“I just hoped that I’d hallucinated the whole thing.” Chandler swirled Kentucky’s finest around in the glass and held it up to the sunlight streaming through the window. “You’re talking about sabotaging a government agency during a time of national crisis.”
“I’m not doing anything illegal, which is more than I can say for them. Besides, I’m only asking for your help with the business part. The overall strategy… well, it’s probably best if you’ve got no idea what I’m trying to do.”
“When they’re beating a confession out of me, I’ll be sure to state that extra clearly. So, to make sure I’ve got this straight.. You want me to find a secret company that makes a secret product, that nobody knows exists and has apparently never been publicized or advertised… and buy it. All while never letting anybody anywhere know that you’re the one doing the buying or the snooping.”
“That’s a fair representation,” Francis answered. He was rather proud of his idea. John had asked him to stay put and out of contact for everyone’s safety, but he hadn’t said anything about not helping out. “Think you can handle it?”
“I’m an accountant, not a detective.” Chandler downed his second glass and sighed before continuing,“Though that is a fascinating career field. Hell, I do enjoy a challenge. I suppose I’m game.”
Francis had figured his man would be in. Chandler wasn’t Grimnoir, didn’t have a lick of magic, and owed Francis no loyalty beyond his rather hefty salary. But it was a rare accountant who would volunteer for a gunfight on the Imperium flagship, so his volunteering to stick it to the OCI wasn’t a surprise. “You can’t let anyone find out what you’re up to. They’ll probably be watching.” The OCI had been tailing him everywhere since he’d gotten back to New York, and doing an embarrassing job of it, since they were so easy to spot. “It could be dangerous.”
“Dangerous? One of them sucker-punched a billionaire and got away with it.”
“Millionaire,” Francis corrected. Grandfather had been the billionaire. Between the board putting the screws to him and the UBF stock taking a hit because Francis had told the Imperium where to stick their gold, he was only a millionaire. Though to be fair, it was a lot of millions.
“Yeah, whatever. I prepare the financials, remember? Then this OCI guy waltzed out of jail, and your legion of lawyers can’t even prove the man ever existed. Oh, believe me. I’ll be extra careful.” Chandler freed himself from the too-cushioned chair and headed straight for the door like a man on a mission. “I’ve got a few ideas to start with. Your grandfather liked to collect companies like they were stamps. We’ve got a couple small ones that aren’t doing much of anything interesting. I think somebody is about to get a nice infusion of operating capital. Let me see what I can do.”
“Thank you, Mr. Chandler,” Francis said with all sincerity.
He smiled. “No, thank you, Mr. Stuyvesant. You somehow always manage to keep this job interesting.”
After his accountant had left, Francis got up and walked to the window. The view of the city, from what had recently been his grandfather’s office, was spectacular. The old man’s guilty dying wish had installed Francis here, and he’d fought tooth and nail to keep it that way. Luckily, enough of the board had thought that it was easier to keep him around as a controllable figurehead than to fight, but he’d managed to surprise and outmaneuver most of them. Francis had worked hard for that view.
A considerable sum of money had brought a Healer in to repair his arm and his face, but his pride still stung from the beating Crow had administered. The whole thing was shameful. Not that Francis hadn’t been hurt before, quite the contrary; he’d been shot, stabbed, crashed in a dirigible, and nearly drowned as a knight, but it was one thing to get manhandled by an Imperium warrior, it was something entirely different to be humiliated by a supposed public servant.
It wasn’t enough that Crow had hurt him physically, it was the insinuation that he was some sort of traitor to his country. He had risked his life to keep his country from being destroyed by a Peace Ray! Who were they to accuse him of treason? Francis had cultivated a public persona of being a spoiled rich brat, but it irked him even more to have that lorded over him by some thug. Now he was reduced to hiding in his office behind a protective wall of lawyers when he should have been out there doing something. Black Jack would have expected more from him. Heinrich certainly wouldn’t have sat around while the Grimnoir were being framed.
