by E. G. Foley
But no. To Jake’s astonishment, Wyvern had tried to recruit him, instead.
Because of some daft prophecy, the madman wanted to claim Jake as his son and heir apparent, officially making him the so-called Black Prince of the Dark Druids.
Jake had told Wyvern exactly what he could do with his offer. Then he had fought the Nephilim with everything he had.
And had quickly learned it wasn’t near enough.
It still made him slightly ill to think of how easily the half-demon earl had held him down, face flat in the dirt.
Ugh. Jake could not remember his true father, but if that was what it was like having a dad, then he was better off being an orphan.
The only thing worse than having Wyvern for a dad would be having Fionnula Coralbroom for a mother. Those two were a couple now, ever since Wyvern had sprung the sea-witch from her jail cell beneath the ocean.
What a perfect match. Jake despised them both.
Unfortunately, the last he’d seen them, the deadly pair had been dealing out damage to everyone in their path back at Merlin Hall.
Which was why the silence from the palace was driving him mad. He was especially worried about Derek, his beloved bodyguard and mentor. His personal hero, really.
Wyvern had nearly killed the master Guardian once before. What if he succeeded tonight in finishing the job? Miss Helena would be heartbroken, since Derek and she had just become engaged to be married…
As Jake’s thoughts continued to torment him, his empath cousin must’ve sensed his distress, for she dragged her eyes open and gave him a melancholy look.
He knew she was suffering too, torn as she was between Janos and Maddox. Both of her admirers were in danger tonight—to say nothing of her diplomat parents, who’d insisted on remaining behind to help in any way they could.
Jake dropped his gaze, striving to keep himself together. He had to stay strong for the others. Rather than giving way to fear, he focused his mind on their next move.
Right. Might as well face it. If the Order had indeed been vanquished by the Dark Druids tonight, the kids needed to know it, and soon.
Because that meant no one was coming for them, and they were on their own.
At least Jake, of all people, knew how to survive as a kid with no adults to turn to.
He paced again across the gazebo. The longer this silence dragged on, the more he concluded that it was up to them to figure out what to do.
As usual, they’d have to save themselves. But why was he surprised? A faint, bitter smile skimmed his lips.
Figures. Adults were never there when you needed them.
It had been true when he was a half-starved pickpocket living by his wits on the streets, and it was just as true now that he was wealthy and titled. They all said they cared, of course. Told you to trust them.
But when push came to shove, they were nowhere to be found. No, a kid was on his own in this world. He was lucky enough if he had a pet and a few good friends.
Suddenly, Jake could not bear another minute of standing around doing nothing.
If their survival was up to them, then he was taking charge, done waiting for those blasted, incompetent grownups. Dying, he thought sardonically, was no excuse for their abandoning him again.
“What time is it, Arch?” he asked his cousin in a hard tone.
Over by the waterside, Archie took out his fob watch and squinted at it in the moonlight. “Quarter past one, coz.”
“One o’clock in the morning?” Dani cried.
“Two hours we’ve been out here now?” Brian shook his head with a dire expression.
“It’s even past my bedtime,” Nixie mumbled.
Archie clicked his fob watch shut.
Jake jumped off the stairs of the garden folly and landed nimbly in the dirt, then glanced around at his friends. “Listen up, you lot. This is getting us nowhere. We need to find out what’s going on. I propose we head for Beacon House. That’s the Order’s London headquarters,” he told Brian and Nixie, in case they didn’t know.
The rest of them had been there before.
“The mansion’s got plenty of bedchambers, and Mrs. Appleton’s cooking is a dream. We can’t just stay out here all night,” Jake continued. “We’re all exhausted, hungry, and cold.”
“You’ll get no argument from me,” said Nixie. “How far?”
“Just across the river and up the Strand,” Jake answered. “We could walk there in an hour.”
At that moment, Red flew down from the dark sky.
“Becaw,” the Gryphon said placidly to Jake, meaning, of course, that the coast was still clear.
Well, that was good news, at least.
