The Wolves of London Book 2: The House of Striker
Chapter 23

(Chapter song ‘Ordinary World’ by Duran Duran)

ZEN

“Ok. Somebody tell me what the hell is going on!” I yell from a seat on the helicopter. The blades thump and the world speeds by as Avery sits beside me.

Razor sits across from us with an annoyed look on her face. “Who the hell are you?!” I motion to her as I scowl.

“She’s a friend, Zen!” Avery leans to me and tries to calm me down.

I push him back. “No. Tell me. Who are these people? What do you know? And what the hell is going on with my family?” I glare at Razor and she looks to Avery. He nods to her.

She flicks her hair over her shoulder and crosses her leg. She opens a pocket on her leg and pulls out a phone. “Everything will be explained when we get to Athens.”

I sit up. “No. You tell me now. I’m sick of just blindly following. I will hunt you down.” I grind.

“Zen! Enough!” Avery tries to pull me back.

“And you!” I turn to him. “What was all that?! You just turn into an asshole and almost get me killed?! What the fuck is going on?!”

He glances at Razor who motions him to go on. “We’ve been following Miranda for a while. We knew she was up to something when the Liberty lab came on line. We knew she found William’s secret army, but we didn’t know it was a painting.”

“Yeah. A magic painting. Are all you people on crack?!” I look at them both like their heads are on backwards.

“Zen. You know the magic exists.” Razor says.

“I know the magic exists.” I say with snark. “My family isn’t magical!!”

Avery lays a hand on my arm. “Your great grandfather wasn’t magical, but he had connections. He also studied science. Genetics. He manipulated the genes of heavy hitting Alphas then hired a set of sorcerers to keep them in a painting.”

“Sorcerers. Who?” I raise a brow.

He looks around quickly then back at me. “One is no longer around. He went missing shortly after helping William. The other… you know him well.”

I scrunch my brow. “You’re joking. Quaid? Quaid couldn’t pull this off. He wasn’t even around then…”

“Not Quaid.” He says.

“Avery. I don’t know any other sorcerers.” I give him a confused look.

He takes my hands. “There is one. He’s been around for a very long time. Nobody really knows how long.”

I study his face and glance at Razor who’s sitting smugly in her sit. I meet Avery’s eyes. “I don’t…”

“Think…” He leans to me.

I search my mind, then my brows come together. I lift my head. “Dorian.”

He nods and I get chills.

“He imprisoned those people… in a painting?” I whisper.

“It’s not an easy spell, but yes. Unfortunately, Dorian only has enough skill for a few days. A month at best before the spell wears off. The other sorcerer helped him make it permanent. And from what we understand, this other sorcerer was the one who put the lock on it. Your blood will open it, but you can’t, Zen. You can’t turn them loose. They’ll eat everything.” Avery insists.

I place the bridge of my nose in my fingers as I cross my legs and lean on my thigh. “Let me get this straight. The guy that would much rather spend his days looking at himself in a mirror, went out of his way to put an entire army in an oil painting with the help of some other wizard in the 1800s and made no mention of it. Even though he can’t even keep the ending of a movie a secret for five minutes. You also want me to believe that he knew my family had an army that, you say, will kill everything, And he kept that a secret, too?”

Razor uncrosses her legs and sits forward. “We don’t know why, but we believe he was getting something out of it. During that time, he went from being a Gamma to Alpha in only a few days without a fight. The guy was dirt poor and doing card tricks on the street for food. We also know that after that, he suddenly became an assistant to Robert Houdin. A famous French magician in the 1800s. Black’s contribution was The Sealed in Art trick. Even Houdin didn’t know how it worked. He has the skill and we believe he used it. He may not know the exact what, why or how of William’s plan, but he knows how the painting works and how to end it.”

“Once we land in London, I’ll be asking just that.” I grit. “I didn’t sign an Alliance with liars.”

Razor snorts. “You don’t know your council too well.”

“What?” My lips shrink.

“That place is crawling with secrets.” She states.

“Like what?” I narrow my eyes.

“One thing at a time. We need to get that painting away from Miranda and somewhere safe.” Avery interrupts.

“Take me to London. If anyone knows how to get past Miranda, it will be the council. Quaid will know what to do.” I order.

“Zen. I don’t think it’s safe…”

I hold up a hand and stop him. “Avery. I know Miranda. She’ll spend time going into hiding and hiding that lab. She won’t be thinking of me. Take me home.”

“Alright. Just be careful.” He sighs.

