by TR Cameron
She shook her head. “They could be portaling in.”
“They could.” He nodded.
“It could be a trap.”
“It could.”
“We should probably leave.”
His snort almost made her laugh but she stopped it in time. “Please. You’re physically and mentally incapable of letting something like this go and you know it.”
“You’re not wrong.” She sighed.
A sound from below drew their attention to a car that pulled up to the curb in front of the nightspot. A man in the standard gang uniform emerged, carrying a large cylinder like architects sometimes used to transport blueprints. The way he held it made it seem as if it weighed a fair amount.
Cali breathed deeply. “Okay. Here goes.” She calculated the angles and raised her hand, the palm facing the sky. On it was one of the gadgets from the bunker, which Emalia had found a description of in the coded book. It was a magical marker, and she’d be able to track it since she’d familiarized herself with its signature. She used a flick of force magic to send it in a long arc toward the target and grinned in satisfaction when it struck and stuck to the cylinder, too small to be easily noticed.
“Nice shot.” Fyre commented.
She shrugged. “Yeah, I’m thinking of going pro next year. I definitely have what it takes.” She turned and sat with her back against the low wall that ran around the top edge of the building. “Now, we wait. Then, when they’re all gone, we break in and take it.”
It was several hours before the man exited as part of the wave of people leaving the Nightclub. There was good news and bad news. The good was that the person accompanying him locked the front door, which suggested that he was the last to leave. The bad was that even though she couldn’t see the cylinder, the magical tracker told her he still had. “Damn it. He didn’t drop it off.”
“Or he exchanged what was inside for something else. Or it’s empty.”
Cali considered it but none of the options seemed to make sense. Okay, fifty-fifty chance. Do I think it’s more likely that they’d keep valuables in the club, or not? “I think they’re playing us. They’ve set a trap inside but the actual item is still in the container.”
Fyre tilted his head to the side for a moment in thought before he nodded. “I agree.”
“Okay. Let’s follow that car.”
The Draksa took to the air while she used the rooftops where she could and only descended to street level when the jumps were too far. They trailed the vehicle to a storage building—one of the type that had become popular and contained garages or closets for rent. Thankfully, they were able to find a good vantage point on a rooftop across from it. The car pulled inside one at ground level, and a few moments later, the men emerged, pulled the door down, and locked it with a heavy padlock.
“So. Whatever he brought is in there.”
“Probably hidden. Probably under lock and key. Probably in a giant safe guarded by an octopus.” Her companion obviously couldn’t help himself and an odd sound might have been a suppressed laugh confirmed her suspicions. He’d deliberately built up to the octopus finale.
She shook her head. “I can’t imagine there’s that kind of security in there. Unless they’ve portaled it out—which doesn’t make sense—we should be able to get to it.”
The Draksa snorted. “There could be a horde of them waiting to try to kill you.”
Cali shrugged. “That would be a bonus.”
He rolled his eyes. “So, you’re determined, then?”
“You know it.”
A shimmer in the air around him signaled the activation of his veil. “All right, then. Let’s do it.”
He led the way to ground level, froze the lock, and broke it with a swipe of his claw. She darted out of the shadows and rolled under the door, which he lifted barely enough for her to get under. While he remained outside as a guard, she called a fireball up and floated it to provide illumination, fully prepared for an ambush.
The garage-like space contained only a car—a piece of junk from the late eighties, by the looks of it, that was somehow still running. She popped the trunk with the lever inside the cab and located the cylinder. Cautiously, she tested it with her magic but it revealed nothing sinister or defensive. A long, thin, black box was tucked within and she opened it carefully to find a piece of a blade covered in familiar etchings. A card inside read, The perfect bait, and was signed only SM.
“Take off. I’ll portal home from here,” She sent to Fyre, He returned assent and she opened a gate to an alley on Bourbon Street with her magic. She wasn’t sure what she’d found, but was positive that she’d done the right thing by not following it into the club. When she reached her destination, she ditched everything but the metal shard in a dumpster and opened another portal, this one to her parents’ bunker.
It’s Time to gather all the pieces and take them somewhere useful.
Chapter Nineteen
Emalia had packed several cases to take with her to New Atlantis, and she levitated them through the portal while Cali watched. Once again, she was jealous of the older woman’s easy access to telekinesis, which was one of the magics that continued to elude her. She tried now and again in private but rarely managed to make things move in the way she wanted them to. The closest she’d come was when she managed to tip a vase she’d really liked, which of course rolled off the table and shattered on the floor.
Her great aunt turned to her with a smile. “Well, that’s all the luggage. I think we’re ready to depart.”
At her side, Fyre leaned into Cali and said, “Let’s go. Move it. Time’s a-wasting.”
She scowled at him. “What’s your rush?”
He grinned and his tongue hung out of his mouth. “I can walk around in my natural form there, remember? Sometimes, being a dog is annoying. For one thing, people always try to find my owner when I’m alone. And don’t get me started about the animal control guy.” The Draksa rolled his eyes. “Anything that can run for more than twenty seconds at a time is safe from that dude.”
