0.6-The Asylum Interviews: Trixie (8 page)

“And you would like a little extra daytime protection for your young.”

“Please, Gage,” Astolat whispered. “Could you help us?” At the same time, Enid laid a clawed hand on my shoulder, looking down at me with pleading yellow eyes.

My stomach churned and twisted as I thought about it. Protecting the cave for them meant venturing into the forest lands at night. The woods outside the city could be tricky, as many of the fey remained in the surrounding areas outside the city limits and could be . . . mischievous. I didn’t want to think about stepping foot on their land under the silvery light of the moon. Sure, I liked to camp, but that was in fey-designated safe zones just past the city borders. On the other hand, I would be protected by Uther and his people while I cast the protective wards. And most importantly, they needed me.

When I turned my back on the Ivory Towers, swearing I would never be like the other warlocks and witches, it was because I didn’t want to spend a long lifetime destroying other people as I sought more power in which to crush people. Now I had the chance to actually help someone with my hard-won abilities. If I had to choose, I would rather die trying to do the right thing than live doing the wrong thing.

“I can help. Contact me when you’re ready,” I said with a smile. Enid grabbed me in a fierce bear hug that had me groaning as she threatened to crack my ribs.

“Thank you!” she said in a rush of relief as she put me back down.

“Sure, just remember me when you’re naming the little tykes,” I said, rubbing my bruised ribs. Enid looked troubled for a moment, glancing up at Uther. I chuckled as I imagined that Gage wasn’t one of their preferred name choices. “I was joking.”

Enid gave me a little shove before walking away. I stumbled, struggling to keep on my feet and not knock into any of the other gargoyles. But my smile died when I looked back up at Uther. It was time to get down to business and the real reason for my coming to see his clan. I was glad that I could help his people, but I had other pressing problems bringing me out to this cold location.

“Is there something we can help you with?” Uther asked.

“Actually, there is,” I said and then paused. “A friend of mine is in trouble and I need to help her, but I can’t find her. I was hoping that you might supply me with some information.”

“A girlfriend?” Astolat inquired with a smile.

I sighed, wondering if this was a trend in my life that I was unaware of. Did I make a habit of riding to the rescue of the women I dated? No. Were both the gargoyles and Chang trying to get me laid? I really didn’t want to think about that either. “No, Jo is an ex-girlfriend and I’m not getting the impression that she’s in a hurry to get back together. Regardless, she needs my help.”

“What information do you need?” Uther was kind enough to draw the conversation back to the topic at hand.

“I need to know the location of the vampire nest headed up by a vampire called Chester.”

Uther visibly stiffened and Astolat looked up at her mate, an anxious expression on her face. I had no doubt that one or more of the gargoyles knew where to find the nest I was talking about, but it appeared they weren’t comfortable with my request. I hadn’t been counting on this.

“What’s the problem?” I asked after the silence stretched uncomfortably between us.

“There are two vampire nests in Low Town and both are kept secret for their daytime protection. It would be wrong of us to betray their secret when we have no quarrel with the vampires.”

I bit my tongue, fighting back the argument rising in my chest. Jo was in trouble. Someone was hurting her and it needed to be stopped. But that didn’t mean that I could ask the gargoyles to do something they believed to be morally wrong just so I could save someone.

“What if I promised not to approach the nest during the day? Only at night. I won’t hurt anyone else but the master who is hurting Jo.”

“It would still be wrong to give away their secret.”

Shoving my hands into my pockets, I tapped down my frustration. He was right, but I hated it. I didn’t know what else to do. There were some tracking spells, but it was unlikely they would work since the nest would be protected and if I pushed it, I would definitely catch the attention of the Ivory Towers—something I was desperately trying to avoid. That left me with the only other option of calling Chester out and getting him to come to me, which seemed even riskier than going to the nest.

“I understand,” I murmured, trying hard not to sound like I was sulking. “I’ve got to get out of here. Thanks for your time.” I started to walk back toward the door leading to the stairwell when Uther’s voice drew me back around.

“I am sorry.”

“I understand. It’s not your fault. Just send someone to the parlor when you need me. Preferably after nine if you can wait.”

The gargoyle’s expression looked puzzled for a moment. “You’ll still help us with the rookery?”

