Priest or not – he’s a fighter for sure.
Good.
Father Peters wasted no time. He gave Lincoln and me a quick tour of the areas in the church we could use for defence and attack, showing us all the entry points and possible weaknesses in the building’s structure. Finally, he took us down to his private chambers. Lincoln and I both took a moment to absorb the sight before us.
‘That’s a lot of weapons to have in a house of God,’ I said.
He shrugged. ‘It won’t be the first time Christians have needed them. Nor the last.’
He had a point.
‘And on top of that,’ he continued, ‘we’re in New York city and I’m trying to run an honest church – if I have to blow something up occasionally to get rid of some of the darkness … I’m not above it.’
I really liked him.
Lincoln snorted beside me and when I looked at him I realised it had been directed at me.
‘What?’
‘You didn’t trust him when he was just a priest, but now you know he’s willing to blow things up, you look like you’ve just confirmed him as a friend for life.’
I nodded, smiling. ‘I have.’
Father Peters laughed even as he shook his head. ‘Griffin always finds the good ones.’
When we returned to ground level, the priest flicked a switch and metal shields started rolling down over all of the upper-level windows, going far beyond standard church security.
‘Is that …’ I began.
‘Titanium?’ he finished my sentence with a raised brow. ‘You’re a smart cookie.’
‘Why?’ I asked, nervously. Titanium was metal that exiles used as a defensive tool. It helped them stay hidden from Grigori. Phoenix had an entire Antanov plane lined with the stuff.
Peters shrugged, waiting for the last covers to click into place before taking his hand off the lever. ‘Titanium doesn’t just protect exiles. It works both ways.’
‘You mean it affects exiles’ ability to sense us too?’
He nodded. ‘Not as effectively, but still, every little bit counts in these situations. Grigori generally stay away from it because they think the advantages are greater for exiles. I disagree.’
I hadn’t considered it before but, especially in our current circumstances, I had to agree with Peters’ logic. If nothing else, the physical strength of the titanium shields would help hold any attackers at bay for a time.
I turned my attention to Lincoln. Almost all the colour had drained from his face.
‘We still have a while before Griffin arrives. Sit,’ I ordered.
Lincoln hesitated for a moment, but finally dropped into a chair so that I could heal him. I knelt in front of him and rolled up his ripped, blood-soaked jeans.
‘Don’t fuss,’ he said, quietly.
‘Don’t back-seat drive,’ I retorted. I was so relieved to finally have my chance to fix him, I didn’t even care that Father Peters was watching. I pulled back the remaining scraps of fabric to get a good look at Lincoln’s leg. ‘Mother of–’
‘A-hem,’ Father Peters cleared his throat loudly.
‘Sorry,’ I apologised then glanced at Lincoln. ‘You should’ve let me look at this earlier,’ I said, cross with him. His leg was twice the size it was supposed to be and bubbled with red welts and black bruises.
He closed his eyes, trying to hide the pain. ‘It wasn’t important.’
I continued to fume even as I let my power surge into him. He tried to stop me a few times, saying I’d done enough, but I wasn’t having it.
After healing his leg, I checked the rest of his body, finding more problems in his ribs that he hadn’t mentioned and that his shoulder was still very weak.
Lincoln couldn’t contain a sigh of relief when the pain that must have been torturing him finally eased.
Eventually, I sat back on my heels. Both of us were silent as we pulled ourselves together.
‘Well, well,’ said Father Peters. ‘And they say miracles don’t happen these days.’
I gave him a sceptical look as I settled down beside Lincoln for the wait.
‘No offence, but you should know my jury is well and truly out on the God issue,’ I said to Peters.
My comment only seemed to amuse him. He sat on a low step at the base of the marble altar. ‘You might not have made your mind up about Him, but He sure seems to have made a decision or two about you.’
‘I’m not buying what you’re selling, priest,’ I responded, refusing to go down that road.
