“Make sure you choose wisely, Dante,” he said and crumpled forward.
Simultaneous screams echoed from Diana and Maelstrom.
“That old bastard, that old and crafty bastard, he knew, he knew!”
Even as Maelstrom spoke, knowledge poured into me, threatening to drive me insane. Slowly I felt the rage subside. Owl’s essence was with me, a part of me. Maelstrom’s symbols began to change to a deep gold. My control returned and I felt the comforting presence of Owl. A hand clamped on my shoulder. It was Zen.
“We need to go! This place is coming down around us!”
“Zen, Owl—” My voice caught in my throat.
“I know, D. But we have to go now!”
Tears streamed down my face as we ran through corridors. I followed Zen reflexively as he carried Meja. In that moment I realized I could never know love or friendship: the risk was too great. As we headed back into the subway system, I promised myself I would make those responsible for this pay. Deep within, I could sense Maelstrom waiting, eager for release.
THREE-TWINS
“WE SURFACED NEAR 42nd Street and Times Square, which was perfect for us to blend in. We still had to be careful about not being followed by Sylk’s people. I tried not to be overly paranoid and didn’t look over my shoulder every three seconds; I kept it more to every five seconds. As I turned around to check for a tail, I felt a sharp object pressed against my side. I looked down to see a slip of a woman look up at me and smile.
“If you want to survive the night, you’d better come with us.” The smile never left her face.
“Uh, Zen?”
“What D.? We have to keep moving—Kal!”
“You know this girl?”
“That’s no girl. That’s Kalysta. Kal, where’s Val?” I didn’t recognize the twin through her disguise.
“We have a place but we have to get there, now,” Kalysta said.
“You knew about this?” I asked, amazed.
“Kal and Val are Meja’s. This is her doing.” The woman never ceased to amaze me.
“Is Val close?” asked Zen.
“She’s running interference: you have some nasty tails.”
“Okay, we need to get off the streets. Even in New York, my carrying Meja around is raising some eyebrows.”
“Follow me,” said Kal.
“Hey, was a weapon really necessary?”
Kal pulled out her empty hand. “What weapon?” she said and smiled.
We stepped off Broadway at 47th Street and walked into the Macklowe Hotel. Kal led us past the front desk without as much as a raised eyebrow, so I guessed she had paid the front desk reception to look the other way. The lobby was marble and gave me a feeling of being inside some ancient Greek palace. In the center of the lobby floor was a symbol that looked vaguely familiar. It took a moment to register, and then it hit me. It was a variation on the symbol of monitors. Then it became apparent and I saw motifs of it everywhere. Was this a trap? Did Zen know? I decided to wait and see how this would play out. I would be ready if this was a trap and Kal and Val were betraying us.
We got off on the third floor and walked over to room 300. Kal produced a key card and opened the door. She entered the room first.
“All clear. Come on in. All my seals are intact.”
The room was spacious without being too large. I noticed the lack of mirrors anywhere as I examined the room. Even in the bathroom, not a mirror was to be found.
“No mirrors,” I said almost off-handedly.
“None. Meja was clear about that and about this place. This building is owned by the Warriors.”
Zen and I both said, “What?”
Zen put Meja down in the bedroom where she stirred but still lay asleep. I turned to Kal.
“What? Why would she want us here?”
Kal shrugged. “Those were her instructions. Do you question her?”
I had to admit Meja was not the type to take questioning well.
“She is sleeping. Whatever Owl gave her was pretty powerful to keep her out this long,” Zen said as he entered the room.
The mention of Owl brought back a flood of memories. Suddenly I was exhausted. As I sat in one of the wingback chairs, there was a knock on the door. The door opened and I saw the threshold glow blue for a split second. It was Val.
She looked tired. There were cuts and scratches on her hands and face. She was wearing a matching leather outfit with Kal, and it was torn in some places with a gash along the outside length of her left leg. She limped slightly towards the bathroom.
“You guys have pissed off some very nasty people,” she said looking at me then she smiled.
“Are you okay?” Zen asked.
“This?” she said pointing at the gash. “This is just a scratch. You should see them.”
“Valeria, this is not a game,” said Zen. He looked at Kal, an unspoken message in his eyes.
Kal’s face was serious. “Let me take a look at that,” Kal said as she pushed Val into the bathroom.
“We have a day, two, tops, before they find us here,” said Val from the bathroom.
I don’t know how she managed it and I was too exhausted to ask at the moment.
“We’d better get some rest, Dante. I’ll crash out here. Kal will keep watch. Why don’t you go in and crash on one of the beds?”
“You sure?” I asked.
“Yes, plus I have to figure out how we get to the Watch and not get killed in the process. You heard Val. We have at least a day. Meja picked this place so I’m guessing she has a reason for it. She will be waking up soon, I hope.”
I headed to the bedroom. Could we trust the twins? Though at this point we had no choice. If Meja trusted them, so would I for the time being. I left Zen looking over maps. Kal was bandaging Valeria’s leg in the bathroom and I could hear them arguing lightheartedly, Val finally giving in to the older sister’s attention. As I entered the bedroom, I could see Meja’s figure on one of the beds. She looked peaceful. As I made my way to the other bed, she stirred.
