by H B Lyne
'You're welcome. It's in everyone's interests to get these messes cleared up as swiftly possible. Now then, I wanted to show you this before the meeting.' He slid a large piece of paper across the huge desk and Eyes leaned closer to look at it.
'Are these the subway schematics?' Eyes asked, looking at the neat lines sprawling across the paper, a street map faintly visible underneath them.
'Indeed.'
'I haven't seen them before,' Eyes said, his curiosity piqued.
'Take a close look,' Theodore said. Eyes glanced up at him and saw a gleam in his eye and an eager smile on his lips. Eyes stood up and leaned on the desk so as to get a good look at the plans from above. He didn't know what he was looking for but he cast his eyes over the lines and tiny writing. He recognised place names and took note of the locations of stations. As he stared at the lines criss-crossing their way from one side of the page to the other a shape began to emerge from the precision and detail. He stopped looking at close details in order to see the bigger picture.
'Huh,' he uttered as he realised what he was looking at. The pattern was neatly hidden in the detail, you needed to layer the underground tunnels with the street map to see it. Even then the criss-crossing roads hid the shape from casual glances. 'The tracks and roads form a pentagram. Why is that, Theodore?' He looked up to see Theodore grinning at him, his fingers steepled in front of his face. He dropped his hands and leaped up from his chair.
'Ley lines,' he said. 'They follow the ley lines.'
Eyes looked back at the map and bent close to see what lay at the centre. He stood up and stared Theodore straight in the eye, unable to hide the shock and apprehension from his face.
'Why is this building at the centre?' he snapped.
'It's all part of the plan,' Theodore said, glee in his voice, his eyes wide. 'The plan to strengthen the city and form a powerful flow of energy so that we can summon Him.'
'Summon who?' Eyes asked, edging away slightly.
'The King-of-Glass-and-Steel, of course,' Theodore said, as if it were perfectly obvious. Eyes let out a relieved sigh, though a warning to remain cautious still flared up in his mind.
'Of course,' he said, almost laughing. 'You're sure that he isn't dead, then?'
'Yes, The Watch would have felt it if he had been killed. They didn't, or so Warden swears. I don't believe she would lie about this. It's too important.'
'It's going to take years for the subway to be completed,' Eyes said, raising a sceptical eyebrow.
'We don't need it to be complete. We need these tunnels to be dug.' He pointed at the map and traced the sections of track that made up the pentagram. 'The ritual will take place on the roof here, at the centre. I'll need Wind Talker; all of Caerton's adept ritualists will be required to participate.'
'I'm sure that won't be a problem,' Eyes said with a smile as he thought of how Wind Talker would react to being invited to participate in such an epic ritual.
'I needed to let you know about this plan, it's why I brought you in on this. I need your support in the meeting, you need to back my proposals for order of completion.'
'Of course,' Eyes said, nodding solemnly.
Theodore rolled up the plans and slid them into a tube.
'Let's go to the conference room, it's time.' Theodore held out a hand for Eyes to go ahead and Eyes drew a deep breath. Right now, he had to switch on his best lawyer face and schmooze the hell out of Caerton's most influential humans in order to make this plan work. He felt the pressure acutely but couldn't let it show. This was really happening, he was working for one of the most powerful and least trustworthy shifters in Caerton and doing his bidding in what may be exactly what he claimed, but may also be a Spiral Hand plot to raise evil. Luna, guide me and give me strength, he thought as he stepped into the conference room.
Chapter Eleven
Stalker-of-Night's-Shadow
Stalker was just applying the last few strokes to the third coat of paint in the living room when the front door opened and slammed shut. She put down the roller and wiped her hands on a rag as Claws blustered into the room, his face red and sweating.
'What's wrong?' she asked as he dropped down onto the dust sheet-covered sofa, which billowed up on either side of him and settled slowly.
'The only lead in my case is dead.'
'Oh no, what happened?' she asked, sitting down next to him.
'Washed up in the river. Stabbed.'
'Oh right.' She grimaced. 'So, murdered then. Is it connected to your case?'
