The cop car shuddered sideways and came to a sudden stop. A gust of air rushed down the street toward it and shoved it back. The tires left skid marks as they resisted the backward motion and twisted off the axles. I saw the ground around him glow red. I swore Beck laughed right before the world erupted.
THIRTEEN
THE SHOCKWAVE PUNCHED me in the chest and flung me back, bouncing me off the display case. I staggered to my feet and shuffled to the front of the shop. I shook the glass out of my hair and looked outside, expecting to see the worst.
Monty had surprised me with his magical ability many times. I didn’t really know how powerful he was in the scale of magical beings. Was he weaker than a god but stronger than an ogre? There was no real way to tell from what I’d seen. We’d run from ogres and faced gods so it could get a bit confusing at times. The one thing I was always certain about when it came to him was that I was damn glad he’s on my side.
He stood in the middle of a wide, burned out trench. His suit smoldered as he slowly climbed out. Smoke wafted around him, and the air was thick with the smell of molten asphalt. Beck’s body was still encased in black energy, but his head was now free.
“That looked painful, Tristan,” he jeered. “A shame you only detonated about half of them. No matter, my work is done and you—”
His words were cutoff as Monty gestured and the energy covered his face again.
“Shut it,” Monty whispered as he headed for the NYTF cruiser. I stepped close to him, careful to follow his footsteps and not set off any other mines.
“You okay?” I kept my gaze down, trying to make out the runes before I stepped on them. My ability to see them had improved. Monty said it had something to do with holding the essences of the ten sorcerers Chaos had placed in me. Having them inside me was waking up some dormant skill.
“Do I look okay?” he answered testily, flexing his fingers as we approached the cruiser.
“Well, you look well done, like a good skirt steak. The suit, though, trashed.”
He gave me a look and shook his head. I rested my hand on Grim Whisper once we got to the cruiser. I knew Ramirez was sending over his lieutenant, but it was clear she didn’t follow instructions. A woman sat inside the car and looked at Monty. She stepped out and stood with her legs slightly apart. She was visibly shaken but was doing a good job of keeping it under control.
The weight of her body rested on the balls of her feet and I could see she had some training. She was about five-and-a-half feet tall with short brown hair. Her eyes held intelligence and she clearly wore the ‘I will beat you with your own arms if you cross me’ vibe. To her credit, she kept her weapon holstered.
“What did you think you were doing?” Monty asked, looking around. “Where is the rest of your team? Didn’t Ramirez mention a squad?”
I nodded. “Cassandra?” I held out my hand. She took it and gave me a firm shake. “You were supposed to set up a perimeter. You nearly drove into permanent early retirement.”
“Lieutenant Cassandra,” she replied, looking at the damage behind us. “Ramirez told me to pick you up. From what I saw, a perimeter wasn’t going to help. I’m here to pick you up—now.”
“No. I refuse,” Monty said and headed back to the Rump. “I already deal with you all the time, Simon. I refuse to deal with the female version of you. Handle this and get her away from here before she detonates herself.”
He walked away while still muttering to himself.
“What’s his damage?” she asked, looking at Monty’s retreating back. “We have a situation uptown that needs both of you.”
“He’s old and cranky and he just set off some magical mines to make sure you didn’t. Tends to put him in a foul mood.”
She gave a short nod and checked her weapons. I realized it was her method of dealing with the stress of facing the unknown.
The New York Task Force or NYTF, was a quasi-military police force created to deal with any supernatural event occurring in New York City. They dealt with all the strange, unexplained events that occurred in the city. Each NYTF agent underwent extensive psych training and evaluations, but most of them lost it from prolonged exposure to the supernatural. The churn rate was over ten percent. A few of them would go full psychotic break and get a room at Haven Medical for an extended vacation.
The NYTF wasn’t for the timid. It meant she was tough. To make lieutenant meant she was intelligent and skilled, or connected. Still didn’t explain why she would choose the NYTF.