“Ugh, where are we?” she said groggily.
“A hotel on 47th. Kal brought us here.”
She sat on the edge of her bed. Even in the dark, her beauty radiated. Her long black hair framed her face, and her lithe dancer’s body masked her true strength. In that moment she looked small and vulnerable.
“Kal. That means her sister is not far away.”
I nodded. “Val was getting rid of some people following us. I didn’t ask for details.”
“Why not? It doesn’t matter that they may be monitors. You cannot trust implicitly, Dante. What if they are really part of the Lotus?” She got up and would have fallen to the floor had I not caught her.
“I must still be recovering from the explosion. Oh no! Owl!”
“Why don’t you try and get some more sleep? Zen told me Owl gave you something to help speed recovery.”
“That would explain this feeling,” she said as she lay back down. She was unconscious seconds later.
I didn’t look forward to telling her that Owl sacrificed himself for us, for me. That would have to wait, though. I was exhausted and needed sleep. I laid down fully appreciating that I may not have another opportunity like that for a long time.
EXIT
I WOKE UP unaware of how much time had passed. Meja still lay sleeping. As I got up, I made my way quietly to the living room.
“The safest way to the South Watch is through the Mirror,” one of the twins said.
I couldn’t tell if it was Kal or Val – they sounded so alike. I heard Zen grunt in response.
“I don’t like it. The Mirror is a tricky place and time is quirky there.”
“I know. You have a better idea?”
I stepped into the living room and saw Kal and Zen pouring over maps and routes.
“Why can’t we just drive out of here? New York is a big city.”
“The funny thing about this big city is that it has few points of egress, easily c
overed by the Lotus, Sylk and the Monitors,” said Kal.
“If it were any one of those groups, maybe—” said Zen.
“But not all three. We will be stopped at some point because we are heading south,” said Kal.
“Then there is the matter of you being a beacon.” The voice came from behind me, Meja.
I turned to face her.
“Not another word. I need tea, strong tea.”
“Brewed and kept hot, just like you like it, Senpai. I’ll get you a cup,” said Kal.
Meja looked at Zen when Kal entered the kitchen area. “As far as I can tell, they are clean,” he said.
Meja nodded, “Agreed, for now. Keep an eye out for anything that seems out of place,” said Meja as she sat in a large chair.
“What do you mean about me being a beacon?” I asked.
“It’s your weapon. Every time you manifest it, it’s like sending a flare into the sky and broadcasting your location,” said Meja.
“What? How?”
Meja sighed when Kal returned with a steaming mug of green tea. She took a sip. “Thank you, Kalysta,” the pleasure evident in her voice. Kal stood behind Meja and placed her arms behind her back, in a smooth practiced motion. The scent of the tea filled the room.
“Every chi weapon resonates with its own frequency, just like we all do. Over time, the frequencies merge and become one. Usually this process takes months, sometimes years.”
“But that’s not the case here, right?”
Meja looked at me with a serious expression. “No, in your case it was almost simultaneous, which creates a dissonance. You and your weapon clash which creates a type of ‘noise’. It leads me to believe that this is not your true chi weapon, but was somehow imposed on you by Sylk.”
“I see.”
“This means that every time you manifest your weapon, we will have company.”
“How far can they track me? Is there any way to mask it?”
Zen turned to face me from the maps. “From what I’ve been studying, if the person looking for you is of a high enough skill level, then you’re looking at about a two-mile radius. There is one exception, though.”
“What?” I asked, figuring that putting as much distance as possible between me and the city seemed like a good idea that got better by the second.
“Well, if you are dealing with a very high level ability, then the range is unknown.”
“You mean the Kriyas?” said Meja.
“Or groups like them. The leaders of the Lotus are a close second.”
“Kriyas?”
“Nasty pieces of work. They get to higher spiritual levels by devouring chi. They’ve been around forever —the closest thing to a vampire you will come up against. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were the reason the vampire mythos was created,” said Zen.
“They are no mythos,” said Kal.
“Well, my information says they are extinct,” said Zen.
“Your information is wrong,” said Meja. “They are dwindled in number but some still remain.”
“So what now? It’s one more group after us?” I said.
“No. think of them as bloodhounds who can attune to chi. Chances are they are being used by the Lotus to track us,” said Kal.
“So how do we avoid them when we don’t even know how far we need to be?” I asked.
“We don’t avoid them. We use misdirection and make them think we are going somewhere else,” said Meja.
“How do we manage that?” asked Zen.
“We need an exit strategy,” said Meja.
“What about the mirror?” I couldn’t believe I was suggesting the last place I wanted to go into. Everyone remained silent, and I could hear the thoughts going through our brains. The rich leather creaked as we shifted in the large sofa.
“It’s risky but no less risky than any other option,” said Meja.
“I don’t like it. Time isn’t linear in the mirror and we can end up any when,” said Zen.
“I agree, Senpai,” said Kal, “The mirror could put us at the mercy of other eyes, that we would prefer to avoid.”
