“Chief Cipher to you,” he growled as he came up beside me and snatched the memory block back. “And I don’t believe that blatantly lying to the citizens of Portiside is in the agency handbook.”
“It isn't. But I didn’t lie to him.”
“You said that there were law keepers outside waiting to come in. How is that not lying to him?”
“There are law keepers out here. It’s the Indicium Quarter after all. They work here. Mr. Mutuari was acting as if he was hiding something about his business. That means the law keepers, or whoever audits this place, will catch up with him eventually. Maybe now he’ll behave himself for a while.”
Cole tried to find the words to express the disbelief that crossed his face, and a chuckle escaped my lips. I couldn’t help it.
“Come on, Chief Cipher,” I said, deciding to let him off the hook. “Let’s go back to the agency and see what’s on the memory block.”
“Agent Vane, sometimes you make me want to …”
“Make you want to what?” I asked, full of innocence. But I didn’t remain innocent for long when I caught sight of his eyes. They were like magnets, filled with fire. And not in the usual way that represented his anger. Oh no. His eyes were aflame to a point where it had my heart racing. It made my thoughts plunder to a place where they should not be plundering.
His hand reached out to touch my cheek, but then he pulled it back. “Let’s get back to the agency,” he muttered. “We’ll sort out the rest from there.”
“A perfect plan,” I replied, a knowing smile on my face.
Briefly closing his eyes as if calling for patience, he stalked away in the direction of the place we may as well call our second home. Reluctantly, I trailed behind him for the rest of the way.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
WHEN WE ARRIVED back at the agency, there were a few agents milling around as they checked in for their new assignments. The Enforcer Administrators were fielding them, supplying them with what they needed. But that didn’t stop the agents from getting in our way and asking Cole how Kaleb was fairing. It looked like the news had already broke.
It was embarrassing, hanging by Cole’s side as he answered their questions. I could tell from their faces they were wondering why I hadn’t been with my partner when he’d been attacked. And why I was standing here now with the boss, following him around like a lost puppy.
Cole was efficient as he gave them an update and I ignored their glares. So much for having gained their respect after our previous case. Once it was over, Cole led me to his office.
Closing the door, he loaded up his own hologram pod and put the memory block into it. It was the only one at the agency because they had to be run on crystal energy. And Cole, being Cole, liked to watch the purse strings.
“Where would you like to begin?” he asked me as I perched myself on his desk.
“At the beginning, I guess.”
Two hours later, we’d scanned through enough footage to come close to losing the will to live. It was onerous, watching one day followed by one night, followed by another—nothing suspect jumping from the screen. It was only when I suggested going off to get coffee when Cole stopped me in my tracks and counteracted my offer.
“I’ll do it, Agent Vane,” he said, getting up from his seat and urging me to take over. “You continue with this while I make a couple of calls. I’ll ring the Hub to check on Kaleb, then I’ll bring the coffee.”
“Sure,” I said, desperate for the caffeine but saying nothing. At least he was bringing me some.
He disappeared and I settled in his seat to plow through the rest of the footage. I was happy for him to keep things professional between us as the tension hovered in the air. A tension neither of us wanted to acknowledge right about now. I was glad he was keeping his distance. It was one less thing for us to worry about while everything else was going on. But it had been hard, sitting there with him in such close proximity as we worked through the images.
He’d glanced over a few times as if to say something, but he never went through with it. I was both frustrated and relieved by his closeness, hovering like a succulent temptation.
I still wasn’t certain if Cole and I should step over that line. But my head and heart were all over the place with what had happened in the past twenty-four hours. I don’t think either of us were comfortable in thinking so selfishly while Kaleb lay healing in a fish tank. Not that there were fish in there, but that’s what it reminded me of. The thought of Kaleb brought the sick feeling back to my stomach. Until Cole had upped and left the room, I’d managed to keep my mind off it. Now it came back to me with a vengeance: the fear, the panic, the worry. I rubbed at my eyes before they decided to leak some more.
