Chapter Ten
Kyan
‘LOOK, YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO CHANGE YOUR MINDS. THIS is risky, no matter how cool it is—’ Luca prattled on, but Kyan drowned him out as he walked the Nazen over the crossroads opposite the Old Bailey.
Set at an intersection between a tavern, church, and office buildings, the white-grey building was neoclassical grandeur in severe stone: Ionic columns, sculptures, and a great dome affixed to the imposing, rectangular structure.
Its sleek upper half was layered in long, gleaming stripes of limestone that reminded Kyan of the bars of a cage.
But the bottom was crafted from darker, pocked stone that hinted at the previous incarnations of the criminal courts and their grim histories.
Now, it was made up of courtrooms, offices, and waiting areas, beneath which could be everything they were looking for.
‘Stop mouthing off, you’re supposed to be a prisoner,’ Callum ordered on the Nazen’s other side – both he and Kyan gripping one of Luca’s arms.
Above, the London sky ranged from overcast to blue, but it had a low heat that burned into the all-black gear he and Callum wore – some of the tactical and more transformation-resistant uniforms the Wake offered.
Luca promptly shut his mouth.
They’d put him in a baseball cap and sunglasses to disguise the electric brightness of his eyes, both for when he started to use his powers and to make him look like he was involved in a case and wanted to keep his identity secret.
‘Just focus on your job,’ Kyan said in a calming tone. ‘As soon as we get in the building, you keep the cameras off and show us where we need to go. The place we’re looking for will likely feel like a hub of electrical energy.’
‘And then when we’re in there?’ Luca asked. ‘Don’t you think it’ll be a bit suspicious?’
On the domed peak of the building stood a gold Lady Justice. Her arms were outstretched, a sword and scales in each hand that glinted in the sharp sunlight.
‘Let me deal with that,’ Kyan said darkly.
He moved with ease as his mind worked. He wasn’t nervous, not with Callum here. They’d worked in tandem for so long they were brothers-in-arms, and he knew Callum had an uncanny ability to talk himself out of any situation.
But Kyan was still concerned. About what they’d find. About how much deeper and darker the poison of the Wake could go.
How much more the bedrock of his faith could splinter.
The semi-colossal archway to the building rose up like a crescent moon, the Babewyn sculptures lounging atop it.
There were three of them: the angel figure sitting in the centre, and the two draped symmetrically either side of her.
The stone creature, who was double or triple human-size, moved her arm, scrawling onto the stone scroll draped over her legs.
Her movements were invisible to the humans passing below, but Kyan could hear the scrape of her stone pen and see the dust dance through the air.
Callum faltered.
Surprise cleaved through Kyan’s concentration and he shot Callum a look.
‘Something wrong?’ Kyan asked casually, looking away to make it less obvious they were speaking.
The Babewyn’s face was shadowed almost to complete darkness by the sun, but as they got closer, Kyan could make out her solemn, delicate features.
‘I’ll tell you later,’ Callum said.
‘If I need to know—’
‘You don’t. Not right now.’
Kyan shut his mouth. If Callum didn’t think he could handle it he would have derailed them. So they continued, closer and closer, until they were crossing the road directly in front of the building.
Two policemen at the entrance watched as they approached. One was in the classic human uniform, black and blocky. The other had the Wake’s circular symbol on his armband. Kyan lifted his sleeve to show his circular scar, and the Wake’s officer nodded, letting them inside.
As they passed beneath the arched entrance, through the black iron gates and into the central criminal court, the Babewyn carved their names in her stone book. The grinding scrape shuddered through Kyan’s bones and rang in his teeth.
He felt the wards like a wall of condensed air and Luca grunted softly, his skin crackling as it subtly reacted.
Then, they were in.
Kyan scanned the interior as they strode up the double bank of white steps to the first floor and main hall.
It was a study in white: all arches and pale domes. Purple-veined marble adorned the walls, bordered with olive stone. Where black geometric patterns broke up the expanse of the floor, frescoes filled the crescent-shaped arches overhead, some of the domes above held up by sculptures.
Art, even here. Telling stories; giving warnings. Beneath the remembrance murals for human wars were depictions of Dark Ages and the Wild Hunt racing through the backgrounds of each. Reminders of what would happen if the Wake weren’t in charge; if they hadn’t guided and supported Empyreals.
Without them, there would be no need for courts of justice, because the world would be little more than a ruined hellscape.
