Valiant Light, page 11
He looked over at the old man now, who held a book under a desk light to help him read the faint print. Would that be Beck someday? He’d always figured he’d be one of those grand masters who was constantly in the middle of the action. Now he wondered about that. Perhaps when he got older, as his joints grew stiffer and his injuries proved too limiting, he’d be here in this room, searching for some obscure reference to give his fellow grand masters the edge against the Darkness.
It’d be easy to claim that wasn’t what Fate had in store for him, but then, he’d never thought he’d learn how to read, let alone be a demon trapper. Or be in Scotland, about to become a grand master. Fate was one truly feisty lady with a wicked sense of humor. It was best not to tempt her further.
He put a leather bookmark in his place, then rose and stretched, feeling a couple vertebrae pop back into place. “I’d like to go for a run, clear my head. That okay?”
Kepler looked up. “That sounds like an excellent idea.” He closed his own book. “For me, I think a strong cup of tea would do nicely.”
Beck nodded and headed for his room to change into his running clothes. As he passed Trevor’s office, he saw that the door was still shut, which it had been for most of the day. He tried not to read anything into that, and failed.
The long drive that led away from the manor was lined with ancient oak trees, and this time of year, they were bare, just stark trunks and branches. In a few months, they’d be full of leaves, green and vibrant. Like they’d been when Beck had first arrived.
I’m gonna miss this place.
Beck’s mind began to clear as soon as he picked up his pace on the asphalt. He wore his pack, currently at about fifty pounds, barely noticing it was there now. His pace was in sync with his breathing, limbs, lungs, and heart working in concert. As he ran, feet hitting the pavement, he turned his mind to the research.
Both he and Kepler had begun a list of destroyed cities, writing the cause of the destruction under each one. Some were decimated by conquering armies, others by Mother Nature. When Beck wanted to dig further, Kepler had suggested that he start with maps, of all things. Find out where these cities had been located. Were they near an ocean? Was there a major earthquake, which had generated a tsunami? Was the town near a volcano? What about a large forest? That last question had confused Beck until the scholar explained that a wildfire could have caused that kind of destruction.
So Beck had worked the list, from top to bottom. Some city names he recognized—even he knew about Pompeii and Herculaneum. Still, some were new to him, like the city of Helike in Greece, which had been destroyed by an earthquake in the third century before Christ. Or Lisbon, Portugal, decimated by both a massive earthquake and the resulting tsunami in 1755. The list continued into the twentieth century, with San Francisco and Galveston, just to name a few.
In the end, Beck had managed to narrow it down to three places that had been wiped from the face of the earth, for which he could find no explanation of their destruction. Kepler was currently digging into those sites, hoping to discover a commonality.
As he made his way back to the manor, Beck finally hit his stride, clocking in at nearly five miles. Usually he had his head on straight within the first couple miles, but too much was up in the air. Riley’s strange encounter with that free demon had spooked him. Not the demon itself, but that Hell had sent a Retriever after it. Why hadn’t that thing just grabbed her up while it’d had the chance? Nothing could have stopped it.
The thought chilled him to the bone.
Now he knew that Lucifer’s warning on the train had been about Riley’s free demon. Which meant the Prince knew where that Four had been but had waited to send the Retriever until Riley had returned to the school. There had been no reason to do that, other than to ensure she was in hot water with the Vatican.
You bastard. Always stirrin’ the pot.
She’d be arriving tomorrow, right in the middle of this mess. At least then, he could keep her safe. Soon he’d be taking his oath, and then after a few days, they’d head back to Atlanta for the wedding.
It all sounded on track, but that was an illusion. There was too much going on that neither of them could control. Deep in his gut, Beck feared that something, or someone, was about to turn their lives upside down.
Chapter Ten
Harper’s Office
Atlanta, Georgia
Master Harper only grunted when Riley entered the office the next morning, but she didn’t take it personally. They’d never be friends, but at least now they respected each other. Ever since he’d joined Alcoholics Anonymous, Harper had been gaining some needed weight and his anger had subsided. She knew it was a constant battle, but if nothing else, he was one very stubborn man. That trait was exactly what he needed to fight this personal battle.
Riley set her trapping bag by her small desk and parked herself in the creaky chair. After selecting a blank trapping report, she began filling it out in black ink. While the rest of the world was into saving trees, trappers were old school. Though they did use computers—there was one in the office—sometimes close interactions with demons toasted electronics. Cell phones, in particular, which was why Riley always bought cheap ones. Since Master Harper regularly stored Hellspawn in the service bay, he couldn’t risk losing all his files to a power surge. Sadly, no system was foolproof—last year, a Geo-Fiend had destroyed his old office, scattering his reports to the four winds.
When Riley reached the part that said DESCRIBE TRAPPING ACTIVITY, she grimaced. Then began writing. It took her over half an hour to finish the report, which included extra pages, to ensure it stated exactly what had happened. Including why she’d made the decision not to capture Isra in the first place. The fact that she was admitting this to the National Guild made her very uneasy. No doubt there’d be some lengthy discussions about this with the board of directors, but she trusted them more than she had last December. A big shakeup had meant the current members were more open to new ideas. And boy, this was one big new idea.
