by Andy Hyland
“We owe you,” I told her. “Happy?”
“Not completely. But feeling a bit better, yes. I’m going to head off now.”
“You’re not sticking with us anymore?”
“Oh, that’s the other thing. Alex said go alone. Like, with no me. Or, you know, I’d get killed or something.”
“And that’s the bit you forgot to tell us about?” said Zack.
“I was going to get round to it. Anyway, I have got things to do myself, you know. I’m not staying in these clothes all day. Did my best, but the fabric is just…yuck. You said it yourself, I’m lower risk than you.”
“Fine,” I said, “but don’t go home. Get a friend to collect some gear from your place, and hole up where you can. Play it safe. You still got your phone?”
“It’s at home. I can get it.”
“Good. Keep it switched on. We might need some more help.”
“Cool. More favors. Money in the bank. Catch you later.” And with a wink and a grin she slid out.
“Really think we can trust her?” Zack asked.
“Normally no. But since our big problem at the moment isn’t with the hellkind, I’m slightly more comfortable with it than I’d normally be.”
“Good point. It’s come to something when we’re more worried about the Host than the demons.”
“Says a lot about us, don’t you think?” I tapped the note from Benny. “Let’s check this out.”
The Fades could never be called a bright and happy place, but at times like this I wished it was even darker. We took the long way round, heading away from Benny’s bar and moving in a wide circle, running across streets when we had to and ducking into and through buildings whenever the opportunity came up. Apart from the occasional demon scuttling along minding its own business, the place was empty. Quieter than usual, at any rate. That didn’t put my mind at ease.
The address we’d been given led us eventually to a short squat garage, set back from the road and as run-down as anything else in Dark Manhattan, as we’d come to call this particular manifestation of the Fades. Zack tried the door, but looked back at me and shook his head. I checked the note again. Right place. “You hear anything?” I asked.
As if in answer to my question, a small rock hit the wall next to my head. We whirled round as one. A shadow moved behind one of the cracked windows in a building across the street. I looked at Zack and nodded. He rolled up his sleeves, getting his magically-enhanced tattoos ready for action if needed. We took a few steps apart and crossed the street, approaching from different angles so that we couldn’t both get caught by any single aggressive cast from whoever was lurking.
The door swung open. I flexed my hands, calling together a standard witchfire cast - brutal, but it gets the job done, and we weren’t concerned about damage to property. “Put it away,” came a hissed whisper from inside, “and get in before you bring down heaven on us.” I let the cast fall away, and stepped through, to where the short figure of Benny was waiting impatiently. “Took you long enough.”
“We were being cautious,” I told him.
“Sometimes being quick is far more cautious than buggering about,” he snapped, rolling his fingers in a motion that sent the door closing behind us. “Down here.”
We stuck close as he took as through a labyrinth of abandoned offices. A door under a set of stairs led not to a janitor’s cupboard, as a sign announced, but to a steep set of steps. He sent us on down while he activated a sequence of runes and sealed the door. Once he was satisfied that the security precautions were all in place, a line of wisp lights sprung up, leading us along a narrow corridor to a thick red metal door at the end.
“It’s us,” Benny shouted, banging on the door.
“Bro!” came the answering yell, and the door opened slowly, screeching as it scraped against the rough concrete floor.
“Bro!” Bud shouted again as he saw us, grabbing me in a bear hug and reaching back to get Zack as well.
“Let them go, let them go,” Benny muttered, pushing past us. “Work to do, Bud, and I don’t want them here for long.”
“Wow,” I said, as he stalked onwards, giving me a great view of his back. “Way to make us welcome, Benny. Did we do something to upset you?”
