“Did I make the shortcut you wanted?” Cece asked, looking for approval. “Was it right?”
“Cecelia, you have done exceedingly well,” Monty said with an almost smile. He reached out and was about to pat her on the head, then changed his mind at the last second, and patted her on the shoulder. “I am impressed. Well done.”
Cece beamed with excitement, clearly fighting hard to contain herself. Even I was surprised. This was the warmest I’d seen Monty. He’d even given her a compliment which was quite a feat, since he belonged to Master Yat’s school of physical complimenting.
“Does this mean I don’t have to do homework this week?” Cece asked, clearly influenced by Frank’s philosophy of how to manipulate to get what you want, except she didn’t count on one thing: mages don’t bargain.
“Absolutely not,” Monty said, and Cece’s face fell from the heights of exultation to the depths of despair, or in her case, homework. “You will keep working this shortcut until you can do it with the symbols in every and any order. The tetrahedrons must not collapse, and must be able to be inverted without catastrophic side effects.”
“That sounds hard,” Cece moaned, sounding like a ten-year-old who had just been given extra chores. “That will take forever, Mr. Montague.”
“Then, you better get started right away,” Monty said. “Viana will keep a careful eye on you”—he glanced over and nodded at Viana, who returned the nod—“to make sure you stay focused and under control.”
My phone rang in my pocket. I checked the number—Ramirez. If he was calling me now, so soon after we spoke, it was bad news. I headed into the other room to take the call.
TWENTY-ONE
I connected the call and was greeted by the sounds of explosions and gunfire
“Angel, what the hell is going on?”
“No time to explain, Strong. You and your mage need to get downtown—now. Shit!” Ramirez yelled. “Get your asses away from that thing now!”
“Golem?” I asked, poking my head back into the room and getting Monty’s attention with a wave. “Do you see it?”
“Keep her safe,” Monty said to Viana and followed me out of Cece’s apartment. He gave me a look. “The golem?”
I nodded.
<Let’s go, boy. Now.>
<Now? I was just about to speak to her.>
I didn’t bother answering, and Peaches padded to my side with a low growl.
“Do I see it? Do I see it?” Ramirez scoffed. “That…that…thing is destroying Battery Park City. Get down here, now!”
“Are you close to it?” I asked. “Make sure you keep your people away from it.”
“Wow, Strong, that’s some grade-A advice right there,” he said, his voice grim. “Next, you’ll be telling me not to waste my bullets because they won’t work on something as solid as granite.”
“Well…I was—”
“Forget it,” Ramirez snapped. “We are keeping back. Right now, to the normals, it just looks like spontaneous explosions occurring in the area. Those who are sensitive can track through its veil and are keeping everyone out of its way.”
“It has a veil?”
“Did I stutter?” Ramirez said with a growl. “Stop wasting time. Your buddies Banjo and Cash are down here too.”
I groaned inwardly. Things were bad enough without adding the comfort-food duo to the mix. Worse, if they tried to tangle with the golem, they’d get themselves killed.
“Don’t let them get close to it.”
“Too late,” Ramirez said. “One of them—the tall, bald one…I want to say Bango? tried to do that thing your mage does, and created a ball of fire.”
“Did it work?”
“Didn’t even make it halfway to the rock monster before it just…fizzed out. The rock thing bounced him with a short trip across the street, courtesy of a backhand to the chest.”
I had left Cece’s now with Monty and Peaches in tow. I hit the stairwell running and they were keeping pace.
“Shit, is he—?”
“An idiot? Yes, and extremely lucky. He should be dead, don’t ask me how he survived. Get your asses down here.”
“We’re on our way,” I said. “Give me five minutes.”
“I’ll do my best. So far the casualities are minor because we’ve managed to keep it contained, but that won’t last.” Ramirez cursed under his breath. “Damn thing is strong. Move, move, move! Hurry, Strong.”
“We’re on our—”
The call disconnected.
“We need to get down there,” I said as we jumped into the Dark Goat, roaring the engine to life and flooring the gas pedal. Peaches gave a low growl from the backseat. “Can you sense it, Monty?”
Monty pulled out the document from his pocket.
“Not yet, I can’t,” Monty said. “Where is the NYTF engaged?”
“Ramirez said Battery Park City,” I answered, swerving onto the West Side Highway and cutting off several cars. “I’m guessing we just follow the explosions?”
“That would be one way, yes,” Monty said, looking down at the map. “I need to call Ursula. Do not rush into this, not yet.”
“What? Are you insane? Lives are on the line.”
“Trust me,” Monty said, pressing a button on his phone. “Keep back. Get close, but not too close.”
Monty connected the call and routed it through the Dark Goat.
“Tristan,” Ursula answered, her voice tight with anger. “Tell me you aren’t in Battery Park.”
TWENTY-TWO
“Not yet we aren’t,” Monty said. “Where are you?”
“About five minutes away,” Ursula answered. “My team is ten minutes out. This attack caught us off guard. A nexus point is under attack, but it doesn’t read like Mourn.”
“Mourn?” I asked, avoiding traffic. “What is Mourn?”
“I’ll explain it later,” Monty said quickly. “Ursula, the golem is a siphon for mages.”
“Good thing I’m not a mage, then.”
“Precisely,” Monty said. “When you engage the golem, Simon and his creature will join you, in addition to two other questionable paranormal investigators.”
“Excuse me? I’ll be doing what?”
“What do you keep reminding me of?” Monty asked, glancing at me.
“That you need to drink coffee? That we need a vacay…STAT?”
“That you are not a mage,” Monty answered. “This situation is tailor-made—”
“Suicide,” I finished for Monty. “Are you crazy? I don’t know how to face a golem.”
“I just need you to keep it occupied,”
