Silver Clouds Dirty Sky A Montague and Strong Detective Novel (Montague & Strong Case Files Book 4)

by Orlando A. Sanchez

  “Work your magic!” she said with her back turned to us.

  For a second I thought she was talking to Monty, who looked in her direction and raised an eyebrow. He looked at me, and I shook my head.

  “I don’t think she means you.”

  He went back to examining the plaque located on the side of the memorial.

  “You said a kebab was health food!” the woman yelled into the phone she held with what I guessed was an Australian accent. I couldn’t make out most of the words because she was doing an amazing job at slurring them into one long string of sounds. “Explain it to me again. Work your magic!”

  I heard a click from the statue and Monty stepped back. After a few seconds, we headed down Whitehall Street. A man sped past us as we walked.

  Something felt off. I glanced briefly at the running man, but kept walking. I turned just in time to slam into someone running up the street. The collision sent us both to the ground.

  “Hey,” I said, dusting off my suit, “watch where you’re going will you? This suit is worth more than…”

  I paused as I looked at the linebacker who’d just tackled me.

  “Ian Dex?” I rubbed my eyes, slowly getting to my feet.

  “Simon—Simon Strong?” He looked up and glanced at Monty. “Montague?”

  “Officer Dex,” Monty replied with short nod. “Always a pleasure.”

  “Thanks,” Ian said, getting to his feet. “What are you guys doing here?”

  I waved a dismissive hand. “Mages summoning demons, making a power play to destabilize the balance. You?”

  “Rachel got herself kidnapped by werewolves.”

  “Shit,” I said. “Wish we could help, but you know how it is with mages and demons.”

  “Never ends, does it?”

  “No.”

  “Pardon me,” Monty said, “but there was a man who sped by us about thirty seconds ago.” He glanced back. “I still see him running towards the square. Is he the one you’re after?”

  “Actually, yeah,” Ian said.

  Monty gestured and formed a silvery orb. With a word, he released it. It raced through the crowded street until it crashed into the back of the fleeing man, causing him to spasm and fall to the ground.

  “He’ll be down for a few minutes,” Monty said.

  “Thanks, man,” Ian said. “You’re a lifesaver.”

  “Say, Ian,” I said, looking at the two people who stood behind him, “I don’t mean to pry, but you have James Bond and an industrial-sized version of Sherlock Holmes standing behind you.”

  He gave me a “help me” look and sighed. “I know.”

  I stepped around Steroid Sherlock and nodded. “Great seeing you, Ian.” I glanced at my watch. “Well, we have a lot of destruction to do and not a lot of time to do it.”

  “Good seeing you again. Thanks again for the help, Montague.”

  “Think nothing of it.”

  The trio took off down the street and I turned to Monty.

  “Small world,” I said looking at the Nelson Column before continuing down Whitehall.

  “Indeed,” Monty said narrowing his eyes before turning to join me.

  “What did you activate at the Column?”

  “Help, I hope.” he answered as we walked quickly past Downing Street and crossed Westminster Bridge.

  “Are you kidding me? The last time you asked for help…we got back-stabbing Demon Lord Thomas.”

  “This is different.” He looked off into the distance. “What is that?”

  Plumes of water shot into the sky.

  “Those look like water spouts,” I said, squinting. “But I can’t tell. That’s got to be near Tower Bridge.”

  “Closer, and in the Thames.” He narrowed his eyes and took a breath. “Bloody hell. I can’t believe he summoned one of those. He’s insane.”

  “What? What did he summon?” I asked, making sure I clamped down on the fear gripping my midsection. We were standing in the middle of the Westminster Bridge. To our right the London Eye rotated slowly in the early evening.

  “You remember when Tolkien described a creature the Fellowship encountered in the Mines of Moira?”

  “The Balrog, yes.” I looked into the distance. More plumes shot into the sky. “Are you telling me that’s a Balrog coming our way? Because we are screwed without a Gandalf.”

