"I hope you know how ridiculous you look."
"It's Carnival. I can look however I want. You're the one wearing a cape."
Jack sighed resigned to the fact that this was not an argument he was going to win. His mind was too focused on the reason they were here. Someone, some unknown stranger with an unknown purpose, wanted them there at this exact time. But why?
"Lighten up, Jack. It's party time."
"I don't like this. There are so many people here and a lot going on. What if we get attacked in the crowds? What if one of your ancestors is here and gets killed in the fighting? We're unarmed and vulnerable."
Niki twisted the handle of his cane then pulled up the top, sliding out a long silver blade. "Speak for yourself. I wasn't about to come here without a way to protect you."
"You know how to use that sword?"
"What Time Knight worth a thing doesn't know how to use a sword? You're safe with me. Do me a favor and take a breath. You're so tense that you're giving me anxiety from standing close to you."
Jack wiped the sweat from under his hat. "Sorry. I'm not doing too well right now."
"I need you to toughen up. We can't do this with me having to carry you all the time. I know you have courage in you. You're not a coward, Jackson. Stop acting like you're defenseless. You're stronger than that. For now, take it in. Enjoy the atmosphere. It's not gonna kill you to like something."
Scents of roasting meats, fruity wines, and sugar-laced pastries swirled through the cold night air, mixing with the salty sea breeze. The smells mingled with the banging of drums, the drunken singing, and the flowing notes of music being played near the seemingly endless winding canals. The entire place was alive, bustling with energy and rowdy crowds that filled the city with celebrations.
Jack spun around, he eyes wide behind his mask, taking it all in. Under the hazy moonlight, the fancy ballgowns in rainbows of colors swirled together with feathers, glitter, glass beads, and shimmering pearls. Every sense was overwhelmed, making Jack feel alive in strange ways. His skin tingled with excitement. His mouth watered.
However, he was on high alert.
There was a high probability they had walked right into a trap. Any of the hidden faces behind lace and porcelain masks could have been a Syndicate agent set on killing them or taking Jack captive. At Carnival, all identities were hidden, all statuses were stripped away. Nobles and fools were the same. Jack continuously watched people moving, especially the few lurking in the shadows.
While he had confidence in Mr. Allen's ability to create costumes practically identical to the clothing worn historically, there was always that chance that something would be off, that one aspect would give them away and cause all kinds of problems. For now, though, their disguises appeared to be holding up well.
Niki took Jack's arm and brought him close to whisper in his ear. "There are some horrible rumors here. At least five people are talking about a killer who has been abducting victims from the streets during Carnival. The victims are drugged then dragged down to the catacombs and never heard from again. It has Edgar Allen Poe written all over it."
"Anything about the killer?" Jack asked.
"A man in red. They say he dyes his clothes with the blood of his victims."
"Well, that's unnerving. Hopefully that's not who sent that text. What would a Renaissance serial killer want with us?"
"I'm not sure. We don't even know if there is credibility to the rumors. You know how rumors can spread like the plague." Niki snorted. "Too soon?"
"That's not funny. All right. Actually, let's split up and look around for our contact. We will meet back here in the middle of the plaza."
"Sounds good. You're sure you'll be okay on your own for a bit?"
He had to be. Jack nodded his head. "Yeah. I heard a few people speaking English, so I'll at least have someone to talk to if anything happens."
"Good. Just keep looking over your shoulder. I'll be down by the water with the dancing girls and wine."
"Why would I expect anything else from you?"
The rebel grinned at him, flashing his straight teeth. "Hey, it's Carnival. It's in my blood. Oh, and don't kill anyone, okay? You don't want me disappearing, do you?"
"I got it. Go."
Niki patted Jack's shoulder before spinning around and sauntering off into the colorful crowds.