He laughed. ‘Consider it on the house.’
Ha.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
‘Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid.’
Basil King
Griffin arrived at the church exactly on midnight. We watched from the small, elevated look-out not covered by titanium. He was careful, like we’d been, taking the long route, going down side streets and circling back in case anyone was following. We couldn’t spot anyone from our vantage point.
Finally, he headed around to the back entrance, where Father Peters was waiting to let him in.
I could barely breathe with anticipation and when Griffin walked in I leaped from my chair.
‘Your father is fine,’ he said immediately.
I staggered forwards with relief. I’d been trying so hard not to think the worst, but running like that, leaving him behind, had gone against every natural inclination.
‘Thank you,’ I said, throwing my arms around him.
‘I told you I would look after him,’ Griffin responded, hugging me back. ‘He came around not long after you left. He’s in the infirmary – a few cracked ribs, bruises, nothing major – but after everything that has happened I’m not too hopeful the Academy will be willing to release him any time soon.’
I nodded. That wasn’t exactly good news, but far better than it might have been. I was just going to have to go and get him out of there, the first chance I got.
After Griffin embraced Father Peters and thanked him for taking us in, we settled down to hear Griffin’s account of what had happened at the Academy.
‘Josephine has been raising suspicions for a while now about your motivations, Violet, calling into question Lincoln’s and my loyalties at the same time. No small allegations to make. But highlighting your relationship and bond with Phoenix has enabled her to inspire some support within the Assembly and more broadly throughout the Academy.
‘We knew Josephine was hoping Lilith would try and come after Evelyn, that it was why she’d kept Evelyn so close and well guarded even though she’d come in willingly. You saw what happened to the guards and another dozen Grigori have been badly wounded, too.’
Griffin paused then answered the question I’d just opened my mouth to ask. ‘None of our people were hurt. A few students are rather worse for wear, but it was Hakon who bore the brunt of the explosion.’ Griffin ran a hand through his hair and looked at us with dismay. ‘Josephine hadn’t counted on Lilith’s willingness to literally blow everything up.’
I glanced at Father Peters and we exchanged a small smile.
‘Now that Evelyn has been taken – and as a hostage, no less – my fears have become reality.’ Griffin sighed. ‘Josephine has been looking for an excuse to control you, Violet. Partly, I think she actually believes what she said to you in the testing – she fears you wouldn’t put the greater good above someone you cared for. But more than anything, she knows you’re a threat to her position. Ironically, her motivations are good – if delusional. She believes in Grigori and the role we play, and she believes she is the only one who will put that loyalty above everything else.’
‘So where does that leave us?’ Lincoln asked.
‘Josephine has accused Violet of orchestrating the exile break-in for the purposes of her mother’s escape. She claims Violet has been working with Phoenix all this time – initially because of love, now out of her loyalty to their bond. In return, Phoenix enabled the resurrection of Evelyn
.’
‘But that’s bullshit!’ I said.
Griffin barely paused. ‘Of course it is. We all know that, but Josephine’s presented it to the Academy and claimed that the fact that everyone who came into contact with Lilith is now dead or gravely injured apart from us is evidence enough. Plus, of course, there is the additional implied guilt because you and Lincoln ran.’
Oh my God.
‘Griffin, are you in trouble?’ I asked.
He smiled, sadly. ‘Not yet. It will come, but for now I’m too big a fish to fry and Josephine and I have always had an understanding of sorts. She’ll resist bringing me down if she can. Strangely enough, she considers me a friend.’
I wondered if Griffin considered her a friend.
‘So why did we have to run, then?’ I asked, trying to put it all together. ‘Wouldn’t it have been better to stay and explain?’
Griffin accepted the cup of coffee Peters passed him with a nod. I all but yanked mine out of his hand. It was drip-brewed, but I sucked down the scalding liquid anyway and wondered if it would be rude to ask for an immediate refill.
