Chapter Nineteen
You were supposed to get the location, not kill him,” Surt said through clenched teeth.
Courbet shrugged. “He wouldn’t give it up.”
Surt steamed around his desk and up into Courbet’s face. “So basically, you exposed us unnecessarily for nothing.”
The fat man winced. “This is hard, boss.”
“Hard?” Surt yelled. “Only for an idiot. Thanks to you, I now have to deal with the sightings of my hellraiders. I’ve already had three calls.”
“Just tell them they were bats,” Courbet said.
“You’re fired,” Surt said. “Get out of my office.”
He frowned deeply and snarled a little as he stomped out.
“You are now my second in command.”
Martin stepped out from the shadows. “Yes, sir.”
“Follow them,” Surt said. “Find out the location. And contact me when they get close.”
Martin nodded. He could do that. He knew Thane well. He knew how he would react to situations. Knew his weaknesses and strengths. He would be a good second in command.
Surt walked up to him and stood directly in front of him. He was shorter than Martin and cold radiated from his body.
“You need to be more powerful,” Surt said. “I need to be able to see through you.”
“How can you do that?” Martin asked.
“Like this.” And then Surt thrust his hand deep into Martin’s eyes, and Martin screamed.
* * *
Reya put the USB flash drive into the Internet café computer hoping against all hope that it wasn’t empty. “Let’s find what Jim died for, if anything.”
Thane sat down next to her, watching the local news on the TV hanging in a corner. Flying demons were the lead story.
“I still can’t believe they showed themselves,” she said quietly.
Thane nodded. “Surt must be getting sloppy.”
“No,” she said firmly. “He’s a lot of things, but sloppy is not one of them. Someone screwed up.”
To her relief, files popped up on the flash drive search. They were time-stamped an hour ago. Image files, some of them big. A few text documents. There was one file with a KML extension. She did an Internet search on KML files. They were Google Earth files. Hope soared. “We have files, but I don’t want to view or print them here,” she told Thane and pulled out the flash drive. “Chu has a computer and printer.”
They both stood up to leave and Ronald Smith’s face appeared on the TV.
“I have surveyed the crime scene,” he said, looking directly into the camera. “As with the other victims, he was a kind man. Churchgoing. One of the faithful. A lot of good that did him.”
“What is he up to?” Thane asked under his breath.
Reya shook her head. “What is he doing, admitting the victims were all good people?”
Thane said, “Because it’s enough.”
“Enough for what?”
Thane gazed at her. “Enough to keep people from being good.”
She sighed. Bastard. She hated Surt, and she didn’t care what the f*ck was in his contract. She should have killed him when she had the chance. “Let’s go see Chu.”
* * *
It took them an hour to get to Chu’s place because of the craziness in the streets. Everyone was riled up. The tension was palpable. Looting had erupted in broad daylight. Cabs crashed into each other. People got into fights in the streets for no reason. It seemed like every siren in the city was blaring.
His apartment was quiet for a change, and Chu let them in himself. “Back so soon?”
Reya smiled. “We need a computer and printer.”
“Sure,” he said and led the way to his office. “Don’t suppose you know anything about the sighting of black flying creatures that kill?”
“Surt’s hellraiders,” Reya said.
Chu hit the lights. “I thought so.”
He pulled a laptop out from under a pile of books. They set it up on his desk under the light.
Chu asked, “How about something to drink?”
Thane said, “That’d be great.”
“Be right back,” he said and left.
Reya powered up the machine. “We should call Orson.”
“For what?” Thane asked, pulling up a chair beside her and dropping into it. “Tell me, do you think he really doesn’t know everything, or is he just screwing with us?”
She’d wondered that herself. Orson had always been her mentor, prodding her along with lessons that she didn’t even realize he was teaching. Maybe this was one of those times, but she really hoped not. She hoped that she was not the cause or effect of this crisis.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” she said.
Chu came in with three sodas and handed them out. He stood behind Thane and took a drink of his. “Where are we now?” Chu asked.
“We know that Surt is involved,” Reya said as she waited for Google Earth to install. “We know the symbols generate the Tree of Life. We know that Surt is Roger Smith—”
“No,” Chu gasped. “The guy on TV?”
“The same,” Thane said.
“Damn,” Chu said, waving a hand in defeat. “Just when I thought things were getting better since there haven’t been as many new burn victims.”
“They’re all Gridworkers,” Reya told Chu. “He’s trying to weaken the grid.”
“Or control it,” Thane said.
“Or do something in between,” Reya said.
