Owl and the Electric Samurai

by Kristi Charish

  For my mother.

  Don’t worry, Mom, I didn’t write any of the family into the book.

  1

  NO GOOD DEED

  4:00 p.m. Backpacker lodge, Fikkal, Nepal

  Have you ever had a deep-seated feeling that the world is out to get you?

  And I don’t mean for doing something where you might actually deserve it: I mean the kind that happens despite your best intentions to be a good person, turn over a new leaf, and potentially make up for a possible—though clearly not intentional—slight you may have done others . . .

  And even though you may be doing your damnedest to fix things, including crossing the globe twice in the last month, you could feel that the universe still decided it was going to tell you that you could royally fuck off?

  You know, that kind of “out to get you” feeling?

  Because from this side of the backpacker hostel picnic table, sitting across from my Nepal contact, Dev, that was pretty much the vibe I was getting. To be honest, it was the vibe I’d been getting all month, like gum getting tangled in your hair.

  I placed my elbows on the worn wood of our table, tucked in a corner of the lodge bar, and gave my onetime classmate and on-again-off-again business associate, Dev Rai, my best “do not fuck with me right now” glare. It wasn’t hard; I’d been wearing it an unprecedented amount this month. Add to that the noise from the evening influx of hikers arriving for the night in the small, foot-of-the-Himalayas-trek stopover town, Fikkal, and the incense the lodge was burning—which, while pleasant on its own, lost its charm when mixed with stale beer—well, let’s just say my patience for playing games was at its end. Not that I’d had much to begin with.

  “Dev, you have to give me something,” I said.

  He fixed his brown eyes on me, no longer smiling. “What is this I keep hearing about the IAA breathing down everyone’s neck?”

  Goddamn it. Rumors reach even the outback at the foot of the ­Himalayas. The juicier ones first—or in this case, the story of how my using World Quest to track down artifacts may have contributed to the IAA’s recent upgraded interest in locating the game designers. Add to that the kind of scrutiny an open bounty brings to anyone and everyone who ever had contact with the prey. Like Dev . . .

  He was pissed. Rightly so. But his glare was nowhere near as effective as mine. He might have had the rugged-mountain-tour-guide act down pat, complete with windburn and calloused hands, but his brown eyes were way too pretty to convey any sort of menace.

  Mine, on the other hand? Consider it one of my unsung talents.

  I leaned across the table. We might have been tucked under the stairs and out of the way, but as the lodge filled with trekkers coming down for evening beer and dinner, I only trusted our privacy so far. “It’s not what it sounds like,” I told him.

  He threw out his hands as he sat back against the wall. “That’s what you said last time!”

  I’d kind of been hoping he wouldn’t remember that, or at least not bring it up. Still, I didn’t look away. “Dev, this time is different. I’m not here to steal something.”

  Dev’s brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed. “Thievery? Is that what you’re calling it now?”

  I winced. Last time had been a Buddhist stone tablet documenting an extinct sect of the religion—one that had been a lot more friendly to the offense-as-the-best-defense way of thinking. It had dated back to the twelfth century and had been written by a monk exiled from Tibet for said offensive activities. Interesting note, my buyer had claimed to be part of a sect trying to rekindle the old, violent Buddhist flame. To each reenactment group their own, I had figured.

  Unfortunately the IAA hadn’t seen it that way. “Okay, the tablet wasn’t one of my wisest moments, and yes, I should have mentioned the IAA wanted it kept buried—but this time I’m not in it for profit—”

  Dev made a derisive noise over his beer. “And I’m trying to stay off the IAA’s radar, not send out a homing beacon. And word has it that’s exactly what helping you will almost certainly get me—And don’t even try to justify Benji,” he added when I opened my mouth to argue, “and the fact that the IAA is even looking for these two . . .” His expression darkened, though that might have been a trick of the sun setting outside.

