The Other Side: A Novel in the Alastair Stone Chronicles

by R. L. King

  Jason looked at his watch as he drove. “Half an hour before the meet.”

  Verity didn’t answer. She was leaning forward, craning her neck to get a look at the rest of the building above the mall. “Can you stop somewhere around the back? I want to take a look at something.”

  He did as requested, retracing their route and pulling the sedan into the small parking lot in front of a dark office building across the street. “What are you looking for?”

  “Hang on a sec.” She shifted to magical sight and once again leaned forward in her seat, twisting her neck so she could see the top floors of the mall building. It appeared to be around ten stories tall; its drab, featureless upper floors were unremarkable next to its neon-clad neighbors.

  Magical sight was hard to manage in Las Vegas—for one thing, the general aura of the town was so overpowering that it was sometimes hard to pick out individuals in the midst of its overwhelming influence. The main reason, though, was much more mundane—auras glowed brightly in a rainbow of colors, which meant they often got lost at night amid all the neon. Although most of the building Verity was looking at was dull and neon-free, the top of it was lined with glitzy, kinetic billboards advertising casinos, shows, and other local attractions. She narrowed her eyes, scanning each floor in turn. She was probably wasting time—there was no way these guys would have their operation in the same building where they met prospective customers, right?

  Wait—what’s that?

  She blinked, gripping the dashboard and leaning forward farther until her head touched the inside of the windshield.

  “V? You see something?”

  She didn’t answer; in fact, she barely heard him.

  She’d almost missed it because of the billboards throwing off her sight, but there it was: something odd about the building’s top floor. “That’s…weird…” she murmured.

  “What?”

  She frowned, still examining the area, half-afraid if she looked away she wouldn’t be able to pick it out again. “There’s something up there. It’s kind of like a ward, but not exactly.”

  “What do you mean? How can it be a ward but not exactly?”

  “It’s hard to explain. Most wards are easy to spot with magical sight, if you know what to look for. But this one—it’s almost like whoever cast it is trying to hide it in plain sight. Those billboards make it really hard to see.” She tilted her head. “I wonder if they didn’t do that on purpose. But whatever it is, it’s covering the whole top part of that building.”

  “Wait…you’re sayin’ that might be the place we’re lookin’ for?” Jason sounded skeptical. “Right there on the roof of the same place we’re supposed to meet the guy?”

  “In a way it makes sense, I guess. If they’re that good at hiding themselves, and the cops don’t give a damn, it makes things convenient.”

  “Roper said two kids disappeared from here, though. You think they’d be that brazen about it?”

  She shrugged. “If they’ve got magic, they could easily make sure the kids were spotted somewhere else to throw off suspicion. And as far as the customers go, they probably have ways to confuse them so they don’t have any idea where they are, so they don’t even realize they’re in the same building. But…”

  “But what? V, we gotta get going.”

  “That’s a pretty hefty ward. How are they casting it? That kind of permanent magic is hard to do, especially for black mages.” She stared at him, a chill settling as a thought struck her. “Unless they’re killing people to power it…Jason…what if that’s how they’re getting rid of the kids they don’t need anymore?”

  “Holy shit…” Jason looked up as if trying to spot any of what she’d told him about. “V, we gotta get in there. Are you sure this is where it is?”

  “No, not positive. But if we don’t take a chance—”

  He opened the car door. “Let’s do it. Can you keep that disregarding spell of yours going for a while?”

  “Yeah. I charged up the bracelet.”

  “Take power from me.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want to do that yet—I’m thinking we’ll need it later. Come on.”

  It was grandiose to call the lower floor of the building a “mall”—it certainly wasn’t one in the usual sense, with anchor stores, national chains, and movie theaters. Instead, it was more like one of those places you sometimes saw after a more typical mall died, gradually losing its name-brand stores until most of its spaces were either forlorn, empty shells or occupied by one-off local businesses. Sometimes, this type could be far more interesting than the homogenized conformity of the other—you could find one-of-a-kind crafts, odd hole-in-the-wall bookstores, multicultural art, and other treasures you’d never see mixed in with the teen-focused clothing stores.

  This wasn’t one of those types.

  At nearly two a.m., the all-night space was sparsely populated, its few customers about equally divided between rough-looking locals, tourists looking for a quick, cheap bite to eat, and homeless people huddled in doorways. As Jason and Verity entered, they were treated to the sight of a uniformed security guard hustling a ragged-looking, bearded guy none too gently out the door they’d just come in.

  “I guess the Forgotten don’t spend much time in here,” Jason commented.

  They minded their own business, staying off to the side and out of the way so they didn’t attract attention that might affect the spell. They passed a couple tiny slot-machine parlors, a few souvenir shops, and a place that sold adult magazines, videos, and toys. Everything was lit by bright colors, and the slots’ clatter spilled out into the wide middle walkway. It was like a tiny microcosm of the town.

