by Ben Reeder
He ducked under the tape again and held it up so I could get under too. The foot covers made a hissing sound against the floor as we walked forward, and aside from the hum of the lights, that was all I could hear.
“Yeah, this isn’t creepy at all,” I muttered.
“Quiet,” Collins whispered. “But yeah, this is creepy.”
We got to the corner and the whole circle came into view against the yellow wall. The area it was in looked like it had been set aside as a play area for kids, with grass painted along the bottom of the wall, and a happy looking sun smiling down from one corner. All I could be grateful for was that the moldy smell had gone away, though the not quite pine fresh smell wasn’t a lot better. More and more things about the circle started to look wrong the longer I looked at it. The outer symbols were in the wrong place. The placement not only felt wrong, I got that they weren’t fitting a pattern. Something clicked in my head about the other symbols, and I filed it away to tell Collins later. But something else had been bugging me, and it couldn’t wait.
“All the other circles . . . they were all outside, right?” I asked.
After a few seconds, Collins nodded.
“And you had kids missing nearby.”
“Yeah, I checked on the way over. I’m not sure if we got lucky, or if no one reported them. Maybe a homeless kid or a runaway,” he said, but he didn’t sound convinced.
“No, this circle’s all wrong. The planetary symbols are all messed up, and the internal ones are . . . well, they’re just random. And I’m not getting any kind of hit off this like I should if there’d been any magick done here. And it’s not . . . round like the others. Well, not the right . . . as big of round . . .” I started to say something else, but I was having a hard time thinking of the words.
Besides, Collins had split into two, and I didn’t really know which of the two Collinses I should talk to, and neither one would hold still long enough for me to focus on anyway. That was when my legs stopped working.
While I wondered when I’d decided to lay down, my brain was trying to tell me that I hadn’t closed the door when I came in. That was important somehow, maybe because it was closed now. But I had more important things to do, like fall into the well of black . . .
Chapter 14 Tuesday Morning (Two days left)
~ Every mortal has a weakness. Exploit their frailties whenever you can, and never let them forget that the vampyri are in every way superior to them. ~ Radu cel Frumos, 1471
My head hurt. And my mouth felt like someone had laid ten year-old carpet on my tongue two days ago. And I was blindfolded. Again. This shit was getting old. I turned my head and tried to get my bearings, and figured out I was upside down. My feet felt like they were tied together, and my hands were held behind my back by something rough, probably hemp rope, if I was any judge. The carpet feel on my tongue felt like it belonged to some kind of cloth shoved into my mouth. Great, blindfolded, bound, and gagged. Either the people who had knocked us out knew I was a mage, or they didn’t want me to see them. I pretty much counted on the first, given the way the past few days had been going. The other I hoped for, since people really only care if you can see them if they’re afraid you’ll be able to ID them later. That meant there would probably be a later for me. If I was right.
Other sensations started to make it into my little bubble. First was the smell. Blood, animal crap, and death. My guess was a slaughterhouse. There were a lot of empty ones near the railroad tracks and the Southtown docks. No matter how long it had been, the stench of death never seemed to leave them completely. My father owned a couple for disposal of the occasional inconvenient corpse. I figured it was the “in” thing among the well-to-do scumbags.
Rats scurried around somewhere, and I heard the blare of a train horn somewhere off to my right. I heard the creak of ropes, and counted at least two beside the one wrapped around my ankles. There was a whisper of conversation, then the chirping flutter of wings. Our hosts had just revealed themselves.
“Detective Collins,” I heard a familiar voice croon. Darth Fedora. “How good of you to finally join us. Do you know why you are here, detective?” He clipped the last word into a mocking note.
Collins turned the air blue when he told him what he could go do with himself.
I heard the smack of skin on skin, and the grunt of pain that told me Collins had just been slapped.
“I didn’t think so. Your kind rarely understand anything.”
“My kind?” Collins growled.
“Yes . . . mortals. Especially the unenlightened. You are about to be awakened, cowan. There is more to the world than your science can imagine. My Master is that which makes the dark so terrifying to you. He is vampyr, nosferatu, all that you fear beyond the grave. And he is displeased with your meddling.”
“So have his lawyer sue my ass,” Collins said.
That earned him another slap, this one loud, probably harder.
“He is above your laws. You will not speak again. You will listen, and you will obey. This is my Master’s will.” As Fedora hissed at Collins, I felt the shimmer of a familiar power hammer at my mental shields.
“To hell with your master’s will,” Collins said.
I chuckled into the gag when I heard Darth Fedora curse. Another slap sounded before he spoke again.
“You will halt your investigation for seventy two hours, detective. Beyond that, you have my Master’s permission to resume your enquiry. If you disobey him, your family will face dire consequences.”
“What family? I’m not married, got no kids.” Collins laughed.
“What you do have, Detective Demetrius Collins, is a sister and three little nieces. Kendra, Kesha, and Kayela. It would be a pity if one of those precious little girls disappeared.” I heard something rustle, then Collins made a strangled sound.
“Yes, detective, that would be the youngest, Kayela, wouldn’t it? You see, even Detroit is within the grasp of my Master. You will obey him. You will not interfere further. Do you understand?”
