11th June.
Cygnus lowered herself to the ground outside her front door with a sigh. It was still early, really, not that long after midnight anyway, so not as late as she often returned after patrolling. She was not entirely sure whether June was going to be awake, so she entered the house quietly, walking into the lounge to discover that she might as well have stomped in.
‘You’re still up,’ Cygnus said as she walked through to the kitchen area and the coffee pot.
‘No reason to be in bed this early,’ June replied, looking up from a magazine. ‘Do you think it’s safe enough to go jogging in the morning? I could use the air and the exercise.’
‘It’s quiet out there.’ Cygnus crossed back into the lounge and sat down beside her friend, crossing long legs and relaxing back against the sofa. ‘I might join you.’
‘That’d be nice.’ There was a pause and then June added, ‘I did a really good job on that costume.’
‘You should start designing them professionally.’
‘Maybe. I had thought about it, but I was more thinking… that you’re really sexy.’
‘June…’
‘It’s okay. I just wanted to make the comment. And to point out that I’m letting myself think of you that way. Because you are sexy, even when you’re Penny-shaped. You just happen to be sexier when you’re wearing that costume, which I designed for you.’
‘Right.’
June nodded and went back to her magazine. ‘Yes. Right.’
Cygnus sipped her coffee and relaxed, letting the mild tension she always felt on patrol settle out of her. ‘How long do you think is an appropriate gap to avoid the rebound thing?’
‘Couple of weeks, maybe a month.’
The tall blonde sighed. ‘I’m going to go change shape. Penny’s got a less active libido.’
‘Okay,’ June replied. ‘Just so long as you realise that’ll do nothing to cool mine down.’
20th June.
‘Oh God, please just stop it!’ Andrea glared at Cygnus from the comfort of the Trade Tower’s radio masts, but she was glaring.
‘Stop what?’ Cygnus replied.
‘Pussyfooting around June. Just… Just fuck her for God’s sake!’
‘It’s not that easy.’
‘Yeah, it really is. Remember when I wasn’t sure about Jacob? I was making it complicated and it’s not. It’s even less complicated with June because she already knows all about you. You like each other. You’ve done it before. Get on with it.’
Cygnus frowned. ‘When I’m shaped like this, I agree. Other me isn’t as keen on the idea… No, that’s wrong, but other me will worry over it afterwards. And June won’t be happy unless she can have both. I’m not sure what I’m going to think of myself if I give in. Ever since the last time, we’ve been avoiding talking about it.’
‘Yeah, because she was seeing Red and if she had the option of you instead she’d take it. Look, what’s Penny’s opinion of June?’
‘Best friend… I mean… really best.’
‘Has she ever entertained thoughts of–’
‘Of course! Sometimes when June was dropping hints… If Penny wasn’t so insecure… Actually, she’s not so insecure now… It’s still complicated.’
‘No. It’s not. And if the sexual tension in that house gets any worse, I’m going to have to hide in Jacob’s closet. Do something!’
Rome, Italy, 21st June.
Lena turned over in bed and smiled. It had taken some time and effort, and she had not wanted to even try at first. Finding a nice girl in Rome who was actually into other girls was not as easy as she had thought it would be. But here she was, in bed with just the raven-haired, olive-skinned beauty that Andrea had said she should find.
It was early days still. They had met the week before, on the Friday night. Nothing had happened then, but they had exchanged names and numbers, and said that they would hook up again. Cal knew a better club, she had said. Her name was Calindra Bassani, but everyone called her Cal, and she thought Lena’s accent was cute. She was slim and very fit, with small, pert breasts and this mass of black hair, and a mischievous glint in her eye all the time. They had met at the club Cal knew, and before Lena could work up the nerve to ask whether her new friend was interested, Cal had broached the subject. Perfect!
‘Are you awake?’ Cal asked. She spoke Italian with a slight burr, kind of sultry.
‘Yes. Just admiring the view.’
There was a chuckle. ‘I’ll make us some coffee. Then we can have a shower… A long shower, I think. And then… You said you had not seen the Coliseum yet? That cannot be allowed.’
