Stone and Claw: A Novel in the Alastair Stone Chronicles

by R. L. King

  They crept forward until they reached the edge of the chain-link fence. “You might want to close your eyes just about now,” Stone said. “And please keep quiet, no matter what happens. I don’t want to alert anyone else to our presence.”

  “What the hell—?” Foley was beginning to look as if he wished he had taken off into the forest along with his partner. “What’s gonna happen?”

  “Trust him,” Jason said, patting the cop’s arm.

  Stone didn’t wait to see whether Foley followed instructions. “Verity, you get Jason. I’ll take care of Mr. Foley.”

  Together, they cast their levitation spells. The four of them lifted up past the razor wire and settled neatly on the other side.

  Foley stumbled as he touched the ground, and would have fallen if Jason hadn’t caught his arm. Apparently he had taken Stone’s advice, because he now gaped at the fence, clearly confused about how they’d ended up on the other side. To his credit, he said nothing but merely took a deep, shuddering breath and waited for further instructions.

  “Come on,” Jason said under his breath. “I don’t like being out in the open like this. Makes us too easy a target.”

  Together, the four of them hurried across the twenty-foot open zone. Stone scanned constantly ahead of them with magical sight, and it looked like Verity was doing the same thing.

  Nothing attacked them. Either the man Verity had knocked out with her stun spell hadn’t awakened yet, or he’d run off to look for more help. Either way, the four of them stopped just past the tree line to catch their breath.

  “Now what?” Verity asked. “You don’t know exactly where they’ve got her, do you?”

  “No.” Stone turned to Foley. “Mr. Foley. You said you were familiar with this place from your childhood. What can you tell us?”

  Foley was looking around as if he expected to be jumped from all sides. “I don’t remember a lot,” he said. “It was a long time ago. It looks like we’re on the west side now. There are several enclosure things for animals—some of them are sunken, so we need to be careful not to stumble into them in the dark if the fences are down.”

  “What about buildings?” Stone asked. “Are there still any? If they’ve got our friend, they’re probably holding her in one of them—not to mention whatever else they’re up to.”

  “Uh—there’s a visitors’ center thing. Should be pretty close. Some barns…I think there’s a vet’s office somewhere up ahead.”

  “There’s got to be some kind of administration building too,” Jason said. “Probably off somewhere away from the public areas. Unless the admin stuff is in the visitors’ center.”

  “Not much to go on,” Stone said grimly. “Can’t be helped, though. I’d go up and take a look, but I don’t fancy getting shot down if they have a way to spot me. Let’s just keep on, and keep our eyes open. I doubt they’ll sit idle and let us explore.”

  Picking their way through the darkened forest proved to be an eerie and uncomfortable endeavor. Constantly on the watch for threats, Stone and Verity both kept their magical sight up. Stone tried to look everywhere at once—ahead, above them into the high branches, behind them to make sure no one was sneaking up on them—while still watching where he walked to make sure he didn’t stumble into some overgrown pit. He saw no sign of the downed fences Foley had mentioned; either they were gone, or so choked by growth that they were no longer visible.

  “This is creepy,” Verity whispered as some small animal skittered by on an overhead branch. She sounded as tense as Stone felt.

  “Yeah,” Jason muttered. He had the shotgun pointed ahead, sweeping the barrel around and jumping at every faint sound. “Reminds me of that movie Predator—remember, V?”

  “Great,” she said sourly. “Now you’ve got me thinking about invisible space aliens who want to skin us and hang us from trees. Thanks, big bro.”

  “Hush,” Stone said. “You’re not far from wrong—except I think they’re more interested in pulling our arms off than skinning us. Stay quiet. Is it much further, Foley?”

  Foley had a death-grip on his pistol. “I don’t think so. I think the visitor’s center’s up ahead soon, if it’s still there.”

