Black City Dragon

by Richard A. Knaak

  The second section finished. It made quite a bit more of a difference.

  I will give you the dragon wolf.

  They’d thought this through. Aware that even the two lives they had might not be enough to persuade me, they’d added what they felt was a real incentive.

  I noticed they referred to themselves in the singular. That was a point I decided might be of use.

  As I folded up the parchment and pocketed it, another subject came to mind. “Where’s Louise Crying Wolf?”

  He tapped the desk. “Someone on orders of Hymie Weiss came looking for you at the other building. Broke all protocol and agreement doing so, but evidently Weiss doesn’t care about that where you are concerned. He made the mistake of using some odd combination of harassment and flirting with her in an attempt to find out who you might be.” Laertes smiled ruefully. “She did not kill him, at least. I’m not sure which angered her more, the harassment or the flirting. Either way, I have told her to keep out of view for the time being.”

  “And she listened?”

  “On occasion she does.”

  I tapped my coat pocket. “Thanks for this.”

  “I wish you the best of luck. Please do not contact me again unless this affair is over.” Laertes gestured to the bodyguard. The man opened the door. “Farewell.”

  “Good to see you, too.” I nodded to the bodyguard, who stood like a statue. He was quick to shut the door once I was back in the reception area.

  I started past the blonde, only to have her wave me over. When I opened my mouth to speak, she shook her head. Instead, she reached into the desk and pulled out a small object wrapped in a woman’s handkerchief.

  “Winnie asked me to give this to you,” she whispered. That said, she waved for me to hurry out.

  I nodded and did just that. I didn’t even look at what was in the handkerchief until I was back in the Wills.

  It was her medallion. The one dedicated to me—Saint George, that is. I had no idea what giving that to me meant. I doubted she was praying I would watch over myself. In fact, over the centuries, I’d tried to avoid churches and shrines dedicated to me. They felt like frauds. I certainly had no blessings to give anyone. My own existence had convinced me of that.

  I put away the medallion with the parchment. The Triple Man wanted me to bring the card I had to a location just off of Municipal Pier. They would have Claryce and Fetch. That simple.

  Of course.

  I headed toward Holy Name. I hadn’t made up my mind as to whether to actually retrieve the card, but Holy Name was the only place I could find someone with whom I could discuss the situation, namely Kravayik.

  I waited as long as I could to make certain that the cathedral was for the most part empty, then entered. The nave was fairly dark, most of what illumination there was coming from votive candles. I quietly made my way down the main aisle, wondering if I should cautiously call for Kravayik.

  “Something is amiss,” he murmured from the shadows.

  Okay, he made me jump. The dragon sniggered, not helping the situation any.

  “How’d you know I was here?” I asked.

  “I did not know. I have been in here praying every opportunity I had since our last encounter.”

  I remembered what Fetch had told me. “Are you afraid what you did will bring you back under her influence?”

  Kravayik stepped out of the darkness to my right. He still looked haggard. “I have always been concerned by that occurring. You have no idea the influence she wields over all Feirie. She even convinced Oberon to cast out his own to please her—”

  “Yeah, I met one a couple of years ago. She wasn’t exactly the apple of her father’s eye anyway.”

  Kravayik looked like he wanted to ask about that case, but instead carried on. “She was his fatal mistake. It took centuries—more even— but finally she cast him out. That is how powerful she is, Master Nicholas.”

  “I’m sorry for whatever you’re going through, but things have gone from bad to worse—”

  “Fetch has not recovered?”

  There was genuine concern. Amazing. “He did, but both he and Claryce have been kidnapped—”

  “Mistress Claryce?” It was the closest I’d heard him come to shouting in some time. Kravayik scowled. “Here I am wallowing in self-pity! You should have slapped me in the face and told me to listen! Please! What happened?”

  I told him. Even showed him the parchment. By the end, I noted the hand holding the parchment was shaking slightly. I’d never seen Kravayik shake.

  “This explains one thing,” he muttered. “Over the past week or so, I have woken up thinking I felt the card stirring.”

  “Wait! This happened and you didn’t report it to me?”

  “There was no proof. I spent many waking hours monitoring it, but feeling nothing. Only when I slept did it appear to happen. I finally decided it was a dream built on my concerns. I see I was likely wrong.”

  I studied the doors on the far side. “Are we liable to be interrupted?”

  “Let me.” He shut his eyes for a moment, then, in a sad tone, said, “No one will interrupt. Their minds will be distracted elsewhere.”

  I could see that what he’d just done really bothered him. “You could’ve let us handle it if it concerned you that much.”

  Kravayik frowned. “Let him touch their minds? That would be an even greater sin on my part!”

  So sacrificing . . . so caring . . . Eye wonder if he was so caring when he sacrificed his Claudette?

  I didn’t dignify the dragon’s snide comment, but my anger must’ve shown.

  “He did not like my remark, did he?”

  “No.”

  Kravayik looked thoughtful. “His retort must have been particularly biting. He mentioned Claudette, did he not?”

  “Just leave it. We’re past that now. I need you for Claryce and Fetch.”

  “Of course . . . and gladly.”

