THE EQUINOX STONE (Knights of Manus Sancti Book 2)

by Bryn Donovan

  “Probably,” Michael muttered under his breath. His worry, and Jonathan’s, did nothing to calm Val’s nerves.

  Andre frowned. “Val, they’ve at least seen your passport photo. Is it recent?”

  “It’s almost seven years old. I was fifteen. I had all turquoise hair then. Short.”

  “But they must’ve made sketches of her, from when they were spying through her,” Jonathan said. “From when she’d look in the mirror.”

  Mercedes said to Capitán, “No one expects a teenage girl to be a threat. Least of all these people. If we make some changes and she’s in a schoolgirl uniform…”

  “She’ll look like about half the students there,” Andre agreed. “She’ll blend.”

  Capitán looked as Val thoughtfully. “You did an excellent job of Reading their psychometrist. In the middle of a crisis. And this is your fight.”

  She’d heard him say that to Knights many times before. Whenever he could, Capitán honored his people’s right to take revenge. It was Manus Sancti tradition, and every comandante did the same. She’d never imagined he would ever say it to her. But he was right. She’d been used, violated. It made sense that she’d be the one to try to find them.

  “She’ll need a very thorough briefing if she’s going to pass as one of them,” Andre said. “She never went to school, and she’s been holed up in here for years.”

  He was right. Infrequent visits to the spa in Santa Fe probably didn’t count as hard experience with sonámbulos. Her only other trips were to see her parents.

  Capitán nodded. “Joe, get extra help from Scholars. I’m sending her.”

  Aquario and the other two Saint Augustine Knights sat up straight, attentive, waiting to see if they’d be chosen to go with her. Jonathan was pressing his knuckles to his lips as if to physically keep himself from objecting.

  “Sir,” Michael said.

  Capitán fixed him in his gaze. “If this is our best option, we’re taking it. She’s stronger than you know.”

  Val swelled with pride at his words. Capitán didn’t hand out praise lightly. And if he believed in her, then she believed in herself.

  “I think I do know, sir,” Michael said respectfully. For some reason, the fact that he joked around so much meant that when he was completely sincere, it was…well. It was sexy.

  She could tell he was volunteering to go with her, and she couldn’t help but hope that meant something. Did he regret backing away from her? Did he want to continue what they’d started? Or was he being the old Michael again, eager to serve, eager to protect someone he thought of as almost family?

  “They may not have a sketch of him yet,” Andre said. “He just got back.”

  “And he’s easy to disguise,” Mercedes said. “Give him a shorter haircut, colored contacts, and glasses. He’ll be fine.”

  Capitán regarded Michael. “Are you sure you feel ready?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He nodded. “Get a checkup with Dr. Holst. If he clears you for duty, you and Vega will go.”

  *

  An hour and a half later, at Anantara, Val went into her room and shut the door behind her. She called her parents for the third time in as many days and, speaking in Spanish as she always had at home, told her about the mission.

  “I knew when you went to El Dédalo, you would do dangerous things,” her mother lamented. She asked Val more than once if she was sure, saying that the loss of the stone was not her fault and insisting it wasn’t too late to back out. Jonathan had made the same points with her after the meeting.

  “I’m the best person to do it,” Val said.

  Her father sighed. “Well, there’s no better person to look after you than Michael.”

  “Did you tell him we’re proud of him for stopping the shooter?” her mother asked.

  “Yes, Mamá.” She made a mental note to do so. She had a wild urge to tell them about how she and Michael had become romantically involved, even though it was already over and would confuse everyone and make them uncomfortable.

  A knock came at the door. Michael, probably. They’d talked right after the meeting with Capitán, of course—he’d told her she was brave to volunteer and had made a joke about nuns.

  “I have to go,” Val said. “I love you.”

  “We love you,” her father said. “Call us before you leave, estrellita.”

  Val opened the door to see Cassie, who’d changed into yoga pants and a tee shirt. “I just heard. Can I come in?”

