Mortal Imperative: An Alastair Stone Urban Fantasy Novel (Alastair Stone Chronicles Book 24)

by R. L. King

“Might be—but you’re not as strong as I am at concealment. The last thing I want is for them to catch on that we’re looking for them—not when we’re this close. We might never find them if that happens.”

  She looked reluctant, but unzipped the bag of ritual components and began laying them out. “Just…let’s hurry up, okay? I’m not all that religious, but breaking into churches still makes me nervous.”

  The first ritual didn’t take long. With Verity helping, they got the circle done in less than half an hour, and the ritual itself required only ten more minutes.

  Once again, Stone started with Lu, spreading out the T-shirt and taking extra precautions not to be noticed. When he finished, slumping back and rolling his shoulders to work the kinks out, Verity hurried over.

  “Anything?” she demanded.

  “Yes. I’ve got him. He’s not far away—less than twenty miles.”

  She let her breath out in relief. “So he’s alive. That’s great. Did you get any feel for where he is?”

  He levitated a paper map of the area to him and unfolded it, summoning a light spell around his hand. “It’s here,” he said, pointing with the tip of a pen. “Can’t pin it down to an exact location, but this is close.”

  She squinted at it. “That’s not near any towns. Looks like there’s not much there.”

  “Hard to tell with this kind of map, though.”

  “True. You going to do the other ones, too?”

  He considered. On the one hand, doing two more rituals would take more time. On the other, if they discovered Lu, Belmont, and potentially even Maisie were in the same area, that was valuable information. “I think we need to risk it, yes. Keep looking around.”

  For once, luck favored them: nobody disturbed them as Stone completed the two other rituals. Verity remained silent, patrolling the area and letting him work, but when he came up for air after the second one, he could see she was growing more nervous.

  By the time he completed the third and final ritual, it was nearly eleven o’clock. He stared down into the little bowl at the elephant figure, which he’d taken extra care not to consume. It was a bit scorched, but it had survived the ritual.

  “Are you finished?” Verity hurried over again.

  He took a few deep breaths before answering. Tracking rituals didn’t tire him as they used to before Calanar, but doing three of them in a row was still difficult, if for no other reason than he had to sit completely still for long stretches of time while he followed the tendrils. “I found them.”

  “All of them?” She grinned. “That’s great! They’re alive, then?”

  “Yes. They’re all in the same area, but I don’t think they’re all together. I think Maisie and Belmont might be. Lu was harder. I didn’t want to push too hard—if he’s behind wards and I’m not careful, they’ll catch on.”

  Without prompting, she began collecting the spent ritual components and stowing them in Stone’s black bag while he used a wind spell to obliterate any signs of the circle. “So,” she said, “which ones are we going after? Belmont and Maisie, or Lu?”

  “Let’s find Belmont and Maisie first. They might be able to give us some insight about where Lu’s being held. Come one—we need to hurry. I’ve got no idea why they aren’t under the wards too, but if we wait too long that might change.”

  Verity paused to make sure they’d returned the church room to its former state, then followed him out.

  She didn’t speak again until they were back on the road. “Doc…?”

  “Yes?”

  “None of this is making sense. You realize that, right?”

  “I do.”

  “Why would they be in two different places? If we’re right and somebody’s using them for alchemy, wouldn’t it make more sense for them all to be together? Or…maybe even for one or more of them to be dead?”

  “Yes.” Stone had been thinking along similar lines. “Perhaps we’re wrong about what’s going on. Obviously since they’re in the same vicinity, it makes sense they left together—or at least for the same reason. But I haven’t got a bloody clue about what that reason is.”

  12

  Verity navigated, with the paper map spread across her lap. They’d left the last town they’d seen behind ten minutes ago. The road now was narrow, barely two lanes and bounded on both sides by thick groves of trees with interlocking branches overhanging the road. The only light came from the car’s headlights and the half-moon filtering through from above. They hadn’t passed another car since they’d left the town.

