Deck of Destiny 1, page 16
I was healed. I’d taken multiple magical gunshot wounds, and I was walking again minutes later. My respect for Daine and his people ratcheted up a notch. Part of me wanted to be furious with the guy. He’d told us that he didn’t get along with the Leviathans, but he’d never made mention of the fact that he had a personal beef with Wilson.
My mind recalled the scant details from the ambush, and I remembered the rounds dissipating against an invisible field surrounding the gates.
We were safe. Properly safe.
For the next four weeks, at least.
Some ugly part of my mind reminded me that it was temporary. I had to make the most of it and figure out what the hell was going on with the Game. My Divinity Card made me a target. Elsie, Mayce, and I had all painted targets on the backs of our heads for the shit we’d just pulled. I strolled toward the exit to the storeroom, pushed it open, and forced the negative whispers into the back of my head. We’d won—at least for now. Focusing on the shit I couldn’t change wasn’t going to help morale. I needed a plan, but it could wait.
I just wanted a freaking drink.
I stepped out into the back of the main room of the Castledaine. The huge circular bar took up the main center of the room, as usual, but I got a better view of the entire space from the rear. The same booths and table settings were clustered around here, too, but the walls had decorations. Old oil paintings created with breathtaking skill sat proudly alongside a few hunting trophies.
I scanned the room for any other Sharks, but the place was empty. I could hear familiar voices chatting away in the background. Elsie and Mayce were in the middle of a conversation about Cards, and I stepped around the bar to join them.
Daine stepped around to meet me before I could reach them.
A huge grin cut across his scarred face, and he gave me a quick once-over.
“Jenna took care of you, then.”
“Appreciate that,” I told him quietly.
His smile faded a little as he leaned down against the bar on his brawny forearms. “Girls have been talking. Said that Wilson offered you employment.”
I met his single eye without flinching. “He did.”
“You know I wouldn’t have taken it personally if you’d said yes.”
I thought back to Bess’s collar and chain and the violence within the Pit.
“I don’t like how he does things,” I said. “Can’t say I’m thrilled about you keeping us out of the loop, don’t get me wrong, but at least you’re honest. You said it was going to be dangerous.” I pulled up a stool just out of the girls’ vision and sat down.
“Your usual?” Daine asked.
“Could murder a beer,” I told him.
He gave me a grin and poured out a massive glass of amber ale from an antler-clad tap. I took it with an appreciative nod, wet my whistle, and set the glass down.
“I’ve got questions,” I said.
Daine nodded. “Ask them.”
“There was a couple in the Pit. Using a fucking chainsaw and a rifle.” My mind leapt back to the ambush just outside the pub. “There are Items in the Game like modern weapons?”
He let a breath hiss through his teeth. “I’ve only heard rumors. But yes.”
“Is Wilson behind it?” I asked. “Seems like a good way to break parity between the Guilds. I mean, if people are only using swords and knives and spells and shit, a gun is a good way to take them out before they can deploy them.”
“Like I said, haven’t heard much,” he told me. “Word on the street is that there’s someone pushing Cards like this. Or that there’s been some kind of new wave of Cards out there. It’s breaking the way things have been for hundreds of years.”
“Didn’t think to mention it?”
“Wilson might be a slimy, toady, sneaky little motherfucker,” Daine said, “but he’s not stupid. Actively dealing with and engaging with those kinds of Players would bring the Arbiters down on his head in seconds. It breaks the balance between the Guilds.”
“Isn’t that what the Leviathans are all about?” I asked. “Leveraging advantages?”
“Having your Guild deconsecrated isn’t an advantage,” Daine replied. “It’s suicide.”
“That can happen?” I asked.
“If you break the rules and don’t pay the penalties,” he nodded.
“So why would Wilson have people like that fighting for him?” I demanded.
