Chapter 11

If driving on the freeway had been terrifying, traversing the narrow, people packed roads of the city center was downright daunting.The roadsides were crammed with shops, bars, kiosks selling anything you could imagine, and crowded with massive concrete apartment buildings. The buildings appeared to ooze people. They hung from balconies and windows, watching our crawl through their narrow street. Watching us with wary eyes. I guess showing up in the slums of the city in a Preserver truck was not the way to keep a low profile.

We drove for about another ten minutes before Zoe had me pull over in the abandoned parking lot of a closed restaurant. The place had a colorful, neon orange and red sign over the front door announcing it as Steve’s Ice Cream Shoppe, but the boarded-up windows and graffitied walls told us Steve had packed in his scoops ages ago and was long gone. She directed me around back to the dark alley with more boarded up windows and garbage dumpsters. I pulled us in between two overflowing dumpsters and let the truck idle as I turned to Zoe.

“Now what?”

“Keeping the truck any longer is too dangerous. We walk from here,” she answered, motioning with her chin for Jill to open the door.

“Wait,” I held my hand out to Jill, stopping her. “Walk where?”

“Where we need to go. To someone who can help us.”

“Do you think it’s the best idea for you to be walking around the streets looking like that?” Starke pointed to her. “Those cuffs and collar are not exactly inconspicuous. If we are wanted fugitives as you say, then that would be a dead giveaway would it not?”

“Seriously?” Zoe scoffed at him. “Did you not hear me when I said our pictures have no doubt been sent to every com in the city. Every one of our faces were known as soon as we tangled with the Preservers. This?” She held up her hands. “This is not going to make a difference.”

“What’s a com?” That was the second time she’d mentioned that now.

“The way the Preservers keep track of us all. All residents are required to carry one.”

I looked her over.

“Are you carrying one?”

“If I were, we would have been caught already,” she snapped at me. “Now let’s move.”

She stirred to get out of the truck.

“Wait. Can we use magic to shield ourselves? Starke can do this impressive warding spell…”

She stared at me in disgust like I was milk past its expiration date. “Do not use magic under any circumstances, got it? It would be like painting red arrows above our heads and shouting ‘come get me’.”

“Got it. No magic.”

As the others exited the truck, I looked around for a way to turn off the engine. A red stop button? Made as much sense as a green start button, right? I found nada, but there was no way I was asking the cranky air elemental. She noticed anyway and stuck her head back inside.

“Leave it running.”

“Really? Shouldn’t we try to…I don’t know. Hide it some way?”

She pointed to the shadows of the buildings and dumpsters. I could almost feel the eager eyes watching us.

“It won’t be here long. It’ll disappear just like we need it to.”

“That sounds ominous,” I muttered as I leaped down from the truck and almost gagged at the overpowering smell of garbage wafting from the dumpsters. We couldn’t have found a better place to park? Lifting the collar of my coat up over my nose to try and mask the smell, I started to follow the others down the alleyway.

I feared we would stand out like a sore thumb. A tall girl in prisoner garb with cuffed hands, a silver haired freak in a red coat, and a broad, dark Fae carrying a sword. The only one who possibly stood a chance of blending in was Jill. But now that we were no longer cruising around in a stolen Preserver’s truck, no one really paid attention to us. We were just as dirty, smelly, and desperate as the rest of the people that lined the alleys and huddled in doorframes. No one seemed to give a crap what we were up too, all lost in their own transgressions.

Zoe led us through alleys and up crowded streets, striding confidently like she knew exactly where she was going. I hoped so, but the uneasiness building in my belly was starting to leave a sour taste in my mouth. That, along with my hunger. The smells wafting from the stalls of street food vendors made my knees go weak. But we had no money and we couldn’t very well steal something and draw attention to ourselves. We didn’t need a run in with the men in black again. I hurried my step and caught up with Starke, trying to ignore the food being sold around us.

“Do you trust her?” I whispered, and he glanced down at me in surprise.

“The air elemental? Of course. Don’t you?”

“I’m not sure. I want to. I mean, she’s an elemental like us, right? It’s just that…how does she remember everything when we don’t? She remembers you for Pete’s sake. And in case you haven’t picked up on it, she doesn’t like you.”

His lips tilted slightly. “I have noticed. It matters not.”

“Yeah, I think it does. I’m not quite sure why we’re following her around. I mean she’s the one telling us not to use magic. Is she lying to us? Should we try to jump? Maybe she’s trying to distract us. Keep us here long enough for those cop wannabes to come find us.”

