“What do we know so far?” I asked as we raced uptown.
“Apparently, you have a sense of humor,” Koda said, suppressing a smile. “Who knew?”
“No one,” I said. “And it will be denied if it’s ever brought up in public. Now, focus.”
“Street is at the Cloisters.”
“Confirmed, in stasis and in a null room,” I said. “Fluffy will have a hard time getting to him. Too many layers of security. Which means?”
“Street is now a hard target.”
“And that means?”
“Fluffy will go after softer targets: more mages on the streets or in the park.”
“We don’t want that,” I said, with a nod. “What else?”
“We still have the Redrum X problem. Don’t know who’s the supplier or how it’s being distributed.”
“Correct. What’s the priority?”
She remained silent for a few seconds, as she thought this one through. If we went after the Redrum, we’ve still left Fluffy loose to prey on the defenseless. If we went after Fluffy, Redrum X would still be unleashed on the streets.
Fluffy was the immediate threat.
“We need to use our resources,” she said after more thought. “How much heat can you take from the Light Council?”
“My duster can withstand a dragon blast—a real dragon blast.”
“I’m guessing Ronin is using us as a proxy, to do what he can’t or won’t do, so he can remain behind the scenes. While you were upstairs, I ran the coordinates he gave you.”
“Where do they lead?”
“Ellis Island,” she said. “It’s possible the person who summoned Fluffy is on that island, or someone connected to the Redrum is there. Either way, Ronin wants you to check it out.”
“Or, it’s a trap, and we walk into a Light Council welcoming party of pain.”
“What’s the play?” she asked. “We can’t just let him use us.”
“We let the Light Council know we’re going to the island. They storm it, and deal with whatever they find there.”
“Right. You can summon Fluffy,” she said. “Let’s pick somewhere better this time.”
“Even though that means another duster,” I said. “Aria is going to kill me.”
“We arrange a battleground on our terms, not his, and end his ass. That’s the only part I’m getting stuck on.”
“What?”
“Will your sword work on the Tenebrous? I don’t think my fans can inflict damage on that level.”
“I’ll deal with Fluffy,” I said, as we pulled up to the side of The Eldorado on 91st Street. “Let’s go use our resources.”
The entrance to the building on 91st was unmanned, used by service personnel only. It bypassed the front desk and led directly to the elevators. Koda walked past the main elevators and lobby, turning the corner to a narrow hallway. At the end of the hallway was another, smaller, elevator door.
“This leads straight to the North Tower,” she said, pressing the wall next to the elevator. “Direct access.”
The wall gave off a faint orange glow, and the elevator call button lit up. The elevator arrived a few seconds later. We stepped in, and Koda pressed another panel inside, closing the doors. I noticed the redundancy in fail-safes.
“It reads runic signatures?”
She nodded. “Yes, it’s the only way it will work.”
“How are you using it?”
“I’m a cipher,” she said, as if that was enough explanation. “I can mimic a signature to mask my non-existent one, slipping through the pauses in the reads.”
“Whose signature are you using right now?” I asked, concerned. “Tell me it’s not Hades or Persephone.”
“Neither,” she said, with the hint of a smile. “I’m mimicking Corbel’s right now.”
I shook my head. “Are you trying to get us killed?”
“Relax. He visits here regularly to make sure the apartment is fully stocked. Persephone can’t use the space right now. They had some kind of break-in that destroyed half of the apartment.”
I had heard about the break-in. My sources, by which I meant Frank and Cole, told me the destructive duo were involved somehow. It actually fit. The Eldorado was a landmark, and it was associated with Hades. Didn’t take much more than that for those two. If it was true, I was surprised the building was still standing.
We got off on the top which was the only other floor this elevator stopped at. The hallway was covered in defensive runes that made anything I had about as strong as toilet paper.
“Proto-runes?” I asked, admiring the work. “This is some serious defense.”
The only things I had that compared to this, were the runes in the duster and my photo-reactive ink. Both of those were done by mages more skilled and powerful than me.
“Hades did these himself,” Koda said. “Even I can’t read them. I just know they’re old and powerful.”
We walked down the hallway to the only door on the floor besides the elevator.
“I thought the North Tower was empty?”
“Originally it was for the water tower, but Hades installed a higher tech solution, something similar to an induction cooling system, and converted the top floor into the security apartment.”
She placed her hand on the door and the lock clicked open. A deep bass sound accompanied by the smell of cinnamon, embraced me.
Inside, sitting on the sofa, was Corbel—the Hound of Hades.
“Do you two even realize you’re being tracked?” he asked, as he tossed me something that resembled a super phone.
“What the hell is this?” I said, holding up the device. “More importantly, who is tracking us?”
“Division 13,” Corbel said. “Did he give you a card?”
“Fuck me,” I said under my breath. “Are you serious?”
I handed him the card and looked daggers at Koda. Corbel crushed it, placed it in a small urn, and set it on fire. It took a surprisingly long time to burn.
“I taught you better than this. You have the digits?”
“Yes,” she said sheepishly. “I’m sorry, Grey. SOP is to capture the information and destroy the original.”
