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

by Orlando A. Sanchez

  “Focus on the task, Tristan,” she said, her voice hard. “There is an inordinate amount of demonic energy around the tower. You need to prepare. Dexter, send your horrid bird.”

  “Herk is not horrid,” Dex said, looking up into the lightening sky. “He’s already on his way.” The sun was creeping over the horizon as Nana sliced her hand down, opening the rift.

  “Time to go, boys,” she said with a tight smile. I could see the thin sheen of sweat covering her face. “Go give them hell.”

  We stepped through the rift and the world vanished.

  THIRTY

  I FELT A tug and the world slid sideways.

  When the world came into focus, I saw I was rushing headlong into a brick wall. I twisted my body, meeting it with my shoulder instead of remodeling my face. Monty stood a few feet away looking across a field of grass. The wall I’d crashed into loomed before us.

  “This is not the Traitors’ Gate.” He pointed ahead of us. “This is the moat and that’s Legge’s Mount.”

  “It felt like I was pulled sideways on our way here.”

  “I had the same sensation,” Monty said. “Thomas must have a defensive protocol to prevent direct access. We need to find him and put a stop to his summoning.”

  Peaches growled and bumped my leg.

 

  I turned to look in the direction Peaches was facing.

  “Maybe we could ask them?” I pointed at the group of demons headed our way. “They don’t look happy to see us.”

  “You think?” Monty growled, pointing again. “That way.”

  We started running as the demons howled behind us. They were of the smaller variety. What they lacked in menace they made up for in number.

  “What are those things?” I asked as Monty jumped down a ramp under a group of wire mesh animals and took a set of stairs leading to a small tower. We ran along a short walkway and came to the Byward Tower, according to the plaque. We managed to break the line of sight as Monty pointed to the large door.

  “Imps,” he said when we reached the door. “Low level, unintelligent demons good for guard duty and patrol. Think of them as a demonic alarm system.”

  “Which we just set off.” I drew Grim Whisper as Monty worked the lock mechanism. Peaches entered shred-and-tear mode as the imps got closer. “What do you call a large group of imps? A gaggle? A mob?”

  “I think,” he said with a grunt, releasing another set of runes against the locked door, “legion is the all-purpose term used.”

  “Well the legion of imps is getting closer.” I checked Grim Whisper. “And I don’t have that many bullets.”

  “Step back.” He gestured, forming two large orbs, one of flame and the other of clear liquid. “No need for subtlety any longer.”

  I moved back across the walkway, and the imps screamed when they saw me. Monty released the flame orb at the door while simultaneously unleashing the second at the legion of imps.

  The flame orb shattered the door as the liquid orb crashed into the imps and stopped them in their tracks. They fizzled and spurted as their flames went out. They fell on their sides with howls as the liquid doused them.

  We ran down Water Lane until we came to Wakefield Tower. A fireball punched a hole through the brick and sailed out into the Thames. It reminded me of the Incantation of Light Thomas taught me, only with more of a ‘tear your face off’ feeling in the execution. I looked out through the large smooth hole punched in Henry III’s Watergate and saw the Thames flowing by. I followed the trajectory inward and peeked through the stone wall of the innermost ward.

  What I saw made me consider running back the way we came, diving into the Round Pool, and hiding in Nana’s house, indefinitely.

  “Fuck, move!” I yelled as I shoved Monty back and out of the way. Three more orbs punched through the stone wall, narrowly missing us. “That is not an incantation of light.”

  “You should have let the Fomor kill you, Tristan,” Thomas said from around the corner. “You can’t stop what we’re doing here.”

  Two Fomor-like creatures and an angry Thomas stood in the innermost ward, blocking the front of the White Tower. Standing about ten feet tall, these two were smaller than the bridge-demolishing one we’d destroyed in St. James’s.

  They each held a length of chain in their hands. The chains glowed red and caused sparks to fly into the air each time they swung them on the ground.

  “He’s got two smaller versions of the Fromage,” I said, peeking through one of the holes again quickly. “And about ten more of those stone-punching orbs floating around him.”

