Rite of Passage: An Alastair Stone Urban Fantasy Novel (Alastair Stone Chronicles Book 26)

by R. L. King

  “What?” The chill in Stone’s gut intensified. “What is it?”

  “I don’t think he’s on foot.”

  “Why not?”

  “He’s not close. And he’s moving too fast to be walking.”

  Damn. Of course no part of this could go as planned. That would be too easy. “Can you tell what direction he’s heading?”

  She paused, closing her eyes. “Mostly north, I think.” Her voice sounded strained. “It’s hard to do this, because I also have to block myself from him. If he figures out we’re after him, he might get more upset.”

  “How far away?”

  “Not too far yet, but he’s still moving.”

  “He must have stowed away in a vehicle. That’s the only way he could be moving that fast.” He made a quick decision. “Come on.”

  “Where?”

  “Can you keep tracking him if we’re moving too?”

  “Yes, I think so.”

  “Then we’re going to find him. Catch up with him. With any luck, whatever vehicle he’s stowed away in will stop at some point soon.”

  She swallowed hard. “What if it doesn’t?”

  “We’ll solve that problem when we come to it. Come on, before he gets too far away. Do you have a vehicle here?”

  “It’s a few blocks away. It’s stolen, so they’ve probably found it by now. I figured if we had to leave again, we’d steal another one.”

  “All right, then—we’ll have to take my stolen one.”

  He hurried down the stairs, pulling his phone from his pocket as he went. When he reached the bottom, he tapped Verity’s number.

  She answered after two rings. “Hey, Doc, what’s up?”

  “Just keeping you up to date. Jeremy’s taken off. Daphne thinks he’s stowed away in a vehicle and he’s headed north. We’ve got no idea where the vehicle’s going or how long it’ll be moving. She can track him, so that’s what we’re getting ready to do now.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Keep heading this way, but be reachable. I hope I’m wrong, but if things continue as they have been, it’s possible he might be headed your way, up toward Minneapolis.”

  “Uh—okay. Are you on your real phone?”

  “Yes, unfortunately. Can’t be helped this time. I’ll have to take the risk.” He spoke under his breath as they exited the house and he led Daphne across the vacant lot toward where he’d left his car.

  “Fix it so I can track your phone. Do you know how to do that? I’ll do the same. That way, we’ll know where each other are.”

  “Er—I think so.” He smiled. “Brilliant idea. I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “Of course not—you never think of technological solutions.” She sounded amused. “Anyway, do that and let me know if anything changes.”

  “Got it. Talk soon, hopefully.” They reached the strip mall and ducked behind it. The car was still there, right where he’d left it.

  “Was that your apprentice again?” Daphne asked as they got in.

  “Yes. Hang on a moment.” He tapped at the phone until he found the right setting, then enabled tracking for Verity. He noticed she’d already done it for him, so he could see her dot on the map, heading down highway 52 several miles south of Minneapolis.

  “What are you doing?”

  Stone chuckled despite the gravity of their situation. “I keep forgetting, you’ve been away for a while. Technology’s got quite amazing in the last few years.” He showed her his phone. “See? Verity and I can see each other’s location. No magic involved.”

  “Impressive.” She still seemed distracted, though. “Come on. Let’s go. I can feel him moving further away. I don’t have any idea what the range on my link with him is, but I don’t want to find out.”

  He did his magical hot-wiring trick on the car, settled a disregarding spell around it, and drove back onto the road. “You navigate, and we’ll do the best we can.” He tried to sound reassuring, but all the while his fear was growing. Jeremy was on his own in a world he didn’t understand. He was sick, was no doubt stressed, and now he had the extra weight of knowing he’d caused problems that had killed people. What would he do with that knowledge? Now that he knew what he was causing, would he have a way to stop it, or at least guard against it? The faster they found him, the better.

  Soon, though, it became obvious that Jeremy not only had stowed away in a vehicle, but it wasn’t stopping.

