Soul Fire (Darkling Mage 8)

“Point taken,” Gil said. “And everyone can tap into their own networks. Sterling can speak to the – wait, where is he?”

I raised my finger and spun it in a circle. “Somewhere around here,” I said. “He said he was hungry.”

Prudence’s lips pressed into a tight line. “Right. Then whenever you see him, pass on everything we discussed. Tell your boss, Carver, too. And that Asher kid still lives with you guys, right? I’m sure he can use necromancy to help fish information for the cause, somehow.”

She was right. I’d known Asher to talk to the dead in the past, specifically using his ability to root out important details in a spirit’s surroundings, using the dead as his eyes and ears. “Excellent suggestion,” I said, nodding at Prudence and smiling. It really was good to have her back.

“For now, we wait,” Bastion said, leaning back, taking a sip of his whiskey. “I don’t like the idea of it, but without any leads, what choice do we have?”

“Put protections in place,” Herald said. “Shore up our defenses. I think we know enough from our dealings with the Eldest and their agents that this is the calm before the storm. Gather the stuff we need, practice and sharpen our magic. Something bad is brewing, and we need to be ready for it.”

A murmur of agreement went around the table, and for the moment, talk of Agatha and the Eldest was set aside. I studied each of my friends’ faces, finding varying degrees of concern, and it turned out that Herald was watching me in turn.

“Try not to worry,” he said, softly enough that only I could hear. “We keep on living, right? That’s what we do.”

“For now,” I said, maybe a little too glumly. Herald’s forehead furrowed. I really didn’t mean to get him to worry even more. I figured then was as good a time as any to give him something worth smiling about.

“Totally unrelated,” I said, “but maybe, okay, a little related to living our lives. I won a tour of Happy, Inc.”

“What? Are you serious?” Herald blinked at me. “That’s over in Central Square, right near the Lorica. That sounds amazing. You love Happy stuff. How did you even win? I didn’t even know there was a contest.”

“Long story,” I said, shaking my head. “You had to find a special cardboard token in one of their burgers.”

“Sounds like a choking hazard.”

“Fucking exactly,” I grumbled. “But hey, there’s good news. I get to take some guests, so you’re coming with.”

Herald’s eyes lit up. “I am stoked. Beyond stoked. Do we get to go on a weekend? I’ll take off work if I have to, the Gallery can live without me one day. Shit, this is going to be so much fun.” He leaned in, pecking me quickly on the cheek. “So much fun, dude.”

I chuckled and sputtered. “I get it, I’m an amazing boyfriend. And all I had to do was nearly die from choking on a hamburger.”

“About that.” Herald’s fingers dug into my shoulder, and he stared hard into my eyes, his expression going deathly serious. “We’re going to have to work on your gag reflex.”

I blushed instantly, batting his hands away. “Oh my God. Igarashi. Stop.” Herald chuckled. I couldn’t tell if it was his just the club lights on his glasses, or if his eyes really did flash with devilish intent.

Across the table, Bastion leaned back into his chair, his eyes swiveling around Temple like he was looking for his own mark, the same way that Sterling had. I could tell he was watching us, doing his best to listen. I had to wonder why.

“This is dumb,” Herald said softly. “But do you want to get out of here soon? I kind of want to work out what to wear.”

I laughed. “Are you serious? We’re touring a fast food corporation, it’s not a gala.”

“That’s the point,” he said. “I have to dress down, and you’re the right man to tell me how to do that.”

“So rude,” I said, looking down at my comfy, threadbare T-shirt and that same old jacket Herald once gave me. “Impossibly rude.”

He laughed, squeezing my hand. “One last round, then let’s head out.”

“Sure.”

Herald left the table to fetch our drinks. I didn’t mean to, but instinctively, I turned to look if Bastion was still watching. But he was gone.

Chapter 4

The first thing you notice, after walking into the hallowed halls of Happy, Inc., is the brightness. I’d read somewhere that the fast food industry loves using red and yellow in its design because those colors appeal to the appetite. The inside of HQ didn’t look like a burger joint explosion, exactly, but they weren’t shy about mixing up their primary colors, kind of like being in some kind of funhouse. Yet somehow it all worked, in a young, trendy, dare I say hipster-ish kind of way.

The second thing you notice is all the teeth.

Maybe the elusive Mr. Thorpe gave the Happy empire fantastic dental benefits, but by God did everyone have perfect chompers. I remembered the Happy Cow’s manager and how her smile was so perfect and pearlescent. Our tour guide for the day – Katherine, a nice young woman who worked in marketing – had an even more radiant smile, one with enough power to reduce entire cities to rubble.