  “Bloody hell,” Monty hissed as he looked through one of the holes and pulled his head back immediately. “Those are Greater Krampus. There’s no way he could have summoned those on his own.”

  “Wait, isn’t Krampus the story of a Christmas demon to scare little kids who misbehaved?”

  Monty motioned with his head. “If that’s a story, then it’s a horror masterpiece worthy of Poe,” he answered. “Those things make the story’s demon appear friendly in comparison.”

  “How do we stop them?”

  “We need Dex and the quantum vortex, unless you’re carrying the runic equivalent of a class-two demonic dissipating spell with you?”

  I patted my pockets and gave him a look. “Must have left it in my other jacket.”

  “He’s not even the target.” Monty traced runes in the ground next to us. “The person we need is in the White Tower. Thomas is just muscle. Like the imps, designed to slow us down.”

  “If he’s muscle, someone’s really flexing.”

  “What did they promise you, Thomas?” Monty yelled. “What are you getting out of this?”

  Two more orbs punched through the stone near us.

  “Why doesn’t he just come around the corner and pound us?” I asked, curious. “Not that I’m suggesting he should do that, just wondering why he doesn’t come out and end us?”

  Monty finished tracing the runes and nodded. “They’re tethered,” he said. “That’s why he can’t come any farther.”

  “Tethered to what?”

  “Not what, who.” Monty inched forward, closer to the entrance. “Someone is augmenting his ability, but they have a limited range or have taxed themselves.”

  “The imps, the Fromage—sorry, Fomor—and now these two greater cramps in my ass,” I said. “It’s too much summoning and controlling.”

  Monty nodded. “In addition to boosting Thomas several levels above his magical ability, whoever is doing this must maintain control or the demons will break free and attack them first.”

  “So this is a junkyard dog with a chain,” I said. “We need to find out how long that chain is and how much we can stress it before it breaks.”

  “Your analogy is crude but precise.” Monty rubbed his chin. “How do you propose we ‘test this chain’ to its breaking point?”

  “The imps, are they completely out of commission?”

  “Simon, this is insane.” Monty shook his head. “The imps will come after us as soon as I bring them back.”

  “You bring them back, we attack the Kramps, and Peaches gets to repay Thomas for lunch with a side of poison,” I said. “I’m guessing it’ll be too much for whoever is acting like a Duracell. At the very least we’ll weaken the hold on the demons.”

  “If this goes wrong—”

  “We won’t be around for you to tell me how badly I screwed us.”

  We moved quietly down Water Lane. Monty gestured when we arrived at the ruined door. He whispered a few words and unleashed a barrage of runes at the immobile imps.

  “We have about thirty seconds,” he said, backing up and heading back to the entrance. “I’ll take the right Krampus, you take the left. Your creature can have Thomas. I hope you’re right about this, Simon.”

  THIRTY-ONE

  HEY, BOY. YOU remember the bad man who gave you the meat that hurt you?

  Can I shred him?>

  You can hurt him, but don’t kill him. We need him alive. Can you do that?

  He gave me a low rumble that vibrated in the pit of my stomach. Runes along his side bloomed with energy as he sank a half inch into the stone floor.

 

  For a second, I thought he was going to transform back into Planet Peaches. His eyes flared red and it dawned on me, Peaches wasn’t a dog. He was a creature with an incredible potential for destruction and devastation. I almost smiled.

  Can you do it?

 

  “You ready?” I looked at Monty, who set his jaw and nodded.

  Now.

  Peaches growled, took off, and disappeared. He moved faster than any creature his size had a right to move.

  “Thomas,” I called out and shifted to the right as an orb punched through the wall where I’d sat a moment earlier. “My hellhound would like a few words with you.”

  The scream from the other side of the wall let me know the conversation had started. Behind us, a legion of imps rushed down Water Lane, intent on tearing us apart.

  “It’s time to go,” Monty said, and gestured.

  Flaming orbs surrounded him as we turned the corner. He jumped in the air and hovered for a few seconds, unleashing a barrage of orbs at Right Krampus.

