Homecoming A Montague & Strong Detective Novel

by Orlando A. Sanchez

  “Not the pup, even though the phasing was a nice touch.” LD pointed at me. “Him.”

  I looked behind me, because last I checked the only spell I knew produced a weak and sickly raisin of doom.

  “I don’t use magic,” I said, shaking my head. “At least not very well. And I especially don’t know any of these ‘temporal spells’ you’re talking about.”

  We followed TK into the new corridor that opened in front of us. While the rest of Fordey was stone, marble, and subdued lighting, this corridor went in an entirely different direction. I could just as easily have been standing on the Enterprise. The door sealed the corridor silently as we stepped forward.

  Fluorescent lighting illuminated the slick, hi-tech steel walls. The floors were made of some kind of polymer that felt like rubber matting. I could still see runes everywhere, but these were different from the ones in the other areas of the boutique.

  “Just how large is Fordey?” I looked around the wide corridor in wonder as it branched off into the distance. “And what is this place, the NCC-1701 wing?”

  LD smiled, finishing off his sandwich as he kept up with TK. “Fordey is as large or small as we need it to be. This area is the hub of Fordey. I call it the Kobayashi.”

  We entered a large room that resembled an operations center. Computers lined one side of the room over several long desks. The wall opposite the computers held large cases containing all kinds of weapons. A huge screen, bookended by massive doors, dominated the wall ahead of us. TK stepped up to the wall with the large screen embedded into the center of it. She placed a palm on a recessed panel next to the screen and it hummed to life.

  The video split-screen measured about thirty feet across and was broken up into small rectangles, showing images of what I guessed was all of Fordey Boutique.

  “Darling, explain it to me before I need to deal with our ‘guests’ in a manner unbecoming a lady.”

  “You’ve never been a lady, dear. Why start now?”

  “Point taken. The temporal spell?”

  She moved her hand across the screen and the rectangles slid across in the same direction.

  “His mark”—LD pointed at my left hand—“creates a temporal pocket. I’d say about eight seconds long.”

  “Ten seconds, actually.”

  He nodded. “Ten seconds, sorry. I was a bit distracted during our bonding moment, trying to avoid getting chomped, mauled, and laser-beamed by your pup.”

  TK glanced at me and then back to the screen as she kept scrolling. “Is it a time-skip, or does it create a temporal anomaly?”

  “From what I can tell,” LD answered, “the flow is only disrupted for him, but he used it right after phasing with super-dog and that could have augmented its effect.”

  “Bloody hell,” TK muttered. “And you didn’t think to mention this to him?”

  “I was nudging. There are no rules in nudging. Besides, how was I supposed to know he would pull that move?”

  “I sensed entropy orbs. What did you expect him to do, juggle them?”

  “Dodge them or get dead. He dodged them with a sweet move, too.”

  “Is that how he avoided the orbs, using this pocket dimension?”

  “No, he used rapid phasing and then pulled the move on me. One moment I’m standing there planning the eulogy, the next, I’m on my back with a few tons of hellhound about to land on my chest.”

  TK nodded. “Ten seconds would have been plenty of time for them to find us.”

  “There.” LD pointed to one of the smaller screens. “What’s with the masks?”

  “Ghosts.” TK tapped the small rectangle and spread her hands apart, widening the image. She narrowed her eyes at the screen. “Golden Circle sent a tribus, if I’m not mistaken. They aren’t reading like normal Ghosts though, going by these energy signatures.”

  “Super Ghosts? Are they dark?” LD stepped closer to the screen. “They must’ve upgraded the training at the Sanctuary. These three are going to be difficult.”

  “They’re not reading as dark. They seem to be gray mages.”

  “No way. Gray mages are a total pain in the ass. Are you sure?”

  “Yes, this is going to be problematic.”

  Small black arcs jumped off her body, causing me to step back.

  “Gray mages?”

