do you know where 12th Street is?”

  “No, other than somewhere in Fruitvale. Call up a map and see if you can find it. I’ll start heading in that direction.”

  They drove in silence as Verity tried to locate the street on her phone. “You’re worried he’s gonna do something a lot worse than just go after this one guy, aren’t you?” she asked.

  “Yes. Bugger this traffic!” Stone pounded the steering wheel as brake lights flowered ahead of them. “At this rate, it’ll take us an hour to get there.”

  “Would it do any good to call the police? Maybe they can get there sooner.”

  “I don’t think so. They’d have no idea what they’re up against. If Halstrom feels boxed in, who knows what he might do? He’s already unstable, and I don’t want to have a load of dead cops on my conscience.” He glanced over at her. “You have Daisy’s number now, right? Send her a text. Maybe she can tell us what’s going on.”

  “Good idea. Ah, here we go. We’re only a couple miles from the place. Turn right at the next corner.”

  “Later this same century, I’ll do that.”

  As Stone, his frustration growing with each tiny increment the BMW moved forward, continued driving, Verity tapped out a quick message to Daisy. “There. I said, ‘On our way. What’s happening now?’”

  But after a few moments of staring at the screen, she shook her head. “No answer. Maybe she’s busy, or maybe she doesn’t feel safe responding.”

  “Well, keep checking.” He reached the corner and turned. “Now what? At least this street isn’t as packed as the last one.”

  “Go up about half a mile and turn right at the light.” She paused. “I see what you mean about not getting the cops involved, but do you think maybe you should at least call Blum? He should know, shouldn’t he?”

  Stone sighed. “You’re probably right. Not that he can do bugger-all about it.” He pulled his own phone out and punched the detective’s number, wondering if he was even on duty tonight and hoping his call wasn’t interrupting a pleasant evening with the woman he’d been having lunch with before.

  “Hey, Stone. What’s up?” Blum didn’t sound bothered about anything. Perhaps that was a good sign.

  “Detective. I’m in Oakland with Verity, and we think something might be happening.”

  “Oh, shit. Hang on.” In a moment, Stone heard a door close. “What’s going on?”

  “We think we found Ben Halstrom. We’re on our way there now.”

  “Where? How did you—”

  “Verity found Daisy, one of his little group of students. She called tonight and said Halstrom and all the kids are at a club called Caliente, over in the Fruitvale district. She thinks he’s after Julio, the man responsible for his mother’s murder. She’s also frightened of him—says he’s become increasingly unstable.”

  “Fuck.” Stone heard the tapping of computer keys in the background, and then, louder, “Fuck!”

  “What?” he asked quickly. “Did you find something?”

  “Yeah. I’m off duty tonight, so I haven’t been following the radio chatter from Oakland, and this just came in less than half an hour ago.”

  “Doc?” Verity said. She sounded worried.

  “What?”

  “Look.”

  Stone looked out her side window, following her pointed finger. In the distance, he couldn’t miss the whirling red-and-blue lights of police cars illuminating the darkened street. “Oh, bloody hell, that’s the direction we’re headed, isn’t it? Detective, what’s going on? It looks like the whole place is surrounded by police cars.”

  “Yeah. Oh, damn, this is a mess. They got a hostage situation in there. Guy claims he’s got bombs, and he’ll set ’em off if anybody tries to leave. He’s got all the doors sealed off. Shit, Stone, this is bad. It’s the boat thing all over again!”

  40

  Stone had to force himself to concentrate on driving. He wanted to get as close to the club as possible, but he could already see that wouldn’t be much closer. Even out this far, uniformed cops were directing traffic away from the area. “Calm down, Detective. I don’t think we’re dealing with bombs here.”

  “How the hell do you know that?”

  “Because Halstrom’s not a bomber. He’s a slacker who’s lived with his mum all his life. There’s nothing in his history that suggests he knows anything about bombs or how to build them, is there?”

  “No, but—”

  “I think he’s using illusions. He’s done it before. It wouldn’t take much to panic a group of people. And if his power’s increased as much as I think it has, he could easily block the exits, either with more illusions or with something physical. Especially if he’s got those kids to help him.”

  “Great. But it doesn’t matter, does it? Yeah, okay, maybe you’re right and they’re illusions instead of bombs. But the cops there aren’t gonna believe that. ‘Hey, officer, there aren’t any real bombs—the guy’s just using magic to make you think they are.’ How well do you think that’ll go over? They’re gonna treat this like a real hostage situation with real bombs.”

  Stone gave up trying to get closer and pulled the BMW into an alley. “We’ve got to get in there. I think I can deal with him if I can get close enough.”

  “How are you gonna get in? That whole place is locked down, Stone.”

  “Locked down to mundanes. Not to us.”

  Blum’s sigh was loud through the phone’s speaker. “Hang on, I’m reading more about this. Fuck, it looks like Caliente is part of a whole complex of interconnected buildings. The club’s only part of it. It’s a big maze, and I’ll eat my boots if it’s anything close to up to code. That’s a pretty sketchy part of town. If there is a real bomb, that place could go up like a tinderbox.”

