Master and Apprentice (18 page)

“No need for that.” Tory crossed the room to the picture window. “I’ve got just the place to send them.” He nipped a finger and went through the bridge-opening bit. The glass shivered into a view of rusted, wrecked, and battered vehicles on a vast dark lot. It was a familiar junkyard. We’d been there a year ago, hiding out from a different threat to our lives.

Apparently, some things never changed.

I helped him heave Ray’s stiffening corpse through, and we headed upstairs to repeat the process with Theo. We had to drag him through the bedroom into the adjoining bath. There was blood everywhere—splashing walls, soaking carpet, smearing tile. Too much of it was mine. The flat copper smell tainted the air like the remnants of a recently burnt meal. I suspected that no matter how much this place was scrubbed and freshened, I’d always catch the scent of blood here.

“All right,” I said when we’d sent Theo tumbling through the mirror after his buddy. “Do we have anything resembling a plan?”

Ian tore his gaze from his feet. “We will go to this compound,” he said.

“Ian, we can’t.” I hated having to say it, but somebody had to think with his head right now. “We’ll just get slaughtered. There’s too many of them, and that place is a fucking fortress.”

I expected him to rip me a new asshole. Instead, he closed his eyes and said, “The monastery, then. Khalyn said he was
returning there. He is one, and we are three. We will force him to help us retrieve Akila.”

My shock at having him agree with me gave way to suspicion. He never gave up that easy. But right now, I’d have to trust him. It was possible that he’d actually try the approach that didn’t guarantee death, just because it was Akila’s life on the line, and not his. Or mine. I was apparently expendable in the name of killing the Morai.

I let it go for the moment, since I had my own stake in this game. Besides, there was another concern. “You sure we’re three?” I glanced at Tory. “I don’t think anyone asked if you wanted to get involved with this shit.”

A stricken look passed over Tory’s face. Determination replaced it. “I’ll go,” he said. “Just give me a minute to call Lark.”

I nodded. “Do me a favor. Tell him Jazz and Cy are coming to visit.”

“I will.” He walked out of the room reaching in a pocket.

Ian resumed his Olympic floor staring. I had the distinct impression I’d be the only one thinking tonight. I’d done enough of that already. So much that my head wanted to split right down the middle and grant me the mercy of spilling out my hyperactive brains. There were some things I just didn’t understand—and wouldn’t no matter how hard I tried to figure them out. “Ian, I’m gonna need you here for a few minutes,” I said.

He looked up, and his dazed expression pulled itself together a little. “Those marks on the floor,” he said. “What happened in here?”

“No shoes, broken mirror. Long story. And thanks for the reminder.” Didn’t want to go tromping around in the woods barefoot. I slipped into the bedroom, threw on socks and an old pair of work boots. When I returned, Ian stared at me like he’d never seen me before.

“You did attempt to stop them.”

I gave myself a mental pat on the back for not exploding at him. “Yeah. Didn’t work out so great, though.”

“I apologize for my reaction. I …” His eyes closed briefly. “I cannot lose Akila. I have no clan, no homeland. She is … everything.”

“I know.” More than I cared to admit. I had no family, no place of my own. I never had until Jazz. And now I was back to square one. “So let’s make sure we get her back. All right?”

He nodded. And offered nothing more.

I let out a sigh. “You know, make Calvin bring her back isn’t exactly what I’d call a good plan with a high probability of success.”

“Perhaps you have a better idea?”

“Not really.”

“Then we will proceed with this.”

“Terrific. Well, this David isn’t going in without a slingshot.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m bringing a gun.” I started for the door, stopped. “Lynus told these guys to look for the lamps. You know what that means?”

Ian’s lip curled. “My tether.”

“Yeah. It’s not safe to leave it. They can find this place again.”

“It is in my apartment.” He straightened and came toward me. “You and Taregan meet me there. We must move quickly.”

I let him go first. “Ian … any idea why they took Akila?”

His eyes met mine. “I do not know. But they cannot wish to use her as a threat against me. If it were my life they wanted, they would have taken me as well. I could not have stopped them.” A gray pallor washed over his face. “I fear they have no use for her. If that is the case …”

He didn’t have to finish the thought. I’d already had the same one.

Just like the old days.

