by Casey Wolfe
“Wonder what other tricks we’ve picked up,” Shaw mused.
Rowan lifted a shoulder. “From what I could find in Gram’s books, and after talking it out with Sacha, that seems to be it. I certainly didn’t add anything on top of the bonding itself either. Too risky. And also wasn’t the point,” he added as an afterthought.
“You’re likely right,” Shaw said. He reached out and touched the vial around Rowan’s neck, the one with Shaw’s blood sitting in it. “Will we have to be wearing these for it to work?”
“No, we’ll always be bonded.” Rowan smirked. “Like I told Caleb, we’ve always got our blood with us.”
Shaw’s face fell, and Rowan’s expression faltered.
“Don’t start,” Rowan warned.
“I know we’ve been over it, and we’re as prepared as we can get, but I’m still allowed to worry about it.”
There was nothing he could say, so instead, Rowan set his glass on the nightstand, motioning for Shaw to do the same. “I want to show you something. Lie down.” Shaw did so, and Rowan moved to lay beside him.
Rowan clapped his hands together twice and the lights went out. Then the room was flooded with a completely different glow. Above them, stars twinkled and galaxies swirled in the distance, splashing color here and there.
“Wow,” Shaw breathed. “This is…”
“I can bring it down too,” Rowan said, before making a gesture with his hand. The stars zoomed in, washing across the whole room, making it feel as though the two of them were floating in the middle of space.
“How did you even do this?” Shaw reached out for a nearby star. Touching it released a pulse of light.
“A project I worked on over the years, since I was young. Had to recreate the effect here once I moved.”
Shaw turned his head to gaze at Rowan, seeing the look of wonder as he viewed his work.
“I’ve always loved the stars,” Rowan said. “Were really comforting as a kid. Better than any nightlight.”
“Like sleeping outdoors,” Shaw agreed, looking back at them.
Rowan pushed his hands out, letting the stars return to the ceiling. “Save the bugs.”
Shaw chuckled. “There is that.” He took Rowan’s hand, continuing to stargaze, as it were. “I think I’m going to like it here.” He felt a tug on his hand.
“We never finished having that discussion,” Rowan reminded him.
“And I recall telling you your home was my home.”
“Not letting you get away with it that easy.” Rowan rolled over, straddling Shaw’s hips. He sat down heavily, causing Shaw to grunt. “You can’t just avoid talking about it.”
“Sure I can.” Shaw grinned mischievously. His hands were resting on Rowan’s thighs, sending lustful thoughts his way.
Rowan’s eyes fluttered before closing. He huffed. “That’s cheating.”
“Never claimed to play fair, darling.”
Apparently deciding to drop it, Rowan leaned down and captured Shaw’s lips. “We’re still talking about it.” Or not.
Chapter Eighteen
“HE’S BOOKED,” SHAW announced when he came through the door of Caleb’s small apartment. “Any movement?”
“Not yet,” Caleb replied, the blood vial necklace in his hand still hovering in a tight circle over the area of the temple.
“Alright.” Shaw woke his laptop on the end stand. They already had a detailed map of Everstrand on the coffee table—the same Caleb was currently using—as well as a regional and country map. Depending on the area where the charmed necklace led them, Shaw would be able to print off new detailed maps to help pinpoint a location.
“What if they don’t move him?” Caleb asked from where he sat cross-legged on the floor. He put the necklace down, flexing his fingers and rotating his wrist.
“They’re not stashing the kidnapped magicae on site,” Shaw insisted, plopping onto the couch. “I’ve been through there a thousand times.”
If Rowan disappeared without the charm indicating him being off the property, they had a whole new level of problems. No, thanks to the hidden camera footage, Shaw had witnessed the Inquisition taking a shipment of magicae out of the prison, in the dead of night, using some kind of truck. The problem was not knowing their destination. He had been debating on how to get a tracking device into the next batch, but he hadn’t considered making that “device” a person.
“How long?” Caleb asked, staring at the map.
