Sword of Dreams (The Reforged Trilogy) (36 page)

"I doubt it," said Tiberius. "Cold– we were tipped off about the Nihilists. They've been here for some while, I think, working on something else."

Cerro held up a finger and then thumbed through a stack of folders on his desk. He pulled out a thick one, almost overflowing with printouts and photographs. "We've had a rash of missing Arcadians, Captain Myles, from all over Pylos. Do you think Cavainna's disappearance might be related?"

"Logan asked about that, too," Duaal said.

Tiberius shushed him. "Yes and no," said the old man. "There's bad blood between Maeve and the Nihilist leaders. I think it was personal, but maybe they took her for the same reason as the other Arcadians. What happened to them?"

"We don't know yet. But we haven't found bodies," Cerro added quickly.

"Do you know where they're being taken?" asked Xia.

"No. There are more than three million people living in Pylos, with only four police precincts to cover all of them," Cerro said. "I'd like to say we've combed the whole city, but unfortunately, we're not even close. How certain are you that it's the Nihilists who took your girl?"

"It's a long God-damned way up into the mountains to get her, and Maeve's a fighter," said Tiberius. "She's got her enemies, but only the Cult of Nihil is here and hates her enough to go to the trouble."

Cerro nodded. "All right. We're going to need a lot more than that before we present anything to the court, but it's a place to start and better than nothing."

"There's more," said Duaal, excited to think that they might be able to help the Prian police close in on Gavriel. "We've got some evidence from the scene."

Tiberius nodded. He pulled the syringe from a coat pocket, wrapped in an archeological specimen bag. "It was found at the same place Maeve was taken."

"We think they used it to drug her," said Xia. "The blood on the needle is a match for Maeve's."

"You checked it?" Cerro asked, obviously a little surprised.

"I'm a doctor. I have Maeve's full redprint on file."

"The White is supposed to be a local blend," Duaal said. "Do you know where it's from?"

"You'll want to talk to narcotics about that. Let me give them a call and see if anyone is free to come down here," Captain Cerro told them.

Duaal was glad that Cerro was willing to listen to them and to help the Blue Phoenix crew find their lost first mate. The young mage actually hoped that Maeve was safe. She was not the kind of woman he ever would have chosen to fly with, but she truly seemed to be trying to clean up her life. Duaal still did not think he really liked Maeve, but it was growing harder to hate her.

Captain Cerro had just hung up the phone and told Tiberius that one of the station's chem experts would be able to take a look at the needle in about two or three or seven hours. Panna's face turned a dark red and the girl looked like she was about to start screaming at Cerro.

Xia saw the storm brewing and put her hand on Panna's shoulder. "They're doing the best they can," she said gently.

"But Princess Cavainna… Shouldn't she be a major priority?" Panna asked.

"Princess?" Cerro asked, his lined brow furrowing deeply.

Duaal was drawing breath to explain when a blazing pain shot from one of his temples to the other. He screamed and grabbed his head. The sharp, hot sensation was like a needle being pushed through his skull, shoving intrusively inward. Duaal closed his eyes and pressed his hands against the lids as hard as he could.

Everything was black. Deep black, but not the clean blackness of the void, of the space between stars. No, this was… different. Dirty. Wrong. Dusty. Something fragile as old cobwebs that crackled dryly with every movement.

There were shapes in darkness. People? Yes, they were people. A man with a red cowl and striped skin, a Mirran who looked distantly familiar. There was a woman, an Arcadian. Her skin was striped, too, but in blood. The Mirran jerked her head up by a handful of lank black hair.

"Maeve?" Duaal cried, astonished.

His ears buzzed and then rang as though deafened. The darkness rose up around him, over Maeve and the Mirran in red. Swallowing them. Swallowing Duaal.

"Life without mystery is boring, but I think I'm about due for some boredom."

- Gruth Rommik, Lyran mechanic (233 PA)

Logan watched the station doors long after Tiberius and the rest had gone inside. The scruffy old captain could walk right in and ask whatever he wanted. The police might not be able to give it, but Tiberius could ask. They would welcome him. But Logan sat alone outside, waiting.

Almost alone. Gripper sat in the other truck, staring out the window at him. Tiberius had insisted on taking Duaal along and was just as adamant that the Arboran remain behind.

"To avoid complications," he had said.

Now Gripper regarded Logan with the terror of a stonemouse staring after an owl. The huge alien was Maeve's closest friend, wasn't he? It was hard to imagine the fierce Arcadian woman befriending someone as frightened and shy as Gripper. But then, it had been so long since Logan could call anyone a friend that maybe he was missing the point.

Gripper gestured at him, and then again. He wanted Logan to slide the window down. The bounty hunter did so and cold, wet air blew into the truck's cab. "What?" he asked.

"Never mind," Gripper said quickly. "It… it's not important."

He fumbled for the window controls, but Logan reached across the few feet separating the two vehicles and closed his cybernetic hand over the glass. It tried to rise and ground impotently against the illonium.

"What?" Gripper asked, voice thin and squeaking with terror.

Logan was not sure. Every exhaled breath steamed, a plumed white countdown ticking away Maeve's time as he thought. "You said… you said that Maeve had stopped using White," Logan managed at last.

"Yeah," Gripper answered hesitantly.

Logan was quiet again. Why did it matter? It didn't. He withdrew his hand, but Gripper left the window open. Slushy snow fluttered into both vehicles. The Arboran did not seem at all bothered by the weather.

"What made her stop?" Logan asked.

"I don't know. Not because I haven't asked," Gripper told him. "I have, and it's not like she doesn't answer."

"What does that mean?" Logan asked suspiciously.

"Don't kill me!" squealed Gripper.

"I'm not going to kill you. Just… tell me what you mean."

