Lycans and Legends

Chapter 24: Tinker’s Tower

The lift carried me and Agent Rose to the uppermost floor of Tinker’s Tower. Even from inside the lift, I could hear the clockwork mechanisms ticking. The Rude Mechanicals had fashioned a secret meeting room just below the clockface. The emergency headquarters hadn’t been used in my lifetime. But here we were.

The lift dinged, and Rose and I exited to find the Red Capes assembled in a room whose walls were lined with cogs and gears. A long meeting table stretched down the center of the room. Flickering gaslamps lit the space. Bronze-colored pipes led in every direction overhead. The furniture was dated. On the wall hung a painting of Queen Anne. But under that image was a round, bronze emblem with an R.M. encapsulated in a circle: The Rude Mechanicals. The longer I worked for the agency, the more I came to understand who they were. In a way, they were our founding fathers. Their society went back many, many years, picking up where other groups who’d sought to protect the realm had left off. The Rude Mechanicals guided and protected the monarch. But the Red Capes had become their sword and shield against the dangers in the kingdom. And right now, preventing a faerie unleashing havoc was the order of the day.

I scanned the room. Agents from every beat were there, even people I hardly ever saw like those who minded the mischievous mermaids off our coast and others who looked after angry spirits or even the undead. I spotted my closest colleagues, Hank, Cressida, and Agent Keung amongst the crowd. I nodded to Keung. He’d done well getting the word out to the agents.

Everyone came to attention when Rose and I entered.

“Everyone, please take a seat,” I said, motioning to the table.

Agent Rose retreated into the shadows, leaning against a pillar not far away. Above us—or maybe it was all around us—the massive clock of Tinker’s Tower ticked.

Agent Keung spoke first. “I have sent word to Shadow Watch.”

I nodded to him. “Thank you.”

“How is Agent Hunter? Agent Greystock?” Pippa, another agent, asked.

“Both are convalescing at Buckingham,” I told them.

“Clemeny, what’s going on?” one of the agents called.

“We are under attack by a rogue faerie. Prince Melwas of the Unseelie is seeking to gather the pieces of an artifact that will aid him in re-opening the gates to the Otherworld, allowing dark creatures into our world.”

That silenced the room.

“What about the artifacts?” someone called.

“He recovered the first piece from our offices in India. And he got the second piece during his assault on headquarters.”

“To what end?” another agent called. “What does he want?”

“I believe his goal is to destroy mankind’s dominion in this realm and rule us all,” I answered.

No one spoke a word.

Our job was hard, but this was beyond anything we ever expected.

“The good news is that he doesn’t have the third piece,” I said.

“And where is the third piece?” an agent called.

“Until an hour ago, it was hanging off Her Majesty’s neck,” I said then glanced up at the portrait of Queen Anne. I had never noticed before, but she, too, was wearing the faerie gem.

“Where is it now?” Claire—Agent Monroe—asked.

I looked at Agent Rose who nodded.

I pulled the necklace out from under my shirt. “On the decoy,” I said.

Everyone stared at me.

“Does it always glow like that?” Agent Fox asked.

I balked. What could I possibly say?

“It started glowing when Melwas activated the other two pieces,” Agent Rose interjected.

I didn’t dare look at her for fear that my expression might give away the lie. In a room full of people whose job it was to hunt the preternatural, perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to start talking about faerie magic and Avalon. At least, not yet. And I knew that Agent Rose understood that very problem well.

“I managed to convince Her Majesty to give the amulet to me. We had to get it away from the Queen or Melwas would most certainly try to kill her,” I said.

Agent Estcourt, who tracked demons, spoke up. “What do we do now? Who is in charge? Have the Rude Mechanicals—”

“Her Majesty promoted Clemeny to director,” Agent Rose answered.

That silenced the room for a moment. I was relieved to see the other agents nodding or smiling lightly. I met Agent Keung’s eye. Grinning, he inclined his head to me.

“We’re happy to have you, Clemeny—er, Agent Louvel, I mean, Director Louvel. But will Agent Hunter be all right?” Agent White asked.

I nodded. “Just Clemeny. Agent Hunter is in good hands. He was wounded, but he will recover.”

“Well, Director, tell us what to do,” Agent Keung said.