He stopped dead and his wide shoulders drooped. “Not as such,” he said without turning round. “But life used to be simple. I - we - had a few basic rules to follow - the whole neutrality thing - and in return we got to live a pretty straightforward life. It got boring at times, but it was fun in its own way. Then you come along. And even though you’ve only been on the scene for a short time, we keep getting dragged into your little dramas. Lucky for us nobody knows that we set you up with Caleb to hunt down Charlie. Last time - with the whole Aleph disaster - it very nearly cost us everything. If it wasn’t for Julie…well, we wouldn’t be standing here having this conversation. So I’m doing this for her. You’re here now because of her. But then you’re leaving, and no offense, but I’d be grateful if you didn’t come back until you’ve got all this crap sorted out.”
“Understood,” I said, nodding. “And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry you got dragged in. I appreciate what you did for Julie. And for the rest of us. There aren’t many people I can run to in a crisis, and you’re on the list. But that causes you problems, and I get it.”
He finally turned round and stared up at me. “If it was just me, I’d be right by your side. Truly. But Bud…Bud wouldn’t do so well on his own. And he doesn’t understand enough anymore to see what could happen if he got involved. It wouldn’t be fair to him.”
“Got it,” said Zack, stepping forward. “We’ll be gone as soon as we can. We’re only here because we couldn’t find Julie or Arabella. Had a feeling you could help.”
Benny nodded. “You were right. Follow me.” And he started leading us through tightly packed narrow rooms, shelving on each side. Boxes upon boxes upon boxes, each one with a carefully handwritten label on the side, cursive script in a language I didn’t recognize.
“What is this place?” I asked. “Is all this yours?”
“It is,” Benny called back from in front, where he’d already turned the next corner. “You know how it goes. Things just come your way, and you need somewhere to store them. Then it got to the point where I didn’t want it all at the bar. Partly because I didn’t want all my eggs in one basket, and partly because…well, some of it’s quite volatile. Stray spark, small bomb, that kind of thing - could set it all off. Wouldn’t do wonders for custom. I used to have…well, somewhere else, but when the Fades shifted it seemed sensible to appropriate one of the new buildings.”
“And there’s a quick way here from the bar?”
“There is.” And he clearly wasn’t going to say any more about that.
“Here they are,” Benny said quietly as we entered a larger room. “Go easy. They’re still delicate.”
Old and battered sofas lined the walls, creating an empty square in the middle which was currently occupied by a coffee table and a small fridge. The fridge was humming, so must have been powered from somewhere, but there was no sign of a power cable anywhere. Arabella sat on a sofa, looking washed-out and lethargic. One hand rested on Julie’s forehead, who was lying next to her, flat out and eyes closed. We weren’t being quiet but neither of them had yet noticed us coming in.
“Benny,” I whispered. “Is it me or is Julie…glowing?” A faint luminescence bloomed from her face and hands, pulsing in time with what I suspected was her heartbeat.
“Yeah,” Benny replied. “About that. She was in a bad way when we got back - like I said, she drew on reserves that she just didn’t have to begin with. Needed topping up, but she’s reacted strangely to it. Nothing dangerous, I think, and I’m hoping it’ll fade away. Really hoping, because explaining that away for the rest of her life would be a challenge. But she’s fine, truly. Just resting. Arabella’s been watching her, but she needs some down time.”
I walked forward, and Ar
abella’s eyes flicked up at me. “Hey you,” she said, standing up and stepping forward into a hug. “You got out? What happened?”
“Yeah, Malachi,” said Zack, “what did happen? Time to spill.”
“Fine, fine,” I said, letting go of Arabella and crouching down next to Julie. “Honey, you there?” I nudged her shoulder gently, and she stretched, working her way back to consciousness. Eventually her eyes opened, swam slightly, and then fixed on my face.
She smiled. “Knew you’d make it out.”
“You did?”
“No. Not really. But it’s been so hard to stay awake. Everything’s been fuzzy and warm and happy.”
“Good to hear. You want to sit up and listen to this? Because I’m only planning on saying it once.”
“You go ahead. I’m just going to stay right here.”
I looked up at Benny, who just shrugged.
“Alrighty then,” I said, hopping up onto the fridge and taking a seat in the center of the room. “It was like this.”