I’d need to let my stepdad know what was going on soon, to some degree—and Rosie. They’d both grown close to Kaleb over the years, just as Mayra had, and he’d come to be like family to them. They had a right to know if he’d been hurt.
Maybe Mayra could tell them if I gave her the heads up. But then I figured we could wait a while. Tomorrow, Kaleb could be up and about again and there would have been no need for them to worry. The hope of that happening flared within me. In an attempt to keep my head in the game, I continued to scroll through the mundane task of discovering anything that reflected what I’d seen in my vision. Twenty minutes later, I struck gold.
Rewinding the footage that flashed before my eyes, I slowed it down to process what had happened. The activity that caught my interest occurred about two weeks ago according to the time and date stamp on the image. I zoomed in closer.
What appeared to be a man, dressed up snug in his jacket to keep him warm from the cold of the night, came to a stop outside The Mutuari. He’d been walking with intent until someone stepped in front of him. And whoever it was stopping him in his tracks was tall, careful to keep their back to the camera.
The second person was shrouded in darkness as they chatted away. The person who intercepted his path having dark hair, dark cloak, dark everything. It was as if he was purposely trying to stay invisible to any watchful eyes around him. The man who he’d stopped looked worried as he spoke. It appeared as if he was trying to explain something, and the realization of what was about to happen hit his eyes a few seconds too late. The shadowed man reached out, snatched his throat and slammed him to the floor. He then picked up the unconscious man and threw him over his shoulder before walking away out of sight.
Rewinding the footage, I zoomed in on the victim’s face. He looked very similar to the man I’d seen Torroro chomp down on in the vision. This was it. This was important. It also meant that someone with Torroro had gone out to bring him the food. That was no reptile hand that had grabbed the man’s throat.
Could it have been one of the other prisoners who had escaped? Had he gone out to get food for Torroro? And if so, why risk being seen? Surely they could have hunted for something, or someone, a little more discreetly. What the hell were they up to?
I freeze-framed the screen shot of the attacked man’s face and zoomed in once more. Cole had already asked for open clearance on the pod so my voice would be accepted if I asked for instructions. I quickly called up the hologram and asked it to search all databases for anyone resembling the man’s face. All citizens had their photograph on file—in all their forms—but it was their human, or as they called it on the paperwork their ‘Majority Form’, photograph shown on their citizen badges.
The main Portiside Data Hub held all that information, and hopefully the pod would be able to get a hit. The footage was a lot clearer than what a cheap security camera would give you over on Earthside. We were also lucky we’d gotten a good shot of his face.
I didn’t suspect that Mr. Mutuari had tried to cover it up. The cameras were only there as a precaution to look through if there was a need. And there would have been no need for Mr. Mutuari to glance through this footage on that particular night. Nothing had happened to his shop, so why would he have? And no one had been aroun
d to witness the incident. It had all happened as quickly and as obscurely as the attacker had intended.
Watching as different images flashed from one to the other on the projected hologram screen in front of me, I tried to focus. But it was pointless. The pod would work through the different images on the database and throw something up if it matched. I just had to let it do its job.
Ten minutes later, I was still staring intently at the screen when Cole walked through the door with two cups of coffee in his hands.
“Any luck?” he asked, and I shushed him as I continued to stare hypnotically while the flashing images passed by. Surely something would hit soon.
“What it is?” He came around the desk and put the coffees down. He looked over my shoulder and every sense in me went on high alert from his nearness. What I wouldn’t give to have his hand on my shoulder, his breath on my neck … But what I also wouldn’t give for my stupid head to stop having such fantasies every time he was a few meters away from me.
“This!” I said with enthusiasm when the images stopped scrolling and landed on one I recognized. “It’s found him. It’s only gone and found him.”
Ignoring Cole, I grabbed a note pad and pen from the corner of his desk and asked the pod for full details. The pod did as I asked, and a profile of a Dill Hemingway filled the screen.
