by Tim Waggoner
As if reading my mind, Russell said, “They’re probably wondering where your partner is.”
“I’m a bit concerned about that myself. Why don’t you tell me where he is?”
“I don’t know where Jinx is. I was just as surprised as you when he was abducted.”
I gave him a look that said I thought he was full of shit.
“Honestly. They think I’m a mercenary. A hired hand. They only tell me what they think I need to know to get the job done.”
“And did They tell you to take me out for grilled cheese?” I asked.
He smiled. “I added that part. They called me when you and Jinx arrived. They didn’t know that I was out walking Bloodshedder and that I’d already run into you before you entered the building. They told me that I was to approach you after you left and tell you that I knew you were the same Audra I’d met as a child, that I felt guilty for freeing Quietus, and that I now wanted to help you get him back. I was supposed to tell you that Shocktooth hired me to help her, and then I was supposed to convince you to let me accompany you when you went to Nod to track her down.”
“The old mercenary with a heart of gold routine, eh?”
“That’s about the size of it.”
“What was supposed to happen when we found Shocktooth? Was she supposed to kill me?”
“No. We weren’t going to find her. I was supposed to lead you on a wild goose chase. You and Jinx, or so I thought. I guess they had other plans for him.”
“This isn’t making a whole lot of sense to me, Russell. These people obviously have no compunctions about killing. They’ve had Quietus kill four people so far. Why not just kill me and Jinx if they wanted us out of their hair so badly?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know for sure. My guess is that killing humans is one thing, but killing a couple Shadow Watch officers would cause more trouble than they want right now. Besides, they can always kill you later if they want.”
“Let me guess. They are the Lords of Misrule.”
He nodded. “And as you’ve probably figured out, the Lords run Perchance to Dream.”
“Ha! In your face, Sanderson! I knew I wasn’t crazy.” I blinked. “Wait? What? I didn’t sense any Incubi when Jinx and I were there.”
“They’ve developed some kind of tech that masks the presence of Incubi from both Ideators and each other. It’s those pins they wear. They gave me one for Bloodshedder, and I attached it to her collar.”
I bent down to look under the table and saw that the dachshund did indeed have one of the closed-eye pins on her collar in place of a tag. When I sat up again, I said, “Dr Kauffman was wearing one of those pins. Does that mean…”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Everyone at Perchance to Dream wears one. They could be Ideators, Incubi, or something else entirely. Who knows?”
I frowned. “Something else? There is no something else. There are humans and Incubi. That’s it.”
Russell smiled, but he didn’t elaborate.
The Lords of Misrule are an ancient order of Incubi, some of them reportedly thousands of years old. The Lords view humanity not as their creators, but more like seeds from which they had sprung, or a spark that touches off a flame. They see Incubi as superior to humans – after all, are they not stronger and, as long as they have periodic access to direct Maelstrom energy, virtually immortal? And if Incubi are a higher form of life, why should they be relegated to spend eternity in a single extra-dimensional city? They should not only rule Nod, but the Earth as well.
At one time, the Lords were a power to equal the Shadow Watch, and the two groups clashed often over the centuries. But as Sanderson had reminded me, the Lords had long ago declined in strength and influence, and now they functioned primarily as a criminal organization, concerned more with profit than with conquering two worlds.
But what if that was only what they wanted the Shadow Watch to think? What if they remained as strong as ever? It seemed that was the case – if Russell was telling me the truth.
“OK,” I said. “Let’s back up a bit. If Shocktooth didn’t hire you, who did? And what did you do with Quietus after you took off?”
“The Lords hired me through an intermediary. Some man I didn’t recognize and who didn’t give me his name. He was human, though. Several weeks ago, he put the word out on the streets of Nod that he was looking for me. Well, for Nocturne, anyway. I got in touch with him and we arranged to meet. He said the Lords had heard good things about my work, and that they wanted to put me on retainer. I’d been hoping to get the Lords’ attention for some time, so I said yes. They had me do a few jobs for them – nothing too serious,” he hastened to add. “Then last night, they called me and told me to meet Shocktooth at the corner of Soma and Stygian streets. I did, and she told me what we were supposed to do. I was surprised. I’d known for some time that you and Jinx were Shadow Watch officers, but our paths had never crossed before. That’s one of the reasons I decided to wear a mask when working, just in case we ever did bump into each other.”
“You didn’t want to see me?” I felt a pang of disappointment at the thought, and I mentally chided myself.
“Your recognizing me would’ve complicated things.”
“What things?”
Once again, he chose to ignore my question. It was really starting to irritate me.
“After Shocktooth and I got Quietus a safe distance away, we freed him from the negators, and then he and Shocktooth left together. That’s the last I saw or heard of them. An hour or so before sunrise, I got a call from the man who originally hired me. I was still in Nod, and he told me to go over to Earth and head to Perchance to Dream. It was dawn by the time I got there. I’d never been there before, but Schulte introduced himself to me – man, can that guy talk or what? And then he took me to Dr Kauffman. I was shocked to see her. I was so nervous, in fact, that I almost puked. I felt nauseated the entire time I was there, actually.”
