“I have something better than a map,” he said. “I can’t put you inside because Kaze destroyed the interior circle, that was clever, but I can put you close enough to make a difference.”
“Close enough to what?”
“The Nihon Enclave in Tokyo.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “And your uncle, of course. It’s what I have been saying all along. Haven’t you been paying attention?”
He mumbled something to himself as he kept tracing the circle and adding symbols.
I just stared, because getting angry would’ve been pointless. I took a deep breath and looked at the circle he was making. The symbols reminded me of the wards I saw near Circe’s home when we were looking for her.
“Circe wants you to go home,” I said. “I promised I would get you back to her.”
“She worries too much,” he said and finished the circle. “In you go.”
He motioned for me to enter the circle with his walking stick. I stepped in and felt a wave of power swelling beneath me. He bent down and placed a hand on the ground while saying some more words under his breath. The symbols around the circle flared green and then blue. The colors traveled up my legs and coruscated around my sticks before disappearing.
“Promise me you will contact her,” I said. “I gave her my word.”
“I will,” he said. “As soon as this is done.”
“Are we going now?”
He nodded and gave me a sad smile. “I do hope we will speak again, Ava,” he said, “but if not, it was an honor knowing you.””
“Wait—how are we going to stop him?” I said as the power traveled up my body and surged into me.
“Not we, you,” he said. “I’’m not going in there. Mystics have died on those grounds. The place is dangerous.”
“What?” I said. “I can’t face Kaze if he has this Eye of Reversal thing.”
“You must,” he said. “You are the only who can now.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you have to save your uncle before Kaze kills him,” he said in a huff of exasperation. “Honestly, child, you must work on your focus.”
“Ghost, we need a plan—a method of attack,” I said. “I only have my sticks and guns.”
I was about to say more when he held up his hand, stopping me.
“No sticks,” he said. “You use your sticks when you’re next to your uncle, and only then.”
“So I only have my guns against an entire Enclave?”
“No, it’s Kaze and whoever is following him, which is still a considerable number,” he answered.
“That’s encouraging,” I said and checked the magazines in my interior pockets. Each bullet had taken on a new significance. ““Do you know how many, exactly?”
“No, I don’t,” he said. “I know he doesn’’t control the Kurokami…yet.”
“Two guns aren’t going to be enough,” I said.
“And your power. Stop living in the past and unleash what you have, who you are,” he said. “Besides, there is no time, he only needs two more mystics to finish the ritual——that is your way in.”
What does he mean by that?
I tried to step out of the circle, but the energy flowing through my body kept me rooted.
“I’m not going with you, but I have already given you all the help you need,” he said. “Trust your instincts. Remember, no sticks until you are next to your uncle—not before then.”
“Got it: no sticks until I find my uncle,” I said. “Anything else to make this more interesting?”
“Oh yes!” he said. “I almost forgot.”
I cringed because this couldn’t be good news.
“What?”
“The reason he had me in that room guarded by Ikumi is because he is a warder,” he said. “A good one too, probably as good as Circe. Be careful when you enter Nezu.””
He slammed his walking stick on the ground and the world shifted around me. I had the feeling of traveling at speed and remaining in place simultaneously. When the motion stopped, I found myself facing the entrance of a shrine in the heart of Tokyo.
TWENTY-THREE
I WAITED FOR a few seconds for the world to stop spinning. When I was certain I wouldn’t trip and introduce my face to the ground, I pulled out my phone and called Titus.
It connected after a few seconds.
“Where are you?” It was Titus.
“It was Tokyo, not Fukuoka,” I said. “How soon can you get to the abandoned Nihon Enclave in the city?”
“Nezu?” he said. “The one that killed mystics and is off-limits even now? You want to go in there?”
“My uncle is in there,” I said. “I’m going in with or without you. If you help, it will be easier. I have a plan.”
“I’ll be landing in two hours. Can you wait that long?” he asked.
“Two hours,” I said. “I need to recharge. Two hours will give me time.”
I looked around and moved to a side street where I could observe the flow of traffic and any prying eyes.
“So Fukuoka was a bust?”
“Not entirely, Ghost was being held there.”
“Ghost?” he asked. “That doesn’t make sense. What does Ghost have to do with this?”
“Kaze is a warder,” I said. “I’m guessing Nezu is full of traps. He probably wanted Ghost out of the way.”
“Why would they hold your uncle in Nezu?” he asked. “What is he waiting for?”
“Nezu is a place of power,” I said. “If Kaze completes the Rite of Disciplines, Nezu would be the place to finish it.”
“The rite of what?” he said. “You are going to have to bring me up to speed when I get there. I will make some calls, get some supplies and help.””
“Thanks,” I said. “I’ll find a place to wait. Can you track my signal?””
“Not on that phone,” he said. “Rafe is good at what he does. Give me a call when you get situated.”
I hung up and checked my aura. The shimmer effect was beginning to wear off, so I diverted energy to the Black Heart. The last thing I needed was a swarm of Enforcers on my tail. I slipped into a restaurant, bought some food and paid cash.
