“If I see him, I’ll let him know that stealing is hazardous to his health.”
“You do that.” He shifted the hand cannons in his hands. “You want my advice, Dragonfly?”
“I can barely contain myself with the anticipation,” I deadpanned. “Do share.”
“Retire before you’re retired,” he said with a malicious grin. “Stop your patrols.”
“Is that advice or a threat?” I looked down at the large guns. They were covered in dangerous-looking runes. “Those are some serious cannons.”
“You like them?” He patted the sides of the two Marlin BFRs. They made Fatebringer look like a small pistol. “I call them ‘Shock and Awe’.”
“I call them compensating for being small somewhere else.” I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “Why do you need two of them?”
“For old mages who don’t get the message the first time”—he held up one of the guns—“I have a follow-up.” He held up the second gun. “For example, you’re taking actions that’ll get you ghosted violently.”
Behind me, I felt the Twins tense up and shift their weight forward slightly to come up on the balls of their feet. This could go sideways in seconds. I took a deep breath and focused.
“Such as?” I asked innocently. “Last I heard, walking in the park wasn’t against Night Warden rules. Have they changed that?”
“You aren’t a Night Warden, Stryder, not anymore.” He holstered his guns and I breathed a little easier. “Stop trying to hold onto the past. Your Warden days were done the day you killed your—”
I placed Fatebringer on the table faster than he could blink. He nodded as I felt the Twins behind me take a step in my direction. Quinton looked over at them, and they stayed where they were.
“I’m going to advise you not to go there, Quinton.”
He stood and pushed his chair back.
“This is the only courtesy Lyrra is extending.” He pulled on his coat and looked down at me. “Stay out of the park and stop hunting the rummers. I would hate to have to put you down, but I will.”
“That was a lot of rummers in one place,” I said, slowly. “Wonder how they all got their hands on Redrum?”
“That kind of wondering can get you killed, or worse, Dragonfly.” Quinton leaned down and whispered into my ear, “You don’t need to worry about a bunch of homeless people no one cares about anyway.”
I clenched my jaw and refrained from firing Fatebringer into his face repeatedly.
“You tell Lyrra I said thank you for the courtesy. Now get the fuck out of my home.”
Quinton’s left eye twitched slightly. An old tic from our training days when he was stressed. He laughed but placed a hand on one of his holsters. “I always did like you, Dragonfly,” he said and nodded to the Twins. They headed to the door and stepped outside. “But I won’t think twice about ghosting your old ass. I expect not to see you on the streets.”
“Don’t worry, Q,” I said without looking up at him. “If memory serves, you were always a bit slow on the uptake. You won’t see me coming—until it’s too late.”
He gave me a small bow and left The Dive. I heard the roaring engine of a large vehicle, which grew fainter as it drove away. I placed my hand over the other one holding the Fatebringer to stop the small tremors.
Koda came over to the table. I holstered Fatebringer as I tried to calm my breathing. Last thing I needed was her being worried.
“Cole, call Java and tell him I need real runic defenses in here, or I’m going to rip off his arm and beat him silly with it.” I downed the Painkiller. “Tell him I want him here before I go out tonight.”
“Wait…what?” Koda asked, incredulously. “You’re going out after that warning?”
“No, we’re going out after that warning.” I grabbed my phone. “We’re going to need more than the Shroud though, if Lyrra unleashed Quinton and his girls.”
“You’re insane,” Koda said with a small smile and sat at the table. “That human wall is looking for a reason to make you resemble Swiss cheese. Didn’t you see those things he calls guns?”
“It’s not the size of the pistol—but the steadiness of the hand holding it,” I shot back. “Besides, it’s not like I have a long future ahead of me.”
“His hand looked plenty steady to me,” she said, looking at me. “You sure this is a good idea?”
“Tell me what you learned,” I said, ignoring her question.
“They have something to do with the rummers in the park.”
