Deck of destiny 4, p.16
Deck of Destiny 4, page 16
“Because you tell me to?”
“Because you’ll die, Matvei,” she said emphatically. “Please. I can’t have that on my—”
“On your conscience?” I finished. “Yeah, it’d be rough for me, too. But I don’t take it personal.”
Daine circled away from Mayce. His craggy face was completely unreadable, but I could tell that he already knew why Bess was here. Daine’s warning to me hadn’t been in vain, and I’d avoided his establishment with Iris and the vampires because I knew it’d bring trouble down on his head. Crushing pressure rolled in around my lungs; my heart slammed against my ribs. My pulse thundered in my ears as fear finally crashed in and threatened to smash me into the carpet.
I couldn’t stand against every force in Millbank.
Not on my own, and not with my team. Not even with the coven.
There weren’t enough of us.
The barman wordlessly slid a glass of scotch over to me, gave me a tight nod with a sympathetic look in his eye, and moved back over to Mayce. I couldn’t tell what they were talking about, and I reached out to touch the carved crystal. My fingers played over the tiny vertices and corners, and the very real possibility that this would be my last drink in the pub rolled through my mind.
“I could leave,” I heard myself say aloud in vampirese.
A hopeful look touched Bess’s face. “I can give you the rest of the day’s grace. They’ll hunt you. But if you simply leave, if you run, then you can make it. My family have connections. They could have you on a plane to Europe by nightfall. Take your people. Flee.”
I gritted my teeth. “And then what? I live on the run for the rest of my life. The Arbiters come for me. The Sharks hear about the Contract and hunt me to the ends of the earth. Mayce and Elsie will never know another day’s peace. We run, and we give in. We run, and we lose everything we’ve built.”
An urgent tone touched Bess’s voice. “You could rebuild. In another place. Your Guild survives with you. There may be less hostile places to hunt, to survive, and to live.”
“Any suggestions?”
She didn’t answer.
A grim smile touched my face. “Yeah, didn’t think so. Ask you something?”
“Anything,” Bess said softly.
“You think the Giants are getting in on this, too?”
“I can’t speak for them,” Bess said. “But you are considered a threat. The elves came for you. They leave terror and destruction in their wake wherever they go. Your feud with the White Ones is also well known, and favors may be granted to the Guild who ends the Phoenixes.”
“So, the Giants are getting in on this,” I confirmed. “Who doesn’t want a free pass with the cops?”
Something in Bess’s eyes broke, and she turned away from me. I took a sip of the whisky, savored it for a long moment, and let it burn a path down my desert-dry throat. I had to talk to the girls. I had to find a way out of this. I couldn’t expect them to risk their lives even further by staying with me. A smile touched my face as I imagined Elsie’s response. She’d stay by my side no matter what decision I made. Mayce might grumble. She might very well call me insane. But she wouldn’t leave us, either. I didn’t know Lana’s mind, but my gut told me that her rebellious streak would hold firm. Iris had made her decision to stay independent of the elves. She could do that anywhere in the world. But the Guildless would never stop hunting us.
It wasn’t fair. None of it was. I’d played the Game as straight as I could.
And it’d still turned against me despite everything we’d managed to accomplish.
“You said you can give me until nightfall.”
Bess looked up at me. Something sparkled in the corner of her eye, but I hardened my heart against whatever she was feeling. I couldn’t afford to get emotionally invested in whatever came next. Whatever I felt about the situation wouldn’t help us survive.
“I can,” she said. “Under the provision that you leave.”
“And if I come back?”
She shook her head. “You can’t return here. There will be people waiting, watching your every move. More closely than they already are. Please, Matvei. See reason. Understand the situation you’re in.”
“I think I understand it,” I said slowly. “I’m public enemy number one.”
Bess gave me a single nod.