  It felt like at least another hour before they reached the edge of a clearing and spotted the shadowy husk of a building up ahead, but a quick glance at his watch told Stone it had in reality been only a few minutes. He held up a hand to stop the others and sharpened his magical sight. The structure stood black and dead against the glowing green of the trees and underbrush, showing ragged, uneven edges. “Is that it?” he asked Foley.

  “I think so. Can’t see too well, but I think that’s where it was.”

  “Looks pretty trashed,” Verity said. “They wouldn’t be keeping her in there, would they?”

  “Let’s take a quick check,” Stone said. “Unlikely, but safer to be sure. Verity, put a disregarding spell on Jason. I’ll get Foley.”

  “Right.”

  Stone had no idea if the spell would conceal them from the enhanced attackers, but it didn’t require much energy and it might give them the edge they needed. He moved forward, scanning the space ahead of him, and heard his companions doing likewise.

  “This is it,” Foley whispered as they got closer. “This is where people used to buy tickets, and they ran some presentations on the animals they had here. Looks like not much of it’s left, though.”

  Stone stepped over a pile of debris and approached the building. Foley was right: up closer, it appeared that most of two side wings had been knocked down, leaving only the center section. Even that hadn’t survived unscathed, with most of its roof, its windows, and big sections of its walls missing. All around, tall weeds and other growth were clearly in the process of reclaiming it.

  “See anything?” Jason asked. He’d turned back the way they’d come and was swiveling the shotgun barrel around.

  Everything was dark, relieved by nothing but the faint green glows of the vegetation and the brighter ones of their own auras. Stone spotted a large hole in the nearby wall and stepped through, risking a quick, faint light spell. As the others came through behind him, he got dim impressions of broken furniture, including a waist-high counter; molding, tattered carpets; and the torn and faded remains of what had once been brightly colored posters strewn around the floor. “If they’re here, they’re hiding well,” he said. “I think we should—”

  “Look out!” Jason shouted from behind him, followed by the echoing boom of his shotgun.

  The front of the counter splintered, but not before a dark figure leaped free of it and dived at the group with frightening speed.

  40

  Jason’s warning gave Stone the time he needed to get his shield up. The shadowy figure slammed into it and rolled aside just as Verity yelped.

  “More behind us!” she cried, raising her own shield.

  Stone spun, spotting two more of the attackers—one came in through the same hole in the wall they’d used, and the other had apparently been crouched near a broken section in the roof. All of them moved as fast as Garra had, and none of them had visible auras.

  That wasn’t good—it would make them much harder to keep track of.

  Jason’s shotgun boomed again, and next to it Foley’s pistol, their loud barks echoing in the silence. A shower of debris came down from the ceiling, pattering over their heads. One of the figures leaped at Jason, who dived sideways and barely avoided the attack.

  “Stay close!” Stone yelled, his ears ringing from the guns’ reports. They’d have to take this lot down—or drive them away—fast, since there was no way they could fight them on their own terms. The attackers knew the area and their enhancements made them faster, stronger, and more agile than his own group. They might have an advantage if they could keep the fight in here, though. If they got outside, these men knew the terrain better and could use it to their advantage.

  Time to let loose, then, and take this new power out for a real test drive.

>   As one of the men leaped toward them and Verity used a concussion beam to blow him into the far wall, Stone focused on the counter. It was large and looked substantial—at least substantial enough to survive the years’ worth of decay that had claimed most of the rest of the building. He reached out with his power and gripped it with a telekinetic hold, then ripped it free of the floor with a wrenching screech. He held it there for just a moment, then sighted in on two of the men and flung it at them.

  They were fast—faster than he’d thought. One of them managed to leap free before the thing crashed into the wall, but the other one wasn’t so fortunate. The full weight of the massive projectile, which had to be at least two hundred pounds, slammed first into him and then into the wall, crushing him. He screamed in pain as the counter’s momentum broke through the weakened wall, tumbling both him and the counter out into the clearing. Without the wall to support it, part of the roof came free and cascaded down on top of him.

