by Steve McHugh
There was a moment of silence.
“I have no idea,” Sky said. “Doc, you’re the sorcerer.”
“I doubt he’ll blow the plane up. He might break a few things by accident. We’ll keep an eye on him.”
I fell asleep soon after, and when I woke up I was in a large SUV outside a bar called the Mill. Selene was beside me with Zamek next to her. Grayson and Sky sat up front with the latter behind the wheel. I recognized the bar from my last visit to Portland, Maine, and figured we must have driven there from wherever the jet had landed.
“You okay?” Selene asked as I rubbed my eyes.
“I think so,” I told her. “My vision is back to normal. Did you carry me into the car?”
“Didn’t have much choice,” Selene said. “We couldn’t wake you.”
“Thanks. Apparently I needed it.” I opened the car door and stepped out into the cold air, using my fire magic to keep me warm.
“You feeling good, though, yes?” Selene asked after joining me outside. As a dragon-kin connected to the moon, and able to shoot ice out of her mouth, she rarely felt the cold in the same way as most people.
I nodded. “I feel good. Great, actually. Hungry, though.”
Grayson passed me a bagful of sandwiches and chocolate. “We picked up a few on the way. I figured you might want some calories.”
I hungrily devoured two chocolate bars, several bottles of water, and a packet of sandwiches before offering the bag around. With no takers, I placed it back in the car, but not before eating a third chocolate bar.
“Feel better?” Sky asked.
I opened another bottle of water and drank it in one go. “Pretty much.”
We all entered the bar just as my phone went off. I checked the screen: it was Olivia. “You guys go. I’ll catch up.” I left the bar and answered the phone.
“Nate, we have big problems,” she said before I could talk.
“I know, we’re sort of living it right now,” I told her.
“Well, allow me to add to your issues. Lucie is missing. Not officially, but I can’t get hold of her, and no one I know has seen her in several days.”
I pushed the anger I felt away. It would do little good to lose my temper. “First Elaine and now Lucie. Someone is going after Elaine’s people.”
“It gets worse, Nate.”
“Go on,” I said with a sigh of frustration. It always got worse.
“Officially, Lucie has put a bounty on your head. There’s an arrest warrant out for you.”
“How much?”
“Fifteen million dollars.”
“Fucking hell,” I almost shouted.
“Yeah, just make sure you keep an eye out for anyone who might want to cash that in.”
“So, someone’s using Lucie’s name while she’s missing. Great. What about you?”
“I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Stay that way.”
“Yeah, that’s the other reason I’m calling. I’ve been removed from my post as head of the LOA.”
I leaned up against the nearest wall. “They can’t get to you physically, so they’re cutting your legs out from under you.”
“That’s my guess, too. I’m not in Camelot; Lucie was. We’ll find her, Nate. Elaine, too.”
“Speaking of, have you told Mordred about Lucie?”
“No, we can’t get hold of anyone. Last I heard from Diana was they were heading to Siberia. Not a lot of phone reception in the middle of nowhere.”
“Siberia? I guess if you’re going to hide Elaine, you do it somewhere remote. Let me know if you find out anything else.”
“Arthur’s on his way to you. I’ve been informed he’s upped the deadline. He’ll be leaving first thing in the morning. You have about twelve hours. I think he’s worried about people wanting to take control of Avalon for themselves. It’s a bit of trial by fire.”
“Hopefully I’ll have convinced Galahad to speak to him by then. Any word on the attacks?”
“They’re continuing at an alarming pace. Some countries are worse than others. There are a lot of people dead, Nate. And even more scared and worried. Making peace won’t be easy once this is done. Humanity knows about us. That’s not just going to go away.”
“We’ll figure that out when we’ve stopped My Liege from killing people. Stay safe.”
“You, too.”
I hung up and went back inside the bar, where I was greeted by Rebecca Dean.
