by MJ Fletcher
“What is this?”
“I was helping Edgar with mapping this place last week and found it. There are a couple of balconies like this throughout the Reliquary.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“It gets better.”
He pulled me right to the edge of the balcony and wrapped his arms around me easing me back against him. I rested my head back against his chest and smiled thinking of the first time we snuggled this close. It had been by complete accident, which made it all the more enjoyable and memorable.
“How can this get better?”
“Just watch.”
The power of the Reliquary was like a running engine always humming beneath the surface. I suddenly felt it changing, like a car shifting gears. Everything around us began to shimmer and glow. I glanced down and saw that even Nightshade and I were glowing. The purple sky shifted and suddenly was spinning overhead at an impossible speed as the whole of the Reliquary raced through the dimensions. I’d known the building moved everyday, but I never considered that we could see it happen.
The sky flipped from one scene to the next like a TV changing channels. One moment the sky was filled with a snowstorm, the next it was sitting beside a nebula or a dying star. My breath caught in my throat as we watched it continue to change. It was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen.
I slipped my hands over Nightshade’s arms that encircled me and squeezed. I shifted in his grip and turned to face him. He looked down at me with his lopsided smile and I yanked him into me, kissing him.
He scooped me up and we stood under the changing dimensions lost in one another. He carried me across the balcony and laid me down on the floor where a blanket and pillows were spread out.
“A bit presumptuous.” I chuckled between kisses.
“We both know you can’t resist me.”
I didn’t have to answer. Instead I kissed him and pulled the blanket over us as the sky turned to a black canvas painted with a brilliant array of stars and planets.
Chapter Sixteen
Status: Time to begin.
Nightshade remained sleeping under the blankets on the balcony as I stood looking out over the dimension. It was early and I didn’t want to wake him. Being honest with myself, I didn’t want to say goodbye to him. I was no good at it and we both knew it.
I turned away from the landing, hunched down and leaned over to kiss his lips lightly and left him to sleep. I zipped my hoodie up and pulled it over my head. I slipped my phone from my pocket and tapped the screen, sending a quick text to Slade. Before I had made it down the stairs, he replied with a location. I wanted to get to my meeting with him, but I had one more place I needed to go first, and it wasn’t going to be pleasant.
Jess leaned against the far wall at the end of the staircase. A leather jacket cinched tight around her slim waist and her hair pulled back from her face. She smiled as I approached.
“You ready?” she asked.
“Are you? It’s not like DS members like Guilders all that much.”
“We need to at least try.”
She was right. If this war was going to be won, we needed as many allies as we could get. I’d sent out word that I wanted to meet with Dante the leader of DS to discuss the situation. I was wanted by the Council, but as a DS member he would have to at least grant me a meeting on neutral ground.
“I heard back from my contact, Dante is willing to meet.”
“Where?” Jess asked.
“A place called the Cantina in Paris.”
“Is it safe?”
“Safer than most places,” Gavin said joining us in the hallway. He was wearing only pants and his hair was still a mess from sleeping. He scratched at his chin and yawned.
“I’m sorry, did we interrupt your beauty sleep?” I smirked.
“Funny.” He ran his hand over the back of his neck. “The Cantina is neutral ground, the owner is named Merric Vale. He won’t have any problems in his place, not even from a member of the Council.”
“Is he a friend?” Jess asked.
“Merric doesn’t have friends, but I trust him enough to have the meeting there. You’ll be safe.” Gavin nodded in my direction and his word was good enough for me.
“You got coordinates?” Jess asked and Gavin flicked his wrist.
A series of glyphs and golden numbers floated into the air. Jess wove her fingers around them and activated her Skeleton Key, shoving it into the wall and turning it. A crimson doorway formed and she swung it open and stepped through. I was about to follow when Gavin placed his hand on my arm, stopping me.
“Chloe, remember we need all the help we can get. I know you feel betrayed, but we need the Doorknob Society on our side.”
“I’ll be on my best behavior.” I smiled and stepped through. Gavin was right of course, but all I could think about was how nice it would be to punch Dante in the face repeatedly.
I exited the crimson portal onto a cobblestone street in front of an old oak door with a sign hanging above it swaying in the breeze.
The Cantina.
“This is the place.” Jess glanced up and down the street, checking every angle and shadow, as if they might attack at any moment.
I went to the door and grasped the doorknob. Power rushed over my body like an intense heat wave and I could feel the levels of protection that had been placed around the building. Someone was very serious about security. I turned the knob and stepped into the tavern. Jess followed me in.
I felt a vibration from my own personal dimension. The place I kept my Polymorph case and the Looking Glass of the HVO. I didn’t know what it was about, but I didn’t have time to deal with it now.
It was well lit with a large hearth that took up half the back wall. Round tables dotted the wood floor and were filled with Old Kind drinking and chatting. Along the wall to the right were booths and to the left was a bar the length of the building.
