“I noticed you didn’t tell him to bring me back alive,” I said.
“He will bring you back,” she said. “Alive, is up to you.”
She looked at me over the rim of her cup and gave me a nod of her head. That would be all the sentiment I would get from her. She wasn’t very big on emotional displays. That nod was her equivalent of a hug, minus the arms and any actual hugging.
NINETEEN
“HOW DID YOU get to the dojo?” I asked and pulled out my phone. We were in the Rhino, crossing back into Manhattan over the Brooklyn Bridge. I made sure the crystal was fully charged and I could see the shimmer effect around me.
“Car service,” he said and left it at that. “Very convenient.”
I dialed Ross and waited for him to pick up. He answered on the second ring.
“Where are you?” he said in his gruff voice. “We need to meet.”
“I’m in the middle of something,” I said. “I need to speak to her——can you patch me in? All I got was voicemail earlier.”
“You’re in the middle of something?” he said and I could hear him grip the phone harder. “You need to get your ass out of the country before Enforcers find you. Julius and the PTF have declared you dark. Do you know what that means?”
This was worse than a kill order. Any mystic who encountered me was obligated to try to stop me by any means possible.
Must have been the grunt on the EDV.
By tapping into the Black Heart and accessing my power while wearing the void inhibitors, it would appear that I had gone dark. Using my life essence to bypass a void device would increase my power, but prove fatal. It also twisted the mystic into something dangerous and homicidal. It wasn’t a risk I would take.
“Yes, and I’m working on leaving,” I said. “But I need to speak to Moira first and she’s not answering her phone.”
“I’ll try and patch you in, but she’s going to tell you the same thing. Hold on.”
He punched in the code and I heard the line go silent for a moment and then reconnect. If anyone was listening or tapping her line, it would appear to be Ross calling the Director.
“Ross, what did I tell you about calling me on this number?” she said. “Get off this line and go find Ava.”
“Hello, Moira,” I said and waited for the onslaught of screaming. It never came.
“You need to disappear,” she said. “If Julius finds you they will cleanse you and no one will object.”
“I would,” I said. “I need your help.”
“Unfortunately your opinion would matter very little,” she said. “I can’t imagine how I could help you.”
“I’m going up north to visit the circles,” I said, hoping she understood.
There was a brief pause and a long sigh. “If you go up north, don’t forget to place flowers on the grave there.”
A warning.
“I can get into the cemetery but I need a key to leave it,” I said. “Do you know how I can get one?”
“Only the caretaker or a blood relative of his can open what you need,” she said. “Remember, once you use the key the entire cemetery will know and they always enforce the rules up north.”
“Thank you,” I said. “For everything.”
“Don’t do this,” she said. “You can leave and hide. It’’s been done before.”
“I can’t run from this,” I said. “My family is in danger.””
“You won’t run. There’s a difference,”” she said.
“Not to me,” I said and hung up.
Now I understood what Sensei was referring to when she spoke in the dojo.
Titus is somehow related to the North Enclave Director.
I reached in, pulled out one of my guns, and aimed it at him.
“That is one way to start a conversation,” he said without looking in my direction. I didn’t sense his flow-state, so I knew he wasn’’t preparing a counter-attack. At this range, a void bullet would remove most of him from the neck up.
“Who the hell are you?” I whispered.
“You know who I am,” he said. “I am your ticket out of here.”
“You’re related to the North Enclave Director,” I said. “Who are you?”
“If by related you mean we share the same blood, then yes,” he said. “But I don’t imagine that will garner me any special treatment. He would probably shoot me before he shot you. Director Smythe is my uncle.”
My world spun on its axis for a few seconds as I processed this.
He should be the Vice-Director, not some renegade Enforcer helping me break into the North Enclave.
“How did Sensei know?” I asked. “Why aren’t you——?”
“Vice-Director?” he finished. “Long story. Has everything to do with my conditions and my first assignment. Your Sensei knew because of my masking. It has a very unique signature.””
“You can use the circle,” I said. “This can work.”
For the first time tonight, it felt like I could actually get to the Japanese Enclave—we had a chance. All we had to do was get inside and get to the circle.
I could see the outline of the North Enclave in the distance. The property sat on a large hill and dominated the land around it, being the largest structure. It looked more like a fortress than a mystic learning center. The North Enclave was an imposing building modeled after medieval architecture. It was surrounded by a wall on all sides and had only one main gate. The winding highway we were on gave us glimpses of the tower on every turn. I holstered my gun.
“Do you plan on driving right up to the entrance?” Titus asked. “Bold, but not exactly subtle.”
“I’m going to pull off in about a mile and then we walk the rest through the grounds using the trees for cover.”
The plan was working. We would get into the Enclave, find the circle, and get to my uncle.
It was then that the wheels came off…literally.
TWENTY
THE LEFT WHEEL exploded and then shot off from the Rhino. I held on to the shuddering steering wheel and tried to straighten it out, but the Rhino swerved out of control. I saw the wards around the car flare to life as it veered left and right. The metal from the now useless rim cut grooves in the road and threw off a shower of sparks as the rear of the car began to fishtail.
