“Do I want to know?”
“Not really, but I’ll tell you anyway. E-spheres, as they were called during the war, were horrible things. Mages on both sides used them before they were mutually outlawed.”
“That bad?”
“Beyond,” Monty answered, looking off into the distance. “They were created to dissolve living tissue. Mages would cast them around enemy positions and set them to slowly implode.”
“Fuck, that’s wrong.”
“So is war,” Monty said. “Doesn’t stop us from killing each other.”
“I just meant…”
“I know.”
“Did you ever…?”
“Mages on both sides, Simon,” Monty answered, his voice harder than steel. “Yes, I was ordered to cast one and only one. It was enough to last me a lifetime, several lifetimes. We called them Devourers. The e-spheres weren’t soundproof or fast.”
I shook my head at the imagery.
“The screams must’ve been…”
“The screams lasted days, as the trapped mages slowly died. It’s a sound you never forget. The spheres were horrific.”
“Horrific describes war well. How long did they—?”
“Not long. After the first casualties both sides agreed their use had crossed too many lines.”
“Even war has rules.”
“Indeed. Once the spheres were banned, we found more humane and efficient ways to kill each other,” Monty said. “I thought the casting of the spheres lost, forgotten.”
“Apparently someone remembered,” I said. “Someone who was in the war.”
“Someone strong enough to cast an entropic sphere, or at least have access to the information from the war…classified information.”
“That can’t be a large group,” I said. “How many of the mages from that time are still around?”
“Impossible to say,” Monty said. “It’s not like they took a census. Many who survived went into hiding, changing identities, losing themselves to history.”
“Is there any way to stop one of these Devourer spheres?”
“Yes, and it’s as unpleasant as the sphere itself,” Monty said, his jaw set. “Whoever did this is at least as old, if not older than I am, and practiced in forbidden mage warfare.”
“Someone ancient, powerful, and angry. That just about describes everyone who doesn’t like us.”
“This is no easy cast.”
“Fate managed to bypass all our security without a sweat. I’ve only seen Hades do something like that.”
Monty nodded.
“Bypassing our defenses would require enormous amounts of energy and skill.”
“Fate felt like she had the firepower. Maybe not Hades level, but she’s no slouch.”
“Perhaps,” Monty answered, semi-lost in his thoughts. “I’d have to face her again to ascertain her true level.”
“What’s the counter to the sphere?” I asked. “How bad is it?”
“Bad enough to have the cast banned during a time of war,” Monty said. “Bad enough to rob you of sleep for decades.”
“Shit,” I said. “What is it?”
“The counter requires knowledge of ancient magic, dark magic.”
“Blood magic?” I asked, hoping the answer was something else.
“Blood magic,” Monty said. “Usually lethal.”
TWENTY
“There has to be another way,” I said. “Blood magic can get you killed. It’s too dangerous.”
“You understand that Roxanne is in danger? Haven is inside one of these things?” Monty said. “Would you be looking for an alternative if it was Michiko? Or Peaches…or me?”
“Fuck!” I said, pounding the steering wheel. “There has to be another way.”
“There isn’t,” Monty said, quietly. “If there were, don’t you think I or Roxanne would know of it?”
“Call Dex,” I said suddenly. “Maybe LD or TK can help? We don’t have to do this alone.”
“Calling them would only put them in danger,” Monty said. “This is a message as much as it is a threat.”
“A message? A message from whom?”
“Whoever cast this sphere is telling me that someone from my time in the Black Orchid is still present,” Monty said. “Someone willing to use forbidden magic to attack a hospital full of defenseless people. There are other casts worse than a sphere. What do you think they would do if we got LD, TK, or my uncle involved?”
“I didn’t think about that,” I said. “Somehow I don’t think we have enough firepower to deal with whoever did this.”
“I know this is connected to our guest this morning,” Monty said. “Her masking ability was formidable.”
“Maybe they aren’t connected?” I said. “Could it be this is all a coincidence?”
“Everything is connected, Simon. Why did our guest this morning want you to face Kali?”
“You mean besides trying to get me dead?” I asked. “My best guess is to get me out of the way…divide and conquer. That’s what I would do.”
“She used fear and intimidation to make you think you were culpable for the imbalance around you,” Monty said. “She knew threatening those close to you would act as a catalyst.”
“It worked,” I said. “You threaten me, I’ll take you seriously. You threaten my family? I’ll raze the earth to stop you.”
“Precisely. She knew exactly what to say and where to apply pressure.”
“No kidding,” I said. “That means she’s been doing her homework on both of us. That was the reason for her visit. She needed to get me in motion, but why?”
“The express purpose was to have you reverse your curse,” Monty said. “The pieces are there…I’m just not seeing how they fit, yet.”