  Val nodded and opened the door wider. As Cassie leaned her crutches against the wall and got settled in a chair, she asked, “Do you want some tea?’

  “No, thanks. I won’t stay long. I bet you’re exhausted. I just wanted to see how you were.”

  Val sat down opposite her. “I was surprised Jonathan didn’t object in the meeting.”

  “He wanted to! But you know the last time when he argued with Capitán about my going? Capitán told him later to never do that again, or there would be consequences. Was he talking about that secret Knight jail?”

  “Solemore. It’s not only for Knights.” Consequences could mean a lot of unpleasant things. “He was honestly out of line then. He was so worried about you. But once Capitán gives an order, you don’t question it. It’s only okay to speak up when Capitán asks for suggestions.”

  “And you suggested you should go,” Cassie said Val’s heart was racing. “I thought they needed someone with stronger psychic gifts. But…”

  “But what?”

  “Now I’m scared,” she blurted out. “I’ve never been on a mission before.”

  Cassie’s mouth quirked upward. “I know the feeling.”

  “It’s not the same. You have your animals, and you know how to use a gun.” Val had never even touched one. “You have that protection spell, too.” They’d all been scared of Cassie using her anti-possession magic for the first time, because of the harsh negative side effects, but she’d survived them. “I’m just a…girl in a poofy dress with a lot of emotions.”

  Cassie’s brow furrowed in a slight, concerned frown. It reminded Val, actually, of Jonathan. She was pretty sure it was a new expression for the woman. Those two shared the kind of connection many people never found.

  Irritation pricked at Val. She doesn’t even know how lucky she is. But no, that wasn’t right. Cassie did know. She’d been through a bad marriage.

  I’m jealous. They had what Val didn’t, and she wanted it. The simple, petty truth shamed her. Val loved Jonathan like a brother, and she cared about Cassie too. She’d given thanks to the Goddess that the two had found one another.

  Cassie said, “When I first met you, I was scared of you.”

  “What?” In her admittedly short time of knowing Cassie, she hadn’t scared easily.

  “You can go into anyone’s psyche. You can learn anyone’s secrets without them even knowing about it. Even Capitán’s.”

  “I would never.”

  Cassie laughed at her shocked tone. “But you could if you wanted to, right?”

  She wasn’t even sure. Since she’d never been able to sense his emotions, she’d always assumed, without considering it too closely, that his psyche was somehow shut off as well.

  “Anyway, you’re still more prepared than I was.” Val opened her mouth to object, but Cassie continued. “You’ve watched about a thousand missions. Who else has done that? You don’t think that’s going to help you?”

  She hadn’t thought of this. “Watching is different than doing.”

  “Sure. But you must’ve learned so much.”

  “Maybe,” she admitted. She wanted to believe it was true. She needed every advantage she could get.

  “Jonathan said you went through one of those rituals when you got initiated,” Cassie said. “Like I did with the hot coal thing.”

  Val shuddered. Along with Samir, she’d officiated over Cassie’s initiation into Knight training, which had included forcing her to hold what had seemed to be a burning hot
coal in her hand. Val couldn’t sense others’ physical pain directly, but Cassie had been in agony. Her desperation and Jonathan’s emotional pain as he’d witnessed it had been almost too much to bear. “My ritual wasn’t the same,” Val said. “I knew it was going to happen ahead of time. And I knew it was an illusion.” Sonámbulos, outsiders, didn’t have those advantages.

  “I bet it still hurt like hell. What was it?”

  Val hesitated. Cassie was still so new to Manus Sancti. They weren’t monsters, but they faced them, and they had to be tough. “I had to keep my hand in boiling oil.”

  “Holy shit.” Cassie’s dark eyes were wide with horror and admiration.

  “It wasn’t real,” Val reminded her. “But you’re right. It hurt like hell.” Naturally, she hadn’t been allowed to project out of her body, divorcing herself from the pain.

  “I don’t think there’s anything you can’t handle.”

  Val’s heart warmed. “I wish I felt that confident.” Thanks to Cassie—still a new friend, but such a good one—she was already feeling a lot braver.

