I stopped at the third tier and stepped onto the moving sidewalk. I liked watching over the railing as the sidewalk carried me along. The morning bustle was silent but tangible as priests and priestesses hurried past, bracing against the chill. Theosians were bound to the gods, but we were never given the title of priest or priestess. We were minor gods in our own right, held to service for as long as the Elder Gods wanted us.
At the same time, no Theosian I had ever known had been promoted to Elder God. But then, we were young compared to the Elders, mere glints in their life spans. And we were an accidental creation, collateral damage from the Weather Wars and the World Shift. So much history had been lost in the chaos that it was difficult to know when we had begun to appear.
Passing the Coliseum—the Roman temple—I finally came to Naós ton Theón. I avoided the general admittance line, which seemed longer than usual for a Tuesday morning, and went straight to the entrance for those who worked in the temple. The guardian who was watching the detector motioned for me to place my hand on the scanner, while the priest standing next to him motioned for me to give him my sword. I handed over the sword and my dagger and he ran them through the detector. They came up on his screen and he set them to the side.
“Fury, servant to Hecate. Walk through the detector, please.”
I trudged through the arch, watching as the golden light that crackled across the face of the portal changed to green. That meant I was cleared through.
“Any—”
“Nope,” I finished for him. “No hidden charms or magic to declare.”
“Here are your weapons. Go ahead.” They motioned me on. I had met both of them before. By now, most of the priesthood knew who I was.
I strapped my dagger back on and then slipped Xan’s scabbard over my shoulder so it was hanging at easy reach across my back. My breath coming in white frozen puffs, I headed into the temple, out of the cold.
Coralie, the receptionist in the waiting room on the floor where Hecate’s office was, looked frazzled as I exited the elevator. Her golden hair was caught up in a messy bun, and her one-shouldered toga dress looked a little askew. She glanced up with a fearful glint in her eyes.
“Oh, Fury! Thank gods it’s you. Hecate’s champing at the bit. You’re to go directly back.” She nodded toward the hall leading to Hecate’s office.
“Oh, hell. She on the rampage?” That could mean a number of things, but so far I hadn’t done anything wrong that I knew of.
“Not as much as Zeus.” The girl lowered her voice. She leaned forward, glancing around to make sure nobody could hear us. “You wouldn’t believe the row he and Hera had. We heard it all through the temple. He stormed out about an hour ago. I’d expect to see some thundersnow sooner or later today.”
I grimaced. Zeus and Hera were renowned for their temper tantrums. They routinely had rows that echoed through the temple. “Is Hera still here?”
When the bigwigs were in the building and pissed, it paid to keep a light step and get out of the way.
Coralie nodded. “Yeah, so watch it, though she’s on the top floor. She seldom comes down here. But she found Zeus canoodling with one of her Theosians.” Her voice dropped and I knew precisely what had happened. Well, not the full details, but whatever the punishment had been extended was guaranteed to be well beyond any my imagination could cook up.
“The girl still alive?”
Coralie nodded. “She probably wishes she wasn’t. Hera told her that if she wanted to be Zeus’s little bitch, that’s what she’d be. She turned the girl into a puppy and dumped her out in the streets. I think somebody managed to sneak out and get the girl…the pup…to safety, but that’s pretty much the end of life as she knew it.” She glanced at the clock. “You’d better get back there. Hecate was in a pique as well. And we don’t need any more hounds around here.”
I nodded, heading through the door that led to the divine offices. I often made light of working for one of the Elder Gods, but truth was, it could be terrifying. Theosians belonged to their gods. If our patron chose to destroy us, there was nothing we could do to stop it. No law of the land extended rule over them, and they didn’t live by human ethics. Not that humans were much better.
I paused outside the door to Hecate’s suite, then knocked and peeked inside.
“Hecate?”
She motioned me in.