Meja was pensive. “It’s the fastest way to the South Watch and if we don’t get there as soon as we can, I fear we will not find the information we are seeking,” said Meja.
“When I was with Sylk —in the mirror,” I corrected quickly, “one of his followers was able to replicate herself using chi. I think I can do that now,” I said.
Kal’s eyes were open in surprise. Meja looked at me darkly.
“Zen, Kal, can you excuse us for a moment?” she said, her voice carrying an edge that would not tolerate argument.
“I’ll go check on Val,” said Kal quickly when she saw Meja’s expression.
“I’m going to make a supply run,” said Zen. “There are a few things we are going to need before we attempt this. I’ll be back in an hour.”
Meja sat across from me, looking as if she could incinerate me on the spot.
“Before you say anything more, I know you didn’t spend enough time with Owl to learn such a technique. For you to even suggest you can attempt chi clones, means you will use that abomination of a weapon, which if you have forgotten, will let everyone who is after us know exactly where you are.” She was seething, her cheeks were slightly flushed and she looked as beautiful as ever. I checked those feelings immediately, knowing I could never let anyone that close or risk losing them to Maelstrom. Still, her bronze skin and exotic features stirred something in me I couldn’t explain. I also realized I was sitting in front of a woman who was as deadly as any of the assassins after us, probably more so. I chose my next words carefully.
“I think I can do it,” I said softly.
“Oh, the arrogance! What makes you think you can execute a technique that takes years to learn, much less master!” she said in a rush, as she stood. “Do you plan on going back to Owl and dragging him here, because that would be one short trip to death!”
“We can’t go back to Owl’s compound,” I said. “Obviously, the explosions took care of that.”
“What aren’t you telling me, Dante?”
I took a deep breath, “Meja, Owl is dead. Kind of.”
She sat back down.
“What! What do you mean kind of?”
I explained what happened and how he had sacrificed himself so that I could have access to his vast knowledge. That it was the only way he saw that would give me what I needed to be prepared for what was coming. She sat still, silent, looking at me.
“Did you kill him, Dante?” she said after a few minutes had passed.
“No, —yes, I mean his body is dead but a part of him is part of me. I don’t know how to explain it!” I said, frustrated, angry and exasperated.
“I believe you,” she said after some time had passed. “If it were otherwise, you would be dead by now.” She was eerily calm, which made her seem even more dangerous. “This means that your abilities in controlling chi have increased at least tenfold. I daresay you may surpass most of us now.”
I remained silent.
“However, having access to Owl’s experience does not make you a proficient practitioner of chi techniques. You are still a novice.”
“Tell me something I don’t know. It’s like having an encyclopedia in your hands but you can’t open it, except randomly or—”
“While your weapon is manifested,” she finished.
“Exactly. When it’s in my hands, everything is clear, but I know it’s not just me.”
“We need to find a syllabist and fast.”
“The door burst open and Zen ran in slamming it behind him. His clothes were torn and his face was bruised and cut.
“We have trouble,” he said, his expression serious.
ROGUE
“AND YOU LED them here?” I asked.
He gave me a withering look. “Give me a little more credit than that, D. Really?”
Embarrassed, I changed the subject, “What happened to you?”
<
br /> “What does it look like, Dante? He was attacked,” said Meja her voice on edge. “Where, how and how many?”
“Five, well two now. They were shifting in and out so I couldn’t touch them. About ten blocks from here due north. On the plus side, I manifested my weapon. Something like an axe/mace.”
“Excellent, Zen. You didn’t think it was relevant to tell me what happened to Owl?”
Zen looked at me with a pained expression. “You were hurt, Meja.”
“Excuses, from him,” she said as she pointed at me, “I expect, but not from you.”
Zen looked away. “It won’t happen again,” he said.
“Make sure it doesn’t, Zen.” Meja turned to me. “Everything I said about you being a beacon no longer applies. If you absorbed Owl’s essence, you may as well be standing on the highest mountain screaming at the top of your lungs. There is no way to handle this until his energy has merged with yours and that will take time.”
“Which we don’t have,” I added as I looked at Zen. He nodded, silent.
“It will take them some time to find us. I made sure they have a few dead ends to follow,” said Zen.
“How long do we have?” said Meja.
Zen looked in his knapsack. “I was able to get most of the supplies we need before they attacked me. We have about five hours if they have a good tracker, less if these Kriyas exist,” said Zen.
“Pack your things, get Kalysta and her sister ready to move,” said Meja.
“Are we taking the Mirror?” I asked.
“We don’t have much of a choice. We will try to go in through one of the lesser known areas and not alert any of the Watchers,” said Meja.
“Watchers?” I asked as we assembled the bags.
“Hopefully we won’t see one,” said Kal, but her voice told me that the chances of running into a watcher were high.
“Are we ready?” asked Meja. We all nodded with identical bags slung over one shoulder.
“If we get separated, we will meet at this location.” She pointed to Grand Central terminal on the map. “You wait at the information clock at exactly one o’clock day or night. If no one shows, assume we are captured or dead and head to the Watch,” said Meja.
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