  “We’ve got to do something, Detective.” Stone was already getting out of the car, motioning for Verity to do the same. “I don’t know what Halstrom’s waiting for—why he doesn’t just do what he came to do and get the hell out—but the fact that he hasn’t concerns me. It might mean he’s lost sight of his goal and he’s starting to come apart completely.”

  “What the hell is wrong with him? I mean, I know he’s a mage, but before he was just doin’ small crimes. You said you didn’t think he was much to worry about, ability-wise.”

  “Yes, well, we think that might have changed. I can’t explain any
more about it, so don’t ask. But I’ve got reason to believe he’s grown significantly more powerful—and unstable—in the last couple of weeks.”

  “Does this have something to do with what happened at the storage locker last night? Why you couldn’t find him? Was that the stuff you took off before you told me?”

  “Yes, I think so.”

  “Fucking great. So what are you gonna do?”

  Stone glanced at Verity, who was following behind him, looking grim. “We’re heading toward the building now, on foot. Couldn’t get the car any closer. Once we get there, we’ll have to play it by ear. I can’t stay on the phone much longer, though.”

  “Yeah…” Another loud sigh. “And there’s no point in me comin’ over there—I couldn’t explain why, and me bein’ there is gonna do fuck-all but get in the Oakland guys’ way. I guess this is all on you, Stone. I hope you can do something before this situation blows up in our faces—literally or figuratively.”

  “We’ll do our best, Detective. Must go now.”

  “Good luck, man. I’ll stay near the radio. Call me if there’s anything I can do.”

  Stone put the phone away and picked up his pace. Ahead, he could clearly see not only police cars blocking the road, but also fire trucks and ambulances. A flurry of figures rushed around, with various snatches of radio chatter competing for attention from several directions.

  He glanced back at Verity. “Did you ever hear back from Daisy?”

  She paused to look at her screen. “Nothing. Either he’s watching her, or something’s happened to her phone. Or she’s just too scared to remember to check.”

  “Brilliant. So no help from her or any of the others.” He stopped, studying the building. A crowd had gathered along the streets, occupying the full attention of several police officers who were setting up barricades to hold them back. Stone spotted two local news trucks parked half a block back, with reporters and cameramen just beginning to get set up. “We’ve got to get in there.”

  “How? Illusionary disguises won’t work. I doubt they’re letting anybody in.”

  “No. We’ll have to be a bit more subtle.” He scanned the building up ahead; it looked like a typical warehouse, about three stories high, constructed mostly of wood. Near the roof, a series of windows showed no light from inside. “How’s your invisibility spell?”

  She was about to answer when her ringtone went off. “Wait—maybe that’s Daisy.” She fumbled in her bag and pulled the phone out, then shook her head at Stone and answered it. “Hey, Jason. It’s not a good time.” A pause, and then, “Yeah, we heard about it. We’re here now. We—Jason, listen, stop! There’s no way you can get up here in time to do anything. Doc’s with me. We have this covered.” She rolled her eyes at Stone and shrugged. “Yeah. Of course we’ll be careful. But we have a shot at taking this guy down, and we’re gonna take it. I gotta go, Jason. Talk soon.” Without waiting for a reply, she hung up.

  “He saw the report on the news,” she told Stone. “They’re just now starting to report about it—so far it’s just ‘something bad’s going on in Fruitvale so everybody should stay away from it.’ Which of course means everybody and their grandmother is gonna converge on the area. And before they were getting calls from people inside, saying they were locked in. Nothing for a while, though.”

  “Yes, well, let’s hope we can keep it to ‘something bad’ instead of ‘something catastrophic’.” He pointed upward. “Use your invisibility when I say the word. I’ll take us up to the roof. See that broken window up there on the left, near the edge? We’ll go in there.”

  “How will we find them, though?”

  “Good question. Blum said the whole place is a maze. We’ll have to do the best we can. Send Daisy another text, in case she’s looking. Tell her we’re here and we’re coming.”

  Verity quickly dashed off the message, waited a moment for a reply, and then stowed the phone when none came. “Looks like we’re on our own for now. Okay, ready. Let’s do this.”

  Stone cast a disregarding spell over both of them, and motioned for her to fade toward the rear of the growing crowd. All around them, people had gathered as they always did at such events. Some of them seemed worried, but others were treating it almost like a big party, drinking and chattering away as they watched the cops and firefighters moving into position.

  As soon as they were out of sight, Stone nodded to Verity. “All right, do it.” He cast his own invisibility spell, then lifted them both off the ground. Around them the crowd, their attention focused on the building and the police lights, didn’t appear to notice them leave.