“Gotcha.” She laughed. “Fine. Go.” She gestured and Fyre dashed through, followed by her great aunt at a more leisurely pace. After one last look around her, she stepped across the threshold and was immediately transported from the basement of the Drunken Dragons in New Orleans to the city of New Atlantis, far below the ocean’s surface in the Bermuda Triangle. With a wave, she dismissed the magical rift and called, “Jenkins, we’re home.”
The disembodied voice of the Leblanc House’s guardian spirit, for lack of a better word, answered immediately. “Welcome back, Matriarch. Hello, Fyre. And who have you brought with you if I might be so bold as to ask?”
The older woman smiled. “You may not recognize me, Jenkins, but we’ve met in the past. I’m Elisinia’s aunt on her father’s side.”
His formal voice transformed and filled with warmth. “Miss Emalia! You’ve changed but you still sound exactly like yourself. It’s so good to encounter you again.”
She laughed. “And you as well.”
Cali frowned. “You know, you might have warned me there was a ghost in the family mansion.”
“What would have been the fun in that?” The other woman sounded carefree in a way she couldn’t recall her being in the world above.
“How long is it since you’ve been here?”
She sighed. “It seems like a lifetime. Now, where will I stay?” Her luggage levitated in readiness.
“This way, Miss Emalia.” Jenkins lit up the wall sconces on the correct path.
Cali shook her head but wasn’t able to suppress her smile. “You two go ahead and catch up. Fyre and I have business to attend to. She has all the privileges of family, of course, Jenkins. Oh, and we’ll have another guest later as well.”
“Very good, Matriarch Caliste.”
She looked at Fyre. “There is a surprise around every corner, appropriate for the cheap horror film my life has become.”
He snorted. �
�Save the drama for a llama. Let’s go for a walk.”
“A llama?” She laughed as she pulled the front door open. “Where the hell did you learn that?”
Tanyith had arranged the meeting for that afternoon as a way to make them dance to her tune. They had more than enough time to reach the bar he’d described and stopped to place orders for food and drink to be delivered to the house. Jenkins had explained that while it was technically possible for him to oversee such things when it was fully staffed, it was far easier if she made the requests in person until she chose to return the Leblanc residence to its proper routines.
It had been very clear that restoring it meant she’d have to spend considerable time there, and while she really didn’t mind the idea at all, it definitely wasn’t the right moment for it. So she and Fyre selected fruits, vegetables, meats, ciders, and wines from appropriate shops. The Draksa knew more than she’d expected him to and sent waves of approval at her when she pointed at an item he preferred. The desire to keep his ability to speak secret was his, so she played along.
Her outfit attracted attention as she walked. She hadn’t changed into anything New Atlantean as she preferred her shorts, sneakers, and t-shirt. As a matriarch, she’d follow the rules and fit in when it was required, but she would be herself for the rest of the time and to hell with anyone who didn’t approve. Including the people she was about to visit, who could go to hell simply on general principles.
Cali had met a couple of the Malniets already and had fought one of them in a round of ritual combat. While she couldn’t be sure, she imagined the others had been family but it was always possible they were only friends. In any case, she didn’t expect to meet any of the people at the top of the food chain in this section of town. It made her wonder if the whole family was on the same page about their future.
It might be something we can exploit so it is worth keeping in mind.
When Tanyith had told her the name of the place, she’d laughed and he’d explained that his reaction had been exactly the same. But when she stepped inside the Privateer Pub, she discovered it wasn’t nearly as bad as she’d expected. There was a bar to the left, seating areas in front and to her right, and a closed door separating a back area. He’d said that’s where they’d be, so she turned and marched in that direction with Fyre at her heels.
The bartender yelled in a gruff voice, “Hey, no animals in here,” but she ignored him and pushed through the door.
Beyond was a small room with a rectangular table, and a man sat behind it. What looked like pockmarks covered the parts of his face that weren’t hidden by the goatee and oversized mustache. His heavy blue work shirt had a dark stain on the left arm that could easily have been blood. Fyre sent her a feeling of scorn and she had to agree. Apparently, he’d played the tough guy with Tay, but his demeanor struck her as weak.
“Matriarch Leblanc,” he said in a rasping tone. “How lovely of you to visit.”
She shook her head. “Stow it. Are you a Malniet?”
He nodded. “Not from the main line, of course. My people don’t come from the big house.”
“Pity. From what I’ve seen of them, you’d fit right in.”
He grinned and revealed crooked teeth. “You have some sass, girl. Good. You’ll need it for the noble-nine infighting. But that’s neither here nor there. Do you have what we requested?”
Cali threw the cloth-wrapped package on the table. “Samples of both. But here’s the thing. I’m not a big fan of you manipulating Tanyith. You might want to reconsider the threats you’ve made.”
The man shrugged. “And you might want to reconsider the ones you’re making. You have far more to lose here than I do. I can put your friend in prison again and vanish. You, on the other hand, will always have eyes on you—eyes that can be bought for the right price. No, you’re in no position to issue demands, princess.”