Dani shook her head and rose to her feet. “I don’t think we should leave the waypoint.”
Jake huffed. “I’m going to go mad if we have to keep standing around here—”
“Just hold on and let me try again!” Impatiently flipping the communication switch on her gauntlet, Dani lifted her hand, speaking into the wrist piece as she paced around the gazebo. “Hello? Is anybody there? Lady Bradford? Sir Peter? Miz Jillian? Dame Oriel? Master Finnderool? This is Dani O’Dell reporting! Can anyone hear me?”
They listened with bated breath, but after a while…
Still nothing.
After another long moment of silence, Dani dropped her arm to her side. “Have they forgotten about us?”
“Impossible.” Archie frowned, folding his arms across his chest. “They’re probably just dealing with the aftermath of battle. Tending the wounded, putting out fires. It’s only logical. Give them time to deal with those emergencies. We’ll be fine in the meanwhile.”
Izzy nodded wearily. “We wouldn’t wish to be a burden at a time like this.”
Brian shrugged. “Maybe they just figure we’ll be safer where we are.”
“Or maybe,” Nixie said, “they’re all dead.”
Archie turned to his best girl with sudden outrage. “How could you say such a thing? What’s wrong with you? Apologize at once!”
Nixie held her ground. “You know we’re all thinking it.”
“No, we’re not!” Archie shouted. “That’s my parents back there, Nixie! Just because you don’t like yours—”
“Archie!” Izzy said sharply.
“Keep your voice down,” Jake ordered them all, taken aback by this outburst from the normally mild-mannered Archie. “The whole point of us not building a fire was to avoid drawing attention to ourselves. Cheese it, man!”
Archie harrumphed and turned his back on them, glaring toward the lake. “They’re not dead,” he said. “I won’t allow it.”
Behind him, everyone exchanged awkward glances.
Blimey, Jake thought. The boy genius had the longest of fuses, but on those rare occasions when Archie went off, it was usually with a bang.
To be sure, Jake had been on the receiving end of his temper more than once.
Izzy climbed to her feet. “Come, brother, Nixie didn’t mean anything by it. She was only speaking her mind.” She sent Nixie a sympathetic glance. “The worst thing we can do is start fighting amongst ourselves. The truth is, none of us know what’s going on at Merlin Hall right now.”
“That’s why we should go to Beacon House,” Jake said.
“Yes, but what if we leave the waypoint and they send someone to fetch us and we’re not here?” Dani protested.
“How can they? They have no idea where we’ve gone, remember? Look.” He strove for patience. “I don’t want to scare anyone, but, um, there’s another reason we should go to Beacon House.”
Dani frowned at him. “What do you mean?”
He hesitated, not wanting to panic them. “It’s, um, possible that the attack the Dark Druids launched tonight was broader in scope than just the raid on Merlin Hall.”
They all stared at him with looks of dawning horror.
As Jake glanced around at them, only Brian looked back at him with grim understanding.
Than
ks to his Guardian instincts in matters of war, it seemed the new kid was the first to catch on.
“What exactly are you saying, Jake?” Izzy murmured.
Jake gave up trying to be diplomatic for the sake of clarity. “What we saw tonight was the start of a war, my friends. You do understand that, don’t you? These are the Dark Druids. They’re not playing games.”
“He’s saying the warlocks might’ve launched simultaneous attacks on various Order strongholds all at once,” Brian explained in a low tone.
Jake gestured at the American with gratitude. “Exactly. Including Beacon House. If that’s the case, we need to know.”
The others were all still staring at him, looking aghast.
Dani covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide and staring. Isabelle bit her lip and looked away, her eyes misting.
Nixie whispered some arcane swear word, then shook her head. “He’s right. It is possible.”
Red growled, and even Teddy whined nervously.
“Let’s not jump to any rash conclusions, please,” Archie clipped out, his face somber as he pivoted to face them once more.