“Who’s this?” Cole asked pointing to the man whose face shimmered into view. Scribbling down the information that sat against Dill’s profile, I attempted an explanation.
“Dill Hemingway. Emerald-Earth Citizen. He’s a member of the Laoch Talún clan of the Sidhe. In other words, he’s a member of the Fey.”
“So?” Cole pushed in confusion, trying to read my notes while I scribbled.
“Pod,” I ordered without looking up, “rewind paused security footage by one minute and replay.”
It did so, and Cole watched it play out while I re-read through my notes.
“What’s the connection?” Cole asked once that section of the feed had finished.
“Oh no,” I said, ignoring him once more. The words fell from my lips as I looked at what I’d written next to Dill’s job description.
“What is it?” Cole asked impatiently. “Terra, you’re not making any sense.”
“Sorry. Pod, return back to the profile of Dill Hemingway.”
The pod did as I asked, and I pointed to the screen. “This. This is the man from the security footage, the man from my vision who they goaded Torroro into biting. Look at his occupation.”
Cole leaned closer to read the small print. “Immigration Officer for the Barrier of Barth Portal.”
“Exactly.” And it was then that the pieces came flying together. “Oh shit.”
“What?” Cole snapped, his brows furrowed together at my choice in language. I’d forgotten who I was with for a second, and apparently Mr. High and Mighty didn’t like his women to have a foul mouth. Well, whoa is me, but this was something that definitely called for a little cursing.
“I saw a maze in my vision. Just a flicker. Doesn’t the Barrier of Barth portal sit in the middle of one?”
“Of what?” he asked, still appearing confused at my little outburst. I missed Kaleb even more. At least he tried to understand what I was talking about.
“A maze. I’ve never been myself. I always use the Fire of Atsila portal. But I’m sure I heard somewhere that they introduced a new security measure for the Barrier of Barth portal by growing a hedged maze around it. The vision was trying to show me the portal. And now this man they attacked works for that very same portal.” My words were racing out faster and my voice was high-pitched but that only confused him all the more. “Oh for goodness sake, Cole. If the escaped prisoners purposely came out of hiding to attack this man in particular, what other use could he be to them if he works at the particular portal I was shown in the vision?”
“They could use his ID to get through?” he guessed. But then he scoffed, “That’s not possible.”
“Isn’t it?” I snapped, not liking my ideas dismissed so easily without at least trying to explore them first. “Think about it. We’re talking about a witch, a demon and a very powerful mage, to name but a few, who have escaped from prison. They have stayed underground for six weeks, but two weeks ago one of them came out of hiding to attack someone in the open. They targeted Dill specifically for a reason and fed him to Torroro. But did he eat him completely? I don’t know. Did they let Torroro have enough of a bite to eat to kill the man, all so they could animate him back to life? Not sure. But they do have a mage with necromancer capabilities, remember? They could bring Dill back to life to stroll through the portal and give them access. I think. Maybe. I’m not certain. But Cole, this means something.”
“Alright, alright.” He ushered me out the way and looked through my notes, glancing at the screen to process his own thoughts from what I was babbling on about. His face darkened as he read the details I’d bulleted about my vision next to the notes on Dill. “This is a long shot,” he said eventually, letting out a long and heavy sigh. “Immigration Control is prepared for such attacks as these but I will notify them regardless. I’ll also see if the other agents can track anything between The Mutuari and the portal.”
“I thought it was need-to-know?” I asked, aware he was getting ready to dismiss me. I could tell from his voice.
“It is need-to-know. And I’ll tell the agents just enough so they can track down a wanted criminal. They don’t need to know they’re escaped prisoners. Stand down, Agent Vane. I can handle this part from here. Alone.”
“Wait. Why? These could be the ones who attacked Kaleb. They could be waiting in the forest, luring us into a trap. Shouldn’t we wait and form some bigger plan in trying to bring these escaped prisoners in?”