There was a tense silence that dragged on for almost a minute.
“Do you under—” Fedora started to say.
“Yeah, I understand, asshole,” Collins cut him off.
I couldn’t even imagine what it cost him to say those words.
“Karl, come on! Someone’s coming!” I heard another voice call out. This guy sounded farther away.
“I’ll just be another moment,” Darth Fedora said.
I tried to pin the name Karl on him, but it just didn’t stick in my head. I heard footsteps coming toward me, then the blindfold was pulled away.
“You still don’t seem to have learned your lesson, warlock,” Fedora said as he loomed above me. He was still wearing the same pants and trenchcoat, but his shoes were new. No sling for his arm, and not even a limp from where I’d put my balisong through his foot. Damn it, life was really a bitch sometimes. Still, when he squatted down to look at me at eye level, he was out of easy reach.
Since I couldn’t talk, I hitched my body around so he could see my hands as I flipped him off from behind my back.
“Defiant to the last. The only reason the two of you aren’t dead is because you are both too visible to dispose of conveniently. There will be consequences for crossing my Master. Think on that, warlock.”
His foot lashed out and caught me in the ribs. My vision went red from pain, and by the time I could see clearly, he was gone. Asshole had gotten in the last word and he’d taken a parting shot. I hated it when they did that.
“You okay, kid?” Collins asked.
I turned to face him and show him that I couldn’t answer.
“Dumb question, huh? Okay, I’m gonna try to get my hands free. You just take it easy.” I gave him an eyeroll.
He did something behind his back, and the next thing I knew, his hands were free and he was working on the rope around his ankles with one hand still in the cuff. I had to stifle a laugh when he got his feet loose, because he hit the
ground like a side of beef. He got up slowly, then looked around.
I made a noise of protest when he headed for one of the butchers’ tables instead of coming over to get me down. He picked up his pistol and ammo, then grabbed his badge and wallet before he scooped up what I figured was my stuff and came back toward me. My feet came down first, then he got the gag out before he went to work on my wrists.
“I hate that son of a bitch,” I muttered when he handed my stuff back to me. I pocketed everything but my wand and a cinnamon candy. When I felt the sweet burn on my tongue, I gave him a nod.
“Didn’t this happen last time I went somewhere with you?” he asked.
“Yeah, but last time, I was the one who got you loose. I think we’re even now.”
“Guess so. At least there’s no werewolves chasing us this time. All right, stay behind me,” he said. He held his gun low, with both hands on the grip.
“I’m at least as well armed as you are, man,” I said.
“You’re still a kid, and I’m still a cop. Besides, being in front of the guy with the gun ain’t a good idea.” He started for the cargo door, leaving me to either follow or look like an idiot. I followed, damning adult common sense and experience.
We were about ten yards away when the door blew inward. We both dove for the floor. Collins came up behind a column, gun up and pointed toward the door. I propped myself up on my elbows for a second to see who was coming. The jagged hole where the door used to be let in a flood of light. A lone figure stood silhouetted there, one hand holding a staff out to his left, his right brought up about to his shoulder and surrounded in a nimbus of blue.
“Okay, that was impressive,” I said. I brought my own little TK wand up and prepped the shield spell in my head. If this guy was going to start something, the least I could do was make it past round one.
“Chance?” the man in the door said. I stared in disbelief for a moment, and fought a flood of emotion that I was pretty sure I was supposed to be too pissed to be feeling just then.
“Dr. Corwyn?” I asked. “What are you doing here?” The blue corona of magick faded from his hand, and he took a few steps forward.
“Well, I was here to rescue you, but it looks like I’m a little late for that.”
“That’s okay, you’re just in time for the daring escape,” I quipped. Hey, it was either joke, or get all stupid about him riding in like the damn cavalry. I figured I still had a couple of days left of being mad at him about the whole Council thing, and Mom finding out I was a warlock. But when he came up and grabbed me in a bear hug, I wasn’t sure what to do.
“God, I was so worried about you,” he growled. “I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Me, too, sir,” I murmured into his shoulder. It felt weird, but I hugged back, maybe a little harder than I meant to.
“I don’t think they were gonna hurt us,” Collins added when Dr. C stepped back. “They just wanted to send me a message. Besides, they had the kid gagged the whole time, so we weren’t in any real danger.” I gave him a glare, but instead of dropping dead on the spot, he just laughed.
“What was the message?” Dr. C asked as he turned and ushered us toward the splintered door he’d just come through.
“Back off,” Collins said.
“Or bad things will happen to his sister’s kids. Dr. C, we have to help him out. It was Etienne’s servant again. Collins is doing his job, this isn’t his fight!”
“Like Hell it ain’t!” Collins barked. “He made it personal. This ain’t about a paycheck anymore.”
“Both of you, calm down. First of all, Chance, we don’t need to do anything about this. You do. Etienne has acted against not only you, but a public servant. Thraxus won’t like that. Go see him tonight, and yes, Demetrius, you need to go, too. That should really rattle his cage.”
