The nightclub owner poked his head out from a door to the side of the bar and barked at the barmaid.
“Get some work done, Gloria. I don’t pay you to look at your nails!” He slammed the door behind him as he once again retreated into the back room. Gloria, for her part, extended the middle finger of her right hand and held it up at the closed door before picking up a cloth and giving the bar a wipe.
He didn’t need to open the door to get to the back room. It was easier for him to transport there. It saved anyone questioning why the door opened and closed by itself.
When he did transport, he found the bar owner sitting on a scrappy red leather chair, counting out piles of money on a desk. Judging by the amount of custom the bar got, it was plain to see that he was making money through other means.
For someone that could read minds, finding out what he wanted to know was never a problem. He usually needed to be looking into the eyes of the person he was reading, but he was standing so close to the bar owner that he knew it didn’t matter.
The only problem was he could only stay inside people’s minds for a short period of time before they began to notice. The guys he had gambled with had been so drunk that it had been easy to get into and out of their minds without them realising it. Besides, they had all been focussing on the game. There was no telling if this guy was thinking about Kathryn or not.
He closed his eyes and concentrated, delving right into the bar owners mind.
At first, it was nothing but a feeling. The bar owner was happy or at least pleased about something. He latched onto that feeling and tried to make out what was causing it.
Money, money, money.
That’s all he was thinking of. He tried to delve deeper, but apparently, counting all of his money was the only thing on the Bar owner’s mind, that, and how to get more of it. He was just about to try to delve deeper when the phone rang, cutting off his concentration and pulling him back into his own mind.
“What is it?” he barked into the phone. “Oh, it’s you. Yes, I have your money. You did a good job. The goods have been nicely sent on their way... I can meet you now. This worthless piece of shit place is empty as usual. I might have another job for you... yes, usual place.” He placed the phone receiver back down a lot more calmly than he’d picked it up.
He watched as the bar owner hastily picked up the cash and put it into a safe except for a bundle he put into the pocket of his coat.
Reading his mind hadn’t worked, now it was time to show himself. He became visible just as the bar owner reached the door. Something must have caught the bar owner’s eye because he turned just in time to be picked up by his clothes and pushed roughly against the door.
“You, again? What do you want?”
“Where is she?”
“Who the fuck do you think you are, coming into my bar and threatening me? I told you earlier, she disappeared. Probably went back to Shitsville where she came from.” He pulled his features into a sneer, which made the scar on his cheek all the more prominent.
“She didn’t go back to the Spadelands. I checked, and I don’t recall threatening you either; however, I will if you don’t tell me where she is.”
“Lookee here, you purple-eyed freak, I don’t know who you think you are, but I don’t have to tell you anything.”
“You will tell me.”
“Really? I’ve already told you she went home.” He sneered once again and then turned it into a menacing grin. His hand went inside his coat.
“You won’t find it.” He’d made sure to get rid of the huge knife, using magic. He could withstand a stab wound, even a huge one, thanks to his incredible magic power, but it would slow him down, and he needed his wits about him.
Just as he noticed the bar owner’s look change from confused to a sly smile, he felt a sharp pain in his side, and when he looked down, his blood was blossoming on the white shirt. He dropped the bar owner, who took advantage of the situation and ran out of the door onto the street. He followed, but the bar owner was too fast and had already disappeared around the first corner. A scream came from the other side of the street, and he turned to see a young partygoer looking at him, her eyes wide with shock. He looked down. There was blood pouring out of him.
“Shit!” he cursed then went back into the back room of the bar to clean himself up.
He pulled the shirt over his head and looked at his side. Four identical-length puncture wounds were pouring blood. He’d made the mistake of underestimating a Heart. Whereas he had the magic, they had the technology, and this Heart had obviously used retractable knuckle knives to stab him. He closed his eyes and willed the wounds to heal. A minute later, his skin was back to normal, and only four faint silver lines remained. He used magic to clean up the blood on his body but left the drops of red that had fallen onto the floor. Let the bar owner pay for a cleaner to deal with that. He conjured up a new outfit and deliberated what to do next. He could wait for the bar owner to come back, but that would only bring more mess to clean up, and it still wouldn’t find Kathryn. There was only one person he knew that could find someone using only the power of their mind, and that was Ben, his elder brother by five minutes and more powerful than even he. The vibrations Ben was making were still in the air although not as powerful as before. He was still in Urbis, but it was hard to tell if he was still in the Heart Quarter. If he wanted, he could get Ben here in a second, but did he really want to? Ben never did anything without wanting some kind of payback. He was like the legend of Rumpelstiltskin, only much worse. If he found Kathryn, he’d only take her for himself. No, he couldn’t call Ben even if he was in Cerce. He’d have to find Kathryn himself.
He rushed back through the door and into the nightclub. The yellow-haired barmaid looked over at him, startled.
“Where did Kathryn live?” It was possible she went back to her apartment after quitting and just changed her mind about going back to Mahdlo. Unlikely, but he had to check it out before he made any stupid mistakes concerning the bar owner.
“Who the hell are you?”
