Will of Shadows: Inkwell Trilogy 2 (The Inkwell Trilogy)

by Aaron Buchanan

  Athena looked at the map on the tablet as I held it up. Shred also bent in for a glance.

  “So, Gobekli Tepe could have something to do with an opening to another universe?” Joy stretched and followed it up with a full-toothed yawn. She did not have a drink in her hand like many of us. It was probably good. Or not. A stiff drink might help the information ease into the brain. As it was, the day was bludgeoning me with knowledge.

  “Just imagine how many gods may have been exiled into this shadow world in the distant past. There is oblivion, and there is shadow.” Cool Luke sat forward, elbows on his knees, hands covering his face in a mock-prayer.

  “We must also consider that rEvolve could be trying to use whatever came out in the past to help their cause,” Sunderlin reminded us. “It could be a diversion to mask what their true intentions are. Or even to draw us away from Sean, the true well-keeper.”

  Athena, in many ways, was the de facto leader of our council. She stood up and walked to the fire, stoking it with the cast-iron poker. When she spoke, it was if she were standing right next to us. “Some of us will remain here to protect Sean. Manannán, you must return to your home and hinder any attempts to learn of or subvert the Well of Souls or what remains of Bereft. The rest of you must go to Turkey.”

  “And what of you goddess?” My suspicion that rEvolve was manipulating multiple things behind the scenes suddenly was confirmed.

  She turned her grey eyes back to me. “One of the gods has betrayed us. Victoria and I must find out who, for whoever it is, he or she is almost certainly the one orchestrating these events. If a god is behind these events—that scrying chest would not be able to tell you.”

  It was true. Magic could work on gods, but only in significantly heavy doses. The box was not capable of utilizing the amount of magic it would need for it to be useful when it came to deities. This level of treachery, conniving, and secrecy was beyond anything I would have ever imagined.

  “I’ll be coming with you to Turkey,” said Shred’s patchwork computerized voice.

  We each had our role to play.

  Chapter 17

  Victoria and Athena were gone by the morning, though Victoria wanted to know for whom she should book tickets to Turkey for by noon. Between us, we decided that Joy would stay with Sean on Island Lake, along with Sunderlin, and while they protected and watched over Sean, she would remain our “eyes in the sky,” so to speak.

  Sunderlin had a heartiness to him. As long as his feet were on the ground, he reminded me of the giant Antaeus, from the old story about Hercules. In the story, Antaeus was only defeated by the hero after lifting him off the ground and severing his tie with his power source. By remaining here in the cabin, I also trusted Sunderlin to look after Joy. Hopefully, she wouldn’t quite see it like that, even if it were true.

  Shred, Cool Luke and I would follow up with Victoria’s contact in Anatolia.

  A few hours after I told Victoria who was going, she sent an email with our travel itinerary. It would take just over a full day to for us to reach Urfa, Turkey, where we were set to rendezvous with the contact.

  Meanwhile, Manannán and Sean were out of the cabin doing something who-knew-where. I imagined they went out for a swim in Island Lake, but the water would have been freezing. Manannán could even get to the bottom of whatever secrets the lake held and illuminate some of my darkest memories in doing so.

  Joy clattered around the cabin nervously, seemingly unprepared for what awaited her being alone in the middle of nowhere with a 13-year-old boy for an undetermined amount of time. “Are you all packed up?” Hopefully Lou would help keep her sane.

  I set my suitcase on the porch next to Shred’s and Cool Luke’s—who were taking in one last walk around the lake before departure. “Yes. Still don’t have much. I’ve been recycling the same four outfits.” Victoria had also made sure there was a new washer and dryer.

  “You’re taking the box, yes?” She tidied up the kitchen and was going over the counters with a damp washcloth that was likely dried now judging by her vigorous and over-zealous technique.

  “Yes. Why? Is there something you’ve been meaning to ask?” She knew I was keeping an inkwell full of my blood for use with the scrying chest and that asking it would be a painless matter at that given moment.