I was surprised to hear Russell describe physical symptoms similar to what I’d experienced at Perchance to Dream. Maybe seeing Dr Kauffman had hit him as hard as it had me. Or maybe there was something else. Whatever it was, it seemed too coincidental that both of us had felt sick in the building.
“That’s pretty much it,” Russell said. “The rest you know.”
“Not so fast. There’s still plenty I don’t know. You’ve danced around it, but it’s clear that you intended to infiltrate the Lords of Misrule. Why?”
Russell just looked at me.
I went on. “If you’re not really working for the Lords, then who are you working for? Not the Shadow Watch. Sanderson seems to believe the Lords aren’t the threat they once were. Besides, I’m familiar with all our officers. I’d know if you were on the force.”
Still no response from Russell.
I didn’t know what to think. While there are other organizations besides the Shadow Watch and the Lords of Misrule in Nod – the Wakenists, the Dreamtakers, the Somniacs, the Hand of Erebus, and more – most are relatively small-time in comparison. As far as I knew, none of them had the stones to take on the Lords. So, who could Russell be working for? Some group I’d never heard of, maybe even one that was completely unknown to the Shadow Watch? It didn’t seem possible. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t true.
“You know, picking and choosing which of my questions to answer is not a great way to build credibility. It makes me wonder if you’re telling the truth about any of this.”
“I know. I’m sorry. If I could tell you everything, I would.”
“And I’m supposed to take your word and leave it at that.”
“You believe what you need to, Audra. Hell, if our positions were reversed, I’d have a hard time believing me, too.”
I was starting to get a headache. I could’ve really used a hit of rev right then, but I’d emptied my inhaler back at Perchance to Dream, and rev wasn’t the sort of thing they sold over the counter at the corner drugstore. I’d just have to make do with the caffeine in my soda
for now.
“Can you tell me why you wanted to infiltrate the Lords?” I asked.
“We’d gotten word that they were planning something big, as in potentially catastrophic. We needed to find out what.”
We. I knew better than to ask again who he was referring to.
“Whatever it is, I bet it has something to do with the Incursions.”
“You got it. I’m certain the Lords are causing them, although I have no idea how or why.”
“Do you know about the one that happened today?”
He frowned. “You mean that one at AT&T Plaza?”
“Jinx and I were there for that one. Quietus, too. I’m talking about another one.” I told him about the Incursion that had happened when Jinx and I were on our way to Perchance to Dream. By the time I was done, much of the color had drained from his face.
“Holy shit. I had no idea something like that was possible! A Day Incursion! Have you told your people about it?”
“I sent word.” I had no idea what Sanderson’s reaction to the news had been. I hadn’t received any word from David Lindroth in London before my wisper was taken by the Blacksuits. I could’ve called him on my phone, but I was reluctant to do so in front of Russell. I wasn’t sure why. I told myself it wasn’t because I wanted to avoid talking to a former lover in front of him.
“What about the murders that Quietus committed?” I asked. “How do they fit into all this?”
“I don’t know,” Russell said. “I assume they’re part of the Lords’ ultimate plan, whatever that is.”
Four murders. All the victims had been human, and they were all killed in Chicago. But why? After everything I’d learned in the last day, I still had no idea.
“So, do you think whatever is going on at Perchance to Dream is connected to the Incursions?”
“Yes,” he said. “But I haven’t found any evidence yet.”
“Anything else you can tell me?” I asked.
“Can?” He smiled. “No. But I haven’t kept anything important from you.”
I sighed. “I can see we’re going to have some serious trust issues to work on in the future.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Oh? Are you shipping us already?”
I felt my cheeks burn, and I knew I was blushing. “Just making a joke.”
“Sure.” But his grin told me he didn’t believe it.
I decided to get back to business before this could go any further. Not that I wanted it to. Or maybe I did. Either way, I thought it best to change the subject.
“Where’s that ultra-cool sword of yours?” I asked.
“My rapier? It’s not the sort of thing I can carry around during the day.”
“You keep it stashed in your car?”
He just smiled at me.
“The Shadow Watch has nothing like it. Where did you get it?”
More smiling.
“Fine. Go ahead and play the inscrutable man of mystery. See if I care.” I let out a sigh and moved on. “When the sun sets, can you and Bloodshedder help me locate a Door? I need to get to Nod and find Jinx.” I was gambling that the Blacksuits would take Jinx to Nod once the sun set, if for no other reason than there weren’t many places in the city where a bunch of insane rampaging clowns would go unnoticed.
“No problem. Bloodshedder may be an Incubus, but she has a dog’s senses. In her Night Aspect, they’re even stronger. She’ll have no trouble finding the nearest Door.”
“Great. Speaking of Bloodshedder, I was surprised by her Day Aspect. Given what she looks like at night, I was expecting something a bit more…”
“Fierce?” he asked.
I nodded. “And large.”
He laughed. Bloodshedder, however, gave me an irritated growl.
“It’s OK, girl. Audra wasn’t trying to insult you.”
Actually, I had been, but I decided not to point that out.