Hey, guess what? There’re demons that are good guys. Go figure.
Dropping the pen into a cracked Atlanta Falcons cup with its numerous brethren, she delivered the report to her superior. Harper looked up, took the pages, and began reading. Knowing this would take some time, she went into the service bay, where two Gastro-Fiends were in residence, waiting their turn to be taken to a demon trafficker. From there, they’d be handed over to the Church. In the past, Riley had thought they were prayed over or something. Now she knew that these demons were destined to be killed.
After breaking out the hose, Riley gave them each a long squirt of water, the fiends lapping at the liquid just like dogs. She ignored the usual announcements of her name and various threats. She’d just rolled the hose back up and stored it when she heard Harper call out to her.
Stepping back inside his office, Riley found him frowning. “Is that okay?”
He gave a nod. He tore out the office’s copies and jammed the remainder into a FedEx envelope marked for next-day delivery. Which meant it’d be hitting the Guild’s office just about the time she was stepping off the plane in Edinburgh. Though the timing would work for her, she regretted that Harper would be the one to field the outraged calls from the Guild’s hierarchy.
“What would you have done?” she asked.
He looked up at her, his brow furrowed. “I probably would have hauled that Four out of the school, but I’m not sure. Spent most of last night thinking about that and I still don’t know.”
“If there are free demons, why hasn’t Lucifer hunted them all down? And how do they get free?”
“How does anyone get a second chance?” he asked, his eyes sliding away from her now. “You make the choice, day by day, to stop doing what’s wrong. What’s killing you.”
He wasn’t just talking about the demons now.
“That takes an immense amount of courage,” she said, hoping he’d get the message.
“Maybe,” he muttered. He shoved two trapping orders her way. “Got a Geeker at Grady Hospital and a report of a Pyro near the zoo. You want to take the runs?”
“Sure. You need the apprentices for anything?”
“Nope. Best if they keep out from under my feet today.”
Which was his way of saying he really needed some space.
“Will do.” She scooped up the trapping orders. “How unhappy is National going to be about what I did with Isra?”
“What do you think?” Harper challenged.
“Master trappers make judgment calls. I made one that day.”
“That’s the way I saw it. Doesn’t mean they’re going to like it.” From outside came the slam of car doors. “Your kids are here.”
Kids. That’s what he called them, even though Richard was in his thirties.
“Thanks,” she said, then left Harper to his paperwork. Though she appreciated that he was covering her butt, she knew it might prove to be the worst decision of his career.
Her three apprentices looked bright-eyed and ready to tackle the day. Mostly because they had no idea of what had happened at the school the day before.
“What’s up this morning?” Kurt asked.
“Lots of fun stuff. Here’s a question for you: Which presents more of a public danger, a Geeker at a hospital or a Pyro at the zoo?”
“Pyro. It’ll roast all those animals and people will go crazy about that,” Kurt replied.
“Hospital,” Jaye countered. “A Geeker can get into the computer systems and God knows what kind of damage it could do. Like into the electronics that run the dialysis units or the cardiac monitors.”
Of course, she’d be thinking that given her mom’s recent illness.
Riley looked over at Richard now. “Which one?”
“Hospital. The Geeker has a better chance of harming a large number of civilians than the Firebug.”
“I agree. We’re off to Grady.”
Richard grinned. “Score one for me.”
“Teacher’s pet,” Kurt razzed. “You’re her favorite.”
“Last week it was you,” Richard replied.
“And the week before that, it was me,” Jaye said, “so we’re all good.”
Yes, you are.
*~*~*
Edinburgh Airport
Scotland
Looking back, the Geeker had been easy, but Riley’s decision to pick up the zoo’s Pyro-Fiend and dump it into the dry ice had been a mistake. Not that she or any of her apprentices had been injured, but apparently, the fiend gave off some sort of faint residue. The kind of residue that airport scanners hated.
When she’d walked into the electronic scanner portal and held up her arms so it could verify she was a safe citizen, the machine went nuts. After some strange sort of noises, it promptly shut off, which had caused some panic among the security people. After being patted down twice, wanded three times, and questioned at length, Riley was finally allowed on the airplane. She’d already made a mental note to write a brief article about this issue for the National Guild’s magazine, provided she was still a licensed trapper at that point.
After an uneventful flight, she landed in Edinburgh and made her way through customs, then headed for the arrivals area. The last time she’d been in here, necromancers had kidnapped her, hauling her off to a local cemetery. There, they’d summoned a demon, offering her blood as bait. It’d cost all but one of those involved their lives, including the Archfiend.
Riley had expected her fiancé to pick her up, but with whatever was going on with the Vatican, he’d been forced to stay at the manor. This time, she and Beck had taken precautions. She beamed when she spied a familiar face waiting for her, his big smile in place. This was one of her most favorite people on Earth.
“Angus!” she said, hurrying up to him, her suitcase rolling alongside.
