The Gray Tower Trilogy: Books 1-3

by Alesha Escobar

  The air grew dense, and I felt electricity at my fingertips. Two other wizards appeared in a whirlwind and landed. As they approached Master Priya, I recognized them and stiffened a little. I had met both of them while at the Gray Tower. The young man was Hotaru, an elemental who came from Japan. The young woman was Mehara, a mentalist from Morocco. Both were Elites.

  Since the Masters only took on Elites to teach, and half of the Masters were constantly outside the Gray Tower fulfilling various duties, Apprentices didn’t necessarily know all of them by sight. I knew many Elites since they were the ones who had instructed me.

  Hotaru greeted Brande and me with a nod, saving a quick bow for Priya. “Master, we picked up his trail a few miles south. Mehara and I followed it, and we caught up to him.

  Priya grunted. “Then what are you doing here?”

  Mehara looked at Hotaru, and then faced the Master Wizard. “Hotaru tried to distract him with fire while I tried to pry into his mind, but Carson had already placed counter spells before we even made our attacks. He had a Circle of Healing with a smaller Circle of Protection inside—”

  “Impossible. He couldn’t have laid one within the other like that.”

  Mehara looked afraid to continue, but she went on. “His mind had a powerful seal, so I couldn’t get in. We tried to get close enough to use body magic, but we couldn’t break the Circles without weakening ourselves.”

  “You should have signaled for me. That was sloppy of you.”

  “We did, Master. However...he had already placed an enchantment that prevented us from signaling you.”

  “And what was my old friend doing the whole time you fought his spells?”

  Hotaru spoke up this time, his expression betraying embarrassment. “He drank coffee and read a newspaper.”

  “Was he disguised as a gypsy?” Priya glared at me.

  Hotaru shook his head. “He wore a black fedora and trench coat.”

  “Go and pick up the trail again. I’ll be with you shortly.” He watched them take off, and his face once again returned to its immovable expression.

  “You seem a little frustrated, Master Priya.” I couldn’t help but smirk. My father did well indeed. There was no wonder why they couldn’t catch him this whole time. I prayed his luck wouldn’t run out.

  “I’m not frustrated, my dear, I’m simply disappointed. Your father is a difficult man...always has been. I’m sorry you had to learn about him this way, though I dare say it was inevitable.” He tipped his hat toward me and then faced Brande. “You and Father Gabriel are expected at the Gray Tower, so I suggest you get there soon. And may I ask, what are your plans, Miss George?”

  “Kill Nazis.”

  “Excellent. Perhaps our paths will cross again...maybe in London? My mother was from there, and my father was from India. Carson actually accompanied me there once, a long time ago.” He lowered his gaze as if in deep thought, and then regarded Brande with one last mysterious look before turning away and disappearing.

  I breathed a soft sigh, then turned to face Brande. “What you just did for me...thank you.”

  “We have to be careful. I’ve seen Master Priya do terrible things to get what he wants.”

  I didn’t doubt that. The Order of Wizards had a noble purpose, stood between Octavian’s Black Wolves and the rest of the world, and there were many selfless and righteous people who made up its ranks. However, people often confused this with pure benevolence, and forgot that individual wizards within the Order could fall prey to the vices and faults that plagued all humans. I had seen selfish wizards, cruel wizards, and morally questionable ones—they weren’t all under Octavian’s control.

  “Sometimes I really hate them.”

  “I hope...you don’t hate me.”

  “I don’t hate you.” I smiled at him, and he just stood there and gazed at me—well, it was more like he was ravishing me with his eyes, but I wasn’t going to complain.

  The boys I saw earlier had returned and gathered around us, offering more sandwiches for francs.

  “I’ll...walk you back to Le Fleur,” he said, finally aware of his surroundings.

  “Thanks.” I waved goodbye to the clamoring children.

  Brande offered me his arm, and I took it. As we headed down the street, I kept thinking about the meeting with my father. I raked over each and every detail from his gray-streaked beard to his somber words. Find Veit Heilwig... I would find him all right, and he would never have to be forced to make those deadly weapons again. He’d reunite with my father.

