“If he’s only a shift or two away from Archmage…” Monty began.
“That energy boost will push him over the edge,” I finished. “He’d be an Archmage plus. A Super Saiyan Archmage—that would be bad.”
“Yeah, sure,” Ursula said, looking at me strangely. “I’d better go see to those defenses. I’ll keep in touch.”
She left us and headed to the far end of the cordon, where she jumped into a black 1947 Plymouth Business Coupe. The car was covered in the strangest runes I’d ever seen, besides the Dark Goat.
“That is one sweet ride,” I said as she sped away with a roar and a rumble. “You think that’s a SuNaTran vehicle?”
“Without question, considering her line of work.”
“What did you mean when you said the Dark Council didn’t like me?” I asked. “Not that I need them to, mind you.”
“You are the living embodiment of everything they have lost, while maintaining some semblance of normalcy,” Monty said. “You have the best of both worlds while belonging to neither.”
“What?”
“They have lost their humanity, which many long for, while gaining abilities and longevity of life,” Monty explained. “You have retained the semblance of humanity and have attained immortality, while gaining abilities. It stands to reason they would dislike you.”
“But like you said, I don’t belong to either of those worlds. I’m not entirely human nor entirely supernatural.”
“I’d argue you are more supernatural than normal, based on the premise of immortality alone, but this is your dilemma to reconcile, not mine. We each have our burdens to carry. Some heavier than others.”
We arrived at the Command Vehicle as Ramirez stepped out.
“Did you kill it?” Ramirez asked, expectantly. “Is the stone thing gone?”
“Not yet,” I said. “How many people do you have in the NYTF, and how possible would it be to close down Times Square?”
“Close down Times Square?” Ramirez asked, and then broke out in laughter. It died down suddenly when we didn’t join him. “You’re serious?”
“Yes. We think the next attack will be in Times.”
“You think? I can’t make a request to shut down the busiest intersection in the city on an ‘I think.’ I need to be certain, and even then, no guarantees.”
“The most powerful hub in the city is located in Times Square,” Monty said. “We have three days to prepare the area and devise a method to stop the mage controlling the golem.”
“Three days?” Ramirez asked. “That’s insane. Can’t be done.”
“If we fail,” Monty continued, “he will become even stronger and wipe us out. Do you want to take a chance on making that call, or wait to see if we were right as we die fighting for our lives?”
“Make the call, Angel,” I said. “If we’re wrong, we’ll take the heat. If we’re right, you get the glory.”
“If you’re wrong, my time in the NYTF will be done.”
“We’re not wrong. Make the call.”
“What the hell,” Ramirez said, after searching our faces. “Maybe it’s time for an early retirement. We don’t have enough NYTF to close the entire area. I’m going to have to pull personnel from other agencies.”
“Get as many sensitives as you can,” Monty said. “Relegate those to the inner areas. Keep the normals to the fringe areas where they will be safer.”
“I really hope you aren’t wrong, Strong. Now, get out of my face—I have to go put my career in jeopardy based on your hunch.”
TWENTY-EIGHT
Monty had opened the cavern that passed as a trunk on the Dark Goat and retrieved another black Zegna jacket, woven with dragonscale and runed against damage. He slammed the trunk and jumped in the passenger side as I turned on the engine.
“I really hope we aren’t wrong,” I said as we sped uptown in the Dark Goat. “You’re certain it will be in three days?”
“Not entirely,” Monty answered. “There are variables.”
I nearly swerved into oncoming traffic.
“What? Angel is risking everything on our recommendation. What do you mean, not entirely?”
“It was my best assessment based on the variables. The strength of the limiter I placed, factored against how proficient I thought Toson would be unraveling its design, factored against the inherent power of the Earth’s Breath.”
I let out a long breath. “This is bad.”
“If it’s any consolation,” Monty said, “if I’m wrong, we won’t be around. Well maybe you’ll be, but the rest of us will be killed. Toson will have become that powerful.”
I glanced at him sideways as I dodged traffic.
“That…is no consolation at all. Thanks. You’ve been hanging around Ezra too long.”
“Speaking of which, we need to go see him,” Monty said. “There was something Toson said that points to someone not being entirely forthright with us.”
“Ezra’s always been straight with us, I mean, he’s Death. Why would he lie? Besides, what would he lie about?”
“I wasn’t referring to Ezra. If there is one thing I’ve learned in my short life, it’s that, in the end, death is honest,” Monty said, looking back to some far away memory. “No, I was referring to Orahjene.”
“Jen? Miss ‘I need to kick your ass so you can go on a suicide mission for me’ Jen?” I asked. “That I can see. Do you want to call ahead? My guess is she’s still in the secret garden, mid-shift.”
“Good point,” Monty said, pulling out his phone and connecting it to the Dark Goat. “I’d like a reservation for three, with Ezra.”
“Is this an immediate reservation?” a voice asked. “Or would you like it for a later date?”
“Immediate, please. Twenty minutes.”
“I have you scheduled for twenty minutes from now.”
“Thank you.”
He ended the call.
“Reservation for three?” I asked. “Who are you inviting?”
“You plan on leaving your creature outside?”
“Of course not,” I said, glancing in the rear-view mirror at Sir Sprawly McSprawl taking up the backseat. “I just assumed…I mean, he always goes where I go. We’re bondmates.”
“He still needs a reservation where we’re going.”
<Are we going to the place?>
<Not really, but I think I can score you extra meat for fighting the rock monster with
