Page 92 of Wolf of Ashes
He grins at Anarchy. “So we do.”
Moments later, we step onto the platform, and I pretend that this isn’t the first time I’ve seen a train. It stretches out along the platform as far as I can see, like a metal beast made of multiple cars, which passengers are already boarding.
Way up ahead near the far end of the platform, I spot the witch in the red coat stepping into the first car. A moment later, the bear shifter with the beard enters the car beside it. Several other supernaturals we spotted earlier are loitering in the distance, while more have remained at a distance behind us.
We pass two supernaturals, who peel off from nearby pillars, but Jonah tips his chin at them, so it appears that they’re part of the team.
They settle in behind us.
One of them is a woman about my height who has multiple piercings and wears boots, jeans, and a tank top. Her short sleeves show off her defined biceps while her cheekbones are high, her features chiseled. Her right wrist sports a solid black bracelet attached to which is a thin, metal thread that has the appearance of supple wire. It winds around and around her forearm to her elbow, where it’s clipped to another solid, metal band. It looks like jewelry, but I’m not so sure.
She’s chewing gum, her focus twitching from one side of the platform to the other, as if it would take a very small spark to set her off.
The other is a man wearing a gray suit with a crisp, white shirt. When he turns his head, I catch sight of a rattail at the back of his otherwise well-cut hair. He grins at me when he spots me scrutinizing him, his teeth the most brilliant white I’ve ever seen.
There’s a spot of blood on his otherwise immaculately white collar.
I think he’s a vampire, but I’m not sure what the woman is.
Jonah introduces the two supernaturals in the next moment.
“Valki is a berserker. She’s our muscle. Don’t get in her way,” Jonah says, calmly inclining his head at the woman.
She bares her teeth at me, biting her chewing gum between them. I suspect it’s her version of a smile.
“Gad is a vampire. He’ll take care of anything that needs to be dealt with at speed.”
Before I can blink, a fob watch appears in Gad’s hand and then disappears again. I’m pretty certain he pulled it from his pocket and then put it back, but he moved so fast, I couldn’t follow it.
“Our warlock is Orlan. He’ll block other witch and warlock powers and control the humans if necessary,” Jonah continues. “Orlan is already waiting with Vanguard and the package up ahead.”
Farther along the busy platform, I catch sight of Vanguard standing near the open doors of one of the central train cars. Like the other day, he’s dressed in a pinstripe suit, but he isn’t carrying his sword across his back.
A slightly shorter man, although he’s nudging six feet, stands beside Vanguard. He’s dressed more casually, also in a suit, but with his shirt unbuttoned at the top and his jacket undone. He’s younger in appearance, probably only a few years older than me. Neatly cut hair, bright eyes, a strong jaw.
My sharp eyesight catches the ink on his palms. Some sort of tattoo or image on the inside of each hand.
He’s the one who will make sure any humans riding the train can’t be mind-controlled. Of course, if Diavolo needs to use some sort of power that an enenra isn’t supposed to have, he may need to control thewarlock’s mind, but that will be a last resort.
Both Vanguard and the warlock—Orlan—are standing close together, half-turning as they keep watch over their surroundings, but what raises my curiosity is that neither of them is holding any kind of suitcase or box or any other object that could be the package they’re so determined to protect and deliver to Boston. Both their arms are by their sides and their hands are empty.
Of course, the package could be a simple piece of paper tucked into someone’s pocket. After all, I myself recently discovered how powerful a single piece of parchment could be.
For that matter, despite Jonah’s claim that the package is with Vanguard, Jonah himself might be carrying it. His jacket is unusually tight. Maybe it isn’t a wardrobe malfunction so much as an object pulling the lining taut.
We’re only twenty paces away from Vanguard and I decide to come right out with my question.
“Are you going to tell us what the package is?” I ask Jonah.
“You’ll see for yourself soon enough.” The fire jotunn surges ahead, leaving Diavolo, Anarchy, and me to follow behind him.
I’m conscious of both Gad and Valki also picking up the pace, veering out on either side of us.
They slow down when they draw level with us and give us a onceover, both scoffing and smirking at each other.
“What’s a blind chick doing here, Gad?” Valki asks, throwing the question across to the vampire.
My forehead creases. I’m not sure what gave Valki the impression that I can’t see, although I remember Jonah talking about harnesses being associated with mobility assistance animals.