  “Holy shit!” one of the other men yelled.

  “You want more?” Stone snapped. He didn’t think they’d stay intimidated for long, but every little bit helped.

  The others, meanwhile, weren’t idle. Jason and Foley both opened fire on the one who’d yelled, and Verity followed up by whipping some of the debris into a whirlwind and settling it over him.

  Stone took his eyes off the one he’d dropped in the hope of spotting the third one, but couldn’t find him. When he turned back to the first one, expecting him to be diving toward him again, he instead saw nothing but the ruined counter splayed on the ground just outside the blasted wall. The man had disappeared.

  Two more gunshots sounded. “He’s getting away!” Jason yelled, and indeed the second attacker had burst free of the whirlwind and was staggering into the forest, his jerking gait indicating that at least one of the rounds had found him.

  “Should we go after them?” Verity asked, puffing as she scanned the area around her.

  “No.” Stone fought to control the jangling rush of adrenaline still surging through him. “Let’s keep going. We’ll probably encounter them again, but we haven’t got time to waste chasing them.”

  Jason pulled rounds from his pocket and quickly reloaded the shotgun, eyeing Stone and the broken counter with a new respect. “I agree. Let’s keep going and find her fast. Maybe we can get her out of here before they can regroup.”

  “How long does it take them to heal damage?” Verity asked, then turned to Foley. “Do you know?”

  Foley was obviously trying not to look overwhelmed. “I—I’m not sure,” he said. “With us it took about an hour—we never had to test it against serious injuries, though, and I think these guys have a better version than we did.”

  “I’m sure it’s faster than that,” Stone said. “Let’s assume it is, anyway. Perhaps we’ll be pleasantly surprised. Let’s go.”

  They exited the blasted building with care, all of them looking in every direction as they tried to spot potential ambushes. “Anybody hurt?” Verity asked.

  Nobody spoke up.

  “I think we surprised them,” Jason said. “I don’t think they were expecting that level of opposition. Have they seen you in action before, Al?”

  “Yes, but not much.”

  “They might be tough, but you two aren’t anything to fuck with—not even accounting for the guns. They’ll be more dangerous next time.”

  “No doubt,” Stone said. That thought had already occurred to him. They had no idea how many of the men were here—they’d only seen three, but he was sure there were more. No doubt when they regrouped, they’d send everything they had.

  They soon left the visitors’ center behind. After a few more minutes’ hyper-vigilant trek through the tangled overgrowth, they passed another building to their left. This one was only a fraction of the visitors’ center’s size, and the vegetation had nearly reclaimed it.

  “That’s the vet’s office, I think,” Foley said, coming up next to Stone. “If my memory’s right, there should be one more building up ahead.”

  “Do you know what it is?”

  “No—it wasn’t open to the public. I think it was some kind of lab, or maybe where they kept the animals quarantined when they arrive. Not sure.”

  “We’ll check it out,” Stone said. “Sounds like a good place to keep a prisoner.”

  But as they continued forward, nothing but more trees and underbrush appeared in front of them. They walked for five minutes, then ten, with no sign of either any structures or their attackers. A bit further ahead, they spotted what looked like it had once been a clearing, but now tall trees dotted its center.

  Foley stopped. “Wait a second…” he said, looking confused.

  “What?”

  He pointed toward the clearing. “That’s it. There’s supposed to be a building there.”

  “All I see is a cleared-out space with some trees in it,” Jason said. “Maybe they tore it down since you were here last.”

  “Yeah…maybe so. I guess it’s possible the remains could be overgrown by now. But it’s weird that the trees have gotten so tall. It hasn’t been that long since I was out here.”

  “Are you sure you don’t have the location wrong?”

  “I’m sure.” He pointed again. “See past it, where that steep hillside’s rising? That’s the boundary of the park. It couldn’t be any farther ahead.” He shook his head. “I’ve gotta be wrong, though. No way the trees could be that far along. Let’s head east a little and see if we can find it.”

