by MJ Fletcher
“With great love comes great anger.” The phone dinged in her hand and I glanced over to see her smiling as she looked at it. “This is what I was looking for.”
“What?”
“Look for yourself.” She stretched her arm out handing me the phone.
I reluctantly placed the necklace on the bed and took the phone from her. The screen displayed a picture of Jess and me sitting at the Beanery laughing. I didn’t recall him taking that picture, though we were obviously having fun. I slid my finger across the screen advancing the picture. The next picture was of Edgar and me near my locker in school and so were the next two. The last one was of me sitting alone, my head slightly turned with a faraway look in my eyes. I wasn’t even sure where or when it had been taken.
Why hadn’t he ever told me how he felt? Stupid question, Chloe. You never gave him the chance, not to mention that Slade was always around. Nightshade had been so much like me—broken—maybe that’s why he always understood me better than anyone, even Slade. He knew when I was lying or hiding something; he knew me like no one else. Yet I didn’t even know he cared about me, God I’m an idiot.
“He loved you too.”
“I told him I was his,” I whispered. In the language of the Old Kind when you told the person you were his or hers, it signified a declaration of love.
Mrs. Nightshade smiled and leaned over grabbing me in a hug and patting my back. “I’m glad he had you with him at the end, thank you.”
I took a deep breath and knew I was going to have to let go of all the anger I was holding onto. Nightshade was gone and no matter how much I wished otherwise, I had to move on.
“I’ll grab our tea.”
Mrs. Nightshade exited the room and I sighed and looked around thinking about the life I might have had if I had given Nightshade a chance. I reached out, grabbed his leather jacket, lifted it up to my face, and closed my eyes inhaling. The familiar scent surrounded me and I shuddered as my memories hit me full force. I burrowed my face in the jacket and breathed deeply, and then I let it unfold and swung it around sliding my arms through it and slipping it on. The jacket was big on me but I wrapped my arms tightly around my sides hugging it against me.
Mrs. Nightshade entered the room carrying two teacups on saucers. “It looks good on you.”
“I’m sorry I just...”
“No need to explain, dear, I slept with one of his father’s shirts for a year after his death.”
I took the tea cup and sipped. I didn’t love tea, not like I craved coffee, but it was rather good. “Thank you.” I liked not having to cover up how I felt about Nightshade; it was liberating.
“You can hold onto it if you like.” She smiled and sipped her tea slowly.
“No, I couldn’t do that, it belongs to you.”
“Dear, I doubt I will have much use for a leather jacket. Plus its getting cold out and you need a proper jacket.” She pointed at my well-worn hoodie and winked.
“If you’re sure,” I said wanting so very badly to keep it.
“I’m most definitely sure.”
“Thank you, so much for everything.” I grinned and rubbed my hand along the leather arms, happy for the first time in months. At least now I had something of Nightshade’s to hold onto.
“Not a problem, dear, I’m glad you stopped by. Now I just want to finish boxing things up and be on my way.” She sighed, though I wondered if she even realized that she did and her eyes searched the room, as if she was looking for Nightshade.
“You aren’t staying?”
“No, I wasn’t the best mother to James the last few years. This place reminded me too much of his father and so I moved around. After I finish here, I head to Brazil for a while.”
Pain was etched tightly in the corners of her eyes and mouth and I wondered if that’s how I looked when I talked about Nightshade.
“Are you going to sell the house?” I asked, hoping she’d say no. This place fit Nightshade. It wouldn’t seem right for someone else to live here.
“No, never,” she answered quickly. “I just don’t think I can stay here; there are too many memories. Plus with the truces falling apart, I want to be as far away from the drama as possible.” She finished off her tea with a final sip.
“Do you really believe it’ll get that bad?”
“The Old Kind has been at each other’s throats for years. My son’s death has given the Guild reason to be more distrustful of DS. Now with all this First Kind business, war seems inevitable. I’ve already sacrificed a husband and a child to this insanity; I’m finished with all of it.” She rolled her eyes.
The Old Kind problem had certainly taken its toll on the Nightshade family. It may have been adventurous and fun at times with my friends, but there was death and sadness as well. And the never-ending guilt of what you could have done differently so that someone you loved didn’t have to pay the ultimate price. That’s something they never tell you in the epic movies, after the credits roll people need to live with loss and hurt that comes from war and adventure. From firsthand experience it isn’t a whole lot of fun.
“Maybe it can be stopped.” I said hoping to offer solace.
“They’ll never stop asking things of you, Chloe, trust me, I know. If you follow my son’s path it could end just as badly for you, remember that.”
“I will,” I said to placate her. I couldn’t simply walk away and leave my friends to face the coming war alone. It wasn’t an option even if it meant a bad end for me. No, I was in this fight to the bitter end, and I intended to relish the battle.
Chapter Five
Status: I head to my other job.
The portal to the Diesel Factories swung closed behind me as I pulled my doorknob out and slid it into my pocket. Industrial buildings rose up in front of me in odd directions and shapes, each covered with numerous doors. People stepped out into mid-air and walked through open portals all around me. I was always amazed by this nexus point where Old Kind moved freely and the power flowed so openly.
