by Jeff Elkins
Jose took an immediate left and headed down the old brick stairs. He remembered that the basement was always empty. The rows of low hanging brick arches and pitch black cubbyholes used to terrify him when he was younger. As he walked passed the dark corners, he thought something might jump out at him. At the bottom of the stairs, he ran toward the sign that read “chapel.” Turning left he was greeted by the familiar rows of brick archways. He ran forty yards to the ninth arch, jumped over a short brick wall on his right, retreated into the unlit corner, and pressed his back against the wall. He knew that from the brightly lit pathway he would be obscured in darkness. He closed his eyes tight and tried to calm his breathing hoping they wouldn’t think to come to the basement.
In his mind, Jose was back in the forest again, pressing his back against the wet bark of a tree. “Try to make yourself small,” Moose had said. “Imagine you are part of the tree. Be perfectly still. Remember, they’re bigger than you. They’re stronger than you. Sometimes the element of surprise will be all you have going for you.” Jose remembered how the gentle forest breeze bit at his nose. It sent shivers down his spine. “Now,” Moose had said softly. “When I say go, I want you to pop out from the tree and give me a fourteen. Ready? Go!” Jose remembered jumping from behind the tree. He hooked the legs of first imaginary enemy with his left arm, pulling the invisible combatant to the ground. He then spun and crushed its nonexistent head with both hands. “Now a four to your left!” Moose had yelled. Jose remembered the leaves of the forest floor crackling under him as he shifted his weight to his right leg and side-kicking a second imaginary combatant to his left. “Good,” Moose had said. “Good.”
The smell of them woke him from his daydream. It was piercingly sweet, calling him out of his hiding place to face them. His heart began to race again and he pressed himself tighter to the wall.
He heard them rumble down the stairs. The Slakes were heavy footed. Jose’s intuition told him there were three distinct sounding foot falls. They stopped at the first arch. “He’s not down here,” one them called.
Jose heard a new set of feet enter the room. It was light, almost a glide. “Oh, he’s here. Aren’t you little one?” Bose called. His voice bounced off the brick arches, making it feel like he was everywhere at once.
Jose listened in silence as the light steps moved down the aisle. “We just want to talk,” Bose said sweetly. “Come out. We’re aren’t going to hurt you. We just need our coins back.”
Jose’s heart raced. His palms filled with sweat. He could feel the stomach acid in his throat again.
“We just want the coins back. That’s all. Give us what you stole from our camp and we’ll be on our way.”
The room was spinning. His knees shook. He wanted to come out of hiding. He wanted to hand over the bag. He wanted this all to be over. He tried to swallow but all he could taste was bile. Then, suddenly, powerful fingers dug into his chest and yanked him into the light.
“Got ya,” Bose said victoriously. Holding Jose with one hand, he thrust the boy up, slamming his body into the brick archway above them. Jose yelped in pain as his back and head collided with the brick. Bose tossed the young Gracanjo like a baseball. Jose screamed in pain again as he skidded across the brick floor. His mouth filled with blood. He tried to stand, pushing up with his hands, pulling his legs underneath him. Just as he found upward momentum, Bose’s hammered the young Gracanjo’s jaw back into the floor.
The blood in his mouth choked him. His face ached. Jose tried again to push up with his hands but he was forced back to the floor by Bose’s foot on his head. The beast pressed down so hard, a ringing built in Jose’s ears. He could feel his skull struggling not to pop.
“It’s been a few years since I cracked the skull of a Gracanjo,” Bose said with glee. “I must say, it’s far more satisfying when you put up a fight. This almost isn’t fun.”
The pressure on Jose’ face increased. Tears streamed from his eyes. He pushed up with all his might, but it was no good. The pressure continued. Black spots began to consume his sight, growing with the pain.
Then, without warning, the pressure was relieved. There was a scuffled at the far end of the room. “That’s enough!” an enraged Chris screamed. Jose had never been so happy to hear his partner’s voice.
