“Do I even want to know?” she asked.
“Definitely not.” There was no sign of Kami. No doubt she’d gone home to change her clothes and look disgruntled over the outcome of her date. Too bad they didn’t hit it off or it would’ve made a great story to tell their grandchildren.
I sat at my desk and debated whether to write a report on the dragon. Technically it wasn’t required because the dragon interference wasn’t part of my official duties. My time would be better spent finding the stone and Davina. The possibility of a brewing battle between Houses wasn’t ideal. Despite Callan’s confidence in me, a situation with severe political repercussions was above my pay grade.
I gnawed on a carrot stick and attempted to brainstorm. It was hard to generate ideas when I was hungry. I needed crunchy fuel.
Minka’s phone bleeped once and immediately fell silent. “I think it was Stevie.”
“Wait and see if she calls back.” Ione closed a file and delivered it to Minka. She didn’t share my intense dislike of bureaucracy, but I definitely heard her grumble about a sore thumb joint more than once today.
Minka watched the phone and waited.
I noticed her look of consternation. “What’s the big deal?”
“She started a job for a new client today.”
I shrugged. “And?”
Minka lowered her head. “I might not have fully vetted him.”
Ione and I exchanged glances. Since when did Minka, the queen of all things administrative, not fully vet someone? Just because we were the last resort for many people didn’t mean we took absolutely any job that came through the door. An all-female banner suffered from more than its fair share of bullies and misogynists. We’d been lured to cage fights and endured piss-poor trafficking attempts. Kami was once hired to work what was supposed to be security for a wealthy wizard who owned an adults-only traveling circus. Turned out he thought it would be hot to have a female knight in the center ring to square off against a couple minotaurs night after night. Let’s just say he regretted that decision and Kami left with a set of horns that she used to embellish the top of her favorite chair.
“Why didn’t you vet him?” Ione demanded. “It’s in the rules.”
We all knew how much Minka coveted the rules.
“He offered double the rate,” she admitted.
Red flag. “Did you ask why?”
Minka straightened. “Naturally. He said it was because the job was urgent and he knew our time was valuable.”
She fell for flattery? How very unlike her.
“He also said Sergio recommended us.”
That made a bit more sense. Sergio was like Mack, another knight that directed clients our way when his banner was fully booked or had a conflict of interest.
Minka’s phone bleeped again and she pounced. “Hello? Stevie?”
Nothing.
“Where was she going?” Ione asked.
Minka shook her head. “Not sure. I passed the details along, but I was busy at the time.”
I pulled out my phone and saw a signal. “I’ll call her.”
“Why does your phone work?” Minka huffed.
I gave her a sharp look. “Seriously? You’re suffering from comparisonitis now?” I found Stevie in my contacts and tapped the speaker button.
She picked up on the first ring. “Waterloo Bridge,” Stevie’s voice crackled and the connection died.
I cursed the unreliable satellites. There was only so much magic could do to keep them working. If the magic was powerful enough to cut through the dense atmosphere and reach the satellites, then they’d also be able to create holes for sunlight. That hadn’t happened, not for lack of trying though. Every so often there’d be an article in the newspaper about a secret team of scientists or magic users working to restore sunlight. Reporters tended to avoid those stories for the most part, unless they wanted to field a visit from House Lewis and a demand to reveal their sources. Vampires weren’t as keen as everyone else when it came to welcoming back the sun. For obvious reasons.
Ione jumped to her feet and knocked back her chair in the process. “Let’s go.”
“We don’t know what she’s dealing with,” Minka said. “How do we know which weapons to bring?”
I frowned at her. “How long have you been doing this job? You don’t wait for the right set of circumstances. You grab your best weapon and charge.”
Minka jerked chin upward. “Maybe that’s what you do. Some of us prefer to be more strategic.”
“And some of us prefer not to be dead.” I wasn’t wasting any more time. Stevie had an emergency. It didn’t matter what it was. She called us and we needed to get to her. Now.
I secured my daggers and strapped my axe to my back. When in doubt, Babe was my best bet. I learned how to throw an axe when I was barely strong enough to lift one. My mother liked its versatility and thought it was more practical than a sword. She wasn’t wrong.
I strode toward the exit. I sensed a presence behind me and knew without looking that Ione was there. She was light on her feet, which was one of the reasons she made a terrific archer. She could creep up on a target and be well within range before they even noticed her.
“I’ll stay here in case she shows up,” Minka called after us.
Sure. You do that.
Spanning the Thames, Waterloo Bridge was a pre-Eternal Night structure. Its survival was impressive considering the creatures that sometimes emerged from the river. Sensible residents didn’t cross it though. Not unless you were a vampire. They ruled the entire city, but they had a stranglehold on areas south of the river. It was where much of the vampire lower class had settled. If you were a witch or a werewolf, you’d only cross Waterloo Bridge for a very good reason, usually one that involved life or death. For a human to cross it was suicide.
The aquatic monsters didn’t help matters. Like the Serpentine, the river had its share of creatures that leaked from the depths of the oceans during the Great Eruption and found their way to more populated areas. The River Thames was notorious for spitting out the occasional kraken or a school of sirens that lured suspecting-but-weak-willed victims to their doom.
“What are you thinking—mermaids?” Ione asked as we hurried along the Strand.
“Bigger. Stevie wouldn’t request backup for mermaids.” She was a witch who specialized in water magic. She could handle a mermaid with an attitude problem.
“I can’t believe Minka.” Ione’s face hardened. “If anything happens to Stevie…”
“Nothing will happen to her.” I made sure to sound more certain than I felt. Knights died on the job every day and we both knew it, especially knights like us whose resources were limited.
A pulse of magic tugged me toward the river. I rounded the corner and glimpsed Stevie’s silhouette in the center of the bridge. Her feet were planted hip-width apart and she held her sword at the ready as she faced the water. Whatever she was anticipating, she wasn’t willing to be caught off guard.
Ione opened her mouth to call Stevie’s name and I clamped a hand over it. We couldn’t risk distracting her at a crucial moment.
Ione bit my finger. “You still smell like dragon.”