“Because, much like me, he could say that he’s doing it for profit. If he was actively sending them out against the other Guilds, you’d hear an outcry like nothing else.” Daine shrugged. “The Game is a risky business. He’ll take the profit, bend the rules until they’re almost broken, but there are lines he won’t cross. That’s one of them.”
“Seem to know a lot about the guy,” I noted.
“We go a ways back,” he agreed.
“What happened to the shooter outside?” I asked.
“First priority was getting you in and safe,” Daine said. “Once you were clear, we swept the street. They were firing from a car—pretty sure you’d have noticed that as you got a good look at them—but they were pros.”
“Not that professional,” I pointed out. “I’m still here.”
Daine’s teeth flashed through his beard. “Well, they were smart, then. Which adds a little credence to the rumors. These Cards are new, and people are still figuring out how to use them.”
“You think the Arbiters know about it?”
“It’s their business to know. What you want to know is what they’re doing about it.”
I nodded. “Can’t be good for business. Not for you, and definitely not for the Guilds.”
He grunted in agreement. “It’s not. Doesn’t mean it’s not legal inside of the Game.”
I took another thoughtful pull of beer. “You think Wilson sent the shooter?”
“Would’ve had to move fast if what Bess tells me is true,” Daine pointed out. “And been watching you for a lot longer than you’ve been around. I wouldn’t bank on that. But they might’ve owed Wilson a favor and gotten themselves in position. Impossible to tell at this point.”
“Why don’t new Players come here more often for advice?” I chuckled.
“Mostly because they don’t make it this far,” Daine replied heavily. “That, and they’re not cheeky enough to ask the Arbiters about where it’s safe to stay.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Safe, huh?”
“Safer,” he amended.
I took another sip of ale. “Next question.”
“All ears.”
“How would I go about starting my own Guild?”
Daine stared at me for a long second and let out a rich chuckle. “Fucking hell. You really don’t do shit by halves, do you?”
I waited for him to give me an answer and didn’t reply.
“You’d have to do the Arbiters a favor,” Daine said. “Convince them that such a thing is necessary. New Guilds are rare. Closest thing you get to one is a loose collection of mercenaries with a shared understanding.”
“Like the Sharks.”
“Like the Sharks,” he agreed. “I’m not saying it’s impossible. But it hasn’t been done in a very, very long time. And you’ll face resistance to it. Other Guilds in Millbank won’t appreciate competition. Especially not from someone so green.”
“But it is possible,” I insisted. “It can be done.”
“After the shit you pulled today?” Daine chuckled. “I’d say you’re in the running.”
I had other questions. Too many to count. But I had time and the benefit of safety on top of that. I needed a plan of attack, some way to get to what I wanted, and the right people to help me along the way. My gut told me that I’d landed myself in Daine’s good graces. There’d be other nights, other times to sit down and grill him about the details of the Game.
But I had Elsie and Mayce to attend to.
I gave him an appreciative nod, scooped up my glass bucket of beer, and circled around to where the girls were sitting. Elsie had changed out of her bloodstained clothes, and she’d dressed in a tidy cocktail dress that emphasized her lean muscle and tanned skin. Mayce’s torn tights and bloodied jacket were gone, replaced with a comfortable-looking pair of denim shorts and a tank top that showed off her Dragons tattoo. They both swiveled around to meet me, and Elsie launched herself off her stool.
I barely managed to get my beer down safely before she half-tackled me with a hug.
Her arms wrapped around my back, and my girlfriend caught me in a death grip that made it hard to breathe. My ribs acted up under her touch, but I did my best to ignore the pain until it got too much.
“Ow.” I grinned. “Hey, gorgeous.”
“I was so worried about you,” she mumbled into my chest. “Daine said you’d be okay, but—”
I kissed her hair. “I’m good. Little dusted up, but I’ll live. Already feeling better.”
She pulled her face out of my chest and kissed me with a hungry passion that reeled me back on my heels. I didn’t hesitate in pressing my mouth back against hers, and things got downright steamy until Mayce cleared her throat to remind us we weren’t alone.
