Wander_A Night Warden Novel

by Orlando A. Sanchez

  “Park’s not safe—time to go underground,” Street muttered more to himself. “Underground, I’ll be safe.”

  I let him go and made sure he went into the subway system. He would disappear down there for few days, but he would be safe. Once he regained some sense of self, he would reach out and we would meet. Until then, I needed to go see Aria and have a conversation with a certain Hound.

  ELEVEN

  I HANDED THE vial to Koda.

  “What do you see?”

  She turned it over in her hand. It was small and cylindrically shaped, with a large stopper on one end. The iridescent liquid glimmered as she turned it.

  “Redrum?” she said, unsure. “How bad is this?”

  “Imagine a drug that gives you the abilities of a vampire and is more addictive than heroin, without any of the downsides.” I took the vial from her hand. “The first dose is all power—you’re faster, stronger, and all your reflexes are off the charts.”

  “Those things in the park weren’t on their first dose.” She looked across the street at the entrance to the park and shuddered. “And what the hell happened to their eyes?”

  “The drug breaks down and destroys melanin in the body. Iris color, skin pigmentation… eventually they lose all color.”

  “That’s why they can’t handle UV radiation?”

  I held up the Redrum. “That’s the mutation of the drug. But I’m sure that’s part of it,” I said, putting the vial in a pocket. “What else did you notice?”

  “Are you talking before or after I saved your ass?” she said with a smirk. “Sorry, I mean while you were ‘handling’ things.”

  “Before, when I had the rummers impaled.” I pulled out my phone as we headed back to the Shroud.

  “I felt a surge,” she said. “And then all hell broke loose. That’s when I had to save—I mean help—you handle the rummers.”

  “I need you to take the bike to The Dive and wait there for me,” I said, looking at her. “Do you think you can do that?”

  “Are you planning to go back in there?” She looked at the park again and crossed her arms. “If you are, I’m staying.”

  “No, at least not without an army of backup.” She gave me a hard stare, which I’m sure worked on most. I was immune to her scolding glare. At my age, too many life-ending monsters had turned my blood to ice with their glares. It made her attempt at intimidation pale in comparison. “You keep staring at me like that, I know a spell that will keep your face stuck in that expression.”

  She started the Shroud and grinned at my reaction.

  “Told you, the security runes were craptastic.” The engine settled into a low rumble. “I’m serious, Stryder. Stay out of there. Whole place creeps me the hell out.”

  “I’ll be down in a few hours and we can go see Aria about the Redrum,” I said, walking off. “Make sure you don’t total the bike. It’s not exactly cheap, Cecil would be pissed if he had to replace it.”

  This was a test on several levels. Would she go to The Dive, or disobey and attempt to follow me? I watched her roar off and head down Broadway. I pressed a button on my phone. The call connected on the second ring.

  “Where?” the voice said.

  “Lincoln Center Fountain,” I said, looking around. “Thirty minutes.”

  “That pretty public.”

  “The last time I wanted to meet in private, I was attacked by several armed men and a renegade mage.”

  “It’s a dangerous city.”

  “I’m one of the reasons it is,” I said. “Don’t be late.” I disconnected the call and headed up Broadway. The Hound of Hades had some explaining to do.

  TWELVE

  LINCOLN CENTER WAS a bustling plaza of activity, especially in the middle of the afternoon. I let my senses expand outward. I sensed a few magic-users in the vicinity, but nothing concentrated enough to indicate an intent to surround me.

  I approached the fountain and closed my eyes for several seconds. Corbel was nearby. I sensed him before I saw him, standing on the far end of the fountain.

  “I don’t know why they called you dragonfly,” Corbel said when I approached. “You’re more of a hound than I ever was.”

  “No one calls me that anymore.”

  “No one who’s still living, you mean,” he answered and I wanted to punch him in the face for mentioning Jade—even indirectly. “I’m sorry. That was callous.”

  He wanted a reaction. I gave him one—indifference.