She wore a black suit with deep-red high heels. Her hair, tied up in a bun, was dark brown and her eyes a deep blue. She was a few inches shorter than me, even with the heels on. “Nate Garrett, I wondered when you’d finally turn up.” Her voice had a slight Irish tinge to it but otherwise could easily have placed her as from New York.
“Rebecca, I assume my companions have already been and gone.”
Rebecca. She was a guardian, and an incredibly powerful one. Every now and again a guardian develops some alchemist-like powers, something Zamek confirmed to me had to do with the dwarven nature of the realm gate. Rebecca had not only developed those powers, but had also managed to wield them as if she were born with them. So long as she stayed within several miles of the realm gate, she’d retain those abilities and be next to invulnerable. Rebecca was in charge of one of two realm gates that linked the Earth realm to Shadow Falls. She also didn’t like me very much, although the fact that I’d saved her king’s life more than once brought me more than a little leeway on that matter. “There are people who are less than happy that you’re here.”
“Including you?”
Rebecca smiled. “Yes, including me. You’re a magnet for trouble, and that’s trouble my king doesn’t need.”
“Not ‘my liege’ anymore? I remember you calling him that. Now whoever is doing all of this wants people to think that Galahad and Shadow Falls are involved.”
“I heard. I stopped using ‘my liege’ when it became apparent that certain forces outside of Shadow Falls were using it for less-than-stellar reasons. Much like Hellequin, I assume.”
“Yeah, it’s been a shit few days all around.”
“It got worse. Have you heard anything from Avalon news? The head of the SOA, Lucie Moser, has put a fifteen-million-dollar bounty on your head.”
“Yeah, I just heard. Lucie has been taken by the same people who took Elaine. Someone has hijacked her communications. They’re using it to get the SOA to do things like take me into custody. I get the feeling that while Lucie and Olivia were hunting down the Reavers a few years ago, eliminating them from Avalon, this cabal was making sure its own people were in place.”
“That seems about what I would expect from Avalon,” Rebecca said. “But that doesn’t mean you’re going to be welcomed with open arms.”
“You believe me, then?”
“Selene told me about Elaine. Her I believe.”
“What else has Avalon said? I assume you have ways of hearing chatter.”
Rebecca smiled again. It was a lot closer to sharklike than I was comfortable with. “I’m waiting for intel to come through. Until then we have only the official channels. And they’re saying that Hellequin is murdering innocent humans the world over.”
“You know it’s not me.”
“What I know and what I can prove are two different things. If the SOA has gone rogue, the intelligence services would be the first place to start spreading that corruption. Any ideas as to who might be causing these troubles?”
I thought about it for a second. “My guess is Hera has had Lucie removed from play. But as she’s in London, and there’s no way she’d give that up, I imagine it’ll be one of her flunkies who’s behind Lucie’s vanishing. Can I go to Shadow Falls now? I’d really like to stop a war.”
Rebecca motioned for me to follow her. “Sky and Selene said that Avalon has given you forty-eight hours to try and get Galahad to allow Avalon forces into Shadow Falls. He’s never going to allow that.”
“We have les
s than twelve hours to go,” I said. “I just need to convince Galahad to talk to Arthur outside of Shadow Falls. If I can get them to talk, maybe we can get them to help one another.”
“Arthur has been convinced that Shadow Falls is involved. Hell, a lot of people are probably convinced, especially considering these assholes have been writing the words Shadow Falls in the blood of their enemies. I assume you’ve been keeping an eye on the news. That’s not something the human authorities have been releasing to the public.”
“So, it’s even worse than this Hellequin asshole spouting off about Shadow Falls. They’re actively promoting their alliance.”
“And Arthur is being led down the wrong path. He’s coming here, and he’s going to demand that Galahad come with him to answer for these accusations. And Galahad will refuse.”
“Arthur swore to me that he’d arrive without his people, that he just wants to talk to Galahad and find the truth. I’m hoping Arthur demands nothing.”