“They have to arraign him within forty-eight hours. That’s how long they have to make him disappear.”
Caleb gave a curt nod, gaze darting to the necklace. It was a long moment before he grabbed the chain, picking it up to check on Rowan once more. Shaw leaned forward, grabbing Caleb’s shoulder. He knew what Caleb was feeling, and there was no point in trying to reassure him. Instead, Shaw offered companionship in the silence they settled into.
Out of the blue, Caleb asked, “So, how long before you make it legal, you think?”
It took Shaw a moment to realize Caleb was talking about marriage. “Dunno. Once this is over with, the squad’s likely due some R&R. Might have to take advantage of it.”
Caleb nodded. He had jokingly given Rowan a hard time for not being at their bonding when the trio went out to dinner to celebrate. In reality, Caleb understood the couple wanting to share that night just between them. There would be some type of legal ceremony in the future to attend—after all, it wasn’t as if any government was about to recognize their blood bond as is.
“Honestly,” Shaw continued, “I don’t think Ro cares much about doing the legal bit. When I brought it up, seemed he agreed more ’cause I wanted it.”
“Sounds about right,” Caleb chuckled. He nudged his shoulder against Shaw’s leg. “You’re what matters to Ro. Not some piece of paper.”
The corner of Shaw’s mouth turned up. “Well, I’d still feel better knowing he’s protected if somethin’ happens to me, y’know?”
Caleb gave him a look of approval before laying his head on Shaw’s knee.
The charm didn’t indicate any change until after midnight. It made sense they would move Rowan in the early hours of the morning under cover of darkness. Prisoners would be asleep, along with most people in the city. It was the perfect time to make someone vanish. Too bad for the Inquisition that Shaw was watching.
He was holding the charm above the map lazily, not expecting anything to change, when suddenly it darted to the side. The vial dropped onto the map in the area of the southern gate. “We’ve got movement,” Shaw announced, half in awe, half in excitement.
“They didn’t waste any time,” Caleb said, practically knocking Shaw over as he scrambled off the couch to join him on the floor. “Ro was right.”
“Remember what he said, now. We need to wait five minutes before trying again.” It was more to remind himself, since Shaw wanted nothing more than to keep at it. However, unless they waited, they wouldn’t learn anything new.
After a long five minutes, when Shaw checked, the location had moved again, heading out of the city. Another five minutes told them they were heading north along the main highway. Yet another five, and a switch to the regional map, had them on the same route, so Shaw felt comfortable making the phone call.
“Rhys, I need you.” Now those were words Shaw hadn’t thought to utter, and he could practically hear Marcus’s voice grumbling in his ear about not needing anything from the likes of Rhys. “What do you got for satellites over Everstrand right now?”
“Hold on.” Rhys yawned loudly into the phone. “Do you know what time it is here?”
“Almost time for you to get the fuck up anyway,” Shaw replied blandly, knowing it was nearing six in the morning over in Tolhollow.
“Fuck you too.” Shaw could hear movement, so he decided to bite his tongue. “What’s this about anyway?”
“I’m getting us the location of where the kidnapped magicae are.”
That perked Rhys right up. “What do
you need?”
“Heading north on Highway 10, right now, is a truck. I have no idea what kind. But in there is their latest victim.”
“Do I even want to know what you’ve done?” Rhys inquired skeptically.
“Maybe later.”
Rhys sighed. “Lemme get down to command. Back to you soon,” he said before promptly disconnecting.
“Umm,” Caleb ventured, “so is he gonna help us, or what?”
“Give him a minute.” Shaw didn’t exactly want to wait either. Thankfully, Rhys wasn’t messing around. “What have we got?” Shaw asked after answering the phone.
“Thermal imaging is up. Multiple vehicles. Can you give me more?”
“Hold on. Caleb, try the charm.”
“Who’s Caleb?” Rhys didn’t sound angry, mostly curious.
“Another long story.”
“Here,” Caleb said when the vial smacked the table.
“Alright. We are about…sixteen klicks out from Everstrand.”
