City of Light (Outcast 1)

Well, good, because there wasn’t a whole lot I could do about it except die for real—and that was a possibility if I didn’t get their cooperation and quickly end this conversation. Death was moving entirely too fast up my legs.

“Nor should you blame the offspring of humans and shifters for actions they took no part in.”

Air stirred, then the speaker stood in front of me. He was a thickset, hirsute fellow, more bear than human. Death had obviously caught him midshift.

And what does this mission offer us other than the possibility of a permanent death?

“It offers you the chance to vent your anger and kill. The nest we raid is a large one, and, yes, there is a very real possibility none of us will survive.” I paused, studying him. “But isn’t going to battle and taking the chance of a true and glorious death worth such a risk?”

Other ghosts began to appear behind him. Their murmurs filled the air, but were so soft I had no idea whether it was assent or dissent.

The chill of death was getting stronger. If I didn’t end this soon, I wouldn’t have the strength to enter the nest and save those children.

It would appear the others agree with you, he said eventually. We will accompany you and tear this nest apart.

“And not harm the children? Or, indeed, those who come to claim them?”

Cold amusement touched his expression. We made no move against the shifters, even when they entered this place. We cannot, unless ordered to do so. You know this.

I knew, but it didn’t hurt to check. “Thank you all for agreeing to help,” I said. “Cat?”

Her energy immediately left me, but for several seconds, it was all I could do to suck in air. My entire body was trembling, and my feet and hands ached with the chill of death. I wasted precious minutes calling to the healing state to chase the cold from my flesh, then pushed upright and said, “This way.”

I led the way down the levels until we hit the seventh, then headed for the South Siding exit. Once the grate was open, I paused, reaching out to Cat and Bear, sending them gentle kisses as the adult ghosts surged out into the sunlight. They were once again going to war, and their relief stung the air, making it shimmer and dance. Or maybe that was just a result of the sheer number of them who’d answered my call to arms. There had to be at least a hundred there, and it made me hope that Sal was right—that such a force could destroy the vampires.

I closed the grate and ran through the wasteland between Central and the bunker, not stopping when I hit either the rail yards or the station platforms. No one stopped us; in fact, everyone moved out of the way long before we got anywhere near them. It was almost as if the energy of the ghosts was a wave that brushed them aside; certainly some of their expressions were startled, if not a little scared.

I ran on, following the gentle curve of the curtain wall, my gaze scanning the riverbed as I tried to find the old sewer outlet. I eventually discovered it settled deep in the steep left bank of the old riverbed. It was taller than I was, a big semicircle structure made of red brick that had been stained almost black by time and weather. Once upon a time a thick metal grate had covered the outlet’s opening, but the bars had been peeled back and rather resembled twisted, skeletal fingers reaching for the sky. Sad-looking shrubs clung to the sides of the outlet, and a wide, well-worn path led into it. The smell coming from within . . . I shuddered. It was thick with rot and death, and all I wanted to do was run.

I squashed the urge, freed the light tube from the backpack, then unfolded the slender but powerful solar panel and shoved it in the ground. Once I unraveled and activated the tube, it would provide enough brightness to keep the vampires out of arm’s reach. Or, at least, that was the theory. I’d never actually seen these things in action.

I hooked the tubing to my belt so that it would unroll as I moved, then grabbed two weapons and said, “Right. Let’s go kick some vampire butt.”

The déchet surged into the darkness. I followed quickly, my body tense as the stinking darkness enveloped me. Nothing immediately jumped out at us. The sewer drain was wide and empty, and though moisture and slime dripped from the upper sections of the old brick arch, little water ran down the deeper middle of the drain. I stuck to the left bank and ran after the ghosts, my steps light but echoing softly across the silence.

The vampires would hear it. Even though the rising sun would be pushing them to sleep, they would hear my footsteps and wake. It was just a matter of how deep into this system we got before that happened.

I ran on, every sense alert and every muscle so tightly strung it felt like the tiniest blow would break me. But as we moved deeper and deeper into the sewer system, there was no sign of the vampires and absolutely no movement beyond the rats that scattered the minute they sensed our presence.

But the air was growing ever colder, and the scent of death and darkness had grown so strong every breath felt like an invasion.

The last of the light tube rolled out, and we still hadn’t found the vampires. I swore softly, then unhooked it from my belt and attached the control box. Here goes nothing, I thought, and hit the activation switch. Light flared across the darkness, milky white and somewhat muted. I had no idea if this was it, or whether the tube took time to warm up, and I couldn’t stick around to find out. Even a slither of sunshine was better than nothing.

I moved on. Ten minutes later, we hit the nest.

There was absolutely no warning that we were even near it; one minute I was following the ghosts down the tunnel, the next I was at a junction of six outlets and the reek of vampire was so thick and strong the air felt diseased. Fear slammed into my heart as my gaze swept the large, circular area. There were no structures here, and nothing that resembled accommodation, beds, or basic comforts. The vampires seemed content to sleep where they fell, be it on one another or the thick, slime-covered floors of the various tunnels. But there was something here other than darkness and vampires—bones. They were everywhere, inches thick, all over the floor. Some had even been used to form a macabre effigy of humanity in the middle of the junction. Bloodied bits of flesh and internal organs were scattered around the base of the structure, undoubtedly offerings to whatever god the effigy was supposed to represent.

What I couldn’t see were the children.

The energy of the ghosts briefly surged upward, drawing my gaze in that direction. Two metal cages swung gently above the sleeping vampires, and inside them we

re the children. There was no movement, no sound, coming from them. Either they were scared witless, or they were drugged. I prayed for the latter, simply because it meant there was less chance of them making a noise and waking the nest. We were only going to get one shot at this, and there was no way in hell I was going to grab two or three and leave the others behind.

The vampires nearest me were beginning to stir. Why they hadn’t woken before now, I couldn’t say, but I had to move before they did. I quietly but quickly slipped off the pack and placed it on the ground. It left me with the six guns I carried and my knives, but if they got past the ghosts, then I very much suspected no amount of weaponry was going to help. I flexed my fingers, reaching for calm, and said, Déchet, I need a score of you protecting this tunnel. The minute they wake, the rest of you attack. Use the weapons if you can—it won’t take as much of your energy as attacking the vamps directly would.

I could feel the discontent. They wanted to attack now, while the vampires still slumbered. That’s sensible in wartime, but not here. Our greatest chance of getting those children out in one piece lay in freeing them from those cages before the vampires woke.

The ghosts weren’t happy, but the vampires remained undisturbed. Relieved, I called to the darkness and surged upward, squeezing through the thick bars of the nearest cage, then re-forming inside. As the cage swung and creaked at my sudden weight, three sets of wide, frightened eyes stared at me from pale, gaunt faces. But they made no sound and, after a moment, I realized why. Their mouths had been sewn shut.