  They didn’t have a tough time spotting the food court: the most populated area by far, it was clearly the jewel in this diseased little crown. Surrounded by off-brand stalls selling everything from questionable hot dogs to pungent Indian food, the center area comprised a series of two- and four-person tables with attached chairs spread out in a horseshoe shape. The décor suggested the place hadn’t had a facelift in at least fifteen years. All around, spread out to keep maximum distance between them, individuals or small groups lounged at around a quarter of the tables. Most had food—or the remains of meals—in front of them; several smoked despite numerous posted signs forbidding it. As Jason and Verity watched from the shadows near the adult bookstore, a security guard passed by but made no effort to admonish the smokers.

  “Did he tell you exactly where to meet him?” Verity asked.

  “Nope. Just to get the large drink from there and wait at one of the tables.” He pointed at a Mexican stall called Macho Burritos. “Should I chance it?”

  Verity grinned. “No. I just got an idea! You have any more cash?”

  “Couple twenties. Why?”

  “Give me one and hang out for a minute. You won’t have the spell till I get back, so stay out of sight.”

  “What are you gonna do?”

  “Just watch me.” She took the twenty, called up an illusion around herself, and hurried off in the direction of the entrance, where she looked around until she spotted a bored-looking thirtyish man in slacks and a polo shirt. There we go…you should do fine.

  When she got back to Jason, he was looking impatient. “What did you just do?” he asked as she dropped her illusion and settled the disregarding spell back over the two of them.

  “Just keep watching that guy. I gave him twenty bucks to go buy a big drink from the Mexican place and sit and drink it for a few minutes. Told him I’d be back soon.”

  “V—”

  “Just watch.”

  From their vantage point near the adult bookstore, they watched the polo-shirted man as he crossed the food court to Macho Burrito and got a soda in a cup the size of a small bucket. After glancing around and appar
ently not spotting what he was looking for, he finally chose a table and sat down.

  The time of the meet arrived. The man continued sipping the soda; he’d pulled something out of his back pocket and kept looking down at it. At first he would glance up nervously every few seconds as if expecting something to happen, but when nothing did, he finally settled in to sip and read.

  “They’re late,” Jason murmured. “Maybe they figured out—”

  “Wait. Look!” Verity hissed, pointing.

  A man was approaching the table with the confident stride of someone who was right where he wanted to be. A little younger than the other man, he wore slacks, a buttoned shirt, and a corporate-looking leather jacket. Though Jason and Verity couldn’t get a close look at him from so far away, he appeared to be a good candidate to occupy the “Boring” entry in the dictionary next to Gary Woods.

  “He’s got magic around him,” Verity whispered. “Illusion, maybe. Look around and see if you can spot anybody else watching them.” She, meanwhile, kept her attention focused on the meet.

  The man at the table looked startled when the other man took a seat across from him with his back to Verity. As best she could from twenty feet away, she watched the first man’s expression and the second man’s body language for cues, and could almost follow the conversation even without words.

  The first man listened a moment, then tilted his head, confused. He shrugged, pointed at the massive cup in front of him, and then looked around as if trying to spot the sexy blonde who’d paid him to sit here with it.

  The other man stiffened, then relaxed. He stood, said something to the man, then left the table and strode quickly but still confidently away. He didn’t look around at all.

  “Got ’em,” Jason said. “Two guys—one over by the Indian place, the other in the doorway of the slot parlor there across the way. They both just got really nervous and they’re starting to look around.”

  “Perfect,” Verity said, still watching the man who’d walked away from the table. “We can’t follow the guy yet, but as long as these jokers don’t take too long with whatever they’re doing, I should be able to follow the magic trail he’s leaving.”

  “You can do that?” Jason sounded impressed.

  “Not for long. Few minutes max, for something like this.”

  “We’d better move. One of those guys is heading in this direction.”

  “Just stay cool. Unless he’s a mage too, he won’t see through my spell if we don’t draw attention to ourselves. Let’s go toward the hot dog place—it’s on the way we’re going.”

  “Careful,” Jason said as they reached it. “Guy’s passing right behind us in a couple seconds.”

  They focused on examining the hot dog joint’s menu as, after a moment, a beefy man in a Rebels jacket moved past them without appearing to notice them. He kept going the same way the first man had gone.

  Jason and Verity waited a moment longer, then “changed their mind” about ordering and kept moving.

  “You still have the trail?” Jason muttered.

  “Yeah. It’s getting really faint, but I can still follow it. Looks like it fades out past that smoke shop.”

  When they got closer, Verity got a better view of why it seemed the magical trail had faded—it hadn’t actually done so, but merely turned left into a utilitarian hallway containing two elevators and a drinking fountain. The faint and fading trail, however, led not to either of the elevators, but to a featureless space beyond them on the same wall, where this time it did fizzle out. “That’s weird…” she said. “It just stops at the wall there.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Keep an eye on the entrance. I want to check something.”

  “Hurry up. I don’t like being stuck in a dead end.”

  Verity walked closer to the blank wall where the trail had fizzled. She reached out a hand to touch it; it felt solid and substantial. But how could the guy have walked through a solid wall?