The events of the last few days were catching up with me and I needed sleep before I passed out. I walked around the city for a few minutes and found a hostel near the Nezu train station. I paid for a room and went upstairs to eat, avoiding the bar and the crowd forming in the lobby.
I took the elevator alone and went to the fifteenth floor. My room was on the tenth. I took the stairs down and opened the stairwell door. The hallway was clear, but the feeling of being followed remained with me. I remembered my words to Titus and his response: Paranoia can keep you alive.
I kept my awareness up and allowed my hearing to go wide. It meant hearing everything around me. I filtered out the things that weren’t threats, the fluorescent lights, the insects on the wall, my heartbeat, and the voices of the people in the adjacent rooms. I pushed those sounds to the background and let my hearing pick up any outliers.
I was opening the door to the room when I heard the displaced air, and ducked. Two holes had formed in the door where my head had been. I looked behind me and saw a matching set in the wall above me. The holes were slowly expanding.
Shit, void rounds. Can’t catch a break.
I unholstered my guns and pushed open the door a few inches and listened. The room was empty. I darted across the floor and sat on the other side of the door. I saw the same two holes in the window and managed to use the reflection of a mirror to look farther into the room. There was a building across the street that provided a perfect firing position. Which meant the front desk had told someone what room I was staying in and that I would have visitors soon.
It also meant I was under surveillance. I checked my masking and found it in effect. This conventional method almost worked. I heard the elevator open on my floor and footsteps approach.
Behind me and down the hallway, a door led to a
nother stairwell. I opted to avoid the firefight and moved to the other door when I heard it open behind me. An Enforcer with bright red hair stepped through the door, gun drawn and aimed at me. He looked young and determined.
I stepped back to my room door and stood beside it, conscious that the shooter may still be outside the window.
“You need to come with us,” he said. “We know why you’re here.””
“Then you know I won’t go with you,” I said.
“Converge on my location, tenth floor,” Red said into a shoulder radio. “Ava James, under mystic law, I am authorized to use any and all force to contain and incapacitate you if you do not comply with my instructions. Bring up the null.”
He pulled out a pair of void inhibitors and stepped closer.
I stepped over a few inches, put my foot on the wall, and pushed hard. I landed on the floor in my room as bullets shattered the window.
Shooter is still there.
I kicked the door closed and looked around. It was a small room with a bed and bathroom and not much else. A short desk sat to one side of the window. Pieces of glass covered the floor around me. I sat under the window. The door was the only way in or out.
“There’s no way out, James,” said Red. “I’’m sorry about your uncle, but we can’t let you enter Nezu. We have Enforcers from the New York Enclave arriving soon.”
That means Julius. How do they know about Nezu?
I needed a way out. I looked around and realized there was only one way.
“Tell your shooter to stand down,” I yelled through the door. “I’m coming out.”
I heard him give the command and then the door splintered as they smashed through the lock. Red stood at the entrance with his gun drawn.
“Get up, slow,” he said. “Drop your weapons.”
I holstered my guns and stepped to the side. I saw my reflection in the mirror. I was standing squarely in front of the window. I felt the flow-state of a null approach the room.
“I told you to drop your—” he began.
I fell back and out of the window.
TWENTY-FOUR
MYSTICS DON’T FLY. We have immense power, but that power doesn’t enable us to take flight and shoot across the sky. Falling is another matter entirely. We can fall with style. At least I thought it was falling with style. I twisted my body and managed to get my head pointed downward. It was a matter of getting my arms in front of me and releasing my power.
The ground was rushing up at me. If this didn’t work, the Enforcers would need a sponge to arrest what was left of me. I let my power rush out of me in a torrent. Flames burst from my hands along with a strong gust of air. I kept my arms pointed down at the ground. My descent slowed and I landed with a thud instead of spread out all over the concrete. The impact knocked the air out of my lungs. I considered staying put and letting the Enforcers come get me for a split second, then I got up and ran.
I could still hear Red giving orders into his radio as I ran into a side street and found the nearest Tokyo Metro subway entrance. I leaped down the stairs and onto the platform. I made sure a train wasn’t entering the station and then jumped down onto the tracks. No one followed me. I caught my breath and called Titus. The call connected and I heard his voice.
“You found a place?” he asked. “Are you safe?”
“The Enclave found me,” I said. “I’m in the Tokyo Metro.””
“You are on a train?” he asked. “That is a deathtrap. Get off immediately.”
“No, underground,” I said. “They were trying to apprehend me for the New York Enclave.”
“That is not the usual SOP,” he said. “Someone is giving them orders.”
“They knew about my uncle and Nezu.”
“How could they possibly know about him?”
“I don’t know, but this means we have to approach Nezu tonight,” I said. “Did you make your call?”’
“Yes, supplies are not a problem, but the assistance will be difficult,” he said after a pause. “Did not get many takers.””
“How many did you get?”
“One,” he said. “A good one.”