“What situation? We kind of have our hands full here.” I turned to follow Monty. “And you don’t have a vehicle.”
“Ramirez is going to kill me for this. He’s really touchy about the company vehicles,” she said, looking at the cruiser. “What the hell did he do anyway?”
“Ramirez is always touchy, and you don’t really want to know, do you? You can hitch a ride with us,” I pointed to the Goat parked down the street.
“Not really, no,” she said as she caught up with me. “I can brief you on the way. Ramirez just said to get your asses uptown now.”
I pulled out my phone and dialed Ramirez. He picked up on the third ring. He was picking up bad habits.
“Tell me you’re on your way, Simon.” I heard gunfire in the background. “Because if you’re not, I have nothing to say to you.”
“Your lieutenant is here. What happened to the squad? We have a psycho—”
“Exactly, you have one psycho. I’m dealing with three Werewolves now who want to have a shredding party. Get in the car and get your asses here now!” he yelled and hung up.
Cassandra looked at me with a slight smile across her lips and the ‘I told you so’ face. I hated that look.
“We need to secure this area before we rush uptown, or else this place is going to be messy,” I said, walking around the trench and heading into the Rump.
She stood at the edge of the trench and stared at the devastation. “Did you say it was ‘going to be’ messy?” she asked.
“You’d better wait over there,” I said pointing to an area I thought was safe. “Some of the mines might still be live. Wouldn’t want to see you scattered all over the place.”
She looked down sharply and took a few steps back.
“I think I’ll wait here,” she said, still looking at the damage around her. “Ramirez said you guys were a demolition team. I thought he was kidding.”
I smiled as I turned to enter the Rump. I looked around for Beck, but his body was gone. I drew Grim Whisper and made my way inside. The door to the room of reckoning was open, but I didn’t see anyone.
“Monty?” I called out. “Where are you?”
“In here.” I heard his voice come from the room. “We have a situation.”
I ran into the room and saw Jimmy lying on the floor. He shivered uncontrollably. Sweat covered his face and he stared blankly up at the ceiling. Slif and Peaches stood off to one side. Peaches walked up, gave me a sniff, and bumped into my leg, almost knocking me down.
“I’m good, boy,” I said, rubbing his ears and looking at Monty. “What happened? Where’s Beck?”
“A variation of what occurred to Mr. Bishop earlier today. This is an effect of Alder’s Permutation,” Monty said and closed the door behind me. “We need to get him to Haven before he transforms. Beck was gone when I returned. I’m sure we’ll run into him again.”
“We need to get uptown. Ramirez is dealing with three Werewolves out of control and it doesn’t sound good. It’s why we only got Cassandra.”
“If we remove James from this room, he will turn and we will be dealing with a crazed bear,” Monty said, rubbing his chin. “But there may be a way.”
“Whatever it is we need to do, do it fast. Ramirez sounded pissed.”
“I need you to get the car and bring it to the front as close as possible to the entrance,” Monty said and began tracing a rune on Jimmy’s chest.
“What about the mines? I’m not in the mood to explode. I thought
you said if we take him out he turns?” I looked down at the shivering sweaty form.
Monty ran a hand through his hair. Sweat covered his brow and some of the hair stuck to his forehead. “The mines are disabled. The runes on the car should prevent the transformation,” he said as he finished the tracing. “They should keep him in stasis long enough for us to get to Haven and Roxanne.”
“Hey, you okay? I mean, really? I’ve never seen you break out in a sweat.”
He waved away my words. “I’ve been in the middle of an explosion, fighting a Negomancer, and deciphering the runes on this door. I haven’t eaten, and the neutralizing runes in this place are working overtime to thwart my magic-use. Pardon me for some exhaustion.”
I raised my hands in surrender and headed to the door. “Just asking. No need to tear my head off. Can you open this?” I gestured at the door.
He came over, touched several runes in sequence, and the heavy wooden door whispered open.