“I will.”

****

Four hours later, I’m walking into the council room, As soon as the doors open, loud talking hit my ears.

“They don’t have hearts or souls. They only follow logic and law. They aren’t afraid of you. They’re willing to die for what they need. They’re coming and they only have one message.”

I slowly walk toward the council floor and Nathaniel is standing in the middle of the circle. Zander is sitting in his throne as Nala, in her impressive Bengal tiger form, cleans her paws behind the chair.

“Nala.” I whisper with a bow of my head. She pauses and chuffs before going back to grooming.

“What’s the message, Nate?” Zander asks as I stop at his side.

“Return the ark or else.” He replies.

“Or else what?” Demetri says with attitude.

“Or else... It's over. For everyone.” He says as he looks around the circle. “If we don’t replace Nova…” He looks to Cora.

“Hold on.” I hold my hand up.

“ZEN!” Quaid looks around Nathaniel. “Oh my word! Where have you been?! “ He stands and rushes across the floor.

He takes me in a hug and I smile. “I’m fine.”

Zander whips his head to me. “How did you sneak up on me?”

“I’m sneaky.” I wink with a chuckle.

He shakes his head and stands. “Where were you?”

“First, tell me what’s going on.” I stand and look over the council.

“I was going over what I told you. Nova is a danger that needs to addressed or there will be more attacks from the angels.” Nathaniel informs.

“Right. Your little trouble maker with wings. Well, she gave me another message a few hours ago.” I narrow my eyes.

“What? Where?” Nathaniel asks.

“In a minute.” I hold up my hand. “She said there’s someone else who’s a threat. Who’s she talking about?”

Cora interrupts. “She’s talking about Icarus.”

“Icarus? What the hell does he want with an angel?” I scrunch my brow.

“Power to kill all the angels. Nathaniel included. When he was removed from his throne, he lost part of his magic. I don’t know why he’d take an issue with you.” Cora replies.

“Wait. When was he removed from his throne? Last I checked he was still sitting.” I question.

Cora and Nathaniel look at each other, then she clears her throat. “Yes… um… He… will be… is what I meant. And he knows it so he’s looking to protect himself because he knows he’ll lose his magic once it’s done.”

I rub my forehead. “If he’s looking for power, my family's secret would help him.”

“What secret?” She asks.

I tell everyone to sit and I take my seat. “When we were fighting the lava dragon…”

“Uh… Magma dragon.” Krestin corrects.

“Whatever.” I scowl. “Avery and I were kidnapped.”

“Kidnapped?! By whom?!” Quaid blurts out.

“Miranda Williams.” I announce.

Zander sits up and tilts his head. Nala comes out from behind his chair and sits next to his arm. Her ears flatten and she lets out a low rumble. “Miranda took you. Why?”

“How much do you know of Zayden’s history, Zander?” I lean back and cross my legs. I lace my fingers at my chest and eye him.

He leans on the arm of his throne. “I know enough.”

“Did you know my great grandfather almost killed him?” I question.

He looks puzzled. “No.”

“Before humans joined the High Council, my great grandfather had Zayden on his knees ready to take his head. Zayden pleaded for his life and he was about to be axed when the shifter army invaded Striker mansion. My father would often run through contingencies to never let that happen again.” I supply.

Zander looks perplexed as he slowly leans back in his chair. I think the fact that my father was even thinking about the same has him concerned and confused.

“After, William was asked to join the council as a way to offer humans more protection while we lived with you all. William accepted, but he wasn’t stupid.” I eye Demetri when I say that. Demetri squints his eyes.

“He had a motto. ‘Liberty will set us free.’ We use it in our training of new hunters, and up until today, I didn’t know the true meaning.” I state.

“Go on.” Zander says low.

I adjust myself and clear my throat. “William didn’t trust Zayden, so he built something that would ensure the protection of the human race with the help of Miranda and The Foundation. A lab. Seemingly, the first. He called it Liberty. Inside, he performed experiments… on Supernaturals.”

“What kind of experiments?” Cora asks.

I glance at her, then turn to Zander. “The Zayden kind.”

Zanders face falls and his lips shrink. “William. Did this… to my father?” I can his blood pressure rising.

I sit forward and hold a hand out. “No. My family didn’t do this to Zayden, but Miranda found Williams research. She made her own experiments because of what she found.”

“What did she replace?” Quaid questions.

