Red flag. “Did you ask why?”
Minka straightened. “Naturally. He said it was because the job was urgent and he knew our time was valuable.”
She fell for flattery? How very unlike her.
“He also said Sergio recommended us.”
That made a bit more sense. Sergio was like Mack, another knight that directed clients our way when his banner was fully booked or had a conflict of interest.
Minka’s phone bleeped again and she pounced. “Hello? Stevie?”
Nothing.
“Where was she going?” Ione asked.
Minka shook her head. “Not sure. I passed the details along, but I was busy at the time.”
I pulled out my phone and saw a signal. “I’ll call her.”
“Why does your phone work?” Minka huffed.
I gave her a sharp look. “Seriously? You’re suffering from comparisonitis now?” I found Stevie in my contacts and tapped the speaker button.
She picked up on the first ring. “Waterloo Bridge,” Stevie’s voice crackled and the connection died.
I cursed the unreliable satellites. There was only so much magic could do to keep them working. If the magic was powerful enough to cut through the dense atmosphere and reach the satellites, then they’d also be able to create holes for sunlight. That hadn’t happened, not for lack of trying though. Every so often there’d be an article in the newspaper about a secret team of scientists or magic users working to restore sunlight. Reporters tended to avoid those stories for the most part, unless they wanted to field a visit from House Lewis and a demand to reveal their sources. Vampires weren’t as keen as everyone else when it came to welcoming back the sun. For obvious reasons.
Ione jumped to her feet and knocked back her chair in the process. “Let’s go.”
“We don’t know what she’s dealing with,” Minka said. “How do we know which weapons to bring?”
I frowned at her. “How long have you been doing this job? You don’t wait for the right set of circumstances. You grab your best weapon and charge.”
Minka jerked chin upward. “Maybe that’s what you do. Some of us prefer to be more strategic.”
“And some of us prefer not to be dead.” I wasn’t wasting any more time. Stevie had an emergency. It didn’t matter what it was. She called us and we needed to get to her. Now.
I secured my daggers and strapped my axe to my back. When in doubt, Babe was my best bet. I learned how to throw an axe when I was barely strong enough to lift one. My mother liked its versatility and thought it was more practical than a sword. She wasn’t wrong.
I strode toward the exit. I sensed a presence behind me and knew without looking that Ione was there. She was light on her feet, which was one of the reasons she made a terrific archer. She could creep up on a target and be well within range before they even noticed her.
“I’ll stay here in case she shows up,” Minka called after us.
Sure. You do that.
Spanning the Thames, Waterloo Bridge was a pre-Eternal Night structure. Its survival was impressive considering the creatures that sometimes emerged from the river. Sensible residents didn’t cross it though. Not unless you were a vampire. They ruled the entire city, but they had a stranglehold on areas south of the river. It was where much of the vampire lower class had settled. If you were a witch or a werewolf, you’d only cross Waterloo Bridge for a very good reason, usually one that involved life or death. For a human to cross it was suicide.
The aquatic monsters didn’t help matters. Like the Serpentine, the river had its share of creatures that leaked from the depths of the oceans during the Great Eruption and found their way to more populated areas. The River Thames was notorious for spitting out the occasional kraken or a school of sirens that lured suspecting-but-weak-willed victims to their doom.
“What are you thinking—mermaids?” Ione asked as we hurried along the Strand.
“Bigger. Stevie wouldn’t request backup for mermaids.” She was a witch who specialized in water magic. She could handle a mermaid with an attitude problem.
“I can’t believe Minka.” Ione’s face hardened. “If anything happens to Stevie…”
“Nothing will happen to her.” I made sure to sound more certain than I felt. Knights died on the job every day and we both knew it, especially knights like us whose resources were limited.
A pulse of magic tugged me toward the river. I rounded the corner and glimpsed Stevie’s silhouette in the center of the bridge. Her feet were planted hip-width apart and she held her sword at the ready as she faced the water. Whatever she was anticipating, she wasn’t willing to be caught off guard.
Ione opened her mouth to call Stevie’s name and I clamped a hand over it. We couldn’t risk distracting her at a crucial moment.
Ione bit my finger. “You still smell like dragon.”
I removed my hand and put a finger to my lips. “Something’s coming and she wants to be ready.”
“She also wants our help or she wouldn’t have called.”
“She’s a water witch. If anyone can handle an angry river, it’s Stevie.”
Ione declined to heed my advice. She charged ahead and I groaned in exasperation. What was she thinking? I was the one who went running into the fray against the advice of others. Ione was usually more thoughtful.
Black waves chopped across the surface but there was no wind. Stevie was right. Something was coming.
I started toward her. Stevie’s feet were cemented on the bridge and Ione was halfway to her when the water rose up and twisted itself into a funnel. It had to be ten feet in circumference. And it was heading straight for the bridge.
I broke into a run.
The funnel spun across the bridge and captured Stevie in its spout.
“No!”
The funnel swept over the bridge and continued to the other side of the river. There was no sign of Stevie, not in the funnel or in the river.