“In this context, I believe it means the death of the transformed,” he said. “Specifically the one that undergoes this ritual. I will have to check the North Watch to see if this symbol is duplicated there. It is an ancient glyph, which narrows down how many would know of it.”
“So it was meant to kill me,” I said, feeling a pit form in my stomach. He nodded as he completed the glyphs and opened a portal for us.
“It would seem that way,” he answered. “It was fortunate that the process was interrupted.”
“Interrupted? By who? It’s just us here.”
“Let’s go see my teacher and see if we can get some answers,” he replied. “The Mikai are always well-informed.”
He waited for me to step through the portal. I entered and the world disappeared.
**********
Sylk turned around at the sound behind him. The portal closed suddenly, vanishing from sight. A figure stood in the shadows, hidden from view.
“Greetings, Karashihan,” said the voice. “You lied about the glyph. You know exactly what it means.”
“Your attempt to kill him failed and your earlier performance wasn’t very convincing,” said Sylk. I can’t let him know I saw through his mask, not yet.
“I will have to work on my acting. Duplicity was never my strong suit, unlike some,” said the figure.
“He doesn’t need to know its meaning. Besides, you’re too late,” said Sylk. “He is already gone.”
“Tricky things, those lies of omission,” said the figure. “They always come back to bite you in the ass. I know you sent him to your shadows. It will be easy enough to locate him now that he has the sliver of the third focus. I will find him. And end him.”
“You will have to kill me first, Harbinger,” said Sylk manifesting his sword. The black blade gleamed.
“That was the plan,” said the figure. The figure manifested a sword in each hand and stepped out of the shadows. Electricity began to arc between the blades.
SEVENTEEN
RAQUEL SENSED THAT something was off. She headed back to the area where she had left Devin. She was about to disobey a direct order from the commanding officer of the Black Lotus Council—an act punishable by death in the Order. As she walked the corridors of the hub, she started to connect the dots. The more she did this, the angrier she became. Virtue and honor were not part of the Black Lotus, but there was a code, unspoken but still present—you don’t betray your own. They existed in the shadows, doing the things no one else would or could. It meant getting your hands dirty. She understood and accepted that. What she didn’t understand was this obsession with Meja. Why didn’t they just execute her when she stood before the Council? Now Rory is missing. What the hell is going on?
She found Devin in one of the lower levels of the hub. He was meeting with several monitors and giving them instructions. They were sitting at a large conference table covered with maps and diagrams. The room they were in was an old storage room converted into an office. A large desk sat to one side of the room covered with papers. In the center of the room, the large rectangular table dominated the space. The old wood shone in several places, revealing its age. Out of the nine chairs around the table, only six had occupants.
“This is a private meeting,” said one of the monitors as Raquel entered the room.
She ignored the monitor and sat at the far end of the table opposite Devin, looking directly at him. “We need to talk,” she said.
Devin looked at Raquel and stood, prompting the others at the table to stand with him.
“You have your instructions,” he said. “Report back to me once you have fulfilled them.”
The five monitors nodded and left the room silently.
He sat back down and steepled his fingers as he looked at Raquel.
“How can I help you?” he said.
“Your wife is a bitch,” answered Raquel.
“You didn’t come here to tell me something that is common knowledge,” said Devin. “Besides, I can’t help you with that.”
“She and the Lotus are coming for you,” said Raquel. “She thinks you are up to something and is planning to take you down.”
“I am aware of what she is planning,” he said. “I am also aware that this Order is corrupt. Are you aware she is going to set you up for a fall?”
“She’s what?” said Raquel. “Where is your proof?”
Devin produced a prism and traced a series of glyphs in front of it.
“Where did you get that?’ said Raquel, her eyes narrowing.
“Before I answer that, let me show you something,” he said. “Listen closely. Let me know if you recognize the voices. This conversation took place a short time ago.” Devin placed his hand on the prism.
“She’s good, but not that good.”
“That’s Monique,” said Raquel.
“You underestimate her,” he said. “That would be a mistake. She is dangerous. Why haven’t you killed her yet?”
Devin removed his hand and the voices stopped.
“Yes, and I want to know who she is speaking to. I don’t recognize the voice. Do you?” asked Devin.
Raquel shook her head.
Devin placed his hand on the prism and the voices resumed.
“She still serves a purpose. Once that purpose is fulfilled, she will be terminated.”
“What is this purpose?”
“She is a gunslinger.”
“A gunslinger? I thought they were all eliminated and the teaching banned as too dangerous?”
Devin removed his hand again. “Is she referring to you?” he asked.
Raquel nodded and gritted her teeth. The muscles of her jaw flexed before she spoke. “How did you do this?” she said. “Her room is secure from this kind of intrusion.”
“Every time she creates her security field, the twin to this prism is activated and acts as a recording device,” said Devin. “This is not happening real time, but it was the last conversation that occurred.”
He placed his hand back on the prism. The voices continued.
“She was given a special dispensation.”
“Does that mean she is his daughter?”
“Yes, and this will further serve to implicate her.”