“You have faith in your friend. I have faith that Arthur can’t take a whole army through a realm gate. He’d be slaughtered. The most we’ve ever sent through here is about forty people.”
“What about the other gate?” The second realm gate had remained hidden for hundreds of years, known only to a few. Unfortunately one of those few had been a deposed king of Shadow Falls who wanted his crown back and was willing to align himself with a group of psychopaths to do it. A group of psychopaths who were, as it turned out, also aligned with the same group using the phrase “My Liege” a lot.
“The second gate has the entire town of Stratford around it. Arthur would need more than an army to get there.”
“But the gate is larger there. You can take more people in.”
“That’s true, but that is sovereign Shadow Falls. The people there are trained warriors and won’t hesitate to stop anyone from trying to access it without permission.”
“I hope you’re right,” I said as we entered the realm-gate room.
CHAPTER 19
Nate Garrett
The Shadow Falls realm gate was made of similar materials as all the others, but the one in Portland glowed a dim purple. Getting from the bar area to the realm-gate room had consisted of going through several dozen guards and more than a few doors that required retina scans. Arthur might turn up here and demand to see Galahad, but this was Shadow Falls territory and if Arthur wasn’t careful he could find himself in a fight that would last for months, if not longer. The levels below the bar had stockpiles of weapons and supplies to last a long time. And I doubted that Arthur would want to turn a major human city into rubble just to get to Galahad. But clearly there were people within Avalon who would stop at nothing to start this war.
Rebecca was one of half a dozen guardians who worked with the realm gate I was asking to use. Half a dozen almost-immortal warriors who would defend this place to the last, so long as they remained close to the gate. If Arthur tried to force his way through, he’d need to get the guardians to open the gate—which would never happen—or make his own. And that was a lengthy process. Either way, if Avalon did try to take Shadow Falls by force, it wasn’t going to be a quick fight.
One of the guards in the realm-gate room activated the gate. “Harrison isn’t going to be pleased to see you,” Rebecca told me.
“He’s never pleased to see me. The man lives and breathes to be as miserable as possible at all times.” I stepped through the gate into Shadow Falls.
The realm-gate room in Shadow Falls was inside a temple on top of a hill just outside of the massive sprawling city by the name of Solomon. When I was last in the realm, a million people lived there, and from what I’d heard that number had increased over the years. Being a king suited Galahad a lot more than most people I’d met in the same position.
I stood in the realm-gate room as several guards and guardians watched me with a kind of concerned interest. I guessed that my friends had arrived and delivered the bad news. The realm gate shut off, and Harrison strode toward me as if he owned the place, which, because he was the head of Shadow Falls security, wasn’t far off from the truth.
Harrison was huge. Imposingly so. He had the kind of physique that people only achieve after years of injecting themselves with large quantities of steroids. His ginger hair was still long, and tied back in a ponytail. In fact he didn’t appear to have changed in any way since I’d last seen him several years earlier.
“I am not happy to see you,” Harrison said, his voice deep and full of bass.
“Yeah, well the feeling is mutual.”
He brandished a sorcerer’s band and passed it to me. “You need to wear one of these. Don’t argue. It’s law. All sorcerers wear one. Your magic is unpredictable here, and after Leonardo figured out about microscopic pieces of magic being in the air, it’s too dangerous to allow you to wander around without it.”
Shadow Falls, much like Tartarus, had a strange effect on my magic. In the case of Shadow Falls, using my magic ignited the magic that existed all around Shadow Falls with devastating, spectacular results. Even a small amount of use would quickly become out of control. Strangely enough, the last time I was in the realm, Leonardo had told me that sorcerer’s bands didn’t work, something that Harrison was keen to explain.
“Leonardo makes them,” he said. “They use a different type of rune than the bands on Earth realm. They’ll let you still feel your magic, but not use it. It’s thought of as being more humane.”
