“The Gates of Nyx are never in one place long. They change their position at sundown. When the Book of Legend was torn apart, our forces poured forth in the north of the Island of Britain. But when we meet the Chosen?” He rolled one of the small gilded head fobs decorating his watch chain between his fingers, and it squealed in pain. The dark slash of a mouth widened, revealing the points of his teeth and a bit of black gums. “Who knows? It could be anywhere.”
A sinking sensation filled her chest, making her feel as if she were drowning. Coming here had been for nothin’. He wasn’t going to tell her. She could hardly draw a breath.
Rathe’s face changed, his perfectly sculpted black brows drawing down in the center, making his expression lurid and vile. “Go back to the Jackson brothers, my pet. Tell them to come to me.”
She swallowed hard in order to force words past the thickness in her throat. “How?”
“They will find another book, that of my once brother, the archangel Jezriel. In it they can find the means to locate the Gates of Nyx on the rise of the new moon.” He balled his hand into a fist. “And I will crush them and begin my reign as ruler of this world.”
China still hadn’t returned. She’d disappeared in a swirl of dark particles. He’d long since passed worry and entered into the realm of panic. Where the hell was she? What if Rathe wouldn’t let her return? Deep down he knew he had to trust her. If anyone could escape Rathe’s grasp, it would be a thief of her caliber. But was it enough?
The sun beat down, the air shimmering with the heat of it, as he walked his horse up the zigzagging dirt road to Marley’s house. It sat apart from the town on a bluff overlooking a deep gorge and was the strangest place Remington had ever seen. A large brass telescope, various cranes, and a few weather vanes Remington suspected were for attracting lightning during a thunderstorm, were among the objects that protruded from the roofline of Marley’s house. Some moved unexpectedly at odd intervals, giving one the sense it was not so much a building as an enormous living mechanical creature.
Among the flora and fauna on Marley’s property were glints of metal. The mechanical spine-shooting cacti and mechanical eyes Marley had scattered throughout the landscape so he could both warn and then defend himself against unwanted visitors.
Marley would know he was there before he ever reached the front door. Remington dismounted from his horse and moved to knock on the wooden front door, but it opened before he even touched his knuckles to it.
“Remington!” Marley stuck out his hand in greeting, his brown eyes magnified to the size of dinner plates behind the special lenses of his unusual goggles. Cottony tufts of white hair blew about in the wind. He was a sight for sore eyes.
“It’s good to see you, Marley.” Remington took Marley’s hand and instead of just shaking it, used it to pull the smaller man into a bear hug. “Damn, it’s good to see you.”
He pulled back, and Marley looked a little dazed, but gave him a big smile, which pushed his goggles up a notch on his nose. “It’s good to see you in one piece. I had my doubts. Were you successful?”
Remington held up the oilcloth that covered the precious pages. Marley’s eyes lit up like those of a kid on Christmas morning. “Brilliant!”
“I just hope the others lived through it. I barely did,” Remington said.
Marley’s dark brows drew together and disappeared behind the rim of his goggles. “I’ve heard from Winchester, but not from Colt. Things have gotten worse since you Jacksons have been gone.” Remy didn’t like the uneasy tremor underscoring Marley’s uneasy tone. Marley waved Remington inside and took a quick glance around outside before he shut the door. Inside he locked a series of padlocks and bolts that ran the length of the door. Some of it was new. If Marley was beefing up his security, then things had definitely gone from bad to worse.
“What’s happened?”
Marley pulled the goggles from his head, leaving a red rim around his eyes and over the bridge of his nose. “Earthquakes for a start, then wildfires and dust storms, and that’s only the natural disasters. I was accosted in my own home by a shape-shifter disguised as Colt. Darkin have been found running amok in several cities all over the country, if my sources are correct.”
Marley’s sources were always correct. Remington pulled off his hat and ran his fingers through his sweat-damp hair. “Rathe’s pushing open the Gates as far as he can. Crack only has to be a little bit wider to let even more Darkin through.”
He looked for a place to sit down in Marley’s parlor, but everywhere was piled high with stacks of books and boxes of gears, wires, tubes, and glass piping. Marley was worse than a desert pack rat. He saw a use for everything.
Remington picked up a bust of President Lincoln off the edge of the piano that looked like it had been exploded apart and glued back together with some sort of adhesive, giving the piece irregular golden lines all through it. “Did you research how to put the Book of Legend back together?” Not like this, Remy hoped.
Marley nodded. He turned to a desk buried beneath stacked volumes of leather-bound books. He tapped his bottom lip with his thumb as he searched through the stacks. “Now where did I put that volume?”
He picked out a particularly old book with a black satin ribbon marking a page and cracked the volume open to the marker. “I say, old chap, are you certain you are ready to go through with this?”
