Silver Smoke (#1 of Seven Halos Series)

by Monica O'Brien

  Underneath the streets, another city centre thrived under brilliant, artificial light meant to mimic the sun. The light was supercharged, enhancing the Hallows supernatural powers and allowing them to draw freely from the source, like a battery in a recharging station. The city was structured like a stadium, with a metropolis of restaurants and shopping at the core. The houses wound outward from the centre like winds spiraling around the eye of a tornado, each outer ring sitting slightly above the inner ring on an incline. From where Thessa was standing, the empty space between the faux sky and the buildings formed the bottom half of a sphere.

  "La Ciutat dels Lladres d'Ànima," Thessa whispered to herself. The City of Soul Catchers.

  Thessa stood at the center of a sprawling quad with a large fountain surrounded by gray stone benches. Walkways and concrete paths sprouted from the fountain, each one leading to a different district of the city. The fountain was surrounded by some of the most important and frequented Hallow haunts, like L'alquímia Antiga, a fun tourist storefront completely molded from clay. There was an interactive science lab inside, and the gift shop sold replicas of everything from ancient crucibles to transmutation circles.

  La Petita Botiga d'Històries was one of the largest bookstores in the Hallow cities, where you could buy a camouflaged book on how to do just about anything. Younger Hallows used these books to learn about the process of making things so they could practice transmutating objects around them. The books had interchangeable covers that could be purchased separately, so a Hallow could read them on the earthlie train or subway without drawing attention. In the window, Thessa saw several English-language copies of Noah's Concordance, a topical listing of all the angels and historical figures in the entire Hallow world. It was the historical textbook they used at Mehlizabeth, the Hallow school, where Hallows age fifteen and above could learn about transmutation and motivity in a formal setting. For a moment, Thessa considered purchasing a copy for Brie, but this thought was broken by her own echoing laughter. She imagined the textbook sitting unopened on Brie's dresser, and decided it wasn't worth the effort.

  Besides, if she purchased anything, she would have to provide identification, and when people realized she had returned, even for a few days... she didn't want to consider the consequences.

  Thessa kept walking, until she came across a building of glass and metal, fondly called the l'Apotecari, though it had grown much larger than a plausible apothecary over the years. It was more like a research facility and hospital combined. Thessa shuddered, remembering the time she spent in the fertility unit, many years ago.

  Finally, Thessa made her way to the meeting point she was given—a building with large letters spelling "Ajuntament" over the doors.

  At the front desk, an unfamiliar young woman smiled at her. "Good morning!" Thessa placed the woman's slight drawl to somewhere in the southwest of the United States. "How can I help you today?"

  Thessa eyed the woman's nameplate suspiciously. Natassia. Thessa had been right. She didn't know this woman, but the woman was clearly American—perhaps stationed in Spain by the New Order? The Hallows had city centres all over the world, though, so it was unusual to see an American in Europe.

  "Thessa Torres. I have an appointment with—"

  "Yes, President Vega is waiting for you." Natassia smiled and held out an inch-thick metal cylinder with a squat letter-Z engraved in black. "Have you used one of these before?" she asked. "Bend the ends into a Z-shape and push down on the symbol. You'll be transported to your meeting."

  Thessa looked at the contraption. She had never seen anything like it before—it had to be new technology used only by the cities, but Thessa was fairly well-versed in Hallow technology... or at least she had thought so.

  "Where will this take me?" she asked, careful not to touch the device.

  "I don't know," Natassia said cheerfully. "I can assure you that President Vega chose a secure location for your meeting. He doesn't come to the centre anymore. He says it's a security risk."

  Thessa frowned; she didn't like the idea of transporting to a place she didn't know. What if it was a trap? She had no choice though; she grabbed the cylinder from Natassia and took a few steps back from the desk. She configured the metal into a Z-shape and pressed her thumb to the symbol.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Mere seconds later, Thessa was standing in front of a massive cathedral she recognized—La Basílica de la Sagrada Família. She had no reason to be surprised—work on the cathedral was commissioned by the first president of the New Order, who planned to use the building as a safe place above ground for Hallows to be themselves and use their powers out in the open.

