Deck of destiny 4, p.8
Deck of Destiny 4, page 8
“We all clear?”
She nodded. “Haven’t been off the mountain in a while. Still adjusting.”
“How’d you even wind up in the coven?” I asked. “You don’t sound like the others.”
A sudden Eastern European accent colored her voice. “Don’t I?”
I flinched in my seat, and she laughed. “Still from the Forge, Matt. Don’t forget that.”
“Thought you might’ve been-”
“Turned?” Tilly supplied. “That happens a lot less often than you’d think.”
“How’s it work?”
“Why do you want to know?” she asked. “Planning on getting killed sometime soon?”
“Just curious what I signed up for,” I admitted. “I’ve seen what you can all do, and it scares the shit out of me. But a lot of it looks useful if you’re a Player.”
“Wouldn’t recommend it,” Tilly said with uncharacteristic seriousness in her voice.
I eyed her for a moment. “Got a feeling Misha would disagree with you.”
“Of course, he would,” she told me. “You’re the golden boy of the Dawn. You think about the kind of clout that he’d have in the Hellforge if you brought us all through and you were the first one in? The first convert after centuries?”
“Can’t say I ever thought about it.”
“You can see the sun,” Tilly told me. “And you can enjoy food. They’re things you take for granted. We’ve never had those kinds of advantages. And sure, you’re a Player, so you get almost everything we do.”
“Short of super-senses and being a superhuman.”
“There’s a cost to those, too,” Tilly told me softly.
She shook off her serious tone a moment later with a laugh. “You’re family anyway. Chances are you’ll fuck something up, and then we’ll all be on the same page. You can wax lyrical about how awesome we are once you’re one of us. Where are we going?”
“To see some extended family,” I told her.
“Goldfire, huh? Why?”
“Thinking about a Contract between the Guilds in Millbank. I’m curious to see if Bess is interested in it.”
Tilly turned her scarlet eyes to me for a moment. “You’re serious.”
“Deadly.”
“Well, let it never be said that you like your life easy.”
“I’m hoping it’ll make things easier for us in the long run.”
“That’s one way of looking at it,” Tilly agreed. “Could also come back to bite you in the ass too. What happens if Bess dies? Or someone takes out Tessa? There’s a lot of movement outside Millbank these days. Lot of people looking in at what’s happening.”
I frowned. “You know about that?”
“We keep our ears to the ground. You thought the coven was just a handful of hillbillies living up on a mountain?”
“Can’t say I ever thought about it,” I admitted.
Tilly gave my shoulder a light slug with a grin. “Start. You’re part of something way bigger than you know. And if you’re really going to be the homecoming king, you need to know what you’re dealing with.”
“Why do you think I brought you along?”
“To save your ass?” Tilly offered.
I pulled up outside the Goldfire two minutes later. Bess had been busy.
Chapter 10
A wide cordon had been set up around the former strip club.
The rain had chased away the men working at the front of the building, but I still spotted two semi-familiar faces on the door. Lean, mean-looking Dragons in suits stood under the cover of a new roof, their eyes fixed on my truck as I found a park a little down the street. Tilly slid out of the cab window as if she were a liquid rather than a solid humanoid, and I wound up the windows, locked the truck, and swept the street around us. The Commercial District in Midtown was usually humming with activity, but the torrential rain had chased off even the most determined shoppers in the area. I kept my hands out of my pockets as we went, ignored the cold sting of rain against my exposed skin, and made a beeline for the front entrance. Bess had assured me that we were still operating under a truce, but the footsoldiers of the Dragon Guild still had plenty of reasons to hate me.
I’d been responsible for putting a vampire in charge.
And I’d taken Mayce from their ranks. That had to sting.
Tilly’s bare feet padded over the soaking concrete on the sidewalk beside me.
“Sure you don’t want me to stay with the truck?” she asked.
“You don’t want to see Bess?”
