“The hell I can’t.” I handed the sword to Aria. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
“It communicates with you?” Aria looked down at the sword. “How long has this been happening?”
“Long enough to be aggravating.” I pulled my duster closed. “See? Sword no longer in possession. No negative side-effects.”
“You haven’t tried to leave—yet,” Aria said her face grim. “What is the weapon’s name?”
“Izanami. At least that’s what it told me.”
Aria nodded and motioned me on. “Well, I must have been mistaken,” she said. “Feel free to leave whenever you’re ready—you know the way out. Don’t let me keep you from storming the park and taking down Lyrra and her army.”
I looked at Street again and left the Emergency area with Koda next to me.
“Is that a good idea?” she asked as we walked. “I mean, I’m not a fan of you losing your mind, but we’re going up against Night Wardens, ogres and who knows how many rummers. We could use all the help we can get.”
“What was the first thing I told you?” I snapped. The temperature was rising. We must have been close to a furnace. I felt heat all around me.
“It’s rude to grab a man’s weapon without permission,” she said, her face serious. She raised a hand in surrender when I glared at her. “If I touch your gun again, you’ll shoot me yourself?”
“About trust—what did I tell you about trust?” I leaned against the wall. It was getting hard to catch my breath. “Who can you trust?”
“You’re not looking too good, Stryder.”
“I’m fine.” I wiped the sweat away from my eyes. “Let’s get out of here.”
I took a few steps and found my legs heavy. My vision tunneled in and I had to stop.
“Are you lost?” Aria said as she approached us. “I can lead you out if you need help.”
“It’s the bond, isn’t it?” I stared at her as she held the sword in front of her. “It’s doing this.”
“Until you complete the process, the bond is parasitic.” She handed me the sword, and the heat around me dissipated. “Once you complete the bond, it becomes symbiotic.”
“Fuck,” I said with a grunt and stared at Koda. “I’m going to kill your ex-boss next chance I get.”
“Would you like to complete the process now?” Aria asked as I walked away. “I can help facilitate the bonding.”
I put the sword in my coat, walking to the exit.
“No,” I growled at her. “I have a Night Warden to kill. If I’m still alive after that, we’ll talk.”
TWENTY-NINE
“DO WE HAVE a plan?” Koda asked as I drove downtown on the Henry Hudson. “Or are we just going to rush in all badass and take as many as we can before they shred us?”
“I’m not planning on being ghosted today—not by a sword or by Lyrra,” I answered. “We need to go to The Dive and get some things. We’ll hit the park tonight.”
“So this is my last day.” Koda looked out the window. “At least it wasn’t boring.”
“What the hell are you talking about—last day?”
“If it’s just going to be the two of us, we’re going in blind,” she said, raising her voice. “We don’t know how many there are. How many of them are mages, ogres, rummers, or whatever else she has waiting for us?”
“We’ll know that before we get to the park.”
“Plus, are you in a hurry to die?” she shot back. “I get it. Your life sucks and you want to end it all. That doesn’t mean I want to join you in a suicide run.”
“There’s going to be dying tonight—lots of it,” I said. “Just not by us.”
“Street said this place is underground.” she shivered. “I can’t help you if we have to go underground, Stryder.”
“I’ll make sure there’s plenty of action above ground,” I said with a tight smile. “Wouldn’t want you to get bored.”
I pulled up to the front of The Dive and let the Beast rumble for a few seconds before turning off the engine. I let my senses expand and felt the new defenses push up against my probing. General Java had used active runes instead of passive defenses.
If I kept probing, the runes would home in on my location and reward me with runic equivalent of a punch to the face. I kept pushing until I felt the defenses actively seek me out, then I stopped. They would only target someone actively trying to penetrate the perimeter.
I crossed the threshold and felt a wave of energy wash over me. I examined the doorframe but didn’t see any runes. Several of the regulars were seated at the bar and around tables in the center of the floor. Koda walked in behind me and gasped.
“What was that?” she said, surprised.
“It seems some of the new defenses are designed to bar entry if needed,” I answered, heading to the bar where Cole stood. “What you felt was your energy signature being stored.”
“How can it store something I don’t—?”
“Even nothing can be something,” I said, cutting her off. I didn’t want anyone else to know she was a cipher just yet.
“I meant, I’m not a mage or magic-user,” she said, keeping her voice low as she noticed several of the patrons perk up at our conversation.
“You’re not normal either.” I grabbed Cole’s attention. “Deathwish, something healthy for her, and Frank—in that order.”
“He’s in the training area. The ink you call coffee will be up in five.” Cole grabbed my mug from the rack and placed it on the counter. “You have a guest.”
I nodded and took the stairs to the second level. Koda trailed behind me silently.
“Step back. If this is who I think it is, you don’t want to be in the way.”
She stepped back and flicked her wrist, materializing a fan.
I placed my hand next to the door, unlocking it. Nothing came barreling at me, which I took as a good sign.
“Frank?” I said into the room before stepping across the threshold. I let my senses expand and felt out the room—nothing. I was about to go downstairs and tell Cole no one was on the training level when I heard the tingle of bells. I ducked, and a short staff crashed into the door at the same height as my head.
