Chasing Shadow (Shadow Puppeteer) (14 page)

“
Belen
McKnight?”

I tried to answer her, but my tongue was heavy and dry.

“This way,” she said.

I
dreaded meeting with Sonya, but there was also a bit of relief in facing the problem head on. The patrons parted and bowed to the woman, but those dark inhuman eyes were following me. I didn’t dare close my eyes, though the drugs made everything swirl, including the shadows.

Was it my compromised psyche, or were the spirits following me? My shadow heart kept thudding, but it wasn’t responsible for the cold that stretched over my skin as if I walked into an icebox.

We were at the back of the rave, walking over cables that connected the wall of speakers. I would have missed the door, painted black like the wall, if it weren’t for the golden doorknob. She knocked before pushing the door open.

“My mistress will see you now,” she said.

She moved to the side so I could see into the connected room. It looked like a diner with lit tea lights sitting on maroon clothed tables. There were a lot of people inside. I felt them like I felt the shadows.

It was time to get Starr. I stepped inside and the woman shut the door behind us, which left the room in silence.

“Approach my table,
Parum Filia
.”

The order came from farther back in the room. Her accent was heavy, her tone demanded obedience.

Sonya.

I approached out of curiosity. There were a lot of people, but Sonya stood out. She was a tall black woman wearing deer leather that complimented her complexion. Her dark eyes betrayed nothing.

“I want to see Starr,” I said.

“Starr? The Free-String Walker never made it here, but I see my message was still delivered.”

“I came to get my friend. If she’s not here, then I have no business with you,” I said.

Two of her larger men stood, but Sonya waved them down. “She’s been sheltered. She has no idea who I am.”

I’d tell her otherwise, but I didn’t want to press my luck. I lowered my shields to feel her, but what I felt was the combined energy of her group.

She laughed. “By all means, feel around in my psyche, but unless you’re a mind reader, you won’t see what you want. That Free-String Walker isn’t here.”

“I don’t respond well to tricks.”

“Believe me
Parum Filia
, if Starr was brought here, I would have killed her. I don’t trust agents,” she said.

I brushed my hand against my pocket, feeling the solidness of the transmitter. It was a slight movement and I regretted even thinking about it, unsure if Sonya was a mind reader. Draken’s instructions were clear, but I didn’t want to pull it out without knowing what it did.

“Why drag me into this?” I asked.

“The Reincarta stole from me and I want it back. You’re going to make a trade on my behalf,” Sonya said.

“You lost your bargaining chip. I’m not getting involved in anything else.”

“You don’t have a choice,” Sonya said.

That’s what she thought, but I wasn’t a team player. Misunderstanding my silence as acceptance, she continued.

“The Reincarta are obsessed with their silly belief that Hecate is currently in the form of a sixteen year old girl. After reading your records, you might garnish enough attention to make a switch possible.”

“You think I’m the one they’re looking for?” I asked.

“Absolutely not. The gods are dead, but the Reincarta convinced my daughter to go with them,” she said.

“I won’t go with you.”

I took a step back and her people rose from their tables. Their energy buzzed like a hive. I felt foolish, like a little girl out of her league. I wanted to go home and bury myself under the covers, only there was no home to return to. I fingered the transmitter.

“There’s nowhere for you to go. I’m making the exchange tonight,” she said.

I shoved my hand into my coat pocket and fingered the transmitter, but before I got a good grip on it, my wrist was yanked. The transmitter hit the floor and slid under a table. I upper punched his jaw, but the solidness made my knuckles ache.

“What did she drop?” Sonya screamed.

There were too many people circling me to see where the transmitter went. Their constant movement made it hard to find an edge.

Sonya charged into the circle and pointed a deadly sharp finger at my face. “What did you bring into my lair?”

The tension that built in my chest tightened, making it impossible to breath. When it released, the air rippled, pushing Sonya and her creatures back. It was the same energy that circled me in the forest. Sonya’s face twisted in anger.

“Break her,” she ordered.