I took another sip of whisky. The Black Dawn had warned me that the Path of Ascension would bring me into conflict with the Arbiters. Daine had told me earlier that the gift I had chosen in the Hellforge would make me a target. I’d told Bess about it. And she’d said that I was radioactive. The Guilds wouldn’t listen to reason, the Arbiters had it out for me, and the elves saw me as a simple obstacle to their crusade to get Iris back. I couldn’t rely on mercenary support, either. The HQ was practically an open door, and taking on a Contract for a powerful Guild meant better pay and more potential work.
Some of them were scared of me.
But money talked. I knew that a big enough paycheck was enough to push the talented Players around me to risk their lives to take mine. I worked my way through the glass of whisky in silence and let the razor tension between Bess and me reach a fever pitch. I could’ve sworn that she was fighting off tears.
Daine pulled away from Mayce as I finished my drink and stepped up to join us again.
“Get you something else?” he asked me gently.
I shook my head. “Think I need a clear head tonight.”
I nodded to Bess. “Thanks for the warning shot.”
“Please, Matt,” Bess said thickly. “Just run.”
My bitter smile widened. “Wilson couldn’t make me leave. You won’t either.”
I slid off the barstool, and some pieces started to click in the back of my mind.
I was an enemy of the Game in Millbank. A curse. I was the guy who’d taken up with vampires, the Black Dawn, and had happily flipped off the Arbiters. I fought people I had no right to be fighting, and I won battles against powers far beyond my own.
Those were the facts.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” I said loudly. “If I might have your attention.”
Chapter 20
The entire Castledaine went silent at the sound of my voice.
Necks craned, people turned in their chairs, and every eye in the entire bar turned to look at me. A suddenly brutal tension hung in the air, and the nerves in my stomach quickly flared out into an entire pit of vipers. I’d felt the same nerves when I’d stood before the Arbiters, but this was different. I’d been fighting a single figure back then. It’d been less than a week since the fateful meeting of the Guilds in the Goldfire, and I was back in the saddle. I took a moment to think through the implications of what I was about to say, but I had the room’s attention.
Now I just needed to make sure that I got my point across.
“It’s come to my attention that there’s been a misunderstanding,” I began. “You all know me, and if you haven’t met me, you know of me. I’m the one that the Black Dawn tried to recruit in the Goldfire. I’m the one who, along with Bess”—I gave her a wave of my hand—“put down Wilson and pushed the Leviathans out of Millbank. I’m the head of the Phoenix Guild, which I’m pretty sure is the newest Guild in the last century. And I’m the one who put down Darxos and sent him back to the Hellforge.”
Eyes widened as I listed out the shit that I’d gotten up to inside of the last few days.
“There isn’t a single person in this bar that I have beef with,” I continued. “None of you have ever moved against me, and in a perfect world, that’d stay the case. But that’s not the case. Sharks fuck with Guilds. It’s the way it’s always been, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. You’re going to have Contracts coming in soon, and they’re going to have my face on them.”
I could’ve heard a pin drop in the oppressive silence throughout the room.
“I’m here to tell you that if you accept that Contract against me, or any of the members of my Guild, the gloves are off.” I paused to let the threat sink in. “Come for me, and you won’t survive the experience. There are forces out there that seem to think that the Phoenix Guild is weak. We’re small, but that’s not the same thing. We’ve fought monsters, scraped, scrapped, and survived everything that Millbank has to offer. We’re Players, just like you. I don’t care what your Cards are, or how lucky you think you’re going to get.”
I let my eyes drift around the room. Blood roared in my ears.
“You won’t win,” I said firmly. “Wilson couldn’t do it, and the elves haven’t managed either. The Leviathans’ top dog couldn’t put me down, even with all his power and connections. I’m not coming after any of you. But if you come for us?”
I let a long, slow breath slide out of my lungs.