  “No,” Monty said quietly, as Peaches whined, but he stood his ground next to me. “I’m telling you that what’s coming our way was Tolkien’s inspiration for the Balrog.”

  “Oh, fuck,” I uttered, as I heard the destruction of the first of the bridges in its way to us.”

  TWENTY-THREE

  “IF IT STARTED at the Tower of London, it has to cross eight bridges before it reaches us.”

  “Why would it start there?”

  “Thomas would need a place of power to bring one of the Fomor here.” He pointed to the orange glow over the Tower. “He would have used that nexus as a source.”

  “It’s using the Thames as a road?” I asked. “What’s the first bridge?”

  An explosion rocked through the night as a column of flame shot into the sky.

  “That would be London Bridge, the first bridge.”

  I tried to resist, but it was impossible.

  “Are you telling me London Bridge is falling down?”

  Monty glared at me and began gesturing. “Maybe you can stop it with your fantastic sense of humor,” he said, opening the book Dahvina gave him. “Maybe it will laugh itself to death from your oh-so-sharp wit.”

  “What about the help you summoned?”

  “It won’t get here in time,” he said. Another crash screamed at us through the night, signaling the destruction of another bridge. “We need a solution now.”

  “And we’re staying on the bridge?” I looked left and right at the now deserted bridge we stood on. “Because this doesn’t seem entirely monster-proof.”

  “I’m fairly certain it’s chasing me or you or both of us.” Monty flipped through pages. “Thomas could certainly have keyed our signature to it. Unlike the Cavalier, this one knows where we are. What do you think will happen if we go into the city?”

  “There won’t be a city if we do,” I said. “I just want to state for the record that this completely blows.”

  I drew Grim Whisper.

  “Those aren’t going to do anything, you know.” He kept flipping pages. “Here!” he said, excited, pointing at a page. “Bloody hell.”

  “You have a way to stop this thing?”

  He closed the book and put it in a pocket.

  “I do.”

  “Well? Get to the finger wiggle,” I said, anxiously. “Before it tears down any more bridges.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Sorry,” I said, rubbing my ear. “I must’ve misheard you. It sounded like you said you can’t.”

  “The only way to stop this creature is to unleash a quantum void vortex,” he answered. “Even if I knew how to cast one, something on that scale would erase London.”

  “You mean this area here where we are?”

  “I mean eight million people or more gone,” he said. “I can’t even follow the diagrams in the bloody book.”

  I gazed over the Thames. There was a good chance I could survive a Fomor crushing, if that’s what they did. With my luck, it would shred me into little pieces. Monty, on the other hand, wasn’t going to walk away from this one.

  I looked down at Peaches. Not even at industrial size was he going to be able to deal with what was coming our way. I felt angry and sad all at once. The rage rose in me, mixed with a profound understanding that I was going to lose my family.

  The Fomor was going to have to erase me first. I extended my hand and Ebonsoul materialized in my palm. The runes along its blade blazed in the night as red energy trailed from its edge into the sky.

  “That’s a pretty blade, but it won’t be enough,” a voice cut through my rage as I recognized the source. “You�
��re going to need me to bring the power.”

  “Uncle Dex,” Monty said, relief filling his voice. He handed him the Wordweaver book. “How did you know where to find us?”

  “He’s carrying a feather,” he said, pointing at me and then looked straight up into the night sky. I saw two green pinpricks of light above us.

  “Herk?”

  “Aye,” Dex said with a nod. “Which damn fool brought a Fomor into a populated city?”

  “That would be Thomas,” I said, noticing how badass my blade looked now. “He’s graduated from mage to demon-whisperer and almost killed Peaches.”

  Dex knelt down and scratched Peaches behind the ear. He gestured quickly and produced two large sausages. The black hole with legs quickly scarfed them down.

 

  “No mage did this alone.” Dex held onto the railing and looked into the distance. “Seems to be coming right for us. Let me see your blade.”

  I handed him Ebonsoul. He examined it, turned it over, and returned it with a nod.