  I drew Grim Whisper and emptied the magazine of entropy rounds in Left Krampus as I closed. I think it pissed him off more than it hurt him. I focused on the energy inside of me and formed Ebonsoul in my hand, slashing as I ran past.

  I jumped on the ramp behind the Krampus, stopped and twisted off as he swung his flaming chain where my legs were. I slashed down and sliced off one of his horns. I was about to comment, but chose not to.

  I hit the ground running as imps flooded the innermost ward. Monty unleashed a wave of blue energy as he drew the Sorrows and began cutting a swath to the White Tower. The wail of his swords joined the howl of imps as he dispatched them.

  My Krampus chased after me, dragging its chain. I ducked as I heard the whoosh of metal swinging above my head. I dived to the side and rolled as the chain dug out a groove in the stone next to me.

  Monty’s Sorrows were glowing bright blue as he impaled Right Krampus. He muttered something under his breath and a blast of energy sliced through the Krampus, dispatching him into a pile of dust.

  Above us, I heard a loud croak and smiled. Dex was close.

  The Krampus behind me swung his chain again. I let it wrap around Ebonsoul as I did the one thing he didn’t expect. I ran toward him. It gave me a look of surprise as I closed. The split-second hesitation was enough for me to tug on the chain and thrust my arm, blade first, into its abdomen. Ebonsoul flooded my body with siphoned energy.

  It was like jumping into a cold lake, in the winter, naked. The energy raced through me and every sense was cranked to eleven. I sensed a ripple of energy as an orb sailed at my head. I shifted to the side and let it scream past me.

  Another orb sailed past my head as Thomas dodged a chomp from Peaches. White runes floated around him, creating a shield. I slashed horizontally and the Krampus howled as he turned to dust. I charged at Thomas and pressed my mala bead.

  He launched several orbs at me. Their percussive impact bounced me across the innermost ward. It was enough of a distraction to allow Peaches to get his jaws around Thomas’s leg. It was coming together. We had stopped the Krampuses and Thomas was being houndhandled by Peaches.

  Thomas began to trace runes in the air and Peaches growled and blinked out, taking Thomas with him. When he reappeared a few seconds later, Thomas was screaming and they were falling from thirty feet up. They landed hard, with Thomas breaking Peaches’ fall.

  I heard several bones break as they hit the stone ground. Thomas screamed again as Peaches wrapped his jaws around an arm and bit down.

  Don’t rip off his arm unless you see him try to use magic.

 

  Not yet.

  Monty had dispatched most of the imps. Now it was a matter of time to see if we had taxed the battery. I walked over to Thomas and the earth shook.

  “Monty? Does London suffer from earthquakes?”

  Thomas started laughing. “You stupid fools, you’re all going to die now.”

  The rumbling increased until I heard a large cracking sound. Behind the White Tower two Fomor crawled out of the ground. I followed them up until they reached their full height. Their heads reached about halfway up the corner towers.

  On top of the White Tower, a figure stepped into view and peered down at us. Delane.

  Thomas laughed again, and I pointed Grim Whisper at his face. “Laugh again and you’ll be the punchline,” I said under my breath. “Monty?”

  “Bloody hell,” he said, sheathing the Sorrows. “We got his attention.”

  “I’m not so sure I want it now.” I kept an eye on the immobile Fomor standing in the back. “What do you think he wants?”

  “Everything,” Thomas hissed. “He’ll take it all. Right after he kills you.”

  I felt the surge of energy before I saw it, and shoved Peaches away from Thomas as an orb hit him, engulfing him in flames and charring his body to a blackened husk.

  The force of the blast rocked us off our feet and dumped us near the entrance. I looked up to see Delane step off the roof of the Tower and hover. He floated down with his arms outstretched and landed on the ramp in front of the Tower.

  He still wore his suit, making him look like a banker, not a megalomaniacal mage bent on killing us all. I tugged on the feather in my pocket. We were going to need some help for this.

