by B N Miles
“I’m sure you do.” He paused. “When we came.”
She nodded. “I saw other things.”
He looked away. “Some of those things I don’t talk about,” he said.
“What you did for the Fist.”
He nodded. “Everyone likes to think serving the Fist is like fighting in some glorious war. But it’s more like dropping an atom bomb on ants.”
“I know,” she said, her voice soft. “It isn’t right. But it’s better than it was.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
“Humans and Metas slaughtered each other for thousands of years before the Accords.”
“Now humans just slaughter Metas when they get out of line.” Jared met her gaze. “Do you really think that’s right?”
She shrugged. “The system works. Humans and Metas both flourish in their own ways.”
“Except for the Metas that don’t fit in. They don’t flourish at all.”
Lumi frowned and shook her head. “You’re an odd Magi, Jared.”
“I’m not a Magi anymore.”
“You’ll always be one, whether you like it or not.” She smiled at him. “Speaking of, would you like to go practice with me?”
He blinked at her. “Practice?”
“Spells. Magic. I told you I’d help train you.”
He hesitated. He wanted to work with Lumi. He knew he could get back to his old self much faster if he trained with her hard for a while, and he suspected Jessalene and Cassie would be grateful for it in their own ways. They could train together, take care of each other, and keep training some more.
But they had work to do first. “Later,” he said. “After we figure this Hank stuff out. I’ll take you up on that.”
“Good.” She tilted her head. “Don’t keep me waiting.”
She turned and headed upstairs. He watched her for a moment then shook his head and turned back to the page with Hank’s address.
He wished he knew why it was seemingly thrown in with a bunch of other names. But it was entirely possible Mondo had no rhyme or reason for this mess.
Still, he’d have to find the other names of the guys that worked for him. He promised Mondo he’d try and get them to visit, and he wouldn’t go back on that promise. His word was important in his line of work.
He got up, stretched, and went to fetch his girls.
34
Hank’s place was a brick row home on a quiet South Philly street. There was no convenient parking on his block, so Jared rolled past the house twice, just to see if there was any movement, before finding a spot a couple blocks further on. He got out and the girls followed him.
Cassie skipped up and slipped her arm through his. “This is going to be fun, right?” she asked. “We’re not just going to sit in cars and watch his house?”
“We’re going to scope it out first,” he said. “But I don’t think we have time to stake him out for long.”
She grinned and kissed his cheek before falling back to Jessalene. Lumi took her place, though she didn’t slide her arm through his.
“How cautious should we be?” she asked, her voice low as they moved down the sidewalk. There were small trees planted every few houses, and the street was clear of trash. The houses around here were mostly single families, and the stoops were clean, the doors were painted, and flowers were growing in flower boxes underneath the lower story windows. It was a quiet, nice neighborhood in a working-class part of the city. The sun had set an hour ago, and the streetlights cast a gloomy yellow glow over the sidewalk.
If he was hiding out from the law, this was where Jared would go.
“Cautious,” he said. “If this Hank killed an Elf, that means he’s dangerous. Elves aren’t easy targets, especially not Elves as old as Wen Bet.”
She nodded. “I agree. I wonder how he did it. Dryads aren’t exactly equipped to be killers. Their magic is constructive in nature. They allow life to flourish.”
“Is that what they do?” Jared asked, tilting his head.
“Plants, in particular. They can control them to a lesser extent, but their main power is to allow them to grow. Their Goddess was a wood nymph of some fearsome reputation, or at least that’s what I’ve read.”
“Shame they’re gone,” Jared said.
“Oh, I don’t think they’re gone.” Lumi frowned a little. “I don’t think the Gods are dead, like some do. I think the Gods are hiding, or they’ve given up on the world. But the Gods are still very much alive.”
Jared looked at her for a long moment. “That’s hard to imagine,” he said. “From what I know, a Meta God hasn’t been spotted in hundreds of years at least. Their power isn’t what it used to be.”