  “I’m dealing with a volatile situation so I would appreciate you being straight with me,” I said without looking at him. “What is she?”

  “Important,” he answered after a brief pause.

  “To whom?”

  “Me, Hades, and you.”

  “I work alone and like it that way.”

  “Good thing you weren’t alone this afternoon,” he said. “Yes, I’m keeping tabs on her.”

  “So that whole line about retiring her was—?”

  “Just enough to get you to agree,” he answered. “He knows you. We all know you, Stryder. Diamond on the outside, cotton on the inside. It’s what makes you predictable—”

  “And dangerous,” I finished. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  I didn’t enjoy being played by anyone, especially not by gods and their minions. I was going to have to jerk the Hound’s leash tight to get a real answer.

  “I can’t,” he said with a sigh. “It would defeat the purpose of having her with you. I’m not the only one keeping tabs on her and you.”

  I had enough enemies to make the obvious question pointless.

  “So I have to keep Kano’s granddaughter safe and sound, while not knowing the extent of her abilities?”

  He visibly paled at my words. “How did you get that information?” he said. “There’s no proof that she’s related to—”

  “Of course there isn’t,” I said, keeping track of the plaza with my senses. “That’s the point. Doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”

  “Grey,” he said slowly, “very few people know about that incident.”

  “I don’t like playing games, Corbel.” I turned and looked into the spraying water of the fountain. “Either you tell me who and what she is, or I go see your boss and have a conversation with him. And by conversation, I mean kick his divine ass all over his office.”

  “Are you insane?” Corbel asked. “You can’t face him and survive.”

  I held up my index and middle fingers. “Two things: one, I’m dying anyway so I have nothing to lose”—I curled my index finger, leaving my middle finger up—“and two, there’s a brand-new shiny sword in my place that says I can.”

  “Stryder, you’re powerful, but not that powerful, even with the sword,” he said, looking at me now and scowling. “Have you grown tired of breathing?”

  The words lacked conviction, and I turned to face him. “You’re wasting my time,” I said, stepping away from the fountain.

  “Wait,” he said as he looked around. “Not here. Too many ears.”

  This was uncharacteristic for Corbel, who usually didn’t care about being overheard. It meant the information was sensitive—and dangerous.

  “Where?” I asked cautiously. If he suggested one of Hades’ properties, I’d find out another way. I wasn’t walking into another ambush.

  “Roselli’s on 23rd, the one on the roof.”

  “Flat Earth?”

  He nodded. “They have state-of-the-art runic security after the ogre incident. Plus the food is excellent.”

  Flat Earth had been renovated a few years back after an ogre rampaged through the place, tearing it to shreds. I heard it had something to do with Simon and Tristan. Those two had a reputation for massive destruction wherever they went. I was surprised the city was still standing after their exploits.

  “Two days,” he said. “Give me two days, and then I’ll tell you what you need to know.”

  “No,” I said. “Two days, and you’ll tell me what I want to
know. She can see my dragonfly. Only Jade saw my dragonfly, Aria designed it that way. That tells me several things.”

  “Shit,” he muttered. “She’s stronger than I imagined. Two days—give me that much time.”

  I gave him a short nod. “I’m speaking to your boss on day three if you don’t show.”

  He stepped away from the fountain and lost himself in the crowd. I tried to sense him, but he was gone. I made a mental note about his masking ability. It was my experience that acquaintances can easily turn into adversaries.

  I put on my kinetics and adjusted the communicator.

  “You there?” I asked and waited. The range was excellent but it wasn’t infinite. In the background, I could hear glass breaking and knew Koda had made it to The Dive.

  “What?” Koda asked, clearly upset. “Do you really need your lizard—yes, I said lizard—alive?”

  “Leave Frank alone.”

  “Excuse me?” she hissed, her voice ice. “Did you just ask me to leave him alone?”

  Frank was going to get me killed one day. “Listen, I need you to step outside and get some air.”

