by Steve McHugh
“Eight rooms on this side, and eight on that side,” Layla said. “This really was built for a king.”
“Someone who thought they would be. It didn’t end well for him. That’s the thing about the world you’ve found yourself in. You’re going to meet a lot of people with delusions of grandeur. And a lot more people who might not be so deluded in a lot of ways, but still have enough power to snuff us all out and barely break a sweat. There’s always someone else who needs stopping, someone else who’s allowed their power to go to their head. It’s never ending, and in many ways exhausting, but stopping them is better than letting them continue unabated.”
Remy opened Layla’s bedroom door. “I’ll leave you to get used to your new surroundings.” He walked over and opened Harry’s door too. “My advice: make a cup of tea or coffee, get it down, and get back downstairs. I get the feeling Tommy has a lot on his mind.”
Layla entered the room and sat down on the king-size bed, wondering who would have picked the Star Wars quilt cover and pillowcase. She flipped both of them over to check if the pattern was on both sides, and was just grateful that Jar Jar Binks wasn’t on it. He’d ruined enough things without ruining sleep too.
A green suitcase sat on the bed in which she found several changes of clothing and more hygiene products than any one person could possibly require. She needed a shower and would be grateful to have a clean pair of pajamas on at the end of the day.
The room was spacious and decorated in a similar manner to the rest of the building. There was an old wooden chest of drawers, on top of which sat a forty-inch television. A leather armchair sat in one corner of the room, next to the large window that overlooked the rear gardens.
Layla pulled up the window and stared at the incredible feat of gardening below her. Colorful flowers dominated the landscape, with apple and plum trees to one side, away from the flowers. At the rear of the property was a hedge maze. It reminded her of The Shining, and she had no intention of going anywhere near that maze. Or walking around the halls alone after dark.
On the opposite side of the room sat another chest of drawers made of the same dark brown wood as the first. A small fridge sat beside it, and she opened it revealing a pint of milk and several chocolate bars. She removed one, a Double Decker, and unwrapped it, taking a bite, before putting the kettle on. The coffee and tea was beside the kettle, along with two light blue mugs of completely different sizes. She picked the considerably larger one and poured herself some coffee, forgoing the milk, and walked over to the armchair to sit and drink in peace.
Layla looked out of the window as a peregrine falcon hovered briefly and then dive-bombed to the ground at incredible speed. She watched in awe as it vanished behind a hedge, before reappearing with something in its claws. She loved birds of prey—going to a falconry show with her parents was one of the few good memories that contained her father. She’d simply refused to let his presence in her memory spoil what had been a magical time for her.
The falcon vanished from view as it continued toward the forest at the rear of the property. She hoped that wasn’t meant to be a metaphor for her future.
She remained there for a few more minutes, finishing her coffee, then closed the window and made her way back downstairs to the drawing room. She got the feeling it would be better to hear whatever Tommy needed to say sooner rather than later.
26
“This does not appear to be going as smoothly as you suggested it would.” Nergal’s words stung Elias as if he’d been slapped. A cold anger settled inside of him.
“The blood elves—” Elias started.
“I did not expect the blood elves to be waylaid by a young woman who has had her powers for mere days,” Nergal interrupted.
Elias was beginning to regret ever using the computer to talk to Nergal. At least with a handset you could pretend you had lost reception. It was harder to do those things when the other person was watching you.
“Thomas Carpenter and his people were waiting for us,” Elias explained. “Diana was there.”
Nergal smiled. “Ah, Diana. She always was able to put her nose in places it wasn’t wanted. Fine, we’re no longer dealing with one scared woman; we’re dealing with a formidable opponent. I suggest you think of a way to get access to Layla without having to fight your way through however many people Thomas Carpenter has decided to guard her with. Do we even know where she is?”
“No.”
“So, we’re back to square one. I’m beginning to think that this woman is more trouble than she’s worth. The person in charge of getting her mother screwed up, and the mother died before she could be extracted. I assume you know what happened to the person I’d placed in charge of the mission.”
Considering Elias had been part of that mission, he knew only too well. “You had her expelled for gross incompetence.”
“She’s still in the realm I sent her to, dealing with hundreds of thousands of blood elves. Would you like to help her?”
Elias shook his head; he had a hard enough time dealing with only a handful of the vicious little bastards. He was never sure of how far their loyalty went, or how long it would be until they decided to become their own masters.
“No, Lord Nergal. We will find and capture the woman.”
“Reinforcements will be with you soon enough. I can’t restock your blood-elf count beyond those who are coming with Masako. She should be there soon. Please heed my warning about her: she does not play well with others.” Nergal paused for a second, before sighing. “It may become prudent to remove Thomas Carpenter and his friends from the equation. There are others who would be upset with that decision, but it’s looking more and more like that is the best course of action. Do you have a plan for getting close to Layla?”
“Her friend Chloe killed Dara. I’m going to kill her for it.”
“That’s not answering my question. Kill who you need, but do you have a plan?”
“Yes.”
“Keep me informed.” Nergal ended the call, leaving Elias staring at a blank screen.