  “Spooky out here,” she said with a nervous chuckle. “Looks like the kind of place where we’d see a phantom hitchhiker or something.”

  “Come on, apprentice—you’ve seen things quite a lot spookier than a load of drooping trees.”

  “Yeah, that’s true. And you’re right—being a mage is kind of like watching the sausage getting made as far as spooky stuff goes. But it’s still spooky. Do you think whoever has them might have set someplace up out here in the boonies where they could work without anybody bothering them?”

  “It does make sense. But I think we should stop speculating until we actually have something concrete to go on, don’t you?”

  “Where’s the fun in that?”

  He glanced over at her, pleased to see some of her apprehension ebbing away. “We’ll be fine, Verity. Yes, we need to keep our wits about us, but there isn’t much these days we can’t deal with between the two of us.”

  “Just a couple of magical badasses,” she agreed. “Or something. Wait! Hold on.” She stabbed the map with a finger. “I think we need to turn just up ahead.”

  Stone nearly missed the tiny turnoff, which was obscured by tall, lush ground cover and more trees. He jerked the wheel, sending gravel shooting up to rattle the car’s undercarriage. “They definitely don’t want to be found,” he muttered.

  Verity was staring out the passenger side window. “Oh, come on. Seriously?”

  “What?”

  “Look.”

  Stone followed her finger to a shadowy wooden sign to the right of the road. It was on a tall post with a crossbar, hanging from two chains. He had to squint to make out the words burned into its weathered surface. “Welcome to Whispering Pines Cemetery.”

  “They’re hiding ghouls in a cemetery?” She sounded dubious.

  “Bit on the nose, isn’t it?”

  “Are you sure this is right?” She consulted the map again. “It’s right in the middle of where you pointed, but…”

  “…but what would they be doing here? Good question. But I suppose we ought to have a look around before we go, at least. I can do it, if you want to wait—”

  “No way.” She sounded firmer now. “If you go, I’m going. Besides, I don’t want to sit here in the car while you go off who knows where. That’s creepier than just going with you.” She let her breath out. “I wish Amber was here. If anything weird is hiding nearby, she’d smell it before it got close.”

  She had a point, but there was no helping it now. Stone focused on driving the car along the narrow gravel road, mindful of the infrequent turnouts. If anyone was coming the other way, he’d have to back up a fair distance to let them pass.

  Not that anybody else in their right mind would be out here this time of night.

  After a half-mile, the road widened on the left side to reveal a small parking area. Up ahead, the cemetery itself was surrounded by a tall, wrought-iron fence. A gate blocked the road, held shut with a stout padlock. The headlights revealed a sign hanging next to it: Open Every Day, 7 a.m. to Sunset.

  “I wonder if anybody even comes out here,” Verity said as Stone pulled into the parking lot and switched off the car. “I mean, at all. This place looks like the cemetery time forgot. It’s even creepier than the one at your place.” She got out and slipped on her leather jacket, folding the map and tossing it in the back seat next to Stone’s bag.

  Stone didn’t reply. He almost left his overcoat in the car—it was w
arm and humid, even this time of night—but changed his mind and grabbed it. When potentially dealing with ghouls, even friendly ones, it was best to stay as covered as possible.

  Verity pointed at the lock on the gate and shot him a questioning look. He shook his head, indicating an area farther down the fence and hidden by more trees. He made a “going up” gesture, remembering the same one Tani had made to him previously. Was Maisie even here? Usually, the results of his tracking spells were fairly definitive, but this time he wasn’t as certain. Something was going on here.

  They silently rose from the ground and levitated over the top of the fence, setting down just inside. Without the car’s headlights, the moon didn’t provide much illumination. Stone held up a hand, indicating for Verity to stay put. “Don’t want to use light spells out here in the open—too much chance we might get noticed,” he whispered. “Let’s stay here for a moment until our vision acclimates.”