“Yes, so I’ve read.” She shrugged and clasped her hands behind her back, pressing her chest out forward. She wore a black shirt, cut down low to expose just a perfect hint of cleavage, and tight black jeans. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun. “But they’re still Gods, diminished or not.”
He couldn’t disagree with that. The Meta Gods were something of a mystery, and the books on them were either vague or missing sources. He’d never put much stock into the stories, and he always figured that if they ever existed, they were long gone now.
But the idea of them still walking their world made him uneasy.
They came to the end of the block and stopped. Up ahead, their target house was sandwiched between two homes with bright red doors. It looked quiet and normal, nothing out of the ordinary. Jared glanced at Lumi and nodded once. The two of them did a first pass, walking casually along the sidewalk. Jared kept his head down just in case Hank knew his face, although he doubted it.
On their second pass, they moved down the opposite side and lingered near a dark red car parked a few houses down. It gave them a good view of the place, but it blocked them enough to make it seem like they were just casually talking.
Jared kept one eye on the house. He didn’t feel anything off about it, couldn’t sense any magic or Meta auras. “What do you think?” he asked, his voice low.
Lumi shook her head. “I’m not sure,” she said. “I don’t feel anything. If there are any Metas on this block, they’re hiding their auras from us.”
Jared gave her a pointed look then frowned and leaned closer to the car, closing his eyes to reach out with his senses. He tried to feel the block around him, tried to extend out beyond that, but Lumi was right. There wasn’t a single aura anywhere near here.
That was strange. In a city like Philadelphia, Jared expected at least a few Metas on every block. There were sections of the city where Metas tended to congregate, neighborhoods where they felt safer together, where they created communities, but there were still usually a few Weres, a few Shifters scattered throughout the place.
There was nothing here. Not a single hint of a Meta.
Maybe it was a coincidence, which was totally possible, but Jared had a strange feeling, like the area had been swept clean and abandoned already. Either that, or Lumi was right. Someone was trying to hide their presence, and the other Metas in the city knew to stay far away.
They lingered there for a little while longer before moving on. They walked around the block in silence, and Jared wondered what Lumi was making of all this. They came back around for another sweep across the front of the house, but slowed as two figures approached them. The man on the right was tall and thin, almost gaunt, with dark eyes and long hair swept back over his skull. His chin was pointed and he wore dark jeans, a black shirt, and a black vest over top of it. The woman to his left was small, petite like Lumi, with purple-dyed hair cut short around her pixie-like face. She wore a similar outfit as the guy, dark jeans and a dark long-sleeve shirt, tight against her body.
Jared shifted to let the pair pass, but they slowed instead. The man was staring at Jared, his eyes sharp, and Jared felt Lumi tense. He looked from her, back to the pair coming toward them, just as the man grinned and showed off his fangs.
They moved quickly. Ja
red stepped in front of Lumi without thinking, calling his magic up to him. He locked the memgram into place and threw white ice at the man as he blurred closer, managing to wrap a tendril around his ankle, pulling him up short. He snapped at the air, his fangs clattering like a wild dog, his lips pulled back in a snarl.
The woman slammed into Jared from the side, knocking him away. She was strong, much stronger than she looked, and Jared struggled as his ice spell dissipated and the man broke the ice away.
“Stop,” Jared tried to say, but the woman slammed her fist into Jared’s jaw. He grunted and shoved his hand against her chest, instinctively grabbing onto another memgram, white stretched out under a shimmering sun as cold wind whipped the landscape clean, releasing a burst of freezing air that staggered her backward, slamming her into a street light.
Jared got to his feet, his jaw aching. Lumi stepped forward, her power sinking down deep inside of her, the Magi Mark pulsing its dark rhythm. She flicked her hands at the male Vampire and the concrete around him splintered and snapped as an invisible force dropped on him like a mountain. He growled as it forced him down onto his knees, like a mountain was being dropped onto his shoulders. Lumi didn’t show any strain on her face as the female Vampire got to her feet, shaking her head to clear it, her fangs out, rage in her eyes.