Fyre lurched forward with a growl and she extended a hand to restrain him. “Now now. There’s no point in killing him yet. I’m sure that we can come to an agreement.”
The man looked a little pale but his nod was as disrespectful as his words had been. “There’s already one in place, sweetie, and your boy has more to deliver. Tell him to watch for a message from us with his next task.”
She shook her head. “You’re treading on dangerous ground.”
“As are you. Of the two of us, who do you think has more friends and who has more enemies?”
Unfortunately, she had no reply appropriate to the question so she turned and stalked out. She glared at the bartender when he seemed inclined to speak to her and slammed the door once she stepped through. “He’s a jerk, but that doesn’t make him wrong.” Fyre nodded, and she shook her head. “This will be trickier than I thought.” They walked into the late afternoon sun in companionable silence as she ran through possibilities in her mind.
When they arrived at the house, Cali opened a portal for Zeb. He looked over his shoulder once before he stepped through, doubtless worried about leaving the bar in Janice’s hands.
Ha. Take that for all your teasing. I bet you wouldn’t worry if it was me there. She located Emalia, and the three of them cooked a simple meal from the provisions that had been delivered.
They ate and laughed together while her boss and great aunt told tales and tried to one-up each other. Fyre snorted occasionally from his position under the table, and even Jenkins joined in with a comment here and there, usually of disbelief at the most ridiculous points of the stories. She shook her head and washed the dishes while the other two departed to walk the house and examine the wards.
When the last plate was placed in the drying rack, she wiped her hands with a towel and hung it on its hook. “All right, buddy, how about we explore?”
The Draksa made a sound between a groan and a growl but a moment later, he was at her side. The part of the dwelling that remained unexplored was accessible only through a single entrance she’d completely missed in her wanderings. The door led into the space under the peaked roof and she would still be unaware of it if Jenkins hadn’t asked her about it. He’d claimed not to have access but had recalled its existence seemingly at random. The spirit remained an enigma, but she chose to believe he had her best interests at heart—or at a minimum, her family’s best interests. Currently, she saw no reason to doubt that those two things were in alignment.
Cali sent a thread of magic to the outline in the ceiling. It lowered slowly and trailed a ladder, which settled silently onto the floor. She looked into the darkness, then smiled at Fyre. “Do you want to take a look and let me know what you find?”
He barked a single growly laugh. “I do not. Your family, your risk.”
“Traitor.” They both knew it would be safe and it was simply a fun exchange of wordplay. She climbed only high enough to look into the room, ready to let herself fall if there was any danger. The darkness began to fade and soon, lanterns were visible at intervals, mounted on posts that connected the floor with the roof above. Seeing no threats, she ascended the rest of the way. “Come on up, coward.”
The Draksa soared into the space with a swift flap of his wings and landed with his paws splayed around the entrance. He turned in a circle, then stepped to her side. “I sense no danger here.”
“Me neither. Well, not physical danger, anyway.” As the room reached full illumination, it was revealed as a workspace, much like a combination office and laboratory. It had a feel that reminded her of the bunker, and she knew intuitively that this was a place where her parents had spent considerable time together. “Emotional? Well, that’s a different story.” She shook her head and sighed. “Let’s see what they left behind.”
Chapter Twenty
Wood was the dominant theme in the attic space as evidenced in the floor and the struts that reached up to the wooden braces that held the roof. Wooden chairs and desks all looked polished from long use. The darker wood of the apothecary cabinet, dressers, and wardrobe suggested they might be from a different
era. A scent lingered in the air that seemed like vanilla sometimes and cinnamon at others.
She shook her head. “It fits them so well.”
Fyre didn’t respond but walked beside her as she approached the desks and sat behind the one on the right. Unlike in the office below, these were set side by side and butted up against each other. She pulled out the center drawer and found only a pad and pens. The drawers on the left held a variety of items, all of them boringly normal.
The other desk was the same. Neither held any revelations or something that might help her with any of her problems. Pushing down her frustration, Cali spun the chair, stood, and crossed to the wardrobe. She yanked it open, expecting it to be filled with uniforms or weapons, and discovered formal wear instead. The outfits were encased in transparent sheaths that weren’t quite plastic and looked far more luxurious than what she’d found before.
She turned her head and asked the air, “Jenkins, are you up here now?”
A voice echoed from below. “No, Matriarch Caliste. I am still prevented from entering the space.”
She chuckled. “Maybe you’re a vampire spirit and need to be invited. I hereby allow you to access to this room.”
He spoke from beside her. “Thank you, Miss Caliste. Ah, I see you have discovered your parents’ official court garments.”
“Explain.” There were ten for her father and a matching number for her mother.
“Part of the role of matriarch and patriarch is to attend ceremonies at the palace and at the homes of the Nine or to host on occasion. Each outfit is appropriate for a gala at one of the noble houses or one held by the Empress. They contain elements that recognize the host and others that reflect the house of the wearer. It is quite complicated.”
“Of course it is.” She shook her head. “I bet I’ll find matching jewelry in the cabinet, won’t I?”