The man standing behind the bar stood a good six feet tall and though lean his body was taut with muscles like springs coiled and ready to explode. His grey eyes seemed to follow everyone and everything at once. His hair was stark white and long, flowing over his shoulders and back, and yet his face was youthful. I’d guess he wasn’t much older than me or Jess. He spotted us and came around the end of the bar to join us.
“Chloe Masters, I take it.”
His voice was sharp and direct and I took him for a man not to trifle with. “That’s me.”
He held out his hand. “Merric Vale.”
I shook it and was taken aback by how cold it felt for being in such a warm place. “Is he here?”
“The back booth.” He pointed over my shoulder to the far end of the room cloaked in the shadows of the hearth.
“Is he alone?” Jess asked.
Merric looked Jess up and down before answering, “Of course he isn’t, but there won’t be any trouble in my bar.”
“As long as they don’t give us trouble.” Jess kinked her neck and slid her fingers together pressing them out and cracking her knuckles.
“You don’t seem to understand that when I say there won’t be any trouble,” —Merric leaned forward his voice dropping to a hiss and power rolling off of him like a tsunami— “I mean it.”
Jess closed her hand into a tight fist and stepped forward.
I slid my hand over her fisted one. “Gavin said we could trust you to keep the peace.”
“I will, but make sure you keep your bulldog on its chain.” He nodded toward Jess and she smiled.
“No problem,” I assured him.
“His men are at the bar, she can wait there as well.” Merric turned and wagged his finger at her.
I nodded my approval and she followed him to the bar. For the first time I recognized two of the men sitting on bar stools as Doorknob Society members. They watched Jess approach and kept an eye on me as I walked back toward the booth.
Dante was hunched over the table, his hands wrapped around a glass that was half empty.
He didn’t look up as I slid into the seat across from him.
“Hello, Chloe.”
“Dante.”
“I was surprised to hear from you.”
“Not as surprised as I was to send the message.”
“I’m risking a great deal by having this meeting,” he said finally looking up. His face was gaunt, dark half-circles hung under his eyes and beard stubble marked his chin and cheeks.
“You look like crap.”
“You’ve always been honest,” he chuckled.
“One of us has to be.”
His voice trembled as he spoke. “The difficult choice I made was best for the Doorknob Society.”
“Was it or was it that you were scared?”
“You don’t know how deep the control by the First Kind goes, Chloe. I wasn’t sure who I could trust within DS.”
“You could have trusted me. You could have stood beside me and fought. Instead you got in bed with Tower and the First Kind.”
He raised his voice, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the glass. “I was trying to stop the destruction of the Society.”
“How’s that working for you?”
He dropped back in the booth and sighed deeply. “Not well.”
“I imagine not since you’re taking this meeting with me.”
“What is it you’re offering?” he asked.
“A way out.”
“How?”
“The Doorknob Society needs to fight. We’ll need your help against the First Kind.”
“Do you have any idea how powerful they are and how many of the Old Kind has joined with them? All you have is the Mapmakers Union and a handful of HVO. You’ll be destroyed, but if you were to surrender to me. I might be able to help you.”
I laughed out loud and tapped my hand on the table. “If you think there is any chance I’ll surrender, you know nothing about me.”
“It’s hopeless,” he said with a sigh.
“If that’s your attitude, then I’d rather have the Mapmakers fighting with me. Has the Society fallen so far that they won’t even fight to save themselves?”
“No one else will either.”
“Wrong, just like you’ve been wrong about so many other things.”
“Damn it, listen to me!” Dante raised his glass and slammed it onto the table shattering it. Liquid splashed across the surface and Dante stared at me with haunted eyes.
“I’m going to make this simple, Dante,” I said calmly. “I’m your last hope to save the Society.”
“Don’t make me do this.” His voice was barely a whisper.
I slid my hand under the table and wrapped my fingers around my Skeleton Key. I should have known this was going to lead to trouble.
“What’re you talking about?”
“Take her!” he called out.
The two men from the bar jumped off their bar stools. One moved toward Jess, yanking out his Doorknob and activating it. The energy expanded from him and suddenly retracted pulling full force into his Doorknob and crushing it. He stood dumb-founded with a mangled piece of metal in his hand staring at Jess.
“Dumb ass.” Jess swung and punched him in the jaw, knocking him over with such force that he slammed into the table behind him splintering it.
The other attacker was on the move, but Merric placed one hand on the bar and vaulted over it and was across the floor in two long strides, his arm wrapping around the man’s throat and pulling him backwards. He slipped his other arm around his head and clasped tightly at the man’s neck. He struggled for a moment, and then his eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out from lack of oxygen.
“I said no trouble in my bar.” Merric’s voice wasn’t loud, but something about it turned the place silent.
Dante moved out of the booth, wringing his hands. “She’s wanted by the Council, Merric.”
“Since when do I care about what the Council wants?”
“A war is coming, Merric, you need to choose a side.”
“Screw you, you can all burn,” Merric replied.
I stood with my Skeleton Key in hand staring down Dante. “You’re the one who needs to choose a side.” His eyes darted to the Key and back up to me. “You’ve joined the Guild?”