  LD nodded. “You have light mages, like Tristan and Dex, even though Dex blurs the lines sometimes. They use magic from the energy around them and spells they have studied. Then you have dark mages, who basically lean toward using life force—theirs or others’—to power their spells.”

  “And gray mages?”

  “They’re dangerous. They combine both methods, which gives them a huge pool of energy. Like an old diesel submarine. Once it runs out of fuel, it can switch to the batteries. Except in this case, the battery is life force.”

  “What are you?”

  He looked at me before glancing at TK. “I don’t conform to typical conventions of definition. I like to think of myself as a renaissance mage.”

  “You’re certainly old enough,” TK said, touching icons on the side of the screen. I saw doors begin to close all around the boutique. “Did you secure the Danger Room?”

  “Yes. I think we may need to renovate the room after Simon and the pup. It took a real beating today.”

  “I’ll make a note. Can you unsecure it? I’ll send them in there and try to minimize the damage to the boutique.”

  LD gestured as gray runes floated around him. White trails followed his fingers as he finished the sequence. “Do you want it active or dormant?”

  “Dormant, please. Thank you.”

  “Done. Can you leave most of it standing?”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “One of these Ghosts melted my car. Can you handle three?” I asked, concerned. “The ones in London were squashed by Nana, but she used something called the phoenix smash or something like that.”

  “You witnessed a phoenix fist?” LD said, the awe clear in his voice. “That is a beautiful move. Nana is the only mage I know who can pull that one off and live to talk about it.”

  “Nana, really?” TK turned to look at me with a slight smile. “How is she doing these days?”

  “I can’t believe they tangled with Nana.” LD shook his head. “Those Ghosts were too dumb to live. Even I wouldn’t mess with her.”

  “She didn’t make it.” The enso pendant she gave me still hung from my neck, its familiar weight reminding me of her warning about Monty going home.

  “Really?” TK raised an eyebrow and turned back to the screen. I could see runes shift into place all over the boutique.

  “Did you see a body?” LD asked, rummaging through a large chest in the corner of the room.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Did she expire before your eyes? Did you see her die, and watch her go down in front of you?”

  “Well, no.”

  “Did anyone else? Tristan or Dex? Did anyone specifically say…‘Nana’s dead.’ Was there a body?”

  I thought back to the moment Monty and I went back to seal Nana’s house. “Not that I can remember, no. But Dahvina agreed that she was gone.”

  “There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead, you know.” He finished rummaging and removed several large backpacks. “She may have left a large part of her essence behind to give the impression she died.”

  “I thought she was gone, from the way everyone was acting.”

  “I believe that was her intention.” TK slid some icons down on one side of the screen. “Nana is usually reclusive. I’m sure Tristan had something to do with her surfacing.”

  “Yeah, she’s gone. Not dead.” LD chuckled. “Did she give you one of these?”

  He reached into his shirt and pulled out an exact replica to the enso pendant I wore. His gave off a faint gray light. I reached under my shirt and showed him the one I wore.

  “She said it’s Tristan’s.”

  H
e stepped close and touched it. “She made you his shieldbearer. He’s not ready for it though. At least not yet. Maybe after another shift or two.”

  “So, she’s not dead?”

  “Nana is older than Dex, LD, and me,” TK said without looking away from the screen. “To date, she has ‘died’ three—”

  “Four, don’t forget the explosion that wiped out that sect of Negomancers.”

  “You’re right. She’s been reported dead four times that we’re aware of. I think she just goes on extended vacations and doesn’t want to be disturbed.”

  “By faking her death?” I shook my head in disbelief. “Isn’t that a bit extreme?”

  “Not when you’re as powerful as she is. Her abilities are quite in demand. Mages her age prefer to be left alone.”

  “And the pendants?” I tucked mine back in my shirt. “What are they for?”

  “We can discuss those later.” LD glanced at TK and held up the backpacks. “I’ll get the bags ready, dear. Any preference?”

  “Extended trip, heavy armor, please, darling.”

  “Serious?”

