The Gray Tower Trilogy: Books 1-3

by Alesha Escobar

  “Are you ready to defend yourself?” Mehara asked.

  “Yes, I’m ready.”

  55

  After my mental defense lesson with Mehara, I crawled upstairs to my room and threw myself onto my bed. I was mentally and physically exhausted, and I gladly drifted away into sleep. I had the dream again, about my father and that frightening blue doorway that led into darkness. I still didn’t understand what it meant, and hoped I didn’t have to find out. I had always been afraid of the dark as a child, and now I knew why.

  I awoke with a start, and the first thing I saw was Ammon, lying next to me and staring at me with gleaming eyes. I gasped, and though every instinct within me welled up and screamed for me to run, my muscles froze and the weight of fear held me in place. I opened my mouth to speak, to tell him to get away from me, but he spoke first.

  “When you dream, what do you dream about?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You’re trembling,” he said. “It’s so easy to read you humans. Just inferior piles of bones and flesh--nothing special, really.”

  I sat up, never taking my eyes off him. “I’d tell you to go to hell, but I suppose that would be redundant.”

  His shoulders shook with a mocking laughter. “You still can’t cast your Circadian Circle, can you?”

  I swung my feet over the side of the bed and went over to my purse, sitting at the vanity table. “I’ll be able to cast it soon, and when I do, you’re the first one on my list to get a taste of it.”

  “That would be unfortunate. The librarian can’t teach you what I can. Why don’t you make use of me? I’m at your service.”

  No, he wasn’t. I felt ill when he came around, and I hadn’t felt like my normal self since I tethered him to me. I didn’t like what I was turning into. I reached into my purse and clutched the crucifix inside, turning to face Ammon. He eyed me lazily before rolling over and reaching for a pack of cigarettes on the nightstand. I didn’t understand why he even bothered with those, but being tethered to a person allowed him semi-corporal abilities. When he had first siphoned energy from me, his shadowy form became more substantial, and that’s how he was able to appear human. With a snap of his fingers, he lit up a cigarette and placed it into his mouth. The smoke he “inhaled” clung around his chest area as he lay on his back staring at the ceiling.

  “I made a mistake thinking this wouldn’t affect me,” I said in a low voice, sliding the crucifix from the purse and concealing it in my hand.

  I turned and saw him blow a puff of smoke. “When that old gypsy woman tethered me, the connection allowed me to gain a limited sense of touch, taste, and smell. I used to hate the smell of cigarettes, but she smoked them every day. So, I had to get used to it. Then, I liked it. These things are addictive.”

  If he thought I’d gradually get used to him, or that I would even like it, then he had another thing coming. “You make me sick.”

  He rolled onto his side and glared at me, taking another puff. “So...are you going to do it?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Do what?”

  His lips curved into a smile. “Are you going to let Allan Skye into your bed?”

  My stomach tightened and heat crept up my neck and spread to my cheeks. Apparently nothing got past him. “I love Brande.”

  He made a mock-sympathetic face and pointed the cigarette at me, rolling it between his forefinger and middle finger. The thin stream of white smoke swirled and rose to the ceiling. “You know, I’m starting to notice a pattern with you. I think you people call it commitment issues.”

  I shook my head. The last thing I needed was a damned lecture from him. “This is ridiculous...”

  “Ridiculous indeed. You left home as soon as you were able, you abandoned spying, ran away from a marriage proposal...and deep down inside you know you’d run away from being the Drifter if you could. You’ll probably end up running away from Brande. And why not? Your life is one sad saga of running away.”

  His commentary felt like a stab. “I want you gone.” I exhaled a long breath and began loosening the connection that tethered him to me. It felt like I was unchaining myself.

  He snarled, rising from the bed and approaching me with a distorted face. “Need I remind you what will happen if you turn me loose?”

