Owl and the Tiger Thieves

by Kristi Charish

  Good question. It was much too quiet. “Oricho?” I asked.

  Before he could answer, there was a loud clang ahead, followed by a snap of electricity that arched up from the neon gate. We stopped where we were and scanned the intersection ahead, none of us willing to speak, despite the unnerving and unnatural silence that surrounded us.

  The four of us jumped almost in unison as something crashed behind us, followed by another electric snap that charged the air.

  I tried to pinpoint the source of the sounds, my heart racing. Another sign had fallen, and a white-light case had fallen three or four stories a block away. I jumped as another crashed to the street closer to us, then another, the lights exploding as the light cases broke and the electricity fizzling like miniature lightning. It was like a path cut raggedly through a dangerous forest with a trail of pinecones—except that this forest was made of concrete and the pinecones of skull-crushing Plexiglas.

  “I’d say that was our invitation,” Artemis said, his voice echoing through the tense night air. “Let’s follow the bread crumb trail of destruction, shall we?”

  I don’t know what I’d expected—screaming, running, mayhem . . . “Anything strike you guys as odd?” I asked.

  “You mean the silence?” Nadya offered, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “That—and the distinct lack of anyone.” I kept scanning the restaurant windows we passed. There was no one. Not hiding under furniture, peeking out through shuttered windows, waiting for the coast to be clear. I’d seen them running on TV—so where the hell had they gone? Even in the worst disasters, there were always a few lingering souls who were more concerned with protecting their things than their lives. Or keeping their front seat at the disaster so they could film it for YouTube. If people willingly died in pyroclastic floods and lava, why the hell weren’t there any spectators for the monster show?

  Unless the monsters ate them already. I pushed the thought aside as we continued past another fallen sign.

  “Please say the distinct lack of activity is you, Oricho,” I said.

  Oricho glanced at me over his shoulder, arching one of his dark eyebrows, the dragon tattoo on his face shifting in the lights. “I only wish it were.”

  Of course it wasn’t. I swore. Captain let out a forlorn mew, as if joining me in his own curse of the electrical hurricane.

  “Everyone has their powder on them?” I’d divided the Tiger Thieves’ powder up amongst us, so that whoever ran into Rynn first could use it, rather than waiting for whoever held it to show up. There was a round of nods. We kept moving forwards, Nadya and Oricho in the lead a few feet ahead.

  Artemis dropped back beside me. “Give me the device, Hiboux,” he said, his voice too low for the others to hear, holding out his hand. “Before you’re tempted to do something stupid.”

  “I won’t do anything stupid,” I whispered back, afraid to raise my voice in case Rynn had his denizens waiting for us—or Oricho or Nadya overheard.

  “You’ve used it not once, but twice now. I trust you not to be tempted about as much as I trust your cat with a vampire.”

  I ignored him, paying attention to our surroundings instead.

  He frowned at me. “Give it to me—this is the last time I’ll ask.”

  “No! And back off, it’s mine.”

  Nadya glanced back at us, and I shook my head at her questioning glance. I looked away, remembering her suggestion—and warning.

  The hairs on my arm were bristling with static now, the air itself electrified. Beside me Captain let out a forlorn mew as the hair on his back lifted from the static charge. We had to be getting close now.

  As if the universe were taking my thoughts and churning them into reality, we turned a building corner, and there he was. Standing in the center of the intersection, waiting for us, was Rynn. His black armor was electrified, statically charged energy dancing over its surface. The air around him buzzed with electricity, snapping when it contacted the debris and dust in the air. He stared at us, his cold eyes so pale now as to be almost white as they burrowed into me.

  There was something else I noted, though, which was much more disconcerting: along the sides of his face were angry red welts—and they were smoking.

  “The armor is burning him up—just like it did all its victims,” I said. Meaning we didn’t have much time left to get Rynn out. The Kitsune’s warning came back to me: I could take care of Rynn, or the supernaturals would try it their way.

  Rynn’s smile was feral. “Alix, so happy you could join us,” he called out.