I nodded. “Obviously. What else?”
“This Lyrra is scared of you or what you can do—she wants you off the streets and she sent tall, dark, and ugly with his bookends to let you know all bets are off if you go out.”
“No one tells me to stay off the streets in my city—no one,” I growled. “What else?”
She paused before speaking, which meant she was giving this one thought—a good sign.
“Between what he whispered and what Street said, they’re forcing the homeless to take this new strain of Redrum,” she said slowly, trying to gauge my reaction. “I just don’t know why.”
“Which is why we’re going out tonight.”
“Fine, I got your six. I’m sure we can get matching caskets.”
“I’m feeling safer already.” I dialed SuNaTran. “First, we need a better ride. The Shroud is too vulnerable.”
“Can I keep the Shroud?” she asked, her voice full of hope.
“Absolutely—not.”
She growled, giving me the stink-eye.
“SuNaTran,” said the voice over the phone in a crisp English accent. “How can we meet your transportation needs?”
“Hello, Alice, I need the Beast,” I said, looking at Koda. “And two subdermal communicators with extended range.”
“The Beast, sir? Are you certain?” she said after a pause. “May I suggest a less volatile vehicle?”
“No, Alice, you may not,” I said. “Clear it with Cecil.”
“Please hold.”
I glanced over at Cole, who was shaking his head.
“What?” I asked. “Stop being so superstitious.”
“Really?” he answered and put a glass behind the bar. “Every driver except you has bought it in that car. That thing is cursed.”
“Grey.” It was Cecil. “We almost destroyed that vehicle.”
“Hello, Cecil.” He rarely took calls personally. “I’m glad you didn’t. I need it.”
“You know I’m not superstitious, but that car is sinister,” Cecil said with a cough. “Are you certain I can’t get something else for you?”
“No, thanks,” I said. “Can you make sure the runes are at full strength?”
“Of course,” he said. “You do realize every driver of that vehicle has met their demise within days of driving it?”
“Not everyone.”
“Whatever it is you’re up to out there, Grey, do try to be safe. I’ll release it on the condition that once you’re done with it, I decommission it—permanently.”
“Agreed, once I’m done with it.” The line clicked and switched back to Alice.
“Very well, Mr. Stryder,” Alice said as she came back on. “Will you be keeping the Shroud, or shall we retrieve it?”
I glanced at Koda again. She was skilled with the bike. It was probably a good idea to keep a spare vehicle.
“I’ll hold on to the Shroud for now.”
“Excellent,” I heard Koda say with a fist pump before she headed upstairs. “We need to change that name though.”
“How long, Alice?” I shook my head.
“That vehicle was placed in protected storage at your request,” Alice said, tapping a keyboard. “We would need to fully retrofit and restore the runes—two hours should be sufficient. Will that be satisfactory?”
“Perfect, thank you, Alice,” I said. “Please give my thanks to Cecil.”
“I shall,” she said and hung up.
I walked over to the bar
. Frank was staring at me.
“Why didn’t you fry them?” I handed Cole my glass. “Your idea of security is what—a strong dose of spit?”
“The Beast? Really?” Frank said, still staring. “You retired that thing because it was a death trap.”
“If Lyrra is involved, I’m not going out on the Shroud.” I motioned to Cole for a coffee. “The Beast is perfect, and you didn’t answer my question.”
“Your big ugly friend came over and released dampeners.”
“He’s not my friend.” I took the hot mug from Cole. “How did he get past the door runes?”
“He didn’t release the dampeners from inside,” Frank said, giving me the ‘are you really that dense’ look. “He blasted the entire building with one of them, and then walked in like he owned the place.”
“Shit, that’s definitely a flaw in the defenses,” I said.
“Oh, you think?” Frank said, clearly upset. “Especially when you’re pissing off large angry Night Wardens and their twin fatal femmes.”
“It’s femme fatales.”