“Thinking more about appearances here,” she told me. “The coven isn’t part of the Guild, and you’re here on Official Guild Business.” The vampiress flickered her fingers in quotation marks. “Best that I don’t get in the middle of it.”
I thought it over for a second. “You won’t get bored?”
She snorted. “When do you ever care about that?”
I grimaced. “I don’t mean to—”
“I’m fucking with you,” she assured me. “Keys.”
I slid them out of my pocket, handed them over, and Tilly slid back toward my Dodge without another word. I reminded myself that I wasn’t an island anymore. There were serious Players in my life with centuries more experience than I had. Learning to work together in a team was one thing. I’d had the final say on all our operations and all of our moves against the other Guilds.
Things were different now. Tilly had a point.
I strode up to the bouncers with my hands in my pockets.
“Surrey,” one of them said. “We’re closed.”
“I’m here to see Bess.”
“Then make an appointment,” the other told me shortly.
I sighed. “Boys, I’m as happy as the next guy to flop them out and whip out a tape measure, but this is Guild business. I’m not here to start trouble, and I’m not here to bother any of you. Can you at least radio in and tell her that I’m here?”
The two men shared a glance, and one of them shrugged.
“Your funeral,” the second guy said to the first.
“He’s been cleared for entry.” The first bouncer lifted a hand to his ear, spoke a few words into it, and waited for a reply.
My eyes wandered up over the signage for the Goldfire. It’d shifted into something far less lurid and neon, and the new signage reminded me more of a classy hotel or bar than a simple titty-joint. The first bouncer got his confirmation, and the second guy opened the door for me. He didn’t try to hide the irritation in his eyes as I stepped past him with a grin and halted at the top of the stairs.
The purple-red carpet had vanished, and the sound of power tools and raised voices filled the main area of the Goldfire. The stage and catwalk had shrunk since I’d last been there. Smooth, polished hardwood covered the floors, and I spotted a collection of instruments on the main stage off to my right. The main bar had left behind its fluorescent colors in favor of a more muted-gold aesthetic, and the sight of it reminded me of the Castledaine.
The place looked more like a dance hall or an old-fashioned speakeasy. It had far less tacky 90s in the air, and the club looked as if it’d shaken off a rebellious favor, graduated college, and settled into its ways as a proper member of the community. The thought made me chuckle to myself as my gaze slid up over the stairs. The glass-covered VIP area still stood out over the halls, and it looked as if construction hadn’t made its way upstairs yet. I isolated five fully-blooded Dragons out on the floor. Each of them stood with their hands bared, and their eyes zeroed in on me as I stepped down onto the floor proper and made my way toward the VIP lounge.
Bess appeared at the top of the stairs like a Disney princess from the Other Side.
A long, flowing ballgown clung to her supernatural curves like a picture from a storybook. Gleaming rubies sparkled in her ears and around her neck, and her dark hair was pulled into a gorgeous braid and decorated with what looked like golden wire. My jaw dropped open as I looked up at her, and the ghost of a smile touched her face.
“This is an unexpected visit,” Bess called out.
I cleared my throat. “Sorry, should’ve called ahead first.”
She descended the stairs with the kind of floating step that I would’ve expected from a vampiress, and she gave me a warm smile. I’d never seen Bess dressed quite like this, and she’d never struck me as someone who liked to dress up so nicely. She placed a hand on my shoulder and kissed my cheek in another uncharacteristic show of affection. Her eyes sparkled as she took a deep breath beside my ear and sent a shiver rolling down my spine.
“You smell delightful,” Bess murmured.
“Thanks. I’m working on a new cologne.”
“Was that your prize from the Black Dawn?” she asked lightly.
I shook my head. “There somewhere that we can talk?”
“Upstairs, of course. It’s good to see you, Matt.”
She snaked an arm under my bicep, caught hold of it, and I did my best to steer her back up the stairs without tripping over the hem of her dress. The Dragons shot filthy looks at my back, but none of them moved away from their sentry positions around the construction site. Bess guided me through the upper hallways, and we came to a halt outside the VIP room.
