Matt Archer: Redemption (23 page)

In the face of a lot of darkness and pain, the mental image of Johnson frog-marching Will through the woods made me crack a smile. Not because I was glad Will had freaked out, but because the very
thought
was pretty funny. And I needed a little funny, no matter where it came from.

“Can you go find him? I think if I talk to him, he’ll settle down.”

Dad nodded and ghosted out of the room. If I hadn’t watched him leave, I never would’ve known he’d even moved. The man was quieter than a mouse’s fart.

I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling. We’d taken out the last of the four elemental beasts in Zenka’s sketchbook: Gators, for water; the winged fallen-god for air; slimy, misshapen Ga-Gorib for earth, and now fire. The only point left was mine.

And the Shadow Man’s.

We’d found the final shaman, too. What he’d told me was significant, and led me to believe we were coming to the end. The thought should’ve filled me with dread. It didn’t. I was so beat up, so tired, that it seemed like a relief. My only real concern, no matter what happened to me, was making sure my family was safe. Jie’s words—and the Dark Master’s—kept echoing in my head: there had to be three. Once I was well enough to travel, I was going home. Period.

There was a knock at the door, and Will’s large frame filled up the doorway. His shoulders were slumped and he wore an expression mirroring the one he’d had when he accidentally broke a window at my house when we were ten, leading me to cut my hand bad enough to need fourteen stitches.

I’m guilty, his face said. Punish me.

I had no intention of doing that. I planned to absolve him of his non-existent sin, and fast, because I needed to know everything that happened today. “Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not true. You never would’ve left me hanging out there on purpose, so stop blaming yourself right now.”

“I can’t believe I lost you, though. That thing was the size of a Volkswagen minibus, and it left a trail a mile wide. Or so I thought.” He ran a hand over his hair and I could tell he agitated again. “The trail branched—burnt vegetation in both directions. I took the left fork and somehow ended up in the middle of the woods. When I doubled back, I heard you scream, and … ”

He stopped talking and punched the doorjamb.

“Yeah, so the self-mutilation needs to stop, asshat. If I had to guess, there was a little dark magic at work out there, leading you the wrong way. It happened to me, too, so you’re not imagining that part,” I said, forcing myself to sit up. My shoulder throbbed in protest, but I ignored it. “I won’t let you hurt yourself because the monster hurt me. I understand how you feel—you’ve been hurt on my watch before—and it sucks, but we need you focused, okay? I need you to tell me everything that happened after I left the house this morning.”

My tone got through and he looked startled. It worked, though, because he came into the room and took Dad’s chair. “We were set up.”

I knew that much. “By a demon who looked a lot like a Chinese girl.”

“Ah, so that’s what the ‘Jie wasn’t human’ comment meant. We wondered where you went, but when Xing Li died, that freaky mist surrounded the house, and we couldn’t hear you. All we could hear was screaming.”

I nodded. “I heard it too, but I was being kept out of the way.”

“That makes sense now,” he said. “You wouldn’t just not show up. Anyway, the rest of the Pandas were running amok, dragging villagers into the trees. It was chaos, because I couldn’t see anything until I was right up on them. We drove them deeper into the woods, picking them off one by one. Too late for the villagers, though, and two got past us.”

“I took care of those,” I told him.

“Yeah, we saw their bodies on the way back here.”

“Did any of the monsters say anything to you?” I asked. “The fire monster mentioned the Dark Master, but did the others?”

“No, they were out for blood, pure and simple.”

So, nothing like the Bears in Billings, the ones who’d developed a conscience along with their intellect. Thing was, I didn’t understand why. If Nocturna Maura hadn’t given the Dark Master a boost last eclipse, why were these Pandas merely killers? This was a question for my sister—who I needed to call as soon as I could. “Well, they’re gone now.”

“They’re gone,” Will murmured. “Matt, I’m really sorry. I should’ve been there. At the very least I should’ve given your knife back sooner. I just didn’t think. I was so wrecked, nothing made any sense for a while.”

Even now, after being a wielder for the better part of a year, Will still cared about watching my back. That kind of support couldn’t be bought, not for his weight in gold. “I don’t blame you, not for anything. Craptastic shit happens out here. You did everything you could and so did I. Why don’t you get some sleep? We’ll figure out what’s next in the morning.”