Remy narrowed his eyes. “You say that like you’re asking if I’m ready to meet my Maker.” Which, if all of this didn’t work, would be exactly what would happen in a week.
Marley bobbed his head in such a fashion that the white tuft of hair on his head waved wildly about. “Well, as much as I hate to say this, it’s distinctly possible.” He peered at the book, running his finger down the page. “All indications point to a blood sacrifice by the Chosen.”
A long silence stretched out between them. Marley finally looked up.
“A blood sacrifice? How much blood exactly are we talking about here, Marley?”
Marley frowned. “That was difficult to pinpoint. We won’t be able to tell until the pieces of the Book of Legend are all in one place, ready to be reunited. And once they are reunited, there is still the matter of finding exactly where the Gates of Nyx are located.” He waved his hand about in the air vaguely. “I’ve searched through every bit of Hunter lore I’ve been able to get my hands on and still haven’t been able to pinpoint where the Gates are located or determine how to go about closing them for good.”
The knowledge that this last piece of information might be the final nail in the coffin of the free world made Remy’s stomach knot. He and his brothers had endured so much. He didn’t even know if Colt had found the other pieces of the Book, or if they were still searching. Was the mysterious, unknown location of the Gates what was going to make them lose the game at the eleventh hour? “Blast.”
“I was hoping you or your brothers might have come across the information during your journeys.”
Remington shook his head. “Nothing we came across gave us any clue. The codex Mendoza had only indicated the Gates wouldn’t be in the same location as one of the hidden pieces of the Book, which nixed it being in Bodie. But China is trying to find out where the Gates might be.”
Marley worried his lip again, muttering to himself.
“You have something else to tell me?”
His old friend looked intently at him. “Are you certain, Remington, absolutely certain, that you and your brothers are the Chosen?”
Remington gripped the edge of the table nearest him and the stacks of boxes teetered, but didn’t fall. He had doubted it for a long time, but there had been no doubt after the vision he’d seen in the scryvoyager in the temple. “There’s no need to guess. I know. We are the Chosen, Marley. We must defeat Rathe or the world will fall to him.”
Chapter 22
It was only a matter of time until his brothers arrived at Marley’s. It would take all of them, together, to bring down Rathe and seal the Gates of Nyx; he knew that now. And with China’s help they would know where the Gates were located.
If China returned.
It was ironic that one Darkin could turn the tide against another determined to end the world as they knew it. He glanced at Marley. “Do you think my brothers know what will happen when we reunite the Book of Legend?”
Marley took off his glasses and removed a thin white cotton handkerchief from his breast pocket. He cleaned the lenses in slow, small circles as he considered the question. “It’s difficult to tell. I’m certain that they’ve faced challenges just as you have, but there is no way of knowing if they’ve come to the same conclusion regarding your joint status as the Chosen, or if they’ve recovered the other pieces of the Book as you have.”
Remington shut his eyes and took a deep, still breath. The resonance was still there, deep inside him. The disjointed pieces of the Book were coming closer together. The vibration of it in his bones was now a constant, pleasant hum in his system. “They have them. And they are getting closer. Look!” Remington pointed out the window.
On the stretch of horizon a dust cloud rose, a tan plume against the piercing clear blue of the desert sky. “It’s either a steam carriage or he’s on Tempus,” Marley said softly.
Colt’s mechanical horse could cover more ground than any ordinary horse without the need for food or water, but it had a downside. One bit of gravel, one worn gear or spring, and the internal clockwork of the thing would seize up, leaving it useless. Technology was a wonderful thing, but unlike Colt, Remy didn’t like to rely on it too much.
And until China, he hadn’t wanted to form permanent attachments to anything beyond his brothers and Marley. It had seemed a waste, knowing that the end of the world was possibly at hand. There was no future. Not unless they closed the Gates.
Remy and Marley both headed outside and watched the plume grew wider. Regular, rhythmic thump of hooves could be heard pounding against the desert valley floor. The familiar black-and-white cowhide covering that made Tempus look like a paint horse, instead of a machine, became easy to see. Colt was riding double, with Lilly behind him.
They slowed to a trot and quickly transitioned to a walk as they approached Remington and Marley. Colt waved, and they both waved back.
“Got your telegram. I thought we were all going to meet up in Bodie,” Colt called out as he dismounted from the horse and helped Lilly down.
“We were until we decoded what I found in Diego’s codex. Turns out the location of the Gates of Nyx is still a mystery. China has gone to find out if she can nail down that information.”
Colt tipped his hat up. “Marley, you mind if Lilly gets out of this heat inside?”
Marley gave Lilly a familiar and easy smile that she returned, her green eyes sparkling. “Not at all. You know where everything is, don’t you, Miss Arliss?”
“I do. Thank you, Marley. It’s good to see you again.”
Lilly glanced between the two Jackson brothers, a soft, knowing smile on her lips. “Boy talk, huh? Fine. I’ll get you a drink too, while I’m at it. I have a feeling you’re all going to need one before the day is out.”