  Sure enough, I saw them—mercenaries, the odd shadow moving around the buildings, a burst of erratic light. I even thought I caught the scent of lily of the valley, but I couldn’t be certain, the way a dry breeze stirred around us. I frowned. There was something strange about the air around us— I reached out and just as quickly pulled my hand back as a shock coursed through me.

  “Well, the invitation kind of sucked, but you know me, not much else going on tonight in Tokyo.” I nodded to the dark figures. “A little impersonal bringing your retinue, don’t you think?” I added.

  I don’t know what I’d expected—for the Electric Samurai piloting Rynn to get upset, lash out, yell like a spoiled two-year-old? He tsked at me, then turned his attention on Oricho and Artemis.

  “Such a change from the last time I walked the earth,” the Electric Samurai mused. “Humans have surrounded themselves with such wonderfully conductive cities.” Making his point, the box lights above us exploded, forcing us to scatter out of the way. The buildings around us crackled.

  “Keep your feet and hands away from the metal—everything in this square is electrified,” Oricho warned. “He’s turned it into an extension of the armor.”

  Meaning that there was no way in hell we’d get close enough to use the Tiger Thieves’ powder. Goddamn it, we’d been worried about his minions, but he didn’t need his minions if he could electrify everything around him into one giant weapon. Why the hell hadn’t we thought of that?

  Oricho inclined his head. “Perhaps there’s something I can do—but I will need a significant distraction.”

  “How?” Artemis asked. “You saw that, he has the entire square booby-trapped.”

  “He will not, I think, be able to guard all four avenues to him—not if he is focused on you, Alix.” He turned to Artemis. “Not if we both employ our powers.”

  Artemis snorted but regarded me and said, “It’s risky, but you’re right. Using Alix to unnerve him is the best chance we have.”

  Oricho nodded at me. “You’ll need to distract him—I believe talking to him will suffice—you have a talent for infuriating him as you do most supernaturals.”

  I wasn’t going to argue that one—not now . . .

  To Nadya he said, “Can you cover the mercenaries?”

  Nadya nodded and from her bag removed a firearm. I couldn’t help but arch my eyebrows; things had certainly changed in the last few months if Nadya was carrying a gun around in her backpack. That was a conversation for another time, though.

  She gave me a quick glance, as if asking me if I would be okay. I nodded, and she headed for the building across from us, one with a number of balconies.

  “Artemis, if you could confuse Rynn’s supernatural denizens?”

  He gave me a slightly longer stare than Nadya had. Then, “Why the hell not? Chances are we’re all going to die anyway. Might as well spend my last few moments pissing off my cousin—it’s become a family tradition.” With that he disappeared from my sight.

  And then there were me and Oricho.

  “I’m waiting, Alix,” Rynn called out, but it was in the Electric Samurai’s hollow voice. It was enjoying this way too much. “What is it going to be? Hide in the shadows or come and face me? If you do, I might even let your friends live. You won’t.”

  “Keep him distracted,” Oricho whispered. “Once I’m close enough, I’ll signal you to get out of the way.”

  “Wai
t a minute, a signal—what signal?”

  “You’ll know it when you see it,” he said.

  And then there was only me . . . and Rynn.

  Great, just fantastic. They were going to let Captain and me negotiate with the violent supernatural. Just how had this plan gotten so far without anyone pointing out the huge problem with that? Oh yeah, my pissing Rynn off was the plan. Oh yeah, there was nothing that could go sideways with this.

  I brushed off my pants and stood, Captain beside me, warily eyeing Rynn and trying to resolve the conflicting smells coming off him.

  Let’s try not to start this off with violence . . .

  “What do you want?” I shouted. There, that was nice and neutral.

  That slow, cruel smile. “I was going to take your life, but after that show in Muziris, I’ll take da Vinci’s device first, thank you very much.” He held out his hand.

  God, I hoped Oricho knew what he was doing. Otherwise we were about to have a very pissed off Rynn. The device sat there, a warm pit in my pocket.

  I glanced at the building windows and was convinced that I saw more than one piece of metal reflecting. “Ah—yeah, how about fuck off and try— Shit!” I dived out of the way as a streak of lightning shot out towards me and Captain, striking inches from my feet.