“More than that, if I’m mortal, you don’t have backup,” I said, thinking out loud. “If I were coming back to take you out because of some vendetta, I would try to remove any support system you had, especially the immortal kind. Make you vulnerable. Keep you alone.”
“I’m a fairly accomplished mage,” Monty answered. “Not to diminish your considerable skill, but I’m not exactly what you would call vulnerable.”
“True, you may not be vulnerable,” I said. “But without me, you’d be facing whoever this is alone. It could be they’re counting on your unique brand of Montague stubbornness.”
“That would mean I’m predictable,” Monty snapped. “I am not predictable. What I am is…”
“In need of a hot cuppa right about now, yes?”
“Lucky guess,” Monty huffed. “That proves nothing.”
“Good thing you aren’t predictable then,” I said. “Like I said, she did her homework on both of us. What side of Haven is this junction Roxanne mentioned on?”
“The main junctions are between the two wings,” Monty said. “The underground junctions are not accessible to the public.”
“How many junctions are there?”
“There are four main passages between the normal and supernatural wings of Haven. Two of them above ground and two below, with one final independent passage leading directly from the supernatural wing to the detention level underground.”
“Which one would Roxanne pick?” I asked. “Above or below?”
“Something like this? She’ll be on the lower skywalk, just above ground level to evacuate everyone possible, while locking down the detention area. The wards keep the wings compartmentalized and locked down in case of a breach.”
“Which means once they activate she would call you to meet at this specific junction?” I asked. “Not at one of the others?”
“The lower junction is the most practical and easiest to access,” Monty answered. “The others are impractical during an emergency, with the lowest underground one being the most dangerous.”
“That makes the one above ground-level the obvious choice. How safe is it?”
“It’s a hardened neutral location and standard protocol meeting site,” Monty said.
“I would say fairly safe.”
“The Randy Rump is supposed to be fairly safe as far as neutral locations go,” I pointed out. “How many times have you detonated that ‘safe’ place?”
“Each time, I was reacting to an attack,” Monty said. “But you make a fair point. We have to assume the junction isn’t as secure as possible.”
“You meet there to do what, exactly?”
“We meet at the junction to assess the damage and danger to Haven,” Monty said. “From there we take the appropriate actions to deal with the threat. Think of it as an impromptu base of operations.”
“Is the junction warded?” I asked, seeing the flaw. “Are there wards on the junction?”
“No, the junction is a null area between the wings. The wards would be ineffective in the junction. It possesses its own set of runic failsafes that make it a null zone.”
“A null zone which would neutralize most of your abilities?”
“Mine and anyone else’s. It’s how they’re designed.”
“Could you cast on the junction?” I asked. “Not a theoretical mage, you personally.”
“Not without tapping into dark magic,” Monty answered. “There are workarounds to normal casting. Most involve blood magic.”
“So, in order to cast on the junction, you have to use dangerous blood magic.”
“I just said that.”
“I’m thinking,” I said. The pieces were almost fitting together but I still had gaps. “How strong are the failsafes on the junction?”
“The failsafes on the junctions are powerful,” Monty said. “Only the most basic casts are allowed on them. The nullifying runes employed were designed to prevent major casting of any kind.”
“Makes sense, considering the detention area is located on the premises. This means no serious casting on the skywalk, unless blood magic is used.”
“Yes, but the junction itself is a protected area, like a bubble of power,” Monty added. “Even blood magic would be dangerous and potentially lethal to the caster.”
“Okay, let me see if I understand: the wards are activated, Roxanne calls you,” I said, running down the sequence in my head. “Then you meet at the junction, the one just above ground level to assess the damage and danger, as standard protocol dictates. That about right?”
“So far, yes,” Monty said. “Those are the recent emergency contingency protocols. Designed to protect Haven and its inhabitants, while keeping the detained confined to the detention level.”
“Recent?” I asked. “How recent?”
“Ever since we started paying Haven regular visits.”
“Oh,” I said. “What was the protocol before it was changed?
“Compartmentalization, containment, and control,” Monty said. “Both wings operate independently and the detention area is closed off.”
“What changed?”
“Centralized coordination instead of a fragmented response. Roxanne handles damage control with redundant personnel in place and gets help from me.”
“Who else knows of these protocols?”
“Besides the Directors, I’m sure most of the support personnel,” Monty said. “This is general information to protect the integrity of the entire facility. It’s drilled at regular intervals, at least once a month. As per Roxanne’s instructions.”
“It’s SOP—standard operating procedure, which means predictable,” I said. “Someone has been studying Roxanne, Haven, you, and the emergency protocols. If you go to the right junction, I can guarantee you won’t leave it in one piece.”
“Roxanne is heading there now,” Monty said, urgency lacing his words as he grabbed his phone. We screeched to a stop as we pulled up in front of Haven. “I have to warn her.”