“I said I would and I am. I would be honored to do so. Whether you can help me or not isn’t going to change that.”

“You’re a good man, Gage Powell.”

I turned back around and headed to the door. “So I’ve been told,” I muttered under my breath. Of course, if I was such a good man, would Jo have hesitated to tell me she was in trouble? If I was such a good man, would I have lost contact with her in the first place?

The brief trip through the building helped to relieve me of the worst of the chill biting at my bones. My cheeks and ears stung from exposure to the cold wind, but I hardly noticed. I hadn’t expected my trip to the gargoyles to be completely useless in regards to my problem and I hadn’t thought up a back-up plan. My only other option was to try to call out Chester and hope he didn’t kill me in the middle of the street.

I pushed through the revolving door and sucked in a breath when the cold wind slapped me in the face yet again. Warmed up just so I could freeze on the walk to my car. Wrapping my arms across my chest, I quickly turned down a well-lit alley in hopes of getting to the parking garage a little faster. Not much chance there, as a pair of strong hands grabbed my upper arms from behind and lifted me from the ground. I twisted, seeing the ground grow farther away as I rose in the air with my captor.

“Hold still,” grumbled Evrain.

I looked up to find the gargoyle’s wings spread wide, catching the fierce wind so that it carried us higher and higher into the night sky. His talons bit into my arms through the jacket I was wearing, but I didn’t say anything. I could tolerate a little pain over the prospect of being dropped several stories to the unyielding concrete.

To my surprise, we didn’t return to the top of the Lindner Tower, but instead stopped on the rooftop of another building about a block away. Luckily, it was actually closer to the garage where I had parked my SUV.

“What’s up?” I asked when Evrain set me down and landed beside me.

“The location of the nest is—”

“Whoa!” I interrupted, holding both of my hands up. “I appreciate your help, but you can’t do that.”

“I would have given anything to be able to stop the murder of Mordrain and Lysanor, but there was nothing we could do,” he said with a low growl as he looked at the ground. He jerked his head up to face me and there was a glow to his yellow eyes. “We can do something to help your friend.”

“What about Uther? I understand his reasons. I don’t want to get you in trouble with him.”

“Uther will be angry, but not
that
angry. He wants to help, but feels he cannot. Astolat will soften his anger. She’s the one that sent me.” I smiled at my companion. “The nest you asked about is on the west side of the city in the Parkside neighborhood.”

“I know it.”

“It’s a white three-story house that sits back at the end of a long gravel driveway and is surrounded by a high fence. The house will look broken down and uninhabited when you approach. The vampires do not come up the driveway from the street, but there is an entrance through the detached garage that sits back in a thin strip of woods.”

“Got it. Thanks.”

Evrain clasped me on the shoulder and pressed his forehead against mine. “Be careful and save your Jo.” The gargoyle suddenly released me and ran to the edge of the rooftop. With a leap, he was airborne, circling a few times as the wind lifted him higher, bringing him closer to the rooftop of the Lindner Tower.

As I headed to the door of the stairwell, I pulled my cell phone out of my back pocket and dialed Trixie’s number. I had the start of a plan and a location. Trixie needed to be updated on the progress that I had made, and I wanted to get her thoughts on my insane plan. To be honest, I was hoping she would talk me out of it and think of something slightly less suicidal.

I paused on the second landing as I descended the stairs and looked at the screen on my phone. My call had gone into voicemail for the second time, sending a chill through my blood. The elf was frantic to help Jo and torn up over the fact that her friend was going to be injured because of her recklessness. Trixie should have been waiting by the phone for my call, ready to pounce on any opportunity to jump back in the fray. Slowly continuing down the stairs, I dialed the number a third time and left a message for her to call me immediately, but I didn’t expect her to call me. Something had gone wrong.

Bronx picked up the phone at the shop on the second ring as I exited the building Evrain had left me on.

“You heard from Trixie?” I demanded as soon as he answered.

“No. Problem?”

“Maybe. You in the middle of someone?”

“Just finished.”

“Meet me at Trixie’s place. Don’t go inside. Wait for me.” I paused and pulled up her address in my text messages and rattled it off to the troll.

“Got it. I’ll be there in twenty.”