  By the time they slipped through the broken window near the far end of the warehouse’s roof thirty seconds later, both Stone and Verity were breathing hard from the exertion of keeping the invisibility spells up. Stone paused a moment to collect himself, taking in the area. There wasn’t much light and he didn’t want to risk a spell yet—not until he was sure there weren’t any guards—but from the dim illumination outside it looked like some kind of storeroom.

  “What a mess,” Verity muttered. “It looks like they just threw stuff all over up here.”

  Stone switched to magical sight and looked around. A few tiny, pale-green forms skittered around at floor level—probably rats—but he didn’t see any human auras. “I think we’re clear. Come on—we need to find a way down.”

  He raised his hand and summoned a dim light spell around it, since there was no way they’d make it through the mess in the darkness. The spell revealed narrow walkways between the junk, which ranged from old furniture to stacks of paper and what looked like half-finished art projects. They passed a few wider alcoves with sleeping bags and small piles of personal belongings.

  “Are people living up here?” Verity asked in surprise, shining her own light into one of the spaces.

  “Wouldn’t surprise me. Come on—I think I see a door up ahead.”

  As he headed for it, she gripped his arm. “Wait a second, Doc.”

  “What? We’ve got to go.”

  “Yeah, I know. But do you have any kind of plan at all? You don’t even know what Ben can do anymore, do you? If that rift gave him powers and they’re getting stronger—”

  “I know, Verity. I know. And no, I don’t have a plan yet. I’m hoping we can get in there and find him, either alone or somewhere far enough away from innocents that I can take him out.”

  “But what if you can’t? What if he isn’t alone?”

  Stone had been thinking about that ever since they arrived, but he didn’t have an answer. “I guess we’ll just have to hope we’re smarter than Ben—or that somebody out there in the Universe is looking fondly on us. Now come on—we haven’t time to wait any longer.”

  41

  It was laughably easy for Ben and the kids to get in to Caliente. All it took were some illusionary disguises to get them past the doormen, and after that it was a simple matter of losing themselves in the Saturday-night crowd.

  Ben’s whole body tingled with anticipation; he’d finally get the chance to get back at Julio for Ma’s death, and despite what he’d told the kids, he didn’t plan for it to be quick and painless.

  “Okay,” he told them as they huddled in a hallway outside the main dance floor. “Here’s the plan. I need to find Julio. I know he’s here somewhere.”

  “Do you want us to help you look?” Manuel asked. “You know—let you know when we find him?”

  “Remember what you said,” Patch told him. “Nobody gets hurt except him.” She peered through the wide-open doorway at the surging crowd, moving to the beat of the hip-hop DJ on stage.

  “Yeah,” Calvin said. “These folks are just havin’ a good time. Nobody gets hurt. Promise, Ben, or we’re out.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Ben said. The tingling was intensifying now, and he could barely keep his mind on anything but the thought of what he’d shortly be doing to Julio. “Julio’s here somewhere. He’s always here on Saturdays, but he’ll have bodygu
ards. Just circulate around, see if you can spot anybody who looks important. He’s a tall guy, probably wearin’ a flashy suit. Dark hair and a goatee. But don’t ask anybody. If he finds out I’m lookin’ for him, he’ll take off, and I can’t have that.” He met each of their gazes in turn, trying to be as comforting as he could manage. “Trust me, guys, everything will go fine. Just use your magic to keep yourself hidden. If you spot him, text me right away. If we’re lucky, we can get this over with and get out fast.”

  “I have to pee,” Daisy said. She’d been looking unhappy ever since they’d met up here, and now she appeared miserable.

  “Well, hurry up. Julio’s not gonna be in the ladies’ room.”

  “Y-yeah. I’ll hurry.” She turned quickly and disappeared into the crowd.

  Only then did the tingle at the back of Ben’s neck intensify. She’s going to run off. She doesn’t want to be here. Catch her before she does.

  “What, man?” T-boy was regarding him with concern. “You okay?”

  “Uh—yeah. Patch, go with Daisy, okay?”

  “Why? I don’t hafta pee.”

  “Just go with her. Buddy system, you know? I don’t want anybody runnin’ around alone.”

  Patch narrowed her eyes at him, but shrugged. “Yeah, whatever.”

  “Manuel, you and Calvin look around. Check the dance floor. T, come with me and we’ll look at the bar.”

  Ben hoped the others couldn’t sense how hard his heart was pounding. Deep inside, old Ben was still protesting that this was a bad idea, and that there was no way they’d get to Julio without hurting anyone else. New Ben, however, didn’t care, and he was running the show right now. It was one of the strangest feelings Ben had ever experienced: it wasn’t as if New Ben had taken over and Old Ben had no say in the matter, but rather that New Ben’s ideas seemed somehow more compelling. After all, Old Ben wanted revenge on Julio too. Grief still rocked him when he thought about his mother, when he pictured her lying on the floor or imagined her in her grave. Julio shouldn’t get away with it—the two sides of him were simply in disagreement about how the plan should proceed. And Old Ben wasn’t strong enough to win that argument.