“I apologize,” he said after a pause. “It would appear my resources are being taxed more than I imagined. I really should get some food.”
“Butcher shop,” I said, looking around once he opened the door. “Not really your kind of menu. Don’t you have your veggie mage power bars in the car?”
He nodded. “I’ll grab one on the way uptown,” he said, leaning against the door. “We need to find Davros before Quan does. If she gets to him first, things will escalate out of control.”
“What about Beck and the Council?” I asked as I patted my jacket, looking for the keys to the Goat. “He seems dangerous.”
“He is,” Monty handed me his keys when my search turned up empty. “We find and stop Davros, they’ll call off Beck. Besides, the idea of Quan roaming the streets of New York City is unsettling.”
“We’re going to have to take Cassandra with us. Your airbrake trashed her car.”
“If she had followed instructions, it wouldn’t be an issue,” he said and took off his ruined jacket. “She’s worse than you are.”
“Not possible,” I stepped outside the room and he closed the door behind me as I stood in the middle of the obliterated shop. Renovation wasn’t an option anymore. Tearing it all down and starting from scratch was the only hope for the Rump now. The Dark Council would cover the costs. All neutral locations were covered with destruction insurance for situations like this. Maybe they should call it mage insurance.
I ran around the trench and across the street to the Goat, placing my hand on the handle and unlocking it. An orange wave of light danced over the surface and the door unlocked. The engine did its ‘hammer on anvil’ clanging and I jumped in and started it. I paused for a second to enjoy the rumbling and backed it up to the Rump.
Monty and Slif came out, carrying Jimmy. I got out to assist as we put him in the back seat. I saw a red glow dance over the car as we got him settled.
“What was that?” I asked warily, looking at the Goat in case it decided this was a good time to detonate.
“The runes inscribed in the vehicle attune to the supernatural,” Monty said, strapping a seatbelt around Jimmy’s large torso. “It was recognizing James—or rather the werebear he is. In this case, the car will act like a restraint and prevent his turning. I hope.”
“As long as it doesn’t have any lethal fail-safes, I’m good. Wait—what do you mean you hope?”
“It’s not always an exact science. We’re dealing with an old, powerful, and dangerous spell. I’m pretty sure it will work.” He signaled to Cassandra as he opened the other door for her.
Peaches bounded in next to her and went into auto-rumble mode. Cassandra gave him a sideways glance and slid a little closer to Jimmy.
“Is this your—? I want to say dog, but I’m not sure that applies. More importantly—does he bite?” She opened her jacket to allow access to her gun.
I slid into the driver’s side and rested my hands on the wheel. “Yes and yes. He’s a good dog, just don’t violate his personal space and you’ll be okay.”
“Violate his space? He’s taking up half the seat.”
“He’s being generous. He usually gets the entire back seat.” I gave him a look. “Move over, and don’t eat her.”
He shuffled closer to the door with a low growl and gave me a disappointed look before he stuck his head out of the window and ignored me. Cassandra let her hand rest on her holster and kept her eyes locked on Peaches. I guessed she wasn’t a dog person.
Monty stood next to Slif just outside the Goat.
“Do you have anything else to tell me?” he asked, looking at her. “I’m afraid we can’t offer you a ride. I didn’t figure meeting a drake when the runes were created. Your presence inside the vehicle would have—unpleasant consequences.”
She shook her head. “I understand. I must get back anyway.” She stepped back.
“Can you tell me anything about his whereabouts?” Monty asked. “Anything that can point me to William?”
“I’m sorry. He’s hidden from my sight. There is another of your kind, a mage—quite powerful—with the blood of dragons flowing within. I can sense him.”
“Davros,” Monty said, flexing his hands. “Where?”
She closed her eyes for a few seconds, and then pointed. She was pointing north.
“How far?” I asked, craning my neck to look in the direction she indicated.
“About two or three miles. You must cross a river and then find the island of siblings. He will be there.”
“Thank you.” Monty gave her a slight bow.
