[M__M 03] Misery Loves Company (23 page)

“Usually we have a good beat on preds, an idea of who it is we’re dealing with. Without it, it’s harder to anticipate what sort of resistance we’ll be met with.”

“For one sylph?”

She obsessively undid and redid her ponytail. “It’s never just one. When we raid this guy’s shop, the sylphs as a whole will be pissed.” She tapped me on the back. “Your protection charm okay still?”

“No worries there.”

I was the only one who could say that, though. Getting out the door was a slow process for a group of people who seemed capable of moving at light speed in an emergency. But aside from weapons to hand out, charms needed to be assigned, as well. Recalling yesterday’s sylph encounter, I didn’t say no to the speed and strength charms Bridget offered me. I slung them around my neck, grateful for the additional protection. My soul might be safe, but I didn’t need another reminder that my body was not.

Three hours after I’d called Bridget, I returned to Shadowtown.

The sun had finished setting, and the sky glowed with light pollution. Sunday night meant the streets were less busy, but plenty of preds were around to gawk when the Gryphon SUVs pulled up outside an innocuous-looking dry-cleaner’s shop.

A goblin and two harpies who’d been exiting the bookstore next door cursed and darted back inside. Nervously, I fidgeted with my knife and wished I’d snagged a disguise charm. My presence would not be winning me any friendly neighbors.

Three of the Gryphons took off around the back, but up and down the street, preds were whipping out their phones. Even if this Silas guy didn’t know we were about to knock down his front door, Assym and his council would soon.

I swatted at a couple imps that were hanging around the streetlamp we’d parked by and trailed the Gryphon team across the street. Bridget was on her walkie-talkie, letting the Gryphons in the back know an OPEN sign hung in the store window.

Hands on their blade hilts, the first two Gryphons threw open the door. When the all-clear rang out, all but two of the Gryphons headed in. I followed.

The lights were on, and the faint strains of classical music played from unseen speakers. I let the door close behind me while Bridget yelled Silas’s name. A long counter separated us from the back of the shop, which was a maze of racks and plastic-sheeted clothes. In all, the place appeared to be exactly what it was purported to be. Gunthra had better not have lied.

“You smell that?” one of the Gryphons asked.

I inhaled deeply, but I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be sniffing. A faint chemical odor laced the air. Not owning the sorts of clothes that required dry cleaning, I had no idea whether that was abnormal.

A few of the Gryphons shrugged, and Bridget called for Silas again. This time her inquiry was met with a banging noise, and a “Fucking Gryphons” from somewhere in the back.

A moment later an old and extremely pissy-looking sylph hobbled to the counter, holding a phone in his hand. “Can I help you?”

Bridget slapped the warrant on the counter. “We got a tip about some unregulated and illicit charm making going on at the premises. We’re taking a look.”

“I see.” The sylph drew out the word, his gray eyes filled with cold menace. He slid the phone into his pocket, and I’d have bet anything that he’d been in the back getting tipped off when we arrived. How else would he have known that the humans entering his shop were Gryphons?

The Gryphon closest to the counter gate opened it, and one by one, we filed through. There was little room to move and less room to see thanks to the hanging clothes. I pushed a plastic-wrapped shirt out of my face, disturbed but unable to say why.

That was when the rack started moving.

I jumped back, the sound of the machinery competing with the shouting Gryphons, several of whom were stuck in the middle. Dodging clothes, I made to grab for the sylph, but he flew out of my reach, no longer frail but spry. Swearing, I ducked low, maneuvering my way to where he’d been standing, certain the switch for the rack had to be nearby but I couldn’t see it.

“Down there!” I heard Bridget yell.

Breaking free of the moving clothes, I saw a flash of white disappear through a doorway. Abandoning the switch, I charged after him.

Bridget and two other Gryphons got to the doorway first and disappeared. I stumbled through on their heels only to discover a narrow landing and set of rickety wood stairs. Whatever smell had lingered in the main part of the store was stronger here, a mix of harsh chemicals and something pungent. Something that conjured memories of the compost pile in my mother’s backyard. Rotting food.

“Holy shit,” one of the Gryphons muttered.