  “Anything?” he asked Daphne as they approached the edge of Rochester.

  She shook her head. “I’ve still got him, but he’s still moving. We’re heading in the right direction, that’s all I can say for sure.”

  He glanced over at her. She was practically radiating stress, even without a peek at her aura. She gripped the dashboard, leaning forward, her jaw set and her eyes fixed straight ahead. “We’ll find him, Daphne,” he said gently.

  “Yeah. I know we will.”

  He didn’t’ miss what she didn’t say, though: we’ll find him, but what might happen before we do?

  27

  Twenty minutes later, they were no closer. “I think they’re headed to Minneapolis,” Stone said grimly. They were on highway 52 moving north, and Daphne had continued to report that the link wasn’t fading, but it wasn’t getting any closer, either. “That’s not good.”

  “Why not?” Daphne still sounded stressed; maintaining the link this long while hiding it from her son was clearly taking a toll on her.

  “Because it’s a big city, for one thing—if Jeremy’s going to get up to any shenanigans, I’d rather it happened somewhere with a lot less population. For another, the closer we get to Minneapolis, the closer we’re getting to a ley line.”

  “Does that matter?”

  “Not sure yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised.” He tapped his phone on the dashboard, checking Verity’s location. They were converging on each other, and her dot was now thirty miles from his.

  Stone hated having to rely on Daphne’s relayed directions, but there was no helping it. He tapped Verity’s number on the phone.

  She answered almost immediately. “You got something?”

  “I think his ride is heading to Minneapolis. Probably best to turn around and head back up there.”

  “Definitely still moving,” Daphne murmured. “I think you’re right that they’re going to Minneapolis.” She seemed more agitated now. “Can you go any faster?”

  “Best if I don’t—this is a stolen car, remember. We shouldn’t draw attention to ourselves.”

  He heard her growl under her breath, but she didn’t argue.

  They kept going for several more minutes in silence. At least the traffic wasn’t bad this time of night, so Stone was able to keep up a steady sixty. He glanced at his phone every couple minutes, watching Verity’s dot. She’d pulled off and turned around, and was now ten miles ahead of them and traveling in the same direction.

  They were twenty minutes out of Minneapolis when Daphne tensed. “I think he’s stopping.”

  Almost unconsciously, Stone increased speed. “How do you know?”

  “He’s not moving as fast.” Her breathing was faster now. “Oh, God, I hope nobody found him.”

  “He’s obviously resourceful. His vehicle probably stopped and he got out. At least this way we’ll have a better chance of finding him.”

  He called Verity again. “Sounds like he’s stopped in Minneapolis.”

  “Do you know where?”

  “Not yet. I think we’ll have to get closer to have any chance of locating him. I’ll call again when we get closer, but watch our location.” He wished they had better directions; if they did, Verity could get to him first. She was good with kids and could probably calm him down without agitating him further.

  The closer they got to Minneapolis, the more nervous Daphne got. Stone got a mental image of her trying to use her own muscle power to propel the car forward faster, like Fred Flintstone, and wondered if he’d be acting similarly if it
was Ian in trouble. “We’re almost there,” he murmured. “Hold it together for a bit longer. Is he still moving?”

  She closed her eyes. “Yes. Slower now. He’s not too far ahead now. A few miles.”

  Stone grabbed the phone and fumbled with it, glancing back and forth between the road and the screen. He called up Google Maps with their current location and handed it to her. “Here. Check whatever you can figure out against the map, and see if you can pinpoint his location.” He knew it was a long shot, but it was better than anything else at this point.

  They were approaching the outskirts of the city now, so the traffic was getting heavier. Daphne continued staring at the phone, her entire demeanor radiating tension. “Wait!” she yelled.

  “What?”

  “He’s changed direction! He’s heading west now.”

  Stone looked up ahead. Signs indicated they were approaching the junction with highway 494. “Can you tell if I want to get off here?”