  I swung around with the crucifix, smacking it right against his forehead and pressing it down with all my strength. He howled as the skin on his forehead blistered and blackened. Smoke rose from where the crucifix and his skin met. He dropped to his knees and slid backward, under the bed, and to the opposite side of the room. His arms and legs quivered, and he raised a trembling hand to the area where the shape of a cross was branded into his forehead.

  His eyes flared red. “You bitch!”

  I took out the holy water flask and opened it, making a few quick flicks. The water splashed against him and he screeched. Steam rose off him and I could hear sizzling. He held out his arms in a defensive gesture and slid up the wall and onto the ceiling. I kept hitting him with the water, making precise flicks. I loosed another chain, breaking down the tethering and reclaiming my energy.

  He howled again and flew back and forth across the ceiling, flinging himself at me in a desperate howl. I raised my arms just in time to shield myself as he crashed against me and we both fell to the floor. We rolled around--him clawing and snarling at me like a rabid animal, and me holding him at bay--until I managed to thrust more holy water onto him. He fell back and, finally, landed in a fetal position.

  I jumped to my feet and delivered a kick to his rib area. If the bastard could taste and touch, then he could feel the swing of my foot. I held out the crucifix and knelt so that he had to look into my eyes. In a trembling voice I told him, “I’m not giving you anymore of my energy, and if you ever threaten my friends, or anyone else I care about, you’ll wish you really were in Hell.”

  He no longer wore the mocking expression or arrogant sneer he earlier had. All traces of them drained from his face, and he finally began seeing me as a threat. “Isabella, wait...let’s talk about this.”

  “I’m turning you loose.” I cut off the last ties that chained me to him, and it felt like a breath of fresh air.

  “No!”

  I held the crucifix with a steady hand. “And if I get just a whisper of your presence, next time, I’ll bring in an exorcist.”

  I gathered my will and energy, and enclosed him in a reverse Circle of Protection. It would serve as a temporary bind on him, like tying someone up. This would buy me the time I needed to recover and cast my Circadian Circle. As if reading my thoughts, he protested with a strangled cry, and his angular jaw gaped open to reveal rows of shattered teeth. The left half of his face shriveled and blackened, and his hair receded until he was completely bald. He sank into the floor and disappeared.

  I almost fainted.

  Cliff and Sadik returned with Brande and Master Lan, and we all congregated in the lounge with a group of twelve other wizards, which included the particularly prickly alchemist, Christine. I joined Brande on the couch, my heart fluttering and my lips curving into a smile as he placed his arm over my shoulder and drew me closer. Sitting next to him felt warm and protective, and I especially craved it after my bout with Ammon. I didn’t know how much time I had, but I was certain he was attempting to deconstruct the temporary bind I had placed him under.

  I gave a reassuring nod toward Master Skye, who sat across from us with a glass of Scotch in his hand. He looked a little pale and wore a nervous expression. Mehara and the boys sat to my right, and Master Lan leaned against the unlit fireplace. Christine stood next to Lan with her arms crossed. He ran a hand through his short gray hair and regarded us with his almond shaped eyes. He cleared his throat so that the other wizards behind us would quiet down and give him their attention.

  “We’ve agreed to meet up in Switzerland, and from there we’ll gather the people and resources we need to launch a counter-attack on the Den.” He gestured toward the wiza
rds in the back, near the pool table. “I know it’s difficult for you to put your trust in others, at the moment, especially when we say that the Drifter is here to help. Believe whatever you want about Isabella, but also believe that the reason you’re sitting here in Zagreb and not on a ship with imperium collars around your necks is because of her and Brande Drahomir.”

  Brande squeezed my hand, but kept his gaze on Lan. “Is it true that Lyov Praskovya’s in the city?”

  Skye drank from his glass and offered an answer. “I’m afraid so. Lyov’s already set up at the large warehouse, not too far from Stonegate. I think it may already be too late to waltz through there without being detected. We’re going to have to turn it around and surprise them.”

  Brande nodded in agreement. “If a couple of us can get past the wall dividing us from the lower side of town and disable their checkpoint without Lyov and the others at the warehouse knowing, then we can surround them and take them out.”

