The Sunken City Trilogy Page 31

  “We need to get you out of here.”

  Holly stared at her untrustingly, her hand probing behind her for the door handle. She subtly, quietly, tried again. Definitely not moving. From one world of monsters to another. She put on a brave face and turned back to the fairy. “Get away from me, you little devil!”

  “Where’s Pax?” Letty asked, ignoring the threat.

  Holly steeled herself, gritting her teeth. She said, “Safe from you, at least.”

  “I’m trying to help,” the fairy snarled, fluttering closer and making Holly flinch. “I heard you before. You said the things were following you. What things?”

  “The worst! A whole army of them. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

  “Not me,” Letty said. She looked at Barton. “Is he gonna make it?”

  Holly hesitated. Was this thing asking so she could kill him? It sounded like concern, though. “I – I think he’s okay – just his leg –”

  “Okay. I need you to listen to me. It’s not safe for you here. The guys who forced you down there – not me – they’ll be back. The guys who helped you out, they’re no better. I’m gonna unlock this car and get it ready for you to hightail it out of here, you got me?”

  Holly shook her head. “My daughter – I can’t just –”

  “Don’t worry. We’re not going anywhere till the others get out.”

  “All right,” a man’s voice interrupted them. They snapped their attention back to the tunnel entrance. Landon was back, shotgun raised and aimed at the car. “Knew I shouldn’t leave you.”

  Letty met Holly’s gaze, dropping down into the car. The fairy whispered, “Don’t let him know I’m here.”

  24

  The electricity bled through the bricks around the doorway, though the monster’s limbs could not seem to penetrate the door. It was trying to suck energy from their room, the same way it sucked energy from the city above. The mortar between the bricks lit up luminescent blue, which spread along the walls and slowly crept closer.

  “What do we do?” Grace cried, tightening her grip on Pax.

  Pax hesitated, deciding on her final plan. She’d spent all her life running from responsibility but she was better than that. She was not like the fairies or the Ministry. And this time she’d do something before it was too late. She closed her eyes and said, “I’ll draw its attention. You run for another exit.”

  “What?” Grace yelped. “No – you can’t –”

  Pax moved Grace away from the rear wall, as the threat snaked through the brickwork and along the floor towards their feet. She said, “On three, I’m leaving. You go the opposite way. Stop for nothing. You understand?”

  Trembling uncontrollably, Grace nodded, eyes fixed on the blue light.

  “One...two...” Pax grabbed the door handle, braced herself. “Three!”

  As the door opened, the blinding light flooded in. Pax ran headlong into it. She met no resistance, only the warmth of this creature, crackling from all directions. Thrusting her hands over her ears, Pax aimed for the large room, ducking under the centre of the beast of light. She screamed, “Go, Grace! Go!”

  The blue light retreated from the walls, from the room, as Grace flashed through it. Pax rolled out into the massive room and the full force of the lightning creature followed her, its electric limbs licking over the walls and slamming into supportive positions. Pax scrambled across the floor, away from it, but one of the limbs dropped onto her, pinning her down. Her breath was punched out of her as she shouted to Grace, “Get out of here!”

  Grace had stalled in the middle of the room, staring horrified at Pax. The shout triggered her, though, and she sprinted for a set of steps, the monster ignoring her. Pax twisted back to face it, as shards of electricity wrapped around her like a hundred fingers. The light surged, another blinding flash, and her whole body convulsed. The energy pulsed out of her again, preparing for another surge, and she slumped.

  Pax watched the light shift above her, the beast settling with its tentacles of light rooted in the walls. Where the limbs touched the walls, they spread out, flowing into large rectangles of light. More limbs extended above, an array of reaching arms clambering into the roof, pressing towards the city above. As it jolted through her again, with the force of an electric shock, the whole thing began to pulse. It was feeding. As it was draining her, it was pumping energy down from above, too, all surging into its core, making it brighter. But it didn’t stop there. The energy kept going, flowing through the lower limbs, back into the walls. Back into the rectangles where it was connecting.

  The pulse slowed again, leaving Pax gasping for air.

