“Checking out the black market for Director Rufus,” I lied to her easily.
She tipped her head. “Gordy is not doing anything illegal, not really. And the Sandman knows about him. Everyone does. Kind of a secret that isn’t, you know?”
I leaned closer, grabbing her wrist again and doing something I didn’t quite understand. It was like . . . I could see her power level and it was pretty decent. “Why is a not-dead-yet vampire here? One who is stronger than she is letting on.”
“Oh, that’s easy, and I’ll even tell you for free.” She smiled, flashing her teeth again. “I didn’t pass the Culling Trials four years ago. I was with a good group, it was going well, and then, well, it didn’t go so well. I was left behind on one of the tests. That’s all it takes, you know? When someone doesn’t want you to succeed.” Her smile didn’t fade, but her eyes darkened and tightened at the edges. Her words and her obvious pleasure at not completing the test were at odds.
“You threw it?” She tossed her chance to get educated? Why would someone do that? Even I who hadn’t wanted to be there in the first place could see the draw.
“Worked in my favor, didn’t it? I’d have been in the House of Night when it went BOOM.” She flicked her fingers out in a poor imitation of what had happened to the kids.
Four years ago. The same year that Rory had gone through the Culling Trials. I couldn’t help myself. “You know Rory?”
“The Shade? He wasn’t in my group, but there was lots of chatter about him. One of the best, I heard. Great ass. Wish I could bite it if it still looks that good. Probably does.”
I shook off the questions I had about Rory, because none were truly important. He’d made his choice in Gen, and I had to keep moving no matter that I felt a sharp ache in my chest. Heartburn, it was just heartburn. I grimaced and pushed my stupid emotions to the back of my head. I didn’t have the luxury of hurting over what Rory had done. Not right then. I had to find my friends and they needed me to bring my A game.
“Okay, weapons, and maybe a change of clothes if you can get them.” A map if this Gordy had one, and maybe some more info. Maybe something about just how the two Chameleons planned on taking over all five houses. Not that it would be hard now with the houses scattered and broken.
I mean, if I were making wishes, it was right up there with the rocket launcher.
Izzy stood. “Sure, come on.”
She walked to the back of the room, then gave Mary a wave. Mary lifted a wand and flicked it at the wall in front of Izzy. Damn, I’d missed that about her. Was it because her ability was so low?
“How did she get a wand if she’s a null?”
Izzy paused. “Not a null but close. Lots of nulls aren’t really nulls, they’re just low on the pole, if you know what I mean. And she got her wand from Gordy. Bought it, of course.” Izzy went on with her explanation.
“This is where the outcasts come. You know, hence the name,” she said, leading the way. “Lots move on, but some stay to help the others who get sent out into the world on their own. Like I said, that’s why Gordy set up close. Lots of suckers.” She laughed. “Not you, of course.”
“Of course,” I drawled.
Her deep red hair took on an unearthly glow as we stepped through the wall and headed down a steep flight of stairs. The soft warning along my spine didn’t do more than remind me that I was following an unknown vampire. She was dangerous, but I didn’t think she meant me any harm at the moment. And I was pretty sure I could take her if push came to shove.
The stairs had to go down at least two floors before they stopped, and we stepped out into a narrow tunnel. “This leads to Gordy’s room. How much money you got on you?”
“Probably not enough,” I said. “But I’ll take what I can get with it.”
“Eh, he’s pretty good, especially if he likes you.” Then she snickered. “But he rarely likes anyone who isn’t in Unmentionables. He won’t even let me stay in the room while you negotiate. Hates vamps. But I get a finder’s fee, you know, for every person I bring to him.”
Interesting.
The lights lining the tunnel were dim but not flickering. I had a moment where I could almost sense my crew, and I clamped down on the sensation, stuffing them all back into that silo bin I’d envisioned in my head.
I’d lay money that if Frost had them, that if that note was right, then she could somehow find me through them. I couldn’t let them be used like that. But I would find them. I would get them out of danger if it was the last thing I did.
Assuming that it wasn’t all an elaborate setup.
Frost would pay dearly for taking my friends.
Did I need help to make that happen? Absolutely.
I just didn’t know where that help was going to come from, and I didn’t know who would be dogging their footsteps to find me. The Sandman came to mind, but he was surrounded by the other directors. People would suspect I’d go to him. The Shadowkiller would know it for sure. And Frost’s people too. Probably ol’ Sunshine as well knew that I’d try to get help from him. Though him, at least, I could probably trust.
Izzy stopped at the end of the tunnel and pushed open another door. “Here we go. Weapons galore.”
I followed her into the brightly lit room, my eyes taking a moment to adjust.
“What have we here?” A voice I didn’t know pulled my eyes to the right. A tiny goblin, smaller even than Gregory, perched on the counter. Big floppy ears dangled down over his shoulders and a super fat nose dominated his face. He had a bandage on his forehead that had bled through. “You got a need for some good stuff, eh, Shade?”
I really hoped he only meant weapons. “I do. What have you got?”
He pointed at Izzy and pointed at the door. “Out, you.”
She slid back out and shut the door behind her. Gordy turned to me.
“Blades, guns, throwing knives, axes, and spears. What do you want?”
I wanted the knife my dad had made, that was what I wanted. “Knives to start.” A gun would be great, but unless I got a silencer too, I’d be drawing too much unwanted attention and I doubted I could afford both. “Maybe a map. Some clothes that aren’t pink or ripped.”
He pointed to the shelf to his right and snapped his fingers, and a blur like mist rolled out from him, undoing a hidden latch in the shelf, reminding me of Ash’s power. Only Gordy’s was more of an orange mist. The secret compartment fell forward with a clatter, and blades of all styles and sizes lay in front of me.
Steel, copper, obsidian blades, a few crystal ones.
Despite the fact that Ash was with the Shadowkiller, he had taught me an important lesson in the one class I’d had with him at the academy. Weapons had a feel, and I knew what would work for me and what wouldn’t. What would help me be a better fighter.
I let my fingers drift over the different handles, not even really looking at the blades until my palm warmed over one of them. I looked at where the heat had come from. A pair of foot-long daggers with bone handles and a swooping curve to each blade. Flipping them over, I stared at the mark at the base of the handle. The initials TJ. As in Thomas Johnson? My dad’s name.
My heart started to beat harder. Were those my dad’s initials? He’d made the knife that Ash had taken from me, so I knew he could make weapons. I fought to keep my voice easy. “How much for the pair of simple knives? I don’t got a lot of money for much fancier.”