I glance around the circle of royals. “William knew humans were weak. He knew our ability to decipher lore would only get us so far and we would still die. So as a way to ensure we live, he built an army. Secretly. Then he hid them.” My eyes float to Dorian who’s looking down and picking fake lint off himself like he’s bored.

“He hid them. An entire army?” Giovanni inquires.

“This is where it gets interesting.” I take a breath. “William conducted experiments on hybrids. With all kinds of Supernaturals. Everything on the planet at the time. He did this using Zetas.”

Again, I look to Dorian who doesn’t flinch.

“Excuse me?!” Zanders face twists to agitation.

“It’s true. He hunted out Zetas, took them to the lab, and turned them into Zaydens. I haven’t seen them, so I don’t know who they are, but I know where they are.” I inform.

“Wait.” Krestin interrupts. “Are you suggesting there’s an army from the late 1800s alive. Right now.”

“It’s not a suggestion.” I mumble before turning back to Zander. “The army is alive and is being held in Liberty.”

“The lab?” Cora asks.

I nod. “Yes. They’re in there in - and you’re not going to believe this – in an oil painting."

Immediately, Dorian head raises and his eyes meet mine. It’s an intense stare that says I know what he did. He looks uncomfortable, and he’s being quiet which means this is probably bigger than what Avery thinks

Quaid turns to me. “Are you sure?”

“Yep. It’s huge. Full wall sized. Enough for an army to walk through or whatever they need to do to leave it. It also needs my blood to unlock it. William used the services of a couple of sorcerers to help him do it.” I answer.

Zander sucks in his top lip and nods. “So Miranda wants to unleash this army on us.”

“Sounds like it. And if I believe her, this army is Zayden on steroids. I refused to open it for her.” I briefed.

“How did you escape?” Dorian says in less than chipper tone.

“Avery’s friends. They bugged him, found us in the lab and busted us out.” I wait for the usual ribbing at the mention of Avery, but it was like life left the room. “Anyway. Miranda still has the painting. Avery says she can break the painting and let them out, but that would be horrifying.”

“I should say.” Quaid snaps. “Ripping the painting will only allow their souls to transfer to reality. Their bodies would be stuck. Then you’d have a mess of mad ghosts looking to infect the nearest people who could take them. They won’t be right in the mind and will most likely try to eat your heads.”

“Great. Zombies.” Darius rolls his eyes.

Quaid arches a brow. “No. You simple boy. I clearly said mad ghosts.”

Darius' jaw falls slack. “Uh… I-I know. I just… you said eat heads…and…”

“Darius?” Krestin interrupts.

“Yeah.”

“Don’t even try.” He shakes his head and closes his eyes.

“Right.” The kid sits back and shuts his mouth.

Zander looks like he's fighting his anger. “Where is this lab?”

“It’s under a town that I believe is fake. About an hour west of Manchester. But I can guarantee the painting is gone. We left a pretty big hole in the lab when we escaped. She wouldn’t keep it there now.” I answer.

“This woman should have been taken care of the minute she attacked this council. This is all your fault. If she releases this army, this is on your head.” Demetri growls.

“We all know why we didn’t Demetri. Don’t pretend that the vampires didn’t benefit from her skills.” Zander let’s out an annoying sigh.

Demetri shakes his head behind his laced fingers. “Her benefits to us have never been worth the headaches she causes. The only reason she hasn’t had her neck ripped out is because you protect her. What has she done for us lately, Zander? The shaman is no more. We have no need for her mysterious connections. What’s the point of her?”

Zander leans on the arm of his chair and rubs his lips. “At this point, I don’t know. I just know killing Miranda is a bad idea. She has contingencies for contingencies. It’s not that easy. I will agree that we, at least, need to slow her down. This painting will be that. We need to get it from her and hide it.”

“I can throw it in the dragon realm.” Krestin offers.

“Right. The place where even the dragons escape with ease. That’s smart.” Demetri snorts.

“They don’t escape with ease. Someone is letting them out and I’ll replace out who.” Krestin scowls.

“Wait. Someone is letting dragons out?” I question.

He glances at me. “Apparently. There were three break outs in the last month and they didn’t bust out from the inside. I’m not sure why anyone would want a bunch of brainless dragons flying around, but the sick feeling in my furnace tells me it’s not good.”

“You need to figure it out, Krestin. We can’t keep covering up these sightings. The last dirt dragon was hard to cover up.” Zander arches a brow and eyes him.

“Earth dragon, thank you very much.” Krestin corrects.