  She shifted to magical sight again, and gave a fierce smile as she caught on. “These guys are good,” she said.

  “You find something?”

  “Elevator. Right here, behind an illusion.” She tapped the wall.

  Jason looked grim. “V, I don’t want to go up in any elevators, illusionary or otherwise. If they’re on to us, we could be fucked.”

  She considered. He was definitely correct—she didn’t relish the idea any more than he did. “Call Toro and tell him they’re on the top floor—I dunno how they’re gonna get up there either, since they won’t be able to get through the illusion. He’ll have to figure something out.”

  “We should wait for them. It’s not smart to go up on our own.”

  Verity shook her head. “Can’t wait. If those guys think somebody’s on to them, they might move the kids before we can get to them. I’m sure they’ve got other ways out of here. We’re not getting this close to let them slip away from us.”

  Jason’s expression suggested clearly that he thought it was a bad idea, but also that he knew Verity was right. “How are we gonna get up, then? I don’t see any hidden staircases…”

  “Not the same way they are. Come on—let’s go back outside.”

  “V, I don’t like this at all.”

  They were standing next to some dumpsters along one side of the building. Jason looked up, the flashing neon from the neighboring casino bathing his dubious expression in a series of shifting colors.

  “I don’t have another idea, do you? We can’t call up Mr. Harrison and ask to borrow his helicopter, you don’t want to take the elevator, and I’m sure if there are stairs, they’ve got them guarded. If we don’t want them to see us coming, that leaves levitation.”

  He was still looking up toward the top of the building. “That’s ten stories, V—like a hundred feet. Are you really sure you can levitate both of us up ten stories without getting tired? That’s a long way down, and we can’t exactly stop for rest breaks on the way.”

  She’d been thinking about it on their way out. She’d been practicing, using the levitation spell to help Edna move logs and other heavy items back in Ojai—but did those items weigh as much as herself and Jason combined? She thought so, but wasn’t one hundred percent sure.

  She pointed at the neighboring building. “Yeah, we can. That one’s only half as tall. We can go up there, take a break, and then go the rest of the way.”

  “You sure? I trust you if you say you can do it, but I want you to be sure.”

  “If you let me have some power, I can do it.” She didn’t want to use Jason’s power this soon, but they wouldn’t be any help to those kids if they ended up two smears on the sidewalk because she couldn’t hold the spell.

  “Okay, then. Let’s do it before I chicken out.” He’d retrieved his gun from the sedan; he took it out, checked it and his spare ammo, and put it back in the holster. “Go for it.”

  “Here goes. Don’t do anything to startle me, okay?” Verity took a couple deep breaths, focused her concentration, and took Jason’s hand. Once again, the comforting and now-familiar sensation wreathed her as power flowed into her, energizing her mind. “Duck over. I’m gonna ride on your shoulders like we’re playing Chicken Fight in the pool. That way I can just concentrate on lifting you.”

  He bent and she climbed on his shoulders. It was a good thing he worked out regularly—even though she was small and light, she never would have been able to do this with Stone.

  Of course, if Stone had been there, they could each have levitated up on their own, and it wouldn’t have been a problem. Damn, she wished he was here.

  Enough of that. He’s not here. You can do this.

  She drew on the fresh influx of power Jason had given her, focusing on surrounding them in magical energy. A moment later, they lifted off the ground and began floating upward. Be
neath her, Jason tensed but didn’t say anything.

  Verity gritted her teeth. This wasn’t as easy as she’d thought it would be! Apparently her brother had selected the Lead-Plate Special at the breakfast buffet this morning. She forced herself to keep them moving at a steady speed—if she tried to go too fast, it would be harder to maintain control. Keeping her vision firmly fixed on the top of the neighboring building, she continued directing the magical energy to bear them upward, until after what seemed like about twenty years, they drifted over and touched down on the roof.

  She let her breath out in a whoosh. “Holy shit, Jason, you need to go on a diet!”

  Jason was puffing almost as hard as she was, staring up at the five stories they still had to traverse to reach their destination on the other building. “You gonna be able to do this? Because I just realized—it’s kinda the point of no return now, unless you want to explain to the people in this building how we managed to get onto their roof.”

  “Yeah…yeah….” she panted. “Just give me a couple minutes to recover.”

  “Take your time.”

  She perched on an air-conditioning unit and relaxed as her strength returned. She could still feel her borrowed power coursing through her, but she’d used quite a bit of it already. She didn’t dare try it again—not this soon, anyway. She hoped she wouldn’t have to do it at all. While Jason paced behind her, she idly shifted to magical sight and scanned the roof line of their destination building.

  And spotted an aura.

  “Jason!” she hissed. “Get down!” She rolled over and dropped behind the air-conditioning unit, putting it between her and the aura.

  He threw himself down next to her. “Did you see something?”

  “There’s a guy on the roof over there!”

  He frowned. “That’s weird. Why would they have a guard on the roof? Can you see if he has a gun?”