  Thank you, universe, for doing your damnedest to keep me in everyone’s bad books. At least I know I can count on you for one thing. “Okay, first, that’s not entirely my fault. I didn’t design a game based on all the things the IAA wants kept secret.” Like supernatural monsters, ancient magic artifacts, monsters . . . the monsters bear mentioning twice. “And second, like I keep telling you, the entire reason I’m here is I’m trying to avert a disaster this time, not cause one. For once, why can’t any of you let me put my unique talent for pissing off the IAA to use? For once, that’s all I’m asking here.”

  Dev shook his head. “And you trying to avert disaster worries me even more. Artifacts? That I can handle, but screwing the IAA?” He swore and finished off his bottle of Rato-Bhaat beer, depositing the empty bottle on the table with a hollow clatter. “I thought they were going to drag me off to one of their Siberian digs for helping you last time.” Dev pursed his lips and sat back. “Besides, you’re putting words in my mouth. At no point—any point—did I say I guided two guys who fit that description,” he said, pointing at my phone, where I kept the IAA’s bounty file.

  “And I’m not an idiot. Anyone with any brains looking for real artifacts and sites in Nepal uses you—I use you. And I can’t be the only one who figured they came this way. There are only so many places to look for Shangri-La.”

  That made him pause. I could see it in the way his eyes narrowed and the corner of his mouth twitched. I took a gamble and started to count off the Shangri-La candidates. “The Kunlun Mountains, Hunza Valley in Pakistan, Zhongdian in Yunnan, I even checked out the Muli Monastery in Sichuan, for crying out loud.” I picked up my own empty Rato beer bottle and pointed the end at Dev. “The World Quest dynamic duo checked all those locations, I’m sure of it, and this is the last stop.” The Kanchenjunga region of Nepal, where the Lepcha mountain people had been telling stories about a hidden valley of immortality for ages. Only unlike the other locations, no one knew where it was.

  “Those same stories also tell of demons—yeti and rakshasa—­guarding the mountain.”

  “And we both know those aren’t the most far-fetched parts of those stories.”

  The dark look returned to Dev’s face as he leaned in closer. “There are stories about a hidden valley at Everest as well.”

  “Yeah, and that’s where I’m betting all the bounty hunters and mercenaries are right now, and when they figure out that all those stories about the valley being at Everest originated this side of the Himalayan range”—I shrugged—“it won’t take them long to connect the dots to you.”

  His brow furrowed, and I noticed his eyes doing their own sweep of the nearby patrons in the bar. I might have been the first to take the Nepalese connection seriously, but Dev was smart. I was only the first of many.

  Someone jostled our table, breaking our stalemate momentarily before offering us a rushed apology. The place was more crowded than it had been an hour ago. Come to think of it, it was more crowded than it had been last night. I frowned as a large man, European or American, walked by, headed for the bar. He stood out from the backpacker crowd—older, cleaner, and better dressed.

  As the man disappeared into the bar lineup, I shook off my unsettled feeling and turned my attention back to Dev. The man who’d looked out of place hadn’t been searching for anyone. He was probably just a pro climb
er or hiker trying to get off the beaten Everest track. My paranoia ran well on high, but it wasn’t always right.

  “Look, Dev, I can’t guarantee the IAA isn’t going to turn over every stone, including you, to find them, but I can guarantee you I’m the only one doing my damnedest to make sure the IAA never finds them. All I’m asking is where you took them. Then you don’t have to lie when everyone else shows up. You can point them in my direction, and I’ll do the rest.”

  I could see Dev’s conviction to staying tight-lipped wavering, and I silently crossed my fingers and toes. Out of all the associates I’d had through my career as an antiquities thief, Dev was one of the few I could honestly say I respected. He’d taken a few archaeology classes with me and Nadya through an exchange program, and he’d completed a ­master’s—not for research, mind you, but for his family’s tour guide business back in Nepal. An actual archaeologist taking you through Nepalese and Tibetan heritage sites set them apart from other outfits . . . and the fact that it was a relatively open secret that he acted as personal guide for academics and treasure raiders alike looking for the real deal, well, that hadn’t hurt business either.