I rolled to the side, avoiding another staff strike. I raised my arm and duster to deflect a barrage of strikes as I drew Fatebringer with my opposite hand.
“Don’t kill him, Yat,” I heard Frank say. “He still owes me money.”
“Was this your idea?” I stared at Frank. “If it is, I’m shooting you first.”
“Hello, Grey,” said Yat. “You’re looking well for a dead man.”
“Dying, not dead.” I peeked over the sleeve of my duster. “Are we done or do I need to start shooting?”
I looked over at the thin older man holding a staff and smiling at me. He was nearly my height, and his slight build hid his immense strength. The last time I saw him, he wore his hair long. Now it was cropped short—a white crown glimmering in the subtle light of the room. His eyes were still the same: deep, dark, and unreadable.
He retracted the staff and held out a hand, which I took.
“It has been some time,” he said. “How are you?”
“I did my part.” Frank shook his head and sent sparks flying everywhere. “Unlike him, you’ll know where to find me.” He crackled one last time, shook his tail, and disappeared.
“He’s still as pleasant as ever, I see.” Yat looked around the training area. “You’ve kept the space as I instructed, thank you.”
“Don’t get to use it as much as I’d like.” I flicked the switches, turning on all the lights. “Your room is in the back, kitchen on the side and everything is stocked.”
Yat nodded. “Where is this student Frank kept mentioning?” I knew he had noticed Koda, probably before we even reached the second floor. No one ever snuck up on Yat. “He informs me she is quite skilled.”
I gestured with a head motion and his eyes slid to the side.
“Before you li
ght up her life with pain, you and I need to talk.” I turned to Koda. “Give us a few minutes. Why don’t you get your gear ready for tonight.”
Koda looked at Yat in silence. I didn’t know if it was recognition or surprise at the ferocity of his attack.
“Hello? Earth to space cadet?” I snapped a finger and she focused on me, shaking her head. “Upstairs prep then downstairs food. Don’t crush Frank. Got it?”
“Got it.” She stepped out of the room while still looking at Yat. I closed the door and made sure it was secure. I let my senses expand and felt her particular ‘nothingness’ go upstairs.
“She is very much like my brother.” Yat placed the staff on the rack near the wall. “She is strong, stronger than he was.”
“She’s something else with those fans.”
“I’m not staying, Grey.”
“Excuse me?” I said, surprised. “There’s plenty of space. You know that.”
He raised a hand to stop me. “It’s too dangerous for various reasons.” He sat on one of the benches. “In time, she would make the connection.”
“You’re her family; you should be close, protecting her.” I took off my duster and hung it on a hook near the door. “That’s what family does, protects each other.”
“She doesn’t need protecting—she needs guidance.” He looked off into the distance. “I have kept away because I’ve been protecting her. The forces after me would kill her if they found out her connection to me.”
“Still?” I asked.
“Always,” he said, his voice grim. “There’s no statute of limitation on revenge.”
“Yat, if I don’t make it tonight,” I said, “Hades will come for her.”
“I will make sure she is cared for.” He stared at me. “You’ve grown worse. What caused it?”
“It’s complicated,” I said. “Hades is involved.”
“How long?”
“Three months to a year.” I looked away for a second. “Unless I take his offer.”
“I trust you will make the right choice.”
“He read me and then pulled me in like a rank amateur.” I shook my head in frustration. “And I fell for it. Predictable.”
“Then don’t be predictable,” Yat said with small smile. “He is quite the spider, with his hands touching every strand. Don’t be the fly.”
“Easier said than done.” I unholstered Fatebringer. “His reach is impressive.”
“Even a god has his limits.” He dusted off one sleeve and stood blading his body. “Koda will not return to him, no matter the outcome of your encounter tonight.”
“Who’s going to train her with those fans?”
“You.” He pointed at my chest. “You’re dying, not dead. May as well make productive use of your time. Let’s converse, and then I will know if I must find another.”
I stepped to the center of floor. I knew why he came. It wasn’t to have this chat. It was to have one of his true conversations, as he called them.
“You didn’t have to come here, we could’ve spoken over the phone.”
“The truest conversation is engaged in combat—you know this.”
“I don’t expect to see another sunrise.”
“You will, and you must, Dragonfly,” he said quietly, and grew serious. “Your life is not yours any longer. You never understood that—even with Jade.”
The words stung, but he was right. I bladed my body, turning to the side to present a small profile.
He stepped in thrusting forward with a fist. I twisted to the side. I felt the displaced air as he opened his hand and sliced across. I ducked under the knifehand and stepped in with a palm strike aimed at his chest.
He stepped back, causing me to miss by a fraction of an inch. As I closed the distance he wrapped his arm around mine locking it in place. He dropped his weight to break the joint. I shoved forward, bending my elbow before he could shatter the joint.
He released my arm, and snaked his hand to my neck. Tucking my chin, I turned my body and thrust a spearhand at his throat, stopping just short and disrupting his momentum.
He released me and stepped back with a short bow. I did the same.
“I still think you should train her,” I said, turning at the knock at the door. “That’s Cole with my Deathwish.”