  As they waited, hidden behind a tall, gnarled tree, Stone shifted to magical sight and scanned the area ahead. Aside from the faint, pale-green auras of the trees and vegetation, he spotted no sign of anything else alive—not even birds or small animals. Headstones, mausoleums, and monuments rose from the dark ground without any seeming plan, many of them choked with vegetation that obviously hadn’t been tended in some time. The place was utterly silent.

  Verity appeared to be doing the same thing. “See anything?” she whispered.

  “Nothing. Come on—let’s go.”

  “Do you even know where we’re going? Doesn’t look like a lot of places to hide…well…much of anything here.”

  Stone thought she had a point. But they were here now, so they might as well look around a bit before re-evaluating. He crept out from behind the tree and started down one of the narrow dirt paths separating the headstones, trying to remain as quiet as possible. He didn’t think the place had someone watching it and it was a bit late for anyone to be digging a grave, but it was still unwise to take chances.

  The first thing that became obvious as they moved forward was that the cemetery was considerably larger than they’d expected. Initially, Stone had thought it might be a tiny local plot, probably superseded by something more organized and closer to town many years ago. But as they continued along the path, more headstones loomed to both sides, stretching out as far as they could see. Not far from the path, a mound of dirt indicated a freshly-filled grave—perhaps the cemetery was still in at least limited use. The mausoleums were less frequent, but the ones present were large and elaborate. Some wealthy families were buried in this forgotten graveyard. It was too dark to read any of the inscriptions on the headstones, but most of them looked like they’d been here for quite some time.

  “I don’t think anybody’s here,” Verity whispered, coming up behind Stone. “I still don’t see anything. Do you-know-whats have auras?”

  “They do. Haven’t you ever looked at your friend’s?” He deliberately didn’t use Tani’s name; it didn’t feel right to do it here, in case someone was listening.

  “Oh, good point. I still can’t quite believe she’s—”

  Far up ahead, a flash of bluish light appeared, then vanished.

  “Wait,” Stone hissed, stopping and raising a hand.

  “What?”

  “Did you see that?”

  “See what?” She stepped to the side, squinting past him.

  “Some light up there, with magical sight.”

  She squinted harder. “I don’t see anything. Are you sure?”

  Was he? He thought he’d seen it, but the mind could play tricks, especially someplace like this. “Let’s move a little closer.”

  Verity seemed dubious, but followed nonetheless.

  Their footsteps made almost no sound as they continued along the narrow path. Stone kept magical sight up constantly now, scanning left, right, and straight ahead. Periodically, he stopped to look behind them. The blue light didn’t reappear.

  “Damn,” he muttered after they’d walked another five minutes. “I must have been mistaken. I’m afraid you’re right—there isn’t—”

  Her hand clamped onto his arm. “Look!” she whispered sharply, pointing.

  “What? Did you see something?”

  “You were right—there was a blue light up there. I only saw it for a second. I think it disappeared behind that big mausoleum.”

  Stone followed her gaze. There was indeed a large mausoleum off to their left, nestled in the midst of a crooked collection of gravestones. It measured twenty-odd feet on a side; the moonlight glinting off its stained, white-marble surface revealed elaborate columns at each corner of the sides they could see. The entrance appeared to be on the side facing away from them.

  What he didn’t see, however, was any blue light. “Did you get any sense of what it was?”

  “No—didn’t see it long enough. It might have been an aura, but…”

  “Well, we both think we’ve seen it now, so let’s investigate, at least. If nothing else, we’ll waste a few more minutes before we head back to the car.”

  The light didn’t appear again as they crept closer to the mausoleum. Stone motioned for Verity to wait, then raised his shield and stepped around the corner.

  Nothing. The entrance loomed, blocked by an elaborately-wrought iron gate reaching from the floor to the arch above. The name TOMLINSON was carved into a darker marble plaque affixed atop the door.

  Verity stepped around him and studied the gate. “I don’t think anybody could have gotten in there now without us hearing, do you?”

  “Not likely…unless it was an echo.”