“You know how it is with Incubi,” Russell said. “Their Day Aspects are often the opposite of their night ones.”
I thought of all the differences between my two Jinxes. I knew exactly what Russell meant.
“But there’s another reason that she appears as a dachshund during the day. I talked about it during our sessions with Dr Kauffman. Do you remember?”
“Honestly, I try to remember as little as possible about that time. I remember that she worked with a lot of kids, and that she’d sometimes see us one-on-one, in pairs, or in small groups. She had us talk about a lot of stuff beside our dreams. How things were for us at home and at school, things we fantasized about, and things we were afraid of.” I frowned as I tried to recall more detail. “I think I remember you talking about something your family dog did to you when you were really little. It bit you, right?”
“Yeah. I was three. I barely remember it, but my parents told me the story often enough as I was growing up, so that it’s almost like I remember every detail, you know? I was playing in the backyard with the dog – a dachshund named Heidi. She loved chewing on rawhide bones, so my mom brought one outside for me to give to her. Heidi and I had been running around the backyard chasing each other up to that point, so she was already worked up. Mom gave me the bone and instead of offering it to Heidi, I ran with it. She chased me. I tripped and fell, and she tried to pull the bone away from me. Unfortunately, one of my fingers got in the way.”
“Ouch.”
“Dachshunds may look small, but they can bite damn hard. I bled like a stuck pig and wailed as if I was dying. In the end, it only took a couple of stitches to fix. I forgave Heidi and still played with her after that, but I was always a bit wary of her. I knew that even though Heidi was my friend, she could still hurt me if she wanted to. I never was able to forget the sight of her teeth closing around my finger, or the blood gushing from my wound.”
“Bloodshedder,” I said.
He nodded.
I remembered now. He had told the story during our sessions with Dr Kauffman. More than once. She’d insisted on it, telling us that the more often we spoke about our fears and traumas, the less power they’d have over us. What a crock.
We talked about our lives some more after that. I told Russell about when Jinx achieved full Ideation and how for a time, my life was a living nightmare – in more ways than one – until I’d been recruited by the Shadow Watch not long after graduating high school.
After Bloodshedder reached Ideation – sometime during Russell’s first semester in college – he’d run from her, thinking she was going to kill him. She chased after him, merely wanting to make contact with her Ideator, but in doing so, she led him to a Door. He opened it and went through, and Bloodshedder followed. He’d kept running through the streets of the bizarre world he’d entered, until he was so exhausted he couldn’t run anymore. He hid in an alley and sat with his back against a wall, eyes closed, gulping air and waiting to die. Before long, he heard Bloodshedder pad into the alley. She stopped in front of him, licked his face once, than curled up on the ground next to him.
After that, he knew he didn’t have to be afraid of Bloodshedder anymore. And since he no longer needed to sleep, he spent his days on Earth and his nights in Nod. Eventually, he dropped out of college and took up residence in Nod on a more or less full-time basis.
“It just felt more like home to me, you know?” he said.
Not really. Truth to tell, I don’t feel much at home in either dimension. I don’t have any human friends – ones that aren’t Ideators, I mean – and since I’m an only child, I don’t have any siblings. My dad passed away from lung cancer a few years back, and my mom moved to Colorado to be closer to her sister and her kids. About the only time I see her is Thanksgiving and Christmas, and even then I can only see her during the day since I have to get back to whatever hotel I’m staying at by nightfall, when my “platonic friend” accompanying me transforms into a maniacal clown.
Don’t get me wrong: I like being a Shadow Watch officer. But it can get lonely sometimes. Which was why, I suppose, t
hat I was enjoying talking with Russell so much. Sure, I didn’t know what his true role was in the current mess I found myself in, and for all I knew, he’d fed me a line of bullshit and would turn around and betray me in a heartbeat. But for that short time in a crappy little restaurant, I felt a connection with a human being again, and it was nice.
“Do you ever wonder why?” I asked. “I mean, why us? What’s so different about us that gave us that power to tap into the Maelstrom and bring our nightmares to life?”
Russell looked at me without expression, and I suddenly felt embarrassed.
“Sorry. I don’t really have anyone to talk to about this kind of stuff, and since we were both patients of Kauffman’s when we were kids…” I said.
“It’s OK,” he said. “It’s just that no one’s ever asked me that before. I’ve heard that the Somnocologists at the Rookery have some theories.”
“But that’s all there are,” I said. “Theories. No one really knows.”
There have been Ideators and Incubi for thousands of years, maybe longer. And still no one knows for certain why one person becomes an Ideator and another doesn’t. The power doesn’t run in bloodlines, and it’s not associated with gender or any particular ethnic or cultural background.
“I guess some people are just born better dreamers than others,” Russell said. “Just like some people are born with a talent for music or with a higher IQ.”
“Luck of the draw, huh?”
“I guess.”
“I don’t always feel so lucky,” I admitted. “I love my job. It’s never boring, that’s for sure! And I like to think I’ve done some good. But it’s not always easy being” – I almost used the word stuck – “bound to your worst nightmare, you know?”
