Gideon Read online

  “Who is this Francis?”

  “My Guardian friend I told you about.”

  “Oh right. Sorry. And he can still go home?”

  “Um. We aren’t sure. He is allergic to his own feathers. He doesn’t like to fly but he traces some. Hates the sight of blood.”

  “Basically useless. So if Father hasn’t called on him, he doesn’t want him back.”

  “I think that could be possible.”

  “So you have a useless, but convenient friend if he can return home.”

  “I doubt my answer would be there, Mr. Brandon. I doubt I can myself.”

  “But perhaps he can intercede.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “And he can still communicate with your Guardian? After her fall?”

  “Yes.”

  “You have some choices, then, but much risk.” Brandon stood. “I wish I could help you.”

  “But Manfred said—”

  “Manfred does not know me now. I don’t do rescues any longer, either.”

  Gideon stood, keeping the three-foot space between them. “So, what would you do?”

  “Exactly what I am doing. I’d stay out of it.”

  “But my love for her—”

  “Your heart will learn how to heal. And if not, if the pain gets too bad, you can end yourself. Lots of painless ways to do that.”

  “I’m not afraid of the pain.”

  Brandon began walking toward his front door, Gideon lagging behind him. He didn’t want to leave. Brandon opened the door and, with his hand still on the lever, turned to Gideon. “You should be. You should be very afraid of the pain, my friend. I wish you all the luck in the world.”

  Chapter 20

  Persephone was visited by several female attendants who untied her and took her to a communal bathing area. She was one of several Guardians, she noticed, but she was the only one with grey wings. The area was connected to a large estate with rooms filled with women and some male customers, which made her feel like it was some kind of cathouse.

  The attendants were silent, which led her to believe they were personal service bots. Her hair was washed and brushed. She remained on alert as her nails were clipped, her toes painted light pink to match her fingers. She was asked if she wanted Red-X or food, and everything she was offered she refused.

  Persephone also recognized there were various types of females in the bathing pools. Some were definitely robotic in their actions. Others appeared human, perhaps angelic, but soulless. Their faces looked gaunt as if some sort of sickness had befallen them. What wasn’t present was anything with a fang, or fire, or other special powers. But all of them, except for some of the white-winged Guardians, had dark eyes.

  Except for the male customers who wandered in unannounced and pointed at other naked women or stared at her in particular, she might have mistaken this place for a relaxation chamber of the Guardianship. But she kept a wary eye, knowing that looks would be deceiving and at any time the cold dark cells of the prison she’d been housed in overnight would come back. Apparently, someone had been convinced that taking advantage of her cooperation would be more fruitful than having to fight her off. But she was ready for the fight whenever it came.

  She heard a familiar buzz above her head and was shocked to find a little cloud of gnats circling. Her first instinct was to swat them away as she’d done at Manfred’s shop, but since it was the one connection to the clockmaker, and thereby to Gideon, she decided to bide her time.

  The little clicking insects came close to her ear and formed a pair of lips. “Tell her I love her, and I’m coming to get her,” came the distinctive voice of Gideon himself. And then they delivered their real message, “Find the clockmaker’s lab. You will be safe there.”

  At first her heart leapt in joy, until the little insects streaked away and left her alone. It could have been a trap, or some sort of psychological mind game. No one else in the room noticed the little horde, and she decided to keep it that way.

  She was given a clean white gown with a small pocket over her heart, similar to the novitiate gowns she wore in Heaven. Her feet were bare, and she was unable to produce shoes or slippers, so they remained that way. Gone were the screams, the drafty halls without light and the dank smells of a prison manned by testosterone freaks who existed on pain and debauchery.

  She tried to strike up a conversation with others of her lot, but no one wanted to speak, except for one who’d been crying incessantly. While the other angel was being dried, Persephone watched the beautiful redhead’s wing sacs being perfumed with oils. Her wings were dark, nearly as black as Gideon’s. They made eye contact on several occasions, and Persephone noted her eyes were black as coal.

  “You are turned, Guardian?” she whispered when they were left briefly alone. The angel looked down first. Several of the other girls put their fingers to their lips and shushed them. “It is forbidden,” one of them said.

  The redhead nodded, still downcast. Both of them were brought water to drink and Persephone watched while the angel downed hers quickly as if worried it would be taken away at any second. With her eyes closed, the angel savored every gulp. Then the girl looked up to one of the attendants who were more lifelike than the others.

  “I ask you again, when will I be allowed to see him? I was promised I would see him within one day. It’s been two.”

  “Quiet, angel,” the attendant commanded. “Impatience does you no good. You wait for the change to be fully completed. Then you are prepared for introduction.”

  “But I need no introduction—”

  The attendant slapped her across the face. “Who and how and when you are introduced is of no concern of mine, nor should it be yours.”

  Persephone waited until it was safe to speak. “You are seeking a reunion with someone?”

  The redhead nodded. “I am fallen.”

  “So am I. We can be friends, if you like,” whispered Persephone.

  “What were you promised?” she asked.

  “Nothing. I was abducted.”

