Chapter Five
Korridum, now known as Calidum to his compatriots and Cal to his friends, sensed a buzzing in the air. He glanced at the transport portal walls. They rippled.
He’d just finished taking the young red dragon back to her relatives and was mid-transport to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. But, as his favorite character from Star Wars would say, he sensed a disturbance in the Force.
He pulled the transport up short. As far as he knew, he was the only one currently on the planet who could do such a thing, not that anyone was aware. Except perhaps Evangeline. She was smart. So very smart. No doubt she would figure out all of his secrets in short order.
The portal fattened into a wider worm-like hole, shortened before Calidum, and then opened to let him out. He stepped from its bowels with graceful ease, willing the portal shut behind him with nothing more than a passing thought. Deep charcoal gray armor wrapped like falling dominoes around his form, covering him inch by inch in a protective barrier of leather, scaled and dark as shadow. His shoulder-length hair shifted to pitch black but for a single snow-white stripe that began just above his left ear.
His once brown eyes darkened, taking on the secrets and the unknown. They became the twilight between now and later, the mystery between here and there. And they they lit on fire, exploding to flame like a charcoal grill under the influence of lighter fluid. It was a white fire, devoid of the warmth of color, but raging with white-hot fuel. His flickering gaze, mesmerizing and powerful, moved over the darkness in the parking garage.
He’d been careful to open the portal in an unpopulated area, which was easy for him since he could sense humanity without having to see, hear, or in most cases, smell it. He estimated that he’d pulled the portal open somewhere between Pier 20 and 30, just short of where he could also sense his queen.
Something was wrong with Eva too. He could feel her fear, prickling at him even from this distance. He’d always been able to tell when something was amiss with Evangeline.
But at the moment, though he appeared to be the only living being in the garage, he knew he wasn’t. He was not alone. What was more troubling to him was that he had no idea who or what was in the garage with him.
Hence the armor.
“Macleod,” came the spoken name from behind him.
Cal processed the tone of voice, the name, and way the name was spoken, and then suddenly he was almost smiling. Almost. Because there were still questions.
He turned slowly to face his old friend. “Fasil,” he said, affecting a Connor Macleod accent from Highlander. “Wait.”
William Balthazar Solan smiled a breathtaking smile, white and straight and charming as hell. His tall frame stepped from the shadows, and a shaft of setting sun struck the piercing emerald of his eyes. “You look good,” said William. “In your own skin, that is. And I hear congratulations are in order.” He grinned now. “You made king.”
“And you made outlaw.”
William raised a brow, but his smile stayed put.
“I’m just wondering now,” continued Cal, “whether you gained the rank accidentally… or very much on purpose.” He was ninety-seven percent sure he knew the answer. William Solan was a good friend and had been for a long time. But Calidum knew Will had been a friend to a lot of people. Word was he was close to The Winter King. And Cal knew that William had a personal relationship of some great importance with the Shifter King. And then of course there was D’Angelo. Roman knew everyone at the table to some degree. So there was a part of Cal that wondered. Because an intelligent criminal would make it a point to befriend as many of his enemies as possible. And William Solan was a very smart man.
William chuckled. It was a clear and deep sound, but to dragon ears, it was different, too. It was almost as if somewhere in there, the tick of a clock laced the vibrations of his voice.
“I don’t do anything accidentally,” said William. And that was probably true. “Perhaps a more appropriate question would be, ‘Is this something I’ve done?’”
Calidum lifted his head. He waited. But William was no more forthcoming. Finally, Cal had to ask. “Is it, William?”
The Time King laughed again. “What do you believe, Dragon King?”
“I believe it’s something that Arach has done,” Cal admitted frankly with a sigh.
William’s smile grew more serene, and an expression resembling pride flickered in his eyes. “You’ve got good instincts. But I knew that already.”
Calidum would not have been able to accurately describe the relief he felt in that moment. To know that one of his closest friends was not the Traitor was priceless. And that level of relief alone told Cal that the friendship was real. “It has nothing to do with instincts,” he said. “And everything to do with the fact that Arach is a bigoted, backwards prick. But a smart bigoted, backwards prick.”
“Aye, there’s the rub that make a Traitor of so long a prick,” joked William with a touch of Shakespeare.
Calidum would have laughed, but Eva was a few piers away, and it was taking a good amount of effort for him to stay where he was rather than go to her. “Why am I here, William? What is happening?”
“You’re here because you can sense it. And I’m here because I knew you would.”
“Something has happened,” said Cal. He frowned. “But the Entity is supposed to be dead.”
“Not everything that is supposed to be… is.” William stepped forward again, the leather soles of his shoes resounding solidly in the otherwise empty garage. “The Entity is very much alive. And so is his queen.”
“The goddess….” Cal closed his eyes as dark realization washed over him. “She’s awake.” Riding hot on the tail of his first realization was an even worse one. Because he knew how she’d been awakened.
“Or waking, rather,” said William. “The process will no doubt take some time. But as she convalesces once more into the real world, the Entity isn’t finished with Evangeline, either. He’ll be coming for her.”
Cal’s eyes flew open, and he felt their fires heat up. “Why?” he asked. But he knew the answer.
“Because,” said William as he pulled a gold pocket watch from an inner pocket of his jacket and pressed the release switch that popped the case open. “A promise is a promise,” he finished. Then he glanced up. “Especially for a Nomad.”