Page 79 of Into Darkness (Night Prowler 6)
It was over as quickly as it had started. The man fell forward onto his hands, gasping for breath.
“I don’t like liars. You should know that up front. I also don’t like repeating myself, so I’m only going to say this once: Leave, and never come near here again. Next time, I won’t be so forgiving.”
Then it seemed all the men were released from the grip of agony that held them. One by one, they staggered to their feet, grunting and groaning, wiping blood from their faces, their eyes wild and disoriented. The leader found his helmet and stumbled down the tunnel toward the others, and one by one the rest retrieved their headgear. They fell into the elevator, collapsing to the floor.
The door closed. The elevator creaked to life. Then there was only an empty tunnel festooned with bloodstains, and a tall, smooth-edged hole in one wall.
Something glinted oddly in the dim light. A sly glimmer began to coalesce into a solid form. Then Magnus appeared, looking up into the camera, his face as cold as stone. He looked a long, long time, and Lu knew he knew she was watching, and waiting for her to pronounce judgment against him.
When she remained silent, still stunned by what she’d seen, his voice, broken and raw, spoke into her head.
Not so beautiful now, am I?
He turned on his heel and strode away.
TWENTY-FIVE
For a person who’d grown up in a society where the elderly were murdered with a lethal dose of chemicals, then incinerated and disposed of along with the trash, Lu found Cherokee burial customs exotic, foreign, and hauntingly beautiful.
First, Nola washed Grandfather’s body with water and boiled willow root. Then she anointed him with lavender oil to cleanse his body of impurities. She sang a lament on her knees beside his bed, while James performed purification rituals for the house. They then gathered all Grandfather’s belongings, wrapped his body in a shroud, and sang more lamentations until the day had passed and darkness again overtook the sky.
Then they went outside, dug a hole, and buried him in the yard with his head facing west. His clothing, favorite books, jewelry, old photographs, and wedding ring were buried with him.
During all of it Lu fought back tears. Her own father had escaped the injection of SleepSoft-9 and the CineratorTM, but in the end he’d burned anyway. There was no grave for her to visit when they reached New Vienna. No evidence existed that he’d ever been alive at all. There was only a place in her heart that would forever remain empty, and her memory of him, the gentle, faithful man who’d raised a foundling child and paid the ultimate price for his kindness.
Though she’d been surrounded by death almost her entire life, Lu felt that her father’s and Nola’s grandfather’s deaths were connected, as their dying advice to her was connected, as she herself was connected to something larger and unseen. The weight of her destiny loomed heavy, and if she was being honest with herself, she wasn’t sure she was capable of rising to the occasion.
This rescue plan she’d concocted wasn’t exactly foolproof. What if she failed?
Magnus spoke quietly from behind her. “It’s time.”
Lu had been staring at the computer screens, lost in thought, her eyes focused on the image of the mound of freshly dug dirt in the yard, but now she turned and looked at him. His eyes held that cold, remote look again, which told her in no uncertain terms that this morning’s interlude in the bedroom hadn’t been the breakthrough she’d hoped it was.
Her heart sank. Fool.
She was a fool to think she could change a man so damaged. She was a fool to believe there could be anything good or happy in her future. She was a fool to believe in the power of love.
There was no love in this world. There was only death, and darkness.
“I’m ready,” she answered, her voice empty. She turned back to the screens.
He hesitated a moment before moving away. He said a few words of condolence and thanks to James and Nola, accepted two canteens of water and small packages of wrapped food for their packs, then wished them both farewell.
“The bikes only hold a six-hour charge, so don’t take any detours on the way to your next stop,” cautioned Nola in a quiet voice. “All your stops on the way to the city should have chargers, but once you get to New Vienna, you’ll have to ditch the bikes altogether; they’re not registered. It’ll raise a flag.”
“Will you stay here?” Magnus asked. He left unsaid any words of caution about the Scavs, but his concern was implied in his tone.
James said, “My guess is we’re safe for a while, at least. They won’t be in any hurry to come back. We’ll be careful, don’t worry about us. Just . . .” He faltered, and Lu turned to find him looking at her. “You guys be careful, too.”
“We will. Thank you for everything, both of you.” Lu crossed and gave Nola a hard hug, then hugged James. When she withdrew, James squeezed her hand, then dropped it and went to the kitchen, busying himself with tidying up. Nola walked them to the door.
“There’s something you should have.” Nola handed Lu a small envelope with her name written on the outside in a masculine scrawl. Curious, Lu looked inside: There at the bottom glittered a gold chain with a pendant. She tipped the envelope and the necklace, cool and heavy, slid into the palm of her hand.
The pendant was in the shape of a dragon. Wings spread, tail curled, mouth open as if about to spew fire. It had tiny rubies for eyes, and it was the exact same dragon that Lu had tattooed on her stomach. She gasped.
Nola said, “Aside from his wedding ring, that was Grandfather’s favorite piece of jewelry. He was never without it. I found it inside the book on his nightstand, in that envelope with your name.” Nola paused, drawing a steadying breath. When she looked into Lu’s eyes, her own were moist. “There’s an inscription on the back. I looked it up. It’s Aristotle. Maybe it means something to you?”
With shaking hands, Lu turned over the pendant. In a whisper, she read aloud the words inscribed there.
