Authors: Richard Jackson
“Who?” I ask.
Maybe, her superiors think this person would be more helpful than me. It would explain why they were cutting me loose. I can’t imagine who they could have gotten. Any of the so-called experts in the field were liable to make things worse until they realized what they were dealing with. Another matter for concern is my own hide. If Marino is wrong about it being safe, I could wind up back in the hospital or worse.
“I can’t say. It’s something I’m not happy about but it’s out of my hands. Listen, I’ll give you my card in case you need anything. If our expert doesn’t work out, we’ll be in contact with you.”
“Assuming some maniac doesn’t put me in a pine box.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve even arranged for some extra security around your building, just in case.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning.”
***
The dream isn’t a pleasant one. I can’t even remember what it was about but I am relieved when it is rudely interrupted. I find myself standing in Scott’s study. It looks the same as the last time I saw it. Scott sits in his lazy boy, ready to apologize for invading my dreams but he doesn’t. He opens his mouth and then closes it, his attention riveted on something behind me. I spin rapidly, remembering my last visitation, only to be greeted by Kara’s smile.
Dream sendings are usually private affairs, by invitation only so it’s only natural for him to be surprised by Kara’s presence. Tall and statuesque, she is a vision come to life. My dark haired angel is as beautiful as when I first met her. I forget about Scott and step into her arms. It’s been too long since we were last together. Here in the dream, it is like being with her in the flesh.
A throat clearing noise from Scott reminds me that he is here, watching the two of us. It looks like we will have to get reacquainted later so I behave myself. I turn back to our host though my hand finds Kara’s as I make the proper introductions. “Allow me to introduce you to my guardian angel, Kara.”
Kara curtseys to Scott who has regained his composure. I’m not sure whether he is admiring or appraising her. It makes me understand how she feels when I’m around Nerva.
“I must apologize. When Count said that he had a guardian angel looking over his shoulder, I thought he meant figuratively, not literally. I am glad to finally make your acquaintance.”
Kara flashes Scott a brilliant smile. “Likewise, it is seldom that I get to talk to any of Count’s friends. After his last dreaming, I am being extra vigilant.”
Ah, so that’s why she is here with us. She didn’t want a repeat performance of my last dream sending. I wonder if Scott can set up something like this with just me and her. Kara tries to hide the sudden blush that rises to her cheeks as she murmurs “Count, please. We have company.”
“So?”
“You’re incorrigible, you know that don’t you,” Kara says. I can feel the warmth in her voice. It’s a good feeling.
“I know.”
Scott shakes his head, marveling at the two of us. “The old boy must keep you hopping.”
“Yes. He is always getting into something. It’s a full time job looking out for him,” she says.
“Well, you’ve done a fine job with this troublemaker.”
It’s time to put a stop to this before it gets out of hand. “Scott, you didn’t set this up to just chitchat. Why the call?”
Scott sighs. “Yes, you’re right. There isn’t much time and things have gone astray. When I heard about the attempt on your life and the incident in the Bronx, I tried to return to the States but Immigration is being problematic. I will be there as soon as I am able.”
I frown and Kara knows what I’m thinking. Someone with a lot of pull, probably my new friends or whoever tried to kill me, doesn’t want Scott around. I need to ask Marino about that, assuming she will tell me the truth. I bring him up to date on what’s been happening with me. Scott isn’t happy when he learns about the about the DIA and the fact they might be causing him trouble.
“Yes, please talk with your ‘friends’. I would like to know who to thank for my current misfortune. There isn’t much I can do from here and Solomon is incommunicado. That is why I am contacting you. He met with our fellow mages and others in the community. It seems Meredith’s actions have given them pause. They have agreed to give him no aid or comfort.”
Nothing is ever this easy. If everything was fine, Scott wouldn’t have contacted me like this. He would have used a courier or sent a letter. He doesn’t waste time dropping the other shoe.
“Unfortunately, another problem has come to Solomon’s attention. He is taking a direct hand in the matter.”