“Can’t say I expected such a warm welcome,” I managed.
That playful smile widened. “No? I have all of this thanks to you.”
“Glad to see you’re renovating the place.”
Bess laid a hand against the smooth wood of the door, and it clicked open with a sparkle of white runes around her pale fingers. The low-slung couches and drinks cabinets had all vanished in favor of vintage furniture, far nicer carpet, and a wide desk that looked straight out of a captain’s cabin. Bess released her grip on me and strolled easily to a small table by the door. Cut-glass decanters, glasses, and bottles of expensive alcohol sat at her fingertips, but Bess opted to pour out two glasses of sparkling water and placed one down at the other side of her desk. I stepped over to the chair opposite hers, and she settled easily down behind her desk.
She looked like a queen in her own palace.
Completely composed, and completely in control.
I’d seen her fight. Hell, she’d helped me against Darxos.
The new look had happened so suddenly that it’d caught me off-guard.
Bess had rebranded herself and the place of business that she’d inherited. A small voice in the back of my head insisted that I stay on my guard. The head honcho Dragons had taken her in for questioning, and she now had to follow their orders. There were centuries of experience sitting across the table from me. The warm welcome hadn’t felt staged, but I remembered Lana and Mayce’s warnings and took a sip of water as a show of good faith.
“You look great,” I said.
“You’ve always been a charmer. What can I do for you?”
I settled back in my chair. “The Southside.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “What about it?”
“There’s unclaimed territory in Millbank,” I said. “Daine told me that it wasn’t going to stay uncontested for long, and I want to get ahead of a potential dispute. I think it’s in everyone’s best interest if we find a way to share it.”
Bess raised an eyebrow. “Share it?”
I nodded. “I’m the new kid on the block. I know that much. And I’ve got no intentions of trying to leverage pure friendship to establish my Guild ahead of everyone else. But nature abhors a vacuum. And I think the best way to make sure everyone’s happy is to come to an agreement.”
“And what would that agreement be?” Bess asked, her tone brisk.
“The Guild heads in Millbank sit down and negotiate a Contract for Southside. We each lay out what we need on the table, have some good-natured arguments about what that entails, and figure out a schedule where our members can go hunting in peace.”
Bess rolled her glass in her fingers with a strange smile. “A Contract.”
“A Contract,” I agreed. “Wilson was pushing to start a war between the Guilds. Now that the Leviathans have pulled out of Millbank, we’ve got to think about the future. The Dragons need Cards and power just as much as the Giants, and just as much as the Phoenixes.”
“It’s a novel idea,” Bess allowed. “Do you think you can pull it off?”
I caught the curiosity in her voice and tilted my head. “If you back it, we’ve got a chance. Tessa’s territorial, but she’s reasonable. I don’t see why we can’t have a rolling schedule that helps newcomers and old veterans alike. I don’t have specifics yet, but I’m putting out feelers. After what happened downstairs-”
“You should count yourself lucky that you were alive when you left,” Bess reminded me. “You and I fought side-by-side, yes. But your defiance of the Arbiters was ill-advised. You’re the head of a Guild now. You understand the responsibilities that you have to those sworn together under your leadership.”
Something in her tone had changed.
“I’m missing something,” I said.
The vampiress nodded. “You are.”
“Outside interference?” I asked. “Your new bosses breathing down your neck?”
“They’ve more influence than you would think,” Bess agreed. “The people under me would never agree to work with you, Matt. You’re too dangerous.”
I stared at her for a long moment. “Pull the other one.”
A real smile flashed across her face for a moment. “You’ve been known to pit Guilds against each other before. The fact that you’ve created your own is unprecedented. I know why you did what you did. I was there from the start.”
“I guess letting bygones be bygones isn’t easy.”
