You’re screwed now, Jerome thought at me.
“Well, isn’t this cozy?” I said. “Can someone explain to me what’s going on?”
“You have come to free Alex’s sister?” Harriet asked.
“I have. Are you going to help me?”
“I agreed to a truce with Yarley,” Harriet said. “You remember that happening, don’t you? I believe you tried to show a Harry Potter movie in the middle of it.”
“That wasn’t...” I twisted the barbed wire necklace. There was no point getting into Jerome. “Yes.”
“And I’ve heard that you aren’t a fire sorcerer as we originally believed. That you are a fire sentinel.”
“How do you know that?” I could feel Alex’s eyes on me as he glared at me. The lies I had told him would have to come out.
“I told you I would know more about you the next time we met,” Harriet said. “I’m a woman of my word. So? Are you?”
“Yes.” I half stood up. “I am an alcoholic.”
“Rune,” Alex hissed.
“What do you want? Yes, I’m a sentinel as far as I know.”
Harriet nodded. “I can’t do anything against Yarley directly. However, I have been persuaded,” she glanced across at Alex, “to give you some help. I have an operation set up to raid a warehouse controlled by the Reds.” She took her phone from her pocket and pressed a button. “Proceed,” she said into the phone, then hung up and pocketed it again. She touched Nathan’s arm. “Keep an eye on the bar. Let me know if any of his men leave.”
Nathan threw a glance my way, then he stood and climbed into the front of the van.
“This warehouse is critical to the Reds’ operation,” Harriet said. “Yarley might even decide to deal with it himself.”
Somehow I doubted that. I turned toward Alex. “How do you know Harriet Ashley?”
“He’s been working with me for a while now,” Harriet answered for him.
“How can you work for the people who have kidnapped Jo?” I asked. “The people who sent Williams to attack your family home?”
“Williams worked with the Reds, and they are the ones who kidnapped Jo. I work with the Whites.”
“Reds, Whites, they are both the same, both riddled with plague-ridden shades.” I turned toward Harriet Ashley. “Offense intended.”
“Offense taken,” she replied.
“So are you one of them too?” I asked her. It seemed she had to be, considering she led the Whites, but the tweets from RedWhiteandTrue had never said one way or the other. And Sulle was heavily involved in both Reds and Whites, and he claimed to be human.
“You should just be grateful for my help,” Harriet told me.
“Not all shades are the same,” Alex said. “The Reds attacked us and took Jo. The Whites are helping.”
“They of course have you believing that, since they have you working for them. How did that even happen?”
“I learn more from the streets than I do from school,” Alex said.
“Does Jo know?” Of course she did. And she had never told me. Strangely, her small betrayal hurt more than Alex’s much bigger one. “And you being JusticeWarrior11, how does that tie in? Did Harriet know about that?”
“I’m not the only one with secret Twitter handles, Firesorcerer101,” Alex said.
“How could you...?” I had told no one about that account and only used it to send messages to RedWhiteandTrue. Then I realized. “You are behind RedWhiteandTrue as well.” I glanced at Harriet. “And she knows this?”
“Who do you think gave me all the secrets to reveal?” Alex said.
“The handle reveals stuff about the Whites as much as it does about the Reds.”
“I believe that shades should come out of the shadows,” Harriet said. “We shouldn’t hide anymore. Alex set up the Twitter account and exposed what I told him to.”
“And JusticeWarrior11. What was that about?”
“Jo helped me create a few Twitter handles to interact with RedWhiteandTrue,” Alex said. “To flesh out the bones. They were mainly useful when no one new about RedWhiteandTrue.”
“I didn't know about the meeting Alex set up on Jeffries Parking Lot,” Harriet said. “He went behind my back in trying to investigate his parents’ death.”
“I’d glad I’m not the only one he’s been deceiving.” I faced Harriet. “Why are you helping me? I don’t believe it’s just because Alex asked you.”