Kara’s smile is still present but slightly less dazzling. She doesn’t like the sound of this. Neither do I. It must be some problem for Sol to get personally involved. Before I can ask the obvious question, Scott answers it.
“I can’t go into details but it is at least as perilous as the situation with Meredith.”
“Maybe it’s all connected,” Kara says.
I frown at that. The thought had occurred to me. I’m too paranoid to believe this is all a coincidence. Did I overlook something in my rush to take care of Meredith? I took it for granted he was working alone. It’s looking more and more likely I was wrong on that score. His friends could be the source of this new danger.
Scott shakes his head. “It’s connected but not like that. Let’s just say someone sees this crisis as an opportunity to cause mischief. He is under the mistaken impression he will be able to attain his own desires while all eyes are on Meredith.”
“I see.”
Knowing Sol, he is going to “persuade” him to abandon his plans. Sol’s methods of persuasion can be as brutal as Hagan’s especially if this person is as dangerous as Scott seems to think.
“Is there anything else?” I ask.
“I did some research and managed to unearth a few things. I’m not sure if any of it is helpful.”
I am only half listening as Scott rambles on about the book he consulted and what he had to go through to get it. Scott is very thorough. He tends not to leave out any details no matter how annoying or small. When he does make an omission, it is intentional and for a reason. For the moment, I focus on Kara. It’s been a long time since we’ve been together. I let her distract me until Scott gets to the important part. When she tenses up, my attention snaps back to the conversation. “What was that?”
“It’s good to see that you’re paying attention, Count. I said the last section of the book is a mixture of prophesy and fact concerning the Seven and their foes. I can’t make heads or tails of it but as near as I can tell, the Dragons only have one servant at any given time and you are it. The rest was gibberish about the Awakening and the Longest Road.”
Meredith had mentioned something about the Longest Road to me. I wrote it off as another one of his attempts to get under my skin. It looks like I was wrong on that score. I’m not concerned with that as much as the Awakening. Whatever it is, it can’t be good especially with all the other things I now know about the Seven.
“Don’t say another word.” Kara’s tone is commanding. She delivers the words as if they were a royal decree, one that demands obedience. That gives me pause. I’ve never heard her speak like this before and it’s a side of her I don’t like.
Scott seems immune to it. I guess he’s dealt with royalty before. His eyes narrow slightly as he looks at the two of us. This isn’t a safe spot to be in but I’m not going to stand aside no matter how ugly this might get. His words are clipped and precise.
“Madam, he needs to know this.”
“He isn’t ready yet,” she says.
I step away from Kara. “You know, I’m right here and I want to know what the hell you two are talking about.”
Scott seems about to answer me when the dream starts to break apart. I get a sense of satisfaction from Kara as I sit up in my bed, shaking. This is her doing. She’s used our link to wake me up from the dream. Kara is trying to explain but I don’t want to hear it. I am too angry for words. Molten fury bubbles across our link and Kara is gone. In my anger, I think I may have hurt her feelings and the sick part is I wanted to.
***
I spend the rest of the night trying to reach Kara and apologize but to no avail. It’s 8 AM when the alarm rings. Marino will be here soon to take me home. Even though the painkillers help, my knee is no where near 100 percent. It would be humiliating to fall and die in the shower because I was in a hurry so I start getting ready earlier.
I think back to the dream. Unlike most of my dreams, I remember most of it in vivid detail. Scott went through a lot of effort to contact me. He had to make the spell powerful enough to get past my little talent. It will be some time before he’ll have enough juice to reach me again. I think back to what he told me before Kara cut him off.