“Drake blood is poison to you. It can bestow great power, but not without a cost. No human can drink of it and remain sane.” She removed the restraints around her wrists.
“The problem is Davros hasn’t been sane for some time,” Monty replied, giving her room. “Dragon blood wouldn’t make matters worse.”
“Find him and stop him before my kind become involved,” she said as a golden light covered her and she transformed into her dragon form. She raced across the street and leaped into the air, disappearing into the night sky.
“I thought dragons couldn’t fly without wings?” I said as I tried to track her. “What did she mean before her kind gets involved? Do we want them involved?”
“Dragons don’t get involved in human affairs. Even during the war they chose to go into hiding rather than pick a side,” he said as he got in the Goat. “This time it may be different.”
“Why is this different? I can’t think of a scenario where adding dragons makes it better. Well…unless you’re being chased by angry Werewolves—then adding a dragon to chomp on the Werewolves would work,” I said as I handed him one of his mage power bars. He took it with a nod.
“Adding dragons to the mix here is the worst-case scenario, since they don’t compromise or negotiate, just reduce everything to ashes. Literally and figuratively,” he said before taking a bite of his bar. “More importantly, I don’t trust them. Everything they say is open to interpretation and they operate by their agenda—always.”
“Are you saying she lied about the location?” Why would she?”
“She’s a drake. That would be reason enough.”
“We need to do some recon before following up on her intel, then. Ramirez might know what she was talking about. This Davros is either on Randalls or on Rikers Island. I’ve never heard of an island of siblings. You think it’s a trap?”
“I think we don’t go rushing there without more information. Let’s deal with the immediate concern,” he said and looked in the back seat at Jimmy and Cassandra. “We need to get to Haven.”
FOURTEEN
HAVEN MEDICAL WAS remodeled after an ogre decided to redecorate the building by destroying everything in its path. Most of it was cosmetic, except for the runic defenses. Roxanne DeMarco, the director of the facility—and a sorceress—had reinforced the runes around the property and on every floor after our last ‘visit’ to Haven resulted in half the facility being demolished.
&nb
sp; Monty had called ahead and she met us in the ambulance bay, which led to the hospital’s emergency department. A pair of large men pushed a gurney next to the car and unloaded a shaking and trembling Jimmy while Roxanne supervised. She was a tall, slim brunette with deep green eyes you could get lost in. There was a small scar across her forehead, courtesy of the ogre we fought.
Showing my age, I called out her name in my best rendition of Sting from the song by The Police. She winced and shook her head. “Truly, that never gets old, Simon. I could cast a vocal cord removal spell and help you with that affliction you have?”
“No, thank you. Monty would miss out on my amazing impromptu concerts,” I said after hitting a particularly high note, which caused Peaches to whine. He was clearly tone-deaf.
“Oh yes, what ever would I do without your ear-splitting, migraine-inducing concerts?” Monty said as he got out of the Goat and walked over to Roxanne. He gave her a short nod, which she returned. This was what passed for passion between them, which I didn’t point out because he was being extra cranky and I didn’t want to be target-practice.
Besides, I wasn’t in much of a position to judge; at least Roxanne didn’t go around ripping people’s throats out, unlike a certain vampire I knew. I shook my head and looked into the back of the Goat. Cassandra held up her wrist and pointed to it. We were running short on time.
I nodded in response and held up one hand with splayed fingers indicating five minutes. She gave me a short nod and went back to staring at the oblivious Peaches. He had sprawled to take up more space once Jimmy was removed, forcing Cassandra to the other side of the seat.
“I have to say, it’s refreshing and a little surprising you arrived here without some disaster chasing you,” Roxanne said, looking at me.
“Hey, I don’t do mobile disasters. That would be him,” I gestured to Monty with a shake of my head. She turned to him and rested a hand on his arm.
Montague & Strong Detective Novels Box Set: Montague & Strong Detective Novels Books, 1 through 3 (Montague & Strong Case Files) Page 25