by K V Deal
“So, you told people they were gone?” I brought a hand up to rub my temple as my tail began to lash. “Really?”
“I didn't tell anybody anything! Me? I found out just like ya did right now. So, I went and asked Gloria about it.” Charlie wrinkled her nose. “She told me that with the way things were, we needed a victory. They didn't even spread the word about that city backing them.”
“And nobody thought about what was going to happen when we couldn't hide this anymore?”
“Dragon, its done! I don't know all the whys, whats or ifs they went through to decide that. We can’t change it. Just gotta hope Gloria can handle it. That’s her job. Ours is doing what we can to bring those bastards to justice. Like we just did.” She waved a hand through the air. “Can we talk about somethin’ else? This was supposed to be our day off, and I spent it helping people look for houses and trying not to get killed!”
Okay. Little bit of pent up stress there. Not a huge surprise but still, best to tread carefully.
I glanced up to see one of the ghostly sparrows whip past in the sky heading the same direction we were. It felt a little bit weird to see one of those, as beautiful as they looked. Seeing it gave me a bad feeling. Up till now, the only time one of those had shown up was when trouble was brewing. I guess that feeling was baked into my bones now.
I blinked.
Actually, it’s heading exactly in the direction we’re going.
I nudged Charlie and pointed at the sparrow as it continued quickly on its way. She watched as it dipped down right into her neighborhood. “Aw, crap. What now! Why the hell can't we just have quiet night!” She almost shouted it as she broke into a run.
As we rushed through the city, I quickly realized that wasn't the only sparrow in the sky. They were everywhere. Hundreds of them flitting either to or from the direction of the mayor's office from almost every section of the city.
“Charlie!” I pointed at the sky.
“I see ‘em! This ain't just because of us!” she yelled back grimly as she fought to pick up the pace. “What the hell is going on?”
When we finally reached her house, Charlie stumbled up to the gate, obviously out of breath and exhausted.
The large wooden doors showed signs of damage. It was pretty obvious someone had been trying to break in. I looked around, but there was no sign of anyone. No feeling of magic, either, other than the gate itself.
Charlie fumbled around in her bag trying to find her keys as I continued to watch for an ambush. The door unlocked and swung open just as she finally found the key.
Carah stood inside, a look of relief on her face. She hurriedly waved the two of us inside. “Quick! Get in!”
She glanced past us into the street as I almost shoved Charlie inside. She glared at me before turning to Carah, who was dropping a thick wooden bar across the gate.
“Carah. Mind explaining what is going on?” Charlie was doing her best not to explode at the younger woman.
Before she could answer, Axle came running up the path.” Charlie! Are you alright?”
“I'm fine, Axle.” She gave him a quick smile before going into business mode. “What's happening?”
Axle slowed to a stop, obviously looking Charlie over for injuries. Then he looked me over as well. Assured we both actually were fine, he motioned us to follow him with a wave. “Inquisitor attacks, all over the city.” He clenched his hands as he spoke. I could see his back tensing up even through his shirt. “Some one-man assassinations. Some group ambushes. All against our teams. No direct attacks on civilians, but they don't give a damn if anyone gets hurt.”
My tail began to rattle as I listened.
“We lost a lot of people in this, but no names or numbers yet. Gloria asked all teams to report in.” He stopped, turning to face us. “I'm glad you two are alright. We were worried you might have been attacked what with how long you were gone.”
“We were,” I said grimacing.
“What! Are…”
“Ya already asked that. We're fine! Jake caught a whiff of the trap before they sprung it, and we managed to yank its fangs.” She shifted topics before he could go on. “How are things here?”
“Gloria got a warning to us before we noticed anything,” Axel replied.
“There was some hammering and banging earlier. We ignored it, but I think it was at about the same time as the attacks.” Carah grinned at Charlie. “Good news? You have some strong doors.”
“Glad to hear it. Wish there was another way ya could have found out,” Charlie snapped. Then she winced and took a deep breath. “Sorry, Carah. It's just...”
“Yeah, I know. Lots of stress. Don't worry about it.” Carah waved off the comment, but turned, so she didn't have to look at Charlie.
As Charlie started to respond, there was a flash of light from above.
All four of us tensed as we glanced up. Another sparrow flitted down and settled its ghostlike form on Axel's shoulder. It nestled its beak in his ear. I watched with interest. This was the first time I’d seen a message delivered.
As Axle listened intently, the sparrow delivered its message.
All I could tell about what it said came from his expression, since I couldn't hear anything from where I was standing just a few feet away.
After just a moment, the glowing bird twisted. I really don't have a better way to describe it. It was as if something was pinching its center from behind and pulling and twisting it like a cloth, dragging it back to some unseen place until, with a pop, it was gone.
That...is kind of unnerving.
Axle looked up at us. “New orders. Seems all teams are to group up and bunker down for the night someplace they consider safe. We’re to head to the Gray House in the morning.”
“Let’s just hunker down here,” Carah said, grinning. “If they couldn't get in before, then there’s a good chance that we’re safer here than anywhere.”
Axle looked around the group, but none of us spoke up. “Alright,” he said, “here it is.”