“Boss still not happy?” Shane asked as he entered the room and grabbed a can of Coke from the fridge.
“I believe he’s running out of patience with our inability to capture Layla.”
“We weren’t to know that the cavalry would arrive,” Shane said defensively. “We followed in the truck and engaged as needed. The blood elves wanted vengeance, though. They went after Chloe to kill her.”
“She will be mine to take,” Elias said, with just a touch of threat in his voice.
“I don’t really care who kills her, Elias. I’m just saying the blood elves risked their lives to go after her. They didn’t care about the cavalry, or about Diana. A lot of them were killed because of it.”
“We need to find Layla and end this. Nergal’s patience is barely capable of dealing with small set-backs.”
“So, what do we do?” Reyes asked.
She’d been in the far corner of the room, reading. Elias was happy to see that his last ‘talk’ with her had seemed to give her the impression he was not to be messed with. After Elias had throttled her, she’d avoided being alone with him for too long. Elias hoped the fact that she’d felt comfortable enough to be in a room with him meant she still knew her place. He didn’t want to have to speak to her again about her behavior.
“Do we have anyone who works for Avalon that might know where Thomas and his boy scouts have taken her?” Shane asked.
“You have me,” a woman said as she entered the room. The newcomer was Japanese, no more than five foot two, slim, and looked to be no older than mid-twenties. Her black hair was in a topknot, with loose strands falling over her ears. Darkness encircled her eyes and her pupils were blood red. She wore a simple white dress that ended just above her knees and black trainers. “I worked with Thomas Carpenter many years ago. He . . . saved me, as it were. I know where he takes people he’s trying to keep safe.”
“And you are?” Reyes asked.
“Masako,” she said softly. “I am here to make sure you succeed.”
“Nergal sent us someone who knows Thomas Carpenter?” Shane asked.
“He felt I might be of service.”
Elias’s eyes narrowed. “You want to explain why you didn’t let us know you’d arrived?”
She smiled, showing completely normal-looking white teeth. “I like surprises.”
“So, you’re a jikininki,” Reyes said, finally putting her book down and standing. “I’ve never met one of your kind before.”
Masako’s smile didn’t falter as she looked over at Reyes. “Lucky you.”
“Where is Thomas Carpenter?” Elias asked, not wanting the conversation to go too far off track.
“A mansion not too far from Winchester. He took me there when we first met. 1977, I believe it was. My kind don’t age. Our deaths see to that.”
“How old are you?” Shane asked.
“Sixty-seven. I was twenty-five when I died, which was when I became a jikininki. As much as I’m sure you have questions about my life and my kind, I would advise you to drop the subject now. It tends to . . . upset me.”
The amount of venom put into the word “upset” made Elias agree that right now there were better things to be discussed. “I’m going to need the exact address.”
“Of course. I shall find it on a map for you. In the meantime, I’d like to take my bag to a room. The blood elves who came with me are waiting for your orders by the lift.”
“Shane, take Masako to one of the rooms here. Pick a nice one.”
Shane nodded, looked over at Masako, and gave her his most charming smile. “This way.”
“You should know something, Shane,” Masako said as she walked toward him. “I’m aware of your past and your abilities. Do not attempt to make me one of your victims. You won’t like where that takes you.”
Shane’s smile was replaced with a nervous expression, but he soon regained his composure, and the smile along with it. “Not a problem, never dreamed of it.”
“We both know that’s a lie,” Masako told him, but followed him out of the room anyway.
“She’s delightful,” Reyes said to Elias when they were alone.
“She’s going to help us find Layla. Her personality matters little in that endeavor. If it did, you wouldn’t still be here.”
“Ouch, boss,” Reyes said, with humor in her eyes. “I’m damn sad about that.”
“Reyes, leave me be.”
Reyes giggled and picked up her book. “If she knows where Carpenter is, this might all be over soon. You can go back to working for Nergal in his compound until we’re needed again, and then we run off and do this all over again with whoever Layla’s daddy manages to find. You think this is worth it?”
“Nergal does.”
“Not what I asked, boss.”
“Is it worth finding umbra who would join us? Is it worth finding sorcerers, trolls, and anyone else who would aid us in the plan to control Avalon? Yes, obviously it is.”
“You really are a believer, aren’t you?”
Elias felt the pressure of his anger building inside. “Don’t mock me, Reyes. It won’t go well for you.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it. I was actually being sincere. I’ve met people who say they believe in what Nergal and his companions want to create, but few truly believe. Most just want to ride the coattails until they can have the cast-off power and glory.”
“I don’t care about either of those things. The ritual to make me a redcap gave me power, but Nergal gave me purpose. His dream, his plan, and the plan of those he works with is my dream. Is my plan. I am with him until the end.”
“How noble.”
“Not really, Reyes. Just loyalty and trust. They’re all that really matters in our world. Power is fleeting, and there’s always someone who wants to claim it for their own, who wants to fight you for a taste of what you have, but loyalty and trust are commodities that are more important in the long term. Without either of them, Nergal’s plan would be a pipe dream.”