“It’s impossible,” she assured me. “I trust you implicitly, but my Guild does not. You’ve saved my life three times, and there’s a personal debt to be repaid there.”
“You already repaid it when you helped us survive Darxos.”
She smiled. “That was for the first, Matt. Not the other two times. But I cannot allow my personal life to influence my leadership of the Dragon Guild. We are Sharks no longer. Any weakness in my leadership weakens the Guild itself. And that is unacceptable.”
Bess didn’t speak harshly, but her words still speared me in the gut.
“So, it’s not in your interest to negotiate terms?” I asked quietly.
“To take a phrase? You’re radioactive so far as the Guilds are concerned.” A hint of apology rolled into her tone. “I can see merit in the idea. But the Arbiters are watching you closely, more than ever. They’ve made penalties for the disruption of the sanctity of the Game very clear. I’ve had overseers of my own, and they’re far less pliable than yours.”
I bit back a growl. “You know what they do to their people, don’t you?”
“I do,” she said softly. “But I cannot risk the Dragons. You need to accomplish something, Matt. The Phoenix Guild needs to accomplish something that makes it indisputable that you’re trustworthy. Tessa and I haven’t spoken since the night I took control of the Dragons, and I doubt she’ll be willing to meet in a neutral location.”
“Unless I scratch her back first. Along with yours.”
Bess gave me a sympathetic look. “I hardly expect you to become my lackey, Matt. You moved past that once you forged a Guild Contract of your own with the Arbiters. But you must think of the bigger picture. What reasons do any of the men downstairs have to trust you?”
“I didn’t take the Black Dawn up on his offer? I showed them that the Arbiters are crooked and on the take? We got the Leviathans out of Millbank and opened up the resources to newer Players?”
Bess shook her head. “All very worthy accomplishments. But you know the penalties that come with going past the Arbiter’s purview. Your agreement with Leviathan leadership indicates that you are in their debt. And the simple fact that the Arbiters hate you—”
The lights in the room flickered.
Bess’s head snapped to the room outside of pure reflex. She was on her feet before I could even push my chair back, and she blurred to the window. The lights downstairs flickered crazily, in and out, and an icy sensation rocketed down my spine from the brand I’d gotten from the Black Dawn. My eyes widened, and runes sprang into life around my hands.
The vampiress’s eyes snapped to me. “What is it?”
“Rift,” I managed through a hiss of discomfort. “Someone’s punched a hole.”
“Here?” she demanded.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “He never mentioned the range.”
Bess went statue-still. “Your gift. Your prize for Darxos. It’s—”
“Just a warning system for anyone breaking through, yeah. Appreciate it if you kept it quiet.” I made a beeline for the door, and the freezing sensation grew stronger as I pushed the door open and lunged down the stairs.
Bess followed me effortlessly. The Dragons shoved away from their posts, and I fought off a slight wave of nausea as the brand on the back of my neck continued to pump stomach-churning sensations in my nervous system. I needed to figure out the rules of how it worked and fast. I focused on staying on my own two feet, made it to the front door, and pushed out into the street. The cold prickling went suddenly still, and I let a breath hiss out of my lungs. The lights on the street suddenly cut out. My breath misted in the air as I looked over a power-deprived Commercial District. Millbank had its own share of crime, insane goings-on, and leftover Juju addicts. One of the bouncers tore his phone out of his pocket and tapped it.
“Whole city’s grid is down,” he told us. “What the fuck happened?”
My mind suddenly lunged to something that Lana had told me.
“I’ve got to get back to the HQ,” I said quickly. “Thanks for your time, Bess. And for the warning. Appreciate the heads-up.”
“Where are you—”
I took off at a sprint for the Dodge and prayed that my hunch was right. I didn’t know what the hell was going on, but the past events of the last couple of days had suddenly gotten tangled in my brain, and they were starting to line up in ways that I didn’t like.
And they all pointed back toward the Blue Dawn.
