“What do you do for a living?” Rebecca asked.
“I’m a mechanic.”
“A car buff, too?”
Meino grinned. “Yeah, American muscle cars, mostly.”
“And your favorite?”
“A Dodge Charger.”
“The seventy?”
“Sixty-nine.”
“I’m more of a fifties girl. The curves.”
Well, hello interesting conversation. “Got a model?”
“Christine. Plymouth.”
“Christine... the one car movie I hate.”
“The car is a beauty,” she argued, making Meino laugh.
“Yeah, she is a beauty. I like the more square lines of the sixties the best. A few carried on very nicely into the seventies—the Charger being one of them.”
“And some just never got it. Like the Pacer.”
Meino laughed loudly, nodding. “So, languages and cars?”
“Cars are a newer love. My boyfriend, Jared, loves cars. We agreed to share our loves with each other and ended up on a fifty-fifty. When we’re out cruising in one of his classics, we speak French. I’m teaching him French, and he teaches me cars.”
“Nice fifty-fifty,” Meino agreed, nodding.
The next two hours went by in a flash, and Meino actually enjoyed talking to Rebecca. She certainly knew her classics of the fifties, yet not so much practically.
The pilot’s voice came over the speakers, announcing something in a foreign language, and the smile on Rebecca’s face withered. For some reason, the look in her eyes caused a kick of adrenaline in Meino’s body, and he looked around. The steward came their way.
“What’s going on?” Meino asked.
“I’m sorry,” Rebecca said.
Meino looked at her. Then the man jumped Meino, and something bit him in the arm. Meino cried out from pain and wrestled the guy, but he soon found himself on the floor, being held down.
“Keep struggling,” the man said. Meino did, wondering why the guy would even ask that of him. Wooziness took over, and Meino realized that the bite he’d felt was him being tranqued. He had to struggle to make the drug travel faster in his body to knock him out quicker. Fear set in, and all Meino could hear before all went black was the remembered sound of the sledgehammer hitting Burkhart’s stone body.
Shit...
Chapter Thirty-four
A car waited for her as soon as the plane touched down, but she waited for the team to go through the plane and haul out the unconscious young man. A mechanic? Every other Collector was well educated, but the level of the young man’s vocabulary she thought it might be a cover.
“Oh, my God, look!”
Rebecca turned toward the end of the plane where the cargo ramp had been lowered. The team milled in and out, all suddenly very anxious about something. She made her way there, fast. A huge box in the cargo hold had been opened, and a grand Gargoyle crouched with a backpack tightly gripped in its hand. How was that possible?
A rush of excitement tore through her. Who exactly was Meino, since he traveled with a Demon trapper? The entire team turned and stared at her agape. The excitement gave way to a profound sense of accomplishment. She pulled out her phone and punched in Father’s number.
“We got a Gargoyle, too,” she announced.
Stunned silence dominated for a few seconds. “Get it to the secured basement and leave as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Father.”
He hung up, and seconds later another phone went off. The man who answered it said Father, too, so she knew that all she had set in motion had amounted to one of their biggest discoveries since Alex Rhoden had been identified.
She got into the car, and the driver took her to the airport. Rebecca took a deep breath and centered her emotions before she made the second call.
“Missing me so much?” Jared asked.
“I was in a traffic accident,” Rebecca said with a fittingly shaky voice.
“What? Are you okay?”
“Yes, yes, I’m fine. I sprained my wrist. But I didn’t make the flight. I’ve just been released from the hospital, and the police had a bunch of questions. The guy who hit my cab was drunk, I think.”
“Oh, no... well, as long as you’re okay. Do you want me to make arrangements for another flight?”
“No, Tavi helped me. He made the preparations while I was getting an x-ray. I’m on my way to the airport now.”
“Okay... take care, okay? I’ll pick you up at the airport. Send me the flight number once you’re airborne, okay?”
“I will. And don’t worry, okay? I’m fine, I promise.”