  “Is he still an Arch Mage?” I asked Monty under my breath. “It would be great if he wasn’t. Then it wouldn’t be certain death, more like almost certain death.”

  Monty narrowed his eyes and looked at Delane. A wave of force slammed us into the wall. Monty spat blood and nodded. “Still an Arch Mage.”

  Peaches saw us sail into the wall and pounced. Delane gestured, forming a large white orb. He didn’t flinch as Peaches blinked out and reappeared in front of him. He drove an uppercut into Peaches’ mid-section, unleashing the orb.

  The blast sent shockwaves throughout the area as Peaches went soaring out of the Tower of London. I heard him splash into the Thames seconds later.

  “No!” My heart clenched in my chest. Rage blinded me as I lunged forward. “I will kill you, you fuck!”

  Monty grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “We can’t face him,” he said between gasps. “Too strong, he’s too strong.”

  “He. Just. Killed. Peaches,” I hissed. “Let me go so I can return the favor.”

  “Listen to the mage, Mr. Strong.” Delane narrowed his eyes at me and I felt him probing my energy signature. “You’re not entirely human, are you?”

  I pulled out the feather. Delane stepped back and raised a hand. “Oh no, a feather?” he mocked. “What shall I do?”

  I released some of the energy I held and crushed the feather. It turned to black dust and blew away from my palm. The rage inside me was free now. Ebonsoul pulsed in my hand. All I could think about was how this bastard had punched Peaches into the Thames.

  The skies over the Tower of London went gray. Delane looked up.

  “Is this what your feather did?” he asked, looking around. “You turned a clear day into an overcast one? In London, we call that normal weather.”

  “You plan on unleashing the demons in the city,” Monty said, looking at the Fomor. “You were the one summoning them and shifting above your power level.”

  “A culling is needed,” Delane answered and looked at Thomas’s charred body. “The mages of the Consortium have grown weak, complacent, and fearful.”

  “Strong, tyrannical, and homicidal is not such a good way to get new members.”

  He blasted me with a beam of white energy. “Has anyone told you that you talk too much?” he asked. �
�I don’t need members. I need foot soldiers that will do my bidding.”

  I landed a few feet away with my insides on fire. “This is why I said no, Monty,” I gasped. “Absolute power makes you an absolute asshole.”

  “I’ve heard you can’t die, Mr. Strong.” Delane stepped over to where I lay. “That you’ve been cursed alive.”

  “Not true,” I said, holding up a hand. I noticed them then and smiled. “I died recently, so you don’t need to expend any energy finding out. It was unpleasant.”

  “Do you find your impending death humorous?” He raised his hand and a bright white orb of power formed.

  “Simon, did you…?” Monty asked.

  A loud croak filled the newly-darkened sky.

  “You were right, we can’t face him,” I said. “But I’m guessing she can.”

  Everywhere I looked, I saw ravens. The sky had become full of them. Delane turned to face the figure entering the Tower Entrance.

  Uncle Dex walked in and looked around. “What’s with the ravens? Did Herk do this?”

  “What are you doing here?” I looked around him, confused. “I did as she asked. I destroyed the feather.”

  “Well, nice to see you too, boy,” Dex answered. “I came as soon as I could. Are those two Fomor?”

  Delane gestured and blasted Dex. I dived next to Monty as Dex deflected the beam to the side, cutting a groove in the whitewashed stone of the Tower.

  “Did you summon her?” Monty asked as he gestured. “Was that the feather the Morrigan gave you?”

  “She said if I needed her unkindness, I should destroy it.” I nodded and looked at Delane. “I can’t think of a better time to have her being unkind. She can unleash the hurt on him.”

  “She’s going to unleash the hurt on every living thing near the destruction of the feather.”

  THIRTY-TWO

  “WHAT ARE YOU talking about?” I asked as a large group of ravens swooped in and released feathers into the innermost ward. They glowed with a subtle green light as they drifted to the ground.

  “Dex, we need to go, now!” Monty gestured and opened a rift.

  “Herk!” he yelled and ran into the rift, followed by the large raven.