“Black Orchid mages are highly trained,” Jessikah said. “How could some runes make them cut an investigation short?”
“Do you recall Grey’s car?” I said, before taking another sip of the ink that was my coffee. “The Beast that’s parked outside?”
“How could I forget?” Jessikah said with a small shudder. “It’s malevolent.”
“Exactly,” I said. “Grey is the only person who can drive that thing. From what I hear, it’s killed previous drivers.”
“The car…has killed previous drivers?”
“Not the car, exactly, but the runework inside the car,” I said, without going into detail about how Cecil had placed some of the same runes in the Dark Goat. “Cecil, who runed the Beast and the Dark Goat, is beyond skilled when it comes to runework, wards, and things of that sort.”
“Is this ‘Cecil’ a mage?”
“Good question,” I said, scratching my chin. “I don’t really know.”
“You don’t know, but you let him rune your vehicle?” Jessikah asked, incredulous. “That’s living dangerously.”
“Cecil is something more than just a mage, I think,” I said. “He’s something old and primal.”
“Just not something you can elaborate on?”
“I’m not a mage…like you said. Besides, if Grey says Cecil added runes to this place—runes that pick up on the energetic fluctuation of thought processes and their bodily manifestations in a mage, thereby causing a runic chain reaction expressed in a flight response based on their intentions—I believe him.”
Jessikah stared at me for a few seconds before speaking.
“Really?” she asked. “You managed all that from his answer?”
“What?”
“That was actually a particularly magelike explanation,” she said, “for someone who is not a mage. Are you feeling ill?”
“I’m fine,” I said with a growl. “Did it make sense?”
“Actually, yes,” she said with a nod. “I just didn’t expect it to make sense coming from you.”
“I’ve had a few challenging days as of late,” I said, trying to dismiss her words. “Also, Monty is my partner. I’m bound to pick up on the jargon at some point.”
“That was more than ‘jargon,’” she said, looking at me. “That was an explanation with actual understanding.”
She was right. I didn’t expect to give her that answer. Whatever was happening to me with my signature was influencing my thought process. I needed to get this treated yesterday—but first, dealing with Darth Monty.
Grey came back with a large bowl of steaming sausages.
“Hope he likes these,” Grey said, carrying the enormous bowl. “The kitchen sends its regards.”
The term ‘shadow-man’ was new. Either Peaches’ vocabulary was improving or my understanding of him was. I was sure it was related to the answer I had just given Jessikah, and whatever was going on with my energy signature. I looked at the bowl that Grey had used for the sausages, and slowly shook my head.
“Is that a regular aluminum bowl?”
“Yes,” Grey answered, placing the bowl down near Peaches. “Only one I had in the house. Why? Does he need a special hellhound bowl? Do those even exist?”
“I’ll buy you a new one.”
“What are you talking about?”
Peaches let out a gentle bark that rattled some of the bottles behind the bar, shattering a few. My eardrums squealed in pain, as I stepped to the side, giving him space for his approach on the bowl of sausages.
“That’s some bark,” Grey said, raising his voice and shaking his head. “My ears are still ringing.”
“That was a low bark,” I said, rubbing my ears. “You don’t want to hear loud.”
Jessikah looked at the bottles, and then at Peaches.
“That…was low?” she asked, rubbing an ear. “That sound was deafening.”
“He’s still a puppy, so he doesn’t have a handle on volume control yet,” I said, looking at Peaches go to town with the sausage. “Among other things, like slowing down while he eats.”
“If that’s puppy size, how large does he get?” Jessikah asked, staring transfixed at Peaches in action. “He’s quite large now.”
“Large,” I said, thinking about Cerberus or Peaches XL. “He says, ‘Thank you,’ by the way.” I glanced at Grey. “You may want to stand back a bit. Just to be safe, and to keep your toes.”
Grey took a step back.
One of Peaches’ bites removed the outer rim of the bowl. By the time he was done, thirty seconds later, the bowl was a mangled mess, resembling something the Tate Museum would display. In actuality, it looked like someone had taken a soda can, crushed it, ripped it to shreds, and finished it off with a generous drowning of hellhound drool.
“Wow,” Grey said, looking at the remains of the bowl. “Is he okay?”
“He’ll be hungry again in five minutes,” I said, rubbing Peaches behind the ears. “His bowls need to be titanium, or they don’t last more than one feeding. Even the titanium ones get a mangling. They just last a little longer.”
Jessikah just stared from Peaches to me. Watching him eat took some getting used to, so I understood her shock.
“So, why are you here, Strong?” Grey asked, after sliding back behind the bar and grabbing his mug of coffee. “Don’t tell me it’s to harass Frank about his conversations with your hellhound.”
“I wouldn’t make a trip here just for that.”
“Good, that would be a waste of time. Besides, I don’t know how they communicate. Frank underwent some major changes when he became a dragon.”
“Is he stuck in that form?”
“Yes,” Grey said. “That’s not my story to tell, and he doesn’t like to talk about it.”
“It’s possible the effects of the transfiguration endowed him with the ability to communicate with your hellhound,” Jessikah offered. “He is a mage, after all.”