This is a mystical attack.
Titus grabbed the bag and opened his door. I looked at him for a split-second. He was focused on the road ahead.
“What are you doing?” I yelled.
“This is where we get off,” he said and threw the bag out of the Rhino. He grabbed my arm and yanked me out of the car with him. We slid for a few feet and then rolled off the road and down the incline. The Rhino was still going when I stood up.
I saw the left wheel lock and then the momentum flipped the Rhino over. It cartwheeled down the road and crashed into one of the barriers at the edge.
“What the hell was that?” I said.
I looked down the road and marveled at the fact that the Rhino was mostly intact. Parts of it were dented and scratched but it looked whole. Whatever wards Ghost had placed on it had made it indestructible to mystical attacks.
I took a few shaky steps toward it when Titus grabbed my arm.
“What?” I said and pulled my arm away. “I need to get it off the road before someone rams into it.”
“It’s not safe,” he said. “That was not a perimeter defense. Someone attacked us.”
“No one knows we are coming,” I said. “Stop being so paranoid.”
I kept walking. He grabbed me, shoved me off the side of the road as several RPGs dove at the car, and turned it to scrap metal. I landed in a roll as pieces of the Rhino fell around us.
“I told you it wasn’t safe,” he said. “My paranoia has kept me alive this long, I suggest we listen to it.”
“So they did know we were coming,” I said, shaken. “Or Sensei was betrayed.”
I stood up and headed into the trees. We were out of sight
from the North Enclave and the darkness kept us hidden. I listened for approaching footsteps but heard nothing.
“Neither scenario is appealing,” he said. “Let’s operate under the premise that we still have a method of entry.”
“Why would we do that?” I said as I walked over roots and around large trees. “You said it wasn’t a perimeter defense.”
“That was before I realized the extent of the wards on your vehicle,” he said. “If they had a two-phase defense, the first phase is mystical——”
“And the second is conventional,” I finished. “That explains the RPGs, but they didn’t even check to see who was in the car.”
“They wouldn’t, once they saw the wards,” he said as he crouched down behind a large tree. “The wards would trip the defense and we lose a tire.”
“But the car was still intact after that,” I said. “So the backup is the RPG method of removal. Drastic but effective.””
He nodded. “No muss, no fuss, and no witnesses,” he said. “All automated and efficient. West entrance up ahead.”
He pointed through the trees and I saw the wall of the Enclave. The west entrance was a large steel door recessed into the wall of the Enclave. From what I could see, it was locked.
“Looks like we missed the window,” I said. “You think we can scale the wall?”
“Sure, and attract the entire guard detail,” he said while looking intently at the door. “It’s open. Let’s go.”
“How can you possibly see that in the dark?” I said. “Wait, your heightened sense is sight?”
He nodded as we made our way to the door. He pushed it aside and it opened in silence. A figure waited on the other side, just inside the doorway. The figure wore a hood and stood in the shadows. I could only make out the lower half of his face.
“Payment,” he whispered and held out his hand.
Titus handed him the bag. The figure opened it and removed the money, leaving the ammo.
“The room you seek is on the highest level in the tower,” said the figure. He stepped back into the shadows and disappeared.
“Highest level in the tower?” I asked as we headed down the corridor and into a large hallway with alcoves on either side. I half expected Enforcers to jump out of the alcoves with guns blazing. The silence of the Enclave was unnerving.
“He forgot to mention that the highest level is reserved for the Director,” Titus said. “The room with the mystic circle is on the other side of the fishtank.””
“Fishtank?” I asked in confusion. “What is a fishtank? And if you say a place to keep fish I may shoot you myself.”
He gave me a tight smile and motioned me to stop at an intersection. He pointed to the left and we took a set of narrow curving stairs and headed up. The North Enclave looked like a medieval fortress. Large stone blocks made up the wall and stairs. Vaulted ceilings could be seen everywhere held up by immense columns. I looked around in awe and the feeling of age and power.
“It’s a sealed computer station that the Director oversees,” he whispered. “This could prove difficult.”
“Was this place ever a real fortress?” I asked.
“No, it’s just designed that way,” he said. “It’’s actually a collection of five cloistered abbeys that were disassembled from different locations and shipped here to make this place.”
“I’ve never been inside here,” I said. “I wish I could explore it.””
“It is fascinating and worth the exploration, provided you could do it without being hunted down and killed,” he said and stopped in front of a large wooden door. A simple plaque read “Director” in the center of the door. I could feel the waves of energy coming from the door and was about to check if I could see the wards that protected it.
“Don’t do that,” he said. “If you try to examine the wards it will trip a failsafe—which will be unpleasant for us.”
“How did you—?” I started.
“I didn’t,” he whispered. “But it’’s the first thing I would have done, which is why it’s there.”
“A trap,” I said. “So how do we get in?”