She opened the drive and the list of files appeared. Reya opened each file one by one. There were the multiple CAD renderings of the symbol, the hits on the Tree of Life symbol, and maps that Jim had used. Then she figured out how to view Jim’s KML file in Google Earth. It took a while but she was finally able to pull up a global view of the Earth. Reya spun it to display the eastern side of North America and clicked on Jim’s file. Lines crisscrossed the United States, some intersecting in starbursts of lines.
“Is that the energy grid?” Thane asked.
She scanned the globe. “I think so.”
“Jim knew about the energy grid?” Thane asked.
“He might not have known what it was. Maybe he just thought it was geometry,” she said and zoomed into the New York City vicinity. The Tree of Life appeared laid out on top of Manhattan and the nearby area. Red dots marked where the lines intersected in multiple places across White Plains, the Bronx, and Manhattan. There was no other helpful information. “Which one is the location?”
“Looks like we’ll have to check them all out,” Thane said. “Nothing is ever easy.”
“If it was easy, Surt would have already figured it out,” Chu pointed out.
Reya realized he was exactly right. “He doesn’t know where it is.”
“And that’s why Jim’s dead,” Thane noted.
Exactly. To Surt, Jim was nothing more than a means to an end.
Thane stood up and rolled his shoulders. “You think he’s letting us find it for him?”
“Yes,” she said, her voice full of disgust. It would explain why they hadn’t been attacked recently. “That’s exactly what he would do.”
“But then how would he know if we found it? He can’t track us all the time.”
Good question. “He’ll find a way. Chu, can I use your printer?”
“Sure,” he said. “You two want to stay here? I got a spare room upstairs.”
Reya looked at Thane. It beat a hotel room. She warned him, “Surt’s watching us.”
Chu shrugged. “Surt’s watching everyone.”
He had a point. “Deal.”
* * *
Traffic was worse than Thane had ever seen and the cab ride to the first location was taking forever. Next to him, Reya was quiet but watchful of their surroundings. They’d ditched the rental car once they’d moved into Chu’s. Aside from the parking hassles, using cabs was easier for the kind of on-the-ground scouting they needed to do.
Knowing Surt was watching their every move meant Thane was closer to his revenge, but how it would play out, he didn’t know. If they found the pyramid, would Surt step in himself or would he just send one of his minions to do the job? Would Thane even get a shot at him? Did he give up everything for nothing? Despite all he’d learned about these worlds, he could see no justice.
His cell phone rang, and he checked the incoming number. It was Martin. He answered, “What’s up?”
Martin said, “I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help.”
“Nothing yet, thanks. Anything new on Smith?”
Reya turned to him and Thane held the phone out a little so she could hear the conversation.
Martin replied, “He’s pretty clean so far. I find it hard to believe he is who you say he is.”
Martin was starting to sound as though he liked Smith. “Trust me, he’s all that and more. How are things at the office?”
“Busy.”
Thane fought the urge to press. What was wrong with him? Why did he feel so antsy? “Wife, kids?”
“All fine. What are you two doing today?”
“Just following up a few leads,” he said vaguely. Thane noticed a breaking newscast playing on the taxi’s small TV. A church was burning. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, but keep in touch. I’m getting close to Smith.” Martin hung up.
“This is second attack in the last four hours,” said the female TV reporter, standing in front of a fully engulfed Methodist church. “So far, six victims have burst into flames while inside neighborhood churches. The fires spread so quickly that other parishioners were sometimes trapped and perished. We have reports of at least twenty people with injuries.”
Then she stopped and listened to her earpiece. “Another fire has just been reported at a Catholic church in the Bronx. We have a crew on the way. Back to the studio.”
The news anchor detailed the other fire, showing the skeleton of a church ablaze. The third church appeared moments later. The scenes were utter chaos with fire trucks, flashing lights, and firefighters trying to douse the infernos. It was like the structures were soaked in gasoline first. It was unnatural.
Reya whispered, “He’s targeting places of worship.”
And Martin hadn’t mentioned it. “No,” Thane said. “He’s targeting the churchgoers. People will be afraid to go to services, afraid to pray. They’ll stay away.”
Reya closed her eyes. “And the positive energy they create as a collective consciousness will stop feeding the grid. He’s found a way to weaken it even more.”
She was right about Surt. He wouldn’t give up. Thane had dealt with drug dealers, gangs, and serial killers. Surt made them look like Boy Scouts. “You didn’t mention what a real bastard he is. Did you know?”
She frowned at him. “Of course not.”
Thane waited. There was more. There was always more when it came to relationships.
Reya sighed. “All the time I knew him, I had no idea he was such a monster. Never saw the greed.”
Thane believed her. “People change.”
She shook her head slowly. “I think he was always like that. I just never saw it. Or I didn’t want to see it. Or maybe I wanted to think I could change him.”