  “Yeah—are you going to make it out of this?” Joy finally stopped scrubbing the counter of the island and released the hardened clump of the washcloth.

  I considered her question, ultimately deciding on, “My stars shine darkly over me: the malignancy of my fate might perhaps distemper yours.”

  “The Bard?” Joy sighed.

  “I’m not going to ask anything about the future, Joy. I’ve read far too many stories about that kind of thing. And they never turn out well.” I leaned over the island and grabbed a hand clammy and wrinkled from the scrubbing. “I need you here. There is no one else I trust to watch over the kid. And if I need help, there is no one else I would rather give it.”

  Joy’s tension dissipated. Her lips curled tightly into a grimace, though it was one of reassurance rather than resignation. “Okay. You guys have a plane to catch.”

  Sean was on the couch. “Get that kid off the couch. Throw the TV in the lake. Give that kid a book.”

  “Hey now! I can list ta you two gibber-jabber and play the game!” Sean paused his controller and waved.

  “And maybe teach him some manners,” I added.

  “Not too fuckin’ likely!” From most 13 year-olds, something like that would almost certainly be disrespectful in any context. However, Sean was cute in an impish way—and his smiles and dimples allowed him to pull it off. It was any wonder that Manannán had such affection for the boy—he was a charmer when he wanted to be.

  “Take care of this one, Sean. Don’t be a zombie. Try to learn some things. Mind what she and Mr. Sunderlin tell you or else…” I had no idea how to threaten an adolescent.

  “Or she has every right to actually throw every electronic in this cabin into the lake.” Sean gulped hard. Maybe I did have a latent knack for talking to adolescents. “Oh—and both of you, do me a personal favor and do not go in the lake.”

  I did not wait for a response, instead went to load the trunk of the rental car for our drive to the Grand Rapids airport. Shred was outside playing his acoustic guitar on the porch, barefoot and smiling. He stood up to help me.

  “No, I have them. Get your shoes on. Time to go.” I lugged my bag with one hand and Cool Luke’s in another. I came back to grab Shred’s, but he was already waiting for me with his tablet.

  * * *

  29 hours of travel tries even the most disciplined of souls. Cell signal outside of Istanbul was extremely unreliable, so we agreed to keep future communication restricted to emails and landlines on our end. We arrived in Kurfa in need of down-time and several hours of sleep.

  We were set to take a flight to Urfa later on that day, so Cool Luke and I left Shred to his own devices with a promise to bring him back food.

  We reached Urfa later that night and were met with our contact at a predetermined address: a café across the hotel Victoria booked for us. Our taxi brought us to the address a few minutes past five in the evening.

  In Istanbul, even Cool Luke did not stick out as being foreign. Here, however, not only was he an obvious foreigner, so was I. Turkish was a language I had come to have some affection for. It was an elegant language, and I enjoyed directing our driver to the hotel. The cabbie, duly impressed with my skills, was even kind enough to work with me on some of my pronunciation so I could fit in better. He left the three of us on the curb with our luggage and bid us farewell.

  “Cool Luke—will you and Shred go ahead and check us in for the night. I’m going to go ahead and meet with our person.” Knowing that Gavin was being kept somewhere nearby lent the belief that rEvolve would have eyes and ears around the town, maybe even with physical descriptions of us; me, at least. I could probably dye my hair, but decided to use my cloa
king spell to let me go incognito if need be.

  “Yeah. Whistle loud if you need help, bub.” Cool Luke shoved my suitcase through the door of the hotel, holding it open with his foot while Shred went inside. He grabbed his own bags and disappeared inside.

  The sun shone brightly and the glares of windows were more pronounced, blinding if you weren’t careful.

  The café across the street had tables under canopies that lined the sidewalk. It was not busy, but neither was it sparsely populated.

  My instructions were to meet him here, so I scoped the place before crossing, eyes settling on a man sitting alone at a table to my right. His hair was a curly, black matte, but with streaks and ringlets of silver throughout. As I crossed over to the café, he paid me no mind, continuing to a leather-bound book that could have been a Quran or a journal of some sort. His ostentatious sunglasses made it difficult to tell if he was looking at me. His complexion was somehow different from the other locals. There was a more golden hue to his skin tone. Now that I knew what to look for, I knew it for what it was. He was the god I was sent to meet.