The roads that maneuvered around the buildings were crowded with older cars that zoomed along and then disappeared in flashes of blues and reds, the various drivers activating their portal jumpers. Portal racing was a big pastime among Old Kind.
I moved quickly making my way through the back alleys. The funny thing about the factories is that no matter where you intend to show up in them, your portal tends to dump you into any space it can find. Edgar explained to me that with so much activity you can never get an accurate end point. I didn’t mind the walk, not to mention it made it very unlikely that someone could follow me.
I spotted the familiar metal stairs and rushed to them taking them two at a time. I didn’t bother to knock when I reached the top; I grabbed the knob and swung the door open. The loft was massive, the living and kitchen one big room.
“Boss, I’m home!” I yelled as I walked through and tossed my bag on the couch and went to the kitchen to see if there was anything in the fridge. As usual he only had beer and week old pizza.
“Grab me a beer would you?” Gavin Brimstone walked down the stairs that lead to his bedroom, scratching the back of his neck.
I pulled a bottle from the refrigerator and tossed it to him. He snatched it out of the air, twisted off the top, and took a swig. Pulling out a stool at the kitchen counter he sat down, glanced at the leather jacket I was wearing, but didn’t comment. I’d rolled up the sleeves so that my hands were visible and while it was big on me, it felt good and I intended to wear it.
“Where’s Henna?” I hadn’t seen her in a month. I wasn’t sure if the two were an item. I’d assumed they were, though I had gotten the feeling that Gavin had many female friends.
“She’s looking into something concerning the HVO for me. Fill me in on your meeting.” He took another drink of his beer as I informed him of my recent meeting with Dad and everyone else.
I’d been working with Gavin ever since I discovered that Nightshade had been a Polymorph and had a
lso worked with Gavin before his death. In a world that was growing ever more difficult to trust people, excluding my friends, Gavin was someone I had come to rely on. He was honest with me even when I didn’t want to hear it. Plus the training he had me going through was remarkable. It didn’t come near to anything I had learned from anyone so far. With him being a Polymorph, he possessed more knowledge on how to help me access my various abilities.
In the end the reason I had truly come to trust him was that he was the only one I believed didn’t have an ulterior motive when it came to helping me. I remember the day I had come here to his place yelling at him about Nightshade and demanding the truth. Gavin hadn’t held back; he had given it to me straight. He had told me that Nightshade was a Polymorph and that he had helped save many people from the First Kind. My response had been simple.
“What do you need me to do?” I had been nervous and still upset about losing Nightshade, but I was more than willing to finish what he had started.
Gavin had gone on to explain. “There are traitors in each of the Old Kind organizations. We need to route them out before they start a full-fledged war. Ms. True, your mother, Charles, they were just the tip of the iceberg. This goes much deeper than that and it’s been going on for years.”
“How do you know that?” I had been scared but for the first time I had felt that maybe someone actually could provide me with some answers.
Gavin had leaned forward across the counter getting closer to me, I can remember the look in his eyes; determined and angry “Several years ago I was on an assignment for the council when I ran into a DS member who had gone rogue. We fought and when I took him prisoner he told me that he wasn’t the only one who had decided to abandon the Societies and he had urged me to join them. He told me that they needed skilled people like me to help their cause. It was imperative if our kind were to survive. Before I could bring him in for questioning he killed himself. After that I kept my eye out and started to see a pattern, more people than usual started going rogue, and then after your mother disappeared it suddenly stopped. Your father’s trial and the fall out were bad. I thought perhaps the threat was over until I was sent on another mission and almost got killed.”
“What’s unusual about that? There’s always a risk when on a mission.” I had said.
“No one but the Council had known about my mission, so how then could I have been ambushed? It had been a set up. Someone on the Council had sent me to be slaughtered. That’s when I realized the First Kind had changed tactics. They hadn’t gone missing; they were hiding in plain sight. They want to bring down the Old Kind from the inside and they’ll kill anyone who gets in their way. I wasn’t a fan of everything the Old Kind did, but I didn’t want to see them destroyed either.
“How can we stop them?” I had asked.
“Nightshade had told me about your father and the others working to keep the Council and the First Kind from getting any of the artifacts. I agree it’s a smart plan, but you can also work with me to help discover the traitors and save the people they target. It’ll be dangerous.” He had shrugged letting me know I didn’t have to do it if I didn’t want too.
“I’m in, I’ll do it.” With those words the last few months had been a whirlwind of secret meetings with sources and training with Gavin who showed me how to fight and access more than just DS abilities. I’d already learned how to do some small Impossible Engineering feats but with practice he assured me that I could access a plethora of abilities. It had helped to keep me focused and working toward the next mission. That way I didn’t have to think about anything else... not that it always helped.
I finished telling Gavin about everything that had transpired at the Reliquary, and he leaned back on the stool taking it in. I rested against the countertop and waited for him to talk. Gavin had a way of thinking over every angle of a situation before making a move.
“The Tavern at the End of Time?”
“That’s the plan, if Edgar can find us a way in.” I chewed nervously at my lip wondering what he was thinking.