Hecate was gorgeous. Contrary to popular opinion, beauty could be as terrifying as it was arresting. Hecate’s hair was waist length, jet black, and she wore it gathered up in a high ponytail. In her hair, she wore a diadem, a circlet of three silver snakes entwining with a black moonstone nestled in a crescent moon. Horns up, the moon was held aloft by the snakes’ heads. It mirrored the tattoo on my neck marking me as Hecate’s property. Her black leather pants and indigo V-neck sweater were, as always, meticulous, and a silver belt encircled her waist. But her eyes were what knocked her beauty out of the stadium. They were twinkling periwinkle like the light that divided early evening from twilight.
She looked up from where she was sitting on the edge of her desk. “It’s about time. You certainly weren’t in any hurry to get here, were you?” She paused, frowning. “You know I don’t have all day to waste.” With a pause, she set down her tablet. “What’s wrong?”
Great. She was pissed. As much as I respected her, the last thing I needed was to be scolded by an impatient goddess. “I had a rough night and took Sleep-Eze to knock myself out. In case you didn’t realize it, my boyfriend’s missing. I asked Queet to tell you last night.”
“You mean Tam still isn’t back?” The impatience in her voice shifted to concern.
I shook my head. “No, and we haven’t heard a word from him. Hans tried to poke around down at the precinct but his contacts are clueless on this one. It’s been hushed up. The last time I saw him, the Devani were using a stunner on him. Hecate, I’m worried sick. This isn’t like him. He’d contact me if he could.”
She worried her lip for a moment, then motioned for me to sit down. “I’ll do what I can. You’re right, this isn’t like Tam. I’m sorry I was so abrupt. We just have a bad situation breaking and I need you to be in top form.”
I grimaced. I didn’t want to go fighting. I wanted to go hunt down Tam. But I had a job to do and when the gods said, “Jump,” we Theosians jumped.
“What’s going on?”
“An Abom was spotted coming in off the World Tree. He’s a bad one, Fury. You need to head out hunting before he goes on a feeding spree. He’s not in-body, and he’s strong. Very strong.”
I let her words register for a moment, not wanting to respond. But then, routine kicked in and I straightened my shoulders. “Give me the specs. But what about Queet? I need him. What’s going on with him lately?” Technically, I didn’t actually need Queet, but it made my job so much easier when he was there.
“He’ll be here in a few moments. He’s been going through some difficulties, Fury, so try to understand. A psychic leech latched onto him and was feeding off his essence. He was having trouble keeping himself situated, let alone focusing enough to help you. He came to me, as is proper, and I examined him. Queet couldn’t see the creature because it was cloaked. I managed to dislodge it and we’ve been repairing the damage. He’s embarrassed about not noticing it, and he didn’t want you to know.”
I hung my head. “He thought I might use it to tease him, or make fun of him, didn’t he?”
“Well, you two don’t have the most amiable of relationships, but I paired you off for a good reason. You spur each other on.” She flashed me a look that could have read as irritated or amused. I decided I was better off not knowing which.
“If you want the truth, Queet’s okay. I like to bug him because he always seems so bent out of shape. Yes, he gets on my nerves and I get on his, but he’s helpful and courageous and I’d do whatever I could for him. I won’t tease him. I promise.”
Thank you. I think you’re o
kay, too, Fury. Queet swept up behind my back, and then settled beside me on the sofa. I’m feeling much better now.
I cocked my head. “You know, I wonder if the astrigators we encountered over in Bend a few months ago were responsible. They eat magical and psychic power like candy.”
“That could well be. This creature was of a similar disposition.” Back to business, Hecate picked up her tablet and scanned it. “Let’s get back to matters at hand, shall we? There’s a lot I wanted to discuss today, but this takes priority. The Abom came off the World Tree like the others, as I said. By reports, he’s not in-body, and hasn’t taken over a human vehicle. But he’s corporeal, so I’m not sure how or what to believe. Whether he’s in-body or not, he’ll come up on your Trace screen. He’s headed for the Trips and so far, he hasn’t taken any victims, so something is up. You need to figure out what he’s trying to do, and then put a stop to him. Usually they go on rampages the minute they cross over but so far, he hasn’t.”