“No, those two are just plain fatal,” he spat, and Cole threw a runed towel over the small electrical blaze. “You sure you want to tangle with them again?”
“No, I’m not.” I remembered the last time I’d faced that trio and shuddered at the thought. “Not much of a choice it seems, seeing as how Lyrra sent them to me.”
“You’d better get some real security in here then, especially outside,” Frank said with a glare. “You know, so we don’t end up dead.”
“Cole, tell Java I want the outside runed as well. I don’t care about the cost,” I said, savoring the coffee. “I want this place locked down in runes, inside and out. You”—I pointed at Frank—“upstairs.”
He was in my room by the time I opened the door, parked on my ironwood trunk as he gave me his best dragon glare. I gave him a good hard stare in return and then sighed. I headed over to the worktable and pulled one of the empty vials to match the one filled with Redrum.
“Spit it out,” I said and then added quickly, “I don’t mean that literally.”
“You plan on throwing her life away?”
The words gut-checked me.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
I knew exactly what he meant.
“I see how she looks at you,” he said. “She lives for the excitement, the danger, the risk.”
“She worked for Hades, she’s used to living dangerously.”
“Did he tell you what she did for him?” Frank asked. “For all you know, she could have been head broom pusher in one of his properties.”
I actually didn’t know what she did for him. I just assumed she was some kind of cleaner who had botched a job. That was one of the reasons I’d met with Corbel. I needed to know more about her.
“I don’t know what she did for him…yet.” I examined the empty vial and stepped over to the circle to make sure the defenses around the sword hadn’t been compromised by Quinton’s visit. “But I know she’s trained, she took down a group of rummers, bypassed my security like it didn’t exist, and saved my ass today.”
“My original question stands.”
“What do you want from me, Francis?” I said, raising my voice. “You want me to tell her to stay home? To stay out of my business? Do you think she’ll listen?”
Frank shook his head as electricity sparked off him. “Not my place to tell you any of that, Grey,” he said quietly. “I’m here to give you a heads up. You’re using the Beast again and you’re putting her in danger. Danger she may not be equipped to deal with. Jade’s gone. I know you feel alone, but she can’t take Jade’s place.”
“No one can,” I said . “Thanks, Frank.”
“I like the kid,” he said and jumped off the trunk. “If she’s going to stay, at the very least make sure she’s Warden trained.”
“I’ll train her,” I said, and Frank laughed. “What?”
“You just told me she saved your ass today,” he said and started crackling. Electricity coruscated all over his body. “Your old ass can’t train her. I’ll get Yat.”
“He’s older than I am!”
“Yes, which means he’s experienced,” Frank said and spun in a circle. “You’re just old and cranky.”
“That may not be a good idea,” I said. “She’s Kano’s granddaughter.”
“The Fan?” Frank spat on the trunk again. “Does Yat know she’s here?”
I grabbed a runed towel and put out the blaze. “What do you think?”
“He’s the only one who can train her.” He shook his head, sending small bolts of electricity everywhere. “Does she know anything?”
“Not enough to make a connection,” I said. “Do you think it’s the same Noh Fan? I’m pretty sure the name is popular.”
“How many old stick and fan masters named Noh Fan Yat do you know?”
“One.”
Frank nodded. “I’ll speak with Yat,” he said. “If she’s using the fans, it’s his obligation, even if she isn’t related.”
He disappeared a second later. I was going to have to listen to Master Yat expound on his favorite subject—the philosophy of pain.
I didn’t envy Koda.
FIFTEEN
I STEPPED OVER to the circle where the sword floated lazily. Disabling the outer defenses and removing the book, I grabbed one of the elixirs from the worktable and matched the amount of liquid to the Redrum in the vial from Street.
I cast a minor mirroring defensive spell and pushed the shooting pain in my head to the back of my mind. The spell would trigger the moment someone tried to open the vial.