“No more games. No more deals. No more talking it out. I can and will put you in the fucking ground next to every monster I’ve killed and every Player who’s tried their luck.” I turned and gave Daine a nod of acknowledgment. “You’ll all do what you need to do. I can sympathize. I was one of you, and I know what it’s like being outside of the Guilds. You want to join one that doesn’t try to fuck you over? One that’s got your back? Step right up. We’re taking on new talent.”
I gave Daine a nod of acknowledgment. “Apologies for the recruiting drive in your pub. But there are elves in Millbank, and the Arbiters aren’t going to do shit about it. It’s up to us.”
Mayce slid out of her chair with an awed expression on her face, but she quickly hid it behind a hard-eyed mask. I turned back to the pirate-like bartender. A small smile touched the corner of his mouth for a moment, and a flicker of something like pride touched his single eye. Low discussions suddenly broke out around us, and Bess stared at me as if she’d only just seen me for the first time. Lana pushed up from her chair and moved over to the bar to join us.
“Nice speech,” Daine told me in an undertone.
Bess stood up from the bar and stepped in to join me. Lana cut her off with a growl, positioning herself between us, and the vampiress halted mid-stride with a wary glance at the former Arbiter.
“I mean him no harm.”
“Sounds to me as if you’re here to find proxies,” Lana told her, and a psychotic smirk flickered over her face. “Not the wisest place to do it if what I hear is true.”
“Ladies,” Daine interrupted pointedly. “Not the place nor the time. Matt. Side room. Take the girls with you. We need to talk.”
Lana didn’t budge until Bess took a step back and raised a hand in a non-threatening gesture. Her blood-red eyes latched onto me, but I didn’t have anything more to say to her. I’d just done my best to talk the Sharks down from taking her Contract. I didn’t know if the threat would hold any water in the Castledaine. The Sharks were a mercurial collection of people, and some were crazier than the others. Mayce and Lana followed Daine and me into the small side room off to our right. The usual dining table hadn’t been set for dinner, and the barman held the door open for us as we filed inside. He closed it behind us, and white runes swirled around his hand as the wards kicked in, and he locked us inside.
“What do you want?” Lana asked.
“For you to sit down and relax,” Daine told her flatly. “I’m not your enemy.”
“Lana,” I cut in. “Please.”
The paladin eyed Daine for a long moment, but she pulled herself out a chair and sat without another word. Her serious gray eyes didn’t move from Daine for a moment, and tension sizzled through every inch of her. The newest member of the crew was taking her position as security more seriously than I’d expected, but I could appreciate it given the circumstances.
I’d practically just declared war on the entire city’s worth of Players.
Mayce dropped into another chair.
“We need a pickup,” I told her. “Can you call the—”
“Already done,” she interrupted. “Figured we’d need to get the fuck out of here after you started getting all philosophical. What the fuck was that?”
“Just letting people know where we stand,” I said.
“Matt,” Daine said.
I met his eye. “I did say I was sorry. I know the Castledaine is neutral—”
“This has to do with your other problem,” he said.
He crossed his brawny arms over each other and leaned back against the doorframe. “The elves are here, and it’s bad for business. And we both know what they’re after.”
I nodded. “I’ve moved her out of the city.”
“Won’t stop them tearing it to pieces looking for her.”
“Which is why I wanted to get a leg up on them,” I pointed out. “Figured you have your ear closest to the ground when it comes to weird shit in your backyard.”
“That,” he agreed, “and Bess came here to talk to you.”
I grimaced. “We talked. We disagreed. And before you go warning me, I don’t want her as an enemy. She’s done nothing but help us.”
“And you just neatly convinced a good chunk of her potential legbreakers that coming at you is a bad idea,” Daine agreed. “You’ll understand if she takes it personally.”
“She said that the Phoenix Guild was pretty much dead in the water if we didn’t do something impressive enough to earn the respect of the others,” I told him. “The only way we’re going to get that respect is if we send a clear warning to the Guilds that we’re not to be fucked with.”
“And you’re willing to start a war over that?” he asked. “Over a single exile from the Other Side?”