  “That wasn’t a negotiation, Alix,” the Electric Samurai said. But there was a twitch of muscle, a quirk of his lips. Rynn—it had to be Rynn trying to get through. Maybe that was it? Maybe I was going about this all wrong. Maybe goading the Electric Samurai was the way to release Rynn—or at least give him a fighting chance.

  “Hey, asshole, why don’t you stop wearing my boyfriend like a cheap suit?”

  The Electric Samurai laughed. “Oh, you’ll have to do much better to get under my skin.”

  I shook my head and removed the device from my pocket. “Not really,” I said.

  Rynn frowned, the first sign of confusion on the Electric Samurai’s face.

  “You have any idea how fragile this thing is?” I said, holding it above my head like a tennis ball about to be thrown.

  Rynn’s face twisted in fury. This time I was ready for the lightning and was already running for cover. It struck the sign I skidded behind, sending up a shower of sparks.

  There it was again—another waver in the Electric Samurai’s carefully controlled veneer.

  I saw it then, a red car careening across the intersection towards Rynn. Oricho was right; I was going to see his sign.

  The mercenaries saw the car as well, and I ducked farther behind a fallen sign as bullets rained down. I was certain I heard fire returned, though I couldn’t pinpoint from where. The Electric Samurai finally gripped back enough control to turn towards the commotion, but it was too late. Oricho was behind him. Faster than I could follow, Oricho was on Rynn. He forced him to the ground and gripped his head between his hands.

  Then he crammed the powder down the Electric Samurai’s throat. The effect was immediate: Rynn sunk to the street, gripping his throat and coughing.

  The lights surrounding us sputtered, once, twice, then went out.

  “Quick, get the armor off!” I shouted. Oricho began to pull frantically at the blackened pieces that had reverted back to their pre-feudal Japanese origins. I ran until I reached Rynn and tried to help get the armor off.

  I yelped and pulled back my hands, my fingertips red and angry. The armor still burned.

  I wrapped my hands in my sleeves and tried again. The armor wouldn’t budge, not an inch. “Why the hell isn’t it coming off?” I shouted at Oricho.

  He shook his head. “It’s bound to him—we’re too late,” he replied.

  No, no, we couldn’t be too late—shit! I launched myself at Oricho as he raised a long blade over Rynn’s heart. “Sorry, old friend,” he said before I crashed into him. I have no illusions about my martial prowess; the only reason I managed to dislodge him was the surprise.

  Artemis reached us at a dead run just as Oricho reached for my neck. Artemis pulled me off, then restrained me as I went straight for Oricho’s throat.

  “I can’t remove the armor—none of us can!” Oricho said.

  “So we what? We kill him? Just like that? What kind of a dick friend move is that?”

  “It’s not a ‘dick friend move,’ ” Oricho said, the words sounding odd coming from him. “It’s a mercy—he wouldn’t want to be left like this, enslaved by corrupted magic—none of us would!”

  “What you need is to try harder to come up with something else!” I’m fairly certain Oricho was about to tell me the supernatural equivalent of “Go to hell” and “Fuck off” all in one, but instead, his eyes went wide at something behind me.

  Shit.

  I turned. Behind us stood the Electric Samurai.

  And he looked pissed. He tsked. “I’m. Not. Going. Anywhere.”

  “Run,” Oricho said—simple and to the point.

  I did as Oricho asked, as did Artemis. Over my shoulder I saw Rynn stand up. Oricho didn’t stand a chance.

  Before Oricho could even get back within arm’s reach, Rynn launched a shock of lightning at him. I heard Nadya shout, and two bullets struck Rynn in the chest. They bounced off ineffectually. Rynn turned his attention to where the bullets had come from, an evil look in his eye as he launched another shock of lightning.

  “Nadya!” I shouted as the lightning struck one of the buildings, shattering the windows. Oricho was lying smoking on the ground; he’d barely crawled out of Rynn’s range.

  I needed to stop this—now, before someone, including Rynn, got killed.