“Stop this,” Jared said, pulling his badge. “What the fuck are you doing?”
The woman gathered herself and stared. “What is that?” she snapped.
“Meta Marshal Service,” Jared said, brandishing the badge at them. “Lumi, stop.”
Lumi’s power cut off. The Vampire let out a breath of relief and slowly stood. The sidewalk all around him was bent downward, chunks of it beginning to spider out toward the street, but he didn’t attack. Jared wondered if she planned on crushing the guy right there on a residential sidewalk.
They’d made too much noise. Jared was already looking around for bystanders, but there were too many windows. It was impossible to say how many humans just witnessed something they weren’t supposed to ever see. He was going to have to call this one in now.
The Vampires exchanged a look. “Come with me,” the woman said.
“Come with—” Jared stared at her. “What the hell are you talking about? Why did you just attack us?”
“You were casing that house,” the man said.
Jared stopped cold and looked at Lumi. She was frowning ever so slightly, her head tilted to one side.
“What house?” Jared asked, keeping his tone neutral.
“You know which one,” the woman snapped. “Don’t play stupid with us. If you’re a real Marshal, come with us and we’ll talk.” She looked around as if she were just realizing that they were out in the middle of a sidewalk in a very human area.
“You just attacked us for no reason,” Jared said. “I’m finding it pretty hard to want to go anywhere with you.”
“You’re scouting out the Dryad’s location, aren’t you?” The male Vampire said. “We’ve been doing the same thing. We thought you were with him, but…” He trailed off. “We’re here on the orders of Underlord Nikita. Now, come with us. We need to get off this street before more humans see what’s happening and get curious.”
Jared took a sharp breath. “Nikki knows about this guy?”
Both Vampires looked surprised when he said her name like that. They exchanged a look. “You know her?” the woman asked.
“I know her,” Jared confirmed. “All right. We need to get off this street.”
“We have a place a few blocks over. If you just come with us.” The man stepped past Lumi and began walking.
“Get Cassie and Jessa,” Jared said. “Then follow.”
Lumi nodded and walked off without a word. The woman Vampire sidled up next to Jared and smiled at him. “My name’s Alina,” she said. “My partner is Caz.” She nodded at his face. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine,” he grunted and rubbed at his jaw. “I’m Jared.”
“Nice to meet you, Jared.” She grinned at him. “Never hit a Marshal before.”
“That’s probably a good thing.”
Caz looked back at them and glared before leading them around the block. Jared walked in silence next to Alina, and he knew this was a bad idea. The Vampires attacked him without provocation, and there were no promises they wouldn’t do it again. He could be walking right into a trap.
But they said they were working for Nikita, and he had to trust that. He knew Nikita wouldn’t give her people orders to attack him in the street, and they did stop once they realized he was a Marshal.
Two streets over, they walked up the stoop of a plain brick house with a dark green door. Caz unlocked it and stepped inside, but Jared lingered on the steps. Alina moved to follow her partner, but stopped.
“I need to wait for my people,” Jared said. “Shouldn’t be long.”
Alina shrugged and leaned against the doorframe. “What are the Marshals doing looking for that Dryad?” she asked.
He glanced at her, but shook his head. “You’re going to have to do some explaining first before I go there.”
She grinned. “Fair enough. And if you really know Nikki, she’s going to be very interested in this.”
Jared sighed and rubbed his eyes. “More than you realize.”
Lumi came down the block a moment later, followed by Cassie and Jessalene. The girls looked anxious, but Jared held a hand up at them, and they both seemed to relax.
“Are you okay?” Cassie asked, bounding up to him. She jumped into his arms and kissed his cheek. He winced a little at the pain in his jaw.
Jared nodded. “I’m fine.”