We jumped out of the Dark Goat and headed inside. Peaches kept pace in tear-and-shred mode as people ran around us. Haven personnel were funneling people to different areas. Those who were too sick to move on their own were being assisted to safe locations.
“This is not a drill,” I said, looking around at the activity. “There is a real threat here. Where is the sphere?”
“I need to find Roxanne. The energy signature from this morning…Fate’s been here,” Monty said. “The sphere would be on the other side of Haven. This is the normal side.”
“Tell Roxanne to go underground,” I said. “Use another junction, and secure the detention area with extra personnel. This whole thing feels like a distraction.”
“A distraction?” Monty asked. “Distraction from what?”
“Let’s say you had to face a powerful mage and needed some willing, readymade allies to take down said mage,” I said, moving fast through Haven’s lobby. “Where would you start looking for help?”
It took him a few seconds, but he finally connected the dots.
“Bloody hell,” Monty hissed. “The detention area. The transplants from Sheol.”
“Kind of convenient, don’t you think? They’re scheduled to be transferred in a week. Sounds familiar?”
“The deadline Fate gave you.”
“Exactly,” I said, nodding. “Keep us busy for a week, she gets an instamob, some of which actually dislike you. Imagine that.”
“The plan must have changed somewhere,” Monty said. “She acted prematurely.”
“I’d say the recent turn of events may have something to do with that,” I said. “It’s possible she didn’t expect this response. How many ways to get to the detention level?”
“Several, as you know: the elevator, the direct passage, and one external tunnel that’s been sealed due to being a risk of escape.”
“Let me guess, aside from the sealed tunnel, these are all in the supernatural wing?”
“Of course,” Monty said, frustrated. “What sense would it make to have the access in the normal wing?”
“None,” I said. “You’re right.”
“She won’t pick up,” Monty said, placing the phone in a pocket “I’m going to go find her.”
“We’re going to find her,” I said, looking down at Peaches and holding up a finger. “Give me a second.”
Peaches sniffed the air for a few seconds before chuffing.
I assumed he meant the junctions or wards were preventing him from going in-between.
Haven tilted to one side and we slipped in-between. After what felt to me like a few seconds, we arrived several floors above our original location. My stomach was still en route, probably due to the suddenness of the shift.
The junction level was organized chaos.
There was more activity on this level. People were running back and forth, some with patients, others without. Everyone seemed to know where to go and what to do.
Klaxons were going off, together with a low humming sound and metal screeching. It sounded as if Haven was tearing itself apart. I saw Roxanne at the end of the corridor. She was still on the supernatural side of Haven. Based on her expression and hand motions, she was giving several people directions on what to do and where to go.
Behind her, I could see the shimmering effect of the sphere. It pulsed slowly with a dim violet light, refracting everything that was inside of it. I realized after a few seconds that the sphere was the source of the low humming.
“Monty, over there,” I said, pointing. “Across the junction.”
“Bloody hell, the whole junction is compromised,” he said, looking down the skywalk. “What is she doing? The entire structure is volatile.”
The junction was an enclosed skywalk between the two wings, talk about bad planning. I’m sure someone thought this looked amazing and avant-garde. I just saw a de
ath trap with a view. Whoever designed these skywalks didn’t stop to think they were excellent choke points and easily attacked.
Roxanne turned in our direction and caught sight of Monty. She started moving fast toward us. I raised a hand, yelling for her to stop, but it was futile, my voice was drowned out by the noise.
She closed the distance and I felt the energy surge before I saw anything. I turned just in time to see Monty run forward, gesturing on the way, his hands covered in dark red and black energy.
Peaches growled and backed up fast.
I shifted to move away from the edge of the junction. That’s when I noticed the wards on its surface. They gradually went from barely visible to blinding white, forcing me to shield my eyes.
Before I could grab him, Peaches ran between my legs toward Monty and Roxanne. His dash knocked me off balance, forcing me to rotate my body to stay on my feet. I saw Monty reach Roxanne, as a large orb of violet and black energy surged in the center of the skywalk, obscuring my view. I jumped back as it expanded, blowing the skywalk apart with a deafening explosion.
TWENTY-ONE
The ringing in my ears was a constant high trill as I regained consciousness. The smell of charred metal and plastic assaulted my nostrils as I struggled to see through the smoke of what was left of the skywalk.
“That…was not fun,” I said with a groan, as I shifted metal and debris away from my body. “Ouch, you’d think by now I’d be used to these sorts of explosions. Totally didn’t see that one coming.”
I took a moment to assess the damage to Haven, the skywalk, and my body. The center of the skywalk was a gaping hole, as if a giant had punched a fist through it. Parts of the junction swayed, while other sections fell several dozen feet down to the street.
Dark Glass: A Montague and Strong Detective Agency Novel Page 13