  Brande opened the door for me and I went inside Le Fleur. Father Gabriel spotted us from the dining area and called out to us, gesturing toward two seats that were apparently saved for us. Lucien and Ernest sat at the bar, drinking and chatting with the bartender.

  “We were worried, Noelle.” Gabriel poured us water from a carafe. “You shouldn’t have gone off this morning without telling anyone.”

  This immediately killed my mood. I may have forgiven Brande, but Father Gabriel was a different matter. We took our seats, and I diverted my gaze to the cup of fresh coffee and plate of chocolates in front of me. I drank and sat there, avoiding small talk and not making eye contact with Gabriel.

  “To the smoking room, then?” Lucien joined us, offering Brande and Gabriel cigars. His eyes were bright and alert, and his demeanor gave off a sense of strength that I hadn’t seen before. I supposed he had taken to heart the talk we had the other day.

  We stood and headed into the smoking room. The lights gave the worn billiard table a soft glow, and the lingering scent of cigars hung in the air. After we entered, Brande locked the door behind us and then joined us around the billiard table.

  “What time should we meet?” Gabriel asked.

  “Seven,” I interjected, thinking about my unwanted midnight rendezvous with Simon. “It shouldn’t take us more than an hour to get there.”

  “I’ll take care of supplies,” Brande said.

  “Noelle and Brande...” Lucien gestured toward us. “You should take the Ruinart entrance. If the tunnels and caves run beneath the city like a maze, then it’s better if we split up and come in from four different directions.”

  Ernest nodded. “I can come in from the south, Luce can take the west tunnel, and Father can come in from the east.”

  Lucien faced me. “You don’t suppose Simon Vester wouldn’t mind allowing me access to the records hall so I can copy a map?”

  Sure, it would be like sticking my bloody finger in a shark tank. “I...think I can manage that.”

  “So we come in from all four sides.” Brande pocketed his cigar. “Who’s going to disable the alarms?”

  Ernest spoke up. “Whoever’s at the main entrance will have to do it. At the Catalonia lab, there were two guards posted at the main entrance with an outside trigger—if you see two men, then you’ll know you’re at the main door.”

  “Those men will have to be taken care of immediately. If it’s set up like the other lab, there should be between ten to twelve elite armed forces men inside—and a Black Wolf.”

  I thought about Praskovya, and Marc. “There will most likely be other warlocks there too. I should lay Sublimation symbols when I go in, and when the job’s done...or as a last resort, blow the entire place to hell.”

  “You can hold it off, right?” Ernest asked.

  I nodded. “I’ll have to rig the electrical system so when I release it all, I can get an explosion, but it’s doable.”

  “Then do it after we find the doctor.”

  “Then that’ll give us a limited amount of time,” I warned him. “I can only hold off the symbols for so long.”

  “I’ll help Ernest and Lucien fight off the guards,” Gabriel said, “and I can break away to help you and Brande dispose of any warlocks.”

  “Then I’ll see you all at seven.” Lucien loosened his collar as if he had just come home from a long day at work. He went over to the wall and grabbed a couple of mounted cue sticks. He ha
nded one to Ernest.

  “Brande...Father Gabriel...are you in?” Ernest stuck his cigar in between his teeth. “Noelle?”

  “I’m...tired. I should go lie down.” My head throbbed, and I didn’t care too much for being sequestered in a stuffy room full of cigar smoke.

  “Should I keep watch?” Brande moved toward me.

  “Hmph.” Ernest smirked at us and muttered something to Lucien. Both of them chuckled.

  “Sure,” I told Brande. “I’ll see the rest of you tonight.”

  “Actually, why don’t I play chaperone,” Gabriel said, “while the fellows here enjoy their game and cigars. Brande, you haven’t eaten today. You must be famished.” Gabriel placed his hand on Brande’s shoulder to keep him from going any further and then followed me.