“Copy. Zeroing… We’ve got a sedan, a big rig, and a box truck.”
Shaw nodded. “Could be either of those last two. We’re not sure the exact type of truck they’re using to transport.”
“Well, we may get an answer. It looks like the rig is heading down a westbound exit. The truck’s still traveling north.”
“Give us a couple minutes.”
“We don’t have long,” Rhys reminded him. Satellites didn’t give indefinite coverage, after all.
“Acknowledged,” Shaw said. “Can we get a check on all the airstrips? It’s unlikely they would travel with an official flight plan, but I want it ruled out anyway. I don’t want them leaving the country without us knowing about it.”
Apparently, Caleb didn’t want to wait the allotted time. Shaw heard a soft thunk and looked to find out where the vial had landed.
“Hey, I’ve got updated coordinates,” Shaw said, rattling them off.
After a moment, Rhys confirmed, “That’s the box truck. We’ll keep an eye on it from here and get back with you.”
Shaw breathed out. “Thanks.” He hung up, looking over at Caleb. “Well, we’ve got our truck.”
“Good.” Caleb nodded, placing the vial on the coffee table and sitting back. After a moment, he rested his head against Shaw’s shoulder. Shaw set a hand on Caleb’s thigh, letting a little warm calm seep into him.
Waiting seemed to take forever, while it was in reality about ten minutes before they got the call back. Shaw put the phone on speaker, setting it on the coffee table.
“The truck stopped at a dock on the Neul Channel and loaded cargo onto a boat. We’re going to be losing coverage, Shaw.”
“Damn it.” Shaw ran fingers through his hair. “We’ll keep tracking on our end.”
“I don’t want to adjust positioning until we have final coordinates,” Rhys said. “We can’t risk alerting anyone. Especially Osterian brass.”
“Understood. We’ll keep you updated.”
“Now what?” Caleb asked, crestfallen.
“We keep at it.” Shaw tapped his finger to the maps.
They continued to track Rowan across the channel and into the barren zone. No country had claim to the region since it was considered uninhabitable. The land there had been constantly covered in ash because of volcanic activity to the east. Despite the fact those same volcanos now sat dormant, the damage had been done; the land was dead, and no one lived on it.
“I don’t understand,” Shaw said, printing off more maps to lay out on the table. “Where could they be going?” The lone possibility he could see was that perhaps they were going to cross the barren landscape and the next channel to the east into the lands of the Eskaria Empire. If they went into the territory of Calagon’s greatest enemy, things would become complicated.
“No idea.” The charm landed back on the map again, Caleb furrowing his brows. “I think they might have stopped.”
Shaw perked up, taking in the location that Caleb indicated. It was at the base of the Ash Mountains, so named because they were still washed in volcanic fallout. “That makes no sense.” Shaw printed another map that showed that area of the mountains with greater detail. “Here, try to get it on here.” The charm quickly fell on the spot and Shaw took note of the coordinates.
There shouldn’t have been anything built out there, yet the charm kept indicating that Rowan had stopped. When thirty minutes had passed and there still was no movement, Shaw rang up Rhys again. “I have a location for you.”
“Are you sure this is right?” Rhys asked after repeating the coordinates back. “The Ash Mountains?”
“What’s there, Rhys? We need eyes on it.”
“Agreed.” There was a pause before Rhys relayed, “I’ll have that satellite within range in about five mikes.”
“Mikes?” Caleb hissed under his breath.
“Minutes,” Shaw explained.
“Let me know if anything changes,” Rhys ordered.
It didn’t though. No matter how many times they verified with the necklace, it kept assuring them that Rowan was right there. “You don’t think…” Caleb said, obviously not wanting to think of the possibility, yet still fearing the worst.
“If he were dead…” Shaw shook his head. “No, Ro’s alive. I know it.” He nodded his head toward the charm. “And that thing agrees.” The blood in the vial was still a dark red, not black as it would be with the death of the subject. “He’s too valuable alive.”