  The building had touches of Roman Catholic tradition, with whimsical pillars at the entrance and statues of saints and martyrs donning the doorways. There were four visible spiraling towers above, with several more still in construction. The entire building was overwrought with strange angles, but there was still a healthy-sized group of tourists at the doors, waiting to get in.

  Thessa looked around to guess where she should go next, but it turned out to be unnecessary; when she turned around, Mateo Vega was there to greet her.

  "Thessa Torres," he said, towering over her. "We finally meet."

  She must have looked surprised, because he answered her unspoken question. "The device I left you transports us both to the location of my choosing when you activate it."

  Thessa raised her eyebrows. With his blonde, wavy hair and bright blue eyes, he was handsomer in person than in the pictures she'd seen of him. "I'm impressed," she said.

  "As an inventor, you should be," he said. "It's a useful device. Walk with me."

  No one stopped them for tickets when they walked through the front doors of the basilica. The inside bordered on gaudy; the style was a stone-cast version of rococo architecture. The support beams ran in unusual shapes across the ceiling, criss-crossing each other in creative arches. There were stained glass windows, but the patterns were not traditional images of saintly persons. Instead, the windows formed an abstract patchwork of glass and color reminiscent of Picasso's work.

  "Our current American president has ties to Oahu—I believe that's why we sent you there."

  "It is," Thessa replied.

  "I asked you here because we detected a disturbance of activity in the area."

  "Disturbance?"

  "Yes. We monitor power surges in comparison to the concentrations of Hallows and Nephilim in the area, and Honolulu is off the charts right now."

  Thessa's heart dropped. She knew the ability to monitor supernatural magic in an area was possible, but she had no idea the Hallow cities were actually doing it—before, it had been such an undertaking, such a waste of time. Thessa, Clara, and Cora were the only Hallows stationed in the Oahu, but Honolulu was a popular tourist spot for all sorts of people, Hallows included. Surely the addition of Brie and Sirena didn't account for a surge that would trigger a summoning to the capital?

  "What did you see?" she asked, keeping her voice as steady as she could.

  "We detected increased activity from the Hallows," Mateo said. "Of course, that could be accounted for by your own heightened powers. More confusing, however, was that we detected increased activity from the Nephilim as well." He seemed to be watching her closely. "I can only assume from the look on your face that you had no idea there were Nephilim in your area?"

  "No," Thessa said, trying not to look too confused. She wanted to come across like she had control of her area. "I've looked at the Nephilim's database, and there are no Nephilim on Oahu—they think monitoring the islands is a waste of resources."

  "Precisely," Mateo said. "Which is why I asked you here—I was hoping you could explain the discrepancy."

  "This is the first I've heard of it," Thessa admitted. "But I'll look into it as soon as I get back."

  Mateo seemed to accept her answer at face value, but there was a hint of distrust and manipulation in his features.

  "Is there a
nything else?" Thessa asked. It seemed strange that Mateo Vega would meet with her in person to ask about a power surge, when they could have easily discussed it over the phone.

  "One more thing," he said with a smile. "Everyone knows you are one of the wisest, most renowned Hallows in Europe. Your background is impressive—you were integral to taking down the monarchy from the inside, and you've escaped death in battle several times now. I'm looking for another advisor, and I'd like to have you on my board."

  Thessa smiled, but inside, her stomach churned. They had come to the real reason she was there—Mateo wanted her to work for him.

  "I'm honored to be asked, but my work in Honolulu is fulfilling," Thessa replied in the kindest tone she could muster.

  "Yes, my predecessor told me you would be difficult to convince, but I thought a visit to Barcelona might be the first step. You know, a simple reminder of the home you had for hundreds of years." He paced around the room.

  "My husband died in Spain," Thessa said, trying to control her shaky voice. "It's not a pleasant memory, nor one I want to relive every day."