Elsie detached herself from me with flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes and gestured for me to join the two of them. I cast my eyes over Mayce as I pulled up a seat between the two of them. Daine made a point of not joining us, but he gave me a knowing nod and a wink.
“Help yourself to anything you want,” he called out. “On the house. You earned it.”
The huge pirate-like barman stepped out through a swinging door at the side of the bar and ambled his way through the pub. He whistled a tune to himself as he vanished up the staircase without a single look back, leaving the three of us alone in the Castledaine.
I glanced around at the empty bar. “Where is everyone?”
“Daine closed shop,” Elsie explained. “Said there was a private party on.”
“Just for the three of us?” I asked. “Must’ve really been missing Bess.”
Mayce grinned. “Who’s up for shots?”
She slid over the bar with an acrobatic twist of her hips, found a bottle of something strong, and poured out three small shot glasses for each of us. Elsie held the liquor up to the light to inspect it, and Mayce rolled her eyes.
“Tex, it’s not poisoned. You’ll like it.”
“I like bourbon,” Elsie countered. “Don’t know what this is.”
I held up my shot glass to the others. “Here’s to a good fucking run.”
“And more in the future!” Elsie cheered.
We clinked, threw back mouthfuls of vodka, and Mayce broke out into a laugh as Elsie instantly choked on her shot. I caught her by the arm as her face twisted up into a mask of horror, and she set her glass down beside my beer.
“That was horrible,” she complained. “Who made that?”
“Russians,” Mayce reported cheerfully. “You want another one?”
Elsie shook her head, but I pushed my shot glass across to her. “So I take it you got what you wanted? Daine gave you the safety that you needed?”
“Damn fucking straight,” Mayce replied. “Given that I did all the work.”
“Sure did a great job of lying down and complaining like a little girl,” Elsie countered.
Mayce’s grin just widened. “Hey, I stabbed the prick. You were both fucked without me.” She poured out a fresh pair of shots, threw hers back without any ceremony, and then ducked down to replace the vodka with scotch. “But I guess I owe you. Couldn’t have gotten clean out of there without you two dorks agreeing to have me along.”
“Dorks?” I echoed. “Closest you’ve come to actually saying you like us.”
Mayce twisted over the bar with another impressive display of agility, and she dropped back down on her chair with a grin. “Don’t push it, big shot. You’ve caught me at a good time.”
“May as well capitalize on that,” I said. “How do you feel about sticking around?”
Mayce paused as she lifted her glass of whisky to her lips.
A long silence hung in the air for a moment.
Elsie leaned forward on her chair. “We can watch each other’s backs, Mayce.”
The tiny assassin hesitated. “I don’t really do teams all that well.”
“It’s not like we’re the Dragons,” I told her. “Don’t care what you do with your Deck, so long as it keeps you strong and able to teach us. We’re not exactly pros, here.”
“That’s true,” she allowed. “But I’m not exactly all that popular right now.”
“You think we are?” I laughed. “Between the three of us, we’ve managed to piss off every Guild in the city. They’re all going to be gunning for us. Better to have a united front than wondering whose loyalty lies where.”
A dark frown creased Mayce’s brow. “Again, hard to dispute that.”
She gulped down her whisky after a moment’s thought. “Fuck it, I’m in. You two won’t last a week without me. And it’s not like we can stay here forever, either.”
“Yes!” Elsie crowed. “Finally, the goth girl sees the light!”
“Fuck you, Tex,” Mayce fired back, but there wasn’t much heat in it.
The two girls recharged their glasses, but I decided to nurse my beer instead.
“Did I hear right earlier?” Mayce asked me. “About starting your own Guild?”
I shrugged. “Seems like the logical step. Everything I’ve seen of the others hasn’t really been my style. Having a little extra diplomatic immunity seems like a pretty handy thing to have if it comes down to it.”