“Whatever. I don’t want to have a conversation with the King of England about why half of Windsor castle is under mud again. That was the stuff of nightmares.” Zander shutters.

“Don’t worry. I have people on it.” He mutters.

“Good.” Zander grumbles. “I’ll get Ricky on the lab and tracking Miranda. In the meantime, we need to solve this angel problem.”

“Icarus is to the wind.” Cora advises. “I’ve tried to track him, but it seems he’s cloaking himself from the afterlife.”

“Nova is also hiding from me.” Nathaniel jumps in.

“What’s her deal? Her cryptic messages are getting annoying.” I scowl.

“She’s never been outside of Capricorn. She’s excited and not understanding the danger she’s in.” Nathaniel supplies.

“You wouldn’t know it if you talked to her. She knows about Icarus. She seems to be well aware of what’s going on. But she can’t answer a direct question to save her life.” I say with irritation.

“Welcome to the cosmos.” Zander smiles.

“It seems she’s changed.” Nathaniel glances at Cora.

“I still don’t understand what truth she wants me to replace. I found out Avery’s secret. I found my family’s truth. What more is there?” I fold my arms and scrunch my brow.

“Maybe she’s talking about Miranda?” Zander offers.

“No. Because she came to me while they held me in the lab.” I glance around the room.

“Wait. How did she get in?” Nathaniel asks.

“She just popped in and popped back out again.” I shrug.

“Like a cosmic being.” Cora turns to Nathaniel. “Can cherubs do that?”

“Only one kind.” Nathaniel raises a brow. “This is proof we need to replace her quickly before she evolves even more.”

“Agreed. Zen. Do you think we could use you as bait?” Cora smirks.

“If it gets me out of this game, I’m in. I just need to see Avery first.” I stand and pull out my phone.

“How are things between you?” Cora stands and Nathaniel joins her side.

“Messy. I don’t know. This whole thing with Miranda has me feeling like walking away. I just don’t need this headache. But then a part of me says trust him. I don’t know what to think.” I sigh and scratch my hair.

“You need to do what’s right for you.” Cora rubs my arm. “But you said you found his secret. You talked with him, yeah?”

I wrap my arms around myself. “Yeah. He… He was dying of cancer. He didn’t tell me. Instead, he got himself turned for the healing. It pisses me off that he didn’t come to me.”

“Oh my God.” Cora’s face fills with shock.

“It sounds like he was sparing you from his pain.” Nathaniel says.

“That’s what he said. I don’t know. As his wife to be, I’m supposed to help him. I feel like he couldn’t trust me with that.” I lower my head.

“It is confusing, but he told you and wants to make amends. Take it, Zen. Your heart knows.” Cora whispers.

In the corner of my eye I see Dorian stand and prepare to leave.

“I will. Uh… excuse me.”

I leave them there, cross the floor and head straight for the immortal.

“What are you doing?” I ask as he dusts off his matte black top hat.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He puts the top hat on, turns and goes to leave.

“Don't walk away from me.” I grab his arm, turn him around, and point to his nose. “You are the only one with the power to pull this off. What do you know?” I drop my hand and glare. “Tell me how to destroy it.”

He narrows his eyes under the brim of his hat. “You don’t.”

“That’s bullshit, Black. Tell me.” I demand.

He crosses his arms and tilts his head to me. “There is no destroying a picture trap. You can’t. You can only release what’s inside. The whole point of it is to entrap the thing you hate… forever.”

I turn my head slightly. “William didn’t hate his army. He built it to save us.”

He chuckles. “Oh, he did. Why do you think he used Supernaturals instead of humans?”

“They could survive the process?” I study his eyes.

He leans to me. “They’re expendable should the idea fail. He didn’t care he was sending people to their deaths for humans liberation. That’s why the trap works. You can’t use it on something you love. It won’t let you.”

I lick my top lip. “So, when you were performing your tricks on stage, you hated the magicians you worked with.”

He ticks his head. “Maybe a little. I certainly didn’t love them.” He dusts off his sleeves. “The point is, Zen. You’re dealing with magic that will burn you. My advice? Leave it alone. I’ve been around long enough to know what price this magic costs.”

I study him further and I get a twinge in my gut. “Who are you… really?”

He doesn’t answer. Instead, the corner of his lip ticks up, he pulls down on the brim of hat with a head bow, and walks away with his hands behind his back.

I cross my arms and kick out a leg as I stare at his back. “Dorian Black.” I twist my lips as I think. “An immortal with secrets. That can’t be good.”