Waging War (47 page)

This was not a productive conversation to be
having at this moment, so I took the torch from Arman’s hand and
clicked it off, then reached past him for the door handle. “Despite
the late hour and the lack of trains, no one is ever alone in the
Underground. Tread quietly and carefully, and perhaps, if we’re
lucky, we’ll actually make it out of here alive.”

I ignored his angry sniff, adjusted the
knapsack on my back, and proceeded out of the passage ahead of
him.

I could just hear the hum of electricity
from the live rails of the Central line track, though I doubted
anyone other than myself or a Shifter could. It was a curious
byproduct of the mutation that kept my cell death in stasis.
Without cell death, I experienced no hearing or vision loss, which
actually occurred as an enhancement of my senses. Taste, touch, and
scent were enhanced too, as well as strength and endurance. I
hadn’t felt tired in more than a century, and oddly, it was one of
the things I truly missed.

As Adam had said, the CCTV cameras at
Holborn station were going to be challenging, and my excursion to
the station as a Tube passenger earlier in the evening hadn’t
revealed any secrets to getting past them. I didn’t often choose to
travel by Underground train, and the last time I’d gone to Epping
Wood to hunt had been three days ago. I knew I was skirting the
edges of advisability for a man with my need for blood, and yet, if
I were truly honest with myself, the syringe in my pocket felt a
little like a safety valve. I knew it was ludicrous, because what
would I truly do? Throw myself in front of a train, then inject the
cure and see what happened? Of course not. But I was so very tired
of harming other creatures in my need to sustain myself.

I could still sense Arman’s tension behind
me as we approached Holborn station, but it had shifted into
something less defensive and more wary. Despite my initial
jealously of his friendship with Saira, I liked Arman. He was loyal
and honorable, and notwithstanding his natural arrogance, he had an
easy way with people I found admirable. He would become an
interesting man, I thought, and I intended to see he made it
through this night to get there.

A sound stopped me in my tracks, and Arman
nearly walked into me before he heard it too. Something was coming
from the tunnel behind us.

Something on four legs.

Damn!

I spun to face the Wolf that ran down the
tracks, his silver coat just visible in the dim light from the
station. Arman gasped, and then recognized the Wolf as I had. I put
my finger to my lips in warning to him as the Wolf padded to a stop
behind Arman and looked at us with a tilted head as if to say,
what are you waiting for?

I wanted to yell at Connor, to chase him
back through the tunnel and away from the danger that waited for us
in the dark. Anger surged up at his complete disregard for my order
to stay behind, and Arman took a step back from me.

And then feathery, furry wings touched my
face and I bit back a yell. The wings brushed my hair as the
creature passed me and flew toward the platform. When it hit the
dim safety lights of the station I saw the bat, small and black and
perfectly suited to the imagined horrors of underground London. I
almost laughed out loud at the absurdity that I, a bat-creature of
legends, had just been frightened by a bat.

The bat suddenly darted up, and I bit back
my tirade at the Wolf behind me to see what had drawn the
creature’s attention. I crept forward cautiously, aware that
according to Connor’s research, there were one hundred and
thirty-one CCTV cameras spread throughout Holborn station. Not all
of them were on the Piccadilly line platform, obviously, nor even
most of them, as these tracks were still part of the branch line to
Aldwych. Still, even divided among six platforms, including the two
branch ones, there were certainly eyeballs aimed in all
directions.

In fact, the bat appeared to be heading
straight for the camera that was aimed at the mouth of the tunnel
in which we stood. It fluttered up and seemed to hover in front of
the lens, as though to block its view.

And then the bat Shifted … into an even
bigger version of itself, but with a bit of red-gold on its head
and a wingspan of what looked like almost five feet across. Arman
came up behind me and almost got punched for whispering in my ear.
“What the hell is a Philippine fruit bat doing in London?”

Did everything grow larger in the
Philippines? “It’s Logan,” I whispered back as the Bat settled its
body in front of the camera. “Come on.”

I stepped out into the dim glow of the
emergency lights that remained on for maintenance crews. Arman and
the Wolf followed close behind me, and despite the enormous Bat
blocking the nearest camera, we still hugged the platform wall.

The Bat suddenly squeaked at us and we froze
in place. It Shifted back to the much smaller English version of
itself, then flew to a camera I hadn’t seen, and Shifted back to
the Fruit Bat as it settled its large body in front of the lens. We
crept forward again. Logan repeated the maneuver two more times
until we were finally back in the relative safety of the dark
tunnel on the other side of the station. He then Shifted back into
his smaller version and flitted around my head as I headed deeper
into the darkness.

Finally, when it was pitch black and we were
deep enough into the silent tunnel before it rejoined the main
Piccadilly line coming from Covent Garden, I stopped and whispered
sternly, “Shift, but watch the track.”

It was cold down here, and I knew both boys
would have nothing on, but I wasn’t feeling very generous at the
moment.

“That was cool, right?” Logan’s whisper held
the excitement of a boy who had just done something clever. I took
a breath and reigned in the fury I had been about to unleash.

“Does anyone know you’re here?”

Logan’s whispered tone shifted to something
defensive. “I told Connor I was going to follow you to make sure
you got past the cameras. I’ve done it before loads of times, and
it never sets off any alarms. But obviously, it’s no good revealing
your location if your backup follows you.”

“Uncle Bob would kill me if I let you come
alone,” Connor murmured angrily.

“Without a doubt,” I agreed, and I sensed
some of Connor’s tension loosen its grip on his breath.

I sighed. “You’d both be much safer at
home.”

“You’re both much safer with us here,” Logan
shot back. The sad thing was, I didn’t disagree.