“I agree with you, boss. I just want to make sure that we find this girl and get out of here before whatever anger you’re bottling up boils over.”
“I will kill Chloe for what she did.”
“What if I told you I had a better idea of how to deal with Chloe?”
Elias crossed his arms over his chest. “Please, do go on.”
27
It turned out that all Tommy wanted was to tell everyone the rules of the house. They essentially boiled down to no going out after dark, and not walking around the grounds alone. Layla understood why Tommy felt the need to tell everyone, but she really just wanted to feel like she had more control over her life, not less.
She left the room wondering whether Elias and his people were already on their way to find her.
“You need to take your mind off it,” Jared told her as she walked out of the front door and sighed.
She turned to him—he was sitting on the top step of the stairs leading to the drive.
“Do you happen to have a large bottle of vodka on you?”
He patted himself down. “I left it in my other jacket pocket. Sorry.”
She sat opposite him. “So, how long have you been an umbra?”
“A few years now.”
“And you accepted your drenik and spirits?”
“Well, I’m not a drooling wreck, nor am I trying to kill you with a spoon, so I’m going to say yes. I accepted them all. You having trouble with that?”
“The drenik showed me visions of me killing people. I can’t say it was the most fun I’ve ever had.” She considered explaining how she’d fought for so long to ignore those little voices in her head that told her to hurt someone, and that she got enjoyment out of fighting. Out of winning. But she didn’t because she’d just met Jared, and also because she liked him and didn’t want him to sprint off the second she admitted it.
“They like to do that. The problem is, you can’t just say you accept; you have to actually mean it deep down inside your core. Anything else just doesn’t work. You need to accept the drenik and all of its insanity. It’s a hard thing to do. Took me a while to get used to the idea of having a dangerous being trapped in my head.”
“So much has changed in such a short period of time.”
“We live in a weird world, Layla. But it takes a bit longer than a few days to get used to it all. Even now there are things I’ve never seen before. Magic that can create storms, or people who can turn into incredible beasts; it’s exhausting trying to remember it all.”
“So, what can you do?”
Jared held his hand out in front of him and his fingers began to glow orange as he created a small sphere in his palm. When the glowing stopped, the sphere was about the size of a marble and shimmered a mixture of gold and red.
“I am . . . the Incredible Marble Boy!” he said dramatically.
“Seriously?”
“No, not seriously.” He tossed the marble to the bottom of the stairs and watched it roll toward the grass. He waved his hand and it stopped. “Ready?”
Layla nodded, interested in what would happen next.
Jared clicked his fingers and the marble exploded, shooting fire up a few feet into the air and leaving a small crater in its wake.
“Holy shit,” Layla said. “The Incredible Marble Boy can blow stuff up.”
“I create spheres of energy. I can control them to some degree and explode them when I want to. I’ve been practicing increasing the spheres’ distance, but they just dissipate if they lose their connection to me.”
“Isn’t the power linked to some deep-seated emotional connection? You love marbles?”
Jared laughed. “Yes, actually. Marbles were a pretty big part of my childhood, so you’re right. As strange as that might seem.”
Layla stared at Jared for several seconds, wondering if he was mocking her. “I don’t think it’s strange. Okay, I do, but that’s a prett
y cool power.”
Jared shrugged. “It isn’t the most convenient power in a fight, but I’ve been working on that. The blasts don’t hurt me, so that’s nice. I hear you can manipulate metal. Like Magneto.”
“Ian McKellen or Michael Fassbender Magneto?”
“Does it matter?”
Layla thought about it. “No, probably not. Is there a female Magneto?”
“Polaris,” Kasey said from behind Layla. “Or Toph Beifong.”
“Both badasses,” Layla said. “I can live with that.”
“Someone created a small explosion at the front of the house,” Kasey said with a smirk. “My dad is pretty close to mobilizing the guard at this point, please don’t give him any more reasons to be stressed.”
“Sorry,” Jared and Layla said in unison.
“You need the practice, Layla,” Kasey told her. “If I was you, I’d go change into something a bit more appropriate and hit the practice area out back. Chloe said she’ll stay away from it while you’re there.”
“I never asked her to do that,” Layla said, sensing the slight anger in Kasey’s tone.
“I know. That’s just the kind of person she is. She puts other people first, always has done.”
“I’ll get changed then,” Layla said, and she thanked Jared before running into the house, back to her room. She burst through the door, slamming it closed, and then realized how stupid that was and sank onto the bed. “Why can’t things just be easy?” she screamed.
“Because it’s life,” Rosa said from the chair beside her. “You need to practice. You need to train. It won’t be long before you’ll need to decide whether or not to accept us.”
“I could tell you that I would, but I’m not sure I mean it. I don’t know how to get past that hump, how to just mean it.”
“It’s different for everyone. Part of you right now is angry and scared, and full of this rage at everything that’s happened. You need to let it out. You need to deal with it.”
“By punching something? Because I’ve been trying to stop myself from doing that for my entire life.”
