Wild Knight (Midnight Empire: The Tower #1)(39)

I was tempted to ask about the wizard with the sun tattoo on his head, but there were some things better left unsaid. Besides I had enough research to tackle and I didn’t know enough about the wizard and his friends yet. No need to endanger Pedro by sharing too much.

“At least you have her artwork to remember her by.” I had nothing except a few photographs of my mother. No possessions. The more you owned, the more they weighed you down.

“Indeed,” Pedro agreed. “One of my favorite things to do when I’m missing my abuela is to go to the art section and look through the books with pictures of the sun. Suddenly it’s like no time has passed.”

“That’s sweet.” Pedro was a kind man. I was glad he found a home at the library instead of becoming food for vampires. Luck of the draw.

After another hour of research, I started to yawn. I found plenty of information involving the importance of the number five in religions and myths, but nothing that resembled the symbol on the stone. Damascus steel proved equally elusive. The internet would’ve come in handy, but it was now a relic of the past thanks to the uprooted earth and dysfunctional satellites. It had become so unreliable and difficult to power with magic that it had been all but abandoned and books once again became the primary source of information.

I didn’t even realize I’d dosed off until a janitor nudged me awake. How long had I been asleep?

I dragged myself home, my head spinning with symbols and numbers and images of a metal cocoon. It bothered me that the investigation’s priority was finding the stone, then Davina. Identifying Maria’s murderer didn’t even make the cut. Some might argue Maria deserved her fate, but I understood that desperation made people do things they never believed themselves capable of. I hoped her former colleagues didn’t judge her too harshly.

I was relieved to reach my flat. The only thing I wanted now was a warm bed. I’d force myself to eat if only to avoid waking in the night with a rumbling belly. I hated interrupted sleep and with the animals in the holiday home, I had a rare chance to sleep without being nudged or kicked or clawed and I was taking full advantage of it.

I practically crawled up five flights of stairs, unlocked the door, and collapsed on the bed. If I dreamed at all, I was too tired to remember.





12





I awoke the next morning feeling refreshed. I made coffee and a list of everything I’d learned to date. It wasn’t much but it was better than nothing.

I decided to return to the excavation site and canvas the area for any clues left behind by my wizard friends. I suspected the bodies would no longer be there and, lo and behold, they weren’t. Dead bodies were fair game unless someone claimed them. Any vampire within a half mile radius would smell their fresh blood and seize the opportunity for a meal.

I cringed at the thought of Callan hunched over a wizard’s body, although he seemed surprisingly disinterested in feeding from them. It would’ve been easy and perfectly legal.

There was no sign of Dashiell and the interns. No doubt yesterday’s attack had scared them away for a few days. Totally understandable. The world was scary enough without your colleague turning up dead encased in an ancient metal and wizards showing up to kill you because they wanted something you didn’t even have.

A scan of the site proved uneventful and I headed toward the river to catch a bus to the Circus. My phone buzzed and I tugged it from my pocket. Minka.

“How close are you to the Gherkin?” she barked.

The Gherkin was located in what was once the heart of the city’s financial district.

“I’m near Monument. Why?”

“Kami called for reinforcements. There’s a dragon attacking the Gherkin.”

Instinctively I glanced skyward but saw only the usual stretch of bleak gray.

“On it.”

I shoved the phone in my pocket and sprinted away from the Thames.

The Gherkin was often referred to as the Miracle Building because it managed to withstand the dramatic changes that rocked the city. Most skyscrapers shattered and collapsed at some point during the eruptions, but not the Gherkin. Other than the replacement of a few windows, the building survived intact which made it only more beloved by the city’s residents.

I spotted the dragon about two blocks south of the Gherkin. Dark green. Spiked tail. A fire breather. Not ideal in the heart of the city.

Kami noticed me first and raced over to update me. “I only have my sword. I was in the cocktail bar at the top when the dragon started banging his head against the window. Everybody cleared out.”

I eyed her suspiciously. “What were you doing in the cocktail bar in the middle of the day?” It was then I noticed her outfit. She wasn’t in her uniform or her regular everyday clothes. Kami was wearing a dress.

“Kamikaze Marwin, were you on a date?”

Her cheeks grew flushed. “Never mind me. We’ve got to deal with this dragon.”

I pointed to the dragon that was currently sitting on top of the Gherkin doing absolutely nothing.

“The dragon is fine. I want to know more about this date. Who is it? That knight you met at the weapons convention? The one with the mismatched eyes?”

Kami glowered at me. “I am not discussing this with you right now.” She jabbed a finger at the empty air. “Dragon. Chaos. Help.”

The dragon abandoned its perch and we watched as it swooped low and climbed high again.