I held up both vials and made sure the liquids matched exactly in appearance. If they tested my copy, they would discover the mage equivalent to Viagra. I placed both vials in my duster and settled down to learn about the sword, when a knock interrupted me.
“What is it?” I yelled, not wanting to be bothered. “Is it too much to ask for twenty minutes of solitude?”
“I need to ask you something, Stryder,” Koda said through the door. “This has been bugging me.”
“Can’t it wait?” I said. “How did you get past the hallway defenses anyway? Do you want to blow yourself apart?”
I could’ve sworn I’d reactivated the defenses when I set off the failsafe.
“What defenses?” she answered, and was about to knock again when I opened the door.
“How can I help you?” I cracked open the door, not moving from the entrance. “SuNaTran will deliver the Beast in about an hour. We’ll go see Aria and get some answers. Why don’t you go downstairs and eat something in the meantime? Cole makes a mean Reuben.”
“How did Tessa know about my grandfather?”
“What do you mean?” I tried to stall. “Your grandfather was famous—one of the Hands of Fate. Those guys were insane.”
“No one knows that story, Stryder,” she said. “It’s been wiped. At least that’s what Hades told me. How does Tessa know? Was he lying?”
“No, not really.” I opened the door and motioned for her to follow. She looked around in awe. “Come in.”
“This place is huge—what the hell?”
“Time and relative distance in space design,” I said. “Borrowed it from the Wordweavers, who borrowed it from a traveler from Galli—or was it Gorifreyan? All I know is that he was from some place in Ireland.”
“Excuse me?” She was still looking around in shock. “You did what?”
“It’s bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.” I pointed to my duster that hung from the wall. “Like my pockets.”
“Oh, why didn’t you just say so?” She sat on the ironwood trunk, which seemed to have become the unofficial sofa of my room. “How did she know?”
I put the sword book on the worktable and rubbed my face.
“The story of the Hand of Fate has been wiped from the collective consciousness,” I said. “Only a few mages from each sect were all
owed to retain the knowledge.”
“What did they do?” she asked. “Why was it wiped?”
“I can’t tell you.” She crossed her arms and scowled. “No one can. That information was kept to the Elders of a few sects. All I know is that the five of them—three mages and a pair of brothers—went on a suicide mission. Most of them died and they helped stop the war.”
“How did Tessa know about my grandfather?”
“She must have access to more information,” I said. “Did you know?”
“Not when I was younger, no.” She looked off to the side.
“Who told you?”
“The knowledge came with the fans.”
“Excuse me?”
“When I was given the fans—it was like a floodgate of information.” She looked back at me. “That was when I knew, but I didn’t tell anyone.”
It made sense. Certain runed weapons acted as repositories of information, holding specific techniques or methods of attack within the runes. Every new user operated with the accumulated knowledge of the previous owner.
It didn’t work for just anyone though. The runed weapon usually belonged to a specific bloodline. In this case Kano’s.
“Did your father use the fans?”
She shook her head. “He hated them.” She flicked her wrist, materializing a fan in her hand. “He blamed them for taking away my grandfather.”
“How did you get them?”
“My great-uncle made sure I got them when I was old enough,” she said. “He promised to train me when I was ready.”
“This great-uncle have a name?” I asked, trying to gauge how much she knew. “Is he still alive?”
“I don’t know, he disappeared right after he gave me the fans. That was years ago.” She shrugged, but I could tell it bothered her. “I tried looking for him, but nothing. Now I wouldn’t know where to start.”
“What was his name?” I asked again. “Maybe I can ask around.”
“He went by Noh Fan, but I don’t know if that was his real name,” she said, putting away the fan. “At this point, I don’t even remember what he looks like. It was so long ago.”
I turned away to hide my surprise. She was due for a family reunion sooner than she thought. Master Yat’s full name was Noh Fan Yat. It was entirely possible he was part of the Hand of Fate—one of the two who survived the suicide mission. He had never shared, and I had never asked.
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