Jack shivered and held his grey cape around himself to block out the biting chill, but he knew his cold feeling was more from the anxiety and fear of being alone. He held his shoulders back and stood tall. He had to play his part. He was an actor, after all. He could do this. Niki and Mr. Allen both believed he could do this, so Jack needed to prove them right. At least hiding behind a mask helped him to feel a bit untouchable. The mask was one of the main reasons he could identify with Phantom in the school play. They were both outsiders, feeling separated from society, and hiding away behind a mask to preserve their own mental health.
But it was different when every person around him wore a mask as well. He had no way of deciphering ally from foe, friendliness from hatred, safety from danger. Anyone could have been watching him under the shroud of anonymity.
To ease his worrying, Jack walked over to a side area where casks of wine were tapped and people filled glasses and cups with the sticky red liquid. He picked up a wooden bowl that had been discarded onto the ground then filled it halfway with wine. With shaking hands, he lifted it up under the edge of his mask and sipped it. The strong alcohol burned his throat and the acidic grapes bit at his tongue. He immediately felt warmer and his nerves relaxed, so he took a long drink then tossed the bowl back where he found it. Now all he had to do was stick to himself, not get into trouble, and simply watch for anything out of the ordinary.
"Hey, there."
Jack gasped and spun around to see the source of the soft female voice.
A curvy young woman a few inches shorter than him was standing close with her hands perched on her hips above the bustles of her billowing pink ballgown. She grinned, her cheeks blushing innocently below her black silk half mask that was painted with pink lilies on the edges. A single lock of auburn hair fell loose from the elaborate braids piled on top of her head.
"Um . . . hello. You speak English?"
"I do." The woman took out a black lace fan and began fanning herself with it, her hazel eyes smoldering behind the mask. "Though, I don't have that charming accent. Where are you from?I don't believe that is a British accent. Are you a foreign merchant?"
"Uh, yeah. I mean yes, I am a merchant. I travel around the world on my ship."
"Trading what?"
Jack muttered through the word. "S-Spices."
"Spices? Well, well, you must be very well-off."
He cleared his throat. "I do well for myself."
"Good, good. Are you enjoying Carnival?"
"I am. I just had some wine."
The stranger fanned herself slower. "Do you drink often?"
"Not normally. I'm only seventeen."
"And your point is?"
Jack searched for words, trying to find a way to cover his blundering mistake. He was failing miserably at blending in. He quickly created a backstory for the fictitious character he was forced to play."I wasn't given much wine . . . in prison."
"Prison? A spice merchant in prison? What did you do? Smuggle something?"
Why had he said that? He cursed at himself in his head. "Uh, yeah. Yes, that's what happened. I just got released last week."
"Oh. Well, congratulations. Are you heading home soon? Maybe back to your ship? I'd love to see it."
"After Carnival. My friend is enjoying himself. I met him in prison."
"I see. Your friend is the fancy one with the striped pants and cane?" The stranger asked, her voice softening. "Can I tell you something? It's just a tiny piece of advice, really."
"Um, all right."
The woman stepped closer and held up a sewing pin with a plastic purple head. "Your costumes are good an
d pretty accurate, but I'd be careful about leaving things like this sticking around. Tell your flirtatious friend that plastic doesn't exist yet."
Jack snatched the pin away from her and his mouth went dry.
The woman smirked. She gathered her skirts before running off into the festive chaos.
Who was that woman? How did she see straight through him? Was he that bad at acting? Was he that unprepared? How did the woman in pink know what plastic was? There was only one answer. She had to be from the present. A fellow Chronomancer? Was she the one who lured them there with that text message? If she was, why would she leave after calling him out like that? What did she want? She did not appear to be overly threatening. Either way, it was a development that he needed to share with Niki as soon as possible.
Trying to appear normal, Jack pushed through the throngs of revelers growing drunker by the minute, then skipped down the steps to the platform by the water's edge. Musky perfume and sweat took over there, choking him with the raw pungency. He followed the giggling of women to a side path that passed underneath a stone bridge spanning the canal. In the orange torchlight, Jack found who he was looking for.