I frowned. Aboms usually waited a few hours before assuming a human vehicle, but during that time, they raged through victims, feeding to grow even stronger as they looked for a suitable host. Aboms usually chose someone exceptionally strong on a physical level.
But there were also Aboms who sought out victims holding positions of power. We weren’t sure what their end game was or why they were trying to infiltrate our society. We managed to kill most of them taking that route, but it was always worrisome when the Aboms didn’t follow the pattern. And if this Abomination hadn’t taken down any victims yet, he was out of sync.
“The Trips? I wonder why. Aboms usually head into Darktown and then try to work their way into Croix and Uptown. Where is he now?”
“Almost to the edge of the Junk Yard. If you head out now, you might be able to catch him before he crosses the district border. But hurry. The Fates are worried about this one.”
That she had talked to the Fates about an Abom worried the hell out of me.
“He’s that bad, huh?”
“That bad. Let’s just say, this one is on our watch list. Some Aboms are easy enough to dispatch. But I fear you may have trouble with this one. He’s after something in particular and I don’t know what. I want you to trail him for a little bit, unless he goes after somebody, and find out what you can.”
The last thing I wanted to do was go on a monster hunt, but Hecate’s will was my will, and I was in no position to refuse. “You’ll look into Tam’s disappearance?” I wanted her assurance. I wanted to know somebody was doing something.
“I promise, Fury. As humans say, cross my heart. I’ll do everything I can to find out what happened to him.” She walked over to me, leaning down to cup my chin. With whisper-soft lips, she pressed a kiss against my forehead. “I’ll get on it the moment you leave this office.”
Hecate could be cold as the grave, and as ruthless, but when she was in a mood to be generous, it came through clear as crystal. She gazed into my eyes, her own spinning circles of dusk. She reached out then, to touch the gold-and-ruby “F” I wore around my neck. The pendant vibrated with her touch.
“You are mine. You are bound to me. What hurts you, concerns me. I like Tam and I like that you and he have chosen to forge a relationship. I will do what I can to find out where he is. You’re one of my daughters, Fury. And I always protect my own. At least, to the extent that I am able.” With that, she turned and crossed back to her desk. “Go now, and I will text you when I learn anything. Keep me informed on what you find out about the Abom, and I leave it to you to decide when to move against him. Knowledge is important, but saving lives comes first.”
With that, she dismissed Queet and me. Before we made it out of the temple, though, a loud shriek emanated from the upper levels. I had heard it once before and I had hoped to never hear it again.
Come on, let’s get the hell out of here. I began to speed walk through the hall, though running wasn’t allowed in the temple without a good reason.
What is it? Queet seemed downright jaunty now, back to his old spirits.
Hera. She’s up in arms. I think Zeus may have returned and we don’t want to be around if they’re about to launch into each other again. I made sure my voice was low enough so that it wouldn’t be detectable to anybody but Queet. Whisper-speak wasn’t just reserved for Theosians, after all, and the last thing I wanted to do was get anybody in power pissed at me. Especially any priestess of Hera or priest of Zeus who might be wandering by.
That hurried Queet up. The moment we exited the temple, I began to jog toward the nearest set of stairs, slogging through the newly fallen snow. Within minutes, we were at the top of the Peninsula and heading back toward the Monotrain. As I raced along, blowing on my fingers, I only hoped we would find the Abom before he managed to find a victim to his liking.
Chapter 7
The Trips was a residential area. My mother and I had lived there when I was a child. A lot of workers who pulled shifts in the Metalworks chose to make their home there, along with those who felt Darktown was too unsafe for family life.
Theosians were only allowed to live in Darktown, the Trips, and Portside within the city of Seattle proper. If we wanted to chance ending life way too early, we could live in the NW Quarters, but the gangs there hated us.
