Accession of the Stone Born: The Vigiles Urbani Chronicles (18 page)

Well damn, the old man had a mean streak in him. “I see.”

It took us nearly an hour to get back to my uncle’s place. I carried in the boxes and Isidore locked up behind us. At the top of the stairs I found a new door in place of the one I’d broken. I had questions for my uncle but they’d have to wait till we had some privacy. With Isidore coming and going I wasn’t sure when that was going to happen.

Chapter 11

Tuesday June 2nd

Sweat covered me, I sat up and swung my feet off the side of the bed, letting my bare feet touch the cool hardwood floor. Easing myself out of bed I stretched and stood, hearing my joints pop and creak as I extended my arms and legs. Adjusting my shorts, I strode out onto the private balcony. Silver light cascaded over my skin, highlighting dozens of scars. I looked out over the side of the house past the fence and into the neighbor's immaculate yard. It was hard to believe that just over a day ago I was fighting off an attacker not more than half a mile from here.

The peaceful night air wrapped itself around me, and I heard the call of something dark and familiar in the back of my mind. I shivered hard enough to snap me back to reality. Fighting off a sense of foreboding that beckoned for me, I went inside for a cool shower. Twenty minutes later I was in the kitchen, grateful to be alone.

About ten minutes passed before I heard the door swing open behind me. I didn’t need to turn to know Andrew was there. “You going to just stand there or make us something to eat?” he asked.

Grabbing eggs and bacon out of the fridge, I set to work making breakfast. “Did you find anything worthwhile in those boxes?

I heard Andrew take a seat, the aged wooden chair creaking from his weight. “Not yet.”

The door opened a second time and I turned to see Isidore rubbing his eyes and sniffing. “Scrambled.”

“Aye aye, Captain,” I replied.

It didn’t take long before I had breakfast on the table. Isidore was busy nursing a hangover from the looks of things, and Andrew was sifting through a book he’d brought with him. Breakfast was eaten in blissful silence.

Andrew closed the book he’d been reading and, frustrated, he tossed it on the table. “Still nothing!”

It was clear that I could offer absolutely no help, so I picked up the plates and rinsed them off before placing them in the dishwasher. I waved for my uncle and Isidore to follow me into the living room. “Let’s take this in the other room and see if we can’t sort through the pieces together.”

Andrew reluctantly got to his feet and Isidore slowly followed, trailing several steps behind.

Once at the table Andrew put the book he’d been reading aside and picked up another before instantly putting that one down as well, only to select another at random.

Isidore watched him for several seconds and finally intervened. “What are you looking for?”

Andrew looked at the pile of books, completely lost. “I haven’t the foggiest idea.” He looked over at me, even more puzzled. “For starters, I’d like to know why you don’t give off a standard signature.”

Well, that was absolutely cryptic to the new guy in the room! “What the hell does that mean?” I asked.

Isidore picked up the nearest book and flipped it open with a grunt. “It means that no matter how hard any of us try, we can’t sense you.” He waved the book around with every word.  “For all intents and purposes, you don’t exist on an energetic level. That’s why stupid people think you’re a human. Most of us have to really search to feel them, but they are there. Most don’t bother to search for anyone they can’t sense right away, thus not discovering that you are an anomaly. It’s as if you are a hole in the universe.”

Andrew held out a hand in Isidore’s direction as if to make a point. “Exactly!”

Like that made it fucking clear. Looking between the two of them, I sighed and waved for them to continue. “Okay....”

Andrew could see that I didn’t understand. “All right, let’s just put that aside for a moment. There are several other issues at hand, all of which are fairly substantial.”

Oh, this was going to be supremely enlightening…or more likely not. Leaning back in my chair, I wondered, “Such as?”

Andrew leaned forward with hope in his eyes, like he actually expected me to catch on. “Such as, snapping an item of power and we’re all still alive. Like I said the other night, they are damn near indestructible. The fact that you snapped it like a twig and we all lived is downright amazing.”