  We went to the altar, where the card was secreted. At that point, I realized I’d decided to take the card with me. It was a monumental and dangerous choice.

  A foolish choice. . . the dragon added. Leave her be . . . she will return in a few decades at worst. . . you, on the other hand, risk everything else . . .

  He was right . . . in a sense. He was also wrong. If I lost Claryce, I lost her. I couldn’t explain it. This felt different. I didn’t want to lose Claryce.

  And that was why, just a few minutes later, I stood there with the card in my hand.

  “Be wary of it at all times, Master Nicholas,” Kravayik warned. “If you think the beast seeks to usurp your will, the card makes him simple by comparison.”

  “He speaks true, Georgius.”

  I slipped the card into the most secure pocket I had. “I was wondering when you’d show up, Diocles.”

  The emperor stood a few feet behind Kravayik, who slowly turned his way.

  “You can see him, too?” I asked.

  The elf nodded. “The card is freed of its prison. Its effects are already spreading.” He made a cross. “May the blessing of the Lord be upon you. Thank you for your assistance last time.”

  “I wish it had gone better,” Diocles returned. “The dragon still got away.”

  “The attempt was appreciated.”

  I’d forgotten that when the dragon had seized control of my body and tried to steal the card in order to make a deal with Oberon, one unexpected delay had been him not only having to fend off Kravayik, but a solid Diocles as well. That’d turned out to be one of least of the card’s surprises.

  To that point, the ghost tapped his fingers on the nearest pew. The sound echoed.

  “How odd to be able to do even that simple thing,” he remarked.

  “Yeah.” Something occurred to me. It was a wild thought, but I admit I was a little desperate. “Diocles, go away. Come back only when I summon you.”

  He glowered. “I cannot stay away until Judgment Day, Georgius. You know it doesn’t work like tha
t.”

  “I’ll be summoning you in just a few minutes. I swear. This is for Claryce and Fetch.”

  With a wary look—and I certainly couldn’t blame him—Diocles faded away.

  “Thanks for everything, Kravayik. Keep near the telephone. Just in case.”

  “I should come with you—”

  “No. They have me meeting them where even with your stealth it’d be hard to reach them in time. Thanks, though.”

  He nodded. “I will pray, then . . . and be near the telephone.”

  Keeping my hand near the card, I left Holy Name. I slipped into the Wills and took a deep breath. “Okay, Diocles. I’m summoning you.”

  I don’t think I’d ever seen him as startled as he looked at that moment, not even the first time he’d ever materialized before me as a ghost. That’d proven a shock to both of us, discovering we were bound together after his death. This time though, I’d been expecting—or rather hoping—for something to happen.

  “I am outside . . . beyond the sacred boundaries . . . Geor-gius . . . I am truly outside!”

  “Yeah, and seated comfortably in Claryce’s car. Hang on for a second.” I reached over and tried to poke him. It felt like pushing my finger into marshmallow. It went through, but not readily. “That’ll do. Where were you when I summoned you?”

  “Still in the cathedral.”

  “Do you generally stay where last I met you?”

  “For a while. Then I return to Saint Michael’s. From there, I wait for you to enter some place of hallowed ground.”

  That satisfied me. With Diocles next to me, I drove off to meet with the supernatural kidnappers. It was an odd drive to say the least, with my ghostly traveling companion acting more like a child than the former emperor of one of the greatest realms to ever exist. Diocles all but pressed his face against the window at every new sight—which just about covered everything he saw. All dignity went by the wayside. If it hadn’t been for Claryce’s situation, I suspect he would’ve tried to convince me to drive him all over the city.

  Fortunately, the drive to Municipal Pier wasn’t that long. There were still a fair amount of people despite the weather, the pier a popular attraction already. Word was that the city planned to rename it Navy Pier to honor that branch of the military and intended to add to events going on there. I hoped that there’d still be a pier left for them to rename after this encounter.

  The ghost chose that moment to ask a question. “The mesmerism. It did not go well, did it?”

  “She remembered too well. Don’t ever suggest anything like that again, do you understand?”

  He nodded and fell silent once more.

  Parking in one of the more out of the way spots near the pier, I climbed out. To Diocles, I ordered, “Stay here or vanish to St. Michael’s, whatever you have to do. Just make sure when I summon you, you come ready to act.”

  “But what am I supposed to do?”

  “You led armies once. Think like a warrior, if you still can.”

  His expression indicated he wasn’t certain if he was supposed to take that as an insult. I left him in the Wills and headed toward the pier. As I neared, I wondered what to do about the people. The Triple Man might be crazy enough not to care if they harmed any innocents, but I was going to do my best not to let that happen.

  Our hero . . . .

  “Quiet,” I whispered, even though I doubted they’d be able to hear the dragon. One never knew, though. The Triple Man had been utterly transformed by the Clothos card. They were really no more of the mortal plane, but neither were they of Feirie.

  Abominations . . .

  I didn’t argue, this time.

  The weather had held up pretty well even despite the legendary mercurial nature of the lake. That changed without warning the second I stepped onto the pier. A powerful gale rose up. The water churned wildly and the waves crashing against the pier more than doubled in size and ferocity.