“You plan to use her to—”
“She and her guns are going to spark the destruction of the Order. It is only fitting, given her heritage.”
“It will be interesting to see how you arrange that.”
“Leave that to me. What of the Samadhi? We can’t move until we know where their loyalties lie.”
“The master will convene the Samadhi soon. Is the Lotus ready?”
“The Lotus is ready to strike once the command is given. We will start with the seniors and move down the ranks. Anyone not loyal to the Wheel will die. Who will deal with the Samadhi?”
“Master will give them a choice. They will join him or cease to exist. You said the seniors. Does that include Devin?”
“All of the seniors.”
Devin took his hand off the prism.
“I can’t say I’m surprised,” began Devin. “Power has always been her prime motivator.”
“But you married her,” said Raquel. “Are you a masochist?”
“It’s complicated, and the marriage was arranged long ago when our families were allies.”
“I would say that alliance no longer exists,” said Raquel.
“It looks like she is coming after you, too,” he said quietly. “I need to know who she is speaking with. He can lead me to whoever is going to deal with the Samadhi.”
“I’m going to kill her,” she said.
“No, not yet,” said Devin. “What did she mean about your father?”
“Nothing,” she lied.
“Who is your father?” asked Devin. “What did she mean, given your heritage?”
“I prefer not to discuss it,” said Raquel. “I don’t see how it’s going to help our current situation. It’s in the past.”
>
“Except that she plans on using that past to influence our future,” he answered.
She hesitated and then sighed. “My father was Arthur Cross, one of the first gunslingers,” she said. “He was the leader of the Deadeyes, the elite gunslinger unit.”
Devin remained quiet for a moment.
“This is the same Cross who betrayed and then sacrificed himself for the Order. That Cross?” he asked. “I never knew he had children or a family. I thought he died before…”
“Before he could have children?” asked Raquel. “I never met him; and he didn’t die, they killed him.”
“What do you mean?” asked Devin. “The archives record that he turned against the Order during the time they tried to imprison Lucius.”
“The archives are wrong,” she answered. “He betrayed the Order when he discovered their plan of conquest. When they took my mother, he surrendered.”
“He became their weapon,” said Devin. “The Order used him.”
“They sent him against Lucius, with the order to kill him or die trying. He found Lucius and faced his forces. They abandoned him when he needed them the most. He managed to escape back to the hub with a handful of the Deadeyes.”
“A setup,” said Devin. “Either way, they won. If he succeeded, they removed Lucius and, if he failed, he would be dead. They didn’t count on him escaping Lucius. And your mother?”
Raquel nodded. “When he failed, they said they killed her to give him incentive,” she answered. “They miscalculated. The thought of her death drove him over the edge. He loved her more than life. He stormed the hub and used the one technique gunslingers are forbidden to use.”
“A soul cannon?” whispered Devin. “I thought that technique was removed from the teachings?”
“It is,” she said. “He was the only one to ever be able to do it and it killed him. No one has attempted to do it since because of that final side effect.”
That’s some side effect. “How did you escape their notice?” asked Devin. “Your mother wasn’t dead. She was pregnant with you.”
“No, but she was of no use to them after he died,” she said. “I was born off-plane and raised by my paternal grandparents,” she continued. “They raised me in secret and I managed to stay off the radar until I manifested my first guns at twelve. A few years later the Order swooped in, claiming it was safer to train me at the hub. I didn’t learn much about my family until I was much older and my grandfather, Nicholas, told me everything. He told me to stay close to my enemies. Learn everything about them and then erase them.”
Her father is Arthur Cross, probably the greatest gunslinger who ever lived. Now it’s starting to make sense, thought Devin.
“Who else knows about your father?” asked Devin.
“The council and any of the others old enough to have been around at the time,” she replied. “I’m sure the group is small.”
“And Monique,” added Devin. “She must have been given the information about you by an outside source.”
Raquel nodded. “After the Deadeyes, gunslingers were purged—they were considered to be too dangerous.”
Like the house of Iman. Someone was cleaning house and removing obstacles, thought Devin.
“Yet, here you are,” said Devin. “Someone has a plan for you and your guns.”
“I’d like to see them try,” she replied. “No one controls these guns but me.”
“Where are you headed now?” said Devin.
“You aren’t concerned about your wife?” asked Raquel. “She seems to consider you expendable.”
“We never did care for each other,” he answered. “I’m more concerned about what she wants you to do.”
“I need to go find Rory,” she said. “He went after your sister. I find her, I find him. Simple.”
“Nothing is ever that simple with Meja,” said Devin.
“I noticed,” said Raquel. “What I don’t understand is why the Lotus wants her so badly.”
She looked at the prism sitting on the table.
“How are you going to find her?” asked Devin.
“I’m not,” she said. “You are. I strongly suggest you locate her before Rory does.”
“I have too much happening right now,” said Devin. “I need to be here. Besides, Meja can take care of herself; I would be more concerned about Rory actually finding her.”
“You need to be where your sister is,” she said. “I have a feeling this runs deeper than we can see. Let’s go find her and get some answers.”