“It doesn’t matter who I am, just tell me her address.”
She looked over his shoulder fearfully. He was sure that she was more concerned about her boss than him.
“Are you a friend of Archie’s?”
“Yeah, we are great pals,” he said with a barely hidden sarcasm Where does she live?”
“I can’t tell you that. I don’t know you.” She folded her arms and tried to stare him down. He had to give her credit; people didn’t usually stand up to his violet eyes.
“It’s for Archie. He asked me to take something round to her house, but I forgot the address he gave me. He’ll kill me if I don’t take it today.” He gave her his most charming smile. It usually worked on women.
“Archie asked you?” She looked like she wasn’t sure, but she ripped the top sheet off one of her waitress notepads and jotted down an address all the same.
“You are right to be worried,” she said as she passed the paper over to him. “He would kill you.”
But she was talking to thin air. The man had vanished.
Chapter four
He knew the address. At least, he knew that area of Cerce. It was at the opposite end near the border to Diamas, the Diamond quarter of Urbis. He materialised on the correct street, but immediately, he knew something was wrong. Many of the buildings were partially collapsed, and one of them had disappeared completely. Where it had stood, there was nothing more than a hole in the ground. Huge portions of the street had been cordoned off, and signs had been placed on many of the now empty shops and apartment buildings saying, Caution, Unstable Building – Keep Out!
He read the address on the paper again and worked his way down the street. Unlike the area of Cerce he had just left, this part of town was eerily quiet. There were no bars or restaurants here, at least, none that were still standing. He finally came to a stop at number 323, the number that the barmaid had written. The building was still stan
ding, but half of the top floor and most of the roof was now scattered on the street around it. It looked as if it had once housed a clothes shop on the bottom floor with residential apartments above it.
Picking his way over the debris and bending to get under the yellow cordon, he slowly made his way into the building. The front door was one of those communal doors that allowed access to the whole building as long as you knew the code. He could probably have used his magic to figure the code out, but it was much easier to just teleport to the other side of the door. He was surprised to find that, once he was past the front door, the bottom half of the building was completely intact. Conjuring some light in the darkness, he scanned the piece of paper in his hand once again to find the apartment number. There wasn’t one. Either the waitress had forgotten to put it down, or she didn’t know it. As the place was so deserted, it was easy for him to mind scan the whole building. He’d find it impossible in a busy place, but the silence around him, and the fact that all the streets in every direction were deserted made it easy for him to see if there were any life signs in the building. If Archie had taken her, then he’d find nothing. If she had died in the building, again he would find nothing. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to find signs of life or not. After four days, he didn’t expect to either way. He closed his mind down and sent out feelers. The bottom floor was clear, which was pretty much what he expected, as it was only a shop, so he moved his mind higher. Small life signs appeared on his radar, but they were tiny, cockroaches or mice perhaps, not big enough to be cats or dogs and certainly not human. Third floor, the one that had been partially demolished. That was empty too. He was just about to pull himself back into his own mind when something registered. At first, he thought it might be a cat or dog, but it was too large. Actually, large wasn’t quite the right word, it had more brainpower than a household pet, but it was still pretty small.
“What the hell is that?” He ran up the stairs in his confusion, forgetting he had the power to transport and found himself at a landing with four doors leading off from it. The door to the front of the building was hanging off its hinges, and he could feel a bitter chill coming from that direction. If it had been light outside, he’d have seen daylight. As it was, the only light was the magic light that shone all around him. He did another mental scan and found the life force of whatever it was in the next apartment along. The life force was faint. He’d thought it was because he was three floors away earlier, but it was no stronger here just outside the apartment. Whatever it was, it was not Kathryn, and it was barely alive.
He unlocked the apartment door using magic and pulled down the handle. The door opened an inch then stopped. Something was blocking it. He was strong, but he couldn’t risk any more collapse of the already fragile building. He transported to the other side, finding himself in a small entryway. He was unmistakably in the right apartment. There was a framed certificate on the wall from a college in The Spadelands with Kathryn’s name on it. The wall to his left was completely gone, allowing him to see right into what would have been the next apartment. Whatever room had been there was now gone, and if anyone had been there at the time of the carnage they would not have survived. He skipped the door to the right; the life signs were not coming from there. Instead, he opened the door directly in front of him. It took him a few seconds to realise what he was seeing. It was a small bedroom, half of which had caved in. Roof tiles covered the bedroom floor, and dust was everywhere. Snow had fallen at some point covering part of the room with a thin white sheet. He saw her immediately—the body that had been trapped on the bed. She was unmistakably dead, even with the preserved state of her body, thanks to the cold; it was obvious she had died days ago. The cause of death was more than likely being crushed by the ceiling that had fallen on her. Although, she could have been trapped and succumbed to the freezing temperatures. He moved closer. Most of her body was hidden under a pile of debris, bricks, roof tiles, etc., but he could clearly see her head and the top part of her body. He shone his light to get a closer look. It was not Kathryn. This woman was older, maybe in her mid-thirties with dirty blonde hair. If it was not Kathryn, who was it? More importantly, where was the life sign coming from because it sure as shit wasn’t coming from her. He turned, feeling the life sign behind him, and when he did, he saw something that made his blood run cold. A child’s bed. A very small child’s bed. The type you might put a toddler in once they get too big for a cot. He shone the light closer, and two eyes stared back at him. A little girl, no older than two years old was cuddled up in the bed surrounded by dolls and teddy bears. If he’d not known there was a real person there, he might have mistaken her for a doll too. She had dark circles under her terrified eyes, but she didn’t cry. He ran to her and scooped her up expecting her to cry out from the shock, but she didn’t, she fell limp in his hands. The life sign he felt in her was very faint, and he could feel her ebbing away even as he held her.