  People started running past me in order to escape the change in weather. The spray began creating a chill mist that quickly enveloped Municipal Pier. Visibility died.

  Within a couple of minutes, the pier stood abandoned. Even the hardiest of business operators had no desire to stick around.

  I was tempted to summon Diocles, but it was far too soon. I had to time things exactly.

  I slowly continued walking. After my last experience with Lake Michigan, I kept a wary eye out. I wondered if the Triple Man was aware of the creature the waters and weather hid. If not, that boded ill not just for them, but for Claryce and Fetch as well. I couldn’t let that happen.

  I spotted movement in the mist. While I debated whether or not to draw Her Lady’s gift, the figure coalesced into a worker. He didn’t even bother to look at me as he raced toward the security of the shore.

  I continued on. There was no doubt in my mind that the ungodly trio would show up. The card demanded it of them.

  I had a tremendous desire to rip the card out of my pocket and throw it far away.

  Another figure formed out of the mist. A solitary figure wearing an overcoat and a newsboy cap.

  The newcomer’s shape became defined. It was one of the Triple Man all right. I judged him to be the one who always answered the other two’s questions.

  Two more shapes formed a few paces behind and to his left and right. They not only looked exactly like him but even wore the same clothes.

  “Does he have it?” asked the one on the far left.

  “Do you think he brought it?” questioned the one on the far right.

  “Yes, he has it,” the lead one answered with a nod. “He knows he has to have it.”

  “Nice to see all of you,” I replied. “Yeah, I have what you need. What you really need. Where are my friends?”

  As one, the Triple Man stretched their right hands to me.

  “No. You’ve got to be kidding me. Do you think I’d just hand it over? Where are they?”

  They lowered their hands in perfect unison.

  I hoped Diocles was paying attention. We were fast approaching when I’d need him.

  The water churned more strongly.

  I had a bad feeling.

  The first tentacle shot high out of the lake, then quickly came down on the pier. As it did, a second tentacle followed the first.

  The first one came to a halt just behind the Triple Man. It unrolled just enough to reveal Fetch’s head and shoulders.

  My bad feeling had just gotten a lot worse.

  The second unrolled as well, this one uncurling enough to display Claryce’s head and shoulders.

  The Triple Man extended their right hands again.

  What now, oh saint? The dragon mocked.

  CHAPTER 22

  I’d assumed the beast in Lake Michigan to be at Galerius’s beck and call. I couldn’t have been more wrong. When it’d attacked where Michael had stored the boat, I now suspected it’d been searching for Galerius . . . or at least the faceless golem that’d probably carried his magical trace. I’d just happened to be nearby, maybe even set up by him.

  The latter seemed more likely. I’d played a double role for Gale-rius then. On the one hand, he’d shown the Triple Man I was important to him. An enemy who might have a clue to his whereabouts. On the other, Galerius had done his best to force me to fight those pursuing him. Let his adversaries beat up one another, then deal with the battered survivor.

  Unfortunately, I had no more choice in the matter. They’d taken Claryce and Fetch, and I didn’t plan on letting that thing in the water stop me from rescuing them.

  Saint George, once more to the rescue of the maiden . . . and her hound. . .

  I didn’t let his continual mocking bother me. He was as much a part of this as I was. He knew that, too.

  “Release them,” I demanded.

  Again, they lowered their hands.

  I felt a sudden turning in my stomach. The pier groaned.

  They were using their combined abilities, which in turn caused a card effe
ct on the reality around us. Things had just been altered, but that was only a side effect. The spell itself would hit me directly.

  Only . . . nothing happened. I stood there, prepared for the worst, only to find all three aspects of Triple Man looking as perplexed as me.

  I figured it out first. The card. They might have some ability due to their very long association with the card . . . but I actually had the card.

  Smiling, I asked, “So, will you release them now?”

  Naturally, in answer they sent two more tentacles after me.

  I’d yet to even see the blasted creature beyond its tentacles, but I’d already had enough of it. I decided to put aside my original plan and just let loose the dragon. He had no more love for the monster than I did. It’d already attempted to kill him.

  “All yours,” I told him.

  Yesss . . .

  But the transformation we both expected didn’t happen. Despite our combined wills, we remained just as before.

  I dodged the two attacking appendages just in time. The moment I had the chance, I drew Her Lady’s gift and swung at the nearest tentacle. The blade cut into the thick, dripping flesh.

  The tentacle instantly withdrew. So, the thing could be hurt. That gave me some hope . . . which naturally got dashed as the other tentacle bowled me over.

  I maintained my grip. As the appendage came down on me, I braced Her Lady’s gift.

  The tentacle drove itself right into the point. The blade sank deep.

  An ominous rumble arose from the water. It didn’t sound as if the beast was in pain. It just sounded angry.

  I caught a glimpse of the Triple Man. Expressions taut, all three stood motionless. I could see this entire situation was stressful for them. Use of their magic appeared to strain them more and more. I wondered what limits they had. They were relying heavily on gifts they’d gotten from excessive abuse of the card, but it’d been centuries since they’d actually wielded the card. I was curious what would happen if I pushed hard enough.