Bullets and blades, p.1
Bullets & Blades, page 1
part #7 of Montague & Strong Case Files Series
Contents
Title
Quote
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
TWENTY-EIGHT
TWENTY-NINE
THIRTY
Cast
ORGANIZATIONS
AUTHOR NOTES
Contact me:
Still here? Amazing! Well, if you’ve made it this ...
HELL HATH NO FURY
Thank you for reading
ART Shredders
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
Bullets
&
Blades
A Montague and Strong Detective Agency Novel
By
Orlando A. Sanchez
“I don’t believe an accident of birth makes people sisters or brothers. It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people have to work at.”-Maya Angelou
ONE
“NOW? WHAT DO you mean now?” I asked.
“Now.” Monty looked at Roxanne. “As in, where are my clothes?”
“I guess putting down a Kragzimik doesn’t earn us a month or year off?” I asked. “It’s not every day we have to deal with dragons, you know.”
“Thankfully,” Monty answered. “And the Kragzimik was a few weeks ago.”
“Really? Felt like yesterday.”
“We’ve been running these tests and the conclusion is the same. I have to wait it out. Now, my clothes?”
Roxanne pointed to the suit hanging in the closet on the other side of the room. The energy coming off her was a clear indicator she was displeased.
“Tell him you can’t.” Roxanne crossed her arms and stared at Monty. “You can’t cast. I’ll tell him if you won’t.”
“He’s in trouble.” Monty got out of bed and got dressed. “I have to help him.”
“How?” The energy around Roxanne crept up a notch along with the volume of her voice. “You can’t cast, Tristan!”
Peaches rumbled next to my leg.
I forced myself to keep a straight face.
“Mages are trained to be effective even without magic,” Monty answered, his voice taking on an edge. “Besides, I still have access to my magic and the Sorrows.”
“Monty—?” I started. He gave me a look that said his mind was set. “Nevermind. Let’s go see him.”
“At the very least take this”—Roxanne removed a brooch and affixed it to Monty’s jacket—“that way I know you’ll be safe.”
Monty looked down at the brooch and shook his head slowly. I looked over and admired the new accessory with an approving eye. It was a round red and silver Celtic design surrounding a trinity knot in the center.
“I have a shieldbearer,” Monty said. “You should be wearing this.”
“Inside Haven I don’t need that many layers of protection.”
“This is too much, and it will leave you in a weakened state,” Monty said. “If I encounter any difficulty or incoming attacks, I can always use my shieldbearer as a shield.”
“Tristan,” she said, her voice suddenly hard, “wear the bloody bloom…for me.”
“Fine,” he said with a sigh. “Once my abilities normalize, I’m returning it. Understood?”
“Of course. In the meantime, keep it on.”
I leaned in to examine the brooch. “That’s pretty, and really brings out the color in your eyes, Monty.” He shot me a glare. “What does it do?”
“It’s called a bloody bloom, and it creates a personal shield.” Roxanne adjusted it on Monty’s jacket. “It won’t stop everything but it’s better than nothing. Which is what you have right now. No offense, Simon.”
“None taken. Does it come with matching earrings?”
“We need to go.” Monty grabbed her hands gently as she adjusted the brooch. “I’ll be fine.”
“You thinking that is what worries me.” Roxanne squeezed his hands and looked at me. “You keep him safe.”
I nodded. “He has me and my trusty, bottomless hellhound. We’ll keep the destruction to a minimum, promise.”
Roxanne crouched down and rubbed Peaches’ head. “Simon, if his enemies find out he can’t cast—”
“I know. I’ll keep him safe.”
“I’m perfectly capable of keeping myself safe, thank you.”
Monty headed out of the room and to the elevators at the end of the corridor. I was about to follow when Roxanne grabbed my arm.
“He is an obdurate, insufferable mage.”
“You forgot slightly insane, tea-addicted, and short-tempered. Also, prone to massive acts of destruction. Should I go on?”
She shook her head with a sad smile. “Bring him back to me. He holds my heart.”
I grew serious and looked down at Peaches. “We’ll keep him safe.”
I heard the elevator chime and Monty gave me a look that meant ‘wrap it up or I’m leaving you’ as he entered the car.
I half-jogged down the corridor and got in the car with him. Peaches bounded in next to me, and I heard a creaking sound.
He did have a point.
Monty pressed the ground-floor button, and looked down the hall at Roxanne.
“You know she cares for you, right?” I said, as the doors closed.
