“No shit. I’m a bit nervous about your new strength level. What? Are you harnessing the power of the sun now?”
“Preposterous,” Monty said. “That was only a small nullifier.”
“Only a small nullifier? Designed to do what?”
“Eradicate the use of most magic on this level,” Monty answered matter-of-factly. “It was completely harmless unless you were wielding energy. Your new mark is completely unaffected.”
“Harmless? Even I know enough to know that small orb was a magic nuke. Are you insane? You just nullified magic on this level. No wonder Roxanne is monitoring this room.”
“These melodramatics don’t suit you,” he said dismissively. “Like I said, it was a small nullifier and I had it completely under control. It needed to be done.”
Another knock on the door, this time a little louder.
“You realize we are standing in a null zone and that this floor is covered in runes to prevent exactly what you just did?”
“I’m aware,” he answered, holding up a finger. “One second. If I don’t address this, Elias gets bothered.”
“Elias gets bothered?” I asked incredulously. “What happens when Elias gets bothered?”
“He lets his imagination get the better of him,” Monty answered. “He’s still young.”
“Somehow Elias doesn’t seem like the type to overreact. What happened last time he unleashed his imagination?”
“Well, last time, we had to replace the door after Elias blasted it to bits in a fit of overprotective exuberance. There was debris everywhere. That door is made of runed ironwood; Roxanne was not pleased.”
“I can’t imagine why.”
He answered me by holding up his finger again. A wave of orange energy raced across the surface of the door as it clicked open. Monty opened the door, which was currently filled with one concerned-looking lumberjack sorcerer.
“Good morning, Elias,” Monty said in a congenial voice as he looked up at the towering man. “Is something amiss?”
“Hello, Mr. Montague,” Elias answered as he glanced in and around the room. I could tell they had played this game before. “You know the rules. Director DeMarco wants no casting from this room, you know that.”
“I’m aware,” Monty said with a slight nod. “I was just demonstrating a cast for my associate, Simon.”
“Is he a mage?” Elias asked, glancing in my direction. “My files say he isn’t.”
“Files?” I asked. “What files? Since when are there—?”
“Not in the least,” Monty said, interrupting me. “Simon is what I would call an anomaly. I was making a point.”
“A point?” Elias asked warily. “Would it be possible to make your points without spiking the energy levels on the floor?”
“My apologies,” Monty said. “I wasn’t aware my orb would have that effect. Are you unharmed?”
“Unharmed and neutralized,” Elias said, narrowing his eyes at Monty. “You cast a nullifier again, didn’t you? Are you planning another excursion? You know how she gets when you go AWOL.”
“I have no idea what you’re referring to,” Monty answered with a straight face. “I was merely showing Simon that the schism had left my abilities intact and unaffected—enhanced, even.”
“Of course,” Elias answered. “You realize it makes my team nervous when you blast through the nullifying runes like that. You could see how we would think it was an attack, especially when it leaves us defenseless? Then we can’t protect you.”
“I wasn’t aware I needed protecting.”
“Mr. Montague,” Elias said with practiced calm. “If you nullify the floor, we can’t do our jobs effectively. If we can’t do our jobs, Director DeMarco gets…Well, let’s just say she’s not happy. You want to keep her happy, don’t you?”
“Absolutely,” Monty said. “Once again, my deepest apologies if I’ve caused you and the team any discomfort. I’m sure your abilities will return shortly.”
“Please refrain from any more casting or unsanctioned outings,” Elias said. “Any kind of casting, enhanced or otherwise.”
Monty actually paused and looked up at the ceiling, all the while nodding slowly.
“I’ll give it a thorough consideration,” Monty said after a few seconds. “Will there be anything else?”
“Nothing else,” Elias answered. “Let’s keep the casting to a minimum, as in zero. Can you do that?”
“Of course,” Monty said. “No rogue casting from me at all.”
“Thank you, Mr. Montague,” Elias said, then turned and stopped mid-stride before turning back. “That is one sharp suit.”
“Oh, this? It’s nothing,” Monty said, looking down at his suit. “Just an old suit. One of my favorites I like to wear. Really more of a house suit. Something to lounge and relax in.”
“That is a runed, bespoke Zegna,” Elias answered. “It’s something. A very powerful something, designed to protect you and multiply your natural abilities.”
“You do know your suits,” Monty answered. “I’ve always considered it a mark of proper upbringing to know your clothes and tea.”
“I do,” Elias said, narrowing his eyes again at Monty. “Are you planning on going somewhere? Maybe take a short walk around the city? Obliterate a building or two?”
I almost lost it then, but managed to keep a straight face. It was clear Monty’s reputation was known to Elias.
“Absolutely not.” Monty feigned surprise. “Director DeMarco would never hear of it. I’m under strict instructions to remain within the walls of Haven until such a time as the Director deems it safe for me to venture forth.”
Elias actually sighed in relief.
“Thank you, Mr. Montague,” Elias said. “Have a good afternoon. I’ll be right outside if you need anything.”