Caleb replied softly, “I hope you’re right.”
The phone’s ring made them both jump, and Shaw couldn’t answer it fast enough, once again putting it on speaker.
“You are not going to believe this,” Rhys began their conversation. “I’m sending you an encrypted file.”
Shaw pulled his laptop over, bringing up a data packet of satellite images. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Caleb was peering over Shaw’s shoulder. “What am I looking at?”
It was Rhys who answered. “That is what is sitting at the coordinates you gave me. There’s a facility sitting at the base of the Ash Mountains.”
“Holy fuck.” Caleb’s eyes widened, looking over at Shaw.
“If this is where your informant is,” Rhys continued, “we’re to assume it’s an Inquisition-run experimental prison facility. We’ve given it the designation Ashgate Prison, and we’re running this operation under the codename Winter Storm.”
The facility looked to be a decent size with three wings coming off the main building. “Probably at least one of those wings is housing,” Shaw said. “They wouldn’t want a lot of activity coming and going from the site.”
Caleb laid his chin on Shaw’s shoulder, looking through the array of images with him.
“You’re likely right,” Rhys agreed. “That would logically leave one for holding cells and another for whatever experimental equipment they have.” Rhys paused to listen to another report from his end. “We estimate a small force of knights on site. They wouldn’t waste the housing space they could use for their scientists, and their location lends itself to not being found.”
“No reason to keep much security on hand,” Shaw concurred.
“I want you to get up there and do a visual scout. Once I get on-the-ground intel, I can tell you how to proceed.”
“Oh, it’s rather simple. I’m scouting for an in, and then me and Caleb here are going and breaking up the party.”
“I’d rather send you backup.”
“The squad’s already out on mission,” Shaw reminded him.
“I could send in another one. The point is that we don’t have to worry about stepping on political toes here. They’re in unclaimed territory, which means we’re well within our rights to hit it.”
It was a fair point, but Shaw worried about the time it would take to mobilize any kind of joint effort. Or how they were supposed to write off by what means they came about their information. Osterian most likely wouldn’t be happy to hear a Calagon
agent had been sent in undercover in their capital city without authorization. At the end of the day, that was Rhys’s problem.
“Okay,” Shaw said. “We’ll get out there by first light.” It would be tough to make the trip in that time, but Shaw had already packed all his gear and had it piled in the corner of Caleb’s living room.
“Check in at 0700,” Rhys ordered.
“Yes, sir.” Shaw hung up the phone with a sigh. “Looks like it’s time to move out.”
IT WAS HARD to tell if what was blowing around them was snow or ash. Either way, it helped to conceal their position up on the crest of a hill overlooking Ashgate Prison. Shaw would have left Caleb behind, but in truth, it was too risky to go alone. Besides, his nose would probably come in handy.
They were looking through binoculars, observing the entrance to the facility, and spotted two men standing guard in a small shack. Traffic in or out was likely kept to a minimum, so the lack of security presence wasn’t surprising. It also made their job a whole lot easier.
“This place is huge,” Caleb said. He put his binoculars down, looking over at Shaw. “How the hell are we gonna find Ro?”
“Should be rather straightforward once we get inside.” Caleb didn’t seem convinced. “Just trust me on this.”
“You’re the pro,” Caleb relented, going back to observing.
“There’ll be more guards in a central control room. We have to get in there and take it before they can get word out.”
“Aren’t we supposed to wait for the military backup Rhys promised?”
“Do you really want to leave Rowan in there any longer? It takes time to mobilize troops, no matter how good Rhys is.”
Caleb huffed. “Fair enough… So, we take out anyone between us and that control room, yeah?”
“From there we’ll be able to see the full layout. We need to clear any areas where more guards or other staff would be. Once everything’s secure, we can get those prisoners out.”
“Alright.” Caleb paused. “How exactly are we doing that?”
“Well, personally, I’m gonna shoot ’em. That seems to work.”
Caleb scoffed.
“You, well… I don’t suppose you have any experience with a gun?”