“You are well informed,” Grey said. “Yes, he’s still a mage…a powerful one. Even I wouldn’t want to face him in a confrontation. He fights dirty.”
“I just wondered if it was something like my bond with Peaches.”
“I doubt it, but who knows? I certainly don’t,” Grey said. “I’m not an animal whisperer. I just know he can talk to your hellhound. So, if that’s not the reason…what is?”
“Ezra sent me.”
Grey narrowed his eyes and looked at me, his expression dark—well, darker than usual.
“Say that again…slow.” He put his mug down and stared. “Who sent you?”
“Ezra,” I said again, my expression just as dark. “You know—the Ezra?”
I tried to give Grey a two on the glare-o-meter with a dash of the Clint Glint, but failed. Grey just had a natural mage scowl that couldn’t be beat. Dealing with Frank for so long must’ve transformed his expression into a perpetual look of anger and disgust.
“I know who Ezra is,” Grey snapped, slipping into full magegrouch mode as he rubbed a temple. “Why would he send you to me? What did you do? Does this have to do with your skewed signature?”
“Skewed signature?” Jessikah said, surprised. “What skewed signature?”
“Monty is in a schism,” I said, ignoring her for the moment. “A nasty trap by an old enemy who was supposed to be dead.”
“Those are the worst,” Grey answered, picking up his mug again. “Did Tea-and-Crumpets—Tristan—step across? Is he dark?”
“No. He’s not full Darth Monty…yet,” I said, glancing at Jessikah, “but he’s close.”
“That expla
ins the Black Orchid agents,” Grey said, looking at Jessikah. “Why weren’t you here last night, with the rest of them?”
“They sent her alone. Against Monty.”
“What, like a forward observer?” Grey asked. “You were supposed to scout out his location and then report back to the team?”
“Not exactly,” Jessikah answered. “My mission was a bit more direct.”
“She was supposed to apprehend and erase Monty if necessary, alone.”
Grey looked at Jessikah for a few moments and then shook his head.
“That’s a death sentence, no offense,” Grey said, raising a hand. “You can’t face off against Tristan. He’s older, more powerful, more experienced…oh, and a war mage.”
“A war mage?” Jessikah asked. “He fought in the…?”
Grey nodded.
“He led a group in the Supernatural War,” Grey said. “Something covert. He and his uncle, from what I could tell. I never got more than that from him. He’s not exactly the chatty type.”
“Sounds like Monty,” I said. “How hard is it to be a war mage?”
“War mages are trained to stand and die,” Grey said, his voice low and grim. “It’s what battlemages are called after they’ve been blooded. Remind me again what the Black Orchids are trained in?”
“We’re trained to…well, not that,” Jessikah stammered. “Bloody hell. A war mage? Are you certain?”
Grey nodded before raising the mug to his lips again.
“She didn’t know, and I doubt any of them are truly prepared…not for Monty.”
“They sent her in blind?” Grey stared at Jessikah for a few seconds. A look of pity flitted across his face, replaced by something softer, like granite. “You’ve become a liability to someone and they want to dust you.”
“The rest of the team isn’t here to apprehend anyone,” I said. “At least not alive.”
“Didn’t think so,” Grey answered after a pause. “Wasn’t the impression I got from the team last night. They seemed…capable. Just not battle tested.”
“They want to eliminate Monty.”
“I’d say that was dangerous without the schism. Approaching him while he’s in it. Suicidal,” Grey said, slowly. “After helping your vampire…I’m tapped out on my quota of suicide missions for the foreseeable future.”
“You saw Chi?” I asked, surprised. “Where?”
“Last place I saw her was downtown. City Hall Park.”
My earlier conversation with Ramirez flashed in my memory.
“You guys are responsible for the crater downtown?” I asked, incredulous and somewhat relieved that, for once, someone else would get the blame for the destruction.
“What crater?”
“NYTF called me and informed me the park is now the City Hall crater. Was that you?”
“Not me,” Grey said. “That must have been her. She was carrying a dangerous amount of C4. Why would they call you?”
“We’re the default when things get exploded in this city.”
“Makes sense, especially with your track record,” Grey replied. “I’m surprised they haven’t locked you up yet.”
“Is she okay?”
“That’s sweet,” Grey said. “You actually think there’s something out there”—he waved his arm in front of him—“that can actually hurt her. She’s fine. Crazy as all get out, but fine.”
“I hope you didn’t say that to her face.”
“I’m insane, not stupid,” Grey said. “I only refer to her as Director. I hope I don’t have to see her or her rookie sidekick for a few years, at least.”
“Rookie sidekick?” I asked. “When did she get a rookie sidekick?”
“Don’t know…don’t care,” Grey said. “You’ll like her, she reminds me of you.”
“No two people can be that amazing on the same plane,” I said. “The cosmic energies couldn’t handle that much awesomosity.”
Grey stared at me for a few seconds before nodding.
“Yep,” Grey said with a nod. “She was full of it too, but good in a fight.”
“I can’t believe Chi is back in the city,” I said. “I’m going to need to speak to her.”