“Just give me one more second,” Bose said. “Almost done here.”
Jose involuntarily spit the blood from his mouth onto the bricks as Bose’s foot connected with his stomach. Jose grabbed at his aching side and rolled over to protect the new bruise.
“No!” Chris screamed.
There was more rumbling above him but Jose couldn’t make out the blurred images around him. All he could feel was the pounding pain surging through his entire body. Then it was quiet. The only sound left was the throbbing of his heart in his head.
Chris’ image came into his field of view. “You still with me, kid?” his voice cracked.
Jose felt Chris’ warm hands gently press into his forehead and neck.
“Oh, thank God,” Chris said. Jose felt his partner wrap gently his arms around his pain filled body. Softly, Chris began to cry. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have left you alone. I’m so sorry.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
“How is he?” Bashi asked staring at the old car on the other side of the parking garage. He shifted his weight back and forth, unconsciously releasing his nervous energy.
“He’s recovering,” Chris said. “But he’s beat up pretty bad.” The three warriors stood together on the top floor of the abandoned garage. It was well after midnight and the garage had closed hours before.
“He needs to see a doctor,” Hyoi said. As was his custom, his voice was filled with shame and judgment.
“I took him to the ER,” Chris said, annoyed by the stoic Conculos. “They x-rayed his skull. Nothing’s broken. He’s just got a concussion.”
“Kid’s got a hard head,” Bashi said with a smile. His eyes were still focused on the car.
“He’s not going to have it for long if he doesn’t begin engaging in the battle,” Hyoi said with no expression.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Chris demanded.
“I meant no offense,” Hyoi said. “Only that if the boy doesn’t begin to fight, he will not last long in this war.”
“Stop being such a dick,” Bashi said, still looking at the car. “The kid’s special. I like him.”
“A dick?” Hyoi said.
“It’s an expression that means no one wants to be around you when you say shit like you just said,” Chris said.
“Expressions are too temporary for me to put effort into learning,” Hyoi said.
Bashi laughed. “You’re such a dick.” Then looking at Chris he said, “So is he going to survive this?”
“Yeah,” Chris said, looking to the car. “He’s going to need to sleep it off for a couple of days.”
“Just a couple of days?” Hyoi asked, surprised.
“That’s what it usually takes me,” Chris said.
“Hmm,” Hyoi said. “I do remember that time you received the blow from that Egrat’s knee. Do you remember? Am I thinking of the right Gracanjo?”
“There’s only one Chris,” Bashi said with a smile. “Thought if he took the thing at its knees it would fall.”
“How long did we keep watch over him?” Hyoi asked.
“It was at least a week,” Bashi said, looking at the car again with concern.
“At least a week,” Hyoi affirmed.
“Jose is tough,” Chris said. “He’s just not showing it yet.”
“I’ve never heard you give this much compassion to a partner before,” Hyoi said.
Chris grunted dismissively.
“Usually if a partner of yours behaves like Jose, you let them die,” Hyoi said.
“I don’t let them die,” Chris said. “They just die. It happens.”
“You’re doing it again,” Bashi said.
“Doing wh
at?” Hyoi asked.
“Being a dick,” Chris said. “Jose and I have history. I knew his dad. It’s complicated.”
“You’re interconnectedness never ceases to amaze me,” Hyoi said. “For creatures that live such a short time, you form surprisingly tight bonds. I’m amazed any of you actually find the time to know any others. I felt that Bashi and I were together for at least one-hundred-and-fifty years before we really began to connect on a spiritual level.”
“You know what they say,” Bashi said to Chris. “The first century is the hardest.”
“Who says that?” Hyoi asked.
“They do,” Bashi said with a smile.
“That does not answer the question,” Hyoi said, frustrated.