  “Can’t at the moment,” she whispered. “Someone just came in—fried all your runes at the door. Your security truly sucks. He’s looking for the Dragonfly and he seems pissed.”

  “Describe him.”

  “Tall, dark skin, darker attitude, wearing some kind of black uniform, and pretty intimidating.”

  “Is he alone?”

  “No, two more with him, females—twins, and they look dangerous too,” Koda said. “You know this Dragonfly person they’re looking for?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Who are these people?” she asked. “I’m not getting the regular patron vibe from them.”

  “I’m on my way,” I said, keeping the concern from my voice. “Whatever you do, don’t engage them. Just sit tight.”

  “Sure. And who am I not engaging?”

  “You’re looking at Quinton and the Twins.”

  I groaned when I said it, knowing what the response would be.

  “Are you serious? Do they go on tour too?”

  “Shut it,” I hissed. “They’re Night Wardens and dangerous. Keep your fans hidden and don’t say a word. I’m on my way.”

  Quinton and the Twins were a Night Warden assassination team, but Koda was right. They rarely conducted business during the day. If he was at The Dive with the Twins—I could never tell them apart, so I started calling them Thing One and Thing Two—the options were limited. By sending them, the Night Wardens wanted to send me a message. ‘Stop or we’ll stop you—permanently.’ Now I just had to find out what they wanted me to stop doing.

  THIRTEEN

  I HEADED DOWN into the subway.

  There was only one way I would get there fast enough. I needed a Transporter.

  Transporters were magic-users with one specific ability: they were master teleporters. No mage could match a transporter’s speed or level of precision. After my run-in with the rummers earlier, I didn’t trust myself to try casting again without passing out from the pain.

  There was only one problem. Transporters needed to ‘read’ your runic signature before they would shift you where you wanted to go. Your deepest emotions would be exposed and raw. It was about as pleasant as it sounded.

  I let my senses expand and felt out the station. My range was much shorter underground, at most eighty meters or so if I pushed it. I jumped down off the platform and walked farther into the tracks. Every station usually had one Transporter, you just had to know where to find them.

  Sometimes they lurked on the platforms, but most often, they stayed on the tracks between stations. The larger stations like Penn or Grand Central had about a dozen, strategically situated throughout the station to handle the flow of teleportation. The subtly sweet sensation hit me before I felt her energy signature between stations. I approached slowly. They didn’t like to be startled.

  I saw her huddled against the wall. She smiled when she saw me and waved me closer. Every Transporter looked the same—an old woman wrapped in too many layers. It was the perfect camouflage in the city. I was never able to determine what race they belonged to. I just knew they weren’t human.

  “Hello, grandmother,” I said as I stepped closer. “I need a shift.”

  “Do you now?” She stretched out her hand. I crouched down and winced, placing my hand in hers. She shook her head, tutting at me. “You’ve been messing about with darkness, haven’t you?”

  “Long ago, yes.”

  She shook her head again and looked up at me. “You need to let her go, my child,” she said. “No good will come of holding her in your heart like this.”

  “I have.” I pulled my hand gently out of hers.

  She wagged her finger at me and narrowed her eyes.

  “You can lie to yourself, but not to me,” she said, standing. “Where do you need to go?”

  I told her the address of The Dive. “Just outside please.”

  She nodded. “Do you have something for me?” she asked expectantly.

  I reached in my pocket and pulled out two squares of Godiva dark chocolate I kept for just these occasions. Transporters didn’t accept money as payment. A trinket of some kind it would work, but they preferred chocolate.

  “Will this do?” I extended the squares, and she snatched them faster than I could track.

  She nearly squealed in delight and then grew serious with a short cough. “Yes, that will be adequate,” she said with a large smile. She spread her hands apart, and a large runic circle formed under my feet. It transitioned from red to green to blue in a loop of bright colors. “Are you prepared?”