Harriet studied me. “I’m not even certain what I want to happen tonight, who I’d prefer standing upright at the end. I just decided to even the odds a small bit since I love a good fight.”
“You could go to the movies. Always a new superhero movie showing.”
“Real life is so much better than the movies.”
“How so?”
“No guarantee of a happy ending.”
“Sorry I asked.”
Nathan leaned back over the seat. “Most of the Reds have just left Burgundy’s in a rush,” he said. “Yarley is still there, however.”
“It’s your time, sentinel,” Harriet said.
“Now? Shouldn’t we wait a bit? I’m in the mood for a singsong. ‘One million bottles of beers on the wall, one million bottles of beer, if one falls...’ Feel free to join in. No, nobody?”
“I’ll go with you.” Alex pushed off the bench and into a standing crouch. He opened the van door.
“No, you won’t,” Harriet said.
“She’s my sister,” Alex said.
“This isn’t a discussion,” Harriet said. “If I need to have Nathan restrain you, Alex, then I’ll trust you less in the future.”
Alex hesitated, then sat back down with a growl of frustration.
“I’m fully open to having someone restrain me,” I offered. “No?” I climbed out of the van, then put my wrists together and offered them toward Harriet. “Last chance.”
“Save her, Rune. Please.” Alex reached out and grabbed my wrist.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Your best? That’s not nearly good enough. You can’t even win board games giving your best. Jo needs way more than your best.”
“I’ll give everything and more.”
Alex released my wrist. “Jo has faith in you. Don’t let her down.”
Harriet leaned across Alex and pulled the van door closed.
Just outside the van, I noticed something leaning on the sidewalk and I bent down to examine it. I chuckled when I figured out that it was the sign for Burgundy’s. I had earlier thought that even Alex wasn’t stupid enough to steal that.
I was realizing I knew him a lot less than I had thought.
Chapter 33
Thursday 19:25
I walked toward Burgundy’s. This is the time, I thought. If you changed your mind, Robert not-Bob Bobbit, now would be a good time to spring to the rescue.
He’s not coming, Jerome thought.
I was about to snap at him to shut up, then stopped myself. I had enough enemies to deal with. How about a truce? I thought instead.
What do you mean?
I’ll forgive you for trying to take over my body, and you’ll help me if you see the opportunity.
A pause.
Well? I asked
I’ll think about it. Then, Bobbit’s still not coming.
Bad to know.
Outside Burgundy’s stood—who else—Jace.
“I hoped you weren’t stupid enough to come back,” she said.
I stopped two paces in front of her. “Come on. You knew I’d be back.”
She gave a slight smile. “I knew.”
“And you wanted me to so you'd get to kick my ass again.”
“And I wanted you to,” she agreed.
“How’s Jo doing?” I asked.
“It won’t be long now.”
“So. I feel duty bound to give you one last chance to step aside.”
“Can we skip ahead to the part where I tear you limb from limb?” Jace said.
“
It’s not going to be that easy this time. I’ve collected my horcruxes.”
Jace laughed. “If you learned more about your powers, you probably know that the leader of the sentinels will propel you into orbit without a spaceship if you use magic.”
“Without a spaceship? What about a suit with jet propulsion? I always wanted to see the Earth looking like a pretty blue pebble.”
She shook her head. “Yarley thinks you are someone important. The truth is you are simply a fool.”
“I learned how to heal.” I lifted up my T-shirt. “See, a sword shaped hole in my T-shirt.” I rubbed dried blood off my stomach to show a red scar, all that was left of my wound. “And no hole in my belly.”
“I’m not bringing out the crowbar this time. You’ve had the one chance that Hugo made me give you. You won’t heal against weapons from Brimstone.”
“Oh.” Sulle hadn’t mentioned that. “You have a weapon from Brimstone?”
“My claws, fool.”
That made sense. Well, if I couldn’t rely on healing, and I didn’t dare use magic, my only chance was my multani.