I heard a soft, low whistle echo out over the street.
She nodded. “Haven’t been off the mountain in a while. Still adjusting.”
“How’d you even wind up in the coven?” I asked. “You don’t sound like the others.”
A sudden Eastern European accent colored her voice. “Don’t I?”
I flinched in my seat, and she laughed. “Still from the Forge, Matt. Don’t forget that.”
“Thought you might’ve been-”
“Turned?” Tilly supplied. “That happens a lot less often than you’d think.”
“How’s it work?”
“Why do you want to know?” she asked. “Planning on getting killed sometime soon?”
“Just curious what I signed up for,” I admitted. “I’ve seen what you can all do, and it scares the shit out of me. But a lot of it looks useful if you’re a Player.”
“Wouldn’t recommend it,” Tilly said with uncharacteristic seriousness in her voice.
I eyed her for a moment. “Got a feeling Misha would disagree with you.”
“Of course, he would,” she told me. “You’re the golden boy of the Dawn. You think about the kind of clout that he’d have in the Hellforge if you brought us all through and you were the first one in? The first convert after centuries?”
“Can’t say I ever thought about it.”
“You can see the sun,” Tilly told me. “And you can enjoy food. They’re things you take for granted. We’ve never had those kinds of advantages. And sure, you’re a Player, so you get almost everything we do.”
“Short of super-senses and being a superhuman.”
“There’s a cost to those, too,” Tilly told me softly.
She shook off her serious tone a moment later with a laugh. “You’re family anyway. Chances are you’ll fuck something up, and then we’ll all be on the same page. You can wax lyrical about how awesome we are once you’re one of us. Where are we going?”
“To see some extended family,” I told her.
“Goldfire, huh? Why?”
“Thinking about a Contract between the Guilds in Millbank. I’m curious to see if Bess is interested in it.”
Tilly turned her scarlet eyes to me for a moment. “You’re serious.”
“Deadly.”
“Well, let it never be said that you like your life easy.”
“I’m hoping it’ll make things easier for us in the long run.”
“That’s one way of looking at it,” Tilly agreed. “Could also come back to bite you in the ass too. What happens if Bess dies? Or someone takes out Tessa? There’s a lot of movement outside Millbank these days. Lot of people looking in at what’s happening.”
I frowned. “You know about that?”
“We keep our ears to the ground. You thought the coven was just a handful of hillbillies living up on a mountain?”
“Can’t say I ever thought about it,” I admitted.
Tilly gave my shoulder a light slug with a grin. “Start. You’re part of something way bigger than you know. And if you’re really going to be the homecoming king, you need to know what you’re dealing with.”
“Why do you think I brought you along?”
“To save your ass?” Tilly offered.
I pulled up outside the Goldfire two minutes later. Bess had been busy.
Chapter 10
A wide cordon had been set up around the former strip club.
The rain had chased away the men working at the front of the building, but I still spotted two semi-familiar faces on the door. Lean, mean-looking Dragons in suits stood under the cover of a new roof, their eyes fixed on my truck as I found a park a little down the street. Tilly slid out of the cab window as if she were a liquid rather than a solid humanoid, and I wound up the windows, locked the truck, and swept the street around us. The Commercial District in Midtown was usually humming with activity, but the torrential rain had chased off even the most determined shoppers in the area. I kept my hands out of my pockets as we went, ignored the cold sting of rain against my exposed skin, and made a beeline for the front entrance. Bess had assured me that we were still operating under a truce, but the footsoldiers of the Dragon Guild still had plenty of reasons to hate me.
I’d been responsible for putting a vampire in charge.
And I’d taken Mayce from their ranks. That had to sting.
Tilly’s bare feet padded over the soaking concrete on the sidewalk beside me.
“Sure you don’t want me to stay with the truck?” she asked.
“You don’t want to see Bess?”