  I turned away and scowled. I rushed out of the smoking room and headed upstairs without looking back. When I reached my room, I plopped onto the bed, burying my face in my pillow and praying that Gabriel would just leave me alone.

  “I take it you’re no longer angry with Brande?” He shut the door behind him and went over to the cushioned chair in the corner.

  “He explained everything to me, and I know what happened in Salon-de-Provence. Do you really think what the Tower does to Drifters is right? Father?” I faced him and shot him an accusatory glance.

  “Due to the Fall of Man,” he said as he gazed straight into my eyes, “most of us have lost what should be our innate abilities and capacities to interact with nature, and to truly see the world as it is...”

  “Spare me the sermon. I don’t want to hear about how wizards are all abominations.”

  He continued. “If you’ll allow me to finish, I was going to say that there are people both within and outside the Church who strongly exhibit preternatural abilities. Their function is still debated among theologians, but all are accepted as God’s children. Though I will say that the Church, along with the Order of Wizards, holds the belief that it would be imprudent, presumptuous, and above all dangerous, for any person to attempt to access what you call the Akashic Record.”

  Well, that didn’t sound too horrible. “So...if my father were here, you wouldn’t try to kill him?”

  “No, I wouldn’t. I already told you why I fight.”

  “But you wouldn’t stand in the way of someone who was tracking him?”

  “The Church has never interfered with the Gray Tower when it came to this matter.”

  My jaw tightened. “Can you please leave my room?”

  “As you wish, but before I leave, I would like to share an observation. I hope...you consider the fact that Brande is beholden to the Gray Tower, similar in some ways to how I am beholden to the Church. Be careful regarding your trust in him.”

  I said nothing else, and I watched him get up and leave. I could tell he was holding something back, and it scared me—but even more, his words angered me because part of me saw the ugly truth in them. Brande was handpicked and groomed to ultimately become the Head of the Order. He possessed all the qualities they wanted, including a fierce loyalty that they presumed belonged only to them. Also, the fact that he came so close to subduing my father, a Philosopher, demonstrated both his strength and acumen, which they also highly prized.

  When people thought of traditional philosophers, they would usually call to mind the Greek ancients like Plato and Aristotle, or other masters of logic and argument, or constructors and deconstructionists of entire systems of thought. Among wizards, the Philosopher could very well encompass these, but the most exceptional thing about them was their ability to calculate and predict others’ actions and reactions based on observance of human nature and mathematical probability—all with an uncanny accuracy.

  I had seen Philosophers walk through war zones raging with fire and blood, avoiding being hit by a single bullet, or eluding the radius of an explosion because they’ve already projected and determined which type of soldier would perform a certain action, when they’d perform it, and what the result would be. Philosophers had entered rooms filled with heads of state, barely speaking a sentence, and directing the tide of political decisions. They were like master chess players, except the match was life itself. My father could do all these things, and had done them both on behalf of the Gray Tower and the country he loved.

  The Order of Wizards had cast him aside though, because his foresight was a little too accurate. The Masters must have figured out that he was more than just an extraordinary Philosopher: he was a Drifter. And when he faked his death in Rome and went into hiding, it only confirmed that he was a dreaded time wizard who could literally predict the future and even access the Akashic Record.

  This obviously changed everything, and I wasn’t sure what my next move would be. I still wanted to be in the United States before the end of the year, so my father would have to meet me at home. Once I rescued Heilwig, he could come with me, and maybe even teach again at a university, like Johnnie. I really wanted to go home, to my brother and mother, and my sister-in-law who I’ve never met. I wanted time to heal my mind and body, and I needed time to think about other important matters, like those of the heart.

  If I hadn’t ruined things with Ken, I would’ve been planning my wedding. Today I felt drawn toward Brande, but I knew pursuing him would only complicate things, and besides, I’d feel like I was deceiving myself and Brande if I gave to him something I could easily retract because I still had feelings for Ken. Whoever I ended up with, I would want him to know that I gave myself heart, mind, body and soul, freely and completely. And, I would want the same devotion from him. With that said, I still had the feelings and desires of any other twenty-six year old woman.

