True Colors (The Demon's Apprentice Book 6)

by Ben Reeder

  Past the enchantment, the Tower was a thing of beauty. Over a hundred stories tall, it was a spire of gleaming white stone and glass, with balconies every few stories that arched out over the streets. Fanciful winged figures clung to each corner along its height, supporting the balconies from below and roosting above them. An open area at the top held a garden and open forum area that I had heard about but never been to, with four bronze columns supporting a gilded, pyramidal roof. Glass covered most of the sides, so the inside was mostly visible. We headed in through the glass doors and up the broad white staircase that led to the elevators. The car waiting for us was closed in on the bottom, and a wire cage on the upper part. A Blemmyes waited inside, it’s face peering at us from the middle of its thick chest.

  “What floor?” it asked in a voice that was deep enough to rattle my skull a little when we stepped into the car.

  “Ninety-eight,” Dr. C said. The headless man reached out and touched the series of runes inscribed on the metal panel next to the door, right where a normal elevators buttons would be. The runes glowed for a moment, then the elevator shot upward, and I got split second glimpses of the other floors as we passed them. Moments later, the car slid to a smooth stop, and the doors slid open on our floor. The last time we’d been here was in May, when we’d come to ask for protection for a group of cultists that Kyle Vortigern represented. Off to one side, the transit rings floated above their platform, and to the left was the doorway into the Council chamber.

  “Wizard Corwin!” we heard the moment we stepped off the elevator. “Wizard Corwin! Over here!” A young apprentice practically sprinted toward us, her almost-white robes held up in one hand, the other reaching out toward us. She skidded to a stop and panted for a moment before she tried to talk again. “Master Moon...moved...appointment…”

  “Whoa, sister,” Dr. C said. “Stop to breathe for a second. Now try again.”

  “Master Moon,” she said. “He wants to see you two right away.” She turned and headed for the double doors leading into the Council chamber, not waiting for us to acknowledge her.

  “Girl’s in a hurry,” I said, moving to follow.

  “Lazarus is in a hurry,” Dr. C said, his eyes narrowed. “That poor apprentice is just trying to catch up.” We followed the girl past the other petitioners, every step earning us dark looks. When we stopped at the table outside the door to disarm, the Sentinel there shook his head and waved us forward. Half the glares turned to slack jawed stares. Only Sentinels were allowed carry weapons or focuses into the Council chambers, and both Dr. Corwin and I had a reputation for going armed most places. Okay, he had a rep for being armed, I was mostly known for collateral damage. You blow up a couple of schools, a nightclub and a city park, and suddenly you’re a walking natural disaster.

  We followed the apprentice into the Council chamber, but instead of stopping in the circle of light that was in the center of the room, she led us back past the curved table where the Council members usually sat and through a door at the back of the chamber. The room we found ourselves in was done in dark wood paneling, with padded chairs flanking round tables. My feet barely made a sound on the deep, green carpet when we crossed to the knot of Council members gathered at the far side of the room. Even across the room, it was obvious who was who. Master Moon’s white hair stood out against his button down gray shirt, and Polter’s mass in his shiny, puke yellow suit, sucked all the joy out of the air around him. From behind, I could tell the woman facing away from me was Master Hardesty because her iron gray hair didn’t dare budge an inch, and her stance was very proper. To her right was Master Morrigan, looking perfect and enticing with her red hair flowing down her back, and on the other side of her was Master Delacort, one hand held over the other in front of him as he watched with a distant look in his eyes. The only person I didn’t recognize was the younger man standing behind Lazarus. In this room, he was underdressed. Even Master Moon wore slacks. This guy was in jeans and a leather vest over his t-shirt. Even more noticeable by his absence was Master Draeden. While he wasn’t always at the Tower, he had a habit of showing up when I was involved.

  “You’re quite sure, Lazarus?” Master Polter said as we got closer. “This is highly irregular.”

  “But well within the bounds of propriety,” Morrigan said. “Given the circumstances, not only are they within their rights to demand an immediate meeting, the Council is obligated to do exactly what we’re doing now.”