“You know I’ll worry until you’re safe with me.”
She could hear the smile in his voice, and she felt awful for lying to him. She knew he was doing the Devil’s work, and since they’d just found a Gargoyle in the cargo hold of the plane he’d arranged for her trip, she knew he was in a lot deeper than the surface of his life revealed. But he was so kind, and she felt awful for lying.
It was God testing her and the Devil tempting her. She would prevail. She would stay true and strong to His mission.
“I know,” she said, smiling too. She then hung up.
“You are very talented, Sister. God has chosen you well,” the driver said.
“Thank you, Brother.”
“The things you asked for are in the bag behind my seat.”
Rebecca reached behind and pulled out the bag, finding the fitted wrist brace that would make it look legit with the sprained wrist. She also found a piece of paper with a detailed list of expectations on how long a sprained wrist would take to heal and what movements she should be careful about doing as they would hurt if it really was sprained.
The car stopped at the airport, and the driver helped her with the luggage. He helped her all the way to check-in. “I’ll have the rest sent out tomorrow under Tavi’s name.”
“Thank you.”
“Have a good flight.”
Rebecca continued through and tried to keep her mind busy, but it kept going back to the Gargoyle and the mechanic. Why would he be traveling with it? She hadn’t expected something like that to be on the plane, and she was shocked at having taken the initiative to capture that member of the Collector’s organization only to also find a Gargoyle.
She sat at the gate and waited for the boarding to begin. She had another half an hour to kill before that.
Her phone rang, and she looked at the screen, half expecting it to be Jared. But it was Father. “Hello?”
“Hello, Rebecca. I must say, I’m very impressed with what you have uncovered.”
“Thank you, Father.”
“I wanted to tell you something. Something we have kept hidden.”
Her heart rate picked up at being let in on something from higher up in the hierarchy. That had to mean she was moving up, right?
“About six months ago, we had a team hunting a Gargoyle in Germany. They were all killed. Shot. We lost track of it.”
“Meino is a German mechanic. From Hamburg.”
“Then that’s the Gargoyle. Oh, Rebecca, you have uncovered months of work that another team had ground to a halt in. God has great plans for you within our ranks. The frustration with your task at the school was so obviously God pushing you toward a much greater purpose and position.”
Rebecca closed her eyes as gratitude and relief flooded her enough to make her eyes sting. “Thank you, Father.”
“I will listen very carefully to you from now on. It is obvious that God has a plan for you and that he speaks to you very clearly. His will was done through you, and we have decided to support you in whatever way this takes you. It has been many years since anyone has gotten close to the Collectors, and none have ever made it as far as you have. May God further His plans for His Kingdom on Earth through you, my child.”
“Thank you for your trust in me, Father.”
“Yo
u have earned it, my child. Now, go with God, and have a pleasant trip.”
“Yes, Father.” They hung up, and she stared at the phone through teary eyes. Then the boarding started.
Chapter Thirty-five
Pain was the first thing that registered. Meino pried his eyes open, finding himself sitting on a chair. He tried to move but found his arm restricted.
Meino! Meino, wake up!
Meino snapped to at the panicky tone of Burkhart’s voice, and he looked around, finding himself in a basement with sigils drawn on all walls. He jerked on the chair, and both wrists and ankles turned out to be strapped to the chair, which in turn was bolted to the floor.
“Burk?”
We have been moved here. I can’t move. It’s nighttime, but I cannot animate.
Meino struggled against the holds, and his entire body ached.
Fire breathers took us. Fire breathers came onto the plane.
“No, no, no,” Meino whispered at the realization that the people who wanted to destroy Burkhart had found them. But they were alone.
Do you remember the spell, little one? You must say the spell. The sigils on the walls are warding like on the inside of the box I was kept in, so you must make it strong.