  “You’ve been to the Weavers,” he said. “What about you, nephew? You plan on tossing your orbs at it?”

  Monty drew the Sorrows. A soft wail escaped them as he handed them to Dex. Dex looked them over, grunted in approval, and handed them back.

  “Did you pay the cost?” Dex asked, serious.

  Monty nodded. “The seraphs are true.”

  “Good,” Dex answered and extended his arms to the side. “Let’s see if we can slow this thing down. Herk, to me!”

  A large raven descended and wrapped itself around Dex. A green flash blinded me and the raven was gone. Dex’s body was covered entirely in black feathers with a metallic sheen. Only his glowing green eyes were visible.

  “You can’t cast a quantum vortex, Uncle Dex,” Monty warned. “It will destroy the city and everyone in it.”

  “Actually, you can’t cast the quantum vortex, nephew.” He climbed up to the railing. “I can cast it just fine. Be ready, both of you. I’m bringing the creature here”—he pointed at me—“especially to you and your dark angel of a blade.”

  “Uncle Dex, we need to plan a strategy,” Monty said. “I’m certain Thomas must be near to be able to transport a Fomor here.”

  Dex shook his head. “Time’s up. Let’s do this!” he said and jumped off the railing. He shot off into the night, a black silhouette over the Thames.

  “Did he just pull a Jenkins?” I couldn’t help smiling. Dex was certifiable.

  “He may have just killed us all,” Monty said, shaking his head. “Get your blade ready.”

  TWENTY-FOUR

  I’D FACED OGRES, trolls, and other assorted large creatures bent on ending my capacity to draw breath. The last large monster I faced was a dragon. I didn’t expect any of that when I left the NYTF to become a detective.

  The Fomor made them all look like lightweights. It towered over the Thames, standing easily forty feet above the surface. It had the body of a man, the head of a goat, and its eyes flashed yellow beams, missing the green figure that flitted around its head.

  That small voice in my head that I usually ignored ran screaming into the recesses of my mind. I wanted to join it but knew I couldn’t. My grip on Ebonsoul tightened as I looked up at the approaching nightmare. Peaches mixed a rumble with a low whine and entered pounce-and-shred mode.

  I’m scared too, boy. But we have to stop this monster or a lot of people are going to be hurt.

  He shook his body and bared his teeth.

 

  Yes, this one is definitely on the menu. Don’t let it hit you with those lights from its eyes.

  Monty hefted the Sorrows. They gave off blue energy as he gave them a practice swing. He glanced over to me and then looked at the Fomor.

  “Well, you did say you wanted a goat.”

  “You know, this would be a good time to assemble the Wonder Wizards,” I replied. “I could call Chicago and you call St. Louis. I’m sure there are few scattered around London. I heard there was one that could see the future in the neighborhood.”

  “How do you propose they get here in time?” Monty answered, irked at my use of ‘wizard.’ “The island is blocked—no teleporting.”

  “So…no Wonder Wizards?”

  “We need to lure that thing away from the city,” he said with a glare. “It needs to be on the south bank, which is less populated.”

  I turned to see Dex dodging a large arm as the Fomor swiped the London Eye. Passenger capsules, thankfully all of them empty, sailed haphazardly into the Thames. The swipe snapped some of the cables and bent the A-frame holding the large wheel.

  “That’s not going to be good,” I said as Monty began running off the bridge. “I didn’t get a chance to ride the Eye.”

  We stopped in front of the Houses of Parliament. Monty narrowed his eyes, pointing straight ahead. “I’m sure it will be fixed and you can ride it next time we visit,” he said quickly. “Great George Street will lead us straight into St. James’ Park.”

  “I swear he’d better not destroy Big Ben. That clock is priceless,” I said as we walked fast. The whip-like sound of snapping cables joined the screeching, creaking, crashing sounds of twisted metal and capsules falling into the Thames. There was nothing left to see of the Eye.

  “It’s the bell, not the clock,” Monty answered as he gestured and sent an orb of flame at the Fomor. “Pick up the pace.”