Lena giggled in return. ‘Okay. Coffee, shower sex, tourism. I can do that.’
Cal rolled out of her bed. They had returned to her small apartment rather than going to Lena’s; it had been closer and they had been in a hurry. ‘You will not dress before we shower,’ Cal said, lips curling. ‘I like to admire the view as well.’
~~~
‘Didn’t that sign say “no admittance?”’ Lena asked as Cal led her into what appeared to be a little used corridor in part of the huge edifice which was the Coliseum.
Cal looked back and grinned at her. ‘I know how to get to somewhere the tourists don’t usually see. I was a guide here once.’
‘Okay. If you say so.’
The corridor narrowed, the walls turning rough. Lena suspected that this was no longer shuttering put up by the local government, or whoever ran the place, but the natural stone of the building. How long had this place been standing? A couple of thousand years? Ancient stone. The site of so many deaths. A shudder ran up Lena’s spine.
‘Don’t worry,’ Cal said, ‘it’s not much further.’
‘Good. It’s getting kind of dark.’
‘Not afraid of the dark, are you?’
‘N-no.’
Cal stopped and turned around. ‘Good, because it’s about to get a lot darker.’
‘What–’ Lena stopped as the lights in the little corridor went out and they were plunged into darkness. ‘Cal?’ There was no answer and she reached out for her friend, finding nothing. She was alone… No. Not alone. There was something there with her. Something old, so very old…
Turning, Lena began to run for what she hoped was the way out, but her shoulder bounced off a wall and she twisted and tripped, sprawling onto the rough ground.
‘There’s no point in running.’ The voice was a whisper, right in her ear. ‘You cannot get away.’
‘Cal! Please!’
‘She will not help you. She brought you here for me. And now you will bring the Morgan girl to me.’
‘What? I don’t–’
‘You will understand in time, girl. Now, sleep.’ And the darkness enveloped her.
New Millennium City, MD, 23rd June.
There was definitely something going on which had Andrea a little worried. Twilight, dodging between shadows on the rooftops of Deale Harbour, was less worried, but she got the same general feeling. Someone was planning something, preparing to move.
‘Not enough dealers,’ Andrea said from the back of Twilight’s mind. ‘That’s what it is. There are normally more of them around and they’re off the streets.’
‘Doesn’t help much,’ Twilight replied. ‘Where are they? Why aren’t they here?’
‘No, good point. Let’s head into Churchton. Maybe we can spot something there that–’ She stopped as something caught her attention; something had moved in the shadows on the rooftop opposite.
Twilight had noticed it too and she was stepping across to the other side of the street before Andrea could say anything. ‘There was something here. Something humanoid…’
‘What’s that?’ Andrea asked. ‘That’ was a box, sitting on the roof. Not a large box, but that was the kind of thing you got wary of.
Slipping her sword from its scabbard, Twilight stepped closer and teased the top open. ‘Nothing’s exploded. No sudden rush of demonic doom.’
&nb
sp; ‘So what’s in it?’
‘It’s… a DVD?’
‘They’re leaving us videos now? Somehow I don’t see this as a good sign.’
Twilight stepped forward and picked the DVD case out of the box, turning it over as she did so. ‘Nope,’ she said, ‘probably not good.’
On the back of the case was a note which read ‘Tell no one about this.’
~~~
The man on the video looked the part of dark, shadowy conspiracy figure: tall, dark, a finely crafted beard, quite good-looking in a saturnine way. He waited a beat to let the view sink in before speaking, as though something about his appearance might spark something in her. Andrea had no idea what.
‘Good evening, Miss Morgan. My name is Durant, David Lazlo Durant, Grand Master of the Shadow Court. I have been trying to meet with you for some time now and have decided to expedite things. I believe you are acquainted with Miss Lena Tonaldo.’ The camera scanned left to show Lena sitting in a chair, tied down and gagged, and then it scanned back. ‘If you wish to spare her a fate far worse than that her father suffered, you will contact the number which will appear at the end of this recording. Arrangements will be made for you to come to us. You have twelve hours. If you have not made contact by then, Miss Tonaldo will regret it.’