  “You’re a powerful woman. Poofy dress or no poofy dress.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Michael’s session with Dr. Holst consisted of three hours of answering questions, taking tests, and getting another MRI. At the end of it, Dr. Holst cleared him to serve.

  He barely saw Val. Nic had set up several video conferences with mission Mages to advise her, and she’d spent a day with Samir—and Cassie too, since he was mentoring her—learning some of the basics of pretending to be someone else. And then she’d spent a whole day at a local spa.

  Because he was cleared for duty, he’d been assigned shifts of guard duty on the border of the estate. The work had made him feel useful again, as though he had a place. It had also given him a lot of time to think about Val and the mission.

  When she’d volunteered, he’d been sure Capitán would dismiss it out of hand. She’d never gone on a mission before, and all of El Dédalo depended on her to do debriefings. The other Mage who did them, Delphine, was elderly and becoming frail. Why would they risk someone so vital?

  But Capitán had said they were at war. As Michael had realized the option was being discussed seriously, his soul had filled with dread. The Tribunal had no problem torturing and killing young women with psychic gifts. It was literally how they’d gotten started.

  Thank God, at least, that Capitán had agreed to let him be the one to go with her. He didn’t want to let her out of his sight.

  Four days after he’d been cleared, Michael got a text from Nic telling him to go to the meeting room in a half hour for a briefing. Since Val’s room was on the way, he stopped at her door, which stood ajar, and knocked. No answer.

  His scalp prickled. No doubt she’d just stepped out for a moment. She might’ve already gone to the meeting room without thinking to close and lock her door. But his mind, still soaked through with the blood of the shooting, went to terrible places, and he couldn’t let it go. He didn’t call out, because if there were an enemy within, he’d want to take him by surprise. Silently, he ventured inside.

  On the balcony, she turned around and jumped with a little scream.

  Michael said, “Sorry, I…”

  On the balcony railing were four lit taper candles—black, yellow, purple, and red—flanking a small statue of the Virgin Mary. Ironic, given where they were headed. He’d interrupted her private devotions, which he didn’t actually understand, though he knew they were Goddess-oriented rather than Catholic. He held up a hand and turned and walked quietly away to give her privacy, waiting in the hallway until she was finished.

  Jonathan sometimes prayed to God for wisdom and strength before a mission. Although Michael believed in God, he wasn’t much for prayer, himself. Given the Tribunal threat and Val going on her first mission, maybe he should change that.

  When she emerged from her room, she smiled. “Thanks for waiting for me.” She was wearing a pink dress with a sweetheart neckline that showed enough of her unbelievably perfect breasts to make his body stir. Well, it didn’t take much with her. The border of the full skirt had ruffles that reminded him of frosting. She was going to a briefing and she was more or less cosplaying a cupcake.

  “Sorry I barged in.” He was happy to see her lock the door behind her.

  “I didn’t mean to leave that open. How was guard duty?”

  They carried on polite conversation until they got to the meeting room. Nic sat alone at the conference table, thick bound packets sitting in front of him, and a duffel bag and tote bag on the floor by his chair. “Salaam. You’re late.”

  Michael should’ve warned her about that. Nic was always early, and he expected others to be right on time. Zaf, one of the Knights at El Dédalo, had told Nic once that if he ever got transferred to the guarída in Tangier, his head would explode.

  “It was my fault,” Val said. As they sat down, Michael realized this was the first time he’d ever been the more experienced person on the mission. In El Dédalo, he’d always been sent out with either Gabi or his brother, and in his time in Manila, he’d worked with two different men, both older than him. A couple of times, on straightforward jobs, he’d been sent out alone, but he’d never had the responsibility of looking out for someone else. And the someone else was Val. He couldn’t screw this up.

  Nic gave them each a packet. “First things first. Val’s alprimus.”

  Michael nodded. He’d expected this but was glad to hear it. On most missions, people were equals and looked out for one another, but Capitán could and sometimes did declare one person’s life and safety a priority over the other. Val being alprimus meant he was to forfeit his life to save hers if need be, but that she wasn’t supposed to do the same for him.