  I sidled up as close to the table as I could before I muttered “Saul?”

  Saul was not his true name, exactly. But it resembled his actual one: Sol. Sol Invictus was one of the Eastern sun deities who caught on with the Roman soldiers while they served in Asia Minor. His personage was amalgamated with other gods in the latter years of the Roman Empire, as Rome already had a version, or, rather, versions, of a sun god. He was, by all accounts, a god without a pantheon, though it was easy to see why he remained: it was his birthday everyone in the West celebrated on December 25th. He was able to hitch his wagon to Jesus’ and let some of that belief sustain him through the ages. Even now, while he did not quite have the youth of Victoria and Athena, his face was chiseled with age and experience, even sophistication. His curly hair was oiled in a way that was not at all fashionable in the West, but for him, it worked very well.

  He slid the sunglasses to the tip of his nose. “Miss Theroux. I am pleased to meet your acquaintance.” He stood up and offered me a chair, pushing it in once I sat. “You drink tea?”

  “Yes. I love tea, thank you.” I dropped my Smythson’s mailbag to my feet, though I gripped the strap with my left hand, apprehensive, though I knew I should not be, given Victoria’s assurances.

  “We will not talk here.” He brushed at crumbs on his light blue oxford shirt as he sat down again. He gestured toward a waiter, who quickly brought me a small pot, saucer, cup and an assortment of teabags to choose from. “It is a good bet they knew you were here the moment you got off the plane. I take it your companions are settling into the hotel?”

  I was already steeping a teabag in the hot water. “Yes, I sent them in ahead of me so I could come meet with you.”

  “This is the last time I want you to separate. In going forward, you must not. The situation here is very grim. It’s a large city, but there are eyes and ears everywhere. When you are finished with your tea, I have a car—a burgundy Renault Fluence—in the alleyway behind this building. Meet me there with your companions in 25 minutes. Bring whatever you would need over the next 24 hours. Proceed as naturally as you are able.” Saul stepped to the waiter and whispered something to him before presenting him a wad of euros and walking into the shop nearest.

  The waiter offered me some powdered confections, but I refused, then took a couple more sips on my tea before crossing the street into the hotel. When we arrived in Urfa, I had faith that the size of the city and Saul’s discretion would keep us away from prying eyes. Yet, from what he said, we were made the moment we stepped off the plane and were followed us to the hotel.

  Once inside, I found a dark corner to inscribe a cloaking spell on my skin and texted Shred: Downstairs. Immediately. Bring Cool Luke and whatever you need over the next 24 hours. Anything you need to keep.

  Cell service seemed normalized in Urfa and was confirmed when Shred responded: Ok. You need anything from your bag?

  I replied: Single change of clothes. And that Neal Stephenson book I bought at the airport. Hurry.

  Minutes later, standing still next to the staircase while others passed by without paying me any mind, I was able to observe behavior. Nothing in the least was happening inside the hotel, other than the everyday comings and goings of its patrons. Outside the windows of the hotel, however, every movement seemed staged or contrived. Just as paranoia was sure to get the best of me, I heard lumbering footsteps followed by shorter, lighter steps behind them. My hopes were confirmed when Cool Luke emerged first with one suitcase.

  He could not see me, so I grabbed him and pulled him into my field so he could. Shred still was not able to see me, but stopped, seeing that Cool Luke was engaged in…something.

  “Both of you—this way.” I led Cool Luke by his shirt to the secluded corner and wrote a cloaking spell on his bicep.

  “How does this work? Am I invisible?” Cool Luke folded his sleeve over the markings on his arm.

  I stepped closer to Shred so he could see me. “Shred—you’re next.” I grabbed for his hand and he actually resisted for a moment, but relented and presented his palm to me. “Thanks. This kind of makes you invisible.” Shred was more than familiar, but Cool Luke had not yet mastered this kind of magic. “More like, it removes you from everyone’s radar. If you move too fast or get closer than a couple feet to someone, they will see you.