Colt watched her sashay into Marley’s house, then turned and scowled at Remington. He lowered his voice. “Didn’t I tell you not to get mixed up with that thief shifter?”
Remington shrugged. “You mean just like I suggested to you?”
Colt rolled his eyes. “You ain’t gonna bring that up again, now are you?”
“Nope. Knowing what I know now, can’t say I blame you.”
Colt eyed him, his gaze narrow and assessing. “I’ll be damned. You and China are together now, aren’t you?”
Remington could hardly deny it, but he refused to give Colt the satisfaction of being right, so instead of answering he just gave him an inscrutable smile.
“You ain’t gonna fess up to it, are you?” Colt pushed.
Remington glanced at Marley. “You said Winn would meet us here as well?”
Marley adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses. “The mechanical messenger bird I received stated he was on his way here with the vampire’s piece of the Book of Legend in hand. It also stated that he was bringing something else we’d need.”
Remington raised one brow. “What else could we need? We’ll have all three pieces of the Book of Legend.”
Marley shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “We’ll need all three pieces, and all three of you brothers, but we also need the instructions on how to bind the Book back together. And those are in the Book of Jezriel.”
“Never heard of it,” said Colt. He looked at Remington expectantly. “You’re the smart one; you ever heard of it?”
Remington shook his head. “Me either.”
“You’ll likely wish you never had,” Marley replied. “Believe me, it’s one of the things that got me lured into this entire Hunter existence.” Beads of perspiration dotted Marley’s high forehead.
“Then how did you come across it?”
Marley sighed. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket once more and mopped his brow. “That is a long story for an entirely different time, when we’ve closed the Gates of Nyx, defeated Rathe, and are old men ensconced by a nice fire with a bottle of brandy.”
Colt chuckled. “You got some imagination, you know that, Marley?”
Marley smiled and stuffed the cloth back in his breast pocket. “From the likes of you, I shall endeavor to take that as a compliment.”
“What the devil is that?” Remington squinted, looking into the too bright sky. The dark dot in the air appeared to be growing larger. “It can’t be.”
He’d never seen anything like it.
“It looks like a goddamn ship,” Colt muttered. And indeed it was a full-size galleon, the style from a hundred years ago, with billowing white sails, rope rigging, and a wooden hull, descending upon them. Two shimmering copper wings extended from either side of the ship, glaring in the harsh sunlight, and a twin set of propellers hung off the aftdeck. Its hull came to rest with a groan against the edge of the bluff that bordered Marley’s property.
“Ahoy there!”
The voice sounded familiar. Remington put his hand to his forehead and peered up to the edge of the galleon’s deck. His brother Winchester waved his black Stetson at him, his goggles glinting in the afternoon sunlight. Remy shook his head. Leave it to Winn to fly out on a vampire’s airship and come back home on something even more out of place.
“I say, that’s a most intriguing vessel,” Marley said, as he pulled down his goggles to take a better look.
“Winn, you taking up a hobby riding strange airships?” Colt called up.
“At least I’ve had a more interesting time than you the last three weeks,” he answered back.
“I doubt it,” Colt retorted, not to be outdone.
Remington cleared his throat. “Would you two stop trying to outdo each other. We’ve got a world to save here.”
“I have to agree with Remington, chaps,” Marley added. “Regardless of how intriguing this all may be, we must focus our efforts on reuniting the Book.”
Beside Winn appeared a shorter person, whose face was shadowed by a wide-brimmed hat accented with ostrich feathers that had seen better times. The individual’s billowing white shirt, black britches, and high boots made it difficult to discern if it was a man or a woman. But whoever it was looked like a pirate.
“Let down the ladder!” The high voice left no doubt it was a woman.
A chorus of other female voices answered. “Aye, captain!”
Remington looked at Colt, who looked at Marley. A ship with a female captain and crew? Perhaps Winn’s adventure
had
been more interesting than his brother’s. Winn started down the rope and rung ladder and was followed by the small woman in men’s clothing. She was agile on the ropes, Remington gave her that.
Colt whistled long and low. “Would you look at that,” he said under his breath. “I think I’m liking this trend of women wearing britches.” Remington glared at him as did Marley.
Colt shrugged. “What? It’s an observation.”
Remington shook his head. He couldn’t understand how his little brother could remain aware of women when he had a succubus waiting for him just inside that could literally seduce the soul right out of a man. But then again, this was Colt. He’d have to be dead
not
to notice women.
Personally, Remy was just glad to have all his brothers together, alive and all in one piece. Winn and the pirate captain reached the dirt, and Remington jogged up to clasp his brother in a hug. “God, it’s good to see you, Winn.”
Winchester smiled at him. “Good to see you too, brother.”