‘Trust me, the alternative was not preferable. Lilith and Phoenix have kidnapped over sixty children that we know of, not to mention Evelyn – the time for dealing with the politics of the Academy is over. Our only hope of stopping this runaway train is trapping Lilith. And our only hope of doing that is going to be by using the right bait.’ Griffin took a gulp of his coffee.
‘Violet,’ Lincoln concluded.
Joy.
‘How do you know that Josephine has been doing all of this?’ I asked Griffin.
‘Evelyn and I discussed the possibilities before coming to New York. We both know Josephine well enough to have made some assumptions and expected her to use Evelyn in an attempt to lure Lilith. The rest came in from Rainer. She and Wil have been feeding me information whenever they could. They’re tired of Josephine’s games.’
Evelyn had known exactly how things would play out – that Lilith would take her – and yet, she’d stayed there patiently and waited. I wouldn’t be surprised if the only reason she’d put up a fight at all was to protect Dad. I hoped I’d get my chance to say thank you and … tell her some of the things I should have told her already.
‘Why do I get the feeling you have a plan, Griff?’ Lincoln asked, leaning forwards now.
Griffin nodded. ‘Because you know me.’ He turned to me. ‘You trusted me to come to New York. You told me if the roles were reversed you knew I’d be there for you. Well,’ he held his hands out, ‘this is me, here for you. You two need to leave the city. Get rid of your mobile phones and anything else electronic. I have everything you need here.’ He heaved a bag onto the table. ‘Zoe and Spence helped me pull as much together as I could. Passports are still good, but no credit cards. There’s plenty of cash in the side compartment. I’ve got clothes but not much else, you’ll have to buy what you need along the way.’
I shook my head. ‘I have to stay, Griff. I have to get Evelyn back.’
He nodded. ‘I agree. And being outside the Academy walls will make it easier for Phoenix to find you in two days, but never lose sight of the fact that this is all a trap. Lilith is setting you up to fall.’ He dug a piece of paper out of his pocket and passed it to Lincoln. ‘Evelyn gave this to me before we came to New York in case something like this happened. She and Jonathan had a safe-house on the Hudson. This information will take you in the right direction and she was confident everything you needed would still be there. She said to make sure you checked the basement.’ Griffin glanced at the note, handing it over to Lincoln. ‘It’s a little cryptic, but she was worried it might be found. When you arrive, contact me with the missing details so I can send Steph and the others to you when they get here.’
We nodded.
‘Wait. What about you?’ Lincoln asked.
Griffin put a hand on his shoulder. ‘I’m staying here. I’ll keep an eye on Josephine and try to get any intel on Lilith and Phoenix to you when I can. If you need me, go through Dapper and Salvatore. They’ll act as our go-betweens for now. I spoke to them before coming here – they’re on their way to collect the final ingredient now. None of us knows if this potion will work, but we have to hope. Most importantly, I’ll be gathering the cavalry for when you call. Something tells me this fight is going to find you two before anyone else.’
With that, Griffin rose and embraced us all, a promise passing between us.
He turned to Father Peters. ‘Do you have a way to get them out of here safely?’
The priest nodded. ‘Safe from Grigori, anyway.’
‘Show us,’ Griffin said.
After Lincoln and I exchanged our bloodied clothes for fresh jeans and T-shirts from our new supplies, we followed Peters down to the basement, where he pulled aside a loose covering over one of the walls to reveal what looked like a bank-vault door.
I had a terrible suspicion where it would lead. ‘The tunnels?’ I asked.
Peters took hold of the large spinning circle to unlock the door. ‘Like titanium, exiles aren’t the only ones who like to have a good escape route. I owned this property long before it became a church. The original tunnels have been down here over four hundred years and have been added to over time. Some of us managed to add our own hidden entrances without the exiles noticing. When all else has failed, these tunnels have saved me. Just move fast and kill anything you see.’
‘That’s do-able,’ Lincoln said.