Niki was maskless with his tunic torn down the front. He had a woman pinned against the stones while he kissed her. Two other women with their hair in double buns and plunging corsets were hanging off of him, showering him with kisses on his neck.
Jack crossed his arms and waited for Niki to notice him, but a few long minutes dragged by, accented by the continuous moaning of the women who where enraptured in Niki's charms. Eventually, he had enough watching them make out, so he cleared his throat noisily.
Niki finally pulled away and wiped the lipstick from his chin. "Girls, this is my friend, Jack."
Jack's eyes narrowed when Niki repeated his sentence in Italian, but he figured something else was said because the women giggled and trailed their eyes over Jack's body. His cheeks warmed. "Niki, I need to tell you something."
"I'm busy."
"It's important."
Niki blew a kiss to the women. "In a minute."
"Leave the hookers alone and talk to me."
"Watch your word choice. They're courtesans. Don't use modern words."
He snarled. "They can't understand me, anyway. Plastic."
"Huh?"
"Plastic, Niki." Jack held up the sewing pin in the torchlight. "This was on your costume."
"Good thing you found it. Thanks. Stop freaking out. Try to find yourself a nice girl or something."
"I didn't find it. A woman in pink did."
"It's fine." Niki shrugged his shoulders. "She probably thought it was some weird gemstone."
"She knew what plastic was. She told me to be careful."
At that, Niki became more serious. He slipped a coin into each girl's hand then shooed them away. Once they were alone under the bridge, he drew Jack close. "Was she our contact? Was she part of the Syndicate?"
"I don't know. She saw right through me. I tried to make up a backstory, but it didn't work."
"What did she look like? How old was she? I need details."
"Uh, a little older than you, auburn hair, pale skin, wearing a pink gown and a black lace mask."
Niki fumbled with the torn front of his tunic, but gave up repairing it. "And speaks English. We have to find her."
"She could be anywhere by now."
"Then we search all night if we have to. If she is part of the Syndicate, we will be forced to apprehend her."
"And do what with her?" Jack asked.
"Conduct a full interrogation to find out what she knows and what the Syndicate wants with you."
There was only one thing that could mean. "You're going to torture her."
"If she refuses to cooperate. Don't worry. I'll make sure she dies quickly once I get all the info I need out of her."
"We didn't come here for violence or to kill people."
Niki cracked his knuckles. "Syndicate monsters aren't people, Jack. They're evil. We will be saving lives by eliminating one of them. It's our duty to other Chronomancers everywhere to get rid of the enemy. These bastards murdered your family, Jack. They deserve no mercy."
"I'm not a murderer."
"Then I'll do it. You don't have to get your hands dirty. I'm your Time Knight. It's my job to do the things you aren't comfortable doing yourself."
Jack sighed. "Make sure she's one of them before doing anything, please. Don't hurt an innocent woman."
"You know me. I won't lay a finger on her if she's not part of them. But if she is a threat to you in any way, then she will be erased from history."
While he didn't agree with Niki's methods, Jack had a difficult time disagreeing with not letting a dangerous person continue to hurt people. He kept his mouth shut as he followed the knight back up into the plaza where the partying had begun to die down as most of the revelers were wandering around in exhaustion or sleeping where they fell, dozing in their heavily intoxicated states. The music was slow and couples were chatting around the pillars while others finished off the wine.
A woman's crying drew his attention to the back of the plaza where an elderly lady was sobbing into her hands as she spoke loudly with two guards in chainmail. She pointed frantically to a side street. The guards nodded their heads, but took no notes or appeared to even be interested in what she was saying. After a few moments, the guards walked away, laughing.
Niki rushed to the woman and took her in his arms before he began speaking gently to her in Italian. The woman held onto him and wept into his tunic while mumbling and trembling in her black peasant's gown.
Jack pushed his mask up on top of his head. "Niki, what's going on?"
"She says her daughter was given drugged wine and dragged off down that alley over there about an hour ago. She followed her, but found her shoes and a puddle of blood, nothing more."