“You’re the last to the party, I’m afraid. Colt beat us both to finding a piece of the Book.”
Colt gave Winn a smug grin. “That’s because I’m fastest.”
Winchester raised a dark brow and ignored his little brother’s comment. “He had the least distance to travel I imagine. I’ve been to Transylvania, France, and London to get my hands on Haydn’s piece of the Book.” He put his hand to his forehead. “Where are my manners?” He gestured to the small woman beside him. “Captain Le Renaud, may I introduce you to my brothers, Remington and Colt, and to my good friend Marley Turlock.”
The captain swept the broad-brimmed hat from her head and gave a bow from the waist.
“Enchanté, messieurs.”
Remington gave a slight bow. “The pleasure is mine. And thank you for returning my brother to us in one piece.”
“And Haydn’s piece of the Book,” Winn added.
Remington glanced at the cloth-wrapped oblong object Le Renaud held with gloved hands and nodded to it. “That it?”
He reached for it but Winn grabbed him by the wrist. “Don’t touch it without gloves on.”
Colt frowned. “Why not?”
“We had to take some precautionary measures to keep it away from Rathe. Keeping it simple, you touch it with your bare hands, you’ll die from cyanide poisoning.” He pulled a pair of gloves from his hip pocket and pulled them on, then the captain handed him the oilcloth-wrapped parcel.
“How did you manage that?” Marley asked, his face alight with curiosity.
Remington glanced at Marley. “We’re going to have to discuss how it had become poisoned some other time.”
Marley’s shoulders slumped a little. “Yes, yes. Rightly so. Time is of the essence. The sooner we figure out how to bind the pieces back together, the better.”
Captain Le Renaud cast an amused glance between each of the Jackson brothers. “The family resemblance between the brothers is most intriguing,” she said as she made eye contact with Marley.
He swallowed hard, and nodded vigorously. “I believe it’s due to a rather strong gene inheritance, if Gegor Mendel’s work is to be believed.”
The captain’s smile broadened, as Marley’s reply intrigued her. “If you gentlemen will
excusez-moi
for the moment, I have duties on my ship to attend to if I am to raid the gold fields of California.” Her eyes met Winn’s and he winked at her.
“Pirate,” he said by way of explanation. Each of them nodded in turn at the petite captain, touching the brims of their hats. Marley moved to grasp her hand and the captain pulled it out of his reach.
“Cyanide traces on the gloves,” she said as she removed the glove from her right hand and held it back to Marley. He smiled and grasped her hand lightly in his, brushing a kiss over the back of it.
“
Adieu, Messieur
Turlock,” she said as she mounted the ladder and quickly climbed back aboard the ship.
Winchester glanced up the ladder. “Tessa will be down any moment.”
Remington narrowed his eyes. He’d already been surprised by the pirate airship captain. Had Winn picked up someone else as well? “Tessa?”
“The Contessa Drossenburg.”
He had a nickname for the vampire? What the hell had happened on his trip? Perhaps it was a good thing. At least they still had a vampire on their side when it came to fighting Rathe.
“The vampire?” Colt said.
Winn’s face grew both sad and fiercely proud, if that were possible. “Not any longer. She gave up her powers to save me from Rathe.”
It took a moment for that to roll around long enough in Remington’s head to fully sink in. “She’s not a Darkin anymore?”
Winn nodded. “Pulse and everything. As flesh and blood as you or I.”
“Fascinating,” Marley said, rubbing his hands together.
“Blast.” Remy ran his fingers through the edges of his hair beneath his hat and gripped the back of his skull. “That’s awful.”
Winn arched one brow. “I thought that was a good thing.”
Remington sighed, letting his hands fall limply to his sides. Their advantages were slipping away one by one, and their showdown at the Gates of Nyx was becoming a more dangerous proposition by the minute. “Means she’s more in danger. We all are. It would have been useful to have another Darkin on our side. That leaves us with just China.”
Winn frowned. “And the succubus.”
Colt shook his head. “Nope. She’s changed back to mortal too.”
Winn’s frown deepened into a scowl. “Damn. That does put us at a disadvantage.”
“Hold up now. That’s not exactly true,” Colt said, putting his hand on Marley’s shoulder. “We got Marley too. One great inventor can sway a battle.”
Winn’s mouth split into a wide smile, making his mustache broaden. “How about two?”
Remington flicked his gaze to Marley, then his older brother. “What?”
“Octavia’s part—well,
was
part—of Le Renaud’s crew. Her chief mechanic. But she’s come to meet Marley.”
Down the ladder shimmied a slip of a girl, in mechanic’s pants and shirt, her hair a froth of copper red curls.
Beside him Marley started making a choking sound. Remington stared at the inventor. His mouth hung open, and his eyes looked larger than ever, which was saying something since he looked so damned bug-eyed with his special goggles on anyway. He’d never seen Marley stunned like this before.