“Rookie sidekick?” I asked. “When did she get a rookie sidekick?”
“Don’t know…don’t care,” Grey said. “You’ll like her, she reminds me of you.”
“No two people can be that amazing on the same plane,” I said. “The cosmic energies couldn’t handle that much awesomosity.”
Grey stared at me for a few seconds before nodding.
“Yep,” Grey said with a nod. “She was full of it too, but good in a fight.”
“I can’t believe Chi is back in the city,” I said. “I’m going to need to speak to her.”
“You may want to give her a few days…or weeks.”
“Why?”
“Last I checked, she was doing some massive housecleaning in the Dark Council,” Grey said. “When we parted ways, she was about to renovate that place they had downtown. The Lotus.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Doesn’t matter now. It’s probably rubble. The Director leaves little to chance.”
“That sounds like her.”
“So, the Black Orchid wants Tristan and this greenhorn dead. We know that much; what we don’t know is why.”
“The real threat is Evers,” I said. “You hear about her?”
“I’m old, but I stay out of politics,” Grey said. “The Night Wardens focused on keeping this city in one piece. I didn’t have time or the energy to get involved in world affairs, like Tristan. Even during the war, we fought our battles on different fronts.”
“So, that’s a no?”
“That’s a no,” Grey said with a growl. “I have enough enemies to deal with. I don’t go out of my way to make new ones. My life has been overly exciting the past few days. I was looking forward to a little boring…then Ezra sends you to me.”
“So much for boring,” I said. “Evers is bad news. Sorry.”
“I don’t understand why they would go after him with such zeal,” Jessikah said. “I mean, I do understand some of the motivation; he is nearly a dark mage and dark mages are a clear and present danger.”
“I’m sure they are,” Grey said. “Please, go on.”
“Well,” Jessikah continued, oblivious to the fact that she had just insulted Grey. “This almost seems…personal. Tristan has been under surveillance for an extended period of time. Ever since the void vortices. That was a disaster.”
“Hey,” I said, offended.“That was defensive.”
“No situation warrants unleashing not one, but two vortices in a populated area,” Jessikah said. “It was reckless and incredibly dangerous. I won’t even get into London. They’re still recovering from your little ‘visit’ to that city.”
“I heard about that,” Grey said with a chuckle. “You, Tristan, and your hound are officially banned from the UK, according to the word on the street.”
“The Penumbra Consortium placed a continent-wide D-and-D alert on you three,” Jessikah said. “I would strongly advise against visiting Europe for at least a few decades. They have long memories.”
“D and D?” I asked, confused. “They want us to play Dungeons and Dragons?”
“Detain and Destroy,” Jessikah answered. “They are serious about eliminating you. I can’t believe you damaged the Tower of London?”
“I did no such thing,” I said. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not in the magic department. They’re just being a bunch of self-entitled rectal nuggets.”
“That…is an accurate description,” Grey said with a crooked smile. “The PC is full of entrenched stuffed shirts.”
“I’m afraid this is a case of guilt by association,” Jessikah said. “The Consortium wants you all erased or dead.”
“They’re going to need to get in line,” I said. “It’s not going to be that easy.”
“Don’t give it too much thought,” Grey said. “Just don’t make any trips across the pond and you should be fine.”
“He should be fine?” Jessikah asked, raising her voice. “It’s a termination order.”
“Which is only in effect if he’s in their jurisdiction,” Grey answered with a look that said, You need to get out more, kid, before continuing. “I have a few of them myself. The Consortium needs to get the stick out of their—anyway, I’m more concerned about why Ezra sent you here, Strong…you and your screwed up signature. It reads like you’re shifting, which is impossible, because…”
“I’m not a mage, I know.”
“Exactly,” Grey said. “What happened?”
“I don’t know, but I need to focus on Monty right now.”
“Ezra thought Monty was here?” Grey asked. “That makes no sense.”
“Hello, have you met Ezra?”
“Good point.”
“He said you would know where I needed to go,” I said. “It doesn’t explain why the BO is after Monty like he’s a fugitive on the most wanted list.”
“The BO?” Jessikah asked. “Really?”
“Yes, really,” I said. “They stink.”
“Puerile names aside,” Jessikah said, giving me a glance, “their motivations are suspect.”
“Wish I could help you with the BO, but I can’t,” Grey said. “This sounds like something that goes back to your elders and the Montagues. I may know something about where Tristan would go.”
“Dex did say something about the Black Orchid holding a grudge,” I said. “You know anything about that?”
“If Dex is involved, you better believe it’s personal. Again, not that I would know,” Grey replied after taking a sip of coffee. “My schedule is packed with my being a ‘clear and present danger’ these days.”
Jessikah turned a nice shade of red when she realized Grey had used her words.
“I’m terribly sorry,” she said, quickly. “I meant no insult.”
“Don’t sweat it,” Grey said, waving her words away. “I’ve been called worse. You may want to watch your words, though. Not every mage is as casual and easygoing as I am. Most of them are touchy about their reputations and pedigrees.”
“Most?” I said. “You mean all, right?”
“Dexter being his uncle still doesn’t explain the deviation in protocol for this particular mage,” Jessikah mused, regaining some of her natural color. “The Black Orchid is going above and beyond to apprehend Tristan.”
“By apprehend, you mean erase and kill?” Grey asked. “Didn’t seem like they were looking to have a chat over tea last night.”
“I don’t know what their orders are,” Jessikah replied. “We left the sect at different times.”
“I might have an idea why they have such an interest in Monty,” I said. “It was something Evers said.”
“What did she say?” Jessikah asked.
“She said