Isidore looked lost in thought as he interjected. “I put in a call to Lieutenant Baptist, and he told me that the dagger that was used was also broken.” He pointed at me. “According to the other officers, Gavin stepped on the dagger and it snapped under his weight.”

Andrew looked at Isidore curiously at the revelation. “Really?”

Isidore gave Andrew a sober look. “That’s what I’m being told.”

Andrew fell back into his chair, allowing the book in his hand to rest on his lap. “That’s fascinating.”

Giving them both a hard look, I waited for the explanation to follow. When it wasn’t forthcoming, I spoke. “Care to share with those of us that are on the short bus?”

That pulled Andrew out of his thoughts. “The dagger was clearly enchanted since it was able to pierce not only your shirt but Heather’s dress.” He paused to see if I understood. I didn’t, and that point must have been made abundantly clear by the stupid look on my face. “Enchanted items fall under a similar category as the aforementioned items of power…they’re nearly indestructible, and they release a lot of energy. Nothing like the cane, but still a significant amount. At the very least you should’ve lost a leg.”

That made me tense. I’d seen a lot of men lose legs over the years due to mines or gunshot wounds or makeshift bombs. I didn’t like the idea of losing an appendage, and I regarded my leg before looking at Isidore with concern. “Are you sure that the dagger fell into that category?”

Isidore gave me a weary look. “Very sure.”

I wasn’t sure how to feel about the oddities that continued to pile up at my feet, but it was better than losing a limb or blowing myself up. “Perhaps neither item was crafted using any significant power.”

Isidore outright laughed in my face. “That’s doubtful.”

Andrew appeared to be in complete agreement with Isidore. “He’s right, it would be highly unlikely. Even the weakest of items carry significant power. That’s what has me so perplexed about you.” He waved a hand in my direction. “I don’t even know where to start! In all my years I’ve never heard of such a thing. I’m not sure how it’s possible.”

By this point it didn’t look like Andrew and I would have a private moment anytime in the near future, so privacy and tact were out the window. Not that either of those things were one of my strong points. Leaning forward, I cleared my throat. “You heard how things went yesterday with Ms. Dodd.”

Andrew grumbled. “Don’t worry about her. I’ll take care of that later.”

“About that…when were you going to tell me that you are the governor for North America?” I pulled the journal he’d given me out. “And why didn’t you tell me this was a gift from Lazarus?”

Andrew’s face scrunched itself up as he looked back at Isidore. “For the record, the book was mailed to me....”

“From?” I asked.

Andrew ducked his head and mumbled. “Lazarus.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Kind of skirting the question, aren’t you?”

Averting his eyes, he let out a long breath as he mumbled. “Yes, I’m the governor for North America, but it's not that big of a deal.”

Fixing the man with a look that had to tell him how stupid that statement was, I continued.  “Because there are so many of you, right?”

The wind was taken out of his sails. “Fine, it’s a big deal.” He stood up and started to pace. “Martha had just become
vigiles
and the previous North American governor died in a plane crash.” He grumbled more to himself than me. “Not sure why he did that when the gates were available.”

That utterly confused me. I hadn’t read anything in the books about gates. “What are gates?”

Andrew waved a hand in the air as he spoke. “Travel gates allow our kind to move from one part of the world to another without having to take conventional methods such as planes, ships, or trains.” He looked around for something to help him explain, but didn’t find anything handy. “There is at least one in every country in the world, sometimes more depending on the size of the country in question. You step through one gate and are sent to your desired location gate via enchantments.”

“I see.” I didn’t, but I’d figure it out soon enough.

Andrew appeared slightly rebuffed. “As I was saying, I took over as governor in 1971, and have been striving to make a change in the way we treat our people.”

Looking over at Isidore, I gave him a half understanding look. “Like the werebeasts.”

Andrew nodded as he waved a hand at Isidore. “Like the werebeasts. I was able to pass a law in 1995 that allowed them to have rights and not be subjugated as pets or worse.” He looked back at Isidore and then me. “Things have been changing, even if that change is slow.”