'Probably. Maybe. I don't know. He was a shady character, to be honest. A number of people may have wanted him dead for various reasons. But whether it's connected to my case or not, the trail has gone completely cold.'
'Is this the missing mask case?' she asked.
'Yeah.' He sighed. 'I can't talk about it really, client confidentiality and all that. I came up with an idea about the house though.'
'Oh yeah? What's that?'
He turned to her, his face lighting up with an enthusiastic smile.
'Asbestos!' he said, grinning.
'Okay. Am I supposed to fill in the rest of the plan myself?'
'We tell the family that the house is filled with asbestos and they have to move out while we sort it out. Then we have total access to the place on both sides of the veil and they are moved out of harm's way while we sort it out. I'm sure Eyes can acquire some convincing paperwork.'
'That is a really excellent plan,' Stalker said, beaming with pride.
'Thanks,' he replied. His smile faded though, the moment passed and she guessed that his thoughts had returned to the mask and the dead lead.
Wind Talker strode in through the back door and tossed something small through the air. Claws reached out and caught it easily.
'I just finished it for you,' Wind Talker said, sitting down in the chair opposite.
'What is it?' Stalker asked, leaning closer to Claws to see it as he turned it over in his hand. It was a gold ring, like a wedding band. 'Oh Wind Talker, how romantic. But you know there are rules about what pack mates can do with each other, right?' she said, teasing him with a smirk.
'It's an instant blackout,' Wind Talker replied, glaring at her. He turned to Claws. 'You can wear it all the time but when you press it against an electronic device it will cut the power to it. Just be careful how you answer your phone.'
'Thanks,' Claws said, smiling and placing the ring on his right ring finger. 'Don't want to confuse the ladies, do I?' he said, winking at Stalker. She laughed and covered her face.
'Did you ask for it?' she asked him.
'Yeah.'
'I'm not sure Unchained Lightning will be too fond of it. Be careful when and where you use it.'
'I didn't even think of that,' Claws said, looking crestfallen.
'I did,' Wind Talker said. 'It doesn't break anything when used, it just temporarily pauses power flow. It should be okay.'
'How long does it last?' Claws asked.
'No more than a minute. So if you use it to shut off lights or security cameras you have to be quick.'
Stalker wasn't convinced that their ally wouldn't take great offence to the ring, but she didn't want to put a downer on things so she held her silence.
A little while later Weaver emerged from the bedroom, having caught up on her sleep, and the pack set about cooking dinner. Eyes walked in with a flurry of wind and strode into the kitchen looking ready to hit something.
'What's wrong?' Stalker asked, looking up from the tomatoes she was chopping.
'Theodore is using the underground railway to change the flow of energy around Caerton in preparation for summoning the King-of-Glass-and-Steel.' He dropped down into a chair and they all stared at him in stunned silence.
'Don't hold back, mate, give it to us straight,' Claws joked uneasily. Stalker felt a smirk tug at the corner of her mouth but she pressed her lips together to suppress it.
'Are we sure he isn't Spiral Hand?' Weaver asked, her face grim
.
No one replied. Stalker wiped the knife she was holding and put it down carefully.
'If this is true, then isn't it a good thing?' she asked. Weaver looked at her and shrugged.
'Yes, of course,' Eyes replied. 'We need the city's soul back, we need to know where it's gone and why. There is just the overwhelmingly huge suspicion that Theodore is not what he claims to be and that this is a much more sinister plot.'
'Well, it's a good job we have you on the inside, keeping an eye on things,' Stalker said, trying to find the bright side.
'True,' Wind Talker said stiffly. 'That will be a very difficult summoning.'
'He wants you there to help,' Eyes said, glancing at Wind Talker. Stalker watched Wind Talker as he looked surprised and then puffed out his chest importantly and cleared his throat.
'Well of course, it would be an honour.'
Stalker laughed, the others cracked smiles too.
They ate and talked, they even laughed a little, which was nice, and when the meal was done Stalker left the house quietly to patrol. No one questioned or challenged her, it was so normal now for her to slip away after dark.