“What of it?”
“They won’t fight either; Tower has them under his thumb.” He shook his head in resignation.
“If I could prove you’re wrong about that, would you join us?”
“He runs the Guild, there is no stopping him. You’ve no idea how intertwined our Societies are, Chloe. The history between us is complicated.” He shook his head again and his shoulders slumped.
“If I can break his strangle hold on the Guild, will the Doorknob Society change sides?”
He looked at me, his eyes wide and filled with fear. “If you can get Guilders on your side, I’ll bring as many DS who will still follow me to help you.”
“Make him swear it on his Doorknob,” Merric said.
“He’s right. Make him swear an oath on his vessel that way he can’t break it,” Jess chimed in with a smile.
“You heard them,” I said.
He pulled his Doorknob from his pocket and held it firm. The glow of energy surrounded it as he pledged an oath. “I swear to bring the Doorknob Society to your aid, if you can break Tower’s hold on the Guild.”
“Now get the hell out of my bar.” Merric kicked the Doorknob Society member he had knocked out.
The man groaned and grabbed his head as he came too. Dante helped him up and they collected the other man and headed for the exit.
“Chloe,” Dante glanced over his shoulder. “I hope you succeed... for all our sakes.”
After the door swung closed behind them Jess shook her head and smiled. “Well that went better than I expected.”
Merric turned to face her. “I told you no fighting in my bar.”
“And I told you as long as they left her alone, I would do the same.”
Merric pointed his finger at her. “Next time I won’t be so lenient with you.”
“If you have a problem with me, then shut up and do something about it, Merric.” Jess challenged him, but he ignored her and turned to walk away.
“Wait,” I said.
“What?” he snapped with a turn of his head.
“You’re talented and handy in a fight.”
“So I’ve been told.”
Jess grabbed my arm. “Chloe, don’t.”
“We could use a guy like you on our side.”
“The only side I’m on is my own.” He walked off without saying another word.
Jess smacked my shoulder. “That was close. I thought the jerk might accept.”
“He might be a jerk, but he’s a skilled one.”
“Yeah, in ass hatery.” Jess smiled and we walked out of the Cantina bar back onto the cobblestone streets of Paris.
“Looks like I might have to give Nightshade a hand in getting the Guild on our side.”
Jess rolled her eyes. “Not an easy task.”
“I’ll think of something.”
“You always do, now what?”
“Now,”—I pulled my phone from my pocket and checked the coordinates I had gotten from Slade— “I’ll go meet Slade and you go let Nightshade know what happened.”
“You got it, be careful, Cuz.” Jess leaned over and kissed my cheek.
“Remember our promise,” I said.
“You too,” she said.
One way or another, I intended to end this. I hadn’t mentioned that to Nightshade since I didn’t think he would like it. I knew he would understand, but actually liking it was another thing entirely.
Jess activated a crimson portal and stepped through, vanishing.
I dropped my phone back in my pocket and took out my Doorknob activating it and opening a portal to the location Slade had sent me. I looked over my shoulder at the Cantina and took a deep breath. If Dante could come through with the Society, we might have a better chance
of winning this thing, but first I had to deliver my part of the bargain. Actually, first I had to deal with some Impossible Engineers.
Chapter Seventeen
Status: How I miss Paris
The Arc de Triomphe loomed over me as I stepped out into the center of the Plaza Charles de Gaulie. The large monument to the French Revolution stood majestically in the morning sun and I waited patiently in its shadow.
“Chloe.”
Slade approached me, a man and woman on either side of him. The man was dark skinned and slightly shorter than Slade, but just as well muscled and wearing a leather apron covered in soot and dirt.
“This is Jacob Henry,” Slade said introducing the man.
I reached out and his thickly calloused hand engulfed mine. He smiled widely, though the woman eyed me more warily. She had brown hair, tied in a French braid, and deep chestnut-colored eyes. Her shoulders were wide set, and she stood several inches taller than me.
“And this is Danika Adair, both of the Impossible Engineers.”
“So you’re Chloe Masters?” Danika crossed her arms over her chest.
“That’s me.”
Danika cut right to the chase, as if she wasn’t interested in pleasantries. “Tell me why we should trust you over our own Council leader?”
“Because your Council leader is willing to work with a group who wants to see the Old Kind destroyed.”
“According to them Mr. Tower is willing to work with us.”
“You don’t believe that or you wouldn’t be here. The First Kind is composed of liars and murderers. Just ask the HVO how it goes when you work with them.”
“And what do you want from us?”
“I want what’s best for all the Societies. I want Mr. Tower and the First Kind gone, but the only way we can accomplish that is to join forces.”
Danika’s mouth was set in a tight line. “I take it that means you want to be in charge.”
“I could give a crap less if I’m in charge. What I want is to stop the First Kind. This isn’t some kind of pissing contest between the goddamn Societies. We’re fighting for our very existence, and if you’re too damn stupid to see past old grudges, then stop wasting my time.”
Danika took a step back. “You have a funny way of trying to get us to side with you.”