Holding the baluster, I continued my descent, landing in a creepy, dark basement. Only a couple bare light bulbs illuminated the dark wood that seemed to be everywhere—the floor, the ceiling, and row upon row of shelves.

“Where the hell did he go?” Bridget asked. She’d pulled out her sword and a flashlight, peering into the narrow aisles between the shelves.

It was a good question. Judging by the upstairs, the basement could not be that large.

I temporarily forgot about the sylph, enthralled in a horrified way by the objects that sat on his elaborate worktable. Glyphs and diagrams had been carved into the top, and the tools of the magical trade were everywhere. Obsidian bowls, a bloody knife, and jars filled with a variety of items that once belonged to living creatures. I simply couldn’t identify what those creatures had been at this point, or what pieces of them had the misfortune to end up here. It was from one of those containers that the stench emanated.

Footsteps pounded down the stairs behind me, and dust fell from the ceiling with the vibrations. Another Gryphon joined us in the basement. Tearing my eyes from the table, I rested my hand on Misery’s hilt and moved out of his way.

A stained shop sink sat beneath a narrow window at street level, and next to it, a shelf filled with books. While Bridget and the others continued the search for Silas, I grabbed one, trusting a hunch that these weren’t spell books.

I was right. Preds, especially older ones who’d been around since long before the digital revolution, shied away from computers for magical work. I’d bet if Silas hadn’t made such a dash to get away, these books would have been burned and the most damning evidence against him destroyed.

But he had, and they weren’t. I flipped through one of the ledgers, which was filled with row after row of charm orders and invoices. Score. All I had to do was find the newest one, the one that detailed the orders for the containers used to store Eric’s soul, and let the Gryphons bring in Silas.

I tossed the one I held on the table and grabbed the least dusty book.

And my world exploded. A flash of light blinded me a split second before the building shook, and I hit the floor.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Books slammed into my back. Beneath my knees, the floor moved, and I could hear people screaming over the crashing of shelves and breaking of glass. But everything sounded wrong, and the air felt heavy. It was like the world—and me—moved in slow motion.

Curse grenades. The sylph had launched a fucking curse grenade at us.

I coughed, clawing my way free of the debris, fearing what sort of spell had been released in the explosion. One that distorted my perception of time, clearly. The explosion seemed like it had taken forever. How long since it had gone off?

“Bridget?”

My body ached, and I sneezed, but I clutched the ledger to my chest. One by one, Gryphons checked in, shoving off the shelves and whatever else had descended on them. More glass shattered.

“My charms aren’t working,” someone yelled.

“Anti-magic.” Bridget coughed. “And some kind of disorientation curse.”

From upstairs came a scream, and I remembered there was at least one other Gryphon who hadn’t made it down the stairs yet, not counting the ones outside. Bounding over pieces of shelving, I lumbered up the steps. My sense of time and place were returning to normal. The world resumed its natural pace, but I still felt sluggish.

Behind me, Bridget was getting on her walkie-talkie, calling in backup. Without their protective charms working, she and the other Gryphons were vulnerable to magical attacks.

I reached the top of the stairs and poked my head out carefully. The rack had been shut off, but I couldn’t see where the screaming was coming from. Fighting my way to the front of the store, I pulled out my knife. My left shoulder whined in pain where a shelf had collapsed on it, and I adjusted my grip on the ledger.

I was at the counter when someone crashed into me from behind. I didn’t hear footsteps and had no time to brace myself, so I flew forward, my knees once more colliding with the floor and my head smacking into the counter. The ledger fell from my hands, and my head swam. Or maybe the store did.

Dazed, I forced my eyes open and turned around just in time. Silas had somehow freed himself from the basement and was coming at me with a knife.

Shit. So much for Dezzi’s talk with Assym.

I rolled out of the way, cursing my ineffective charms. Silas’s momentum worked against him, and he had to hold out his arms to brace himself so he didn’t get beamed on the counter too. Praying my vision was working better than it seemed to be, I shot out my legs and jammed him in the shins. He fell back, his knife arm colliding with the counter.

Seeing my opening, I reached for his wrist, using my own knife to scare him into not resisting. Silas did exactly what I wanted. He dropped his weapon to get out of my way. Then he reached around me, aiming for the ledger.