Meino’s head was barely clear, and his body was confused by the pain it was in. Was it the drug? Or was it from having sat tied to a chair for God only knew how long? Stupid thoughts registered and went away almost as soon as they had popped into his head, and he decided he hadn’t sat there for long because he didn’t have to pee, and he hadn’t pissed his pants.
Work the spell, Meino, summon the Gargoyles of the Order like Mr. Talbot taught you. Let them hear you over great distances.
Meino ran the spell through his head a few times, remembering that Mr. Talbot had said Meino’s magic was also in his body, and he had channeled it through his tears when making Burkhart cry shared tears. So Meino focused on his fear and pain, and as the tears welled in his eyes, he uttered the spell, making sure to bend forward enough for the tears to hit the floor of the building. Burkhart cried out from the intensity of Meino’s summoned feelings.
A door slammed open, and four people came in—two men at a high pace, and behind them another young man about Meino’s age. He looked nervous.
“Stop what you’re doing, Devil worshiper!” a man bellowed and grabbed Meino’s jaw hard enough to make him scream.
Burkhart roared in anger, but no one but Meino heard him.
“Now.” The man let go of Meino and took a step back to size him up. “Where did you get this Devil trapper.”
“A what?”
“Do you know what that is?” The man pointed at Burkhart.
“A Gargoyle. An antiquity I was to bring to a buyer in the States.”
The man nodded his head slowly, a constant sneer on his lip. The silence dragged on, and Meino had time to feel a mixture of hope and dread. Then the man backhanded him so hard that only the restraints and the bolts kept Meino in the chair and the chair upright.
Burkhart roared again, this time with a hint of helplessness and pain.
Blood flowed in Meino’s mouth, and he focused on the spell again, focused harder on the location. He then sat forward and spilled the blood from his mouth, hoping blood would be more potent than tears.
From the sounds Burkhart made, it was.
“Where did you get the Gargoyle?” the man asked, looking like he wouldn’t believe Meino no matter what he said.
Don’t give them a reason to hurt you, little one.
“What if I tell?”
“Then you’ll be let go.”
Fire and lies! Burkhart roared. Don’t believe them. Even if you tell... you asked me, didn’t you?
Meino nodded, hoping it would look like an answer to the men who held them prisoner as well.
Okay. They have magic on them. Magic that extends like a veil from the crown of their head. All but the young man. We have warned the Order against them before. They have hunted the people of the Order for many years. They are the fire breathers who claim to be the soldiers of God, doing His bidding.
Templars? The word resounded in Meino’s head, which was still dizzy from whatever they’d pumped into him, and the blow he’d just taken certainly didn’t help keep his thoughts in line. But he’d heard of the Templars. Stephanie had talked about them. They were the ones who had come for Burkhart in the store where the Order operatives had shot and killed three men.
Back then, Meino had fought almost futilely and been beaten up, badly. It occurred to him that then, he’d kept the focus off Burkhart long enough for help to come. He couldn’t ask Burkhart how long he thought it would take the Order to track them down. One thing was for sure—he wouldn’t let the fuckers destroy Burkhart this time around, either. Not now, not when Meino had finally found love.
The fear of losing Burkhart tightened around his throat and heart.
“So... talk. Why were you accompanying that thing?”
Meino looked up at the man, and hatred filled him.
Chapter Thirty-six
Nathan and Lucien sat in the salon with Mr. Henry, Alex, and Pritchard. Things had certainly changed since Alex and Pritchard had come back from the dead, and the two men were making plans for their future. Nathan hoped that the future would bring more than a new auction house, since the demigod Kaleb was working with them on all sorts of magic.
That Nathan could never go back to the school was a fact he’d learned to live with. He actually didn’t mind, and he felt better for having time with Lucien and for being able to choose the books he felt held the most relevance for his work in the Order. That he still had Nigel Gershman with him in some way made him smile, and since summer vacation had set in, he had a lot of time with the young boy the professor had become. He had another year in High School before he’d set off to college.