An array of doors lined the hall, each leading into courtrooms. Kyan scented fear, the tang of sweat, and the bitterness of coffee.
Both humans and supernaturals were prosecuted here.
Empyreals weren’t the only form of justice supernatural society doled out.
Yes, the most dangerous creatures were killed, but there were many other supernatural grievances, like playing with or torturing humans, or attempting to knowingly expose the supernatural world.
Once, humans had known about creatures and lived in harmony – stories around the world detailed that time in all manner of golden age myths. But Kyan wasn’t certain they’d ever see it again.
He recalled his research on Lynch from the Estwood job. The Spectre had been arrested before. Had his trial been held here? Was this the very location they’d experimented on him and then sent him on an assassination plot to Estwood?
‘Well?’ Kyan asked quietly.
He stopped Luca and pretended to dig out his phone and call someone, giving the Nazen time to feel out the building’s electrical details while he scoped out the people around them.
Supernatural guards or solicitors were marked by the circular logos on their clothing. He felt no malice from them, they were just doing their jobs or visiting the courtrooms. Many might not even know what was hidden beneath their feet.
‘There are definitely secret rooms under here,’ Luca said, eyes bright even from behind the glasses. ‘Door there.’ He nodded his chin to a wall that looked sealed, nothing but a plaque on it. ‘Cameras are …’ His eyes flashed, and his voice strained slightly as he said, ‘… down.’
Kyan’s attention sharpened on the wall, and sure enough, it had been supernaturally varnished to be invisible to humans and most supernaturals.
Exactly where one might hide the entrance to an important lab.
Who did they take in there? Convicted criminals they could just walk across from a courtroom to …
this? Those they wanted silenced? A chill slid over his skin as they approached.
A door like this also cloaked whoever entered it, meaning the humans didn’t turn as the trio passed through the door and into a spiral stairwell.
Callum made a thoughtful noise, but they descended.
The stone here was unadorned, grey and utilitarian. As they descended Kyan found himself glad Nicole wasn’t with him. Echoes of memory and horror lingered down here, no doubt they would have triggered countless visions.
Once they reached a flat stretch, what looked to be the remains of a Roman wall ran along their left. They followed it, and Kyan began to scent an acrid wrongness … the poisoned river beneath them?
The next door led into a hallway of white subway tiles that ended with a heavy-duty door with a small window in it, looking more like the entrance to a safe than a lab.
Reaching it, Callum glanced inside discreetly.
‘Another hallway that turns to the left. My guess is more rooms down there or an exit of some kind. There’s one door opposite like this, with a guard outside. Otherwise, a glass wall on our right into what looks like a lab with two techs I can see. One door on the left, unmarked.’
Kyan frowned. ‘Why aren’t there more guards?’
Maybe it was just a small operation, something they could shut down and be done with.
‘I told you,’ Callum said, voice cooling at the idea. ‘Arrogance.’
An ear-splitting siren cut through his whirring mind. Kyan’s head snapped to the right, finding Callum’s hand on the fire alarm.
Luca jolted, clapping his hands over his ears.
‘What was that for?’ Kyan barked.
‘Now everyone will clear out and we can have a proper look.’
‘And if they don’t?’
‘Do you have a better idea?’
‘Yeah, the wait-until-we-know-what-we’re-working-with idea.’
‘I’ve always admired your habit of scowling and thinking yourself into a knot. However, we’ve been waiting for six months, it’s time to get a move on.’
Kyan smothered more words as they waited for the rooms to clear out. Thankfully, those inside headed through the corridor that veered to the left. Techs, people in lab coats. But no prisoners.
‘What do you feel, Luca?’ Kyan asked.
‘There are more rooms beyond the guarded door. Not lit. Cold. Likely cells.’ His eyes were unfocused and white-blue.
Kyan couldn’t hear anything in there, which meant it was soundproofed.
‘But that one is the lab.’ Luca pointed to the right, confirming Callum’s glance.
‘All right, just keep your eyes down.’
Callum shoved open the heavy door and strode inside.
Kyan hadn’t wanted to believe it until they came inside, but the guard waiting at the end of the hallway was an Empyreal.
He’d hoped this operation was a corruption that wouldn’t sully the Empyrean desire to protect, or the cleaner line of morality their powers offered. But this – this wasn’t moral. He couldn’t think of a single goddamn way this didn’t go against everything an Empyreal stood for.
The guard didn’t seem surprised to see two other Empyreals walking a supernatural up.