Wouldn’t want this to be too easy, Jerome thought.
I turned to the side, adopting the taekwondo stance, curling my fingers into open fists.
“What are you doing?” Jace asked.
“You’ll see.” If she didn’t see, I was going to feel like one dumb corpse. “I’ve given you your last chance.”
She laughed again. Smoke swirled around her and she transformed into the eagle, flapped her wings and rose up in the air. She immediately dived down at me.
Fireswords, fireswords appear, I mentally willed.
When nothing happened, I threw myself on the ground, rolling away to avoid the eagle’s slashing claws.
Jace soared back into the sky.
I stood, adopted my stance as before, but with less confidence. Surely I need it enough now. Isn’t that the key?
Hope and necessity—the last refuges of the desperate, Jerome thought.
Also the nucleus of every great invention.
No, that would be perspiration and inspiration.
Jace flew above the streetlights, a shadow flickering across the darkness. I swiveled, trying to follow her.
She dived again, and once again my multani failed. I threw myself out of the way, but her claws caught me, slashing across the calf of my left leg. I screamed as the pain burned through me.
Jace landed on the ground beyond me.
You aren’t trusting yourself, Jerome thought.
I am. I stood there like an idiot twice.
You dived out of the way at the last moment both times.
It’s called “the last moment” for a reason. I forced myself back to my feet. My leg roared in protest. I released a grunt of pain, but otherwise ignored it. I adopted the sideways stance again.
The eagle head shook back and forth sadly. What an idiot, that head-shake said. Well, if I was an idiot, I was going to be the biggest damn idiot I could be.
You already are, Jerome thought.
I ignored him. And I ignored the pain as I allowed my weight to fall on both legs. I plastered a stupid grin on my face, and I gestured Jace forward with the fingers of my left hand, like Neo did to Agent Elrond in the Matrix.
The eagle launched itself at me, ducking its left wing and twisting around so that its right claw slashed at me.
My grin morphed into a frozen grimace, but I didn’t attempt to move out of the way. Instead I twisted my left hand to block as if I held a sword. The claw came slashing down at my face with nothing to stop it except a sword that was only there in my imagination. My eyes shut as I waited for the killing blow to strike home.
When it didn’t, I opened my eyes again. Jace’s claw had been blocked by a firesword in my left hand! Jace stared in shock. I was also in shock, but I instinctively thrust forward with my right hand.
For a moment, I thought nothing had happened, that I was thrusting empty air. Then I saw the fire in my right hand, and a burning hole appeared in Jace’s breast. She fell backward, and her corpse bounced against the pavement.
In death the eagle shifter transformed back into her human form for the last time.
Look at that, I did it. I stared down at the two fireswords in my hands. Then my leg gave way beneath me, the swords disappeared, and I fell to the ground.
It worked. Wow, Jerome thought.
Wait, you didn’t expect it to work.
It seemed a reasonable theory. You know, like astrology or divining via animal entrails.
Those are terrible theories.
So I thought until now. Turns out that love just might be around the corner for me this week if I’m open to new possibilities. I’m a cancer, you know.
Oh, I know. Is this you deciding to help me?
Yes.
Well, stop.
The word you are looking for is 'thanks'.
Bloody Jerome. I twisted around so I could see the ragged tears on the back of the left pant leg. Blood seeped through, further darkening my black jeans. I gritted my teeth as a spasm of pain ran through my leg. This wound, as Jace had promised, wasn’t healing like the others.
I twisted back into a sitting position, raised my left hand and a firesword winked into being. I did the same with my right. Both times, it happened effortlessly with no suggestion of the heat of my magic swirling within me.
Nice, Jerome thought. If only you were also able to walk you could be dangerous.
Chapter 34
Thursday 19:40
By keeping my weight on my right leg, I was able to stand. Ignoring the pain that flashed through my left leg with every step, I limped toward Burgundy’s.
At the steps, I grabbed hold of the railing and hopped down on my right leg.