I willed the energy to push them back, but it wasn’t there. Fingers dug into my skin, their force was too great to fight. I bit at an arm and got slapped so hard, it rattled my head.

Light exploded from under a table and the yanking stopped. The group went still, staring at the source. I reached for the blade in the man’s belt, but he jerked away.

I flattened myself against the ground, barely missing the table Sonya threw. Draken shot at the ascending creatures as more tables were tossed in his direction. I kept low to the ground, crawling towards the doorway as tea lights caught tablecloths on fire.

Hands tangled in my hair, pulling me from the floor. I threw a punch, but the creature jerked hard and my aim missed. I dug my feet into the ground to slow his process, but he was determined to get me back into the room.

A spark flew between us and he let me go with a yelp. I knew I wasn’t responsible for it, but I didn’t see the source.

From behind, a man spoke against my ear. “We need to go.”

A sweet flowery aroma eased into my space. I found myself looking up at the vagabond. Draken jerked a guy into the wall before spinning around to face us.

“Bliss, you could make yourself useful,” Draken said, jerking his head in acknowledgment.

“Draken,” Bliss said, just as tight lipped. “I’m taking the girl.”

Draken opened his mouth to protest, but Sonya’s men closed in again. I moved to help Draken, but Bliss pulled me back. His touch was ice cold, but it was only for a moment. The smoke filled room gave way to salty fresh air. It took a moment to realize we were at the dock.

“What’s wrong with you? He needed our help.”

“World Congress doesn’t need our help. Draken’s trouble. You need to stay away from him,” Bliss said.

“He was helping us.”

“He was helping himself,” Bliss said.

Despite my growing aggravation, Bliss remained emotionless. I stepped away from him as the night air swept his long, blue hair over his shoulders. No matter the lighting, he had skeletal features. Being alone with him didn’t strike confidence. I needed to invest in a gun.

I don’t like doubting people, but right now, I wasn’t sure who was an ally. Where was Star if she wasn’t with the Berserkers?

“Thank you.” I hope I wasn’t thanking him prematurely.

“I want you to listen to something,” he said.

The air glittered and his guitar suddenly in his hands. He didn’t pull the strap over his shoulder, but instead began playing. The languid music pushed through me and I swayed towards the railing. He stopped and the feeling instantly abated, leaving me hazy.

“You shouldn’t be able to hear this,” he said.

“What are you trying to catch?”

“How old are you?” he countered.

I really didn’t like how he sidestepped my question and threw one at me. Was my age really that big of a deal?

“Sixteen.”

His eyes narrowed and I rolled mine in annoyance.

“You’re caught up in this too? What are you trying to catch?” I asked.

“A werewolf,” he said. I wondered if it cost him anything to share this information. “I’m leaving the island tomorrow night. Meet me here and I’ll take you with me.”

That was a good offer, but could I leave without knowing where Star was? A very selfish, scared portion of myself said yes. The self-righteous side of me said no. He disappeared before I could confirm the time.

What I needed for my venture was money, which meant I needed to go back to my house. Thankfully, my twisted ankle wasn’t hurting. Maybe being inhuman had advantages.

I
hung on the corner viewing my street. If anyone was hiding, I would see their aura. No one was here. A light was on in Ms. Sable’s bedroom, but the rest of the house was plunged in darkness. It provided room to sneak around.

It was stupid going back to the house, but I really needed the money under the bed. I just hoped it was still there. If Rex found it, I think he would’ve already handed it over.

I darted across the street and up the steps to the porch. The potted plant still held a house key. With my hands shaking, it took a few attempts to get the key into the lock. The latch clicked and the door opened. My heart skipped in triumph and worry.

Everything was quiet, but the hairs on the back of my neck rose in warning. I hesitated in the doorway before closing and locking the door. It was hard not feeling shut in when this place was the start of my current situation. Ms. Sable brought me here so I’d be easier to monitor. It was a better home than others, but the implications left me somber.

I kept my body close to the wall where the steps made less noise as I started up the staircase. Her bedroom door was shut, but I could hear the candid laughter of a false audience on a sitcom. I lied to Draken about her watching television all day. In all the years I’ve stayed here, the television was never once on.

