Finch chuckled. “Capiche.”
“And you know I mean it. I’ll Morph into a snake, find you, and make your life miserable.” She narrowed her eyes at him and lashed out her tongue. “You don’t stiff a Morph, Finch. You know that.”
“Noted. Snaky surprise if I screw you over.” He gave a mock salute, but at least she was smiling again. I wondered what sort of friendship these two had had, back in the days before he got hauled off to Purgatory. They didn’t seem like the most obvious acquaintances, but it was clear that he cared about what happened to her and her family. Yet another surprising entry to add to Finch’s lengthening list of good deeds.
“How does being a Morph work?” I wondered aloud. I’d heard about it a couple of times, but it’d never made absolute sense to me.
“Why don’t you try piggybacking, see for yourself?” Finch replied.
I frowned. “Eh?”
“Since you’re Miss Uber-Empath, why don’t you try taking your power to the next level?” he explained. “I’ve got a nifty little spell you could use to see through Kenzie’s eyes while she’s out of her body. If you cling to her emotions, you should be able to hold on pretty tight and keep up some sort of bond while she’s away.”
“When did you turn into a cave of wonders for cool spells?” I hadn’t forgotten the memory trick he’d pulled back at Eris Island, the spell he’d used to trap Tess by replaying her own words. It had scared and amazed me in equal measure, since I didn’t know what else Finch had up his seemingly lengthy sleeves.
“You want to do this now?” Kenzie watched me curiously. No doubt she was as intrigued to find out what this spell of Finch’s would do as I was.
I shrugged. “No time like the present.”
“And we’re on a pretty tight deadline,” Jacob said, with a nervous smile.
“Fair enough. The sooner we do this, the sooner I get my talisman—right, Finch?” Kenzie gave him a pointed stare.
“Couldn’t have put it better myself.”
With that, Kenzie sat down on a rickety stool in the middle of the dingy kitchen. I stood behind her and put my palms on her temples, as per Finch’s instructions about this piggybacking spell, with my fingers covering her eyes.
“What do I say?” I whispered to Finch.
“Video in Oculis Vestris,” he replied. “It means, ‘I see through your eyes.’”
Taking a deep breath, I repeated the words. “Video in Oculis Vestris.”
My vision went white, even though my eyes were still technically open. My body stiffened as if someone had lashed bungee cords around me and was pulling them tight. It was impossible to move. I had no choice but to stand right there, like a statue, and endure whatever came my way.
Six
Harley
My vision exploded back into my head, massive objects appearing out of the hazy white of my former blindness. I tried to gasp as something wooden shot up in front of me, towering above like a skyscraper, but my voice wasn’t attached to my body anymore. I couldn’t make a sound.
I guess I’m just along for the ride, right?
Focusing on the weird landscape ahead of me, everything enormous and terrifying, I realized I wasn’t in my body at all anymore. I was watching through the eyes of something scuttling across the filthy kitchen floor at an alarming speed, super close to the ground. Or rather, watching through Kenzie’s eyes, who was, in turn, watching through the eyes of the creature whose body she’d Morphed into.
The creature hurried under the massive wooden structure, which I quickly realized was a chair leg, as we zipped past a pair of huge, human legs. Kenzie… Behind her, I saw myself, Finch, and Jacob, though they were all so high up that it was hard to make out any expression. I could only hear the rumble of their subtle movements as they fidgeted awkwardly, Jacob scuffing his foot against the cracked, ancient linoleum. The sound boomed in my ears like I was by the speakers at a rock concert, making me feel sorry for whatever this tiny creature was. Humans made a lot of noise. I guessed the creature Kenzie had Morphed into had to be a mouse, judging by the size and the speed. A rat would’ve been bigger.
The mouse rushed out of a hole in the wall, darting right through the cement and stone, before emerging into the dark hallway beyond. It barreled down the stairs without hesitation and leapt through a gap in the metal door of the main entrance, scurrying out onto the streets. Its head turned left and right to check that the cat was nowhere to be found, then sped away down the sidewalk.