  “Did it sound like I was making a joke?” The edge in her voice made me pause.

  “No. It didn’t.” He opened his mouth to say something else and shook his head. “Just so we’re on the same page, we are planning on leaving the Sanctuary intact after our visit?”

  “That would depend on their response, now wouldn’t it?”

  “Extended and heavy, got it. Almost feel sorry for the Sanctuary.”

  “Will dealing with the tribus be too difficult?” I asked, looking at the screen. I thought I saw the pattern of what TK was doing. By activating certain runes, she was guiding them down the corridors.

  LD stared at me for a second and then laughed. “No, I didn’t mean difficult in the usual sense. I meant they aren’t going to listen to TK’s heartfelt pleas to exit the boutique.”

  I glanced over at TK. Her face was an unreadable mask. I could tell from her body language, and the small arcs of black energy that jumped off her every time she moved, that she was not pleased. She looked like a lethal human Tesla coil, and I took a few steps back to avoid being hit by a stray arc.

  Peaches gave me a small whine and stepped back too.

  “Oliver isn’t pulling any punches,” LD said. “I retract my earlier statement about not getting the job done. These three aren’t novices. Whatever he’s doing, he’s using heavy hitters. They’re all yours, dear.”

  I looked at the screen and saw the three men walking down a corridor. They were dressed in black suits and wearing partial face masks that obscured the top half of their faces. From the way they moved, I could tell they were trained. Flashbacks of the melted Goat crossed my mind.

  Their steps were measured and contained. At each corridor junction, one Ghost would look around the corner, while the other two formed orbs in case of an attack. None of them rushed, maintaining their triangle formation as they moved.

  In addition to wielding magic, I noticed all three wore holsters and carried handcannons.

  “People in masks can’t be trusted. Oh, before I forget…” LD muttered as he moved to a container and handed me my weapons. Grim Whisper sat in a new black holster and Ebonsoul rested in a matching sheath. Both the holster and sheath were covered in faint gray runes. “This should prevent anyone from using the move I used on you.”

  “Did you secure the artifact room?” TK asked as she swept her hand across the screen and the headache room door appeared in one of the rectangles. Black wisps of energy crawled over the entrance. Just looking at the door began to give me a headache.

  “It’s locked down. Do we know how they found us? I mean, besides the temporal hiccup Simon caused. How did they know to look in this direction?”

  “They must be tracking Tristan.” She swept the screen again to a bedroom containing a sleeping Monty. “Secure him and begin the shutdown.”

  “They found us in London, too.”

  “They can potentially find him anywhere you go. They found us here when you used your mark. Along with the phasic shift caused by your hellhound, it must have disrupted the temporal stasis caused by the artifact.”

  “Do all mages speak this way?”

  “Which way?” A look of momentary confusion crossed her face. “Oh, yes. I forget you’re not a mage. Simply put, for ten seconds, as a result of using your mark and phasing with your hellhound, anyone with mid-level magical ability—like these Ghosts—could locate us.”

  “Uh, sorry?”

  “Not your fault. How could you’ve known?” She glared at LD. “It’s his fault.”

  “Even with the ten-second window, they would need his DNA to find him.” LD expanded the rectangle holding the Ghosts again. “It’s the only way they can track him anywhere.”

  “Who are we going to rescue at the Sanctuary?” She gave him a look.

  “Shit, they’re using Connor as a conduit.”

  “Precisely. Get the bags ready and collect Tristan. Once they’re in the Danger Room, the boutique will be in lockdown.” She pointed at me. “You and your hellhound are with me. LD, contact Dex. He’ll have to cut his visit short.”

  LD gave a short laugh. “Oh, the Morrigan is going to love that.”

  “It can’t be helped,” TK answered. “Let’s go greet our guests.”

  SEVENTEEN

  IT TOOK US about ten minutes to arrive at the Danger Room. TK left the enormous door open behind us. The runes, which had blazed a bright orange along the floor earlier, were now dormant. The room looked like a large space used for controlled detonations.