Every few years, the Dragons choose a single champion or servant to act as their agent in the world. Each one is different and their roles have varied. Some have been warriors and heroes. Others have been scholars and artists. Their tasks have been great and small but each servant was given three gifts to help them: a weapon, a shield and a guide. Sometimes these have been literal while other times figuratively. If that’s the case, and I think it is, then my shield is my little talent. That would make Kara my guide but I still lack the weapon. Will I need one? With that Servitor thing on the loose, the answer is yes. The other questions come to mind have no easy answers and for the first time in a long time, I have no one to help me answer them or to brainstorm with. The Awakening has to deal with the Seven. Is there some prophecy out there saying the Seven will awaken no matter what I do? And then there is the Longest Road. Meredith said it leads to death. That doesn’t tell me what it is and what it has to do with all of this. What is Kara hiding from me? Getting answers to all my questions isn’t my biggest and most pressing concern. Neither is the Seven or being some dragon’s champion. It’s about Kara and making things right with her.
Chapter Seventeen
Marino is waiting for me outside in her car, a red Honda Accord. It’s got just enough room for me to stretch out my legs when I push the seat all the way back, turning the trip from an experiment in torture to a mildly unpleasant experience. Still, it feels good to be outside. The feeling won’t last long. Marino doesn’t drive like Nerva. She’s not a bad driver, just a bit too cautious for my tastes. For her, it is all about getting from point A to point B, quickly and efficiently. The traffic reports on AM radio and her no-nonsense approach help cut down the travel time into the city. Soon, we are stuck in traffic on the West Side Highway.
To be honest, I don’t mind the traffic. It gives me a chance to talk to Marino and let go of some of my anger. It also takes my mind off of the unpleasant possibility I might have to stop this Servitor thing on my own. I don’t know when or if Kara will be back. It will take time for Scott to clear things with Immigration. Sol is busy dealing with another problem. Nerva may or may not be helping him. If she is, it will make contacting Sol more difficult. Then there is Hagan. Besides Kara, he is the one I count on the most. He has always been there to back me up. I know where he is hiding out at but I don’t want to call him unless I have to. There is no reason to put him in danger no matter how confident he is about avoiding the police.
I stay away from uncomfortable subjects like politics, religion and her love life. They’re not any of my business. I also steer away from work. This isn’t the time or place for it. It still leaves enough things for us to talk about for me to get a better sense of her. We talk about current events, likes and dislikes before swapping travel stories and jokes. She knows a lot about me but not who I am so this is a learning experience for her as much as it is for me.
It only takes me twenty minutes to come to the conclusion she is good people. By that I mean, deep down she’s a nice person. It’s not a term I use to describe a lot of people but it fits her. I’m not one of those guys who use the word “nice” as a synonym for sucker. Marino is anything but that. Even though she actually cares about her fellow man, she doesn’t take it to an extreme and turn it into a weakness or something that can be exploited. I can see why she is involved with the DIA and why they chose her. It’s hard to find an idealist who knows where to draw the line. The best way to sum up all my feelings about her is to say I think we can be friends.
Marino smiles at me, almost as if she can hear my thoughts. I wonder if I blurted out what I was thinking. She picks this moment to make the conversation more interesting by popping the question. “Count, is there someone special?”
That catches me off-guard. I can’t help but laugh. This is what I get for trying to stick to the safe topics. It’s a fair question but one I don’t know how to answer. It’s a touchy subject right now. I haven’t talked to Kara since our falling out and if I tell Marino the truth, there will be more questions. How do you tell someone you hear voices and you’re involved with a guardian angel? I could lie but that will either raise more questions or cause problems somewhere down the line. Kara said I wasn’t ready to know whatever it was Scott had to say and here I am thinking the same thing about Marino. I want to answer her question but I know she can’t handle the answer yet. Is it this hard for Kara?
When we first met, she was a mentor and a teacher. As time passed, she became more of a partner and someone I could always rely on to help me. What changed? Did anything change? Yes and no. I’m not the same man I was weeks ago. Meredith has been like a poison, tainting everything in my life but it’s more than that. We’re both to blame, I’ve been pushing and taking chances while Kara has been going into overdrive protecting me. Now, look at us. Marino’s words pull me back into the conversation.
“You don’t have to answer. I was just curious. The file I was given on you lists plenty of associates but no one that you could call a significant other,” she says.