Several of his friends were wanted like common criminals. Even Faye had shown up in the papers. Faye! She was about the sweetest, kindest, most innocent, gentle… well, not really. She was about as gentle as a bag of agitated rattlesnakes, but he was really fond of her, and she certainly didn’t deserve to have her name tarnished by a bunch of propaganda artists.
The whole thing made Francis very angry.
And there was nothing more dangerous that an angry millionaire with an ax to grind.
Fairfax County, Virginia
His nightmares were swift and violent, filled with disjointed images of flashing steel and spraying blood. The enemy scout was ruthless and cunning. Okubo, the legendary ronin, led the final charge against the beast and its created legions. Hundreds of their order had died, yet in the end, the warriors of Dark Ocean prevailed.
The sun had long since risen on a new day.
The Chairman had not yet responded. Iron Guard Toru had dutifully delivered his report concerning the death of Ambassador Hatori and the escape of the Grimnoir to one of the Chairman’s personal staff. Before the link had been severed, Toru had been informed that the Chairman wished to give him further orders. So Toru had stayed on his knees, meditating in front of the mirror. Staying awake had been a struggle. Eventually the fatigue of his injuries and magic usage had finally rendered him unconscious. He woke up still on his knees, innocent blood on his hands, and Hatori’s memories in his mind.
All Iron Guard were taught about their brothers’ magical skills. A Reader had the ability not just to receive but to send messages and images through a mental link. Sending was very draining and took considerable Power. Considering the vast amount of memories that Hatori had shown him, it must have taken every last bit of Power his teacher had to accomplish such a feat, especially while ritually disemboweling himself. Toru’s admiration for his mentor could not be higher.
The memories were centered around the secretive group known as Dark Ocean and their battle against the predator that had come for the Power. Dark Ocean had been a tight-knit group, and since they had been gathered during Okubo Tokugawa’s wanderings, they were not all Japanese. Toru had not been taught that during his training.
However, the creature was just as wretched as he had been taught at the Iron Guard academy and the Chairman had been every bit as fearsome in mankind’s defense. He was extremely thankful that his father was there to protect the world from such horrors. Truly, if it had not been for him, this would be a dead world. Once again, Toru was reminded what an honor it was to have been conceived by the greatest warrior of all time.
A few of Hatori’s personal memories, his impoverished youth, and times with family, lovers, and friends, had come over as well, but Toru did his best to ignore those private things, though it was becoming increasingly difficult to separate his memories from Hatori’s, they had become so fully meshed together.
It was a mystery why Hatori had seen fit to bestow these things to him. The glories were not his own, and he was therefore unworthy of having them. To further complicate matters, he also knew without a doubt that Hatori had been innocent. His love for the Chairman was unsurpassed. In one respect, Toru knew he had violated the Chairman’s orders. He had been told not to speak to Hatori, yet his teacher had shared something more personal than mere words.
Toru decided that he would ask the Chairman for his opinion on the matter, and if Toru had condemned himself through his foolishness, then so be it. He would have to die. Iron Guards did not fear death. They lived for death-or so it was taught, and Toru
was careful never to admit to himself any doubts or unease about the philosophy. The best an Iron Guard could hope for was that when they met their inevitable end, it had somehow brought glory to the Imperium. Sadly, the Chairman would more than likely order his death for letting the Grimnoir escape, which was a shameful and embarrassing way to die.
The mirror remained silent.
Much time had passed. He was very hungry, yet dared not be away from the mirror. Iron Guards were familiar with fasting. He could do it for days if necessary. Toru attempted to meditate, but Dark Ocean kept intruding. There was something there, nagging at him. Something he was failing to grasp. His legs were impossibly cramped, but still he waited obediently.
A knock at his door broke his concentration. It was the captain of the guard.
“Any word from the Finder?” Perhaps if he could still destroy those Grimnoir, he could find redemption.