I smiled, keen even, for a little confrontation that I could actually handle.
Father Peters pulled the heavy door back that probably would have taken six human men to shift. ‘You’ll hear the trains when you get near the subway. Head down the east tunnel – it will take you all the way to Grand Central. You can jump a train up the Hudson from there.’
‘How will we know when we’re at Grand Central?’ I asked.
He winked. ‘Because there will be a door with a sign above it saying “Grand Central Station”.’
‘Oh.’
He pushed us into the tunnel. ‘This door doesn’t open from the inside so don’t rely on getting back in through here.’
‘Phones?’ Griffin ordered.
Lincoln and I handed them over. We didn’t have anything else electronic on us. Griffin gave us a replacement mobile. ‘Untraceable. But short calls only, just in case. Don’t do anything foolish,’ he cautioned, also offering us a couple of flashlights from the wall.
We both nodded.
‘God be with you,’ Peters said, right before he slammed the massive door shut.
Flooded by the darkness we quickly turned on our flashlights. We stared down the old tunnel and I pointed in the direction I thought was right. ‘East?’ I checked.
Lincoln nodded, his hand reaching down for mine. ‘East.’
We ran.
The tunnels changed shape and size as we crossed from one to the next in the complex network, having to regularly stop and use our abilities to reveal the hidden way. Grigori may be able to use these paths but there was no mistaking the dominating exile signature that pulsed around us.
Every now and then the path opened into a broader tunnel or crossed over a subway track, we even found ourselves running through what seemed to be an abandoned aqueduct at one point.
We noticed a few marked doors along the way – one labelled Central Park, and another, the Empire State Building – before we finally reached one with an engraved plaque reading Grand Central Station.
We slipped through the door, which opened into a garbage room. The rotten stench was more than offensive but I was relieved to be out of the tunnels. We made our way through the bins to the other side, where there was another door.
‘This is disgusting,’ I said, while Lincoln carefully opened the door just wide enough to scope out our new surroundings.
He glanced at me. ‘Yes, but imagine how disappointed you would’ve been if it had come out in a janitor’s closet.’
H
e was right. That kind of cliché would have just annoyed me.
I smiled, even as my nerves were fighting the jitters. Things had become very bad, very fast, and now we were on the run. Again. Lincoln peered through the crack in the door, looking for an opportunity for us to slip out. Watching him, I felt sick to the gut.
Lincoln valued his role in the Academy, as a Grigori, and now he had turned his back on everything he knew to help me escape. Josephine would already have Grigori out there looking for us. And God only knew what Lilith was up to.
What will happen to him after all of this? Will he lose his place in the ranks of Grigori?
I couldn’t let that happen.
‘Linc …’ I said, tugging his arm and drawing his attention. ‘I think you should go back.’ I bit my lip.
He blinked. ‘Excuse me?’
‘You heard me. I think you should go back. I’ll be fine on my own and then you won’t be in as much trouble.’
Still watching through the gap in the door, he must’ve spied an opportunity to move because he grabbed my hand, opened the door and pulled me through behind him. Suddenly, we were in the very public Grand Central Station. Lincoln didn’t slow, dragging me along until we turned a corner. There, we stopped, Lincoln checking back around the corner in case anyone had followed us. Satisfied, he turned a severe look on me.
‘Let’s get this straight right now. I’m not going anywhere.’ But even as he stared at me, I noticed his breath hitch as he became aware of just how close our bodies were.
His expression softened. ‘You don’t need to protect me, Vi. I’m by your side and nothing you say will get rid of me.’ His voice became rough. ‘This whole thing would be easier if we could get along, okay?’
‘Getting along isn’t exactly our problem, in case you’ve forgotten,’ I mumbled.
But he kept his eyes fixed on mine until I sighed. ‘Okay, okay. Got it. We’re in this together.’
Endless: Violet Eden Chapters: Book Four Page 20