I loaded up. Strapped on a shoulder holster and ankle blade bands, grabbed a military vest and stuffed the pockets with extra ammo, cutters, wire, picks, Maglites—anything I thought might come in handy. Probably should’ve retrieved the cuffs from Ray before we heaved him, but Jazz had a spare set in a dresser drawer. I took them, and the key, then tossed a jacket over everything. More pockets always helped.

I headed downstairs for the Sig that Jazz had given me. Should be in the kitchen somewhere. On the way through, I heard Tory’s voice from the living room.

“—told you before.
Adjo,
I can’t. I’m sworn to protect her. I
want
to protect her …”

I grimaced and moved out of hearing range. Lark wasn’t taking the news well. I couldn’t blame him. At least he and Jazz would have a lot to talk about. They could swap notes on the stupidity levels of their respective lovers.

The gun lay under the table. I snugged it into the holster and meandered back toward the living room, just in time to catch Tory terminating the call with a troubled frown. “I don’t suppose you have any idea what the hell these guys want,” he said.

“Not a clue.” He didn’t mention Lark, I wouldn’t ask. “Ian’s waiting in the garage.”

Tory fell into step with me. “This just doesn’t make sense. The Morai are breeding? They can’t. We’re all infertile here, except Ian. And they want Akila?” He shook his head. “They didn’t take Ian, so that leaves out the hostage possibility. Unless they’re stupid.”

“Which they’re not.”

“Yeah, I gathered that.” He glanced up, as if the stars might spell out a reason. “I’d say that maybe they wanted her to break the fertility bind, like she did for Ian, if they didn’t already have scions. How the
fuck
did they get scions?”

“Funny,” I said. “Calvin used that word too.
Scions.
Never heard you say it before.”

“The Morai we’re going after?” He shrugged. “Well, it’s a common enough term. Most of the Doma don’t use it, but that doesn’t mean … oh. You don’t know about that. The Doma are—”

“Lower class.”

He looked surprised. “Yeah. That’s it.”

“Akila told me.” I had to wonder if Tory even recognized casual racism—or clanism with the djinn—when it came out of his mouth. At least the princess had the grace to blush. “So, you have any more theories?”

“Just one.”

“And that’d be … ?”

“We’re fucked.”

I stared openmouthed at him for a second. Then I laughed hard enough to crack a rib. Almost couldn’t stop, especially when Tory joined in, leaning against the side of the garage to keep from falling over. I forced myself to sober up out of respect for Ian, who might be within earshot, but the occasional snort still dislodged itself from my throat. A corner of my mouth twitched. “Damn,” I said. “You’ve been hanging around humans too long.”

“What can I say? Your species is a bad influence.” Tory straightened and ran a hand through his hair. “Let’s get this over with.”

We climbed the wooden plank stairs at the back of the
garage. The door stood open at the top. I hadn’t been up here in a while, long enough that I’d missed the subtle but definite transformation of the place that bore Akila’s hand. There was a flow to things, a breezy note worked through fluid furnishing arrangements and draped fabric. Lush and thriving plants at the windows, candles clustered intimately in nooks and on tables. Even the air seemed cleaner and fresher than any interior space had a right to be.

Ian stood beside the tall gilt-framed mirror. He’d stuffed the dagger—his tether—in his waistband like it was an afterthought. “Come,” he said. “I will go through first.”

I pointed at his tether. “You probably shouldn’t carry that around. Maybe we should take a detour, conceal it somewhere.”

“I will not delay any longer.”

I glared at him. “How’re you going to get Akila back if you’re dead?”

“Blasted—” He grabbed for it and held it out to me handle first. “Then perhaps you will carry it for me.”

“This is your life. You’re going to trust me with it?”

“What choice do I have?”

I took the dagger without a word and secured it in a zippered pocket. Ian wasn’t himself, so I’d let the caustic comments slide.

Ian turned to the mirror. “Remember, Donatti, you must create a bridge for Taregan before yourself. He cannot reach the place alone.” He went through the motions—painted the blood symbol, spoke the spell.

Nothing happened.

“What …” Jaw clenched, Ian repeated the incantation. The mirror stayed unchanged, throwing back only his furious reflection. “Gods take this! Perhaps I am unable to concentrate. You try it, thief.”