  It was time to do something really stupid.

  I held my hands up in something I figured resembled a white-flag gesture and waved them over my head. “All right, Rynn, you win,” I called out. “You’re right, we’re in over our heads.”

  A slow, cruel smile spread across his face. “You never were much of a negotiator, Alix.”

  He had no idea. Fists clenched at my sides, I started to rise out of hiding but Artemis stopped me.

  “Give me the device,” Artemis said. “I know what you’re planning, remember, I was there in Muziris.”

  I stared at Artemis’s outstretched hand. I’m not going to lie, I was tempted. Selfish, self-absorbed, and probably a million other self-adjectives you can come up with. And let’s face it. I’m not what most people would consider a moral person. Most of the time I struggle with right and wrong; often it’s not until I see an outcome that I know which would have been the better choice.

  But then there are times in my life when the right choice is staring me in the face and the decision I’m left with isn’t what’s right or wrong but whether I’m willing to do the right thing and damn the consequences.

  My hand tightened around the orb. I was done taking the easy way out.

  I shook my head at Artemis. “This isn’t one of those responsibilities people should pass off.” With that, I bolted and ran for Rynn before he could stop me.

  I hoped Nadya was right about the device separating all the individual parts out.

  As I was just about to slice my finger on one of the sharp edges I stopped—or more accurately, I came to an abrupt halt. I couldn’t move: my legs, my face, I couldn’t even blink my eyes. Mere feet away from Rynn.

  That put one hell of a kink into my plan.

  Rynn covered the distance and gripped my arm, the one holding the device. He squeezed. Pale, malevolent eyes glared down at me. He kept squeezing my wrist until one by one my fingers opened. The silver device dropped into his open gloved hand.

  Oh, this time my reckless abandonment and shunning of precise plans was going to cost me—in sweat and blood, if his grip was any indication.

  “Did you really think I was clueless to your plan to get rid of me?” It was Rynn’s mouth moving, but the hollow voice was all the armor’s. If Rynn was still in there, I couldn’t see him.

  Whatever force gripped the rest of my muscles relaxed in my face. Well, rule one of Ow
l’s handbook for dealing with hostile supernaturals: no matter what the cost, keep them talking.

  I ignored the pain shooting up my wrist as best I could. “Well, to be honest, I kind of hoped you’d be a bit more clueless— Son of a—” I bit back a yelp of pain as he squeezed my wrist again.

  “Rynn is adept at deception—I do have to give him credit for that. Squirreling thoughts away in the far reaches of his mind, thinking them safe from me.” Rynn’s/not-Rynn’s mouth twisted. “I’ll give you a hint. They aren’t.”

  As I watched, the cold blue faded from his eyes, as if they were melting back to Rynn’s own blue-gray. There was a trace of movement, little more than a microshift; his eyes widened, the rest of his face still cruel and impassive. It was easy to miss but I caught it.

  Rynn was in there watching, but the armor was still in charge. The idea made me nauseous.

  “I told you I was a fast learner,” came the armor’s hollow voice. He was close enough that I could feel his breath, hotter than it should have been, brushing against my skin, reminiscent of Rynn but with something rotting underneath.

  “You should have listened.” The cruel smile widened. “Come to think of it, I believe I’ve finally determined a way to break my wayward host.”

  A snap like a twig sounded down the street. For a moment I felt nothing. Then I felt pain shoot up my arm and into my hand as my wrist snapped. I screamed. And all the while, the Electric Samurai was making Rynn watch me. I’d like to think I braced against the pain, but that would be a damned lie. I howled like Captain dumped into water—louder, if the way Rynn’s eyes widened said anything.

  “Now, tell me what it is this device does, and maybe I’ll stop forcing Rynn to watch me kill you. It’s the least I can do.”

  I think there’s something particularly painful about having a wrist joint broken—not just the pain but the fact that there’s now a ton of things you might never be able to do again . . .

  Through the pain, though, something important registered: the Electric Samurai still didn’t know what da Vinci’s device did.

  I licked my lips and clenched my teeth through the pain. I’ll take my silver linings where I can get them.