“No, Iron Guard. There has been no sign. There is a representative of the American government here to speak with you. As you commanded, I said that the ambassador had passed on due to a heart attack, but they are insistent.”
“Send them away,” Toru growled. He had no time for political games.
“It is concerning the events with the Grimnoir.”
His leg muscles burned as he stood. “Stay here. Should a link be established, seek me out immediately.”
“Yes, Iron Guard.” The captain bowed.
The American was waiting at the gatehouse. He was surprised to see that it was a female. She was tall and bulky by the delicate standards set by Imperium women, but he could see how to a Westerner she could be attractive. The natural inclination of an Imperium man was to underestimate women, but Toru had worked in the West too long to make that mistake. The woman carried herself with the confidence of someone who had seen conflict. She was wearing a plain skirt, a white shirt, no jewelry or any other material affectations, and an overcoat large enough to easily conceal weapons. She looked very tired, as if she had not slept recently, and in normal times diplomatic etiquette would have demanded that he offer refreshment. These were not normal times, so he just wanted to get rid of her as quickly as possible.
“I am Toru Tokugawa of the Imperium Diplomatic Corps.”
“Miss Hammer. I’ve been deputized by the Office of the Coordinator of Information.”
Ah, their new secret police. But why come here, and alone? No witnesses, of course. Certainly, it was yet another American poking around, meddling uselessly in affairs beyond their understanding, eager to sell information. This was a relatively common occurrence, since it was common knowledge that the Imperium paid for information in large quantities of gold. Like swine, only rooting for bribes instead of food, Americans were obnoxiously quick to sell out their masters.
Yet, it would not hurt to develop another source within this new agency. “What do you want?”
“Information leading to the capture of Jake Sullivan.”
That caught Toru off guard. “Who?”
“You know the name. Please don’t lie to me. It’s a waste of both our time. Sullivan came through this very gate less than twenty-four hours ago. Then it got ugly.”
“How do you know that?”
“Intuition… and what looks like a big scorch mark on your wall over there, and the place still smells like smoke.”
This was an intriguing development. “Please, come in, Miss Hammer.”
The guards opened the gate for them. He led her along the gravel path toward the Imperium house. “I heard that your ambassador had a heart attack. My condolences.”
“I heard that your president had been blown up. Now you have my condolences. As your people would say, we are even.”
Hammer paused to study the obviously damaged roof of the mansion. “Lot of things going on this week. Is that Sullivan’s work?”
“Why are you looking for this Sullivan?”
“He’s a known member of a criminal organization known as the Grimnoir Society, wanted for questioning in relation to the assassination attempt on President Roosevelt, and a suspect in the shooting of four federal agents. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.”
As a man of action rather than words, Toru had not liked his initial posting to the Diplomatic Corps, but he had learned Master Hatori’s lessons well. Her discomfort and the way she looked away as she spoke suggested that she was lying, but not about searching for the Grimnoir. That much was true. “As you said, please do not lie to me. It is a waste of both our time. What are the real reasons you are looking for him?”
This Hammer obviously did not like being caught in her untruths. “He’s a wanted man. Whether he did the things he’s wanted for or not isn’t my business. My business is finding him. That’s all.”
“What will happen when he is found?”
She sighed. “I imagine the OCI will kill him.”
Toru would much have preferred to kill the Heavy himself, but anything that harried the Grimnoir was fine by him. “I can say nothing about what brought him here, or what transpired while he was on Imperium grounds. Yet, I assume that you have some sort of Power related to accomplishing your mission?”
“Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t. Let’s just say that I know he didn’t leave by that front gate. Show me where he got out and I can pick it up from there.”
The Grimnoir rings bore a spell that made tracking them with spirits very difficult. The spirit had to have them in visual contact, and even then, it took an extremely talented Finder or Summoner to bring in a spirit capable of accomplishing such a feat. “You do not strike me as a Summoner.”