Twisting around, I flung it farther from him. Silas lost his balance, and his cold magic jolted me as his hand bumped against my arm. The touch of it was like a snake against my skin, and I shrank back before I kicked out at him a second time. He was ready and dodged, and on his feet so fast he had to be wearing a speed charm.

I reached for the ledger, determined to keep it from him, but he ignored it. With a curse, he suddenly bolted for the door.

I screamed in frustration, amazed by the guttural sound of my voice, and hauled myself upright. Temporarily leaving the book, I stumbled around the counter and out onto the street to see where Silas had gone.

And froze in the doorway.

The Gryphons who’d been waiting by the cars had vanished, and two of the SUVs were on fire. Up and down the street, sylphs were gathering. They lurked in doorways and huddled together in the intersection. The streetlamps’ glow reflected off the metal they carried. Some had blades. Others possibly had guns. And still most were unarmed, but they kept coming. A panting Silas had joined his brethren at a grocer’s across the street.

All the other preds who’d been gawking had disappeared.

My mouth went dry. Too scared to even swear, I backed into the shop.

“Bridget, do we have reinforcements coming? There’s an army of sylphs gathering outside.”

More crashing and muttering came from downstairs. Then Bridget’s voice. “They’re on the way. How many?”

“Ten that I could see.”

I dove to the floor and peeked out from the window, wary of the guns. Preds so infrequently used them, mostly because they didn’t work well on other preds.

Wetting my lips, I got out my phone and dialed Lucen. He didn’t give me a chance to speak.

“Jess, are you okay? What’s going on?”

I squeezed the phone. “That’s why I’m calling. The sylphs are going nuts. They have guns. I’m trapped in a dry cleaner’s until backup gets here.”

Lucen swore. “I know. Assym seems to be panicking. A few minutes ago Dezzi started getting reports that something was up. They’re taking to the streets.”

“Gunthra said they were panicky. I can’t believe Assym is allowing this. They’re really going to bring the Gryphons down on them.”

“Not your problem, little siren.”

“No?” I raised my head, and the storefront glass exploded with a bang that rattled my bones. I might have cried out, but my brain emptied of conscious thought. I flattened myself against the floor, listening to the sound of my heartbeat. It was so loud, even through the ringing in my ears.

Lucen was yelling. “Jess? What happened?”

I pulled the phone back toward my head, vaguely aware that the area was covered in glass. I probably was too. Was probably cut to hell and back and bleeding like crazy, but I couldn’t feel it. Adrenaline had turned me numb.

My fingers shook so hard it took a moment to place the phone properly to my ear. “I’m here. I’m okay. I was just shot at.”

“What? No, that is
not
okay.” Lucen swore and yelled at someone, but I couldn’t hear what was going on. The ringing in my ears was too much.

On my stomach, I wormed away from the window and back behind the counter. How many minutes had gone by since Bridget called for reinforcement? It couldn’t have been enough.

“Jess, are you there?”

“Yeah, I’m here.”

“Don’t go anywhere or do anything stupid. Stay where you are until the Gryphons arrive. I have to go.”

I rubbed blood from my hand on my jeans, debating whether to risk another glance out the window. “You’re hanging up? Is it Dezzi calling?”

Lucen didn’t respond. The sound of new shattering glass came through the phone before the line went dead.

“Lucen!” I stared at the phone. What the hell was going on?

I got to my knees, my muscles creaking in protest. Something hot and sticky ran down my neck. Sweat or blood? I didn’t want to know.

My phone rang with Lucen’s number as I peered around the counter. Quickly, I dove back down to answer. “Lucen?”

“No, he’s busy at the moment.”

The voice was familiar, yet I didn’t place it right away. When I did, my blood chilled. “Assym?”

“Good ear.”

No thanks to his people shooting at me. “What are you doing? Where’s Lucen? Have you lost your shit? Dezzi’s going to kill you, and so are the Gryphons.”

“So many questions, so little time. The only one that matters is the one you need to answer—what are you, and what did you do to my associate yesterday? Come prepared to talk. You know where to find me.”

“That was two questions, dumbass. And if you want to talk to me, you need to tell your people to stop shooting at me.”

There was a pause, and I imagined Assym silently cursing me. At least I hoped he was because I was sure wishing him a very painful death. “They’ll stop.” Then he hung up.