I was silent long enough to make Logan shift
his feet nervously. “I don’t retain the illusion that you’ll do
what anyone says because you respect authority, but perhaps you’ll
respect my considerable experience and do what I say when I say it.
Otherwise, I’d prefer you leave so I don’t put myself in danger
trying to protect you.”

I was speaking to Logan, as I knew Connor
the way soldiers know each other. His loyalty and commitment were
unwavering, and I actually did feel we had a better chance with him
next to us. Logan’s Shifting skills were undeniable; it was his
attitude I questioned.

He finally moved, and I thought it was a
nod. “What do you need me to do?” he whispered.

I exhaled quietly. “Return to Bat form – the
small one, please – and scout the track ahead. There’s a small
branch off to the right side, I believe, which is where you’ll find
the British Museum station. Stay off the rails – they’re live – and
close to the walls where motion is less likely to be detected. Look
for Mongers in particular, and pay attention to numbers of people.
Anyone walking around, let us know where and how many.”

“Got it.” He didn’t even hesitate and was
barely done Shifting before he was gone down the tunnel.

Every ounce of my responsible nature
rebelled against sending an eleven-year-old boy into danger, and
yet he was very likely the safest one of us all. I turned to the
others. “Arman, when we get there, your whole focus is rounding the
captives up and leading them out. Use the service passage to get
back to Aldwych if you have to, but make sure you get them to
safety.”

“Right.” Arman was all business, and I
appreciated it.

“Connor, Shift back to Wolf form. You and I
will provide defense as necessary.” I knew how much he had come to
dislike fighting and killing since our adventure in medieval
France, but I also knew that his Wolf was less circumspect about
bloodshed than the young man was. “Let’s hope they don’t need
it.”

I turned back to Arman. “Any chance you’ve
Seen what’s ahead?”

He hesitated. “Ava told me about … the
explosion. I haven’t Seen that.”

Maybe that just meant that he would be away
from the danger if it did happen, but I said what he wanted to hear
instead. “Then perhaps it was nothing.”

Just then, Bat wings fluttered in my hair
and I barely resisted the urge to swipe them away. A moment later,
Logan had returned to his boy form as his disembodied voice
whispered from the darkness. “There’s no platform anymore, just
dirt. They’ve parked two train cars on the track, and people are
sleeping on the benches in them. The far end of the tunnel is
sealed – no way in or out, and there are two armed Mongers about
twenty feet inside the spur, about fifteen feet away from the first
train car. A handgun for each was all I could see, but they look
the type to carry knives on ‘em too. One’s properly asleep, the
other’s nearly there, and most of the people in the train cars are
out cold. Two are awake that I saw, Ava’s green-haired guy and a
girl, and they’re hiding at the far end of the train. They’re
talking about how to take out the guards, so they could be
helpful.”

It was better news than I’d hoped, but I had
difficulty believing there wasn’t some other threat he couldn’t
see. Otherwise, it begged the question that always entered
conversations about why concentration camp inmates hadn’t risen up
against their guards, and it generally involved factors unknown to
the outside.

I spoke quietly to the three young men
assembled around me. I couldn’t see them in the pitch blackness,
but I could sense their attention on me. “Logan, are you
comfortable revealing yourself to Tam and the girl at the far end
of the train?”

He scoffed. “A naked kid showing up in the
middle of their party will obviously be a Shifter, so yeah, I’m
fine.”

I sensed Connor’s tension beside me, but I
ignored his fear for his brother. Logan would figure this out.
“Okay, I need you to enlist their help. They should quietly wake
all the sleepers and get them ready to leave. Tell them to wait for
Arman’s lead, and he’ll take them out. If they know of any traps or
any hidden threats, get that information back to us immediately. I
don’t trust that Walters would only leave two guards on forty
people.”

“Right.” Logan’s confidence was hearty.

“Wait, Logan – this is important. When
you’ve delivered your messages, I need you to leave the ghost
station and return to Holborn. This is the most likely way in for
any Mongers arriving as back-up, and we need to know if they come
in behind us. You are our only scout, a Bat-spy, if you will, and
your information is vital to the safety of everyone down here.”

“I know you’re just trying to keep me safe,
but I also know I’m the best spy you’ve got. Remember that the next
time you plan something without me or Connor.”

I was careful to keep the smile out of my
voice in the darkness. “Follow my orders on this, and I will.”

“Don’t get dead, brother,” Connor said
quietly.

“I won’t. Mum would kill me,” Logan said
just before he Shifted.

A flutter of Bat wings later, he was
gone.

I exhaled. “Right. Connor, you’ll go as a
Wolf. You’re faster and more agile that way. If I can get to the
guard who is still awake, I’ll take him out first, but I assume he
won’t go down quietly, so backup on the other guard would be
appreciated. I expect trouble, so Arman, stay back in the shadows
and be ready. The rails may not be live at the spur, but if they
are and you need to push someone into them, do it. Surprise is our
best weapon, so we have to be quick and decisive.”

“I have a knife,” Arman said quietly.

“You’d have to be too close to use it. Stay
to the shadows as much as possible, and we may all get out of this
alive.”

I felt the air move as Connor Shifted to his
Wolf form.

I spoke the words rather than whispered
them. “Let’s do this.”

Saira – 1944

Archer had moved into position ahead of me,
and I had every one of my senses aimed outward for signs of
Mongers. At a minimum, I hoped to feel Tom Landers before I ran
into him, but I assumed any of the Werwolf troops he worked with
would also be Monger.

I sensed something coming from behind us.
The Holborn station platform had been deserted, despite the air
raid above, and Archer had explained in hushed tones about the
deep-level shelter that had been built under the Goodge Street
station, which was probably where all the people had gone. Since
we’d left Aldwych, we’d been alone on the tracks.