“These two asshats need to be on the first bus to Haven. It’s not that they’re unfit—they’re suicidal,” Frank spat. “This one”—he pointed to Bangers—“rushed the rock thing with the equivalent of a lit match. His partner, Einstein over there, instead of running for cover, decided to back him up. That rock thing nearly crushed the stupidity out of both of them tonight.”
“Which bus is next?” I asked, observing Bangers and Mash. “The next one out?”
“This one,” Frank said. “I’m driving, and we’re out in two minutes.”
“Got it,” I said. “Let me have a word with them.”
“Good luck. They wanted me to patch them up so they could go back out to their funeral,” Frank said. “Pair of idiots if you ask me. Two minutes, Strong.”
Frank stormed off. He sounded upset, but I’d known him long enough to understand that his anger was really out of concern for Bangers and Mash. He didn’t want them to throw their lives away, and if I had anything to do with it, they wouldn’t. First, though, we were going to get to the truth.
“Let’s make this brief, because we don’t have time,” I said, looking at Bangers. “There’s no way you studied in the Golden Circle. Hell, I doubt you even know where it is.”
“How dare you question my—” Bangers started.
“I’m not done,” I said, cutting him off. “I’m sure you mean well, but all you’re going to do tonight is die—and take your associate with you. And you”—I said, looking at Mash—“ex-Navy Seal my ass. Don’t even try to deny it. No self-respecting Frogman would partner up with a pretend mage.”
“I am a mage,” Bangers admitted. “I never trained at the Golden Circle and never got past basic casting, but I am a mage…an apprentice, really.”
“And you?” I said, looking at Mash. “What’s your story?”
“Mess,” Mash said. “I worked with Navy Seals…in the mess hall.”
“You’re a cook?”
“I fed the Navy Seals.”
“You realize feeding Navy Seals doesn’t make you one? Not even close?”
Mash nodded, embarrassed.
“I have to say, you two have to be the most fearless pair of clowns I’ve ever encountered,” I said, shaking my head. “Your mission is over—right now.”
“What makes you so qualified to face the creature?” Bangers asked, indignantly. “What makes you think you can face it?”
“A valid question—one which I will indulge, because well...because I don’t want to see you two as bloody smears on the streets of my city.”
I extended my arm and let the silvery mist extend from my hand, forming Ebonsoul a second later. They both looked on in shock.
“Is that all—you can summon a knife?” Bangers asked, the surprise evident in his voice. “I’m not impressed.”
I pulled up a sleeve and ran Ebonsoul gently across my forearm, creating a large gash.
“What are you doing?” Mash said, concerned. “Robert, get the medic!”
“How?” Bangers asked when he started seeing the wound heal itself. “You’re not a mage.”
Mash opened his eyes wide. “How did you do that?”
Frank reappeared at the rear of the bus.
“Did you convince them?” Frank asked. “Or do I need to”—he cracked his knuckles—“use my sedative?”
I jumped out of the bus.
“I think they understand now,” I said, rolling down my sleeve. “Tell Roxanne to keep them on lock-down until this situation is resolved. I don’t want them getting caught in the middle of a rock and a hard place.”
“Got it,” Frank said, closing the rear doors on the still shocked Bangers and Mash. “They mean well. They just don’t know what they don’t know, which will get them dusted out here.”
I nodded as I heard a car come to a skidding halt, just outside the cordon.
“That’s my backup,” I said. “You take care of yourself, old man.”
“Look who’s talking. You’re probably older than me.”
“You know too much, OG.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Frank answered with a wink, chewing his cigar. “Go do what you need to do. Don’t get dead.”
“That’s the plan. Make sure Roxanne keeps those two in Haven for a few days.”
“I’m sure she will. You watch yourself out there.”
Frank jumped into the cab of the bus, started the engine and turned on the lights as he sped out of the area.
Ursula walked up to me a second later, her arm covered in a silver mist. She was about to materialize her weapon.
“You ready for this?” she asked.
“Not really,” I said, switching out my magazine for entropy rounds. “Never stopped me before.”
“I hope you have something stronger than bullets.”
“Don’t worry,” I said, holstering Grim Whisper. “I’m just full of surprises.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
TWENTY-FOUR
We headed to the location Ramirez had indicated on the map.
“Which direction did Tristan go?” Ursula asked, materializing her hammer as we closed on the golem. “The nexus point is over there.”
I glanced over at Ursula, who led the Decons and Magical Nulls—Elite Division, or DAMNED. It was a team made up of a group of Weres.
This was the group tasked with safeguarding the city’s nexus points, maintaining the balance of runic energy to prevent destabilization, and removing any potentially lethal residual traces.
They were the first and last line of defense when it came to maintaining the network of points intact. Ursula, who was a werebear, was a tall, heavyset woman with short black hair, and the physique to match any Olympic powerlifter. Tonight, she was wearing a black dragonscale T-shirt, jeans, and combat boots.
Down the length of one arm, the intricate pattern of runes gave off a dull golden light. Her presence commanded respect, which was due in part to the massive, rune-covered hammer she held in one hand, hefting it without any measurable effort.
“I dropped him off north of here. I’m guessing he’s going to approach the golem and then circle around to find the mage controlling it.”
“And we’re going to play tag with it,” Ursula said with a smile. “This is going to be interesting.”
“Listen,” I said, raising a hand. “I understand this may be hammer time for you, but I’m not looking to get pancaked tonight. We