“Another trap, but this one will take a little longer to spring,” he said and stepped closer to the door.
He faced the Director sign and nothing happened for a moment. A small articulated arm extended from the door and a blue beam scanned his eye. Seconds later the door unlocked with a click.
“Let’s go,” he said and entered the office. “Everyone will think the Director is working late, except the Director.”
“The door uses biometrics, so how did you spoof it?” I asked as I followed him inside. “You aren’t supposed to be able trick a retinal scan.”
“Long story involving lots of pain and implants,” he said. “I would go into detail but we don’t have much time before Enforcers come through that door. You want to hear the story or get to the Nihon Enclave?”
He pointed to a plastic partition and then stepped close to it, looking at the edges.
“This is the fishtank,” he said. “Give me a moment.”
The name fit, since it was a large clear cube. The fishtank divided the space. On one side sat a large wooden desk, meticulously organized, even down to the pens in the cup. A small plaque sat on the edge that read “Director.”
The other half of the floor belonged to the fishtank. It consisted of six-inch-thick lexan panels, which divided the room. Several monitors hung on the stone wall behind the partition. They ranged in size from desktop to four-foot wide, with the largest ones in the center of the wall. Beneath the wall of monitors sat five long desks covered with nine next-gen computers each. On the far wall, under the large monitors, I could see wards on the wall.
“This is an information hub,” I said. “Rafe would love to get his hands on one of those computers.”
“Not an information hub; this is the information hub for the North Enclave,” he said as he kept searching the edges of the fishtank. “Rafe would wet himself if he could get in here.”
“What are you looking for?” I asked. “I don’t see a door.””
“Exactly,” he said. “It’s supposed to be sealed, but I know there is a way in, just have to find it. Got it.”
Near the bottom of the partition, he placed his hand on the surface of the lexan facing us. The energy signature of the room shifted. It was similar to what I felt at Sylph’s when Buck opened the bar. The partition gave off a hiss and slid to the side. It slid closed once we were inside.
“Less time now, so hurry,” he said. “We need to get to the circle.”
He ran past the computers and to the far wall where I saw the wards. He placed his hand on the center ward and the section beneath the largest monitor opened, revealing a small room. We stepped inside. The room was a cylinder about ten feet in height. Smooth stone made up the walls. I looked at the ceiling and could see designs in the stone but couldn’t make them out in the dim light.
Etched into the stone floor, I saw the mystic circle. It was six feet in diameter and resembled a mandala with many repeated elements throughout the design. I saw the symbolic representation of the five disciplines along with other symbols I didn’t recognize.
“Stand there,” he said and pointed at the circle. “This shouldn’t take long.”
I stepped into the center of the circle and a wave of energy rushed through me. Titus stood near the entrance and placed his hand on the wall. I could see more wards in groupings along the edge of the entrance. He looked like he was reading them.
“What are those wards?” I asked.
“Destinations—Enclaves around the world,” he said. “You arrive at the wrong one without prior clearance and we can start an intra-Enclave war. I would prefer to avoid that, since the last one was messy.”
“Isn’t that what we’re doing?” I whispered. ““Or do you plan on letting the Nihon Enclave know we are coming?”
“True, but the Nihon Enclave never gives clearance so it doesn’t matter
. Here they are.”
“They?” I said. “What do you mean they?”
“Japan is an island nation,” he said. “It has more than one Enclave. Just like New York City has North and South Enclaves.””
Why didn’t I think of that?
“Do you know which one you need to go to?”
I shook my head. “Can you tell which is more remote from the symbols?”
“This one is near Tokyo”—he pointed at one group of wards—“and this one is near Fukuoka,” he said and pointed at another group.
“The second one,” I said. “Fukuoka is near my family home.”
He placed his hand on the ward, pulled out a knife, and pricked his finger. The blood ran down the wall and soaked into the ward.
The key needs DNA. Will need to remember that.
I could hear footsteps getting closer.
“How long before the circle activates?”
“About three minutes, why?”
“There’s a group on the stairs and they aren’t being quiet about it,” I said. “They sound like Enforcers.”
“The fishtank needs to reset,” he said. “That will buy us ten minutes, unless the Director is with them. He can open it faster.””
“Hello, Titus,” said a voice from the office. “It has been too long. Rodgers, disable the fishtank.”
“Yes, sir,” said a voice. “Two minutes.”
“Imagine my surprise when the alarm tripped and notified me I was in the office,” said the Director. “Especially when I was home in bed.””
The accent was thicker, but I could hear the resemblance. I snuck a peek around the edge of the doorway and I could just make out someone crouching near the bottom of the partition.
“Shit,” said Titus. “This is not good. He will be in here in a minute. I need to distract him.”
“You can’t do much from in here,” I said. “That fishtank is made of thick lexan.”
“I know,” he said. “I need to go out there. This circle can only take us one at a time. It will activate without me now.””
A Dream of Ashes: An Ava James Mystery (Chronicles of the Modern Mystics Book 1) Page 10