“And why would she do that?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t know her from a hole in the ground. Maybe she drank the Kool-Aid on this world. Maybe that’s where her loyalties lie now.”

“You know you’re sprouting nonsense now, yes? I know you’re tired and hungry, but use your head, Jette. None of what you are saying makes sense. When we found the air elemental, she was trying to escape the militia of this world, not collaborate with them.” I guess he could see the stubbornness on my face since he tried another tactic.“Look at your sigil. Has the air elemental’s sigil joined as well?”

I flipped up the leather strap on my wrist. He was right. Along with the blue, red, and black mark, a green ring was now attached. The sigils were uniting.

“Look into yourself, Jette. The sigils are our sign of unity. Our sign of trust. The prism and the universe will not lead us wrong.”

I sighed as I let the strap snap back into place. “I hope you’re right. I wish I had as much trust in the prism and the universe as you do. But my gut is telling me something isn’t right.”

“I know it is hard to trust in that which you do not understand. And not having much trust in your childhood to pull from makes it even worse. But if you don’t believe in those things, at least believe in me. Do you trust me, Jette?”

I didn’t get a chance to answer. Zoe whirled on us, a hand held up demanding silence. Her eyes opened wide before she pointed down the alley to the right.

“Go,” she shouted.

We hurried down the alley behind her, not quite sure what was happening. Jill opened her mouth to speak but I couldn’t hear her over the sound suddenly filling my ears. A distant wailing and clanging inundated the air, pulsing with enough pressure to actually hurt my eardrums.

“What is that?” Jill cried as she covered her ears with her hands. I wanted to do the same but the look on Zoe’s face told me what she was about to say was pretty important.

“Identity alarm,” she cried over the shrill noise. “It’s a warning for everyone to stay in place and ready their coms for inspection.”

“They’re searching for us.” Starke’s words were an observation, not a question.

“Yup. Dammit, I thought we would have had more time.”

“What do we do?” I asked.

A bellowed ‘hide and don’t get scanned’ was her response as she squeezed behind a dumpster and planted herself flat against the dirt encrusted wall of the alleyway.

Scanned?

We followed suit, hiding ourselves in the shadows not quite sure what was happening. The alarm sounded for a good ten minutes. Maybe longer. There was no way to tell in our little bubble of filth and disgust behind the dumpster. Then, just as quickly as it began, the alarm went quiet. The ensuing silence that followed hurt my eardrums just as much.

“Don’t move,” Starke hissed in my ear. Like I was planning on it since I saw the same thing he did. A large, metallic drone hovered at the mouth of the alley. It was at least 4 feet wide, with two arms sticking out on both sides.Red floodlights emanated from the arms, sweeping about the alley with intent. Drones? Really? Why hadn’t she mentioned drones earlier? I guess I now knew what she meant by scanned.

The drone was moving methodically. Looking for us, no doubt. I truly hoped the truck we’d stolen had already disappeared like Zoe said it would. We didn’t need to leave any traces behind. With the silence came the low, menacing whirring of the drone as it swept the alley. It moved with deliberate precision, the red lights swinging back and forth between the filth covered walls.

We stood statue still, not even daring to breathe.

Something ran over my foot. Something big and heavy and I stifled the shriek threatening to erupt. Was that a rat? Did a freakin’ rat just run over my foot? I heard a small squeak escape Jill and I knew she’d just experienced it too. Was there more than one? Were we being swarmed?

“Shh,” I whispered, reaching out for her cold fingers planted against the wall. “It’s okay.”

The weight settled on my foot again and horrifyingly moved up my leg. The stupid thing was climbing my leg.

Giving my leg a hard shake, I shook the thing off of me and kicked it as soon as it hit my foot. The kick sent the rat rolling into the alleyway with a shrill squeak. The red lights crisscrossing the passageway detected the motion and swung around, picking up on the humongous rat as it steadied itself back on all fours. The light scanned the creature, kind of like a scanner at the grocery store. The rat’s eyes glowed a spooky red as the laser reflected from it. Almost like it detected what was about to happen next, the rat tried to scrabble away but the drone had other plans. Another laser ejected from it. A blue one this time and before the rat could run, it detonated into a tiny explosion of guts and fur.

Holy crap.

I swallowed the bile in the back of my throat as I looked away. Obviously being scanned without a com did not end well. Fear competed with guilt in my chest. If I had known those damn things were killer drones, I wouldn’t have kicked the poor thing out there. But if it did that to a harmless rat, what would it do to us? The drone began moving again, its red glow searching for its next target.

Just move on already, will ya.