"The serial killer?" Jack asked.
"Maybe there's more to the rumors than we thought. Come with me. We need to help her get to her home. I can't leave her like this."
"Sure. Lead the way."
Like the suave gentleman Niki could be when he waned to, he guided the woman through the lingering crowds and onto a quiet street leading away from the plaza. They stepped over pools of vomit, spilt wine, and urine before turning right, in between two tall residential buildings with clothing hanging outside on the balconies to dry. A couple of rats squeaked and scurried off into the darkness.
The click of a gun being cocked stopped them instantly. Niki backed away from the woman with his hands held high. Jack noticed the glint of the revolver barrel in the lantern light from a nearby window. It was obviously a modern gun that did not belong in Renaissance-era Venice or in the hand of an elderly peasant lady.
The woman motioned towards Niki with the barrel. "On your knees, both of you. Now!"
The two friends exchanged fear-filled looks of confusion before kneeling in the filthy street. What was going on? Why was this woman, who had seemed to be a distraught old lady who needed help, pointing a gun at them in a back alley? Was she somehow working with the Zurvan Syndicate?
Niki spit at her. "What do you want with us? Why trick us? I was trying to help you."
"I don't need help. You two are going to stay here until our agents arrive to take you to headquarters."
So, it was true. "You're with the Zurvan Syndicate."
"Indeed. Now, remain quiet or I will be forced to gag you. I would prefer to do this the nice way. I was never one with a taste for violence."
Jack needed answers. He kept his hands in the air, but he looked directly at the woman. "What does the Syndicate want me for? Can't you at least tell me that? Maybe I'll agree and come willingly. You haven't even tried."
"After what you two did to our agents on the Asian Steppe, we thought it best to take the forceful path with you. Both of you will be transported immediately to isolation rooms where you will be studied and dealt with as the Director sees fit."
Niki g
rowled deep in his throat. "So, you're going to lock Jack in a padded cell then brainwash him and probably kill me so I can't intervene."
"Shut your mouth, Avelayan." The woman moved the revolver to point at Niki. "No one gave you permission to speak. You will be given a chance to prove your worth to the Syndicate. If there is anything salvageable, we may retrain you and use you for other purposes. We can-" The woman let out an airy sigh and a whimper before collapsing with a lifeless thud.
The gun slid across the smooth cobblestones before being snatched up by Niki. He aimed it at the shadowy figure at the end of the alley.
With the clicking of heels on the stones, an auburn-haired young woman in a pink ballgown walked into the lantern light. She bent down to pluck a dart from the old woman's neck then twirled it in her fingers as she stood back up. Her high cheekbones were now uncovered, revealing a dewy youthfulness. "How did I know you two would be trouble?"
It was her. "You."
"Jack, this is her?"
"Yeah. She's the one who found the plastic pin."
"Who are you?" Niki asked.
Ever the sly one, the stranger smirked and raised an eyebrow. "You haven't earned that yet."
"I think the gun says I've earned whatever the hell I want. Get up against the wall." Niki stepped closer and grabbed the woman by her arms then threw her against the side of the brick building. He tucked the revolver into the back of his pants before crushing her wrists to the wall with one hand to immobilize her and using his free hand to tear at her dress. He ripped it off in a flurry of pearl buttons, leaving her in a corset and knee-length silk slip.
Jack had to intervene. "What are you doing? Don't hurt her!"
The woman grunted when Niki reached into the top of her corset and felt around between her breasts. "Like what you feel, Time Knight?"
"Shut up." Niki withdrew his hand, bringing out two vials of oily liquid and a small leather satchel filled with thin darts like the one that took down the old woman. He tossed them aside then picked up her discarded dress and chuckled. Niki removed a lighter, a set of keys, and a dead cell phone. He quickly took her by the wrists once again. "Look at that stuff, Jack. Poisons and anachronisms everywhere."
Chronomancer Page 7