And anybody could choose to enter the Tremble, but once in, never out. The Tremble was different. The Tremble made the Sandspit look like a walk in the park. As for Briarwood, the Greens, the Wild Wood, and the Edge, they all belonged to the Fae and the Shifters. Some humans chose to live there, and probably some Theosians, but there were no guarantees and life in the wild had truly become life in the Wild.
The Trips was Uptown’s country cousin. Tidy, neat, relatively low crime, the Trips was filled with low-income families who were just trying to make it through life with some modicum of comfort and a relatively full belly. The apartments were weathered but tidy, and the houses showed a lot of wear and tear, but the families took pride in their homes and maintained them as best as they could, overall.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve thought about the Trips,” I said, more to myself than anybody else.
But Queet heard me. I remember, Fury, when you lived here. Your mother and father were into some rough times when you first came along. He had the beginning of blue-lung disease and your mother had a rough time coping. Jason was always there for all of you.
Jason had known my parents before I was born, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember much about him from when I was little. But then, after my father died, he came around more and the memories were clearer.
Jason helped my mother keep it together when Father died. He was probably the best friend she ever had. I didn’t add that the only thing that kept me from losing it during that time were my books, and Hecate. Queet knew, though. He was there, even then.
Shaking off my thoughts, I pulled up my Trace screen. The moment the Abom came within hunting distance, he’d show on my screen.
A thought crossed my mind. Queet, why are most Aboms male?
I don’t know. You might ask Hecate. But you’re right, most of them that come through are male.
We passed through the neighborhoods, my attention constantly focused on the Trace. I had been born with the ability but Hecate had ignited it, putting me to good use. While she supervised my hunt for Abominations, you might say I’d been destined by my rogue DNA to seek them out and destroy them.
Several people on their way to the Monotrain platforms took one look at the sword hanging across my back and quickly shifted to the opposite side of the street, not wanting to get too close. Big sword equals dangerous woman.
While I was well known in Darktown, my reputation hadn’t spread far into the Trips, and I decided I rather liked it that way. It made me less of a target from freaks on the human side of the equation. While I had sent most of the Abominations right back to the realm of Pandoriam, there were a few not-so-astral critters and people who w
ould be a lot happier if they could ensure I didn’t exist.
He was coming from Darktown, and we were moving in from the Peninsula of the Gods. I hoped the Abom would show on my Trace before we hit the border separating the Trips from both the Junk Yard and Darktown. An Abomination loose in the Trips had a lot more chance of harming children than one in Darktown. The kids in Darktown knew to run the second they even thought they saw an Abom was near.
Nobody knew quite what the Abominations really were. They weren’t exactly demons, but they were from one of the lower realms. The shadow realms ran energy on a much lower vibration and the inhabitants had no sense of human mores. They fed on life energy. At times, they fed on flesh as well. They sucked the souls out of their victims, then took on their body like a suit. A human vehicle, we called it. A few were even capable of passing for a time and tried to work their way into positions of power, although we weren’t sure just what they expected to accomplish.
We made our way through the streets with the flow of people heading off to work. Queet had lapsed into silence as he often did when we were on the hunt. He knew that I needed to focus on my Trace and he was good about not distracting me.
The Trace was like an internal hologram. I could see it in my mind, and whenever an Abom got within range, a brilliant red dot would flare up on a map and a soft alarm would chime. As I closed in on the Abom, the light grew in intensity. When I was close enough, I could even tell how many blocks away he was thanks to my infernal GPS, as I called it.
As we neared the juncture where the Trips, Darktown, and the Junk Yard converged, the alarm started to sound and a faint red dot appeared.
“Got him. He’s still in Darktown.” I didn’t bother with whisper-speak. Nobody around me was paying attention and one more crazy talking to herself wouldn’t turn a single head.
Fury's Magic (Fury Unbound Book 2) Page 7