  “To include allowing the other clans to be represented,” Master Delacorte said. “If they so desire.”

  “Which they do,” a man said from behind us. His voice filled the chamber, and I could feel his footsteps through the soles of my boots when he strode past us. He was tall, broad shouldered and blond, his flowing locks brushing the collar of his sport jacket. He stopped when he reached the gathered Council members, then turned and surveyed the room before offering a broad smile that would bankrupt a dentist from its sheer natural perfection. In a word, he was everything I was supposed to want to be when I grew up. I hated him.

  “Elder Kain,” the unknown man said. The words sounded the least bit forced, like his upper and lower teeth never stopped touching. “How good of you to join us.”

  “Of course,” Kain said. “Happy to lend a hand where I’m needed.”

  “I don’t recall anyone asking for the clans’ help, however.”

  “When the gothi for the Branson pack comes to the Council instead of to the clans, we take notice,” Kain said, his smile as sincere as a politician’s promise.

  “Your offer is welcome,” Master Moon said. “If a bit premature. No formal request has been made yet.”

  “It’s all but done,” Kain said, turning to Dr. Corwin and me. “You two will have to wait. Something more important has come up.”

  “Elder Kain, if you please, I will conduct the Council’s business on my own,” Master Moon said. “Apprentice Fortunato is here as gothi to the Diamond Lake pack. He’s the one making the request.”

  “Then hurry it up, boy,” Kain said to me.

  “Are we doing that now?” I asked, looking over my shoulder toward the door to the main chamber.

  “Yes, Chance,” Morrigan said. “This isn’t something we feel should be recorded in normal session.”

  “It’s also not something we should be doing,” Polter added.

  “Chance, tell us what happened,” Moon said after a pointed look at Polter.

  “Someone killed Shade’s beta, Whisper,” I said. My throat tightened, and I took a second before I went on. “We couldn’t find any trace of their aura, and their scent disappeared at the edge of the crime scene.”

  “Crime scene?” Kain said, taking a step toward me. “You let law enforcement into your pack territory?”

  “Not officially,” I said before turning back to Moon. “Sinbad felt we should ask the Council for help, since the killer wasn’t one of his packs.”

  “This seems like an internal matter,” Delacorte said in a slow, measured tone. “Why does Sinbad, of all alphas, suddenly want the Conclave involved in Were’ politics?”

  “I concur,” Hardesty said. “This seems strictly a pack matter, one we would be better off staying clear of.”

  “Speaking for the clans,” Kain said, “you are correct. You need to let us handle this on our own.”

  “Which means you can go home, Jacob,” the unknown man said. “If you think this is an internal matter only, that means it’s under Sinbad’s control alone. The Boston clans have no say in Sinbad’s territories.”

  “I go where I please, Moon,” Kain growled. His eyes turned amber and he took a step forward, but toward the newcomer, not Lazarus.

  “Killian, Jacob, stand down,” Master Moon said. When the two didn’t move, he held his hand out, and a rune-adorned staff flew to his palm. “Now!” he slammed the staff down, sending a minor shockwave out that knocked the two men he’d addressed back a couple of steps. “The Council will decide if this is an inte
rnal matter or not.”

  “Sinbad doesn’t think it is,” I said, stepping forward. “Whoever did this is not one of his packs. It isn’t internal, so we need the Conclave to help keep the peace if it involves another pack. It’s part of the deal he set up with the Council.”

  “Indeed it is,” Master Moon said. “More importantly, it is an agreement he hasn’t invoked for decades. Sinbad is not known for his reliance on outside help. For him to ask for help now…” He let the sentence trail off.

  “Is an indication of how weak he has become,” Kain said, his tone dismissive.

  “Or, an indication of how seriously he takes the situation,” Delacorte said. “Shade is your girlfriend, correct? As I recall, all of her pack are kids your age. If someone killed a teenage boy, then I think Sinbad would take that very seriously indeed.”