I could still see the small smile under his beard.
“Bet your ass I am.”
The smile cracked into a grin. “Alright. Good to know you haven’t changed that much.”
“What’s that mean for us?” Mayce cut in.
“I’ve got a line on where the elves might be holed up,” Daine said.
“Thought you said you didn’t want to get involved,” I countered. “Too much pressure from the Arbiters and all the rest of it. And wouldn’t you get better standing for yourself if you threw us under the bus?”
He studied me for a long moment. “It’s likely.”
“So why the change of heart?”
“Believe it or not, Matt, this is bigger than you or Guild politics,” he said with a chuckle. “Elves in Millbank means that the pub might be attacked, and I’ve got a vested interest in keeping this place safe from creatures who don’t respect the rules.”
I finally cracked a smile. “That, and you like us.”
“Thought that was already clear.”
Mayce’s gaze strayed to the door. “How are we getting out of here without being attacked? Even if Elsie brings half of the coven with her, it’s not going to be enough to stop the Sharks if they decide to take the Contract.”
“You’re not giving Bess enough credit,” Daine told her with a warning in his voice. “She doesn’t want this, but she’s caught between a rock and a hard place. The Dragons needed leadership after Elias went down. If she shows weakness now, they’ll replace her. Put yourself in her shoes for a second.”
Mayce scowled. “Glad I don’t have to.”
“The elfkin,” Lana interrupted. “Where are they?”
“Last I heard, the power came back on gradually, and it started in Eastside.”
I frowned as I called up my mental map of Millbank and matched it with my initial impressions of the elves. They were technologically superior, completely logic-driven, and I had no idea if they needed sleep or a den to hide in. Eastside had a bunch of different businesses, but one of the local cybersecurity firms sprang to mind, and it took me a moment to call up the name for it.
“Bastion Security?” I said aloud.
“It’s just rumors, but that’s the place,” Daine confirmed.
I relaxed back in my chair and took inventory of my resources. “You had anything to do with the elves before, Daine?”
“What do you think?” He chuckled.
I eyed him for a moment. “You’ve been around a long time.”
“That I have, and I kept it that way because I keep my nose out of other people’s business.”
“We all know that’s a lie,” Mayce snarked.
Daine flashed his teeth at her. “The Other Side’s business, then.”
“I don’t know this Bastion place,” Lana said and glanced over at me.
“Haven’t been there myself,” I admitted. ‘Just driven a couple of their people in and out of the airport. It’s not a particularly impressive building or anything. Two stories, concrete and glass, all modern art designs everywhere.” I frowned. “Big fence around the place, though, and it’s close to a bunch of other businesses. Safe bet the place didn’t get turned over last night if that’s where the elves were hiding. It’s part of a business park. Which means the ways in and out are going to be easy enough to bottleneck.”
“Please don't tell me that you’re planning to hit it tonight,” Mayce said.
I shook my head. “One of them tore my place to shreds. Their drones are way too fast, and I’d hate to think of what they could do in open spaces. I’m not going anywhere near the place without an army or far better Cards. We’ve got to deal with the Shark problem first and pray that they take their time locating Iris.”
Lana grunted assent. “The leeches are slippery enough to make it work.”
Mayce and I fixed our eyes on her with sudden curiosity.
“How do you mean?” Mayce asked.
“They’ve avoided the Arbiters for centuries,” Lana reminded me. “And there’s a reason that other Players don’t see them coming, even with Cards that might give them some early warning. The Black Dawn protects his children with some kind of shroud. Makes them almost impossible to find unless they want to be found.”
“Then how did the Leviathans figure out where they were?”
“Good old-fashioned legwork,” Daine reminded her. “They might be tough to locate with magical means, but there are plenty of Sharks who keep tabs on them for the right price. I got into contact with Reggie, by the way. He says he’s happy to meet, and I’ve called in a favor for you to get you a discount.”