  The redhead cocked her head in confusion. “Your lover did not turn you to claim you? He did not promise the lifetime together?”

  Persephone shook her head. “I was brought here by creatures of the Dark One.”

  The angel examined her necklace and her eyes widened. “You stay away from me.” She scooted to a corner where she took her place on a padded pallet with pillows, drew her knees to her chest and sank her face into them, sobbing.

  Several other males entered the room, each one holding a silver chain with an emblem on it. Persephone looked down to her chest and discovered the one she’d worn while in the presence of the Dark One was still hanging around her neck, the pointed colors of the star pendant tipped with red. One by one, the chains were put around the necks of the others and then all the men left the room. Some angels were inspected first, their skin sniffed and their hair sifted with clutching and groping fingers that squeezed and sometimes touched inappropriately.

  One of the gentlemen approached the redhead and placed his chain around her neck. She attempted to yank it off, protesting with a loud scream that caused much attention. The male pulled her arm until she was in a standing position, dragged her into a curtained raised dais, released the sashes to give them privacy, and began to have his way with her behind the creamy fabric. Her pleas and tears did nothing to stop his rooting and grunting, and Persephone was filled with anger. She glared at the other angels.

  “You’re going to sit there?”

  Several attendants headed her way.

  “Together, we can stop them,” she shouted. She rubbed her fingers together and was surprised to see her dust was still working. She threw it in the faces of the attendants, who stopped, wiping their eyes as if they’d been doused with vinegar.

  “Have you no shame?” she continued shouting to the girls. A pair of them also began creating dust, as if suddenly surprised they had the power. Persephone took heart. Three large male attendan
ts entered, and she led the angels to a brief victory, able to send them crashing to the floor with the power of their magic.

  “You see, it can be done. We have to stand up for ourselves, since no one else will protect us. But we have numbers.” She was hoping her words would find their way to start a rebellion.

  Then she was compelled to pull aside the curtain, preparing to grab the curved blade housed in the man’s belt, beside the platform, but two new attendants yanked her arms backward. She was pushed into a silver cage and locked in. The attacker inside the bed chamber made a hasty retreat, as the other Guardians removed themselves to the shadows once again, crouching in fear.

  One by one, each Guardian was taken away until only two remained: the sobbing fallen angel lying across the soiled bed and Persephone, more determined than ever to save the woman.

  After the crying ended, the woman’s chain was thrown into the middle of the room. Persephone heard a muffled, “Thank you.”

  “Do you have any idea what comes next?” Persephone asked.

  “I was dreaming of a rescue. You perhaps will fare better than I, since you have the Dark One’s emblem.”

  “Not by choice. He is not my lover.”

  “I’m beginning to see they lie.” She pulled aside the curtain and Persephone saw her attacker had bruised her face.

  “But you have someone here?”

  “I thought so,” the angel said, sadly.

  “Do you know the way to the clockmaker’s lab?”

  “No. Never heard of it.”

  “If you get a chance, try to get there,” Persephone whispered. “I’ve been told it could be a sanctuary.”

  Gideon was furious the clockmaker had wasted his time, and he began to think perhaps it was a ruse just to keep him away from Francis, or stop him from interfering with their plans. This Joshua Brandon was an interesting character, and he obviously knew more than he was willing to divulge, but he also was completely uncooperative.

  He began to worry about the plan, and Francis’s welfare. He didn’t want to be picked up by the Red Queen’s brothers, who had an uncanny nose for angel feathers, so decided to trace to the transport station address Manfred had given Francis. He hung on a balcony ledge to a vacant apartment and waited in the shadows. A stretch limo arrived, barreling through a dark hole at one side of a metal three-sided structure, and halted, its motor continuing to run. Two doors on one side and one on the other burst open suddenly with a sucking sound. No one exited the vehicle and likewise there was no driver.

  Gideon slouched back farther into the shadows, sure he’d be seeing the queen or her brothers very soon, if they’d taken the bait.

  Seconds later he heard screeching far away, not the usual sounds from her brothers, but from dark creatures similar to the ones who had carried Persephone away. Perhaps they were the very same ones. He readied his laser, testing the tiny power light to confirm it was armed and ready to use.

  Suddenly, over the top of the very roofline he was hiding under were four red creatures flying erratically with great speed. They looked exactly like the brothers he and Francis had battled. The Red Queen followed and as the group of them touched down on the blacktop next to the limo, Gideon noticed they were carrying something that was thrashing in a silver net. Squinting and pulling himself up just far enough to see more clearly, he recognized Francis’s disheveled topcoat, with the usual crop of feather detritus extending up his collar. His hands were bound in silver rings, effectively immobilizing him. But they hadn’t trussed his mouth and his Guardian friend was leveling a string of invectives so loud Gideon was sure even the SB himself would be able to hear.

  The screeching high up in the stormy sky began to get louder and the brothers were attempting to shove the netting into the vehicle. Francis was doing a good job kicking and writhing to make their task more difficult.

  “Stop it, angel, or I will end you!” the queen shouted.

  “I am not invited. The invitation was not for me. The lab director was very specific.”