Sticking to the shadows of the wall, it whizzed past the cluster of thugs who stood at the top of the street. The gang members were too busy laughing and talking to pay much attention to a single mouse, which gave me some hope that it might have the same effect inside the SDC. Although, in all my time inside the coven, I’d never actually seen a single creature that didn’t belong to either the Bestiary or the Aquarium.
As the mouse sped onward, I started to feel a bit weird, like I was stuck in a mega-fast slideshow, with everything rushing past me at breakneck speed. At this height, nothing looked the way it did to a human. Even discarded soda cans were bigger than this mouse, which made the roaring rumble of car tires totally panic-inducing. They were like giant machines, growling past at a deafening volume.
It didn’t actually feel like I was in the body of the mouse. That was Kenzie’s territory. I was just piggybacking on her view, with everything flashing past me like a movie on fast-forward. Now and again, a sneaker or a boot came way too close for comfort. If I really focused, I could hear the ocean in the distance, the waves crashing against the coastline. For all of the world’s frightening hugeness, there was something pretty freaking amazing about being mouse-sized.
The mouse sprinted past endless streets and packed markets. It twisted through town squares and wide boulevards, before it finally reached an expanse of towering greenery. I had no concept of how much time had passed, or how far we’d traveled, but it felt like I’d been on a lengthy journey.
The mouse bolted through the grass toward a huge building. The Fleet Science Center gleamed in the near distance. I couldn’t wait to see what state the SDC was in, my heart hoping that it wouldn’t be too bad, after the near miss of the Bestiary almost failing. Not being able to see my friends, or even speak to them, had been unbearable, especially knowing that Levi would be making their lives miserable.
About ten minutes later, we perched for a moment on the drop between the sidewalk and the road. Across the way, I could see the glass doors of the Fleet Science Center, with a steady stream of visitors coming in and out.
This is the part where you show me how to get in, Harley. Kenzie’s mental voice bellowed into my mind, scaring the living daylights out of me. I could only imagine how my real body was reacting to the fright, back at the dingy apartment. I’m guessing I can’t just walk right in, even as a mouse. I mean, I’m all for trying everything once, but I’m not convinced I can chew my way through an interdimensional bubble.
I wondered if Kenzie could hear what I was thinking, thanks to this attachment spell that Finch had given me. I focused on my thoughts, hoping it’d somehow increase the volume enough.
Head through the revolving doors and go across the entrance hall, I replied to her.
You should really be doing this in a GPS voice. Make it more authentic.
At the reception desk, take a right, and then make a left toward Kid City. Once you have reached your destination, you must go straight through Kid City, toward the service door at the back of the area. I tried to think in a more robotic voice. That any better?
She laughed in my head. Perfect.
Kenzie led us quickly across the slippery floor of the main foyer, the mouse’s miniature claws clacking on the hard surface as it skittered toward the right-hand doors. The mouse darted between a narrow gap made by a kid on his way out and hurtled toward Kid City.
Even now, this route reminded me of my first visit to this place. Had I known how things would turn out, back then, I wonder
ed if I’d have made the same decision to stay at the SDC. Yeah, probably. After all, Wade and my friends were here. My home was here, even if Levi was intent on kicking me out of the only place where I’d ever belonged. I wasn’t about to lose everything I’d gained without a fight.
Reaching the service door at the back of Kid City, the mouse lingered in the short tunnel where the fire exit stood. Clambering up the doorframe, it clung to the door handle. I whispered the usual Aperi Portam spell, but nothing happened. In mouse form, it looked like we couldn’t get into the SDC until someone from the coven opened this door. And there was no telling how long we’d be waiting here for that to happen.
Is there a time limit on your Morph ability? I asked Kenzie.
It’s a stamina thing. I can hold out as long as I want to, or until I get really tired and can’t hold the mental link anymore. Don’t worry, I’ve got a good few hours in me.