“This is the first tangible lead you’ve had since we found out about the escape. I now have my brother in a healing coma because of it, and that leaves you without a partner. It’s also a lead full of holes because the attack on Dill Hemingway was two weeks ago. If they were going to do anything as risky as breaking through a portal then I think they would have tried to do so by now. However, it’s a start. It could mean they were hiding out there, so it’s a lead I can at least follow.” He stood up out of his seat and stared me down. “Go home. Or go sit with Kaleb for a while. I don’t care. But right now, you don’t have any tracking abilities I can use, and you look dead on your feet. Get some rest. Time out, or whatever. And report back here in the morning.” He went to walk away.
“Cole …” I said, but he turned on me with a fire in his eyes. Not the good kind this time. “Sorry, Chief Cipher,” I corrected. “But these prisoners have a plan. I can feel it. And it’s bigger than just hiding out and hoping for the best.”
“I know,” he said, his demeanor full of business once more, “but I can’t work with what ifs and maybes. I can only work with the facts. Get yourself some rest and then tomorrow you can continue working on finding those facts. Until then, you’re out of action.”
He said nothing more as he left me fuming in his office. The dark ground coffee he’d made resembling mud stared back at me. It looked disgusting. Nothing like I would ever drink. And then a sob caught in my throat at the thought of Kaleb. Kaleb knew how I liked my coffee. Kaleb would have listened to me. But you left him alone, a haunting voice resounded in my head, and the guilt hit its target once more.
Screw this.
I wasn’t going to hang around here feeling sorry for myself. I’d take Cole’s advice and go see Kaleb but only because I was worried about my silly asshole of a partner. Maybe I could nag him enough to wake up out of that stupid coma just to shut me up.
Stomping off out of the office and slamming Cole’s door to make myself feel better, I headed off to the Healer Hub. My head was reeling with isolation and pain.
No more tears, I chanted to myself. Enough had been shed. Now was the time for action, to feel useful. And to feel as if I could actually breathe again without a heavy w
eight pressing upon my chest.
The dread of losing Kaleb probed at my soul, but I pushed it away and focused on reaching him. I would look upon him and convince myself he was going to be okay.
The alternative was unthinkable.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
ENTERING THE HEALER Hub, I was rewarded with a waft of the disinfectant smell that always hovered around the place. It was a reminder of the night before when the fear had sunk its claws into me. A moment in time that had hit me so hard, part of me was certain I would never feel safe again.
Shrugging off the feeling, I walked up to the healer who was manning the front desk.
“I’ve come to see Kaleb Cipher,” I told her, and she smiled and pointed to the same door I’d gone crashing through last night. Taking that as her assent that I could go see him, I smiled back before heading off.
Not realizing I’d been holding my breath, I pushed the doors open and released it before I passed out. But then my heart decided to pack up and leave my chest when I saw the empty room. The water tank wasn’t there anymore. There was in its place only an empty bed hovering like a dreaded sign. All the crystals had gone. My eyes darted around like a mad woman, not quite sure what I was looking for.
“Excuse me?” I shouted out to the empty room. There was another door at the rear with a section cornered off but I wasn’t sure if anyone was there to hear me. My legs were shaking so much that I couldn’t even retrace my steps to the healer at the front desk and ask what the hell was going on. I shouted again.
“Kaleb!”
Shouting for him was ridiculous. It was obvious he wasn’t here. And it’s not like he could have walked out and gone home what with the state he was in yesterday. But my mind didn’t want to register the worst. Why would the healer have sent me through here with a smile if he’d gone and croaked in the past few hours? Unless Cole hadn’t called when he said he would and something had happened to Kaleb in the meantime. Maybe the healer on the front desk was mistaken, or she was a twisted bitch who got off on doing stuff like this. Maybe she wanted to raise my hopes so I thought that everything was okay, when in fact, he was dead. Oh my God. My friend was dead.
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