“Your people, huh?” Alina grinned at him, showing her fangs. “Come inside. We need to talk.”
Jared nodded and took Cassie’s hand. “Come on. They’re with Nikita.”
“How is she involved in this?” Jessalene asked.
Jared shook his head. “I suspect we’re about to find out.”
The group headed into the house, and Alina shut the door behind them.
35
Jared stepped into a living room that was almost entirely barren. There was a single couch and a TV on the floor across the room. Otherwise, dust lined the windows and the white walls were bare.
Anita led them back toward the kitchen. There was a long wooden table with a few mismatched chairs scattered around it. She pulled out a chair and motioned for Jared to take a seat, but he didn’t move. “Safe house?” he asked. “Clearly nobody lives here.”
“This is my mother’s house,” Caz said with a smirk. “She’s not one for decorating.”
Jared didn’t move. He felt the girls behind him. Lumi leaned up against a wall, eyeing the Vampires warily. She was probably feeling the Need right now, and Jared almost felt excited that he’d get to take care of her later. Or maybe that was his own Need nagging at him.
Cassie slumped into a chair. “What I want to know is why you guys just attacked,” she said.
Anita glanced at her with a frown. “Are these all your partners?” she asked.
“Yes,” Jared said. “And answer her question. I’m wondering the same thing. Doesn’t seem smart for a Vamp to jump a couple of humans out for a stroll.”
She snorted and glanced at Caz. He laughed and crossed his arms. “The stink of magic was all over you two,” he said. “We knew we weren’t jumping some random, hapless humans.”
“That almost makes it worse.” Jared glanced over as Jessalene took a seat next to Cassie. He looked back at Caz. “It doesn’t seem smart to attack Magi.”
“We’re under orders,” Caz said.
“Orders to get yourselves killed?” Lumi asked quietly.
Caz stiffened. “Listen to me, little girl—”
“I wouldn’t finish that sentence,” Jessalene spoke up. “Seriously, that’s a bad start.”
He glared at her then shook his head. “What are you people doing here?”
“We’re looking fo
r a Dryad,” Jared said. “But I think it’s time that I talked to your boss.”
Caz frowned at them. “So you do know about the Dryad, then.”
“Of course we do.” Jared crossed his arms. “Is he the reason you’re here?”
“We’ve been watching him since he first showed up in the city weeks ago.” Caz shared a glance with Anita and she left the room.
“Where’s she going?” Cassie asked.
“To get Nikita.” Caz looked back at Jared. “What’s your relationship with the Dryad?”
“No relationship,” Jared said. “He’s wanted in connection with a case I’m working.”
Caz let out a grunt. “No surprise there.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’ll let Nikita explain.” He walked over to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. He let out a sigh, like he’d been on his feet all day. “She’ll arrive shortly. Please, sit, relax.”
“It’d rather you answered some more questions.”
Caz showed his fangs. “And I’d rather you sat down and relaxed, Marshal.”
Jared shook his head and moved away from the table. Lumi gave him a look, and together they stepped away into the living room. He saw Cassie lean forward and ask Caz something, but she only got a glare in reply.
“What is this?” he asked Lumi.
“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “I didn’t know Nikita would know about Hank.” She frowned and shook her head. “Makes me wonder who this Dryad is if the Vampire Underlord has two of her people watching him.”
“Someone important or dangerous. Probably both.” Jared gave her a look. “How’s it feel right now?”
She hesitated. “Fine,” she said. “Not bad. You?”
“Fine,” he agreed. “I have a feeling we’ll be using a lot more tonight. Are you up for it?”
“Yes,” she said. “I am.” She gave him a little grin. “Just try and keep up.”
He laughed and touched her hand. He wanted to kiss her, but he knew it wasn’t the time. He turned back to the others and joined Jessalene and Cassie at the table, pulling out a chair and sitting. Caz gave him a look then turned away. He took out a phone and began scrolling through something, ignoring the table.