It shifted excruciatingly slow down the alley, its whirring grating on my nerves. Finally, it exited the alley, its jarring humming going with it. I allowed myself to breathe again, only to suck in a lung full of noxious air from the dumpster. Coughing and gagging at the same time, I snarled at Zoe.

“Maybe a little heads up about drones would have been nice.”

“Oh, yeah, they have drones here,” she responded flippantly before squeezing her way out through the opening at the other end of the dumpster.“Come on. Not much farther.”

“You little—"

Starke grabbed my arm. “Not the time, Jette.”

I spun towards him pointing a finger at her back.

“She almost got us captured. Or worse, killed.” I shot back. “Why didn’t she warn us?”

“Try to understand, Jette, although this is alarming to us, it is normal to her.Remember, she has suffered much as well. She will come around.”

I yanked my arm from his grasp, wondering how he managed to stay so cool and calm and damn nice all the time when all I wanted to do was wring her sarcastic little neck. But I knew Starke was right.

“Fine,” I hissed as I fell in line behind her. “But if the time comes when we have to sacrifice an expendable crew member, she’s my first choice, just sayin’.”

His quiet snort of laughter quelled my anger a little.

At least she was right about one thing. Wherever we were going, it didn’t take us much longer to get there. A couple more alleys over, we came upon a decrepit building so covered in graffiti, there wasn’t an inch of the original gray wall showing through. Slogans of ‘fight the power’ and ‘Preserver pigs’ intertwined with more explicit phraseology. The people on this world may be suppressed, but they were not happy about it.I wondered if any of these artists had met the same sad end as the rat from earlier? I sincerely hoped not, but I doubted if the drones showed any ounce of mercy to anything moving about when it shouldn’t be.

We stumbled through the crumbling remains, ducking under hanging beams and climbing over layers of concrete. Zoe finally pulled up short at a section of wall that looked to be the entrance to an underground garage at one point. Just like the front of the building, the steel door was covered with an array of colorful murals. She stepped closer to the hanging beam at the corner of the complex and spoke to the darkness.

“Tell Madds we’re here.”

The words sent a wave of unease flowing through me. We’re here? Was he expecting us?

A tiny red light flashed from the darkness and I suddenly realized what she was talking to. A camera hidden in the corner shadows.

A click sounded as the door began to move upwards. Boots and legs appeared as the two guards emerged. A man and a woman dressed in combat uniforms, with some high gear flak jackets and jacked up rifles. After seeing the laser weapons this world militia possessed, I totally got it. These guys were prepared. Almost too prepared. What exactly were we walking into?

“Madds is waiting for you and your friends upstairs.” The woman grinned at Zoe as she pointed her rifle our way.

My unease grew to a fluttering inferno, especially when the door shut behind us with a chilling bang. I had to chase away the thought that maybe we were better off taking our chances with the drones outside.

Zoe brushed by them, not in the least intimidated by the weapons. I, on the other hand, was very concerned and I made a point to convey that as I followed the girl down a corridor that seemed to get darker and darker the farther in we went.

“What the hell is this place? And how did those guys know we were coming? You better not be setting us up, lady, or so help me I will…mess you up bad.”

Real bad-ass threat, but all I could think of at the moment.

Her sigh bounced around the dark stairwell. “Again, like I said, news of you has already spread through the coms. Madds knew we were coming here before we did.”

She headed up the stairs, the rest of us following behind. The stairs ended with another set of guards who motioned us into a lamp lit room behind them. So many guards. This Madds must be someone real important.

After the dimness of the hallway, this room seemed overly bright. And very warm. The air in here was stifling and thick with fumes. Workbenches lined the walls filled with vials and beakers and alchemical apparatus. Candles and trinkets and books filled every available surface of the shelves that ran from the floor up to the ceiling. The middle of the room was decorated with mismatched sofas and chairs stuffed with brightly colored pillows. What looked like herbs and flowers hung from vines strung about the ceiling. It looked like walking into a really old apothecary shop run by someone’s hippy grandma.

A man stepped from the shadows, drawing our attention. The lamplight bathed him in a yellow glow, adding to the already jaundiced look of his skin. He was old. Heck, even old was putting it mildly. A bald head with a few wisps of white hair led down to a lined face, so dry and wrinkled he looked like an old piece of leather left out in the sun. His shoulders hunched as he walked toward us, leaning heavily on the cane he held in his right hand. I didn’t think I’d ever seen anyone quite this old. But it wasn’t the frail body or parchment paper skin that mesmerized me. It was his eyes. As old as his body appeared, his eyes held all the sparkle and vitality of youth. They studied us with unmistakable eagerness and curiosity, and something that was scarily akin to hunger.