“You remember all those numbers?”
She nodded.
“Standard operating procedure, with the emphasis on standard, Koda,” Corbel said, clearly upset. “Are you going soft? Getting so distracted with being a Night Warden that you’re forgetting your training?”
“It was an oversight,” she said. “It won't happen again.”
“Oversights like that can get you killed. Both of you.”
I didn’t interrupt, because Corbel was right, but she wasn’t his subordinate any longer.
“She got the message. Tell me how it works.”
Koda remained silent at my side.
“The card is a special graphite polymer designed to read DNA impressions, once a current is run through the card.”
“An electrical current?”
“A runically charged current, say, similar to one provided by a small dragon that works at a bar downtown.”
“Shit, here I was, trying to use a secure line and—”
“It wouldn’t have made a difference, because he already knows you’re here.”
“It’s clever,” I said. “No one suspects something like a business card. It’s innocuous. Everyone uses them.”
“I don’t,” Corbel said. “Neither do you.”
“True,” I said, holding up the device. “What’s this for?”
“By now, you’ve figured something is going on at Ellis,” Corbel said, pointing at the device. “That…is you two going to Ellis.”
“I don’t follow.”
“That device gives off the same signal as the card. I turned it on the moment you stepped inside. You’re going to make your call and inform Ronin and the Light Council of your plan to investigate Ellis Island.”
“How did you—?” I started.
“Don’t both
er,” Koda said. “There’s a reason he’s called the Hound of Hades.”
I narrowed my eyes, and the realization hit.
“It was you,” I said. “You were the reason the Archive saw her.”
“Took you long enough,” he said, nodding. “She was sloppy and deserved to be caught. I merely nudged their security systems.”
“You tripped me up?” Koda hissed.
“I’ve been shadowstrutting the both of you for two days. Not once did either of you pick up on my presence.”
“Two days?” Koda said. “Impossible.”
“Let’s see…” He pointed at me. “This one wants a warden bag, even though it will probably kill him. Neither of you can seem to keep that mage, Street, in one location.”
“What are you talking about?”
“First, Haven, then FDR’s armored car—nice Time Warp, by the way—now the Cloisters,” Corbel said. “He won't remain there long either. He’s too strong, even with the stasis and null room. He’s somehow attracting the rummers and they will eventually find him. Even through the Cloisters’ defenses.”
“I think you’d better explain this shadowstrut to me,” I said, my voice steel, keeping the fact that he gave off a distinct cinnamon smell to my senses, to myself. “It seems you have been around us for the last few days. I don’t appreciate being spied on.”
“This isn’t a game, Grey,” Corbel answered. “If she screws up, or Hades gets a whiff of the degradation of her skills, and I’m not just here to observe.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, feeling the anger flow. “I told your boss, she stays with me, it’s my rules. He doesn’t get to decide to retire her.”
“I can see you have plenty of experience dealing with gods,” Corbel said, shaking his head. “You don’t dictate rules to Hades. He lets you think you do. He’s been moving you around the board like a pawn from the moment you accepted that dark blade.”
I remained silent because I didn’t trust myself to be civil. Then I decided being civil was overrated. I let the darkness inside slip out just a bit. Corbel took a step back.
“You tell your boss, we’ve got this situation under control.”
“Do you? Really?”
“Yes…we do,” I said, my words clipped.
“You forget I was there?”
“Meaning?”
“To date, you’ve encountered the Tenebrous twice. Once at Bethesda Terrace and once when you summoned it to you. Clever, by the way, using the coat and her leathers. Next time, I hope you don’t let it kick your ass…again.”
“It didn’t kick my ass this time,” I said. “And to date, I’m the only mage who faced it twice, and I’m still here to tell the tale.”
“Sure, whatever you need to tell yourself, to sleep at night,” he said. “I saw your dance with the tree. If it wasn’t for the sword, you’d both be dead right now, or worse…controlled by your Fluffy.”
“If you were there, why didn’t you assist?”
“That’s not how a shadowstrut works,” Koda explained, her voice subdued. “It’s an advanced skill used for reconnaissance and information gathering. It’s like you’re a ghost. Your energy signature is muted to almost nothing. Once in a shadowstrut, you can’t engage or interact with the world the same way.”
“I know some part of you sensed me, which is amazing in itself,” he said, looking at me, then Koda. “But you should’ve been able to determine another presence was near you when I was.”
“Thank you, I think,” I said. “You heard everything?”
“No. Shadowstrutting didn’t let me into Honor’s office or your room, and I refused to get into that thing you call a vehicle. It’s cursed and evil.”
I took some solace in knowing he didn’t overhear everything. This skill was a real threat. I took a deep breath to prevent myself from doing something rash, like shooting Corbel a few times, storming wherever Hades was currently, and burying Darkspirit in his scheming chest.
“Clearly, you’re not doing this shadow-chacha now,” I said with a growl. “Get your ass in gear and let’s end this thing. If I make it through tonight, your boss and I are going to have words.”
“That would be a bad idea, Grey. Seriously.”
“You know what’s a bad idea? Fucking with someone who has nothing to lose…that is a bad idea.”