  As Pax lay helplessly, two horrible truths gripped her. First, the beast looked nothing like a minotaur. Barton and Apothel and the rest had been completely duped. Second, whatever energy was draining from her was not fuelling the beast. It was being siphoned elsewhere. Towards whatever it was that had supposedly been helping them.

  There had to be a way out. Pax had to tell them. Had to tell someone. They were wrong about it, all of them. None of them really understood what this thing was, or what it was doing. She had to get out.

  The monster waxed in luminescence once more, the glow signalling its next surge. Pax gritted her teeth in anticipation of what might be the final shock.

  Casaria slammed into Grace as she ran out of a doorway and almost knocked him down. He pushed her against a wall as she shrieked. Aware of the blue glow ahead, he shouted, “Is she in there?”

  “Yes!” Grace cried back. “She saved me!”

  “Stay here!” Casaria ordered, and turned to the domed room, hefting the Fae device up. He entered on a high walkway, the praelucente below, filling the space in its full electric glory, limbs spread to the walls and above, all glowing a dazzling blue, near white. He had to shield his eyes from the brightness, spying movement below. It was on top of her, her limbs flapping amid the chaotic sparking.

  Propping the Fae device against his hip, the thing now filled with dirt, Casaria spun the cogs that would spin and pressed a finger to the only button that he was confident would actually do anything. The weapon seemed to be reacting to the movements ahead, vibrating with a magnetic pull, emitting its own contrasting glow.

  Pax screamed. He saw her face, writhing out from the chaos, and was shocked still. In her agony she caught Casaria’s eye. Then it moved, a sudden shift, and Casaria let out an involuntary sound as he saw the central shape of the creature turning his way.

  “Shoot it!” Pax gasped up to him, barely able to form the words.

  He didn’t think, couldn’t think, merely clung to the sound of her voice and did as he was told. He pressed the button, and the monster’s blinding light met with an even stronger flash from the Fae device. A terrific roar shook the walls and ceiling. The crackling and groaning and clicking of the monsters was overtaken by its sound, the world filled with light.

  Then the beast retreated.

  Quick as a spider, it sucked its tentacles back into the furthest exit, the room dipping into instant darkness. The roar decreased in volume as the creature moved further away, leaving behind a gentle rain of dust and mortar, a terrific ringing in the ears, and the vile smell of burnt flesh.

  25

  The trio made their way back through the tunnels without talking. Pax and Grace had no energy left for conversation. It was all Pax could do to use Casaria as a crutch and carry herself out. Casaria clearly knew the way and the creatures were gone, the horrible sounds of the Sunken City silenced. There was nothing else to discuss. They made no comments, not even when they passed the charred corridor of mangled bird corpses, with its steaming pile of bones and feathers that seemed, somewhere underneath, to contain human remains.

  When they reached the surface, there was no sound of beasts pursuing them. It seemed, as they took gasps of the air above, that they had all been holding their breath. The moment they exited onto the alley, Grace crumpled and started sobbing. Pax followed her quickly, touching her sh
oulder and wanting to tell her it was okay, they were safe now. She didn’t manage to say anything, just groaned.

  “I know,” Grace wept, tears streaming. The emotion flowed out of her, the despair she had been pushing down throughout the ordeal. Pax fixed Casaria with an accusing stare. She wasn’t sure exactly how or why, but she needed him to know this young lady’s suffering was his fault. He hardly looked bothered, regarding the pair of them, instead, with a quizzical eye. Pax must have looked frazzled, hair singed and clothes charred. Casaria gave her a shrug as he ran a hand through his slick hair and took out a cigarette. As he lit it, he looked around the alley, up to the windows and roofs.

  “You still here?” he called out. The answer he got surprised him.

  “Of course,” Landon said, drawing all eyes to the alley entrance. He was next to a car, the rear window smashed, a shotgun in his hands, aimed in at Holly. Sat in the car, she looked petrified. In their elation at getting out, none of them had heard Holly’s attempt to call to her daughter, or the agent’s snarl for her to be quiet and stay put.

  “Good to see you’re with us, Landon,” Casaria said flatly. “Don’t know what we’d do without you.”

  “Where’s Gant?” Landon said.