I just hoped that Trixie was still there.

CHAPTER SIX

T
rixie was gone. Her apartment had been empty with the front door standing open when we arrived. Chester had her and I was going to get her and Jo back before the night was out. Jumping into Bronx’s Jeep, I let the troll drive us across town as he seemed to be the calmer of the two of us.

Bronx and I prowled through the west side of Low Town, which was filled with rusting warehouses and steel mills, endless blocks of crowded row houses, and some excellent chili parlors. I didn’t spend much time over here, but I knew my way around.

The large Victorian throw-back was up on a hill at the end of a long, gravel driveway as Evrain had described it. The place was situated at the end of a cul de sac, allowing us to do a quick drive-by to check it out. There was a sagging chain-link fence across the front of the drive and around the land with signs announcing that the place was condemned. At first glance, the place looked completely abandoned, with its overgrown yard, broken windows, and peeling white paint. As Bronx slowly turned his Jeep away from the house, I pulled out a spyglass and fully extended it as I twisted in my seat to stare out the back window at the house.

“Are we pirates now?” Bronx mocked as he pulled up the street.

“Found this in a junk store years ago,” I said. I clenched my teeth, trying to hold steady in the bouncing car so I could see clearly the house. “Both the lenses are etched with some kind of antiglamour ward. Lets you see things as they truly are. It looks ridiculous, but it comes in handy.”

“What did you see?”

Collapsing the spyglass, I turned back in my seat and reattached my seat belt before gently dropping the instrument on the floor of the car. “Turn here and head to the next block over. We need to park behind the house,” I directed as Bronx eased to a stop at the corner. “The house is in fine condition and occupied, if you judge by the shadows I saw moving around. Painted pale blue instead of white with lights on in all the windows. There’s even a freaking fountain in front of the house. That’s some good glamour they’ve got working.”

Bronx reached forward and tapped the digital clock on his radio. “It’s after four.”

I frowned as my stomach seemed to curdle. It was time. Leaning over, I picked up a plastic bowl with plastic wrap over the top. Inside were four orange quarters, all of which had been soaked in the liquid Chang had given me. After leaving Trixie’s, we stopped at the parlor long enough for me to prepare the sanguinello as Chang had instructed. If I wanted to poison a vampire, I needed to eat only half of the orange. If I wanted him dead, I needed to eat all four quarter segments. I hesitated, not liking either option, but I needed this as a back-up plan just in case.

The first orange wedge went down with no problem. It was sweeter than the oranges that we got in Low Town. Less bitter and acidic. I waited, tensed to see if my stomach would reject what I had just eaten. Chang was a reliable source of goods, but this was also the first time I had ingested anything the man had given me.

“You okay?” Bronx asked as he threw the Jeep in park on the side of the road a block over from the entrance to the nest. This street ran behind the house, nearest to the woods.

“Not killing me yet,” I murmured as I picked up a second piece. Pulling at the rind with my fingertips, I tore off the pulpy interior with my teeth and sucked it down quickly. As I was chewing, I considered offering the last two wedges to Bronx. He didn’t know what it was other than it was protection against the vampires. I changed my mind, putting the bowl on the floor of the car. I wasn’t sure the mixture would react the same in a troll’s bloodstream and I didn’t want to take the risk with Bronx’s life.

The trek through the small wooded strip behind the vampire manor was quiet and uneventful, but nonetheless left me itching for a weapon. For the most part, vampires avoided violence and confrontation. They had fought too hard for their rights over the years and knew too much bad press might see those rights revoked. However, all that flew out the window when you trespassed within their domain—not that I could blame them.

My heart was pounding in my chest when I raised my hand to knock on the back door. Bronx was close behind me, standing on the stairs leading up to the small wooden porch. No one answered. I glanced over my shoulder at Bronx, who shrugged. Vampires had great hearing. They heard me, but I suspected that they were a little confused. Who knocked on the back door at a vampire nest in the middle of the night? I raised my hand to pound on the door again, when it swung open. A vampire poked his head out, a confused expression on his young face. He was a couple inches shorter than me, looking to be barely over twenty with short black hair, dark brown skin, and nearly colorless eyes that were bright beacons against his skin.