  Stone didn’t move. “Hmm…” He continued examining the area, shifting to magical sight.

  “You think it’s an illusion?” Verity asked. “I can’t see anything—I’ve been trying.”

  “If it is, it’s a bloody good one. But there is a ley line not far from here, which would help sustain it. Give me a moment.”

  He moved away from the rest of the group and levitated up into the branches of a nearby tree. Once there, he crouched and focused, directing his attention to the middle of the clearing.

  One thing he’d noticed since returning from Calanar with his new power source: he still had access to significant power without doing more than tapping the dimension’s energy, but if he wanted extra punch, he had to work a little harder for it. It wasn’t an inconvenience—it wasn’t as if it hurt or tired him any more than normal—but it did represent an extra conscious step he had to take, and required a bit more concentration than normal. He did that now, narrowing his eyes and trying to envision a building where clearly none existed.

  That was the problem with illusions—seeing through them wasn’t just about magic. It was about the ability to believe—to truly believe—something contrary to what your every sense was telling you. Stone had met plenty of mages, including some with significant power levels, who’d never truly gotten the hang of it because they lacked imagination. The trick was similar to what he’d had to learn when he first mastered magical sight: you had to look past what seemed to be there, while keeping your mind open to the possibilities of what truly was there. He’d had a hell of a time getting it through to Verity, just as William Desmond had had trouble getting it through to him when he was a teenager.

  Now, though, as he let his mind drift and focus at the same time, something began to shimmer into view. Carefully, he forced himself not to look directly at it—doing that would make it disappear again. Instead, he continued to drift until several seconds later the scene shifted to reveal a glowing, hemispherical ward protecting a single-story building.

  “Nice…” he murmured. Combining the illusion with the ward meant that neither of them had to be particularly strong—the two reinforced each other, and with the addition of the ley line, produced a neat disguise to keep any curious searchers away. That was probably the ward his tracking spell had partially pierced, warning its caster of a potential intruder. And if that was true, this might be where they were holding Garra.

  “Did you find anything?” Verity’s voice came
from below him.

  “I did.” He didn’t shift away from what he’d spotted, fearing if he did it would fade again. It would be easier to get it back the next time, but the faster he could get it down, the faster they could get to whatever was inside.

  With care, he levitated back down. “Keep watch—all of you. I’m going to take that ward down, and I expect someone will object when I do.”

  “Got it.” Her footsteps rustled as she headed off, back to where Jason and Foley waited.

  Stone crouched low and headed to the edge of the ward. He summoned a nearly-invisible barrier around him just in case, then shifted fully to magical sight. Now that he knew where the ward was, he could focus specifically on it while ignoring the illusion.

  It wasn’t an impressive ward—certainly nowhere near as complex as the one on his home, or even the ones Verity could produce on her own. Likely, whoever had produced it didn’t specialize in such things, and counted on the illusion’s concealment to keep it from having to stand up to any real stress.

  Stone had two options: he could either punch through it using main force, or pick it apart to open a way for him and his friends to pass through. The former method would be faster but would certainly get them noticed immediately; the latter approach would take longer but likely give them a bit of a head start on getting inside the building. Both had their advantages and disadvantages, but he’d need to—

  “Doc! Watch out!”

  Verity’s shouted warning came less than a second before something large and heavy dropped from above him, slamming into his shield.

  41

  Whatever had dropped on Stone clearly hadn’t expected him to be protected, which certainly saved his life. He leaped up from his crouch in time to see a muscular male figure glance off the shield, roll away, then leap up and take off toward where Verity and the others waited.

  “Look out!” he called, already acting. Without dropping the shield—seriously, how had he functioned before he had ready access to this new power?—he flung twin beams of magical energy at the fleeing figure, expecting it to light up and drop.