She turned to him, her eyes full of regret. “He had a vision. He wanted to forget all the rules and just enjoy being a limitless soul. He used to say that it was a big game and that it was fixed by the spirit council. Why spend all your time trying to get back to the light? Why not enjoy the gifts you’re given? It made sense to me.”
It did make sense. Thane said, “Sounds like the way I feel.”
“Yes. And you’d be right. You have free will. You can choose that if you want. Be whatever you want to be for as long as you want to be it. The problem starts when you take the choice away from others.”
Thane actually understood that. “Like Surt.”
“Yes,” she said. “I didn’t agree with all the rules and goody-goody crap. Back then, all I wanted was to be the best person I could be without being phony or hypocritical. So I followed Surt to the other side.”
Thane waited while she found the words. This was important to her. He doubted she’d ever told anyone before. He felt somehow honored.
She smiled. “At first, it was fun. We partied and messed with the living and didn’t reincarnate. Didn’t take classes, didn’t review our past lives to see our mistakes and weaknesses, didn’t abide by any of the laws or rules. We just had a blast.”
Then her smile faded. “But after a while, I saw what he was truly capable of. If someone didn’t agree with him, he’d destroy them. Not physically, but mentally and emotionally and socially. The more power he got, the crueler he became. That’s when I realized that he was using me just like he used everyone else. He was using our energy to serve his own goals.”
Thane reached out and turned her face toward him. “You did the right thing.”
“It cost me a lot, following him,” she said. “Lifetimes. Lessons. Getting back on track has been harder than anything I’ve ever done. But Surt is still gaining power, and I helped him get where he is.”
And that explained a lot. Why she was working so hard to stop him. Why she pushed through failure after failure. Why she’d face hellraiders and worse.
“This isn’t your fault,” Thane told her.
“I had the chance to stop him. I had the chance to send him back, and I didn’t.”
“Not your call,” he told her.
She smirked a little. “Wow. That means practically nothing coming from you.”
He brushed her hair off her face. “You’re a far better person than I’ll ever be.”
“Never too late to start,” she said.
“Maybe tomorrow.”
Sadness swept her features for a moment before she turned back to the television, which showed flames feeding on another church. “What are we going to do about this?”
“There’s only one way to stop him. Let him come to us.”
* * *
From the street, Reya scanned Battery Park with binoculars. Not a pyramid in sight. “It wouldn’t be here. This entire site was built on a fort. I think someone would have noticed a big old pyramid.”
Thane nodded. “I can’t imagine anyone not noticing a big old pyramid anywhere in this city.”
That had become apparent to her as well. What if the structure was buried somewhere underground? They’d never find it. What would Surt do then? Kill everyone?
Thane said, “I think we can safely take this one off the list. Where to next?”
She pulled out her map. “East of Central Park. Around Second Avenue and East Ninety-Sixth.”
They hailed a cab and took the long drive uptown. Thane was quiet, and Reya wondered if she’d spilled her guts a little too much. What would it matter? It’s not like she was going to marry him or anything. This was temporary. Besides, it felt good telling someone. Orson would have turned it into a lesson, then she would have threatened to kill him, and it would have ruined the whole thing.
“Martin’s still pissed at me,” Thane said out of the blue.
Reya blinked at him. “How do you know that?”
“Nothing specific,” he said and shrugged. “He’s probably still mad at me for bailing on him.”
“I wouldn’t call it bailing,” she said. “We’re a lot closer than you and Martin would have gotten.”
He looked at her, and she held his eyes. For the first time, she realized that his soul light wasn’t as dark. It was probably more than she should hope for. He was a long way from being redeemed.
“Or maybe he’s jealous that I get to work with a beautiful woman,” he said with a grin.
“And he should be,” she quipped.
Their eyes locked for a little too long, and Reya felt the flutter in her belly. Thane had his thigh next to hers, and she was acutely aware of the warmth and power. She realized that she wanted more. Wanted something permanent. But wanting and getting were two different things. They existed in worlds apart.
The cabbie dropped them off in the middle of buildings on the east side of Central Park. After two hours of wandering around, Reya was convinced that they were in the wrong place.
Reya sat on a bench in a small park surrounded by streets and traffic. They were in the middle of the freakin’ city. Every inch of this town had been trampled by millions of feet. How were they supposed to find a pyramid? She opened the map again and looked it over. “Are we missing something, or was Jim just totally off?”
Thane stood in front of her, looking over the location. “It would have been nice if he’d left us some notes with his map.”
Maybe it wasn’t too late for that, Reya thought. It was worth a shot. “Orson!”
He appeared instantly next to her on the bench, and she frowned. “What, were you waiting around for me to call?”