Andrea noted the number down, but her mind was working over the facts.
They had grabbed Lena to persuade her to go to them. That likely meant they were in Italy, because that was where Lena had gone. Andrea remembered the story her mother had told her about some castle in Italy. The coincidence seemed a little too much.
‘Talk to Mom in the morning?’ Twilight suggested.
‘Uh-huh. Then them. I’m betting we’re going to that castle, and I want an independent route there rather than having them taking us.’
‘Then play the video again. I want to see the room they were in. I think if we know where we’re going, it might be enough.’
‘That’s really risky…’
‘Riskier than letting them lead us right into whatever trap they have for us?’
‘No… not really.’ Andrea reached out to play the video once more, wondering how she was going to do this without telling her partner.
Schatten Schloss, Italy, 24th June.
The door of the room Lena had woken up in opened. She was not entirely sure what to expect, but it was not a girl in a rather frumpy maid’s uniform. Quite a pretty girl, quite dark: black hair, dark eyes, and there was something about her which reminded Lena of Andrea.
‘Good… morning,’ the girl said, her accent quite thick. ‘I hope you have… rested well.’
‘I speak Italian,’ Lena replied, in Italian.
‘Oh good,’ the girl said with the kind of relieved smile you saw on someone who had been expecting a real chore and was suddenly relieved of it. ‘They told me you were American.’
‘I am, but my family was big on “the Old Country.” Where am I?’
‘You are in Shadow Castle. I am Mia, Mia Nerone. I am the housekeeper here and will be looking after you.’
‘Uh… right. Look, um, I was kind of kidnapped, and–’
‘They did not tell me anything about why you are here. Only that you are to stay until a girl comes from America. They have been trying to get her here for some time. The thing in the cellar wants her.’
Lena sighed. ‘Not cryptic at all. What thing in the cellar?’
‘The Shadow. The thing which hides in the darkness. It has always hidden in the darkness. When you say you are afraid of the dark, this is what you are afraid of.’
‘Andrea,’ Lena whispered, suddenly connecting the dots. ‘They want Andrea. She wouldn’t come here to save me… I don’t think…’
Mia frowned. ‘I hope that she does. For your sake.’
Boston, MA.
Audrey Morgan frowned as she heard someone moving in the shop. It was still early, they were closed, and she had heard no one enter. She almost jumped when Andrea walked through into the kitchen.
‘Andrea! You gave me a shock. How did–’
‘I can walk between shadows. Across a lot of distance if I know where I’m going. Mom, I need to talk to you about that place in Italy you mentioned last time.’
‘Schatten Schloss?’
‘Yeah. That’s the place. Shadow Castle, right?’
‘Yes.’ Audrey frowned. ‘Why?’
Andrea sat down with a sigh. ‘I think the people who… own the place have kidnapped a friend and taken her there. I think they want to take me there.’
‘That place has been nothing but trouble to my family for centuries. You don’t want to go there.’
‘Don’t have much choice, but I can make it more on my terms. Where did you say it was?’
‘Above Lago di Molveno, in the Alps.’ She paused. ‘The stories go back beyond Frederico. They say that people from my family have been called to that place… Well, for so many generations it’s more like a legend. They say it happens once in every few hundred years; one of us is born to go to the castle.’
‘Looks like it’s my turn,’ Andrea replied. ‘I don’t think it’s gone the way they expect it to this time. Somehow it seems like they’re going to a lot of effort to get me there.’
Audrey looked at her, lips pursed. ‘Then perhaps this time the castle has met its match, but you be careful. I know I can’t stop you going. You’re a hero now and there’s someone for you to save. This is what you do. But I can be worried, and I can tell you to be careful.’
Andrea smiled. ‘I can accept that. I am actually pretty careful most of the time.’
‘Good. But be more careful this time.’
New Millennium City, MD.
‘Are you okay?’ Cygnus asked, her eyes narrowing as she peered at her masked partner.