CHAPTER TEN
I finished up and let the silence stew for a while.
“So he’s back?” Benny said, with something approaching awe in his voice. “He came to the Library? And busted you out.”
“Good news, right?” said Zack.
“If there’s anyone who can sort this mess out, it’s him,” said Benny. “Damn it, Malachi, if I could bottle your luck, I’d make a fortune.”
“Slow down,” I told them. “He’s not hanging around. I was the only one who knew he was ever there. Turns out he’s got some very particular views about Hostly intervention.”
“But he’s going to help?” Benny insisted. “He’s going to do something?”
“Yes,” I said slowly. “He’s putting his best man on the job.”
One by one they got it. “Oh shit,” said Zack. “He’s leaving you to it?”
“He’s leaving us to it.”
“Well that doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“So, to summarize,” said Benny, “you were already facing a death sentence for creating, or helping to create, an unsanctioned vampire. And now you’re facing that death sentence plus whatever the worst thing is they can inflict on you for killing a senior angel.”
“Yes,” I said.
“And in the face of this, you’re pretty much on your own.”
“More or less.”
Benny fell back on a sofa and buried his head in his hands. “Unbelievable. How do you do this?”
“Like you said,” I told him, “you’re out of this. Now we know the girls are safe, we can leave them here, and just -”
“No,” said Benny. “Julie can stay. I owe her, and she’s not in any trouble. Yet. But Arabella is being hunted just like you are. This place is locked tight, but if they sense she’s here, I can’t do a thing about it. And we’ll all go down.”
“Got it,” Arabella said, staggering to her feet. “I’m with you, Malachi. Let’s go sort this out. Somehow. Or maybe run away. A really long way away. Really fast.”
“Don’t think you’re leaving me here,” Julie said, suddenly sounding more alert. She tried to get up from the sofa, failed twice, and eventually made it on her third attempt. Swaying slightly, and still glowing, but upright at least.
“Julie,” I said, fully aware of the danger of trying to tell her what to do, “you’re safer here, and you can’t help.”
“Actually,” said Benny, uncovering his face and staring up at her, “it’s possible that she can.” He jumped up and headed out the door. “Wait here, don’t move.”
He was back a few minutes later, carrying a small box that he’d located somewhere on the shelving. Somewhere around here he must have the mother of all filing systems. He placed the box on the coffee table and opened it gently, something like love coming into his eyes. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked.
We all moved closer and peered in. A small brooch, maybe an inch long, sat in a nest of silk. A shining emerald at the centre, with finely spun silver cascading outwards. “It’s lovely,” I said. “Not my color, but lovely.”
“Idiot,” Benny said, taking it out and carefully fastening it to Julie’s jacket. He stood back, admiring it once more.
“I’m not knocking free jewelry, and I’m certainly up for some myself,” said Arabella, “but you mentioned this was going to help somehow.”
“It’s not just jewelry,” Benny said, sighing. “It’s an amulet. It amplifies the wearer’s aura. Won’t affect magical power as such, but worn by a magic user it would make them a beacon of light for anyone with the ability to sense it.”
“And that’s good how?” Zack asked.
“It used to be a thing,” Benny shrugged. “Years ago. A lady went out to a grand occasion, she’d have the finest hair, the slinkiest dress and the brightest aura.”
“Never heard of that,” I said.
“Maybe it’s not just years,” Benny mused. “Possibly far longer. I lose track.”
“Great history lesson,” Zack chipped in, “or not. But coming back to how this helps us…”
“I get it,” said Arabella, beaming. “It amplifies aura. But Julie just isn’t non-magical, she’s immune. Almost anti-magical. So her aura amplified would be a…”
“Dampening field,” Zack almost shouted, clapping his hands.