“Yes. I do.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s just too complicated and too dangerous.”
“I get it.” I nodded. “What did Yat say?”
“Not much, he was being deliberately cryptic on the phone.”
“This is Yat we’re taking about. He’s always cryptic. I think they record him for fortune cookie messages.”
“You should share that with him. I think he’d enjoy that.”
“No thanks,” I said. “Not in the mood to get thwacked today. Pass.”
We arrived at the ground floor, and the elevator slid open with another soft chime. I saw Yat standing in the lobby of Haven, looking out the window. He turned to us when he heard the chime of the elevator arriving and gave me a short nod.
I looked over at the thin, older man, and involuntarily winced when I saw him holding a staff. I didn’t know how old Yat was, but he never appeared to age.
His slight build hid his immense strength and unbelievable speed. The last time I saw Yat, he wore his hair long. Now it was cropped short—a glowing white crown reflecting the sunlight streaming through the windows in the lobby. His eyes were still the same: deep, dark, and unreadable.
As we got off the elevator, I was looking across the lobby when I felt the shift in energy. Yat must have sensed it too because his expression darkened as he leaped over the furniture and headed our way. I pressed the main bead on my mala bracelet, pulling up my shield.
I turned fast and pushed Monty back into the elevator.
“What are you doing?” Monty asked, stumbling back.
I grabbed Peaches by the collar and pulled him behind my shield as I backed up. The energy shift increased, and I felt a sensation like ants crawling on my arms.
“Yat has friends,” I said, holding up the shield. “The angry kind.”
Yat dived over a set of chairs and rolled into a crouch next to me. “Prepare,” he said under his breath.
“Simon, don’t be ridicu—” Monty started, when an immense orb of black energy crashed through the windows and exploded in the lobby.
TWO
“THERE ARE WARDS that protect this place.” Yat moved from behind my shield to inside the elevator. “That should keep them out for now.”
“Keep who out?” I looked around the mala shield. “Who’s out there?”
I saw several bodies in the rubble of what used to be the lobby. The orb had converted the decorative stone and marble of the entrance into a blasted landscape of glass, stone, and debris. We were covered in black dust from the explosion.
“That orb…” Monty turned to Yat. “Who is after you?”
Peaches sniffed the dust-filled air and chuffed, shaking his head. The runes on the entropy stones of his collar gave off a faint red glow. I still needed to have a conversation with Ezra about removing both the collar and the matching bracelet I wore.
After Peaches’ first and last obedience lesson, I was wary of heading back to the deli. Ezra was clever. It helped that he was the personification of Death. He’d serve me a plate of pastrami and lull Peaches with a bowl full of meat. Before I knew it we’d be in another obedience training session, and the last one was enough to deter any further hellhound training, at least for a few decades.
“Something dead is out there. Which normally I would say is impossible, but impossible left my vocabulary long ago.”
Yat looked at me suddenly. “How did you know?”
“There’s something in this air.” I waved the dust away. “Something not all the way alive.”
“You know this…how?” Yat asked slowly.
“He told me.” I pointed at my perpetually hungry hellhound of destruction. “I don’t think we can go out that way. Considering the entire front of the lobby is…gone?”
“We can’t stay.” Yat looked around, pointing to the stairwell off to one side of the elevator bank. “There. We must go lower. It will confuse them.”
I turned to Monty. “First responders will be here soon. They’ll think this is just an explosion, not a—”
“Magical attack,” Monty finished with a cough. “Roxanne will be one of the first down here. We have to warn her.”
Yat nodded and stepped out of the elevator. The energy around the lobby dissipated. I tried to see who or what had cast the orb. I sensed residual energy but visibility was nearly zero because of the dust.
The stairwell door behind us burst open and Roxanne stepped out into the lobby. Behind her, several men and women ran out wearing emergency gear. She narrowed her eyes and looked at us.
“Why am I not surprised?” She pointed at me. “Do you know how many renovations this facility has gone through ever since you two became regular visitors?”
Another group of first responders appeared, donned masks and made their way to the people trapped in the rubble. Roxanne approached us, her expression making it clear that she was willing to share ample amounts of pain.
“We just got down here,” I said, holding my hands up in surrender. “Monty didn’t have time to blow up the building. Besides, he’s magically challenged right now.”
“He can’t cast. That doesn’t mean you or your canine accomplice are incapable of wanton destruction.” She narrowed her eyes and surveyed the damage. “We just had this lobby renovated.”