I grabbed the phone and dialed the digits. They weren’t the only ones trained to use their memories.
THIRTY-FOUR
The call connected after a few rings and several seconds of silence.
I was sure it was being bounced all over and rerouted to disguise the origin point. I put the call on speaker.
“Grey,” Ronin answered. “Good to hear you’re still alive. I apologize for the inconvenience.”
“Nearly getting me killed was an inconvenience?”
“You’re a Night Warden, a real badass. Some mindless creatures posed you no real threat.”
“About those coordinates you gave me—”
I needed to sell it.
“You deciphered it…good. Like I said, when you feel you can’t trust anyone, I’m here for you.”
“I appreciate it. I was calling to let you know we may have a lead.”
“A lead? Are you sure? Maybe you should let me handle it. You have enough on your plate.”
He was good. Reeling me in by trying to remove the prize. Classic psych move.
“We got it,” I said, determined. “My apprentice and I will pop over to Ellis and do a quick search. There was some runic activity, but it was hard to pinpoint, due to the island being surrounded by moving water.”
“That’s why they call them islands,” he said. “Are you heading over there now? What about the creature hunting the mages?”
“I think these may be related,” I said. “We’re still looking for the Redrum X supplier. I think he may be on this island.”
“Are you going there alone?” he asked. “Do you need backup?”
“I have my apprentice,” I said. “You know us Night Wardens, we work best alone.”
“Got it,” he said. “Let me know if I can be of assistance. I may not be with Division 13 officially, but I still have resources.”
“Thanks, you’ve done enough. I’ll reach out if I need an assist. Like I said, we’re just going to do some recon, nothing major.”
“Talk soon,” he said. “Be safe out there.”
I hung up the call.
“Are you going to be okay out there alone?” I asked Corbel, who headed for the door. “He’s probably going to be bringing a large group of Light Council.”
“I’ll have my Tribus with me.”
“Ouch,” I said. “Try not to kill them. They’re deluded and misinformed, not evil.”
“They’re threatening the wrong people.” He glanced at Koda. “Some of the worst acts in history were committed by the deluded and misinformed. I will offer them an opportunity to leave with their lives. Whether they accept the offer—that’s up to them.”
“Corbel,” I said, “don’t kill them. If you do, I’ll have to deal with a pissed-off Honor, and he’s plenty pissed as it is. Hurt them, show them the error of their ways, just don’t ghost them.”
“Go stop the Tenebrous,” he said. “I’ll deal with Ronin and the Council. Lock up when you leave. Koda, remember: eyes and ears.”
Corbel walked out.
“What did he mean, eyes and ears?” I asked. “Did he want you to finish…nose and mouth?”
“It’s a Corbel thing. When we were training, he kept drilling us to use all of our senses. Eyes can miss things, and ears can hear incorrectly. We need to use all our senses to form a complete picture.”
“Agreed,” I answered. If I had paid attention to my sense of smell, I would have pinpointed that Corbel was doing his shadowstrut thing. “Good advice.”
“Are you planning on facing the Tenebrous again?”
I nodded. “Kind of part of the job description. Face evil creatures
bent on destroying others when everyone else is running away. You want to take a raincheck?”
Koda glared at me. “Excuse me?”
“I’d understand if you did.”
“I’m not becoming a Night Warden to run from my fears.”
I held up a hand in surrender. “I’m just saying. Getting body-checked by your fears can’t be fun.”
“Night Wardens have fun? I didn’t get that memo. When does the fun start?”
“Tonight,” I said. “I have a feeling Fluffy will be looking for Street.”
“I thought the whole point of putting Street with Aria was to keep him safe?”
“That hasn’t changed. Street will be safe.”
“But you’re using him as bait? Can you explain how that’s keeping him safe?”
“He’s not the bait, I am.”
“You? You said Fluffy doesn’t affect you. You don’t get that whole ‘fear’ thing.”
“No. Tonight, the part of unstable, deranged mage will be played by yours truly.”
“That’s not much of a stretch for you,” Koda said. “You’re going to make Fluffy think you’re Street? It’s met you. How do you plan on doing this?”
“I’m going to make it an offer it can’t refuse.”
THIRTY-FIVE
“It’s too dangerous, Grey,” Aria said, arms crossed, and she was shaking her head. “One miscalculation and it has you. Do you know how difficult it will be to kill a dark mage possessed by a Tenebrous?”
It was just the two of us in her office. She wore one of our Dive shirts that read: If you find the food & drinks offensive-we suggest you stop finding us.
This was matched with a pair of black jeans and combat boots. I wasn’t used to seeing her out of her Wordweaver robes. Tonight, she was dressed for war. Holstered to one thigh, I saw a replica of Fatebringer. On her other leg, a thigh sheath held a blade covered in runes.
Her hair was pulled back in a tight braid that wee finished with several sharp hair clips and small daggers. It was like looking at Lara Croft’s bigger, badder, kickass sister.
“Don’t sound so broken up,” I said, looking out the window of her office which was on the top level of the Cloisters. The sun would be dropping below the horizon in a few hours. “I’d hate to put you out.”
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