She returned to the house after an uneventful run, it was well past midnight and the house was dark and quiet. She crept into the front room and eased her feet out of her boots. Wind Talker was absent, already out taking his turn to patrol, but the others were sleeping in their favourite spots: Claws in his human form on the sofa, Weaver curled up on a cushion by the heater and Eyes in his wolf form under the window. Stalker shifted into her fox form and lay down next to him, hoping to comfort him. He stirred, lifting his grey head slightly and made a quiet snuffling noise.
Stalker replied with a gruff little sound from her throat and the two of them settled down to sleep.
When she woke up the others were already getting breakfast and she shifted form to join them.
'I have to go to my house today,' Eyes informed them.
'Do you want me to come with you?' Stalker offered. He shook his head.
'No, human business. I rang around insurance companies and the like yesterday. Someone's coming out to assess the damage today and then I can go ahead and get the work done. The police are releasing my dad's body, so I can arrange the funeral.'
Everyone went quiet and Stalker didn't quite want to look at Eyes.
'Will you want us there?' Weaver asked quietly.
'I'm not sure yet,' he replied. 'I'll let you know. I'm going to set things in motion for getting those asbestos clearance orders sorted out today but it may take a day or two. In the meantime, I want the Legion Way substation thoroughly scouted. We can't let other pack business be forgotten, our patron is waiting for his throne.'
'Of course,' Wind Talker said. 'We'll do that today.'
'Thank you.' Eyes gave Wind Talker an appreciative smile, though Stalker caught a glimpse of tension between them. The awkward tension was broken by Eyes' phone ringing loudly on the table. He scooped it up. 'It's Last-Breath-Echoes,' he said softly. He answered the call and put it straight onto speakerphone. 'Hello?'
'Hi. I thought you should know that I filed a report on your father. It says he was killed by a large dog, probably an Alsatian.'
'Okay,' Eyes replied, closing his eyes and tipping his head back. Stalker let out a slow breath of relief. 'Thank you.'
'No problem,' she replied in her dreamy tone. The line went dead and the Lightning Lords exchanged partial smiles.
'Very handy having her in the morgue,' Claws said softly.
Eyes got up and put his plate by the sink without a word, before heading out of the house. They watched him go and Stalker looked to Weaver for some reassurance that their Alpha would be all right. Weaver shrugged, instinctively knowing Stalker's unasked question and unable to answer it.
Once they were all ready, the rest of the pack crossed the veil and set off for the substation. The streets were quiet, as they usually were in Hepethia, and the pack moved carefully in formation with Stalker in the lead and Wind Talker covering the rear. As they approached the substation, Stalker could hear the hum of electricity and felt the throbbing in the air of the flow of power into the place.
Stalker led them all the way around the block, checking out the substation from all sides. There was only one gate in the high, red brick wall and it was well fortified. The cables overhead all led into the complex and pulsed with electricity flowing through them in and out of the substation.
They made a few circuits of the place, taking it all in and observing what little activity there was. Stalker was a little frustrated. She wanted to get in there and find out what they were really up against. She felt the hairs on her arms stand up and heard a rushing sound approaching. Unchained Lightning flew towards them and circled them; the air all around was suddenly charged with static.
'We're scouting, we were trying to keep a low profile,' Stalker said to the glowing fae with a resigned sigh.
'My apologies,' the elemental said softly.
'Have you been in there?' she asked, pointing at the substation. He nodded slowly.
'I can come and go freely, I am Power.'
'I see.' Stalker drew a slow breath and turned to Wind Talker. 'There was me thinking that we would have to sneak about to find out anything about the tenants.'
'Who occupies the throne now?' Claws asked.
'Let me show you,' the elemental said and flew over the wall into the substation. Stalker looked at the others expectantly and was met with confusion and curiosity. The four of them moved towards the gates into the substation and Wind Talker cleared his throat before lifting his chest and banging his fist on the wood. The knock reverberated around them and a moment later the gates clunked and lurched slightly and the Lightning Lords stepped back out of their way as they swung out towards them.