“Uh, right.” Ian’s blood was still on the mirror, so I wiped it
away with a sleeve. Didn’t know if it’d work for me. Producing a switchblade from a pocket, I sliced a finger and did the blood-writing thing, then called up a memory of Calvin’s study, of the mirror there that had struck me as out of whack, and let the words fly.

I stared at myself—unchanged, perplexed. “I’m not getting anything.”

“Try again.”

“Ian. It’s not gonna work.” I stepped back, folded my arms. “You think maybe he broke it after we used it or something?”

“Perhaps. More likely, he has placed a barrier spell on the mirror to protect himself from me.”

“Whatever. Look, the important thing is, the direct route isn’t an option anymore.” This’d probably be a bad time to remind him that I’d said we should get a helicopter. “We’ll have to get there another way. Maybe we should just drive. If we pushed it, we could make it in eight, nine hours.”

“No,” Tory said. “That’s not fast enough. We should fly.”

I shook my head. “Ian can’t go that far without exhausting himself, and I can’t fly at all. I know you’re good, Tory, but you can’t carry us both all the way to Virginia. We have to … wait.” I fished out my cracked cell phone and caught a glimpse of the time on the flashing screen. Just after midnight. “The hotel we stayed in wasn’t that far from the monastery. We could bridge there. And it’s a small town, so maybe the room’s still empty.”

“Yes.” Something resembling relief eased across Ian’s features. “That may work.”

“Course it will. But I’ll go first.” At this point, I doubted Ian cared how many humans we scared or pissed off. But I didn’t want to create unnecessary confusion. The compound was close to the town too—and the harder we made it for them to find us, the better. People would remember a bunch of strange
men turning up from out of nowhere in a hotel bathroom. And they’d talk about it.

Ian nodded his assent. I turned back, concentrated on the hotel mirror, and said the spell. It worked this time. Gleaming silver resolved to a shaded view of shower curtains and undisturbed towels. I hoped that meant the room wasn’t occupied. With only a second’s hesitation, I crouched and stepped through.

I
t didn’t take long for the novelty of walking through the forest at night to wear off. I’d had enough the second time I tripped on an exposed root, and long before the fourth time I got a stinging faceful of branch.

We’d gotten lucky and slipped out of the hotel unnoticed. Maybe because we’d both decided Calvin needed to die after all.

Or maybe because the universe was saving all the bad luck for the woods.

I played the beam of my Maglite ahead on Ian and Tory, who forged through like there weren’t a thousand sticks clawing for their eyes. The bastards. Ian turned in response to the light and frowned back at me. “Can you not move faster, thief ? We have much ground to cover.”

“Sure, no problem,” I retorted. “You move all these goddamned trees out of the way, and I’ll start running.”

“You have a light.”

“Yeah, but I don’t have wolf vision. Or depth perception.” I stumbled along a little faster and narrowly avoided walking smack into a protruding limb that would’ve lumped my head nicely. “Any idea how much more nature is between us and the monastery?”

“Mile and a half, maybe a little more,” Tory said. “I think.”

“You think?”

He gave a careful shrug. “We’re following the only magic we can sense, but it’s faint. He must’ve put up more protections. They just aren’t as solid as the first time you guys came across the place. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to find it at all.”

“Great. So how do we know that whatever you’re sensing is actually Calvin? That compound of theirs is around here somewhere too.”

“We don’t.”

The distant, hackle-raising cry of an animal broke through the trees, as though the forest wanted to punctuate his statement. I tried to shake the chills that clung to my arms and the back of my neck. If I believed in premonitions, I would’ve thought I’d just had one—that we were headed into something we didn’t have a shot in hell at walking away from.

The brief conversation strangled itself on urgency, and we got moving again. Ian and Tory could’ve been ghosts for all the noise they made. But I produced enough racket for all three of us. I tromped on twigs, broke branches, and cursed every stick and thorny weed that tore my clothes and skin, right along with the ones that didn’t just for thinking about it. The wildlife chorus didn’t help either. The more I tried to tune out the various hoots, chirps, squeaks, and howls that punctuated the air at irregular intervals, the louder they seemed to get, until I was convinced we’d been surrounded by an army of rabid wolverine-mounted squirrels. A low and ominous rumbling almost solidified my delusions before I recognized the sound as thunder.