We stepped out into sunlight, and I realized we had to have been out for several hours. My mouth felt a little less like cotton, and the light started an ache behind my eyes. Collins let out a groan to match mine as we stood there trying to let our eyes adjust.
“My head is killing me. Wonder how long we been out?” he asked.
“It’s about six forty-five,” Dr. C answered.
“It was almost one when I got the call, so about four hours or so,” Collins said. “They must’ve hit us with some kind of gas or something.” I couldn’t stop the snort of laughter at that. “What’s so funny?”
“I’ve been knocked out three times since Friday night, and this time hurt the least.”
“I think that, given the circumstances, you’re going to be skipping school today, Chance. And so am I,” Dr. C said soberly. He led the way down the steps toward his Range Rover. “For that matter, I wouldn’t be surprised if Lucas and Wanda come down with something, too. I left them at the lab when Alexis called me.”
“So, she’s okay?”
“Yes. When no one came out after an hour or two, and no more police showed up, she got suspicious and went in. She tracked your scents to the sewers, then she called me. I sent her to keep an eye on Lucas and Wanda while I was gone, and from there, it was a matter of zeroing in on you with a simple pendulum divination, and coming to your rescue.”
“So, no one knows I got cold-cocked and trussed up for four hours,” Collins said after he climbed into the Range Rover’s back seat. “I hope my car’s still there.”
The first few minutes of the drive to Collins unmarked car was pretty quiet. The only sound was the hiss of rubber over rain-slicked streets and Collins’ pen scratching on his beat up notepad.
“So, kid, I guess the circle we checked out was a total fake?”
“Kinda,” I said. “The symbols were right, they were just all out of place. And the outer ring was all wrong . . .” I let the sentence trail off.
Something was nagging at me, something I’d been trying to tell Collins last night. The images of the circles floated in front of my mind’s eye, and I remembered Collins asking me where I’d been on certain dates, dates that were closer and closer together each time.
“Chance?” Dr. C asked.
“The outer symbols were wrong. Collins, I didn’t get this until last night when I saw the circle. The dates . . . they’ve been following a pattern, I just couldn’t see it! The next kid wasn’t supposed to be abducted last night! If they’re going to take another kid, it’s going to happen tonight!” I turned around in the front seat to face Collins. “Whatever they’re going to do, whatever this circle is for, the big finish is on Thursday! That’s why they only wanted you to back off for three days. And they only need one more kid to do it.”
“All right, kid. Now you’re earning that ‘consultant’ title. Corwyn, drop me off here. At least my car’s still in one piece. I owe you one, Fortunato.” Collins barely waited for Dr. C to stop before he jumped out of the back seat and jogged to his car.
Dr. C pulled away and took a right.
“So, what are we really going to be doing, sir?” I asked a couple of minutes later.
“Well, you should be sleeping,” he said, but I could hear in his voice that he didn’t really believe that.
“I’ll sleep in this weekend. I’ve only got until midnight tomorrow night to find the Maxilla, and in case you forgot, I haven’t been making what you’d call stellar progress on that.”
We pulled to one side to let a fire engine pass, then he got back out into traffic.
“If you insist, then we’ll follow up on Lucas and Wanda’s research today, and search in the area we think Sydney was in last,” he said as we came to a stop light.
Another fire engine sped through the light before we made it through the intersection. I leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes to take the edge off of the headache, and promptly dozed off.
“Oh ye gods and little fishes,” I heard Dr. C say.
My head came up and I blinked while I tried to get my bearings. We were across the street from the school. A police car and a couple of fire trucks were
in the parking lot, with people in suits clustered around the cops and fire men well away from the front entrance. Then my eyes focused on the school itself, and I said something a lot worse than Dr. C did.
The walls were covered in something, and the only thing that came to my mind was bugs. It writhed and I swore I could hear the clicking of thousands of little legs against the brick. I shuddered.
Dr. C got out of the truck, and I opened my door a little more slowly. Instead of jumping down on the pavement, I stood up in the seat and held on to the top of the door. From there, I could see Shade, Lucas, and Wanda heading our way from the Falcon.
Wanda looked as freaked out as I did, but Lucas had a huge grin on his face. Lucas was in jeans and his denim trench, with a gray t-shirt that showed a dragon on the front. In red letters, it read “I slay dragons (on the internet)”. Wanda had on a red and black plaid short skirt with red and black striped tights underneath. Her top was black, with a fanged Happy Bunny in white and red. The caption read “cute but kind of evil”. Shade was still in the same outfit she’d had on when we left Dr. C’s.
Dr. C gave me a “stay there” look and headed for the group of suits and cops.
“This is cool!” Lucas called out as he got closer. The horrified look on Wanda’s face pretty much mirrored mine.
“Dude, you are seriously messed up,” I said.
“It’s happening all over town!” Wanda said, holding up her phone. “I got texts from friends at almost every other school. They say the same thing is happening! Bugs, birds, frogs, there’s even lizards all over Lincoln Heights!”
“And we got bugs,” I muttered.
“Actually, we got arachnids. These are pretty much all spiders and scorpions,” Lucas said.
“Well, that works,” I said as Shade put her arms around me and squeezed me tight.