“The fifteen-hundreds were really Hyoi’s sweet spot,” Bashi said to Chris, pretending Hyoi wasn’t there. “The Reformation, the Ming Dynasty, the rise of Moscow. Everyone was so serious. Right where he belonged.”
“Geneva was nice then,” Hyoi said, remembering. “Wonderful city. No real conversation happening today like there was then.”
“I’m glad he’s going to be okay,” Bashi said motioning to the car. “I like this one.”
“I like him too,” Chris said. “But I didn’t have Ernie call you just to give you an update on Jose.”
“We assumed,” Hyoi said. “How can we be of service?”
“Jose needs to rest. He needs a week of peace. Can you keep Bose’s crew busy for a bit?”
“Bose survived?” Hyoi said surprised.
“Bastard got away just as I was about to finish him off,” Chris said. “Tossed a coin into the ceiling and disappeared before I could end him.”
“It’s rare someone survives an encounter with you,” Hyoi said. “Bose must have been at the top of his game.”
“I wasn’t feeling well,” Chris said. “I was a little slower than usual.”
“Huh?” Bashi said. “Well, I’m not going to tell you it’s okay. Azo would have been easier to handle without one of his captains.”
“At the same time,” Hyoi said. “If Bose had died, Azo might have brought his army in force, and we are currently unprepared to handle that.”
“I asked Ernie to find the Rothman,” Chris asked. “We could use him.”
“Last we spoke with him, he was also in pursuit of the Tinker’s box,” Hyoi said.
“If he knows Azo is closing in on it,” Bashi said. “He might be more inclined to play nice.”
“If you see him before Ernie,” Chris said. “Use my name. We have history.”
“You are a most curious human,” Hyoi said with suspicion. “So connected. Very different.”
“So let me get this straight,” Bashi said. “You need us to keep Bose busy while your partner recovers. Then you need us to go and find a murderous crazy man who hates everyone and ask him to come and hang out with you?”
“Yep,” Chris said. “Then I’m going to ask you to run one more errand when all of that is done.”
“We’ll serve you better here, holding off Azo’s forces,” Hyoi said.
“I’ll call in favors from other cities,” Chris said. “With us and Rothman, we should be able to keep him at bay. At least for a while.”
“That’s the catch right. The one thing we will always have on you is time,” Hyoi said.
“You’re saying that unless one of us finds the box and destroys it,” Chris said.
“Azo is just going to keep coming,” Bashi said, finishing Chris’ sentence.
“We will agree to these things on one condition,” Hyoi said.
Chris sighed.
“We need the box when it is found,” Hyoi said. “It’s a forbidden artifact and needs to be returned to the Council of Malacandra.”
“I’m just going to smash it,” Chris said.
“Well,” Bashi said. “While I’m all for that, the Tinker made it, so it’s probably unsmashable.”
“Artifacts must be brought to the Council for processing. We do not have a choice. We will help you in distracting Bose and Azo for a week, but only if you agree to these terms.”
“You’re doing it again,” Bashi said.
“Doing what?” Hyoi asked.
“Being a dick,” Chris said.
“I want something too,” Bashi said.
Hyoi looked at him with shock.
“What?” Chris said.
“I’m going to check in on the boy from time to time,” Bashi said.
“Why would you want to do that?” Hyoi asked.
“Because, like I said, I like him,” Bashi said.
“You’ve got a deal,” Chris said. “Just don’t fill his head with any of your crazy shit stories about other worlds. We’ve got enough trouble here to worry about.”
“Deal,” Bashi added, smiling.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Chris and Jose peered over the wooden rail of the roof deck, looking down into the alley. The deck seemed like a relaxing setting. In its center was a large glass patio table surrounded by matching floral print chairs and couches. In the far corner, next to the door leading into the house was a large grill.
“What do you think they are doing?” Jose asked. Chris and Jose were three stories up. Bose and two Mardocks stood in the alley below them. A remnant of the days before cars, the alley was thin, just enough for two normal sized people walk down it standing next to each other. The monsters seemed unaware that the Gracanjo were above them.