  I nodded. A transporter shift violated most of Ziller’s known laws of time and space. Rather than teleporting you where you wanted to go, it warped time, space, and gravity around you so that the place you wanted to go aligned to your location.

  When you were aligned, the Transporter would give you the equivalent of a runic kick and send you down the bridge she created. No mage in history has been able to teleport using this method.

  You ended up where you wanted—in one piece, but a bit worn out. The way you would feel after a hard sprint. Since I couldn’t cast, I didn’t have much of a choice. I closed my eyes and felt the world tilt sideways.

  FOURTEEN

  I ARRIVED ACROSS the street from The Dive a few seconds later. It took me a few moments to catch my breath before I could examine the runic defenses and realized Koda was right. Quinton blew right through them. I needed better security. Right now, I had to deal with three assassins in my home.

  If I walked in with Fatebringer drawn, Quinton would shoot first and ask my perforated body questions later. I opted for diplomacy. If it were an erasure, Cole, Frank, and Koda would be corpses and The Dive would be engulfed in flames by now.

  I didn’t smell smoke. The odds of everyone still being alive were good. I walked around to the side of the building and placed my hand on several bricks in a specific sequence.

  This opened a stairwell to the second floor. I went to my room, activated the failsafe runes, and placed the vial Street had given me on the worktable. Any magic cast in the building now would fry the caster, causing horrific pain followed by unconsciousness. I hoped that by blasting through my security, Quinton would assume the defenses were still down.

  I walked downstairs and took in the scene.

  Cole stood behind the bar, with Frank on the end farthest from the door. Koda sat on a stool in the center of the bar. One of the twins stood by the door, the other stood at the foot of the stairs, blocking them. Quinton sat at one of the tables in the center of the floor, nursing a drink.

  “Excuse me,” I said, causing the twin blocking the stairs to jump and growl at me as she drew her blades. “Hello, Quinton.”

  Quinton looked at her and she resheathed her weapons, cursing under her breath.

  “Dragonfly,” he said as he kicked out a chair for me. I walked over t
o the bar. “We need to talk.”

  “Painkiller, Cole.”

  “Isn’t it a little early for that?” Cole said, grabbing the bottle of vodka. “How about a coffee?”

  “Transporter equals Painkiller,” I said with a grunt as he poured the five shots of vodka into a pint of stout. My condition made intoxication impossible, but the mix of alcohol calmed down the after-effects of the shift. He placed the drink in front of me with a disapproving stare.

  “You’re the Dragonfly?” Koda asked, surprised.

  “No one calls me that anymore.” I looked at Quinton. “How can I help you?”

  I sat at the table and made sure I had access to Fatebringer as I sipped my drink. The centerpiece was one of the few bonsai I’d left on the ground floor.

  “You’re looking good for a dead man.” He grabbed a branch and snapped it. “You’re not still touchy about your shrubs, are you?”

  “Just a plant.”

  “Maybe I should take up some gardening?” He snapped another branch. “It seems to be doing you well.”

  “Thank you. Clean eating, and clean living works wonders.” I took another sip. The ambient magic was as bitter as my drink. The failsafes were designed to inflict mind-shattering pain. I really hoped he would try casting. “Are you here to get my secret?”

  “I’m here to ask a question and give you some advice,” he said and placed his hands on the table. Two immense hand cannons rested in them. “For old times’ sake.”

  “I’m touched.” I knew what he wanted. This wasn’t a courtesy call. “Ask.”

  “Where’s the old mage?”

  “You over-estimate my abilities.” I placed my glass on the table. “There are hundreds of old mages in this city.”

  “I’m only concerned with one—he goes by the name of Street.”

  “I’ve heard of him, but I don’t keep tabs on all the mages in the city.”

  “My source says you keep close tabs on this one.”

  “Your source is wrong.” I stared right into his eyes without flinching. “What did he do?”

  “He took something that doesn’t belong to him.” Quinton narrowed his eyes at me. “I need it back.”