  “I find,” Polter sighed, “that I agree with Master Moon. If an alpha as fiercely independent as Sinbad is asking for the Conclave to get involved...officially...then things are probably as bad as he says they are. Maybe worse.”

  “Agreed,” Delacorte said. Hardesty and Morrigan nodded as well.

  “Then it is resolved that the Conclave lends its official support to the alpha of the Ozarks Clans in this,” Moon said.

  “Then the Boston Clans demand to be represented as well,” Kain said. “As is our right.”

  “Your right?” Killian stepped forward again. “We are independent of you. You get no oversight.”

  “It is their right, son,” Lazarus said. I gave Killian a closer look, noticing the similarities in their eyes and nose. “If you’re asking for our help, the other clans also have the right to at least observe.”

  “I will go, then,” Kain said. “Fortunato, return to New Essex and wait for me. I’ll report to the clans and come as soon as I can so we can resume the hunt.”

  “You can catch up to us when you get there,” I said. “We’re not waiting for anyone.”

  Kain moved toward me. “You will wait for me, if you know what’s-”

  “Don’t even finish that sentence,” Dr. C said, stepping between us. “Chance is my apprentice. No one tells him what to do but me, no one disciplines him but his mother, and no one threatens him and lives.”

  “That will change,” Kain said. “He is gothi to an alpha. That puts him under my authority right now.”

  “He’s a mage, not a Were’.”

  “He’s standing right here,” I said as I stepped around Dr. C. “You may be an alpha, but you’re not my master, you’re not Shade’s alpha and you’re not part of her pack. We’ll keep looking for Whisper’s killer on our own. We’ll tell you what we’ve found when you get there.” I turned and headed for the door.

  “Fortunato,” Kain said from behind me. I stopped and turned far enough so I could see him over my shoulder. “That mouth is going to get you hurt one day.”

  “Look who’s talking,” I said, and started walking again.

  Killian caught up to us halfway across the Council chamber. “Chance,” he called. I stopped and turned around. Him, I’d face. “Kain might be a pretentious dick, but he’s still an alpha. Be careful about how hard you push him.”

  “Like Dr. Corwin told him, I’m not a Were’,” I said.

  “That won’t matter to him. As far as he’s concerned, you’re lower status than him, pack or not. The Boston clans are serious about that shit. Status is everything to them, and they won’t think twice about putting you back in your place.”

  “That might work in Boston,” I said with a cold smile. “But it won’t fly in New Essex.”

  “You better hope you can back that up,” Killian said with a shake of his head. “Because he’ll shove those words down your throat if he can.”

  Sinbad and Shade were waiting in front of Dr. C’s place when we got back, both leaning against their bikes, neither looking happy. Shade came to me as I walked toward them and put her arm around my waist when I stopped a few feet away.

  “Well?” Sinbad said.

  “They said yes,” I told him. “But the Boston clans are sending some asshole named Kain to ‘observe.’ Only he thinks that means he’s in charge.”

  “Heard of him,” Sinbad turned his lip up. “Never met him, but that sounds right. He’ll try to play dominance games with you all the time. Boston alphas like to remind everyone that they’re in charge. From what I hear, Kain’s better at it than most.”

  “Great,” Shade said, “just what we need, a puffed up asshole swinging his dick around, trying to make sure everyone strokes his little ego and kisses his ass hard enough for him.”

  “Kain may be an asshole, but he’s earned his place,” Sinbad said. “Even if you don’t kiss his ass, show him respect, at least in public and to his face.”

  “So, behind his back and in private, we can diss him all we want, huh?” I asked, only half joking.

  “As long as he never hears about it, yeah.”

  “All that fun aside, where are we with finding our killer?”

  Sinbad looked to Shade, and after a few seconds, she answered. “Lucas found some hairs and claw fragments using a divination spell, and he’s trying to separate them so he can find the killer. Wanda found saliva in the wounds, so Collins sent it off to be tested.”

  “So, we’re an inch further along than we were,” I said. “Beats nothing.”