Peaches nudged my leg, nearly catapulting me across the floor. I glanced down at him and moved to the side.
“Yat?” Monty asked as we turned to look at him. “What did this?”
“Yes, Yat,” Roxanne said, her voice edging into lethal territory. “What destroyed the entrance to my facility?”
“My apologies,” Yat said. “It was not my intention to bring this danger here.”
“And yet here it is,” Roxanne replied, waving a hand to indicate the damage. “Tell me what I’m dealing with, so I can reinforce the wards and direct my people.”
“A Draugr,” Yat said, looking at the remains of the lobby. “They are pursuing me.”
“Joggers?” I asked, looking at Yat. “You pissed off mage joggers? Is that even a thing?”
“Draugr, not jogger,” Monty answered.
“Since when do mages jog?” I eyed Yat, who gripped his staff in a familiar ‘I’m going to whack you now’ way. I took a step back. “Mages don’t seem the athletic type.”
“Revenants,” Roxanne said with quiet menace. “You led revenants here?”
“It was not my intention,” Yat answered. “I needed Tristan, and his energy signature led me here.”
Roxanne stepped away and spoke to the group of first responders who waited for her. After instructing them, she whispered some words I couldn’t make out. The next second, her hands were covered in dark energy as she traced some runes and touched sections of the wall. I noticed most of the dust recede from the lobby.
“Revenants aren’t known for casting,” Monty said, stepping close to Yat. “Who summoned them?”
Yat looked away. “Gabrielle.”
Monty flexed his jaw, while taking a deep breath. “Bloody hell. Is she alone?”
“No, she is not.”
“And you brought her here?” Monty said, raising his voice. “Of all places?”
“I had no choice,” Yat said quietly. “I was looking for you, and you were here.”
It was rare to see Monty this agitated, which meant that whoever this Gabrielle was, she was a major threat.
“Why do you think I’m here?” Monty snapped. “I’ve had an accident.”
“He can’t cast,” I added quickly. “Unleashed a neutralizer, crushed a dragon, and lost his magic.”
“It’s not lost,” Monty snapped. “Just temporarily unstable.”
“The Sorrows?” Yat asked. “Do you still wield them?”
Monty nodded. “This is also the onset of a shift. Casting could be unpredictable and dangerous, possibly fatal.”
“Your inability to cast complicates matters, but does not change the present situation.” Yat looked over the lobby. “We must leave this place before more arrive. I know where we can get help.”
“Wait, that was just one of these revenant things?”
Yat nodded. “Gabrielle is powerful, but she can only command a handful of the casters.”
“A handful?” Monty said. “She’s gotten stronger.”
“The longer we delay, the greater the danger. We must leave now.”
“I agree,” Roxanne said as she stepped up behind us. “Take the stairs and exit through the service entrance. That’s where you left that thing you call a car.”
“The Dark Goat is a work of automotive art,” I corrected.
“The runes on that thing do not make it a work of art.” Roxanne turned to Monty. “What was Cecil thinking?”
“A good question.” Monty adjusted his jacket. “I still think he’s punishing us for the London incident.”
“The Urus wasn’t our fault,” I said. “I liked that vehicle.”
Roxanne shook her head and placed a hand on Monty’s shoulder. “Tristan, I don’t recognize some of those runes on your new car, but the ones I do…is Cecil insane?”
“So far”—Monty rested a hand on Roxanne’s—“it’s kept us safe. If I notice anything out of the ordinary, I’ll let you know.”
“Please do.” She turned to face Yat. “I don’t want to deal with any more revenants. Keep them away from here.”
“That’s our cue,” I said, opening the stairwell door. Monty and Yat headed downstairs. I was about to follow, when Roxanne put a hand on the door.
“Keep me informed about Tristan’s condition. He’s in the midst of a shift and dealing with the effects of the neutralizer. Things can get dangerous if he tries to cast before he’s ready.”
“Can get dangerous?” I looked around the obliterated lobby. “You mean more than this?”
“If Gabrielle is involved,”—Roxanne turned to the devastation in the lobby—“then yes. More than this.”
I gave her a short nod and took the stairs to the lower levels of Haven.
THREE
I APPROACHED THE Dark Goat, given to us by SuNaTran, and opened the suicide door. Peaches jumped in, rocking the vehicle, but managing to avoid crushing Yat, who occupied one side of the back seat. Peaches curled up nicely on the remaining side instead of doing his usual sprawl.