  She clamped her eyes closed. “I can’t tell. He’s still moving, but definitely west.”

  “All right—we’ll take a chance.” He took the 494 exit, then reclaimed the phone and called Verity. “Change of plans—Daphne says he’s going west now. Where are you?”

  “Near the airport.”

  “I think you’ll need to turn around. Take 494—that’s where we are.”

  She sighed. “Okay. Damn, I wish we were together. This is a pain in the ass.”

  “I know, but hopefully it won’t go on much longer.” He hung up, recalled the map, and shoved the phone back in Daphne’s shaking hands.

  They’d traveled west on 494 for two miles when Daphne leaned forward, gripping the dashboard. “They’re slowing down again.” She glanced down at the phone map. “Oh, God, Alastair—it looks like they’re stopping near the Mall of America.”

  He frowned. “Why would they stop there? It’s got to be closed by now.”

  “Not sure. There’s too much up ahead, so I can’t tell yet if that’s where they’re stopping.”

  Stone kept driving. This wasn’t good. The Mall of America was enormous. He’d never been there himself, but he’d heard about it. He had no idea if Jeremy could get inside, but he doubted the boy knew anything about security cameras or guards. If somebody caught him inside there after hours, there was no telling what might happen.

  “Hang on…” Daphne sounded distracted, still focused on the phone screen. “He’s still moving—away from the mall now. North from there.”

  This trip was getting stranger by the moment. “Where? What’s there?”

  “Looks like an IKEA, a hotel, and a bunch of parking lots. We’re getting closer now, though. They’re definitely slowing down.”

  Stone drove grimly on, following Daphne’s nervous directions as best he could. The traffic was lighter than it would have been if the area stores were open, but still heavy. He focused on keeping the disregarding spell solid, since the chances of being spotted by police were stronger here than they had been out on the open highway.

  “He’s moving a lot slower now,” Daphne called, stabbing a finger down on the screen. “I think he’s out of the vehicle. Looks like it stopped at the hotel.”

  “Is that where he is?”

  “No. He’s heading south, toward the IKEA. Turn right here.”

  Stone made the turn, frowning. It hardly made sense that a disembodied boy from another dimension would develop a sudden taste for cheap Scandinavian furniture. “Why would he want to go there?”

  “I don’t know. They have a brightly-colored sign. Ever since we got here, he’s been overwhelmed by how much is going on. He’s drawn to bright, simple colors.”

  “Has he got a way get inside if it’s locked up?”

  “I don’t know. Come on—let’s catch up to him.”

  Stone called Verity back with the latest. “I don’t know if he’ll be inside the store or in the parking garage. Meet us there and we’ll leave this car there and take yours if we have to move again.”

  “You got it, Doc. Looks like I’m about ten minutes away from you.”

  He tried to hand the phone back to Daphne again, but instead she gripped his arm. “Alastair…I’m scared. What if someone finds him? What if he gets hit by a car or something? He’s not used to being around this much…stuff. I’ve tried to keep us in less populated areas so he didn’t get overwhelmed.”

  Stone was concerned about the same things, but he didn’t show it. He covered her hand with his. “We’ll find him, Daphne. We’re close now. If he’s overwhelmed, I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear your voice.”

  “What if he’s already…?” She trailed off, but her meaning was obvious: what if he’s caused another one of those fissures?

  “Now, let’s not worry about that until we need to be. Perhaps now that he knows what he’s done, he might have a bit more control over it.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  He sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried too. But we’re doing everything we can do.”

  They were approaching the IKEA building now, with its bright, blue-and-yellow sign. “Is he still moving?”

  “Very slowly. I think he’s on foot now.”

  “Can you tell if he’s in the store or the parking garage?”

  She closed her eyes. “I think he might be in the garage. I can’t imagine he’d have a way to break into the store if it’s closed, since he doesn’t have any magical ability I’ve ever seen. He was probably disappointed he couldn’t get inside.”