Lucien lounged around in shadow close to Nathan, and he felt him relaxed and pleased with the day. Nathan looked forward to sunset for the normal reasons, but also because he had finally cracked some of the chain. Mr. Henry was helping him with making the necessary connections to dig deeper into its secrets, and Nathan felt hopeful, really hopeful, for the first time since they’d identified the anchor sigil.
Dominic stepped into the room at the end of the table, and Alex looked up.
“How’s pack life?”
“As pack leader, busy.” Dominic leaned down for a kiss. “Had a moment, and I wanted to see how far you’ve gotten with your planning.” Dominic pointed to the table.
“It’s going very well,” Pritchard said. “We found the property. They’ll begin digging out the sublevels in a week, and the building of the office will begin in two months.”
“Once the office is up, we can begin some of the work while the rest of it is being built,” Alex added.
“Exciting times ahead then.”
Nathan jumped as the Gargoyles wailed, and he almost dropped his book as he jumped to his feet. So did Mr. Henry, Alex, and Pritchard.
Meino... fear... pain... danger... wizard... Gargoyle... Burkhart...
Those were the words Nathan managed to derive from the many voices wailing at once.
“Meino... the new wizard?” Mr. Henry turned to look at Nathan. “Do you know anything?”
“Yes. They’re on their way here for him to be taught by Kaleb, too. He brings an animated Gargoyle named Burkhart. Meino has half the spell.”
“Oh, no.” Mr. Henry covered his mouth with a shaky hand. “Gargoyles, where is he? Did the wizard cast the spell? Is his ring active?”
“He’s uninitiated. Mr. Talbot and Vibeke are taking him in, but they flew ahead,” Nathan said.
“Can Kaleb help?” Dominic asked.
“I have summoned him,” Alex said.
“Let me know if I can help, too,” Dominic said.
Alex grabbed his hand. “Thank you.”
Kaleb stepped into the room. “
What’s going on?”
Mr. Henry ushered Kaleb with him as he explained about the Gargoyles screaming of a threat toward one of the Order’s newer members. Nathan hurried after them, hoping he’d be able to help.
“He doesn’t have a ring, and the Gargoyles can’t locate him without it,” Mr. Henry finished.
“Can’t they locate the Gargoyle then?” Kaleb asked.
“No. For some reason, they can’t.”
“You have a black mirror, right.”
“Yes, but if the Gargoyles can’t find him, then I fear what little magic I can yield in that department will be far too little. And magic mirrors are... traitorous.”
“I can see further, but I need something to follow. Like...” Kaleb paused to think. “Ether.” Kaleb closed his eyes and focused. He then looked around as if searching for something. “Dammit, Sam-El!” Kaleb closed his eyes again and focused harder. The blinding light of the Angel’s appearance surprised Nathan enough to jump.
“What is it, Kaleb?”
“A wizard and a Gargoyle have been taken. An animated Gargoyle. Magic is shrouding them, and I have nothing to follow.”
“But you have an idea?”
“Yes. If you can find the Angel who fathered the soul in the Gargoyle, then I have ether to follow.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Please be quick about it, Sam-El, the Gargoyles are screaming of pain and fire breathers.”
Sam-El nodded and disappeared. Nathan felt Lucien settle inside to share essence and soothe his nerves. First Alex and Pritchard were attacked and thought dead, then they were back, and now another member was in danger.
“Is it me, or are the Templars getting pretty close lately?” Nathan asked.
“Yes,” Mr. Henry said, nodding with a solemn expression. “We have been compromised. It’s not a first, and we always find them.”
“How?”
“Humans make mistakes. And the Gargoyles whispered of mixed feelings at Pritchard’s engagement party, but nothing definitive. We search now by unraveling everything and everyone new to us over the past two years. We even have to talk to Alois and the Order members who watched over him. The thoughts he stole may have been an opening for others with a great understanding of magic to have attained certain insight or access.”
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