“I’m not. Just show me his trail.”
If she was telling the truth, that meant that she probably would not be alerted if he were to have a spirit follow her. There was one Finder amongst the marines, but his creatures had thus far been unable to locate the Grimnoir. If this woman could somehow track them, though
… The possibility was intriguing. “Very well. Come this way.” They would walk around the property to the back wall. There was no need for her to see the shame of the damage.
Hammer had begun to ask another question, but froze, and then let out a shriek when she saw the front of the mansion. He followed her gaze to see what was the matter. The car that he had flipped was still on its roof. Of course, it was a very large car, and none of the men had even a fraction of his strength. They’d dragged it over so that it was no longer blocking the drive, but they’d need to have a truck come to remove it. He would have cleaned that up himself if he hadn’t been waiting by the mirror. The captain would be reprimanded for Toru’s displeasure, though to be fair, the captain had been left with quite the mess to repair. “I am sorry for the display.”
The woman’s hands curled into fists. She seemed to be experiencing difficulty controlling her emotions. “What? What the-that’s-” Hammer was so livid that she was having a hard time forming the words. “That’s my car!” She turned back to him. “Sullivan stole my car. That’s my car!”
Toru found that humorous, but it would not have been fitting for an Iron Guard to display mirth before a stranger, so he restrained himself to just a polite nod. Even if his Finder could follow this woman to Sullivan, perhaps he should let her have the first crack at the Heavy. That would be especially amusing.
Chapter 9
The severity of the effects were unexpected, but we are certain that historical weather conditions will resume quickly. Our experts are certain that everything will return to normal in short order.
— William M. Jardine, United States Secretary of Agriculture, after the MWAB (Magical Weather Alteration Board) backfired and resulted in record droughts across the Midwest, 1927
Ada, Oklahoma
Faye watched the familiar hills out the car window and got more and more uncomfortable with every passing mile. The last time she’d seen these hills she’d been a passenger in a car, only it had been nothing fancy like the Chrysler that Ian had purchased for several hundred dollars cash in D
allas. The last time, she had been in an old Model T, along with her Ma and Pa, all her brothers, and every single thing they owned that could fit inside or could be strapped down to the roof. It had been a long, hot, and dusty drive all the way to California, especially since they’d had to stop to steal food and gasoline along the way.
The land was still dead brown, maybe even browner and deader than she remembered, as if that was scarcely possible. Maybe it was because of the darkness of the sunglasses Whisper had given her. Her memories told her that this area had been green and pretty once, but that had been a long time ago. That had all changed one summer, and walls of dust, black as night, had blown up and covered the whole sky for days at a time. The crops had died. The pigs had died. Pa had gotten madder and meaner, and when he got like that he liked to blame her for having the devil in her, what with her scary grey eyes and her cursed magic. He used to yell a lot, always telling her that she had to be filled with all sorts of wickedness to end up with so much magic that you could see it right through her eyeballs.
Pa hadn’t understood magic very well, but then again, most regular folks didn’t.
The road was open and empty. Most of the houses they passed were abandoned and the fields were bare. The fences were falling down, but there weren’t any animals left for the fences to hold in anyways. It had been four years since she’d left. It wasn’t often that she thought about Oklahoma, because all her memories of living here were sad.
The others had debated and picked their route. It wasn’t the most direct way, but they were trying to keep a low profile. And nobody liked to travel through the Oklahoma wastes if they could help it. Lots of places had bad drought, but there was a swath right up the middle where nothing grew anymore. When she’d heard they were going to drive straight through Ada, she’d kept her mouth shut. It seemed like an unfortunate coincidence. She had to keep reminding herself that this place wasn’t her real home. She’d grown up here, but her real home would always be in El Nido, California, on the Vierra farm, where she’d been taken in and loved and treated nice, and even though the Vierra farm had been burned to the ground, it was still a million times better than here.
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