  Casaria held the cigarette in his mouth for a still moment. Landon’s former nonchalance was gone, his mouth tight with focus. He didn’t need to voice the obvious conclusion.

  “I need all of you over here,” Landon said. “Join the parents.”

  As Pax stood up, Grace stopped crying, unable to comprehend who this newcomer was or what he wanted with them. She met Holly’s worried gaze and her mother gave her a smile filled with relief. Grace struggled upright too, as Holly nodded to inside the car. Something for Grace to see. The bulk of her father was lying across the back seat with her.

  No one moved towards Landon. Grace looked to Pax for guidance. She, in turn, looked to Casaria. He had set off the Fae device, and he and Landon hardly seemed to be on the best terms. Casaria kept smoking. He said, “Did you see where the horde went?”

  “Gone,” Landon said. “They came this way, but moved off. Quickly. Your doing?”

  Casaria held up the weapon he’d set off.

  “You maniac,” Landon said. “What have you done?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “We’ll figure it out at the office. All of you, to the car.”

  It was time to test Casaria. Pax said, “I’d rather walk, if it’s all the same to you.” She nodded to the broken window. “Doesn’t look safe.”

  “It’s not all the same to me,” Landon said irritably. “You’ll all give full statements. And you’ll need to fill in a W6-DPe, Casaria. Explaining exactly what happened to Gant.”

  “I’ve had a long day,” Casaria said. “The forms can wait.”

  Landon turned the shotgun from Holly towards them. “It’s not a choice.”

  “What’s wrong with you?” Grace’s voice quietly interrupted. Landon’s face softened slightly at the sight of her. Her face dirty and bare feet black with blood, her round eyes shining in the encroaching dusk, pleading for everything to simply be okay. “After what we’ve been through. How can you point a gun at us? How could you point a gun at my mum?”

  “Good question.” Casaria tossed his cigarette butt aside. “How’s that necessary?”

  “She was trying to get away,” Landon said, glancing to his vehicle.

  “The glass was smashed from the outside,” Pax pointed out, frowning.

  “Look –” Landon started, but stopped as Casaria took a step towards him.

  Pax put a hand on Casaria’s arm, brushing close to him. “Don’t.”

  “It’s okay,” Casaria told her, determination in his eyes.

  Exactly what she needed.

  “You’re being an idiot, Casaria!” Landon said, bumping into the car as he raised the shotgun. He did not fire. Casaria closed the distance between them and pushed the gun to the side. He threw a punch square into Landon’s jaw. The bigger man smacked into the car but didn’t go down. He was stunned for a moment, unbelieving. Then he fought back. He swung the gun at Casaria, and Casaria grabbed hold of it. They grappled away from the car.

  Pax took Grace’s hand. “Come on!”

  “Here, here!” Holly called, bursting out of the car but immediately dropping into the driver’s seat. Pax and Grace rushed around her, the sound of the men’s struggles rising from strangled grunts to a flurry of thumps and flapping jackets. They broke away from each other and started swinging punches. Pax shoved Grace into the back of Landon’s car, then scrambled for the passenger seat as Holly shoved the door open.

  The slamming car doors and the starting engine drew Casaria’s attention away from his fight. He let out a “Hey!”, enough distraction for Landon to recoup, and took a punch to the gut.

  Holly hit the accelerator hard and they lurched forwards, out onto the street and almost straight into another car. She swerved, and they were away. Pax twisted back to see Casaria thrusting Landon across the alley, taking control once more. He turned away from his stumbling adversary and ran after them. When he reached his own car, he stalled as he patted down his pockets. Pax held up his car keys for him to see, and smirked at his bemused face, just before they turned a corner.

  “Oh thank God you’re okay,” Holly said quickly, clutching the steering wheel tight. “Thank God thank God thank God.”

  Grace clambered forward to hug her mother as they sped down a main road. Pax sank into her own seat. She rolled her head to one side, impressed. “You stole his keys, too?”

  “No,” a familiar voice said from above. Pax’s eyes widened at Letty, perched on the rear-view mirror. “I did.”