“Clemeny. Agent Harper is at Buckingham. Let’s get some extra help out there to make sure our monarch and our own people are safe,” I said, turning to Hank and Cressida. “Can you please see to that?”

They both nodded.

“The faerie has all the dark blood in the city wound up. We all need to be on guard. The Dark Districts look like the American Wild West right now.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Agent Estcourt interrupted, pointing to a fresh-looking black eye.

“We know the boggarts are working with Melwas. We must get them rounded up and out of the way. Pippa, I need you and Claire to take the lead on that. Otherwise, everyone else needs to talk to their contacts and get the Dark Districts locked down. The preternatural community needs to see we have this under control. I want everyone in the streets. Be proactive.”

“Director, what are you going to do?” Cressida asked.

“Clemeny. I’m going to make a very public showing of taking the stone out of the city. Whoever has eyes on us needs to see that this pendant is not around Victoria’s neck anymore.”

“Where will you go, Director?” Agent Keung asked.

“Clemeny. To Glastonbury.”

Everyone in the room eyed me curiously.

“The druids…this is partially their mess. I’m going to make sure they help clean it up.”

“You have very wide acquaintances, Director Louvel,” Agent Keung said with a shake of his head. “The druids are neutral, at best. You’re going to need backup.”

“Did you send my messenger by airship?”

Agent Keung nodded.

“Then my backup is on its way.”

“Who?” Agent Estcourt asked.

“The Pellinores.”

Several agents shifted, and a few laughed uncomfortably.

“And me,” Agent Rose said, nodding to me.

That brought a few whispers from the crowd.

“Then I have all the help I need,” I said, nodding gratefully to her. “I will meet with the Templars and ask that they aid in getting the city under control. I am sure they will appreciate it if you give them…latitude,” I said, eyeing the agents hard. I didn’t care what they thought about my werewolf allies. They would respect the Templar Knights.

The group—for the most part—nodded.

“I’ll be out of the city by tonight. Agent Keung, connect with Agent Harper. You will be the liaison between the Red Capes and Her Majesty while I’m off fighting faerie princes,” I said, looking toward him.

He inclined his head to me, a grateful smile on his lips. Agent Keung was well-liked, skilled, and good at diplomacy. If Her Majesty hadn’t noticed him already, it was time.

“This is just another case. We’ll handle it. Just do your job like you always do. I have faith in all of you,” I told them.

“And we have faith in you, Director,” Hank called.

The other agents banged their fists on the table in support of his words.

I swallowed hard and willed my cheeks not to get red. I wished Quinn were here to see this.

“Thank you. Meeting adjourned,” I said then motioned to Agent Rose. It was time to go.

The other agents stayed behind a moment, talking to one another.

Agent Keung caught up with me and Agent Rose. “I’ll head to the palace directly. Is there anything else I can do?” he asked.

“The Pellinores must meet me at the airship towers by six o’clock.”

“I’ll see to it.”

“Thank you,” I said.

With a nod, I turned to go. Agent Rose and I climbed back into the lift and began our descent back down into the city.

“That went well, Director,” Agent Rose said, a playful smile on her lips.

“Say that again, and I’ll ask you why you and Prince Albert are on a first name basis.”

Agent Rose grinned.

“Well, I didn’t throw up. And no one outright rejected me. So as long as Melwas doesn’t take my head in order to get this little gem,” I said, slipping it back inside my shirt, “I might actually get to be director.”

“Let’s make sure that happens.”

“I need to make a couple of stops before we leave.”

The lift reached the bottom. I set my hand on my pistol, waiting as the doors opened.

Nothing.

The secure location had not been compromised.

“Then I’ll see you soon,” Agent Rose said with a nod then headed back out onto the London street. She blended in with the crowd—which seemed impossible given her extremely striking beauty—and disappeared. I stared after her. But she was gone. That was a neat trick.

I set my hand on the amulet hidden under my shirt. When I did so, I could feel the bloody thing beating.

Today was turning out to be a very, very strange day.

Director Clemeny Louvel.

Or would it be Director Clemeny Spencer?

If I lived.

I would live. And I’d have that damned faerie’s head on a pike. Firming my resolve, I turned and headed back into the city.