  The point was Dev was good, and he had ethics—limits to what he was willing to turn a blind eye to. He had a reputation for turning down the shadier, sleazier operations and heists, which was rare in my line of work. And deep down Dev knew that despite my fair share of personality faults, I didn’t intentionally screw people over.

  Honor amongst thieves . . . or accessories to thieves. Go figure.

  Dev shook his head, sat back, and swore. “God help me, I can’t believe I’m doing this. Fine, but get me another beer—and you’re buying,” he said, passing me his empty bottle.

  “You won’t regret it,” I started.

  He made a face. “I’m doing it as a favor to Nadya, not you. And tell her I said that. And you’ll owe me more than beer!” he called after me as I took both our empty beer bottles in one hand and waved over my shoulder before pushing my way through the crowd.

  Okay, maybe he didn’t know deep down I was a good guy. I didn’t care if it was my reputation or his still-lit crush on Nadya that was crumbling his convictions, so long as they crumbled.

  The bartender barely glanced at me as I passed him the two empty bottles and a pile of rupees before holding up two fingers.

  While I waited for him to retrieve the bottles from the cooler, my attention drifted to the two men beside me shouting at the bartender’s back, demanding what was on tap. Get with the backpacker program. There were three beers, all in bottles.

  I frowned as I took in their clothes—expensive and well-fitting mountain gear more suited to climbing than backpacking. All recently laundered, and, to top it off, I could smell their deodorant. South African from their accents, early thirties if I had to guess.

  Two more people here today who didn’t quite look or sound like they belonged . . .

  My phone began to buzz in my jacket pocket just as the bartender returned with my pair of Rato-Bhaat beers.I balanced them under my arm as I headed back to our table so I could fumble my buzzing phone out. It was Rynn.

  That didn’t bode well. Rynn had figured it’d be another two days before he finished tracking down his contact, a recluse of a supernatural who lived off the trails, closer to the foot of Kanchenjunga. Rynn hoped she might be willing to shed some insight on the local Shangri-La legends. Between Rynn’s supernatural contact and Dev, I’d hoped we could get a line on where the World Quest guys had vanished.

  But if Rynn was calling me after only two days, well, he’d either found his contact early or stumbled into something that had worried him.

  Like mercenaries making an inopportune appearance.

  I caught Dev’s attention and held up two fingers before taking up an empty space on the hostel stairs. Dev and I were friendly, but not so friendly that he needed to hear half my conversation with Rynn, which could involve a potential supernatural snafu.

  Negotiating the beer, I balanced my phone between my shoulder and ear and answered.

  “Rynn, please say it’s good news.”

  There was a pause, and Rynn made a small sound as if he was weighing his words carefully. “Well, as you like to say, there is good news and bad news—”

  “Good news,” I said before Rynn could finish. Never leave things like that open to interpretation.

  “Good news is I made contact with Talie, and she does have some information on Shambhala—Shangri-La. Not the location, mind you, but details I think will be useful. After some bargaining on my part, she’s willing to part with them.”

  Details I didn’t have already was good. They also could have waited until Rynn was back at the lodge. “What’s the bad news?” I asked.

  Rynn let out a breath. “The bad news is Talie’s contacts in Kathmandu say that we are no longer the only ones looking. They’ve spotted mercenaries arriving in the city—and not just today, over the last week.”

  Shit. I glanced back to the bar, but the two out-of-place backpackers were gone. I did notice a table of men who, though dressed the part, were larger and more muscular than most of the people crammed in here.

  One of them glanced in my direction and gave me a once-over before turning back to his conversation and beer. Oh I hoped there was an international climbing competition in town. . . .

  “What?” I said, missing what Rynn said. I covered my free ear as best I could while not letting the beer bottles crash to the floor. I almost dropped the phone as someone jostled me on their way up the stairs to the rooms and dorms. I stepped closer to the wall, making myself as small as possible. “Look, Rynn—this isn’t a good time to talk . . .”