Do you have a plan for defeating Yarley and rescuing Jo? Jerome asked.
Not as such. You?
Demand his immediate surrender, Jerome thought.
Will he accept?
I have a theory he will.
Has that theory come out of your asshole?
I wish I had an asshole. But as you know I have no body. No body. No asshole.
Nobody is as much of an asshole as you.
That shut him up. I reached the bottom of the stairs and grabbed the door handle. At the very least Jerome was taking my mind off the pain.
As I started pulling open the door, a gunshot rang out. I released the door handle, ducking low.
“Get away!” came a shout from the corridor beyond.
I lifted my head to peer through the glass pane of the door and saw Gio inside, standing with his gun pointed into the air. “Gio, what are you doing?” I shouted. “Don’t you know it’s dangerous to shoot upward when you are in the basement?”
“I’ve been ordered to let no one in!” Gio shouted back.
“Gio. We are both human. I am not your enemy.”
“Go away.”
“The rest of your family is retired. Isn’t it your turn?”
“I have to prove myself first. I can’t go back to them as a failure.”
“I’m coming in, Gio. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if I have to.” Duffy had said that Gio hadn’t been able to shoot. Plus, Sulle said normal weapons wouldn’t hurt me.
Solid thinking, Jerome thought.
I couldn’t figure out if Jerome was being sarcastic or not, which worried me, but I still pulled the door open and limped through. Gio retreated, pointing the gun at me. “You shouldn’t be here. This is our home, the headquarters of the famous Machet family.”
“See any other Machets around?” I limped forward. “Those days are over. The shades are in charge now, and it’s time you moved on. Go to Miami. Find your family. Or just go on a vacation.”
“No.” He retreated, and I continued forward.
“Step aside. This isn’t your fight.”
His back hit the door at the end of the corridor, and a gunshot rang out.
The shot sounded muffled an
d distant, and I wondered what had caused it. Only when I saw smoke curling from the barrel of Gio’s gun and I looked down at a small stain of blood on my T-shirt did I realize he had shot me.
I slumped to the ground.
“I did it!” Gio exclaimed. “I shot someone.”
He did it, Jerome thought. You have to give it to him. He shot you.
Bastard.
I pressed at the bullet hole at my left breast. I felt no pain.
That’d be the shock, Jerome thought.
Thanks. I took short breaths, expelling air in little blows, struggling not to panic, but that was hard, considering I knew a bullet was inside my heart.
Gio stood over me, his gun waving in his hand. “I shot someone. Wait until I tell my brother. Joseph won’t believe it.” His voice contained a strange mixture of delight and regret.
I raised my hand, summoned the right firesword and, with a flick of my wrist, cut Gio’s gun in half. The barrel bounced on the ground.
Gio stared at the hilt of the gun in his hand, stared at me, then backed away. I let the sword disappear, then grabbed hold of the wall and dragged myself into a standing position. Growing waves of pain swept through my chest.
Yes, I realize that’s because the shock is wearing off, I thought to Jerome before he had a chance to supply a helpful comment.
“That’s not possible. You are dead.” Gio’s back hit the far door once more.
I clenched my eyes closed for a moment as the pain threatened to bring me back down to my knees. Death didn’t sound so bad at that moment. At least the pain would be gone.
I know a place without pain, Jerome thought. A gray place.
Don’t push it, I told him.
We’re not joking about that yet? Too soon?
I grunted, then looked back up at Gio. “You are in the wrong place.”
His mouth was open, his eyes wide and staring. The bottom half of the gun fell from his lifeless fingers. “Have you now figured out why the rest of your family left?”
His chin wobbled up and down as he rapidly nodded.
“Get out of here.”
Gio ran past me and out of the bar. Before I had a chance to celebrate that small victory, I heard his footsteps reverse direction on the outside steps as he returned.
Fire Sorcerer (The Sentinels Book 1) Page 13