"I don't think even Smoke really knows why… but she's been different ever since Stray. So much happened to her. All of the stuff with Xartasia and Gavriel, getting stabbed and helping deliver Baliend. And… and you, too."

"She was relieved that I was gone." Logan's jaw clenched. It made sense.

"No, that's not it. She misses you, I think."

Logan had little time to consider that. The doors of the police station banged open, held by blue-uniformed officers. Xia and Panna hurried out, in close and concerned conversation. Tiberius ran right behind them, carrying Duaal in his arms. The Hyzaari boy was limp, unmoving.

Gripper jumped and banged his head on the ceiling of the truck. "What happened?" he cried.

Xia opened the back of the truck and helped him lift Duaal into the vehicle. The police officers followed, but Panna waved them away. "We'll take care of him," she assured them. "Please, let us handle this."

They looked uncertain and told Panna to call them if anything changed. When they were gone, Logan stepped out and went to the other truck, where Duaal was laid out. Xia had covered the Hyzaari boy in her coat and was peeling his eyelids open.

"What happened to him?" Logan asked, echoing Gripper's question.

"He just collapsed," said Panna.

"Altitude?" Gripper wondered. "Hyzaar's all ocean and islands."

"No. Duaal hasn't lived on Hyzaar since he was a baby," Tiberius answered. "And Gavriel kept him here on Prianus for several years."

"I've checked for everything I can think of," Xia said. Her expression was full of frustration, but her eyes were a frightened red. "Aside from the headaches he's been having for the last few months, he's the perfect specimen of a healthy human in his prime."

"Thanks for noticing, Xia," Duaal groaned. He sat up slowly, rubbing his head and squinting. "That's sweet."

"Easy," Tiberius said. "How do you feel?"

"Sick."

"Does your head still hurt?" Xia asked.

"No, not really." He wrapped his arms around his knees and took a few deep breaths. "But there were some… hallucinations this time. I don't know. I saw things. I saw Maeve."

Xia rubbed Duaal's back. "It's only natural. You're worried about her."

"I guess so," he said uncertainly. "There was a man I remember, too. One of Gavriel's old Emberguard, Hallax. He was torturing Maeve, I think."

"Do… do you think that could be happening?" Gripper asked. "Is Gavriel torturing her?"

"Yes," Logan said flatly. "Did you get any information on the White?"

"No, Duaal went down before we learned anything," Tiberius answered.

"See? I said I should have stayed out here. I could have had a
much
nicer time," Duaal announced.

"We should go back in and wait for that narcotics cop that Cerro called." Panna pointed back to the police station.

"I'm getting tired of waiting," Logan told them. "If Maeve is still alive, then it's only because Gavriel isn't done with her."

"You're talking about torture again," Gripper whimpered.

Logan closed his eyes. His fights against Maeve had been often brutal and bloody, but not torture. But now…

They're hurting Maeve.

He punched the side of the truck hard enough to make the vehicle rock on its shocks. The impact left a dent in the metal.

"Ease up, Coldhand," Tiberius growled.

"It was just a stupid… dream, I guess," Duaal said. He reached out as though to comfort the bounty hunter.

Xia pulled the young mage back. "You take it easy, too. You're clearly not well."

"I'm fine!" Duaal protested. "I know what I'm doing!"

"Shut up!" Gripper shouted. Everyone stopped to stare at the Arboran. Gripper's big, brutish face was full of fear and despair. He pulled on his long ears. "None of this is helping Smoke!"

"He's right," Panna agreed. "We need to talk to that cop and find out where the White came from."

"And if they don't know?" Xia asked.

"They
will
find out, but it will take time. At least a few hours, but probably more," Logan said. He hesitated. "There's an Arcadian boy, Ballad. He and his gang tried to chase me off when I was hunting the Nihilists in their territory. They're protective of the other fairies."

"Do you think they might recognize that needle if someone's trying to sell it nearby?" Gripper asked.

"Maybe. If the Nihilists have been working in the Arcadian district, they might have bought the White there. I'm going to find out."

Tiberius nodded curtly. "Call as soon as you have anything."

Duaal pulled himself to his feet. "I'll go with you, Logan."

"No." Tiberius said it gently. He took Duaal's arm. "You just passed out. I want you back up at base camp and I want Xia keeping an eye on you."

"I want to help, captain!" Duaal protested.

"I know. But you're sick enough to be hallucinating," he said. "Go back to the base camp. Rest. I'm not losing you to get Maeve back."

Tiberius and Duaal held each other's gaze for a moment, then the boy sighed. "Fine."

"I'll go with Freezer, though," Gripper said. "I don't know if I can help, but I want to try."

"Panna and I will stay here and talk to the narcotics department. Pick us up when we're done, Gripper," said Tiberius.

"Come on, Duaal. I'll drive," Xia said. "Besides, you and I need to talk."

She helped Duaal into the truck and they drove away, back up toward the mountains. Tiberius and Panna made their way back to the Pylos police station, leaving Gripper chewing nervously at his claws.

"What were you going to ask me earlier?" Logan asked.

"I uh… just wanted to say thanks for helping us look for Smoke," Gripper stammered, barely understandable through his mouthful of claws.

"I'm only here to find the Nihilists," the bounty hunter reminded him.

"Yeah, I guess."

Logan paused. "You can thank me when we've found her."

________

"She's unconscious. I'm sorry, Lord Gavriel."

Hallax wiped the knife on his sleeve and stood. Maeve Cavainna slumped against the steel support. Gavriel sat still.

"What do you wish of me, my master?" Hallax asked.

Gavriel flicked his fingers toward the door. "Bring Xartasia to me."

Hallax bowed so low that his tangled green hair almost swept the sticky floor. He vanished out the door. About ten minutes later, Xartasia entered and curtsied, though not nearly as low as Hallax.