‘Fine,’ Twilight replied. ‘I’m fine. Bit bored. Things are kind of quiet.’
‘Yeah. True. Even your shadowy friends seem to have vanished.’
‘Shadows never vanish. They’re always there, hiding, waiting for it to get darker. Like… There’s this place my mother told me about. In Italy. She said some ancient relative of mine went there and then spent as much effort as he could getting away from the place. It’s why her family moved to America. Shadow Castle, they called the place.’
‘Shadow Castle? Sounds like a real tourist attraction. It should have vampires. At the very least there should be a crypt.’
Twilight gave her a grin. ‘I’m going to take a run through Deale and Churchton again. I’d swear I spotted something which made me think there was stuff starting. Maybe I can pin it down.’
‘Okay. I’ll take the southern end and see what’s happening there.’
‘Good luck.’ And the black-clad figure vanished into darkness.
25th June.
‘I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight,’ Jacob said as he walked into his lounge to find Andrea curled up on the couch, still in costume but without the mask.
‘I felt like dropping by. I’m going to be busy for a few days and I might not get to see you.’
He gave a shrug. ‘We’re generally pretty irregular. And I’m on nights from Friday.’
‘Yeah, true. I know you are. I just wanted to see you.’
‘You are acting… a little weird.’
‘Just wait until we go to bed and I want to cuddle before we fuck.’
‘That,’ Jacob said firmly, ‘sounds very serious.’
She grinned. ‘It won’t seem so bad once you’re inside me, and I doubt I’ll be able to hold it off for too long.’
~~~
Andrea stepped up to the gate desk and handed over her ticket and the fake passport. The woman behind the desk looked at both and then smiled. ‘Miss Nerone?’
‘Yes.’
‘Thank you for flying with us today. We’ll be boarding in forty minutes.’
‘Thanks.’ Andrea took her boarding pass and passport back, checking the slip without appearing to check it. The Court was not b
othering to spare the expenses; she was in first class on a night flight to Venice. The passport was a very good forgery in the name of Maria Nerone, who was blonde and blind. The wig and dark glasses covered her identity nicely, and she would have priority treatment getting on and off the aircraft. There was even a cover story for her trip: she was visiting a relative, Mia Nerone, who was sick.
The complexity of the whole thing had her a little worried. Everything had been very carefully planned. She knew the Court had a lot of resources and was good at working behind the scenes, but they had obviously been setting this up for a lot longer than she had been trying to double-cross them.
Settling down on a seat to wait, she sighed. Really, the biggest ace she had up her sleeve was something she had not done. She had not told Penny that she was going away, because the Court had said she should say nothing. She was hoping that, if the shit really hit the air conditioning, there was going to be a white-clad heroine, possibly with some heavy-duty backup, coming in to save the day.
Venice, Italy, 26th June.
There were two men in dark clothing waiting for ‘Maria Nerone’ when she walked out into the international arrivals area. She recognised neither of them, but she did recognise the touch of shadow about them. Still pretending to be a blind girl, she ignored them as she moved forward, sweeping a cane in front of her. They moved in to flank her as she walked into the space the waiting crowd opened for her.
‘You will come with us, Miss Nerone,’ one of them said, his accent suggesting German, or maybe Eastern European.
‘Thank you,’ Andrea replied, allowing them to lead her out of the concourse to where a car was waiting outside with a third man at the wheel.
She waited until they were out of the general area of the airport and heading west toward Padua, according to the road signs, before she took off her glasses and pulled off the wig.
‘Three of you to look after little me?’ she said. No one spoke so she tried again. ‘How long until we get there?’
‘About three hours,’ the driver said. ‘Two and a half to the lake, a little more to get up to the castle.’
‘Schatten Schloss?’ No answer again. ‘You might as well talk. The place is part of family legend. Frederico Neroni went there and got so scared that he fled the country, more or less.’ Still more silence: just the facts, no opinions; do not engage the girl in conversation. ‘Fair enough. This is going to be a really boring trip with a bad ending.’
Shadows (Ultrahumans Book 2) Page 25