Benny nodded. “You’ll be hunted, and part of that will mean they’re looking to sense your particular magical signature. The closer to Julie you stick, the nearer to invisible you’ll be. It’ll only work Earth-side, though - in the Fades or the Library it’s just a nice brooch, nothing more. I know in the grand scheme of things this isn’t much -”
“Are we sure they’re actually tracking us?” said Zack. “They haven’t come for us so far.”
“They’ve been busy,” said Benny. “Trust me, they will get round to it.”
“There’s a good chance they think we’re still hiding out in the Library,” I said. “This’ll help with magical tracking, but can’t they just trace our phones or something like that?”
“Our phones can’t be traced,” said Zack confidently. “By anyone.”
“Besides, the Host and tech,” said Benny, “it just doesn’t hold their attention. They have a tendency to disregard it.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
He just looked at me.
“It can buy us time,” Arabella said, nodding to the brooch. “That’s about as valuable as anything gets. If it weren’t for this, we’d be reduced to Silvian knots, and we’d run out of them pretty quickly. Thanks, Benny. Seriously.”
“No problem. In truth, it may not be enough. But it raises your chances ever so slightly. What are you going to do?”
I stopped and thought. “I’m not entirely sure. Hadn’t figured out much beyond getting us back together.”
“Well get your thinking cap on, boy. And move fast.”
Back at Becky’s old place, I stood by the window drinking coffee and staring down at the street. Even with our newly-acquired magical dampening field, we were still visible to the naked eye, and it was broad daylight. We had until nightfall to come up with something approaching a plan. Everyone else was sitting down swiping through the contact lists on their phones. I’d do mine soon, but part of me desperately wanted to avoid dragging anyone else in. When we’d gone up against Balam’s slave operation, force of numbers had been an asset. But we weren’t facing down demons anymore.
“Hey,” said Zack, suddenly looking up from his phone and across at Julie. “You slid back here.”
“And?” said Julie, looking confused. “You know I can slide. How is this news?”
“Can I check out your amulet? The feather?”
She pulled it out of her sweater and dangled it from a finger. Zack looked at me. I pulled out the blackened charm we’d found in the alley and held it next to Julie’s.
“Similar workmanship,” said Zack, leaning close. “Minus the damage, of course. Now this is interesting.”
>
I looked closely. “And I’d be willing to bet it does the same job. So somebody else - somebody who should not be able to slide to the Great Library, used this to get there. And, presumably, out again.”
“Were they injured? That might explain the damage,” said Zack.
“That we don’t know,” I replied. “But at least now we’ve got something to go on.”
“So let’s take it to the Host,” said Arabella. “Julie knows Tabbris, she can take it to her, and…and…”
“Yeah, see, that’s where your plan runs out of steam,” Zack said. “We don’t know exactly what this means yet, and until we can give them someone else’s head on a plate - figuratively or otherwise - then we’re not in the clear.”
“And quite frankly, we’re much more motivated to prove our innocence than the Host will be,” I added. “Still, it’s progress. Baby steps, people.”
“Yeah, well it’s not good enough,” said Julie, standing up and walking to the other side of the room, calling up something on her phone. “We need help.” She put the phone to her ear and waited for the call to be answered. “Hi Max,” she said after a few seconds, “it’s me. You good to talk?”
“She’s got Max’s direct number?” I said quietly, looking around.
“What’s wrong with that?” Zack asked.
“Well, it’s just that I haven’t, and I thought I was…important,” I finished, weakly.
“Clearly you’ve disappeared up your own ass on that one,” Arabella said, stifling a giggle. “Come on, she’s Julie Fairchild. You’re a big man on the Aware side of town now, but you’re not exactly playing in her league are you?”
“Go easy on him,” Zack chided. “Let him down gently.”
I didn’t bother to answer them, and instead waited for Julie to finish making some notes on a serviette. She ended the call and waved it at us. “We’re meeting Max tonight. Off the books, nobody apart from him and his driver will know.”
“And his driver can be trusted?” I asked.
“His driver was…how can I put this…magically altered for loyalty purposes.”
“Bloody hell.”