  “Not by much. Every minute they’re still out there pisses me off more.” She turned and kissed me before stepping away. “And if that isn’t bad enough, I have to go play good daughter for my parents this afternoon.”

  “Don’t break anyone,” I said as she put her helmet on.

  “No promises,” her muffled voice came back, then the bike’s engine roared to life, and she sped away from the curb.

  “Suck that lip back in, kid, before you step on it,” Sinbad said after a few seconds. “You’ll survive one afternoon with your damn clothes on.”

  “Tell that to Tyler,” I said. “Then tell me not to worry.”

  His eyes blazed amber for a moment and he bared his teeth, then he stopped. “Shit,” he spat as he put his helmet on. “I’ll keep an eye on her, but you get your ass inside.” He kicked his bike to life and pulled away fast enough to leave the smell of burnt rubber behind. Me, I took his advice and hustled my ass inside.

  For the rest of the day, Dr. C kept me occupied with busy work and routine. By the time he sent me home, I had two more touchstones filled and a half dozen charms ready to enchant. My head was also pounding when I dragged my ass up the stairs that night, and I barely got the sheet pulled up before the world was fading. I felt Junkyard lay down beside me, and then I was out.

  The ping of Shade’s text message was enough to wake me up. One eye managed to open and focus on the white glow of my phone’s screen, and I made out the words

  >> Shade: Meet me for breakfast? >>

  The other eye opened and I grinned, sleep forgotten at the invitation to slip away for a while. My grin widened into a yawn, and I blinked a few times until I could make out the time. It was closer to midnight than noon.

  <
  Sleep could wait. Junkyard stirred beside me and gave me a bleary-eyed look before laying his head back down.

  >>Shade: The alpha from Boston arrives at ten. You can tell Mom we’re going to meet him. Love you.>>

  <
  Twenty-five minutes later, I made a liar of myself. I got out of the car and took a few seconds to listen to the sounds of the world waking up on a summer morning. Birdsong was a raucous melody over the background whisper of wind in the leaves, and the gray veil of night was giving way to a deepening green as the sun cleared the horizon. It was a beautiful morning, and there was a beautiful girl on the way to meet me…

  ...and Tyler would never see another morning. The thought hit me like a fist in the gut, making me lean back against the Mustang for a moment so I could catch my breath. On its heels came anoth
er thing: How many mornings had it been since Mr. Chomsky had died? Since Desiree had died?

  The cold, wet touch of Junkyard’s nose against my hand brought my focus back to the moment, and I leaned down to run my hand across his head and rub behind his ears. He leaned his weight against me, his tail making his butt wiggle. In the distance, I could hear the growl of Shade’s bike.

  “Can’t bring them back,” I said. Junkyard turned his head to look at me, then I felt every muscle in him tense before he sprang away from me. He turned around and lowered his head, his teeth bared in a low, rumbling snarl. I stood up and turned.

  Chapter 4

  ~ The Blood of the Covenant is thicker than the Water of the Womb ~

  Ancient saying of the Mulani Roma

  “He’s waking up,” I heard someone say. The voice was familiar, but my thoughts were sluggish. Everything sounded so far away and muffled. I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds each. After a couple of tries, I got my eyes to stay open. Ceiling tiles greeted me, then two faces floated into view over me, the one on my left, a fabulously beautiful redhead with red-rimmed gray eyes and trembling, kissable lips. On the right was the most welcome face I could imagine, and I knew the world was going to keep spinning for a little while longer. My Mom’s dark, curly hair framed her face, and her eyes were just as red as Shade’s.

  “Chance, honey,” I heard Mom say. “Welcome back.”

  “Where did I go?” I asked. I tried to turn my head, but my neck had a lot of unpleasant things to say about that.

  “What do you remember, babe?” Shade asked. She looked to her left, then back at me.

  “Lots of things,” I said, but my mind was a blank. “What am I supposed to remember? Did I miss something? Why does my neck hurt? And why can’t I move my hands?” I asked after trying to reach for her and failing.