“I’m not sure it’s all that rash, coz,” Jake said. “There are thirteen warlocks on the Dark Druid Council, but I only counted five at Merlin Hall. The others could’ve been attacking elsewhere, and we just haven’t heard about it yet.”
“So, what do we do?” Izzy wrapped her arms around herself.
“Do you think that’s why no one’s answering my attempts to hail them?” Dani said with a gulp.
“There’s only one way to find out.” Jake strove to keep his voice calm and authoritative. “Like I said, let’s go have a look at Beacon House. If it’s all clear, then we don’t need to worry. We’ll be safe there while we wait. The mansion is protected by multiple layers of ancient spells and enchantments, after all. And I’m sure Mrs. Appleton would be happy to look after us. She’s the housekeeper and cook at the residence,” he told Brian and Nixie.
Brian gave Jake a firm nod. “I’m with you.”
Jake nodded back. What a relief to have a Guardian around who wasn’t always making fun of him, like Maddox.
“What if we get there and it’s true?” Nixie asked in a dark tone. “If the Dark Druids have taken Beacon House, what then?”
“I know! We could go to Everton House,” Dani said anxiously. “Jake inherited a mansion on the far end of London—”
“No, carrot, we can’t go there.” Jake shook his head. “Too obvious. That’s the first place Wyvern will look for us. I’ve got to assume he’s still after me—and Uncle Waldrick’s with him now. He and Fionnula both know exactly where Everton House is, remember? They’ll lead Wyvern straight to us.”
Dani let out a small sound of distress and went over to Jake’s side. He put his arm around her shoulders, trying to comfort her. “Don’t worry. If Beacon House has fallen, we’ll take rooms at an inn somewhere nearby and lie low till we figure out our next move. Steady on, everyone. If we just stick together, we’ll get through this. We always do.”
“Hear, hear,” Archie murmured.
“Becaw,” said Red, his golden eyes gleaming in the night.
Jake was so glad Red was there. He smiled at the Gryphon, then glanced around at his friends. “Right, then. If everyone’s ready, let’s get back into the swan boats. We can row the rest of the way to the park exit; it’ll be faster.”
Several sighs could be heard as they all wearily left their posts around the island and headed back to the boats.
Red flew off ahead to scout out any dangers that might await them.
Jake glanced up at his pet with gratitude, then set his feet on the pedals and got to work. All three swans headed out the other end of the lake, then glided along through the quaint, winding waterways that crisscrossed the bleak autumn landscape.
Before long, the park’s main gates appeared ahead beneath a faded white archway. The kids ended their voyage and climbed out of the swan boats, leaving them at the reed-choked end of the canal.
Then they walked up to the wrought-iron gates. Overhead, the old, faded sign on the archway read, Elysian Springs Pleasure Gardens.
Jake and Dani exchanged a grim glance, wondering if they’d ever see this place again.
“It’s locked,” Brian reported.
Jake went over to investigate.
“I can get it,” Nixie said, wand in hand.
“No need,” Jake said, for the chain securing the park gates was still as loose as he remembered.
Though the rusty padlock was still fastened, the gap between the two gates was not difficult for a wiry kid to squeeze through. Dani led the way. While she showed the others how to shimmy through the narrow opening between the gates, Jake waved at the Gryphon flying by overhead.
“Don’t let anyone see you,” he called to his pet as loudly as he dared. “You’re a gryphon, remember? You’re not supposed to exist! You need to stay out of sight.”
Red dismissed his advice with an indignant snuffle, as if to say, “I’ve been to the city before! I know what I’m doing, thank you very much.”
Very well, the Gryphon did know how to be stealthy, Jake supposed. The beast could leap from roof to roof if necessary. Besides, it was very dark out, considering the hour.
Red pumped his wings and headed up into the clouds, then it was Jake’s turn to squeeze through the gates, the last to follow.
As he stepped through them, he was surprised at how much smaller the gap seemed now that he was a well-fed thirteen-year-old.
This unexpected evidence of how much bigger he’d grown pleased him. Why, if he ever did get to meet his parents, they probably wouldn’t even believe he was the same bald little baby that his mother had handed off to the water nymphs all those years ago. Putting the past firmly out of his mind, Jake caught up to the others.