  And sometimes it was hard as hell.

  17

  “Could I interest the lady and gentleman in a sweet glass of Cuvée?” The server, Jean, clasped his hands together and smiled.

  “Yes, thank you.” Brande looked a little bored, but when he gazed at me, his eyes lit up.

  “And would you like me to take your sweater, miss? We’ll be starting the fireplace soon, so you won’t have to worry about it being as cool inside.”

  “We’re fine,” I replied. “And we’d like the Cuvée chilled.”

  “As you say.” He left to retrieve our bottle of champagne.

  I stared at Brande, and it was like I was seeing him clearer than ever. Though he rarely smiled or expressed excitement, I could simply look into his eyes and tell what he felt. His demeanor carried a quiet strength that I found reassuring. And then there was something inside him that made his exterior even more appealing; he had an intelligent, compassionate, and wonderful mind that shone through.

  I couldn’t help but think of how I used to laugh when our receptionist, Bernadine, would fall over him every time he’d come to visit me at the Baker Street office. She would pout her lips, speak to him with a syrupy voice, and find any excuse to touch his hand. Now, if I caught Bernadine speaking to him, I’d be tempted to whack her with a Circle of Silence.

  “What time is it?” Brande rested his hand next to mine. We were sitting next to each other in one of the booths.

  “Don’t worry, we have a few minutes left. Just enjoy the atmosphere.”

  “Do you like places like this?” He slowly pulled his hand back down to his side.

  “Yes,” I faced him, trying to interrupt the awkwardness with a typical taunt. “I swear, you need to get out of the Gray Tower more! Do you like it here?”

  “I do.”

  “If you prefer more lively places, then I know this bar in Cairo...”

  “I had a lively time just tracking you down in a park earlier today.”

  “What can I say? I love excitement. It certainly helped me say yes to SOE and the Order.” But then the excitement wore off with harsh reality and the mundane, and I got tired.

  “If the Order never invited you to join, what do you think you’d be doing?” He sounded more like he wanted to ask himself this question.

  “SOE recrui
ted me because they needed wizards,” I said. “I’d probably still be working as a clerk for the ambassador, or even back home teaching. How about you?”

  “I don’t know. I came to the Gray Tower when I was sixteen, and it’s all I’ve known. Even for my formal schooling, they’d invite professors to come in from the University of Prague to instruct younger members. It seemed the younger you were when you entered, the fiercer their grip was on you.”

  I knew it! Deep inside, even he noticed how they manipulated people. “At least I enjoyed a little independence and freedom before I came. I swear if I see Leto Priya again, I’ll punch him right in his face—Master or not.”

  Jean came back with our champagne. “Your chilled bottle of Cuvée.”

  He uncorked the bottle and filled our glasses. We both thanked him before taking our drinks in silence. Brande asked for the time again.

  I sighed when I peeked at the clock on the wall opposite me. “We should head down to the cellars.”

  I finished my drink and led Brande down the same way Simon had led me. As planned, everyone else took their assigned entrances: Gabriel the east entrance, Lucien the west, and Ernest would come in from the south. I had telephoned Simon earlier so Lucien would be able to go to the records hall and find a map of the city to work with.

  We trudged through the winding tunnels, keeping an eye on the markings and going by memory of the map. Most of the tunnels had iron sconces mounted every few feet on the walls, with large candles giving off flickering light. Frescoes with fading and chipping paint covered the ceiling, and, of course, graffiti from past and present. When the tunnel grew darker, we knew we were close to the entrance, and we proceeded cautiously. We peeked around the corner and saw two armed SS officers guarding a steel door. A single ceiling lamp, powered by electricity within the lab, lit their path so they could spot anyone approaching.

  I unbuttoned my sweater and let it slip to the ground. I wore a black shirt and cargo pants, with my knife stored in one of my pockets, and my pistol in my holster. My bracelet made with vitriol still hung on my wrist, and I stood ready.