  “We’re meeting Saul in the alley behind the buildings across the street. I think we take the most direct route.” I motioned for the door, waiting for someone to come through so we could go through without a door mysteriously swinging open by itself.

  “Should we split up?” Cool Luke asked.

  “Saul specifically told me not to separate from you two from here on out. There’s an alley about a block to the north that will allow us to go back to the alley where we’re headed.” The desk clerk was coming from behind his desk to investigate the voices he heard, but could not see. He stepped outside, letting the door close behind him. When he came back inside, we would leave.

  “Or, if we’re mostly invisible then, can we just walk through that building right in front of us?” Cool Luke was also wearing his backpack.

  Shred’s mandolin was strapped to his back.

  I thought back to Saul’s exit. It’s what he did, so that egress was likely safe. “Okay, let’s go through the shoe store to the right of the café. If we lose sight of each other, cough three times.” The desk clerk reentered the hotel and I cut to the door, holding it open for Shred and Cool Luke to exit and ran across the street, trying my best to avoid the proximity offered by other people on a semi-crowded street.

  The door to the shoe store was propped open. According to my internal estimation of the time remaining to meet Saul, we had, very roughly, five minutes. The operator of the shoe store was closing up shop and emptying the day’s trash. I brushed past him. He felt something and turned to look, but I was already beyond the field in which he would be able to see me. I hoped Shred and Cool Luke were sneaking in behind him as his back was turned looking for me. He stared directly at where I was standing long enough that I re-inspected the spell I’d written on my forearm. It was intact. As soon as I looked up, Cool Luke, then Shred entered into my own field, soundlessly moving behind me and toward the back of the shop. I left the shop keeper looking around, perhaps wondering if his store was suddenly haunted.

  Out of the back of the store, seeing the alleyway devoid of people (though the neighborhood seemed rife with stray dogs), I coughed three times. I waited a few moments before seeing Shred and Cool Luke standing in front of me. “Looking for a burgundy Renault. You see one?” I whispered. There was a line of darkly colored cars parallel parked to our left.

  There was no sign of Saul. “I guess he’s waiting in his car?” I ducked down trying to see around the glare on the car windows. “I think that’s him in the second one.”

  “Be careful. Don’t like this at all.” Cool Lu
ke was right behind me as I stepped toward the Renault.

  “What do you mean?” No sooner had I asked the question did Shred cavalierly walk the remaining 15 feet to the car, shimmering out of sight as he did so.

  We followed.

  Shred was peering into the Renault without touching it. Cool Luke looked around, scanning for anyone who could be watching the vehicle from a distance or from a roof top.

  I bent in low, cupping my hands around my eyes and looked at what was in the car.

  Empty. Except for the ridiculous-looking sunglasses he had been wearing at the café.

  Chapter 18

  “What do we do?” Cool Luke asked from the back seat. I used spellcraft to start Saul’s car. Shred was driving.

  “Chances are, they are watching.” I tried a spell on my notepad to follow Saul and used his shades to enhance. The arrow did not seem to want to move, but it faintly nudged to the east.

  “Right now, we’re going on a scenic drive away from the city.” I texted Joy and Victoria to tell them Saul disappeared in-between our rendezvous and actually leaving. “Drive East, Shred.”

  Shred grunted. He couldn’t use his table to talk while driving. Without a tongue, he was unable to form the words.

  After a few attempts, I understood. “Yes. Toward Gobekli Tepe.”

  “For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me.” Cool Luke was closing his eyes, concentrating.

  “That’s not X-Men. The Quran?” I wondered. His eyes squinted as they were shifting, scouring the countryside in the face of a setting sun.

  “Fantastic Four. Kidding. Psalms. I have read nearly all religious texts. Many times.” Glancing over, I saw his eyes were still closed and though it looked like he was restive, his quick answer indicated that he was, instead, concentrating deeply. Ostensibly, he was engaged in something mentally, so left him alone.