“Thinking more about appearances here,” she told me. “The coven isn’t part of the Guild, and you’re here on Official Guild Business.” The vampiress flickered her fingers in quotation marks. “Best that I don’t get in the middle of it.”
I thought it over for a second. “You won’t get bored?”
She snorted. “When do you ever care about that?”
I grimaced. “I don’t mean to—”
“I’m fucking with you,” she assured me. “Keys.”
I slid them out of my pocket, handed them over, and Tilly slid back toward my Dodge without another word. I reminded myself that I wasn’t an island anymore. There were serious Players in my life with centuries more experience than I had. Learning to work together in a team was one thing. I’d had the final say on all our operations and all of our moves against the other Guilds.
Things were different now. Tilly had a point.
I strode up to the bouncers with my hands in my pockets.
“Surrey,” one of them said. “We’re closed.”
“I’m here to see Bess.”
“Then make an appointment,” the other told me shortly.
I sighed. “Boys, I’m as happy as the next guy to flop them out and whip out a tape measure, but this is Guild business. I’m not here to start trouble, and I’m not here to bother any of you. Can you at least radio in and tell her that I’m here?”
The two men shared a glance, and one of them shrugged.
“Your funeral,” the second guy said to the first.
“He’s been cleared for entry.” The first bouncer lifted a hand to his ear, spoke a few words into it, and waited for a reply.
My eyes wandered up over the signage for the Goldfire. It’d shifted into something far less lurid and neon, and the new signage reminded me more of a classy hotel or bar than a simple titty-joint. The first bouncer got his confirmation, and the second guy opened the door for me. He didn’t try to hide the irritation in his eyes as I stepped past him with a grin and halted at the top of the stairs.
The purple-red carpet had vanished, and the sound of power tools and raised voices filled the main area of the Goldfire. The stage and catwalk had shrunk since I’d last been there. Smooth, polished hardwood covered the floors, and I spotted a collection of instruments on the main stage off to my right. The main bar had left behind its fluorescent colors in favor of a more muted-gold aesthetic, and the sight of it reminded me of the Castledaine.
The place looked more like a dance hall or an old-fashioned speakeasy. It had far less tacky 90s in the air, and the club looked as if it’d shaken off a rebellious favor, graduated college, and settled into its ways as a proper member of the community. The thought made me chuckle to myself as my gaze slid up over the stairs. The glass-covered VIP area still stood out over the halls, and it looked as if construction hadn’t made its way upstairs yet. I isolated five fully-blooded Dragons out on the floor. Each of them stood with their hands bared, and their eyes zeroed in on me as I stepped down onto the floor proper and made my way toward the VIP lounge.
Bess appeared at the top of the stairs like a Disney princess from the Other Side.
A long, flowing ballgown clung to her supernatural curves like a picture from a storybook. Gleaming rubies sparkled in her ears and around her neck, and her dark hair was pulled into a gorgeous braid and decorated with what looked like golden wire. My jaw dropped open as I looked up at her, and the ghost of a smile touched her face.
“This is an unexpected visit,” Bess called out.
I cleared my throat. “Sorry, should’ve called ahead first.”
She descended the stairs with the kind of floating step that I would’ve expected from a vampiress, and she gave me a warm smile. I’d never seen Bess dressed quite like this, and she’d never struck me as someone who liked to dress up so nicely. She placed a hand on my shoulder and kissed my cheek in another uncharacteristic show of affection. Her eyes sparkled as she took a deep breath beside my ear and sent a shiver rolling down my spine.
“You smell delightful,” Bess murmured.
“Thanks. I’m working on a new cologne.”
“Was that your prize from the Black Dawn?” she asked lightly.
I shook my head. “There somewhere that we can talk?”
“Upstairs, of course. It’s good to see you, Matt.”
She snaked an arm under my bicep, caught hold of it, and I did my best to steer her back up the stairs without tripping over the hem of her dress. The Dragons shot filthy looks at my back, but none of them moved away from their sentry positions around the construction site. Bess guided me through the upper hallways, and we came to a halt outside the VIP room.