“I think they’re waiting for someone?” Chris said.
“On their side or our side?” Jose asked.
Chris looked to the left and the right. “There isn’t anyone around here on their side,” Chris said. “So it has to be our side.”
The streets below them were silent. Not many ventured into the middle of downtown at two on a Tuesday morning.
“So what’s the plan,” Jose asked as he watched in disgust as Bose plucked a rat from the ground.
“The plan is,” Chris said looking at his partner. “I go down there and kick some ass while you stay up here and rest.”
“I want to help,” Jose said.
“No chance, kid,” Chris said. “This one is all me. You just sit up here and enjoy the show. Besides, he only brought two Mardocks. It’s nowhere near a fair fight. This’ll be over in seconds.”
Three weeks had passed since Bose had almost killed Jose in the basement of the church. Surprised by the speed of his healing, Jose had been training and patrolling for a week, but Chris still wouldn’t allow his young partner to see any action.
Truthfully, Jose hadn’t missed much. There had been a few random Slakes that had fallen through the Veil by accident, and a Mardock who had come to get high on pain. Hyoi and Bashi had kept Bose and Azo’s army busy with all kinds of destructive pranks, and Jose was thankful for the peaceful recovery time. His back was still sore from where Bose had thrown him against the brick archway of the church, but he’d never tell Chris. He didn’t want to show any weakness.
“At least let me go be a distraction,” Jose said. “I’ll stand at one end of the alley and yell, get them looking the other way.”
“And what if one of them comes for you?” Chris said. “You’re not well enough yet. You need more time to heal.”
“I don’t need more time,” Jose protested. He crossed his arms, leaned on the railing, and looked into the alley with a pout.
Chris shook his head. He moved close to his partner and put his arm around him. “I’m telling you, I’ve got this one. I’ll take down the first Mardock and Bose will run like the coward he is. Then we can go and get some sleep.”
Jose looked into the alley again. Bose was holding the rat at eye level, whispering something to it.
“Fine,” Jose said. There was a tightness in his throat again. “But do you think we should wait to see who he is meeting with first?” he said pushing back.
“No,” Chris said removing his arm from Jose and looking over the side again. “I don’t want whoever is
coming to deliver whatever it is they’ve got. There’s nothing anyone could give Bose that’s good for us. I’ll chase him back to his side of the Veil, then we wait to see who shows up. You stay up here, out of the way. That’s the plan.”
“Fine,” Jose said. He looked down to the three monsters in the alley below. The Mardocks were taking turns punching one another in the chest and laughing, probably excited by their increased strength and speed on this side of the Veil. Bose was sitting on the ground now with the rat in this lap. Still talking to it, he stroked it with his right hand.
Jose knew Chris would finish these three off with no problems, that wasn’t the reason for the knot in his throat. He didn’t like being left behind like a helpless child. He was supposed to be Chris’ partner, but right now he felt like a baby who needed a sitter. The pre-teen worried that Chris was keeping him from action because he didn’t trust him to fight when combat broke out. Was this going to be their relationship? Jose sat and watched from roof decks while Chris took all the risks?
“You’ll see action soon,” Chris said looking into the alley. “But not tonight. Tonight just hang tight. I’ll be right back.”
Jose turned to watch his partner go. Chris jogged in the opposite direction of the alley and hopped over the wooden side rail, landing on the roof deck on the neighboring row home. He continued moving from roof deck to roof deck until he reached the end of the block. Then he descended the wooden stairs that led down the back of the house to the ground.
Jose looked into the alley again. The Mardocks were still punching each other in the chest. The rat sat peacefully in Bose’s lap.
Jose turned, leaned against the railing, and looked out across the line of decks. Each was the same. A small amount of furniture, a small grill, and a door leading to the rest of the house. The decks were in pristine condition. Jose wondered if anyone ever used them.