  "It must have been very unpleasant if you're still using it as an excuse seventy years later."

  Thessa didn't think much of his sarcasm, but she knew she couldn't let him get a rise out of her.

  "It was."

  "I also thought it was strange that a woman of your talent and stature—someone who was so heavily involved in the politics of the last two centuries—would leave so shortly after our victory over the monarchy. If I had been such a useful instrument as you were, I would want to stay, perhaps run for office. You must know that you would have been a shoe-in."

  "My place is behind-the-scenes, not on the platform."

  "Good." He ruffled his soft, blonde curls. "An advisory position is behind-the-scenes, and I'd happily find something for those talented Egyptian twins of yours also."

  "I'm sorry," Thessa said, her nerves dancing. "The answer is no."

  "Pity." He smirked, giving Thessa a once-over. "Perhaps you're right though; cleaning up the situation in Honolulu is probably equally rewarding." His voice dripped with sarcasm. "I'll have Natassia keep an eye on your little island to make sure your investigation goes smoothly."

  "Thank you, Mateo. It was great to meet you."

  "You as well, Thessa. Hopefully we'll see each other again in Honolulu very soon. I'm not giving up on you. I'm sure I can come up with something to change your mind." He added a playful layer to his voice to give the impression that he was joking, but both of them knew his real meaning—he knew Thessa was hiding something he could use against her.

  And when he figured out the truth about what was going on in Honolulu, he would be faced with a choice—to destroy Thessa and the twins with a trial from the New Order, or to use the ultimate blackmail to bend them to his will.

  *****

  "Can we please get this over with?" Brie stuffed her toes into the wet sand, pulling her hooded jacket tighter and zipping it up. "We've put this off for nearly a week already." After surfing with Justin and Pilot that morning, Rykken had gotten Brie to meet him at the beach so they could talk about their class project for English.

  They hadn't spoken since their fight though, and Rykken wasn't sure how to smooth things over between them.

  Brie folded her arms across her chest. "I have somewhere to be."

  Rykken winced. "What could you possibly have to do on a Saturday afternoon?"

  "I have cheer practice."

  "Oh, right," Rykken said, exhaling. At least she didn't have plans with Justin. "So when did you become a cheerleader anyway?" He laughed a little. "Isn't being popular a step down from being famous?"

  She looked up sharply, cutting off his laughter. "Shut up. Just shut up about it." She turned her back to him and walked away.

  Rykken moaned. He didn't understand why everything he said offended her. He trailed after her, down Waikiki beach, away from the crowds. They walked in silence for a few minutes, Brie slightly ahead of him. In the distance, there were only a few people sunbathing on this more secluded area of the beach.

  One jet skier, a woman with dark skin and long white hair, streaked across the waves. Rykken was completed distracted by her, when Brie whipped around so fast that he almost walked into her.

  He caught her shoulders with his hands, using his own balance to steady her. Her body tensed at his touch and he dropped his hands. "I'm sorry," she said. Brie ran her fingers through her hair aggressively. "That was really rude. I mean, telling you to shut up."

  He looked at the ground. "I don't get it, honestly. I was trying to lighten the mood."

  "I know." She pulled her long hair into a loose ponytail and tucked it into her hood before finally meeting his eyes. "And to answer your question, I started cheerleading last week."

  Rykken shrugged, looking away. He didn't want to look into her eyes too closely, so he focused instead on her forehead, where a stray bang had escaped from Brie's hood. Rykken resisted the urge to tuck it behind her ear.

  The sand was gritty between his toes and the beach smelled like seaweed. He shook his head and twisted his neck, looking for a way to refocus the conversation. "Let's just lighten up. We don't have to be best friends; we just have to get this project done."

  Brie stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets. "So where do we start? And why did you want to meet at the beach? It's freezing."

  "It's seventy-five degrees."

  "It's windy."