Devin gave it some thought. He placed the prism in a section of the table where it would be hidden. Once it was secure, he nodded and traced some glyphs in the air.
“Let’s go,” he said and entered the portal. She followed behind him, taking one last look behind her.
EIGHTEEN
SNOW COULD SENSE the power of the Fangs in his tambo. He closed his eyes and expanded his chi. He channeled his chi through his weapons and felt the ascendants in the plane.
It was a technique taught to him by Wei. They are still alive, which means the Harbinger must be distracted, he thought.
He absorbed his tambo, conscious of the fact that their use attracted attention. He needed help.
Why would you give me the Fangs, Master Wei? This is too much.
He narrowed his focus and found her. As he roamed the streets of lower Manhattan, he kept a close eye on the crowds around him. Using both his natural senses and those heightened by the Fangs, he located his target.
She must be in the hub. I will have to be careful. Master Wei warned me about this place.
He made his way to the entrance of the hub, which was under reconstruction. One of the workers turned when he entered, the surprise evident on his face. Only the Warriors of the Way could perceive the entrance to the hub. To most, it looked like the entrance to a little-used shop, abandoned by its owners long ago. The metal stairs leading down echoed his steps as he entered the space.
“Can I help you?” said the worker. From his tone, it was clear that help was the furthest thing from his mind. Snow could sense unease in the worker’s chi.
“I have been sent by Master Wei,” said Snow. “I am here on urgent business and need to speak to one of the seniors.”
“Did you say Master Wei?” asked the worker.
Snow nodded. “Would it possible to speak to a senior?”
“Please wait inside,” said the worker. “I will locate someone who can help you.”
Snow felt that the one he sought was still in the hub. With some focusing, he could locate her. He left the waiting area and began walking through the passages of the hub.
If they stop me, I will explain that I am lost and here on urgent business, he thought.
He sensed the portal open. She’s close. He ran to the area where he had sensed her, but it was too late. She was gone. Taking a few moments more to orient himself, he confirmed that she had left the plane. As he turned, a wave of energy surrounded him. Members of the Black Lotus materialized around him with bows drawn.
“You have something I need,” said Monique. “Hand over the second focus and I promise your death will be swift.”
NINETEEN
I FOUND MYSELF in a forest, alone. Around me, I could hear the sounds of the forest. Birds flew overhead, followed by the rustling of something in the underbrush. The smell of the grass and the trees filled me as I took a breath. I centered myself and expanded my awareness. I felt the sliver within. Its power pulsed rhythmically, a second heart beating deep inside of me. What I didn’t sense was Sylk. The portal I had come through was gone. I felt movement around me, but I couldn’t pinpoint a location. Moments later, three figures stood around me with swords drawn.
Dressed in tight form-fitting black wraps, with only their eyes visible, one of them motioned me to follow. We began walking through the forest. Around me, I could sense that there were more Mikai hidden in the trees. After letting my senses expand, I realized that several dozen Mikai f
illed the area around me at all times. Never revealing themselves, but never far away. I looked closely at my three guides. Their footsteps were silent and their movements efficient as I followed them around trees and over roots thicker than my legs.
They communicated with a series of gestures and what seemed to be an unspoken understanding of the surrounding area. I noticed all three had an emblem of two intersecting swords on their shoulder.
We came to a clearing. The presence I felt earlier swelled and I realized that here there were closer to several hundred Mikai around the clearing. I could barely distinguish their chi from the forest around us.
Masking en masse? How is that even possible?
I noticed only a few of them wore black. The others, the ones I could see, wore greens and browns and blended in with the colors of the forest around us in a form of incredible camouflage. A woman stood in the center of the clearing. Her jet-black hair was pulled back in a tight braid. She was dressed in green leather with an assortment of blades sheathed along each leg. On each arm, I saw several small push-knives fitted into the sleeves. Around her waist, I counted no less than three daggers attached horizontally. Strapped to her back was another sheath carrying a sword. She was speaking with several of the black-clad warriors around her when I entered the clearing with my escort. As one, they all turned and faced me.
“Where is Master Sylk?” she said as she rested her hand on one of the blades attached to her waist. I noticed the subtle shift of weight followed by the slight blading of her body, and realized that I faced a practiced warrior.
“I don’t know,” I said. “He formed the portal and sent me through first.”
She turned to one of the black-clad figures next to her and said something in a language I couldn’t understand. The figure ran off in the direction we had come from.
“Why are you here?” she asked me. Her stance had not changed and I felt the tension around us. My escorts still had their swords drawn.
“We need to see Master Zanshi,” I said. “There are things happening and Sylk felt he would know.”
At the mention of Zanshi’s name, I saw her visibly relax. She nodded once and my escorts sheathed their swords. She narrowed her eyes as she looked me over. For the briefest of moments, I saw surprise register on her face. She drew close to me, placed a hand on my chest, and then nodded again. Around us, the rest of the Mikai vanished. My escort remained next to me.
Warriors of the Way-Pentalogy Page 61