  She shivered. “Hadn’t thought of that. I guess it makes sense there might be a few ghosts knocking around an old cemetery, huh?”

  “Quite possible. But we’re looking for a living being, not an echo.”

  “Yeah…” She sounded disappointed. “Well, this was a big letdown. And we still don’t know where your friends are.”

  Stone clenched his fists in frustration, dropping the shield. He’d been so certain his ritual had led him to the right place, but now it seemed as if more was amiss than he’d initially thought. He had located ghouls with a tracking ritual before—that was how he’d initially found the semi-ferals’ hiding spot. Of course, that time he’d had nail clippings, not clothing. He mentally kicked himself: damn, should have thought to take some hair from their brushes or something. He hoped his mistake hadn’t lost them the chance to find Lu and Belmont. He could always go back to Weekesboro and collect them, but—

  “Doc?”

  Verity’s soft voice broke through his troubled thoughts. “Yes?”

  “Look…”

  He turned. She was still standing in front of the mausoleum—but now the heavy iron gate stood open a few inches. “Did you use magic to open it?”

  “No. I just…pulled it. It was open.”

  “Not locked?”

  “Nope. I didn’t think pushing it would do any good, but…” She frowned. “They don’t usually leave them open, right?”

  “Not that I’m aware of, no. Most of those I know about are kept locked to deter grave-robbers—including my family’s back home.” He moved closer, shifting to magical sight to look for any traces of energy around the gate. He saw nothing. But if he’d heard no sound when Verity had pushed it open, that must mean someone maintained it—kept it oiled and free of rust. “Keep watch, will you?”

  “What are you going to do?” Her expression turned suspicious.

  “Just go inside for a moment to have a look around. I don’t want to risk a light spell out here.”

  “Doc…”

  “I promise—only for a moment. You’ll be able to see everything from out here. Most mausoleums only have the one room.”

  “Fine. Make it quick, though. If nothing’s here, we should figure out what to do next.”

  Stone used magic to nudge the door open enough to slip through. Once he was inside, he raised his hand and summoned a globe of light
around it.

  The darkness sprang away, revealing a single chamber. Three stone platforms held pride of place in the center, each with a carved sarcophagus resting on it. Along the left and right walls were a series of niches covered with plaques, similar to the ones in his own mausoleum in England. A few long-dead flowers drooped in tiny vases attached to several of them.

  None of these captured Stone’s attention for more than a few seconds, though. “Bloody hell…” he murmured as he moved toward the back, his footsteps echoing hollowly on the granite floor.

  “What?” Verity shot a glance behind her, then poked her head through the opening. “What did you find?”

  “Come have a look at this.”

  She hurried inside, using magic to close the gate behind her. When she drew up alongside him, she stared. “Wow. That’s…not common, is it?”

  “No. Especially not somewhere like this.”

  Together, they gazed at the uncovered stairway leading downward into darkness.

  “What’s it mean?” Verity paced around it, peering down. “Are there more graves down there?”

  “Likely, yes. I have seen something like this before, where a mausoleum on the surface conceals a crypt underground. Not often, though. They don’t do it much these days because it’s expensive and there are easier alternatives.”

  “Should we…go down there?”

  He shifted to magical sight, expecting to see nothing. Instead, faint blue energy traces hung in the air. “Take a look. I think whatever we both saw went down there. So yes, I think we should.”

  She squinted down the steps. “I don’t—oh. Yeah. I do see it. Really faint. This is creepy.”

  “It is. You can keep watch up here if you like.” He knew she wouldn’t take him up on it.

  “Yeah, no. Let’s go.” She summoned her own light spell and moved toward the stairs.

  He touched her arm. “No. I’ll go first.”

  She looked like she might object, but got a look at his grim expression and waved him forward.

  Stone raised his shield, held up his light spell, and slowly descended the steps. They didn’t go far, ending at an open doorway at the foot. Passageways extended to the left and the right, disappearing into shadow. Directly ahead across the hall was a second opening, with another stairway leading further down.