Angus Stewart gave her one of his big bear hugs. The grand master was in his sixties, walked with a noticeable limp, and was as Scottish as they came. He’d trained her dad, and in many ways, was as much a father to her and Beck as Paul Blackthorne had been. As armor against Scotland’s long, cold winter, he wore a thick woolen sweater, slacks, and a heavy coat. His cane was tucked under his arm.
“Good trip?” he asked as they headed for the nearest exit.
“The best. I slept the whole way.”
As expected, Scotland was chilly, with a brisk breeze that cut right through Riley’s exposed skin and reminded her that she’d left her gloves in her luggage.
She looked over at Angus, noting his rosy cheeks and the sparkle in his eyes. “How are your grandkids?”
His eyes sparkled even more now. “Rambunctious as always. They’re lovin’ havin’ me around. I’m an easy one ta bribe for sweets.”
“Then you’re the perfect granddad.”
He grinned back. “It’s been verra good ta spend time with the family. I’m lookin’ forward ta the day I can move home, now that I’ll not be worryin’ about how things are goin’ in Atlanta. Not with the two of ya there.”
If anyone deserved time with his kin, it was this man. He’d devoted his life to preserve the balance.
“You make sure to come back to Atlanta at least once a year,” she insisted.
“I shall. I want ta see all yer bairns, when ya finally get settled down enough ta have them. Speakin’ of which, how goes the weddin’ preparations?” Angus asked as they approached a red Vauxhall at the end of a row. He popped open the trunk and tucked her suitcase inside.
“I think I’ve got everything covered. Mrs. Ayers is still baking like crazy. She’s filled the freezer at your place and the spare one in the garage, and is working on mine. We just need to get Beck home and we’re all ready.” At least she hoped so. She had to be missing something, right?
Once they were settled inside, Angus started the car as she latched her seatbelt. “That dear lady looked ta be in heaven when I left. With all the flour and such flyin’ around, I figured it was best ta get out of her way, if ya know what I mean.”
“I do. I’ve gone over a couple of times to help out, but mostly I just buy the baking ingredients and back off.”
“Wise lass.”
They chatted back and forth amiably until they were on the motorway. So far, they’d avoided one topic in particular.
Just get it over with. “Beck tell you what happened with the Four in Atlanta?”
Angus’s jovial attitude withered. “Aye. He called me this mornin’.”
“You grand masters know about the Unbounds, right?”
“Aye,” he said again. “I’m not surprised Lucifer sent a Retriever for this one. He brooks no traitors in his midst. Ya saw how he purged Hell of his enemies last year.”
Part of that purge had occurred during the battle where Beck had been stabbed by a Fallen’s fiery sword, a wound that had nearly killed him.
To clear her mind of the still-raw images, Riley stared out the side window at the passing cars as they drove west on the motorway. It was four lanes, divided, and she kept thinking they were on the wrong side of the road. After a couple of days, that would pass. The motorway was clear and dry, but fresh snow must have fallen in the last few days, as it was piled along the sides after the snowplow had passed.
“It’s always pretty here,” she said.
“Even more so if yer born here,” he replied.
Riley gave a long sigh. “I just wish there was something I could do to help Isra, without trading my soul for it.”
“Aye, but there isn’t.”
“I know—that just makes it harder. More than anything, I don’t want Simon to get into any trouble with the Vatican.”
“I hear ya two work well tagether,” Angus said as he switched lanes, the soft click click of the turn signal barely audible above the car noise. “Is everythin’ good between ya?”
She nodded. “We’re more like brother and sister now. I like it that way, and so does he.”
“Not all ex-boyfriends would be that friendly.”
“No, not at all.” Allan, her ex from a few years back, certainly hadn’t been. Even now, she wondered how he was doing. Hopefully, Ori scaring the crap out of him had put Allan on a very straight and non-abusive path. If not, he was headed to Hell, for sure.
“Rome is going to get in my face about this.”
Angus was quiet for a time as they passed the cutoff to Linlithgow, overtaking a lorry along the way. Riley watched the scenery fly by out the side window. Both fir and deciduous trees lined the road now, some laden with snow.
Finally, he spoke. “Truth is, the Vatican has a lot on their plate right now. I’m not sure if they’re gonna bother with ya in the short term, unless it serves some purpose.”
“Is that on-the-plate stuff the same Beck’s been dealing with?”
He nodded. “How much did he tell ya?”
“Nothing, other than that it’s really bad. He said he’d explain it all once I got here.”
“Well then, since we have time, I’ll tell ya what’s goin’ on, because when ya two are finally tagether, Rome is not gonna be yer first concern.”
Riley fought the blush that threatened to warm her cheeks, but it faded when she saw the grim look in the grand master’s eyes.
“What’s so bad that Beck actually used the ‘f’ word?”
“Cities are bein’ utterly destroyed with fire and brimstone,” Angus replied, his voice nearly cracking. “All that’s left is ashes. We’re talkin’ about the deaths of thousands of people. It truly takes yer breath away.”
“My God,” she said.
“It’s three cities now. We lost another one in India just this mornin’. That was over seven thousand souls.”