  We reached the edge of the park and my heart seized at the image that greeted us. Hundreds of demons filled the green space. I saw dozens of Trackers surrounding Cavaliers. In between those were smaller demons moving around. Some fought each other, but they were mostly just standing there in organized groups.

  “What is this?” I asked, shocked. “What are they waiting for?”

  “They’re low-level demons,” Monty said under his breath. “It looks like they’re awaiting instructions. This seems to be an impromptu staging area.”

  We ducked behind the small stone restroom building on the corner. Behind us, I could hear the Fomor crashing through Westminster Bridge.

  “I thought the clock was called Big Ben?” I asked. “There’s a bell in there?”

  “The bell,” Monty said and turned his head quickly and looked at the tower. “We need to use the frequency of the bells. We need to get up there.”

  “Up where?” I said, looking around. “There’s no ‘up’ around here except for—”

  He pointed at Big Ben. We backed away from the park slowly and then ran down the street. The tower holding the clock loomed large as we got closer.

  “If I can get up there I can use the bell to destroy the legion in the park.” He looked around and gestured, creating a hole in the fence on the east side of the clock tower facing Westminster Station.

  “What about the Fromage?” I said, looking at the large, goat-headed creature trying to swat Dex into the Thames. “Is the bell going to stop it, too?”

  “Fomor.” He unlocked the door to the clock tower. “It’s not a cheese. I don’t think the bell will stop it, but I can alter the frequency to give you and Uncle Dex a slight advantage. Get its attention and lure it to the park.”

  I looked into the tower and saw the spiral steps.

  “That’s a lot of steps, Monty,” I said as my voice echoed in the room. “Will you be able to cast anything besides emergency life support by the time you get to the top?”

  “Three-hundred and thirty-four, and I’ll be fine.” He gestured and an orange glow surrounded his body. “Get it to the park.”

  “How will I know you’ve done your thing up there?”

  “I’m sure I can send you some kind of signal, now go!” He started running up the stairs, moving faster than I had ever seen him move.

  I ran out into the street, drew Grim Whisper, and fired at the Fomor in the distance. I didn’t see Dex, but the Fomor saw me and roared. I jumped behind a stone, tugging Peaches close to me as a beam of yellow light me
lted the asphalt where I had just stood.

  “Don’t let those beams hit you,” Dex said from behind me, nearly causing me to scream. “It’s a lot tougher than I remember.”

  “Can’t mages just approach without being ninjas?” I snapped as I turned to face him. “The park is full of demons.”

  “Where’s my nephew?” Dex asked, looking around. “Did he stop for a spot of tea? I wouldn’t put it past him.”

  “Up there.” I pointed at Big Ben and told him Monty’s plan.

  “The bloody idiot is going to get himself killed.” He stood and started heading to the tower. I grabbed him and pulled him back.

  “We need to trust that he knows what he’s doing and get that thing to the park like he asked.”

  Dex hesitated a moment and then nodded. “You’re right. In my eyes, he’s still a little boy running around the Sanctuary, not a grown mage capable of holding his own. You still have your blade?”

  I showed him Ebonsoul and he smiled. He gestured and materialized another sausage for Peaches, who barely let him escape with his fingers as he snarfed it down.

  “Don’t you ever get full?” I asked, watching him lick his lips.

  “He’s got the right idea.” Dex gestured and two more sausages appeared. He chewed on one and offered the other to me. “No sense facing death on an empty stomach.”

  I pulled out my flask and let Dex take a swig. He shuddered and pounded his chest with a sound of satisfaction. “That is a good brew!”

  I raised the flask and took a swig as well. Warmth flooded my body and I felt the energy course through me. I kept my hand away from Peaches, who thought he was the only creature who deserved to eat. I ate half my sausage before allowing him to liberate the rest from my fingers with a quick snap.

 

  “Ready?” Dex asked and stepped into the street. “Remember, the giant in front of you is never bigger than the gods within!” He gestured and sent a blast of green energy at the Fomor, who roared again and faced Dex.