“Shit.” I repeated the word a few times for good measure, like a mantra to refocus myself. I had to get to The Lair, which was exactly what Lucen had told me not to do.

He didn’t really think that would work, did he?

“Jess?”

I turned around, dropping my phone. Bridget had worked her way up the stairs. Blood ran down her forehead, and she was covered in dust. “What happened?”

“They’re shooting. Keep your head down.”

“Shooting, huh? This is new for them.” Her eyes widened, and she shook her head slightly. For Bridget, that was one hell of a shocked response.

Another Gryphon appeared in the doorway, and I could hear others moving about on the creaking stairs. Keeping close to the floor, I worked my way through the rows of clothing, figuring there had to be a back exit. The acrid chemical stench strengthened as I passed by stainless-steel tables and machines unfamiliar to me. I scarcely noticed my surroundings, looking only for unfriendly movement and a door.

My gaze settled on an industrial exit sign at last, and I pushed it open cautiously, not trusting Assym’s goons to refrain from shooting. But the alley was silent and dark. Slowly, I stepped outside, leaving Misery sheathed. If I had to duck for cover, I didn’t want to cut myself in the process.

A shape moaned by a reeking Dumpster, and as my eyes adjusted to the lack of light, I realized it was one of the Gryphons Bridget had directed this way. My feet sounded so loud on the pavement as I ran over and checked him for injuries. I saw none, which suggested he’d either been clonked on the head or hit with a disorientation curse. That whoever had done this hadn’t killed him was a miracle, but maybe they’d been in a hurry. The Gryphon’s partner was gone, and I hoped she was busy chasing down the asshole who’d attacked.

Swallowing down my concern and fear, I jogged to the end of the alley far from the street where I’d seen the sylphs gathering. I was near the back of the bookstore, and not too far from Gunthra’s narrow and quiet street. I cursed the goblin Dom’s name, not entirely trusting that she hadn’t known what would happen when we went after Silas.

When no one jumped out at me, I dashed around the back of the bookstore and came out on the street that ran perpendicular to the dry cleaner’s. Emptiness greeted me, and I shivered at the slight breeze. After escaping the violence and chaos nearby, this deadness was eerie. Had all the other pred groups retreated inside?

I could see silhouettes moving about in some of the windows, but there was no life on the street except for imps buzzing about the streetlamps. I prayed they stayed there. An imp sting would dull my magical senses, and while I couldn’t sense preds in the first place, I wanted every advantage my gift gave me just in case.

Brushing my fingers over Misery’s hilt, I wondered if I was walking into another sylph trap, then I pushed aside the idea. Of course I was walking into a trap. But it was a couple blocks over at The Lair. Assym wanted me. I simply didn’t know whether he wanted me dead or alive anymore.

There was only one way to find out.

I was about to start forward again when the air filled with a rumble. I blinked into a bright light flashing across the sky. The Gryphons were out in a helicopter. I suspected that after Buenos Aires, and Boston’s own misadventure with salamander fire not so long ago, they were taking this very seriously, very quickly.

Good.

New sounds—sirens—pierced the noise above. Holding back, I watched headlights from three Gryphon vehicles tear down the street. And here were the reinforcements. Also good.

I wiped sweat from my forehead, feeling better about leaving Bridget, but the feeling was short-lived. The first of the three cars had passed me when an explosion detonated right in front of it.

Instinctively, I crouched down, although I was out of the blast area. Brakes and metal shrieked, and the darkened street lit up in flames. Foul smoke and burning rubber thickened the air.

My first horrified thought was that the car was on fire, but it had only overturned with another curse grenade. Besides, the flames moved too abnormally to be true fire, which meant my second thought was even more horrifying—someone had let out salamanders.

I gave up on swearing. I’d run out of words. Helplessly, I watched Gryphons pour out of the overturned SUV, and the night erupted in shouting. Sylphs descended from around the corner, charging from the dry cleaner’s block. More curse grenades exploded, and foul-smelling smoke burned my nose.

Catching my breath, I made my decision—let them go. The Gryphons were better trained for this sort of fight than me, and I had my own destination. While a battle brewed to my left, I raced to the right.