Andrew’s phone rang, which caused us all to jump in our seats; it wasn’t even 7:00 a.m. yet. He leaned over and picked up the receiver. “Good morning.” He paused and nodded. “I see.” He paused again as he let out a long breath. “If you insist, go ahead and set it up for the twelfth. That should give everyone enough time to make adjustments to their schedules.” He hung up the phone, looking ill.

I waited, trying to let Andrew get his feet under him before asking, “What was that about?”

Andrew turned a nasty shade of white. “As I told Captain Hotard the other night, we will appoint a new
vigiles,
but it appears that Robert and the triumvirate are pushing for it to be sooner rather than later.” He looked at Isidore and shook his head. “Of course, Robert has a few people he wants moved to the front of the line.”

The thought of Robert or any of his buddies assigning the new
vigiles
made my head hurt. “I have to say, anyone that prick would recommend seems like a shit idea.” I barely thought about it before the next words rolled out of my mouth. “I could volunteer if you think I’d pass for a
vigiles
.”

Isidore and Andrew both snapped around to look at me.

Isidore whispered, “Careful what you volunteer for.”

Andrew shot a dirty look at Isidore and waved him off. “Are you serious? You do remember it’s a lifetime appointment?”

Isidore got to his feet, glaring at Andrew. “He doesn’t know what he’s getting into, and you know it!”

Andrew stared daggers through Isidore. “Let him speak.”

Leaning back in my chair, I chewed on my bottom lip. “If it means that Robert’s choices aren’t picked, yeah, I’m dead serious!”

Isidore closed his eyes and fell back in his seat. “You simply don’t understand....”

Andrew looked at me, all amusement stripped from his face. “Are you sure? This is a lifetime commitment. Your subordinates can retire, quit, and generally say fuck off, but you would have to serve as
vigiles
until the day they bury you.”

That gave me pause, but I nodded anyway. “I need a paying gig. It’s not like there’s a ton of work for a guy like me out there in the world.” I paused again and looked at my uncle. “Would I be stuck here forever?”

Andrew tried to appear understanding as he came closer and put a hand on my shoulder. “Not necessarily. You can transfer to another district or take over a larger territory, but yes, in the beginning you’d be tied to the area.”

Relief filled me and I looked up at my uncle with hope. “So I wouldn’t be able to go home and visit my grandfather right away?”

Andrew gave me a shrewd look. “You would have responsibilities here, but you could travel for a week or so to handle family business. If you took the position, I would require that you handled that as soon as possible. Especially since Aatsista-Mahkan is a member of the triumvirate up north.”

Isidore nearly choked as he looked between Andrew and myself. “Your grandfather is Aatsista-Mahkan?

Turning, I gave Isidore an annoyed look. “Yeah.”

Isidore beamed at Andrew, shaking his head. “You’re never going to find what you want in these books. I got a feeling that you’re going to need to speak to his grandfather to shed some light on the situation.”

Andrew opened his mouth and shut it again, looking confused, and then snickered. “Damn, I never even gave that so much as a thought.” His eyes were glassy, lost to the idea. “You’re probably right though. Whatever this is most likely relates back to that side of the family.”

Looking between them, I tossed my hands in the air impatiently. “Are we going to do this
vigiles
thing or talk about my grandfather all day?”

Andrew gave me a mystified look. “You still want to do it?”

Cutting my eyes at him, I growled. “Yeah, I don’t see that there are a ton of other options.”

Andrew got to his feet and stopped in his tracks, looking down at me with tempered hope. “There’s no guarantee that you will be accepted.”

Isidore nearly choked, cackling at the man. “I very much doubt that. He has the power and the will to use it, from what I’ve seen in the last few days.”

I looked over at Isidore questioningly. “What do you mean?”

Andrew looked slightly deflated. “What he’s talking about is me. I have the ability to be a
vigiles
, yet it refused me. It readily accepted Martha because she had the will to use her power in a manner that I will not.”