“Please tell me that is one followed by at least two zeroes,” I answered. The silence dragged on for a few seconds. “Even one zero would work.””
“One person, an old friend who is as crazy as you,” he said. “Apparently no one fancies entering Nezu unless they are suicidal.””
“This friend have a name?” I asked.
“He goes by Codyac, sounds like the bear,” he said. “I can send you his location. He just confirmed he will help.”
“Is it close to the shrine?”
“Not very, but I think that is a good thing right now, yes?”
“Send me the location,” I said. “Is he a mystic?”
“Not entirely,” Titus answered. “You have to meet him to understand.”
My phone chirped and I saw the message. The address was not far from my location according to my GPS.
“Got it. What’s your ETA?”
“I will meet you at Codyac’s in thirty minutes,” he said and hung up.
If he isn’t a mystic, what is he?
I ran the tunnels until I found another station and exited. Forty-five minutes later, I surfaced at the Nishi-Nippori station. Ten minutes walking distance was the Suwa Shrine and where I was going to meet Titus and Codyac. I took the side streets and kept my hearing wide. I made it to the shrine in eight minutes. It was closed and I scaled one of the rear walls of the property.
“She’s over there,” said a voice. “I can smell her.””
“Make sure she wasn’t followed,” Titus said. “I will collect her.””
The acoustics in the shrine didn’t allow me to pinpoint their location until I heard Titus walking up behind me.
“Good to see you made it,” he said. “Cody will be here shortly. He is checking to make sure you did not make any new friends.””
Titus wore black body armor and looked every bit the Enforcer he used to be. A long case rested on his back. I brought him up to speed on what had happened since I had seen him last and explained the Rite of Disciplines.
“May I see one of your sticks?” he asked.
I reached for a stick and a surge of blue-green energy leaped to my hand, causing a small explosion of sound. He held my hand in place and stopped me from unsheathing it.
“Perhaps it would be safer if you leave them in place,” he said. “You cannot go into Nezu, Ava.”
“What do you mean I can’t?”
“It is what Kaze wants,” he said. “You said it yourself. He is killing mystics in order: Water, Earth, and Air. That leaves Fire and Void——you and your uncle.”
“I’m not going to walk away from this.”
“If you go in there you will give him what he wants,” he said. “If he manages to take you down, he is one step away from becoming an Arch Mystic.””
“He won’t take me down,” I said, but the words sounded hollow even to my ears.
“Just to be clear, since you insist on going in there,” he said, “if I see this is going south, I will end you myself before letting him get your power.””
“As long as you make sure he goes down too,” I said. “You do what needs to be done.”
“Very well,” he said and adjusted the case on his back. “No turning back now.”
“What happened to the suit?” I asked.
“I felt this was more appropriate for tonight’s activities,” he replied and tossed me a bag. I opened it and found a waist holster with a gun similar to my Glocks.
“Figured an extra gun may be useful,” he said when I looked at him. “Ammunition for your guns and that one is in the bag.””
I checked and saw he was right. I had enough ammo to wage a small war.
“Where did you get all this void ammo?”
I was looking at a small fortune in bullets.
“I have a good supplier,” he said a
nd looked behind me. “Anything?”
“Not anymore,” said a voice from behind me. “There were two of them. Fast—but not fast enough. Not Enforcers.”
“Ava, this is Cody—or Codyac,” Titus said. “Cody, this here is Ava, who would like to enter Nezu and recover someone.”
“You must be crazy, strong, or both,” Cody said. “Which one?”
I turned and had to look up—way up. Codyac stood almost twice my height and was easily three feet across.
How does someone so large move so silently?
“I’m going to go with both,” I said. “What are you?””
“He is a kumade, one of the bear people,” Titus said. “Not mystics per se, but they have certain abilities.”
He stepped close to me and smelled the air around my head.
“She smells,” Cody whispered. “That’s how they know.””
His voice was a deep baritone and it resonated in the night even though he whispered. I stepped back, surprised, and was about to offer a choice remark when Titus held up his hand.
“Like what?”
Cody came close again and sniffed the air around me.
“A Komainu that she bonded to recently, and tracers,” he said. “Void rounds.”
“Shit, that complicates things,” Titus said. “Did they shoot at you?”
“No, I’m not hit,” I said.
“You misunderstand,” he said. “I did not ask if the rounds actually hit you, but rather if they even shot at you.”
I remembered the rounds in the hostel that went through the door and into the wall.
“Yes, two void rounds missed me and went into a wall behind me,” I said.
“How close were the rounds to you?”
“Around a foot—two max,” I said. “What are these tracers?””
“They did not miss,” Titus said. “They were supposed to go off near you.”
“Near me?”
Titus nodded. “Tracers light up your aura, making it easier to track with calibrators,” he said. “No way to hide until they wear off. Time to go.””
Titus started walking back to the train station. Cody and I followed as he spoke.
A Dream of Ashes: An Ava James Mystery (Chronicles of the Modern Mystics Book 1) Page 12