Someone else could be in the house waiting for me. It was a likely scenario. I just needed to make it to my bedroom without getting caught.

A fist pounded on the door and Ms. Sable’s bedroom door opened. Pre-recorded laugher mocked me. My heart was racing so fast that I backtracked down the steps. The kitchen was too open and I was not going to hide in the basement.

The person pounded harder on the door sounding as if it would break the barrier down.

“Alright, alright, I hear you,” Sable said.

There was a great relief knowing she was alive, but I wasn’t sure I could trust her. I padded across the hall towards the closet. The person knocked continuously which covered the squeaky door as I slid in and shut it behind me.

“I’m here, stop knocking,” Sable said. On her best day she was cross, but she sounded really pissed tonight.

The darkness in the closet was suffocating and cramped. I clenched my eyes shut, held my breath and willed my heart to stop beating so loudly. My chest started to hurt.

“The girl ran off. Give me the SPE tracker,” Sonya said.

All they had to do was open the closet door to find me. I hoped against all hope that Sable didn’t hang Sonya’s jacket in the closet.

Sable grumbled as her slippers shuffled over the tile floor. I pressed against the back of the closest, waiting to be exposed. Instead, the office door jingled with her key.

A moment later, Sable came back. “Here it is.”

I was sweating as I listened for the slightest sound from whatever it was Miss Sable gave Sonya. There was one very long beep and then it went silent. A hand slapped something plastic. The room was so quiet that I heard someone sigh.

“Did you put it in her?” Sonya asked.

“Yes, of course. It should work, I tested it.”

Sonya growled. “You never put it in her, did you?”

I bit my lip, feeling a terrible headache coming on. Ms. Sable didn’t answer.

“Your services are no longer required,” Sonya said.

A yelp followed that statement. Sable’s body collapsed, her skull hitting the floor with a cracking thump right in front of the closet door. I squeezed my hand over my mouth to keep from making a sound and nearly snorted as I tried not to breathe the smoke slipping through the crevice. It smelled like burning hair and skin. Grief was nearly as suffocating as the scent.

“What now?” a man asked. He was extremely calm given the circumstance.

“I want two guards watching this house. Take a crew with you to comb the other island. Make sure no one knows what you’re doing. No need to stir the pot over there and give the Diablos something to rise up about.”

“What about the cameras?” the man asked.

“You know how to deal with those,” Sonya hissed.

Her heels clicked on the tile flooring as she moved back to the door with whomever she was talking. I wondered what happened to Draken. Did they murder him?

“I don’t understand what the faerie wants with her. He could’ve taken her anywhere. Do you think he’d go through the trouble of saving her just to leave her on this island?” the man asked.

The door closed before I heard the answer.

There was that term again. Faerie?

I could hardly focus on Bliss or even Draken when I knew Abigail Sable was dead on the other side of the door. Tears burned my eyes and I couldn’t stifle the sob. I choked trying to stop it and made a louder noise.

I sat terrified that someone heard me, but the closet door never swung open. They could be waiting, or it could be just me alone with the dead body. The smoke was trapped in the closet with me, clogging the back of my throat, but no more smoke slid under the crevice. They didn’t take the body.

A quick empathy check said there was no living person beyond that door. Just in case, I searched the back of the closest as quietly as possible for the umbrella with the two inch long metal tip. It wouldn’t serve as a great weapon, but it felt good having it in my hand. I wanted out of the closet and away from this house.

I took my chance and pushed the door open as far as it would go before it hit an obstruction in its path. I slid out of the closest with the umbrella, but my hands went numb the minute I saw Ms. Sable laying on the floor. A fresh wave of nausea hit me and I barely made it to the bathroom to vomit. Bile burned the back of my throat and nostrils.

When my stomach couldn’t bring any more up, I closed the lid, but didn’t bother flushing. The sound would draw attention, if my retching hadn’t. I set back on my heels trying to calm myself, but I couldn’t because the house felt empty without Sable.