Charlie assigned guest rooms, and Axle set up a watch rotation.
There was a little bit of grumbling over that, but after what had happened in my room, I was more than glad to take a shift.
Just in case.
The night passed. I don't think I need to say that it wasn't a good one. All four of us were nervous, sleeping with one eye open.
When morning finally came, it didn't bring much comfort. The attack Charlie and I had weathered had happened in broad daylight, as had many of the others from the sound of things.
We loaded up for bear. At least, Charlie and I did when we awoke.
Axle and Carah hadn't been expecting to fight in the city proper on their day off. As such, they’d left their gear at home. So, the apartments were going to be our first stop.
The streets were quiet, and while there weren’t any signs of fighting that we could see, people seemed to know something had happened. Those people who we did see were either other teams like ours or the few civilians who dared to brave the streets.
Not pretty.
Everyone’s eyes darted this way and that, watching every shadow. They even eyed us up as we passed.
By the time we got to the apartments, we were all feeling jumpy, a feeling that got worse when we entered the building and saw people swarming like ants through its corridors and hallways. There was a cluster of people at the lobby desk. All were team leaders like Axel from the look of things.
“Carah, go arm up!” Axel ordered, hurrying towards the desk. “I’ll see if I can’t get some more information.”
“Right! I'm gonna check on B too, okay?” Carah bolted off into the crowds.
“Say ‘hi’ for us!” I called after her as she ran off.
B or Brittany was Sarah's twin sister. When I had first joined the team, she had been a member, right alongside Carah. After being kidnapped by inquisitors, she had decided to step down from the team and settle down, with her new boyfriend Jasper, to a quieter li
fe.
“Hey Jake! I'm gonna head over with Axle. Find a place to settle for a sec?” Charlie said, heading towards the desk at a trot.
Well, alright then.
Glancing around, I found a free spot in a corner that seemed to be out of the way. I figured I might as well take a moment to check my gear while I waited.
First things first. I adjusted my belt, making sure that my dagger was within easy reach. It was the only one of my weapons that I actually had out. The rest were stored safely away in my ring. It was easy enough to get what I needed from storage at a moment’s notice…well, as long as I knew its name.
That done, I looked up to see the group of team leaders breaking up. Axel and Charlie spoke for a minute before Axel headed into the crowd. Charlie was looking about, so I gave a quick wave. With a nod she headed my way.
When she got over to me, she reached, grabbed my arm and dragged me over to the side, and stepped between me and the wall. I frowned, trying to figure out what was going on. Then I noticed that, with me and a decorative plant, there was now a nice screen between her and the rest of the room. Also, she was crying.
Oh crap.
My mind blanked as I tried to figure out what to do. I opened my mouth to say something, but Charlie held up a finger.
“Just give me a moment, okay?”
I stood there awkwardly for a minute as she just quietly cried, her eyes closed. Then she turned and slammed her fist onto the wall. Hard.
“Alright,” she sniffed. “I'm okay. Sorry ya had to see that.”
“It’s okay.” I was still wracking my brain for what I should say.
“We got lucky.” She still hadn't turned back to face me. “Most teams lost people. Good people.”
I reached out, hesitated, then put a hand on her shoulder. She didn't turn around, but she didn't shrug off the contact either.
“Drake's dead.”
I blinked. Drake? He’d been on our team when I’d first started and was one of the stranger Changed I had known. Half Orthrus, he had been part dog with twin heads that spoke in sync. He’d had a falling out with the group, or rather, we’d had a falling out with him, and he had been reassigned but...
He’s dead?
“I...” I didn't know what to say. “How?”
“Inquisitors! What the fuck did ya think happened?” Charlie snapped, spinning away from the wall to glare at me. “It's always Inquisitors! So, don't ask stupid questions!”
It almost felt like I had been struck. “I understand you’re hurting,” my eyes narrowed and my tail lashed, “but I don't think I deserved that.”
Not the best way to handle things but I was exhausted.
Charlie flinched and sagged back against the wall. She ran a hand over her face, wiping away the tears. “Sorry.”
I took a deep breath, doing my best to let the anger go.
“It's okay. I’m sorry too. He was a good guy.” I meant it too. The problem hadn't been him as a person, it's just that., when push came to shove, we chose friends and family while he chose to follow the rules .
“Those bastards are gonna pay,” Charlie hissed as she wiped her eyes again.
I nodded. She’d put it perfectly. And I was going to do my best to make sure that happened.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Chapter 9
We traveled to the Gray House in small groups, doing our best to hide our weapons as we went. It was an order from Gloria, and in my opinion a good one. The city felt like a powder keg. That wouldn't have been a problem if we’d had a target, but the Inquisitors had vanished back to wherever they had been lurking. That worried me. That left us, who were technically government workers and definitely involved in the battles of yesterday, holding the keg. Marching in mass down the street might have been just the thing to set off the explosion.
I looked at the others. Their faces were forbidding as we walked. Charlie and Carah? They wanted revenge. The two of them were glancing at shadows and flickers of movement almost daring something to jump us. Both had their hands on their weapons as they walked, and their faces were set in a look of grim eagerness.