  “We have little time. Shut up and get in or I swear you’ll be dismembered with your own laser.” She held up the weapon Francis had been given. Francis shrank down and she kicked him into the darkened interior. Almost before the last door could be closed, the vehicle sped off into a nearly invisible tunnel that closed up after it swallowed them all.

  Gideon’s heart sank. This had never been the plan. Manfred had warned him about the dangers of Francis in the Underworld. The silver netting would have contained him, making his wing inoperative. But apparently he also could no longer and suspected it had to do with the fact that Francis was now at half strength with only one wing. He wondered if he still retained his full strength of telepathy and hoped he did.

  He flew over the balcony and onto the recently vacated roadway, searching both ends of the tunnel. Nothing moved.

  The screeching became louder. Gideon realized the vulnerability of his position and traced through the wall into the vacant building, crouching quietly in the dark. Two dark creatures landed, their long claws scrabbling across the concrete walkway leading from the building to the platform. They barked and cawed, scorched a wooden sign that had been waving back and forth in the wind nearby. Sniffing the air, one of them turned toward the place Gideon was hiding, and headed directly toward him. The creature crashed through the stucco walls and laid a red eye beam in Gideon’s direction, the second creature right behind.

  Gideon raised the palm stinger and hoped it was at full capacity. He was rewarded with a tiny stream of red heat that seared a hole many times its size in the first creature’s chest. The second one backed up onto the platform area and cawed, then raised his head to take flight just as Gideon ran through the hole in the wall to catch the creature’s wing, slicing it off with the laser, which sent the black Underworld bat crashing to the ground. Another burst from the stinger stopped the circular twisting motion of the creature, who was trying to get airborne again with only one wing.

  But Gideon’s luck didn’t hold up. No sooner had he put the first bird to bed than he felt the claws of another animal grab him, spearing his shoulder. The pain was so great, he dropped the stinger, which fell to the ground and became invisible as Gideon’s captor hoisted him high into the heavens. A team of several other black creatures followed alongside. Another one’s claws tore into Gideon’s left shoulder and for a brief second he thought perhaps they would dismember him.

  His last thought before the blackness crept in from the periphery of his sight was that he remembered Manfred’s words, So, you’ll be joining the Underworld soon, then?

  And just like the clockmaker and Joshua Brandon had predicted, their plan shattered into a million moving parts.

  Chapter 21

  Persephone had drifted off, not aware of it being either day or night. Her ears began to tickle, and she felt the annoying gnats again buzzing around her. They remained in a tight formation in front of her face as she sat up in her silver cage, the bars being too far apart to stop the little intrusion.

  As she studied them, she heard the clockmaker’s voice, “Help her,” as distinctly as if he were standing right there. The cloud of bots repeated the words in Manfred’s accent.

  “Can you?” she asked the swarm. The buzzing got slightly louder.

  She pointed to the lock on the cage door. The little bots went to work, and the lock flipped back and forth, as it was tugged with enough force to even pull the entire cage forward with her sitting in it.

  She pointed to the little keyhole on the lock. One by one, the tiny bots entered the hole, causing the lock to begin to vibrate until it exploded, sending metal pieces across the room.

  “Perfect!”

  Persephone scrambled outside the cage, running over to her fallen friend, who had been chained to one of her bedposts. She motioned to the lock on the chain and just as the cage door had been opened, the bots shattered the locking device on the chain. Her friend woke up, taking swipes at the creatures.


  “No. Leave them alone. They are helping us,” Persephone whispered.

  They buzzed in tight formation close to Persephone for safety.

  “Do you know if there’s a guard outside?” she asked the other angel.

  “I have no idea.”

  “You are called?” she asked next.

  “Rose.”

  “Persephone,” she answered. “Do you know anything about where we are?”

  “No. I heard water, perhaps frogs. Crickets? I thought it sounded strange. But I was blindfolded so I didn’t see anything.”

  Persephone faced her swarm. “Show us the way to the clockmaker.”

  The cloud of bots scrambled under the threshold and disappeared.

  “I don’t think they’re used to this,” she said to her new friend Rose. To the door she whispered, “Come back. Open the door for us.”

  Next they heard knocking and a dark-suited guard in black leathers, including a mask that covered his whole face and head like an executioner’s headpiece, unlocked the door and poked his head inside to investigate the source of the sound. When he spotted the two angels free, he began to shout. Persephone pulled him inside while Rose jumped on his back, sending him crashing to the floor. She grabbed his curved knife and quickly slit the guard’s throat and then shoved the body off to a corner.

  Persephone stole a ring of keys attached to the guard’s belt. “Let’s cover him up, make it look like someone is sleeping.”

  When they exited, she found the proper key and relocked the room. Searching for the swarm, she spotted them rounding a corner and motioned for Rose to follow her.

  “Do your wings operate?” she asked Rose as they ran between doorways beneath massive stone pillars.

  “No,” Rose replied. “I have no dust either.”

  Persephone concentrated, but her wings did not unfurl. “Shoot. We’ll have to go on foot.” Then a small miracle happened, she heard Francis sending her a telepathic message of distress.