“Can’t say I expected such a warm welcome,” I managed.
That playful smile widened. “No? I have all of this thanks to you.”
“Glad to see you’re renovating the place.”
Bess laid a hand against the smooth wood of the door, and it clicked open with a sparkle of white runes around her pale fingers. The low-slung couches and drinks cabinets had all vanished in favor of vintage furniture, far nicer carpet, and a wide desk that looked straight out of a captain’s cabin. Bess released her grip on me and strolled easily to a small table by the door. Cut-glass decanters, glasses, and bottles of expensive alcohol sat at her fingertips, but Bess opted to pour out two glasses of sparkling water and placed one down at the other side of her desk. I stepped over to the chair opposite hers, and she settled easily down behind her desk.
She looked like a queen in her own palace.
Completely composed, and completely in control.
I’d seen her fight. Hell, she’d helped me against Darxos.
The new look had happened so suddenly that it’d caught me off-guard.
Bess had rebranded herself and the place of business that she’d inherited. A small voice in the back of my head insisted that I stay on my guard. The head honcho Dragons had taken her in for questioning, and she now had to follow their orders. There were centuries of experience sitting across the table from me. The warm welcome hadn’t felt staged, but I remembered Lana and Mayce’s warnings and took a sip of water as a show of good faith.
“You look great,” I said.
“You’ve always been a charmer. What can I do for you?”
I settled back in my chair. “The Southside.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “What about it?”
“There’s unclaimed territory in Millbank,” I said. “Daine told me that it wasn’t going to stay uncontested for long, and I want to get ahead of a potential dispute. I think it’s in everyone’s best interest if we find a way to share it.”
Bess raised an eyebrow. “Share it?”
I nodded. “I’m the new kid on the block. I know that much. And I’ve got no intentions of trying to leverage pure friendship to establish my Guild ahead of everyone else. But nature abhors a vacuum. And I think the best way to make sure everyone’s happy is to come to an agreement.”
“And what would that agreement be?” Bess asked, her tone brisk.
“The Guild heads in Millbank sit down and negotiate a Contract for Southside. We each lay out what we need on the table, have some good-natured arguments about what that entails, and figure out a schedule where our members can go hunting in peace.”
Bess rolled her glass in her fingers with a strange smile. “A Contract.”
“A Contract,” I agreed. “Wilson was pushing to start a war between the Guilds. Now that the Leviathans have pulled out of Millbank, we’ve got to think about the future. The Dragons need Cards and power just as much as the Giants, and just as much as the Phoenixes.”
“It’s a novel idea,” Bess allowed. “Do you think you can pull it off?”
I caught the curiosity in her voice and tilted my head. “If you back it, we’ve got a chance. Tessa’s territorial, but she’s reasonable. I don’t see why we can’t have a rolling schedule that helps newcomers and old veterans alike. I don’t have specifics yet, but I’m putting out feelers. After what happened downstairs-”
“You should count yourself lucky that you were alive when you left,” Bess reminded me. “You and I fought side-by-side, yes. But your defiance of the Arbiters was ill-advised. You’re the head of a Guild now. You understand the responsibilities that you have to those sworn together under your leadership.”
Something in her tone had changed.
“I’m missing something,” I said.
The vampiress nodded. “You are.”
“Outside interference?” I asked. “Your new bosses breathing down your neck?”
“They’ve more influence than you would think,” Bess agreed. “The people under me would never agree to work with you, Matt. You’re too dangerous.”
I stared at her for a long moment. “Pull the other one.”
A real smile flashed across her face for a moment. “You’ve been known to pit Guilds against each other before. The fact that you’ve created your own is unprecedented. I know why you did what you did. I was there from the start.”
“I guess letting bygones be bygones isn’t easy.”