Then they all set out together on their chilly autumn hike through the dark streets of London.
CHAPTER 10
Under New Management
Zolond dispatched the reptilians to various posts: He stationed Itro on the bridge, and sent Grik and Zoss to patrol the guest corridors to make sure the Dark Druids stayed locked up.
Since Bhisk and Etah were guarding Victor, this left only Druk as Zolond’s personal bodyguard, but that was plenty.
He could always conjure more gargoyles if he felt he needed extra protection. Confident he had the situation in hand, Zolond walked back to his chambers, his heart surprisingly light for a man who had just earned the particular hatred of a demon. He swung his walking stick/scepter like he hadn’t a care in the world.
Anticipation filled him to see Ramona Bradford in person again after all these years—the feisty slip of a girl he had once loved, centuries ago, when the word love had still had a meaning to him.
He had not seen her in ages. Zounds, he was actually rather nervous at the prospect, which amused him immensely.
But would he see hatred in her eyes when they met? Or something else?
Should be interesting, at least, he thought, ambling down the polished black corridor to his private apartments, and trying with all his will to block out his psychic awareness of Shemrazul raging.
Alas, the demon’s fury was too strong to ignore entirely.
“You will pay for this, old man. How dare you betray me? I gave you everything. We had a deal. Have you forgotten? I own you!”
Zolond gulped and focused harder on the corridor before him.
“You’re nothing without me. You swore an oath of fealty. You imagine that you can simply break it? We’re in this together, Geoffrey. It’s too late for you to turn back now. I made you the sorcerer-king! You’re mine. I chose you, and you chose me.”
“I chose wrong,” Zolond mentally replied.
Shemrazul let out a roar from the depths of the Ninth Pit that echoed up audibly throughout the Black Fortress.
Druk looked around in alarm, searching for the source.
“Horned One’s a littl
e peeved,” Zolond murmured.
“Y-yes, sire,” his tall, scaly guard replied.
They kept going.
Again, Zolond distracted himself from Shemrazul’s tantrum by giving some thought to his other colleagues who were still unaccounted for.
There were thirteen members of the Dark Druid Council in all, including himself, but Ramona had mentioned only seeing a few.
Perhaps some remained loyal to me. Zolond wearily hoped so.
He could not imagine the Cajun swamp witch, Mother Octavia Fouldon, turning against him, nor the necromancer, Deathhand the Abomination.
He had known old Tavey for an age. Indeed, he’d opted to ignore her slight infatuation with him since she was young.
And Deathhand was a loner who chose very few friends, one of whom was Zolond. The plague mage simply wasn’t the type to stab one of the rare humans he liked in the back. If he had a problem with you, he’d tell you to your face. Then cause you to decay in some horrific fashion.
Professor Labyrinth, the great Austrian mind doctor—and Victor’s own therapist—was hardly the violent type. An academic and researcher, Labyrinth would not have been involved in this, Zolond was sure, and the fog enchantress, Lady Nebula Vail, would’ve sided with the psychiatrist.
The two were great friends and enjoyed working together. They usually saw eye to eye.
Then Shemrazul managed to break back into Zolond’s thoughts.
“Oho, you spoke rightly indeed when you said you chose wrong, my dear Geoffrey,” the harsh voice taunted. “Especially tonight. You dare lay a finger on Nathan? Imprison my son?”
“He betrayed me,” Zolond answered stoically, refusing to be moved.
“Well, that’s rich!” The demon laughed angrily in Zolond’s mind. “You fool! I helped Nathan rebel against you because you betrayed me. You know I have long wanted the Order put down, but you refused to act. You think I don’t know why?”
Zolond deigned not to respond.
“I am well aware of your plan, you know. I see now your treason is complete. So, go, Geoffrey. Go running back into the arms of your foul Elder witch. But she cannot save you now. No one can. You are mine forever…the second you die.”