The spot between his eyes creased with concern. “It’s dangerous as hell; I’m surprised your father is letting you go.”
“He isn’t happy about, either are some of the others. If the First Kind can access the Legend of the Mapmakers Union from afar, who’s to say they can’t steal it just as easily? The Mapmaker’s book is the key. What’s our next move?” I was anxious to start planning another mission and to continue my training.
Gavin shook his head and traced his finger over the top of his beer bottle. “No more missions right now.” “What do you mean?” My voice faltered as I took a step toward him.
“The Tavern is dangerous. You need to focus your concentration on that mission for now. I don’t want you distracted when you go there. Besides I need to wait on Henna’s report before we can make our next move. It’s not like the last mission was a rousing success.” He scowled like an irate parent.
I cursed myself for letting the mission go to hell the way I did. I had had a gut feeling that it would be risky; I should have never gone to that meet. “Look I messed up, I get it.”
“It’s not that, I’m more concerned about how skillfully you were tracked this time.”
I thought about the tall tracker who had nearly caught me the other night. If it hadn’t been for Edgar I was sure he would have gotten his hands on me. “But I got away and I even masked my portal signature like you taught me.”
“From the description you gave me, I think I know the tracker and he’s not someone to take lightly.”
“Who is it?”
“His name is DeAndré’ Morgan and he’s one of the best trackers in the Skelton Key Guild. Just because he lost you the other night doesn’t mean he’s given up.”
I hadn’t even considered the thought that someone could still be tracking me. I figured after I lost the tall guy that was the end of it.
“It’s not like he knows who I am; he won’t find me,” I said, though wondered if I was being overly confident.
“Regardless, it is too dangerous to even consider doing anything right now.”
“But that’s no reason to cease planning another mission. I’ll be more careful next time I swear.” I didn’t want to be left without anything to do while Edgar searched for a way into the Tavern. The idea that I’d have nothing to do but sit around and think frightened the bejeesus out of me.
“Chloe, the truces have been called off. If we make one mistake we could set off a war. We need to be careful and that means for now we do nothing.” His determined glint told me that I didn’t have a chance in hell of changing his mind.
“What the hell am I supposed to do?” I kicked at the floor with my boot, unhappy I had been put in this situation.
“Prepare, the Tavern is not a place to take lightly.” Gavin took another swig of his beer.
“You could still train me?” My spirits picked up at the thought of at least being able to do more Polymorph training.
“Of course, I wouldn’t send you in there unprepared.” He chuckled and I sighed happy for that at least.
“Good, but, Boss, how many times do I have to ask you to have something other than old pizza and beer in the fridge?” I laughed and poked him in the chest.
“What’s wrong with beer and pizza?”
“You’re going to let me drink beer?” I cocked a brow and smiled.
“Absolutely not, you’re underage.” He rolled his eyes at me.
“So you’ll send me into life or death situations, but beer is off limits? That makes no sense.” Gavin stared at me and I could see that I had annoyed him with a rather reasonable argument.
“That’s not the point.” He gritted his teeth in an effort not to laugh.
I smiled wide. “Did you let Jess have a beer?”
He stood and walked into the living area to sit.
‘We’re not having that conversation again,” he huffed, that conversation being the one where I was curious to k
now what had happened between him and my cousin.
I laughed and joined him in the living room area. “I’m just saying I bet you let her have a beer in between kisses.” “For the last time... she kissed me.”
“Right, Boss, I believe you,” I teased and he tossed a couch pillow at me.
“You’re a pain in my ass you know that?”
“That’s why you love me.” I laughed finally feeling as if my dark mood was lifting. Maybe things were actually getting better after all.
Chapter Six
Status: Yup, things get worse.
I left Gavin’s loft in a better mood than I had been in sometime. He might not have a mission for me but he was right, I could still train with him and concentrate on learning everything I could about the Tavern at the End of Time. My first call was going to be to Edgar to see what he had come up with, and then I planned to check some books out of the library at Paladin Academy. I had a feeling that the Old Kind would never be releasing their books in an e-reader format.
I pulled up my hoodie to keep the cold out and made my way back out toward the main drag of the Diesel Factories to open a portal back to Cape May. Mrs. Nightshade had been right, the leather jacket was keeping me nice and warm and I was glad to be wearing it.
I turned a corner and found myself on the main drag of the Factories. The nearest business was Mike’s Tavern, a Skeleton Key Guild bar. I pulled my doorknob out and turned toward the closest wall looking to make a swift exit and get home.
“Hey, who do you think you are?” Someone grabbed my arm and spun me around. It was a girl who seemed oddly familiar. She had dark hair and was wearing a long dark coat. Then it dawned on me that I had met her the one time I had visited Mike’s Tavern.
“Can I help you?” I asked annoyed that she had laid a hand on me.
She raised her voice and pointed at me. “Who the hell do you think you are wearing Nightshade’s jacket?”
“It’s none of your god damn business,” I said through clenched teeth.
“It is when some DS punk thinks that she can keep something that belonged to a Guilder who she got killed!”