Jeph searched the field, looking for any sign that they had been there. Any clue as to why… anything that would lead them back to wherever they’d been. His head ached, a massive headache had hit him when they’d neared this place. Was it the location doing it to him or was his internal search to blame?
A name suddenly whispered in his mind.
Heinrick.
Jeph frowned, trying to figure out who Heinrick was. Nothing came to him…
And then he heard the whistle of a train in the distance.
The train…
Jeph searched the area, looking for signs of rails or a train. He stood there silently a moment, waiting to hear something again.
No sounds came to him. He scanned the area again. No birds. No animals… I haven’t seen any wildlife, or heard sounds of scattering. Something’s not right here.
Griffin and Nick made their way over as the sun began to lower, both with irritation on their faces.
“There’s nothing here,” Nick spat. “It’s been over an hour. We’re wasting our time.”
Jeph shook his head. “We’re not. Something’s here, I can feel it.”
“I don’t know, Jeph… I think I have to agree with Nick. I don’t know that we’ll find answers here.”
“Then where do we go?” Jeph demanded.
“I don’t know,” Griffin answered. “How do we know we weren’t just dumped here? Whoever had us might be a million miles away.”
Jeph heard a train whistle in the distance again, and the hairs on his arms and neck stood up. “Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Nick asked, cocking a brow.
“The train.”
Both Griffin and Nick frowned at him. “What train?” Griffin asked, but then his eyes widened.
“Heinrick, Heinrick, Heinrick,” Griffin suddenly bellowed.
A man in a conductor’s uniform appeared before them… man might’ve been an over-explanation… as it appeared he was no longer living.
Jeph took a step back, his eyes widening.
The ghost lifted his stare and shoved his timepiece back into his waistcoat. “What is it with you mortals? I have a job to do, and you keep pulling me from it.”
Keep pulling me from it? “What job?” Jeph asked.
The ghost frowned. “Conducting the train to Midnight, of course. Are you daft?”
Midnight.
“Can you take us there?” Griffin asked.
Heinrick looked between the three of them… he frowned. “You’ve been wiped, haven’t you?” The ghost stepped back, as if he was afraid of them. “I shouldn’t be talking to you. Send me back where you yanked me from.”
“How do we do that?”
“Same way you sent me back last time,” Heinrick spat. “And hurry it up. I’ve got tickets to check.” The ghost pulled out his pocket watch again and looked at the time. “I’m late!”
“I don’t know how to send you back,” Griffin said.
Heinrick sighed. “Well, how’d you get me here?”
“I said Heinrick, Heinrick, Heinrick an—”
The ghost disappeared, silencing Griffin.
Nick laughed. “Who knew Beetlejuice got it right?” He spun and started walking towards their rental car.
Jeph eyed Nick and then Griffin. “We’re staying.”
“Oh, you’re fucking right we are,” Nick said. “I need to get some equipment from the car.”
* * * *
After receiving a call, Valen stormed into Portal Station Four. He scanned the terminal, looking for signs of trouble, but all seemed to be flowing smoothly. Matioc, the supervisor of the station, began walking his way. The beaver shifter had been trapped mid-shift many years before by an angry witch, from what Valen had heard. Because of that, Matioc appeared to be both man and beast at the same time.
“I asked for Theis to come,” Matioc spat.
“He was busy and asked me.”
“They’re back,” the beaver said with a sigh.
“Who’s back?”
“The humans! They’re out in the field just outside the terminal, milling around. I’ve got a line of people waiting to exit, but they can’t because those pesky humans are searching with their equipment and everyone’s afraid to leave and be seen.”
Valen frowned. “Are these the ones who’d come with Reese and Hart?”
Matioc rolled his eyes. “Yes. The final three are back. They’ve been mind-wiped twice now. I’ve never had to use the machine a third time, and I worry there might be permanent damage if we use it again.”
“Would it be better for all of Midnight to be exposed?” Valen asked. Three meddlesome humans wouldn’t be the reason for the whole city’s demise. “You should’ve rounded them up and sent them to one of the prisons.”
Matioc scoffed. “Above my pay grade, Valen. The king’s guardsmen handle anything outside the perimeter of the city.”
That was before we were so short-handed. Valen sighed. “Get me three of your officers. We’ll go round them up.”
“I’ve got my hands full in here,” Matioc growled. “Especially with the backup at the exit door. And the train is delayed for some reason—this place is a madhouse.”
“Three officers and we can clear up that back-up,” Valen said firmly. “Now.”
Matioc sighed before walking away, mumbling under his breath.
Valen headed over to the walking portal as he waited. Pushing through the crowd of folks waiting to exit, he finally reached the edges of the magic. He pressed in close and watched what was happening outside.
The sun had nearly set… he saw a couple of flashlights in the distance. And another with some sort of device, sweeping the field. They appeared to be searching for something. If they’d been mind-wiped twice already, there was no way they should be aware of the portal.
Yet something had drawn them here—three times, apparently.
There was more to their story. These were not typical humans.
Could they have some role in the attacks against the king? Were the humans working with the vampires—here to distract the guardsmen so the king’s circle of protection was weaker? He couldn’t ignore the fact these humans had arrived just before a series of attacks. Reese—the first of the humans who’d arrived—had been found in a vampire lair.
Had he not been a prisoner, after all?
Perhaps they needed to toss all five humans into a Midnight prison until all could be investigated. Theis wouldn’t be happy to let go of his mate, but then, maybe Reese wasn’t who he made himself appear to be.
Valen heard a scuffle behind him. A look over one shoulder showed him Matioc approached.
“I’ve got your three officers. They’re not trained for work outside the city, so you’d best take care of my men.”
“But of course,” Valen said before he instructed the three on what he expected them to do. Once ready, they marched out into the human world.
In a matter of minutes, the officers had all three of the humans in cuffs. It had almost been too easy. Did they want to be arrested? Valen cocked a brow as the first two were marched into the portal. When the third one passed, a scent hit him in the gut.
“Wait,” he spat before marching over to the third and final human. He glared down at the man, the scent wrapping around him.
Trickery. That’s all it is. I will find out how they’re doing this…