“Fuck!” He’d never had to deal with children before, nor had he had to deal with any kind of first aid. He just didn’t care enough about people to get that closely involved. Not usually. The little girl made a muffled cry and then closed her eyes. She was dying in his arms, and he didn’t know how to stop it. It was a miracle she’d survived so long, four days in the freezing cold without food or water. How in Vanatus had she managed it?
He didn’t have time for the hows and whys. He had to save her. The light he had conjured that was illuminating the place now became a warm bubble surrounding him and the girl. He kept increasing the temperature until he felt uncomfortably hot to get the girl’s body temperature up. She was wearing a filthy fluffy all in one pyjama suit, which was probably how she had survived for so long, but her hands and face felt like blocks of ice. He increased the temperature again and rubbed her little hands until they turned pink. When he was sure she was at a much healthier temperature, he turned the heat down. Could going from one temperature extreme to the other give the body a shock? He didn’t know. He pulled a filthy blanket from the bed and wrapped her in it, but she didn’t open her eyes.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck! Come on, baby. You were awake before. I’ve got you now. Open your eyes.”
She didn’t stir, but her tiny rosebud mouth moved ever so slightly. He looked down into a sweet face, caked in dirt, and willed her to live. Besides his brother, he was the most powerfully magical person there was, and yet, if she died, he couldn’t bring her back. Never in his long life had he ever felt so utterly helpless. He’d always gotten what he wanted, things came easily for him, and now, here he was, finding that the only thing that mattered was the life of this little person, whom he’d only just met. He’d never wanted anything more.
He stood up, her tiny body in his arms and transported the pair of them downstairs to the shop part of the building. It was safer and warmer down there, although he still maintained the bubble of heat around them.
Sitting on a zebra-skin chaise lounge, he stroked the girl’s cheek and ran his fingers through her matted hair. He could do many things, but he couldn’t give life. It didn’t stop him from trying. He willed every ounce of his energy towards her, hoping that it would somehow transfer over to her; all the while, he kept stroking her face and hair.
She gave a light whimper and opened her eyes.
“Mama?”
It was the most beautiful word he had ever heard. He sat the little girl up in his lap and conjured up some warm soup in a cup, which he put to her lips.
She took a sip, and then when she realised it was good, slowly drank the lot down.
The colour had slowly begun to come back to her cheeks, although he could barely see it under the grime. A quick spell would sort that out. He waved his hand over her and the dirt on her face and in her hair disappeared. Her fluffy all-in-one revealed itself as pink. She looked down at it, then back at him, and gave a shy smile.
She wasn’t afraid of him, just like her mother hadn’t been, and he knew now that this little one was Kathryn’s. There was n
o doubt about it. She was a carbon copy in miniature. The dead woman upstairs was probably a babysitter or maybe even a lover of Kathryn’s.
“Mama?” The little girl looked at him questioningly. He didn’t know what to tell her. He didn’t know where her mother was, but he was sure as shit going to find her.
“I’m going to take you to your mama, baby girl.” And he meant it. He would find her if it was the last thing he did. He held the little girl close and tried to ignore the tears that had sprung to eyes that had not experienced them for over a century.
Chapter five
After conjuring a thick feather duvet and pillow, he lay back on the chaise with the little girl snuggled up on top of him. She slept soundly, but he kept waking and waiting to hear her breathing before falling back into a fitful sleep again. Light poured through the window the next morning, waking him for the twentieth time. He looked down to see her still soundly sleeping, her head on his chest and her thumb in her mouth. He didn’t know where to take her. He couldn’t leave the poor kid alone again, but he hardly had a long list of babysitters in his address book to call on either. In the end, he took her to another cafe. He spent most of his life at cafes, why break the habit. He picked one he’d been in once that had a baby section. One end housed a play area with soft floors and things for kids to climb on. On the last occasion, he’d spent all of half a minute there before having enough of the screaming kids and rushing out, coffee in hand. This time, he found a table with a high chair and ordered them both a hot meal. The kid hadn’t eaten for days. She needed food. The young waitress took their order and then left them alone.
He was pleased to see that the play area was quiet. There were just a couple of mums chatting nearby while their offspring ran about. He looked at the little scrap of a human in front of him. He’d never had the need to describe someone as adorable before, but there was no denying that’s exactly what she was. Cute as a button with her large brown eyes, tiny nose, and chubby cheeks, which were now, thankfully, a healthy shade of pink.
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