“There’s a price attached,” Mayce warned me.
“What’s that?” Elsie asked.
“You’ve got to be willing to throw down,” she told us. “Guilds stick around because they’ve got the best Players, and they’re willing to organize. An attack on a Guild demands retaliation, and the Arbiters usually set up a trial by combat before they let things devolve into war. And no one wants that.”
“No one except the Leviathans, apparently,” I noted.
Mayce shrugged. “Still doesn’t benefit them long-term. They’d come to the table if it meant that their ability to do secret squirrel shit in the dark was threatened.”
“Seems like something we could use,” I pointed out.
Elsie rested a hand on my arm. “Matt, enough with worrying about our lives. We’re safe, we’re together, and that’s what matters. You can worry about it tomorrow, once we’re done.”
Mayce made a retching sound. “God, you two are precious.”
I heard a thumping sound above our heads and glanced over toward the stairs.
Daine had reappeared again. His eyebrows were drawn together into a furious expression, and he radiated cold anger that made me want to hide under the nearest table. The guy had gone from a friendly bartender into a force of nature in just a few minutes, and my gut fell through the floor as he paused on the bottom step, a whirl of white runes rolling around his feet.
People couldn’t use magic in the Castledaine.
But the owner looked like he was gearing up for a fight.
“What’s wrong?” I heard myself say.
“Got company,” he said. “And they’re not friendly.”
“Who?” Mayce demanded.
The barman gave her a pained look. “Dragons.”
“Oh, fuck,” she whispered. “They’re here?”
“Oh, it’s worse than that,” Daine told her. “They brought the Arbiters.”
Chapter 17
Of course they were. I couldn’t get a break from this insane new life I’d found myself in, even after a hell-raising first two days in the Game. I pushed off my chair, drained the last of my beer, and realized that I was still shirtless. Part of me figured that Elsie had managed to pull our clothes out of the back of the truck, but the other part decided against it. Daine had closed off the bar for us, and the Dragons had brought the magical cops to just add to their own intimidation factor.
“They can’t use magic here, right?” I asked Daine.
“Arbiters get around it,” he told me tightly. “They don’t.”
“Why would they bring the Arbiters?” Elsie asked.
Mayce’s voice sounded small and terrified. “Because I’m still one of them.”
“You left,” I said.
“They don’t see it like that,” she whispered.
Daine stepped off the bottom of the staircase and made a beeline for the bar. He slid in behind it quickly, took up a position behind us, and gave Mayce a sympathetic grimace.
“You earned your place here with the others,” Daine told her. “I’ll back you. But if they play dirty, there’s nothing I can do to stop them from hauling you out of here. You know that.”
Mayce gave a small nod. “I know. Thank you.”
“Like hell that’s gonna happen,” I growled.
“Matt—” Elsie started.
The front doors of the pub swung open, and six figures entered the main room of the manor. My eyes danced between each of them, noted details, and a fresh dump of freezing adrenaline rolled through my nervous system.
The Arbiter led the way, and I recognized his face after a moment. He was the same guy who’d been outside the restaurant yesterday, and the same one who’d offered us a very clear and present threat. He’d traded in his white suit for a long, flowing, and pretentious cloak with a hood and a golden brooch. He’d pulled off the hood, and his long hair had been tied back into a neat ponytail. He swept his eyes over the pub with a mild look of disinterest, but he didn’t break stride as he made his way up to the bar.
The other five guys were Dragons, and they didn’t look pleased.
The leader was the easiest to pick. He reminded me of some kind of hunter. A short beard hugged a brawny jaw, and it was hard to tell where his neck started and his shoulders ended. A black biker jacket hung off him, and he’d gone with a pair of stylishly-ripped jeans and solid combat boots that were polished to a shine. His eyes zeroed in on Mayce, and her gaze dipped to avoid making eye contact with him. The captain’s face twisted into a triumphant smile, and he made a beeline straight toward her.