  “We’ll try diplomacy first.” She shook out her hands and flexed her fingers, cracking them with each fist she formed. “It’s possible they’ll listen to reason.”

  “Hasn’t been my experience with Ghosts so far, but I guess there’s always a first time.”

  I loosened Grim Whisper in the new holster and made sure I had access to Ebonsoul. Peaches bumped my leg, nearly shattering my knee.

 

 

 

 

 

  The runes etched into the stones around his neck pulsed a faint red as he entered a pounce-and-crush mode.

 

  The tribus approached the Danger Room slowly. I sensed them down the corridor, now that all of the room’s runes were dormant. Black arcs crisscrossed tightly around TK’s body.

  The three men entered the Danger Room with orbs of flame in their hands.

  “We’re here for Mage Tristan Montague. Hand him over,” the lead Ghost said, “or suffer the consequences.”

  Something about the voice sounded familiar. Most likely the level of arrogance with which he demanded Monty, and the total lack of observation.

  “Gideon?”

  The lead Ghost stiffened. He extinguished the orb he held and turned to me. The two other Ghosts fanned out to either side, keeping the orbs in their hands.

  “Where is he?” The center Ghost stepped forward.

  “That is you. You’re a Ghost now? Nice promotion.”

  “You know this Ghost?” TK asked, keeping her eyes fixed on the tribus.

  I rested my hand on my holster, remembering how trigger-happy he was the last time he faced Monty. “Last time we met, he wasn’t a Ghost, he was an Envoy. Monty shunted him back and put a hurting on him. He ended up in intensive care.”

  “I see you still have your helldog, Strong.”

  “How’s the stomach? Back to solids, are we?”

  Peaches growled at them from my side.

  “Envoy to Ghost?” TK narrowed her eyes. “That is quite the promotion.”

  “By order of High Archmage Oliver Rank, Overseer of the Golden Circle, you are hereby instructed to surrender rogue mage Tris
tan Montague into our custody,” Gideon said.

  “Overseer of the Golden Circle?” TK raised an eyebrow and the black arcs around her increased in intensity. “I see you aren’t the only one who has received a promotion. Since when does the Golden Circle have an ‘overseer?’ Where is the Tribunal?”

  “Since the Tribunal was ineffective, outdated, and lacked vision, they were disbanded.”

  “I’m sure it was,” I said. “Why do I get the feeling they were disbanded permanently?”

  “They refused to comply and were incarcerated. Those who dared to retaliate were erased.”

  “Is that Oliver’s plan?” TK cocked her head to one side and cracked her neck. “To erase Tristan?”

  “I’ve been instructed to bring in Tristan Montague for a meeting with the High Archmage. He has matters he would like to discuss with him.”

  “This isn’t about the void vortex?”

  “I’m under no obligation to discuss anything with you, Strong. I advise that you and your malevolent mutt stay out of our way.”

  I was liking Gideon the Ghost less and less by the second.

  “Peaches is a purebred hellhound, and you…you’re an asshole.”

  TK looked around the Danger Room and spread her arms. “As you can see, Tristan is not here.”

  “His energy signature is in this location. You will tell us where he is.”

  “And if I refuse?” TK asked, as the hairs on the back of my neck all stood on end. She hadn’t moved, but the energy coming off her body made me step back. My first instinct was to run away. The voice in my head was agreeing, assuring me that it was the best course of action.

  I ignored it and glanced quickly at TK. Her eyes gave off a subtle green glow, and she wore a smile that, for a second, made me agree with the voice. That smile was the promise of pain and death. She looked down at the floor, and I noticed the runes begin to glow.

  “Then we are authorized to use deadly force to carry out our mandate.” Gideon moved into a defensive stance and formed an orb of white flame. “Will you comply?”

  “So much for diplomacy,” I muttered under my breath as TK allowed black energy to cover her arms. I looked at Gideon and shook my head slowly. “You really don’t want to do this.”