The idea of waiting a couple of hours for someone to come by wasn’t exactly comforting. If things were really bad inside the SDC, then Levi could well have introduced some kind of curfew or ban on leaving, which would mean that this was a totally wasted trip. But could he really hold an entire coven hostage? I hoped not.
After twenty minutes or so of anxious waiting, the mouse turned its head at the sound of footsteps approaching. To my huge relief, a familiar face was heading directly toward us, through the service tunnel. Dylan… you beauty!
Say what? Kenzie’s voice echoed in my head.
This guy. He’s a friend. Stay close to him, if you can.
Will do, she replied. As Dylan used the Aperi Portam spell on the fire exit door, the mouse sprinted after him in a burst of speed, keeping close to his heels as we entered the SDC. The sharp teeth of the bronzed dragon statues glinted down at us in the hallways of the SDC as we hurried along the marble floors. I knew the SDC was massive, but this was on a different scale entirely.
We following this dude? Kenzie asked.
Yeah, let’s see where he goes.
The mouse kept to Dylan’s heels, darting into the shadows whenever he looked down. Kenzie was good at this. It was almost like she had the mouse’s senses too, prompting her to flit elsewhere if she thought she’d been spotted.
This place ain’t too shabby, huh? I love me a dragon statue, she said. It must’ve cost a fortune. Seriously, look at all the gold and bronze! I swear those eyes are rubies or something. Are they?
I have no idea. Probably.
She gave a low whistle that ricocheted through my mind as we passed a set of windows that looked out on Balboa Park. And those are some snazzy-ass curtains, man! The view ain’t too bad, either.
As we ran after Dylan, following him through hallway after hallway, I realized that not everything was back the way it had been. The destruction and devastation that the near failure of the Bestiary had caused was still pretty obvious, with a lot of the corridors still under reconstruction. Men and women were hard at work, letting Chaos flow from their palms as they rebuilt broken walls and windows. Everything that had been lost had to be replaced, though the same couldn’t be said for the lives that had been stolen that day.
Before long, Dylan stopped outside one of the doors in the living quarters. I knew this door; I’d visited Tatyana here often enough, though probably not as much as I should’ve. Between breaking the Suppressor, fighting Katherine, making out with Wade, and trying not to get kicked out of the SDC, I hadn’t paid as much attention to my friends as I’d wanted to. We were always pursuing some dangerous mission, which meant that spending any time just talking or hanging out had been almost impossible. I hoped that’d change, once we’d taken Katherine out.
Dylan knocked, and Tatyana answered a moment later. She glanced up and down the walkway that looked down on the magnolia trees below, before pulling Dylan inside, the mouse following after.
These two dating or what? Kenzie asked.
Yeah, they are.
Well, no offense, but I don’t want to see anything I shouldn’t be seeing, if you catch my drift. You sure this is a good idea?
I’m sure. I wasn’t, but she didn’t need to know that. Besides, there were plenty of places to hide if anything… odd happened.
The mouse edged closer to the plush cream loveseat at the far side of Tatyana’s room, where my two friends had just sat down. Everything about Tatyana’s living space was chic and sleek, just like her—the epitome of modernist, minimalist interior design. It made a stark contrast whenever I went to Santana’s room, which was as vibrant and messy and colorful as she was, but they both had their charm, just like the women who lived there.
“Any luck with Henrietta?” Tatyana asked. Henrietta who?
Dylan shook his head. “She’s got no idea where Imogene might be, or how to drop her a line. She was asking after Astrid, though—didn’t know why she couldn’t leave the SDC and come and speak with her, herself. She’s worried, really worried. I tried explaining about Levi and stuff, but she didn’t seem to know about any of it. I think Astrid’s been trying to keep it quiet, but how much longer can we really keep quiet about it? He’s got Alton in custody, for crying out loud. I’m just surprised nobody else has come along to deal with it, you know?”
I realized that this Henrietta person had to have something to do with Astrid, though I wasn’t sure what. Were they related somehow? Astrid had always kept her family situation pretty hushed up, until we’d discovered that Alton was her dad. Whoever Henrietta was, it looked as though Astrid had been banned from leaving the SDC to go see her, which was why Dylan had gone instead.