I sighed and put the bracelet on, clicking it into a locked position.
“Now do something small with your magic to check,” Harrison said.
“Fine.” I tried to create a small flame in my hand, but no matter how much I concentrated, I couldn’t make one. “Satisfied?”
“Excellent. Nathan Garrett, you will come with me to the prison, where you will be questioned as a possible spy for Avalon.”
I thought it was just a really bad joke until I saw several guards place their hands on their swords. And then I just got really angry. “Have you lost your fucking mind? Haven’t we been through this already? I figured you’d trust me after I saved your king’s life on more than one occasion.”
“That was then,” Harrison said. “Come quietly, or I’ll be forced to hurt you.”
“You really are a dumb fucking idiot.”
Harrison punched me in the mouth, knocking me to the ground, and my first reaction was to cleave him in half. I forced myself to calm and turned back to him. “Was that necessary?”
“In the last few days, a man calling himself Hellequin has claimed responsibility for countless acts of terrorism on the Earth realm. You used to go by that name. I’m not saying you’re guilty, but we need to find out one way or the other. I can’t allow someone to come into my realm if there’s a shred of evidence that suggests they will cause problems. Not after the murders of the last few weeks. You’ll be taken for questioning, and if I deem you to be uninvolved in these terrorist activities, then, and only then, will you be allowed to see Galahad.”
“Wait, you think I’m involved with murders? What murders?”
“That’s what the questioning you will undergo will determine. You will be placed in the prison, with your friends, until it’s determined what kind of threat you pose to this realm. And if you resist . . .” Harrison unhooked the massive hammer that hung from his back. He placed the head of the weapon on the ground beside me. “We’ll find a more permanent solution to the problem.”
I got back to my feet and allowed the guards to take me away. There was no point coming up with a witty remark, or threats—they wouldn’t have done me any good. Harrison was stubborn and arrogant, and had been out to try and find some reason to validate his hatred of me for decades. I thought we’d moved past it when we’d fought side by side, but apparently I was wrong. I only hoped that we could sort all this out before Arthur and Avalon arrived and things became considerably worse.
I was led out of the temple and into a waiting horse-dr
awn carriage.
“So, there have been murders in the realm?” I asked the guard beside me.
“Yes. I’m not allowed to talk about it more than that.”
“Okay, what are you allowed to talk about?” I looked around. “I see Leonardo didn’t get the crystals to power vehicles.”
“They kept blowing up,” said one of the three guards who got in the back of the carriage with me.
Silence descended for the rest of the journey, until we reached the prison outside the city.
“Well, that’s new,” I said as I left the carriage, looking up at the huge building that had been built into the very mountain. The dark rock stood out against the green that surrounded us. I didn’t even understand how we were going to get up there without a helicopter or something. It was hundreds of feet above where we stood.
“In there,” the guard who’d spoken to me earlier said. He pointed to the mouth of a nearby cave next to a small fort.
Six guards took me into the cave and down a set of steps to a lift that was big enough to take a tank. Small purple crystals glowed in the gloom, and the guards took me onto the lift and pressed one of two buttons on the panel inside. The metal doors slowly closed, and we began to ascend.
“Glad to see the crystals were used for something,” I said after a minute still ascending. “How long does this take?”
“Eight minutes,” the guard said. “We created the prison when it was obvious that we needed a place to put people who didn’t want to live by our rules. The palace dungeon was no longer deemed acceptable. We can’t move the lift quickly, as our alchemists discovered that it makes the rock shake too much. We’ve been trying to figure out a way to get around it. Eight minutes each way is a long time.”
We went back to silence after that for the remainder of the ride, until the lift stopped with a violent shake. The guard pressed the same button he had last time, and the doors began opening. The seven of us left the confines of the lift and walked down a long corridor that had been seemingly carved out of the mountain.
“Your dwarf friend,” the guard said. “Zamek. He really a true dwarf?”