“Thank you, Elias,” Monty said and closed the door before turning to me. “He means well, but he’s a bit high-strung. Obliterate a building or two, really?”
“Seems like he knows you pretty well, actually.” I said. “Have you been going out for walks or random acts of destruction?”
“Absolutely not,” Monty said. “I’ve had matters to attend to. Things I couldn’t do while confined to this room.”
“Right, I’m sure there’s a building in need of dire renovation somewhere in the city,” I said. “It’s just waiting for you to put it out of its misery.”
“Rubbish,” Monty said, waving my words away. “Every bit of destruction I’ve caused has been in service to this city and its populace. It was absolutely necessary.”
“I know a few agencies that would disagree with that statement,” I said. “Is Elias going to be okay?”
“Without a doubt,” Monty said. “As I mentioned earlier, he has the best of intentions, but is a bit excitable.”
“You’re going to give him a heart attack, really,” I said, grabbing my jacket off the chair where it hung. “Listen, I’m glad you’re feeling better and even leveled up to wiggle-less casting. For the record, the mini-sun you just created was amazing and scary as hell. Can you not do that again…ever?”
“It was a small demonstration to let you know I’m fine.”
“That’s just it,” I countered. “The Monty I know wouldn’t do that. I think you still need to recover. “
“Do you, now?” Monty said. “Refresh my memory. How many schisms have you dealt with?”
“Outside of yours?”
“Hmm?” he said with a nod. “Outside of mine, yes.”
“None—and no, I’m not a mage,” I said before he could remind me. “I also know enough to know that if you leave this room, we’ll have Bunyan and his crew in addition to an extremely heated Roxanne after us…mostly me. Pass.”
“You’re missing the point, Simon,” Monty said. “Why did I cast the nullifier?”
“You mean besides giving me a minor heart attack and burning my retinas?”
“Yes, obviously. Think.”
It took a few s
econds. My synapses were still dealing with the fact that Monty was able to cast without a gesture and the fact that Elias, a pretty kickass sorcerer, was actually scared of the mage he was tasked with watching.
“You bought us time,” I said after a few seconds. “If their abilities are nullified they can’t sense if you’re gone…Wait, no, you shouldn’t be going anywhere. What about Roxanne? She’s not nullified.”
“Roxanne is”—he looked up for a moment—“in her office,” he said after a few seconds. “Her office is the most secure room in this entire building including the Detention Area. I should know, as I secured it myself.”
“You can sense where she is? Even through the null zone?”
“Yes,” he said. “The runes of this null zone are strong, but easily circumvented when you know how.”
“Roxanne is going to lose her mind if she finds you gone, you know this, right?”
“I’ll deal with Roxanne,” Monty said. “As for Elias, he won’t even know I’m gone until it’s too late. Now, tell me how much time before you need to make that call?”
“Twenty minutes on the outside.”
“Excellent, plenty of time to do what we need to do.”
“Need to do?” I asked, confused. “What do we need to do?”
“We need to get travel insurance,” Monty said as he began gesturing. “It’s for our safety.”
“Travel insurance? What are you talking about? Shadow Company is in the city.”
“Yes, but their targets aren’t,” Monty said. “I have an idea what your friends at Shadow Company want. It’s not pleasant or located in our city.”
“How could you possibly?” I asked, my voice growing serious. “And, for the record, they aren’t my friends.”
“No, they aren’t,” he agreed with a nod. “That’s why we need travel insurance. Get ready.”
“Get ready?” I asked. “For what? You’re not making any sense.”
A large, green teleportation circle appeared on the floor in front of us. My stomach clenched reflexively at the sight.
“One more thing,” Monty said, looking around the room. He gestured and a small golden orb floated over to the bed, hovering there for a few seconds before fading from sight. “Now we can go.”
“That”—I pointed to the bed—“feels like your energy signature. How?”
“I’ve been practicing,” Monty said as he stepped over to the circle. “Are you coming? Or do you want to be here when Elias and his team check in on why you’ve been in here so long, only to find you’ve absconded with their charge?”
“What? There’s no way they’re going to think I kidnapped you out of a null zone.”
“True,” Monty said. “Elias knows you’re not a mage but Roxanne will be livid and place the blame squarely on your shoulders—shieldbearer.”
“Roxanne is so going to kill us,” I said, staring and pointing in the direction of the orb that disappeared. It still read like Monty’s energy signature. “Will they sense that?”
“They’re supposed to,” Monty answered. “It should read like I’m in bed.”
“And when they realize you aren’t in bed, but AWOL? Then what?”
“We’ll be long gone before they realize that. Ready?”
“If I say no, will you get back into bed?”
“No,” he answered with a slight smile. “You need to make a call and we’re running out of time. Let’s go.”
I stepped into the circle next to Monty and waited for Peaches to saunter in next to me. He padded over quietly and gave me a low chuff.
I was getting an assessment on my strangeness from a plane-walking, laser-beam-shooting, sonic- barrier-breaking, virtually indestructible hellhound. I shook my head in disbelief.
“I’m so going to regret this,” I said as the circle began to glow. “I’m going to make sure Roxanne kills you first.”