  "Look," Rykken said. He didn't want to argue with her. "We need to choose a classic piece of literature and then express a scene from it in modern terms." He paused, thinking of what he should say next. "If you can stand the temperature, I think the beach is the perfect setting. We need inspiration if we're going to brainstorm project ideas."

  "Fair enough." Brie stuck one of her thumbs in the belt loop of her cutoff shorts. "What classics are you thinking about?"

  Rykken couldn't remember seeing Brie in shorts before, or anything casual at all. She was usually decked out in heels with tailored skirts or dresses in classic American blues, reds, greens, and whites.

  She looked at him expectantly. He cleared his throat. "I was thinking about something from 1984 or The Grapes of Wrath, since we read those in class."

  Brie twisted her mouth, shaking her head emphatically. "No way. Those books are depressing as hell.

  Stop being so emo."

  "Alright. Something happy then," Rykken said, pepping up. "As Punahou's newest cheerleader, I think

  'happy' is your department."

  Brie scowled at his words, puzzling Rykken for the second time in five minutes. Or was it the third?

  He'd lost count. He stopped walking, shoving his hands into his cargo shorts. "What? What did I say this time? Is it the cheer jokes?"

  "No." But the tone in her voice made him think the opposite.

  "Okay, because you don't seem to like cheering that much." Something clicked in Rykken's mind that caused his muscles to tense. "Wait. Did Thessa and the other girls force you to join the team?"

  Brie finally looked at him, her eyes seeming slightly wetter than normal. "No. I like cheering."

  He stepped in front of her, forcing her to stop walking. "Are you sure?" he asked, resisting the urge to rest his hands on her shoulders again. "Because I'm noticing that every time I bring up cheerleaders, you make a face."

  "You notice a lot for someone who doesn't like me much." Her eyes met his, green and intense as ever.

  Rykken dropped his eyes, hoping his Asian skin tone would hide how hot his cheeks were getting. "I don't dislike you. We just don't click."

  Brie opened her mouth to say something, then shut it. She pursed her lips, causing her right cheek to dimple. "I like plays over books. And romantic tragedies. Like Oedipus and West Side Story. And Romeo and Juliet, obviously."

  Rykken crinkled his nose. "At least it's not Jane Austen."

  "I'm not that cliché."

  Sometimes you are, he
thought. Other times, she surprised him.

  Rykken looked up; the brilliant cerulean sky was clouded over. He shivered, little bumps appearing on his forearms. It was unusually cold out here. But he couldn't go back on what he said earlier without looking like a wimp.

  "I thought you wanted something happy," he said. "Romantic tragedies are hardly happy."

  "I never said happy. You did." They were near the end of the path on the beach, and Brie sat down on a large, smooth rock. "Fine, nothing overtly girly. What else you got?"

  Rykken thought for a minute. "Not much I guess. Dante's Inferno. The House of Seven Gables..." he trailed off. He was drawn to something sparkling green about twenty feet away, peeking out of the sand.

  "Dante's Inferno... that's the one about heaven and hell, right?"

  "And purgatory," Rykken said, distracted. There was no one this far down the beach. He wondered if a tourist had dropped something valuable.

  "Let's do that one," Brie said, drawing his attention back to her. "Are there any romantic scenes in Dante's Inferno?" Rykken gave her a look. "What?" she said, smiling. "We're compromising."

  "Whatever," he replied. "The poem is pretty depressing, but there is a love story toward the beginning I think. We can look it up."

  "Cool. So how do we create a modern version of the love story?" Her words sharpened him, and his eyes widened a little. She bit her lip. "I mean, how do we... well, you know what I meant."

  "Right." He took a deep breath, wishing he could stop embarrassing himself in front of her. "So I was thinking, for the project, we could do something creative. Like write a song. Or something."

  "A song?" Brie looked intrigued. "How would we do that?"

  "I play guitar." He grinned. "And don't you have, like, a famous father who writes and performs music for international audiences?"

  "Very funny. I've never written a song though."

  "I have," Rykken said. Plenty of songs that I would never in a million years play for you.