  I turned to look behind me, and saw the other wizards nodding. Some even balled their fists as if ready to take on their opponents right then and there. They lost friends, mentors, and perhaps even some family members when the Gray Tower was attacked. Even amidst the grief, and running and hiding, they probably also wanted to fight back.

  Christine spoke up. “So our plan is to send a couple of wizards straight into one of their checkpoints, where Nazis are waiting? Master Lan, don’t you think we’ve lost enough people already? We would be better off going in groups of two or three, and slipping past Stonegate.”

  “I can do it,” I said, leveling my gaze at Christine. “I’ve made it past dozens of Nazi checkpoints as a spy for the Special Operations Executive.”

  Christine stared at me. “Then...I’ll go with you.”

  I raised an eyebrow. I didn’t expect her to make such an offer, and wondered if she wanted to come along only to stab me in the back afterward. I just didn’t trust her all that much, but then, if I turned her down, she would use it as another reason why they couldn’t work with me. Whether I liked it or not, I needed their help as much as they needed mine.

  I shifted in my seat and sized her up. “All right, as long as you follow my lead, you can come.”

  She pursed her lips and then parted them, perhaps opening her mouth to tell me she wouldn’t take orders from the Drifter. Instead, she gave me a curt nod. “Very well.”

  Brande leaned forward and gazed at Lan. “We’ll split up into two teams--I’ll take Mehara, Cliff, Sadik, and Master Skye--”

  “Now wait just a minute,” Skye said, bristling, “where do you come off, picking me for your team?”

  The corner of Brande’s mouth twitched, and I knew part of him enjoyed agitating Skye. He said in response, “You’re the most skilled nature wizard alive, and we’re going to need your raw power for a particular task.”

  Skye finished off his drink. “Well...when you put it that way, I suppose I could play nice, for now.”

  Lan spoke up. “I’ll take the others with me, then.”

  “My team will head straight for the warehouse, once the Stonegate checkpoint is disabled,” Brande said. “Your team can secure the surrounding area so that we’ll have a clear path out of Zagreb.”

  “And where do we go once we leave the city?” Christine asked.

  Mehara answered, “Straight for the Gray Tower embassy in Switzerland, by way of northern Italy. If you must make a stop for rest or provisions, then do it in Trent.”

  One of the wizards toward the back, a young man with blond hair, spoke up and asked me, “Is it true that you can predict the future?”

  I peered at him, and saw his expression of curiosity. It caught me off guard. I had been so used to people immediately calling me an abomination that I didn’t expect anyone to be genuinely curious about the Drifter. “In a sense, yes, but...I haven’t gotten to that part yet. My focus, right now, is to help bring down Octavian and close the time rifts that allowed Cruenti like him to come into existence in the first place. In all honesty, I don’t think the future is set in stone--it starts here, and with the work we put toward fighting against these monsters terrorizing the world.”

  The young man nodded in agreement, and a few other wizards began asking questions. Amidst the clamor, Izsak the librarian barged in, trembling from head to toe. Everyone’s voices fell, and Master Lan calmly approached him.

  “Izsak, what’s wrong?”

  “Ooohhh...” Izsak waved his large hand at Lan in a gesture for him to keep his distance. “I have terrible news!”

  “What is it?” Brande asked.

  Izsak stammered, “The Nazis...they’re using a group of women and children as human shields at the checkpoint by Stonegate. They’re also holding hostages in the warehouse. They say Lyov Praskovya will kill them all and march SS troops and Black Wolves, here to upper-town, unless we--well, you wizards--surrender yourselves into his custody.”

  We all eyed each other in shock. This changed everything. We couldn’t sabotage their checkpoint and hit the warehouse with a surprise attack if it required blowing through a few dozen women and children.

  Master Lan almost groaned when he spoke. “Do they know how many of us are here? Perhaps I can turn myself in and buy you all more time--”

  “I wouldn’t let you turn in a library card to them,” Skye said. “Don’t even think about handing yourself over to Lyov.”