He smiled. “Of course.”
“Right,” she muttered. She suspected it was more like he was on his best behavior around Thane.
Thane addressed him coolly. “Orson.”
Orson smiled up at him. “You look different, Thane.”
Thane cut his gaze to her. “What does that mean?”
She had no idea, but she didn’t call Orson to start a pissing match. She held the paper up for Orson to see. “We need to talk to Jim about how to use this map. Can you put us in touch with him?”
“I’ll check,” Orson said as he started to write on his pad. He was soon lost in the connection with the other side. When he was like this, she knew better than to bother him. Especially when it was as important as this. Then Orson was quiet, apparently waiting for a response.
After a few moments, Thane walked over next to her and asked, “What is he doing?”
“Communicating,” she said.
“You’d think they’d give him a cell phone or something.”
She laughed. “He’s old school.”
Suddenly, Orson started scribbling madly on the notepad. His expression gave nothing away. When he stopped, he ripped off the sheet of paper and handed it to her.
She read the note with disappointment. “He is available, but he can’t remember.”
As she expected, Thane was not happy. He walked around her to face down Orson. “You’re holding out on us.”
“I’m not holding out on you,” Orson said calmly. “This is the truth.”
“You’re supposed to remember everything when you die. All your lives, all you’ve learned. That’s the whole point of all this crap, isn’t it?” He was getting angrier by the minute.
“That is true,” Orson said patiently and swept a hand toward the map. “But these are not the things that you remember.”
Thane looked at him in disgust. “You’re all worthless. It’s just a game to you. You want Surt to win so you can prolong the game and keep toying with us for your own entertainment.”
Orson said, “I assure you—”
“Don’t,” Thane said, cutting him off. “I can see for myself how this works. I don’t need you or anyone else to tell me what to believe.”
Reya tried to intercede. “It’s more than you see.”
He turned his ire on her. “Don’t defend what they’re doing. You of all people should know how this will end for humanity. I’m beginning to think that Surt was right.”
She inhaled sharply. That was not what she wanted to hear. Guilt raged over her. Why had she told him about Surt? Had she driven him to the other side?
Then Thane turned around and walked away. He stopped on the sidewalk in front of the intersection with his hands on his hips, fuming.
“You told him about Surt,” Orson observed.
“Yes, he deserved to know.”
“I agree,” Orson said. “I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful.”
She gripped the paper between her fingers. “Please, Orson. Don’t do this to teach me something. This isn’t another lesson to be learned. This affects billions of good souls.”
Orson turned to her, his expression one of complete compassion. “We wouldn’t do that—”
“Yes, you would,” she said. “You’ve done it before.”
Orson was quiet for a moment. “What would make you believe me?”
She eyed him. It was the first time he’d ever asked that. “You usually tell me to go on blind faith.”
He shrugged. “I think perhaps you need something more concrete.”
She appreciated the effort, but honestly, she didn’t need it. She had faith, just not in everything. “I won’t tolerate being used, Orson. I won’t allow you to punish all these people to prove something to me.”
His eyebrows rose slightly. “I see.”
“No, you don’t,” she said, feeling her righteousness blossom. “More than fifty people have died so far. Innocent, good people. Twelve churches have burned to the ground. Sanctuaries for the spiritual good. Keepers of the energy grid. This better not be because of me. I swear, I will leave, and I won’t come back.”
He pressed his lips together. “Where will you go?”
She had no idea, but it wouldn’t be here. “To the fringes.”
“That’s a drastic measure to take for all eternity,” he said.
“I don’t care.” And she didn’t. She couldn’t go back to the darkness, and she wouldn’t live in the light if this were what it meant. She’d skirt the edges and live happily ever after.
“I won’t give up on you,” Orson said.
“Then don’t let me down.”
Orson nodded toward Thane. “What about him?”
Reya felt her heart drop. “He saved my life the other night.”
“That’s a good start,” Orson said.
“Probably so he could use me to get to Surt,” she added. “But I understand and accept that.”
She felt Orson’s gaze settle on her. “You love him.”
Love. It was a funny thing. Fulfilling, at best. Fleeting, at worst. She was probably somewhere in between. “It doesn’t matter what I feel. It’s all an illusion anyway.”
Orson chuckled, and she turned to him. “What’s so funny?”
“You sound like me,” he said.
“Old?”
He laughed. “Yes, old. Ancient. And you are.”
She knew that, but it wouldn’t change the future. “I already know how it will end, Orson. That’s not wisdom. It’s just punishment.”
Orson started to say something, but there was a sudden flutter of wings overhead—a torrent coming down one of the streets, and Reya turned to the direction they were coming from.
Thane ran toward her. “Reya! Fire!”