Will stood slowly, but he seemed better. “Good idea. And thanks.”

He lumbered out of the room and as soon as he was gone, Dad slipped in. “You were right—he needed to hear it from you to believe it.”

“I’ve been there.” Only my mistakes had cost lives. “I’m glad you’re here, by the way.”

His surprised smile lit up his face. “Wasn’t sure I’d ever hear you say that.”

“And I should’ve said it before now.” I bunched up my pillow so I could lean back against the wall. “Dad, I’m worried about Mamie and Brent. Mom, too, but especially them. If I asked, would you go home?”

“I’d go today. But what’s going on?” he asked.

I explained everything I’d gotten from Jie, then broke down and told him about the Jinn’s message in Marrakech. He didn’t ask questions, just listened. I’d learned that was his way of processing things—gather all the information, then filter through it. He and Mamie were a lot alike in that respect.

Finally he said, “The Archer. That’s what Xing Li said.”

“Yes,” I told him. “But Jie made it sound like it was all of us.”

“It is, and it isn’t.” He frowned. “Mamie’s birthday is in ten days—the twenty-third.”

I waited for him to say more, but he sat there, wearing his “thinking frown” and staring into space. I let it go on for two minutes before losing patience. “And?”

“Mamie.” He looked like a man who’d solved a monstrous puzzle. “She’s a Sagittarius.”

Okay, I hadn’t figured on us veering into astrology. That seemed more like Xing Li’s turf. “Yeah, so?”

“The Archer,” Dad said. His eyes were alight with sudden understanding. “She’s not only an Archer in name, but she’s an Archer because of her birthday.”

Born at the right time, in the right place. “God. You’re right. But what does this mean?”

His expression went cold and hard. “You know what it means.”

Yes, I did. “The Bears were supposed to take her to him—the Dark Master. He wants her, but I don’t know why.”

Why doesn’t matter.
Tink’s sigh was heavy.
The bigger concern is if he’ll come for her again.

The same panic I felt in the aftermath of a nightmare rose up inside of me. This wasn’t an “if” scenario. It was
when
. “Dad, I don’t know how to explain it, but Mamie’s in danger.”

He stood. “Then it’s time I went to Billings.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Dad left the next morning. He had an afternoon flight to Beijing, an evening flight to LA, and would be home in Montana by tomorrow night, Billings local time.

It had to be enough. If it wasn’t—no, I couldn’t think that way. He’d make it home in time.

But then what?

“It’s going to be okay,” Will was saying. “We’ll go home soon, too. He can keep them safe until then.”

Right after Dad left, Johnson called Mike and had us tell the story on speaker phone. My uncle was so quiet, I had this picture of him seething in his office, unable to speak without blowing up.

“So Dad’s on his way,” I said. “But I’d like to request an immediate furlough, sir. I have to be there.”

“Me, too,” Will said. “We’re done here. We need to be in Billings.”

“I’d like to go with them, sir,” Johnson said. “I request to be assigned to Mamie’s security detail.”

The line crackled with static, and I wondered if we’d lost our connection. Then Uncle Mike said, “Jorge and Ramirez aren’t done in Alaska and I need at least one of them in Honduras as soon as possible. Julie’s coming home for a few weeks to spend Thanksgiving with us before deploying to India. And we still have seven or eight other hot spots to mop up.”

I knew what he was agonized over: fulfill our charter to rid the world of nightmares, or protect his only niece.

“Okay,” he finally said. “Here’s what we’ll do. Matt and Will, I’ll give you a short furlough home. Cruessan, this is a two-day pass. I’m sending you to Yemen after that.”

Will would get to see Penn for a few days. That was something at least. “And me, sir?” I asked.

“You’ll stay stateside. We’ve heard of some potential issues in Oregon, Arkansas and Michigan. We’ve even gotten a little weird chatter out of Colorado, but it’s not confirmed. We’ll send you on short stints with your team, so you can go back home to check in on Mamie now and again.”

It would have to do. I had a responsibility to keep as many people safe as I could. Even if I was cold with fear for my sister, I had a duty and I couldn’t forget that now. “Dad will stay as long as we need him to. If Dad and Brent tag-team for security, I think Mamie will be safe enough while I’m gone.”