“Well, well, Z. You had me worried for a moment. You and your new friends were all over the airways. Talk of the town really. Glad to see you made it back in one piece. Please, come in. Make yourselves at home.”

Zoe motioned to us to go ahead, and after a moment’s hesitation, I followed Jill as she settled down on the overly stuffed couch. Damn, I was tired. Zoe followed too, claiming the bright green chair as her target, plopping down and resting her feet on the table in front of it. She held out her cuffed hands to the old man.

“Can you take care of this for me, Madds?”

“Of course, my dear. Of course. But first, why don’t you introduce me to your companions?”

His voice was mild enough. Unremarkable even, but I couldn’t help but get a snake oil salesman vibe from the dude. Like any help was going to come at a steep price.

Starke didn’t sit. Instead he towered over the old man, staring down at him with a huge smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes, beating Zoe to the introductions.

“Starke, Jette, and Jill.” He pointed to us in turn. “Forgive us for the intrusion, good sir, but you can understand our lack of manners right now, yes? What do you want from us? And please don’t insult our intelligence and try to convince us you are aiding us through the goodness of your heart. From what I’ve seen of this world, good will is not a hot commodity.”

“Watch your tongue, Fae,” Zoe snarled at Starke as she sat up straighter in the chair like she was getting ready to spring at him.

The old man raised a hand to her, and she settled back down. He hobbled closer to Starke and looked up at him and grinned, showing more gaps than teeth.

“Fae? Truly? Fascinating.” He studied Starke, circling around him like a little piranha. “I’ve never met a Fae before. Tell me, do you hail from Endova?”

Who the heck was this dude? How did he know about Endova?

Starke covered his surprise a little better than I did.

“I will answer your questions, old sir, after you answer mine. Are you truly able to help us like the air elemental has led us to believe?”

The old man laid both hands on his cane and leaned over, like standing straight was too much effort.

“I most certainly can. Helping people is my forte.”

Yeah. I was finding that hard to believe. Starke must have felt the same since his eyes narrowed with his next question.

“And what do you ask of us in exchange?”

The old dude shrugged nonchalantly. “Not much. Just your magic, of course.”

Did I just hear him right? I looked around at the shocked faces of Jill and Starke. Yup. I did.

“Are you freakin’ kidding me?” I glared across the room at Zoe. “You brought us to your world’s version of Queen Asha?”

“Wha?” She stared at me in confusion. “No. Madds is nothing like that crazy bitch.”

“Oh really?” I growled. “So he doesn’t want to drain us dry of our magic for his own use? Sounds like an awful lot like Asha to me.”

“Stop being a presumptuous little twat,” Zoe shot back, her hazel eyes almost golden in her anger.

“Ladies, calm down,” the old man injected from across the room and I turned my glare on him.

“You know what doesn’t make me calm the eff down, dude? Someone telling me to calm the eff down.”

I jumped out of the chair. “Come on guys, let’s get out of here.”

“Please, I implore you, just listen to me.” The old man held out his hands in a pleading gesture. “I assure you I mean you no harm. I am honored to have you here. I am honored to help you. But as with every aspect of business there is a receiving and paying of goods. I give you what you need, you pay me back in my currency, which just happens to be magic. I take nothing that you are not willing to give. Believe me.”

A knock on the door interrupted whatever else he was about to say. A guard entered pushing a trolly ahead of him holding the largest silver cloche I’d ever seen. I glanced from the food trolly to the guard in confusion. What the heck was this? Room service?

“Ah, perfect timing, Claude. Thank you.” Madds clapped his hands excitedly as the guard removed the bell-shaped cover and the most amazing smells walloped me in the face. My mouth filled up with saliva and I swear I had to keep from drooling as I stared at the platter of food. When was the last time we had eaten anything? Oh yeah, mushroom and mouse soup. Ewww.

“Everyone, let us settle down and break bread, yes? Once I realized you were on your way here, I had my cook prepare us this meal. I find we all think more rationally on a full stomach. Please, help yourselves.”

I moved across the room at breakneck speed, eyeballing the platter of fried chicken, big fluffy bread rolls, and…oh my God…was that macaroni and cheese? Yup, it was. My stomach grumbled in anticipation, even as my head was whispering at me not to trust the old dude. Maybe the food was spiked. Maybe I was going to wake up locked in a cell and drained of all my magic. And then again, maybe this guy truly was legit, and the food was fine.

The war in my head battled all of two minutes before the smells hit me full force again. Was I willing to take the chance and risk my safety for food? Hell, yeah.