“You may want to give her a few days…or weeks.”
“Why?”
“Last I checked, she was doing some massive housecleaning in the Dark Council,” Grey said. “When we parted ways, she was about to renovate that place they had downtown. The Lotus.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Doesn’t matter now. It’s probably rubble. The Director leaves little to chance.”
“That sounds like her.”
“So, the Black Orchid wants Tristan and this greenhorn dead. We know that much; what we don’t know is why.”
“The real threat is Evers,” I said. “You hear about her?”
“I’m old, but I stay out of politics,” Grey said. “The Night Wardens focused on keeping this city in one piece. I didn’t have time or the energy to get involved in world affairs, like Tristan. Even during the war, we fought our battles on different fronts.”
“So, that’s a no?”
“That’s a no,” Grey said with a growl. “I have enough enemies to deal with. I don’t go out of my way to make new ones. My life has been overly exciting the past few days. I was looking forward to a little boring…then Ezra sends you to me.”
“So much for boring,” I said. “Evers is bad news. Sorry.”
“I don’t understand why they would go after him with such zeal,” Jessikah said. “I mean, I do understand some of the motivation; he is nearly a dark mage and dark mages are a clear and present danger.”
“I’m sure they are,” Grey said. “Please, go on.”
“Well,” Jessikah continued, oblivious to the fact that she had just insulted Grey. “This almost seems…personal. Tristan has been under surveillance for an extended period of time. Ever since the void vortices. That was a disaster.”
“Hey,” I said, offended.“That was defensive.”
“No situation warrants unleashing not one, but two vortices in a populated area,” Jessikah said. “It was reckless and incredibly dangerous. I won’t even get into London. They’re still recovering from your little ‘visit’ to that city.”
“I heard about that,” Grey said with a chuckle. “You, Tristan, and your hound are officially banned from the UK, according to the word on the street.”
“The Penumbra Consortium placed a continent-wide D-and-D alert on you three,” Jessikah said. “I would strongly advise against visiting Europe for at least a few decades. They have long memories.”
“D and D?” I asked, confused. “They want us to play Dungeons and Dragons?”
“Detain and Destroy,” Jessikah answered. “They are serious about eliminating you. I can’t believe you damaged the Tower of London?”
“I did no such thing,” I said. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not in the magic department. They’re just being a bunch of self-entitled rectal nuggets.”
“That…is an accurate description,” Grey said with a crooked smile. “The PC is full of entrenched stuffed shirts.”
“I’m afraid this is a case of guilt by association,” Jessikah said. “The Consortium wants you all erased or dead.”
“They’re going to need to get in line,” I said. “It’s not going to be that easy.”
“Don’t give it too much thought,” Grey said. “Just don’t make any trips across the pond and you should be fine.”
“He should be fine?” Jessikah asked, raising her voice. “It’s a termination order.”
“Which is only in effect if he’s in their jurisdiction,” Grey answered with a look that said, You need to get out more, kid, before continuing. “I have a few of them myself. The Consortium needs to get the stick out of their—anyway, I’m more concerned about why Ezra sent you here, Strong…you and your screwed up signature. It reads like you’re shifting, which is impossible, because…”
“I’m not a mage, I know.”
“Exactly,” Grey said. “What happened?”
“I don’t know, but I need to focus on Monty right now.”
“Ezra thought Monty was here?” Grey asked. “That makes no sense.”
“Hello, have you met Ezra?”
“Good point.”
“He said you would know where I needed to go,” I said. “It doesn’t explain why the BO is after Monty like he’s a fugitive on the most wanted list.”
“The BO?” Jessikah asked. “Really?”
“Yes, really,” I said. “They stink.”
“Puerile names aside,” Jessikah said, giving me a glance, “their motivations are suspect.”
“Wish I could help you with the BO, but I can’t,” Grey said. “This sounds like something that goes back to your elders and the Montagues. I may know something about where Tristan would go.”
“Dex did say something about the Black Orchid holding a grudge,” I said. “You know anything about that?”
“If Dex is involved, you better believe it’s personal. Again, not that I would know,” Grey replied after taking a sip of coffee. “My schedule is packed with my being a ‘clear and present danger’ these days.”
Jessikah turned a nice shade of red when she realized Grey had used her words.
“I’m terribly sorry,” she said, quickly. “I meant no insult.”
“Don’t sweat it,” Grey said, waving her words away. “I’ve been called worse. You may want to watch your words, though. Not every mage is as casual and easygoing as I am. Most of them are touchy about their reputations and pedigrees.”
“Most?” I said. “You mean all, right?”
“Dexter being his uncle still doesn’t explain the deviation in protocol for this particular mage,” Jessikah mused, regaining some of her natural color. “The Black Orchid is going above and beyond to apprehend Tristan.”
“By apprehend, you mean erase and kill?” Grey asked. “Didn’t seem like they were looking to have a chat over tea last night.”
“I don’t know what their orders are,” Jessikah replied. “We left the sect at different times.”
“I might have an idea why they have such an interest in Monty,” I said. “It was something Evers said.”
“What did she say?” Jessikah asked.
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