Carah? Well I wasn't that surprised about her attitude. She had her own history with the Inquisitors. This was just icing on the cake.
Charlie on the other hand? Sure, she had every right to be angry, furious even. But up till now, she had always been the rational one of the group. It was a little unsettling to see her this eager for a fight.
At the front of the group, Axel looked nervous. He had his bow in hand, poorly disguised in a cloth wrapping. His free hand's fingers danced at his side, twitching, as if he was trying to keep them from straying to the quiver under his cloak. Drake had been a friend as had other people killed in the attack. There was no way he wasn't hurting, but unlike the other two, I guessed he would see the danger involved in this situation, like a riot or even an attempt at revolution, if the masses decided to blame Gloria.
I was the only one who wasn't holding a weapon, not that it mattered. The rest of the group would probably say I was a weapon. I couldn't help but wonder if this exact situation wasn't why the Inquisitors had used the tactics they had.
I breathed a sigh of relief when the Gray House came into view.
Two groups of people milled around outside. One was a large group of just regular people. Protesters. They stood in a mass around the building, and they held up homemade signs painted on slabs of wood. All the signs had the same basic theme. ‘What are you going to do about the Inquisitors.’ At least they were just talking so far
I grimaced when I took in the other group. Fully armored members of both the Explorers and the Search and Rescue groups stood in a ragged line in between the protesters and the Gray House.
Oh, joy. Another explosion waiting to happen.
We worked our way around the protest line, passed through the guards and worked our way to the front door. Inside was controlled chaos.
At least, I hope it’s controlled.
Throngs of people, and everyone seemed to be running a different direction.
“Shoot,” Axle said, looking at the mess. “Alright. I have to try to find out what our orders are.” He looked at us. “You guys stay out of the way for a bit, okay?”
The others nodded or something. I wasn't really paying attention. Something was nagging my attention. It was like the hint of a scent in the air. Something you just get a whiff of when you walk into the room, a scented candle a few rooms away or something.
But instead of a smell, I was feeling something. Something magical. I frowned. The feeling was familiar, recent and important, even, but I just couldn't put my finger on what it was.
“Jake!” Axle shouted at me.
I blinked and looked down at him. “Sorry, what?”
He gave me a concerned look. Actually, all three of my teammates were looking at me.
“You okay there, big guy?” Carah asked.
“Yeah.” I shook my head to make the feeling go away. It didn't help. “Just...”
“Hey, it’s been a hard two days, what with all the attacks and stuff. Heck, you got attacked twice.”
I didn't hear whatever else she said.
Attacked twice. The first attack.
That was where I had felt this before, back in my apartment, right before I had been attacked. It had been stronger then, closer to me, but it was the same feeling. That feeling right before the flames.
“Oh, hell.”
I took off at a run, bolting for the source of the feeling.
“Jake! What the…” I heard behind me as I shoved people aside in my haste.
“Get your fire protection on and hurry!” I didn't have time to say more as I burst through the door Cyrus had led us through yesterday and skidded into the hall. Hopefully, they understood.
In the hall, I felt for that feeling again. Right? Left?
Right!
I could hear shouting behind me as I turned and continued to run.
I was surprised
at the direction. This was away from both Gloria and the prisoner, the two most likely targets. But the feeling was getting stronger in this direction, so I knew I was heading the right way. A lot stronger actually. Stronger than when I felt it in my room.
Pretty sure that isn't good at all.
I ran faster. There. Door. Left hand side. I charged it, not even bothering with the handle. Instead, I hit it shoulder first and hoped that was enough. The door burst open, exposing a staircase leading down into what I could only think was a basement.
“Oh shi-!”
I didn't even have time to finish before my momentum caused me to tumble down the stairs. Thank God, I'm as tough as I am. If not, my thundering decent down what felt like two stories of stairs would have killed me. Instead, it just hurt.
A lot.
I scrambled to my feet ignoring the pain. I was in a tunnel that lead into the dark. The feeling was ahead of me building even as I stood still. I drew my dagger, letting its glow light my path and hurried forward, still trying to ignore the pain.
The floor changed as I ran. It went from smooth, worked stone to a rough, more organic, uneven feeling under my scaled feet. There, ahead of me, was another door, a heavy wooden thing. I slowed down as I approached it.
They probably knew I was coming. I couldn’t see how they couldn't what with all the sound I had made falling down here. But on the off chance I still had the element of surprise...I turned the handle as gently as possible, opening the door as quietly as I could.
With all the sound coming from inside, which hit me as soon as I opened the door, I probably didn't have to worry. It was as if a thousand white-noise machines had been piped through concert speakers. The room was literally vibrating.
This was the place, though. That feeling of magic was strongest here, and I couldn't help wincing as I opened the door. I half expected a blast of flame much like last time.
Standing in the center of a large cavern, was a man in Inquisitor armor. His back was turned to the doorway as he raised what looked like a mace above his head. That item was what was causing the sound, and it was the source of the magic I’d been feeling. I had to shield my eyes when I tried looking at it. The thing was glowing so brightly that it felt like I was looking at the sun.