I opened the door and Cole handed me a large mug of black javambrosia before heading downstairs again. I held the cup to my nose for a few seconds before taking a sip of liquid paradise.
“I can’t believe you still drink that,” he said and scrunched his nose at the aroma. “Does it still help?”
“Dulls the headaches and generally makes me mildly anti-social.”
“As opposed to completely?” he said with a slight smile. “You will train Koda. She needs to learn from someone—”
“Ruthless?”
“I was going to say accomplished,” he finished. “You were always better at close-quarter combat, Dragonfly. Her fans are the ultimate short-range weapon, and Master Mushin passed on the style to you.”
“To us,” I corrected. “He passed it on to us.”
“And yet you bear the title and the crest.”
“I’m just waiting for you to get your act together and claim the menkyo kaiden.” I sipped my coffee. “That way you can be the successor.”
He shook his head. “Won’t happen in this lifetime or the next. We make our choices and live with them. This is my path now. Yours, it seems, is to keep being a Night Warden.”
“Not according to them,” I said as I opened the door. “Going to have a violent conversation with some Night Wardens tonight.”
“I’m grateful I’m not facing you this evening,” Yat said, rubbing his forearms. “Do you want my advice?”
“I’m listening.” I sat on the bench and drank more coffee. My forearms screamed at me from his repeated blows, but I wasn’t going to let him know that.
“You need to take care of those around you, and this place.” He gestured to the building around us. “This is still known as the oasis in the midst of the madness.”
“You’re saying bond with the thing.” I stared at him hard. “You know me. My track record with commitment is stupendously bad.”
“I’m saying choose life.” He extended his arm and the staff rushed into it. “You have more at stake than you know. This isn’t just about you. Who will keep the streets safe if you’re gone?”
I didn’t have an answer for him.
“Thank you for coming.” I extended a hand. “I know this was a risk for you.”
“Don’t send your lizard for me again.” He nodded and we clasped forearms. “I have to go. Next time we will have a longer conversation.”
“I would enjoy that, Yat,” I said as he stepped back and traced his staff along the floor, creating a golden circle of runes. “Be light in the shadow.”
“And shadow in the light,” he answered and stepped in to the circle and disappeared.
I grabbed my duster and headed downstairs.
THIRTY
SEVERAL PATRONS WERE seated around the floor, having drinks and keeping mostly to themselves. At the bar, Cole had just served some drinks. Frank and Koda looked up when I came down the stairs.
I motioned to Cole with my chin. He pressed a section under the bar, creating a quiet zone. None of the patrons ever noticed, and if they did, it never bothered them that it was always quiet at the bar even when The Dive was full.
“What’s this I hear about storming Shadow Helm?” Frank asked as I approached the bar. I glanced over at Koda. “It’s true? When are we leaving?”
Frank’s tail started doing the seismic tango. I slid my mug along the bar. Cole reached out without looking, removed it, and placed it in the sink in one smooth motion.
“We aren’t leaving anywhere.”
“Are you taking fan-girl?” he asked and spit. His tail was still waving about. Cole grabbed a towel and put out the flames. “She’s not exactly battle ready. No offense, but you
certainly don’t inspire confidence with those things, unless you plan on keeping them cool and—”
I noticed liquid on the bar and was about to ask Cole when Frank went rigid and stopped midsentence. He looked down at the liquid pooled around his feet.
“Oh, shit,” I heard Cole whisper behind the bar.
“Grey, this is—” he muttered and looked up at me. The whites of his reptilian eyes glowed with power.
Koda looked around, confused. “What happened?”
“Everybody, down!” I yelled as I jumped over the bar and pulled Koda with me. I heard several of the tables being overturned as chairs scraped the floor. The sounds of bodies thudding against the floor filled the space. I kept my back to Frank as an intensifying crackling sound ripped through The Dive, followed closely by a thunderclap. This was followed by the sound of shattering glass and a couple of muffled car alarms.
In the stunned silence that followed, punctuated by the occasional crunching noise, I stood slowly and did a quick check of the customers. Everyone seemed to be fine but shaken. I brushed off the glass from my shoulders and surveyed the damage. I held out an open palm near the now sagging and seemingly exhausted Frank, who wearily dragged himself into it and slumped down.
“What the hell was that?” Koda asked from behind the bar.
“That was Frank,” I said. “Now you know why we keep the alcohol behind Lexan and not in front of a mirror. Excuse me a sec.”
I gently carried Frank to one of the back rooms for him to shake it off. “Sorry, Grey,” he slurred. “I should’ve watched where I put me feet.”
“Don’t worry about it, dragon.” I shifted him to my other hand as I opened the door to the rear guest quarters. “Everyone has a drink they can’t handle—even you.”
I paused for a second as he rocked back and forth and nodded. “Having said that, I’ll ask Cole not to stock the Fireball Whisky. Just as a safety precaution.”
He nodded again and passed out.
I placed him on the bed and stepped outside. Everyone had fixed the tables and were getting their drinks refilled. I headed to the bar.
“Cole, let him sleep it off and remove the Fireball.” I pointed at the bottle. “We don’t need any more dragon lightning in here. Don’t let him out of your sight when he comes to.”
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