  26

  Interrupted by the theft of his car and the continuing betrayal at the hands of Pax Kuranes, Cano Casaria’s passion for defying the Ministry and pummelling the sense out of Landon left him. Landon had pulled himself to his feet and recovered the shotgun by the time Casaria returned to the alleyway, but he, too, was uninterested in continuing their fight. He used the gun to support himself as he gave Casaria an I-told-you-so sneer. They waited for a Ministry pick-up then drove back to the office together. Casaria considered, on the way, that it might be best to tell the whole Ministry where to shove their regulations, but he was weary and had done enough damage for one evening. That could wait until the next day, when he had more time and sense to weigh up his options.

  When he stopped to think about it, Casaria realised that he had lost blood from the Fae gunshot and had taken a few blows from Landon, who was heavy, if poorly trained. He had also suffered some kind of impact from enduring the blast of the Fae device. Put it all together and he should receive some sort of medal, if he could make the story sound heroic enough for the powers that be. Never mind that Gumg (Gant?) had died and he’d had a hostile encounter with Landon; he had come face-to-face with the praelucente itself, and any divergent behaviour could, perhaps, be explained by that. People simply did not survive getting close to that thing.

  By the time they reached the Ministry building, he had slipped in a brief apology to Landon, with a winning smile, saying he was not sure what had come over him and perhaps he had simply gone too deep into the Sunken City. Landon had no choice but to accept the apology; Casaria knew, after all, that his fellow agent had hardly shone in the crisis himself.

  There was, indeed, a furious meeting with Mathers, who promised extended suspension without pay, but for all his bluster the deputy director could not hide his curiosity about the encounter with the praelucente. And he had to admit at least a little responsibility for neglecting the Fae threat. Casaria had warned them it would happen. He did not go into detail about exactly how the praelucente encounter had played out, though. Casaria started to warn Mathers about the apparent effect it had had on Pax, but Mathers shut him down. He didn’t want the burden of that particular truth. Not at this juncture.

  Casaria would give a full debrief in the next few days, to a council organised by the IS Re
lations Initiative. Just what he needed; a grilling from Sam Ward over his conduct in the field. The suspension was nothing in the face of that worse punishment. And before going home and taking his unpaid leave, Casaria had the added wound of needing to fill in a mountain of forms.

  An R42, to give a general account of how Pax Kuranes originally came into contact with the Sunken City. Likewise, R42s accounting for Grace and Holly Barton’s knowledge of the Sunken City. One wasn’t necessary for Darren Barton, as his was already on file, but an R46b was needed to explain why he had resurfaced after a nine-year hiatus.

  A series of F67s, one to record each encounter with the Fae.

  A D7-PR for each and every civilian involved, including any notable encounters in the West Farling incident and the apprehension of Rufaizu. These would be supplemented with a D7-PRe each for Pax, Grace and Holly, to be shared with local and national law enforcement agencies who would be on the lookout for them as persons of interest.

  A D7-X to notify local law enforcement of the stolen Ministry equipment, one car. Even though that should’ve been Landon’s to write up.

  A W4-SoI, describing the circumstances that had led to the civilians entering the Sunken City. Followed by a W4-SoE for each notable event within the Sunken City.

  Then of course there was also the W6-DPe, explaining the exact circumstances and nature of Gumg’s death, and a series of W4-GIs and MC12s that would explain anything else that had happened or been encountered over the course of this madness. The W6-DPe was particularly frustrating, as Casaria was well aware he would need to fill it in a second time after spelling Gumg’s name wrong.

  These forms were a living hell about one rung below the thought of repeating this information to Sam Ward in person, with each minute that Casaria spent writing seeming to stretch for an hour. Still, the more he wrote, the more he appreciated the situation, and the easier he imagined it would be to throw his successes in Ward’s face. For all the trouble she had caused, Pax Kuranes was exactly the breath of fresh air he had hoped for. She had brought the fairies out of hiding and she had delivered Fae technology to the Ministry. With the destruction of a Sunken City entrance, one of their own agents dead and confirmed Fae shots fired at him, Casaria saw an unavoidable conflict on the near horizon, with Ward’s Initiative in tatters.