  Val stiffened, color rising to her cheeks. “That’s not right. I’m not worth more than him.”

  A fierce joy went through Michael. She’s in love with me. He shoved it aside. She probably wasn’t, and if she was, even a tiny bit, she’d get over it soon. And if it kept her from doing anything stupid, sooner would be better than later.

  Nic’s expression was neutral. “Not your call.”

  “You are worth more,” Michael added. “You’re one of the most talented Mages we’ve got.” Lots of people could fight.

  She shook her head, clearly unconvinced, as Nic flipped to one of the first pages in the packet.

  “The school created a schedule for you as a new student, which we naturally adjusted a little,” he told Val. “Michael will be your homeroom teacher and your history teacher, and he’ll oversee your lunch period.”

  “Wait.” Michael leaned forward. “I’m a teacher? I thought I’d be a custodian or something.” Certain jobs were much easier to infiltrate than others. “How did they do that so fast?”

  “St. Petersburg helped. They identified the faculty member most likely to quit on the spot and arranged a large tax error in her favor,” Nic said. “As far as the administration knows, they’ve had your cover listed as an approved substitute teacher—already through the background check and interview process. The interviewer’s been made to believe she’d talked to you before, in case they want to circle back with her.”

  “Holy hell,” Michael said.

  They’d been working on this: erasing and changing memories. Palimpsest, they called it—an intricate mix of hacking, psychology, and magic. Jonathan had told him how they’d successfully done it on a larger scale in northern New Mexico, cleaning up the aftermath of the same demon who’d demolished Michael. They’d obliterated memories and records of a horrifying instance of demon possession and cannibalism. It had been a profound mercy. They’d saved the possessed boy and his family, in particular, a lifetime of trauma.

  But this instance made him uneasy. He’d been so suspicious when he’d lost his memories, wondering if the people around him who pretended to help had actually wiped them out and were all lying to him. They really were doing that to the interviewer, and it
wasn’t for her benefit.

  Or maybe it was. Capitán was right—if the Tribunal obliterated them, no wall would stand between sonámbulos and supernatural evil.

  Val asked, “What’s homeroom?”

  “It’s all in the brief. The Scholars pulled together everything you need to know about the school, plus a lot of information about how to impersonate a sonámbula teenaged girl.” He smiled. “Teenagers behave erratically, anyway, so you’ll get something of a pass. And your cover grew up very rich, in a few different countries, so that’ll explain differences too.”

  Val flipped a few pages. “How did I wind up in Florida?”

  “Tragically, your parents died in a private jet crash, which anyone could read about with a quick Google search.”

  The Diviners had taken care of that too. “But won’t someone know it didn’t happen?” Michael asked.

  Nic shrugged. “No one’s fact-checking the whole Internet. You’re living with your godfather, Jason Wen, who you call Uncle Jason. Actually Jacinto Zhao. Do you know him?” Val shook her head. “I haven’t seen him since I was a kid, but he and my parents were friends in D.C.”

  Michael felt a pang of sympathy. Nic’s father had been killed in the Shifter War. Nic had been fourteen or fifteen at the time, if Michael remembered it right. In eastern Canada, for complicated reasons that went back over a century, the Black Bear and Coyote Shifters had set out to eradicate the large Wolf Shifter clan. Controversially, Capitán had chosen to become involved to protect the Wolves. “I’ve heard of Zhao.” A couple of stories about him killing enemies in resourceful ways. “I thought he was retired.”

  “He mostly is. Usually, he’s a sparring partner.”

  Michael always liked meeting retired Knights—those who’d fulfilled their twenty-year obligation and often took on less grueling duties. One out of six or thereabouts didn’t make it.

  Gabi would’ve been retired, except she didn’t want to stop going on missions. That made no damn sense to Michael, and he’d just told her that on the phone. She’d gotten annoyed with him, since apparently Jonathan had recently told her the very same thing—which, in Michael’s mind, only proved that maybe she should listen.