The gates opened onto the courtyard that Stalker and Claws had seen from the air. In the throne sat a shining blue construct of cables, his eyes were closed and his hands rested lightly on the arms of his throne. The courtyard was filled with activity, tiny motes of energy skipped around the place and electricity elementals scurried in and out in a blur. They moved as if they were carrying small bundles and their figures were hunched in supplication as they dashed towards and backed away from the throne. Stalker watched in awe, it was like a strange electrical tide around a tiny island. As she watched, she noticed that with each influx the elementals deposited their tiny bundles at the feet of the throne before flowing away.
Unchained Lightning was floating above the wall to one side, watching the scene with unreadable eyes. The building at the back of the courtyard was emitting clunking and whooshing noises at regular intervals and through a window Stalker could make out machinery moving inside.
'That's Glimmering Wires,' Wind Talker whispered and nodded towards the peaceful-looking elemental in the throne. 'He's strong. Can you feel it?'
Stalker nodded slowly. There was radiation flowing from the elemental and she felt in her core why the minor elementals entering the substation were stooped in a permanent bow.
'There are others,' Unchained Lightning crackled as he swooped down to stand beside them. 'Charge-of-Power and Sparking Clank. They call themselves the Sparkblood Conglomerate. They share the throne.'
'Nice,' Stalker said, her insides churning with the visceral images of congealing blood that the name evoked.
Glimmering Wires opened his eyes and looked directly at the Lightning Lords, unsurprised to see them. Stalker got the impression that he had been aware of their presence and was now, finally, granting them audience.
'What do you want?' His voice jingled like wind chimes and caught Stalker off guard.
'Forgive us,' Claws said, stepping forward from their huddle. 'We have come to pay our respects. We claim this territory for our kind and thought it was about time we acquainted ourselves with the most powerful residents.'
'Ahh.' Glimmering Wires sighed and nodded slowly. 'You are Unchained Lightning's pets.'
Stalker shot a sideways glance at their patron and wondered if that was how he had described them, or if the word came from Glimmering Wires.
'That's not quite how we would phrase it,' Wind Talker said slowly. 'But yes.'
'You will serve us, as he does. Bring us more power, children of the lightning, and we shall get along just fine.'
Unchained Lightning flickered slightly and a small charge of static rippled through the air. Stalker sensed anger brewing inside him but he seemed to have it under control.
'We shall see what we can do,' Claws said with a slight bow of his head. 'Many thanks for allowing us entry.'
There was a sudden movement behind the throne and the ground shuddered. Stalker grasped hold of Weaver's arm and they looked at each other anxiously. A shape rose up from the metal, seeming to separate itself from it and its heavy feet thudded as it moved around the throne to face them. The construct was made of plates of metal that ground against each other, showering the ground around it with friction sparks. Bits of the construct clunked and clanged about inside its cavernous body. It wasn't humanoid, it took the form of a small tank on four lumbering limbs and its head bobbed slightly as it moved; its yellow lamp-like eyes shone with wisdom.
'Sparking Clank, I presume?' Claws said, a slight tremble in his voice as he squared up to the eight-foot tall construct. It nodded its head and there was a low rumble in its chest. 'We are honoured to meet you.'
Stalker watched the construct move slowly around the throne. Glimmering Wires watched it carefully too, his eyes narrowed to slits. There was a rivalry there, she could sense it and she wondered if that would prove to be a weakness that they could exploit. Curious to see if her ability to see others' inner truths could be extended to such alien entities as elementals and constructs, Stalker locked her gaze onto the glowing gaps in Glimmering Wires' face that were his narrowed eyes, and probed with her mind. She rooted through miles and miles of compact cabling, a jumble of thoughts and existence that made no sense to her. He was so different from human or shifter and his innermost being reflected that. She focused hard and continued to probe without him seeming to notice. She caught glimpses of images and flashes of light that stung her mind. She persevered and suddenly stumbled across a hidden secret, buried deep within his mind. It was obvious really but she was glad to confirm it, rather than having to work on a hunch, and she quickly pulled her mind out of his and back into herself with a gasp.