“Will never happen,” Monty answered with one last gesture. “I’ll inform her you came in and convinced me of a dire emergency that absolutely, positively needed my presence. How could I refuse?”
“You wouldn’t dare, would you?”
“I would,” he said with a devious smile. “Who do you think she would believe?”
I was about to answer when the circle flashed green and the room disappeared.
SIX
We appeared in the subway.
Specifically, we appeared in the tracks of some unused portion of the subway, judging from the debris and trash I noticed scattered all over the tracks. The hot sauna-like feel of the city’s underbelly washed over me, accompanied by the assaulting aroma of old trash and vermin—Eau de Rot.
“This is where you needed to escape to?” I asked, taking in our surroundings. “You needed to leave the comfort of Haven for this?”
“Appearances can be deceptive,” Monty answered, looking around and getting his bearings. “This place may look rundown and abandoned—”
“Because it is rundown and abandoned…and filthy. Why are we down here?”
“I told you, insurance,” Monty answered.
“Yes, you mentioned that,” I said. “Insurance from what? Being able to smell properly for the next few months?”
“The smell will pass,” Monty said. “This is essential.” He pointed ahead. “That way.”
Peaches shook his head at the smell and padded silently next to me. I couldn’t blame him; wherever we were, it had been abandoned long ago. I heard the distant sounds of the subway and looked up and down the tracks for the telltale lights of oncoming trains. Everything was dark, indicating that this section of the subway was no longer active.
“If you needed a ride, I could have gotten the Dark Goat,” I said, looking around. “Where are we? I don’t recognize this part.”
“This is an old abandoned stretch of track between Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal,” Monty said, peering into the dim light. “No one really knows about its existence any longer. The entry points have been sealed to the public, and maintenance doesn’t visit often, unless there’s an emergency.”
“Let me guess: there’s never an emergency on this section of track.”
“It would seem that this section of track has escaped most of the normal wear and tear plaguing the city’s Metropolitan Transit System.”
“A plague is what we’ll catch if we stay down here too long,” I said. “This travel insurance you mentioned—what exactly are we getting insured against?”
“I’ll explain later,” Monty said, moving forward. “I do hope I have the right track. It would appear no one has been down here in some time.”
“I can tell,” I said, gazing at the small mountains of trash everywhere. “This is where you want to get travel insurance? Where are we supposed to be going? The Great Dumpster below the city?”
“Some place more dangerous than that,” Monty answered, picking his way around the trash. “Shadow Company has been quite busy since you were retired from their ranks. They have a singular purpose these days. A purpose very few are aware of.”
“Except you, it seems,” I said, trying to follow his gaze as he walked. “What are you looking for?”
“Not a what, but a who, although what may also apply,” he said. “No one really knows their origins.”
“Whose origins?” I said, concerned he really was losing it. “What are you talking about?”
Monty stared at me for a few seconds before walking farther down the tracks.
“I want to assure you, I’m in my full capacities,” Monty said as he walked into the darkness. “As I mentioned earlier, I’m still dealing with some of the effects of the schism, but I’m fine.”
“These effects you keep mentioning, can you elaborate on what they are exac
tly?” I asked. “You were a little on the vague side earlier.”
“Nothing too serious, really. Enhanced ability, adaptation and regulation of increased power levels. A slight deficiency in mental acuity as I grow accustomed to the knowledge the schism unleashed.”
“A slight deficiency?”
“Nothing to worry about.”
“Now I’m worried.”
“It’s a minor side effect, and it will pass as I assimilate the information.”
“All of that sounds serious, like ‘you should be in Haven under magical supervision’, kind of serious,” I said, concerned. “Monty, we need to go back to Haven—preferably before Roxanne unleashes Paul Bunyan on us. You need to be resting.”
“No,” Monty said, turning to face me. “The best recovery for my condition is to keep my mind occupied, not sitting in Haven until Roxanne deems it safe for me to step outside.”
“Is it?” I asked, keeping my voice calm. “Standing in a dirty subway is part of your recovery?”
“Roxanne means well, but she is operating emotionally, not as a magical professional,” Monty answered. “She cares, and it impacts how she reacts.”
“A magical professional? Are you certain the schism didn’t screw with your mind?”
“Of course it did,” Monty admitted. “I’m not saying it didn’t. I’m saying that I can deal with its effects, and can function despite what I experienced.”
“Roxanne just doesn’t want to see you get hurt; none of us do.”
“I’m fine,” Monty said. “You need to trust me on this.”
“I do. It’s just that I remember your Darth moment. It wasn’t pretty. It looked and felt like you had lost control.”
“So much so that I was still able to restrain myself from attacking you, then managed to assist and intervene on your behalf when you were about to be skewered by Evers. I’d say I managed it well, wouldn’t you? My state of mind is fine.”
He did have a point. If it hadn’t been for him coming back, Evers would have sliced me into little Simon pieces with that blade of hers. He may have been slightly off, but he was still mostly Monty.
Requiem: A Montague & Strong Detective Novel (Montague & Strong Case Files Book 13) Page 5