“Okay. Davis will put together a travel plan for you. Johnson, you’ll head back to Fort Carson with your team to work on advance planning until it’s time to go to Yemen with Cruessan. Pack everyone up and head back to the Chengdu and stay near the airport.”

“Yes, sir,” Johnson said, even though he didn’t sound happy about it. I knew he wanted to protect Mamie as much as we did, but with everyone spread too thin, Mike couldn’t spare extra personnel.

I touched Johnson’s arm. “We’ll keep her safe, Captain. If I have to move heaven and earth, I’ll protect her.”

He gave me a grave nod. “I know you will.”

 We spent the rest of the day packing up, making sure the villagers were okay, and burying Xing Li. When I went into his house to pick up my duffel, I found a piece of thick parchment paper, like the one he’d been painting when we met, under his chair at the table.

It had been folded in half, and instead of a Chinese character, an “M” was painted on it.

Was this a trick? Some final prank by Jie? Or was the paper itself poisoned?

When I hesitated, Tink said,
Pick it up. It won’t bite.

“How do you know? You don’t even have teeth.”

She huffed impatiently.
I don’t. But you want to know what it says, so quit being afraid.

I stooped and picked the paper up, pinched between my thumb and pointer finger like it was a piece of smelly trash. When my fingers didn’t blister or fall off, I slowly unfolded the note.

Because that’s what it was, a note addressed me, in English.

“Matthew,

I do not know if this will find you, but it is for you alone. I want to be sure you receive the rest of my message in the event something happens to me. I’m not sure I can trust my translator.

My people believe the position of the heavens at the very hour of birth is matter of great importance. Each of us is unique, but some are more special than others, and there is one more special than us all. One in ten trillion, almost as infinite as the stars in perfect alignment. Born at a time and in a space no other has, and never will be again, by ordination of the heavens themselves. You know of whom I speak.

Protect her from the dark.

With hope,

Chen Xing Li”

I drew a sharp breath. Keep
her
safe. One in ten trillion.

Mamie.

* * *

I paced around the waiting area at our gate at LAX, wearing a hole in the cheap carpet. It had taken us thirty-eight hours to get this far, due to unforeseen weather issues, aircraft mechanical problems at every stop, and now because some guy had gone meth-head psycho right after we pulled away from the gate, forcing us to come back and deplane because he kept screaming about a bomb.

It was like someone didn’t want me to make it home.

“Why don’t you call Mamie?” Johnson suggested. “See how she’s doing?”

Good idea.

She answered on the second ring, like always. “Hey! How’s L.A.?”

I stared out the window at the clouds hazing the skyline. “Definitely not living up to its reputation as sunny. So what’s up at home?”

“I might have some news.” She lowered her voice. “I think I’m close to solving the riddle at the back of Zenka’s book. I need to translate it to be sure, but I should have it ready by the time you get home.”

We were finally going to get some answers. “Really? That’s awesome!”

“Yeah.”

Her voice sounded so weary that my antenna went up. “Everything okay there?”

“Yes. I’m a little anxious, that’s all. Being under house arrest for a month hasn’t been much fun, either.”

I glanced at the flight board. They’d delayed us another twenty minutes.

I started pacing again. “And I’m stuck here.”

“I can tell you’re making yourself crazy, so stop. I’m not in danger. I’m just antsy,” she said. “Mom’s working today, but Dad and Brent are home.” A snort. “Hovering.”

“I heard that!” Brent called in the distance. “And we’re keeping watch, not hovering.”

I laughed and calmed down a little. “Good. I want them to hover. Stay inside until Will and I get home, okay?”

I could picture her scowl when she said, “I can’t live like this forever, Matt. No matter what time we have, I can’t spend it like a prisoner in my own house.”

A cold feeling stole down my back. “What do you mean, ‘no matter what time we have?’”

She sighed. “None of us knows how this is going to turn out. If the end is coming, if the darkness wins, I want to feel the sun on my face while I can. I want to eat cookies for dinner and ice cream for breakfast. I want to enjoy life, not hide. And I want that for you, too.”