ship,” she said. “You get some sleep. Do you want me to get Rikeman?”
“ Actually…I’ll go and see him,” Cross said after he thought about it for a moment.
“ I’ll take you there,” Black said.
“ No,” Cross said. “No, I’m good. Just be sure to have everything ready. We need to take off by 0600 tomorrow. It’s going to be a long trip, and the sooner we get going, the better.”
Black watched him with worry and suspicion, but after a moment she nodded.
“ Okay,” she said quietly. Her demeanor was cold again. “You’re the boss.”
God damn it , he thought as he left her room and started down the stairs.
The afternoon had worn long, and the sun dropped to a golden haze that shone through the muted silver clouds. Cross shivered, and he stopped to grab his HK and his armored coat before he moved through the front doors and into the crisp autumn air. A volley of leaves swept across his path as he passed through the main gates.
I hate lying to you, Danica , he thought. But the fewer people that I have close to me tonight, the better.
Cross wasn’t going to see Phil Rikeman. He had to see someone else that he hoped could help him. Someone much more dangerous.
SEVEN
MIDNIGHT
Cross walked into the dead heart of the city. Shadows loomed, and the sound of his footsteps carried like cannon fire in the brittle air. Thick moonlight refracted off thickly-paned windows held behind iron grills. Frost dust covered the streets.
There weren’t many people out at that time of night, and those few that were kept buried beneath dark cloaks or heavy winter coats. Walking through the maze of tall buildings was like navigating a canyon of steel and stone.
Cross checked his HK and his blade, which he wore upside down with the tip of the scabbard at his shoulder so he could draw it underhanded from behind his back. He wore a dark cloak that masked his identity, and moved swiftly to stay out of plain sight. By now Black and the others were doubtlessly wondering where he was, especially if Danica had decided to go and find him at the hospital, but he didn’t want to head back to the manor until he had all of the information that he needed. And only one person could help him with that.
Warfield wasn’t to be found at her hiding hole, but her nameless servant – an enormous man with midnight-dark skin and silver runes that made him look like his flesh was covered in metal webs – assured Cross he’d arrange a meeting. After an hour spent wandering around the outskirts of The Dregs, Cross returned to the man and was told that he could meet Warfield at the Grey Angel at midnight.
Figures , he thought bitterly. The one time I’m not interested in getting into her pants, and she wants to meet me at a brothel.
The Grey Angel was located at the top of a short hill near the center of the city, where it stood amidst a network of dark-stone buildings connected by thin bridges, steel wires and communication tubes. Each of the thirty-foot towers was rickety and ancient, and the stone used to construct the cluster of buildings was so black that on a dark night they were almost impossible to see. The entire district was a haven for illegal activity in Thornn, and the only reason that the entire zone hadn’t been firebombed years ago was because the black marketers, arms dealers and other shadier citizens of the city so often provided under-the-table assistance to the Southern Claw.
As he approached the cluster of buildings – The Teeth, as they were sometimes known – Cross felt like he’d walked up to the gates of some fairy-tale castle.
Castles filled with prostitutes, drug dealers and hoodlums. Oh, my!
His spirit reconnoitered the area ahead. She was reluctant to do so, though he wasn’t entirely sure why. Ever since the incident at the hospital she’d acted either timid or downright angry, and try as he did Cross couldn’t bring her down to a stable emotional state. She
“ Actually…I’ll go and see him,” Cross said after he thought about it for a moment.
“ I’ll take you there,” Black said.
“ No,” Cross said. “No, I’m good. Just be sure to have everything ready. We need to take off by 0600 tomorrow. It’s going to be a long trip, and the sooner we get going, the better.”
Black watched him with worry and suspicion, but after a moment she nodded.
“ Okay,” she said quietly. Her demeanor was cold again. “You’re the boss.”
God damn it , he thought as he left her room and started down the stairs.
The afternoon had worn long, and the sun dropped to a golden haze that shone through the muted silver clouds. Cross shivered, and he stopped to grab his HK and his armored coat before he moved through the front doors and into the crisp autumn air. A volley of leaves swept across his path as he passed through the main gates.
I hate lying to you, Danica , he thought. But the fewer people that I have close to me tonight, the better.
Cross wasn’t going to see Phil Rikeman. He had to see someone else that he hoped could help him. Someone much more dangerous.
SEVEN
MIDNIGHT
Cross walked into the dead heart of the city. Shadows loomed, and the sound of his footsteps carried like cannon fire in the brittle air. Thick moonlight refracted off thickly-paned windows held behind iron grills. Frost dust covered the streets.
There weren’t many people out at that time of night, and those few that were kept buried beneath dark cloaks or heavy winter coats. Walking through the maze of tall buildings was like navigating a canyon of steel and stone.
Cross checked his HK and his blade, which he wore upside down with the tip of the scabbard at his shoulder so he could draw it underhanded from behind his back. He wore a dark cloak that masked his identity, and moved swiftly to stay out of plain sight. By now Black and the others were doubtlessly wondering where he was, especially if Danica had decided to go and find him at the hospital, but he didn’t want to head back to the manor until he had all of the information that he needed. And only one person could help him with that.
Warfield wasn’t to be found at her hiding hole, but her nameless servant – an enormous man with midnight-dark skin and silver runes that made him look like his flesh was covered in metal webs – assured Cross he’d arrange a meeting. After an hour spent wandering around the outskirts of The Dregs, Cross returned to the man and was told that he could meet Warfield at the Grey Angel at midnight.
Figures , he thought bitterly. The one time I’m not interested in getting into her pants, and she wants to meet me at a brothel.
The Grey Angel was located at the top of a short hill near the center of the city, where it stood amidst a network of dark-stone buildings connected by thin bridges, steel wires and communication tubes. Each of the thirty-foot towers was rickety and ancient, and the stone used to construct the cluster of buildings was so black that on a dark night they were almost impossible to see. The entire district was a haven for illegal activity in Thornn, and the only reason that the entire zone hadn’t been firebombed years ago was because the black marketers, arms dealers and other shadier citizens of the city so often provided under-the-table assistance to the Southern Claw.
As he approached the cluster of buildings – The Teeth, as they were sometimes known – Cross felt like he’d walked up to the gates of some fairy-tale castle.
Castles filled with prostitutes, drug dealers and hoodlums. Oh, my!
His spirit reconnoitered the area ahead. She was reluctant to do so, though he wasn’t entirely sure why. Ever since the incident at the hospital she’d acted either timid or downright angry, and try as he did Cross couldn’t bring her down to a stable emotional state. She
Similar Books