  He didn’t tell her, but that was a potentially positive development. He doubted there were as many security cameras in the garage as inside the store. This was going to be tricky enough as it was, making sure nobody saw them. The last thing they needed was cops and security guards converging on them, making a bad situation infinitely worse.

  The first floor of the garage was nearly deserted. Only a few scattered vehicles, most of which looked like delivery or maintenance trucks, were parked in the spaces. By now, the store had been closed for over an hour so all the customers would have long since departed. He glanced at Daphne. “Anything?”

  She hesitated, eyes closed and concentrating. “I think he’s above us now. Not far, though. Second level, maybe?”

  Stone’s heart beat faster. They were close now, which meant they’d need to be careful. “Should we drive up there, or do you think that will scare him more? Perhaps we should leave the car here and walk.”

  She nodded. “Yeah. Probably best. It’s getting harder for me to shield myself from him, but once he sees me, he’ll probably calm down. I’m guessing he didn’t expect whatever vehicle he stowed away in to go that far, so he’s probably scared and nervous.”

  “Let’s go, then. The sooner we get you two reunited, the better.” Stone got out and put his phone back in his pocket. After Daphne exited as well, he used a quick spell to remove any traces of them from the inside, and used magic to close the door so he didn’t leave fingerprints. On a hunch, he shifted to magical sight and scanned the area for signs of either other people or any magical anomalies that might indicate Jeremy had caused another fissure in the area. He saw neither, which was a momentary relief.

  “Come on. I think we’re all right.”

  “I hope so.”

  They set off at a brisk pace toward the ramp leading to the second level. As they walked, Stone tapped out a quick text to Verity: Ikea garage. Heading to 2nd level. Leave your car on 1st and walk up.

  She quickly replied with a thumbs-up symbol.

  “Alastair?” Daphne asked softly when they rounded the corner and began ascending.

  “Yes?”

  She didn’t answer for a long time, and then she sighed. “I…feel terrible about all of this. You know I didn’t do it on purpose, right? Jeremy didn’t either. I just wanted to show him the world where his parents were born. If I’d known…”

  “Shh,” he said gently. “I know.”


  “I’ve really made a mess of things…not once, but twice. All I wanted to do was help people—make life better for them—and instead, all I’ve done is get a lot of people killed.”

  “You had no way to know it.” It was true. Stone couldn’t bring himself to blame her for any of this, and it didn’t have anything to do with their past association. Scientific experiments backfired all the time. Daphne and her original colleagues were the finest portal scientists on Earth at the time, so if they missed something, it probably wasn’t anything they could have seen. And as for Jeremy—how could she have possibly known this would happen?

  “I know. But…that doesn’t make me feel any better about it. You know I’ll do everything I can to make it right.”

  Privately, Stone wondered if there was anything she—or anyone else—could do to make this right. As long as Jeremy existed in the world, there was a danger he’d trigger another of the deadly fissures. And Daphne had already said she didn’t know how to get back to their home dimension, so they couldn’t send him home—not right away, anyway.

  At least Kolinsky hadn’t gotten involved yet. He checked his watch as they walked. Only three hours left of the eight the dragon had given him to solve the problem on his own. Realistically, even if they found Jeremy right now and managed to calm him down so he wasn’t an immediate danger, there was no way they were going to figure out how to get him home in less than three hours. It simply wasn’t possible, even combining Daphne’s knowledge of portals and Stone’s of dimensional travel. And if Kolinsky turned up, he wouldn’t be interested in working with them on that plan. He’d want to eliminate the threat as quickly as possible, so he didn’t have to get the other dragons involved.

  He glanced at Daphne, who’d picked up her pace and was staring straight ahead, scanning the area in front of them for any sign of her missing son. Had she figured it out already too? Would she make some last stand against him to prevent him from putting Jeremy at risk? He didn’t think she was lying to him this time, but he also didn’t think she’d let him hurt her son if there was anything she could do about it.