  Lan shook his head. “You’re just saying that because you’re my friend. The truth is--”

  “The truth is that besides being my friend, you’re also the Master Physician. You’re a hell of a lot more valuable to everyone than I am. I’ll go.” Skye rubbed his temple in frustration.

  Brande faced me. “Our plan could still work. You and Christine can help the people being held at the checkpoint. Lay Sublimation symbols when you get there, in case you need them. I’ll signal to you from the warehouse.”

  I nodded. “All right, but how are you going to do that if they have hostages inside? They’ll start killing people as soon as you start a fire.”

  “My team’s the bait,” he said. “We’ll turn ourselves in. Lan’s team can come down behind you and Christine, once I launch the signal, and you can all converge on the warehouse.”

  “Brande...” All I could think about was what I had heard about Lyov Praskovya, a man who had butchered his own daughter as a sacrifice so he could become a Cruenti warlock. I didn’t blame Nikon for wanting to avenge her twin sister and putting a blade in Lyov’s heart herself. I didn’t want Brande or anyone else in this room to go near Lyov, especially under surrender.

  “We have no choice,” Mehara said, her gaze sweeping the room. “Who of us are willing to let those people die so we can escape? Back in my country, it is a great honor to become a member of the Order of Wizards. I know the Gray Tower is far from perfect, and we have made mistakes, but I’ve never known members of the Order to avoid confronting evil--especially when innocent lives hung in the balance.”

  There was a long pause before Cliff chimed in. “Well...our group isn’t that large, and Lyov hasn’t attacked yet. That means he doesn’t know how many wizards from the Tower are here, in upper-town. He wants to see who’s here and if there’s anyone worth draining.”

  Everyone listened to him attentively. Cliff was the only Philosopher in our group--a seventeen year-old one, but, nonetheless, a Philosopher. He became self-conscious when he saw that all eyes were on him, but Brande gave him a nod of encouragement.

  Cliff stood and faced everyone, speaking loud enough for those toward the back to hear. “Brande and me, and the other members of our group, can go in as if we’re surrendering. I can do projections, and Mehara and Sadik can shield us from mental attacks.”

  Skye threw Cliff a dubious glance. “And what am I supposed to be doing during all this?”

  Cliff broke into a grin. “Black Dragon.”

  Skye tensed, but then nodded in assent. “I’m sure their attention will be sufficiently diverted towa
rd me, and our friends can free the hostages and launch the signal.”

  “Could you do it?” I asked Skye, eyeing him with concern. If transforming into the Black Dragon caused him pain and exhaustion, then perhaps he couldn’t pull it off.

  “I can do it,” Skye said with a sigh.

  Brande asked Izsak, “When do they expect us to surrender?”

  “At dusk. SS officers will escort you from the Stonegate checkpoint and over to the warehouse. I hope you realize that walking into a trap with you was not part of my agreement.”

  I threw Izsak a scathing look before addressing Christine. “Well, we should get ready.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “Ready?”

  “Remember what I said about taking my lead?”

  “Yes,” she replied in a flat voice.

  “I’m going to show you how to walk through a Nazi checkpoint.”

  56

  Just the tip of the bright sun could be seen as it made its descent below the horizon, leaving a brilliant orange sky in its wake. The SS had imposed a curfew, and sidewalk cafés and street vendors began closing down. Any stragglers walking the streets began quickening their pace. Christine and I made it down to Stonegate, the tunnel-like exitway that led from our upper-town area down into the lower city. When we stepped into the hollow area, where a religious shrine was set up, I turned to Christine.

  “Hopefully all the SS officers at the checkpoint went along with the escort to the warehouse. They’re the toughest to get by.”

  “And the regular military soldiers aren’t?” She toyed with her purse strap in a nervous gesture.

  “Half of the regular German soldiers would prefer to be in a nice bed with a nice woman, rather than running a checkpoint. We’ll use that to our advantage.”