  I trailed off as I spotted another table of suspect backpackers, this time from their matching gear and stoic expressions. I turned toward the wall as one of them glanced up, scanning the room. “The patrons are getting awfully burly. I think I’ve got mercenaries—as in more than one group.”

  It was Rynn’s turn to swear. “Add those to the group of Colombians I took care of on my way out, a group of Russians Talie’s people spotted in Kathmandu a few days ago, that’s at least four groups of serious mercenaries that have arrived in Nepal in the last twenty-four hours.”

  Four too many in my mind, and I didn’t want to know the details of how Rynn had handled the Colombians, though I was fairly certain it involved his incubus brand of suggestion.

  “One, two I could manage, but four?” Rynn didn’t need to finish the sentence. If there was one thing I knew from working with him as Mr. Kurosawa’s intern security head, it was that Rynn liked his risk assess­ment. I should know, I’d been the source of his professional stress on more than one occasion.

  And if he was this worried, I should be running. “I’d say we’ve just about worn our welcome out in Nepal,” I said.

  “How much longer do you need, Alix?”

  “Not much—another half hour. Look on the bright side, they can’t be on to me. Otherwise they wouldn’t be sitting here drinking beer.”

  There was a pause. “Describe them to me,” Rynn said.

  “Ah, they look like a pro ski or climbing team. Matching hiking gear, dark, neutral colors, keeping to themselves. At least one of them is South African,” I added, as the two men from the bar joined the table, carrying more bottles.

  “Get me a look,” Rynn said.

  I turned my camera on. Once I could see my own pretty face, unkempt blond hair shoved under my red flames hat, I inverted the camera so it was showing the picnic table full of burly men in tight-fitting Henleys. “Getting this?”

  Rynn swore. “Alix, listen carefully. Get upstairs and pack our stuff. Now. They’re serious.”

  “Relax, they haven’t noticed me yet. They aren’t even looking. Probably chasing the same World Quest leads I am.” The World Quest duo had covered their tracks, but with enough ef
fort I’d been able to chase their credit card and travel this far.

  I glanced back to where Dev was waiting, frowning at me. I held up the beer and a single finger. In no way did telling him about the mercenaries go in my favor.

  “No,” Rynn continued. “I mean, yes they’re mercenaries, but I recognize them. They’re human, and call themselves the Zebras.”

  “Zebras? What kind of name for mercenaries is that?”

  “The kind who specialize in supernaturals. Have you ever heard the saying ‘Don’t go looking for zebras when you find a hoofprint in Central Park’? It’s a play on that—except these men specialize in finding the monsters, mostly extermination. We leave them alone since they tend to handle smaller problems, but if they’re in Fikkal, a group of at least six, no less . . .” He let the thought trail off.

  Shit. “Maybe a couple yeti stumbled into someone’s yak farm?” I offered.

  “If the Zebras were here for yeti, there’d only be two. There’s no way they’re here doing reconnaissance for the IAA bounty. They’re looking for a powerful supernatural. Like an incubus.”

  Oh, that did not bode well for us. “Nepal is getting awfully crowded. I’d say we’ve worn out our welcome.”

  “Can you be ready in ten?”

  I hedged my answer as I glanced back at Dev, who was outright glaring at me now. “Give me twenty.”

  “Make it fifteen. I’ll meet you in the room—I want to avoid the South Africans. And Alix? Be careful.” Rynn hung up, and I feigned checking my email as I headed back to Dev, stealing another glance at the table of Zebras to make certain they weren’t watching me, all the while trying to calm my own nerves.

  Okay, breath, Alix. They aren’t even looking at you.

  I slid back onto the bench and passed a frowning Dev his beer.

  “What the hell took you so long?” he said.

  “Phone call.” I shook my head and gunned a few large gulps of my Rato-Bhaat beer, checking the Zebras once again.

  Dev watched, a perplexed look crossing his features. Finally I put my beer down. This was not going to help my new leaf as a responsible antiquities contact. “Okay, do you want the good news or the bad news first?”