Tatyana nodded. “He won’t release Santana, either. Or Isadora. I tried to go and speak with him while you were out at Waterfront Park, but he wouldn’t even see me. I’ve been putting together a case for why he should free them, but if he won’t speak to me, what can I do about it? He is, quite possibly, the most stubborn individual I have ever encountered, which is made all the more annoying by the fact that he is a prize idiot.”
Dylan smirked. “Did you at least make it to his office this time?”
“Almost. I was about halfway down the hallway before I was marched back to the living quarters.” She shook her head. “That imbecile just won’t listen to reason, from anyone. I know he would have to listen to Imogene, if she persuaded him to free the others. I’m certain we could convince her that we did what we did for the right reasons, and that she would demand that Levi change his mind. But if we can’t reach her, then we’re stuck. Levi simply shuts down the moment he hears anyone speaking in their favor.”
“Tell me about it,” Dylan muttered. “Where’s everyone else?”
“They said something about meeting in the infirmary, but I don’t know if they’ll still be there. I wanted to wait until you got back.”
“How does a walk sound?” Dylan smiled at Tatyana, whose face lit up. Dylan was just about the only person who could make Tatyana smile when everything around her was falling to pieces. They were so different, as people, and yet so very, very sweet as a couple. I wondered if that was what people saw when they looked at Wade and me. Or were we more similar than either of us would have admitted?
“Lead the way, handsome,” Tatyana replied. They got up off the seat and headed for the door. The mouse scuttled after them, following them back down the stairs and past the magnolia trees, walking toward the infirmary.
Seven
Harley
Down these hallways, things were in a terrible state—worse than anywhere else in the coven. The interdimensional bubble shimmered, so it was still operational, but here it covered enormous stretches of blank, black nothingness. There were no walls, no windows, no furniture, no features, only impenetrable darkness to the right-hand side of the corridor we hurried down. I supposed nobody had fixed this section yet, but it was an eerie reminder of the fragility of this place. It was all fabricated from Chaos, and it could all be taken away again if the right nutjob decided to take down the Bestiary.
Trailing Tatyana and
Dylan, we passed through the swinging doors of the infirmary. For the first time in a long time, the number of occupied beds outnumbered the empty beds, with patients languishing in various stages of recovery. I couldn’t see them properly from the mouse’s tiny height, but most of them had bandages and gauze covering unseen wounds. Tatyana and Dylan strode toward Krieger’s office, the mouse hurtling in through the gap in the door before it swung shut behind them.
Inside, Wade, Astrid, Raffe, and Louella were already around Krieger’s table. I was pretty surprised to see Raffe there too, since his dad was terrified of him and his djinn, but I guessed the djinn could be very persuasive when it wanted to be. It’d probably made a deal of some kind—“keep me out of a cell and I won’t cause any trouble.” That sort of thing.
Can we get a better view? I asked Kenzie.
Give me a minute. The mouse scurried toward the far workbench and scrambled up the leg, before skidding to a halt beside a brown glass jar filled with cotton balls. It gave a decent view of the others, my focus fixing on Wade for a moment. I’d missed that face of his. I wished I could jump across that instant and kiss him so hard, but I doubted he’d appreciate a smooch from a rodent, no matter how cute.
“Any news from my mom?” Astrid looked up eagerly, as Tatyana and Dylan took their seats. Ah, so that’s who Henrietta is.
Dylan shook his head. “She doesn’t know where Imogene might be. Doesn’t know how to get hold of her, either. My guess is she’s knee-deep in this Katherine stuff for the Cali Mage Council. I mean, it’s not like Levi’s going to go out of his way to help, is it? He’s happy enough here, out of the way, where he doesn’t actually have to do anything.”
Wade scowled. “This place should be swarming with security magicals by now, though. The National Council should’ve sent people to investigate, but there’s been nothing.”
Harley Merlin 7: Harley Merlin and the Detector Fix Page 5