“It’s impossible,” she assured me. “I trust you implicitly, but my Guild does not. You’ve saved my life three times, and there’s a personal debt to be repaid there.”
“You already repaid it when you helped us survive Darxos.”
She smiled. “That was for the first, Matt. Not the other two times. But I cannot allow my personal life to influence my leadership of the Dragon Guild. We are Sharks no longer. Any weakness in my leadership weakens the Guild itself. And that is unacceptable.”
Bess didn’t speak harshly, but her words still speared me in the gut.
“So, it’s not in your interest to negotiate terms?” I asked quietly.
“To take a phrase? You’re radioactive so far as the Guilds are concerned.” A hint of apology rolled into her tone. “I can see merit in the idea. But the Arbiters are watching you closely, more than ever. They’ve made penalties for the disruption of the sanctity of the Game very clear. I’ve had overseers of my own, and they’re far less pliable than yours.”
I bit back a growl. “You know what they do to their people, don’t you?”
“I do,” she said softly. “But I cannot risk the Dragons. You need to accomplish something, Matt. The Phoenix Guild needs to accomplish something that makes it indisputable that you’re trustworthy. Tessa and I haven’t spoken since the night I took control of the Dragons, and I doubt she’ll be willing to meet in a neutral location.”
“Unless I scratch her back first. Along with yours.”
Bess gave me a sympathetic look. “I hardly expect you to become my lackey, Matt. You moved past that once you forged a Guild Contract of your own with the Arbiters. But you must think of the bigger picture. What reasons do any of the men downstairs have to trust you?”
“I didn’t take the Black Dawn up on his offer? I showed them that the Arbiters are crooked and on the take? We got the Leviathans out of Millbank and opened up the resources to newer Players?”
Bess shook her head. “All very worthy accomplishments. But you know the penalties that come with going past the Arbiter’s purview. Your agreement with Leviathan leadership indicates that you are in their debt. And the simple fact that the Arbiters hate you—”
The lights in the room flickered.
Bess’s head snapped to the room outside of pure reflex. She was on her feet before I could even push my chair back, and she blurred to the window. The lights downstairs flickered crazily, in and out, and an icy sensation rocketed down my spine from the brand I’d gotten from the Black Dawn. My eyes widened, and runes sprang into life around my hands.
The vampiress’s eyes snapped to me. “What is it?”
“Rift,” I managed through a hiss of discomfort. “Someone’s punched a hole.”
“Here?” she demanded.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “He never mentioned the range.”
Bess went statue-still. “Your gift. Your prize for Darxos. It’s—”
“Just a warning system for anyone breaking through, yeah. Appreciate it if you kept it quiet.” I made a beeline for the door, and the freezing sensation grew stronger as I pushed the door open and lunged down the stairs.
Bess followed me effortlessly. The Dragons shoved away from their posts, and I fought off a slight wave of nausea as the brand on the back of my neck continued to pump stomach-churning sensations in my nervous system. I needed to figure out the rules of how it worked and fast. I focused on staying on my own two feet, made it to the front door, and pushed out into the street. The cold prickling went suddenly still, and I let a breath hiss out of my lungs. The lights on the street suddenly cut out. My breath misted in the air as I looked over a power-deprived Commercial District. Millbank had its own share of crime, insane goings-on, and leftover Juju addicts. One of the bouncers tore his phone out of his pocket and tapped it.
“Whole city’s grid is down,” he told us. “What the fuck happened?”
My mind suddenly lunged to something that Lana had told me.
“I’ve got to get back to the HQ,” I said quickly. “Thanks for your time, Bess. And for the warning. Appreciate the heads-up.”
“Where are you—”
I took off at a sprint for the Dodge and prayed that my hunch was right. I didn’t know what the hell was going on, but the past events of the last couple of days had suddenly gotten tangled in my brain, and they were starting to line up in ways that I didn’t like.
And they all pointed back toward the Blue Dawn.
I heard a soft, low whistle echo out over the street.
